Page 21 of Darkest Heart

“Your comforts?”

“I was being treated like some kind of animal. I am immortal, like you, and honestly, I was mostly angry. Especially considering it is my ex-partner who orchestrated this whole thing.”

“Not only him.”

“No.” I nodded my head. “I suppose I couldn’t give him all the credit for this master plan.”

“Fine.” He let out a long, ragged breath. “Then you will have no problem telling me everything the gods told you.”

“I’ll tell you,” I countered, the lies piling into each other. “If you promise to take my father out.”

‘Make it believable,’the voice urged.

“I want him punished for all he’s done to me. After all is done, as I assume you want to topple the monarchy, all I ask is for Erianna to be spared, and for both of us to have our freedom. Offer me that, and I will help you.”

“I will consider your proposal,” he said, leaning forward, fingers entwined together. A crow squawked from outside the window, but neither of us looked away from the other. “First, tell me something to show, goodwill.” A sinister smile crept over his mouth. His teeth glowed yellow as the lamp shone onto his features. He was testing me as much as I was his gullibility. Keeping my emotions deep down, I forced an air of indifference onto my expression.

“What do you want to know?”

“Do you know about the prophecy?”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, goosebumps spreading over both arms. He glanced at my skin, his sharp eyes noticing every micro-movement. Keeping my feelings to myself was harder with immortals whose senses could pick up on every single bodily reaction.

I cleared my throat. “Yes.”

“So, then you are aware that you are to bring death to all vampires should you sit upon the throne?”

“I am.”

“Did the gods tell you this?”

‘Lie.’

“They did. Vaneria told me that I would indeed bring death to all sangaree,” I said, hoping that by only saying it would be the sangaree, and sparing the aniccipere they wouldn’t kill me.

His chest heaved, and I knew I had him. He ran his pointed tongue over his teeth. “They specified the sangaree?”

“It’s been a long time coming. They do not like the way the world is, but there’s not much they can do about it.”

“Hm.” He sat back, creaking the chair against the floorboards. The whimpering from the rooms below echoed and groaned, a chorus of pain that had become background noise at this point. “But you must be queen for this prophecy to come true,” he stated, his gaze trickling to the ground as the mortals whispered to each other of plans of escape that would never materialize. “Fickle things, these mortals,” he added, changing the subject. “If they don’t have a hope of getting away, they will fall into despair. Their spirits are still strong. That’s why we keep them together now.”

“Now?”

“We used to keep them isolated, thinking they would have less chance of escaping. But without hope, they deteriorated faster. They taste much better alive, and once they’re dead, there’s only flesh and bones to devour. No soul.”

“Hmm.” I inhaled deeply, forcing the disgust from rolling out onto my face. “Then why not keep them better fed? Perhaps in nicer conditions? You know, like cows in a slaughterhouse.” I swallowed hard, trying to force the lump from my throat.

“Keeping them weak stops them from fighting back.”

I arched a brow. “You are stronger than a hundred mortals together. Why would you care about that?”

He hesitated, moonlight sliding through the window onto old, blood stains covering the mattress. “I will speak with the council this evening and give you our decision.”

“What about Astor? He hates me and would never allow you to make a deal with me.”

He slammed his fist into the chair, shattering the wood into pieces. “He does not rule me! His desires are not taken into account.”

I nodded, and finally he stood. Footsteps pounded outside, stopping at the door. “Your dose is here.”

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