Looking where she shouldnt, how very human of her. Once, Aden would have been proud about that. Nowshe had no idea what was going on inside his head or how hed react to, well, anything. She knew only that Riley was right. Something was wrong with Aden. He wasnt himself. He was colder, harsher.
Challenging.
Vampires were all about tossing challenges at the weak and vulnerable. And the weak and vulnerable accepted those challenges or they endured an eternity of slavery by declining. Then, when they lost, they endured an eternity of slavery anyway. Difference was, by accepting and losing, they werent teased and tormented, too.
Vlad had set the rules, of course. He despised weakness and cowardice, hed claimed, and the challenges were a way to weed out the unworthy.
Did Aden plan to challenge everyone?
A movement in the sky captured her attention, and she watched a black bird soar past. The sun was hidden behind gray clouds, and perhaps even a thick layer of glassy rime. The angels were ice-skating up there, her mother would have said.
Her mother. How Victoria missed her. For the past seven years, her mother had been locked away in Romania, a prisoner charged with sharing information about vampires with humans. Vlad had even forbidden his people from speaking her name. Edina the Swan.
Even thinking it gave Victoria a thrill. Rebellion was new to her.
Then, when Aden was dubbed the man in charge, hed freed the woman at Victorias behest. She had expected her mother to teleport to Crossroads so they could be together again. Only, Edina had decided to remain in her homeland.
As if Victoria wasnt important enough to bother with.
She wanted to be important to someone. And had been. To Aden. Since the first moment hed spotted her, hed made her feel special. Now
Her stomach jumbled as she stepped beside him. His attention never strayed from the surrounding forest. Large oaks knifed toward that icy sky, a smattering of blood-red leaves hanging on for dear life. Mostly gnarled limbs stretched out and interlocked, as if the trees were holding hands, bracing themselves for the coming winter.
She wanted to take Adens hand but wasnt sure how he would react.
I think you should travel back in time, she said, breaking the silence. Shed given this some thought. If he traveled back to the night Tucker stabbed him, he could prevent all of this. Not just the stabbing, but her attempt to turn him. Their week of feeding, of nearly draining each other, their fighting, thisnone of this would happen.
No.
Thats it? Thats all her intense pondering got? No? Just like that?
Just like that.
But Aden, you can stop Tucker, once and for all.
Too many things could go wrong, and we dont know what would happen in the new reality. Could be far worse than this one.
She doubted that. Theres only one way to know for sure. Her new favorite phrase.
No.
So adamant. He couldnt like this reality. Could he?
This is mine, he said matter-of-factly, reminding her of her father.
All right, maybe he could. Yes, she said with a shudder.
His gaze moved to the ground below them, and hers followed, seeing the hidden stretch of land as he must. Bleak, yet fighting to survive. Not a single bloom colored the garden, but the bushes were yellow and orange. Ivy still clung to each trellis, though the leaves were light and brittle.
In the center of the yard was a large metal circle, a ward welded into the dirt, seemingly innocuous whirls intersecting through every inch. The metal could move and open, creating a platform that lowered into the crypt where her father had been buried.
Without a word, Aden climbed the balcony railing and straightened, his balance precarious at best.
What are you doing? Were too many stories up. Come down! You
He stepped off.
A yelp escaped her as she bent over the rail, her heart stopping as she watched him fallfallland. He didnt splat or crumple as expected. He simply uncoiled from a crouch and walked out of the backyard, all liquid grace and lethal determination.
Victoria had done the same a thousand times before. Perhaps that was why she didnt hesitate to follow him over. Aden, wait! Cold, biting air lifted her hair and robe.
As she tumbled toward the flat, hard surface, she remembered her new, human skin. She flailed, trying to claw her way back up. Then it was too late. She
Hit.
