《Bane (Vampire Apocalypse #1)》


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    CHAPTER ONE


    That day lingered at the back of Kahli¡¯s mind like a nightmare. The memories and emotions bled together, making every terrorizing moment painfully clear. Kahli and her mother were not half way through the crystalized trees when the first ray of light burst forth. Icy pines jutted up out of the ground forming towering spires. Kahli remembered everything: The crisp scent of the morning air, the sunlight on her face, her mother¡¯s voice¡ªeven and urgent¡ªtelling her to stay hidden. Every piece of information was stored with acute detail in her mind.


    Making their way down the icy slope of the mountain had taken longer than expected that day. It was nearly ten years ago now. She was barely seven. Just after they¡¯d entered the woods, Kahli¡¯s mother turned sharply. Instinctively, she grabbed her daughter¡¯s hand, and searched the landscape behind them. Her heart stopped. The Trackers were too close. If she didn¡¯t do something, they would both be captured. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled.


    Her grip on Kahli¡¯s small hand tightened. Leaning closer to her daughter, she whispered in her ear, ¡°Run.¡±


    Kahli blinked, shaking her head. It felt like she was stuck in a dream and time had stopped. Her mind couldn¡¯t comprehend what her mother did. What she said. This couldn¡¯t be real. But it was. Mom ran directly toward the Trackers, leaving her behind. Ignoring the terror that rushed through her tiny body, Kahli turned and sprinted in the opposite direction. The pounding of her heart echoed in her ears as she sucked in the frigid air. Cold, dry wind whipped her small cheeks. Kahli¡¯s spiked shoes cut deep into the glittering snow, but there was no foot print, only tiny holes left by the spikes. They would soon be covered with the powdery snow that blew through the air like dust.


    Kahli ran until the stitch in her side felt like it was going to burst. Her legs screamed in protest, burning, begging her to stop, but she didn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t. Sucking in huge gasps, Kahli ignored the needles pinching her lungs and fled. She didn¡¯t look back. There were no sounds other than the thumping of her heart and the howl of wind ripping through the iced trees. She didn¡¯t know what her mother heard, but she knew without a doubt that there was danger behind her, and that her mother had run straight into it.


    Kahli stumbled, forcing her feet to continue. The brightness of the frozen trees shone in her eyes like a thousand suns, blinding her.


    They should have passed through these woods earlier. It was her fault they were here now, trying to escape from creatures that couldn¡¯t be outrun. Her heart hammered harder, her small body filled to the brim with fear, shaking as she ran. The ski mask that covered her face to protect her from the wind made it difficult to see. She¡¯d nearly collided with a tree because it didn¡¯t fit quite right. The worn wool was too large for her small head. Kahli untied her hood and tore off the mask. She decided it was better than slamming into one of the ancient aspens. Breathless, she shoved the mask in her pocket. Fiery red hair streamed behind her as she fled.


    Nearing the edge of the woods, Kahli slowed. A sound carried through the trees to her left. Jerking her head towards the noise, Kahli saw her mother rush through a thicket of briars, shattering them into tiny fragments as she thrashed her way through.


    Breathless, Mother reached for Kahli, and shoved her into the frozen thicket. The branches gave way without shattering, concealing the small child. Leaning down, Mother breathed so hard that Kahli could barely understand her.


    ¡°Stay in there. Don¡¯t come out.¡± She put her finger on her lips, and backed away from her daughter¡¯s frightened green eyes and small round face.


    Mother was within reach when the Trackers burst into the clearing. A large man with a thick coat that barely concealed his round belly, huffed, saying, ¡°Thought you could escape, did you?¡± He wore white like we did, so he could blend into the landscape. The man moved towards Mother, who stood utterly still. The dark-haired man examined her, sliding his eyes up and down her thin frame. Her fingers fisted at her sides, ready to fight. The man¡¯s narrow eyes ignored the gesture. Stubble lined his jowls, as if he hadn¡¯t shaved for days. He scratched his chin like he¡¯d forgotten something.


    A boy appeared next to him. He couldn¡¯t have been more than eight years old. His gangly frame seemed too tall for his thin body. He was like the other man¡ªpale with dark hair. Stepping into the clearing, he stopped behind the man. The boy appeared frail, but Kahli knew he wasn¡¯t. That boy was a Tracker, a vampire, like the fat man. She could sense it. Mother taught her long ago how to distinguish a vampire. The telltale sign was an uncontrollable prickling of the skin on the back of her neck. Nothing made it ease. It was a reaction to the vampire¡¯s unnatural state.


    Kahli pressed her face to the cold ground, trying not to breathe. She didn¡¯t know what they were doing. Tears stung the corners of her eyes as terror coursed through her veins, but she remained hidden.


    Mother held her chin up high, ¡°I evaded you long enough.¡± She¡¯d lost her mask. Wisps of dark hair blew gently away from her face.


    He laughed, reaching into the bag he carried across his chest. ¡°Not much good it did you.¡± He removed something that glittered in the sunlight¡ªshackles.


    Mother stepped away, ready to run. But she didn¡¯t want to flee and leave her daughter with the Trackers. Even the boy was dangerous, but there were no other options. When the man moved to wrap the gleaming metal around her wrists, Mother lifted her foot and stabbed the man in the leg with the spikes of her shoe. A wild howl tore from his throat. The nails pierced his skin, leaving long deep holes. Blood covered his shin in long lines where metal met flesh and poured down his leg.


    The dark-haired boy came to life. He moved faster than she could see. Before her mother got in another shot, she hit the ground. A gush of air was forced out of her lungs when Mother fell on the packed snow.


    The fat man reached for Mother, jerking her to her feet. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for that.¡± Without another word, his hand collided with the side of her face. The sound filled Kahli¡¯s ears. Her tiny stomach lurched within her, her small eyes wide and frightened. His hand landed squarely on her mother¡¯s jaw with such force that her head turned to the side.


    Mother didn¡¯t scream, she just closed her eyes. When she reopened them, she glared at him.


    The man ignored her glare, and cast his gaze at every tree in the clearing. The holes in his leg had already healed, but his pants were stained with blackened blood. The boy watched, standing nearby, his eyes scanning the trees.


    He addressed the boy, his dark eyes searching the gleaming forest. ¡°She doubled back. There has to be a reason.¡±


    The boy was quiet for a moment and then asked, ¡°Do you think she has young nearby?¡±


    Mother didn¡¯t move. Her expression remained the same as she desperately tried not to look at her daughter. Kahli¡¯s heart was beating so fast within her tiny body that she thought they would hear it. She stuffed her mittens into her mouth to keep from crying. They¡¯d find her. They knew she was there. Hidden at their feet.


    The man nodded, his lips snaked into a grin, ¡°It stands to reason...¡±


    The boy stepped forward and began to move methodically through the clearing. Looking between the branches in the frozen thickets, his ungloved hands pushed through thorns, bending back the branches. The ice-covered brambles slid against his pale skin, but he did not bleed. He continued pulling vines and frozen foliage, parting them and peering into the shadows until he was next to the exact place Kahli was hiding.


    Kahli held her breath. Her mother¡¯s eyes were glued to the boy¡¯s back as his hands were dangerously close to her daughter. Mother¡¯s entire body was stiff. She swallowed hard, watching the boy get closer and closer.


    Kahli¡¯s heart slammed into her ribs. Air wouldn¡¯t come. She couldn¡¯t breathe. The boy crouched, parting the thicket and bent down low. He was standing just above her, his hands right above her head.


    And he stopped. His blue eyes stared into the dark place where Kahli hid deep within the thicket.


    His eyes locked on hers. Kahli didn¡¯t move. A panicked scream stuck in her throat, refusing to come out. Her teeth bit into her mitten. Tension lined her body as she tried to remain motionless. Every part of her wanted to scream, but she only trembled, remaining still and silent.


    The boy¡¯s blue eyes remained fixed on hers, but he didn¡¯t move. He simply stared. She wasn¡¯t certain if he saw her among the shadows or not. After a moment he turned away. The branches flew back into place, concealing Kahli.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing here, but frozen thorns. Whatever she had is gone,¡± the boy stated, staring blankly.


    The man grunted, displeased. ¡°Then find her. You know the situation we¡¯re in. Bringing in a wild female and her young would fix everything. We¡¯d be welcomed back by the Queen herself.¡± He beamed, imagining it.


    The boy nodded, dark hair falling in his eyes, ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± And he took off between the trees, tracking down a girl that was hidden right in front of him.


    CHAPTER TWO


    Kahli was no longer a child. Nightmares were a part of growing up, but hers never seemed to end.


    As she bent over and laced her boot, a single howl echoed through the building. She straightened her back, and glanced up. Wolves. After all these years she was accustomed to hearing their bellows, but not like that. It sounded like the animal got inside the building. She shook her head, and continued to pack her things into a small bag.


    Kahli was buried deep within the belly of a skyscraper in the remnants of New York City. What was once a thriving metropolis was now a frozen wasteland. The abandoned city was a maze of metal, buried beneath forty stories of ice and snow. The shorter structures didn¡¯t survive the tidal wave. They were lost forever beneath the frozen surface. A few random buildings were all that remained¡ªtheir upper-stories exposed¡ªjutting across the skyline like fingers reaching out of a grave.


    Kahli heard the tales when she was little. A massive ice burg broke off of the Artic Shelf, its width spanning nearly half the ocean. The massive pile of ice fell into the sea and caused the ocean to rise. As the mini-continent floated further south, it sank towns along the shore. Suddenly entire cities were gone, lost beneath the waves¡ªNew York, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Rome, Madrid¡ªgone. But the ice didn¡¯t stop. It kept coming, floating south, bringing another ice age with it.

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    The world wasn¡¯t warm anymore. Bitter cold wind tore through the landscape. Ice fell from the sky, covering what was once fertile ground. Now, there were very few places remaining to grow food. Kahli¡¯s diet consisted mostly of protein bars and wild game, but food was scarce. It had driven her kind to war, fighting for the scraps of land that weren¡¯t barren.


    That was when the vampires intervened, and everything changed. That was when Kahli¡¯s ancestors created safe houses and stocked them with supplies. But that had been so long ago. They must have though the ice would recede, because there was no long-term cure left to help her.


    The Empire safe house was one of the last to be made, and for dire emergencies only¡ªwhich is why it was still stocked. Kahli had to get down into the basement to get to the supplies. The space had been a fallout shelter before the freeze¡ªthe metal plate was still on the door with the faded yellow symbol. Back then, people thought the world would end by a nuclear holocaust, not an invasion of ice. Mankind didn¡¯t realize the effects of their rapidly warming planet until it was too late. That event was generations ago, in a world that Kahli never knew.


    The thick walls of the fallout shelter kept out the ice. The generator warmed the room. Kahli was comfortable there. She stretched, and pulled her long red hair into a ponytail. She didn¡¯t want to leave, but she had to. If the Trackers discovered the wolves were following her, she was screwed. As it was, the wolves were becoming more and more of a problem.


    The animal was probably waiting for her on the forty-second floor. That was the way she came in, and it was the only way out. The building was covered in a thick sheet of ice, making it impossible to break through other panes. That opening was made when the safe house was constructed. Tools to shatter glass coated with four feet of ice weren¡¯t at her disposal. And before now, there was no reason to desire them.


    Kahli looked back at the cement room. It had been her home for three months. It was the longest she¡¯d ever stayed anywhere. Slipping into her thick white coat, Kahli donned a pair of gloves, and grabbed a flashlight. After putting her backpack on, she shut down the generator, and clicked her light on. Its narrow beam sliced through the inky darkness. The cold was already seeping back into the room.


    Moving quickly toward the stairs, Kahli walked the hundreds of steps up from the basement and emerged on the forty-second floor. She reached for the door that separated the exit from the stairwell, and pushed it open. The only sound she heard was her pulse beating steadily in her ears. It was morning. The sun flooded the room, illuminating electrical cords that hung from the ceiling like snakes. Kahli pocketed her flashlight with one hand and grabbed a knife with her other. She knew what would be waiting when she walked through the door.


    A wolf.


    The telltale shadows spanned across the floor, but she didn¡¯t see it. Not yet. Kahli stepped through the doorway and let it click shut behind her. Taking a step forward, she clutched the knife tighter. The wolf was too damn close this time. It must have pulled away from its pack to hunt her. Kahli¡¯s eyes raked the room, her body tense.


    A low rumbling growled beside her. To her right, a wooden desk had been knocked over and obstructed her view. The noise came again¡ªthe low pulsating sound that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. It was coming from behind the desk.


    A pale white snout slowly emerged from around the side of the desk. The beast¡¯s lips pulled back, snarling. Kahli lifted her hand, showing the wolf her sharp blade¡ªa warning to stay away. If the creatures weren¡¯t half crazy with starvation things would have been easier. The fur on the wolf¡¯s thick hide moved, as a gust of wind belted through the broken window. The animal was too close, but that wasn¡¯t her primary concern. No, this was much worse than she thought. This wasn¡¯t a lone wolf that managed to get into the building¡ªthere were more. Kahli heard them all around her¡ªthe throaty growls, the padded feet crunching on the frozen carpet.


    Panic threatened to swallow her whole, but she didn¡¯t move. Kahli remained motionless, her eyes locked on the wolf in front of her. She knew that there were only a matter of moments until they surrounded her. While she could tell there were multiple wolves, she had no idea how many. Kahli didn¡¯t want to retreat to the stairwell until she knew. It was possible that there were only a couple more, in which case, she planned to deal with them and move on. But she soon realized that wasn¡¯t the case. One by one, wolves stepped from behind frozen cubicles, their breath turning white in the frozen air.


    Some of the padded walls were still erect, with desk chairs sitting in front of blackened computer screens, as if people might return. Other parts of the office space were in disarray, revealing the mass panic that ensued as people tried to escape from this place when the sea water rushed in. No one thought it would happen. No one thought that Manhattan Island would sink.


    Kahli stared at the broken glass window across the room. That was the only exit. It must have been where the pack entered as well. The room was long and narrow, surrounded by windows on one side and a solid wall on the other. One window was smashed, missing from its frame. Frozen sea water covered in snow was less than 4 feet below that opening. The towering building stood frozen in the water up to the fortieth floor. The broken window left a massive hole in the side of the structure. In a city filled with twisted metal and busted glass, the Trackers wouldn¡¯t notice it, but the wolves had. And they entered the space looking for her.


    If Khali stayed much longer, the Trackers would find her. If she tried to leave, the wolves would kill her. It was at least a hundred feet to the exit, with no clear path. More white fur and black noses appeared. Their hackles were raised, their lips pulled back, snarling. Yellow eyes narrowed on her as the wolves moved slowly, heads down, bodies tense.


    There was no way to leave this location without leaving a trail for the Trackers to follow. She couldn¡¯t depart this safe house without leaving a trail of blood behind. Glancing at the creatures circling her, Kahli snarled back at the closest wolf, the one that approached her when she first walked into the room. Tension crept out of her muscles as she fought to control her fear. Fear did nothing for her. Fear would not help her survive.


    There were only two choices: Go back and risk the Trackers catching up to her. Or face the pack.


    Swallowing hard, Kahli made her decision. Sliding one foot in front of the other, Kahli slowly began to move toward the broken window. Her movements were slow and deliberate. The snow-covered ground was only a few feet below that broken window. All she had to do was get there. Sunlight poured into the room, showcasing tiny specks sparkling in the frosty air. Kahli¡¯s throat tightened, as a chill ran down her spine. She craned her neck, only to see wolf after wolf surrounding her. There were too many to count, too many to fight.


    Blood rushed through her veins deafeningly loud. They¡¯d been waiting. Panic tightened Kahli¡¯s muscles. Living in the wild had its advantages, but this was one of the drawbacks. The pack had been following her for too long. They knew her patterns, even when she tried to alter the routines. The pack followed her here and waited. Kahli took a deep slow breath. Turning slowly, Kahli crouched closer to the ground, ready to fight. Her emerald eyes were wild, glittering with a savageness that only came from surviving ten years completely alone.


    ¡°Come get me,¡± she growled. The sound hissed between her teeth. Every muscle in her body tensed. Kahli narrowed her eyes and waited, staring down the closest wolf.


    A low growl emitted from deep within the beast¡¯s throat. Black lips rippled, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth with sharp ivory fangs. The wolf stared at Kahli with hungry eyes. Bones protruded through its thick fur, showing a frame that was far too thin for a wolf that size.


    For a moment it seemed like neither of them would move. Then the wolf lunged. A white muzzle came at Kahli fast with teeth bared. Kahli braced for impact. The wolf launched itself at her neck, and Kahli quickly shifted her weight before the wolf slammed into her. The animal was so crazed that it ignored her weapon. As the animal¡¯s body collided with Kahli, her knife slid into its stomach. Pointed teeth snapped shut in an ear-piercing yelp. The animal¡¯s deadly mouth narrowly missed Kahli¡¯s neck before her blade punctured its heart. Warm blood covered her hands and soaked into her white coat. The wolf¡¯s body hit the ground as its eyes rolled back.


    Shaking and covered in blood, Kahli watched the animal die at her feet. When the wolf fell, two others were on top of it immediately. They ripped flesh from bone, devouring their newly fallen pack member. Starvation made them desperate. It made the normal rules that wolves abided by null and void. This pack wasn¡¯t a pack at all. They attacked in unison, but there was no clear alpha. It was survive or be eaten, each wolf vying for a better spot closer to the food¡ªcloser to Kahli.


    Kahli didn¡¯t hesitate when the slaughtered wolf fell. She darted toward the window. Before she could reach it, another white wolf appeared, blocking her path. This one snapped at her before she had time to react. Sharp teeth caught the flesh just above her wrist. Kahli screamed, trying to pull away, but its jaws were locked tight.


    Kahli¡¯s scream echoed in her ears. Blocking out the searing pain was difficult, but she managed to twist the weapon in her fist. Drawing back her arm quickly, she let her hand fly. The knife lodged deeply in the wolf¡¯s eye. The creature wailed as it pulled away. Without warning, the wolf lunged at her again. Kahli didn¡¯t flinch as the wolf¡¯s bloody head lunged toward her. She struck, moving quickly. Kahli sank her knife into its other eye and twisted the blade.


    The creature yanked its head back so quickly, that the knife ripped out of Kahli¡¯s hand. But the wolf continued to attack, ferociously snapping teeth, trying desperately to kill Kahli. The blade protruded from its eye, twitching as the wolves maw got closer and closer. Kicking hard, she smashed her boot into the blade, driving the knife blade further into its skull. With a final yelp the creature fell, one leg at a time. Blood gushed from the wound covering the wolf¡¯s white fur. Kahli¡¯s knife still lodged in its head.


    Sucking in air like she couldn¡¯t breathe, Kahli stared wildly as the other wolves turned to their fallen pack member. They were on his fallen form before she could blink. Kahli shuddered, stepping away from the feeding frenzy. Blood and gore were everywhere, and Kahli¡¯s only weapon was at the center of it, still in the wolf¡¯s body.

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    Turning back to the window, she saw there was one wolf still standing in her way. Kahli only had seconds to act before the starving wolves would be done with their last victim. She could hear the snarls of the crazed animals behind her, and had no intention of staying.


    Her actions were lunacy laced with desperation. Weaponless, Kahli ran straight at the creature, screaming savagely. The white wolf stood firm. It lowered its body, poised to attack when Kahli crashed into it. Kahli grabbed her wrist as she ran, aiming her elbow for its face. When the two collided, she smashed her elbow into the wolf¡¯s maw. Pain shot up her arm, as she staggered back, still on her feet. The wolf hesitated, as if dazed. Its snarl faded from its lips. The animal didn¡¯t move. It just blinked and staggered to the side, but it did not fall.


    Kahli used that moment and threw herself through the broken window. She landed hard on her side on the frozen snow below. It felt like falling onto stone. A sharp pain shot through her shoulder. A crazed growl echoed through the air above. Kahli quickly jumped to her feet, but the wolf already launched its lean body from the window. It landed hard, colliding with Kahli, and trampled her under its paws. Kahli screamed as she fell to the ground. Her emerald eyes were wide, as she fought to stand, but she couldn¡¯t free herself from the wolf¡¯s hold.


    Before Kahli could force the beast off of her prone body, teeth tore into her shoulder. She screamed. Warm blood trailed down her shoulder. Kahli shoved her hands in the wolf¡¯s mouth, trying to pry its jaws from her bleeding body, but she wasn¡¯t strong enough. Wildly, she cried out, trying to free herself, but failed. The wolf wouldn¡¯t release her. Instead, it shook her once. Hard. Kahli¡¯s body jerked like a rag doll, nearly snapping her neck. Any moment the rest of the pack would be upon her. Any moment she would die as sharp teeth tore her body to shreds.


    But, before the other wolves were on her, another animal came from the side. It rammed into the wolf, and released the teeth that were sunken into her shoulder. Kahli screamed when the jaws were ripped away. She scrambled to her feet, her hand tightly gripping the blood pouring from her shoulder. Kahli gasped with wide green eyes when she realized what had saved her.


    A Tracker.


    CHAPTER THREE


    He had pale skin, the color of bone china, and his form¡ªhis clothing¡ªall blended perfectly into the snow. If not for the black hair that hung in his blue eyes, she wouldn¡¯t have noticed him. The Tracker bared his teeth and growled. The wolf was injured from being struck by the vampire, but the crazed animal didn¡¯t back down. It lifted its snout into the air and howled. Suddenly wolves were diving from the open window. There were too many of them, more than Kahli had ever seen. She had no idea how the pack had grown so large, or why they were there then. It was at least twice the size of the pack that had followed her to this place.


    The pack pooled around the lone wolf that attacked her. Its muzzle was tinged red, wet with Kahli¡¯s blood. The beast snarled and began to close in on both of them. Kahli¡¯s shoulder screamed with blistering pain. The sleeve of her coat was covered in crimson. She felt hot and cold at the same time.


    The scent of blood, the promise of fresh meat, was too appealing for the wolves to resist. Drool fell into the snow, dripping from the snarling lips of the pack. Kahli¡¯s heart clenched. Her eyes darted between the Tracker and the pack. The effects of the wound were getting to her. She¡¯d lost too much blood. It was becoming more difficult for her to focus.


    ¡°Hey,¡± the Tracker called, catching Kahli¡¯s attention. When she looked at him, he threw a knife to her. Surprised, she reached out and caught it. It was similar to her own weapon that was lost inside the building behind her. Confusion lined her face as she glanced at the vampire. She didn¡¯t understand why he armed her, but she didn¡¯t have time to think.


    The pack attacked. Wolf after wolf came at them, snarling and promising death. Fighting for her life distracted her so that she couldn¡¯t see what the tracker was doing. And suddenly she didn¡¯t care. The tension lining her muscles came out in a flow of raw energy. Everything faded into a blur of blood and fur. Tooth, claw, and fangs came at them. It seemed to go on forever, but she was certain it happened in a matter of moments. Kahli didn¡¯t remember exactly what she did.


    She didn¡¯t notice the tracker fighting next to her, either. He positioned himself at her back, fighting with her as if they were allies. The dark-haired boy had nothing but a knife, just like the one he threw to Kahli. But somehow they survived. When only the sound of the wind remained, Kahli turned. Her flame-red hair whipped around her face, pulled free from the nape of her neck while they were fighting. Her jaw hung opened as she looked around, surveying what they¡¯d done. A pack of dead wolves lay in the snow, their once white hides covered in scarlet. Their motionless bodies looked strange as their fur blew in the wind. Blood soaked into the ice, staining it pink beneath the lifeless bodies.


    Kahli¡¯s eyes lifted to the Tracker¡¯s face. Blood covered his arms and chest, mirroring the gore that covered her body. The wind whipped his dark hair out of his young face. He looked to be a few years older than Kahli.


    Woozy, Kahli stood, staring at him. His blue eyes locked onto hers. It felt like she was staring at an old photograph. There was a feeling of recognition, but she couldn¡¯t understand why. Over the years she¡¯d seen many Trackers, but she was certain that she hadn¡¯t seen this one. She would have remembered him. The Tracker continued to stare, mirroring her expression.


    Then Kahli gasped, falling to the ground one knee at a time. Her wounds caught up to her. Every ounce of pain she¡¯d been fighting back crippled her as she fell. The Tracker stepped closer to the spot where Kahli sank to her knees. Standing above her, he looked down. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat with an odd expression of sympathy and fascination.


    Rage surged through Kahli¡¯s body, but she couldn¡¯t fight off the blood loss. Chills shook her slender body, even though she was covered in sweat. The boy stepped toward her. She growled, ¡°Touch me and I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Breathing hard, she fought the sensations that were pulling her head to the ground.


    He bent down, hands still in his pockets. His voice resonated rich and perfect, like a bow sliding across a cello string. ¡°What would you have me do? Leave you to freeze on the ice? Or bleed to death? That hardly seems heroic after I went to all the trouble to save your ass.¡± A crooked smile lined his lips.


    Kahli could barely focus. The world was sliding away, slipping somewhere beyond the horizon. She felt the ground pitch beneath her, and knew it was the effects of her wound. The boy was perfectly upright. Glaring at him with hatred, Kahli¡¯s head finally fell to the ground, her cheek pressing against the frozen earth and the world faded to black.


    CHAPTER FOUR


    When her eyes closed, Will looked down at her. He¡¯d been tracking her for so long, and then the wolves showed up. If he¡¯d gotten there a minute later, the girl would have died. He studied her face. She had a small nose, smooth tanned skin, but the most striking thing about her was her hair. It blazed the color of the sun, not quite orange or gold, but somewhere in between. She was an oddity.


    And that meant she was valuable.


    Will scooped her up in his arms. Her skin was still warm, but she¡¯d lost a lot of blood. He knew what she needed, blood¡ªhis blood¡ªbut that wasn¡¯t something he wanted to do. He had his reasons, but letting her bleed out wouldn¡¯t work either. Will laughed bitterly. He couldn¡¯t help it. She was exactly what he needed and he was two seconds too late, like always.


    When Kahli peeled her eyelids open, she didn¡¯t know where she was. The last thing she remembered was a maw filled with snarling teeth. Before she could take in her surroundings, a voice spoke from across the room.


    ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re awake,¡± he said. ¡°I was starting to think it was foolish to try and heal you without using blood¡ªwith wounds like that, anyway¡ªbut you proved me wrong.¡± Will sat at a small table across from her. His silhouette was outlined by a roaring fire. The room glowed with flickering golden light. There were no windows, and there was only one door. Will sat in front of it.


    Kahli blinked once, her facial expression soft until her memory filled in those moments before she blacked out. The wolves attacked and the Tracker showed up. The boy talking to her was a vampire, and not just any blood-sucking freak, but the lowest of the low. Trackers didn¡¯t exactly run with the elite social vamps. They were outcasts, shunned by their own race. It didn¡¯t cross her mind that this Tracker was young. The ones she¡¯d seen, the ones she¡¯d killed, were much older.


    Wide-eyed, Kahli turned her head and stared at him. There was no way she was staying. Death was more acceptable than being drained and bottled. That¡¯s what Trackers did. They hunted down humans who were smart enough to flee from the Regent¡¯s human farms. The Trackers found them, but most were never returned. The Trackers drained every drop of blood and sold it on the black market. There was an acute shortage of blood and capturing a rogue human would make this Tracker a wealthy man. Kahli clutched the blankets that covered her body, trying to throw them off and sit up, but she couldn¡¯t. She was too weak. As soon as she sat up, the room spun. Kahli couldn¡¯t hold herself up.


    Will didn¡¯t move as the girl fell sideways out of the bed and landed on the cold tiled floor.


    She growled at him, and Will knew she was every bit as dangerous as those wolves, ¡°Where am I? Is this Section 8? Did you take me back?¡± Kahli rolled onto her back, and pushed her hair out of her face. When she lifted her right arm, her shoulder felt like it was on fire. She gasped. Instinctively, her hand flew to the wounded shoulder, covered in bandages, to try and soothe it.


    Will watched her fiery red hair spill around her face as she rolled onto her back. His eyes lingered on her curves for a moment before he said, ¡°Section 8. Why would I take you to Section 8?¡± His arms were folded across his toned chest.


    ¡°Because of this,¡± Kahli held up her wrist. It was the one the wolf had bitten. Teeth marks marred the branding on the back of her wrist. The tooth holes had been stitched shut. Kahli could still see most of the marking. ¡°Clearly, you can see a Section 8 insignia¡ªeven through the puncture and stitches.¡± She dropped her arm to her side, too weak to hold it up.

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    Will smiled, surprised at the girl¡¯s demands. Most captured humans were afraid of him. They cowered or begged. But not this one. He laughed, the corners of his mouth pulling up as he shook his head. The sound started to irritate Kahli, but she remained silent. Will replied, ¡°That isn¡¯t a Section 8 brand.¡± He pointed a tapered finger at her, his blue eyes meeting hers, his voice knowing, ¡°That is something your people concocted to keep you out of the camps.¡± The boy rose slowly. His slender form filled the tiny space.


    In two steps he was across the room to the spot where Kahli lay on the floor. As he spoke, Kahli¡¯s heart raced. She remembered her parent¡¯s warnings. The free must remain hidden. Otherwise the Regent would take them and deposit them in the slaughterhouses. But this Tracker was not conforming to the Regent¡¯s demands. He¡¯d do something even more deplorable instead. Kahli stared at his black boot next to her head. He knelt down next to her. Without a word, Will slid his hands under her waist and legs before he lifted her back onto the make-shift bed. There was a thin mattress, covered in blankets, lying on top of a ledge. Kahli tensed in his arms. A million screams built inside of her, but the boy placed her softly on the cot and backed away.


    Kahli worked the muscle in her jaw, staring at him with utter hatred. ¡°It is a Section 8 brand,¡± she hissed. ¡°My mother escaped with me from that slaughterhouse when I was born.¡± She was quiet for a moment, watching the boy¡¯s face. But he only returned her vacant stare. ¡°She escaped right after they branded me.¡±


    ¡°So you say.¡±


    Kahli¡¯s throat grew tight. He sensed the lie. Damn vamps. They had unreal senses, but Kahli was certain the branding mark was real. It was supposed to protect her if she was ever caught. Her mother explained it to her a million times. But the boy didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Because it¡¯s true. The Regent will have your head if you don¡¯t return me.¡± Her green eyes blazed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true. Ask me how I know?¡± Kahli said nothing. She just continued her death stare, wishing the arrogant bastard would burst into flames. ¡°You said slaughterhouse. It¡¯s just another clue that you are not what you say.¡± The boy stood and examined his fingernails as he spoke, his dark hair falling over his forehead. ¡°Ask me how I know your brand is fake?¡± He glanced up at her. ¡°Ask me, red-headed girl. Ask me why I haven¡¯t returned you to your home, to your precious Section 8 camp where all the humans are dragged off to die.¡± His lips pulled into a knowing smile.


    With a gleam in his eye, he answered his own question, ¡°Because Section 8 doesn¡¯t exist. It never has. Not ten years ago. Not twenty. And you¡¯re not a day over eighteen, are you?¡± His blue eyes didn¡¯t blink as he stood over her bed, looking down at her. ¡°I remember you. I remember your fiery red hair and emerald green eyes peering out at me from that thicket.¡± Kahli¡¯s jaw dropped open. He was the boy that captured her mother. After all this time, she¡¯d grown to believe that the boy never saw her. And yet, here he was, nearly ten years later saying otherwise. ¡°You blew your cover that day, little girl. You dropped something.¡± He tossed a wad of fabric on Kahli and stepped back, sitting in his chair. His eyes narrowed as he watched her reaction to the scrap of cloth.


    Kahli lifted the fabric, instantly knowing what it was. Her eyes darted to his as she held up the mask, and looked past it at the boy. ¡°This was mine. I dropped it that day.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he answered. ¡°I took it.¡±


    She didn¡¯t understand. Confusion clouded her mind. He was a vamp, she was sure¡ªbut this meant he¡¯d been a child. Did someone change him after he¡¯d grown? That was impossible. The vamps were weak, unable to sire more of their kind. Shaking her head, she asked, ¡°But you¡¯re a vamp.¡± He nodded. Her eyes studied his face, wishing she could claw it off. But she still didn¡¯t understand. ¡°How?¡±


    Will looked down, his dark lashing obscuring his eyes. His hands were folded in front of him like this conversation didn¡¯t bother him. Searching for an answer, he decided to tell her the truth. After his plans were executed, he¡¯d never see her again. There was no harm in her knowing. ¡°I¡¯m neither vampire, nor human¡ª¡±


    Kahli interrupted, shaking her head, not believing him. ¡°You¡¯re a vampire. Don¡¯t waste your lies on me.¡±


    Will smirked, ¡°If only things were so simple. The ignorance of humans is adorable, and utterly na?ve. Vampires, the Regents, the old ones, are not the same as Bane. You must have realized this. You must have noticed child vampires?¡±


    But she hadn¡¯t. Kahli had been isolated, and spent most of her life alone. The trackers she¡¯d encountered were grown men. ¡°You were the only child I ever saw.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± he said studying her face, searching for the truth. ¡°Then you don¡¯t know, do you? You don¡¯t know the difference between the Regent and the Bane? You don¡¯t know what happened, do you?¡±


    Kahli wanted to say yes. She didn¡¯t like being weak, or feeling ignorant, but she hadn¡¯t heard this story. It didn¡¯t matter whether she acknowledged it or not, Will had already seen it in her eyes. She didn¡¯t know.


    He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. ¡°The Regent are ancient. They¡¯re your classic variety of vampire. They require human blood to live. Without it, they die. It¡¯s simple, really. Before the ice age¡ªbefore the famine¡ªthey drank freely, secretly. They took what they needed and more. Gluttony was a sin that they enjoyed.¡± Will shrugged like draining helpless humans wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°But my kind, the Bane, didn¡¯t evolve until after the famine. We live and breathe, and our bodies only require the smallest trace of blood to survive.¡± He spoke so coolly, but it was an act. Will worked long and hard to temper his words, to hide his true feelings. No one knew what he thought about anything. Not the Regent, not the Bane¡ªno one. And he planned on keeping things that way. It mean a longer life, free from complications; complications that usually had to do with a grizzly death and an aristocracy that didn¡¯t like being defied.


    Kahli had never heard this. Her mother had told her there were humans and vampires. There was nothing in the middle. The two did not, could not coexist within the same being. By their very nature, vampires were dead. Their bodies were frigid, cold like marble. Their hearts were just as dark and frozen. There was a time to ask questions and this was it. She wanted to keep him talking. Make the vamp-who-thinks-he¡¯s-a-human guy keep talking, so she could get a read on him and figure out what he planned on doing with her. So far, she couldn¡¯t get a read on him at all. He was closed down, everything from his facial expressions to his stance said he didn¡¯t care what happened to her¡ªbut he was still there, talking. So she was valuable to him, but the reason why wasn¡¯t what she thought.


