Betrayal Bites (Tales of Sydney Sedrick Book 2) (17 page)

Liam walked me through the mass of vampires twirling around on the dance floor toward a table holding champagne fountains and towers of crystal flutes. The mesh of colors from the women’s dresses, bouncing off one another while they danced, was a sight to behold. The chandeliers hanging high above sparkled from the light of the candles placed around the room.

Once we had our drinks in hand, Liam and I slowly made our way around the ballroom, letting me get a feel for the attendants. No one gave off vibes that screamed ‘rogue’ to my Selected senses. I didn’t know how sensitive my senses were going to be since I was surrounded by more than a hundred vampires. Add a splash of demons to the mix, and my Selected senses were thrown into a bit of a frenzy.

A swelteringly hot hand grabbed my bare arm. I turned in surprise at the painful sensation. My stomach dropped to my knees from dread.

“Selected, I see Kieran is no smarter than your wolf. You have not learned your lesson to avoid crowds. I thought I specifically said to stay away from populated areas filled with vampires.” The demon practically hissed as she spoke. The skin on my arm burned where her hand touched me, even after she let go.

“Kasdeya, shouldn’t you be watching over your king?” I was sick of people, demons, werewolves, and vampires trying to tell me what to do. The demon wasn’t in any position to be giving me flack about anything. It wasn’t her business what I did. I had faith Kieran wouldn’t let her hurt me, at least not too bad. He needed me. I was like a tool in his belt that he couldn’t do without. I wasn’t sure if I liked that fact or not, but at the moment, it gave me the courage to stand up to Kasdeya.

The demon hadn’t bothered dressing for the occasion. Her soft, black-leather bra and matching leather pants did nothing to hide the long swords attached to her back in a crisscross fashion, or the pistol with UV ammo strapped to her thigh. The bullets in the transparent clip burned brightly in the dark-lit room. Aunt Judith had told me the Judges developed ammunition that could retain the essence of the sun. One bullet to a vampire, even a mere graze to their flesh, would ignite their entire bodies until they burned to nothing but ash. There was nothing to stop the progression once the sun’s essence touched the vampire.

The demon clucked her tongue against long, sharp, chrome- colored teeth. “Selected, someday I will not have to be so nice to you. When that day comes, I may have to have a discussion with you about how to treat beings superior to yourself.”

The silver designs covering her skin began to shift and move along her body. I wondered if they reacted according to her moods.

Creepy.

“You don’t scare me, Kasdeya. From what I’ve heard you have hundreds of years left before you’re free from that pesky contract you have with the vampire king.” I put an unnecessary emphasis on the word hundreds, just to tick her off, then said, “And don’t worry. I’ll be long gone before that happens.”

I lied. She scared the crap out of me. I couldn’t tell if she could hear my heart beating faster or how well I was hiding the short, quick breaths I took. I knew she wouldn’t have any moral qualms about slicing my throat open with one of her long, silver-tipped talons. Grandma said not to trust any of the demons. I took her word for it. I didn’t.

The demon smiled to show me her jaw, lined with silver, pointy teeth. “Selected, my senses are more acute than the vampires.”

My mouth just about dropped open to the floor. So she could read minds, too?

“No, silly human. I don’t read minds, but you I can read like an open book.” She narrowed her red eyes at me and tilted her head. “I also get from you that you are keeping something from me. I don’t like that.” She made a hissing sound and moved in closer, her nose almost touching mine, her breath accented by the scent of sulfur. The bitch was trying to intimidate me. It was working, but I’d be damned if I was going to let her know that.

It was obvious Liam wasn’t going to be of any help rescuing me from her interrogation. He only studied me with inquisitive eyes. I could tell by the slight wrinkle of skin above his brows he was wondering the same thing, whether I was hiding something from both of them.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Excuse us, Liam and I have to go over there,” I said while grabbing Liam’s arm and pointing in a direction far away from her. It didn’t matter where we went, just as long as it was somewhere as close to being demon-free as possible.

Liam spoke once we were at a more comfortable distance away. “What’s her deal? I know she’s in charge of the king and his niece tonight, but what’s her bag with you?”

“I’m not sure, Liam. I’ve had these visions of rogues getting together and planning an attack. But Blake didn’t think it was a good idea to tell the Judges. So don’t say anything to anyone, okay?”

Liam’s face went blank.

