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

44. The Call of Blood

44

THE CALL OF BLOOD

S pending all those days, stuck in a cell with Nevan, I hadn’t noticed the intensity of the connection between us.

But now, back in the same room after we were separated for less than an hour, our link is palpable, despite being invisible to anyone else.

I bite down on the cloth that has been shoved in my mouth. It presses down my tongue and soaks up all my saliva, making my mouth as dry as sand.

Mavet moves around Nevan’s cage slowly, like a panther circling its prey.

“Gifts from Malikar are quite rare, even amongst the few vampires who were made from the ritual. My brother, just like you, was gifted with the ability to walk in the sun. To say I was angry when I learned of his gift would be an understatement.” He hesitates in front of the cage’s door. “I was gifted something else. Something just as powerful, perhaps even more. But not as useful. It’s difficult to secure power when something as common as the sun can burst you into flames.”

I recount the guards. Six. That isn’t awful. With Mavet and Colesef, that makes eight enemies in the room against the two of Nevan and me. It isn’t the best odds I’ve faced in my time in the resistance, but it isn’t the worst either.

And for any of it to work, Mavet will need to drink my blood and pass out. I might not know the finer details of the power the Blood King possesses, but I won’t make the mistake of thinking we can take him on if he’s conscious.

Nevan stands in the center of the cage, the veins in his neck thick with fury. His eyes blaze with the fiery intensity of a caged animal, ready to pounce at the first opportunity. “What happened to your brother? Couldn’t stand to be around you either?”

Every so often, he glances at me from his peripheral.

At that, Mavet laughs. “He and I had different visions for how vampires should exist in our world. He wanted to blend into the shadows. Ironic, really, since he had the ability to mingle with humans any time, day or night. For a while, he stayed around, trying to convince me that we could live full lives in this underground prison. Then he left, without a proper goodbye even, and I’ve always wondered why. Until last week when the pieces of a puzzle I’ve been trying to solve for centuries finally came together, and I learned that his blood holds the answer I’ve been seeking.”

I absorb his words, filing them into my mind just as I do the many secrets I’ve heard over my decade as a priestess. Mavet’s brother can walk in the sun like Nevan, a useful piece of knowledge if we make it out of here alive.

With a loud scrape of metal against stone, two guards uncover a large cauldron in the dimly lit corner of the room, tossing the black fabric concealing it carelessly to the ground before heaving the gaudy contraption toward Mavet by its two handles.

My eyes dart over the unfamiliar symbols carved into the black cast iron, etching them into my memory as the guards carefully set it down on its short, sturdy legs. Something about the markings seems to call to me, and I can’t shove away the sense of unease that washes over me at the sight of them.

“Bring him.”Mavet nods toward Nevan. “As luck would have it, Malikar blessed you with the same ability my brother possesses to walk in the sun.”

The guards who dragged over the cauldron step inside the cell and guide Nevan out. He doesn’t resist as they each pull him by an arm.

He and I have discussed the plan—stay calm and play along until the time is right. It had sounded so smart at the time. Save our energy. Play the others to our advantage. Goddess knows we’ve had plenty of time to talk about strategy, stuck in that awful, putrid cell for days without any food or drink.

Now, though, all the flaws in the plan rush to my head and make me dizzy. Or perhaps that’s the lack of sustenance. If Aella hadn’t brought me the small amount of bread and water, I might not be able to support my own weight now.

But it isn’t gratitude I feel when I think of my friend. No, it is determination, sharp as steel, to live through this mess and ruin any plan Aella or Maddox ever make.

Mavet holds up a hand when Nevan is a step from the cauldron.

“That’ll do.” He removes a small dagger from inside his jacket. “I’ll need some of that sun-loving blood, Princeling.”

Nevan tries to move away from the Blood King, but the guards’ grips remain firm, holding him in place. “No.”

I bite down on the gag, understanding striking me. Mavet plans to use Nevan’s blood to be able to daywalk.

Nevan struggles again, this time losing the grip of one of the guards and kicking him in the gut. The other one holds firm, but with a flick of Nevan's body, the prince throws him into the cauldron.

Mavet reaches out a hand and steadies the cauldron before it can fall.

“Now now,” he says, pointing toward me, a dagger now held to my throat by a guard. “How this goes is up to you, Princeling. Cooperate, and I’ll offer you both quick deaths. But fight, and I’ll let your lover bleed out one drop at a time.”

I want to shake my head. I wish I could speak into his mind like Blaise has done to me. Maybe if I’d embraced my fae gifts instead of denying them, I could. But there’s no point in pondering what-ifs now. If I could, though, I’d tell him to use every ounce of power he has from feeding from me and flee.

I’ll gladly die if it keeps Mavet cursed to the night.

But as Nevan’s gaze meets mine, I know his decision.

The prince stands, still as stone. “Get it over with.”

Mavet sneers.

“Love always ruins everything, Princeling. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He gestures Nevan forward, and the prince obliges. Then the Blood King slices across his cheek and lets the blood pool onto the blade before tossing it into the cauldron. “See, not so bad.”

The cauldron gurgles as it begins to brew. Red smoke billows into the air, rising higher and higher until it creates a red haze so thick the ceiling above disappears.

The guard holds the dagger against my neck, which is enough to keep Nevan calm. Every minute, the gurgling slows until, eventually, it stops completely.