    The way he spoke bothered her. His indifference was a slap in the face to a lifetime fighting for survival. And losing. She gritted her teeth, ¡°You make it sound so blas¨¦. Like nothing you just said matters or even affects you, assuming you aren¡¯t lying like the rest of your bloodsucking cousins.¡± She arched a brow at him, trying to gauge him, ¡°So, let¡¯s say I accept your little story. If the Bane weren¡¯t around before the ice, then where did you come from?¡±


    He smiled as if it were an amusing tale and not a nightmare. Will watched the girl. He planned this moment. The words he practiced were burnt into his tongue. There was no fumbling, reaching for thoughts that wouldn¡¯t come. Will knew the girl would ask, and he¡¯d prepared an answer. ¡°They¡¯re as close to being my cousins as you are.¡± His eyes narrowed, crinkling at the corners. The idea repulsed her. Vampires destroyed her life. Her family¡ªall of them were slaughtered¡ªto feed a population of the undead. Man could have survived the ice, could have survived the wars, but he could not survive the vampires. The Regent were too powerful.


    Kahli¡¯s gaze, that fevered hatred that he shared, put Will on edge. He recognized it burning brightly in her eyes. The look made him falter. It blindsided him like a plank to the head. Will shook it off before she had time to consider it.


    He continued, ¡°The Regent¡¯s food stores grew thin. The blood supplies dwindled as humanity killed those who managed to survive. The Bane were a futile effort to make self-sustaining humans who required little food to survive. We were created to endure this new world. We were meant to feed the Regent, but things didn¡¯t work out that way. Our blood isn¡¯t sufficient. They can drain a thousand Bane and barely survive. Ancient Ones need, and have always needed, human blood to live. Without it their powers diminish, and their bodies become frail. That¡¯s where the farms came from. The Regent called them camps, but they were farms meant to protect the remaining humans from destroying themselves. Losing power, losing the superiority that they had maintained for centuries was not an option. If the Regent needed human blood, they would have it. All other threats to their precious food supply were erased.¡± He smiled widely even though he wanted to puke. For some reason, he felt like she was looking through him, and he didn¡¯t want her to. If she knew what his life had been like¡­


    Kahli pushed herself up. She noticed she was still wearing the clothes from the Empire safe house. They were covered in dried blood and grime. Ignoring the disgust she felt as she slid her hand over her clothing, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why do you need the Regent?¡±


    Will¡¯s blue eyes locked with Kahli¡¯s. He regarded her as if the question was asinine. ¡°What do you mean? We need them for survival, the same way that they need you. We age. We aren¡¯t immortal. Bane are vulnerable. The Regent protects those who are loyal.¡± Enslaves was more accurate, but she didn¡¯t need to know his whole story.


    His words didn¡¯t feel like lies, but Kahli still wasn¡¯t satisfied. She shook her head, ¡°Why didn¡¯t they just kill you off when the Regent realized your kind couldn¡¯t feed them? Aren¡¯t they already having a food crisis? Why¡¯d they keep you?¡±

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    ¡°Why does Royalty do anything?¡± Will asked her, and then he answered, ¡°Besides, there aren¡¯t enough Bane to make a dent in their food supply. We¡¯re no threat to them.¡± Not anymore.


    ¡°How much blood do you need?¡± she asked. Kahli¡¯s fingers pressed against her neck, wondering if he¡¯d bitten her while she slept.


    Will saw her fingers move to her throat and laughed softly. ¡°There is no way I¡¯d drink from you. Ever. An untouched human is priceless. There are no markings on your neck. No vampire has ever tasted you. You¡¯re completely pure.¡±


    Kahli¡¯s spine straightened. This wasn¡¯t what she expected at all. She always thought she would be dropped off at Section 8 if she was captured, or drained. She didn¡¯t expect this. Her stomach dropped when she thought she caught his meaning, ¡°You plan to sell me, then?¡± she asked, panic coursing through her veins. ¡°To who?¡±


    Will replied, ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡±


    CHAPTER FIVE


    The Tracker left Kahli after that conversation and did not return. She was too weak to move. Her shoulder throbbed, despite the ointment that was slathered beneath the bandages. It stank something awful. The stench told her that it was a vamp tonic of some sort. It would heal her faster than nothing, but not as quickly as vampire blood. She wondered why he didn¡¯t force his blood down her throat. Was it because he was Bane? Did his blood not have the same effect? Or was it because he wanted her pure? The boy could have done it already, but he didn¡¯t. And damn. The way he looked at her. It made her stomach twist. Kahli was too weak to ponder what it meant and tried to rest.


    When she closed her eyes to sleep, she saw his face as a child. She saw him move swiftly and heard his soft voice lie and say she wasn¡¯t there.


    He saw her.


    The thought consumed her. The Tracker boy saw her all those years ago and said nothing¡ªno, he¡¯d done more than that. He lied. He lied and saved her. He spared her from whatever fate her mother encountered. Well, until now. Confusion pinched her brow. Her head ached. What was he doing? Why bother saving her from the wolves and risking his life to save her? Humans were valuable, but not worth risking the wolves. Hell, she wouldn¡¯t have risked facing the wolves if she realized the entire pack broke into the building. Only the utterly foolish did something like that¡ªsomething that could be construed as nuts¡ªor brave. Maybe that¡¯s what was bothering her. The Tracker seemed to be brave. He fit the sense of the word, but the last thing he said didn¡¯t jive with that ideal.


    The next time her eyes flew open, it was at the sound of food being passed into the room. A metal tray was sitting near the door with bread, a small chunk of cheese, and water on it. Kahli sat up slowly. The room didn¡¯t spin this time. She padded across the room to the tray, feeling ravenous. She hadn¡¯t eaten since the morning she left the safe house. Tearing into the bread, she bit off a big chunk and swallowed. Quickly, she swallowed some water to force it down. As Kahli chewed another bite, she felt herself becoming less hungry and more lightheaded. She blinked once, slowly, and lifted the bread to her eyes examining it like something was wrong. Her head felt light and heavy at the same time.


    ¡°It¡¯s just preparations for your departure¡ªa light sedative¡ªI¡¯m sure you understand,¡± Will said. He stood in the room. She never heard him come in. Startled, Kahli dropped the bread to the floor. She wanted to speak, but couldn¡¯t remember how to her move her mouth. Will bent down and lifted the bread, handing it back to her.


    Kahli took it and looked at him. Drugs swam in her mind, ingested through the piece of food in her hands. The world felt fat and lazy. Things seemed to be happening in slow motion. The Tracker¡¯s blue eyes were inches from hers face, caught in a stare that was far too soft for his kind.


    Kahli rolled the words in her mouth and forced them to come out clear. ¡°When you least expect it, I will kill you.¡± She smiled at him weakly, before blinking hard again. The world wouldn¡¯t stay in focus. Will smiled at her, like she was all sweetness and not threatening to kill him.


    Another voice came from the doorway. ¡°She seems like a handful, Will. But I see what you mean about her colorings.¡± He wore a thick woolen coat that was dark as night. It moved around his calves as he crossed the room, bending down to the place where Kahli sat drugged on the floor. He took her chin in his hand, and turned her face, examining her. ¡°I suppose she¡¯ll do. There¡¯s no trace of ownership?¡±


    ¡°Look for yourself,¡± Will answered. Kahli¡¯s eyes shifted between the two as they spoke, but she couldn¡¯t focus on what they were saying. The only thing she knew was that they were talking about her. She decided that she would kill the man in the coat as well. He was handling her like she was an animal and she didn¡¯t like it.


    The man in the black coat lowered his dark eyes to her arms. His smooth fingers pushed back her filthy sleeves, looking for inkings. When he found one, he looked at Will sharply, and squeezed her arm, ¡°What¡¯s this? You said she was wild.¡±


    Will leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets. ¡°It¡¯s fake. Like the one from a few years ago. She¡¯s the real thing. Examine her all you want, Reggie. It¡¯s not going to change what she is.¡±


    The man¡¯s back straightened. He dropped Kahli¡¯s hand and rose. His lips were thin, and ghostly pale. ¡°Have you such utter disrespect for everyone? Or is your tone reserved for me alone?¡±


    Will smiled and pushed himself off the wall. He hopped two steps to Kahli, and lifted her up. Kahli felt his hands slide under her as he lifted her like she was weightless. His scent lingered in her head. Will set her down on the ledge where she¡¯d been sleeping. The piece of bread fell from her fingers as she stared blankly at him with a how-could-you look etched across her face. Will¡¯s eyes swept over her, but lingered for half a second too long. He almost seemed sorry, but Kahli knew the drugs were making her see things that weren¡¯t real.


    Will turned back to the vampire who required respect. Many had died as a result of lesser things. Will¡¯s taunting nickname for the man was used with discretion. It was a way to distract him from seeing what was really going on. And that was something Will couldn¡¯t afford to lose.


    ¡°Regent Reginald is a bit of a mouthful,¡± Will¡¯s eyebrow twitched once as he looked at the vampire. ¡°And there are other buyers that will take her with her fake inkings and sell her on the black market without a second thought. So,¡± Will said, moving away from Kahli and extending his arm toward the door, showing Reginald the way out, ¡°if she¡¯s not to your liking, that¡¯s fine by me. There¡¯s another coming who¡¯ll want her just the way she is.¡±


    Reginald¡¯s wide mouth pulled into a curved slit, like a caught fish. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I wouldn¡¯t take her, Will.¡± His hands were so white that Kahli thought he was wearing gloves. He turned to Kahli again. Sweeping his black eyes over her body, he turned sharply and moved to the door. ¡°Done.¡±


    Before Kahli knew what was happening, Will walked off with the man in the black coat. Four other men entered the room and moved in around her. They spoke to each other, but she didn¡¯t understand what they said. They reached out for her, shoving their calloused hands around her arms and pulled her from the room. Kahli¡¯s arm was still tender, but the jerky movements didn¡¯t cause it to bleed. She yelped as they dragged her outside in the cold.


    The frozen snow crunched under her bare feet. The wind tore through her ragged clothing, chilling Kahli to the bone. She looked wildly around for help, but there was none. Without a word of explanation, the men hoisted her up into a truck. The metal was warmer than the snow, but she¡¯d still freeze to death back there. Her mind was foggy and her teeth wouldn¡¯t stop chattering. When they rolled up the back door of the truck, Kahli could see rows and rows of cages filled with exotic animals. They were animals that only lived in warm parts of the world¡ªwarm parts that no longer existed.


    Kahli gasped, as she was shoved head first into a black metal cage. Before she got to her feet, the hinges creaked shut and the lock clicked. Kahli wrapped her fingers around the metal bars and immediately released them. They turned white hot, heating her cage while the base remained cool. The men that had hoisted her into the truck jumped down one by one. They turned their hunched backs and returned to the building in front of her. Kahli stared at the letters on the side of the building. The exterior door to the truck suddenly rolled closed, leaving Kahli alone in the inky darkness.


    CHAPTER SIX


    A cornucopia of sounds surrounded her in the darkness. Eventually Kahli¡¯s head became clear and she realized that the creatures surrounding her should not exist. The truck bounced along the road like they were driving over fallen logs. The jolts shook Kahli in her cage. She tried to keep from slamming her butt into the bottom of the cage every time they hit a bump, but it was no use. There was nothing to hold onto. The bars surrounding her were heated somehow. That was the only thing that kept her from freezing to death. If she held onto them to keep from bouncing around, she¡¯d burn her hands. Peering through the darkness Kahli watched the animals, wondering what she had in common with them. Why would someone who collected animals that were supposed to be extinct want her? Kahli rested her head on the cage floor, trying not to lay on her bad shoulder. Just as her eyelids were growing too heavy to keep open, the truck stopped. Voices filled the air. She sat up, straining to hear.


    She caught the middle of a sentence, by the time the masculine voice wandered to the back of the truck. ¡°¡­in here? This is the Queen¡¯s land and you know damn well that this kind of vehicle is forbidden. Regent Reginald or not, I can¡¯t allow you to pass this¡­¡±


    Kahli understood the condemning tone. She¡¯d snuck up on enough Trackers at camp to hear them speaking to one another in that fashion. It was the tone of someone tested to their limit¡ªsomeone who could be pushed to the breaking point. Someone who could free her. Without another thought, Kahli screamed, ¡°LET ME OUT! YOU CAN¡¯T KEEP ME IN HERE!¡± she continued to shriek until the man talking fell silent. He heard her.

 Page 6

    Something banged into the back door of the truck and Kahli fell silent, ¡°You said there wasn¡¯t nothing illegal back there. Shit man! You stole a human?¡±


    Reggie¡¯s voice was eloquent and scary as hell. ¡°I have stolen nothing. I am not hunting on the Queen¡¯s property. Only a fool would do that. We¡¯re passing through.¡± His voice was on the other side of the door. He spoke like he knew the man questioning him.


    ¡°You¡¯re the fool. You¡¯ve done that one times too many, already. I can¡¯t let you pass without looking back here.¡± He tapped the roll down door. It echoed inside the rear of the truck making Kahli¡¯s ears ring. ¡°Open it up.¡± A moment of silence passed and he added, ¡°Now.¡±


    When the door slid open, Kahli saw another vampire¡ªa guard. He stood right below her and stared at Kahli in her cage, slack-jawed, before turning back to Reginald. ¡°Are you fucking crazy? You have a truck full of exotics and a human? And you strut right in front of the Queen¡¯s place like you¡¯re entitled? What the hell is wrong with you?¡±


    Reginald¡¯s dark eyes lingered on Kahli in her cage. He didn¡¯t blubber or try to make excuses. No one was permitted to own a human. They were too rare. It finally felt like she could think a little. That¡¯s what the truck was filled with¡ªthings that vamps weren¡¯t allowed to have. He¡¯d bought her for his collection, or some deranged variation of that idea. His black coat clung to the vampire¡¯s long thin body. Kahli thought he was too tall. Too thin. His skin was as pale as the moonlit snow surrounding them.


    When he spoke, Reginald sounded apathetic. ¡°It would have been more out of character for me to go around. Come on, Bordon.¡± He addressed the guard like the man was an idiot. ¡°You really expect me to trek a hundred and sixty miles to the south just to avoid my awful sister?¡± he laughed, shaking his head.


    Bordon¡¯s fat little eyes looked like they would pop out of his head. It made him appear rounder than he was. And standing next to Reggie made him appear shorter and less attractive too. His hands pressed into his temples. Shaking his round bald head, he looked up at Reginald. ¡°You shoulda went the long way around. She¡¯s not going to let this slide. Not this time. Not with a human in tow¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then take me to the delightful woman, and let¡¯s just be done with it.¡± Reginald seemed annoyed, like he had places to go, people to see, and this was an inconvenience.


    The guard¡¯s chubby chin flapped, hanging open, ¡°You don¡¯t want an audience with the Queen. Relinquish your cargo here, and I¡¯ll tell them that you sent your apologies. I won¡¯t say nothing about the girl. We¡¯ll stick her back into one of the camps and nobody will know.¡±


    ¡°The hell you will,¡± Reginald leaned in close, his pointy nose nearly touching Bordon. He pointed back at the truck. ¡°Those are my things. If you touch them, I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll rip your throat out before you can even¡ª¡±


    Bordon rolled his eyes, ignoring the threats. ¡°You know you can¡¯t kill me. Queen¡¯s protection sucks for the most part¡ªexcept that. I may not be as powerful as you, but I¡¯ve got her blood. If you decide to kill me, you gotta kill her first.¡±


    Reginald¡¯s nostrils flared before he straightened his back. He nodded once and plastered a huge smile across his face, ¡°Excellent idea. Best thing you¡¯ve said all night. Take me to the beast, and let¡¯s be done with it.¡±


    Bordon reached for the strap to pull down the rolling door at the back of the truck. He glanced at Kahli once and shook his head, muttering to himself.


    CHAPTER SEVEN


    Will managed to get back and was dressed in his best black suit before supper. The Queen demanded his presence. Taking out a comb, he smoothed back his tousled hair. Will looked in the mirror before heading down the back staircase. Some days he wondered what he was doing, if he was insane. Defying the Queen was a death wish. He shook the thoughts from his mind as he made his way through the building. The Queen¡¯s mansion was sprawling. It stood on a lonely hill, covered in snow. There were a million passageways through the place and Will knew every single one.


    Winding past the kitchens he heard a female voice call out, ¡°Better hurry, Will! Her brother¡¯s here again.¡± Will slowed and looked back at her. Rachel stood with a pot in hand, drying it with a towel. She was easy on the eyes, and completely forbidden, but it didn¡¯t keep him from looking.


    Gratefully, he answered, ¡°Thanks. When?¡±


    ¡°Just now. Patrol brought him in with a truck full of exotics.¡± She leaned in the doorway, her slim hips curving into her jean-clad legs.


    Will¡¯s face paled. ¡°Exotics?¡± She nodded. Fury exploded within him, but he bit his tongue. That fool. Will knew the Regent did exactly what Will told him not to do¡ªpiss off the Queen by traveling right in front of her house with a truck full of illegal animals. Will wanted to pull his hair out, but instead he smiled at Rachel and hastened his walk toward the dining hall. It was all part of the game, he told himself.


    The palace was busy tonight. Servants bustled through the halls, preparing for the Queen¡¯s party. Will didn¡¯t know what the celebration was for this time. Maybe she got a new necklace, or maybe it was her birthday. Either way, the woman threw more parties than he cared to go to, but he had to. It was part of the agreement. Tension built in Will¡¯s shoulders. Every step closer to the Queen made him want to scream, but when he rounded the corner he was every bit as dashing as always. A warm smile spread across his lips as he stopped at the grand archway into the dining room. The floors were white marble, and the Queen had decorated the vast room in draped turquois silk. Golden candles glowed softly, casting a romantic light throughout the room.


    The Queen noticed him immediately. Though he was forbidden, she enjoyed looking at him. Her Majesty sat dressed in a formal ball gown at the front of the room on a gleaming dais. Her skin was like snow, cold and pale. She smiled softly at him, but the gesture had no warmth. It was the look of a monarch who was bored to tears and glad to see someone else to talk to.


    Will approached her with his shoulders back, a confident swagger to his walk. Stopping before her throne, he bowed deeply, ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Will Tatum,¡± Will looked up at her and she smiled sincerely, ¡°it seems my idiot brother decided to provoke me at the worst possible time.¡±


    ¡°He usually does,¡± Will replied, carefully.


    ¡°Yes, well, this will be the last time. I¡¯ll deal with this quickly. If he gets blood on my dress¡­ ,¡± her voice trailed off leaving the threat hanging in the air. Her slim delicate fingers were gripping the arms of her dais so tightly that the wood began to crack. Although most vampires were in a weakened state from the blood shortage, the Queen was not. She¡¯d suck dry as many humans as she needed to maintain her power.


    Before Will could say a soothing comment, Regent Reginald stood in the doorway across the room. Guards flanked him on both sides. Will stepped back, moving to the right hand of the Queen. He placed his hands behind his back, expression blank, and stared straight ahead like he had no opinion on anything. Appearances were deceiving, especially in the palace. In his mind, Will was fuming. He trusted this idiot to do as he was told, and the arrogant fool did the exact opposite.


    The Queen¡¯s voice was frigid, her eyes narrowed on her brother, ¡°This is beneath you, Reggie. It really is. Tonight is All Hollow¡¯s Eve. You know it¡¯s my favorite event of the year and you have to show up and ruin it.¡±


    Her brother bowed low after crossing the room. The candlelight flickered in his dark eyes as he glared at his sister. A smile twisted his mouth in a way that chilled Will to the bone. Reginald had a reputation for leaving a wake of blood in his path, but his elder sister was the one to watch out for. This temper tantrum she pretended to throw was a rouse. Will knew the only color she was seeing at that moment was red. ¡°Sister, every holiday is your favorite.¡±


    Will groaned inside. The mindless banter between these two made his skin crawl. He wished one would just kill the other and be done with it. Then he¡¯d only have one crazy vampire to deal with.


    The Queen¡¯s lips pursed into a thin line, her brown eyes narrowing, ¡°How dare you cross my thresholds and behave this way. How dare you break the law and trample across my front lawn ridiculing me like a monarch that can¡¯t even control her own family!¡± She stood and walked toward him. Long brown curls were pinned to the back of her head, her bodice hugging tightly to her narrow waist. She didn¡¯t look a day over twenty, though Will knew she was at least a few hundred years old. She was one that survived the flood and the freeze, so did her wicked brother.


    Reggie scoffed, turning as his older sister held her skirts in her hands and glared at him, ¡°I was doing nothing of the sort. But you, Sophia Analese,¡± he stepped closer to her, his body towering over hers, ¡°cannot control me.¡± As he finished speaking, his hand flew out, reaching for her neck.


    Sophia¡¯s instincts were notorious. Before his fingers hand a chance to wrap around her delicate throat, she¡¯d grabbed his wrist and twisted. Hard. The sound of wood snapping made Will flinch, but he didn¡¯t move. He wouldn¡¯t move unless he was bidden. This was the Queen¡¯s guilty pleasure. She liked exercising power over people. Though she acted like it ruined her evening, her confrontations with her brother tended to do the opposite. Her crimson lips were pulled back into a sinister smile as she twisted, showing her perfectly white teeth.


    ¡°I can and I will, little brother,¡± she hissed while smashing his wrist in her grip. When she felt his bones snap, she released him.


    Reginald¡¯s body shook with anger. As soon as Sophia released his wrist, he saw his opening and took it. His older sister¡¯s side was exposed, her hand moving a stray hair from her cheek. A knife appeared and he jabbed it into his sister¡¯s side. Blood poured from the wound, soaking her gown. Sophia¡¯s gaze narrowed, the muscles in her arms flinching. She reached for his wrist and withdrew the blade, sending her brother¡ªand the knife¡ªsailing across the room into the opposite wall.

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    Sophia¡¯s movements were too fast for Will too see. Before he could blink, the Queen had her brother by the throat with a razor-sharp strangle cord biting into his neck. Her white gloves were stained in blood, and protected her hands from the sharp wire. ¡°Oh, how I¡¯ve waited for this day.¡± She tugged on the cord and it cut open the skin on Reginald¡¯s neck. ¡°Mother always said you were more likely to make something of yourself. She had no idea how wrong she was.¡± Sophia was trying to control herself. She wanted to do this slowly. She wanted to hear him beg and listen to him suffer. A lifetime of torture wouldn¡¯t heal what he¡¯d done to her in their youth. It took every ounce of restraint to not pull the cord and lop off his head.


    Reginald¡¯s hands were on Sophia¡¯s wrists. He shook, trying to pry his sister off his neck, but he was losing. She was stronger, better fed with a better blood supply. She would always be stronger, unless something changed. His mind drifted to Kahli and he wished he hadn¡¯t left her, but it was too late now. Remorse didn¡¯t help win wars.


    Will remained still, watching, hoping one of them would destroy the other. It would make his life so much easier, but things never went that way for him. Life was always one hard knock after another, and most of those contusions came from the two vampires in front of him.


    ¡°You never let me finish saying anything. You¡¯re like an old crown that dribbles on because she likes the sound of her own voice too much to shut up.¡± He spoke matter-a-factly, like his sister wasn¡¯t trying to kill him. Sophia¡¯s eyes blazed. She shook trying to kill him slowly, even though she didn¡¯t want to wait anymore. Maybe that¡¯s why he said it, maybe that¡¯s why he offered, ¡°I brought you gift upon gift, and instead of saying thank you, you sick your guard on me. I didn¡¯t even get a chance to wrap anything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bad liar,¡± Sophia laughed like a crazy woman and kicked him in the stomach. The cord cut deeper, drawing more blood, weakening her brother and causing his back to slump.


    Reginald gasped, ¡°If you destroy me, I won¡¯t get to tell you the secret¡ª¡±


    She hissed in his face, ¡°There is no secret. You¡¯re a cat who has exceeded his nine lives.¡±


    ¡°Ah, there you¡¯d be wrong. Tell them to bring in the girl and see for yourself. She¡¯s filthy, but you¡¯ll see what she is and what she¡¯s not.¡± Will stiffened. His jaw tightened to keep himself from reacting. Reginald didn¡¯t know why he had Kahli. No one did.


    Sophia tugged the chains once more, tightly. A sadistic smile lined her lips, ¡°I¡¯ll see nothing, but another crass attempt at you trying to preserve your overly-long life. I¡¯m bored with this Reggie. Really, I am. I expected more from you.¡± She smiled at him. Pressing her forehead to his, she said, ¡°Say hello to Mother for me,¡± and tugged.


    ¡°She¡¯s wild!¡± the words rang out before the Queen had time to pull the cord all the way, before she could severe her brother¡¯s head and end his annoying life.


    The wire slackened in her hands. Blood stained the front of her ball gown, but Sophia ignored it. ¡°Wild?¡± She sat back, dropping the cord, sliding it off his neck. Her big brown eyes looked up at her little brother, his neck spewing blood like fire-hydrant spews water. ¡°That can¡¯t be¡ª¡±


    Her brother sat leaning against the wall, his dark eyes narrowed in hatred, hands clutching his throat. This was the closest she¡¯d ever gotten to killing him, and the condition he was in now didn¡¯t allow him to fight back. Giving up the girl was the price of freedom. Besides, he could steal her back at a later date. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± he rasped.


    The Queen stood, brushing the blood off her gloves onto the skirt of her gown. She turned to the guards. They watched the entire scene without blinking. This was old news to Will, but to outsiders it looked like the fight of the century. Pulling off a bloodied glove, she snapped at them, ¡°Fetch the girl. Bring her here.¡± When the guard didn¡¯t move, a dark brow shot up Sophia¡¯s face¡ªa look you didn¡¯t want to get from her. ¡°NOW!¡±


    The two ran out of the room. Sophia eyed Will and glanced back at her brother. She tapped the glove to her lips, not caring about her blood-stained gown or her ruined party. ¡°What do you think of this William? Could there be a wild human?¡±


    Will answered factually, ¡°They are extinct in the wild, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± she snapped, ¡°I meant do you believe him? Is it possible that we missed one? That a single girl could have survived this long on her own?¡± Sophia tapped the glove to the side of her lip, leaving a smear of blood on her face. Her slender figure moved slowly, pacing, thinking what it would mean if it were true. She turned to her brother, ¡°You will die more horrifically than you ever dreamed if you deceived me tonight.¡±


    Reggie¡¯s wounds were healing slowly. He pushed himself upright against the wall, still sitting in his blood. ¡°And since I want to live, I wouldn¡¯t lie¡ªnot about this.¡± He spared a glance at Will, but made no appearance that they knew one another, outside of their relationship with Sophia.


    ¡°Do you know what this would mean?¡± Her eyes were wide, filled with wonder and promise of things long forgotten. Her power would be unending. A pure blood supply from a human not ridden by disease of weak blood. She was practically giddy.


    ¡°Of course I do¡ª¡±


    Sophia cut him off as she saw the guards drag in a girl between them. ¡°This is it?¡± she asked. Her lips pulled into a sneer, like she was disgusted. Kahli¡¯s clothes were still crusted with blood and hanging in shreds. Her hair hung in knotted clumps around a face that was stained with blood and dirt. She had stitches in her arm and her shoulder was still bandaged, reeking of ointment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±


    Reginald, pushed himself off the floor and walked over, ¡°Attacked by wolves, or so I was told. She was wandering up in the old Empire region. I bought her off a trader who patched her up.¡± He ignored Will as he spoke, acting like the man who sold her wasn¡¯t standing right in front of them. Things had always been this way, for as long as Will could remember.


    ¡°What makes you think she¡¯s wild?¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes examined Kahli, sliding over her again and again, appraising the legend standing before her.


    Kahli didn¡¯t say anything. She wasn¡¯t sure what was happening. When they brought her inside she half expected to see Reggie had killed the Queen, but the Queen was still alive. Her Regent captor on the other hand, didn¡¯t look so well. Her emerald eyes shifted between them, failing to notice one other person standing in shadow.


    Reggie sighed, running his fingers through his black mane, ¡°Her inking is wrong. Her coloring is wrong. Her build is wrong¡­ Damn woman, look at her! Does she have muddy eyes and inky hair? Does she have that gangly build you used to find so appealing? The creature is all color and curves! We didn¡¯t breed anything like that.¡±


    Sophia listened as he spoke, knowing all the things he said were true. This human wasn¡¯t bred from her camps. Everything from her shape, to her coloring was different. It made her wonder if her blood would be different as well. Hope swam inside of Sophia¡¯s head. ¡°And her blood?¡±


    Reggie shrugged, as Kahli¡¯s eyes darted between them. ¡°No one knows. When I got her, she hadn¡¯t been tasted. The traders who caught her said she had no marks.¡±


    The Queen¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°She¡¯s pure? Nearly grown and never touched?¡± She reached for Kahli¡¯s face, as if she were reaching for a dream. This girl could fix everything. Her blood could restore them to their former glory.


    Before the Queen¡¯s fingers touched Kahli¡¯s cheek, she snapped. Kahli couldn¡¯t stand it. She wrenched her wrists free from the guards holding her back, making her shoulder scream. Will shook his head, eyes wide, trying to tell her not to¡ªbut it was too late. The girl didn¡¯t see him. Kahli had already ducked out of the guard¡¯s reach, ready to run. The Queen grasped her neck, plucking her out of the air like a fly. Kahli gasped, her feet kicking off the floor as Sophia twisted her face one way and then the other. Kahli made a gurgling sound as her face turned red, her fingers clawing at the Queen¡¯s hand.


    Hastily, Will spoke without permission, ¡°If you intend to keep her, you might want to let her breathe.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Sophia giggled, putting Kahli¡¯s feet on the floor. The girl gasped, her throat burning as badly as her shoulder. Will remained motionless behind her. Kahli turned her head slightly, eyes going wide when she recognized him. Before she could speak, the Queen said, ¡°Good observation, William. Do me a favor¡­¡± she grabbed Kahli¡¯s wrist and pulled the girl across the floor toward the dais, stopping before Will. Sophia thrust the girl at him, ¡°Take her to be cleaned and then bring her back. I want to show her off.¡± The Queen clasped her hands together, nearly squealing with glee. ¡°I want to show everyone the present my brother brought me!¡± Sophia turned on her heel, grinning widely at Reginald, who said nothing. The man smiled and bowed like a loyal subject who didn¡¯t enjoy plotting to kill the Queen.


    Will grasped Kahli by the forearms stiffly¡ªas if she didn¡¯t matter to him. Will eyed the Queen, asking, ¡°Of course, but are you certain? She has never been at court. We don¡¯t know how she¡¯ll behave. This human could embarrass you.¡± This was a sore spot for Sophia and Will knew it. Bringing a wild girl to a party would make her the envy of every other vampire in the world, but if that wild human misbehaved, the Queen would likely drain the girl before sunrise. Will didn¡¯t think the red-head would survive the night. Not from what he¡¯d seen of her. Odds were that she was silently accessing every situation looking for a way to escape. The effects of the bread should have worn off by now, no matter how she was acting. It was a ploy, he decided. The girl was smart, she had to be intelligent and shrewd to survive so long on her own.


    Sophia laughed at Will¡¯s suggestion, her voice high and flirtatious. Reaching for Will¡¯s chin, she turned his face gently. Her hands were freezing, and he repressed the urge to shiver as he always did when she touched him. Sophia¡¯s eyes were like molten chocolate, ¡°Nonsense. What¡¯s the point in having something like this, and not showing it off?¡± The Queen snapped her fingers, and servants appeared to tidy up the mess she left behind.

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    Will groaned, watching her walk away. The Queen regarded the girl as an object. Great. This was going to go well, he thought.


    Sophia looked back, and said over her shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m going to change. Reggie, darling, grab something else to wear and make sure it has a collar. We wouldn¡¯t want anyone to see evidence of our squabbling.¡±


    CHAPTER EIGHT


    Kahli silently stood there, rage simmering beneath her calm fa?ade. It was two days since she left the safe house and she¡¯d encountered nothing but trouble. The Queen was the epitome of beauty with smooth skin and dark hair. When Kahli first saw her, she thought the Queen was regal beyond compare wearing a ball gown encrusted with seed pearls¡ªand blood. Sophia was a lethal combination of smiles and death. All vampires were. She expected no different from the Regent and his insane sister. It was interesting that they were siblings and squabbling. This didn¡¯t appear to be Reginald¡¯s first assassination attempt. Everything happened so fast. In the end, Reggie sat pressing his hands to his bloody throat, smearing his crimson stained fingers on his shirtfront. He glared at his sister when she spoke, but seemed pensive. She wondered if Sophia had really out fought him. With a vampire that size and age, well, it almost seemed like he was holding back.


    Kahli stood perfectly motionless with her shoulders slumped forward like she was still woozy, though the drugs had worn off already. The guards didn¡¯t view her as a threat and neither did the Queen or her brother¡ªbut that boy¡ªhe was there. The Bane who sold her. The Bane who saved her from the wolves. Those two events gave their familiarity with one another a dual existence. In one act he saved her, in another he condemned her to death.


    The look he gave her said he knew exactly what she was thinking¡ªthat she would slaughter them all to escape. He knew she was dangerous when the others failed to see it. His posture was perfect, his black suit hugging close to his trim body. His eyes looked the brightest blue she¡¯d ever seen. The floor of her stomach dipped when she looked at him. She scowled in response.


    Kahli didn¡¯t understand why there was a Tracker at the Queen¡¯s court. Regent Vampires¡ªthe royals and the high-ups¡ªdidn¡¯t consort with low-life Trackers. They were worlds apart. It would be like a King befriending a pauper. It was a warning flag¡ªa sign to stay silent and learn as much as she could. The boy didn¡¯t belong. At first, Kahli thought that the boy had been dragged to the Queen, since he was involved. William, that was what the Queen called him, didn¡¯t act like that though. His stance was too confident. And he was dressed too nice, like he was a fancy object to adorn a fancy room.


    Reginald didn¡¯t acknowledge the boy, though she knew they had just spoken. What was going on?


    Before she had time to consider it, William moved toward her, catching her before she fell¡ªgrabbing her by the shoulders. Fire shot through her body where the wolf bite was still healing. It brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them back. The boy loosened his grip, as if he realized he pained her, and held her firmly just above her elbows.


    He spoke to the Queen, warning her. There was a relationship there, maybe. Her green eyes remained on the pale stone floor, though Kahli¡¯s mind was reeling. Was William the Queen¡¯s consort? The idea repulsed her. Not only was it forbidden, but it sickened her¡ªit sickened her because she found him attractive. The way his dark hair brushed his forehead just below his brow, the way his eyes seemed to sparkle like gems, the slant of his lips that were always pulled into something that was between a smile and a smirk. Kahli shook the thoughts away. It was like admiring a beautiful wolf and nothing more. The creature may have a gleaming coat and be exceptionally pretty, but trusting a creature like that would get her torn apart.


    After Sophia withdrew and servants rushed in to clean her mess, Will guided Kahli towards the back of the room. They passed through a door and into the servants¡¯ hallways. Will hissed in her ear, ¡°You can stop pretending now. There is no way you¡¯re still drugged. And those two aren¡¯t people you want to cross, so stop thinking about running. You¡¯re trapped here now, like the rest of us.¡± Will guided her through the halls, nodding at the kitchen staff as he passed, ushering the girl to the maiden¡¯s chambers on the other side of the building.


