Page 23 of Bite The Power That Feeds

Seeing their horrified faces looking back at me was the worst thing I’d ever experienced. I could see they were paralyzed by the news, shocked by their own upcoming demise. Giving them a secondary option of being a vampire didn’t seem to go over well. They wanted to live forever—and keep their souls.

I’d been queen for such a brief time, but I already felt like the worst ruler who ever lived. Perhaps I should have just destroyed the obelisk without their knowledge and explained their aging as a curse from the gods.

There was no good answer.

The door opened, and the Queen’s Guard entered. “King Cobra, King of the Mountain, requests a word.”

I wasn’t in the mood for company, not even from him, but I refused to shoo him off. He was all I had right now. “Send him in.”

A moment later, Cobra entered, regal in his king’s uniform. He took the seat to my left and pivoted the chair so he faced me. One ankle crossed and rested on the opposite knee, and with his elbows on the armrests, he brought his hands together in his lap. He stared, his charming smile absent, his eyes deep and serious. “Are you alright, sweetheart?” The tenderness in his voice was a direct contradiction to his usual hardness.

My eyes hadn’t been on him that entire time, just taking him in through my peripheral. But now I shifted my gaze to his directly, seeing dark eyes that reminded me of lonely midnights. “No…not really.”

“What happened?”

“They took it pretty hard.”

“What did they say?”

“Nothing…”

His eyes, full of pity, were still glued to mine.

“I told them I would destroy the obelisk. So they need to decide whether they want to live the remainder of their lives as human…or embrace immortality as a nightwalker. I’m not sure what they will decide.”

“I thought you were going to put it to a vote.”

“But then I realized how cruel it is to make people choose. It’s a bit easier when someone else makes the hard choice for you.”

He gave a subtle nod. “This makes me a bit uneasy.”

“Why?”

“What if they stage a coup?”

“We’re peaceful—”

“You’re taking away their way of life. Not everyone will agree with your decision. Since you’re the only one who knows where it is, if they kill you, their immortality perseveres.”

I found it hard to believe my own kind would do something so barbaric, but it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

“I will stay with you until it’s done.”

“I have guards—”

“I don’t trust them.”

“Cobra, you have your own obligations—”

“None of those obligations is more important than you.”

I kept a straight face, but my heart clenched like a closing fist.

“What will you decide?”

Not understanding the question, I stared.

“Will you live the remainder of your life as human…or join me?”