Devour, A Paranormal Romance (Warm Delicacy Series, Book 3) (13 page)

“No…” I avoided his stare feeling suddenly more ashamed. He might as well have slapped my hands with a ruler and sent me to detention.

“Perhaps some more training will teach you a lesson?” He crossed his arms against his massive expanse of chest.

“I believe it will.” I gulped hard and smiled at him when I saw a glint of humor flicker in his eyes. “Let me introduce the two of you,” I said, changing the subject.

“This is Bennett and Eli,” I announced, directing my attention to Robin, Liz and Dmitry. “Eli has been my trainer since I moved here, and Bennett, well I wouldn’t be alive without him. Neither would my parents.” I looked at my friend appraisingly, remembering a time when I’d loathed being in his presence.

Arrick stood and walked to Bennett, offering his hand. “Thank you for protecting her. Whatever I can do to repay you, simply name it.” Bennett took Arrick’s offered hand and smiled with a nod, looking proud of himself.

“Thanks.”

Robin and Dmitry then nodded in greeting while Liz simply gulped loudly, her eyes as wide as golf balls. I bit my tongue to keep from giggling at her. I wondered if I looked like that when I first arrived at the palace. I knew she’d always wanted to meet a vampire, always dreamed about what they were really like in person, but she looked like she’d seen a ghost. Perhaps that was Bennett’s fault. He was rather… creepy. Or, at least he was when I first met him.

After introductions, Eli made his way to the table. My father, Rennek and Jarvan joined around him as they discussed our next course of action, which made me utterly curious. What
would
our next course of action be? Maybe this would be a good time to let my father in on one small detail before they made any solid plans.

“Nicolae has agreed to aid us in the fight against The Dark,” I blurted out after taking my seat.

“How do you know this?” Jarvan questioned with doubt in his eyes.

“He told me.” I met his glare head on, without blinking. We’d always been at odds, Jarvan and I. I knew deep down he wanted only what was best for our region, but he had a twisted way of showing it.

“Claire,” my father’s voice sounded sad. “Nicolae is a traitor. To side with him would only be inviting Baal to our doorstep.”

“That’s not true.” I leaned forward, bracing myself against the table as if it would keep me in control of the conversation. “He gave me his word, and I believe him.” Everyone’s eyes widened at my admission.

“Darling, he’s in league with Baal,” my mother pleaded with me. “He had you stolen from us.” Her words came out in a whimper, the pain of losing me as a child still wrenching at her heart.

“We haven’t even figured out yet how he even knew about you Claire. How do we know he doesn’t still have spies in our region?” Arrick said to my surprise. I’d thought he was on my side about uniting our regions.

“We had such a huge celebration within our region.” My mother’s eyes grew watery as she recalled the memory.

“I believe he had spies here all along, watching and waiting for the perfect time to set his plan in action,” Jarvan said sounding ever so much like a conspiracy theorist.

“So, when news of Claire’s birth hit him he saw her as a better option?” Arrick suggested, catching on to Jarvan’s theory.

Irritation was rushing through me like a brush fire. I didn’t enjoy being talked about like I wasn’t there, and they were missing the point. How or why Nicolae kidnapped me was the least of our worries!

“Then what were his original plans and who were his spies?” my father wondered aloud.

I saw Robin stir in her seat out of the corner of my eye. This conversation was making her uncomfortable. She’d lived with Nicolae her whole life and despite everything that had happened I knew it was hard for her to see him in an evil light. I didn’t want this conversation going on any longer. We could worry about this later, all I knew was we couldn’t defeat Baal if we didn’t have all the help we could get.

“We don’t have time to worry about the past. We need to prepare for the future. Prepare for war. Nicolae gave his word that he would fight with us, and we need to believe him. What other choice do we have? He performed a blood vow. That has to count for something.” I fisted my hands on the table. “You say he is dishonest, that he is an opportunist, but is he a greater evil than Baal?”

Eli stepped forward as every eye gawked at me. “Listen to her wisdom.”

