House of Pawns

  “I think Jasmine’s little reminder worked,” I say coldly.

  Rath suddenly appears in the doorway. “Are you alright?” he asks. He’s attempting to keep that calm demeanor he always possesses, but there’s a slight prick to it.

  “I’m fine,” I say, surveying the landscape for the culprits. “Ian got the flames out before it could do any more damage.”

  “I’d offer to track them down for you and make them come face you in person,” Lillian says from behind Rath. “But the daylight is a bit of a problem.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t want to deal with it like that.” The gears are suddenly spinning in my head. I have to think bigger, larger than I ever have. “They’ve never had a reason to hate me personally. My father may have ignored everyone in this town every day of his life except one, but I’m going to change that.”

  Everyone is looking at me with confusion. I’ve just been attacked. Why am I not retaliating?

  “What can we do to help this town?”

  Jasmine may be attempting to isolate me from Silent Bend, so now I vow to embrace the town wholly.

  ONCE UPON A TIME, CHRISTMAS was my favorite holiday. My mom and I never had much money, but she’d make it magical in ways other than presents. Cutting down our own tree. Going ice-skating at the lake. Homemade cinnamon rolls Christmas morning.

  But she’s gone now. And everything is different.

  It’s bright and beautiful that morning but no one else at my House seems to know it’s Christmas. There is no tree. There are no gifts.

  I drive to Jasmine’s House on my own. I leave an insulated bag on her front steps with a huge red and white bow atop it. No one knew I was coming here, I made sure of that.

  Then, I spend the rest of the day driving around Silent Bend.

  I don’t take Main Street. I branch off, wandering through neighborhoods, driving far out to the outskirts of town. I watch and observe, twirling my father’s key between my fingers as I drive.

  There are many, many homes that are more than a century old. Beautiful brick and stone buildings that have been preserved. Historical estates not as grand as my own, but still impressive.

  But then there are the majority of homes in our town. They are small. Tiny, really. They feature broken windows, sagging porches, sinking foundations. There are trailer homes that look as if they need to be condemned. Lawns that are just weeds and rocks. Broken down cars sitting in front of houses. Dwellings that are nothing more than sheds.

  When I learned I had inherited an estate in Mississippi, I did some research on where I would be moving. It’s the poorest state in America. We have the worst schools here. Most people live at or below the poverty level.

  I don’t think Silent Bend is anywhere near the worst in the state, but there are a lot of people here that need help.

  I may not be receiving any presents this Christmas, but I’m betting a lot of other people here aren’t, either.

  THE TRANSACTION ONLY TAKES THREE days to close because I had the money to buy the property outright.

  Two days after it was all said and done, the ground is being broken.

  My home has had four more broken windows in the past week. Rath found a burning bag of dog shit on the front porch. More vandalism.

  A large part of me does want to be angry. They know nothing about me. I’ve done nothing to them. But they hate me because of the house I live in.

  So, here we are—turning the other cheek.

  Lillian told me about the piece of property for sale. It resides midway between town and Jasmine’s House, just before the swamps begin. Five acres, developable into twelve units.

  So, I bought it with my father’s money. I hired a local contractor. It hadn’t been an easy ordeal. He was not ignorant to what was being said about me. But when I offered to pay him fifteen percent more than his bid, how could he turn me down?

  We all have to move on with our lives. Take the next step.

  Last night, Ian went back to patrolling town. But this time he wasn’t just looking for vampires who weren’t supposed to be in our town, he was protecting the Conrath Estate from more townspeople who would try to bring me harm.

  It was nice, seeing Ian being himself again.

  It’s noon, so I stand without my tiny House, just Rath and I. I watch from the road as the excavation equipment prepares the ground for the foundations of a dozen houses that will be poured in two days time. There are probably two dozen workers out there, all with jobs, because of Conrath money.

  “This won’t go unnoticed,” Rath says from behind me.

