Page 50 of Cruel Vampire King

But if he wasn’t, what would I do with all this hatred in my heart?

I’d fought so long between mourning what I thought he was and hoping I was right about the romantic figure I’d imagined at eighteen.

As my mind was reeling, the oracle started to speak again. “These crimes are heavy on the head of the accused. If he is guilty, let the people see him for who he is. They need to see the proof, otherwise, his death will be unjust. If there is no proof, let him compete in the final battle of the Blood Trials.”

Greyson smiled.

Luken glanced at the oracle, his lips quirking. It was strange, seeing him react that way. He was the king… but it was sinking in now that he really wasn’t as powerful as I’d built him in my mind. How could he rule if the people refused to bow to him? And what was a better way to make them refuse to bow than to threaten their eternal souls? The Gods were powerful.Even people who didn’t believe in them could use them to increase their own power.

Up until now, I thought Luken just used them as an excuse for the Blood Trials. The tributes I knew to be real but the Trials…

He told me the truth when he said he had no choice.

He really was the prince of my dreams.

“You want proof? Here. Have your proof.” Luken whirled suddenly, his hand slashing through the air. A ripple of sound burst like a gunshot, echoing in the arena. A wave of blue washed from the spot where Luken had motioned.

Greyson tried to dodge it, but the magic hit him crosswise. He dropped, howling as his sword went flying. Thessa screamed, her fingers digging into my arms. I pulled her back, away from the writhing mess that was Greyson. As we watched, he changed. His ears shortened, his jawline became heavier, his cheekbones lifted, and his nose grew smaller and straighter.

When the transformation was done, and he lifted his head, his eyes glowing brown in his face, a collective gasp ran through the audience. The large viewscreens on either side of the colosseum were filled with the image of Greyson’s face. His real face. He looked so similar to Luken that even though I’d never seen him before, I would have recognized them as related instantly.

The only familiarity was those reflections of Luken. I’d hoped that I would look at him and see one of the monsters that slaughtered my family. But he wasn’t one of the mercenaries. He’d sent them to do his dirty work.

“I saw him at the temples,” Thessa whispered. “He talked about the prophecy with…” she trailed off, as though unwilling to continue.

I hardly heard her. A new feeling washed through me—relief.

Because finally, finally, I believed Luken. He hadn’t killed my family. He wasn’t a monster who slaughtered the people I loved to punish me for hesitating. He’d told me the truth when he said he was going to wait a few years, to let me grow up a bit and be ready to come with him to the palace. He was telling the truth when he said he mourned me. When he said, he wanted me to be with him.

Greyson’s lips curled back over his teeth. His fangs lengthened as he glared with sheer hatred at Luken. A shudder ran down my spine as I recognized the hints of his anger I’d seen in him through the forest. No wonder I felt so uncomfortable, even when I was trying to convince myself otherwise. He’d been seeking to use me, to hurt me, from the start. There was an evil in him that I reacted to, even if I didn’t know it.

Greyson pulled himself to his feet, continuing to glare at Luken. Luken stared back at him, utterly impassive.

“Will you keep denying your identity, or will you finally be a man and face the consequences of your actions?” he asked coolly.

Greyson stared back at him for a long moment before his eyes flashed to me. The hatred that burned in their depths made me flinch back. But as he looked at me, a smile curled his lips. A cruel smile transformed his handsome face into something ugly and terrifying. He started to laugh.

“Do what you will to me, brother. Just know that whatever you have, there is something that I took that you willnever have. I tasted the girl first. I had her blood and her body. When you enter her and find her no longer a virgin, just know that your little brother broke her in for you,” he crowed.

Anger swept through me. “That’s a lie!” I shouted.

“Of course, you’d say that,” Greyson mocked. “But you can’t hide the truth, Elara. You called out my name as I drove my cock into you. And no matter how many times my big brother fucks you, I’ll always be the first man you had.”

“I’m still a virgin,” I snarled, my voice loud in the colosseum. I didn’t even care if other people heard me. I hadn’t guarded myself for so long just for someone like him to lay claim to my first time! “The only person who has ever touched me is Luken.”

My stomach churned. I wanted to vomit and kill him all at once. My thoughts were jumbled. I’d never had sex, but was it possible that he could have raped me, and I not know about it? I didn’t think so. There’d be evidence left behind, wouldn’t there? Pain, blood. I inhaled through my nose, calming myself. There were no unexplained blackouts while we were in the forest. There was never a time when he could have done that. No doubt he thought I wasn’t a virgin, and he was just trying to hurt Luken.

Did Luken believe me? I turned to search his gaze, and the soft look in his eyes told me that he did. Relief washed through me.

“I’m still a virgin,” I repeated. “He never touched me.”

And even though I was thrilled that Luken would believe me without proof, some small part of my mind whispered,Would it make a difference to him if I wasn’t a virgin?

Greyson moved suddenly, dodging for his sword. Luken’s hand moved so quickly that all I saw was a blur. He threw the knife at his belt directly into Greyson’s eye. Luken turned as he threw it, his expression melting into a thunderous hate. Greyson stumbled. The point of the blade protruded through the back of his skull. His hands fluttered, then he keeled over and lay still.

Luken started to turn toward me, the hatred melting off his face.

Before he could take a step toward me, the oracle lifted their arms toward the sky. The shroud covered ever their hands, preventing me from seeing anything that might indicate their identity.

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