Chapter 23
Je ne te fais pas confiance
CLAIRE
Natalia stood beside me, glaring into the darkness, as if she, too, was cursing him for being such an arrogant bastard.
Guilt, shame, and frustration had me clenching my jaw and balling my hands into fists. Bastien had pulled me into his lap and unraveled me like a spool of thread. Now he was punishing me like this was all my fault—and everyone else’s too.
After the sound of hoofbeats died, Natalia whipped around, her long braid nearly smacking me in the face. “Come on, Claire. Dinner time.”
I didn’t move when she stepped toward the circle of tents.
My body trembled from the cold and the wind, but I continued to stare into the darkness, making my own kind of oath.
One that hardened my heart to him. If he never wanted to touch me again, then so be it.
I never wanted him to touch me again, either.
This whole thing proved just how much of a monster the Duke truly was.
It also proved how stupid I was for thinking my plan to woo him might actually work.
My shoulders slumped, and the hot press of tears burned in the back of my throat.
Mama was right. I wasn’t smart. Now, more than ever, I needed to stick to what my family had told me to do—gain enough of his trust to sneak around behind his back. To listen. To find allies in his court.
“Did you hear me?” Natalia prodded. “I have orders to follow, and so do you.”
Her demanding voice grated on me, and I struggled to harness the sweetness I was supposed to be showing these vampires. I was too frustrated. Too angry. Too bitter.
A breeze blew over my shoulder, and I could feel the presence of another vampire. Behind me, Natalia groaned. “What do you want?”
I turned to find Tyson had joined us at the edge of camp. He looked wholly out of place among the trees and tents. A shiny coin at the bottom of a dark well. He casually ran a hand through his black hair. Glancing my way, he winked. “I thought I heard someone ask what a consort is?”
I narrowed my eyes at the Viscount. I was angry with him for causing trouble.
“No one asked you,” Natalia shot back. “Come on, Miss Donadieu,” she grumbled, grabbing my arm and yanking me roughly forward. I slipped on the icy snow and nearly toppled into Tyson. He steadied me with one hand, and with the other, grabbed Natalia at the wrist, just above where she held me.
“Just a moment, Cousin.”
My gaze darted between the two of them. Natalia stared at the place where he was touching her like she might bite his hand off. Which I wasn’t opposed to after he sent me to that feeding tent.
“I can see you’re rather busy,” he said casually, “so how about we split the duties? I can give the order to strike camp. You ensure Miss Donadieu has something to eat and gets all her important questions answered. She’s half frozen, standing there in nothing but a nightgown.”
Despite my annoyance with Tyson, if given the choice, I’d rather eat dinner with him than spend more time with her. Which was saying something.
A beat of silence passed before Natalia shoved me backward.
I stumbled over a pile of snow and landed squarely on my backside, gasping as she drew a knife from her chest scabbard, elbowing him in the ribs in the process.
He doubled over, and just as fast, she whirled around behind him, grabbing his hair and fitting the blade against his throat. A wicked smile spread across her face.
“I’d love to see you order our guard around,” she said with a humorless chuckle. “Gods, it would make me laugh so hard to watch them tell you to fuck off like the green little boy you are.”
Tyson reached for his own blade, drawing with lightning speed and twisting out of her grip, reversing the hold on her. His blade pressed to her throat.
I gasped again, unsure who I wanted to win in this fight. Or if I wanted anyone to win. I hugged my arms around my chest, trying to stop shivering.
“What makes you think you’re so much better than me?” Tyson questioned. “I’m the one who has been named heir to Chateau Rose.”
Natalia slipped free from his grip, and lunged, slashing at him with her dagger. Teeth bared. Eyes black. “I don’t think I’m better than you. I know it.”
I wasn’t sure why, but watching them argue had my thoughts drifting to my little sister.
Sera was younger than me, but had been named my mother’s successor because I lacked the magick necessary to lead our coven.
I wondered if Tyson possessed any special skills, like Bastien’s ability to slide into minds, and if that’s why he had been chosen over Natalia.
Or if it was simply because he was a male.
Natalia kicked Tyson between the legs and then punched him in the jaw.
He flew ten feet through the air and landed in a snowbank.
It gave her enough time to draw the sword at her hip.
The two stared at each other. Her—standing her ground.
Him—flat on his back. Both breathing heavy.
Natalia let out a bellowing scream and attacked—racing to where he lay and pointing the tip of her sword at his neck.
“Diana!” I gasped. Was she going to cut his head off?
I crawled toward them, trying to get a better look. My fingers were like icicles, and, without a cloak, my clothing was soaked through.
She pressed her weight forward, and the tip of her sword pushed against his skin.
“These people are more than just family to me. We’ve fought together, shoulder-to-shoulder.
Taking curses. Carrying dead bodies back to the wagon.
Watching friends burn on the pyre. I’ve lived in the north for a hundred years, and the people of Roselyn know my worth.
” She bent low, teeth bared. “You’re nothing to them.
They won’t respect your title—or you—until you do something worth respecting. ”
Tyson scowled, and something inside me twisted. I felt a little bad for him. Yes, he was haughty and spoiled, but it wasn’t his fault. He was eighteen. I mean, my sister could be reckless at times too, but wasn’t she supposed to learn and fail and grow as a leader?
I might envy her gifts, but I would never treat Sera the way Natalia was treating Tyson. Even if she was adored while I was ignored.