  I shake my head. “No, it won’t.”

  “Many families in Silent Bend struggle financially. There aren’t many jobs. This is exactly what this town needed.”

  I nod. Something feels tight in my chest. I hate feeling like I’m literally buying goodwill—because that’s exactly what I’m doing—but at the moment, money is the biggest advantage I have over Jasmine.

  “This is one ballsy-assed move.”

  I turn to see Luke walking up behind me. His patrol car is parked just behind my Porsche and he wears his uniform.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say coyly.

  “Don’t play stupid with me,” he says with a small smile and a shake of his head. “I know exactly what you’re doing. Look at that sign there for the whole damn town to see.”

  Low Income Housing Coming Soon. Financed by Alivia Ryan and the Conrath Estate.

  Yes, I want everyone to know exactly who is responsible for this show of generosity.

  A car drives by behind us and we all turn to see as they slow down and squint to read the sign. Another drives by right after and does the same exact thing.

  “So, I guess this confirms everything,” Luke says. “You’re really going to war with Jasmine.”

  “Luke, there’s something you need to know,” I say as the tight spring in me winds just a little tighter. “I don’t know what you know about the King, but he’s going to come, soon. And I need to be prepared. I’m building my own House because I need the support. But the town also needs to be prepared.”

  “How so?” he asks as the look of concern grows on his face.

  “It wouldn’t be a terrible thing if when the King does come, the people of Silent Bend either evacuate or go into lockdown in their homes,” Rath says.

  “And how the hell am I supposed to accomplish that?” Luke asks with a scowl.

  “I trust you can get creative.”

  Luke looks from Rath to me, the darkness in his eyes growing deeper by the second. He swears, turns, and walks away without another word.

  As if in an afterthought, he turns back to us just before he slips back into his car. “I’m coming by the House tonight. I’ve got something to talk to Ian about."

  AT SEVEN THAT EVENING, WHEN the sky is dark and the air is cold, Rath steps into my bedroom and announces that Ian and I have a visitor.

  We walk down the stairs and just as I expected, find the Sheriff standing just inside the front door.

  “Evening,” he says with the tip of his hat. He still looks angry about what I told him earlier. “I have something I think you’d like to see, Ian.”

  I usher us all into the library and instead of sitting, Ian chooses to stand.

  “Everyone knew your parents died in that ‘attack,’” Luke air quotes. “They all knew your parents weren’t vamps, but here you are, walking around with the living again. So, I dug into the archives. Didn’t really know if I would find anything. But I did.”

  He sets the folder down on the coffee table.

  “You want to read the report or you just want me to tell you?” Luke asks.

  “Just tell me,” Ian says. His arms are folded across his chest and he keeps nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

  Luke nods and swallows hard. And I realize: Ian is making Luke nervous.

  “The report was a call-in about a domestic dispute,” Luke begins. He op
ens the folder and inside is a few sheets of paper with sloppy handwriting and two pictures clipped to them. “The people who lived next to your old house heard fighting, said it kept escalating. When the police arrived, they found your father fighting with another man. Your dad was pretty beat up, but still swinging.”

  The room has grown deadly still and quiet. I hear myself take a long, slow breath in.

  “The report said your father was holding a weapon,” Luke continues, his voice growing quieter. “A stake.”

  “So, the night they were killed wasn’t the first time my parents were attacked by a vampire,” Ian says. A tiny spark of red flares in his eyes.

  Luke shakes his head. “The report also says your mother’s neck had two obvious puncture wounds, but she kept trying to hide them.” Luke unclips one of the pictures and hands it to Ian. I catch a look at it before Ian takes it. It’s obviously a woman’s neck, and there are two small pricks in her skin with small trails of blood coming from them. But I see nothing of Ian and Elle’s mother’s face.

  “The report calls this a ‘lovers quarrel.’” Luke says, and from his tone, it’s obvious he’s the last person who wants to be delivering this news to Ian. “And the date on the report is February eleventh.”

