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

46. The True Heir

46

THE TRUE HEIR

I squeeze Nevan's hand as I stand here, listening to the subtle gushing of creek water. "What now?"

Nevan takes my fingers into his. Scratches now mar his arms, and his once-luxurious suit is torn to shreds.

He stares blankly ahead, the large cut across his cheek already starting to heal. "I don't know. I can't go back to the castle."

Can I go back to the Temple?

Surely, I can come up with some fitting alibi as to why I didn't return after the Solstice celebration. But what if Maddox finds out? He knows too much. There's no way he'll allow me to live.

My mind betrays me as I think of my friend. Will Aella think I'm dead? Will she even care?

I clench my jaw and push away any curiosity about what she thinks now. “We can go to Felix. He'll know how to hide us while we figure out what to do."

"Felix? The resistance leader?"

I nod. "I'm sure he has safe houses throughout the kingdom."

"I'm Prince of Valazica. I don’t see a resistance leader caring about what happens to me. Pretty sure he'd be happy if I died."

"That's not true," I say, though I'm not sure he's wrong. "Let me talk to him."

Aella confirmed that Felix hadn’t actually wanted Nevan dead, and while Felix has no love for the crown, with Maddox gifting the outer part of Valazica to Mavet, he might see the benefit of helping Nevan.

After some thought, the prince agrees, offering me permission to share the secret he confided in me at the Temple. While I find Felix and explain to him what happened, Nevan will hide. Then, we’ll meet back up and make our final decision on what to do next.

I'm not used to visiting the resistance headquarters during the day. The street outside the seemingly inconspicuous building is much busier with the sun shining high in the sky, and I wonder how many of those passing by know about Felix.

I approach the door and a man pretending to sweep the wooden porch around the building eyes me. I recognize him as one of Felix’s guards. He wears a baggy tunic and oversized pants that hide his weapons. Though to a passerby he might appear as nothing more than a caretaker, all of Felix’s guards are the best. I doubt anyone on the king’s royal guard is as lethal as the inconspicuous man staring at me now.

I brush my hair out of my face and smile at the guard. I wait for him to approach me and tell me to leave. I wouldn’t blame him for not recognizing me in my current state.

But the man dips his chin and continues sweeping.

I don’t wait for him to change his mind as I hurry into the building.

I find the resistance leader in his office, hidden behind a large unrolled scroll.

When he sets down the parchment, Felix half-smiles. "Word on the street said you died."

His dark wavy hair falls into his face, and he blows it off his forehead.

"And you believed it?" I slide a chair that was pushed against the wall to the opposite side of his desk and plop into it.

He shakes his head. "Not for a second."

I cross one knee over the other and then start the story from when I found out I would be Solstice Priestess.

Felix pulls a flask out of a drawer. "And the boxes you received had letters signed with my name?"

"Not just name, but your handwriting and seal." I'd never thought to inspect it closely. It had all seemed to be too right. "I already wanted to bring the prince down when I'd thought he killed Aella. It was a bonus that you seemed to want the same thing."

Although Aella had usually preferred the assignments that helped the Valazican people directly, she knows how Felix runs the resistance. She’s seen his handwriting plenty of times and with Maddox’s resources behind her, it couldn’t have been hard to make a seal that mimicked Felix’s.

I might admire Aella’s treachery if it hadn’t been used against me.

Felix’s gaze lingers on my wrist. “And now you don't want him dead? Even if he's a vampire?"

I fight the urge to cover my wound with my hand. “He's the true heir to the throne. If his brother hadn't betrayed him, the king would have named Nevan next in line to rule."

"And that's the only reason you're asking I trust him?" He unscrews the flask lid and takes a drink. "I can read you better than that, Zariah."

"We've grown fond of each other. But I believe he can be the king we've dreamed of if he's given the chance. I’m certain he would be better for the kingdom than Maddox."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps his curse will bring us all down. How much about his power do you know?"

"He's stronger and faster than humans, he needs blood to survive, but he isn't the monster I thought, and with time and practice, he will learn to control his hunger. I'm sure of it."

"You're so certain he isn't playing you just as Aella did?"

The question shouldn't stab my heart the way it does.

It's not that I doubt Prince Nevan. I trust him as much as I'm capable of trusting, a part of me that might never be the same.

But with Aella's betrayal such a fresh scar on my soul, the question scrapes at the still-open wound.

"I'm certain that a brother who would set up his own kin in order to take the crown for himself will be the ruin of Valazica. Vampire or not, I'd rather give my loyalty to Prince Nevan who's shown me he cares about more than his own ambition."

Felix takes one more drink before screwing the flask cap back on.

