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

33. A Truth for a Truth

33

A TRUTH FOR A TRUTH

N early everyone in the room turns toward me as Nevan and I enter.

A wave of communal bloodlust strikes me, and I stagger backward.

Some vampires return to dancing, while others remain fixated on me as Nevan and I weave through the crowd.

A high, arched ceiling looms above us. Meticulously carved pillars hold up a balcony that encircles the room above. A few guests stare over the second-story railing, but most dance on the first-story marble floor.

There are at least a hundred House of Blood members in attendance, but mixed within the vampires are humans dressed in formalwear. I'm surprised at their inclusion in the event until I notice the puncture wounds on their necks and arms.

I swallow down a shudder, reminding myself to keep neutral. Any fear or disgust I show will only be used against me. Predators always seek the easy target.

With slow, deep breaths, I raise my chin and avert my gaze as a male vampire bites into a woman's wrist.

When we are near the center of the dance floor, Nevan spins me to face him.

"Focus on me.” His golden-brown eyes pierce mine. "No one else here matters."

One of his hands settles on my lower back as the other takes my hand. Soon, we are twirling with the other couples, and I'm too busy concentrating on my steps to worry about anyone else.

Nevan rubs small circles on my back with a finger as we dance. "That color brings out the green in your eyes."

I will my heart rate to slow as I settle back into the ruse. "You clean up pretty nice yourself.”

Truthfully, Nevan always looks impeccable.

Even when I saw him in a tunic and pants on the first night of the Solstice, alone in the garden, he looked gorgeous. But dressed in a suit, he looks like a god.

His gaze lowers to my cleavage before he looks up at me with a smirk. "I'm sure I'm the envy of the room.”

"I don't doubt it. I've heard my blood smells delicious."

His nostrils flare as hunger flashes across his features. He leans in and gently blows on my neck. "You have no idea."

"Then enlighten me. What exactly does my blood do to you?" Speaking so openly about my blood in a room of vampires tops the list of reckless things I’ve done, but I can’t curb my curious mind.

This game Nevan and I are playing is the perfect distraction from my fear. Despite the hate I’ve held toward the prince since the moment I fled the tavern and left Aella behind, he is my ally now—my only ally.

If we have any hope of finding my friend and getting out of this place alive, I will need him, and he will need me.

Playing a character half-heartedly isn’t enough, and as our gazes meet, I know he understands, too.

There is no turning back. And so, as the prince’s hand moves from my back to my hip, I allow myself to fall into the game fully.

“Your scent is floral like lilacs and sweet like citrus, with the smallest spicy edge to its bergamot note. When I inhale it, my cock throbs and I want to sink my teeth into your neck while my finger circles your clit.” His thumb brushes against the edge of my apex.

My slit dampens as desire burns within me. "Is that all?"

He tips his head back, a cocky smirk consuming his face. "That would only be the beginning, Priestess."

I’m so distracted by Nevan's hand inching closer to my mound, I jump when I see Mavet standing a few feet from us, staring with a grin. "I hate to interrupt. Oh, well, that isn't true, is it? If your conversation went on much longer, you two might be fucking in the middle of the dance floor."

Nevan's hand slides to my back. "What do you want?"

"You don’t plan to keep Zariah to yourself all night, do you? I’d adore a dance, lovely.” Mavet tilts his body toward me and reaches out a hand.

I pull my hand from the prince's. "I'm sure Nevan can spare one dance."

Nevan's glare says otherwise, but I step away from him and allow Mavet to tug me away. As much as I’d rather never see Mavet again, refusing him will only complicate our time here.

And in my years as a priestess, I’ve learned just how loose-lipped a man can be when flattered.

"You and the prince are quite the pair of lovers," the Blood King says. "Word of advice, though. He's spent too long denying his cravings. One taste of you, and he won't be able to stop. Even I might struggle to hold back after a sip."

He runs a finger along my neck.

I force myself to remain still and show no reaction to his touch. “You don't seem like someone who refrains from taking what you want, no matter what it is.”