“They were attacked too. If he had helped orchestrate this whole thing, don’t you think he wouldn’t have had his own region assaulted? Listen, I know Nicolae isn’t the most honorable vampire, and I know he’s done terrible things but he did them with good intentions.” I saw a number of eyes roll at my comment and I couldn’t say I didn’t want to roll mine as well. I’d had this very conversation with Nicolae. I believed that deep down he was good, but I also believed he’d be willing to do some shady things in the name of good. In the fight against Baal, maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. “I’m not saying I forgive him, but I am saying that we need to move past that. The only way we can defeat The Dark, is if we do the one thing they don’t think we will. Work together.”

My father shook his head, unable to accept my words.

“We
should
unite against Baal, but not with the Noire region. They’ve betrayed us too many times. Perhaps we reach out to another region for aide?” Jarvan suggested with an air of superiority like it was his decision to make.

“What region?” Eli questioned, sounding like he didn’t like Jarvan’s tone at all.

“Titan,” Jarvan answered after a hefty breath. Everyone around the table began to whisper suspiciously. Robin and Dmitry shared a worried glance. Where had I heard that name before? I looked to Arrick, but his eyes were fixated on my father. I reached out to him through our connection, and without a glance in my direction he latched his fingers with mine.

“We haven’t contacted that region since just after the Dark Ages,” my father said. He ran his fingers down the length of his beard, deep in thought. Everyone was silent as my father paced for what felt like hours. “My daughter is right. We must focus on the greater threat, but hear me;” his voice grew cold and fierce, “Nicolae will answer for his crimes.”

I swallowed hard, feeling sorry for Nicolae. My father was a powerful being to behold, and I had no doubts he was going to make Nicolae sorry for what he’d done. My family might have been a peaceful one, avoiding war at all costs, but we’d been backed into a corner and we were going to make our enemies pay for their misdeeds.

“Jarvan!” my father snapped the word, pulling his aides attention away from the whispered conversation he was sharing with Rennek. “You will go to the Noire region and initiate our joining.” His tone said it was an order that Jarvan couldn’t argue with.

“Yes, your majesty.” He bowed his head.

“Bring an ambassador of the guard with you. I don’t need your sharp tongue starting another war.” Jarvan rose from his seat, bowing deeply before flashing out of the room without another word. I couldn’t keep my eyes from widening in shock. I’d never seen Jarvan follow an order without having something smart to say about it, but then again, if my father looked at me like he did Jarvan, I’d keep my mouth shut too.

Rennek and Eli joined in conversation as my father seated himself next to them. He scanned through all the reports Rennek had brought with them, and I knew they’d be in here quite a while. I sat through many of these meetings and although I craved knowing every detail of what was going on, I didn’t think I had the energy.

My mother’s face was wrinkled in pain and without a word to anyone I watched her stagger out of the room. I wanted to go to her, but something told me she wanted to be alone. I prayed to Nyx she was going to be okay, and not just physically, but emotionally, too. We’d all been through so much.

Dmitry held his head in his hands looking defeated and tired. He hadn’t spoken a word, and I couldn’t help wondering what was on his mind. Robin was picking at the table with her nails, looking forlorn. And then there was Liz, sitting back in her chair staring at all of us with shock as her eyes grew heavy. She’d taken everything so well and I just hoped I could keep her safe. I hoped I could keep them all safe.

My eyes popped open as if I’d been startled from a bad dream, but I couldn’t remember a single thing. The last thing I recalled was my head hitting the pillow and I was out within seconds. My mother had made sure we’d all eaten before calling it a night. Dmitry and Robin protested at first, saying they wanted to stick to their fast, but they’d eventually caved. It was revitalizing, not just to eat, but also to see how vibrant everyone looked after eating. Even my mother, who’d looked the most ill of all of us, had regained nearly all her pigmentation by the time we’d left the dining table. A long day’s sleep and a good meal had really improved my mood. Things felt less bleak now that I wasn’t starving and I felt more like myself.

I rolled over to find that Louie had snuggled up with me during the day. I think he liked that I was a vampire. Now we were on the same sleeping schedule. I wrapped an arm around him, tugging him to my chest and snuggling my face in his soft fur. A purr rumbled inside him, and I felt my eyelids growing weighted as they tugged downward, pulling me into dreamland.

Ten minutes or ten hours could have passed by, but it didn’t matter, my little cat nap with Louie had topped off my
I-need-to-rest-because-I-feel-like-a-walking-zombie
meter. I could tell he was ready to get up too because he kept tapping his tail against the bed. He only did that when he was annoyed.

