Page 112 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

“Sleep, I’ll be right here.”

I let my eyes drift shut as his scent washes over me, a strange calm settling in as sleep begins to swallow me whole. At some point, he must have moved me from the floor to the bed, but the thought doesn’t bother me nearly as much as it should.

I stretch out my arm and find the other side of the bed empty. Flashes of me in Karius’s arms assault my mind, and I wonder if he left to avoid the awkwardness of the morning. I can't believe that I cried in his arms last night or that he saw me in that state. My head throbs when I think of the images of Willow that filled my mind last night, her helpless frame mangled on the ground.

I sit up to shake the image, and my eye catches the glint of silver on his dresser, an orb of starlight hovering just above it. I get out of bed and wander toward it. A gasp leaves my mouth at the sight of my mother’s dagger, and I have to suppress a cry at seeing it. Beneath it is a note with small, scribbled cursive on it. I lift it to read.

Thought you might want this back, hopefully you won’t use it to stab me in the back.

I read the note several times before clutching the dagger to my chest, my eyes filling with warm tears. I’m not sure how to feel about the fact that he did this. Part of me had believed that he’d gotten rid of it the night he took it, but for whatever reason, he kept it. And now he has given it back just when I need it. I close my eyes for a moment and try not to get lost in the thought of the act. He is only doing it so that I can keep myself safe, so that he doesn’t die. A part of me toys with another idea that I try desperately to push away.

I lay the note and the dagger back down and make my way to the bathroom. It’s so much bigger than the one in my old room, and despite my initial anger at having to share the room, I cannot deny that it is far more luxurious than the one I was staying in.

I turn on the faucet, letting the water spill into the deep bath before adding the scented oils that are laid out beside it. I grab a towel and hang it over the side. I hurry back into the room and waltz into the wardrobe, surprised to find that more than half of it is filled with my clothes, all hung in the exact way they were in my room. Did the servants do this themselves, or did he ask them to? My mind reels with the possibility, but I push the thoughts away.

I pull out my training gear and a comfortable tunic and loose pants since I plan to meet Iza later so that we can do some more research into the creatures that attacked us. I can understand why she wasn’t really looking into breaking the bond now, since there are far more pressing issues that we need to deal with. It finally feels like I might stand a chance of finding Willow, and a small part of me is glad I told the group the truth. Honestly, I’m not sure I could find her on my own.

I hurry back to the bathroom, turning off the faucet when the water is to where I want it. I’m just lifting my top over my head when a knock sounds against the door. I pause before makingmy way toward it. I swing it open, expecting to find one of the guards, but instead I find Celeste. Her mouth forms into a scowl at the sight of me. I knew she hated me back at the bloodhouse, but the rage in her eyes is different now.Stronger. Fiercer.

It is what you humans refer to as jealousy,Athriel says.

Good, she treated the people I care about like shit back at the bloodhouse, so maybe this is her comeuppance.I say gleefully.

“I’m here to see theprince,”she says, and something about the way she says it makes my blood boil.

“He’s out.”

She pins me with a stare that I’m pretty sure could kill if she wanted it to.

“Well, get out of the way so that I can wait for him. From what I remember, he loves being surprised.”

She pushes past me to make her way into the room, taking a seat on the bed like she owns the place.

“You can continue cleaning.” She dismisses me with a wave of the hand, but pauses when I don’t move.

“This isn’t the bloodhouse, Celeste. Your father doesn’t own me anymore. I’m not here to clean.”

She turns to look at me as if the effort is too much.

“So, you’re a blood whore to a new master, great, you can leave.”

Rage thunders in my veins as a cold chill sweeps through my body. I get the same feeling I do moments before I entice a vampire to drink from me. I haven’t had to do it since coming to the palace, but I desperately want to make an exception. Still, Karius’s reminder to keep our connection secret rings loud in my ears, and a dead vampire would only raise questions. I blow out small breaths, trying to calm myself.

It’s ok,I tell Athriel.

I do not like how she is watching you. It is with a predator’s gaze.

I can handle myself,I remind him.

I feel him sink deep within the folds of my mind, my words a promise that he believes.

“I am not a blood whore,” I sneer.

She sweeps over to where I’m standing and wraps a hand around my throat, and then slams me against the wall. I suck in a breath, but my eyes remain on hers without faltering.

“Do you have a death wish?” she hisses.

I don’t answer, and her grip tightens on my throat. If not for Karius’s power rippling through me, this would hurt a damn sight more. I pretend to struggle more than I need to as she narrows her eyes at me.