Natalia eased her weapon back into its scabbard, and Tyson got to his feet—brushing snow off his back. He dipped his chin in the smallest bow. “I’ll pack up my tent.” He strode off, only stopping to look back at me once before he disappeared into his tent.
Some part of me admired him. Even if he had caused trouble.
Natalia grumbled something under her breath in Sanguisi, then gestured for me to follow her.
This time, I was cold enough to listen. We cut our way through camp, heading toward a spit where a wild boar was roasting.
Natalia cut off a hunk of meat and placed it on a piece of bread.
She was beautiful. With perfect cheekbones and a long, slender neck.
Thick brown hair that always stayed in place.
But there was a hardness to her. Like she picked up a shield a long time ago and never set it down.
Not for anyone. I needed to do the same.
Put a shield around my heart and stop acting so damn emotional.
She handed me the food, then gestured for me to follow her. As we walked through camp, she called into each tent we passed, informing them it was time to pack up and move out for the night. Her order was met with groans, but swift action.
Once we got to the largest tent, the one Bastien and I shared, I sank onto a pile of furs, wrapping myself in one. Natalia took a seat across from me, elbows propped on her knees while she watched me eat. The meat was juicy and hot, and I ate without manners.
“What did you do to anger His Grace?” she asked. “Did you slap him like your sister slapped me?”
“Are you always this… intense?”
“No,” she snapped back, another wicked smile spreading across her face. “Sometimes I’m worse.” Her look darkened. “Now answer the question, Miss Donadieu.”
I told myself to be sweet and control my temper, but it was impossible at the moment. Returning her glare, I said, “I didn’t slap him.”
Natalia didn’t seem convinced. Her little nose scrunched. “Maybe not, but you’ve done something to him. Ever since he met you, he’s been acting strange. You’re not a witch in disguise, are you?”
I busied myself with a piece of meat, tearing off a hunk and shoving it in my mouth. “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“When I find out what it is,” Natalia continued, “there won’t be a law in this land that keeps you safe. Do you understand me?”
I had no doubt she’d make good on that promise if she ever discovered my treason. Barely tasting the meat, I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet her critical gaze, wondering how I was going to convince her I wasn’t here for nefarious reasons, when I was.
“I haven’t done anything to him. The Duke is simply…” I searched for a word to describe him without being too disrespectful and landed on, “moody.”
Silence followed, and I wondered if I’d gone too far—if she was going to raise her blade to my throat too.
Natalia cracked a reluctant smile. “He is moody, isn’t he?”
We both shared a small laugh, the tension breaking. When the laughter died, it got quiet again. I shoved another piece of meat in my mouth.
“Moody as he may be, there isn’t a better vampire in the land. He’s worth three of his brothers. And six of the Viscount.” She spat on the ground, then shook her head. “I still can’t believe that idiot was named heir. Of all my cousins, they had to choose him.”
I realized Natalia and I might have more in common than I thought. It seemed she didn’t have many people to talk to either. I could learn a lot from this warrior vampire.
“Who is your father?”
She crossed her arms, reclining back on the furs. “The Duke of Nightfall. Prince Josse.”
I didn’t know much about vampires, but I knew the Duke of Nightfall. He governed the lands of my family home. Mama had a drawing of his face that hung outside the barn where they practiced throwing axes. She was fond of saying how incompetent and arrogant he was. I kept that last part to myself.
“Chateau Blanc is far from here.” I leaned sympathetically in. Setting my food aside. “Do you miss your family?”
She made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. “Why do you care?”
“I’m just making dinner conversation,” I offered.
Natalia removed her blade and started cleaning it with the edge of her black tunic. “My dinner usually doesn’t talk.”
“Neither does mine,” I snapped back.
She regarded me with mild amusement, and I hoped this meant she found me funny and wasn’t about to stab me.
“The Duke told me about that necklace. The way it tried to kill you. He said it was meant to tease him into choosing you by drawing fresh blood.” She made another disgusted noise. “Who does something like that?”
I met her angry gaze with wide eyes. “You’ve never done anything desperate to protect someone you love?”
Natalia went silent, and I went back to eating. Finishing most of the tender meat and starting on the bread before the vampire spoke again. “Choosing your consorts is the best part of your job. Besides the money.”
She was changing the subject, which I took for a good sign, and I followed her lead. “But what are they?”
She gave me a foxlike grin, then crossed her long legs. “Well paid lovers who have been trained in the art of seduction.”
Oh. Oh.
“You get to pick three, but know you’re required to treat them just as kindly as they’ll treat you. Or face my Uncle’s wrath.”
“Three!” I gasped, my cheeks reddening. “Why so many?”
She eyed me. “We don’t want you becoming too attached to one person. Sanguine partners aren’t allowed to be courted during their employment. So, keeping multiple lovers ensures your needs are met without it developing into a relationship.”
So, this was why Bastien had said my consorts could take care of my needs.
They were there to pleasure me. I didn’t need pleasuring, so to speak.
But, having three people at my disposal might be good for other things.
Like discovering more information about His Grace and the demonic relics. The idea had promise.
“We’ll sample the applicants when we arrive at Chateau Rose,” Natalia told me.
“Thank you,” I said, giving her a genuine smile. “For the food. And the dinner conversation.”
Her grin flattened into a scowl. “Stay put until we give the order to load the coach. I’ll come back to collect you.”
I nodded, standing when she did out of respect. Trying to prove to her that I wasn’t the enemy. Even though I very much was.