Page 51 of Heir

Omaera stood up, shaking her head. She wiped away a tear from her cheek. “I’m not hiding from anybody. They killed the only parent I’ve ever known. The only person who has ever loved me. I’m not hiding. I’m coming for them. And I’m going to kill them.”

CHAPTER NINE

Omaera

“We need to get you into hiding,” Drak said again, following me back downstairs. “You’re not going off to find whoever did this and kill them. That is reckless and irresponsible. Particularly since you are the Queen.”

I glared at the vampire, who’d yet to show me that the smile muscles in his face even worked.

I knew all about resting bitch face, but this Nosferatu-wannabe was taking the sourpuss look to a whole other level.

I couldn’t even be bothered to respond. I was too . . . devastated, enraged, broken and confused to even begin to pick a fight with him. I’d probably kill him if I did, and I’d already killed one vampire in the last twenty-four hours. I didn’t need to make a habit of it.

I spun around at the bottom of the stairs and faced Kase. “Is part of the necromancer package that you also take care of the body in a respectable and caring way?”

“Pack—” He glanced at Maxar who lifted both brows high and nodded. So Kase nodded as well. “Yes. Yes, of course. It’s all part of the necromancer package. We see their last moments and do the body moving. Um . . . what would you like me to do with your aunt?”

Well, now that was a loaded question. I’m sure she had a will somewhere. Or actually, if she was a human—like I thought she was until a few minutes ago—then I’m sure she would have had a will. Now that I knew she was a spellcaster mage, I didn’t know what to think or assume. Maybe she had nothing filed away for the afterlife because she didn’t think she’d ever have an afterlife.

How old was she?

Kase said he was nine hundred and fifty-six.

“What do you do with mage bodies?” I addressed Maxar.

“That’s usually up to the family. Besides you, did Delia have any family?”

Another loaded question. If she did, I was never introduced to anyone. But again, if these people were immortal, she probably had relatives out there that I’d never met. Did they have a claim to her body?

“I don’t know,” I whispered, chewing on the side of my thumb. “I . . . don’t know anything about her anymore.”

“I have a small space in my basement where I can keep her safe until you decide,” Kase said. He turned to Zandren. “I will need help removing the body from upstairs though. If you’d be so kind.”

Zandren glanced at me. He’d been the big, burly boon of comfort I didn’t know I needed until I sorely needed it. And he smelled really good. Like . . . cedar and honey. He really was Pooh Bear—but with abs. So. Many. Abs.

“The meeting with the High Council is soon,” Drak said, his phone clutched in his pale hand. “We should go.”

“I have other more important things to deal with right now,” I said, glaring at him. “Tell the Council that the Queen will not be in attendance.”

“I do not advise this,” he said through, what sounded like, gritted teeth. “They are the other leaders and will feel quite slighted if you snub the first official meeting.”

My eyes flared and heat raced up my neck and into my face. “You do not advise it? They will feel slighted? Guess.”

His brows furrowed, and he looked at the other three men in the room before turning back to me. “Guess?”

“Yeah. Guess.”

“Guess . . . what?”

“How many fucks I give about whether or not the other leaders feel slighted.” My closed-mouth smile was forced and full of disdain. “I’ll give you a hint. It rhymes with hero.”

Drak cleared his throat and glanced away.

Maxar smirked and snorted.

Zandren’s brows hiked up to his hairline, and Kase was looking anywhere but at me or Drak.

“My aunt, the only person on the planet—besides Gemma—who has ever given a real damn about me, is dead,” I went on. “Murdered. I’m not snubbing their meet and greet. I am dealing with my grief and figuring out who killed her. And furthermore, Drak—by the way, could that name be any more on the nose? Drak. Dracula. Seriously? Ugh—I was never consulted about whether or not today even worked for me. I was told that there would be a meeting. When last time I checked, I’m the fucking Queen. I rule this roost of a goddamned realm—until I can figure out a way to abdicate—and I will fucking tell them when and where the meeting will be. Got it? So go back to your vampire king and tell him I’m busy.” Then I spun around and stomped off to the kitchen before I turned his brains into a poached egg.

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