“Let’s get this over with.” Balkyn watched me pace near the library’s window. “The sooner we’re done, the sooner you can get back to your vigil.”
I looked out at the forest. It was still too dark to see anything, but dawn was coming. “The prince wants to keep me locked in the castle.”
“The prince wants you to stay alive.” Balkyn smiled at me. “Shall we? I’d like to check this off my list, if it’s all the same with you.”
“Of course.” We headed toward the dungeon, the sentinel assigned to me following close behind. “Once we get down there, you’re going to have to wait in the hall,” I told him. “The prisoner’s a bit of a bigot.”
“Yes, Lady Kensington. But I’ll be within earshot if there’s any trouble.”
“Thank you.” I would never admit it to the prince, but having a vampire bodyguard was rather nice. With Austin and Eve gone, the wolves in the forest, and the rebels on their way, it was a relief to know I had an immortal close by who could kick arse.
I took a deep, steadying breath as we descended the stairs. I could hear mice scurrying and smell the fetid hay that lined the floor of the cells. The sentinel took his place in the hall as Balkyn and I entered the cell block. I winced to see Chase curled up on her thin cot. I’d given her blankets and extra food, but a dungeon was a dungeon. It was dark and bleak down there, with a damp chill.
“What do you want?” She sat up, and I could see that her lips were cracked and chapped. Dark circles bloomed like bruises underneath her eyes. At least she and Balkyn had that in common.
“I wanted to see how you were.” Balkyn crossed his arms against his chest.
“Like you care.” Chase sneered at him. “Vampire lover.”
“You know, you really are a child.” He shook his head.
I stepped forward. “We wanted to see if you needed anything.”
“I’d like to be free of the vampire’s castle, thank you very much, and as far away from all their kind as possible.”
“Your people are coming.” I glanced at Balkyn, wondering if he’d approve of what I was about to say. “If you gave us more information about what they have planned and what type of weapons they have, we could set you free. You could join them and get away from here once and for all.”
Chase stepped closer to the bars, her dark eyes wild. “Do you really think I’m going to believe the likes of you? I know who you are. You’re traipsing around here like you own the place because you’re a vampire’s whore. I’m not going to fall for your blue-eyes-and-blond-hair, dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks routine. So sod off.”
I blinked. Her hatred was so fierce that I could feel it rolling off of her. “My offer stands. If you change your mind, we’ll set you free.” I didn’t know if I had the actual authority to offer that, but I had to try.
Chase’s gaze raked over me. “I’ll die before I help you.”
“That is your choice.” I turned to Balkyn. “I’ll just leave you two to it.” I quickly left for the safety of the hall, happy to get away from the prisoner. I hoped Balkyn had better luck with her.
The sentinel raised his eyebrows when he saw me. She’s a right nut, he thought-spoke into my mind. I nodded. She was indeed. I leaned in closer so I could hear her conversation with Balkyn.
“You’re so bitter,” Balkyn said. “I can’t believe you just spoke to her that way. And I heard that you spat at the prince. You’re lucky to be alive.”
Chase laughed, but it sounded brittle. “Excuse me if I’m not feeling very lucky at the moment. I’m locked in the vampire’s castle, and here you are, his little pet. You disgust me.”
Balkyn was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know why you came here.”
“I told you—to see if you were alive. To see if you needed my help. I couldn’t believe it when they told me you deserted. I knew you’d lost your way a little bit, but I’d never taken you for a traitor, Balkyn.”
“I’m no traitor. You, on the other hand, don’t have a lot of room to talk.”
“I told you!” Chase exploded. “You were never the same once you escaped from the royals! They bloody brainwashed you. Your own sister married one of their kind. You’ve been taken by their black magic—you and your family. I heard your father walked her down the bloody aisle. It’s insanity! We fought them for years. You gave up everything—your home, your family, all comfort. We did terrible things to them, Balkyn, and you were right alongside me, and never once did I hear you say you regretted it. Never once did I hear you give mercy.”
“That’s because I was blinded by my hate.” Balkyn sounded as if he might cry. “Just as you are blinded by yours. I used it as a justification for everything.”
Chase snorted. “Just look at you. I can’t believe you’re such a blubbering turncoat wanker.”
I had to stop myself from marching in there and smacking her. Truly, she was unbelievable.
“I never want to see you again. That’s been true for quite some time. Goodbye, Chase.” Balkyn swept into the hallway, and I patted his arm. His face was stormy. “That wasn’t particularly productive.”
“There’s very little that can be done with prejudice like that.” I linked my arm through his and started up the stairs.
But as we left Chase behind, I wondered if she still might have a part to play.
The sun came up as I stalked by the library window. Shaye and Tamara came in, each looking pale. “They let us out to see you for a moment, but then we’re supposed to head straight back to our rooms.” Shaye’s brows were pinched. “What’s going on?”
I stopped pacing. “Did you hear the howls last night?”
“Of course we did.” Tamara sank down onto the couch. Beast rolled to her, and she picked him up, scratching his head. “I take it those weren’t regular wolves?”
I shook my head. “They’re werewolves. They ran off several weeks ago, but now they’re back. Austin and Eve are out there right now, meeting with them.” I clenched my hands together. I didn’t want to frighten my friends, but they needed to know the truth. “And another thing. Our scouts came back in the middle of the night—the rebels are coming. They’ve set up camp miles away, and we believe that they’re going to attack.”
“Then why on earth did the king and queen send us up here?” Tamara’s eyes flashed. “We would’ve been safer back in the settlements!”
I resumed pacing. “Who knows what the rebels have planned? But I believe they want to take back the castle. It’s better that you’re here.”
“So what are we going to do? And we still haven’t talked about something important.” Shaye looked between us, a miserable expression on her face. “Are we really rooting against our own people? My father and my brothers could be out there. I haven’t spoken to them in years, since they left to join the revolution. They could be gearing up to storm the North for all I know.”
Tamara patted her hand. “I know you love your family, but do you really believe it’s better for the country to have the royals stripped of power? Because I don’t.”
Shaye shook her head. “I don’t, either. That doesn’t mean I want my family to be punished.”
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt, either. I’m very pro peace.” Tamara straightened her shoulders, looking quite full of herself. “But the rebels are striking for the wrong reasons. In the beginning, yes, we didn’t know what would happen when the Blacks took over. We had reason to fear them. But now that they’re making positive changes, the settlements finally have a clear direction and a brighter future. The rebels are just grabbing for power.”
“I understand that.” Shaye stared out the window. “I still don’t want my father or brothers to die today.”
“Of course you don’t.” I rushed to my friend and pulled her in for a hug. “We don’t know what’s going to happen. You mustn’t worry—not yet.”
She shakily sighed. “I never meant to be a traitor. I never pictured myself being kept safe against the rebels by an army of vampires.”
I clasped her hands. “You’re not a traitor. But you see the world with new eyes now. You had an experience you never could’ve expected. If you were able to talk to your family, I’m sure they would understand.”
I thought of Chase, rotting and bitter down in the dungeon, and shivered. Perhaps not.
“I do see the world through new eyes.” Shaye nodded, still staring out at the forest. “But I wonder, after five years of fighting the vampires, what do my father and brothers see?”