Crown of Blood

  My heart rate picks up a bit as I lower myself into it.

  Rath slips in beside me, standing silent and solid, waiting.

  I have to wait for five minutes. And then Edmond and Hector come out of the elevator. As they cross the ballroom, once again it opens, and out steps Rafael.

  “My Queen,” Hector says as they all step in front of me. He takes a deep bow, which is immediately mimicked by his two sons.

  “I’m hoping that you might be able to help me,” I say as they stand up. “I know you all are wondering why I came here without Cyrus. I don’t feel obligated to give you any kind of an explanation, but I will say this: when I return to Roter Himmel, and the entire world knows I’ve Resurrected once more, I need to have my shit together, and right now I have the memories of nine people racing around in my head.”

  The look in their eyes changes from worried anticipation to confusion.

  “I was dead for a damn long time,” I say, leaning forward slightly. Logan’s spitfire words are taking the lead at the moment. “My timeframe of who I was and when is a little out of focus. So I’m really hoping that the three of you will be able to help me sort a few details out.”

  “Of course, anything, my Queen,” Hector says.

  I can practically taste his anxiety and fear.

  It may be their King they truly fear, but Sevan certainly isn’t someone to be taken lightly.

  I hold out the paper with the names written down. “I remember names,” I say. “All the women I was. Am. What I don’t remember is who I was when, or where, for most of them. I’m hoping some of you are old enough to have heard of some of my past lives.”

  Rafael looks nervously at his father, who gives him a look in return.

  “None of you are particularly old, are you?” I say in annoyance.

  “I’m sorry, my Queen,” Edmond says, stepping forward. “My father only inherited the House about ninety years ago when his father was killed. Rafael is the oldest, and he’s only been Resurrected for fifty-one years.”

  “I don’t feel young,” Hector says, stepping forward, his eyes falling to the floor. “But my one hundred and twenty-two years is nothing compared to your timeline, Sevan.”

  I let out a slow breath through my nose, my fingers curling around the end of the armrest. “Just look at the list, and tell me if anything jumps out at you.”

  Hector takes it from my hands, and his sons gather around to study the names I have written down. Quietly they read them, and I can feel their stress rolling off them in palpable waves.

  Sevan doesn’t really care.

  “I remember hearing that the last time you were found, it was at the House in Borneo,” Rafael speaks up. “It’s the House that rules over all those islands, the Pacific. La’ei sounds like a name from the islands.”

  An image flashes through my head. That of a beautiful cottage by the sea. A white, sandy beach led straight down to crystal clear blue water.

  “I would guess that you were her last,” Rafael says.

  Larkin said this, I remember now, and can put it into perspective.

  My gaze is out of focus, but I nod. I’m searching, tracing steps back through that cottage, searching for anything else, grasping for details about my life as La’ei.

  A reflection comes to mind, caught in an old mirror. Of long, thick, curly hair. Darker skin and big brown eyes.

  I shake my head. “Good,” I say. “What about any of the others?”

  They all look at the list again. “I can only make guesses based on the origins of the names,” Edmond says. “Helda sounds Eurpoean, maybe Germany? Shaku, perhaps Middle Eastern.”

  “Jafari,” Hector says. “I would say that is African.”

  As soon as he says the words, I feel heat wash across my skin. My eyes squint closed against the sand that blows in them. And sand is all I can see. It spreads out before me for miles on end.

  “Is there anything else?” I ask. “Anything that rings a bell?”

  The three of them look down at the list again, contemplating for a moment.

  “I’m sorry, my Queen,” Hector says. “That is all we can speculate.”

  Speculate. What an infuriating word.

  I have nearly no more answers than when I walked in here.

  “Thank you,” I still say, fighting to control my tone. “If you’ll send someone to my room after dinner to collect my bag, Rath and I plan to leave as soon as it’s dark.”