“Okay, grumpy!” I scratched his head and released him. I tried to not feel hurt when he leapt off the bed with a little too much enthusiasm. I rolled over; staring up at the high beamed ceiling like something up there would help me prepare myself to face another night.

I usually liked staying snuggled up in bed as long as possible, but I was too awake now to lay still. I was eager to see everyone, even if that time would be spent planning a war.

I flung my covers to the side, biting my lip as the cold evening air hit my flesh. It was definitely colder here in Naos, no doubt a result of being so close to the water. I tugged on the robe that was draped at the foot of my bed, and began shuffling my way out of the room.

A bulging lump, under a knitted blanket was lying on my couch. I felt a little bad that he’d slept there, considering he was a good two feet too big for it. Arrick had his own room, and could have slept comfortably, but he’d chosen to be near me. I sat down on the edge of the coffee table and watched for a moment, a smile creeping onto my face, and adoration warming my heart. Arrick’s lashes were fluttering ever so slightly; maybe he was dreaming. I hoped it was a good dream. Perhaps even a dream about me. I dropped a soft kiss on his forehead before heading for the door.

Liz’s room was next door to mine, so I tip-toed down the hall out of habit. I hadn’t realized I was even doing it until one of the servants gave me an odd look, and then I lowered my eyes to my feet. The servant smiled with amusement as she walked by, and I couldn’t help but join her. It was funny how much my old habits had returned in the short time I’d spent with Liz. I used to walk like this when we were kids. Liz was always taller than me and I wanted to be the same height as her. It later became a joke between the two of us. I felt like she was the anchor to my old life. She would never allow me to forget who I once was. I didn’t ever want to forget that girl. My life might not have been what I thought it was, but it was still mine and I had been happy. Even without a father, and a workaholic mother; I had been happy, and despite everything that was going on; I was still happy.

I tapped my knuckles lightly against Liz’s bedroom door, directing my senses into her room, trying to pick up on any kind of movement, but there was nothing but silence. She was probably still sleeping. Liz was notorious for sleeping in, and considering she hardly slept the entire drive here she was probably exhausted. I figured I should let her get as much sleep as she needed, so I moved farther down the hall to Robin’s room. This time though, I didn’t tip-toe.

Knocking lightly again, I listened for any movement inside. A soft voice beckoned me to enter. I grasped the gold handle and pushed the door open. I walked in, noting that it looked very similar to my bedroom only accented with different colors. Robin’s was white, contrasted with slate blue. As I closed the door behind me, I caught sight of her sitting near an open window, gazing out at the rising moon. It was so bright it almost looked like sunlight.

“I think my father would be proud that we are standing up against The Dark,” she said, without tearing her eyes from the glorious globe in the starlit heavens. “I’m going to do this for him, Claire. Whatever it takes, we’re going to stop Baal. I know we will.” There was more conviction in her voice then I had ever heard before. Her iron determination spiraled around me like a steel chain, and I knew she’d meant every word.

“He would be proud,” I said, agreeing with her as I took a stand at her side. I cast my eyes out over the city as it soaked up the magnificent luminescence, glowing like flickering fireflies. I would never get tired of Naos’ beauty. There wasn’t anything in the world quite like it.

“It’s so pretty,” Robin sighed blissfully, like the sight of such splendor eased her worries. Maybe it did.

“It is, isn’t it?” I smiled taking in the sight along with the crashing waves in the far distance below us. “I think you’re going to like it here. I mean, I hope you do.” I leaned my knees up against the window frame, knotting my fingers together behind my back.

“I’m sure I will. It’s definitely different, and I think that will be good for me…” she was silent for a moment and as much as I wanted to jump in I held my tongue. I didn’t want to push too hard, she needed to come out of her shell on her own. In her own way.

“Ya know?” she looked up at me expectantly, like she had been waiting for me to say something all along.

“I know.” I reached out, squeezing her shoulder in support. I clamped down on the urge to push out my own emotions toward her. I wanted to fill her with joy and erase her sorrows, but as much as I thought that would help, it wasn’t my place. The only way to truly heal from an injury of the heart was time, not masking it away.