"I have a safehouse open for two weeks. Then, a foreign visitor will be here, and I've already promised him the home. You and the prince can hide out there for the fortnight." He meets my stare. "I will keep your location secret, but I'm not pledging loyalty to Prince Nevan. The resistance works for the Valazican people, not the royals. Not even the outcast ones."

I bring my hands together and lower my chin. "Thank you. Truly."

"You've been loyal to the cause for a decade, and I don't turn my back on those who fight for us." His mouth quirks...

I thank him one more time before heading to the Temple, possibly for the last time. Once Maddox learns that Nevan and I have escaped, I won’t be able to return.

Although I’ve mostly used my role as priestess to be a better asset to the resistance, it has been my only true home in Valazica. The stone walls and presence of so many women around me have given me comfort I never thought I’d have in the kingdom that would hate me if they knew my truth.

And there I’d found a sister in Aella, or I’d thought I had. My heart aches at the memories, now tainted with the bite of betrayal—betrayal I thought couldn’t sting any worse until I reach behind my usual hedge to find the dagger I’d been given to kill Nevan gone.

With nothing left to keep me at the Temple, I leave to meet the prince.

But when I arrive at the planned alleyway behind the Red Raven, he isn't there.

I hate the thought of leaving Zariah to speak to the resistance leader alone, but my presence would do nothing but deter the man—Felix, she'd called him—from agreeing to help.

So, while Zariah heads to speak to Felix, I wander the Valazican streets.

My clothes are dirty and tattered, and I’m in desperate need of a long, hot bath, but somehow, the grime and disarray comfort me like a costume that hides my true identity. It's a strange blessing, considering my brother will kill me if he finds out that I’ve escaped the Blood King.

I shake my head and push away thoughts of my brother. There will be time for figuring out my next move later, but for the moment, I enjoy basking in the sunshine, unnoticed.

The smell of roasted pig draws me to a market on the edge of the Silver District. Vendors beckon to those passing by to purchase whatever it is they are selling: lush fabrics, roasted and dried meats, perfumes, toys. There are too many options for me to count.

A sudden scent of blood catches my attention, and I follow the smell to see a small child crying on the ground with a wounded knee.

Despite being across the market, I can see the blood slowly dripping from the thin cut. Ever since becoming a vampire, my vision has always been much stronger than it had been as a human.

But now, if I focus, I can see the individual strands of hair on the boy's leg.

Hunger bubbles within my stomach as the boy wipes the wound with the back of his hand and sniffles. I avert my gaze from the blood, and when my stare settles, I find a pair of familiar eyes staring at me.

Lachlan peers around a tent at the edge of the market and juts his head to the side before disappearing around the corner.

I follow where my friend has gone and trace his scent to an alleyway a block away.

Lachlan lingers in the shadows. "Aren't you supposed to be getting drunk in Elderburn?"

"Doesn't sound so bad, honestly." I continue into the alleyway.

"You could have told me."

"Told you?" I shift my weight onto one foot.

Lachlan folds his arms and leans against the side of the building. "That you'd fallen in with the House of Blood."

"And what could you have done?"

"Well, for starters, I would have told you not to trust Maddox."

I shrug. "Pretty sure you've already told me that."

"And you didn't think to listen?"

Two women walk by, so busy chatting about the upcoming ball at the palace that they don't notice Lachlan and me.

Once they've passed, I say, "How did you find out?"

There's no point in denying my curse now.

Lachlan grins. "Let's just say I have connections."

"How long have you known?"

"Since you were cursed." His smile fades. "I'd hoped you'd confide in me."

"I wanted to pretend nothing had changed."

"And how did that turn out?"

I glance at my disheveled appearance. "Fantastic."

"Clearly." Lachlan shakes his head. "I didn't tell anyone, in case you're worried. Though I know they'd understand."

It's foolish to trust anyone after how badly I've been burned, but I want to agree with my friend. "So, Maddox really told everyone I'm a cowardly drunk?"

"Afraid so."

"And people believe him?" I swallow, already knowing the answer.

Lachlan pulls out a cigar from his pocket. "Most do, yes. But not the people that matter. Eilley thinks you and Zariah ran away to have a secret love affair. Phelps is afraid Zariah killed you and hid your body."

"And Nalanie?"

"She didn't share her prediction, but she's concerned." He lights the cigar and takes a puff.

"I'm not sure what to do now." I hate admitting the truth, but I have no fucking clue what the best move is.

"Sure you do." Lachlan passes me the cigar. "You're going to take down your brother and be the king Valazica deserves."

It's a heroic thought, but how can I possibly rule an entire kingdom when I can’t even control my own bloodlust?