Page 45 of Our Sins in Blood (Coven of Sin 1)

As if reading my mind, Corry took my hand in his, pulling my gaze back into focus as he said, “He was a terrible bastard, Red. But I think there was a shred of good in him. I won’t tell you lies and say he was kind to me. But he didn’t do the things to me that he did to the others.”

My breath hitched. “What did he do to the others?”

His jaw hardened. “Those aren’t my stories to tell. What I can tell you is that the circumstances under which he turned me were a complete accident. You might even call it an act of mercy.”

“Mercy?” So far, what I knew of the vampire king, mercy had no business being in any sentence where he was included.

Corry’s body went completely still, like stone. “The night I died, I’d been speeding down Route Six. I did it all the time. My family lives in Boston, and every Friday night, I’d get on my bike and get out of the city. I’d go as fast as my bike would handle, and I’d go all night. The Cape’s the perfect place for it, especially up north where the roads are completely empty, and it feels like you’re all alone.”

Corry’s gaze locked with mine, his face expressionless, stony. “But that night, I wasn’t alone. The vampire king liked to take joy rides that time of night too, and his car collided with my bike going one-fifty.”

“That’s when you died in the car crash,” I nodded, remembering what he’d told me from before. Though, it was only an offhanded mention. I was eager to hear the rest of the story.

“I should have,” he said, bobbing his head as if a part of his brain was still trying to process it. “Should have died instantly. Instead, I died in the arms of the guy who hit me. And it was just my lucky night, I guess, because it happened to be the vampire king on the one day in his life he felt merciful.”

“Do you ever wonder why he did it?”

“Pretty much every damn day, Red. The guy had been through countless wars, plagues, genocides, some of which he was the cause. Human life meant fuck-all to him. He’d killed so many people, all of them as inconsequential as squashing a fly. But he decided to save me, some kid he didn’t even know.”

“He probably felt guilty.”

Corry scoffed, the sound grating and filled with frustration. “Thomas Knight didn’t know the meaning of the word.”

Letting out a sound that was half animalist growl, half sigh, Corry scoured his hands over his face, his fingertips buried in his hair. “I know how you feel, you know?” he muttered, not looking at me anymore.

My brow furrowed. “How could you?”

“I don’t feel like I belong in this world, this dark existence filled with death and suffering. My family bought the lie about me going overseas to bike through Europe because that was my plan. I was about to start my last year at college, and I was majoring in engineering. My twin was in the same school, same year. Biology major. We were going to take the trip together to celebrate our graduation.” His voice dropped, pinched into a pained whisper. “She had to be so crushed when she found out I dropped out of school without warning and went on the trip without her.”

“But you didn’t!”

His head shot up from his hands, his eyes full of darkness. They were terrifying with the neon flicker of the clown car sign reflected in them. “She was made to think that I abandoned her. For the last six months, I’ve been pretty miserable. Wondering why this happened. But maybe your dad…” He shook his head, unable to voice his train of thought.

“Maybe he what?” I prodded, sliding my hand over Corry’s back. His expression softened at the contact.

“He knew he was going to die. He knew he was going to name you his heir. I don’t think he turned me out of pity. I think he turned me because I was your only shot of having someone kind of normal. Someone who hasn’t forgotten what it’s like to be human. I’m not hardened and jaded like Eros. And Vincent? Hell,no one’slike him. I don’t even think he was ever human. And I’m not some ancient vessel of knowledge like Sterling. I’m just…me.”

Holding my breath, I gaped at the vampire as his words slowly sank in.

What did he mean by Vincent not ever being human? What could he have been before?

My attention wandered back to the flyer. There was no question by the stacks of muscles that Deathwish was a deadly predator and a formidable opponent for Vincent. But other than his pale skin, he could pass as human. The Feral King, on the other hand, his skin so white, the fans who followed his MMA career had probably thought he’d painted himself as part of the act. Playing up the stage. They probably thought the bulging, ink-black veins were makeup too. It wasn’t a stretch to imagine him as more monster than man even before he’d been turned. Which begged the question, what exactly was he?

My mind slipped to the other thing Corry had said. Did my father choose to turn Corry simply for my benefit? Because he thought his friendship would be a relief amongst the other inhuman, deadly princes vying for me?

Maybe.

By keeping himself out of my life, maybe that was another act of mercy. Another sign that he…cared.

That was enough for me. That was the little tiny flicker of light that I needed to exist in the otherwise noxious ball of hatred that swelled in my chest whenever I thought about my father.

There was just one more question I needed an answer to. “How did my father die?”

Corry’s whole body went rigid and by the way his face contorted, I knew I wasn’t supposed to know the answer.

When he didn’t reply, I pulled the dirty card. Because there was no way I was leaving here not knowing what happened to my dad. Even if he had been the world’s biggest prick, I had to know.

“Corry, tell me how my father died or there is no way you’re getting into my pants tonight.”

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