The Warrior Queen

Fighting. Fighting everywhere. Bodies and blood. Agonised screams of the wounded and dying.

Behind me, the others are warning me to get away from the tent flap, but I’m transfixed by the fighting vampires and humans. Of one man in particular.

Elijah. Katul of the Kiltani.

One of the few humans in the battle, he fights like the warriors of legend, his powerful back muscles rippling as his sword cuts down the enemy with ease.

I’ve been mesmerised by the tall and handsome, dark-skinned Islander ever since I first set eyes on him, when he and others of the Kiltani tribe greeted Prime Anna of Dornia and the Northlands and her entourage on our arrival to Jangwa Island, but I know he’ll never be interested in me, a former slave masquerading as a lady-in-waiting.

‘Chrissy, get back before you’re spotted,’ hisses one of my companions.

I ignore her, too busy watching Elijah.

I let out a horrified cry as a shape appears from the shadows, rushing straight for Elijah. An enemy vampire.

‘Elijah!’ I cry out in warning, but he is too focussed on the battle to hear me. Too focussed on the enemy in front of him to realise the danger coming from behind.

Without the slightest regard for my own safety, and ignoring the cries from the others, I rush from the safety of the tent and into the melee. My only thought is to save Elijah.

Running over to the vampire sneaking up behind Elijah with his sword raised, the creature too focussed on his quarry to hear my approach, I lift the dagger which I don’t even remember pulling from my belt sheath, and using all my strength, slam it into his back.

The vampire lets out an oomph of surprise. He staggers forward before dropping to the sandy ground, his sightless eyes telling me that he is dead.

I don’t realise it yet, but this one act of bravery is about to change my life forever.

Chapter One

Six months later

‘You and Elijah have done what!’

Swallowing nervously, I stared at the slender woman dressed in purple as she stood in front of me, hands on her hips, her eyes flashing angrily in the candlelight. I had to remember that the girl I had known as Kata the kitchen slave for over a decade was gone forever. The woman before me now was Anna Teragon, direct descendant of Prime Mykael Teragon, and ruler of two lands. Glowing with health, it was hard to believe Anna had given birth less than twelve hours before.

I had been sitting alone in my quarters, where Duke Tavin had taken me earlier that evening so he could reveal the devastating secret he’d been keeping from me before disappearing from my life forever, when the Prime had turned up at my door. At the sight of my ruler, rather than challenging her with what my adoptive father had disclosed to me, I had decided to shock Anna with news of my own.

‘We decided to wed early,’ I said, raising my chin in defiance.

To my surprise, Anna dropped her hands from her hips and burst out laughing, her anger apparently forgotten. I laughed nervously in response.

‘I didn’t think you had it in you,’ Anna said, once she had her mirth under control. ‘I must say, Elijah works fast. He only returned from the Northern Province five days ago.’

The Katul—or Prince—of the Kiltani had spent the previous three months travelling across Dornia, negotiating trade agreements between his tribe and market vendors and nobles. Since we were still in our year-long betrothal, Tanvir, Elijah’s vampire ancestor and Chieftain of the Kiltani, had stipulated his descendant would only oversee trade negotiations at Teragon House so as not to interfere with our courtship, but then a delay in the replacement negotiator’s arrival had meant Elijah being forced to go in her place.

‘Elijah received word from his tribe two days ago. Chieftain Tanvir was killed in battle four days before Springfest,’ I said, genuine sadness in my voice as I spoke of one of the few vampires I liked. ‘He was concerned that Tanvir’s replacement would demand he end his betrothal with me and instead name someone more suitable.’ Not everyone was happy with the thought of an Islander Prince wedding a former slave.

‘And the pair of you thought the best way to prevent this from happening was to wed in secret.’

It was said as a statement, not a question, but I decided to answer anyway.

‘The ceremony took place yesterday evening, in the temple just outside Oaktown. Duke Bowen was going to inform you’—I gestured towards the golden goblet half-filled with black dust resting on the low table between the couches, which Anna had avoided looking at since she had entered my quarters, seemingly unable to face the consequences of her actions—‘but he died before he had chance.’