“Well, the last few nights I’ve been having these spells. It’s like I’m transported to somewhere else. I’m inside of the rogue compound, the one the lightning demons held me prisoner in. But there’s no way to be sure what I saw is real. I can’t change my path in the visions, either. It’s like I’m on a direct route to whatever it is I’m meant to see.”

Liam grabbed my upper arm, sending a spiral of pain down the muscle to my wrist, almost causing me to drop my glass of wine.

“Who else have you told about this?” His face was rigid with barely suppressed anger. “Tell me, who have you told?”

“Liam,” I said, trying to pry his hands from my arm. “Let go of me. You’re hurting me.” I was getting scared. Liam should already know about the visions. Maybe it was an oversight because of all the commotion with the happenings of the ball that he wasn’t aware. Kieran was supposed to tell him and his most trusted Knights about my visions. They were supposed to be ready for an impending attack on the ball from the gathering rogues. Liam was in that group of Kieran’s trusted Knights, wasn’t he? Why would Kieran keep something from Liam that may be so integral to the success of the party’s security?

It had to have been a mistake.

Liam relaxed his grip, then let go, leaving red, angry welts in the shape of his fingers on my bare arm. He ran his hands through his hair, leaving it wild looking with tufts on top poking out in every direction. His action made me think of Blake, who did that in times of great distress. What had upset Liam so much?

“Sydney, have you told Kieran about this?”

I didn’t understand why he would ask such a thing. I also didn’t understand why Liam didn’t already know. The coven leader had a lot on his mind with hosting the Blood Rites Ball and having the Elders and the vampire royalty at the party, so I figured he deserved a little slack. But I was all too aware Kieran didn’t forget to do anything. He was the coven leader for a reason. There had to be just cause for Kieran not including Liam in on the news about my visions.

“Of course I have. Liam, everything is going to be fine. Kieran is aware of everything. The wolves are outside making sure the party is safe. Plus, the Judges are here. Nothing is going to happen. This is the safest place for everyone to be right now.”

I could see panic, worry, and anger on his face. Liam quickly scanned over the crowd, his eyes blazing red through his mask.

“Liam.” I grabbed his arm. My stomach started to churn. Something was wrong. He was worried about something and he wasn’t telling me what it was. I was tired of people keeping secrets from me. I didn’t have any special type of link to any of them to know what they were thinking like the rest of them did. Why couldn’t that have been one of the handy Selected powers?

“Hey, what’s got you all upset?” I said, keeping my tone light. I didn’t want him to know how scared I was. “I don’t get it. So far, everything is going smoothly, well, besides the deal with Aaron.” I didn’t know what his problem was, but it was scaring the hell out of me.

“Sydney, I have to go,” he said sharply. “I have something I have to do with the Knights. I’ll see you later.” And then he left. That was weird. Liam was supposed to be my chaperone for the entire night, no matter what. Kieran had ordered him to keep me company and make sure nothing happened to me while I was at the Blood Rites Ball. He was supposed to be my own personal protector.

It wasn’t like Liam to leave, shirking Kieran’s direct orders. Liam was usually the obedient puppy dog, who was well trained and heeled to his master’s every whim. The vampires must be communicating through their blood link, and Liam wasn’t telling me what was going on.
Men
. I figured that if anything were amiss, Liam would be the first to blab. Well, there went that idea.

I pulled out my cell phone to check in with Blake. I raised my index finger, ready to highlight his name when I heard Kieran’s voice from the crowd.

I carefully wove my way through a few groups of vampires on my ridiculously high-heeled shoes and went to stand at Kieran’s side, hoping not to break an ankle on the way.

“Sydney, come.” Placing his hand at my lower back, Kieran guided me through the masses. I would never get used to the cold feeling that seeped into my skin every time a vampire made contact with my body.

Kieran smiled, his fangs gleaming from the flames flickering from the blasts of air generated by the swirling dancers on the ballroom floor. “I have someone very important I would like you to meet.”

I shook my head in disbelief at the reality of my new life as the Selected.

I was being escorted around a ballroom by the leader of a vampire coven.

