Page 19 of The Vampire Court
Oliver growls. “I have no master.”
“Stand down, dog.”
Oliver’s posture shifts. Though he does as ordered, the tension ratchets up, leaving every muscle in his body trembling with the strain from holding back.
I blink, and the vampire stands before me. Without looking away from me, he throws out a hand and slams it against Oliver’s chest, sending him stumbling back.
I wait for Oliver to make a move, to retaliate, but he only shakes his head and averts his eyes. He has no more power here than I do.
A clammy hand grips my shoulder, thumb pressing against my windpipe, applying more and more pressure. The vampire’s other hand reaches up and tangles in my hair, tilting my head back painfully.
I swallow. Ice blue eyes ringed in a thin line of red follow the movement.
“Let me go,” I say.
“I don’t think so, little snack. You don’t have a master. If you did, they would be here now. You are just a foolish human who thought you could get away with crashing the masquerade, and now, you will pay for it.” His sharp nail drags along my skin, and I feel the warm trickle of blood slide down. He licks his lips.
“I do,” I say. “Alaric Devereaux is my master.”
He barks a laugh.
“I will kill you if you don’t let me go.”
The vampire snarls and brings his mouth to my neck. I lift my arms up between us, ready to draw my dagger.
“Step away from the girl, Kerin,” a woman commands. Her words are soft but forceful as they echo through the hallway.
The vampire’s breath fans out across my shoulder, turning my blood to ice in my veins. Her voice is hauntingly familiar, reminding me of a time so distant it might as well have been a dream.
It is a voice I never thought I would ever hear again.
Chapter Seven
Clara
The vampire snarls.He releases me and turns on the woman. There’s a split second where he crouches, ready to lunge. Kerin blocks my view of the woman. There’s a pause then a sharp intake of his breath. The woman growls. The sound is somehow both fierce and feminine. He straightens, pressing his shoulders back.
“Yes, my Lady.” There is a slight tremble to his voice. Kerin looks over his shoulder at me, wearing an expression of understanding and hate.
He disappears with the speed only a vampire can manage. Oliver grabs my hand and pulls me into a protective hug. I bury my face in his chest, not ready to see the specter behind me.
Her soft footfalls draw nearer, but I don’t move.
“Thank you, Lady,” Oliver says.
“You should know better than to bring a claimed human out here.”
With every word spoken, chills race along my skin. At the same time, her words annoy me. Oliver didn’t bring me here, nor is he responsible for anything that happened.
Oliver takes my hand and turns me to face her. The retort on my tongue dies when I take her in.
The woman looks like me, even more so than Kitty does. I know exactly who she is, but my mind struggles to wrap around the truth. She should be older—she should be dead.
Instead, she appears to be my age. Her hair is the exact shade of dark brown. Her eyes, her nose, and even her mouth are the same features I see every time I look in the mirror.
“Mother?” I ask, but the sound of that word leaving my lips has me stumbling back several steps. It’s heavy… awkward… wrong.
She smiles. I blink, and she has me wrapped up in her arms, holding me in an embrace I haven’t felt since I was eight years old. I sink into her arms. The reaction is automatic and impossible to avoid as her familiar scent of sweet vanilla brings back a wave of memories.