14 FAMILIARS

The leaders had arrived at the great hall, seating themselves at the round table, chairs spaced at a reasonable distance from one another to ward off any more hostilities. The throne remained on the raised platform before them, looking even emptier than before.

Malekh had yet to appear. Raghnall’s arms were crossed, the perpetual scowl still on his face, and Hylasenth was seated beside him, attempting unsuccessfully to engage the hulking warrior in conversation despite the latter having swung an axe at him earlier. Cao Fanglei was on the seat to Raghnall’s left, eyes closed as if in meditation, and her husband stood attentively behind her chair, scratching absently at skin underneath his collar and looking bored out of his mind.

Song Yingyue was seated beside the Sixth Court leader. She was calm, almost serene. Remy heard Elke inhale sharply, realizing the reason when he spotted Alegra standing behind Yingyue, serving as the Fourth Court leader’s guard. The dark-skinned woman started slightly, taken aback at seeing Elke there as well, but otherwise maintained her poise.

There were four more empty chairs: one for Malekh, the remaining two to represent the Second and Fifth Courts. The last remaining chair was soon occupied by the high priestess, hands folded primly in her lap. Neither Lady Rotteburg nor Lord Lorien were present. Remy wondered but chose not to dwell on it. Malekh surely had his reasons.

The court leaders were not the only kindred in the room. About three dozen or so vampires gathered in clusters within the hall, far enough from the table not to interrupt the proceedings, but close enough to intervene, should anything happen. They knew who Remy was, judging by the hostile stares. Each ruler had come with their own entourage, though no more than six or seven subordinates for each clan save for the Fourth, who had brought only Alegra and Liufei, another vampire Remy had met during his time at Chànggē Shuĭ. “There’s always been a veil of secrecy surrounding the temple,” Shiragiku muttered. “Likely that each liege has brought along only the most loyal of their followers.”

And their own human familiars, as well. Remy was quick to spot them among the crowd, sitting on the floor and wearing little to the imagination, with sheer robes and short togas. Some wore collars around their necks as if they were pets, and on more than a few he spotted sigils tattooed onto their skin.

The humans didn’t look at all angry or upset at their situation. They looked healthy enough and seemed to care little for their surroundings. At least three were more interested in rubbing themselves against some of their kindred’s legs like cats.

“My darling Xiaodan,” Yingyue said warmly. “There you are. Your father’s been searching everywhere for you.”

“Mother,” Xiaodan greeted, after a pause. “I—I’m sorry. I must have missed him.”

Yingyue gestured airily at one of the doors. “He headed off to inspect some of the rooms. You know his fascination for woodwork. But you mustn’t worry him so, my dear. Soon it will be you who shall be leading the clan, and it won’t do for you to be running off wherever your whimsies take you. After all, I won’t be around forever. And who might be your companions be?”

Remy waited for her to remember him. When she did not, he faltered. “I’m, ah—”

“A representative of Aluria, Mother,” Xiaodan said smoothly. “Isn’t an alliance with their kingdom one of the things we are here to discuss?”

Raghnall smirked at her from across the table, and Remy idly considered taking Breaker and bashing his face in with it. “We can’t very well begin when the man of the hour has yet to show himself, now, can we, Yingyue?” he asked, voice dripping with disdain. “Where has Malekh gone? It was he who requested we convene.”

“Lord Malekh sought me out earlier today to brief me on the agenda he had in mind for today,” the high priestess said calmly. “Rest assured that the Third Court king takes this matter just as seriously as you.”

“Then where the hell is he? He’s arrogant enough to bring a Reaper as his harlot,” Raghnall scowled at Remy. “For all we know, he could be working with Aluria against us.”

“I am exactly where I am supposed to be, Armaros,” Malekh said from directly behind the man, “regardless of your opinions.”

The Seventh Court king leaped to his feet, but Malekh had already blurred toward one of the empty seats, finding his place beside Yingyue, who, immersed in a world of her own, smiled vaguely at him.

