“So, what happened?”
A small smile spread across his face. “At first, I thought it would be easy to stay out of your way. That night at the gala, you were insufferable.” He laughed at the frown on my face. “Come on, Lacey. You were trying to drive me away. Admit it.”
“It wasn’t just you,” I conceded. “And all right, I guess I was being a little … difficult.”
Matthias smiled at me. “I didn’t have any intention on winning the tournament, so really, I figured it didn’t matter what we thought of each other. But then, Ivan was killed and everything changed.”
“Did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That it was this group that was responsible for that?”
Matthias shook his head, the smile gone. “If I’d known, I would have backed out then.”
“So, does that mean you thought it was Jupiter?”
“I didn’t know,” he replied. “It could have been just about anyone. Ivan came from a powerful house and was in position to win control, or at least some control, of House Vaughn. That would have put a lot of sights on his back. I’m all too aware of the lengths some vampires will go to if they feel threatened enough.”
His jaw tensed and my stomach clenched. Of course he did.
“So, what changed?”
“I got to know you and realized that maybe things weren’t as easy to decipher as I’d originally thought. Seeing you with your father, the way he spoke to you like you were another one of his employees, or maybe even worse. Then, your mother. She was kinder but still refused to help you. I guess it made sense that you were guarded and had your dukes up at any given second. You’ve never had someone you can trust to have your back. You’ve always had to watch your own.”
I dropped my gaze. He was too close. “So, it’s a pity thing, huh?” I asked with a choked laugh.
His fingers worked through my hair and he gently tipped my head back. “I don’t pity you, Lacey. I admire you. I respect you. You’ve been living on a battlefield, probably from the day you were birthed, and yet, the armor you’ve been forced to wear hasn’t completely taken over your heart. You still smile and laugh and I know how much you care about your friends, like Jupiter. You’d go to war for the people you love. You wouldn’t even have to think twice about it.”
“Well, I’ve been told I border on impulsive.”
He smiled and my insides warmed. “You’re amazing, Lacey. Someone would have to be a complete idiot to not see that. It also makes it damn hard not to fall for you.”
The words were tainted. Bittersweet and hard to take in. I took a step away and his hands fell to his sides. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, Lacey. You have to know how sorry I am. I should have told you.”
I nodded but couldn’t bring myself to forgive him. As good as it had felt to be back in his arms, I knew I would be a fool to let my guard down.
For a long time we stared out over the city. It was amazing to me how everyone was going on with their evenings as if nothing was different. Didn’t they know the entire world had flipped on its head? I also couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever know what it felt like to have a normal night again. Would my life ever go back to being simple? Or, had it never actually been simple?
“I can’t stand by and watch my sister do this.” My grip on the railing tightened and then released. “As much as I despise my father and everything he and his court stand for, I can’t come to terms with the idea that mowing them all down will solve anything.”
“What are you going to do?” Matthias asked.
I set my shoulders. “I have to go see my father.”
Chapter 23
“Where have you been?” my father snarled, staring down the sharp point of his nose. “I’ve had every guard out looking for you!”
I crossed my arms. “Every guard? What about the ones who are supposed to be looking for Jupiter?”
“Don’t get smart with me!”
“I’m not.”
As expected, the moment I showed up on the mansion grounds, I was all but dragged directly to my father’s study in a swirl of confusion and chaos. I was told by half a dozen staff members that my father was worried sick about me and had vamps searching all through the night to find me.
“Where were you?” he snapped again, his eyes flashing.
I bottled every ounce of my own impatience and heaved a sign. “Ironically, if you actually had guards out looking for Jupiter, you would have had a pretty good shot at finding me, too. The people who kidnapped me, were holding her prisoner.”
My father did something I’d never seen him do before: he sputtered.
“What are you—kidnapped? Prisoner? Jupiter?”
“Sit down, Father. And I’ll explain it to you.”
He glared at me. If there was one thing he wouldn’t do, it was take orders. From anyone, but especially not from his own daughter.
I studied him, keeping my expression masked. After a moment, I lifted my eyebrows.
He ground his teeth, his jaw so tight it looked like it might break, but inch by inch, he lowered himself into his chair.
When he was seated, I reveled in the power for a glimpse of a moment, and he bared his teeth. “Get on with it.”
“There’s going to be an attack,” I started.
My father waited a long moment, considering me. I could almost hear his thoughts churning, trying to decide what new stunt I was lining up.
“I’m being serious,” I snapped. “I know who, I know when, and I know why.”
“What kind of an attack?”
“An attack attack. The kind that leaves everyone dead. Or, should I say, permanently dead.”
“By whom? And what does that have to do with you disappearing? Or, being kidnapped, as you say.”
Some people just have no patience. Didn’t he know how long I’d waited to get the upper hand on him? He couldn’t honestly expect me to give away all the information for free? I was, after all, his daughter.
“See, Father, that’s where we need to have some clarification. I’m happy to tell you everything, but first, there are certain assurances I need in place.”
A low growl emitted from his throat. “Such as?”
“This Tournament of Blood, is over. Effective immediately. You will not choose my future husband from among the carnage of this disgusting fighting.”
“That’s out of the question!”
I dropped my arms and leaned forward, glaring at him. “I know what you’ve been up to,” I hissed. “I know about the turns and the little army you’ve been building with your buddy Jerrod. This whole tournament is a deflection. You’ve got everyone so focused on my homecoming and the games that you’ve been able to secretly turn thousands of people into vampires right under the Court’s nose. Not to mention the Vampire Council. How do you think they’d feel if they knew one of the Barons was involved in something like this?”
Fangs flashed and for a split-second, I braced myself, ready for my father to fly over the table and throttle me. His eyes were pools of pitch and the veins in his forehead were furrowed in a deep V. “Don’t hold up that card if you don’t plan on playing it, daughter,” he spat. “You think the Council would take your side, but you don’t know how they work. How they think.”
“I know well enough to know that taking thousands of humans and turning them into vampires falls outside the lines,” I replied, fighting to keep my voice calm. I was so tired of people telling me what I did and did not know. It was beyond time for me to take the reins and show everyone just what I could do on my own.