Chapter 18
“–Foolish thing you’ve ever done.”
“Don’t you think I know that?”
“She could’ve been—”
“I know, godsdamnit.”
I gazed up at the canopy of the bed, watching the draft tug at the linen curtains above my head. I had been bathed and dressed in a shift the color of the hoarfrost that coated the grounds outside my window. At the opposite end of the chamber, Mordric and Enhart argued in hushed tones.
“You know that I’ve never lost control like that before. It was different,” Mordric said.
“So I gathered.”
“Then perhaps instead of berating me, you should get a handle on your woman. She’s the one who put the ridiculous idea in Finn’s head.”
A low growl sounded. “Genevieve is not my woman, as you are well aware. Need I remind you of the reason I’ve been keeping her company to begin with?”
“You need not.”
“Besides, I’ve already dealt with her.”
I sighed. They had been talking in circles for what felt like hours. I lifted myself onto my elbows. “I’m awake,” I announced.
The look of shock on their faces nearly made me laugh. “And I feel fine,” I informed them matter-of-factly.
Mordric flew to my side. “Finn, thank the gods,” he said.
I heard the door creak shut as his brother slipped away, leaving us alone. Good. I couldn’t bear to look at him. Humiliation twisted in my gut as I recalled the look on his face when I’d finally regained consciousness. In the bathtub. Naked. Letlas save me.
I cleared my throat. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Since yesterday,” Mordric said. “Take this.”
He held a cup of water to my lips. I drank greedily, a bead of water dripping down my chin. I met his gaze. “I remember what happened,” I said. “But I’m afraid I don’t understand it.”
He grimaced. “The truth is that I—I lost control. It was your blood, I think. It put me into some kind of trance. I’ve never tasted anything like it.”
“How am I still alive?” I whispered.
“Enhart.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Enhart offered his blood to save you.”
“So that’s what I tasted.” I touched my fingers absentmindedly to my lips as the memory flooded back to me. My skin warmed as I ran my tongue along the hard edges of my teeth.
“Indeed,” said Mordric. “Remember how I told you that vampire blood can accelerate healing in humans? Our blood—mine and Enhart’s—is especially potent as we come from one of the oldest bloodlines in Valen.”
“Oh,” I said, absently putting a hand to my throat. My fingers found no wound. Not even the mottled flesh of a scar. “It feels like a dream.” Or a nightmare.
“To be honest, I barely remember it myself,” admitted Mordric. “I was too busy trying to rip the heads off the guards who pulled me off of you.”
My eyes widened. “Did you?”
He shook his head. “Fortunately not. Although it wasn’t for lack of trying. Thankfully, they were able to, er, subdue me until I calmed down.”
They? Good gods, how many people had seen me in that state? I dropped his gaze. “I heard crashing when I was, er … I mean, it must have taken quite a few men to overpower you,” I stammered.
He nodded. The canopy of the bed fluttered as he perched on the edge of the mattress an uncomfortable distance away. “Do you really feel fine?”
I weighed his words for a moment. “I think so. Physically, at least.”
“Then allow me to beg your forgiveness knowing that I owe you far more than an explanation. I will make it up to you. I promise.”
I met his gaze. Concern was etched into features so sharp it was as if they had been carved from ice. I hated to be the cause of it. Brushing off my embarrassment, I cupped his jaw in my hand, absentmindedly dragging my thumb against his skin.
“I forgive you,” I said.
I leaned in to kiss him, my eyes widening as he pulled away before I could reach him. “What’s wrong?” I asked, my cheeks burning. “I said I forgive you, but a little convincing wouldn’t hurt.”
“I should warn you, Finn,” he said stiffly, “you might be feeling some side effects from the adrenaline.”
“What?”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Enhart gave you his blood.”
“I know,” I grumbled, pulling the sheets up to my chest as I sank back into the bed. I wasn’t likely to forget it.
“It was a shock to your body. You might feel like you have energy, but you need rest.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I said.
“I’m not finished,” he warned. “There are consequences to drinking a vampire’s blood. You’ll be hyper-sensitive to light, to touch …” He trailed off.