“I hope my dear Xiaodan hasn’t been bothering you and distracting you from your work again, Zidan,” she said. “She’s a spirited young woman, though not always the most considerate.”

“We are wasting time, Lord Malekh,” Fanglei said. “You called for this session. I understand that the location may not be to your liking, but I’m sure you know the reasons for that as well. We must discuss the growing threat of the Night Empress, as well as the unfolding situation within the kingdom of Hallifax.”

“Threat?” Raghnall demanded. “Do you not remember that it is these accursed human kingdoms who are seeking to destroy us, Fanglei? I have tangled enough times with Hallifax in the past that he would not have lifted a finger to aid us, had the shoe been on the other foot. Even now he refuses to defend his own kingdom, retreating into his capital and leaving his citizens to their fate. As far as I can see, the Night Empress is doing the work for us.”

“But is it a wise thing, to permit such murderous killing sprees?” Hylasenth pondered. “Whatever the humans intend, I do not want a repeat of the days where this land was awash in their blood and our ashes. They still outnumber us, and they are not so easy to kill as you imply. Lord Malekh’s alliance with the Alurian kingdom has given us some measure of peace, has it not?”

“The Alurians were just as quick to withdraw their pact.”

“Treaties can be reforged and strengthened,” Malekh said shortly. “I have talked to Queen Ophelia, and she is more than amenable to resuming our negotiations.”

“And once the danger is done, they will break your treaty a second time and resume their war against us, as they have done countless years past.” The Seventh pointed an accusing finger at Remy. “What surety can you make that those like this disgusting Pendergast will not come upon us like thieves in the night when our guard is down?”

“He is here willingly. The Alurians intend to uphold their end of the bargain for as long as our council does not move against them. Would you be willing to do the same and send one of your people to Elouve in exchange?” Malekh’s voice grew lower, but there was nothing to hide his anger for. “You tried to kill him this morning. He’s a Pendergast, as you said. A trained Reaper, descended from generations of hunters. He’s more than a match for a court kindred. Has he sought revenge against you for making a liar out of the temple clan’s offer of hospitality? He has every right to demand recompense, by our own laws. How do you think Aluria would react had you slain one of their most prominent fighters and the heir of their lord high steward? He knows the importance of an alliance between us and will do nothing to destroy it. I, on the other hand, have no such qualms. Lay a hand on him again, and you will answer to me.”

Raghnall looked stunned. “You challenge me to a fight? Over an Alurian Reaper?”

Malekh said nothing else, though his gaze held his answer. He’d shifted his stance to reveal the saber by his waist. “Try me, Seventh. I have had little patience these last few weeks, and it would do me no harm to exercise some of that energy to your detriment.”

Raghnall’s hand lingered over the handle of his axe but hesitated. After another moment, he relented and put it back down.

“Have you truly taken him as your consort, Zidan?” Hylasenth asked mildly.

Malekh’s gaze swung to the Eight Court leader’s face.

The other man smiled cheerfully. “You need not look so stricken, milord. Most everyone here has indulged themselves in the same manner. Despite their grievances with us, and ours with them, we have had no short supply of humans eager to share our beds. Come here, Melody.”

One of the collared men inched forward eagerly, crawling under the table and laying himself at Hylasenth’s feet without a trace of shame. With a wicked smile, the Eighth Court king tugged his familiar forward, until the latter was nuzzling happily at his groin.

“Hylasenth!” Raghnall said sharply. “That’s enough.”

“Why so shy, Seventh? You have your own human. You seem to treat her well enough, despite your ire toward mortals.” Hylasenth grinned at Malekh. “And we have the Third Court king to thank for that, have we not? It was he who insisted that any familiars we keep be treated well, lest more humans retaliate. The follies of the Second Court are proof that they would fight us for such trivialities. And I found my dear, sweet Melody as a result.”