With glee radiating around him, Mavet unlatches a ladle from the side of the cauldron and scoops it into the freshly brewed concoction. The liquid is thicker than blood, but just as red, as he pours it back into the cauldron with a grin.

"Perfect." Mavet reaches out his free hand, and Colesef brings him a large silver goblet. The flashy metal cup is adorned with more swirly symbols I don't recognize.

The Blood King fills the goblet to the brim, red liquid oozing from its side, and then he brings it to his mouth and chugs the entire cup in one, long, sloppy drink.

As soon as he finishes, he drops the goblet to the ground with a clank and tips his head toward the sky as a scream erupts from within him. The veins beneath his skin darken from a nearly invisible green color to a deep purple as something worm-like swims through them.

The visual is disturbing, but I can't look away as dread pools in my stomach.

With closed eyes, Mavet stretches his neck side to side as his veins return to normal. He opens up his fingers and then closes his hands into fists before finally opening his eyes again. His once bright red irises are now pitch black, blending into his pupils as if they are one and the same.

"Well, don't I feel amazing?" He extends his arms and inspects them, stretching out his fingers again. "I think it's time this party came to an end."

He strides over to me and removes my gag.

As I shut my mouth, pain spreads across my jaw muscles as I stretch them.

Mavet’s gaze takes me in as he brushes a loose strand of hair from my face. "I'm feeling generous. I'll let you decide who dies first. You or the prince?"

Now is my last chance to salvage the plan Nevan and I put together.

"Do you plan to drink from me?" I don't have to fake the nervousness in my voice at the idea.

"Oh, yes. Very much so. I’m feeling quite parched.”

"Then kill him first." I jut my chin toward Nevan. "I don't want him to see."

Mavet runs a finger across my collar bone. "Such a noble last wish."

"He's the only one worthy of my blood," I add, narrowing my gaze. "You're nothing but filth."

Mavet pulls another, small blade from inside his jacket. "And you're a stupid girl who no one will care about once you're gone."

He guides the blade along my neck in a sharp line. Blood drips from the open wound, past my collarbone, and onto my dirty dress.

"Don't worry, Princeling. I won't waste a single drop," Mavet says before biting into my flesh.

I can only watch as Zariah coaxes Mavet to feed from her, just as we planned.

I laugh bitterly at the cruel irony of it all.

My own brother guided me into this mess by making suggestions, knowing I’m reckless and stubborn enough to do the opposite because I can. It's the exact strategy Zariah uses now as she begs the Blood King to kill me before he drinks from her.

It's a sick twist of fate that leaves me seething with a strange mixture of rage and self-loathing.

First, the Blood King glides a blade against the delicate skin of her neck. As the blood pools around the wound, hunger strikes me.

Her blood calls to me like a bird to its mate, but as I lunge toward it, the guards tighten their grips. The firmness of their hold snaps me back to reality, but only for a flash.

As Mavet sinks his teeth into Zariah's flesh and drinks from the vein, anger explodes within me. She is mine , and as another male's mouth drinks from her, power ripples through me.

I fling the guards off of me, one after the other. The first guard leaps toward me, but I kick him to the ground.

The second guard comes next. He avoids my kick and grabs onto my forearms, tugging me to the side.

I keep my balance and yank my arms from the guard's grips, and as the guard tries to grab on again, I take the man's head between my hands and twist.

As if screwing the lid off a bottle, I tear the man's head from his neck.

Blaise said Zariah's blood would give me power, but I hadn't expected such strength.

I don't linger on it, though, and as the first guard gapes at the headless body I toss at his feet, I attack.

Not only am I stronger than the guards, but I am faster, and the guard can barely fight back as I decapitate him too.

"Mavet!" The scream burns my throat.

The Blood King pulls away from Zariah, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth as he grins. But his smile doesn't last. He frowns, and just as he turns toward Zariah, he crumples to the ground in temporary slumber.

My gaze locks on the defenseless vampire who has caused me so much suffering.

As I spring toward the passed-out Blood King, Zariah screams, “Nevan!”

I turn just in time to dive away from the dagger aimed straight at my head. When I follow the path of the dagger, Colesef snarls at me.

As I glance back at the Blood King, Zariah says, "Don't worry about him. We need to get out of here."

Although I want Mavet dead, I want Zariah to live more, and every second we stay in this place with enemies all around, we risk death.

With a huff, I nod and then sprint toward Colesef. But two guards cut me off, each unsheathing the sword at their belts.

In a world where power didn't pulse through me, I would be at a disadvantage without any weapons of my own. But Zariah's blood coursing through my veins is its own advantage, and I use it as I twist away from every strike the guards throw at me.

Had I not been trained in weapon battle from a young age, my extra speed might not be enough. But as I avoid each strike, all the years of training come back to me.

One of the guards leaps toward me, and as I spin to avoid his sword, the blade swipes my shoulder. But as the guard glances at the blood, I disarm him and take the weapon for myself.

Now I have the advantage of speed and a weapon, and within two breaths, both guards fall to the ground without their heads.

I don't hesitate as I set my sights back on Colesef. The coward backs away from me, but the door is too far away, and if Colesef turns his back, I will spear the sword right through him.

The man might be a coward, but he isn't stupid.

I eye Zariah as she struggles against two guards.

If I go to help her, Colesef will escape, and if he does, he might alert everyone else in the Blood Den.

And so, I send up a prayer of protection for her to all the Valazican gods I've never believed in, and continue toward Colesef.