Her knees vibrated from impact, and she collapsed, slamming into one of the wards metal bars. During that impact, oxygen heaved from her lungs. Worse, her shoulder popped out of place and the agony nearly undid her. For hoursmaybe just a few minutesshe lay panting, shivering from cold and shock, tears scalding her eyes and catching in her lashes. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she said through chattering teeth. Though the sun was hidden behind those clouds, though the air seemed layered with frost, her skin began to prickle as if she were close to reaching vampire maturity and burning.
What was wrong with her? Besides the thousand other things shed been dealing with lately?
Footsteps reverberated, and suddenly she could scent Aden in the air. That amazing fragrance ofshe sniffed, frowned. He smelled different. Still amazing, but different. Familiar. Like sandalwood and evergreen. A mystic from long ago, yet coldly alive, and now as spicy as the human girl had been.
I will not let jealousy overtake me.
Victoria opened her eyes, unsure when shed closed them. Aden was leaning down, spotlighted by rogue rays of light that had escaped their cloudy prison. His expression was as impassive as before. Dark hair fell over his eyeseyes of startling violet.
Since shed known him, shed seen him with eyes of gold, green, brown, blue and black, but the violet had not appeared until their time in the cave.
When he reached out, she thought he meant to help her up. She offered him a small, waxen smile. Thank you.
I would not thank me, if I were you. He latched onto her shoulder, and sharp pain lashed through her.
What do you
He forced the bone to pop back into place, and she discovered what true pain really was. A scream ripped from deep inside her. Birds took flight, probably desperate to escape the horrendous, ear-piercing sound.
Youre welcome, he said, straightening.
She would take that to mean Im really truly very sorry I hurt you, my love. Next time
There wont be a next time. You wont be jumping from the railing again. Promise me.
No, I
Promise me, he insisted.
Stop cutting me off.
All right.
When he offered nothing else, exasperating her, she rasped, Why did you jump? You could have walked through the house to reach the bottom. And saved her a panic attack and dislocated shoulder.
This way was faster. He pivoted on his heel and marched away. Again.
Wait.
He didnt wait.
Cursing under her breath, Victoria gathered enough strength to stand. Her knees trembled and nearly buckled, but she somehow found the will to remain upright. She trailed after Aden, feeling like a puppy on a leash. A bad puppy who didnt want to go on a walk and had to be dragged.
Aden never once glanced back to make sure she was okay or even to ascertain that she was there. He just didnt care, and that hurt worse than her shoulder, cutting at her insides, making her cringe. To him, she either followed or she didnt, and neither choice evoked emotion.
Why do you want to talk to everyone? she asked.
A few things need to be straightened out. He strode to the front of the house, up the porch steps and stopped at the towering, arched front doors. Few vampires were out and about at this time of day, even with the hazy milieu, but those who traipsed the grounds blinked in shock when they spotted him, then quickly bowed to show their respect.
A minute ticked by.
More minutes ticked by.
Um, Aden. You have to walk through a door to enter a house. Standing here wont do anything.
I will. First, Im surveying whats mine.
Once again, he sounded like her fatheror Dmitri, her former betrothedand she chewed at the inside of her cheek in disgust. She hadnt been fond of either man. Please, please let Aden return to his normal self when the pills wear off.
What would she do if he didnt?
She wouldnt think about that right now. She would just get through the day, help Aden conduct his meeting, for whatever reason, guarding him all the while, and then, later, if necessary, she would worry.
Do you like what you see? she asked, recalling the first time shed brought him here. Hed taken one look at the Queen Annestyle mansionthe asymmetrical towers, the gothic stones and glasswork, the narrow windows with their prominent eave brackets sharpened to deadly points and the steeply pitched roofs, all painted a grim blackand grimaced.
Yes.
One-word answers were annoying, she decided.
Finally he pushed the double doors open and entered. His gaze swept the spacious foyer, taking in the black walls, the crimson carpet, the antique furniture polished to a perfect shine, and he frowned.
I know the layout of this place. There are thirty bedrooms, most of them upstairs. There are twenty ornate fireplaces, several rooms with parquet floors, several with red sandstone, a great hall, a throne room and two dining rooms. But Ive never seen more than this room, your bedroom and the backyard. How is that possible?