He stroked at the man’s hair, even as the latter began eagerly opening up his robes, and cast a sly glance in Xiaodan’s direction. “Even without the marks on the Reaper’s neck for everyone to see, I could smell you on him when I was keeping him free from the Seventh’s rage, Third. Have you truly taken him in as your familiar? A high-ranking Reaper of Aluria for your very own? I would suppose that the Alurian queen is aware of this development, but I daresay that would not have been made public within her kingdom. Or is this all some mere ploy? Raghnall has every right to be suspicious.”

The expression on Malekh’s face was once more an enigma. Most of the kindred’s gazes were on Remy now, as if expecting him to respond on the Summer Lord’s behalf, but for the life of him, Remy was clueless. One wrong word, and he could make things worse.

Malekh turned his head slightly to Xiaodan and made the barest of nods.

“Remington,” Xiaodan said calmly. After Raghnall had begun making his demands, she’d remained in the background, saying little. Now she glided forward, graceful as always, deliberate in her movements as she walked across the room and sat herself down on one of the empty chairs beside Malekh. “It is true that he is a Pendergast and Reaper both,” she continued, spreading her legs just enough for all to intuit her motivation. “But here in the Allpriory, he is nothing more than our puppy.”

“Well now,” Remy heard Fanglei whisper animatedly. Her head was still tilted up, and she had not once opened her eyes since Remy had entered the room, but there on her face was a smile, amused and anticipatory.

“Remington,” Xiaodan said again, fastening her large brown eyes on him. Her gaze was placid, but there was something odd about the way she looked at him. There was a hunger there, like she wanted him to…

Remy was slow on the uptake when it came to many things, but not this. A jolt of fear and embarrassment raced up his spine, overlaid with arousal.

“Remy,” Elke whispered, worried.

He shook his head at her and allowed his feet to move, following the path Xiaodan had taken across the room, to kneel down at her feet in the same way the familiar had done with Hylasenth. Xiaodan’s face was carefully blank as she looked down on him, an odd thing to see when she had always been so expressive. Her eyes held a question.

Remy responded by reaching out and gently spreading her legs, lifting part of her robes up only enough to give her what little privacy they had left—thank the Light for the heavy skirts that Qing-ye fashion favored—but high enough that his intentions were clear to all watching them. He could hear the muffled moans the other familiar was making, the deep sighs of pleasure from Hylasenth.

The court leaders thought little of alliances and treaties. They’d lived long enough to see them easily broken over the centuries. But as Malekh had said, what they prized most of all was submission. The power and control over another, the trust involved.

Xiaodan made a soft sound, a faint whimper only the two of them could hear, as Remy bent forward. He’d done this a thousand times before with her, wanted it a million times more. That they were doing this before an audience made his head spin, his stomach clench, but not all the giddiness he felt was unwelcome.

Underneath the table, he saw Malekh’s hand graze against Xiaodan’s briefly in silent comfort before moving to settle lightly on his head.

He didn’t tighten his grip on Remy, didn’t force him forward into Xiaodan. All the lord did was stroke his hair, his fingers warm and soothing against his scalp, and that was all it took for Remy to lose his inhibitions completely.

He didn’t know how long he was there on his knees. Xiaodan was often loud with them, and while she restricted her sounds to staggered gasps and a faint wriggling of her hips as she tried to urge more of his mouth on her, Remy knew she was close. Almost as a counterpoint, he could hear the familiar and Hylasenth’s grunts growing louder, and he redoubled his efforts, his tongue swirling, desperate to see to her completion.

He felt Xiaodan’s whole body tense and shudder for several long moments before she finally relaxed, growing limp before him. He kissed her one last time, just as Malekh took his hand from his head, and he leaned back to look up at her, taking care not to look at anyone else—not even, oh, Light, Elke.

“Well,” Hylasenth said after his own breathing had slowed. “I for one am very much convinced of the Reaper’s stalwart determination to broker peace between us. What say you, Raghnall?”