    Kahli didn¡¯t fight him. She walked, paying attention to turns and counting paces trying to figure out how far into the palace she was¡ªand what was the fastest way out.


    Will rounded a corner and suddenly shoved her into the wall. She winced, a flash of pain shooting through her arm when her shoulder collided with the stone. ¡°You¡¯re not listening,¡± Will pressed his body to hers, trapping her against the wall. He slammed his hands on either side of her head. Kahli stared up at him, green eyes blazing with hatred. ¡°If you run, you die. No one escapes the Queen. Ever.¡± His voice softened as he looked at her. The tension in his arms eased slightly. ¡°Bide your time and I¡¯ll get you out. That ass wasn¡¯t supposed to come this way.¡± Thinking of Reggie made him furious. This was his fault.


    Kahli glared at him, ¡°Why would you care?¡± He was lying. This was a business transaction gone awry, nothing else, no matter how hard her heart was pounding in her chest. He sold her. Rage flamed through her body, tensing her sore muscles.


    His dark lashes lowered, ¡°I don¡¯t care. I just don¡¯t want to deal with Sophia ranting at me for months after you¡¯re dead. The Queen doesn¡¯t play games. You¡¯re on her side or you¡¯re not. And if you¡¯re not¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dead,¡± Kahli finished his sentence, her eyes still locked on his face. Her fingers twitched. She wanted to scratch him. She felt like a caged animal pressed to the wall. That was why her heart raced. She told herself it had nothing to do with his scent or his lips. ¡°Fine. I get it. I won¡¯t run.¡± She looked him in the eye when she said it, her gaze never wavering. Lies suited her. It was how she tricked the Trackers, slaughtering entire hunting parties one by one. No one suspected a thing, not from her.


    But Will saw that she was more savage than the vampire Queen. He could feel it coming, the hand of fate about to backhand him for a lifetime of playing both sides. Inwardly, Will groaned and pushed off the wall. He gestured with his hand for Kahli to walk in front of him. When she didn¡¯t move he tilted his head, ¡°Do you want me to drag you there by your shoulder?¡± Kahli glanced down and stepped in front of him. He was at her back. She could feel his eyes on her back. ¡°I thought not.¡±


    Kahli wanted to make a sharp retort, but she bit her tongue. He was infuriating. They wound through hallways until they stopped before an enormous bleached wood door. It was hand carved and beautiful. There was no sign, but she assumed these were the maiden¡¯s rooms Will spoke about¡ªthe part of the palace that housed the vamps blood supply. Kahli noticed the golden door pulls and the massive locks within the handles. Her throat tightened. She didn¡¯t want to be locked in.


    Will sensed her hesitation, and heard her pulse racing in his ears. He spoke softly, his hand on the small of her back as he pulled the door open. ¡°They only lock the doors during an attack. The humans that are here were chosen to be here. If they misbehave, they are thrown out. And being in the palace is the best place to be. Their life span is twice as long, and the girls don¡¯t have to worry about dying from the elements like the people in the camps.¡± Kahli shivered.


    She¡¯d been truly cold once. So cold, buried deep beneath the snow. It made her leery of small spaces, of being locked into a room she couldn¡¯t get out of. Will pushed her through the door and her feet couldn¡¯t move. It wasn¡¯t the cramped quarters she expected. The room was stunning. It was a display of opulence with riches, velvet, tile, stone, and glittering gold at every turn of her head. Will pressed her forward. Kahli¡¯s eyes were huge as they passed through the sitting room. Two women, barely her age, sat across from each other whispering. They had elegantly plated hair, decorated with beads. The women wore fine gowns that accentuated their slender figures and dark hair. The women glanced at her, openly mocking her in her filth as she passed them. She¡¯d not been around another human for so long. It made her heart drop to be dumped in with vapid, catty women. Her fingers balled into fists.


    Will leaned close, whispering in her ear, ¡°You¡¯re the Queen¡¯s greatest treasure. Never think you are anything less.¡± His kind words rang in her ears, but she didn¡¯t respond. Why was he being nice to her? She tried to shake off the questions. He didn¡¯t matter. She just had to get through this. One step at a time.


    Will passed through another sitting room. The walls were strewn with musical instruments like it was the place a chamber orchestra rehearsed, before pushing through doors into a smaller room. Steam poured through the door, hitting her in the face. Will pushed her through and called for Miriam. Kahli openly gasped when she realized where they were. It was a tiled room filled with baths. Her heart fell into her boots. Glancing around quickly, she noticed that the baths had women laying back, or leaning side-ways talking to each other. There were at least seven of them and they were all nude, not batting an eyelash about it. The only person in clothing besides her and William was Miriam.


    ¡°Will,¡± she smiled at him. The woman was large, twice the width of Kahli. Her dark hair was tied into a knot on the top of her head and frizzing from the steam. Her smile faltered when she saw Kahli standing behind him. She stopped suddenly, her eyes narrowing, ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right? She¡¯s filthy! And let me guess¡ªthe Queen wants her dolled up and presentable tonight.¡±


    ¡°Miriam, you¡¯re the very best and the girl has been traveling. It¡¯s road suit, nothing more,¡± he lied, but he knew she was smart enough to notice dirt from blood. The look she gave him said so. He smiled at her, ¡°You can do this. Scrub her, stick her in a gown, and shove her back to me.¡±


    Miriam scoffed, ¡°You¡¯re a man, Will. You have no idea how long it takes to make this turn into that.¡± She pointed from Kahli to a woman fully dressed in a beautiful dress, heading out of the changing chambers at the back of the room.

 Page 9

    He smiled at her, ¡°Perhaps, but I know I was glad it was you here tonight and not Cora.¡±


    ¡°Cora,¡± she said, wiping her sweating hands on her linen pants. ¡°Cora¡¯d put her in pink. With that hair! Am I supposed to strip the dye?¡±


    Will shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s not dye.¡±


    Miriam¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°She¡¯s a real red-head?¡± Will nodded.


    Kahli eyed Will. They were standing in a place he shouldn¡¯t be, filled with undressed women. Although he was ignoring her, she wasn¡¯t getting into that tub with him standing there. Will felt her eyes on the side of his face and turned to look at her. ¡°Well?¡± she asked. ¡°Are you leaving?¡±


    Miriam snorted a laugh, grabbed her wrist and tutted, ¡°Nah, he¡¯s seen everyone. Don¡¯t matter, not with things being the way they are. He might as well be a eunuch.¡± Vampires and human relationships were forbidden. It diluted the bloodlines, and in some cases, accidentally eradicated some lines entirely. Things were too precarious to allow such things.


    Will glanced at Miriam, an odd look on his face, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I would. Or the Queen will castrate you herself.¡± Miriam turned to Kahli, trying to relieve her horror. ¡°They can¡¯t touch you. The vampires might admire, but touching would be a fate worse than death with Sophia as queen. Come on.¡± She pulled Kahli towards a bath and instructed her to remove her boots.


    Kahli stood in front of the tiled tub. The steam had made her skin slick with sweat. She was filthy, but there was no way she was stripping in front of a room filled with people. And Will. He was just standing there, like he wasn¡¯t leaving. He had to be sweating to death in that suit. Will grabbed a stool, and pulled it to the wall. He removed his jacket and leaned back, folding his arms, and closed his eyes like he was bored. Bored in a room filled with naked women.


    ¡°Come on, now. Don¡¯t be shy. We¡¯ve all seen all there is to see,¡± Miriam coaxed her gently but her patience was wearing thin. The Queen would want the girl after dinner. She had less than two hours to get her clean, clothed, and made-up. And the girl was acting like she¡¯d never seen anyone in the buff before. She was near twenty. Miriam didn¡¯t see how that could be possible.


    As if he could read Miriam¡¯s mind, Will spoke up, ¡°She was captured in the Empire region. She¡¯s probably never had a bath before.¡±


    That statement caused several hushed conversations to erupt around the room. Kahli¡¯s eyes narrowed at Will. She¡¯d had a bath. When she met him, she wasn¡¯t filthy and covered in blood. That was his fault. She rapidly stripped out of her things, her gaze burning a hole into Will¡¯s face as he ignored her and leaned back against the wall again. She stepped down into the pool and water swirled around her, covering her body.


    The warm water felt good. Miriam scrubbed her hair and poured something into the water. When the scent hit Kahli¡¯s nose, she froze. Was that jasmine? Where on earth did they get jasmine? But it was. The fragrance combined with the vanilla scented bath water. Kahli¡¯s stomach churned like she ate glass. She tried to stand up, but Miriam wouldn¡¯t let her. That¡¯s when she saw it¡ªlong elaborate colored inkings down her left side.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Miriam asked, scrubbing Kahli¡¯s side harder with a bath brush filled with soap. When she washed away the bubbles, the colorful markings were still there.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Kahli looked into Miriam¡¯s eyes hoping beyond reason that she understood, but the woman was a vampire like all the other servants she¡¯d seen. Vampires weren¡¯t creatures of compassion. When Miriam didn¡¯t respond, Kahli whispered, ¡°Please.¡± Please don¡¯t say anything. Please don¡¯t tell them.


    But Miriam didn¡¯t catch her meaning, either that or she didn¡¯t care. ¡°William, you¡¯d better come see this. She¡¯s got markings that won¡¯t come off.¡±


    Will¡¯s eyes opened, but he didn¡¯t move. His arms were folded over his chest as he looked at Kahli in the water. Her long red hair was wet, draped over the swell of her breasts. Her curvy body disappeared beneath the foam on top of the water. A silver ring pierced her navel. He could see it glinting beneath the foam. His breath hitched. Will openly stared at her. The girl was a siren, completely bewitching.


    He snapped out of his trance and approached lazily. ¡°So what? She has a ring in her belly, too. The Queen won¡¯t care.¡±


    But Miriam shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s not an inking. Come look.¡±


    Kahli couldn¡¯t stand it. That mark was a remnant of her old life, something that wasn¡¯t for anyone to see. She dropped into the water, and wrapped her arms around her body. Her green eyes looked up at Will as he stared down at her. Her voice was quieter than he¡¯d ever heard it, ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    He grinned at her, ¡°Now I have to see.¡± He reached down, extending his hand to her. He leaned over the edge of the pool in his fine pants and crisp white shirt.


    Kahli swallowed hard. Miriam backed away to take care of another woman on the other side of the room. A shiver raked over her skin, making it prickle. Will stood over her, waiting, like he expected her to stand and point to the markings.


    A soft voice spoke from the next tub, ¡°Will, leave her alone. She¡¯s already shaken up. And taking her straight to the Queen is insanity. She¡¯ll be lucky if she makes it through the night.¡±


    Will glanced at Cassie, ¡°She¡¯s not like you, and if she¡¯s hiding something, I need to know.¡± Will looked back down at Kahli in the water. His voice was soft, ¡°Tell me what it is. There was nothing there when I put the salve on your shoulder. Just tell me and I won¡¯t look.¡±


    There was no explanation that she could give. The lie wouldn¡¯t form in her mouth. Kahli¡¯s hand pressed into the runes on her side, the runes that only appeared during the ritual. But this wasn¡¯t the ritual. This wasn¡¯t her wedding night. These were the same oils that brought the colors out, but it was the wrong time. She couldn¡¯t let him see. Her voice was barely audible. She breathed, ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Her heart raced in her chest. She withdrew from his hand, sinking further into the water.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me come in there,¡± he teased, but Will could sense that the girl wasn¡¯t going to cooperate. It wasn¡¯t curiosity driving him. It was something else. He wondered if that inking could be what he thought it was. Dragging her out of the pool to look wouldn¡¯t work. He made the gesture again, extending her his hand, hoping she would take it.


    Kahli looked up at his open palm, and shrank further from him. Cassie groaned at Will, telling him to stop. Kahli glanced at the girl. She was leaning over the edge of her tub, watching them.


    Miriam had been watching from across the room. She slammed her bare feet across the slick tile and stepped into Kahli¡¯s pool. ¡°Enough of this.¡± She wrenched the girl out of the tub, forcing her up the steps, toward Will. Water poured off her in a slick sheet as Miriam pulled her up the stairs.


    Will stood in front of Kahli, Miriam stood behind, sopping wet. Kahli didn¡¯t fight back and he wondered why.


    It felt like her heart would tear in half. Kahli stood before Will, dripping and bare, with her body curled forward, trying to hide her nakedness. Her face flamed as red as her hair. Miriam gripped Kahli¡¯s arms, prying them away from her body, and twisted her so Will could see the markings on her side. They were fading quickly. Curiosity got the better of him. Will reached for her waist, and ran the pads of his fingers over her smooth skin. The marks seemed to disappear beneath his touch. Kahli shuddered.


    ¡°For godsakes,¡± Miriam complained still clutching the girl, ¡°Well, what is it?¡±


    Will stared at Kahli¡¯s side. As the water slid off her skin the runes vanished. He lifted his gaze, trying to meet Kahli¡¯s, trying to understand what he saw. Desperation and hope clashed together in his mind, rattling him to his core.


    Ripping his gaze from Kahli, he said to Mariam, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. A trick of the light.¡±


    ¡°But I saw¡ª¡±


    Will replied sharply, ¡°You saw nothing. Get her dressed. Use the candlelight colored gown with the ribbon under the bust. Hurry. It¡¯s the Queen¡¯s favorite holiday, or so she says. She¡¯ll want this girl to show off.¡± The other women in the baths were silent, watching the exchange. The girl closest to her looked at Kahli with pity.


    Kahli was pulled away by a muttering Miriam. They strode toward the dressing area at the back of the bath hall. The back wall was a wardrobe lined with clothing. It was accessible from two sides. The other side must have been near the resting chambers. Beds were visible through the open doors. Kahli was compliant, biding her time. She waited for Miriam to dress her and when the last curl was in place, Miriam grinned.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen another creature as striking as you are right now. It almost like your hair and skin are glowing. It¡¯s stunning.¡± Miriam smiled at Kahli, and admired her for a short second before crossing the room and going back to work.


    Kahli stood in the back corner. When Miriam passed Will, the round woman said something that Kahli couldn¡¯t hear. Will looked up at her and his heart nearly burst. He couldn¡¯t breathe. The gown was perfect. Her long red hair was piled in soft curls on top of her head, but a few strands hung down in soft ringlets around her face. Kahli¡¯s neck was unadorned, pale and perfect. She wore no necklace, as was the tradition to showcase her purity. The pale gown accentuated her curvy figure, ample breasts, and narrow waist. He swallowed hard, his lips parted as he tried to breathe.


    You can¡¯t have her, Will, he scolded himself, trying to tear his eyes away.


    CHAPTER NINE


    Kahli had never worn a dress. It was a frivolous piece of clothing to own. It did nothing to keep the cold out and it used more cloth than pants. And at the moment, she felt naked below the waist. Above the waist, the corseted top was crushing her ribs and forcing the swell of her cleavage into unnaturally large territory. That was when she glanced at Will and saw him staring at her. That look made something stir within her. It was cross between longing and fury. There was no explanation for it. He shouldn¡¯t look at her that way. Miriam made him sound like a celibate monk, wandering the bathhouses. But that look said he knew lust as well as anyone else, and didn¡¯t care that she was off limits.

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    Kahli ignored his gaze and walked toward him. Miriam had given her ivory silk sling shoes with a kitten heel. Naming a heel after an animal was absurd. She¡¯d be taller if she stood on a cat. Kahli wondered where that term came from, because it made no sense. A smirk pulled at the corners of her mouth as she wondered what a wolf heel would look like. As it was, Kahli could barely walk in these. As she approached Will, he extended his elbow toward her.


    ¡°Shall we?¡±


    Kahli looked at him not understanding. An outward elbow was used to punch someone in the gut. Why was he standing like that?


    Will didn¡¯t mean to, but he couldn¡¯t hide his smile. The expression on her face was priceless. ¡°Wrap your fingers around my arm. It¡¯s proper decorum to present you to the Queen.¡± Kahli lifted her hand and placed it on his arm. They left the steamy room before her hair frizzed.


    Kahli took smaller steps than usual. Her heart was racing as they walked back toward the ball room. Nearly two hours had passed since the Queen¡¯s assassination attempt. Kahli was waiting for the proper moment. Hopefully, it would come before the ballroom. Be patient, she reminded herself.


    Will walked next to her, interrupting her thoughts, ¡°I need to tell you a few things. The Regent and Royals have certain expectations. If they aren¡¯t met¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she replied. ¡°Death. Got it. Tell me what you think I need to know.¡± She tucked a curl behind her ear, wishing she didn¡¯t have to do this.


    Will glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She walked with her shoulders back, proud like she wasn¡¯t trapped in this Hell. The wheels in her mind were still plotting an escape, but she seemed too relaxed to be thinking of anything eminent. Clearing his throat, he said, ¡°Speak as little as possible. Don¡¯t correct the Regent or the Queen. And by all means possible, stay away from the King.¡±


    Kahli glanced over at him. Will¡¯s expression was closed. She could no longer read his thoughts by glimpsing at his face. She nodded. Her heels echoed through the empty halls. Will was taking her through the palace by a different way than they had come. These were not the servant¡¯s quarters. The halls were embellished with crystal, priceless art, and gold gilded moldings at the top, middle, and bottom of the wall that were thicker than her head.


    Will continued to give her instructions as they walked the corridors, slowly approaching the ball room. She nodded, listening to the asinine vampire customs. He seemed nervous for some reason, as if he didn¡¯t want to take her back into the room. Yet, he was walking her toward the monarch to be paraded like a dog.


    She stopped. Will paused and looked over at her. ¡°Why are you here? Why does it appear that you¡¯re playing both sides and no one knows?¡± Will¡¯s eyes went wide. He reached for Kahli, meaning to pull her into a room, but she stepped back. ¡°I won¡¯t make trouble. Just tell me.¡±


    He shook his head, sadly, like it pained him to talk to her. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me something. Anything. I don¡¯t understand. You seem cruel one moment and then friendly the next.¡± Her hands fisted in her satin gloves. Will¡¯s eyes drifted to her hands and then back to her face. ¡°Why did you tell Miriam you didn¡¯t see the runes?¡±


    Will rolled his eyes. She pursed her lips, resisting the urge to punch him for the contemptuous look. He ran his fingers through his dark hair. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time or place, Kalahandra.¡± He breathed her name and it slide seductively off his tongue. It was his way of saying he knew.


    Kahli gasped, stepping away from him. She knew he saw the markings on her side, but she had no idea he could read them. Fear rushed through her veins, confusing her thoughts. He knew her name, her full name. Panic slid up her spine and made her shiver.


    Will knew what saying her name would do to her. It was something that humans guarded with their lives. Vampires grew weak from weak blood, and their ability to compel humans deteriorated with them¡ªbut if they knew your true name¡ªthe affects were not diminished. It meant Kahli could be controlled. By Will.


    Leaning close to her ear he whispered, ¡°Do as I say and there will never be reason to use your name against you.¡±


    She straightened, her spine erect like she¡¯d been bred from royalty, and stared at him with a frigid glare. ¡°Cruel one moment and kind the next. Your actions speak clearly.¡± She was silent, biting her lip, collecting her thoughts and trying not to verbally assault him. Vampires knew little of human traditions and yet that boy was able to read the runes. It wasn¡¯t possible, was it? There was no way he was just lucky. Her full name was far from common. Being birthed in the wild ensured it. Green eyes flicked to his face, ¡°Tell me, how could you read it? They¡¯re in my ancient tongue. You¡¯re a vampire, and yet, you read it. You¡­ ¡± She didn¡¯t mean to, but tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Why did he have to read it? Why did he have to tell her to obey him like that? She pressed her eyes closed hard and stiffened her spine.


    He shrugged, his gaze not meeting hers. They continued to walk until he said, ¡°I know how to do many things, many of them serve no purpose, but once in a while I get lucky. They¡¯re wedding runes, aren¡¯t they? You were promised to someone?¡±


    Kahli¡¯s looked at him with a stony expression on her face. ¡°Do not belittle me by asking questions that you already know the answer to.¡± Kahli had been promised as a child. Her parents gave her the ritual runes that bared her name down her side. The only other person that would have known her real name would have been her betrothed. It would have solidified a bond of trust between them. The rune was not meant for outsiders. That life was lost to her now. She hadn¡¯t seen another human since her mother was taken. For years, Kahli knew she was alone. Her betrothed was probably dead or getting drained in a camp somewhere, weak. She didn¡¯t even remember him. The children from her early years were a blur of sounds and colors, fading like ghosts when she closed her eyes. It was as if they never existed. Kahli was the last one at the safe houses. There was no one else.


    Resolve built in her shoulders, stiffening in her neck.


    Will watched her, knowing that he ignited a flame of defiance within her. It was the last thing he wanted, and now he couldn¡¯t undo it. ¡°Fine. Then let¡¯s not play games.¡± He took her shoulders and turned her toward him, careful not to hurt her wound. The salve had healed it almost completely, but the skin was still pink and tender. Mariam covered the site with make-up, so that Kahli¡¯s skin looked perfectly smooth. The gown flowed over her shoulders, concealing any imperfection from the wolf attack that wasn¡¯t covered in make-up.


    His sapphire eyes bored into her, ¡°The queen is ruthless. I don¡¯t want you to die tonight, so stop wondering if you can kill someone with the heel of your shoe. Stop counting how many turns we¡¯ve made. Stop trying to figure out a way to escape and just trust me.¡±


    Kahli laughed, ¡°Trust you? Trust the arrogant idiot who sold me? Really? That¡¯s what you think I should do? Tell me, if you were in my position, what would you be doing right now?¡±


    He swallowed hard. That was how he knew what she was thinking. He¡¯d be doing the same thing, plotting his escape, but there was no way out. He¡¯d tried. ¡°How do you think I¡¯ve gotten stuck between Regent Reggie and the Queen? It was a stupid mistake, like the ones running through your mind right now. Don¡¯t believe me if you don¡¯t want to, but I¡¯m telling you the truth. If you piss off the queen, she¡¯ll give you a fate worse than death. Believe me. I know.¡± He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall.


    Kahli said nothing, staring at the side of his face as he tugged on her arm. When he stopped in front of the ballroom doors, she could see the muscle in his jaw tighten. She rested her small hand on his elbow. A doorman nodded and walked away to tell the Queen her new toy was ready. While Will waited for his message to reach the queen, Kahli decided that she didn¡¯t trust him. Maybe he was speaking the truth¡ªto some extent¡ªbut he would do what he had to do to save himself. He proved that once already in recent days. For some reason, she didn¡¯t hold his childhood acts against him. Although he was the one to stop her mother, she felt like he had no choice then. Now, he did. And he chose wrong.


    Leaning closer to his ear, she said, ¡°I¡¯ll do as you ask, as long as they don¡¯t grope me. And if they try to bleed me, I don¡¯t care what you say¡ªI¡¯d rather die than feed them.¡±


    Will turned an extra frigid gaze on her and she flinched, ¡°Then you¡¯ll die.¡±


    CHAPTER TEN


    The ballroom was as beautiful as it was before it got covered in blood. The Queen made no mention of her ruined gown or her wayward brother, if you could call him that. Assassin was another word, but Sophia chose not to use it. Reginald sat at the Queen¡¯s right side, beside an empty chair. He wore a sleek black suit with a black collared shirt that make his eyes appear to be two pieces of obsidian. Reginald glared at Kahli when she entered the room.


    He couldn¡¯t look away. That creature was supposed to be his, and now his sister had her. He leaned back in his thickly carved chair, smiling like Kahli was a gift, all the while plotting ways to steal her back. And hopefully soon. Her neck was as Will stated¡ªuntouched¡ªand that gown made her desirable in more ways than one. No doubt his idiot brother-in-law would notice the girl dressed like that. Bare neck. Ample curves. If only it were easier to bait the King. Then he could ensnare the majestic couple into a battle and steal the crown when no one was looking.


    Queen Sophia rose from her dais and the crowd parted. She smiled with matriarch pride as she floated across the room in another exquisite dress. Kahli¡¯s eyes rested on the bodice. It looked to be covered in rubies. The queen¡¯s blood red gown was much larger than her previous white dress. Her skirts billowed at her ankles as she walked. Or flew. Kahli wasn¡¯t sure if they could do that anymore. Vampires had grown weak over the years. Sophia wasn¡¯t as weak as the others. That¡¯s why she was the Queen.


    Will bowed, lowering his head, staring at the floor before bending a knee and bowing deeper. It marked his status to bend so low. Regent vampires only bowed slightly to the queen, servants more so, and humans were supposed to bow the lowest. Kahli stood straight, looking the ruthless queen in the eye. Will realized that she didn¡¯t bow, but he couldn¡¯t rise until the queen addressed him. He pressed his eyes closed and stifled a curse beneath his breath.

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    Sophia circled Kahli once, her false smile looked more like a snake than a pleasantry. ¡°Do you have a death-wish child? Or are you physically deformed, more so than you already appear?¡±


    Kahli stared straight ahead, not blinking, not bowing, ¡°There is nothing wrong with me. I will not bow to demons.¡±


    Sophia laughed. The ballroom was utterly silent. ¡°Demon? Is that what you think I am? How na?ve. Do you really think I¡¯ll pardon your insolence because you just fell off a farm and happened to cross paths with a Trader?¡±


    Kahli eyed the queen, ¡°I¡¯d rather hoped not. And I didn¡¯t fall off a farm. I was free, roaming the icy countryside, stalking your Trackers and slaughtering them. Did you never wonder why they didn¡¯t come back? Or were they forgotten like the boy at your feet?¡±


    Damn. She didn¡¯t listen to a thing he¡¯d said. Will wanted to punch Kahli in the leg and force her to bow, but it was too late. Her words were poison. She was a dead woman walking. And she dragged him down with her.


    Sophia touched the crown of Will¡¯s head. ¡°Rise, young William and tell your charge how to behave.¡±


    Before Will could speak, Kahli stepped closer to the Queen and retorted, ¡°I already know how to behave. Honor is given where it is deserved. I do not bow to murderers.¡±


    Will rose next to Kahli. She stood perfectly still, her eyes relaxed like she wanted the fate she was so wildly taunting. All those things he told her in the hall, she ignored. It was a brilliant display of defiance. He wanted to strangle her. There was no way to protect her if the Queen decided to rip open her throat. Yet, Kahli stood there, openly daring the queen to do so.


    A new voice joined the conversation and his heart fell further.


    ¡°Prideful, isn¡¯t she?¡± the King stated, walking up behind Will. Will tried not to react, but his stomach clenched. From the way things were going, he expected Kahli to piss off both monarchs before the evening was even started.


    Kahli glanced at the King, the man Will told her to avoid. He was stunning. Tall and built with thick dark hair and eyes the color of sunlight. His smile melted into her, making her lips smile in return.


    ¡°To a fault,¡± replied the Queen.


    ¡°So, then end it, unless you¡¯d like to gift her to someone.¡± The King spoke flippantly, but Kahli caught his meaning. His gaze lingered on the swell of bare flesh below her throat. The Queen also noticed. Her jealous nature changed her normal action. It threw off the King and Will alike.


    ¡°Gift her? Who would want such a worthless, defiant breed?¡± The Queen circled Kahli, her hackles raised. Her heels clicked on the cold floor with every step she took. The court watched the exchange on baited breath. ¡°Just look at her. The only slender thing on her entire body is her neck. Her breast are grossly enlarged, her hips are far too wide to be considered becoming, and her waist¡ª¡± she laughed pointing at Kahli¡¯s figure, ¡°it¡¯s so tiny you could crack her in half. She looks nothing like the girls we breed here at the palace. Who would possible want her?¡±


    Reginald perked up. For a moment he thought that his meal ticket was going to be slaughtered, but his sister seemed to have something else up her sleeve. Thinking fast he stood, and in two long strides, he was standing next to his sister. His long lean body stood before Kahli, his fingers scratching his chin. ¡°I have a fun little idea. Why don¡¯t we make a little wager? I bet she can be tamed, trained to be the most elegant of the humans at court.¡± Reginald¡¯s eyes narrowed on her throat as he spoke.


    Sophia laughed, ¡°No, she cannot. She¡¯s wild through and through. Defiant to her core. I can see it in her eyes. She won¡¯t bend to anyone¡¯s will, but her own.¡±


    The king had been openly ogling Kahli¡¯s curves. Distracted, he turned back to the Queen, ¡°Then it sounds like you two have a wager. Give her to William. If he can tame her, then the girl goes to Reggie. If he can¡¯t, then you win. Kill her then. In the meantime it should be rather humorous to watch poor William try to manage her.¡± With that the monarch turned and walked away. He plucked a champagne glass off a server¡¯s tray and disappeared behind the crowd.


    Sophia watched him leave, anger burning through her. This wasn¡¯t what she wanted at all. The girl was hers, to do this as she pleased, but the King¡¯s idiotic words put her in a bad place. She couldn¡¯t refuse and save face. She arched a dark brow at her brother and smiled. ¡°Very well. William trains her. If he succeeds, she¡¯s yours. If he fails, she dies.¡±


    They shook hands and a burst of excitement erupted around them. Kahli stood there waiting for the right moment. While they were deciding her fate, she had removed her shoes, hiding then beneath the long hem of her dress. No one noticed the difference in height. Even Will was distracted as he got sucked into their bet. Idiots. Kahli had no desire to enrage a room filled with vampires, but it was the only way out. Before they could utter another word, she turned on her heel and sprinted toward the door. Will turned to grab her, but she slipped through his grip.


    There was no way she could outrun him. Even if the rest of the vampires were weak, Will wasn¡¯t. Damn Bane. She rounded a corner and saw the gold gilded molding on the wall. She dug her nails under the piece of wood and yanked it off. The wood splintered in two, and cracked in her hands. Shards of wood embedded themselves into her palms, but she didn¡¯t care. Just as the molding ripped off the wall, Will rounded the corner out of breath, his eyes huge.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t listen? Then you do this. What¡¯s your plan there Kahli? Beat me over the head with a stick?¡± he shook his head like she was an idiot, but Kahli knew better.


    She inched back toward the door. The Regent had flooded out of the ballroom and watched them from a safe distance. Vampires mumbled about Sophia losing control over her consort and her blood bank in the same night.


    If Kahli backed down, she was dead. There was no tomorrow. Just right now. ¡°You¡¯re vampire, whether you like it or not. A piece of wood to the heart will kill you just like I killed the Trackers. And if you¡¯re too human, well, you¡¯ll die anyway.¡± She clutched the sharp piece of wood in her hand, raising it, threatening him not to take a step closer.


    ¡°Put it down,¡± he replied, not wanting to say her name. He didn¡¯t want to force her.


    ¡°Can¡¯t,¡± she shook her head. A red curl tumbled free and fell over her shoulder, ¡°Step aside.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going to go? You¡¯ll get caught as soon as you get outside, and if you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll freeze to death.¡± Will kept his voice calm and controlled.


    ¡°Better than dying in here,¡± she breathed deeply.


    Will could see it in her eyes. She was acting like a cornered cat. She¡¯d strike him if she had to. Will didn¡¯t try talking to her anymore. She was too far gone. Her brain crossed over into survival mode. He didn¡¯t know when it happened, but she couldn¡¯t be reasoned with at this point. Will sighed inside. This was going to suck. No matter what she did, he would be reprimanded. For a second, he considered backing down and letting her run outside, but he didn¡¯t.


    Will moved fast, ducking behind Kahli¡¯s arm as the make-shift stake swung at his head. He¡¯d seen her fight the wolves. There was no way she would stop after one swing. Before he was past her, Kahli rounded on him, slashing the stake across his arm, drawing blood. There was a collective gasp from the vampires watching them. Kahli was fast. She crouched in her dress, wishing that she had pants. It was difficult to move in this thing without tripping, and she was certain that Will had noticed.


    He dove for her again, noticing the Queen with her arms folded over her chest. She looked bored. Kahli screamed and tried to drive the stake into his side, but he clipped her and forced the stake from her hand. Grabbing her by the wrist, Will twisted her arm behind her back and slammed her into the wall. The aristocracy seemed to think that was the end of it. Will shoved her face into the wall, holding the hair at the nape of her neck. He nodded to the Queen, thinking he¡¯d contained her outburst.


    Just as they turned to leave, Kahli dropped to her knees. In a rapid movement, she extended her leg and kicked, knocking Will on his butt. Before he could recover, she grabbed her skirts and ran into the nearest room. A floor to ceiling window stood between her and freedom. Kahli grabbed a throw blanket that was on the couch as she ran past.


    Will screamed behind her, commanding her to stop. She didn¡¯t. Pulling the blanket in front of her face, Kahli hurled her body at the window. The sound of splintering glass filled her ears. Within seconds, she landed hard on the frozen ground. Some of the glass shattered in large planks. Reaching out, she grabbed one before jumping to her feet. She ran across the lawn, her foot catching on the hem of her gown and tearing it. Snow clung to the bottoms of her feet. Every step was agony. It felt like her feet were on fire, but she didn¡¯t stop. Her hair tumbled down her back forming a red streak as she ran. Her lungs burned, but she didn¡¯t stop. She could hear him behind her, getting closer and closer. Did he know she had the glass shard? She kept it close to her body.


    Will tackled her, and Kahli fell to the ground, their bodies tangling together. Before they stopped rolling, before she knew which was up, Kahli slashed. The glass spike cut into her palm as it slid into Will¡¯s stomach like a hot knife. He howled in pain. The glass punctured his stomach and ripped him apart as it sank into his gut. The pain, and the blood loss, slowed him slightly, but he was still capable of crushing her. Reaching between them, Will grabbed Kahli¡¯s wrist, gripped her tight and forced her hand away from the stab wound. Blood flowed faster, sliding down his side and covering her body. The warm blood melted into the snow, leaving welts of color in the icy surface. Will gripped Kahli¡¯s wrists and slammed them into the frozen ground above her head.


    She sucked in sharply. Sweat covered her body with a soft sheen, her eyes locked on his, pleading. ¡°Kill me. Don¡¯t take me back in there,¡± she panted. Closing her eyes, Kahli rested her head in the snow.


    Will hovered above her, pinning her in place. He didn¡¯t let her move this time. He¡¯d never underestimate her again. Desperation made people do foolish things, but this was beyond stupid. When Will didn¡¯t answer, she looked up at him. Her eyes lingered on the hole in his shirt. Under the once white silk, she saw pale flesh, and something that shouldn¡¯t have been there¡ªrunes. There was no way to get a good look at them. His shirt covered the markings and blood concealed the rest. But it was that tiny corner, the inking that wrapped around his toned waist. It looked like a name rune, like hers. She didn¡¯t understand why she was seeing it now. The only way they became visible was during a union or a ceremony with oils and promises. Kahli¡¯s eyes went wide as she watched his bare skin, not bothering to conceal her notice. Her lips parted, ready to ask why he had them.

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    Will saw the expression on her face and quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, ¡°I swear to God, you are more trouble than you¡¯re worth. If you say a damn word¡­ ¡± Will shook his head, lowering his face closer to hers, practically hissing, ¡°No, you know what? I¡¯ve had enough of this tonight.¡± He released her mouth and looked into her wide green eyes, ¡°Kalahandra,¡± he used her name. He lied and used it against her, after he promised he wouldn¡¯t. Will didn¡¯t care. His side burned and was dripping blood in buckets.


