Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
PARIS
Man, there were several springs in my step tonight.
And they came from sleeping with the vampire king.
Whoa, multiplied by a billion!
Still, I couldn’t stop myself from whistling as I showered and dressed, slipping on some fresh jeans and a T-shirt, finishing up with the black leather jacket.
Check me out, feeling all relaxed.
A fresh breeze blew through the bedroom, the drapes rippling gently. What a difference a night made. No storm, everything calm.
Yeah. For how long?
A scanhawk flew past the balcony, the beating of its mechanical wings making me flinch. Damn golden robot birds and their green beams scanning for executioners and escaped frostbrood.
This one didn’t stop, heading west toward the mainland.
Yeah, fucking see ya!
Once it flew out of sight, I stepped out onto the balcony to chill for a bit, allowing myself a calm-before-the-next-storm moment.
I smelled him on me. That citrussy aroma cutting through the scent of the cherry shower gel. Awesome. I liked it there, wanted it to linger for as long as possible.
Amazingly, I didn’t hate myself as much tonight. Weird, sure, but a relief. The executioners being knocked out by Suspending Gas helped.
So, what about this king thing?
Ugh. Like I had any sort of clue outside of things being complicated.
Okay, so I was attracted to him. Fine. I accepted that.
I liked sleeping beside him, and kind of hoped for more action. The sweaty kind, to show him my thanks for showing mercy again, to send our minds into the stars for a taste of respite.
But that didn’t mean anything would happen again.
We weren’t right for each other in any shape or form.
Medusa showed up with caramel shortbread, a steaming mug of coffee, and a fresh pack of mistrock cigs.
Hell to the yes!
We sat together on the balcony after she grabbed a couple of folding chairs from a cupboard near the bathroom, keeping the chitchat as light as strawberry flan.
Pearl’s favorite dessert.
“I’ve heard there’s an incredible bakery in Glimmer City selling the most delectable baked goods,” Medusa said. “Thought I’d share that with you.”
I nodded enthusiastically, since I couldn’t say anything because my mouth was full of sugary goodness.
At last! A reunion with the overlord of all sweet treats. Whoever made these beauties here at the palace needed a massive promotion. Give them all the coin they wanted because they’d achieved perfection.
Unfortunately, I only got halfway through the big slab before Caer asked me to sing.
For fuck’s sake!
Back in the clearing, I pouted at her, letting out an exasperated huff.
“If it’s on the floor, I’m going to sulk harder than ever,” I grumbled, watching her inspect the roses.
“What are you talking about?” she asked dreamily.
As before, Silvanus was left over in the same spot.
Poor guy. This really wasn’t fair. “Nothing. What’s up?”
She sniffed a rose, then looked me in the eye. “Are you ready to leave?”
“Just waiting on Silvanus.”
“Can you hurry him up?”
“I can’t make him do anything.”
Her nostrils flared. “Well, he needs some urgency about him.”
And you need a personality transplant. “He has a lot of urgency about him.”
That got no response from her.
I changed the subject. “So, what’s happening?”
“I am simply checking in on you.”
“Oh. I’m sweetcream. You?”
“What I really mean is I am testing the vampire king.”
Erm, huh?
She laughed at the obvious confusion on my face. “To see if I could trigger anything about what Aidan took from him. The more I consider it, the more I believe in its importance.”
Uh-huh. “Why didn’t you just say that?”
“To avoid upsetting you.”
“Why would it upset me?”
She didn’t answer that. “I wonder what this special knife of yours is.”
“Yeah, wouldn’t we all like to know?” I answered.
“Indeed.” She switched her attention back to the roses. “Goodbye, special one.”
Returning to the balcony, I was relieved to see the caramel shortbread still in my hand, but I was pissed off at the interruption.
Damn quirky elf deity.
Boats appeared on the ocean, lurking out in the deeper areas. Lights on, some of them carrying aircraft, while smaller boats patrolled the shallower waters.
“What the hell?” I asked.
I leaned over the balcony, checking out the cobbled streets of the town directly below me and saw a shit load of guardians in their navy uniforms marching under the glow of the streetlights.
Were we under attack again?
I dashed to the bedroom door, flinging it open, Medusa hot on my heels.
Two guards immediately blocked me, a pair of burly thrall guys built like muscled mountains. I’d break my hands punching those chests.
“The guardians are here to protect the palace,” Medusa said behind me.
I gasped a little too hard. “They…they are?”
“Yep. Silvanus arranged it earlier with President Walker.”
“Oh. Shit.”
Guardians worked on the side of order, not chaos. Unless you were an executioner, of course.
“Now get inside,” one of the guys demanded.
After some death glares, I closed the door. Rather than argue, I cooled things off before a situation arose.
I knew when to keep my mouth shut, at least ninety percent of the time.
A little sweaty from the rush of panic, I sat on Silvanus’s bed to gather myself, desperate to get out of here.
“Are you okay, sugar?”
I nodded at her, getting to my feet. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay to panic.”
“No, it’s not. Excuse me a sec.” I went to the bathroom to splash my face with water.
“Get a grip,” I told my reflection, droplets of refreshing cold water glistening on my skin.
Aidan showed up behind me, waving a dagger.
Oh, shit.
I spun, bringing out my stakeblade. But he came at me with a quicker move, driving the knife into my stomach.
Pain exploded through my body, my head immediately lost in a sickening spin.
Whoa. The white-hot burn in my guts snatched my breath away, confusing my cells with agony and a wave of numbness.
Any second now, I’d pass out.
Medusa came at him, throwing a punch. But he vanished in a cloud of gold-and-black, her fist colliding with my face instead.
“No!” she yelled.
Down I went, the back of my head smacking on the tiled floor, the dagger still buried inside me. A film of watery red passed over my vision, my chest full of cold fire.
I coughed, blood spurting from my mouth, my life draining away.
Caer’s voice chimed weakly in my ears, begging me to sing. But the sluggish thumping of my heart drowned her out.
Cold. So cold. I shivered, Medusa’s face appearing above me, blurry, melting away like a freshly painted canvas left out in the rain.
Aidan.
Man, he got me good.
Everything went dark.
A screaming, terrifying dark.