Page 112 of Taken By Touch and Torment

I enjoyed that Scarlett placed herself with the turned in her use of the word us. Another tiny comfort as my shadows threatened to reach for her and my every muscle clenched in anticipation.

“We have to show each party this reality and shake them out of Durian’s illusions,” Scarlett said.

She slowly grew more and more comfortable from her seat at the table head, her eyes lighting up with passion. She exuded power and conviction, and it was fucking sexy as much as it was frightening.

“Durian is punching above his own strength, and if his second in command knows it, then others surely do too. I’m going to tell you everything I know, and I’d appreciate if you filled in all the blanks just as I will try to fill in yours.”

Those vicious, big blue eyes landed on each of us, and I could only grin and nod in response.

“Go on, baby,” I drawled, if only to earn that ruthless glare. It went straight to my cock. Visions of bending her over this table after the meeting were becoming more likely by the minute.

“There are many places we could begin, but I’ll start with our biggest threat, the kingdom. I think Kole is concerned about Durian’s connection with King Earle,” she said. “At first, I thought Kole wasn’t giving you all a chance at the meeting because he was born and had no interest in siding with the turned. I can read desire.”

She paused, hesitating despite that fact not being news to any of us. She’d been conditioned to hate what she was since before she had a name for it.

“So I could tell at the meeting that Kole wasn’t interested in anything you all had to say. He didn’t want to punish the born, and he was only triggered when Durian seemed to be disrespecting Earle and the kingdom. I’d made the wrong assumption. I may be able to read what people want, but I don’t always know why people want things. Kole is looking out for himself most of all. But he’s also looking out for King Earle. He’s concerned. I don’t know a lot about Ravenia other than that the kingdom is now at war with rebel forces…”

Scarlett looked around at all of us.

I stepped in. “King Earle has been alive for nearly one thousand years. He is obsessed with preserving his legacy, now more than ever. Not only have turned forces risen up against the nobility and King Earle’s rule broadly, but several members of his own council had been plotting against him. Those dissenters are now in hiding, but their impact remains. He feels attacked from all angles and whispers from Ravenia say that those closest to him are concerned about his state of mind.”

The wheels of that adorable little mind spun and spun.

“Just like what happened in Valentin, a long reign of immortals can breed a level of arrogance and apathy that must be checked,” Uriah said, ever the bleeding heart. “The born in Ravenia saw what happened here and thought that it couldn’t possibly happen to them, but they were wrong. They’ve royally pissed off the mortals who sustain them, and now they’re paying the consequences.”

“Kole is a true loyalist, no?” Scarlett asked. “He wouldn’t have been a dissenter?”

Sadie nodded. “Correct. He’s always sought to protect Earle and the monarchy. He’s in love with customs and traditions, and he believes that there’s no greater honor than to serve.” Sadie smiled slyly.

Scarlett shifted uncomfortably, glancing at me. She was waiting for my anger, for my hurt, directed toward her for doing what she needed to survive. She’d never receive it.

“He called it island madness. That’s what the born in Ravenia think of the born here. He even said that slavery was low-class behavior,” Scarlett said. “It confused me, because I always thought that the born were the same everywhere.”

“I think we’ve all learned valuable lessons recently about assumptions and treating entire groups of people as monoliths,” Sadie said with a nod.

Mason and I tensed, exchanging a glance.

“Consider me sufficiently humbled,” Mason offered, still throwing olive branches at mine and Scarlett’s feet.

I would eventually tell her to knock it off, but for now, it was satisfying to watch her squirm and work double to earn back approval.

“It’s true that the slave trade in Ravenia has been growing, but yes, it’s not kingdom-condoned,” I said. “Whether the nobility in each region partakes is another question, but slaves certainly aren’t paraded out in the open in King Earle’s court.” When Scarlett’s eyes flashed with pain, I quickly forged ahead. “It goes against traditional customs of seduction and mortal-vampire relations that have maintained relative peace for thousands of years. It’s when those protections are eroded for the general populace that we end up with clans of turned vampires and rebelling mortals. The slave trade has been a means for born vampires on the bottom of the power and wealth hierarchy to climb higher. What was once a rarity has become widespread, and we fear that Durian’s religion is spreading in tandem with trafficking, one reinforcing the other and vice versa.”

Scarlett nodded. “That’s what Durian wants. He doesn’t only think of himself as destined to rule Valentin. That’s just phase one. He believes he was destined to rule Ravenia, too. He admits it freely, around safe company. Now I’m seeing how poorly such an admission would reflect on the born to someone like Kole, and especially to King Earle…”

“Yes,” I affirmed. “It would be devastating.”

I memorized the way Scarlett looked right now, her blue eyes bright, her cheeks faintly pink, her shoulders straight and confident. She’d been dressing more and more in her preferred style, no longer hiding her body away completely. Today, her dress was black, perhaps to match my clan’s attire. It was still conservative, with lightweight fabric that came to her wrists and low on her legs, a dainty bow at her collarbone. But it clung to her curves rather than hiding them away, and that was progress.

“I can work on Kole, especially with Sadie’s help,” Scarlett declared, and I fought the urge to clench my fists where they rested on the table. “Exposing Durian to him and Earle is a crucial component to the plan, not only as traitorous but also as unfit to rule even Valentin.” Her brows furrowed when she looked at me. “What’s Kole’s vendetta against you?”

Her insight startled me, even though it shouldn’t have at this point. “He was in the running to rule Valentin on behalf of Earle.”

Scarlett’s eyes widened. “Well, that’s surprising.”

Sadie snorted. “Couldn’t agree more. Rat certainly wasn’t born to rule.”

Scarlett giggled, as she did every time Sadie called Kole rat. I grinned as I watched her, my smile fading the moment hers did.

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