    Kahli felt her body slacken though her mind resisted. She felt his voice wind its way into her, deep inside her body, into her mind. She wanted to do as he asked, but part of her resisted, trying to force his presence out of her thoughts. It was like she melted into him. Kahli no longer knew her desires from his. His blood felt warm on her hands. Her revulsion to him, to his blood slowly faded. Every muscle in her body had been tense, pushing against Will, trying to escape from him. But when he spoke her name, things changed. She stopped fighting. Kahli slackened in the snow, allowing the frozen flakes to press into her back, through the sheer dress.


    Will released her and stood, brushing himself off. Others were watching, so he was careful. ¡°Get up.¡±


    Kahli rose. Will shoved her toward more guards who were waiting by the door. They grabbed her, tightening their fat fists around her slender arms. As soon as Will released the girl, the compulsion stopped and things were as they had been before. Rage shot through her body as she glared at him. She didn¡¯t remember why she stood up, what he said that made her compliant enough to walk back inside. The last thing she was aware of, Kahli had been looking at the runes on his side. She glared at him, at the hole she left in his side. She didn¡¯t care what she saw marked on his chest. There was no way they were alike, runes or not.


    Will accepted that he was trapped, and she never would. Kahli would rather die than have a vampire bite her neck.


    CHAPTER ELEVEN


    Later that night, Miriam was asked to clean Kahli up a second time. She was less gentle this time, tossing the girl into a steaming bath and waiting for her to finish. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you stabbed Will. He meant you no harm.¡±


    Kahli didn¡¯t respond, though she disagreed. Stabbing him didn¡¯t sit right with her, but she didn¡¯t know why. Miriam continued to scold the girl for everything she could think of, including ruining her gown, running barefoot in the snow, and taunting the Queen. Overall, Kahli had a horrible day. Exhaustion was pulling at her, and she wanted nothing more than to be left alone to fall asleep, but that wasn¡¯t the way things worked here. Humans were food, up at all hours of the day to allow the vamps to chew on them. Kahli cringed. She wondered if she would be forced to a feeding now.


    Miriam snapped her fingers at Kahli, telling her to follow the large woman through the maidens¡¯ rooms. She laid out some extra blankets for Kahli and warned her, ¡°No one has patience like Will. If you alienate him, you don¡¯t stand a chance. Choose your enemies wisely, Kahli.¡±


    There were four beds in the room. The one directly across from her was occupied. The other two were empty at the moment. Miriam walked away, leaving Kahli alone with the girl in the dark. Looking at the soft bed, Kahli sat down hard on the side and buried her face in her hands.


    She¡¯d assumed the other girl was sleeping, but Cassie spoke, ¡°Long day?¡±


    Kahli lifted her eyes. Cassie propped herself up on an elbow, staring. ¡°Yeah. You could say that.¡±


    ¡°Is it true? Were you a wild human? Everyone was talking about it, but Missy and Gene didn¡¯t believe it. They said there was no way a human could survive in the wild, never mind a woman.¡± Cassie¡¯s questions were earnest. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulder as she waited, practically holding her breath for Kahli¡¯s answer.


    Kahli laid back on her bed, and pulled the blankets up. She was slow to reply, uncertain of the girl. There¡¯d never been anyone to talk to. Kahli was used to keeping her thoughts in her head, but she knew she needed friends here, alliances.


    Her voice was soft, ¡°I did survive on my own, in the wild. I killed a pack of wolves before I ran out of luck and a Tracker found me. He sold me to Reggie, who gave me to the Queen.¡±


    Cassie gasped. ¡°You killed a wolf? With your bare hands?¡±


    Kahli smiled. Cassie was cute. She had no idea what she was asking. At least it seemed that way. Kahli propped herself up on her side. ¡°Not really. I used a knife.¡± Cassie¡¯s jaw hung open. ¡°I was careless and they cornered me.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Cassie commented, ¡°that¡¯s unbelievable.¡± Her voice filled with awe.


    Kahli had a thought that was burning in her mind. She¡¯d seen that Will was caught between the Queen and Reggie. He also appeared to be a Tracker, which Reggie seemed to know and the Queen didn¡¯t. Pressing her lips into a thin line, she asked, ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Cassie sat up in bed. The room was chilly. Frost lined the window panes. Ornate iron grillwork cast a shadow over the window. It was a cage, not a bedroom.


    ¡°What¡¯s Will to the Queen? Do they¡­¡± she wasn¡¯t sure what she was asking. And she didn¡¯t know why she was asking it. It troubled her. Will could have hurt her, he could have inflicted as much damaged as she did¡ªor more¡ªbut he held his punches. She didn¡¯t understand why. After fighting the wolves off with him, he knew she could take a hit. But he tried to be careful with her. He let her take out her rage on his body without a second thought. She didn¡¯t understand him. He was cruel. And kind. And trapped.


    Cassie snorted, covering her mouth with her hand quickly to stifle the sound, ¡°No! Of course not. That¡¯s forbidden.¡±


    ¡°Pretend I¡¯m completely ignorant, here, Cassie. What¡¯s forbidden?¡± It had been alluded to, but no one gave her details.


    ¡°Everything. No physical relationships between humans and vamps. Period. It weakens the bloodlines and makes us more anemic than we already are.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kahli asked, sitting up straighter in her bed. Moonlight painted pale patches on the floor.


    ¡°Blood isn¡¯t what it used to be. Humans were stronger once. Our blood was different. We didn¡¯t hemorrhage if a vamp bit us. We could even be changed at one point, and become one of them. But now, it¡¯s not possible. Our blood is so weak, if they bite us we¡¯ll bleed to death. Your running and stabbing probably scared the hell out of them earlier. If one of us falls and skins a knee, we¡¯re in the infirmary for a week, trying to get patched up. Meanwhile you were running around with glass in your hand, stabbing Will out of all people.¡± She glared at Kahli for a moment. ¡°If he wasn¡¯t okay, I wouldn¡¯t be talking to you. I figured that you must be frightened and didn¡¯t know which way was up. Stabbing Will was stupid. He¡¯s the only one who helps us around here.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know. I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said. And she was sorry; she was sorry that it bothered Cassie, but Kahli wasn¡¯t sorry that she stabbed him. Not exactly. ¡°Go on¡­ Please.¡±


    Cassie watched her in the silvery light as if deciding something. Kahli must have passed a test or something, because Cassie kept talking, ¡°There were too many years of arranged marriages, too many people marrying cousins, and it happened. We grew anemic. The vamps blood supply had gotten so precarious that they¡¯d do anything to fix it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where the Bane came from?¡±


    Cassie snorted again, ¡°The Bane. Who told you about them?¡± Kahli shrugged. Maybe they didn¡¯t know what Will was. A memory lit up in her mind, he told her that stuff about the Bane thinking he wasn¡¯t going to see her again. Kahli decided not to say anything. And Cassie got one thing right, Kahli didn¡¯t know which way was up. ¡°Yes, they were supposed to be the end-all and fix everything, but it didn¡¯t work. Instead they ended up turning vamp. Vampires need human blood to survive. Not much good it did them. The Bane died off for the most part. Now there is just us, the farms, and you¡ªthe last wild human.¡±


    Kahli shook her head, ¡°It can¡¯t be true. I can¡¯t be the last one.¡± But Kahli hadn¡¯t seen anyone, not another soul in nearly a decade. The only people she¡¯d interacted with were Trackers. And interacted wasn¡¯t the right word. She killed them, searching for information they never had.


    ¡°Well, you are. They are all hoping that your blood is stronger. No doubt that¡¯s the reason they didn¡¯t kill you. Will on the other hand¡ª¡±


    Kahli cut her off, ¡°Why would they punish Will?¡±


    Cassie laid back in her bed, staring at the ceiling, ¡°They¡¯re vampires. Why do they do anything?¡±


    CHAPTER TWELVE


    The night passed painfully slow. Kahli wondered if Will was punished because of her actions. She waited for him to come to her room the following day, but he didn¡¯t. Kahli was quiet and kept to herself, overhearing snip-its of conversations that were usually about her. The only person who would sit with her was Cassie.


    Cassie was long and lean. She had the type of figure that always seemed thin. Kahli wished her hips were that narrow. Ever since they filled out, she kept bumping into things, not expecting them to curve quite so much. Walking through a palace made her more aware of how different she was. No one else looked like her. The Queens pointed words about her looks were accurate. Kahli was an oddity. As another day came and went, Kahli grew nervous. She didn¡¯t know what to expect, but she thought the vampires would want her blood quickly. When they didn¡¯t call for her, it made her nervous. When Will didn¡¯t show up the next day, she felt sick. What if they killed him because of her? Everyone except Cassie gave her nasty looks. Missy, when she finally came to bed at night, spoke to Gene in hardly-hushed voices about Kahli, and how everything she touched turned to ash. There was no one who wanted to know her. She was a pariah, and Missy worked hard to keep it that way with her constantly gossiping lips. Cassie had no patience for Missy. She completely blew off the other girl¡¯s glares and warnings.

 Page 13

    Cassie sat down on a sofa next to Kahli in the sitting room. Three girls had their heads together, glancing at Kahli and laughing quietly. She¡¯d been ignoring them, but now she just wanted to walk over and punch them. According to Cassie, a punch could kill them, so she behaved herself.


    ¡°So, I figured you¡¯re probably worried about getting called,¡± Cassie tucked her feet under her on the sofa. She wore a pair of silk pants and a lacy top. She was very striking, pale skin and dark hair.


    Confusion pinched her face, although she thought she understood, ¡°Called?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, from a vamp¡ªprobably the Queen¡ªfor a feeding.¡± Cassie sounded like she was talking about the weather. Feedings were part of life for her for so long that she didn¡¯t really think about it anymore. There were so many other places Cassie could have ended up. The palace was a blessing for someone like her. She didn¡¯t really understand why Kahli wanted to leave. The weather alone was enough to make people afraid of venturing outside.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Kahli¡¯s heart sank. She didn¡¯t want to think about it. Every time the thought surfaced, she shoved it back down. ¡°Yeah, I wasn¡¯t dwelling on it.¡±


    Cassie studied the side of Kahli¡¯s face, the high lines of her cheekbones, the smooth skin with a light dusting of sunshine that had tanned her skin. She wondered what it must have been like to be strong and live on her own. That was a feeling she¡¯d never know. The last time she¡¯d been to a feeding was over a week ago and she nearly bled-out. They waited longer to call her back this time.


    Cassie, glanced at the strange girl out of the corner of her eye and said, ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d want to know everything. It¡¯s the difference between surviving and living. But, you seem to have already chosen your fate.¡± Cassie didn¡¯t think she should feel offended, but she did. Every time she tried to start a conversation with Kahli, she tensed up and didn¡¯t respond. Cassie took it personally this time. She started to stand up to leave.


    Cassie was the only person who showed Kahli any kindness. She didn¡¯t mean to blow her off, it was just something that she didn¡¯t want to do¡ªshe didn¡¯t know how to react or what to say. The girl had been nice to her over the past few days, but Kahli acted cold. She didn¡¯t want to get to know anyone here. Her plan was to escape and emotional entanglements would make it harder to go when it was time.


    Kahli reached for Cassie, her fingers catching the cuff of her sleeve. ¡°Hey. You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry. Please sit. I¡ªI¡¯ve never imagined that I would be here.¡± She ran her fingers through her bright hair. ¡°I thought my main worries were wolves and food. Not vamps and blood.¡± Things had changed so fast. Her head was still reeling.


    Cassie¡¯s dark eyes assessed Kahli before sitting back down. Once she was seated she seemed to relax again. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s a bit of a shock.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea,¡± Kahli replied. She looked up at the girl and smiled softly.


    Cassie went on to explain how feedings worked, and what to do when she was called. Cassie assumed that Will would get her when the time came. Kahli listened, trying not to gag as Cassie told her what happened, the way it worked.


    Kahli asked, ¡°So they use tools? Because they can¡¯t just bite anymore?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Your Handler will use them to prick your neck and then to seal you back up. Some of us are paired based on the ability of their saliva to coagulate better. Will is pretty good, and gentle. He used to be my handler. Now I have Maurice. The man leaves a wake of drool on my neck every single time. It¡¯s disgusting.¡± Cassie was repulsed, but Kahli was confused.


    ¡°The vamps don¡¯t drink directly from us?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Cassie replied, like it was no big deal, ¡°it¡¯s forbidden. There are several reasons why. Life expectancy is longer if they don¡¯t drink straight from us, and then the other thing.¡± She said the other thing like Kahli should know what it was.


    But she didn¡¯t, ¡°What other thing?¡±


    The girls on the couch across from them burst out laughing. Cassie shot them a glance, but they didn¡¯t stop. When she turned back to Kahli, she couldn¡¯t believe she had to say it. ¡°Sex. Sex with a vamp is forbidden.¡± Kahli still didn¡¯t understand. She shook her head slightly. Cassie smiled and grabbed her hand, ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk.¡± The girls across from her did little to hide their laughter. Kahli growled at them as she passed, and their eyes went wide.


    Cassie grasped Kahli¡¯s arm the way she did with Will a few nights ago, and they walked. The maidens¡¯ rooms were contained in a large section of the palace. They were allowed to roam freely, but everywhere she looked, Kahli noticed that the windows were covered with iron and the doors were blocked by guards. It was clear that they were prisoners.


    Somehow Cassie didn¡¯t notice anymore. She saw them more as guards to protect her, rather than guards to make sure she didn¡¯t try to run. The girls passed from one room into a long hallway. Glass windows spanned from the floor to the ceiling on one side, the opposite side was covered in mirrors. Blue drapes accented the hall, and the carpet runner muffled their voices. The sun shone brightly, illuminating the long hall.


    The girls walked side by side, Cassie leaning in closely, whispering, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m telling you this.¡± A blush rose to her cheeks. Her long brown hair was down, hiding her face a little bit. It was like she was somebody¡¯s mom explaining the birds and the bees. ¡°This is so embarrassing, but it makes sense that you don¡¯t know. I mean, you¡¯ve been locked away from everyone and everything forever. I guess this wouldn¡¯t have been something you and your mom would have discussed.¡± She glanced at Kahli, the two of them walking slowly.


    Kahli¡¯s gaze was on the newly fallen snow. Gazing through the windowpanes, she wished were anywhere else at that moment. It¡¯d been so long. She didn¡¯t really want to talk about her mom. ¡°Not really,¡± she hedged. After a second she decided to add, ¡°Besides, my mom was taken by Trackers when I was just a kid. We never had a chance to have any awkward conversations. I learned almost everything the hard way. And for the life of me, I have no idea what you¡¯re going to say, but you¡¯re creeping me out pretty good. My skin is crawling.¡± Her lips pulled into that awkward smile that was too tight for her face.


    Cassie snort-laughed, ¡°Oh my god. Well, then let¡¯s just cut straight to the juicy stuff, okay?¡± Kahli nodded and was relieved that Cassie didn¡¯t ask about her mom. She knew nothing of Cassie¡¯s life or if she even knew her mother. Things were different growing up here. That much she was sure.


    Cassie flipped her hair back, a wide smile on her face, ¡°Okay, here¡¯s the other thing¡ªif vamps drink straight from us, they get turned-on. Our blood makes them feel intoxicated, but it fills them with desire at the same time. I suppose at one point the two acts were connected, sex and feeding. But now they aren¡¯t. That doesn¡¯t mean that the vamps don¡¯t feel it, though. And it doesn¡¯t mean that we won¡¯t either. If you get bitten, you¡¯ll want it¡ªyou¡¯ll want to be with your vamp.¡±


    Kahli¡¯s feet slowed as they walked, but now they had stopped. There was no way she would ever want to be with a vampire. The idea was disgusting. They were corpses. Their minds were savage, their skin like ice, pale and cold. The thought of desiring such a thing was repulsive. It would be like lusting after a wolf while it was chewing off her face. Kahli couldn¡¯t fathom it.


    Cassie saw her expression, and shook her head, ¡°Just believe me, if you get bit, you¡¯ll want it. When their fangs sink into your neck, it hurts at first, but then a rush of sensations drowns it out. Lust builds and well¡­ you know how things go when both parties are hot and heavy. Things get out of control.¡±


    Kahli nodded, not speaking. It sounded horrible. Questions were jumping through her mind, ¡°So, the vamps¡¯ teeth is like a toxin? A lust inducing toxin?¡±


    Her lips pulled into a sneer, ¡°Geeze, you make it sound clinical, but yeah, I guess you could say that. And lust isn¡¯t the only thing it makes you feel, but the end result is the same¡ªyou¡¯ll want more. It¡¯s easy to get addicted and with the way things are, well, anemic girls and vamps don¡¯t last long together. That¡¯s why relationships and feeding like that were banned.¡±


    Without thinking, Kahli asked, ¡°But how would they know? Right?¡± She looked at Cassie. ¡°If it¡¯s forbidden, then how would anyone remember what it feels like? You¡¯re talking about it like you¡­¡± Kahli¡¯s mouth went dry and she didn¡¯t finish her sentence. Was it possible? Did this girl have some sort of an affair with a vampire? The idea made her gag. A moment of silence passed. The girls stopped in front of a large window pane and looked out onto the snow-covered lawn. Finally Kahli understood. At least she thought she did. There weren¡¯t very many explanations for why she would have had to endure a vampire romance if it was forbidden. Kahli asked, ¡°No one follows the rules, do they?¡±


    ¡°Some of us do,¡± she said softly. ¡°Some of us try to and others don¡¯t let us.¡± Her dark eyes looked up, meeting Kahli¡¯s. ¡°Do yourself a favor, and don¡¯t let Will leave your side. Things were better when he was around.¡±


    CHAPTER THIRTEEN


    The dreaded call came late that night. Kahli was in her night clothes¡ªa sheer linen gown¡ªand staring at the ceiling. She¡¯d been lying flat on her back, in her bed, unable to sleep. Plotting all day didn¡¯t help her figure out how to escape. There were so many things that could go wrong. And Will. Damn. He bothered her. It was bad enough he knew her full name. He could just say it and she¡¯d be at his command. The idea made her sick inside.


    The bedroom door opened. A sliver of light stretched across the ceiling, and before she could blink, Will was standing over her. She nearly screamed, but he placed his hand over her mouth. Whispering, he leaned close to her ear, saying, ¡°Come with me. And if you try anything, you¡¯ll regret it.¡±

 Page 14

    Kahli rose, feeling self-conscious in the sheer gown. It was like all the girls were there for two purposes¡ªblood and lust. There wasn¡¯t one girl who wasn¡¯t beautiful. Every single one was stunning. Kahli was the odd one. Normally, she didn¡¯t care about what she looked like. But here, they constantly talked about her¡ªher eyes, her hair, her skin¡ªeverything was wrong, like she¡¯d been built from spare parts that were centuries old. Kahli wrapped her arms across her chest, trying to conceal herself.


    Will reached for a blanket and draped it over her shoulders, and then indicated that she should walk out the door. Kahli looked down at a sleeping Cassie. If the girl hadn¡¯t told her about Will, she would have panicked. Well, she would have tried to kill him to escape. But knowing what she knew, Kahli didn¡¯t think her life was in danger at that moment. It gave her more time to find a way out of this mess.


    Kahli glanced at Will as they walked. He was silent, his spine straight, his hands at his sides. He didn¡¯t look over at her. They were both still, silent, like each one was waiting for the other to attack. It gave her the shivers, that creepy feeling that crawled over her skin when something bad was about to happen. He was gone for several days. She¡¯d stabbed him, but vampires healed quickly. But he was Bane. For all she knew, he had stitches in his side.


    When they were in the hallway leading away from the maiden¡¯s rooms, she asked, ¡°Are you all right?¡± Kahli kept her eyes on the floor.


    Her head was down, looking up at him from under thick lashes. It was either a ploy to kill him, or she was sincerely asking. He didn¡¯t know which she was after. Will arched a dark brow at her, ¡°Are you asking so you can take me down if I¡¯m not? Because I don¡¯t think another attack is the best plan at this point.¡±


    Kahli stopped and stared at her feet. Will faced her, his blue eyes unreadable. ¡°No,¡± her voice was a whisper. She¡¯d been thinking about the things Cassie had said. Regret bubbled up inside of her, ¡°Maybe I should have given you a chance, and I didn¡¯t. I stabbed first and had no intention of¡ª¡± she looked up at him, her breath catching in her throat, ¡°of anything.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re giving me a chance?¡± His lips twisted into a smirk. ¡°Is that what this is?¡±


    Kahli sensed he was teasing her and her spine stiffened. Her defenses were already in overdrive. Eyes narrowing, she replied, ¡°Perhaps. If you¡¯re not an ass and actually keep your word.¡±


    Will laughed. The sound shocked her. It was rich and deep, like she truly entertained him. ¡°Out of the two of us, I¡¯m the only one who hasn¡¯t been lying since the moment we met. That was you.¡± Well, he lied once, but that didn¡¯t count in his head. She stabbed him and saw something she shouldn¡¯t have seen. Will wondered if she remembered his runes, or if the memory faded after the compulsion. He tilted his head and slid his hands into his pockets. Will was wearing a black silk shirt that clung to his body, dark jeans hugged his legs. His hair was somewhere between black and brown, and seemed to be tousled like he was running his hands through it all day.


    Kahli¡¯s jaw opened and for a moment, only air came out. ¡°You¡­ You said¡­¡±


    Will was grinning. Shaking his head, he leaned closer to her face, his eyes locked on hers, ¡°I never lied to you. From square one, I told you the truth.¡± When you weren¡¯t stabbing me, he thought.


    ¡°You did not!¡± her voice rose, but she wasn¡¯t mad. There was something that he did. She was certain of it, but she couldn¡¯t remember. The incident seemed hazy, like a dream quickly forgotten.


    Will knew what she was talking about. When he¡¯d used her full name to compel her, the effects left her memory foggy. Thank god, because she looked like she wanted to kill him and that was the only thing he¡¯d done wrong. Well, to her anyway. ¡°Listen, I¡¯ve been trying to talk to you. I wanted to tell you since I saw Reggie in the ballroom¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tell me what? That selling me once wasn¡¯t enough?¡± Somehow they were nose to nose. Kahli¡¯s body was wound so taut that she thought she would pop. She clutched the blanket draped over her shoulders, strangling the fabric with a death-grip. Will¡¯s gaze fell on her knuckles, which were turning white.


    The girl was practically shaking, she was so angry. He wasn¡¯t usually this dense. When a he did something that made a woman enflamed like that, he knew what it was and usually did it on purpose. This time was no different. He said things that he never had the opportunity to correct. ¡°I tried to tell you, but things flew out of control. I never got the chance¡­¡± he ran his hands through his hair, shaking his head, ¡°No wonder why you¡¯re so mad. You think I saved you from the wolves and patched you up to sell you to a vampire? Of course it sounded like that. It was supposed to, but I didn¡¯t sell you to him. I wouldn¡¯t do that to you¡­ But this isn¡¯t the time¡ª¡± Will realized his lips were a breath away from hers, his eyes met hers, and he knew she noticed it, too. They were standing close together, her night dress brushing against his shirt. How did they get so close? Will finished speaking, barely breathing, ¡°Or place.¡±


    Kahli watched his lips move as he spoke. What was he doing to her? It had to be him, using his vamp charms to, to¡­ to what? He couldn¡¯t have her. It¡¯s not like he¡¯d ask her out or something. Kahli looked at his perfectly pink lips and shivered. Closing her eyes tightly, she pulled away, putting space between the two of them.


    Will sucked in air, his lungs filling like they¡¯d burst, and exhaled. He tried to force out the insanity that this girl breathed into his life, but it was still there like an itch he couldn¡¯t reach. ¡°I promise that I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯s going on. You just need to give me a little while. There are times when I can speak more freely than others. Until then, you just have to trust me. And, Kahli, I keep my promises. Always.¡± Will¡¯s gut twisted as he lied to her face. He wanted to be the kind of man who made a promise and kept it, but his life wasn¡¯t so simple. There were other forces at work, forces that overrode his sense of virtue.


    Kahli stared at him. The sincerity in his voice made the pit of her stomach twist. He seemed too good to be true, which meant he wasn¡¯t. He was hiding something. He had to be. Why would he promise her anything? She was an animal to him, something beneath him. But the way he spoke, the way his eyes lingered on her face, it made her want to believe him. Shoving away the thoughts, she nodded. There was no time to think about things. That wasn¡¯t the way her life worked. Surviving was all she¡¯d ever known. And at that moment, it was just another test she had to pass to remain alive. Making the mistake of thinking Will was her friend would be fatal. It didn¡¯t matter that Cassie liked him. Saying he was the nicest murderer amongst the vampires in the palace didn¡¯t make him a good man. Speaking with intentions that were well meant, didn¡¯t mean a thing either.


    Instead of voicing her opinions, she just nodded. They continued to walk through the dimly lit halls until they came to an ebony door. Will pushed through. The interior of the room contained padded chairs and chases. Candles flickered on the walls casting a warm glow in the cool room. The wallpaper was flocked velvet the color of dried blood.


    Will extended his hand toward the chase, ¡°Sit.¡±


    Kahli did as she was asked, ¡°What are we doing here?¡± She glanced around as she spoke, her soft hair falling over her shoulders.


    Will stopped in front of a massive desk. It had intricate carvings of plants that had gone extinct long ago. There were grapes and vines¡ªthings that couldn¡¯t survive the ice and snow¡ªtangling up the thick desk legs. Will pulled open a drawer and heavy things made scraping sounds against the wood.


    ¡°The queen requested a tasting. She has someone here that she means to impress, and apparently this is how she plans on doing it. You¡¯ll have to,¡± he stopped, his hand on a cold golden needle, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t tell you anything about this, did I? The other night went totally wrong and then they¡­¡± his voice trailed off. Will looked down into the desk. He was still, like he was reliving something that he didn¡¯t want to remember. His eyes glazed over and when he glanced up at her, he said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. The point is that this is the first time I was able to get to you since our little incident on the lawn, so you¡¯ll have to learn as we go along.¡±


    The floor of Kahli¡¯s stomach fell. He was going to do something to her. And the vamps had done something to him. She was sure of it. That look was a combination of pain and grief. She knew it well. It had sat on her small face for years before she learned to hide it. Will hid everything. Most of the time his expression was a mask, so why did he let her see that? Was it a slip? Or did he do it for another reason?


    For half a second, she didn¡¯t care. Kahli stood and walked over to him. Will glanced up at her, cautious. ¡°They did something to you. Because of me.¡± Kahli¡¯s eyes searched his face. She already knew the answer, she just wished she knew what they did. Vampires could control humans, but what about Bane? Could he hold his own against the Queen? Or was he her lapdog?


    Will ignored her and extracted three tiny tools and a golden plate. He laid them on the desk. Kahli continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d blame you.¡±


    ¡°They have their own set of rules. It¡¯s not something you could have known.¡± His eyes flashed at her, deep blue and deadly. It was the same look he had when he was fighting the wolves. It made Kahli¡¯s pulse skyrocket. ¡°Are we calling a truce?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Yes, it seems like we should. Temporarily anyway. Just tell me what you¡¯re doing and why. I, um, have issues with vamps and blood.¡± A shiver slid down her spine. Her issue was she wanted to kill every vampire she found, and she didn¡¯t want any of them tasting her blood. But things changed and now she was agreeing to allow a vampire to tap her like a maple tree.


    ¡°No,¡± Will gasped sarcastically, his hand over his heart feigning shock. ¡°I had no idea.¡± She smiled at him. It was a nervous smile, one that said she was trying, but wasn¡¯t sure if she could do this. ¡°Hey,¡± he placed his hand on top of hers, ¡°this part is easy.¡± He smiled crookedly at her.

 Page 15

    She nodded, her eyes drifting toward his hand. His smooth skin felt warm¡ªhuman¡ªnot vampire. He slid it away too soon and went back to readying tools on a tray. Nodding to the chaise, he asked her to sit. Kahli sat down and leaned back in the overstuffed chair. Will was standing at her shoulder. She couldn¡¯t see him. Her blood rushed through her body faster and faster. Panic was starting to strangle her.


    Her voice was clipped, a little too high, a little too tense, ¡°Tell me what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    Will kneeled next to her and showed her a needle. It was longer than a sewing needle with an equally sharp tip. He held it out to her, but she didn¡¯t take it. ¡°This is used for tastings. I¡¯ll prick your finger and the blood will drip into these little silver dishes. It¡¯s only three drops each, so nothing major. It¡¯s for a taste and nothing more. This isn¡¯t enough for a feeding. It¡¯s more to show off and see if you¡¯ll try and kill me.¡± He shook his head, smiling tightly. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s it. A prick of your finger, a couple of drops, then we close the wound and send you back to bed.¡±


    Kahli¡¯s heart was pounding. It didn¡¯t sound bad, but she didn¡¯t like that she was being forced to do it. She tried to relax and accept it, but she couldn¡¯t. When Will reached for her hand, she was shaking. It wasn¡¯t fear. It was something else¡ªsome deeply engrained thought that said she failed if they tasted her. Will felt her hand tremble and looked up at her. Kahli had her bottom lip in her mouth and was biting down hard, trying to restrain herself. Every part of her body, every corner of her mind said to fight. Fight him off, kill him. Now.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said, trying to settle her down, not realizing how unstable she was, ¡°it¡¯s not that bad. I can¡¯t imagine that you¡¯re afraid of anything, so what is it?¡± After seeing her slaughter a pack of wolves, he didn¡¯t think she was afraid of anything. She mouthed off to the monarchy, as well. But a needle made her tremble. He didn¡¯t get it. Why was she spooked? Will clasped her hand tighter, and looked up at her. ¡°I¡¯m not a wolf. I won¡¯t tear you to shreds.¡±


    Her eyes were glazed over, fighting the impulse to attack. Kahli¡¯s arms were shaking the tiniest amount. It was rage, making her shiver like a frightened cat. Her mind wouldn¡¯t allow herself to think this was okay. It was wrong. On every level it was wrong. But there was nothing she could do. It took every bit of self-restraint she had to sit there. Will held her hand softly, like he cared, but she knew it was a lie. He just needed blood.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± she answered, ¡°Just do it.¡±


    Will glanced up at her for a moment. Her voice was strained, her body tense. Her lip was back in her mouth, getting crushed by her teeth. He moved quickly, and pricked her finger with the needle. Kahli stared blankly ahead. She didn¡¯t watch six drops of blood fall. She didn¡¯t want to feel anything. She didn¡¯t want to remember any of this. Will¡¯s warm fingers were on hers, squeezing the blood.


    He worked quickly. Doing this to Kahli was like trying to chisel a piece of china. He felt like she¡¯d break at any moment, and when she did¡ªhe didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d fall apart or attack everyone and everything in her path. When the last drop fell, he lifted her finger to his lips without thinking. He didn¡¯t tell her that it was normal. He thought she knew.


    Kahli sucked in a gasp, suddenly feeling his tongue flick against her finger. Startled, she jerked her hand back.


    Will, still kneeling in front of her, looked up into her face, ¡°Sorry. It helps you heal faster. I didn¡¯t mean to frighten you.¡± His eyes were on hers and her body felt hot. Flushed. Her head was spinning, spinning with denial, betrayal, and a million thoughts she shouldn¡¯t be thinking.


    Watching her face, Will saw the cut on her lip open when she pulled her hand away. He leaned in close, slowly. Kahli¡¯s heart was pounding in her chest. His eyes shifted between her lips and her eyes, as if he were asking permission. She sat there, barely able to breathe. Will leaned in closer, his dark lashes lowered, his eyes fixated on the drop of blood on her lip. He shouldn¡¯t do it. He shouldn¡¯t taste her, but he couldn¡¯t let her leave with a cut.


    When he felt her warm breath slide across his lips he wanted to kiss her. It was impossible to not picture her in his arms, her body pressed tightly against his. Instead of doing the things he wanted, he blinked slowly and slid his tongue over the cut. Kahli¡¯s blood filled him, warming him. It was only a drop, but it burned through him, consuming him like a raging fire. Blood normally didn¡¯t do that to him. He¡¯d sealed many wounds, tasted many humans, but this¡ªthis was different. It was the kind of thing that only existed in fairytales. Her blood was as vibrant and sensual as she was. How could she not know? She sat there watching him like it pained her to be touched, but that was all he wanted to do. The moment her blood touched his tongue, Will wanted to taste her kiss, not just her blood. It was the slow agony of realizing that he could never get enough of her.


    Gently, he pulled away, pressing his lips together. Will placed a hand on her shoulder. Kahli¡¯s body was taut, bursting with confusion. She was stiff and giddy and repulsed. The emotions warred within her so fiercely that she didn¡¯t know which one to react to first. When he put her finger in his mouth, she nearly climbed out of her skin. It was beyond her compression, but it made him seem appealing. It should have disgusted her. Drinking blood was the act of monsters and animals. He was both.


    Will was both.


    God she felt confused. Then when he licked her lower lip, she was lost. It felt like time stopped. It felt like he was everything she wanted and nothing she needed. Kahli didn¡¯t know if these feelings were normal. She didn¡¯t understand Will¡¯s reaction, or lack thereof. After he nearly kissed her, he pulled away and prepared the trays. He didn¡¯t even look back at her until the Queen¡¯s servant arrived and took the tray. Only then did Will turn back and offer his arm. She stood, feeling like she was blindsided, and they walked back to her room in silence.


    CHAPTER FOURTEEN


    ¡°Pssst,¡± Cassie¡¯s voice was low.


    Kahli had been staring at the ceiling for over an hour. Her heart was still pounding from what Will had done to her. She was so messed up. Her family was slaughtered by vampires, and she was turned on by one. What the hell was wrong with her?


    ¡°Pssst! Kahli, I know you¡¯re awake.¡± A pillow launched at her head. Instinctively, Kahli reached out and grabbed it before it landed. ¡°Are you okay? Was it a feeding?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Kahli whispered, ¡°a tasting. That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± her voice lost some of its curiosity. ¡°Then what¡¯s wrong? The other two aren¡¯t here yet. It¡¯s just us. You can tell me if you want. Or we can talk about something else. You seem freaked. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.¡± She was twisting her blankets and looking at Kahli in the dark.


    The other two were never there this early, and it was after two in the morning. She wondered where they were but didn¡¯t want to know. The less she knew, the better. It was hard enough staying here, as it was. ¡°I¡¯m okay. It just surprised me. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°What surprised you? I told you everything. And it wasn¡¯t like it was a feeding, so they used your finger, not your neck, right?¡±


    She nodded, staring at the ceiling, twisting her blanket between her fingers, ¡°Yeah. I just didn¡¯t expect to feel anything but rage. You know? When Will sealed the wound¡­ I just¡ª¡± the sensations she¡¯d been fighting fluttered through her again.


    Cassie¡¯s voice was serious, much more so than usual, ¡°What are you talking about? What feelings? He didn¡¯t have sex with you, did he? Will wouldn¡¯t do that, right?¡± She sounded like she wasn¡¯t certain any more.