My heart clenched at the thought of Tavin. I may have only known the Duke of House Bowen, senior noble of Dornia’s Western Province, for just over half a year, but I had come to see him as a father. He had seen a terrified young woman, traumatised by years of abuse, and rather than simply walking away like many others would have done, the duke decided to befriend me, offering to teach me my letters during the sailing to Jangwa Island the previous summer. At first I had been wary of him, despite his apparent friendliness, concerned he was lulling me into a false sense of security before abusing me; he was a vampire after all and more than one vampire over the years had pretended to be kind before showing their true colours, and why would someone as important as the Duke of Bowen bother with a former slave? But Tavin had never changed.

Instead, the kindly duke had helped me overcome my fear of vampires with gentle coaxing and kind words, and over time I had found myself opening up to him about my experiences at Saron Castle. Although I hadn’t told him everything, unable to face the shame of my new friend knowing what the vampires had done to my body. The cynic in me realised that it was likely Prime Anna had asked the duke to watch over me to ensure I didn’t spill her secrets, but my heart had dared hope that he had truly come to care for me and saw me as a daughter. My belief in the latter was strengthened on Midwinter’s morning three months before, when Tavin had arrived unexpectedly from his castle in the Western Province to present me with the documents officially naming me his adopted daughter and bestowing me a modest estate half a day’s ride from Bowen Castle—an estate I was yet to visit. In half a year, Tavin had done more for me than my birth father had done in the seven years I had lived with him; a man I hadn’t seen in over fifteen years, not since the day he sold me to the village slave merchant for ale money.

Anna’s eyes went to the goblet containing all that remained of the Duke of Bowen, and her face paled. Good, she should feel guilty after what she had done.

I gestured towards the set of doors across from us, the curtains drawn to keep out the darkness beyond. ‘We were sitting out on the balcony when he died,’ I continued. ‘He wanted to see the moon rise one last time.’ I looked down at the black powdery residue on my hands and the front of the silver gown that all ladies-in-waiting to the Prime were expected to wear at formal occasions before adding softly, ‘After he died, his body turned to dust. I collected as much as I could before the wind could blow it away.’

Looking up, I met Anna’s gaze once more. ‘Before he died, Tavin told me everything, Kata,’ I said, deliberately using Anna’s slave name to unsettle her. The Prime hated being reminded that she was once a slave, completely unaware of her royal roots. ‘He told me what was going to happen when you anointed your son with your blood, naming him the true descendant of the three Allaron brothers. That every other vampire in existence, including Tavin, would become human and age to their true years. Something which, being over two hundred years old, Tavin had no hope of surviving.’

Tavin’s service to House Teragon had gone back over a century and a half, having been a member of the Prime’s Guard for several years before Prime Mykael had granted him a noble title and the seat at Bowen Castle, and his loyalty to the Teragon family was unbreakable. And in gratitude to such loyalty, Anna had effectively murdered him.

Despite my rage towards the other woman, I was also angry with my adoptive father. While we were sitting out on the balcony, Tavin had admitted he had known all along that the birth of Anna’s child marked the countdown to his death. Yet he had done nothing to stop her.

Sudden tears filled my eyes. ‘I loved him like a father, and you took him from me.’

Anna looked away from the goblet and its macabre contents and focussed her gaze on me. ‘You knew the end of the vampires was coming, Chrissy,’ she said quietly.

That was true. I had known that the end of the vampires was coming ever since witnessing Anna take Prime Viktor’s powers so that she could conceive his child—the so-called Blood of Allaron, the legendary destroyer of the vampire—but I hadn’t realised it would be so soon.

‘But I thought they’d at least be given the chance to fight your son in a fair battle and be allowed to die with honour. Not this.’ I cringed, remembering the agonised screams which had escaped Tavin’s lips as he curled up on the stone bench, ageing before my eyes in the light of the moon, the hundred and sixty-odd years he had been vampire catching up with him in just a matter of moments. ‘What did Tavin ever do to you to cause him such agony? He was your loyal subject, one of the first to proclaim you ruler of Dornia when Prime Mykael died, and this is how you repay his loyalty!’

Anna flinched at my harsh words. ‘We’re not discussing what I did to the vampires,’ she said, her tone defensive. ‘We are discussing your elopement and the potential strain your reckless behaviour has caused between Dornia and the Kiltani tribe.’