I slipped my phone back into the beautiful purple purse Aunt Judith had given me and turned toward Kieran with a smile plastered on my face. I would do whatever it took to keep Kieran as the designated coven leader. Even though I wasn’t enjoying the party overly much, I’d pretend my butt off. I’d be the life of the party if that’s what it took. It was good business practice, I figured. I might as well get used to it. I was not only the Selected and the target of every Other in town, I was a businesswoman running Morning Sun. I was sure to find myself in situations with dealing with the professional world I wouldn’t like. I’d get used to it. Eventually.

Another vampire approached. Kieran’s back was straighter than usual. Despite vampires not showing their emotions, Kieran was tense. I’d known him long enough to get that the new vampire coming our way was important in the decision-making process about me and also about who was going to get to be the coven leader.

“Uphir, I would like to present to you Sydney Sedrick, the Selected.” Kieran smiled, baring his fangs for all to see.

I bowed to the Elder standing in front of me. The man’s skin was semi-translucent, like Kasdeya’s, but his was white, while hers was black. The only other telltale sign of his ancientness were his eyes. They weren’t the vibrant, glowy red like Kieran’s were. Uphir’s eyes were more of a maroon, a red thick with age, experience, and the old ways. Kieran believed those old ways were over. The Elders had yet to agree.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Cian, Kieran’s slimy and power hungry brother, strode up to us and put his arm around Kieran’s stiff shoulders. Kieran didn’t look at his brother. I wanted to slap that sneer right off Cian’s face, for the humans he treated like cattle, also for trying to have his own brother removed as leader of the coven. I didn’t have time for or care for people who had a lot of power and wanted even more. Cian had his own coven, yet he was willing to take his brother down to gain another, no matter what happened to Kieran.

Uphir turned and gave Cian an acknowledging nod. Then the Elder turned to me and stared with the intensity of a lion appraising the lamb strolling by before he pounced and ripped its belly open. I kept on as neutral a face as possible. It was hard to keep my disdain for Kieran’s brother from seeping into my expression. I didn’t like Cian one bit. I wanted him to know it, but he scared me, too.

Kieran and my grandmother had both said Cian would do anything for power. Once he had it, he would make sure he got his way in everything, especially where the Selected was concerned. The Elders had already excused his abominable behavior toward humans. They told him to live however he wished, torture his food in any way he found pleasurable, as long as he didn’t bring attention to the vampire race. Who knew what else they would excuse if he were the coven leader in charge of handling the Selected?

A shudder ran through me as possible torture scenarios flitted in my thoughts. I didn’t want to find out what he’d do to me.

Kieran and I locked eyes. “Brother,” Kiernan said, without giving Cian the benefit of even a glance in his direction.

Cian put a shit-eating grin on his face, playing the good, social and political candidate in front of the Elder. “Nice party, Kieran. Tell me, how did you finance such a gathering? The expenses to pull all of this together must have been staggering.”

I saw red. Cian was trying to undermine Kieran, making it look like he was misusing coven funds. The rat fink. He was good.

Kieran turned his head to Cian, his eyes glowing more brightly. I could have sworn that as he spoke his fangs grew longer. “Cian, the Elders, and you, are well aware of my personal wealth. It is one of the advantages of having me as the coven leader. It makes our gatherings more enjoyable. I use my personal funds to also employ appropriately trained security personnel who can be trusted with persons of such high importance.” He smoothly waved his hand toward Uphir and me. “Tell me, brother. How are your finances coming along down in Chicago? I heard there has been a bit of a financial crunch with all the layoffs in the human community going on. However are you managing?”

Cian growled like a rabid dog. I could tell he was nearing the line where he would soon lose control if Kieran continued to antagonize him. I wondered if that was Kieran’s plan; to prove to the Elder his brother didn’t have what it took, including a level head and the ability to control his temper enough to rule over the vampires of Kenosha.

“Watch yourself, Kieran. I wouldn’t try anything if I were you.”

Kieran didn’t flinch. I waited, but the Elder, Uphir, didn’t acknowledge their bickering.

“I’m not the one who’s trying to go behind my own brother’s back because I’m selfish and full of greed, brother.” Kieran spit out the word brother like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

The vampire coven leaders stood toe-to-toe, daring one another to be the one to lose their temper and initiate a fight. Kieran had said they were both turned and trained by the Elders. I wasn’t sure exactly how long ago that was. He never said who would win in a fight between them. I hoped I’d never have to find out. I’d bet Cian wouldn’t fight fair and would use any dirty means to cheat that he could get his hands on. Cian wasn’t a good person, let alone a morally burdened vampire.