Page 26 of Bite The Power That Feeds

Viper came over and tore the vambrace off my arm when he realized the damage it had caused my forearm. The bruising was immediately noticeable.

Cobra took off at a run and jumped across the opening, making it all the way across without faltering. He looked me over himself to make sure I was alright before he glanced at Kingsnake. “Are there others?”

“Viper and I killed them at the entrance,” Kingsnake said. “Larisa felt their intentions, and we came immediately.”

“Where is she?” Cobra asked.

“I asked her to hide,” Kingsnake said. “That didn’t go over well, and I’ll pay for it later.”

Cobra came straight to me and grabbed both of my shoulders. He gave me a once-over before he let me go. “I feared this would happen.”

“Why?” Kingsnake asked.

“Clara told her people she would destroy the obelisk,” Cobra said. “They clearly weren’t happy with that decision.”

“It seems to have been isolated to a few rebels,” Viper said. “Anyone else who has the same idea will be wary.”

“You need to destroy the obelisk,” Cobra said to me. “Be done with it so this doesn’t happen again.”

I still couldn’t believe my own people had tried to kill me and the vampires were the ones who’d saved me.

“We’ll escort you there,” Kingsnake said.

Cobra waited for my agreement. “Clara?”

“I’m sorry… I just need a second.” I walked away from their group and left the flames behind, trying to access cool air to cleanse my lungs. My life had fallen apart piece by piece, and now that my own people had tried to murder me, I hit rock bottom. I looked into the tree houses, knowing that the Ethereal stood on their balconies and stared at the flames that would have claimed my life. When I looked at the stairs, I saw the dead guards who had fought to protect me. I saw the other Ethereal who had come out to witness the horrific sight. Some of them grabbed buckets and formed a line, moving the pails from the river to the palace to douse the flames.

All I could do was stand there.

My eyes were on the forest, but I could feel him beside me. Feel him standing there and staring at me, accompanying me in my misery. My arms were crossed over my chest and I was on the verge of tears, but I was too proud to let them fall. “I feel like I’m living a nightmare…and it just gets worse.”

He came closer at the silent invitation.

“My life wasn’t great before I knew the truth, but it wasn’t horrible either. Now everything I’ve ever believed in is a complete lie. My own people whom I’ve served tried to burn me to death. My father was killed by my treason. I’m destroying my own immortality. I have to decide whether I want to live an unremarkable life as a human or forever as an undead. It’s all happened in such a short amount of time… It’s hard to process.”

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

I slowly turned to him.

“You’re ushering in a new era for the Ethereal. You’re making the right choice, albeit the hard choice. There will be defiance. There will be disappointment. That’s your burden to bear for as long as you wear that crown.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“It’s supposed to harden your spine. It’s supposed to invigorate you with courage. You inherited a kingdom of lies and deceit. Now it’s your responsibility to make the Ethereal as glorious as they should have been. If you thought that would be easy, then you’re a fool.”

I’d expected the man I was sleeping with to console me, to tell me I was doing a great job, to say all the things I wanted to hear. Instead, he told me the things Ineededto hear. Spoke the truth instead of cushioning me with lies. And I liked that. “It sounds like you speak from experience.”

“It wasn’t easy to start our kingdoms. And it hasn’t been easy to make the tough calls. If the job is ever easy, then you aren’t doing it right.” He stared at me with that hardness in his gaze, a king in a different kingdom. “You know I’m here for you—always. My blade is yours. My brothers serve you. But it’s your job to lead.”

“I’m surprised one of you doesn’t just take over…”

His eyes took in mine. “The Ethereal don’t need us when they already have a mighty queen.”

When his stare became too much, I looked away.

“Who happens to be the sexiest little thing I’ve ever seen.” His smile was in his voice, charming and flirtatious.

My sadness was too potent to feel joy.