    Kahli wasn¡¯t really listening. She was thinking about Will¡¯s lips so close to hers. She could still feel his breath slipping across her mouth. She flinched when Cassie¡¯s question sunk in. She propped herself up and stared at the other girl, ¡°No! He didn¡¯t do anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯d he do?¡±


    ¡°He licked the wound shut. He did what you said, but it felt like a million butterflies exploded inside of me, all bustling to break free. It made me shiver so hard that I bit my lip, and when he closed that cut, it was worse. Oh my god, it was worse. I¡¯ve never felt like that. Ever.¡± Her green eyes were wide, pleading, ¡°Tell me that¡¯s some vamp voodoo. Tell me it wasn¡¯t something else.¡±


    Cassie¡¯s expression faltered while Kahli spoke. The sad smile on her face said everything, ¡°It happens, Kahli. It¡¯s not a big deal. You have a little crush on your Handler, that¡¯s all. It makes sense. A girl gets filled with fear and the nearest guy is the one who reaps the rewards. That was Will. It¡¯s nothing,¡± she assured her, ¡°It¡¯ll pass. Everyone gets something like that.¡±


    Kahli laid back down on her pillow. Her eyes stared at the ceiling, unblinking, ¡°Did you? Did you feel that intensely about your Handler the first time they took your blood?¡±


    Cassie was quiet for a moment, remembering. It was a long time ago. She was nervous, but the emotions that Kahli was describing weren¡¯t nerves. They were lust. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t feel like that. Not really.¡±


    Kahli pressed her eyes closed and tried to block out Will¡¯s face¡ªhis eyes. They were so blue, like twin gems. She couldn¡¯t stop picturing his lips on her finger, his tongue brushing her mouth. With a strained voice she asked, ¡°And it was Will?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but Kahli¡­ ¡± Cassie glanced over at her, but Kahli cut her off.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Nothing happened. There was no reason to freak out. There was a logical explanation for all this. There was no way Kahli went from hating vampires to being infatuated with one. She wasn¡¯t that stupid. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, right? Some people have different reactions to things. It would make sense that I¡¯d react differently. I just had an adverse reaction to Will. That¡¯s all.¡± Wide-eyed she stared at the ceiling, her heart still pounding.

 Page 16

    Cassie replied softly, ¡°Sounds like the exact opposite to me.¡±


    CHAPTER FIFTEEN


    Kahli was restless all night. The thoughts and images that passed through her mind were forbidden, but that didn¡¯t keep them away. She tossed and turned, taking notice that Gene and Missy were returning just before dawn. The two girls slipped into bed more quietly than usual. Their movements were slow and tense, their eyes vacant like they were shell-shocked. Kahli wondered why. The two usually came back half drunk, arm in arm like they¡¯d been partying all night. Cassie became anxious whenever she brought it up, so Kahli stopped asking. Rolling over onto her side, she faced the wall. Specs of gold glinted in the paint. She pressed her fingers to the wall and Will¡¯s lips filled her mind. What was wrong with her? Exasperated, Kahli rolled onto her back and pulled the blanket over her head.


    Dreams invaded her rest. Disturbing sensual thoughts filled her body and she felt everything. Just as her heart was ready to explode, just as her dreams were heating up far beyond the flirtatious visions from earlier that night, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Kahli startled. Not fully awake, she jumped from her bed, grabbing her attacker by the neck.


    Blinking, she stared at Will, his dark brow raised slightly. ¡°Seriously?¡± he just stood there, those blue eyes lingered on her face. A soft smile twisted his lips. Kahli was shaking. She dropped her arms and a shiver raked her body. She shook it out. Will was watching her, his gaze lingering on her sheer gown. ¡°What¡¯s up with you?¡± he asked.


    Kahli couldn¡¯t tell him. She couldn¡¯t say the things that had happened in her mind. She wanted to scrub the thoughts away with a metal brush. She tugged her hair, and turned toward him. A plastic smile spread across her face.


    ¡°Nothing. Nothing at all. You just startled me.¡± Will didn¡¯t look convinced. She wondered if he could hear the rush of blood flowing through her frantically beating heart. ¡°I¡¯ve been alone for most of my life. Someone waking me up is usually bad.¡±


    Will nodded, his expression completely serious, ¡°I would suppose so. I hear bear attacks are on the rise.¡±


    Kahli¡¯s tremors subsided slightly. She grinned at him, pushing him in the arm, ¡°Bears. I¡¯ve never woken once and been afraid that a bear was trying to eat me.¡±


    ¡°Then what were you dreaming about? Because it seemed to make you really jumpy. And sweaty.¡± Will¡¯s eyes slid over her face.


    Kahli¡¯s hair was damp at the roots, sticking to her cheek. She pulled it back and didn¡¯t look at him. ¡°Vampires,¡± she said. Sometimes telling the truth was the easiest lie. She was able to look him in the face and say it, but her voice was off¡ªtoo steady and deep.


    He brushed his foot against the floor before looking back up at her. Sunlight was spilling through the window. ¡°Anyone I know?¡± Will paused, glancing up at her with an odd expression on his face.


    You. I was dreaming about you doing things to me that were completely forbidden¡ªand completely wonderful, she thought. Kahli wanted to ask him, she wanted to know if last night messed with him, too. From the look on his face, he seemed to be in a different mood that morning. He wasn¡¯t closed down like he usually was. Kahli thought she could sense things in him, things that were normally impossible to detect.


    Parting her lips, she began to ask, ¡°Will, what does it mean when¡­ ¡± but she was interrupted.


    The door flew opened and Cassie bounded into the room. Her dark hair hung in long curls, her dark eyes glittering. There was a huge smile on her face. Cassie was a morning person. ¡°Finally! You¡¯ve been asleep forever!¡±


    Kahli glanced at Will, then back at Cassie. His gaze told her that he wanted to know what she was going to ask, but she couldn¡¯t say it now. Not in front of Cassie. The idea of having a crush on Will made her stomach twist. It was wrong, she should hate him. God, they needed to talk. There was so much he hadn¡¯t had a chance to say. What did he mean the other night? What trouble did he get into? And why was he caught between the Queen and her plotting brother? It was a bad place to be, yet Will seemed to take it in stride. Maybe he had to. Maybe he was trapped.


    A voice inside her head answered, Maybe he likes it there. Maybe he wants it that way. The flicker of distrust ignited within her again. It didn¡¯t matter how soft his lips felt, or how perfect his body was¡ªhe was still a vampire. He¡¯d still kill her like a lone wolf lost in the snow. Their eyes even held the same haunted expression¡ªlike there should be something more than hunting and killing¡ªbut there wasn¡¯t.


    She tore her gaze away from the boy and answered her friend, ¡°It¡¯s only nine o¡¯clock,¡± Kahli mumbled, grabbing her robe and wrapping it around her. She shivered, rubbing her arms vigorously trying to shake off the cold. ¡°You make it sound like it¡¯s after noon.¡±


    Cassie replied, ¡°Hey, you know it¡¯s late by looking around. See anyone else in here? No. Even Missy and her clone were up before you. Have trouble sleeping?¡± Her lips pulled into a wicked grin as she shot a look at Will.


    Kahli wrapped her arm around Cassie¡¯s shoulders, and yanked her close, nervously laughing, ¡°Of course not.¡± Her fingers pressed into Cassie¡¯s arm hard.


    Cassie squeaked, ¡°Owh!¡± and pulled away from her friend. Grinning she said, ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll tease you later. Will doesn¡¯t care anyway.¡± Will glanced at Kahli and back at Cassie, his head tilted like he did care and wanted to know what she was talking about. Kahli felt a nervous flutter up her throat and into her mouth. Good little Cassie wasn¡¯t paying attention. She was acting like a Labradoodle on Pixie Stix, practically bounding through the glass at the window. Pulling open the drapes dramatically, she said, ¡°It snowed! Get dressed! Come out!¡±


    Kahli looked at her like she was crazy, ¡°It always snows. It never melts. It¡¯s freezing 365 days a year. I don¡¯t get why you¡¯re¡­¡± Kahli¡¯s words died in her mouth. When she walked to the window, she began to see why Cassie was excited. There was usually a slow dusting of flakes that fell from the sky slowly, gently covering the ground in thin layers. But this¡­


    Cassie squealed, ¡°Get dressed!¡± and ran from the room, skipping on her way out. The door slammed behind her.


    Staring out the window, Kahli pressed her fingers to the cold glass, ¡°There was a storm last night?¡± There had been and it dropped over four feet of fluffy white snow. She stared at the stretch of white lawn. Damn, she¡¯d been out of it. It was like she was drugged. Her eyes cut to Will, who was standing over her shoulder, looking out the window. ¡°Did you¡­¡± She hesitated. It didn¡¯t seem like he drugged her, but her mind didn¡¯t feel like her own.


    Turning her toward him, he looked down at Kahli. Will lifted a strand of her hair and pushed it away from her face. It was an act that made her knees weak. She couldn¡¯t think. Kahli stepped away, her back pressing up against the window. Will stepped forward, ¡°Did I what?¡±


    ¡°Did you do anything to me last night? Give me anything that would have made me,¡± she tried to find the right word without spilling her guts, but there was no word. There was nothing that could have made her act that way.


    ¡°Made you want me?¡± his warm breath slid across her lips. Kahli shivered. Will¡¯s eyes bored into her, making her feel exposed. ¡°No,¡± he breathed. He bit back the rest of the words he wanted to say. She was so close, he could feel the heat radiating off of her. It took all his resolve to remain where he was and not press her into the window and kiss her, taste her, right there.


    She swallowed hard, ¡°Then what was that?¡± Her voice was barely audible. Will took a breath and his chest brushed against her. Kahli shivered. Pressing her eyes closed, she shook her head. This can¡¯t be. It¡¯s not possible. He had to have done something, but when she opened her eyes and looked at him¡ªshe couldn¡¯t fathom it. She found herself trapped in his gaze, leaning closer and closer to his lips. One taste. One kiss. She blinked slowly as if this moment were never-ending.


    Will was frozen, watching Kahli¡¯s expression soften. Her chest gently brushed against his as she breathed. The pace of her heart increased as those green eyes locked on his lips. She moved toward him slowly, like she was bewitched. He felt her warm breaths as she neared him, those perfectly pink lips close enough to taste. Will was torn. Last night was miserable. He¡¯d never had this reaction to a tasting before, never been so overtly drawn to the human that he was draining. But Kahli, it was like she was an aphrodisiac. He couldn¡¯t brush her away from his mind. A kiss was forbidden. A kiss was death for them both, and standing in front of the window was not the place to kiss her. If that day ever came, it would be somewhere that no one would find them. Just as Kahli¡¯s lips were about to press to his, Will pulled back. ¡°Kahli,¡± he breathed, ¡°we can¡¯t.¡±


    She stopped and stared at him. It was something she wanted and something she dreaded. A kiss. He continued speaking, taking her shoulders and moving them away from the window and prying eyes, ¡°Get dressed, then come find me. I need to tell you something.¡± When he released her shoulders, it felt like a rush of coldness crashed into him. It was so unexpected that it made him gasp.


    Kahli saw him suck in air like he¡¯d been punched. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell me know?¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s the kind of thing that you need to see to believe.¡±


    She glanced up at Will, nodding, ¡°Where?¡±


    He smirked, his lips pulling into a crooked grin, ¡°I¡¯ll find you.¡±


    CHAPTER SIXTEEN


    Kahli pulled on a black tank top and layered her clothing like she used to do when she was on her own. The cold had a way of seeping through her clothes, making it impossible to keep warm. Why Cassie wanted to go play in the snow was beyond her, but she obliged the girl. After getting dressed, she found Cassie in the front rooms waiting for her. The girl looked like a poodle, complete with curly fur. The white jacket she wore was the strangest thing she¡¯d ever seen. It was more of a stylistic statement than a coat.

 Page 17

    Walking towards Cassie, Kahli reached for the coat, stroking her arm, ¡°This has got to be the weirdest coat I¡¯ve ever seen. And it¡¯s thin!¡± As her fingers pressed over the silky curly coat, she couldn¡¯t feel much padding. ¡°You¡¯re going to freeze in that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so old fashioned. Let me guess. You¡¯re wearing two pairs of everything right down to your panties, right?¡± Cassie folded her arms over her slender coat, grinning ear to ear.


    Kahli¡¯s face turned beat red, ¡°At least I won¡¯t be cold.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she nodded, still smiling, ¡°We¡¯ll see who stays warm longer.¡± Cassie heard four other girls approaching from one of the halls that spilled into the living room. The massive windows showcased the sprawling lawn, glittering with deep snow. ¡°Hey, Jess!¡± she called, and a girl with a curtain of black hair and pale skin stopped and looked up at her. Cassie pulled Kahli¡¯s arm and walked over to the group. ¡°This is Kahli. She¡¯s had a rough start, but she¡¯s catching up.¡±


    The girl extended a mittened hand, ¡°Jess. This is Taylor, Livia, and Katie.¡± The other three girls nodded, but seemed leery of Kahli. Jess released her grip on Kahli¡¯s hand. It wasn¡¯t the gentle shake of a demure person. It felt more like a challenge. Jess may have had snow white skin, but her sleek black hair and ruby red lips made her stunning. The Queen didn¡¯t bother with girls who weren¡¯t striking. Kahli didn¡¯t really see how she fit in. Her hair was pumpkin orange. There was nothing dark and pale about her.


    Cassie was practically jumping up and down, ¡°Let¡¯s go! The other team will have the jump on us. They¡¯re already gone.¡±


    Jess asked, ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. When I woke up this morning, they were both gone. And after coming in so late, I was surprised. I didn¡¯t see why until I looked through the drapes.¡±


    ¡°Damn,¡± Jess muttered and turned toward the door. The four girls trailed behind her like a string of pearls. Each was wearing thin pants and a jacket. Cassie was the only one who looked like poodle. They grabbed white caps and tossed Kahli one. ¡°Tuck your hair under. It¡¯ll help.¡±


    ¡°Kahli,¡± Will called out to her. The girls turned in unison and stared at him. He took a step toward her, ¡°I need to talk to you before you go out.¡±


    Cassie lowered her gaze, asking, ¡°Will, can¡¯t we tell her? I mean, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s frail. We all know what happens at the end of today, and Kahli isn¡¯t the one who has to worry.¡±


    Silence passed between. Cassie finally glanced up at Will. He nodded slightly, his arms folding over his chest. ¡°Tell her before things get going.¡± His eyes shifted to Kahli¡¯s worried face. ¡°It¡¯s not a game.¡±


    Cassie tugged Kahli¡¯s arm, pulling her away from Will before he could say more. She didn¡¯t want to hear it. Out of all people, she knew exactly what today meant and she wasn¡¯t going to spend it weeping over the inevitable. She was enjoying her day in the sun.


    Kahli snatched the cap out of the air and tugged it on her head. They were all dressed in solid whites and grays. It made them more difficult to see in the snow. But why? She wasn¡¯t sure that she wanted to know. Kahli followed the five girls outside, glancing back at Will, but he was already gone. She wondered what was going on.


    A team of guards trailed behind them, keeping their distance. Kahli¡¯s throat tightened. She hadn¡¯t been outside since the altercation with Will. The thought of him made her touch her lower lip. It was like the memory wouldn¡¯t fade. It was a tattoo that was freshly painted in her mind. Nothing would scrub it away. Kahli¡¯s stomach twisted.


    Cassie looked back at her, ¡°You okay?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. What are we doing?¡±


    Jess spoke this time, ¡°It¡¯s a cross between hide and seek and capture the flag, but a little more intense. We¡¯re broken into two teams¡ªlosing team from last time always gets the new girl. That might work out better for us, though. Anyway, when there are several feet of snow outside, we play. It usually only happens once a year. There has to be enough freshly fallen snow and no ice. You¡¯ll see why when we start. It¡¯s one of the only occasions that the Regent let us run around like wild animals.¡± She glanced at Kahli.


    Kahli looked at them like they were nuts. The vamps treated them like they were glass dolls. Everything they did was carefully, calmly¡ªbut this was rowdy in comparison. ¡°Aren¡¯t they afraid you¡¯ll get hurt and bleed out?¡±


    Kahli knew the anemia this group had was beyond bad. They bled, if you looked at them funny. Dying from a scrape seemed like a horrible waste of life, but it was reality for these girls. That was why the handlers drew their blood and quickly sealed them up. Her roommates had returned on more than one occasion and were taken to the infirmary to be reworked. Their necks wouldn¡¯t stop bleeding. The puncture wounds wouldn¡¯t heal. A scrape could end this girl¡¯s life and yet, they were walking into the frosty morning air like it wasn¡¯t a big deal.


    Jess sneered at her, ¡°Listen, wild girl. We may not rip the skin off wolves barehanded like you, but we can manage a snowball fight without dying. God, you sound like the Queen.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want you to do this?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Cassie replied, quickening her stride to walk between Kahli and Jess. ¡°The Queen would keep us locked up in her curio cabinet. The King is the one who allows this, uh, requires it. He¡¯s also the one that rewards the winning team.¡± She clapped her mittens as she yelled for us to hurry up. Kahli quickened her pace to keep up with the others. She would have had no problem blowing past them, but she saw something that made her stop in her tracks.


    A group of men, slender with dark hair¡ªeach so similar looking that you¡¯d think they were brothers¡ªstood at the foot of the hill. A frozen forest glistened behind them. One turned his head and looked up. Kahli froze.


    Cassie clapped her mittens in front of Kahli¡¯s face and she flinched. ¡°What¡¯s with you? Haven¡¯t you ever seen a guy before?¡± When Kahli didn¡¯t reply, Cassie realized with excitement that she hadn¡¯t. ¡°Oh my god. You¡¯ve never met a human guy before, have you?¡± Kahli¡¯s green eyes glanced quickly at Cassie. She shook her head slowly, her heart racing slightly faster than before. She was marked for marriage¡ªpromised since childhood to a man she didn¡¯t know¡ªa man who was no doubt dead.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re on our team. Come on, I¡¯ll introduce you.¡± Cassie bounded ahead, and within two steps she fell face-first into the snow. She must have wandered into a drift because her leg sank into the snow up to her knee.


    Kahli rushed toward her at the same time as the man standing nearest to her. They each put a hand under Cassie¡¯s arm and pulled her up. She was laughing. No scratches, no cuts. Good. Kahli didn¡¯t like this. She had started to care about Cassie¡ªCassie who never shut up, who woke up too early, who was always excited about something¡ªand didn¡¯t want her to die because of a something stupid.


    Still laughing, Cassie said, ¡°Thanks. Didn¡¯t see that there.¡± She brushed the snow off her face with her mittens and said, ¡°Kahli this is Cole. We were at the same place when we were kids. He¡¯s kind of like a brother. An over-protective brother. I¡¯m fine.¡± She yanked her arm away from him and made a face. Cole didn¡¯t seem convinced, but Cassie knew how to distract him. She blurted out, ¡°This is the wild girl that stabbed Will.¡±


    Kahli¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°Cassie!¡± That was the worst introduction she could have imagined. She didn¡¯t know why but her face flamed bright red. It was old news, everyone who lived in the palace already heard about the crazy wild girl who stabbed her Handler. But she¡¯d never met another boy, a human boy. She didn¡¯t care what he thought, she just wanted a chance to meet people before they knew those savage things about her. It was difficult to do that here. It seemed like everyone knew about her, but she knew nothing of them.


    Cole smiled at her, and extended his hand, gripping her hand firmly, ¡°Good to meet you.¡± His eyes were dark brown with scattered flecks of gold, ¡°And anyone who stabs Will is worth their weight in blood.¡± It was an odd saying, but an old one. Life and death was divided by blood. Humans lost the ability to clot and vampires lost their endless blood supply. It didn¡¯t matter which side of things you were on, vamp or human, blood was a deadly issue.


    Kahli¡¯s mouth was still hanging open when Cassie pushed it shut. Her mitten lingered for a moment below Kahli¡¯s chin. When Kahli turned to look at Cassie, she said, ¡°Get over it already. You are what you are.¡±


    Jess stepped between the group, ¡°Now¡¯s not the time for this. Remember what happens to the losing team? We can¡¯t lose again.¡± She glanced at Cassie, her eyes narrowing. She slammed her fist into her palm, ¡°I won¡¯t allow it. We have to make sure we don¡¯t lose.¡± Kahli was still clueless.


    Cole leaned in, ¡°This isn¡¯t something fun to do to pass the time. It¡¯s an edict of the King, a way to make sure our blood doesn¡¯t get weaker than it already is.¡± Jess barked orders as Cole whispered in her ear, ¡°The two teams play each other and the losing team has to hand over their weakest member to the King.¡±


    Kahli¡¯s voice was hushed, ¡°For what?¡±


    Cole swallowed hard, his gaze falling on Cassie. ¡°Execution. They call it Purging, and say it¡¯s to ensure that our bloodlines continue¡ªthat we don¡¯t die out. Things are that bad. The Queen would never allow us to risk playing a game like this, but the King won out on this issue. It happens every year. The only perk we have this year is you. If you survived in the wild and stabbed Will, then we might actually have a chance.¡±


    Kahli¡¯s head spun as he spoke, her heart spasming like a startled rabbit. Why didn¡¯t Cassie tell her any of this? As Cole spoke, his gaze rested on the giddy girl. Kahli felt sick. A prickling sensation ran down her spine as she asked, ¡°You already know who they would purge from this group, don¡¯t you?¡±

 Page 18

    Cole was somber, his lips in a flat line. He nodded once, his eyes not meeting hers. Kahli swallowed hard. ¡°It¡¯s Cassie, isn¡¯t it?¡± Cole didn¡¯t answer, but he didn¡¯t have to. Her gaze drifted to Cassie. This was a fight for her life, but she didn¡¯t act like it. She acted happy to be alive, happy to be outside in the fresh air. It wasn¡¯t fair. It was beyond that. This edict, this rule, was barbaric. Slaughtering the weakest didn¡¯t do anything except spill more blood. ¡°Cole, do they purge everywhere? Or is this something limited to the palace?¡±


    He looked straight ahead, hands in his pockets with no expression on his face, ¡°Purging wouldn¡¯t work if it was only limited to one place.¡± He said it like it was a cold fact of life.


    Kahli¡¯s lips parted and she blew out a rush of air. She pushed past Cole, and walked over to Jess, ¡°This is a game to the death? Why didn¡¯t you say something?¡± She was seething, her hands balling into fists, but there was nothing to punch.


    Jess¡¯ gaze was sharp, her tone bitter¡ªdefiant¡ªbut not broken, ¡°The rules don¡¯t change just because there¡¯s a new girl. We¡¯re forced to perform in the worst conditions possible. The elements alone will kill some of us today. It¡¯s what it is. There¡¯s no changing it. And no one gets to sit out.¡±


    Kahli¡¯s eyes shifted over the little group. There were nine of them total. ¡°The Queen only has eighteen humans at the palace?¡± That didn¡¯t seem like enough.


    Taylor who had been silent until then, replied, ¡°There are twenty, nineteen before you came.¡± Her limp brown hair was pushed under her white cap. Listless strands managed to fall and frame her slender face, ¡°Yeah, the math doesn¡¯t add up. There are too many vampires and not enough people here. That¡¯s why most of the vamps are weak. There isn¡¯t enough blood. They¡¯re dying. And so are we.¡± She looked down at her hands. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be worse elsewhere. We¡¯re the lucky ones, Kahli. The others get bled dry before they even had a chance to live.¡±


    Kahli¡¯s eyes were wild, burning like green flames. Hatred burned through her. It wasn¡¯t a matter of fairness, it was a matter of survival and these people weren¡¯t even given a chance. One life is not worth more than another. One faction should not dominate the world, control the food, and all of the blood. These people were being treated like animals, slaughtering the weakest to ensure the blood was sustainable. There was no way she was staying here, promise to Will or not. He was one of them. He condoned this. The thought was deplorable. The first chance she had to escape, she was taking it.


    ¡°We¡¯re winning this today,¡± Jess snapped. ¡°They can¡¯t take Cassie. They can¡¯t take any of us.¡± There was power in her voice, and they couldn¡¯t help but listen to her. Kahli¡¯s passion was contagious.


    She glanced at the group. They were weak, pale, and thin. The elements threatened them as badly as the bloodsucking creatures inside the palace. Kahli nodded at her group, ¡°Okay, tell me what I need to know.¡±


    CHAPTER SEVENTEEN


    It turned out that the game was deadly, but there were no weapons. Each team was assigned a flag, an ice castle, and a list of items that had to be in their possession by sundown. They were not allowed to eat, drink, or return to the palace to ward off the cold. It was idiotic, Kahli thought. The weather was the worst she¡¯d seen it in recent years. Anyone who ventured out could easily get frostbite, never mind other ailments that the cold created. If they all survived the day, it¡¯d be a miracle.


    Kahli, Cole, and Cassie were put into a group after much discussion with Jess. Cassie normally wouldn¡¯t have ventured out with the scouting group, but Kahli wouldn¡¯t leave her behind¡ªand out of all of them, it made the most sense that Kahli be the leader of the scouting team. There was one safeguard if your flag was captured, and that was having the items on the list. The more you had the better, and if you had them every single item on that list, the other team lost.


    Jess and the others would find the ice castle and guard it. Every year the frozen fortress moved. Jess explained that theirs would be located on the eastern side of the palace, the other teams would be on the western side. Other than that, no one knew where anything was. They had to find their castle, secure their flag, and return with items from the wild before twilight¡ªhopefully the entire list.


    ¡°What happens if we capture their flag and get all the items on the list?¡± Kahli asked, but they laughed.


    Well, everyone laughed except Jess, who glared at her. She noticed that Kahli seemed to act first and ask questions later. The fact that she was asking spoke volumes. Jess knew the new girl was planning on blowing off her assignment and going after the flag. Voice firm, she stepping into Kahli¡¯s face, not intimidated by her, ¡°If you go after their flag, you are throwing away Cassie¡¯s life. We already discussed this. Our best bet is ignoring the flag and tracking down the items on the list.¡±


    Kahli nodded, noting the other girl¡¯s tension. Getting the most items made sense, but if they accomplished that and the opportunity arose, she wanted to know about the outcome of getting both. ¡°If we¡¯re going to win, you have to tell me everything. That includes answering my damn questions,¡± she growled. Jess didn¡¯t like her, but Kahli didn¡¯t care. She was defending Cassie and needed all the facts to be able to do so.


    Cole interrupted, shouldering his way between them. His tall, slender form towering over her, ¡°No one knows what happens if you win both. The rules aren¡¯t written down somewhere. Everything is determined by precedent. No one has captured the flag and returned with everything from the list.¡±


    That was good enough for her. Cole seemed to be smart and silent. He only spoke up when he could speed things along.


    Jess was scolding her, her brow pinching together as she barked out words. ¡°We¡¯ve already wasted precious time this morning. The slut sisters were out hours ago. They have a jump on us, so stop asking stupid questions that don¡¯t change anything. The best we can hope for is getting the most stuff on that list¡­ enough to spare Cassie. Now go!¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Kahli grumbled, ¡°I¡¯ll get the junk on the list. Just make sure they don¡¯t get that flag.¡±


    Kahli traipsed through the snow. Cole held the list. Cassie shivered, following behind them. Kahli couldn¡¯t believe Will didn¡¯t mention this. Anger raked up her spine, making her prickly. She tried not to show it, but she¡¯d grown attached to Cassie. She cared about her, and didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with her death. No, it was more than that. She didn¡¯t want her to die. Not if she could prevent it. There was a false sense of security at the palace. Everything seemed pristine and perfect, but then the vampires had stuff like this, and drinking blood. Too many thoughts rushed through her mind, forming various contingency plans if she messed this up. Cassie wasn¡¯t going to die today. She¡¯d kill the King with her bare hands before she let that happen, although she didn¡¯t think that would work out very well. She couldn¡¯t save Cassie if she was dead. There had to be an alternative, some wild card she could pull if today went poorly. Kahli wasn¡¯t the kind of girl who waited for luck to find her. She made her own luck.


    Sunlight poured over the frozen landscape in a blinding array. Kahli shielded her eyes looking for the grove. The first thing they were getting was willow bark. Cole said there was a frozen forest to the south of the palace, and he was right. A patch of frozen trees jutted from the ground like bones glistening in the sun. It must have been odd to see this place green and covered in grass. At one time flowers grew and the sky wasn¡¯t always gray. The trees were green, some even grew fruit. Those times were long ago. Now the dirt was hidden beneath layers of permafrost that never thawed.


    The things on the list weren¡¯t horrible, as long as she could find them. Something like frozen bark wasn¡¯t a big deal, especially if the trees were still above ground, which was rare. Most had been covered in ice and snow. It was like the white earth swallowed everything whole. ¡°How do they expect us to get this stuff? We need tools to get a bunch of this stuff, and they didn¡¯t even give us anything.¡± Kahli¡¯s mind was racing.


    Cole shrugged, watching Cassie spinning in front of him. She had her arms out and was smiling, breathing in the cold air. His sisters actions concerned him. She¡¯s already given up, he thought. She¡¯s accepted her fate, even if we haven¡¯t. Cole¡¯s gaze cut to Kahli. ¡°We have to make do. It¡¯s part of the game.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy to say when they¡¯re warm inside and not being threatened with death,¡± Kahli bit back. She realized her words were too harsh. She was upset, but didn¡¯t mean to take it out on him. Cole¡¯s shoulders slumped, his dark lashes obscuring his eyes. He ignored his sister¡¯s good mood. He was probably more upset than Kahli. She breathed, ¡°Sorry. I just¡ªit¡¯s beyond me how things have gotten so bad. I was isolated for so long. I had no idea.¡±


    Cole nodded and looked up. His dark eyes scanned the horizon. ¡°They said you had a nasty wound when they brought you to the palace, one that could have killed a vamp.¡± She nodded. Her shoulder would never be smooth skin again. Cole was intrigued. Asking her about it was rude, but he didn¡¯t care. There was something glaringly different, besides the red hair. ¡°You didn¡¯t bleed out.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Cassie asked, noticing the silence that passed between them. ¡°Lots of us get scraped and heal. What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Cassie didn¡¯t know the extent of her injuries, but Cole seemed to know it was much more than a little cut. Kahli eyed him cautiously.


    Kahli glanced back at Cole, she echoed Cassie, ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s the big deal?¡±


    Cole stopped in his tracks, ¡°You know what I mean. The rest of us die if we get a nose bleed, but a wolf ate your shoulder and you survived.¡±


    Cassie stopped now too, her jaw hanging open. ¡°A wolf did that? I thought they were joking.¡±


    ¡°No, they weren¡¯t,¡± Cole answered, eyeing Kahli like she was a demon. ¡°What kind of human can kill wolves with her bare hands and recover without vamp blood?¡±

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    ¡°None. They healed me.¡± She stopped and stared at him, her eyes locked with his. Something was wrong, she could feel it, but Kahli didn¡¯t know what.


    Cassie felt the tension, and tried to defuse it, ¡°Who cares, Cole. She¡¯s here now. You don¡¯t have to worry like you did. We¡¯ll win this year. You¡¯ll see.¡± Her voice was high and thin, like she didn¡¯t really believe what she was saying. Cassie seemed to think Cole was just being protective. If this was a big brother act, Kahli was a monkey. It was something else. Contempt masked his face like a shadow.


    Cole nodded, shoved his hands into his coat pockets, and continued to the little frozen grove. The snow was deeper in places, sinking up to Kahli¡¯s knees. The wind whipped softy, but it was dry like always and sucked the moisture out of her skin. Her face would be chapped by the end of the day. No one was wearing masks. They¡¯d be sunburned too.


    Cole strode up to a frozen tree and stopped. There were twenty trees in straight lines. They¡¯d been planted far apart. They must have looked nice when they were blooming. Now they were just tinder covered in ice, as useless as bones without flesh. Cole tried to snap a piece of ice off the trunk, so he could get at the bark.


    After several attempts, Kahli got impatient. ¡°We¡¯re wasting time.¡± She ripped an icicle off a low branch. It was the size of a small shiv. Carefully, she climbed the tree and tried not to slip. The ice crept through her layers, making her shiver, but she kept climbing. It wasn¡¯t very big, but she needed to move higher to get to the thinner branches. Kahli forced her body higher, pulling and heaving up the icy limbs one at a time. Cassie said the Queen cleared the snow out of the little clearing so that the trees wouldn¡¯t get buried in snow over time. It was insane, but it appeared to be true. It looked like the four feet of new snow was swept away earlier that day. If she fell, the only thing that would break her fall was thick ice. Not thinking about it, Kahli shimmied out from the trunk, hugging the branch above her as her feet crept out onto the limb. She could see the bark under a thick layer of ice.


    ¡°Be careful, Kahli.¡± Cassie was nervously clutching her mittens to her face, trying not to speak. ¡°We should have started at the top of the list. This is insane.¡±


    The items that were the hardest to get were at the bottom of the list. Kahli wanted to start with those because they would be more time consuming and she knew she¡¯d be the one to do them. She didn¡¯t want to wait until the end of the day when her energy was depleted and she was weakened by fatigue.


    Cole stood beneath her. Part of him wanted to catch her if she fell, and part of him knew it would kill him if he tried. Men didn¡¯t have the strength to do such things, though he wished he did. This bossy girl climbing the tree amazed and frightened him. And he noticed that his little sister seemed to be taken with her. He hoped beyond reason that they won today, because he wasn¡¯t letting them take Cassie. They¡¯d been through too much to let them have her now. It was because of Cole that she was at the palace. It was because of Cole that she lived as long as she did. He wasn¡¯t planning on submitting quietly at the end of the day, and handing Cassie over. He hadn¡¯t discussed it with her. Cassie would have tried to protect him. She was a better person than him. Cole glanced at Kahli, thinking. With any luck, the crazy wild girl would pull a miracle out of the air. As it was, she was up a tree, moving through it like a cat. There was no trace of worry on her face, which he found amazing.


    Sliding out farther onto the icy branch, Kahli wished she had nails on the soles of her boots. Climbing was nothing new, but doing it without the proper tools was foolish. The iced limb was beyond slippery, but she didn¡¯t let that stop her. She was doing this. Then she¡¯d do the next stupid thing, and they¡¯d get the damn list before everyone froze.


    Kahli shouted down to them without looking, ¡°I¡¯m gonna snap off the end of the branch and toss it to you. The ice will melt and we¡¯ll have our bark.¡±


    ¡°I think they meant you to strip the bark off the trunk,¡± Cole replied. His hand shaded his eyes. The sun was directly overhead. Staring up at Kahli was giving him a headache. He wished they had goggles, or sunglasses¡ªsomething that made the sun easier to deal with.


    ¡°Yeah, well since they didn¡¯t specify, they¡¯re getting a branch. Bark is bark.¡± Bending back the end of the branch, Kahli snapped off the tip. The ice surrounding it was nearly two inches thick. It was like trying to crack an ice cube in half, but she got it. The tip of the tiny brown twig was trapped inside the gleaming ice. Holding it up to the sun, she examined it to make sure there was still bark under there. With her luck, she¡¯d get the stupid thing, the ice would melt, and she¡¯d find out that some extinct animal chewed off the bark centuries ago. Satisfied that the branch would suffice, Kahli said, ¡°Heads up,¡± and tossed it down.


