Page 36 of Cruel Vampire King

Even the big bad king of Taimarah would face backlash for this sort of behavior.

I shook my head and sighed. “We’ve all noticed that our path was surprisingly easy. He killed my family because he wanted me, and there is still something I have to offer him. My blood.”

Even after telling them, some tiny, irritating part in my heart whispered whether it was the whole story. How could the Luken who touched my scars so gently be the same one to cruelly take my family from me? How could the man who rescued me from the kelpie also send mercenaries after me to kill me? He’d sent me back here because I told him to. He could have taken my blood at any time, but he didn’t. He seemed to be waiting for my permission.

I shook my head again. I didn’t want to think about how it felt to have his body close to mine, his lips on my neck. It was just making me confused again.

“If he’s watching… ifyou’rewatching…” I finished my braid. “I’ll give you what you want if you remove Thessa from the Trials. She doesn’t deserve to be here.”

I stared at the sky, hoping to catch some shimmer indicating the magical cameras on us. A wind whispered through the branches, making the leaves shiver. It was strong enough that the combined sound was like rain on a roof. I closed my eyes, inhaling; there was no scent of rain on the wind.

Just as well—it would be miserable to keep marching.

Kael was the first to speak. His voice was smooth and flat, like a mirrored surface. “Thessa doesn’t deserve to be here. But the rest of us do? You’re only bargaining for her life?”

I met his gaze. “I’m not bargaining for my own life, either.”

Kael held my gaze for half a second longer before his eyes flicked away.

Ysara’s yellow eyes never left me. She stared hard at me while I explained, and now there was a look on her face as though she’d just been able to put together pieces of a puzzle she hadn’t yet been able to complete. Something flashed behind her gaze, but when I stared back, she shrugged and looked away.

What was she thinking? Had she noticed something off about me? If any of them could smell how clean I’d gotten on my two forays to Luken’s luxury, it was her. But she said nothing, only resumed pounding the tubers.

“Do you think it will really work?” Greyson asked doubtfully.

I laughed bitterly. “No. But it’s worth a try, right?”

The lithe elf crouched near me, his gaze dark and intense. “I thought he was watching you strangely during the choosing of the participants. I guess we know why everything was so smooth for us. It was rigged. If he wants your blood that badly, the colosseum will be rigged, too. Why should he accept your bargaining when you’re working toward it anyway? We all die, he gets to drink from you anyway. And once he does—”

“I’m not going to let him,” I snapped back. “I won’t let him put his mouth on me unless Thessa is removed from the Trials.”

Greyson shifted positions, sitting with his long legs stretched out in front of him. “You’re acting as though he’ll give you that choice, Elara. But vampires don’t care about consent. Though I have to wonder about everyone who’s watching us now. What do they think about the Gods’ Game being rigged like this?”

Oh, we were having ‘technical difficulties’ for sure. No way would Luken be allowing anyone to watch it. Maybe he was. Perhaps he’d turned off his feed, too. Maybe he didn’t watch at all… but the maybes were where I’d go crazy.

“Does it matter when he has all the power?” I asked, shaking my head. “I can only worry about one thing at a time.”

Greyson nodded, his expression softening. His arm snaked around my shoulder. He would have pulled me close to him if I hadn’t stiffened. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. His mouth turned downward briefly, but he soon removed his arm.

“What he put you through is horrible. Nobody should have to deal with something like that.” He shook his head, a bitter smile twisting his lips. “I might be ruining my chances of survival here, but the king should be tortured and killed for what he did to you. And for everyone who has suffered under his reign.”

I tried to find comfort in the idea, but my stomach knotted. Luken had ruled Taimarah for something like three hundred years. If he was killed, especially without an heir, what would happen? Vampires didn’t do well with change; the whole kingdom would suffer, I was sure, if we had that sudden vacuum of power.

It wasn’t because I didn’t want to think about Luken being tortured. I wouldn’t let myself feel sick at the idea of it. He didn’t deserve that loyalty from me.

All the same, the conviction with which Greyson spoke was off-putting. It couldn’t just be about me. What deeper resentments did he have toward our vampire king?

Chapter 14

An infection set in overnight.

In the morning, we started to move again. My stomach wouldn’t settle, and I couldn’t eat any of the nasty tubers Ysara had spent so long preparing. She didn’t press me and took my portion for herself. Which was just as well. No use in letting it go bad.

“Mmmm,” Thessa groaned. Her eyes slowly pried open. “Mama?”

My heart jumped and squeezed at the same time. “Let’s put her down.”

We set her down. Thessa started to stir but cried out in pain. I quickly leaned over her, pinning her in place gently.

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