  The pieces slide into place for me a few seconds before I think they do for Ian.

  Ian’s birthday is November third. Nine months after this scene took place.

  “A lover’s quarrel,” Ian finally hisses. His hand crushes around the photo. “There was a vampire in our house. Mom was bitten, and Dad walked in on…what? What the hell are you saying took place?”

  There’s hesitance in Luke’s eyes. He should be afraid. He’s staring an angry vampire in the eye. But the Sheriff isn’t a cowardly man. He can’t be when he’s the sheriff of a town infested with vampires.

  “I’m saying I think your mother was having an affair with a Born vampire,” Luke says. “I think she was letting him feed on her. And I think your father walked in on them doing two unspeakable deeds.”

  Both Ian and Luke are gone in a second and suddenly reappear across the room. Luke’s head smacks hard against a bookshelf, Ian’s hand wrapped around his throat. Luke’s feet dangle two inches off the ground.

  “Cora Ward would never,” Ian hisses.

  “Ian!” I scream as I scramble from my seat and dart across the room. I grab the hand that is holding Luke hostage and try to claw it away. It doesn’t budge one millimeter. “He’s just trying to help! Don’t hurt him!”

  Lillian is suddenly a blur across the room and Ian goes crashing to the floor. Luke collapses and starts coughing violently.

  A feral growl rips from Ian’s throat as he leaps back to his feet. His eyes glow red-hot.

  Not intimidated one bit, Lillian drops into a slight crouch and her own eyes flash.

  “Stop it!” I bellow as I place myself between them. “Ian, get a grip on yourself. Luke is just trying to help.”

  Ian’s glowing eyes snap from Lillian to me. For a second, I’m afraid. How in control is he right now? How much are his feelings for me going to outweigh his vampire instincts?

  But slowly, one deep breath at a time, he stands a little straighter. His eyes dim.

  Seeing him stand down, Lillian once again stands ramrod straight and her own eyes fade to their nearly black color.

  For the first time, I feel like I’m starting to understand what it will actually mean, living in a House full of vampires.

  “Don’t touch me again,” Luke manages to cough out as he climbs to his feet. “I swear, you touch me again and I’ll stake you myself.”

  The look of horror on Ian’s face at the realization of what he’s done is enough to crush me.

  Luke snatches the file off of the coffee table and stalks out of the library. From the foyer, I hear him mutter to Rath. “I’ll send you copies of the report.” Rath lets him out and door shuts once more.

  “You have to admit,” Lillian says as she settles into a chair and crosses her legs elegantly. “It makes sense. You don’t just become a Born by chance.”

  Ian swallows hard once. Twice. A third time as he sinks into an overstuffed chair.

  “I know it isn’t easy to hear it,” I say softly as I sit on the coffee table in front of him. I take his hands in mine. “But, Ian, it all adds up. You said so yourself that your parents were never happy together. Maybe…maybe your mom found some temporary happiness with someone else.”

  “But with a damn vampire?” he breathes. It’s a strangled thing. “Why did it have to be with a vampire?”

  I don’t have words of comfort for him. There isn’t anything that I can really do or say to make him feel better about this revelation.

  “At least now you know,” Lillian offers quietly.

  The moment whiplashes when both Ian and Lillian look toward the window and are instantly on their feet.

  “What is it?” I ask as I join them at the window. Suddenly, I feel like a minority, the only one in the house who isn’t a full on badass with enhanced abilities.

  “There’s someone at the gate,” Ian says in a low voice.

  Lillian peers through the window. I wonder if she can actually see the gate. It’s so far down the property that my human eyes don’t have a chance at seeing it. “It’s Samuel.”

  “Samuel Kask?” I ask in disbelief. “As in the Kask brothers from the House?”

  “Yeah,” she says. “What…?”

  “He just asked if he can come in.” Ian interrupts Lillian.