A grunt was the Seventh’s only answer, but the tension in the room had broken. Remy remained by Xiaodan’s feet instead of moving away, the decision confirmed when it was Xiaodan’s turn to reach down, her fingers brushing against the side of his face as she rearranged her robes.

“The Pendergast Reaper is ours,” she said, the last word heavily emphasized. “Lay a hand on him, and you will answer to me.”

---

THE REMAINDER of the session had been anticlimactic. The court leaders had finally agreed to make a concerted overture to Aluria as a council. Remy sat by Xiaodan’s feet through it all, in a slight daze.

The high priestess came forward to say something quietly to Malekh. Remy hadn’t been paying enough attention, but a frown crossed his features. He’d announced the meeting concluded for the day shortly after, the specifics of the negotiations to be discussed on the morrow, along with any other matters the clans intended to bring before the council. Raghnall did not deign to give him a second look as he strode out of the room.

He’d been dreading that Yingyue would attack him for daring to violate her daughter. But Xiaodan’s mother was too far entrenched in her own head to take heed. She only nodded amiably along as if there was still a discussion in progress, while her eyes continued to gaze blankly at the wall before her, until Alegra murmured something gently into her ear and lifted the smaller woman up in her arms. The warrior shot Remy an apologetic look, averted her eyes away from Elke, and walked away.

Xiaodan helped him stand, then kissed him. For some reason, that felt even more intimate than what had just taken place.

“I’ll explain everything later,” she whispered into his ear. “For now, stay by Elke’s side. She’ll know what to do.”

Which was why Remy now found himself in the temple gardens. He would have thought that no plants were capable of growing this far underground, but he was once more mistaken. There were green shoots taking root in between some of the cracks on the stone they stood on, and many were flowering before their eyes, ripening into thick red flowers that curved at the bottom like tulips but burst out at the tip like trapped sunflowers, with far more petals than it looked like it could hold.

“Luminesas,” Elke said. “They’re good for healing humans and kindred alike—wounds close faster after you drink from a distillation of their roots.”

“And they need no light to grow?”

“My guess is that they take their sustenance from the nearby lake, but a few daily drops of kindred blood are all the nourishment they need. They’ll feast on small insects, too, given the chance.”

It made sense for the flowers here to be vampiric. Remy coughed, looking down. “I— About what happened—”

Elke snorted. “Remy, do you remember what court I belonged to?”

“The Fifth?”

“And do you remember what my position at that court was?”

“Ah,” Remy said uncomfortably. “Still. We gave you no warning.”

“Remy, I’m not oblivious to court custom.” Elke gazed down at the flowers. “Etrienne used to beat me as foreplay,” she said. “He would tie me up and show me off to his other subordinates, and I could do nothing to stop him. He thrived on torturing others. Trust me, what you and Xiaodan did was romantic by court standards.”

“Elke, you don’t have to tell me anything about Etrienne.”

“But I do. I don’t want you not to tell me anything that distresses you. I never told you of my past because I knew you would only worry, and that was my fault.” She reached over and squeezed his hand. “If anything, I think you’d make a pretty capable kindred if you ever changed your mind. You’ve adapted far more quickly than I expected.” Her nose wrinkled. “I would rather prefer not to see you like that again, however. You’re too much like a brother to me, and… ugh.”

“Elke!” Remy sputtered, and she laughed.

“I trust that Xiaodan and Malekh know what they’re doing. If anything, you’ve likely risen in the others’ esteem. How did you know what it was that Xiaodan wanted you to do?”

Remy coughed. “The Allpriory’s location was a secret, but the kindred brought their human familiars all the same. So they must be in some position of trust. And for them to realize that I was genuinely Xiaodan and Malekh’s familiar, I had to do the same as they did.”

Elke nodded. “I spoke with Lady Rotteburg this morning. The woman is a force of nature when it comes to ferreting out gossip. I do not know how she was able to do so here, but she shared her findings with me. Many believe you to be an Alurian spy, but none of them thought a Reaper, much less a Pendergast, would go so far as to yield so publicly. The courts do not believe your father would ever allow you to submit in such a way. The Pendergasts have acquired a reputation of being far too proud for their own good—astonishing really, coming from kindred.”