“Observant little thing, aren’t you? It’s true I’m not one to deny myself.” He opens his mouth to reveal his sharpened incisors. "Aren't you afraid I might take what I crave from you?" His gaze narrows as he grins. "No point in denying it. I can hear your heart beat.”

"Why would I deny it? I'm not stupid enough to think I stand a chance against you."

"And yet you're here."

“I’m under no delusion that, should you want to hurt me, you can. But you're a smart man and eager for an alliance with my lover. Drinking from me is the surest way to fuck up any chance at that."

"You underestimate how glorious you smell." He closes his eyes and takes a long, deep inhale.

"Perhaps."

When he opens his eyes, our gazes meet, and a shattering darkness skitters through my bones, deep into my marrow. The urge to flee follows the ominous feeling, but I ignore it.

Even if I knew how to escape this underground palace—which I don’t—I can’t leave until I’m certain Aella isn’t here.

Mavet guides me through the other dancing pairs toward the band playing and away from the direction Nevan went. When I catch a glimpse of a woman playing a violin, I recognize her immediately. Her name is Gina, and she’d been the kingdom's prized violinist at the Serenada Hall.

I attended a concert last fall on an assignment from Felix. I was supposed to learn the whereabouts of a shipment sent from the harbor the week before, but the source never showed up. The assignment was a failure, but I stayed for the concert anyway and was amazed at every solo she performed.

"How did Gina end up here?"

"She has a gambling problem, and the Serenada Orchestra didn't pay her well to keep up with her debts."

“So, what, you offered to pay them for her?”

Gina’s row of townhouses burned up earlier this spring, and everyone inside was claimed to be dead. Had Mavet been the one to burn the building?

"Something like that," he replies.

The band finishes the song and moves on to the next, this one at a much slower pace.

"Did you create the House of Blood?" I ask, deciding to learn what I can while we dance.

"Not one for small talk, are you?" He raises an eyebrow when I don't answer. "Fine. I'll answer three questions for you, if you answer three for me."

"How do I know you'll tell the truth?"

"That's a risk you'll have to take, I suppose." When I nod, he continues. "Four centuries ago, my brother and I performed a sacrifice to the Malikar together. Each of us gained special abilities from the ritual, and I founded the House of Blood."

"Where is?—"

"—my turn, dear," Mavet interrupts. "Where were you born?"

The instinct to lie swells in my throat, but with his ability to hear my heartbeat, he would be able to sense it. I have two more questions to ask, but only if I play this stupid game.

I rise onto my tiptoes and whisper into his ear. "Solendale. But you already assumed as much, I’m sure. Why do you want an alliance with Nevan?"

I drop back to my heels.

"A smart question. I'm tired of living in the shadows. Four hundred years is a long time to live underground, but with the blessing of a king, my own kingdom can thrive."

My priestess gift tells me it isn’t the whole answer. I want to ask what had kept them underground for so long, but with only one question left, I need to choose wisely. "Your turn."

"What do you see in the prince?"

I'm surprised at the question. I’d expected him to probe deeper into my past.

"Outside of his body?" I smile, maintaining the ruse of his lover. "We share a similar goal to protect those we love."

It's the truth but vague enough not to give away our intentions.

"Selfless fools.” He quirks an eyebrow. "So, what will your last question be, dear?"

"Why are you stealing humans from Valazica?" Revealing that I know this fact is another risk, but if Aella is among those he has, I need to know what he plans to do with her.

He stares down at me and grins. "Your lover already told you about our tour, did he?"

I nod. He doesn't need to know that Cara shared the fact with me first.

An unreadable expression flashes across his face before he answers. "Outside of the obvious need for their blood, I plan to use them to help my people escape the chains of our curse."

"Chains?"

As the song ends, he pulls away his hand from my back and wiggles his index finger back and forth. "You already asked your three questions, dear. Now answer my last one." The back of his fingers settles on my cheek as he leans in and whispers, "Do you think the prince will still want you when he learns your truth?"

My teeth clamp on the inside of my cheek, and I'm met with the tang of blood. "No."