I gaped. “I’m sorry?”
“Fight by my side. I made sure you had enough blood on the ride here. You’re feeling stronger, aren’t you?”
I flexed my fingers. I stood up on my tiptoes then swung my arms around. It was true—I no longer felt weak. I felt as though I could… As though I could take on an army.
“But what about the humans who fight with us? Balkyn, the human soldiers—won’t I be tempted?”
“You will stay close to me, and I will protect you from their scent. I will take you to the front lines. And then you will face the human rebels, who are fair game.” He squeezed my hands. “You may drink from as many of them as try to kill you.”
The idea of fighting—and drinking from—the rebels impossibly excited me. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. Still, the rebels sounded terribly yummy all of a sudden, like Sunday brunch and Thanksgiving all rolled into one. My fangs popped out, and I practically jumped out of my skin. “Bloody hell!”
Austin started laughing so hard his whole body shook. “My darling—have you not felt your fangs before?”
“No,” I said indignantly. My voice came out funny. “Dear heavens, do I have a lisp?”
To his credit, he coughed instead of laughing. “It’s normal at first. You have to get used to talking with them.”
“Rose didn’t have a lisp!”
“Blake.” He composed his features and held out his hand for me. “We’ll speak of this later. There is much I must teach you. Let’s start today—come with me, and fight by my side. I will never be without you again unless you say otherwise.”
I felt my fangs retract and I reached for his hand. “I will never say otherwise, my lord. I told you—I love you now and forever.”
Even though the sentinels were waiting for him and the Black Guard stood at the ready outside, he stopped. The prince pulled me against him, burying his hands in my hair. “I thank the gods I have an eternity to make up for what I’ve done. I’m looking forward to every second of it. I expect I’ll be quite good at it.” He arched an eyebrow, eyes sparkling.
“It’s good to see your confidence is returning.” I laughed. “And at least you’ll have plenty of time to practice.”
“You have made me very happy, my lady.” The heat was suddenly intense between us. He tentatively bent down, putting his lips to mine. He waited.
I didn’t. I threw my arms around his neck, relishing the feeling of finally being back in his arms, and kissed him. Austin crushed his lips against mine, and I felt everything—his sorrow, his angst, his relief of finally being reconnected to me. He deepened the kiss, and I felt an electric tingle right down to my core. Bloody hell. Why do we need to go and fight? I pulled him closer. If I had my way, I wouldn’t do anything but snog him for the rest of eternity!
He pulled back too soon and brushed the hair from my face. “It doesn’t matter that we’re going to fight. By my stars, I’ve never been so happy in my life.” The joy was clear in his voice. “I love you so much. These last few days have been hell. I could never bear to be away from you again. Not for a moment.”
As I melted against him, I realized it didn’t matter that I’d been changed. I was still the same. I still felt the same.
There was a knock on the door. “My lord, the king is waiting.”
Austin nodded toward the sentinel. “We’re ready.” He laced his fingers through mine. “Stay close, and no matter what happens, do not be afraid. You’ll do well. Because you are newly turned, your senses are especially sharp.” A smile broke out over his face. “You’re immortal now. I’ve been so upset that I haven’t let myself think about the good side of things. I am relieved, my lady.”
I squeezed his hand as we followed the sentinel through a rear entrance and lined up near the Black Guard. “But what will I do? How do I fight?”
Austin kept me close by his side as his father beckoned. “Your instinct will tell you everything you need to know, and I’ll be right beside you.”
“Don’t I need a weapon?”
He smiled. “You’re the weapon, Blake. Your new skills will appear when you need them. It’s like magic.”
I ran my tongue over my teeth, wondering when I would feel my fangs next. I wasn’t sure how all of this would work, but Austin didn’t seem worried about it. And as he typically worried about everything, I decided to follow his lead. I was a vampire. My new vampire body knew how to do things I didn’t. I had to trust that.