Excellent question. Maybemaybe when we exchanged memories all those times, some of mine stuck.
Maybe. He flicked her a blank glance. Do you recall anything about me?
Oh, yes. Mostly she remembered the beatings hed received in a few of the mental institutions hed lived inshe wished to punish those responsible. She also remembered the isolation hed endured in several of the foster homes hed stayed in, the parents afraid of him but willing to take on his care for the paycheck that came with him. Not to mention the rejection hed suffered time after time from peers who considered him too different to deal with. Too weird.
That was why she couldnt walk away from him now. No matter how distant or unlike himself he was, she wouldnt reject him.
Well? he prompted.
Yes, I do. She didnt tell him what, though. Do you recall anything specific about me? Besides this home?
No.
Oh. A memory could have sparked compassion. Compassion could have sparked a thousand other emotions, one of them reminding him of just how much he freaking loved her. Or maybe this was for the best. There were some things a girl didnt want her boyfriend to know about her.
Wait, he said, blinking. I do remember something.
Hope and dread battled for supremacy. Yes?
When you first came to Crossroads, summoned here because of the supernatural blast Mary Ann and I inadvertently created, you spotted me from a distance and thought, I should kill him. Ouch. See? That was one of those things. First, I told you about that. Second, taken out of context, the thought seems worse than it was.
You mean a desire to kill me is a good thing when in context?
Her teeth gnashed. No, but youre forgetting how strange your pull was to us. We didnt know why youd summoned us here, what you had planned for us, or if you were helping our enemy. We
Enemies.
What?
You dont have one, you have many. In fact, the only race you arent at war with is the wolves, and theyd be fighting you, too, if they werent so loyal by nature.
Well, well. An emotion from him. Only, it wasnt one shed wanted. He was disappointed. She didnt understand why. You have no idea the things that have taken place between the races throughout the centuries. How could you? Youve been living in your little humanity bubble, unaware of the creatures that stalk the night.
And yet I know alliances can be formed.
With who? The witches? They know we crave their blood and cant control our hunger in their presence. They would laugh in your face if you offered a truce. So who does that leave? The fairies? We feed off the humans they consider their children. They would wipe us out if they could. Dont forget the fairy prince you helped kill, and the fairy princess who then tried to kill you. What about the goblins? They are mindless beings, caring only about their next meal, which just so happens to be living flesh. Our flesh. Shall I go on?
Yes. Glitter in his eyes, a twitch of his lips. Explain to me why you war with other vampire factions.
Explain to me why humans war with other humans.
He ran his tongue over his teeth. Most humans desire peace.
And yet they still have not found a way to facilitate it.
Nor have the vampires.
They stood there, simply staring at each other in the silence. She was panting again, her aching shoulder rousing her fervor for the subject and perhaps making her snappier than she should have been when Aden had so calmly stated his case.
Aden, she said, gentling her tone. Peace is a wonderful thing. But thats all it is. A thingand sometimes the wrong thing. Will you roll over in the name of peace, allowing my father to reclaim his throne, or will you fight him?
Fight, he said without hesitation. Then I will wage war until the other vampire factions are brought to heel. And if they cant be brought to heel, they will be annihilated. Examples will be made, and peace will finally reign.
War at any cost was classic Vlad the Impaler ideology, and not something Aden Stone had ever before supported. Yet, this was the second time in the last five minutes that Aden had sounded exactly like her father. The third time that day.
An idea rolled through her mind, frightening her.
Were bits of her father somehow trapped inside him, driving him? If so, how? Aden had tangled with Victorias memories, not her fathers. Unlesswere these her beliefs? Had they remained with him along with a few of her memories?
Vlad had always viewed humans as food and nothing more, even though hed once been human himself, and he had taught his children to view them the same way. Power had gone to his head, she supposed. To all their heads. But more than thinking himself superior to humans, hed thought himself superior to all races. King of Kings, Lord of Lords. Peace had been an afterthought, the road to that peace violent and gruesome.