“They put far too much trust in what they think constitutes pride for my father,” Remy mumbled.

“I’ve met Hylasenth before, and he’s far more subtle than Raghnall could ever be. He was using his own familiar to challenge Lord Malekh’s authority. Had Malekh refused, it would have cast your position into even further question. Had he accepted, he would have lost face at having to appease a subordinate, even an Eighth Court king. So he delegated the matter to Xiaodan instead, as she holds no official position at court but acts on his behalf. Most important, they know he would never use her for something like this, even to his advantage. You have a flair for the dramatic yourself, you know.”

“What?”

“Going down on your knees for Xiaodan with Breaker still on your back?”

Remy was red from neck to hairline. “I didn’t even remember it was still there.”

Elke’s eyes twinkled. “I won’t tell your father, if that’s what makes you anxious.”

Remy swallowed, remembering the question in Xiaodan’s eyes, her willingness to put a stop to everything if Remy had shown the least sign of unwillingness. “And what if Xiaodan and I hadn’t done that? Would Malekh have found another a way?”

“He could have demanded that Hylasenth’s familiar attend to him instead as a reprimand, but that would continue to cast a cloud of suspicion on you. And I suspect neither you nor Xiaodan would have liked that alternative.”

“How are kindred politics even more fucking complicated than Alurian?”

“We live longer, hold grudges, and use sex for ultimatums. But while Lord Malekh may not act it or want to be, and no matter how much Raghnall whines about it, the other court leaders are already deferring to him.” She grinned at him. “I understand why he doesn’t want the responsibility. But Fanglei’s only concerned for her clan, no one really listens to Raghnall, and Hylasenth isn’t to be trusted. Yingyue would have been a good choice, but she’s in no condition to lead. Lord Malekh defeated the First Court once, and they’re gambling that he can do it again.” Elke frowned at him. “Do you want to be involved like this? So many things can go wrong, and the council may demand more from you in the days to follow.”

“I didn’t mind it,” Remy said slowly. “It would have been different if it wasn’t with Xiaodan or Malekh. Being with them wasn’t a humiliation like it was with Giselle and her friends. If that’s what it takes to convince the rest of the courts, then I’ll be their court familiar.”

“I think you like it a lot more than you’re willing to admit.” She winked.

“Shut your mouth, Elke.”

“Armiger?”

They both turned to face the newcomer, a startlingly pretty girl with gentle blue eyes and long brown hair. The collar she wore on her neck announced her to be one of the human familiars—of the Seventh Court, judging from the small tattoo she wore on her shoulder.

“My name is Trin,” she said. “My apologies if I had interrupted you both. I was hoping to thank you, and perhaps be friends? It isn’t easy to be human in a court of vampires, as you likely know.”

“Thank me?” Remy asked blankly.

“For what you did earlier, with Lady Song. We’ve never seen anyone with the rank and position you have becoming a court familiar. Many in the Seventh are reconsidering how they treat humans in general, knowing Lord Malekh would no longer take so kindly to any mistreatment.”

“Has your leader been abusing you?” Remy asked quickly, angrily. “If he is—”

The girl laughed. “No, though I understand why you would think that. For all his talk, my lord is not as dismissive of mortals as he’d like you to believe.”

“And why tell us this?” Elke asked suspiciously.

The girl hesitated. “I think your presence here is a boon to the rest of us. It gives me hope, and I at least want to tell you that we are grateful.”

“No thanks are necessary,” Remy said hesitantly. “I’m doing this for—for—”

“I know. We’re not so different, you and I.” She bowed and turned to go, then paused. “Lord Malekh never had a familiar,” she said. “That’s what Raghnall tells me. And Lady Song is young by kindred measures but doesn’t strike me as the type to take one in haste. When I heard they were engaged, I thought they never would. But there is no mistaking the way they look at you.”

