Page 31 of The Vampire Court

I wrinkle my forehead but keep my mouth shut tight to avoid saying things I shouldn’t. My head swims. I can’t keep my thoughts straight.

A shrill voice yells from down the hall, “She did it! She killed Kerin!”

Cassius’s fingers tighten, pressing into my ribs, a low growl rumbling from deep within his chest.

The feeling in my limbs gradually returns but not fast enough, but I am thankful for the warmth that accompanies it.

The queen snarls, drawing closer. She lowers her face to mine. “The sentence for murder is instant death.”

“Slayer,” Cassius mumbles.

My body goes cold, and I can feel what little blood remains draining from my face. His head snaps toward me, eyes wide with fear.

Elizabeth’s hand shoots out grabbing Cassius by the shirt and pulls his face within an inch of hers. The movement throws us off balance, and I barely avoid falling into her.

“What did you say?” Her words are whisper soft and deadly. There is a mix of rage and fear in her words.

“One more kill… and she will be a slayer.”

Licking my lips, Lawrence’s words from the day we left come back to me. “A third kill will make you a slayer.” I had pushed it from my mind, dismissing it as ridiculous.

I killed my third vampire that night at the theater. Too preoccupied with everything else happening, I never stopped to think about it. I don’t know what it means to be a slayer, other than the fact that I have killed several vampires. Kerin was my fourth.

Elizabeth releases him and turns her gaze on me.

I pull my arm from Cassius and stand on my own. I am weak, but I don’t want to appear helpless. She fears something in me. I can see it in her soft bright blue, almost violet eyes.

Blood trickles down my neck, warm and sticky.

Her pale skin grows blotchy with her rising anger, moving up from her chest to her neck and face.

“You will not get the chance to become a full-fledged slayer,” she says, and I almost admire the calm in her voice when there is a storm clearly raging inside. “It will not be a quick death for you, girl.”

Cassius is wrong, though. They both are.

I am already a slayer.

The queen snaps her fingers. There’s a blur followed by the whoosh of air as two guards, baring their fangs, appear at her side.

“Take her down to the lower levels,” she commands. Her words are barely audible but are coated in venom.

I am ripped from Cassius and dragged down the hall at blinding speed. The toe of my boot trails along the floor as they move too fast for me to keep up. The speed makes my stomach churn, and the ground seems to drop from under me as I’m taken to a lower level.

Metal doors screech open then slam closed behind us. The air turns stale and damp, smelling of mildew and rot.

I open my mouth to protest, but no sound comes out.

The guards come to a sudden halt. The world spins, and I wretch the entirety of my stomach’s contents at their feet.

They drop me. I barely manage to catch myself before my face connects with the stone floor. A boot collides with my ribs, knocking me to my side then again, rolling me onto my back.

Straw pokes through my clothing, but I don’t care. I pant though I don’t attempt to get up. I don’t have the energy. I can still feel the warm trickle of blood down my neck.

“Should we kill her?” one guard asks.

“No, our queen will make an example of her.”

Their footsteps echo in my ears. Then, a door slams, followed by the click of a heavy metal lock rattling into place.