    Cassie caught it, and placed it in their bag. One down, way too many to go, she thought glumly. Though she hid it, Cassie was afraid. Last year¡¯s Purging was awful. It was always terrible, but the vampires acted like it was an accepted part of life. The humans acted that way too after a while. No one questioned the Purging anymore, well, no one but Kahli. She glanced at Cole, hoping he wouldn¡¯t try to take her place later. There were things about him that only she knew, and they needed to stay that way. It was better like this, better that she was weaker. Out of the two of them, she always knew she would die first¡ªCassie just hoped it would have been later¡ªfor some other reason. Getting destroyed in a Purging was a horrible way to go.


    Kahli was only six feet up. She debated moving back toward the trunk and shimmying down the tree. She wanted to jump, but the lack of newly fallen snow made the ground too hard. She decided on a combination of both, ¡°I¡¯m going to lower myself, so that I¡¯m hanging, and then I¡¯ll drop to the ground. Get out of the way.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Cole scolded her. ¡°Go back the way you came. It¡¯s safer.¡± His mitten shielded his eyes as he looked up at her. What was wrong with her? She seemed to do everything the most dangerous way possible.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking your permission, Cole,¡± she snapped. ¡°Get out of the way.¡±


    Cassie looked between both of them, ¡°Kahli, you¡¯re higher up than you think. It¡¯s too far to drop, even like that. The ground¡¯s too hard. You¡¯ll break your ankle.¡±


    Kahli reassessed her distance from the ground, and shook her head, her feet starting to slip, ¡°Can¡¯t Cass. Move.¡± Just as she spoke, her feet slid out from under her. Reaching out with one hand, she grabbed the branch, hung for half a second, and then dropped to the ground. As soon as her feet hit the ice, they slid out from under her and she landed hard on her hip. She groaned, her hand rubbing her leg.


    Shaking his head like she was an idiot, Cole walked over, meaning to help her up¡ªbut Kahli was already on her feet. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said. A bruise the size of pancake would be there later, she thought, rubbing the sore spot.


    Cole folded his arms, watching her like she was the enemy. ¡°Nothing broke? No blood?¡±


    ¡°No, just a bruise.¡± There was no concern in his voice. It sounded more like he was looking for proof to back his opinion about something. ¡°Back off, Cole¡± she meant to shove past him, but he stepped in front of her. Green eyes flashing, she looked up at his face.


    The man¡¯s eyes were slits, his fists clenched by his sides, ¡°You¡¯re not human. One fall like that and we¡¯d have bruised with a spot of gushing blood bigger than my hand.¡± His fist flew opened and he shook his finger in front of her face. ¡°Bruises kill! I¡¯ll restate the obvious since it seems to be necessary¡ªyou¡¯re not human. You¡¯re a half breed¡ªa Bane.¡± He said the word like it disgusted him.


    ¡°Not now, Cole,¡± Cassie urged him, but he didn¡¯t back down.


    ¡°What do you have against the Bane?¡± she didn¡¯t bother to correct him. It was more important to find out what his problem was to see if she¡¯d have to deal with it. Will spoke of the Bane like there were hardly any left. She didn¡¯t think anything of it at the time. That¡¯s the way life was now. People lived and died. There weren¡¯t more to replace them. The world¡¯s population shriveled and died. Kahli glanced at Cole¡¯s fingers bunched into fists. She sighed inside. This guy wasn¡¯t messing up Cassie¡¯s chance of survival. If it came down to it, Kahli would take Cassie and ditch him. Cole was protective of the girl, for which she was glad¡ªevery person needed a protector, a champion who¡¯d look out for them¡ªbut Cole seemed unbalanced.


    Her arms folded against her chest. Kahli ignored the throbbing in her hip and glared at him. Cassie stood next to Cole, her expression begging him in a silent plea that was ignored.


    He barked a laugh, ¡°What do I have against them? I don¡¯t know, everything! They¡¯re the reason why the vamps started the camps. Bane are the reason why we were hunted, and the damn bloodsuckers can¡¯t sustain their own race. Since the Bane were banished, the number of humans has dwindled to nothing. Bane are the reason for our suffering, and there is no way in Hell I¡¯m letting you influence Cassie more than you already have. Leave, or we¡¯ll do what we do to your kind.¡± His voice was hard, his words clipped.


    ¡°Cole, stop. She¡¯s not Bane.¡± Cassie was worried. Her dark eyes shifted between the two, her hand reaching for her brother¡¯s arm, but he shirked her off.


    Kahli glared at Cole, his detest for vampires was incorrigible, but his venom for the Bane seemed misplaced. They had no choice, much as the humans who were corralled into camps.


    ¡°There¡¯s one way to find out,¡± Cole growled.


    ¡°Everyone burns when you drop a match on them, Cole. Don¡¯t be stupid.¡± Cassie was nearly shouting, her slender body vibrating with anger, the poodle coat shook like it was alive. ¡°This might be the last day I¡¯m alive and I¡¯m not spending it like this.¡± They both turned to look at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that I knew this was coming? As soon as the snow fell deep enough to prove I¡¯m not worth the blood flowing through my veins, I knew I¡¯d die. It was a matter of time. There are only so many times I can narrowly avoid bleeding to death anyway¡­¡±

 Page 20

    Cole cut her off, ¡°The King shouldn¡¯t have¡ª¡±


    ¡°But he did,¡± Cassie snapped back, squaring her shoulders. There was no trace of the light-hearted girl from this morning. Her eyes were wide and glassy, her lips pinched into a scowl. ¡°And this is my last day. My minutes are marked and I¡¯m not wasting them standing here with you two arguing. End this. Now.¡± Cassie breathed hard, her gasps turning white as she exhaled, ¡°And, she¡¯s not Bane. I know she¡¯s not. Let¡¯s just leave it at that.¡±


    Cole scoffed, ¡°If she¡¯s not Bane, they¡¯d have fed from her by now! The vampires would have tried to mate her, bleed her, and used her blood for transfusions by now, but they didn¡¯t, Cass. Think about it!¡±


    Rage pinched Cassie¡¯s pretty face, ¡°No! You think about it!¡± She jabbed her slender finger into his chest. Cole was shocked, his jaw hanging open like he couldn¡¯t believe that the girl had backbone. ¡°I just told you that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she¡¯s human and you won¡¯t listen. I don¡¯t care what the vamps do or what they don¡¯t do. Maybe they plan on draining her, mating her, or using her as a distillery for the rich. I don¡¯t care!¡± Tears streaked her cheeks, ¡°Today¡¯s about me! It¡¯s my time¡ªmy final hours¡ªand I won¡¯t spend them like this.¡± Tears streaked her face. Folding her arms over her chest, she said, ¡°Accept Kahli or leave.¡±


    Cole¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°Cass, you can¡¯t mean that.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    Staring at Cassie, Cole didn¡¯t blink. He stood there frozen like he was made of ice. Finally he blinked and nodded once. Without glancing at Kahli, he took his sister in his arms, kissed her forehead, and walked away, leaving them on their own.


    CHAPTER EIGHTEEN


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Kahli breathed, watching Cole¡¯s figure disappear into the glittering snow.


    She shrugged, ¡°He has a chip on his shoulder that¡¯s gonna get him killed. He doesn¡¯t recognize who are his friends and who are his enemies anymore. And I won¡¯t be alive long enough to help him.¡±


    Kahli shook her head. Turning to Cassie, she said, ¡°Yes you will. I¡¯m not letting today end the way you think it will.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the energy to hope. Not anymore. I knew this day was coming for a while now, Kahli. I¡¯ve accepted it. You should, too. We should just go back to the palace and hand me over. All of you are risking your lives, and there¡¯s no reason for it. Not when we know things will turn out like they always do. It¡¯s just my time¡­¡±


    Kahli wanted to shake some sense into her, but she gritted her teeth instead. Every inch of her body was frozen. But when she shook, it was from anger, not cold. ¡°It¡¯s not your time and it¡¯s not going to happen. And I¡¯m not walking away like Cole just did. Come on, let¡¯s knock off some more of this list. It¡¯s nearly lunchtime. I shoved some food into my coat before I realized what was going on today. We can eat it and find some more of the stuff on the list.¡±


    That perked Cassie up. The food was forbidden, but who would know? They swallowed some nutrient bars that Kahli had taken from their room. She¡¯d been stashing food, making sure she had enough on her to escape without starving. Bodies used more calories in the cold to maintain body temperature. Hunger was an issue.


    So far their bag was about half full. It was a scavenger hunt to find things that vampires had no use for. It was purely a test of strength. So far they had rocks, bark, wood, coal, and a coveted iced apple from the Queen¡¯s northern orchid. Climbing trees was an asset today, Kahli thought. They were making a circle around the palace grounds, so that Cassie wouldn¡¯t have to double back for anything. Kahli was getting weary and didn¡¯t really want to either.


    Just as they finished their forbidden lunch, they heard voices. Kahli held her gloved finger to her lips. Cassie ducked behind a snow drift and Kahli quickly followed. Three girls were coming into view. They walked side-by-side. The girls held an identical bag filled with things from the list, no doubt. Kahli¡¯s brain was spinning wildly, forming a plan. If they had gotten the things from the top of the list, as she presumed they did, then it might be possible to do more good than she originally thought. If they had half the list in that bag, there was no question of Cassie¡¯s safety. Stealing their pack was risky, but Kahli felt it was worth it. It would leave them with half a day to find the flag. It was a double safety net and Kahli wanted it.


    Voices drifted over the snow, hushed, ¡°¡­doesn¡¯t even know how to play. They can¡¯t win anyway. We already have their flag. You should have seen Jess¡¯ face when we took it. Her and Taylor were in a rage.¡±


    Cassie and Kahli¡¯s eyes met, but neither spoke. The others were too close. Voices drifted, and echoed in strange ways in the frosty air.


    A guy¡¯s voice laughed, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not taking any chances. That red-headed girl wasn¡¯t there. That means she could have filled their bag full of stuff by now, or captured our flag.¡±


    Two feminine voices erupted in laughter, ¡°They can¡¯t even get to our flag! And that wild girl is a savage. She probably ran off to lick herself in the orchards.¡± More laugher.


    Kahli let their insults roll off. She recognized the voice, it was her roommate Missy, the one that was up at first light this morning. They weren¡¯t moving quickly, but if she didn¡¯t act now, Kahli would lose the opportunity. They had no idea she was there, a stone¡¯s throw away, hidden by a massive pile of snow. Kahli put her fingers to her lips and pointed at Cassie, indicating that she should stay put. Cassie huffed, but nodded. Cassie shifted, changing her position so that she could watch Kahli move away from the drift. Kahli crouched, moving quickly and silently, coming around behind the group. Before they knew what happened, Kahli had snuck up behind them. Rushing at her, Kahli grabbed Missy by her neck and pressed a make-shift shiv into the side, careful not to bleed her.


    ¡°Bet you wish I was in the orchards right now,¡± Kahli said utterly calm. Missy was completely still, her companions shocked into silence. Kahli smiled widely. This was cruel, but there was no way she was letting Cassie die tonight. And their little group sure as hell didn¡¯t seem like the weaker of the two. Kahli lifted the bag off of Missy¡¯s hip, ¡°I¡¯ll just borrow this for a little while.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t steal the items from the other team!¡± Missy¡¯s voice was indignant. Kahli slid the pointed tip down her pale throat, careful not to scratch the girl. Missy hated Kahli¡¯s guts and thought the wild girl would kill her and not think twice about it. Missy stiffened.


    Kahli kept the weapon on Missy, ¡°As far as I know, this is a survival test, and I have every intention of surviving. I¡¯m not going back empty-handed. You are.¡± She shoved the girl forward to stand with her team. ¡°Walk away. Now.¡±


    Her pretty face turned into an angry sneer, ¡°Or you¡¯ll what?¡±


    Kahli repeated the rumor¡¯s she¡¯d heard, ¡°I gutted a pack of wolves with my bare hands. What do you think I could do to the lot of you with a shiv made of ice? The question isn¡¯t what I¡¯ll do¡ªit¡¯s do you want to live?¡± Kahli¡¯s stance was stiff, waiting for one of them to attack, but they didn¡¯t. The three of them remained silent for a moment, but the more Kahli spoke, the more spooked they became. Before Kahli asked her final question, fear flooded their eyes. Silence followed. Tension made the air feel warmer, though it was freezing outside. To speed things up Kahli stamped her foot at them, and the other team scattered like mice.


    When they were out of sight, she called to Cassie, ¡°Come on. We need to put our loot together and see what¡¯s left. Hopefully this is everything.¡± Cassie¡¯s face lit up.


    CHAPTER NINETEEN


    When they combined he contents of both packs, Cassie and Kahli had everything from the list. Kahli discarded the duplicate items, burying them under the snow so the other team couldn¡¯t find them, and swung the pack over her shoulder. It wasn¡¯t too heavy. When she handled the items, looking them over, she¡¯d made a plan, but Kahli had to make sure Cassie was safe. She also had to be certain that the bag made it back to the palace.


    Cassie was so ecstatic that she had trouble not jumping up and down. The girl was so full of life. It made Kahli¡¯s head hurt to think Cassie almost died today, that she still might if things went poorly before they made it back to the palace.


    ¡°Kahli, do you know what this means?¡± Cassie¡¯s voice trembled, her mittens pressed against her lips. It wasn¡¯t until that moment that Kahli really looked at her friend. Cassie thought she was going to die, and she¡¯d made peace with it, but part of her couldn¡¯t accept it. Now she was trembling with excitement. She¡¯d see another sunrise and another snowfall. Tonight would not be her final evening amongst the living.


    Kahli smiled softly at her, and placed a hand on her shoulder, ¡°I know. I¡¯m glad we got everything¡­ But I¡¯m done yet.¡±


    Cassie¡¯s smile faded, ¡°What? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I need you to take this,¡± Kahli extended the pack toward Cassie, ¡°Take it back to the palace. Tell Jess we got everything. The other team said she was already defeated. I guess our entire team is already inside, huh?¡±


    Cassie nodded and then shook her head, ¡°Yes, they probably are, but what are you planning on doing? The guards are everywhere. It may have looked like we were alone today, but we weren¡¯t. If you actually harmed one of the other girls, they would have appeared and thrown you to the Queen for sentencing. They¡¯re here Kahli¡ªall around us. There¡¯s no way out.¡± Cassie was certain that Kahli meant to escape. She knew the other girl wouldn¡¯t stay long, but this wasn¡¯t the time to leave. They were surrounded, even if Kahli couldn¡¯t tell. A few years ago one of her friends tried to take off. Cassie saw first-hand what happened to him. She didn¡¯t want that to happen to Kahli. She looked worriedly at Kahli, hoping she wouldn¡¯t do anything stupid.

 Page 21

    Kahli scanned the dazzling white snow, looking for a sign of the guards, but they appeared to be alone. That¡¯s what the vamp world was, appearances and illusions, the false fa?ade of an evil society. One thing at a time, she told herself. ¡°I¡¯m not running, Cass. It isn¡¯t sunset yet. The game isn¡¯t over. I can¡¯t leave the flag. I have to go get it.¡± She didn¡¯t want Missy¡¯s blood on her hands. Smacking down someone who talks trash about your friends is one thing, killing them is quite another.


    Cassie stared at her like she had two heads, ¡°But we¡¯ve already won. What¡¯s the point?¡±


    Kahli shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know. There may be no point, but I have to find out. What would happen if we had both? What would happen tonight if our team had the flag and all the items on the list?¡± Cassie shook her head, unsure. ¡°That¡¯s my point. Nobody knows. And we have very little leverage to get any say in anything. I can¡¯t leave the flag there. I have to try¡­¡±


    Kahli desperately wanted Cassie to understand. It felt like there was a hand crushing her chest, squeezing her heart. The joy was sucked out of Cassie as she spoke, her expression becoming dower; her dark eyes surged with worry. That was the last thing Kahli wanted, but the flag was too valuable. She had to get it. Kahli pressed the bag into Cassie¡¯s arms. ¡°Take this to the palace and I¡¯ll meet up with you at nightfall.¡±


    CHAPTER TWENTY


    There wasn¡¯t much said beyond that. Cassie understood what Kahli meant, why she wanted the flag¡ªbut a girl in her position couldn¡¯t afford to do something like that. She was weak as it was. The idea of running through the snow and trying to get past the other team to get to the flag, well, it was beyond her. Cassie took the pack, and walked away, leaving Kahli alone.


    Kahli hiked toward the western side of the palace. She hoped Cassie didn¡¯t get her bag jacked on the way back to the palace. That was the only risk in letting her walk back alone, but she didn¡¯t think that the other team had it in them. Everyone was so afraid of getting bruised or scratched that they didn¡¯t fight back. That desire was driven out of them and replaced with fear.


    The hairs on the back of Kahli¡¯s neck prickled. She felt like someone was following her, but when she looked back, no one was there. It must be the guards, she thought to herself. Ignoring them, she walked on, careful to remain hidden. Wandering the western property, Kahli walked through frozen glens and the Queen¡¯s rose garden. Each flower sparkled like it was cut from crystal and planted in the snow. The colors¡ªreds, pinks, whites, yellows¡ªall peered through the ice. It was one of the most beautiful things she¡¯d ever seen. The Queen must have had the roses grown indoors, and then had the flowers planted. The world had grown so cold, that roses iced before they had a chance to wither and die. As she glanced around, Kahli noticed the entire garden was like that. Nothing was barren. It made her pause. Kahli bent at the knees and snapped a rose from the slender bush. It came off in her hands, the thorns sharp as iron, protruding from the sides. Kahli rolled it between her fingers, admiring its beauty before placing it in her pocket with the frozen shiv. She made a mental note to get weapons that wouldn¡¯t melt as soon as possible.


    Kahli passed the garden through a stone archway that was dusted with snow, and moved toward a lake in the distance. It shone like a mirror as the sun set behind it, blinding her. Kahli raised her hand and saw it. There to the right of the lake was a white tower. The lake was in front of it, making her an easy target. She¡¯d have to go around another way to see if she could get close. It was possible that the opposing team had given up and headed indoors, but Kahli wasn¡¯t going to chance it. The flag was too important. Glancing over her shoulder, she doubled back and moved around the edge of the lake out of sight.


    Crouched behind snow drifts, Kahli moved methodically closer to the tower of ice and snow. It stood about ten feet tall and twenty feet wide, large enough to hold a few people. But were they inside? Feeling the sharpened ice in her coat pocket, she wondered how insane it was to try and force a flag from them. They had to be desperate by now, especially if they knew that she¡¯d taken their bag. Kahli approached, silently, moving closer and closer until there were only a few feet between her and the wall of ice. There had to be an opening into the fort, but she didn¡¯t see it. Listening for signs of life, Kahli waited, but the only noise she heard was the rush of wind.


    Kahli approached the fortress carefully. It appeared to be abandoned. At the top of the structure, there was a tiny pole. At the top of the pole flew a small white flag with silver stitched around the edges. That was it. Kahli turned her head side to side, looking and listening for danger. The sensation that eyes were on her didn¡¯t cease, but she didn¡¯t consider it again. Cassie said the place was crawling with guards.


    After a few minutes of circling the bottom of the wall, Kahli was certain that the post was abandoned. There was no one else here, but her. She took her time, trying to reach the flag. The first attempt to scale the exterior wall landed Kahli on her butt. There was no purchase in the ice. It was like the snow had been smoothed into a seamless sheet and raised into walls. Kahli¡¯s body was numb. Her cheeks stung. The cold had soaked through her clothing ages ago, and it was becoming more and more appealing to lay down in the snow and rest. But she knew what that was, what that meant. People who rested in the snow didn¡¯t get up again. Hypothermia snuck up on them, and before they knew what happened, the snow felt warm and soft. Her mother had taught her well. Kahli remembered and never rested on the snow.


    Pressing her hands to her head, Kahli growled, irritated. She¡¯d gotten this far and it was for nothing. The sun was beginning to sink. There was less than an hour to grab the flag and make it back to the palace. Kahli looked around for something to use, something to make it possible to scale the short wall and grab the flag. But there was nothing. Without thinking about it, she shoved her hands in her pockets. She wrapped her fingers around the rose and the shiv. She fumbled them in her hands, staring at the wall, thinking. The ice was thick. The rose stem felt like a nail in her hand. Her eyes widened, and she pulled the icicle out, gazing at it, then back at the walls. They were built today. Even if they appeared to be ice, they weren¡¯t. The snow beneath didn¡¯t have time to turn into that gleaming frozen stone that covered everything. She wondered if the wedge of ice was stronger than the wall. There was only one way to find out. Kahli pressed her hand to the side of the fort. With her other hand, she gripped the shiv tightly, and slammed her hand into the wall just above her head, stabbing it. The piece of ice sank through the surface and into the wall. Kahli¡¯s lips spread into a thin smile.


    She repeated the action with the rose, hoping that it would hold as well. The thorns cut into her palm, but it didn¡¯t break. She hoisted herself up the wall, one, two, three, times and she could reach the top wall. Her right hand left a smear of blood over the perfectly white walls. It soaked into the snow, turning orange as it spidered into the ice. Her heart was pounding as she pulled herself to the top of the wall, and pushed up.


    There was no one in the fort below her. No one to stop her. The interior of the fort didn¡¯t look the way she¡¯d hoped. The center was a hollow cylinder, except for the pole holding the scrap of fabric. How did they get it up there? It was like they threw the flag and it attached to the top of the pole on its own. There was no way to get it down. Not without reaching the pole from the top. Sighing, Kahli edged forward, slowly, carefully. She could almost reach the flag. It was right in front of her, fluttering on the pole. If she reached out, she¡¯d have it already, but there was nothing to prevent her from falling, nothing to hold on to. Kahli edged closer to the flag, feeling the wall becoming slicker the closer she got. A gust of wind could knock her down now, and she¡¯d break her neck.


    The flag was so close. Her feet wanted to slide out from beneath her. They barely had purchase. The wind shifted and blew the flag hard, in her direction. Reaching out, Kahli thought of nothing but the flag. It was so close. The gust made the flag snap, the little triangle stretching toward her outreached hand. Kahli¡¯s fingertips caught the edge, and she yanked it hard. The flag released, and Kahli slipped backward and over the edge of the wall. A scream tore from her throat as she sailed toward the ground, her fingers clutching the scrap of cloth in her hands. Frantically, she tried to grip the walls to slow her fall, but they were solid. The tools she used to scale the wall were gone and she was in a free fall.


    Before her head hit the ice, someone was under her, but they didn¡¯t stop her fall. Instead, she crushed them and rolled to the side. When Kahli¡¯s back collided with the ground, the wind was knocked out of her. She made strangled sounds, trying to breathe. A hand was on her back as she panicked.


    ¡°You¡¯re all right. Breathe. Just breathe.¡± It was Cole. He was breathless and kneeling next to her. Suddenly her lungs worked and heaved in air like she was dying. She took a few strangled breaths and pushed herself up. ¡°You okay?¡±


    Gasping, she asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Following you. After you sent Cassie back to the palace, I followed you,¡± he pulled his cap off, messing up his short black hair, ¡°I saw you take the things from the other team. I knew you did it to save my sister. I can¡¯t thank you enough,¡± he bit back the distain he felt for her. This was too important, ¡°You spared her life. But I don¡¯t understand what this was?¡± His thumb jabbed toward the empty pole. ¡°Why was this risk necessary?¡±


    Kahli pushed herself up, wincing at the stabbing pain in her ankle, ¡°Why is everything a risk? Some things are just necessary, okay?¡±


    ¡°Like a broken ankle?¡± Cole looked down at her foot. She wanted to put all her weight on that leg, but couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°If this does what I think it¡¯ll do, then it was worth a sprain.¡± Kahli glanced at Cole and then back at the sun. They had less than half an hour to bring the flag to the palace from the looks of it. ¡°What happens if we don¡¯t get there on time?¡±

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    ¡°We lose, but that¡¯s not going to happen.¡± His eyes were like coals, black and hard. Cole reached out for her, but Kahli swatted at him. He rolled his eyes, ¡°At least put your hand around my neck so we get back on time. You can¡¯t walk.¡±


    Something made Kahli pause. Cole was supposed to be weak, like his sister, but he¡¯d caught her, and now¡ªnow he was strong enough to try and force Kahli. He seemed sure he could make her, even after seeing the things she¡¯d done today. Maybe he was bluffing. Or maybe, Cole wasn¡¯t what he seemed.


    CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE


    Kahli finally agreed to Cole¡¯s help, but she didn¡¯t trust him. The outburst and accusations he made earlier weren¡¯t forgiven. It didn¡¯t matter that she wasn¡¯t a Bane. He had issues with her, because she was stronger, more powerful. It wasn¡¯t her fault she didn¡¯t bleed to death when she fell. Fate dealt both of them crappy hands. They could have been born ages ago, back when the world was warm. Instead they lived in a frozen Hell dominated by vampires.


    They walked back to the palace with their arms around each other, Cole trying to lend his strength so she could get back to the palace. It didn¡¯t feel like a break. She could put weight on it. The muscle felt strange, like it was forced to go a direction that it didn¡¯t want to, and now she was feeling it. Since Kahli was too short to reach Cole¡¯s neck, she laced her arms around his waist. He held her around her waist and they walked hip-to-hip.


    ¡°You caught me,¡± Kahli blurted out. She¡¯d been wondering why he did it when it could have killed him. That was the first thing that confused her. The second was that he wasn¡¯t as weak as he should have been.


    Cole nodded, ¡°Apparently.¡± His inky eyes were staring straight ahead, unfocused. He adjusted his grip on her waist.


    Kahli grimaced, ¡°Why? After you were spewing venom at me earlier, I would have thought you¡¯d let my head crack open on the ice and take the flag back yourself.¡± Her words were barbed. She couldn¡¯t hide how much she hated relying on him for help.


    ¡°What can I say? Bloodstains are really hard to get out of ice,¡± his face was placid, but his eyes shifted and looked down at her. He didn¡¯t know what to think of her. She was fearless. Only the Bane acted like that, yet she was hurt¡ªunable to heal her wounds. That was part of the reason why he walked her back. If she was a Bane, she was putting on a hell of a show.


    Kahli shook her head, her lips curling slightly. He was such an ass. After a few false starts she asked, ¡°So, do you have any other plans for your superhuman strength?¡±


    He shook his head. Staring straight ahead, he answered, ¡°No, the job market forecast is kind of screwy for that particular skill set at the moment. Thick blood, blood that coagulates¡ªthat sort of thing¡ªis in higher demand, which brings us back to you. If you are human, as Cassie claims,¡± he shifted Kahli¡¯s weight and adjusted his arm on her back, ¡°then you need to get the hell out of here.¡±


    She limped along, staring at the snow, ¡°Assuming that wasn¡¯t my plan in the first place, why should I be worried? I mean its blood. You guys have blood. Who cares if mine is thicker or if I get scabs?¡± She knew why. In the back of her mind, the reason lurked like a starved wolf waiting to devour her.


    Cole shook his head, knowing she was too smart to not see it, ¡°You want me to spell it out? Okay. It¡¯s not about scabs or strength. It¡¯s about blood. It¡¯s about power. The vamps created Bane to try and fix this once before and failed. If they see a way to use you, you¡¯re dead. At the very least, they¡¯ll mate you, maybe even try to clone you, but that won¡¯t be the end of it. There are too many possibilities, too many ways to use you to try and fix this mess.¡±


    Kahli blanched, her mouth hanging open. Her brain couldn¡¯t process things fast enough. ¡°Like, mate mate? Does that mean what I think it means?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°Probably. Depends on how much you know, which I¡¯m guessing is a little bit since I heard you have a wedding rune on your side.¡± He eyed her, but Kahli didn¡¯t respond. There was no way she was talking wedding night rituals with him. Cole sighed, ¡°They¡¯ll pair you off with a strong human and hope your genes are dominant. It gives them two people to feed off of, but I think that mating¡¯s the least of your worries. Vamps aren¡¯t patient enough for your young to reach maturity. They¡¯ll want something faster. They don¡¯t have the luxury of time to wait for another generation to mature. They needed this fix yesterday.¡±


    Kahli repositioned her hand on his waist. She was numb all over. The stinging in her ankle faded until she time she stepped down. Then it felt like someone was crushing her ankle in a vice. Ignoring the pain, she asked, ¡°What else could they do?¡±


    Turning his head, he looked down at her, ¡°I have no idea, but I wouldn¡¯t want to be you right now.¡±


    Kahli walked on, her leg throbbing. She was so frozen that her skin burned. Blue shadows spread across the white as the sun crept lower and lower. Cole hastened his steps, and Kahli tried to move faster, though it hurt her. The flag was in her pocket. It was salvation. A trump card when humans didn¡¯t have such luxuries. When they pushed through the doors of the palace the sun had just disappeared behind the horizon. The moon climbed into the night sky.


    Cole leaned into her like they were lovers, and whispered in her ear, ¡°I blew my cover to save your ass. Now they know I¡¯m not weak. I did it because you saved Cassie. We¡¯re square.¡±


    Ha. That¡¯s what he thought. She glanced up at him, her eyes steeled, ¡°Not in my book. We aren¡¯t square at all. I did what I could to save Cassie and I still owe you. That debt will be repaid.¡± He stepped back, nodded at her and they continued to the ballroom.


    When they stepped through the archway to the grand room, guards closed in behind them. Her hand was still around Cole¡¯s waist as she limped toward the chairs set across the floor. Kahli scanned the room for Cassie. Relief flooded through her body when she saw her. Cole lowered Kahli into a seat next to Cassie, before taking his seat next to her. It was silent, as if they¡¯d been waiting. Two rows of chairs spread across the room. Vampires sat facing humans, ready to purge them of their weaknesses. Kahli glared at them. To her it felt like dogs begging for scraps at the table. Why else would they even come?


    She glanced at Cassie who had her arms wrapped around her middle like she was trying to get warm. Cassie smiled at her when they sat down. A worry line faded from between her brows and she seemed to relax after both her friend and her brother were in their seats.


    ¡°What happened to your foot? Did you find it?¡± Cassie whispered, unzipping the front of her coat as she leaned closed to her friend. Kahli nodded once while she rubbed her fingers, trying to warm them. The movement stung. Quickly assessing what was going on, Kahli knew now was not the time to speak. They had already begun the next step. Outside, Cole told her that they would all meet together. The victors would be congratulated and the losers would have to turn over their weakest member. It was done now. There was no tomorrow for one of them.


    A vampire was standing at a jewel-encrusted podium in front of them and began to speak. The ballroom wasn¡¯t as fancy as it was the first time she saw it. The fine silk drapes and colored lights that hung like jewels across the ceiling were gone. The room was barren and cold. Even the seats were stark, industrial chairs with white padding. Everyone sat erect, awaiting the verdict.


    Before she and Cole walked in, the tension was thickly cast on the left side of the room, but now it was thrown all over. The opposing team, shot looks at Kahli and Cole as they passed, but no one spoke. The winning team would be rewarded and the losing team would deal with the consequences.


    The vampire at the lectern was slender, his pallor like that of an onion skin. His hands had long tapered fingers that made Kahli¡¯s skin prickle. Being touched by those fingers would evoke the same response as a spider creeping up her arm. His black eyes narrowed on Kahli, as she limped to her seat next to Cassie, and flicked over Cole before looking to his right. It was impossible to see who sat in the shadows, but someone was there, lurking in the darkness like a monster in wait.


    Kahli leaned back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest. The warm air stung her face. While the vampire droned on, Kahli scanned the room again trying to count the humans. She saw Will in the back corner, his eyes on her from the moment she walked in. Did he count as human? No, she thought sharply, but she couldn¡¯t overlook him. There was something in her gut that told her he wasn¡¯t what he seemed. She just had no idea if it was a good thing or not.


    After years of living alone, Kahli learned to trust her instincts. Will glared at Cole. Cole kicked his long legs out in front of him, acting like nothing was happening. Missy was on the other side of the room with the other group. Her dark eyes shifted nervously, her hands clasped in her lap so tightly that she was shaking. There were nineteen humans total, including Kahli. There had been twenty this morning. Someone didn¡¯t make it. The Purging had already begun. The elements took one of them down.


    The vampire at the podium, Guive, was saying, ¡°¡­ so we¡¯ll move straight on to the presentation of the list.¡± He snapped his long fingers and the two bags appeared. Both had odd shapes making the sides protrude here and there. Kahli saw that their bag was fuller. Guive pulled out item after item with his spidery long fingers, and checked them off one by one. The other team had about two-thirds of the items. Not bad, considering Kahli stole their previous attempt.


    Guive examined the opposing team¡¯s bag and did the same thing, counting, examining and scratching things off the list, one by one, until the pack was empty. Cassie¡¯s hands were folded tightly in her lap, her sickened expression matching Missy¡¯s across the aisle.


    ¡°It appears that Jessica¡¯s collected nearly the entire list. Good show. A for effort.¡± Guive¡¯s condescension was palpable. ¡°However, you are missing an item. Since the other team presented the flag...¡± Cassie blanched as he spoke, frozen with fear.


    Kahli shot out of her chair, shaking. He was lying and she wouldn¡¯t let him be the reason Cassie died. Interrupting him, Kahli demanded, ¡°What item was missing? We got everything on that list.¡± Her lips were mashed together, her fists trembling at her sides. They¡¯d gone over the items over and over again. When she handed Cassie the bag, everything was there.

 Page 23

    The vampire tilted his head at her, eyebrow arched, like she was a yipping dog, ¡°I¡¯m sorry my dear, but there was an item missing.¡± His slender finger scratched a yellowed nail down the page, ¡°Let me see, ah yes¡­ the willow bark.¡± The vampires surrounding him wore disgusted expressions that told Kahli exactly what they thought of her.


    Kahli limped to him like a rampaging snowman, and tore the bag out of his hands. The vamp looked bored, leaned on the podium, and watched her. He glanced at the shadows as if asking, should I stop this? But there was no reply.


    Kahli knew her behavior was dangerous. She took a calculated risk. There was no way they would kill her if they needed her to survive. From the expressions of those surrounding her, she knew she was taunting a lion. Kahli reached into the bag and pulled out the willow branch and thrust it under his nose, ¡°This is willow bark.¡±


    ¡°That is a willow branch, my dear. The bark does not come off. If you¡¯d¡­ what are you doing?¡± Guive¡¯s eyes went wide, shocked. Either that or he was disgusted. Kahli took the tiny branch and stuck it in her mouth. She pulled it out again and the bark peeled away like it was as fragile as a potato skin. She handed him the bark saturated with spittle. Guive¡¯s dark eyes were gleaming like black pearls, his lips pulling into a snarl that revealed pointed eyeteeth that looked like hers.


    For a brief moment she wondered what it must have felt like to be an impotent vampire, a beast who¡¯s survival depended on fang and blood¡ªa monster that was denied both. And then his meal was talking back, her arrogant green gaze defiant, as if she knew she could not be touched. His long fingers twitched like he wanted to wrap them around her throat and squeeze. The crack of Kahli¡¯s neck would have eased the tension, but it was forbidden. The girl was marked for the Queen, and Guive realized she knew it.


