Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

TITUS

T he memory of bodies lying strewn about the castle were burned into my mind. Their lives were forfeit in a move I never saw coming. The lingering smell of blood tinged my nose along with the horrid stench of death. Not in a thousand years had the halls of The House of Shade been sullied in such a manner. The vileness of an attack on innocents sat like a twisted knife in my gut. Then, to lose my nephew to a curse just as awful . . . It nearly stole the breath from my body. My people trusted they were safe within the walls of my home, and I in turn should have protected them as such. Yet my people had been like lambs to the slaughter, dressed up for a night of horror. We gathered to celebrate the holidays, and now we would spend this night collecting our dead and mourning the loss of many, which I could only pray would not be the case for the nephew I felt was more like a son. I tried to push the thought away. I had to keep my hope that he would return to us and we would figure out a way to make him whole once more. Atlas was my most trusted warrior, and Piper, despite her lack of experience, was as stubborn as the day was long. She would bring him home. My only regret was that at a time like this I had to cast aside my personal desires to find Grayson myself and stay here to assure the safety of my people, to show them strength when I should have long before this.

Hubris and the belief we could all learn to get on was the downfall of this affair. Had I been guarded, had I taken heed of Grayson's words, this might have been avoided. Had I curbed Marius' ambitions, he would not have even dared to dream of such a thing. And now the regret was mine to live with.

"Don't." Moira drifted to my side and pressed her hand to my arm for the briefest of moments.

"Don't what?"

"Blame yourself. I dare say I see it in your face, and I cannot bear it." The effects of the poison still lingered within her veins. The pungent smell of it mixed with her subtle floral fragrance.Her already delicately pale skin held a bluish tint that was evidence of the crimes against her. A light sheen of sweat covered her body, yet she stood here by my side as she always had.

"No one could have known this, not the attack and certainly not . . ." Her words trailed off as pain covered her features. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to find her calm. ". . . Grayson."

WRONG . Her sadness and her sickness all made my blood boil. My instincts bellowed at me that this was all wrong, yet I held back the relentless need for vengeance against any who'd hurt her or Grayson. Ours was a relationship of mutual respect. She was my most trusted advisor and the widowed mate to a most beloved brother. To say she was cherished among her people would be an understatement. To say I cherished her would also be an understatement.

"I'll endeavor not to, but blood has been spilt tonight within my home. You have been harmed. These things cannot go unpunished."

She folded her hands in front of her the way she always did when holding herself back. "The poison leaves my system even now. I will be well by tomorrow. And we need to save my son, Titus. I cannot bear to live in a world where he is not. I will wish for my own death daily. When I lost my own soulmate, he was the only thing to get me through."

Just the thought of my brother's death sent a deep sadness through me. I didn't want to feel the same about Grayson. I refused to believe all was lost. Times had changed and he had gathered so many powerful allies. Hope was not lost yet. "I will do everything in my power to break this curse. We all will. No matter how long it takes."

She nodded up at me but the sadness behind her deep, rich eyes nearly broke me. She held her chin up and gave me a forced smile. "I trust in you."

I didn't want to lose a fraction of that trust. "I will see to it all."

"I have no doubts." She closed her eyes, looking like she was trying to maintain her balance.

"You should be resting." My concern for her ran just as deep as the love I felt for my brother. She'd honored him by staying by my side as an unwavering loyal presence.

She looked up at me with that knowing glint in her eyes. "As should you."

I felt the lingering effects of the poison in my blood. Sickness turned my insides, and I too had a sheen of sweat over my body. My blood magic felt weak within my own veins. It was a feeling I'd never had in my long years of life. I'd come to rely on my own power as a way of being, and yet with the consumption of a bit of poison I was rendered powerless. The knowledge of that burned at the soul. A powerless king was a useless king. "I will rest when this is resolved."

"No rest for the King then." She sighed. "I will not rest until my son is returned to me."

"Then I too will not rest until we reach such a day."

My throne room was in ruin, blood spattered across the dark stone floors and walls. The flags representing The House of Shade were torn from the walls and gathered in balls on the floor. Early morning rays of light peeked in through the stained glass, casting the crest over the mess in the throne room. I bent down and ran my fingers over cracked stones. "I've never seen such power from Night Spawn vampires."

"Nor I. Something is unnatural about it." Moira watched as our soldiers began to straighten the room. "We have prisoners held in the cells in the lab?" Moira glanced back toward me. When I nodded, she sighed. "Atlas will suit that best when he returns."