Better others were wiped out than living and opposing every directive he gave them, Vlad had often said.
After meeting Aden and seeing what he was willing to endure for those he loved, her entire perspective had changed. Vlad shattered. Aden restored. Vlad enjoyed the downfall of others, Aden mourned it. Vlad was never satisfied. Aden found joy where he could.
She envied him for all of that. Not that she was now completely opposed to war. One day, she would have to face off with her father. One day, she would have to destroy him, for he would never allow Aden to rule. Vlad would fight until the end, and he would fight without mercy. Therefore, someone had to deliver that end, and she would rather that someone be her.
Having been inside Adens head, she knew just how deeply his past hacked at his joy. Hed hurt people. Hed possessed other bodies, forcing people to do what he wanted, rather than what they believed. All to protect himself or someone he cared about, true, yet the guilt had never left him.
I know the feeling. She still had no idea what shed done to him, those last few minutes inside their cave, but the guilt was slicing at her, leaving raw, open wounds inside her.
Distracted?
Victoria focused on Aden. Were his lips curling into a grin? Surely not. That would mean she had amused him. Yes. Sorry.
You should He stiffened, his ears twitching. Someones coming.
She looked up, and sure enough, two females were pounding down the stairs, black robes dancing at their ankles. Victoria wanted to ask how hed heard them when she had not but didnt want to admit her observational skills were inferior.
My king, one of the girls said when she spotted him, stopping at the second to last step. She executed a perfect curtsy, pale hair falling over one shoulder.
MyAden. The other girl stopped, as well. Her curtsy was less graceful, but maybe that was because she was eyeing Aden as if he were a slice of candy and she had a sweet fang.
She wasnt attracted to him, Victoria knew. No, the dark-haired beauty was attracted to power. Which was why shed challenged Victoria for rights to him.
According to their laws, any vampire could challenge any other vampire for rights to a human blood-slave. Though Aden was acting king, he was still humanor had been, at the time the challenge was issuedand Draven had used the loophole to her advantage, hoping she would take over his care and become queen.
They had yet to fight. Soon, though. Soon. Aden had only to announce when and where.
Victoria seethed with the need to put Draven in her placethe crypt outside. There was protecting your loved ones out of duty, and then there was protecting your loved ones for fun. Draven would be given a taste of the latter.
Perhaps Victoria was still like her father, after all.
Is today my birthday? Look who decided to stop hiding in her room, Draven said with a pointed look at Victoria. How courageous of you.
You were welcome to knock on that door at any time. And yet you didnt. I wonder why.
Draven flashed her fangs.
Bring it.
Maddie. Draven. Aden nodded to them both, inserting himself into the conversation and taking it over. With no other preamble, he added, Go to my throne room and await me. I wish to speak with everyone who lives here.
Victorias hands fisted at her sides. He knew the sisters names, yet she didnt think hed ever before met Maddie the Lovely. Draven the Cunning, yes. Or as Victoria suddenly wanted to call her, Draven the Soon to Die Pain fully.
The vampire council had chosen the bitchoops, was her anger showing again?to date Aden, along with four others, one of whom had been Victorias sister Stephanie, hoping he would choose a wife, while at the same time pacifying mothers and fathers who wanted their daughters aligned with the royal house. Back then, Aden had claimed to desire only Victoria.
Had that changed like everything else?
What is this meeting about? Draven asked, batting her lashes at him.
You will find out when everyone else does.
While Victoria rejoiced over his abrupt answer, Draven struggled to hide her flare of anger.
When she succeeded, she propped her hip to one side and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. May I stand on your dais?
Simpering cow.
The forcefulnessthe humannessof the thought surprised her. At least Aden seemed as unaffected by Dravens seduction attempt as he had about everything else.
No, you may not, he said, then added flatly, But you may sit on the steps next to the dais. I want you close to me.
She threw Victoria a smug glance. Because Im beautiful and you cant keep your eyes off me?
