Page 131 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

“I’m going to kill that bastard when I find him,” Kaia sneers.

How many more impures are lurking in the castle waiting to do his bidding? The thought sends an eerie shiver down my spine.

Celeste hovers over her father’s body, sobbing, and despite how much I dislike her, I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. Flashes of me crying over Tori’s body assault my mind, and I have to fight hard to push the gruesome memories away. Ajax tilts his head toward me, a silent gesture asking if I’m ok. I return the gesture before turning my attention back to the dead vampire.

Celeste gets up and spins to face us all as she wipes away angry tears. Her sharp eyes narrow on me instantly.

“What the hell is she doing here? Get her out of here.” Her words are screamed with so much venom that I almost taste them.

“She’s not going anywhere,” Karius says, a deadly calm to his voice. It always surprises me how playful and teasing he is when we are alone, but in the presence of the nobles, he is a fierce leader not to be reckoned with. Other than his royal guard, I’m not sure anyone else sees him like this.

She turns her attention to Karius, shock filling her face, but when she realizes that he is not changing his mind, she relents.

“The other houses are going to want answers as to how this happened under your roof.”

“Careful, Cele.”

Cele?The nickname sounds too familiar, and my stomach flips.

“Calm down, Karius, not everything is a threat. It’s a simple fact. I’m not a fool. I know what killed my father.”

The entire room seems to still.

“And what exactly do you think that is?” Eamon asks.

She looks at him as though he is beneath her, yet she still answers.

“The same thing that has been leaving dead vampires all over the court. An impure.” She looks at them all and laughs. “What? You thought we didn’t know? We Blackwoods make it our business to know everything about the court we reside in.”

“What is your point?” Karius asks.

She blows out a breath, and I can’t ignore how quickly the tears for her dead father have dried away.

“My point is that if I go out there and tell them all the truth, then this court's numbers are going to look very light for the next century.”

Kaia lets out a growl at the threat, stepping forward, but Karius raises a hand to stop her.

“But you won’t tell them, will you?” he says confidently, and a wicked grin curves her mouth.

“Not unless I have to,” she says, and something about her words makes my stomach tighten. What the hell is she up to? “Honestly, my father’s death is somewhat of a blessing.”

I almost gasp at her words. Lissian was no doubt a monster, but to speak of her own father that way two seconds after supposedly mourning him is truly cruel.

“You see, with him gone, I’m the only Blackwood left alive with the ability to do what I can.” She holds up her hand and wiggles her fingers for emphasis. It’s no secret that the Blackwoods keep the sky covered and the sun away, and while the Blackwood line is filled with those who can cast shadow masses, there are none as powerful as Lissian or Celeste. None that can keep an entire sky shadowed. “I’m now the head of my House, and if I decide toleave, then I will take every mass in the sky with me, leaving you all to hide in the shadows from the sun once again.”

She walks to where her father lies on the floor and looks down at him. “And with what these unknown creatures can do, it would be such a shame if you were trapped to only walk at night again.”

Karius’s jaw ticks as he watches her, but he says nothing. The flex and curl of his fist are the only true indication of his anger. Everyone is dead silent, and I feel that I’m somehow missing something.

“Or I can stay. I can pretend that my father has returned to the estate due to an emergency, and then, when the blood vows ceremony begins, I will pledge my house’s allegiance to you before anyone knows a thing.”

“And why would you do that?” Kaia asks.

Celeste’s eyes flicker to Karius, and a cunning smile splits her face.

“He knows why, don’t you,Kari?”He remains unmoving, frozen, looking at only her. His fists are clenched at his sides, but he makes no moves, and I realize that for the first time, he is somehow being bested. Something inside me wants to rip her open. I want to wipe the smile off her smug face, but I remain still, knowing that there is something that I’m missing.

“Are you going to tell them or should I?”