The Darkest Crown (The Eternal Darkness Duet #2)

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

A s the nights passed, I fell into a routine. I began each night by feeding from one of the humans. My reaction was the same each time, alert and energized, but never aroused. I was easily able to stop each time and became confident that I could change Allie without losing control.

After feeding, I practiced my magic with Selene and Diana. There were no more incidents. My magic came to me easily, as if it had always been part of me. The only thing I didn’t practice was my scream. I decided there was no need, since it’s not something I could do by accident. It also wasn’t something I could direct at one person. If I screamed, everyone in the vicinity would be affected, so I wouldn’t use it unless I was somehow captured by the enemy.

After training, I went flying. I flew for hours every night, and every night Julian accompanied me. We soared over the ocean, and the dark, endless forest. Julian was a completely different person when we flew, so lighthearted and carefree. We laughed and played like children, swooping and chasing one another. We hid amongst the treetops, and tried to scare one another, and when dawn approached, we flew back to the castle side by side.

When we returned home after our first flight together, Adam was standing on the walkway atop the castle, facing us. I knew he saw us, but by the time we reached the castle he’d disappeared inside. He avoided me after that, and the only times I saw him was when I happened upon him training with my guards.

I ended each night with my mom’s violin. Sometimes I played alone, but more often than not I played for Julian, in my bedroom. He loved to watch me play, and I loved seeing the effect it had on him. The songs I played influenced the sex that followed. Sometimes it was slow and gentle, other times it was frantic and rough. Either way, when it was over, I fell asleep in his arms.

I would’ve been happy if life went on that way forever, but I wasn’t that lucky. One night one of William’s spies arrived with news that my enemies were finally coming for me. My team gathered in the library to make plans, and I sat at the head of the table and looked at the faces surrounding me.

Eskel and my guards were present, all but Harald and Alfred, who were with Allie. Ever since William’s fighters arrived, two guards were with her at all times. There were too many strangers at the castle now, and I didn’t trust any of them with my sister.

Julian was present, as was Adam. They sat at opposite ends of the table, and Adam was unusually quiet. It was my first time seeing him in days. We’d hardly spoken since the night he walked in on me. And of course William was there, relaying the information his spy delivered.

“How long do we have?” Eskel asked.

“A week,” William said. “Maybe less.”

A week before all hell broke loose. I looked to Eskel for guidance. “What do we do?”

He stared at me silently, and I could imagine the wheels in his mind turning.

“Throw a party,” Julian said, and we all looked at him with varying degrees of disbelief. He leaned back in his chair, and absently tapped his fingers on the table. “Invite everyone here for your first royal ball. Your enemies will arrive with an invitation in hand, thinking it will be the perfect opportunity to assassinate you. Which means they’ll leave their armies at home. We will, of course, kill them before they get the chance.” He leveled his eyes on me.

Eskel nodded. “That could work.” He looked to William. “We’ll put your men in the servants quarters. They’ll masquerade as staff when the others arrive, and be ready to fight if necessary.”

Eskel looked to me for approval. “If you're in agreement, we’ll get started now.”

I nodded, and everyone stood. Adam bowed his head to me before leaving the room. Eskel and William were still going over the finer details as they walked out, with my guards following behind them. Julian remained seated, and my heart felt heavy as I looked across the table at him.

He was watching me intently, but his voice was soft when he spoke. “What’s wrong?”

“I need to talk to Allie,” I said, standing.

Julian stood. “You have to change her.”

I nodded. "I’ll find you later.”

I started to walk past him, but he grabbed my wrist, stopping me. “I know you’re frightened, but I promise it'll be okay.”

I looked up into his eyes. "You can't know that. It'll change her. There's no telling how she'll be afterwards.

Julian rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb. "Vampires are created, and how they behave is mostly due to the one who created them. With you as Allie's sire, there's nothing to fear."

"I wasted so much time," I told him. "After my mom died, I should've been there for her. But I wasn't. My grief made me selfish, and I abandoned her when she needed me most. To think, becoming a vampire is what it took for me to come to my senses- to make me realize how much I needed her in my life. The thought of losing her is too much to bear."

Julian pulled me into his arms and rested his chin atop my head. "You won't lose her. I promise."

"But-"

"I won't let anything happen to her, I swear this to you."

I sniffed and nodded against his chest. "Thank you." I let him hold me a few moments longer, before pulling away. "I'm gonna go find her."

Julian nodded, and I turned and walked out of the room.

I found Allie in the kitchen, of all places. She was sitting on the edge of a heavy wooden table, swinging her legs as she munched on an apple. Between bites, she was in a one sided debate over whether peanut butter or caramel was better on apple slices. Alfred and Harald watched her, completely enthralled, as if it were the most fascinating thing they’d ever heard.

“What about Nutella?” I asked, stepping into the room.

“Mmmm.” Allie rolled her eyes dramatically. “I forgot about Nutella.”

“What’s Nutella?” Alfred asked.

“Heaven in a jar,” Allie sighed, making me laugh.

“I think I’d like to try that,” Harald murmured, never taking his eyes off Allie.

I chuckled and perched on the edge of the table beside her. “One time when she was little, mom found her hiding in the closet with a jar of it. She wasn’t even using a spoon, just scooping it out with her bare hands. You should’ve seen the mess she made.”

Allie grinned at me shamelessly, and suddenly my eyes watered. She reached for my hand, her apple forgotten. I blinked rapidly and took a deep breath before looking at Alfred and Harald. “You guys can go find Eskel, he’ll fill you in on everything.”

They both straightened, their demeanor turning serious, and nodded to me before walking out of the kitchen. I heaved a sigh and turned my attention back to Allie. She was still holding my hand, watching me in that quiet, patient way of hers.

She gave my hand a squeeze. “Fill me in.”

I told her what William’s spies learned, and what the plan was. And I told her she had to be changed before everyone arrived for the ball. She listened calmly, seemingly unbothered by the news that our enemies were coming, and her life was essentially about to end. I would never betray her by reading her thoughts, but her heartbeat remained steady. I suddenly remembered a conversation we had when we first arrived at Julian’s in Spain. It was the first time we talked about changing her, and she suggested we wait until after her birthday.

“I missed your birthday,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”

She smiled softly. “It’s okay.”

I shook my head. “No, it's not.”

“Well, it wasn’t your fault. You were trapped here with Marius, and I was locked up back in Rome.”

I frowned, trying to calculate the dates. “I’ve been isolated here for so long, I don't even know what month it was, let alone what day of the week. One night just bleeds into the next.”

“But it won't be like that forever. Once this mess with the Strategoi is over, we can live anywhere we want.”

I smiled. “You’re right.” But could I leave Marius? I tried not to think about that and focused instead on the plan that was forming in my mind. I missed Allie’s birthday, but I was going to make it up to her. I remembered what she said back in Spain. A ball in her honor would be a nice gift.