Page 54 of The Vampire Court

Warmth blooms in my chest. I miss Alaric. I miss the weight of his hand on my hip as I sleep, his warm musky scent, and I miss his presence. I hoped he would have come to visit me before the reclaiming, though I knew that would be impossible from the start.

Dawn was several hours ago, and nothing has happened yet. I haven’t moved since I opened my eyes. I’d woken from a light sleep the moment the faintest light peeked through the archer’s slit window.

Of course, a vampire’s idea of the morning would be different than a human’s, but I remain here, on my back, praying to the Otherworld that time would stop or at least slow down as long as I stay still.

Dread pools at what the day will bring when I get up.

The door is thrown wide, and a woman storms in. She sneers when her gaze lands on me still in bed. She fists her hands on her hips and heaves a bone weary sigh.

“Get up, you lazy girl,” she orders, marching to the window and opening it. A cold blast of winter air blows in. I suck in a sharp breath, squeezing my eyes against the chill. “As soon as the sun sets, you will meet your new suitors.”

Suitors. She either doesn’t know what tonight is really about, or she thinks it’s some kind of honor. Either way, her word choice sets my blood on fire. These vampires are not going to court me or attempt to win my favor. They are beasts who will vie to see who’s control of me is the strongest.

“I would rather not,” I grumble, tugging the thin blanket over my head.

The woman grabs my wrist and yanks it, dragging me out of bed and onto my feet.

Demons and saints, she’s strong.

“You’ll bruise her if you continue to handle her like that. Our queen would not be happy.” The woman freezes at Della’s words. “You are dismissed. I can handle her from here.”

The woman releases me like I was nothing more than a sack of soiled clothing then turns to Della and says, “You have two hours, and not a minute longer. I will return to escort her.”

The door slams shut.

“I don’t care if I’m about to be reclaimed. I’m not a possession,” I seethe.

“If Alaric had fully marked you right away, then you wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

She picks up a pile of folded material and straightens out a cloudy gray dress. Her hand smooths over the material as she works out several wrinkles.

“Why are you here, Della? Did Cassius send you again?”

She looks up from the dress and says, “Someone had to chase away yourmother.”

“What?” I hiss.

She continues to work out nonexistent wrinkles. “I owed you that much.”

I shake my head. There was never any semblance of friendship between us, real or otherwise. “Owe me?”

“Otherworld take me now,” she mutters, dropping the dress over the foot of the bed to face me. “How can you be so dense?”

I say nothing.

“You do know that Lawrence is my sire?” she asks.

“Yes.”

Della walks up to me and takes my hand, sitting me down on the bed. She sits next to me and takes my hand. “I’ll tell you something I’ve never told anyone before.”

I swallow and wait for her to continue.

“I allowed Lawrence to turn me because I loved him. It wasn’t until it was too late that I realized I had only been a way for him to pass the time. The moment he met Rosalie, I knew he didn’t care for me. At least, not the way I’d wanted him to.” Della holds her chin up, but her eyes slide closed. “Now that he can never have her… maybe he will be able to see me again.”

I suck in a breath and hold it.

Della waves a hand. “I know it’s horrible to be glad that another vampire has died, but maybe some good can come out of everything.”