  “Yes, your Maj-”

  But he’s cut off as the elevator doors to the ballroom slide open and a great roar of anger fills the space.

  Every ounce of blood in my body drops out through the bottom of my feet, and instantly I am just one person again.

  Brilliantly glowing yellow eyes wildly search the room, in such stark contrast to the dark skin. Despite his thin frame, he bucks and jerks from the grasp of the two Born who haul him into the center of the ballroom.

  “Eshan!” I yell, darting up from the throne and rushing over to him. I reach out, but the guards drag him back away from me two steps.

  “You let him go right now, you piece of shit!” I bellow, taking another step forward as they once more drag him back from me. “That is my brother!”

  “You really don’t want us letting him go,” one of the guards says. “He’s out of control!”

  And it’s true. Despite him looking directly at me multiple times, he doesn’t seem to recognize me.

  All his attention is directly focused on Rath.

  Eshan jerks against the guards hold, an animalistic roar ripping from his chest. He tries to lunge, over and over.

  I see it then. The smear of blood on his chin. The splashes of it on his chest.

  “Why is your human brother showing up on the steps of the House of Valdez as a Bitten?” Hector demands. He takes seven steps toward us, his eyes igniting blood red. “Are you trying to get me and my entire House exterminated by your husband?”

  “Excuse me?” I hiss, rounding on him. “I left Colorado two days ago with my brother safe and sound, and human. Who the hell brought him here and turned him?”

  As if the energy is running out of him, Eshan stops fighting. His eyes seem more able to focus, and suddenly they dart to me.

  “Logan?” he says, a scared quake to his voice. “What the hell is going on? Why…why are you here with these people? You said you were going to Austria with Collin.”

  “Eshan,” I say, taking a step toward him. He recoils from me slightly. “E, did you follow me here?”

  His eyes dart around, still glowing yellow, but filled with fear. “I knew something wasn’t right. I knew you were lying. I don’t know, something about Collin and you, it didn’t seem right. I followed to make sure you were okay.”

  My heart cracks. My little brother, four years younger than myself, looking out for me because he thought the man I told everyone was my boyfriend was going to do something to me.

  I round on Hector. “It wasn’t me who turned him, so you’ve obviously got someone with a control problem in your House.”

  Hector looks up at the guards. “Explain.”

  One speaks up. “I caught him sneaking into the casino. There was blood on his face, his eyes were all lit up. He was looking for a meal. We brought him here so you could dispose of him yourself.”

  “Like hell you will!” I yell, turning back to Hector. “You’re going to find whoever did this to my little brother and deal with them, according to the new law!”

  “According to the new law, they will be dealt with,” Hector says, his voice rising. “But according to the new law, his existence is also forbidden.”

  Edmond reaches into his pocket and produces a stake. With determination, he stalks forward, his eyes trained on my brother.

  With a demonic roar, I dart across the ballroom in a blur, my fingers snapping around his throat. I shove, throwing him back, and he flies across the ballroom. With a hiss, I turn, baring my fangs at Rafael as he approaches with yet another stak
e.

  “This woman is your queen!” Rath suddenly bellows. Power fills his voice, taking up every inch of this space. “She and her husband made your laws. She has the power to counter those Cyrus put into effect. If you value your life and position, I suggest you let your queen deal with this issue on her own.”

  They all stand frozen. Looks of annoyance that Rath…whatever he is…has commanded them as if he’s allowed to do it, fill their faces. But they also look over at me, and as I stand straight, my eyes glowing brilliant and bright, they all back off a step. Bowing to their Queen.

  “Logan,” Eshan says. And his breathing grows hard again. I look to see him beginning to tug against the guards once more. “What is happening to me?”

  I hear a faint whistling sound and Eshan makes a sound of pain. I see a tiny dart sticking out of the side of his neck.

  He roars in pain, all the tendons in his neck straining against his skin. And suddenly he collapses, limp.

  With wide, shocked eyes, I turn.