  I shouldn’t marvel at the fact that Ian can hear Samuel clear down there, but I do.

  “Of course,” I say. My brain is suddenly racing, trying to decide what his presence here means. Not two seconds later, there’s a knock on the front door.

  Rath opens it just as the three of us step into the foyer.

  “Hey, Alivia,” Samuel says, standing on the porch in the dark. “Can…can I come in?”

  I know that something must be terribly wrong. Because this is Samuel, the vampire who will hit on anything with breasts and always has a lopsided smile on his face. But right now, he looks nervous. Maybe even scared.

  “Please,” I say, standing aside to give him room.

  “What’s going on?” Lillian demands. “What happened?”

  Samuel sniffs hard and wipes the back of his hand across his face, leaving a small smear of blood as he does. I notice his hands are covered in it. “There was another attack at the House,” he starts. There’s fear in his voice, but also a heavy dose of annoyance. “They came right at twilight, busted right through the front door.”

  “Did they have the snakes on the backs of their hands?” I ask as my brows furrow together.

  Samuel nods. “There was eight of them this time. I’ve only seen her once, but I know that the mayor’s wife was one of them.”

  Ian swears and shakes his head as he folds his arms across his chest.

  “They had that toxin, took Cameron down ‘cause he was trying to protect Trinity. Took a few shots at Jasmine. She seemed to be their main target, but I don’t think they had more than a few doses left ‘cause then they just started attacking.”

  “Was anyone killed?” I hear the concern in Lillian’s voice. She may have defected to my House, but those vampires were still her family at one point.

  Samuel shakes his head. “Cameron is pretty messed up, Trinity not much better.”

  The air is heavy with implications right now, like a wet, dark blanket. But while they are thinking about who it is that’s ordering these attacks, I’m focused on the man right in front of me.

  “Samuel,” I say calmly. “Why are you here telling us this?”

  He meets my eyes and I see his own grow hard. “Because Jasmine doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing. And I know how a House is supposed to run. There’s supposed to be order to it. My father might not have been a Born Royal, but he did what Elijah would have. It’s time for things to be put back in their right order. And that
means having an actual Royal leading a real House.”

  I look him straight in the eye before I embrace Samuel. “Welcome to the House of Conrath. I’m glad you’re here.”

  MY BREATH CREATES CLOUDS AS I walk over the saturated gravel. When my palms do not sweat as I walk up the half rotted steps, I know something has changed. The last time I stood upon these steps, I was prepared to die. They brought out Ian, expecting me to kill him. I was so terrified.

  But here I stand, alone. At least, alone as my small House will allow me to be.

  Every one of them is hidden somewhere they can see me.

  I raise my hand and knock on the door four times.

  It’s a Bitten who opens the door, one I do not recognize, but immediately behind her stands Jasmine.

  Without waiting for her to invite me inside, or more likely to attack me, I step over the threshold, bumping the Bitten with my shoulder as I do.

  “You’re looking well, Jasmine,” I say in an overly kind voice. I hear a hiss from the Bitten next to me and turn to find her bearing her fangs, her eyes glowing yellow. She earns nothing more than a glare from me.

  “And you’re still looking very human,” Jasmine offers. Her eyes are difficult to read. “Your birthday is tomorrow. I hope you are here because you’ve changed your mind about delaying your bloodletting.”

  I smile, wiping my feet on the rug before shutting the door behind me. It means my House members can no longer see me, but it is not without purpose. “The time for my death will come soon enough, but it won’t be tomorrow. Though, I do plan to celebrate—with all of Silent Bend. I do hope you and your…” I glance around at the decrepit space for effect, “House, will join us.”

  A deep red glow ignites in Jasmine’s eyes. “You really think it wise inviting the town that so fears your family into the very home they once tried to burn down?”

  I take a step toward her. “I think you’ll find the attitudes of the wonderful people of Silent Bend are changing when it comes to Alivia Ryan.”