My eyes widened as I recalled what he had said to me on the eve of Iltsar. To share blood is considered an act of great intimacy among my kind. I sucked in a breath, my eyes raking over him. His jaw was clenched and the muscles in his arms grew taut. Guilt washed over me.
“Enhart only gave me his blood because it was an emergency,” I said slowly. “An accident.”
He nodded, avoiding my gaze. “Correct.”
“So, you’re not upset, are you?”
“No, I’m not upset.”
“He’s definitely upset.”
I threw myself back on my pillows with an exasperated groan. “Great. I’m already humiliated, and now he’s upset with me.”
Vesper perched on a settee at the foot of my bed, shrugging. “Why are you humiliated? Because they discovered you in the bath?”
I buried my face in my hands. An image of the prince leaning over the edge of the bathtub flashed before my eyes. “Please don’t remind me.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know if it’s your Outlander or human sensibilities, but you are so prudish,” she admonished. “I promise that yours is not the first naked body Prince Enhart has seen.”
I groaned. “Thanks.”
She kicked off her slippers, plucking a honeyed pastry from the tray that rested atop my blankets.
She picked it apart, the amber syrup shimmering on her fingertips.
“Now, the King is another matter entirely. It’s not uncommon for vampires to share partners, but from what I hear, His Majesty has never been very good at it. ”
I grimaced. “Enhart and I are not partners. He gave me his blood because I was dying. I’m sure anyone else would have done the same in his position.”
She popped a piece of pastry into her mouth, chewing as she rested her gaze on me. “No, they wouldn’t. My suggestion? Pay him back now and be absolved of your debt. Maybe then the King will let it go.”
I eyed her warily. “What am I supposed to do, get him a gift?”
She snorted. “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of blood debt.”
“I have,” I replied, my tone icier than I meant it to be. She didn’t seem to notice, though. Nor care. “But what do you suggest? Offer him my neck and see if he takes it? I’m sure Mordric would be pleased.”
She giggled. “Perhaps not. Although he’s not the only one you need to worry about.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, frowning. “What do you mean?”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Sometimes I forget that you’re merely a babe surrounded by a sea of ancient creeps.”
“Are you counting yourself among them?”
She scowled. “I’m not that old. Barely two centuries. Regardless, I’m only too familiar with the inner workings of Valen’s high society. There may be others who seek to exploit this little incident.”
I frowned. “What is there to exploit?”
“Plenty. Weakness, anger, and jealousy, among other things.”
“Jealousy?” I parroted. “Who’s jealous?”
She shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past the King. Not to mention that bitch, Genevieve.”
I scoffed. “I highly doubt that Genevieve is jealous of me.”
“Are you kidding? With all that telepathic back and forth between you and Enhart at Iltsar? What?” she added as my jaw dropped.
“Anyone who paid the slightest bit of attention to either of you that night could tell that you were having some kind of conversation. You didn’t even react to my hilarious retelling of the incident with the countess, the stable hand, and the runaway carriage.
Meanwhile, I thought the Duke of Teriac was going to piss himself; he was laughing so hard. ”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Sorry, Ves. That was rude of me.”
“Well, not rude enough for me to try and feed you to the King. Frankly, I’m surprised that Enhart didn’t rip off that wretch’s head when he was throwing her out of the castle on her ass. Although from what I heard, he came pretty close. The butlers were placing bets on it.”
“They were not.”
“They absolutely were.”
I giggled as I leaned back against my pillows.
Vesper’s smile faded, her silver eyes searching. “No one could have predicted that the King would lose control, but I still find myself wondering why you did it. Was it really because of Genevieve?”
I avoided her gaze, my cheeks growing warm. “The night of Iltsar, she said that the King wouldn’t share blood with just anyone. I suppose it made me nervous that I wasn’t giving him what he wanted.”
“Oh, Finn,” said Vesper, “I hope you know that that’s not true.”
“I know,” I sighed. “I played right into her hands.”
“Well, if you’re still angry at her about it, I’m perfectly happy to write to one of my more bloodthirsty friends and have her hunted down for sport.”
“Vesper,” I said. “You really are something else.”
She winked. “Don’t I know it.”