  Rath lowers something, sliding it into his pocket.

  A blow dart.

  “He will be fine,” he explains. “He will only sleep for twelve hours. When he wakes we can be prepared.”

  I shake my head at the whiplash change, but turn, standing straight. I look back at Hector.

  “I’m taking my brother with me,” I say clearly. “Like I said, we need something to eat first. But as soon as it gets dark, the three of us are leaving. Tell your people to have my things ready by then.”

  Without waiting for their response, I walk forward. I take my brother from the guards, who don’t seem to know what to do. Like he weighs nothing at all, I lift my nearly six foot tall brother up and sling him across my shoulders.

  Together, Rath and I go to the elevator. We descend two floors and deposit Eshan onto my bed.

  He lies there, looking peaceful, his eyes closed.

  “He’s really okay?” I ask. Because honestly, he could be dead.

  “He’s fine,” Rath says. “It’s a serum that’s been tested hundreds, if not thousands, of times.”

  I shake my head, looking at my brother. “How the hell did this happen?”

  “He followed you,” Rath says, trying to piece it together for me. “I can only assume while watching you, a local Born grabbed him. When the individual realized their lack of control, they must have fled, leaving your poor brother to wake, not knowing what had happened to him.”

  I shake my head. “What am I supposed to do?” I say. “My parents will be devastated. I’m going to have to stay with him for the rest of his life, because everyone in the world now knows the Bitten are a death sentence.”

  “It doesn’t have to stay that way,” Rath says. The volume of his voice drops and he looks around, as if to make sure no one can hear him.

  My brows furrow. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means, this does not have to be your brother’s fate for the rest of his life,” Rath says. “There’s a cure. He can be human again.”

  My eyes grow wide, and I blink. Twice. Three times. Four.

  “There is a cure, and somehow, even you, know about it?”

  Rath looks around again. “Even Cyrus knows about it. Though he’s forbidden its further use.”

  I blink again, shaking my head.

  “There’s a lot of history here, Sevan,” Rath says. “You may not want all the answers to your current questions. It’s safer for a lot of people you may someday come to care about if you don’t know everything. But there is a cure, and I’m sure it’s what you want for your brother right now.”

  “Yes!” I say, getting annoyed. “Yes, it’s what I want. Obviously!”

  Rath lets out a slow little breath through his nose and looks away from me. “I hope you want it bad enough to go where you must to obtain it.”

  My blood chills as I think of the possibilities. But I know, I’d go anywhere to get my brother this cure. “Where?”

  Rath looks back and meets my eyes, and I see it in his own: he’s not exactly thrilled about it either. “The House of Conrath.”

  Chapter 7

  It’s a twenty-two hour drive from The Strip to Silent Bend, Mississippi.

  It’s a long-ass drive. But not near freaking long enough.

  The moment it is dark outside, Rath and I load Eshan into the backseat of Cyrus’ convertible. The House of Valdez packs our bags in the trunk, and say good riddance.

  I take Eshan’s phone and text our parents, pretending to be him. I make up some story about going to meet some girl he met online. I apologize for worrying them, but promise I’m safe and that I’ll be back in a few days.

  I didn’t know if it’s true. But it’s something.

  After the message sends, I shut his phone off completely so they can’t call or track him.

  What a freaking mess.

  We take off into the night, with nine hours until Eshan will wake up.

  I grip the steering wheel as we drive, rocketing through the night on a cross-country trip.

  We could have flown. We could have chartered a private jet and arrived in Mississippi before Eshan even woke up and could cause a problem.

  But I’m about to meet my birth mother for the first time. I’m about to look the woman who toyed with Cyrus’ heart in the eye for the first time. I’m about to face this family Cyrus has told me so much and so little about.

  And I’m not freaking ready.

  I would have delayed this day for weeks. Months. Maybe even years.

  But for Eshan, for my baby brother, I’ll face one of my greatest fears.

