Page 132 of Cruelly Bitten

I’d met Hazel several times in my very long history, but I had no idea what kind of vampire she’d become while I’d been indisposed. “Tell me what you know about Hazel, Keys.”

Because I would use all the help I could get right now. Even small details could be useful.

Such as whether or not Hazel seems to support this new way of life, or if she appears to oppose what this world has become…

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CAM

“Princess Hazel runs Hazel Region,”Keys informed me, his statement fucking obvious and a complete waste of time. “She has five sovereigns, two?—”

“I don’t care about the politics, Keys. I’m asking about Hazel as a vampire. Is she kind? Cruel? One of Lilith’s former minions? A cunt? What’s her personality like these days?”

Keys froze again, a hint of shock rolling off him in a tangible wave. “I… I don’t know how to answer that, My Prince.”

“Preferably bluntly,” I told him. “And don’t call meMy Princeagain, or I’ll consider leaving you stranded here while I take the car.”

I wouldn’t actually do that. Despite barely knowing the human, I rather liked Keys. Perhaps because he was helping me when I needed it.

Not that he had a choice.

But he wasn’t exactly fighting it, either.

“I don’t… I don’t know Princess Hazel.” His words came out on a breath, his emotions peeking at me from beneath his veil of stoicism.

“Surely you all discuss the royals in private? Share rumors?”

He shook his head. “No, My…” He coughed again, attempting to mask the words he’d been about to say. “It’s against the rules to discuss such matters. Besides, I have no one to discuss those things with.”

“What about the men in your unit?”

He blinked in the mirror. “Our focus is on security, not talking.”

“Don’t you need to communicate to do an effective job?” I pressed.

“Our discussions are limited to what we see. When not on shift, we train, eat, or sleep.”

“No socializing,” I translated.

“Socializing is forbidden,” he parroted at me, the statement sounding more like a repeated rule than his own personal mantra.

“I see.” I hadn’t spent a lot of time reviewing files on the Blood Universities; I’d only studied high-level curriculum details, not the actual execution of said curriculum.

“We are also permitted to pray three times a day,” he added. “Typically before a meal, to thank the Goddess for all she does.”

I laughed. “Praying three times a day? To Lilith?” She’d mentioned assuming the role ofGoddess, as permysupposed recommendation. “Fuck, that’s rich.”

Now I understood Ismerelda’s feelings on Lilith’s death. I, too, was jealous that I hadn’t been the one to rip the bitch apart.

The car swerved a little, another burst of surprise chipping at Keys’s mask.

“She’s not a Goddess,” I informed him. “She’s a vampire. Or shewasa vampire. Until Ryder killed her.”

Keys’s foot slipped, causing the automobile to jerk around us. “Wh-what?”

“Take a breath, human. Your heart is beating far too fast for your mortal form.” And I really didn’t want him to crash.

I was about to compel him to calm down when he managed to harness control of his emotions all by himself, his inhales and exhales evening out within a minute of his initial freak-out.