I glimpsed Eve and Balkyn within the front lines. I saw Dallas, as tall and handsome as ever, shock plain on his face as he watched Austin escorting me across the grounds. I tucked myself behind the prince as we made our way to the king. He stood, cold and as imposing as ever, the sunlight refracting off of his trim white beard. The king was a handsome figure, but he radiated none of the warmth of his sons.
Austin bowed to his father, and I curtsied.
The king cursed when I arose. “You turned her!”
Austin hissed. “This is neither the time nor place, father.”
“You couldn’t even have waited until afterward? We had a deal!”
“I didn’t have a choice.” Austin reached for my hand and gripped it. “I’m bringing Blake to the front lines. She’s been turned less than a week. I need to keep her away from the humans.”
“At least she’ll do some damage on the front lines.” The king chuckled to himself. “These rebels. They never learn.” You would never guess that he was about to lead his army into battle. He seemed as if he were about to swat a pesky half-dead fly.
Austin hustled me away from him and the others, out into the forest. “What was that all about? What deal did you have with your father?”
He shook his head. “I’ll tell you later.”
“Um…” That wasn’t good enough for me, but I held my tongue. I could smell the rebels nearby. Behind that, there was the something else, something mangy… “I can smell Rhys and the others!”
“Amazing.” Austin’s eyes sparkled. “You caught their scent before I did.”
“Perhaps I’m rather good at this, then.”
“Of course you are. You’re magnificent.” He squeezed my hand. “We should run now. Let’s get closer to the rebel line. They’re not far.”
We crouched low and ran through the forest. I felt much improved—stronger, faster, more vibrant. My limbs no longer felt heavy. I wondered if it was all the donated blood I’d drunk that day, or something else such as a lack of grief.
We ran through another copse of trees, and I stopped. “There’s one of your tunnels!” I pointed to the bottom of a birch.
“It looks like they still have a few of them down here. Hopefully, we won’t have to use one.” Austin wrinkled his nose.
“I might try it just for sport.”
He pulled on my hand. “No time for sport now. It’s time to fight.” I could smell and hear the rebels as we got closer. Austin watched me as we slowed our pace, picking our way through the underbrush. “How many are there?”
“Is this a quiz?”
He nodded.
I closed my eyes and concentrated. “I’d say there’s a group of about seven up and off to the right. They’re hiding. And straight ahead, another group of twelve. The largest group is on our left, and the rest of them are back at the camp.”
“Excellent.” Austin seemed impressed. “And why do you think these smaller groups are out here?”
“Reconnaissance.” I remembered Eve’s fancy term immediately. “They are scouting us, my lord.”
“That’s right. We are going to take them out, all of them. Then the main army won’t have any information.”
I inhaled. The rebels smelled inviting, but I hesitated. “Austin. I don’t think I can do this. I can’t kill anyone.”
He nodded. “Okay. You don’t have to. I can take care of this. You just stay beside me and watch my back.”
“Really?” I was flabbergasted. “You don’t need my help?”
“Yes, I do. But if you do not wish to kill, I’ve no wish to ask you to. That’s your choice and yours alone. I can handle a few rebels.”
I looked around the forest, confused about my feelings. On the one hand, I was starving. No amount of donated blood would compare to what I smelled in the forest. But on the other hand, I had never hurt another creature, not even terrible Abigor, although I remembered looking for a big stick to whack him with.
“Stay with me. Follow your instincts. Trust yourself.” Austin smiled at me. “There’s no one I’d trust more.”
I heard the group of seven rebels before I saw them. Austin crouched, hissing, and I followed his lead. Their smell wafted over me, making me dizzy with hunger. My fangs popped out. I tried not to jump out of my skin again or talk. I didn’t need to hear myself lisping at the moment—there were too many other things going on!
Everything happened at once. A silver stake made of heavy metal, with its tip sharpened to a brutal point, whizzed past our heads. There was snarling, then shouting.
Then all hell broke loose.