‘Yes, because turning their Elders and vampire warriors human is sure to make them welcome you with open arms,’ I said sarcastically. ‘I’m sure they’ll be delighted when they discover it was you who caused their loved ones to die in agony and weakened their tribe.’

There was an open doorway behind me, leading to my bedchamber, and I thought I heard movement coming from the darkened room beyond. Straining my ears, the sound didn’t come again. Perhaps the maid had left a window open and the breeze had shifted the curtains, causing them to knock something over. Since the door leading from the bedchamber to the main corridor was always locked, I knew that no one had snuck in and was eavesdropping on our conversation. Not that I cared if people overheard. Perhaps the Dornian and Northlander people should learn what their great and wonderful ruler had done.

At my words, the anger drained from Anna, leaving grief in its place. Crossing the room, she slumped on the couch, turning her body slightly so she was facing away from the goblet containing Tavin’s remains, and put her head in her hands.

‘I didn’t know it would cause them physical pain, Mykael never told me that,’ she said, her voice filled with pain. ‘I thought they’d just go to sleep and awaken sometime later, their true age, while those older vampires like Tavin would simply die in their sleep. Two Prime’s Guardsmen were in the antechamber. They… they just aged and died right before my eyes, screaming in pain and begging for my help, not realising that I was the source of their pain.’ She made a choked sound. ‘Their cries were awful… I don’t think I will ever stop hearing them in here.’ She tapped her temple.

‘Would it have made a difference if you’d known the truth?’ I asked, refusing to give her comfort. She should feel guilty for what she had done, the lives she had destroyed. I tried to ignore the fact that, had I never left Saron Castle, I would’ve been rejoicing the demise of the vampires, as many of those slaves and landholders within its walls were probably doing at this exact moment. But I had left, and in doing so, had learnt not all vampires were cruel. Some were even kind enough to befriend a damaged stranger and treat her like a daughter.

‘I don’t know,’ Anna admitted after a pause, her voice muffled by her hands. ‘The vampires needed to be gone, they’d controlled the lives of humans for far too long, but many were my friends. They didn’t deserve to die in such agony.’

‘I see you escaped the ageing process,’ I said accusingly. ‘You don’t look any older than when I saw you three hours ago in the Great Hall.’ Yet, she was most definitely human. Those who spent their life surrounded by creatures who wanted to drain them of blood learnt from an early age how to identify them, even without feeling their power or seeing their fangs.

Anna looked at me, a wry smile on her lips. ‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’

‘It wasn’t meant as one.’

Anna snorted. ‘I suppose it wasn’t. And in answer to your question, you have to remember, I was only a vampire just over two years, meaning it’s unlikely I aged enough for people to notice.’

‘How’s Danil?’ I wasn’t particularly interested in the welfare of Lord Clovesfield, having spoken to Anna’s lover less than a dozen times during my time at court, but I wanted to know how those who were young enough to survive were faring. He was also the vampire progeny of Tavin, meaning we were siblings in a way. I wondered how he would react if he knew Anna had brought about the death of his vampire sire and mentor.

‘Sleeping,’ Anna said. ‘As are many of those I passed on my way here, some of whom appear to have fallen asleep right where they fell. It seemed sleep took them after all, but only after they had aged. I’ve arranged for servants to carry them to their quarters. I don’t know how long they’ll take to recover but my guess is that it’ll be for a few days at least; same as when they first became vampire.’

Meaning Teragon House would be vulnerable during this time, seeing as her guards were vampire. If they ever woke up, that is. Perhaps those who’d survived would spend the rest of their days asleep, slowly starving to death. If that were true, then Tavin was one of the lucky ones.

‘Danil, too, has aged the years he has missed. In his case, just over a decade.’

‘Is he aware of the truth?’

Anna told me he was.

‘And he forgave you’—I clicked my fingers—‘just like that?’

Anna smiled, suddenly shy. ‘If you class a proposal of marriage as a sign of forgiveness, then I believe Danil has. Though, I imagine the surviving nobles aren’t going to be impressed when I inform them that I’m to wed the son of a stablemaster. They didn’t seem bothered that Danil was my lover when we were vampire, especially since Mykael named him Lord Clovesfield before his death, but they’re likely to feel differently now he’s human. They won’t be happy at the thought of someone of such low birth becoming Consort to the Prime and senior to them.’ She wrinkled her nose disdainfully. ‘They may even demand that I abandon Danil and wed someone noble-born instead.’