"Agreed. But I will hold my promise to Piper and check to see if her friend is there."

"Indeed." She fretted with her hands, something she did only when she was nervous. Otherwise, she was the picture of what a royal should be. I wanted to offer Moira some comfort, but there was none to be given.

She sighed and pressed her hand to her head. "Then it will be handled."

"This cannot stand!" Clive marched through the doors and across the throne room with his usual entourage behind him. They all looked as though the poison had hit them harder than it had Moira and me, as though sickness might take them at any moment. Their skin was sickly pale, their clothing was more disheveled than I'd ever seen, and the bravado with which they normally conducted themselves was gone. Poison would do that to a person. Illness would knock even the most boisterous of people to their knees. Well, everyone besides Clive. He seemed to be full of piss and vinegar at the moment.

I groaned. "Did you think I would let it stand?"

This drew him up short. "You've got a soft spot for the Night Spawn, but tonight is unforgivable! Something must be done."

"I don't disagree."My mind was on Grayson, but I needed to try to focus for my people.

"They've been a drain for far too long." Clive shoved his hands on his hips.

I sighed and reached for the patience I didn't have. "Clive, make your point."

"Extermination." His face turned a bright red as he tried to shove his slick hair back into place. He normally dressed in old Victorian clothing, his way of maintaining the old ways, yet he'd lost his jacket, the linen shirt was torn and covered in dirt, and his pants were spattered with blood. Oh yes, he'd felt fear this night. Fear his arrogance couldn't overcome.

The sound of the cane tapping on the stone floor came first, then the distinct click of heels.

"Clive!"Eloura held her head high and shoulders back as she strolled into the room. Everyone seemed to turn and look at her at the same time. She wore a long navy-blue dress that pinched in at the waist and complemented her dark skin. Her normal smooth hair stood on edge and smudges of dirt covered her face. She glared at him with dark eyes and pursed lips. "Have we not suffered enough extremes this evening? You have ruined my sleep and demanded my return to this place unnecessarily."

"I'll not hear talks of peace. Now is the time for action. We meet fire with fire." He curled his hands into a fist.

"Foolhardy games are only suffered by fools," she snapped and jabbed her walking stick into the floor in front of her to punctuate her point.

"I want to know what's to be done!" He swung his gaze toward me.

My temper rose, and for once I let it. I'd spent years bartering diplomacy and in some ways it had failed. Now I had to deal with this while Grayson struggled for survival. "What's to be done, Clive? Shall I swoop in with a vengeance into the Night Spawn headquarters and commit mass genocide? I'm sure there are many rulers who've scarred the pages of history with such actions. But I warn you . . . I will not be one of them."

His color grew impossibly redder, and his cheeks puffed with anger. "This is not a slight we'll take. The Blood Borns will not allow it."

"I'm not saying it will be allowed," I growled low in my throat. "I'm saying I'm not an imbecile."

"Are you saying I am?"

"I wouldn't dream of it, though daft prick comes to mind." I towered over him. "It shall be dealt with. But a few rotten eggs do not make a rotten dozen. I will find the center of these problems and rip them out by the root. Nothing of this mess will be left."

"You had better see to it." Clive puffed his chest out.

"You dare to command your King?" Eloura shook her head. "Such disrespect is a punishable offense."

"It is indeed." I glared at him, wanting to see his head on a pike for the first time ever. I'd suffered Marius' ego, but Clive would be knocked down a peg or two. "My duties as King are clear, as are yours, Clive. Now stand aside and let me see to my kingdom. You are of no help in these matters."

Clive's jaw opened and closed a few times, and his eyes bulged from his head.

Eloura chuckled. "Your King has spoken. Do you intend to disobey him and commit treason?"

His head snapped around as though he'd been slapped. "I will not."

"Shame. It'd give us the excuse we needed to cage you up with the rest of the heretics," she muttered under her breath.

I turned to Eloura. "Are you well enough to take a meeting tomorrow?"

She gave me a low bow. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

I glared at Clive. "You are dismissed until you are summoned."

He opened his mouth to speak, and I silenced him with the wave of my hand. "Your opinion isn't necessary."

He closed his mouth, then spun on his heels and left the room. I felt Moira at my side, always there like a comforting presence who always had my best interests in mind. Even now, with our family under so much pressure, she was there. And I was grateful. Because as Eloura said earlier, we were on the brink of war and this time the streets of London would run red with the blood of our own . . .