The depth sends a wave of vertigo through me, and I drop back down to my seat. Alaric gives me a knowing look but says nothing. Outward, he is the picture of calm except for the tell-tale twitch of muscle along his jaw.
He pulls the curtain closed again. Tension builds in the air, nearly crackling like a lightning storm. It’s a few more minutes before we come to another stop. From the way Alaric scoots forward, I know this is our destination.
We have arrived at Nightwich.
My stomach bottoms out, and I’m not sure if I will be able to get out of this carriage by my own ability.
The door opens, letting in a chilly blast of winter air. I shiver, telling myself that it’s from the cold and not because I am about to walk into a castle filled with vampires.
The footman steps aside, his gaze facing forward as he holds the door open. His uniform is crisp. Red threads glint in the morning light against the black cloth, contrasting with the castle’s bright exterior.
Alaric climbs out first then turns and offers me a hand. I take it, holding a little too tight as I step down beside him.
“Your luggage will be brought to your respective rooms immediately,” the footman says.
Alaric’s head whips around to face him. “You will bring her things to my rooms. She is to stay with me.”
“Of course, Sire,” the footman says with a bow. He closes the door and walks to the back of the carriage.
I stare after him. Something about the few words he spoke snag in my mind like a splintering piece of wood.
“Come, my dear, Clara,” Alaric says, guiding me with a hand at the small of my back. His eyes never leave the castle until the second we are inside. Something akin to dread hardens his expression.
We pass through the antechamber. The walls are a dull, pale stone, but paintings, statues, and expertly placed fabric bring a touch of color. Alaric hurries us through the halls, without a second’s hesitation. He knows exactly where he’s going. After a few turns, we end up in a cramped corridor lacking any decor. These must be the servants’ passages, though I’m not sure why we are taking them.
The soft beating of Cherno’s wings against the air trails behind us.
A woman clears her throat behind us, stopping us in our tracks. Alaric’s fingers flex against my back. Taking my hand in his, he turns, partially hiding me with his body.
I list my head to the side and look past his shoulder to the woman dressed in a soldier’s uniform. The gold metal of her spaulders and bracers is polished impeccably and set against the dark black of her clothes.
“Her majesty requests your presence in the throne room,” she says.
Alaric’s hand tightens slightly over mine. “We will come as soon as we have settled.”
The guard frowns then says, “The queen has requested your presence the moment you arrived, not a minute later.”
Alaric is silent for several beats then gives her a curt nod. “Very well.”
The guard spins on her heel and walks back the way we came.
Alaric lifts a hand and motions to Cherno. The demon bat nods their head then flutters off down the hall in the direction we were headed in. I briefly wonder if sending his demon away is a good or bad sign.
He turns to me with worry written across his face. “Are you ready?”
I nod. Then together, we follow the guard back down the hall toward the throne room where the queen awaits.
Chapter Two
Clara
“I will inform the queen that you have arrived.” The guard turns to me and narrows her eyes. There’s a distinct curl to her upper lip as she says, “She will be taken to the human quarters—”
Alaric bares his fangs. “She stays with me.”
The guard bristles. I’m surprised when she doesn’t object further but instead dips her chin and strides through a side door nearly hidden in the shadows of the corner.
Before us is a stone archway over two massive doors that narrow to a point at the top. The sun-bleached wood is gilded along the edges and embossed with the crescent moon with a feather cutting down through the center.
I swipe my clammy palms down over the hips, hoping the gesture isn’t noticeable. We are alone, yet I can’t shake the feeling that hundreds of eyes are watching us.
“It’s about time the two of you arrived,” Cassius’s voice booms, sounding too loud for the previously quiet space.
Lawrence walks a half step behind him. I can’t help but notice that Della is not with them.
Alaric says nothing as the two men join us, but he squeezes my hand reassuringly before letting go.
The two vampires turn toward me in unison. Their stony expressions only reinforce the fact that I should not be here.
What protocol is he breaking to keep me by his side?
I reach for Alaric to question him, but before my hand is halfway to his arm, one of the ornate doors swing open. The room is crowded. Men and women are dressed in elegant suits and gowns. All heads turn toward us, and I am left feeling more than underdressed for the occasion.
Then, as if by some unseen cue, the crowd parts down the center, revealing the vampire queen upon her throne.
A white dress accented with obsidian beading hugs her body. Her honey-blonde hair cascades down her back loose, and upon her head sits a bone-white crown with thick points jutting up. Rubies decorate the tips and along the base.
A man leans closer to her and whispers something in her ear. The queen throws her head back and laughs, her voice carrying throughout the room. She is slight and delicate like Kitty, but that is where the similarities end. She holds a power that seems to radiate off her in waves. Where my sister is soft and warm, she is harsh and cold. Her eyes cut through the room toward our small group. Even from this distance I can feel the scrutiny of her gaze like sharp claws tracing every vein over my skin.
A large raven sits on the high back of her throne. Their red eyes are so bright they throw off a soft glow within the brightly lit room. Even her demon has a presence.
Alaric strides forward, and I move to follow, but a hand grabs my wrist and holds me back. I tug on my arm, and when I’m not freed, I turn to glare at the vampire holding me.
“Stay with us,” Lawrence says. He slowly pries his fingers off my upper arm, dropping his hand when I remain where I am.
The door slams shut behind us. Cassius and Lawrence stop as if that were a cue. Together, we wait at the edge of the room, away from the crowd.
“What a waste of time,” Cassius mutters under his breath. “All to prove to Alaric that she has him under her pretty little thumb.”
Alaric continues until he stands at the foot of the dais before the queen. He kneels down on one knee. The queen shifts her attention to him, her face somber. The demon bird above lets out a caw that echoes through the room, silencing the barely audible whispers.
“Stand and come to me, my prince,” the queen purrs.
“Prince?” I nearly choke on the words.
“You truly did not know?” Cassius asks, his voice filled with amusement. “Our dear Alaric didn’t tell you…” He feigns a scandalized gasp then murmurs, “This is fantastic…”
Lawrence shoots him a warning glance.
Things that have been said and done start to piece themselves together. How Alaric ordered the three vampires, the footman calling him Sire and the guard not arguing with him…