‘You could always elope.’

Anna looked at me for a long moment, then burst out laughing. ‘Yes, I suppose I could.’

‘How are you up and about?’ I asked, remembering what she had said about Danil and the others sleeping.

Anna shrugged; all humour gone from her eyes. ‘One of the benefits of having Mykael’s powers,’ she said simply. ‘When I anointed my son with my blood and named him the true descendant of the Primes Mykael, Nikolas, and Viktor—who, as you know were the first and most powerful of the vampire, as well as brothers—my vampirism merely deserted my body, along with the Prime markings.’ She tugged up her sleeve, and sure enough the blue markings which had marred her body ever since Mykael had sacrificed his powers in order to save her life had vanished. ‘While I feel deaf and blind without my enhanced senses, I won’t miss being vampire.’

Her face turned sad.

‘Because I didn’t feel pain, I thought the same would be true of the others. Then I heard screams from beyond my bedchamber and realised the truth.’

So, not only had she killed the vampires, she hadn’t felt the same pain as Tavin. I hated her in that moment.

Anna put her head in her hands once more. ‘What have I done?’ she whispered, anguished. ‘I thought I was doing the right thing, but now that it’s over and they are dead, I cannot help but think Mykael was wrong. All those lives… gone. How will I ever look at their loved ones in the eye, knowing I’m the source of their pain?’

But I didn’t feel any sympathy for her. She would have to live with the consequences of her actions for the rest of her life. Which was going to be significantly shorter now she was no longer vampire.

‘I’m guessing you’re here to ensure that I don’t tell anyone your secret,’ I said, breaking protocol by sitting beside her without waiting for an invite. I straightened my gown, then folded my arms across my chest and leaned back into the cushions.

Anna lifted her head and looked at me. ‘I know how much Tavin means to you, so I came to make sure you’re alright,’ she said, her eyes telling me that she was speaking the truth. Since the lady-in-waiting corridor was only a short distance from the one where Anna had her quarters—the Prime liked to have her ladies close at hand—it made sense that she would come here before visiting anyone else. ‘Also, Danil overheard several at court this morning talking about your elopement, so I came to ask you directly if the rumours were true.’

I wasn’t surprised that rumours had already started circulating. Nothing stayed secret at court for long. Although now, of course, the gossipmongers would have a far juicier subject to blether about than my impromptu wedding to the Katul of the Kiltani. The halls at court would be buzzing about the end of the vampires for months, if not, years to come. It also meant that it hadn’t come as a complete shock to Anna when I had told her of our elopement. I was surprised she would be concerned with such a trivial thing—the end of the vampires was going to have a far more reaching effect on life at Teragon House than the elopement of one of her ladies-in-waiting—but perhaps Anna wasn’t ready to face what she had done and was using me as a distraction. Not that I was going to allow her to forget.

‘Yet, you still killed him,’ I said, meaning Tavin. ‘And don’t pretend you care about me. I’m not Becka. Or Lucie.’ Like Anna and me, the two women were once slaves at Saron Castle, and upon liberating the castle, Anna had given them a position among her ladies-in-waiting; much to the disgust of quite a few of the nobles, who weren’t happy their descendants had missed out to former slaves. ‘We were never friends at the castle. We both know that the only reason you brought me here and made me one of your ladies-in-waiting is because I witnessed you kill Viktor. You were concerned that, if you left me behind, people would ask me questions about how you managed to kill someone who was thought to be immortal in the hope of using it to kill you and take your crown. You were also concerned that I’d reveal what your pregnancy meant for the vampires. Though, I suppose I should be thankful you gave me a position with your ladies rather than choosing to silence me permanently; it isn’t as though anyone would mourn a dead slave, especially one as unpopular as me. I know you hate me.’