“Well,” Elke said thoughtfully, after Trin had left. “That was either an offer to be an ally or a spy sent by the Seventh to keep an eye on you, I’m not quite sure which.” She paused. “Remy?”

It took a moment for Remy to get his mouth working again. “Neither of them has had a familiar before?” he asked.

---

“YOU’RE NEARLY one thousand years old,” Remy said crabbily, settling in between Xiaodan and Malekh. As he’d anticipated, both his vampire lovers had been insatiable and extremely possessive that night, coming to his bed instead of the other way around. The lord hadn’t withdrawn from him nor he from Xiaodan, all three content to lie there and savor their closeness until Remy had started talking again.

He could hear the irritated grunt from behind him. “And why is that surprising to you?” Malekh, Remy noted, never did like it whenever he brought up his age.

“Surely there might have been one human to have caught your eye in all those centuries?”

“None that would make me consider a bond. Most of my relationships were temporary. I had little inclination then to find anything lasting.”

Remy cleared his throat. “Technically, any bond with a human would be temporary. Like my bond with both of you.”

“Do you want me to turn you, Remington?” Malekh’s breath ghosted along the back of his neck. “Will you finally let one night pass in comfortable silence if I do? I may not have taken a familiar, but I’ve turned enough kindred in that time. Not all of them were happy about it.”

“Y-you mean like Vasilik?”

He could feel Malekh’s scowl burning through his skin. For the most part, Xiaodan was quiet, hands stroking Remy’s face and content to let her fiancé talk.

“Not like him. Others I’ve turned realized they didn’t want to be and surrendered themselves willingly to the sunrise.”

Remy gasped. “Why?”

“The life of kindred can be one of loneliness. Not everyone finds a mate. Others could not stomach the killing for sustenance. Still more lost the passion that could only be kindled with life’s brevity. But for all your talk in the past of not wanting to be turned, you’ve been bringing it up unprompted rather frequently.”

“I don’t know!” Remy said a little too loudly. “Learning that neither you nor Xiaodan had ever… You all let me ramble on about what would happen to me as I grow older, but no one’s talking about what’s going to happen to you two when I’m gone! I don’t want to leave any of you miserable just because I’m gone.”

“Remy,” Xiaodan said calmly. “High Priestess Isabella has agreed to a personal audience with us. The Antecedents claimed at first to know nothing of mandurugo, but Zidan saw through their excuses. We’re to meet with them tomorrow, and we would like you to come with us.”

Remy stared at her in silence for a long time, then inclined his head so he could stare at Malekh, too. “Just like that?”

“Just like that,” Malekh confirmed. “And we would appreciate if you kept yourself from falling apart until we’ve at least heard what they have to say.”

“You’ve been thinking about this just as much as I have,” Remy mumbled.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t we?” Xiaodan couldn’t stop touching his face, the curve of his shoulders. “You… did very well today, love. I’m sorry you had to do that. Hylasenth would not have backed down otherwise.”

“I liked it,” Remy said without thinking, and then immediately began to sputter at the looks of surprise on their faces. “I mean, I didn’t think about everyone watching so much.”

“Remy,” Xiaodan’s brown eyes sparkled as she wrapped a leg lazily around him. “You’re getting harder.”

“You have even more scandalous proclivities than you let on, Pendergast,” Malekh murmured in his ear, which only worsened Remy’s current problem.

“We already know that you like to be tied down,” Xiaodan purred, running her hands down his chest. “But do you also like being commanded? Pampered and praised? Shafted?”

“Sh-shafted?”

“I am at a disadvantage when it comes to certain appendages that most men are born with, having none of my own. So I had one commissioned at my leisure.”

The words were easy enough to hear, but understanding them took longer for Remy’s already addled brain. “But why would you need…” Realization broke through. “Oh.”

“Oh,” Xiaodan agreed, shifting her hips.

“He likes the idea,” Malekh murmured.

“Fuck you,” Remy said, and then immediately regretted it when both vampires did.