Page 69 of Fated In Blood

Not pleasantwasthe understatement of the century, as I gagged on my own bile outside of Darkmore Castle, which was honestly the last place I thought we’d end up.

“Why the fuck are we here? Blake is at Valentine’s, remember?”

“Because Valentine’s is too public. Once Tyrell comes back here, we can settle this without human casualties.”

“Okay. That’s…smart,” I admitted.

“Whether you trust my motives or not, Silver, I’m trying to keep everyone alive right now.”

Since we’d left my stomach back at Crimson House and I could barely function, Riordan half dragged me up the steps,lifting his hand as we approached the top. Too caught up in my misery, I could barely comprehend what I saw next.

Honestly, for someone who had been invisible not that long ago, seeing a blue ball of magic shoot from someone’s hand and shatter twenty-foot-high doors into slivers of pale wood shouldn’t have been a stretch, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around wielding that much power so effortlessly.

“Tyrell,” Riordan roared, dragging me through the fractured doorway into the last place I ever wanted to be—the gilt-encrusted, palm-lined foyer of Darkmore Castle. Or was this the place Iwantedto be?

I lifted my head, taking a shallow inhale, and my new and improved vampire senses picked up everything I’d never have smelled as a human.

Beneath the pungent sting of explosives, I caught my sister’s scent.

Angel was somewhere in this house, though I shuddered when I imagined her upstairs in Laurent Tyrell’s chambers. Shecouldn’thave chosen this life. There was no way she’d turn her back on everything Mom had sacrificed to end up as arm candy for someone as morally bankrupt as this fucker.

Riordan stalked deeper into the castle, dragging me with him. “Stop with your games and come here and face me. I’m the one you really want.”

“Whatever you do, keep your mouth shut and guard your thoughts so he…” His eyes narrowed and, with a curse, a wave of suffocating cold cascaded over me, like I was encased in a sheet of ice. “Now he can’t read your mind, but still, don’t say a fucking word.”

Tyrell appeared out of nowhere, Bosch still practically glued to his side. I really needed to learn how to do this spooky vampire shit they all took for granted. I braced for some kind ofreckoning, since he’d made me the scapegoat in this, but the old ghoul ignored me completely.

Which was somehow worse.

“Riordan. Finally, I have your attention. All it took was spilling a few drops of blood.” Tyrell’s expression soured as he eyed his ruined front doors, then he reached up and tapped his finger to his chin, pale eyes narrowing. “We had an agreement, as I recall.”

“One I’ve adhered to, since day one. Call off your fucking dog, give me Blake, and we’ll hash out whatever you’re pissed about.”

“The solution isn’t that simple. Marten was given a choice, and he chose to turn the girl. Then he allowed her to run amok, attack Collum in a blood frenzy, and nearly drain him dry in a public place in front of humans. Four violations of our laws, where the penalty is death. I fail to see how I’m outside my rights on this, Riordan.”

Oh, this lying sack of…

Riordan’s hand closed around my arm with enough force to leave bruises. “Nice try, but Valentine’s been running vamp-human fights for the past two hundred years. Our secret’s been out for a couple centuries, Laurent. What do you want?”

“What I’ve always wanted.Compliance. You and Marten want to continue to exist in your safe, little bubble? Stay the fuck out of my affairs. I lost two shipments of blood slaves this past week alone. Three, the week before that. Your do-gooder interference stops now.”

“We know it’s you, Graves. Don’t bother denying it.” I got my first good look at Bosch. His face healed perfectly, not so much as a mark left from the burns. There was no scar on his neck, but he never took his eyes off me, pupils black as the depths of hell.

“And I suppose you have proof of my supposed involvement?” Riordan lifted an eyebrow, and his careless stance had even me convinced he didn’t have anything to do withTyrell’s unfortunate business failures. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not your only enemy, Laurent. Perhaps you should look closer to home.”

“People in House Tyrell are loyal,” he said stiffly.

“Your people are a bunch of power-hungry savages. My intel reported House Arcanis has been making inquiries about your slave trafficking concerns since last year.” Riordan’s face didn’t change, his inflection remained steady, and yet there was something that struck me as off.

He was lying to Tyrell, and he was doing it very, very well.

Admiration shivered through me as he pasted a withering smile on Tyrell.

“Perhaps you should clean your own house before accusing me.” His one-shouldered shrug was executed perfectly enough to send Tyrell’s rage spiraling out of control. “Lord Villar Arcanis isn’t one to pass up an opportunity, and my spies report he’s reinforcing his wards every six hours these days. Almost like he has something to hide.”

Tyrell’s low snarl of rage sent cold, dark power rippling through me, and I sagged against Riordan, only his bracing grip keeping me upright. “There is still the matter of the girl. Feeding in public, unrestrained hunger, the list goes on. You should have left her with me. Valaine could have used a new plaything, and Collum…”

For the first time, the full weight of Tyrell’s gaze fell on me.

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