I tried to keep the resentment and self-pity from my voice, not wanting Anna to know I was jealous that she was descended from royalty—a fact she had only learnt two years before, when she escaped Prime Viktor, the vampire who’d had her abducted when she was just four years of age and forced her into slavery, and been brought before Mykael by the same Danil she was now betrothed to, the former guardsman having discovered her lying half-dead in the road—but I could tell she wasn’t fooled.

‘I don’t hate you, Chrissy,’ Anna said, her voice annoyingly reasonable. ‘I may not have liked you at the castle, but I never hated you.’

Liar, I thought. I had been a bitch to everyone at the castle, a product of the horrendous situation we’d all found ourselves in, but if Anna wished to forget, that was up to her.

‘As for your elopement,’ Anna continued. ‘I’m assuming the marriage has already been consummated and there’s a possibility you’re with child, so I cannot order an annulment—’

I didn’t respond. Since Elijah had agreed to wait until I was ready before taking me to bed, not to mention the fact we were at a tavern in Oaktown, halfway through our wedding feast, when Tavin had received word that we were to return to Teragon House at once as the Prime had gone into labour, our marriage was far from consummated. But I wasn’t going to correct her.

‘—Neither can I physically punish you, seeing as it would cause an outcry on Jangwa Island—'

For a second time, I thought I heard movement coming from the bedroom. I realised there was someone there, listening to our conversation. Since only one other person had a key to my quarters besides myself, I had a fair idea as to the identity of the eavesdropper. Fortunately, Anna appeared not to notice as she continued speaking. Thank goodness her superior hearing had disappeared along with the rest of her powers. As a vampire, Anna would’ve easily heard the movement, as well as the eavesdropper’s heartbeat, which I imagined was pounding with excitement and anger at the information they had overheard.

‘—You may keep the title Lady Christine Bowen and are permitted to bear Tavin’s coat of arms, but your position as one of my ladies-in-waiting is forfeit. As are the lands and jewellery Tavin gifted you upon becoming your adoptive father.’ Anna smiled. ‘As a friend and a woman in love myself, I understand why you acted the way you did and wish the pair of you many years of happiness, but as your Prime, I cannot be seen to condone such behaviour. I must also make an example of you so that no one else decides to copy you.’ She let out a heavy sigh. ‘I’m sorry, Chrissy, but I have no choice but to banish you.’

I nodded once. ‘I understand.’ While I was sad to lose the lands and jewellery Tavin had gifted me, they were one of the few links I had to my adoptive father, I wasn’t bothered about being banished. As the wife of the Katul, I would’ve been expected to give up my position as a lady-in-waiting and stay with Elijah on Jangwa Island anyway.

‘I won’t banish Elijah, since to do so would cause strife between us and the Kiltani, but I’d like him to respect my wishes by not returning to my lands for the foreseeable future.’

‘I will inform him of this.’

Anna slipped her hand into the purse at her hip and pulled out a glass vial containing a dark red, viscous liquid. Vampire blood. Taking my hand, she pressed the vial into my palm, and curled my fingers around it. ‘Just in case you’re ever injured and need vampire blood,’ she said solemnly. ‘Since it’s Prime blood, you’ll only need to use a small amount, no matter how severe the injury.’

Thanking her, I pocketed the vial.

‘I want you to know that, while we may not have got on at Saron Castle and yes, it’s true, had you not witnessed the final confrontation between Viktor and me, I would never have brought you to Teragon House and named you a lady-in-waiting, I’ve got to know you these last few months and consider you a friend. I’ll be sad to see you go.’

‘Thank you, that means a lot to me,’ I said truthfully.

‘Where’s Elijah now?’

‘I’m not sure,’ I lied. I was almost certain it was my husband in my bedchamber, Elijah having used the key I had given him earlier that evening to sneak into my quarters once everyone was abed. Although, I didn’t know how he had managed to get onto the lady-in-waiting corridor, seeing as I was yet to bribe the guards into letting him pass. That they were human, I knew they wouldn’t have been affected by Anna’s actions. I hoped he hadn’t done something foolish, like knock them out, knowing Anna was sure to notice their comatose bodies when she left my quarters.