  “I think you should call her,” I say as we cross the border of Arizona into New Mexico. “I wouldn’t want this sprung on me. She deserves to have a little bit of time to prepare.”

  I look over at Rath. He’s always so serious. Right now is no different.

  He pulls out his cell phone and clicks on a name. He holds it up to his ear, and waits as it rings.

  “Rath?” a female voice answers. She sounds panicked. “Holy hell, it’s been forever since you checked in. I almost sent Anna to come looking for you. Is everything alright?”

  “It is, Alivia,” he says, and his eyes slide over to mine.

  Goosebumps wash over my skin.

  That’s her. I can hear her voice.

  My birth mother.

  “Things have indeed happened over the past month,” Rath continues. “Nothing went as planned. I…” he hesitates. “I failed you, Alivia. And your worst fear, indeed, came to pass.”

  “She is…” I hear Alivia trail off. I even hear her swallow once. “I always knew, but… Was it Cyrus? Did he find her?”

  My heart cracks. Because the fear and concern I hear in Alivia Ryan Conrath’s voice is so genuine. I think back on all the things Cyrus has said about her, all the bad things I’ve heard. But what she says…

  It’s how I imagine my mom sounding.

  “Yes,” Rath confirms for Alivia. “But he has returned to Roter Himmel.”

  I hear a soft cry come through on the phone. She doesn’t say anything.

  “Alivia, Logan is with me,” Rath moves on. “Her adopted brother was turned. He needs the cure. We’re on our way to Silent Bend now.”

  Silence. We’re met with absolute silence.

  The sound of a breath. Quietly, as if from farther away, I hear a male voice. “Alivia?” it asks with concern.

  “How soon will you get here?” she finally finds her voice.

  Rath looks out at the dark road ahead of us. “We’re driving. We were in Las Vegas, at the House of Valdez. We will drive straight through the nights. So it should be two nights from now.”

  Another long moment of silence. And then a little huff of a laugh. “After all this time. I’m going to meet her in two days?”

  I feel it more than see it. The little smile that forms on Rath’s lips. “After all this time.”

  Another breathy laugh comes through the phone. “How…how much of
the family do you think she wants to meet?”

  Rath looks over at me, and I’m pretty sure all of my internal organs disappear. I keep my eyes fixed on the road ahead of us.

  I consider that for a moment. How much of the family? What does that mean? She’s my mother. That’s all there is.

  But that’s not true. Cyrus has talked about my cousin. And her mother. And there’s my mother’s husband.

  It’s something you should know about the House of Conrath. We’re a family here in the House of Valdez. But not like they are. They’re family. The loyalty in that House? I’ve never seen anything quite like it. They’ve died for each other. They’d do it again. All of them.

  I take a deep breath. I lift my chin just a little. “Might as well get it all over with in one go,” I say quietly.

  Rath does another one of those smiles that is barely even there. “All of them,” he responds to Alivia.

  Chapter 8

  We roll into Albuquerque just before the sun begins to rise. Rath checks into a hotel, getting two rooms. When he returns with keys, we park around back and I carry Eshan into one of the two.

  “I can stay,” Rath says as he hesitates in the door, looking down at my brother on one of the two beds.

  I shake my head. “You smell too human,” I say. “Things might be…different between us, but I won’t risk him hurting you. Let me deal with him until dark.”

  Rath meets my eyes, and I can see he wants to argue. But he just nods.

  He reaches into his pocket and removes another one of those darts. “If he gets too difficult to handle, you can use another one of these. I have just one more. It won’t cover our entire journey back, but it will help.”

  I take it, careful not to prick myself. “Thank you. I can manage.”

  He gives a little nod, and walks out the door, to the next room over.

  Almost as if on cue, the moment I close and lock the door, Eshan’s right foot twitches.

  I cross to the insulated bag lying next to the door. The House of Valdez gave me a cooler with six bags of donated blood before we left. I pull one out now.