Page 27 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

I tip my head back and laugh.

“This has to be a joke because I refuse to believe anyone is this stupid.”

“I promise you that I do not jest. I would like for you to use the…your blood to put him down.”

“You must be completely insane to even be saying that out loud. Nobody just kills the Crown Prince; he’s the most powerful vampire in this entire kingdom.”

“Even the most powerful of creatures can be killed.”

“Thenyoukill him.”

“If only it were so simple.”

I step forward, and for the first time, his minions come alive, their eyes watching me from within the shadows of their hoods.

“Only an idiot would attempt something so stupid. Killing the prince is a suicide mission I am not prepared to go on, so either kill me now or let us go.”

He considers my words in silence before pointing toward the door, stepping aside to drive the message home. At once, the still figures shift like puppets on strings, parting to carve a clear path for us.

“As you wish. I told you, I mean you no harm.”

I watch him carefully, and I know I’m missing something, but I don’t have time to ponder it. I grab Tori’s arm, yanking her beside me as I move in the direction of the door, bending briefly to retrieve the fallen fang. I keep my eyes on them as I go, preparing for an attack, but to my surprise, it never comes.

They let us go, but there’s a part of me that knows that this is far from over.

Scrubbing the bloodhouse floors was not what I had on my to-do list today, but respite days mean no feedings, not no work. There is always work for humans. I think the vamps believe that if we’re always busy, then we can’t plan another war. Thankfully, it was someone else’s job to stack the tables and chairs to the side of the room to make it easier to clean. If I had to do that too, then I’d be on my back by now.

You missed a spot,Athriel says in an annoyingly relaxed voice.

I wish you had a body just so I could kill you.

His laughter fills my head as the incessant squeaking sound of the cloth against the marble floor plays an annoying tune in the silent room.

It’s not my fault you decided to fight a den of vampires last night.

I didn’t exactly have a choice.

Oh, but you did. I have told you many times that you are far too impulsive, young one. You need to work on your patience.

Says the one who decides within seconds whether or not someone deserves to die.

That is called being proactive.

I roll my eyes and sit back on my heels, letting the cloth slip from my hand. One glance at the room has my stomach sinking; I’ve barely touched the surface. An audible groan escapes me. Amabel is being so pedantic about us keeping this place spotless lately. I don’t know what the hell her problem is.

Why do you think Julian could hear you?

I was wondering when you would ask. I heard you thinking about it all night.

Do we need to have another talk about boundaries?

He simply laughs.

To answer your question, I’m not entirely sure. I could sense magic within him. Something ancient. It felt oddly familiar, like I had been around it before, yet it was different. Unusual. Either way, we need to know how he can hear me.

Agreed.

I stretch my arm across my chest, trying to ease out the tension. My entire body aches from last night, but I can hardly show it. If Amabel even got a whiff that I was there last night, I would be severely punished. Tori has already spent half the morning in her office answering questions as to why she is the only survivor of a massacre. I just hope she gets her story straight. We went over it enough times when we got back last night.