‘When Tavin and I came up here to talk, we left Elijah in the Great Hall. I presume he’s still there, helping the survivors.’ Suddenly eager for Anna to leave before she realised that he was less than ten feet from her, I added, ‘I should go to him; he must be very confused.’ Unlike me, Elijah wouldn’t have had any idea what was happening when the vampires had suddenly started ageing and dying before his eyes. Although, depending on how long he had been hiding in my bedchamber, he certainly knew the truth now.

Anna nodded, thankfully believing the lies falling from my lips. ‘My order forbidding you from disclosing the truth of my involvement in recent events to anyone still stands. No one must learn it was the birth of my son which enabled me to bring about the end of the vampires. I will not have Prince Nikolas’ life put in danger.’

‘Will you ever admit it was you who caused them to turn human and become their true age?’

Anna considered my question. ‘Eventually, when I think the time is right for people to know the truth.’

‘You know they’ll likely kill you.’

I was surprised Elijah hadn’t stormed into the sitting room and challenged the Prime upon hearing her confession, he tended to be rather impetuous, but perhaps he was worried about putting my life in danger. He would also know that any actions against the Prime would be considered an act of war. Since Jangwa Island was going to be just as vulnerable as Dornia while it recovered from the loss of its vampires, he wouldn’t want to put his land in direct conflict with another. Especially two lands as powerful as Dornia and the Northlands.

‘Maybe. But then again, there are many that’ll be glad to see the back of the vampires.’ Anna smiled, revealing her elongated eyeteeth. ‘Also, would they really kill the only person who can make them vampire once more?’

I eyed the fangs with a mixture of fear and revulsion. It seemed she had kept some vampiric traits after all. I wondered if this meant she still needed blood. I shuddered and glanced away, my hand going up to my throat, which was scarred from the countless times vampires had used my unwilling body to sustain their own during my years as a slave. My wrists were similarly scarred, while the rest of my body bore evidence of other abuses from both vampires and the humans who had overseen us at the castle. At least the injuries Viktor inflicted on me had healed without scarring, thanks to the blood Anna had given me after freeing me from his quarters. I wouldn’t want any outward scars from my time with the sadistic Northlander Prime, the scars he had left on my mind were bad enough.

No, I will not think of him; his hands touching me, the weight of his body crushing mine.

‘Are you alright, Chrissy?’

Anna’s words broke through the panic threatening to overwhelm me. Looking, I found her staring at me curiously. There was also understanding, as if the younger woman knew what I was thinking and suffered her own moments of darkness. I knew from our time together that Anna, too, often awoke screaming from nightmares. Every human who spent time at Saron Castle was scarred, both inside and out.

I forced myself to smile. ‘Of course,’ I said, driving the panic away. Viktor could no longer hurt me, he was dead. I was also concerned that, if he realised that I was upset, Elijah would leave the bedchamber to offer me comfort, betraying his presence to Anna. ‘Can you make them vampire again?’

‘Some secrets I will keep,’ she said, her expression giving nothing away. ‘You have one hour to locate Elijah and leave Teragon House. Understandably, the gates are locked and everyone’s forbidden from entering or leaving, but I’ll ensure those on guard are aware you’re permitted to leave.’

I knew better than to point out it was dark outside, and given what had happened, it was unlikely we would find a bed for the night. Such observations would most likely result in a one-way visit to the dungeons.

‘Do not return to Dornia or the Northlands without my permission, or I’ll be forced to imprison you,’ Anna warned, as though hearing my thoughts. ‘Think yourself lucky that events this evening make it unlikely that the court gossips will give much time to your behaviour. Any other time would’ve seen you ruined.’

Not that I was particularly bothered with such things, seeing as I was banished from court anyway. I imagine Tavin’s family weren’t going to be impressed when they discovered their ancestor’s adopted daughter had shamed herself so. They hadn’t been exactly welcoming in the first place, and more than once I had overheard them saying to Tavin that he had made a mistake in adopting me. When they discovered that I had taken it upon myself to elope, they would see their doubts against their ancestor adopting a former slave as justified. Even if Tavin had supported my decision. At least they couldn’t take Tavin’s name from me; only the Prime had that power.

‘Since I cannot interfere with Islander matters, it’ll be up to Elijah to explain your actions to Tanvir’s replacement.’ Much to my surprise, Anna opened her arms and pulled me into a tight embrace. I couldn’t remember another time she had shown such affection towards me. ‘I hope we’ll see each other again one day,’ she said into my hair.

