House of Secrets and Vows (Crown of Deceit #1)

31. The Price of Mercy

31

THE PRICE OF MERCY

M y jaw is tightly clenched as I follow Colesef down the long hallway, the distance between Zariah and me growing with each step.

I hadn't been thinking when I brought a human to this place.

Not thinking seems to be my chronic problem and is exactly what got me cursed in the first place. Now, it isn't just my life on the line.

Everyone in this underground palace who isn't a servant wants to sink their teeth into Zariah's flesh and guzzle her blood to their cold hearts' desire. Even Colesef, the picture of control, can't hide how his scent changes when he sees her.

I can't blame the bastard, not when I hadn't trusted myself to remain next to her while I slept for fear I'd give into my darker cravings.

That, along with the fresh memory of drinking from a servant's vein, kept me up the entire night. It’s why I moved to the chair. Even with the distance, her scent teased my senses.

Soon, we turn a corner to find Mavet waiting at the end of the hallway. He wears a light gray suit that somehow makes him look even paler than yesterday. "Good evening, Princeling."

I stop when I reach the Blood King. "Shouldn't I be getting ready for the ball with Zariah? I'd hate to show up underdressed."

"Oh don't worry, I had a suit made just for you. It should be ready by the time I'm done giving you a quick tour of my home."

There’s no point in arguing. I’m at Mavet's mercy now, and the sooner I accept that, the easier my stay here will be.

Colesef hands the Blood King something before excusing himself to prepare for the ball.

"And how is your lovely lady friend today?" Mavet asks as I walk behind him into the room at the end of the hallway. "I do hope you didn't lose control and have her as a midday snack."

"You'll be relieved to know she's back in the room, preparing for tonight."

"I must admit, I'm impressed with the self-control you've shown. Most young vampires would have given in by now. Holding out truly is futile."

"Well, I'm not most." I’ve never been like others, though in the past, the things that have separated me were always positive: royalty, wealth, attractiveness—all things most coveted. The fact that I am no longer human diminishes those attributes most of the time, though in the Blood Den, my new supernatural nature fits right in.

But unlike all the vampires here, I didn’t choose this. I was tricked into accepting the oath—drunk on fae brandy and in no position to make a vow of any sort. The Blood King had known how intoxicated I'd been, so he lied about what participating in the ritual entailed, and like an incapacitated fool, I believed him.

And when my buzz had finally worn off, it was too late.

The first stop of the tour is a small ballroom surrounded by a balcony that overlooks the open room below. The high ceiling would have been impressive even above ground. But here, dug out beneath the earth, it’s astonishing.

Mavet stops in the middle of the room and spins around. "Quite the masterpiece, isn't it?"

"How did you build such a gigantic place underground?"

I take in the detail of the room's ceiling. Tiny flower drawings are etched into the stone. Not a single inch is left blank. There have to be thousands of flowers across the sky of the room.

" I didn't build anything." Mavet rests his hand on his chest. "But the benefit to ruling over a group of vampires is immense strength and plenty of time."

"And no one above noticed?"

Mavet shrugs. "A story for another time. Let's continue."

After that, every room we pass blurs together. Everything is luxurious, but nothing is as haunting as the ceiling of the small ballroom.

Next, the Blood King leads me through a mostly empty room. A couple of sparse bookshelves sit on each side of a dusty desk. Cobwebs make their homes in ceiling corners, and for the first time since arriving, I feel like I'm in an underground vampire den.

It’s quite a drastic change to the rest of the palace, where everything is immaculate and strangely bright for being buried underneath the kingdom.

The door on the far side of the room leads to a narrow staircase leading even further underground. Halfway down, a scream echoes through the stone chamber.

My stomach drops as we round the corner to a prison. Bars line each side of the long chamber. The humans inside range from barely clothed to completely naked. They sit in corners, stand at the bars, and sleep curled in the center of the cells. Some cry, others look like they are waiting at death's door.

The entire place reeks of piss and vomit.

A rat scurries in front of me as another scream pierces my ears.

"Please," a female voice yells. I finally spot her on the right, her hands gripped tightly around the bars. She has no clothes on, and grime coats her skin. "Euris won't make it another night."

Behind her, a young man lies on the ground, naked except for a small piece of ripped fabric covering his most private area. Sweat pools across his skin as he shakes uncontrollably.

Mavet only shrugs. "An unfortunate fate for him, isn't it?"

The female's gaze narrows as the scent of wrath pours from her. But she eyes her dying companion, and her gaze softens. "What good is he to you dead?"

The Blood King smirks. "More than you know, human."

Rage twists across her features, replacing the momentary softness in her gaze, before she shrieks like a rabid raccoon.

Mavet shrugs and continues through the filthy prison.

I wonder how all these people ended up here. I hadn't heard of Valazicans going missing lately. This many people disappearing should surely make a stir. But then again, the crown would only notice—or care about—the disappearance of people it deems important.

As the tour continues, I do my best to search for Zariah's friend. The night of the tavern is a blur in my mind, but I will never forget her face. I forced myself to stamp it permanently in my memory as a reminder of the creature I’ve become.

In the blur of cells, it’s hard to register every face. But no one strikes a bell in my mind, and her face isn't the only way to recognize her.

Even if I were blind, I'd remember her scent.

But no one is familiar. I'm not sure whether to be relieved or saddened. If she were here, she'd still be alive.

