Chapter 30 #3
Unwelcome jealousy bit into my side as he offered his arm and she took it, still jerking me along behind her.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one, as Zane narrowed his eyes at the regent’s back. Maybe he’d help me stab this male. Oh! We could practice our spleen removals on him first.
“You’re now on the second floor, with two bedrooms and a larger receiving area. You’ll be closer to any events that may occur,” the regent narrated along the way.
“Speaking of events,” Sidney said. “How will tomorrow’s trial go?”
He waited to respond until we all filed into her new suite. For a moment, four males surrounded Sidney. Two that looked at her with devotion, one with hunger.
And then there was me, side-eying the ceiling, searching for patterns that may remind me of a past life.
“The coven will be present in the great hall to watch. You’ll step forward one by one before the Flask of Dominion to declare the name and former profession of your nemesis,” the regent explained.
“The Flask will speak through me about whether your offering is accepted. And if he is, you have options for him. You can make him your personal servant or send him to the fighting pits or the mines. You could add him to your Devotion. Or…”
He eyed me suspiciously, his eyes like twin drops of dried blood against his dark complexion. I made a friendly woof at him.
“You can have him executed, which I highly recommend,” he concluded.
That did it. My buddy Zane and I were performing a vivisection on him as soon as possible.
“I shall give it due consideration. Thank you, Lord Regent.” She gave a haughty sniff. He inclined his head and made his exit from there.
Sidney waited a minute, gesturing for quiet as she nibbled on her bottom lip. I folded my hands like paws again, which drew an amused glance from her.
“Let’s have a seat. I think we need to be sitting down for this,” she sighed.
We relocated to her new receiving area. Finn and Zane bracketed Sidney on one of the couches, leaving me to perch at the end of an armchair. I leaned forward awkwardly with the restraints pinning my hands behind my back.
“I could really go for a banana right about now.”
“Later,” she said. I sighed, then remembered myself and barked. “Why do you keep acting like a dog?”
“I’m the goodest boy,” I said cheerfully.
Maybe it is the rope collar, Finn suggested.
Zane rolled his eyes and gestured. Shadowy fingers plucked at the knot securing my makeshift collar around my neck, causing it to slither away. I rolled my stiff shoulders. “Now the manacles?” I suggested.
“Not yet,” Sidney answered.
“You’ll have to feed me.”
She raised a brow.
I bounced mine back at her. “Did you know bananas are considered the most phallic fruit?”
A tint of pink touched the icy skin of her vampiric illusion.
“Anyway,” she said, a little more forcefully than necessary.
“That confrontation with Tierney was telling. I’m not sure anyone will accept that Noir, the storied assassin, is my loyal personal servant.
He’s the sort no one can tame, so pretending he’s my obedient servant won’t fool anyone. ”
Zane cast a glare in my direction. “He doesn’t have much choice in the matter.”
“I think the only way we keep the ruse going is if I declare him to be the next member of my Devotion.” As she spoke and signed at the same time, Zane tensed and Finn’s nostrils flared with a shocked inhale.
Her palms flashed in a placating gesture.
“It’s not a serious offer. It is what I said—a cover story so he can move around freely. ”
“Him? Sunshine, he made you drive that blade into your own body. You could’ve died.” Zane’s tone was full to the brim with scorn. “No matter what role you put him in, no one will believe he willingly—”
“You want me to court you?” I blurted.
Oh, what a delight. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d courted a lady. I was already full of ideas of what kinds of gifts to give her. She seemed like she’d like roses.
The next half-moon would arrive soon enough. And I hadn’t had sex in…
My lips quirked thoughtfully. Had it been decades? It’d definitely slipped my mind between one year and the next.
“Not necessarily. But if you could pretend to be enamored with me, it’ll lift a lot of suspicion from us,” she answered carefully.
“Pretend?” I exaggerated my gasp. “Why would I have to pretend? Wait—important question. Which version of you do I get to kiss?”
“I hate this already,” Zane put in. Of course he did. But he’d get over it. Vampiresses were meant to be shared. And he was my buddy, even if he didn’t know it yet.
The Flask will probably require that you follow through, Finn signed. He gestured to himself with a meaningful flourish. Something more private passed between them just from a shared glance before she rested her hand on his knee.
“Look, we shouldn’t waste time on the details.
My disguise has a week left, once I go refresh it tomorrow.
” She sighed, running her free hand through her hair.
“And that’s all the time we get. We kill the other candidates and secure the crown on my head in that time, or else.
We don’t have until the next half-moon.”
“I’m ready to finalize this union now. Why bother waiting for a half-moon?” I gave her my most seductive smile.
“The ceremony can only be held on the half-moon,” Sidney said.
I wilted in disappointment. “Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. But surely a night like that warrants a preliminary run. I’m more than willing to contribute.”
“Enough, Noir. I’ve got far more pressing worries than that at the moment.”
Her frown was troubled as she focused on some part of the wall rather than meet any of our gazes. Her mood brought the rest of us down. The silence weighed heavily, thick with tension.
“In two weeks, I’ve accomplished a fraction of what I’ve intended to do. But when I’m queen, I can do it all without wearing a mask. Surely that’s acceptable. Surely…that’s enough.” Her voice broke with uncertainty.
Zane rubbed her arm in soothing circles. “You’re doing more than enough.”
You are going to be queen. We will make sure of it. Finn leaned over and kissed her cheek.
She took a deep breath. “You’re right. Also, screw Tierney and her accusations. In less than a week, she and all the other candidates will be dead.”
I snapped my fingers behind my back, though with the awkward angle, it didn’t make a sound. I knew what I’d get Sidney for her first courting gift. Something much more meaningful than a fistful of roses.
Now, if only I could remember what my next victim’s face looked like…