As she pulled back, I was startled to see genuine emotion in her eyes. Perhaps I was wrong, and she truly saw me as a friend.

‘What of Tavin?’ I said, glancing at the goblet and its sorry contents. What a sad end to such a great person.

‘I’ll ensure his remains are given to his descendants to take to their family mausoleum.’

At least if I was ever permitted to return to Dornia I had somewhere to go and remember him. If the family allowed me to set foot inside Bowen Castle, that is.

Anna stood up, her stiff movements telling me she had some aftereffects from becoming human after all. I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I was glad.

‘Farewell, Chrissy,’ she said. ‘I hope we’ll meet again one day.’

I got to my feet and curtsied. ‘Farewell, Your Grace,’ I said formally.

The moment the door closed behind her, I heard movement behind me. Turning towards the sound, I wasn’t surprised to see the Islander man dressed in camelhair and furs standing in the doorway to my bedchamber, his waist-long hair woven into dozens of hair braids threaded through with strands matching the light blue beads stitched on the leather scabbard at his hip, his almond-shaped green eyes narrowed in both confusion and anger.

Elijah.

Chapter Two

Forty-five minutes later I was standing at the top of the steps leading from Teragon House’s main entrance with Elijah, travelling bags slung over our shoulders. The freezing wind whipped my hair, tugging at the blonde strands which had escaped my gold coloured hairnet, and my breath misted in the sharp air, making me thankful for the woollen cloak I had wrapped tightly around me. At least I had thought to swap my flimsy court slippers for a pair of leather ankle boots.

Given we had only an hour, I hadn’t bothered getting changed out of my gown, and instead had used what little time I had left at the place I had called home for the past eight months to pack the few clothes and other belongings I wanted to take with me, including the parchment naming me the Duke of Bowen’s adopted daughter. I had also refused to relinquish Tavin’s first gift to me—a gold ring decorated with a single ruby which he had gifted me during our visit to Jangwa Island the previous year. Every other item of jewellery, including the sapphire necklace and earring set Prime Anna had presented to me the day she had officially named me one of her ladies-in-waiting and the pieces which Tavin had given me since I had become his daughter, was in the top drawer of my dressing table. The necklace and earring set would go to my replacement, while the rest would be shared among Tavin’s descendants. I had also left behind the few gowns I had acquired since arriving at court, taking only my favourite dove grey gown with white rearing horses embroidered on the hems, another gift from Tavin, nightwear, and several sets of riding clothes. I had also packed the linen tunics and trousers I would wear when we eventually reached Jangwa Island. What I was taking with me barely filled the two canvas bags, but it was still far more than I’d ever owned during my years as a slave.

Once I had finished packing, unable to bring myself to stay in the same room as Tavin’s remains, I’d waited in my bedchamber for Elijah to return with his own belongings, then we had left my quarters together. I had wanted to say farewell to my few friends at court, but not only were we running close to the time when we had to be away from Teragon House, I was concerned Anna would think I was defying her order to leave.

During our journey through the candlelit passageways and sweeping staircases of Teragon House, portraits of Anna’s ancestors staring solemnly down as we hurried past them, there had been chaos everywhere we looked. Along with random piles of clothes and black dust, survivors were lying crumpled where they had fallen; some staring about them in terror and confusion, unable to comprehend what was happening, while others were unconscious. The latter were the lucky ones, as they were blissfully unaware of their changed circumstances. A couple of those who were awake called to us as we rushed past, begging for our help. Not that I knew what they thought we could do; it wasn’t as though we could make them vampire again. Mindful of the fact we had to leave, we hadn’t stopped to help. Instead, Elijah had promised them help was coming. We had also passed several servants helping other survivors back to their quarters, the former looking as traumatised and confused as those to whom they were giving aid, while wails of despair had come from behind many of the doors we passed. In the normally bustling Entrance Hall, at the foot of the grand staircase leading up to the Prime’s Wing, a fair-haired descendant several years younger than me, in a red and gold gown, had been kneeling over a pile of clothes, tears coursing down her cheeks. A few feet from them, a small group of lords and ladies dressed in their court finery were huddled together, comforting one another, their expressions displaying the same confusion and horror as everyone else we had passed.

