Page 69 of Reign

Empty. Gone. All three of the vampires connected to me the most had betrayed me. They knew, and now they were going to pay.

How had I convinced myself that Tessa’s feelings for me were real? How I had thought they hadn’t seen Marko when they lifted the marble lid that kept him entombed?

I was going to kill them. All three of them. Well, not Marko. I couldn’t do that. But Tessa and Hunter, they were dead. What I had in store for those two wouldn’t compare to the carnage I’d already brought down on our kind. Tessa was going to suffer for what she was doing to me. Fuck, I couldn’t breathe without her by my side. If I was going to go through this agony, wasn’t it better to go through it knowing I’d made her hurt worse than me before it was over with? Betrayed me, for them? Didn’t she see how powerful I was? Didn’t she know she didn’t stand a chance without me?

My voice roared through the bedroom as I drew my hand back and slammed it through the wall. I felt no pain. I felt nothing but loss and rage. Every enforcer under me was searching the world for those traitors. And my men would find them. They’d capture them and bring them back to me. What they’d do when they saw Marko was beyond me. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. But I couldn’t think of anything at the moment. Nothing but her.

“Your Highness?”

I spun, snarling at Colin as he stopped in the doorway.

“Are you not out looking? Did I neglect to make my orders clear?”

“No, King Delacroix, I just thought you’d like an update.”

“I don’t want an update, I want them here! Unless you’re telling me they’re downstairs waiting, you’re wasting my time.”

A hard look came to the lead enforcer’s face and he nodded, closing the door behind him. I immediately spun back around, beginning to pace the long length of the room. Perhaps I should try to summon them again. At least Marko. He was my fucking bonded. Yet, nothing I did could bring him back to me. How was that possible? Why couldn’t I even call out to the one I created? My blood was ruining everything. If I wasn’t so powerful, so pure.

“Fuck!”

My voice tore through the room for what had to be the millionth time since I found Tessa gone. I had thought she’d run to the memorial, but she wasn’t there. That only led me to go in to take out my anger on Marko … but he was missing, too. And then I knew. I knew with Hunter gone, along with the king and queen, that Hunter had rescued my bonded. He’d taken Marko, and Tessa had followed. And here I was, the fool in it all.

Heat blazed along my insides, damn near burning a hole in my core as I tried latching onto the link with Marko. I could feel it. The connection was there, but I couldn’t reach it.

My attention went to Hunter and it was even worse. I couldn’t feel him anymore than I could a ghost. It was just like after I’d created him. Unless he was before me and opened, he didn’t exist to me.

“Tessa! You fucking bitch.”

I tore into my hair, nearly crippled with her loss. Had I fallen in love with her so much? My heart said yes. My mind couldn’t help but drift to Marko. He loved her more than what was fathomable. Naturally so would I, too. Especially in this form. But I’d switched back to myself already. The misery was still there. It was real.

“Tessa!”

Blood raced like lava through my veins as I searched out her blood within me. She was all I had consumed since my bond. All I fucking lived off of. She was my life, and I wanted it back. I was dying without her. Yes, I could feel it. My adrenaline made me stronger, but she was the one keeping my heart beating. Her blood was what made my existence worth living. I didn’t want to be here because of anyone else’s life force. I wanted her, despite the fact that I wanted to torture her. I wanted both her life and her death. God, I was losing my mind.

“There has to be a way. There has to be.”

Darkness engulfed me as I shut my eyes and tried to concentrate. Throughout the centuries, I’d done nothing but expand my mind. I had done things no one ever knew existed. There should be no reason why I couldn’t bring her to me. Marko and Hunter may be closed off from my blood, but Tessa wasn’t created from it. There were no ties to me, and I had her crown. Sure, she may have been bonded to Hunter, but my blood within him wasn’t powerful enough through her yet. She had fed from me a lot though …

I tried to stop the need to lash out at the thought as it barreled its way through. Bringing her back had to be possible. It had to. I just needed to figure out how to make it happen.

Impatience had me lunging forward before my lids were even lifted. I raced toward the door, to the only place I could think of. My real room. I had books in there. I had everything that I’d ever experienced as phenomenon of our kind written down. There had to be an answer somewhere within the pages. And if not … I’d track her down with every resource I had and she would pay. Whether it was with her life or not, I just wasn’t sure. Maybe her death wouldn’t be any different than Marko’s. Maybe it truly would kill me. I felt as if her disappearance already was, and I knew she was alive. Not being able to bring her back might just do me in for good.

“Move.”

A servant rushed to sidestep out of my way as I stalked down the long hall. I saw nothing but a blur as scenarios took root and turned into visions before me. The dress, those eyes. My fantasy come to life was going to haunt me forever. She’d pretended to want me, then. Had she known it was me when she’d materialized herself to portray something she wasn’t? When she’d made love to me all those times? Did Tessa know it was her leader giving her such passion?

I couldn’t help but think she at least suspected it. And if she had … maybe she really did love me. Yes, she’d see her mistake. She’d come back to me.

“Your Highness.”

My jaw tensed as I looked toward the door I passed. Eleanor, one of the newest and lower members dropped her head as my murderous glare stopped on her.

“What is it?”

“I would like to enquire on our next meeting. I feel as though it is imperative we select new members as soon as possible. You have been away in your room and I fear the outside news has not made its way to you. We are in trouble. I ask that you please consider this in your time of … woe.”

“My time of woe?” I inhaled deeply, pushing my unstableness aside long enough to take in her words. “What is the news I have missed? Is it so dire that you feel as though I cannot make decisions on the wellbeing of our kind?”

---