    ¡°There,¡± Kahli said staring him down like a rabid dog, unwilling to lower her hackles first, ¡°Willow bark. I thought the other presentation was preferable, but apparently I was wrong.¡± Kahli¡¯s heart raced in her chest. The pounding of her pulse rushed by in her ears, but her gaze didn¡¯t waiver from the vampire¡¯s. She would not turn away first. She breathed once, then twice.


    Guive glared at her, the muscles in his shoulders twitched slightly revealing the tension that lined his arms. His self-control was wilting, but he would not act. Risking the Queen¡¯s wrath was chancing a fate worse than death. She was not someone to anger no matter how much the wild girl baited him. Before turning to a row of vamps at his side, his sneer turned into a smile that was equally cold and creepy. Kahli didn¡¯t blink.


    When Guive turned to the shadows she tried to see who he was looking at. She¡¯d been at court long enough to recognize some of their faces, their arrogant swaggers, and their individual wolf-like charms. There was a back and forth, a few pointed, near silent words, until Guive, nodded and returned to the podium with wet bark in his hand.


    ¡°It would appear that I was mistaken and the wild girl was correct.¡± His voice dripped with disgust, as if he could ever be wrong. It was completely transparent that he would have killed her then and there, if not for the vampire lurking in the shadows. ¡°The branch counts. Jessica¡¯s team has immunity from the Purging. Leave.¡±


    Kahli expected a rush of noise, but there was none. Instead the team stood. Silence and dread mingled together so that the soft shuffle of feet was the only sound. Kahli wanted to present the flag, but she wasn¡¯t certain how. They were clearly dismissed. She did what she needed to do to save her friend, but when her eyes slid over Missy¡¯s team her throat tightened. Kahli couldn¡¯t leave. Not yet.


    Digging into her pocket, Kahli stopped before Guive, knowing she was pressing her luck within an inch of her life. ¡°But what¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t have a chance to finish. Guive¡¯s patience were long gone. His control melted as soon as Kahli spoke. Reaching out, he grabbed her throat in his hand, twisting her quickly, and thrust her body back into the golden podium. It was so heavy that it barely budged when he smacked Kahli into it. A rush of air hissed out of her lungs as she tried to speak and failed. The vampire in the shadows did nothing.


    Guive pressed his lips to her hear, hissing, ¡°I¡¯d spill your blood on the ice before I allowed our kind to taste a single drop.¡± His lips pulled into a tight smile, she could feel it as he pressed his face to her cheek, ¡°Perhaps your fellow humans didn¡¯t bother to tell you your place, but you will learn it. And I will teach you.¡±


    Cole¡¯s voice shattered the air. He did the exact thing he hated and drew attention to himself. ¡°Wait!¡± His loud voice boomed through the hall. Jess¡¯ team stopped in the doorway, Cassie¡¯s eyes wide as dinner plates, her mouth hanging open. Cole stepped in front of Guive, his voice steady as if he had no fear, ¡°Kahli has the flag.¡±


    A rush of voices collided together. Suddenly everyone was talking at once. Guive¡¯s grip on her neck loosened as he gazed at her. She managed to pull free, her skin still stinging. His hands were colder than ice, his grip made her shiver down to her core. A kind of coldness that could not be warmed settled into her in the seconds his hands were on her. It was as if death himself lingered in the air she breathed and tried to steal her soul.


    Staggering back from Guive, Kahli turned. She stood in front of a room full of people, but the only eyes she noticed were Will¡¯s. There was a shocked disbelief that poured over his face like paint. It was surprise and dread mixing together, and he made no effort to hide it. Kahli didn¡¯t understand what she did wrong, why he¡¯d look at her like that for capturing the flag. It must have been because of her exchange with Guive. That had to be the reason. But she felt a second set of eyes on her as well. The hairs on her arms stood on end as she slowly turned toward the vampire in the shadows. Her stomach pooled with ice.


    The man in the shadows stood and walked toward the light. The speaker bowed low and backed away, but Kahli didn¡¯t move. She stood there watching the vampire come at her with his teeth bore in an awful smile. His tall body was slender, his steps graceful, his gaze deadly¡ªadd to that unsurpassed beauty, and she couldn¡¯t breathe. His hair was inky black, shiny like glass cropped close to his neck, but longer in front. It fell over his forehead with grace and drew attention to golden eyes. The way he looked at her made her shiver. It was as if no one else existed. Like he only saw her. Stepping toward her, he clapped once. Twice. Three times. The noise echoed through the silent stares. Chills ran down her back like sheets of ice. The King noticed her. He noticed her in every way possible. She was no longer the Queen¡¯s present from her idiot brother. Kahli was more than that. And he intended to have her.


    The King¡¯s voice was deep with a seductive lure to it that felt odd¡ªlike she wanted to hear him speak, ¡°May I see the flag?¡±


    Without protest, Kahli held it up. She was hot and cold, flushed, famished, and furious at reacting to him. It was as if she had no choice but to react. Pulse pounding in her ears, Kahli¡¯s fingers surrendered the flag and fell to her sides. No one spoke. No one moved. He took the piece of cloth in his hands, examining it.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Guive pleaded behind him, lifting a finger as he spoke, ¡°I thought she needed to know her place. I didn¡¯t realize she had the flag.¡± This was the King¡ªhe was addressing the King. Why? And why did it matter that Guive didn¡¯t know she had the flag? The questions flashed through Kahli¡¯s mind like a streak of lighting across the night sky. She stood frozen, eyes shifting between the two. The tension was palpable, pricking her skin.


    Without warning, the king turned, rounding on Guive. His gloved hand held a small silver dagger that streaked through the air in a flash of light. It wasn¡¯t until it was buried deep in Guive¡¯s chest that Kahli saw what it was. Guive didn¡¯t see it until then either. The vampire fell to the floor, black blood oozing from the wound, his body stiffening as his eyes rolled back in his head. Within seconds black veins spidered out from the silver dagger, covering his pristine porcelain skin with thin black lines. Each line splintered and shot ten more tendrils in various directions turning the skin beneath to ash. Guive¡¯s skin caved in as his body deteriorated, becoming nothing but a pile of black cinders.


    ¡°He should have realized,¡± the King sighed and lifted his gaze to Kahli, ¡°that you succeeded. There were many bets placed on how the events of the day would turn out.¡± No one moved. The vampires seemed to sit with their backs straighter, their bodies tense. Reaching for a piece of Kahli¡¯s hair that lay on her shoulder, the King brushed it back.


    Do not react, she chanted over and over again in her mind. When his fingers swept the hair back every fiber of her being wanted to take the dagger and run him through. But she remained rigid and perfectly still. There would be other times. Today, right now, she meant to save more than herself. That was the point of getting the flag.


    He cocked his head back, looking down his nose at her as if studying an unusual animal, ¡°But no one predicted this¡ªyou succeeded in getting the entire list and the flag.¡± He watched her, waiting for a response that she didn¡¯t give. Kahli bit her tongue. ¡°There are those who are afraid of a strong human. They say she can bring nothing good to our court,¡± he began to circle her, his fingers rubbing his chin while his other hand clutched the flag. It fluttered next to his leg as he tapped it against his thigh. Slowly he moved behind her, his eyes sliding over her narrow waist, drifting down to the curve of her hips, before stopping in front of her. His face was inches from hers. His voice dropped to a whisper, ¡°But I saw otherwise.¡± His golden eyes were flecked with light, gazing into hers, not moving, just simply staring.


    Someone behind them spoke up. It was Will, ¡°Forgive me, Your Highness.¡± The King continued to stare at Kahli as Will spoke, ¡°The Queen requested a report. What should I tell her? What was the outcome of this evenings games and who will be taken to the Purging?¡± Speaking up like that was insane, but Will didn¡¯t like what was happening.

 Page 24

    Kahli¡¯s jaw was locked, her mouth had gone dry. She wanted to see the expression on Will¡¯s face. She wanted to know if the sensation creeping over her flesh was imaginary or if there was good reason for it. His eyes would tell her, but she didn¡¯t dare look away.


    The King blinked once and turned toward Will, ¡°Tell her that her newest trinket won on both accounts and that Alice was purged today.¡± A think brunette standing next to Missy blanched. Her lower lip began to tremble, but no one comforted her. No one offered her an embrace, or defended her. Wide-eyed she looked at Kahli, terrified. The king continued, ignoring Alice¡¯s horror, ¡°I think feasting is in order. And my prize to the girl is anything she wants.¡± He turned back toward Kahli, ¡°Anything.¡±


    Kahli arched a brow at him, ¡°Anything?¡±


    The king placed his hands behind his back, smiling a smirk that was utterly attractive. ¡°You¡¯ll find that most monarchs will never make such a generous offer, but¡­¡± he looked up at her emerald eyes, ¡°I¡¯m curious as to what you¡¯ll choose. Will it be your freedom? Will it be the location of a loved one?¡± He spoke as if he knew, as if there were information about her Mother. His words felt like a lash across her face. How did he know about her mother? Her lips parted, shocked. Surely he was lying. Kahli didn¡¯t think that she would be permitted to just walk out either, so that meant he was lying about her mother as well.


    As if the King could read her thoughts, he said, ¡°My other half is not so gracious and I would think she¡¯d be rather annoyed with me for releasing you, but if that is what you chose, that is what you will have. I will deal with the consequences and the Queen. Now,¡± he stood perfectly straight, his eyes cutting between the vampires next to him and Kahli. ¡°What do you ask?¡±


    There were many things she never expected, many things that came to pass that weren¡¯t part of the plan. But this. His offer made her speechless. Kahli¡¯s jaw moved, but no sound came out.


    Freedom.


    The thought lifted a cloud that had been smothering her since her arrival. All the things she¡¯d lost would be hers again. But could she ever truly be free after living here? Would this time haunt her for the rest of her life, even if she evaded the Trackers for eternity? Somehow, she didn¡¯t think so. Freedom would be tainted now. She owed Cole and didn¡¯t want to leave Cassie. That was something tied to the other end of her freedom. No, she didn¡¯t think she would ever be free again, not with the people she grew to care about still confined at the palace. Her stomach twisted when she realized Will was among those people.


    His other offer was equally tempting¡ªshe could find out where her mother was¡ªif she was still alive. It¡¯d been over ten years since her mother¡¯s hand forced her into the frozen thicket and Kahli had to move onto the next safe house alone. She spent a decade thinking she was an orphan, but the king spoke like she wasn¡¯t. Could it be true? Was she alive? It was every hope and fear colliding together. The selfish part of Kahli wanted her mother to be alive, but that meant she¡¯d spent a decade in captivity, being drained by bloodsucking leeches like the king. And if she wasn¡¯t in the palace, they weren¡¯t as kind. Kind, she almost laughed at the thought. It was considered kindness to kill your prey slowly here. Other places in this frozen Hell didn¡¯t provide that luxury. They struck and humans died. There was no waiting, no slowly succumbing to death. If her mother had been alive for a decade in some vamp farm, she would have been miserable the entire time. Kahli¡¯s stomach clenched. If she knew where her mother was, she could free her. She could ask for her release. But was it too risky? What if the king was lying and knew nothing of her mother? What if it was a trick to expose Kahli¡¯s weakness?


    Kahli¡¯s heart raced as fast as her mind, sprinting wildly as she tried to figure out what to do. Her gaze landed on Will, and she could feel the sadness flow from him like she¡¯d already left. It startled her to see that expression on his face, the melancholy slouch of his shoulders, the vacant gaze to his eyes. Kahli thought that she was nothing but an annoyance to him. Why would he care if she left? Her gaze dropped to the floor and she swallowed hard. Maybe Will did care. Maybe he didn¡¯t. This wasn¡¯t the time to consider his affections.


    Deep in her gut, Kahli knew that there was only one reason why she grabbed the flag, and only one reason why she risked her neck to get it. Therefore, there was only one request she would make tonight.


    Clearing her throat, she looked up. Kahli raised her eyes to meet the King, ¡°I know what I want.¡±


    ¡°Then ask,¡± his placid smile was intimidating, but she wouldn¡¯t be swayed.


    ¡°I want you to spare Alice¡¯s life¡­ I want you to skip the Purging this year.¡±


    CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO


    For a moment no one spoke. Thick silence crept over her skin as she stared at the King. Except for a twitch of his brow, his gaze barely changed. Chaos erupted, and it was like she dropped a pack of wolves in the room. Vampires and humans alike were shocked. Audible gasps came from the humans, but the vamps in the room were louder, more confident of their station. Their voices were loud and cut through the chatter, stating their displeasure with Kahli¡¯s request. As the sounds echoed around her, Kahli didn¡¯t move. It felt like she was locked inside a glass dome with the King. It didn¡¯t matter what was happening around her, what they said¡ªhow their indignant voices grew louder¡ªthe King made a promise. If Kahli learned anything from her time in the palace it was that the vampires valued their word. If they said they would do something, they did. They King offered her a gift and, according to the enraged vampires surrounding them, this was a hideous misuse of such a precious present. She¡¯d pay for it, that much was clear.


    Kahli¡¯s gaze was locked on the King. He looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face. The King¡¯s eyes moved over Kahli like he was considering her request. He knew he couldn¡¯t offer anything and then withdraw the offer because he didn¡¯t approve of the girl¡¯s choice. And she didn¡¯t know about the Purging. Speaking of it to newlings was forbidden.


    Kahli could feel Will¡¯s eyes from across the room boring a hole into her head, but she wouldn¡¯t turn.


    The King¡¯s voice was so soft that only Kahli could hear over the chatter in the room, ¡°If that is truly your request, then it will be done. The girl will live. Are you certain you wish to spend your reward so frivolously?¡±


    Kahli¡¯s fingers clenched tightly at her sides. Alice was like Cassie¡ªdisposable. ¡°Life is not frivolous, Your Majesty.¡± She bit off the last two words, her body shivering with rage. ¡°Your kind is utterly foolish if they cannot see how their lack of value for other living things has affected them so far. The world has died and been buried in an icy tomb. Your only source of nutrients has died with it. If you didn¡¯t force humans into camps like prisoners, if you let them be, this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±


    She¡¯d said too much, but she couldn¡¯t stop. Once Kahli started the words just flew out of her mouth, uncalled. They¡¯d burnt a hole in her tongue since she was a child, since she understood how the vampires devastated her kind. If humans were left wild, like her family had been, humanity would have had a chance. But now their blood was so intermingled that is was poisoned by aliments that couldn¡¯t be corrected. There was no way to undo the damage that was cast by that one decision.


    And the Purging was another devastating decision meant to ensure the vampire race survived, even when there were only a handful of humans left. The Purging strengthened the remaining human¡¯s blood by forcing a survival of the fittest on a group of people who didn¡¯t know the first thing about survival. It wasn¡¯t fair, and it didn¡¯t work. Weeding out the weak would not help the strong to survive. If anything, it only made the gene pool smaller and smaller. Kahli¡¯s eyes narrowed into slits, her breathing hard. She couldn¡¯t cover the fury bubbling beneath the surface.


    The King saw it. Whenever he looked at that girl, he was intrigued by her curves and coloring, but the decision she just made rendered him speechless. There was no word for what she¡¯d done. He offered her information on her mother. He offered her freedom and a new life. She could have asked for both, and demanded his protection, and he would have granted it¡ªbut she didn¡¯t. The insane girl requested he spare a weaker member of her race, one that should have died long ago, one who was sheltered by other humans who tried to keep her alive.


    The King turned to Will, and a hush fell over the room. He knew what he had to say, but this would not be the end of it. He¡¯d see to that. ¡°William, Amend my statement about Alice. Apparently she¡¯ll be with us another year.¡± The King glanced at Kahli out of the corner of his eye, his hand rubbing his chin, his head cocked like she was odd. ¡°There are few who have ever truly shocked me. You stole the other team¡¯s supplies to win¡­ and then you risked your life to save theirs. You damned them, and then saved them. Yet, they¡¯ve done nothing for you. That group would have skinned you and left you in the cold, if they weren¡¯t afraid of bleeding to death while they did it.¡± He shook his head, as if he didn¡¯t understand, while sliding his hands into his pockets. Glancing up at her he added, ¡°Then you turn around and give that girl her life back. Truly shocking behavior.¡±


    CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE


    Kahli thought the blood would never flow back into her fingertips. They felt numb for so long and then when she first arrived at the palace with Cole, everything was beyond stressful. Bending her fingers over and over again, Kahli tried to get the blood pumping.


    Will walked next to her, glancing over at her. ¡°Are you going to let me help you?¡± he asked, glancing over at her. She was so damn stubborn. He was forbidden from telling her about the Purging, although he nearly broke that oath to warn her. Cassie hushed him and promised to tell Kahli what she needed to know. Will was certain that he was going to lose her again, but Kahli managed to surprise him. The King wasn¡¯t the only one who was shocked at her request. Since Kahli arrived, she was a loner. The only person she spoke to was Cassie, but Will didn¡¯t think she was loyal to anyone. He didn¡¯t know what drove her to that decision, but he admired her for it.

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    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Will.¡± She clenched her hand shut and then flexed her fingers, shaking them out again. They didn¡¯t feel right. Annoyed with herself, she shook her head. If she got frostbite after one afternoon outside, she¡¯d kick herself. After all those years of traveling from safe house to safe house, she¡¯d managed to guard her skin against the elements. In one day she¡¯d done more damage to her body than she had in a lifetime. It was because she was distracted, she realized. It was because she thought there would be no tomorrow for one of them. There wasn¡¯t time to think earlier, never mind take care of herself. She limped along next to Will, her ankle still swollen. It smarted when she stepped, but she didn¡¯t want to wait in the maiden¡¯s rooms. She¡¯d rather sneak in after everyone was asleep. All the other girls looked exhausted.


    Will took a chance and reached for Kahli¡¯s hand as she was shaking it. He caught it between his palms, and she looked at him with those beautiful green eyes. ¡°You know what frostbite does, and you know I can fix it¡ªand your ankle too. Will you please just let me¡ª¡±


    She cut him off, jerking her hand away, ¡°No, I¡¯m not drinking your blood.¡± She started to limp away from him.


    Her name rolled off his tongue in a breathy whisper before he could stop himself, ¡°Kalahandra.¡±


    Kahli froze, her eyes wide. Slowly she turned back to look at him. ¡°You promised. You promised you¡¯d never say my name.¡± Panic edged into her voice. It was strange. She stood nose to nose with the King without fear, but Will said her name and it looked like she was going to fall to pieces. A slow tremor made her shiver, as she stared at him open-mouthed.


    ¡°I promised I wouldn¡¯t compel you,¡± And then I promptly broke that promise, but you don¡¯t remember, he thought. Still, he wished he hadn¡¯t done it. He wished he could speak those words and tell the truth. The mistake would haunt him, and if Kahli ever found out, she¡¯d never trust him again. Will stepped closer to her, ¡°Kahli, we can¡¯t leave you like this. Let¡¯s go to the medic and¡ª¡±


    ¡°No. I can¡¯t. I¡¯d rather deal with the frostbite. I¡¯d rather¡ª¡±


    Hearing the panic rising with her voice, he cut her off and gripped her hand gently, ¡°Then let me do it. We can try application instead of drinking. Surely you can stand that, right?¡± The way he looked at her made Kahli want to cry. He thought that she didn¡¯t like him. He thought that she detested him because he was a vampire. Part of her did, but part of her realized he was also human. At some point he stopped being the enemy, and became Will¡ªthe guy with bright blue eyes and a wicked smile that he rarely used¡ªthe guy who seemed to care about her.


    She nodded slowly, too ashamed to look at him. They walked in silence through the corridors until Kahli finally asked, ¡°Where are we going?¡± They wound past elaborate tapestries from when the world was green. She wanted to slow down and examine them. It was strange, seeing pictures of summer and deer and birds. All those things were gone now.


    Will pushed through another doorway and the hallway suddenly stopped. They stood at a door. Will pulled it opened, and they passed through. He didn¡¯t speak until they began to climb. ¡°We¡¯re going to my room. It¡¯s forbidden to heal you this way. I¡¯m supposed to take you to the medic, and make sure you drink. So I had to take you somewhere they wouldn¡¯t look. Only servants are in this part of the castle. If the Queen finds out you¡¯re here...¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t,¡± Kahli said quickly. The Queen was insane, and she surely wouldn¡¯t volunteer that Will offered to heal her unconventionally so that she didn¡¯t have to go to the medic. ¡°You can trust me, Will.¡±


    The words gripped his heart and twisted. She trusted him. That made everything so much harder. He nodded without looking back at her, listening to her small feet climb the stone stairs behind him. Before he opened the door to the upper-landing, he stopped and turned back to her. Kahli glanced up just before walking into him. His eyes searched her face. He wondered how much she knew, if she remembered when he compelled her. ¡°I say this with complete sincerity, so I hope you¡¯ll listen. There is no one¡ªno human or vampire¡ªthat you can trust within the palace walls. Everyone is in a fight for their lives. Every person is a player in a massive game with death lurking at every turn. What you did today was incompressible to most of them¡ªespecially the king. Never go to see him alone. Ever. You won¡¯t survive.¡±


    Will¡¯s words seemed out of place. One moment she said she trusted him and the next he was spewing dark warnings. ¡°I have no intention of seeing the King. After tonight, I¡¯ll do my best to run the other way when I see him coming. I think I lost my BFF status,¡± she smirked, but Will didn¡¯t respond. ¡°I know he hates me, and what I did tonight probably made it worse¡­¡±


    ¡°Definitely made it worse¡­¡± Will corrected.


    ¡°Right, so he¡¯s on my list of people to avoid. And I¡¯ll do everything possible to evade every other vampire in this place as well.¡± Except you. The pause, the break in her sentence implied it, so she rushed to cover it up. ¡°The humans didn¡¯t realize they could do such a thing. Jess never even tried to get the flag before. They condemned themselves without a second thought. There was no way I could allow that, never mind lend to it. I stole the other teams stuff, Will. I might as well have killed Alice myself, because taking their stuff¡ªthat¡¯s what it meant. I traded one life for another. I couldn¡¯t let Cassie die. But I couldn¡¯t have Alice¡¯s blood on my hands, either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem,¡± he said, eyes narrow like he was assessing a threat, ¡°you¡¯re not like them. None of them would have even thought to do something like that.¡±


    ¡°I did what was right.¡±


    ¡°He offered you freedom¡­¡± Will¡¯s voice caught, as he looked up at her from beneath dark lashes. ¡°I thought you¡¯d take it and be gone again.¡±


    For some reason Kahli¡¯s heart was pounding. They were standing in the stairwell, whispering. A first she didn¡¯t feel any different, but the way Will looked at her, the way his eyes melted into liquid sapphires¡ªit made her pulse race. She felt dazed, and couldn¡¯t think straight. Her eyes were fixated on Will¡¯s perfect lips. As he breathed, they parted. She wondered what it would feel like to brush her lips to his, to taste his kiss.


    The two drew together slowly, as if magnetized until the last word he said sank into her mind, ¡°Again? What do you mean ag¡­¡± but she didn¡¯t finish speaking. Their lips had met, cutting off her question and it died in her mouth.


    Will¡¯s lips touched hers, warm and soft. His hands slid along her cheeks, his fingers gently threading in her hair and he pulled her closer. The kiss sent a shiver down Kahli¡¯s spine that erupted in butterflies in her stomach. Will was so gentle, so careful. Without warning, it felt like the runes on her side burst into flames. She gasped, pulling away from Will, her hand slapping away flames that weren¡¯t there. There was no fire, no spark. Her hands stilled and she looked at Will, her green gaze soft.


    His eyes widened, horrified at what he¡¯d done. Relationships between vampires and humans were forbidden. ¡°Kahli, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Before she had a chance to respond, Will¡¯s voice was cold, calloused. ¡°It won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    She gasped, staring at him. He kissed her, a flash of pain shot up her side, and then he said he¡¯d never do it again. When he opened the door, she pretended it didn¡¯t matter. She nodded at him, trying to act the same as she had before, but it was a lie. That kiss meant something, and she didn¡¯t like what it meant.


    CHAPTER TWNEY-FOUR


    Sitting in Will¡¯s room was different than she thought it would be. Instead of having walls lined with books and maps like some of the Trackers she hunted, he had nothing. His room consisted of a bed with sparse linens, a table and chair, a reading light and a single window. There was nothing marking the space to make her think it was his. If the room didn¡¯t have his scent, she would have thought they were in an extra bedroom kept empty for new servants.


    There was a box on his desk. It had the Queen¡¯s emblem on the lid. Will opened it and took out a small golden knife. Kahli knew what he was going to do, but the thought still made her sick. Blood was precious, spilling it like this seemed wrong.


    ¡°Turn your hand over,¡± he said and slid the knife over the center of his palm. Will didn¡¯t wince as the blade opened his hand. He immediately reached for Kahli, spreading the warm blood over every inch of her hands. Soon, her hands were completely red like she was wearing gloves made from blood. It looked like she¡¯d killed someone. ¡°There. Give it a minute. When we wash it off,¡± Will wrapped a towel around his hand to stop the blood, ¡°we¡¯ll see if it healed you. If it did, we should do your feet, too.¡±


    She started to protest, ¡°My feet are¡­¡± Will tilted his head, his expression said that he wasn¡¯t an idiot¡ªthat he knew her toes were in worse shape than her hands. Kahli shut her mouth. She tried to keep her gaze on her hands. When her eyes drifted to Will¡¯s face, her mind was consumed with thoughts she shouldn¡¯t have. It made her feel weak and she didn¡¯t like that. His blood was warm and sticky. She stretched her hands, waiting.


    Will watched her wiggling her fingers. The last time he saw Kahli covered with that much blood was when he was nearly too late. The wolves attacked, nearly shredding her to bits. He still couldn¡¯t believe how she fought. She wasn¡¯t afraid. Or if she was, he couldn¡¯t tell.


    That was something he admired about her. She fought back, even when it seemed hopeless. Kahli¡¯s lack of submission no doubt caught all the wrong attention tonight. He was worried about her, worried that he couldn¡¯t protect her from the wolves inside the palace walls.


    ¡°Will,¡± she said shattering his thoughts.


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± he was looking at her hands, refusing to meet her eye.


    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± she stared at the side of his face, wondering who he was and how he came to be trapped between the most powerful vampires in the world.

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    He glanced up at her, ¡°Sure.¡± He had no idea what she wanted to know, but the silence was killing him. He didn¡¯t want to ignore what had happened. He wanted to kiss her again, but he couldn¡¯t¡ªallowing that small infraction was foolish enough.


    ¡°Why do you have runes on your chest?¡± Her voice was soft. She asked him like it was a question that she had no right to ask. She lowered her lashes, and didn¡¯t look him in the eye. The answer was bad. She could sense it, but she didn¡¯t know why. She¡¯d tried to piece it together since they¡¯d met, but every answer only led to more questions.


    It felt like he was sucker-punched. Will momentarily lost his breath, but recovered quickly. Instead of answering, he glanced at her. Her fiery red hair was hanging over her shoulders, hiding her gaze like she was shy. Kahli was anything but shy. He reached for her chin with his clean hand and tilted her face up. Grinning he asked, ¡°And how would you know I have runes on my chest?¡±


    But she didn¡¯t grin back. Instead Kahli lifted her chin out of his grip and looked away. ¡°The night I stabbed you, I saw them.¡± She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, ¡°Did the Bane have the same betrothal ceremonies?¡±


    He shook his head, his blue eyes haunted like he was remembering something he wanted to forget, ¡°No. They¡¯re not what you think.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re not wedding runes, but they bound you to someone, didn¡¯t they? I mean, isn¡¯t that what runes are for?¡± She stared at him, asking more than she should, but she couldn¡¯t help it. Kahli didn¡¯t understand him. She didn¡¯t know how he could serve two adversaries without either noticing. It made her wary of him and she didn¡¯t want to be. The runes might explain it. The runes could be used to bind his loyalty, assuming they were like wedding runes.


    Will didn¡¯t answer for a long while. Instead he grabbed a bowl of water that he had set on the table and lifted Kahli¡¯s hand. Taking a cloth, he dipped it in the water and then let the water drip over her bloodied fingers, filling her palm, and then slipping over the sides of her hand and back into the bowl. Swirls of orange and red quickly filled the basin. He repeated dipping, and gently wiping away his blood. He didn¡¯t want her to have to do it, and for some reason she let him.


    Finally he said, ¡°Some things are best not answered.¡±


    Kahli¡¯s face pinched. She knew he was struggling, deciding whether or not to tell her. ¡°But I could help you. I could¡ª¡±


    He cut her off, ¡°You can¡¯t even help yourself, Kahli. You don¡¯t know what life is like here. You don¡¯t know what it means to be Bane and survive in this place. You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to be Bane and survive anywhere. I would have never told you what I was if I thought I¡¯d see you again.¡± He swallowed hard and took her other hand. Kahli pressed her lips together so she wouldn¡¯t speak. His words stung, as he meant them to, but he was too harsh. This was the world she wasn¡¯t supposed to see. He softened his voice, ¡°Besides, there¡¯s nothing you could do. There¡¯s nothing I can do. It¡¯s the way it is. Just accept it and be glad for little moments like this¡ªwhere I¡¯m just Will and you¡¯re just Kahli¡ªwhere there¡¯s no vampire or human, no forced survival where one threatens to destroy the other.¡± Her hands were soft and smooth again, her fingertips warm. ¡°There. Looks like it worked.¡±


    Kahli wanted to press him, she wanted to know what he was hiding. She wanted to read his runes and see what his true name was. That was the only thing powerful enough to control a person anymore. Compulsion was too weak to use without a birth name to go with it. Biting her lip, she looked over the table at him and nodded, not asking the questions that burned in her mind. ¡°Feels like it, too.¡±


    Will met her eyes. He couldn¡¯t move. His hands were on Kahli¡¯s, his thumb stroking her soft skin. Her gaze absorbed him so that he was nothing, no one without her. The ache inside his chest eased when she was near. Her voice, her touch, her kiss¡ªall those things made him want to be everything she could ever want, everything she needed¡ªbut he couldn¡¯t. That wasn¡¯t the life fate had carved out for him. No matter how much he wanted her, Kahli was not his destiny¡ªshe was just a bright spot on a road of eternal night.


    When Will broke their gaze, it felt like he was cutting off his arm. He didn¡¯t want to release her hand, but he did. This is getting too hard, he thought to himself. This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. Gaze vacant, he cleared his throat and looked up at her. ¡°Better start on the rest. It¡¯s late.¡±


    CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE


    Several days passed in silence. Kahli hadn¡¯t seen Will. Somehow he managed to stay away unless the Queen had her bidden for a tasting. It irritated her that Will seemed to withdraw after their kiss. He said nothing as he pricked her skin with the golden needle, forcing blood to drip onto the ornate serving tray.


    Kahli watched a splash of crimson fall from her finger, and then another. Her blood beaded up into little drops. Will¡¯s lips passed over her finger, sealing the cut. He moved methodically, not pausing to speak. His lips slid over her skin like she meant nothing to him. Trying not to shiver, Kahli pushed away the thoughts that swam to the front of her mind. Thoughts about his lips on hers, the scent of his skin, the way his hair felt in her hands. The events of other night remained a mystery. Neither of them wanted to admit what happened. For Kahli, it was beyond deplorable. If someone suggested she would ever want to kiss a vampire, she would have laughed. But now, now she could think of nothing else.


    Clearing her throat, Kahli pulled her hand away and asked, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t she done a feeding, yet?¡± Cole mentioned it, saying that he was suspicious that they hadn¡¯t feed from her. She began to wonder why. Instead they called her for tastings, only taking a little bit of blood from her. Kahli understood more why Cole was suspicious of her. The whole situation was strange. She needed to know even though she didn¡¯t think it was something that she¡¯d want to hear. Keeping her expression neutral, she looked up at Will who finally turned to glance at her.


    His hands drifted off the trays he was readying, his lips parted as he stared. They remained like that for a moment before Will found his voice, ¡°They have their reasons.¡± Kahli crinkled her brows at him.


    ¡°Wow. That was helpful.¡± Will didn¡¯t respond. Instead he turned to the trays and finished preparing things to the Queen¡¯s liking. The crazy Queen. Rising, Kahli stepped behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. She spoke his name softly, ¡°Will.¡±


    Will jumped like he was being killed. Breathing hard, he rounded on her and clutched her wrists in his hands. Kahli¡¯s heart raced, slamming into her chest like she¡¯d run a mile. Part of her wanted to defy him and rip her hands away, but she forced herself still. He was acting like a spooked animal. Those eyes, the way he looked at her¡ªthey were normally cautious¡ªbut now they were beyond apprehensive.


    Will snatched her wrists and held her firmly. Yanking her body closer to his, he looked into her face hoping she could sense that she needed to stop talking. There were eyes and ears everywhere, especially in the tasting room. Especially when Kahli¡¯s blood was involved. He said nothing, practically ripping her hands off and staring at her. When she stopped asking questions, he released his grip and took the tray.


    Will left the room without a backward glance.


    CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX


    Cassie sat on her bed with her back against the wall, her feet tucked under her. Missy and Gene were absent. Kahli was staring at a book, pretending to read but she was really fuming. She¡¯d been there for weeks and the others had been to feedings several times. Why weren¡¯t they using her blood? The thought sent chills over Kahli¡¯s skin. The reason had to be something horrible. When she couldn¡¯t stand Cassie¡¯s eyes burning a hole into the side of her face for another moment, Kahli slammed the book down and asked, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s just¡­ you seem out of sorts. You¡¯re quieter than usual. I can tell something¡¯s bothering you, but you¡¯re not talking.¡± Cassie was sweet. She just wanted to help.


    Laying back on her bed, Kahli stared at the ceiling. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s talk.¡± Briefly, she wondered if she should dance around the question, but she was too irritated to be cautious. Without another thought, she blurted it out, ¡°How many times have you been to a feeding since we met?¡±


    Cassie looked confused, like someone asked her to rewire the security gate on the front lawn. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Three. Maybe four times. Why are you asking?¡±


    ¡°Guess how many times I¡¯ve been to a feeding?¡± Cassie shrugged. ¡°Zero. None. Not once.¡± She pushed herself onto her side.