Maddie pinched her, clearly trying to shut her up, but Draven waved her hand away. Shed always been her own number one fan.
Aden frowned. No. The fact is, I dont trust you, dont like you and want to make sure I can see your hands. If you go for a weapon, you will be deemed a traitor and imprisoned.
Every bit of color drained from Dravens cheeks. Wh-what?
All right, Victoria loved this new Aden.
May we change our clothing before we enter the throne room, majesty? Maddie asked softly, and when Aden nodded she pulled her sister away before the girl could say anything else.
Victorias mouth opened, snapped closed, opened again, yet no words escaped. Not that she knew what to say. That had been spectacular. Simply spectacular.
Back to business, Aden strode to the far wall and lifted the gold summoning horn hanging there. A thing of beauty, that horn. Solid gold, intricately carved, a dragons head curving from the top, scaled claws curving from the bottom and a mouthpiece rounding up into a tail. He placed that mouthpiece at his lips.
Wait. What are you doing? Dont Victoria raced toward him, only to stop when he blew. A loud wail echoed throughout the entire mansion, bouncing off the walls, vibrating against the floors, rattling the very foundation. do that, she finished weakly.
He must have interpreted dont do that as do it again, an easy mistake to make when you failed to listen, because he blew a second time, and another wail resounded.
Dread worked through her, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. Finally the wailing ceased, leaving a strange, deafening silence.
You shouldnt have done that, she said.
Why?
Her hand fell to her side. Uh, because I said not to?
Why not use the horn, he continued, when its out in the open, waiting to be used?
Its out in the open for emergencies only.
This is an emergency.
I will not scream at him. How so? Gritted, but not screamed. Good.
I didnt want to climb the stairs, call, text, email or wait for the grapevine to inform everyone about my meeting.
I will not slap him. I absolutely will not. Well, do you know what your laziness just did?
Yes. I summoned my vampires. Efficiently. Quickly.
Maybe one little slap wouldnt hurt. Yes. You also summoned your allies and let your enemies know you are in need of aid. Wait. Let me rephrase. You summoned my fathers allies, and she lowered her voice in case anyone was eavesdropping he wants you deadin case youve forgottenand now hell have help. Because when he shows upand he willtheyll offer their support to him rather than to you.
Which meant Her brother would return, she realized. Her brother would return and assist her father.
What would she do if her brother fought her boyfriend?
Shed always loathed the decree that kept her segregated from Sorin, had hoped he would one day seek her out, but he never had. Neither of them had been willing to risk their fathers ire. Shed spied on him a few times, though, watching him flirt with women before coldly maiming the vampires he trained with.
Shed come to think of him as half irreverent brat, half homicidal maniac, and to this day she wondered what he thought of her, or if he would even care to learn. Hed always been Vlads staunchest supporter.
Aden winning against her father was a long shot, but Aden winning against her father and her brother? Impossible. Because the only thing that would be sliced was Aden.
She would talk to Sorinfor the first time ever, and sweet mercy, she wanted to vomit from nerves at just the thoughtand ask him not to fight. And when she asked him, he wouldshe didnt know what he would do.
If what you say is true, Aden said, your father would have snuck in here and used the horn himself. But he didnt, which means he didnt want anyone summoned.
I Had no argument, and he had a point. Still!
Aden shrugged. Let himand themcome.
What would it take to shake him out of this emotionless stupor? Some will teleport into the surrounding forest. Some will travel as humans travel, but all will make their way here to hurt you.
I know. And thats a good thing. I want my opposition disposed of quickly, in one swoop.
Back to spouting Vladsherphilosophy, was he? My brother will be among those who travel here.
I know.
He knew? And he didnt care?
Hell die like the others.
No, he didnt care. She stared up at him for a long, silent moment. Who are you? Her Aden never would have planned something so cruel.
Im your king. His head tilted as his study of her intensified. Unless you choose to serve your father now?
Why? Would you kill me, too?
His expression became thoughtful, as if he were actually pondering his answer.
