It’d take a strong force to bring these two men down.
To my surprise, Simon shook his head.
“I don’t really know,” he said. “One minute, Kirkland and I were patrolling the east side of Dark Row, talking about the alpha fight, and the next thing … he was gone. There was a rustle of leaves, and I followed after it, but he was pulled away by something so fast my eyes couldn’t track it.”
I frowned, considering what could take one of my most seasoned guards. “Bear shifter?”
They weren’t that fast, but I had no other explanation.
He shook his head and swallowed hard. “No, there are a couple bear shifters helping guard the mages down by Dark Row, so I don’t think it’s them.”
“Bears?” I bristled. “They don’t usually help mages.” Shifters tended to stick to their own kind after Declan exiled them all.
Justice nodded, rubbing at his face. “Forgot to tell you last night. The mages pleaded for their help as well, and the bear king sent them.”
Bears and wolves working to protect mages at Dark Row? Unheard of…
I shook my head and turned back to Simon. “Tell us what you remember of the attack.”
He nodded. “As soon as he was dragged away, I tore off into the woods to find him. Only took a couple seconds to shift, but by the time I got to him … he was dead.”
“How long did it take you to find him?” Justice asked.
I knew what he was looking for, and I waited to hear the guard’s response. If it took Simon more than a couple of minutes to track someone, then his skills were suffering—either from age or neglect.
“Seconds, sir. Less than a minute after Kirkland disappeared, I found him—or rather his body. But … it didn’t look right.” Simon blanched, his ashy-gray coloring going even more pale, and he swallowed repeatedly before he managed to speak again. “His body was … husk-like, all around his neck, face, and chest.”
The room swam, and my stomach sank as I considered what could cause a death like that.
“A husk?” Noble asked, shooting me a look of horror.
Simon nodded. “Completely … drained of blood.”
What the hell did he just say?
“Drained of blood?” Justice parroted.
My brothers both echoed the guard’s statements as all three of us reeled with disbelief. Because there was only one thing that could drain blood that fast. Only one species who would—
The guard’s lip quivered, and then he started to shake. “His skin was all shriveled…” Simon swallowed, and tears dripped down his weathered cheeks. “Stuck to his bones…” He sniffed. “Like he was sucked dry.”
Justice and Noble turned to me, their eyes wide.
Shit.
The vampires chose now to come down from the cliffs? I sighed. “Thank you, Simon. From now on, we patrol in teams of four. Noble, have Simon checked by a healer and then get an additional dozen guards to Dark Row ASAP.”
He nodded, and Noble escorted him to the guard at the door and then returned.
The second the door closed, I turned to my brothers. “We need to make sure our patrols here have sufficient numbers to withstand—”
“You don’t really think the rumors about vampire nobility being alive are true, right?” Noble asked.
I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples, wishing there was some way to deny the reality facing us.
Justice cleared his throat. “I heard Uncle Declan speaking once about them. Something about a blood payment.”
I jerked my chin up and stared at my brother. “A payment? Of what?”
Because there was only one thing I knew they’d want, and if Declan was paying them in blood…
“Oh, Mother Mage.” Noble shook his head. “Don’t tell me—”
“Knock-knock.” My mother entered the room, holding a tray of food, and we all quieted. As she crossed the room, I noticed her features—even her frame—reflected a strain or tenseness, and I had an epiphany. Whatever horror we’d suffered under Declan, our mother had probably suffered far more. I should have killed him sooner—a lot sooner.
‘Don’t say anything to worry her,’ I said to my brothers. ‘She needs time.’
Probably a lot of it.
Her face brightened when she saw me. “How’s my new king? Any word on Nai?”
I shook my head, forcing a smile even as my heart sank. “Still working on it. I did get a message to her, I think, and Justice has a mage trying to break the protection spell on the portal.”
She nodded, setting down the tray. My brothers and I dug into the honey-baked ham, scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns that were piled high on the platter but diminishing quickly.
My mom gave me a tremulous smile. “Honey, while you’re here, I need to talk to you about the main kitchen remodel.”
My shoulders tightened with fresh, additional tension. “Kitchen remodel?”
She nodded. “Chuck has been asking for a remodel budget for a decade now, and I think—”
“Give me a list of what you and Chuck want as well as pricing, and we’ll get it done,” Noble said. “Rage has enough on his plate without having to worry about a kitchen remodel.”
‘Thanks.’ I shot my brother a smile filled with relief and gratitude. ‘That would’ve been the straw that broke my camel’s back.’
Mom smiled. “Will do, dear.”
After giving us all a kiss on the cheek, she left, and I felt both worse and better because she seemed to stand a little taller.
Was this really what my uncle had done all day? Because it was a lot harder than I thought it’d be. I was constantly putting out fires with barely any time to think about Nai or myself.
“I’ll handle the kitchen remodel,” Noble told me. “But I’d also like to hire an assistant.”
I nodded. “Done. Approved. Whatever you need.”
Justice and I met each other’s gazes.
“I need you to tell me everything you know about the vampire situation, preferably before we get to Dark Row to check out where Kirkland was killed.”
Justice nodded. “We can talk on our way over. First, let’s go check in with Kalama.”
We all stood, and I looked from Justice to Noble and back. “If anyone hears anything about Nai—”
“We’ll let you know,” they both said in unison.
If Nai wasn’t in my bed tonight, I’d burn the entire realm down tomorrow.
Chapter Six
We stepped into the library, and my gut churned. Acrid smoke filled the air. Justice and I wound our way through the aisles to the back of the room. Alpha Academy classes were paused until the master mages returned. Shifting over to a new king was a process, but we’d be back up and running in no time. And I’d have Nai by my side.
Kalama stood in front of the onyx door, wearing a grease-stained apron over a fitted t-shirt and pants. The kitchen maid and sister of Surlama glared at the entrance to High Mage Island as if her fierce expression alone could make it pop open.
On either side of the door sat a shallow metal bowl, each of them filled with smoking herbs.
“How are things going?” I asked.