“Then,” Riley continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “you waited a few hours to tell me what had happened.”
“Yes, again.” She’d given Tucker time to get away. Riley was a wolf, an expert tracker, and easily could have found him. They would have fought. There wasn’t time for a fight. So, once she was sure enough time had elapsed, she’d made an excuse to Victoria about being hungry and dragged Riley out of the cabin to fill him in. He should have thanked her for telling him anything at all. Instead, he’d brought her here to yell at her.
Riley scrubbed a hand down his face. “Why do I bother protecting you, if you’re just going to throw yourself into dangerous situations?”
“Because you like me.” Until this mess with the witches was over. Then they had some major issues to work out. Or not. She still planned to leave him. A knot formed in her throat.
He stopped, sighed, the anger seeping from him. “You’re right. I do like you. Even though at times likes these, I’m not sure I like that I like you. So tell me again what Tucker said about Vlad.”
That, she could do. “He mentioned the former vampire king is alive and well and living in an underground crypt behind this house. That said former vampire king ordered him to watch us and report his findings. And that said former vampire king is mad as hell that someone else is commanding his people.”
“Yes, Vlad would be, but he couldn’t have survived total body je la nune poisoning. No one could have.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve seen others die that way.”
Was that…guilt darkening his green eyes? Had he killed others that way? The fact that she wasn’t disturbed by the possibility proved just how immersed she was becoming in this otherworld. “Maybe he healed. You once told me Vlad was the strongest among you, and that his people hoped he would somehow recover. I mean, seriously. That’s why Aden hasn’t been crowned officially.”
“First, if Vlad was alive, he would have come to us.” Riley’s head tilted to the side. “Unless he was too weak, but then…no. No. He wouldn’t have sent a kid to spy. Second, Vlad was also staked. Maybe he could have healed from one injury, but not both. Not in such a weakened condition.” A heartbeat later, he added, “God, I can’t believe I’m talking about this with a human. Vlad killed for less.”
“Well, there’s a new guy in charge and I have a very good feeling he’d tell you to tell me what I want to know. So, backtracking. I thought vampire skin couldn’t be penetrated. How was Vlad staked?”
Riley frowned, hesitated, but eventually said, “Did you hear me tell Aden that when we tattoo wards on the vampires, we have to prep the needle with a little je la nune first? That’s what allows the ink to penetrate. It’s the same principle with a staking. You cover a blade in je la nune and stab the heart. The poison melts the skin and infects the organ.”
“Maybe he heals faster and from more severe injuries than anyone else.”
Head tilting to the side, Riley stood there for a long while, silent, pensive, grim. Finally, he sighed and held out his hand. “There’s one way to verify this.”
She shook her head, already knowing what he planned. “Feel free to go alone.”
“No way. Let’s go check the crypt.”
Her eyes widened. “A very much alive, very hungry, very angry dethroned vampire king might be down there. That’s dangerous, and I’m not supposed to place myself in danger. Remember?”
“You’re my very capable backup. Now, come on.” He waved his fingers. “Afterward, we’ll go back to the cabin, find out whether Aden has left the witch’s body and whether he learned anything.”
And if he hadn’t? she wanted to ask, but didn’t. Time was ticking away, no solution in sight. She was trying not to let nerves overwhelm her, wasn’t letting herself think about how significant tomorrow was. What better way to distract herself than to pay a visit to old Vlad? A man who’d once enjoyed removing human heads and displaying them on pikes.
Shaking now, she took Riley’s hand and he pulled her upright. Why did he want her to go with him, anyway? The real reason, and not the “capable” crap he’d spouted. Riley was a protector first, and a flatterer second. Because he still didn’t believe Vlad was alive? Because he wanted to prove to her that Tucker had lied to her?
Instead of leading her out the room, he dropped her hand. What, she was supposed to walk behind him now, like a good little inferior human? She was not disappointed—except that she was very disappointed. Only, he didn’t leave. He strode to his closet and dug out a coat, then wrapped that coat around her, pulling her hair from underneath. Okay, she really wasn’t disappointed anymore.
He reclaimed her hand. “Just…stay behind me and do what I tell you, when I tell you. Got it?”
“Got it. But I’m really not a dimwit when it comes to my safety.”
“Let’s not get into a debate right now.”
Funny. They strode into the hall. Going from Riley’s normal bedroom to the all-black hallway was a bit of a shock, but she soon grew used to the drab surroundings. The black walls, the black windows, the violent tapestries, the swirling circles—wards—etched on everything.
“Do you think Tucker plans on ambushing us?” Even as she asked, she deduced the answer. If he thought that was a possibility, he wouldn’t take her. Unless he wanted her to see Tucker’s “evil” firsthand. She barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. “Never mind. Don’t answer. Just listen. I. Want. To. Survive. I won’t do anything to place myself in unnecessary danger.”
“Good. Because your survival is my goal, too.”
See? A protector.
Two vampires, both female and pretty, suddenly snaked a corner. Both slowed their steps, giving Riley a long, lingering look, practically eating him up. That always happened at school, too, with the human girls. He was just too hot for his own good.
He waved to them with his free hand. Apparently, they interpreted that wave as an invitation to chat because they homed in like heat-seeking missiles, barely flicking Mary Ann a glance.
“Riley,” the brunette said, tone heavy with familiarity.
The redhead just smiled, her lashes dipping flirtatiously.
I’m not jealous or angry. Really. Mary Ann’s time with him was almost over, anyway. So why did she suddenly long for a giant bucket of vampire poison and a knife?
“We’re kind of in a hurry, girls, so…” Riley tried to slide around them, tugging Mary Ann with him, but the brunette jumped in his path.
“Not so fast, wolf. I have business to discuss with you.”
“Draven,” he said on a sigh. “Not now. Please.”
Draven. A pretty yet dissolute name. It fit its owner. She was as delicate as an angel, yet there was something…depraved in her eyes. Something cold and calculating.
“I’ll only take a second,” the vampire continued, “and you’re the one wasting time right now.”
He nodded stiffly, and his grip tightened on Mary Ann. “Very well. What do you wish to discuss?”
She lifted her chin, all attitude and self-confidence. “As you know, I was one of the females chosen to tempt the new king.”
Riley nodded again, wary this time.
“As you probably do not know, I issued a challenge.”
“You wish to be king yourself?” Riley laughed, suddenly relaxing. “Good luck with that. Now, if you’ll—”
“Actually, no. I don’t wish to be king.” She smiled, yet there was no humor in it. Only satisfaction. “I went before the council and challenged Victoria. For rights to Haden Stone.”
“What?” The single word was a roar and a gasp blended together.
Why was Riley so furious and shocked? Aden was king, and he’d never allow another girl to have “rights” to him.