Never mind, she gritted out. The conversation was only making her angrier. But my brother
Is not up for discussion. Until Vlad develops the courage to show himself, our little war cant begin. And it needs to begin, out in the open this time, so that it can end. We cannot have one without the other.
Hed just spouted another facet of her beliefs. How many times had she said You cannot have an end without a beginning to Riley throughout the years? Countless. Of course, shed been trying to talk the shifter into letting her misbehave, not trying to convince him to ramp up the hostilities. But here was a question to last the ages: had she been this annoying?
You. Are. Frustrating. Me.
Aden shrugged, but underneath the casual, unconcerned action, she saw a glimmer of unease work through his expression. First thoughtful, now uneasy. He must not like frustrating her. She hoped.
Hope that was demolished when he said, Enough. We have things to do, and strode to the throne room to at last host his precious meeting.
Once again Victoria found herself trailing after him like a puppy. And she didnt need Elijah to tell her bad, bad things were about to happen.
SEVEN
ADEN STEPPED INTO THE throne room, his bare footfalls silent against the plush red carpeting that formed a path directly to his throne. Black wards were woven into that carpet, and for the first time he could feel the full force of the power wafting from them, slithering around his feet. With every step, that power twined higher and higher, around his calves, his thighs, his waist. His stomach, chest and arms.
He breathed deeply, the constant buzzing in his head finally quieting. The power swirled, forming a halo that lifted strands of his hair, as if hed just stuck his fingers into a light socket.
He experienced a startling moment of clarity. Ofemotion. Suddenly he was Aden, not the cold-hearted vampire king hed somehow become. He felt. Guilt, joy, remorse, excitement, sorrowlove.
He reached back, extending his hand, needing to touch Victoria, even in so small a way. He knew she was behind him, each of his cells aware of her every move, her every breath. Every second that passed.
A momentary pause, a gasp of surprise. Her fingers tentatively twined with his, meltingly warm and familiar. Aden?
Yes?
Her step faltered, and she stumbled into him. He stopped and wrapped his arm around her to hold her up, loving the way she fit against his side. Like a puzzle piece hed been missing.
Your eyestheyre normal. Hope bubbled in the undertone of her voice.
Normal? I take it thats a good thing.
Very good.
He glanced around. Black candelabras lined the front of the concrete bleachers stretching at his sides. Between them were thick marble columns. I cant believe this, he said, shocked that he was really here. Forget the danger I caused by using the horn. I summoned everyone in here to prove a point, and that point could kill them.
What point?
Im too embarrassed to say. Ineed to sit down. He kicked back into motion. When he reached the throne, he eased down, more candles flickering around him, smoke swirling from the tips.
The buzzing in his head started up again. A split second later a grumble sounded, subdued, yet all the more savage and brutal because of that. And just like that, the veil of emotion lifted, leaving him feeling both a biting cold and a sizzling heat, neither of which could surpass his determination to lead his vampires to victory against Vlad.
Im so happy, I could cry. How human of me, right? But then, Im becoming more human by the second, I think. And thats okay. Yes? Thats good? A grinning Victoria crouched in front of him, resting her palms on his thighs. Lets go back to my bedroom and talk. Well Slowly her grin faded. Your eyes. Her voice was now flat.
What about them?
Theyre violet again. Dead.
He shrugged, unconcerned. Do I have Chompers inside my head? The grumbling had tapered off as suddenly as it had begun, but he knew there was somethingsomeoneat the edge of his conscious, waiting, listeningcontrolling?
If not Chompers, who? Orwhat?
A frown as she straightened. No. Hes with me.
Aden looked her over. She wore a long black robe, thin straps tying the material on her shoulders. Two tugs, and that robe would drop to the floor, and he could drink from her neck, her chest, even her thighs. Any place he wanted, really.
He gripped the solid gold arms of the throne to ensure his hands behaved. Where were these thoughts coming from? Earlier, he hadnt been able to decide if he even liked this girl. Now he was imagining undressing her and feasting on her?