Elijah had looked about him, his expression grim. ‘How could she?’ he had whispered over and over. ‘How could she?’

At the foot of the steps to the entrance hall, a dark-coloured carriage emblazoned with the white rearing horse of House Bowen and pulled by two black horses was waiting for us. Before going to fetch his belongings, Elijah had managed to track down a servant and given him the order to go to the stables with the message to ready the Bowen carriage for the Lady Christine’s imminent departure.

Tavin’s family were going to be furious when they discovered I had stolen the family carriage, but it couldn’t be helped. I recognised the wiry, dark-haired man dressed in the red and white livery of House Bowen standing by the carriage as Tim, the Bowen family coachman. His weathered face, illuminated by the freestanding torches which lined the steps leading down to the carriageway, echoed the same confusion I had seen in everyone else’s. Thankfully, he was too professional to voice aloud his confusion or question why the Duke of Bowen’s adopted daughter was fleeing Teragon House in the middle of the night.

Instead, he greeted me with his usual cordial manner. Smiling, I started down the steps towards him, then came to an abrupt halt when he started gesturing towards something on the next step down.

‘My lady, watch out!’

I looked down and let out a shocked sound when I spotted a light-coloured jerkin and a pair of leather trousers lying in the centre of the step, a single shoe lying on its side, the next step down. Of their former owner there was no sign, the wind having spread his remains far and wide. Swallowing, I glanced away from the sight, trying not to think that the clothing may have belonged to someone I had spoken with during my time at court. Next to me, Elijah cursed softly as he, too, caught sight of the abandoned clothing.

My husband was yet to mention my conversation with the Prime—in fact, apart from instructing me to pack whatever I wanted to take with me while he went to his quarters and did the same, he hadn’t said two words to me. Even so, I could tell by the set of his jaw that, not only had he overheard enough of the conversation to know Anna was responsible for what had befallen the vampires, he was aware I had known in advance at least part of what she was planning. He was furious, and who could blame him? He had just found out that half his tribe, including members of his own family, were either dead or incapacitated, and his bride hadn’t done a jot to prevent it or given him an advanced warning. As far as loyalty to my husband’s tribe—my tribe—went, I was failing miserably. I took some comfort in that he hadn’t left me behind, meaning he wasn’t so angry that he couldn’t forgive me. It was just a question of how long such forgiveness was going to take and whether he was going to inform our tribe of my prior knowledge. I chose not to believe that he was taking me with him so the tribe could administer their own punishment.

Skirting around the pitiful remains, I continued down the steps and over to Tim, who silently took my bags, and was about to start towards the waiting coach, when a soft cry made me pause.

‘What is it?’ Elijah said, as he dropped his bags on the cobblestones and hurried over to me. He laid his hand on my upper arm. ‘My love?’

‘Did you hear that?’ I said, taking comfort in the fact he was still referring to me as his love. Surely, if he were that angry with me, he wouldn’t use a term of endearment when addressing me?

‘Hear what?’

I pressed a finger against his lips. ‘Listen.’

Elijah cocked his head, listening. The pitiful cry came again, louder this time.

‘That.’

‘It came from up there,’ Elijah said, gesturing towards the covered area to the left of the entrance hall doors where people liked to sit while waiting for their transport to arrive. ‘Wait in the coach where it is warmer, I will go and investigate.’

‘I’m coming with you.’

Elijah looked as though he was going to argue, then nodded once. Together, we raced up the steps and over to where Elijah had indicated, neatly avoiding the stone benches and terracotta pots arranged artfully around the circular area, open archways looking out over the wide carriageway towards the main gates, which were hidden by a line of trees, the light from the torches on a nearby wall casting the space into shadows.

At first glance, the area seemed deserted, and I was about to tell Elijah he must be mistaken, when there came a shuffling sound from the corner furthest from us. Straining my eyes, I realised what I had dismissed as merely a shadow was in fact a figure slumped against the wall.

‘Over there,’ I said to Elijah, who had gone to retrieve a torch.

He held the torch aloft, chasing the shadows away, revealing a dark-skinned female clad in the blue and black livery of a Prime’s