    ¡°So. Maybe she¡¯s saving you for a special occasion, like a bottle of antique wine.¡± Cassie grinned, ¡°I hear you¡¯re a rare vintage.¡±


    ¡°Cassie, I¡¯m serious. Everyone has gone several times¡ªeveryone except me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I want to go. You can take my turn next time. I don¡¯t get why you¡¯re mad about it. It¡¯s not like feedings are fun.¡± Her hand touched her neck like she was remembering something.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡± She had to reword this so Cassie understood her concerns. Right now they still felt like premonitions, little warning bells that flared to life with no logical explanation. But there had to be a reason. After all the vampires went through to get her and hold her, they had to have something planned. She wanted to know what it was. ¡°I¡¯m not jealous. I¡¯m wondering why they bothered to catch me if they aren¡¯t going to feed from me. I thought that was the entire lure of finding a wild human¡ªthat she could restore them to their former power?¡± Cassie was nodding along like she agreed, ¡°Okay, so then why has no one had more than a few drops? Answer me that. Why would they hold back? It¡¯s like they have something else planned¡­¡±


    Cassie finally caught on, ¡°Something worse¡­ something where they want your blood to be pure.¡± Her brows pinched together as she thought. ¡°They didn¡¯t heal you with vamp blood either, right? They let you heal on your own when they brought you in? Then they did the same thing after the Purging.¡±

 Page 27

    Kahli nodded, not saying anything about Will¡¯s blood on her skin. It wasn¡¯t like she could change that and she didn¡¯t think that it counted. ¡°What would they do that required me to be untouched? What¡¯s the difference between a tasting and a feeding anyway?¡±


    ¡°Power,¡± Cassie¡¯s eyes slowly drifted to Kahli¡¯s. ¡°Oh my god.¡± Her face went pale.


    Kahli stared at her, ¡°What? You can¡¯t say that and then just sit there? What!¡±


    ¡°Power. Blood is power. It¡¯s the essence of what commands them, what controls them. It¡¯s not that the Queen wants to keep you pure, it¡¯s something else. Something about your blood. Something about smaller amounts.¡± She tapped her nail on her front tooth while she thought. Glancing at Kahli, she asked, ¡°What¡¯d Will say about it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Cassie¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s not good. He usually spills everything, unless it¡¯s something horrible that he can¡¯t control¡ªlike the Purging.¡± They were both quiet for a moment.


    Kahli felt like she should know the answer, but it kept floating away. She shook her head. ¡°Maybe they can¡¯t handle straight wild blood anymore. Maybe they¡¯ve grown accustomed to the watered-down version from their camps.¡±


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t sound quite right,¡± Cassie said, her eyes vacant as she thought. ¡°If that were the case, the Queen especially would want to be building up your blood in her system. It would ensure her queendom, and silence any rivals. But she won¡¯t take more than a taste. There has to be another reason.¡±


    ¡°There is, and I bet you anything Will knows exactly what it is.¡± She glanced at Cassie. ¡°Is there a way to call him here?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No. Handlers only show when the Queen wants you.¡±


    ¡°So, let¡¯s make the Queen want me.¡±


    Before she could come up a plan, there was a knock at the door. It opened and another vampire stood there. He was thin and tall, gangly like most of them. His pallor was chalk-white, his eyes black as crow feathers with hair to match. ¡°I am here for Kahli. Please see Mariam and dress for dinner. The King beckons you. I will return for you within the hour.¡±


    Kahli¡¯s eyes went wide. When the vamp closed the door she turned to Cassie, ¡°The King? Why would the King want me?¡±


    Cassie¡¯s gaze locked with hers. ¡°The Purging. You made him look like a fool.¡±


    ¡°I thought he got over it, since he didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Kahli thought she was home-free. The week had passed and the King didn¡¯t do anything to her. Kahli thought she was in the clear.


    ¡°A week, a day, an hour¡ªvampires have screwy concepts of time¡ªespecially smaller units of time. The Queen went after another vamp nearly two months after a comment was made at court. This might be old news to you, but it probably feels like recent trauma to the King.¡±


    ¡°Should I go?¡± She remembered Cassie¡¯s warnings, and Will told her the same thing¡ªstay away from the King.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have a choice,¡± worry pinched her face. ¡°Kahli, there¡¯s something you need to know.¡±


    But before she could tell Kahli what it was, Mariam pushed through the doors, ¡°Come now. The King isn¡¯t someone we want to upset.¡± Mariam stood, her body taking up most of the doorway. She glanced between the two girls once and then turned on her heel, indicating Kahli should follow by snapping her fingers.


    Kahli shot a quick glance at Cassie and followed Mariam, hoping that Will would find her before the hour was up.


    CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN


    ¡°These were here last time,¡± Mariam scrubbed the runes on Kahli¡¯s side with a bristle-brush filled with foam.


    Her skin was going to bleed if the woman kept scrubbing, ¡°Mariam, leave it. You¡¯re going to scrub my skin off. It¡¯s a tattoo. It won¡¯t come off. The color fades when it dries off.¡±


    Mariam huffed like it would too come off, but they were running short on time. The bath hall was nearly empty. It was strange. Kahli looked up and down at the empty tubs filled with steaming water. There were at least a dozen girls in the palace. At any given time, about half were in the bathhouse.


    ¡°Mariam,¡± Kahli asked, taking a towel and wrapping it around her wet body, ¡°Where is everyone?¡±


    She shrugged, ¡°Got me. I haven¡¯t seen a few of the girls for a couple of days. It¡¯s not like them to not show up. I was thinking of telling William to look into it. Wouldn¡¯t want them to be covering up a cold or some illness that could have been treated.¡± Kahli nodded as Mariam spoke, but her mind was drifting back to her roommate¡¯s empty beds, and the lack of women in the living room. She didn¡¯t really notice it until now. The girls were usually together and Kahli was alone or with Cassie. Kahli assumed they were in the bathhouse or that she just kept missing them, but Mariam¡¯s words made her wonder if something else was going on.


    Mariam dressed Khali in a silk gown. The supple violet fabric flowed to the floor. When the corset strings on the back of the dress were cinched up tightly, Kahli could barely breathe. Mariam set her in front of the mirror. Kahli didn¡¯t recognize the girl looking back at her. Over the past few weeks she¡¯d changed. The haunted green eyes became vibrant and no longer looked as savage and desperate. Her skin was smooth, her hair tucked into neat curls on top of her head with loose strands flowing down, framing her face. That moment broke her. It fractured a piece of her mind that had lied dormant, waiting to make her escape.


    Kahli¡¯s eyes drifted to the objects on the table under the mirror¡ªa silver and gold brush with white bristles and an equally ornate comb with an intricate design that extended onto the long slender handle that ended in a dull point. Mariam used the comb to do Kahli¡¯s hair, pulling back one section at a time until her red mane looked perfect.


    Before she could thank Mariam, the vampire that appeared in her room earlier was standing across the bathhouse. The gleaming pale tiles stood in stark contrast to his dark suit, ¡°The King requests your presence.¡±


    Warnings were flashing through her mind, although she didn¡¯t know why. The vampire who brought her to the King was a servant, biding his time¡ªhoping to get enough blood to survive. From the translucent pallor of his skin, Kahli thought he looked ill. She followed a step behind the man, winding through the massive palace until they stopped before a large set of double doors. They were recessed into an archway made of stone. The golden handles gleamed as if they¡¯d never been touched. Kahli¡¯s heart was in her throat. She constructed a faulty plan on their silent walk through the building, all the while secretly hoping Will would intervene, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.


    The vampire abruptly stopped and stepped to the side. His pale hand pushed open the door as he bowed. Kahli watched him, her eyes darting between the open door and the vampire staring at the floor. Was he a guard? A messenger boy? Would he wait at the door to retrieve her when the king was done? She felt sick. When he was done doing what? Kahli still felt like she held too many puzzle pieces to understand what was happening. She had the parts, but failed to see how they fit together. Living within the palace walls required survival skills that differed from the set she attained in the wild. There were no fanged beasts, lurking in shadows waiting to pounce on her. Instead they were in plain sight, smiling, waiting to use her body and her blood. Death would not be an option. They would do everything in their power to keep her alive. Which is why, if things went the way she was dreading, she would act.


    Kahli didn¡¯t want Will to be in trouble because he hadn¡¯t reformed her. She wanted him to be free as well, but the boy didn¡¯t seem interested in leaving. A million reasons why rushed through her mind, raging in a silent stream, but there was nothing that made sense. Breathing deeply, she held her head high and walked through the door, refusing to succumb to her fears.


    Without a word, the vampire pulled the door closed and Kahli found herself standing in the center of a large round room. The d¨¦cor was the exact opposite as the Queen¡¯s ballroom. Instead of pale hues and soft tones, this room was dark with rich blues and opulent blacks. Every inch of the room screamed of masculinity, even the scent of the air held a seductive fragrance.


    Kahli blinked a few times, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. Clasping her hands together, she turned and examined the walls, looking for signs of life. Instead she only found ornate carvings, wooden bookcases filled with priceless treasures, and plush drapes that hung floor to ceiling over the window, sealing out all the light. Sconces lined the perimeter of the room, washing the walls with a dim glow of pale gold. It was near sunset, though there was no way to be certain in a room like this. There was no way to have any idea of the passing of time. There was no clock, no sunlight stretching across the floor to let her know the hour.


    Just as she began to think that no one would come, a piece of dark wood paneling opened across from her. The King stepped through, dabbing at his lips with a linen handkerchief as if he¡¯d just eaten. He glanced up at her, and his smile instantly widened into a look that made her hyper-aware of every inch of her body. The King was beyond handsome and his charisma made her question him. It wasn¡¯t that he was likable. No, that wasn¡¯t the problem. It was that she shouldn¡¯t feel anything around him. It should have been like sensing a piece of wood. Vampires were dead, but she felt him, she sensed him more than she sensed anything in her life.


    Sliding his hand into the pocket of a pair of well-tailored dark slacks, the King approached. His golden eyes slid over the curves under her violet dress. A burn rose to her cheeks, unbidden. Irritation crept through her veins. She had to get away from him. There had to be a reason why he could manipulate her emotions. There was no doubt in Kahli¡¯s mind that that was what the King was doing and she wished she knew how so she could stop him. Kahli stared ahead, stony, and did not bow.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not the Queen¡¯s most treasured object. Ah,¡± he said stopping in front of her. His toned body towered over her small frame. His skin didn¡¯t have the sickly pallor of the vamp in the hallway. Instead he almost seemed flushed, like he was aglow. He placed his hand on the small of Kahli¡¯s back, ¡°Well, turn so we can see you in this stunning gown. Mariam has truly outdone herself. You know she makes these gowns? She¡¯s quite a talented seamstress, and she only dresses the girls who tend to the royal family.¡±

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    When he touched her back, Kahli felt something, almost like a shock, but it disappeared as fast as it came. She slid her hands over her hips, smoothing her gown where he¡¯d touched her and stepped away. ¡°Is that why I¡¯m here? To tend to you?¡±


    A wicked smile spread across his lips. ¡°Of course,¡± he breathed, his amber eyes glowing like twin flames. The king took a slow step, watching Kahli as he did so, ¡°You ruined the Purging this year. Completely decimated it.¡± He took another step. Kahli looked straight ahead. He was trying to intimidate her.


    Where is Will? The muscles in her jaw tensed, but she managed to bite back, ¡°Good. It was an archaic practice. The only thing it accomplished was slashing links out of your food chain faster. Seemed rather careless to me.¡±


    The King smiled, nodding when she spoke. He acted as if they were having a polite conversation. He held his hands behind him, his dark hair hung over his brow as he circled her. ¡°Perhaps that is what it looked like to you. And for good reason. However, you only have a limited understanding of things¡­¡± he stopped in front of her, spreading his hands, looking down at her, ¡°and this is not something you could possibly understand.¡±


    ¡°I think I do,¡± she breathed. Every muscle in her body was tense, ready to explode in a rage.


    The King¡¯s hand shot out. Kahli saw it coming for her neck, and reacted. She began to drop to the floor, but he was too fast. The King had already corrected the motion. With his other hand, he gripped her waist and pulled her to him, smashing her flush against his hard body. His other hand touched her face, his fingers trailing over her skin, feeling the angle of her cheek. He purred, ¡°I know you don¡¯t.¡± He held her gaze.


    Kahli felt trapped, but instead of fighting free, she just stood there. Her body didn¡¯t want to move. It was like he drugged her without giving her anything. His hands were warm. That wasn¡¯t right. Kahli¡¯s mind tried to stumble out of the stupor she¡¯d fallen into, but as long as the king touched her, she couldn¡¯t seem to think.


    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful, much more so than the others. You have this carnal look to you that I find appealing. It goes beyond blood with you. I want to taste you, and I will¡­ but the savage girl who I saw that first night, the same girl who stole my only source of power will need to make amends first.¡± His hands slid lower as he was talking, feeling the curve of her waist and slipping lower to the swell of her hips.


    Kahli¡¯s mind wouldn¡¯t think. She couldn¡¯t react. Instead she just stood there, letting the vampire king grope her. When his lips touched hers, the stupor changed to shock. Warm soft lips pressed into hers while the King pulled her closer and closer. Her body was tightly pressed against his, his arms pinning her in place, holding her against him. The kiss deepened and he tasted her, flicking his tongue between her lips and learning the curve of her mouth. Kahli gasped but it came out like a moan. His hands roved over her body, feeling her soft curves.


    A warm burn ignited on her side and flashed through the runes. As if awakened in the middle of a nightmare, Kahli came back to herself. The trance that made her compliant melted away. Her thoughts were her own again, but she did not react. The King¡¯s ability, his power over her was horrifying, and she didn¡¯t know why it just faded away. But if she acted now, he¡¯d know he no longer had her under his command. This was her only way out. This moment of clarity. Thinking fast, her eyes scanned the room for a weapon, but found none. Something cold and hard was pressing against her belly under her corset. The cold metal slid against her skin, nicking her. It was the comb. She¡¯d taken it, and hidden it under her corset before she left the bathhouse. Somehow the comb managed to cut through the shift she wore under the corset and scrape her flat stomach. Warm sticky blood flowed from the cut.


    The king stopped kissing her. He remained lifeless, completely still, keeping Kahli pressed against him. It seemed like he couldn¡¯t control himself. Deep breathes that should have calmed him came harder and faster. His fingers were digging into her back.


    ¡°I¡¯d arranged this evening¡¯s activities for us down to the last detail. I plan to know you in every way possible before I taste you,¡± His voice sounded strained. When Kahli glanced at him, she caught a flash of fang. They¡¯d extended. But that couldn¡¯t be. Her stomach fell, stealing her breath, and slowing her thoughts.


    The King had fangs. How? Vampires no longer had fangs. She knew this to be a fact. It was one of the reasons why they didn¡¯t drink directly from humans anymore. They were all afflicted by the anemic blood from their food-supply, and weakened as a result. They couldn¡¯t compel without using true names, they had no fangs, and vampires no longer combusted in sunlight¡ªthe price of pure blood¡ªbecause no one had pure blood. No one, but Kahli. And now the King was entering forbidden territory with his kisses and his plans, territory that she wanted no part of.


    He took her hand, pulling her toward the door he entered through, ¡°Come with me.¡± The command of his voice slid over her, and she wanted to do as he said. The moment of clarity began to vanish, slipping away like mist though her fingers.


    The King turned, expecting Kahli to follow. She took a step, and staggered taking another. Her mind felt like it was at war with itself. The compulsion, if that was what the King used, made her unable to stop¡ªunable to think. The King turned back to look at her, smiling. Kahli¡¯s hand was placed over her stomach, where her fingers lifted the delicate satin edging of the corset. There was something there, something that she tucked into her bodice before she left Mariam, but the thought derailed.


    He inhaled deeply, his eyes sliding over her like he intended to devour her. ¡°I swear I can smell you already. Your scent is utterly intoxicating.¡± The mental haze cracked and fell away with the sound of his voice. But it quickly frosted over again, leaving Kahli stumbling through her mind, trying to find a way out.


    Kahli realized that speaking was the only thing holding her here. If she didn¡¯t talk, she¡¯d be lost. She blurted out, ¡°Aren¡¯t I the Queen¡¯s? If you do anything to me, she¡¯ll¡­ not like it. She¡¯s a bit crazy, in case you didn¡¯t notice.¡± The words sounded strange to her ears. Her voice was garbled like she¡¯d had too much to drink. The echoing rang on, even though she stopped speaking. Kahli stood there, and blinked once, trying to make the room sit still.


    The King rounded on her, throwing her back into the wall. Gasping, Kahli tried to breathe, but couldn¡¯t. The slap stung, but it also helped evaporate the lusty stupor that was building between them.


    The King reached for her, sliding his hand up her throat. Kahli looked up, pushing her back into the wall. Palm pressing on her neck, he breathed in her ear, ¡°You are mine in every conceivable way, from now until the day you die.¡± He breathed heavily, anger pulsating through his body. Kahli tried to tear away from him but he was too strong. Her bones felt like they¡¯d crack under his hands. She tried to slip her fingers under her corset, but he was too close. She couldn¡¯t move.


    An idea burned brightly in her mind. It was like seeing a single campfire in the pitch-black darkness. Desperation welled up in her throat and poured over her lips, ¡°Then do it. Prove it. Prove you own me and claim me.¡±


    It was the way things had been before the flood, before the ice. Vampires sunk their fangs into a human and claimed them. After that, the human was off-limits to everyone else. If the King bit her, it would make him a dead man. The Queen was vengeful. It would seal his death-wish while tempting him with more power. If he bit her, it would give Kahli the room she needed to grab the comb. The pointed end was cutting into her, and provoking the King further¡ªhe could smell her blood. It was making him reckless. The vampire was leaning heavily on her, his eyes fixated on her neck, watching the pulsing vein beneath her skin. ¡°Do it!¡± she hissed, ¡°If I¡¯m yours, then act like it.¡±


    Every muscle in his body was tense, practically shaking. It wasn¡¯t rage that coursed through him, it was lust¡ªlust for her blood¡ªlust for the power it would give him. The King jerked Kahli¡¯s neck toward his lips, and found her pulse point. It beat rhythmically below her smooth flesh. The King wanted this, he wanted her. Hesitating, he slid a pointed fang over her neck, scraping a thin white line over the vein. If he bit her, if he went through with it, life as he knew it would end. It was a direct challenge to the Queen. He was no fool. But the girl¡¯s blood and her body called to him. If he claimed her, if he drank from her and her blood did not do what they assumed¡­ The thought made him shudder. There was only one way to find out. His self-control faded to nothing as he felt her heart racing against his chest, her fear coursing through her veins.


    Without another thought his teeth sank into her soft skin. Kahli¡¯s body stiffened as she screamed. Pain exploded in the side of her neck. The King¡¯s hands continued to hold her close, but after a few moments she felt wrong. Worse. The lightheaded stupor was rushing back, dousing her kindled mind, and washing away her thoughts. Seconds passed slowly. She blinked once, fighting the drugged feeling, her hand slipping under the hem of her corset. Kahli arched her back, pressing her neck closer to the King¡¯s mouth, one of her hands tangling in the King¡¯s hair.


    Kahli¡¯s mind was addled, but her hands kept moving. It was like they¡¯d chosen a course of action and carried it out without her. Gripping the comb tightly, she could feel the tiny silver teeth bite into her palm. Carefully, she slid the metal comb from beneath her bodice. The King drank greedily, not watching what she was doing. Twisting her shoulder, Kahli shoved the pointy end of the metal comb into the king¡¯s belly. When it pierced his skin, she thrust it up toward his chest, trying to maintain her grip on the weapon.


    A deafening shriek exploded in her ear as the King¡¯s blood poured out of his chest. Blood ran down her wrists and dripped onto the floor. The King twisted away from her, trying to extract the weapon in his torso. The sudden movement left a gaping hole in her neck, as the King ripped away from her without releasing his fangs from her skin. The holes ripped her neck, leaving a wound that was too large.

 Page 29

    Kahli blinked once, hard, her hand pressing against the side of her neck. She stared at the King as he fell to his side, crumpling into a ball. Silver no longer had an effect of this kind. Vampires wore it around their necks, mocking their ancestors who died with the metal¡¯s touch. They¡¯d grown careless, leaving silver around, no longer thinking it was a threat. But new blood meant that the old ways would return. Kahli was lucky. Someone had been enjoying her blood with the Queen, and now she knew who it was.


    The King¡¯s wound hissed as his hands frantically tried to extract the piece of silver before it killed him. The comb wasn¡¯t solid and had gold and silver mingled together. Kahli knew if she didn¡¯t flee now, she¡¯d never escape.


    Ignoring the King, she ran to the door. The vampire who brought her there was waiting. He ignored the screams, and when she opened the door he bowed low. She used the movement against him. Her knee came up and slammed into his face. A sickening crack rang in her ears and he fell to the floor. Kahli ran, pressing her fingers to the wound on her neck, knowing that running was only making it worse. She needed stitches. Or Will. Her head was throbbing as the halls spun, tipping high and low. She felt like a metal ball in a maze, tipping and rolling, hoping to find a way out. Somehow she managed to navigate the hallways, and emerged below the palace in an underground garage. Tools lined workbenches and every sort of vehicle imaginable surrounded her. She staggered forward to the bench, leaning hard, trying to remain upright. Sleek black cars, motorized sleds, motorcycles with strange wheels meant to grab the ice, skis, and then something else¡ªsomething smaller, painted in shades of white and blue. Breathing hard, she smiled staring at her freedom.


    ¡°Hey!¡± a man called from behind her. ¡°You can¡¯t be in here.¡±


    Kahli moved quickly. Her fist tightened around a screwdriver and she rounded on the man, stabbing him in the throat. When he fell away, the make-shift weapon was jerked out of her hand. Another vampire smiled at her, but his skin was that horrible pale yellow. She could see through his flesh like a window. Traces of muscle fiber and veins lined his cheeks.


    Kahli glanced around. The only thing within her reach was a ski pole. She plucked it from the lot of outdoor equipment and arched her arm back. When she swung it forward, she aimed for his throat, crushing it. The man fell to the floor, dead.


    She had to leave. Stealing winter jackets and ski pants from the hooks on the walls, Kahli pulled them on over her gown. Taking a scarf, she ripped it and tied it tightly around her throat, using the extra length as padding to help slow the flow of blood. Leaving a blood trail would have wolves and vamps on her in a heartbeat. Tying the scarf around her neck, she yanked the knot tight.


    Kahli dressed like a servant, and took keys to a ski mobile. Before fleeing, she looked around. One person out alone would match her description. Within seconds they would know she was here, but¡­ her gaze fell on the dead vampires. Moving quickly, she strapped the first one to the back of another snow mobile. She started the ignition and used the man¡¯s glove and rope to gas the engine while still holding the break. Kahli aimed the dead vampire at the door. She pressed a button on the vehicle, and the garage door slid open. Waning sunlight poured in, painting the snow an eerie orange. Kahli released the break and the first vamp went flying. She watched him bound away, across the palace grounds until he was out of sight. His ski mobile would keep going until he crashed. Kahli didn¡¯t have much time.


    CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT


    Will heard the panicked screams erupt from the King¡¯s chamber. When he walked in, the king was laying on the floor in a pool of blood, very much alive. A silver comb laid next to him, clutched in his fist. Bright red blood lined his lips, ¡°You! You said she was docile! You lying bag of¡­¡±


    Will didn¡¯t stop. He ran through the halls looking for Kahli and didn¡¯t stop until he saw the white snow mobile skidder across the landscape. Bounding through the halls, he ran faster than he ever had in his entire life. The king with bright red lips, laying in a pool of bright red blood¡ªnot black blood¡ªred blood. It could mean only one thing. He drank from Kahli. The King must have been taking her blood. The rest of the vamps had weak blood, it blackened like charred wood. It was devoid of the nutrients they needed to survive. That resulted in drinking often, but there were fewer and fewer places to drink. He knew. Although Will didn¡¯t require as much blood, he did need some to live.


    Following the girl sealed his demise in every way possible. If he remained in the palace, the king, Reggie, and the Queen would kill him. If he followed Kahli into the frosty air, and couldn¡¯t find her, he¡¯d die as well. A vamp alone in the wild with no source of blood was a damn fool, but there was no time. He had to find her. As soon as that blood metabolized and became part of the King, nothing would keep the monarch from finding Kahli. He would destroy her in every way possible before ending her life. Will couldn¡¯t let that happen. Guilt and anger collided in his chest. There was no tomorrow. And from the amount of blood on the king¡¯s lips, Will knew Kahli wouldn¡¯t survive tonight if he didn¡¯t find her.


    Will bounded down the stairs into the garage to find it empty. Two smears of black blood lined the concrete floor, but the bodies were gone. A ski pole had blood on the tip, and was tossed across the room. Snow mobiles were missing. Two. Shit. Will ran his hands through his hair. There were two sets of trails leaving the garage. One seemed lighter, like it was a single rider. The other left deeper tracks, like a heavier rider or they¡¯d doubled up and chased her. There were no more snow mobiles. The car was too noticeable. He needed something that he could disappear with that could get them far. The bike was the only option.


    Will straddled the motorcycle and revved the engine. Skidding, he put his boot down and the wide spiked tires bit into the snow. He climbed out of the garage and followed the second set of tracks. Kahli was smart. And the first set of tracks lead to the front gates. He didn¡¯t know what she did, but he doubted she¡¯d make a bee line for the front door.


    The wind burned his eyes as his hair flew out of his face and iced over. Will rode dangerously fast, leaning harder than he should have, turning around objects in this path. The bike he was on had the capability to travel faster than the ski mobile. He gunned it, following the path, until the vehicle came in view. His heart sank. They were riding two-up. Someone was with her. Will leaned lower, gassing the engine harder. It felt like hours passed by the time he caught up to them, although he knew it was only a matter of minutes. His heart hammered in his chest. He threw logic to the wind and went with his gut, following the least logical vehicle. And it paid off. The front riders mask was white, like the snow, but a long strand of fiery red hair fluttered behind her. The second person on was large and not moving.


    Will tried to get her attention, but Kahli wouldn¡¯t turn. Reeving the engine, pushing harder, faster, he tried to get up alongside of her. ¡°Kahli!¡± he screamed, but she couldn¡¯t hear him. The noise from the wind and the purr of the engines was too loud. She didn¡¯t turn to look at him either. The scarf around her neck was white, but as he pulled closer he could see red seeping through, spidering into the weave of the fabric. Blood.


    He rode along side of her for a moment, and dread pooled in his stomach. She was wounded. That had to be a much larger wound if it bled through already. And yet, she was still sitting up. Will glanced at the guy behind Kahli, trying to get his attention. For a moment, he thought it was Cole, then realized the guy wasn¡¯t sitting up on his own. His back was tied to the backrest. When Kahli hit a bump, his head moved like he was asleep. Or dead.


    ¡°Kahli!¡± he screamed again, but it was no use.


    Kahli saw the vampire next to her approaching. Her neck tingled the way it always did when a vamp was close by. She leaned lower to the vehicle, practically resting her cheek on the metal. Her body protested every bump, every whip of icy wind. The throbbing in her head didn¡¯t help either. The bike next to her would overtake her any second, but when he came along side, he slowed. Her eyes were growing heavy. She couldn¡¯t turn to look at him. It would make her so dizzy that she¡¯d vomit. The rider hung there for a moment and then started to pull ahead, like he planned to cut her off.


    The mind is a funny thing. It fights for survival even when the odds are abysmal. She wasn¡¯t ready to surrender yet, but she knew her means of escape were limited. There was only one option¡ªonly one thing that would keep her from going back. She¡¯d flip the vehicle. It¡¯d roll and crush her. There was no other choice. There was nothing but endless white in front of them. No trees to crash into. No cliffs to race off of. No way to lose the vamp that was about to overtake her.


    Will saw Kahli¡¯s back straighten before she did it. Her elbow lifted slightly and he could tell what she meant to do. Panic raced through him as he screamed. His hands and feet controlled the bike, slowing to Kahli¡¯s speed. Will leaned the bike close, and grabbed her arm just as she yanked the handlebars on her ski mobile. The vehicle was ripped out from under her, rolling on top of the ice. The other passenger smashed head first into the ground and was thrown from the vehicle on its second rotation. Will¡¯s strong arms yanked Kahli away in time, but he leaned too far. The bike went down before he could slow. His boot was caught on the pegs. The bike skidded along the ice, dragging Will behind. Kahli was cushioned from the blow of the fall by Will. He released her and she rolled to her side where she stopped. Breathing hard, Kahli opened her eyes.


    Horror filled her stomach as she watched Will dragging across the ice, trapped under the motorcycle. The spikes on the wheels spun, glistening, as the last rays of sun fell below the horizon. When the bike stopped the tire continued to spin slowly, like an unseen child was spinning the wheel. Will laid motionless on his back, his face touching the frozen ground. There was a trail of blood across the snow, which stopped under the bike.


    For a moment, all Kahli could do for a moment was stare. Dread pooled inside her heart. Will. It was Will. He tried to save her. Horror overcame the dread, and she pushed herself up. Kahli tried to run, but when she stood up, the earth felt like it was tipped on its side. Her fingers pressed against her neck. It felt wet. Damn. Kahli staggered across the ice toward Will and feel to her knees.

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    ¡°Will,¡± she said, voice strained as she tried to lift the bike off of him. But it was too heavy, and she was too weak. Removing her gloves, she pressed her hands to the sides of his face. The side that hit the ground was covered in blood. There was hardly and skin left. The damage went up into his hairline and traveled down the side of his body. Kahli felt tears in her eyes. ¡°Will, please¡­¡± Please wake up. Please don¡¯t die. Lowering her head to his chest, she heard his heart beating slowly. Erratically. The blood beneath him seeped into the ice, coloring it like a second sun.


    She wiped the tears away, trying to think. The howl that she knew too well erupted in the distance. There was too much blood. The wolves would be on them in a matter of moments. Kahli didn¡¯t know what else to do. He was half human, half vampire. Blood was the only thing she had that could heal him. Unwrapping the scarf at her neck, she leaned over him watching the crimson drops fall on his pale lips. She pinched his lips, forcing the blood into his mouth. More drops splattered from her wound, and she did it again. She felt Will swallow, and she did it again before collapsing on his chest. Weakness overcame her. Kahli couldn¡¯t think, she couldn¡¯t lift her head, and she couldn¡¯t fend for herself¡ªeven when the wolf¡¯s warm breath washed over her face.


    CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE


    Something warm slid over her neck in a glob. Her eyes fluttered opened. Instead of screaming, she stared death in the face. A white wolf was standing over her where she¡¯d rolled off of Will. Her back was in the snow, her neck staining the ice with a sunburst of scarlet. She didn¡¯t move to wipe the wolf¡¯s drool off her neck. The beast¡¯s black lips were snarling, revealing pointed teeth. Its breath was warm and Kahli felt so cold. Through droopy lids, her eyes tracked the wolf.


    There was a groan next to her, and before Kahli shifted her eyes to see what happened, the wolf was yanked out of view. It squealed like a pup, and was gone. Will¡¯s face, his perfect whole face, loomed over her. ¡°Kahli,¡± his voice came out it a breath. He scooped her up in his arms. Every part of her protested. She knew there was no way to survive this. She¡¯d lost too much blood. The wound was too big. The wolves were too close.


    ¡°Leave me,¡± she whispered, her eyes closing. Her body no longer felt numb from the cold. Warmth covered her head to toe and she wanted to sleep.


    Will shook her. Her eyes snapped open. The jostling made pain erupt inside of her again, ¡°Kalahandra, don¡¯t you die on me.¡±


    She smiled weakly at him, ¡°Are you trying to compel me?¡±


    He nodded, sadness consumed him though his words were light, ¡°Maybe. Definitely.¡± Silence spanned between them, and Kahli felt her eyes growing heavier again. Will cursed. Her body was turned upright, and she felt the bike under them. The engine reeved and she blacked out.


    Scents filled her head before she opened her eyes. Wood was burning. It crackled and radiated warmth. Peeling her eyelids opened, she looked around. It wasn¡¯t until then that she realized that she was laying in Will¡¯s arms. They were deep in the belly of an underground cave. The walls crept high forming a ceiling that disappeared in the inky shadows overhead. Rock formations jutted up from the floor and hung in long spikes from the ceiling. It was as if this space had been there, undisturbed, for centuries. The hollow echo of silence felt haunting, as if they¡¯d broken into a sanctuary.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Will said, his hands gently stroking her hair. ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± His voice was soft, but it echoed slightly. The cave was vast and the area that the fire didn¡¯t touch seemed to stretch on forever in endless night. Different sounds filled her ears now, water dripping and flowing.


    Kahli¡¯s throat was burning. Will helped her sit up enough to take a drink. It felt like she had sand in her throat. ¡°What happened?¡± She tried to lean on her arm and hold herself up, but she was too weak. Her body started to slump. Will lowered her back onto her mat in front of the fire.


    ¡°You survived. We both did.¡± Will¡¯s chest felt like it was being crushed.


    She lived. It meant two things. Both wonderful and horrible. He licked his lips, averting his gaze. The fire crackled and he stared into it. ¡°We¡¯re safe from the wolves, for now. It¡¯s the Trackers we have to watch out for. The king did a number on your neck. I¡¯m not sure how long we can outrun him, not when he¡¯s had so much blood.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Blood binds, Kahli. He claimed you. You¡¯re his. He can sense you¡¯re alive and he¡¯ll find you.¡± Will¡¯s voice was strained. He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to counter that. Your blood is powerful. I knew it before. That was why I wouldn¡¯t talk to you about it. The more the vamps knew, the worse it would have been for you. The first night I sealed your wound, and tasted your blood¡ªmy God.¡± His voice became breathless, ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep. Thoughts of you ravaged my mind. And now¡­ It¡¯s worse. It¡¯s like your heartbeat is mine, like your life is connected to me. I can feel your pulse when I¡¯m not even touching you. And I wasn¡¯t the one who claimed you. I can¡¯t image how much stronger that is for the king. He won¡¯t let you walk away, Kahli. I saw him¡­ he was still alive.¡±


    Kahli closed her eyes and tried to think. The stinging at her neck caught her attention and her fingers drifted there. The skin itched like it¡¯d healed recently. It felt smooth beneath her touch, ¡°You healed me.¡± There was shock in her voice, and her jade eyes turned to Will. His gaze didn¡¯t meet hers.


    Instead he stared into the fire. He nodded, ¡°Yeah, I healed you.¡± He breathed hard, waiting for her to ask how. It was the question that would destroy everything. It was the question he never wanted to answer. The orange flames were burning into his eyes, he¡¯d been staring at it so long. Kahli was silent. When he turned to look at her, her green eyes were soft.


    ¡°I did something wrong.¡±


    Will snorted, ¡°I know. Stabbing the king wasn¡¯t my idea of an escape plan. The only way we survive this is if the Queen kills the King.¡±


    Kahli bit her lips together. The line between Will¡¯s eyes was deep. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. I didn¡¯t know what to do when your bike went down. It took you with it and dragged you across the ice.¡± His eyes were cold, watching her. The pit of her stomach dipped lower, the icy air crept up her spine. ¡°I didn¡¯t know how else to heal you, so I¡ª¡±


    He cut her off, ¡°You force-fed me blood. A lot of it. I know.¡± He stared at her. ¡°I feel it inside of me. I feel you,¡± he breathed.


    She looked away, the intensity of his gaze unnerved her. ¡°So, what now?¡±


    Stretching, Will placed his hands behind his head and leaned back on his mat. ¡°Now we wait for them to come and get us. They¡¯ll kill me for aiding you and drag you back to the palace where you¡¯ll die after the king has enough of you. Or we can do something proactive, something they¡¯d never expect¡­¡± his voice trailed off. His blue eyes stared at the ceiling of the cavern.


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    He rolled onto his side, and watched her through the flames. ¡°We assassinate the royal family... We kill the King and Queen.¡±