But death would be a kindness compared to this hell.

At the end of the prison, we take a different set of stairs and circle back to the parlor, where Mavet pours us each a drink before we each sit.

The Blood King rests his elbow on the arm of a navy high-backed chair. "I hope the tour of my house was informative."

"Quite," I reply. "But perhaps not in the way you'd hoped."

"Ahh, yes. I could sense your disapproval of the prison."

"Is that a surprise?"

"Not in the slightest, but I have nothing to hide. We are not humans anymore, Princeling. The sooner you accept that, the easier your life will become."

"Not being human is one thing. But being a careless bastard? That's a choice you make daily," I say, unable to hold my tongue. The smell of that prison lingers in my nose. The scent of the woman's rage remains, too. I've seen anger, but rarely wrath as potent as hers.

Mavet swirls the wine in his glass. "Does a wolf care about the well-being of the deer it hunts?"

"A wolf never was a deer."

"We are a unique species that once lived as our prey, but that doesn't make us any less of predators now. Blood sustains us, and though we can suffer through life on animal blood, it's human blood our bodies most desire. And blood from a vein is how we thrive. You can't deny the difference in your body after consuming the woman's blood yesterday."

I wish Mavet were wrong, but everything about my body is heightened today. My senses are sharper, my muscles stronger. But along with those things has come an increase in thirst. "Perhaps, but I don't want to thrive at the expense of others."

"Humanity is a funny thing. Although the curse upon us vampires happens in an instant, our humanity lingers inside us. Longer for some of us than others, but eventually, all vampires let their past go. And those who don't, end up dead. Quite the pity for an immortal being, I do say."

"Why show me the prison?" I still don't understand Mavet's motive. "You knew I'd disapprove."

"I'm not an unreasonable man. I thought perhaps we could come to an agreement. Offer me an alliance, and I'll allow you the chance to reform some of my...more heinous ways." Mavet frowns at his empty drink. "Humans will always be needed in the House of Blood, and I make no promises to be kind, but your decision might save the next man like the one we saw in the prison."

A thought flickers in my mind. "Save Euris, and I'll consider it."

"Who?" Mavet asks.

"The man in the prison. The one the woman begged for."

Mavet's lips curve upward in a grin I can't read.

"Very well." The Blood King lifts a bell from the end table to his right and rings it, and soon, a female vampire I have never seen enters the parlor. "Bring me Lolytia."

The vampire bows her head. "Of course."

Within a few minutes, she returns with a petite elderly woman. "As you requested, my king."

The elderly woman wears a mask of indifference. Not a single flicker of emotion crosses her features as she bows in front of Mavet.

The Blood King curls his finger, beckoning her to come closer. "This is Lolytia. She was given to me by her brother as barely a babe." When Lolytia is an arm's length from Mavet, he reaches out and brushes his finger across her cheek. "Her skin has never seen the sun."

The woman doesn't flinch, but the small swallow she gives tells enough.

Mavet's touch continues down her bare arm. "Nevan has requested I give medicine to a prisoner. I've decided that if he can drink from you without killing you, I'll allow you to help the dying man."

He shoos Lolytia.

Without speaking, she turns and walks to me. "Would you like my neck or my wrist?"

Her pulse thumps beneath the thin, wrinkly skin of her throat.

I drop my attention to her arm. "Your wrist."

She moves around to my side and brings her wrist to my mouth. Thick blue-green veins bulge beneath her ghostly skin.

When her bright aquamarine eyes lock with mine, I clench my jaw.

I’ll only save the man if I manage not to drain this woman of her blood. Somehow, I'd found the strength to stop before killing Zariah's friend, but the person I'd drunk from when I arrived at the Blood Den is only alive because Mavet stopped me.

Lolytia's gaze softens, and she dips her chin in the slightest of nods as if giving me permission to try.

Perhaps she wants to die. A life trapped in an underground palace of vampires isn't really a life, is it?

She raises her wrist to my mouth, and I allow myself to hesitate before biting into her.

As the blood hits my mouth, a wave of pleasure overcomes me. It isn't the ecstasy of an orgasm, but it is just as all-consuming, pulsing deep within my soul.

Time doesn't exist as I have my fill. Gulp after gulp, I lose myself in bliss. My body tingles under the buzz of her blood. As I reach the end of the river, Zariah's face flashes in my mind.

A flittering thought of her voice opens the smallest exit in my consciousness.

I yank away from Lolytia, taking a chunk of her skin with me. Blood covers my mouth and chin as I leap back.

Lolytia takes deep breaths as she holds the wound on her now bleeding wrist.

Mavet sighs as he glances at the old woman. "Clean yourself up and then go to the prison to help the man who's half dead."

She bows once more to him and then faces me, lowering her chin in a respectful nod before leaving the room without a word.

Mavet stands and smooths out his jacket. "You'll give into your nature sooner or later, Princeling. No point in delaying the inevitable."

"I'll take your advice into consideration," I say.

"And one more piece of wisdom." Mavet walks toward the door, turning toward me before he reaches it. "I make a formidable ally but an even more formidable enemy."

"Noted." I keep my features neutral, though I can't stop the tightness squeezing my chest.

Mavet won't take kindly to my refusal of his offer in three days.

But if the Blood King figures out before then that Zariah and I are here only to search for her friend, the consequences will be deadly.