Page 60 of Bitten

Ralnur sighed. He hated perpetuating the lie, but he had little choice now. He wouldn’t throw Kane to the wolves. “They think someone got into my room in the hospital. They’re not sure how.”

“You were attacked by the vampires,” Varian said, his face aghast. “They’d bitten you all over—of course that’s where you got the virus.” He paused, panic crossing his fine features. “The enchantment is supposed to protect us. Does it not work?”

“I left the nest unchanged. It happened at the hospital. A new strain, I heard the doctor say. Perhaps the enchantment doesn’t work with this new strain.”

“Are we in danger?” Varian asked, his voice low.

How could he allay his son’s fears without the truth? “You have nothing to worry about,” Ralnur said. “One doctor thinks perhaps my body was just too weak to fight it off. I doubt you have anything to be afraid of.”

“Oh,” Varian said, sitting. He looked about the room, his face a myriad of emotions. “At least Adriel put you in someplace nicer than the dungeon.”

Ralnur winced. “You shouldn’t have placed that spell on your cousin, you know that.”

“I do,” Varian said, lowering his head. “But I had to save you.”

“You should’ve gone to Adriel and asked for his help.”

“I tried! I went to him, and he was as dismissive as always. I know how little he thinks of me, but when we truly needed him, he was not there. I couldn’t get in to see him. I knew there were only hours to save you, so I decided to do what I could.”

“Yet you got close enough to place the spell. You were close enough to tell the king what was happening. You had a chance to stop things before they got too far. Before you ended up in the dungeons, charged with treason.”

Varian’s face twisted, looking as if he didn’t understand. “But… but I’d already told the vampires I’d do it. I couldn’t back out. You’ve always told me to be a man of my word. To always follow through with a promise.”

Ralnur sighed, shaking his head. There were no gray areas in his mind—only black and white. In that way, he was almost childlike, even with the face of a grown man. Gullible, sweet Varian struggled to see the world as most did. Ralnur had heard the earnest tone in Varian’s voice. The thought to double-cross the vampires hadn’t even entered his son’s mind. “You could’ve lied to the vampires.”

Varian’s eyes widened, his mouth opening. “But you’ve always taught me not to lie. To be a man of my word.”

“There are times when lying is the right thing to do.” Ralnur said. “You could’ve told the vampires you would help—just to get yourself out of the situation—and then you could’ve asked the king for assistance. Then the king and his men could’ve set a trap to catch the vampires leading this fight. It would’ve ended this war we’re in.”

“And what if I had and they killed you? They nearly did, papa.”

There was no point in arguing the finer points. Varian saw the world differently than he did, and he just needed to accept that Varian had done all he could. Unfortunately, all he could might ultimately get him killed or exiled. Varian would never survive outside the walls of Midnight.

Ralnur opened his arms and let Varian come to him. He hugged his boy close. “I know you did whatever you could to save me.”

“I did,” Varian sobbed. “I cannot think of a world without you, papa.”

Ralnur closed his eyes, knowing to leave might be a death sentence for Varian.

Or just maybe he’d finally learn to stand on his own.

Ralnur would hope for the latter, if he was sentenced to death and his boy was exiled.

Varian drew away and slowly moved to the windows. He looked down upon the gardens below. “This room is much nicer than mine in the dungeons.”

He hated that Varian was imprisoned, but in their situation, he didn’t have much pull to stop it. He was barely hanging on himself. “Perhaps you could still find your way out of this mess.”

Varian spun to face him. “How?”

“You could tell the king everything. Every little detail. Who contacted you. Where you met. What they said. What their names were. What they looked like. But don’t tell them anything until they’re willing to give you a deal. One that will save your life.”

“I don’t know much,” Varian said. “I only met one… and he didn’t give me much to go on. I was terrified, too. That didn’t help my sense of perception.”

“Search your mind,” Ralnur instructed him. “See if the guards will give you some paper and pen. Write it all down, every bit you can remember—use it to save yourself. Do you understand me?”

Varian frowned.

“You’ll need to use that knowledge to barter for your life,” Ralnur said. “If you simply hand it over, they’ll have no need to promise you anything.”

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