Page 1 of Kept

Chapter One

GIVEN

“You… Evil…”

My brother’s last words echoed in my mind as I watched the sun rise over Lar Katerin.

The Deepnight twinkled overhead like a giant had drawn a curtain of perpetual twilight across the sky. Still, the sun shone through, bathing the vampire capital in muted but cheery light. Snow sparkled on rooftops, and curls of smoke drifted from thousands of chimneys. On any other day, I would have basked in the winter sun as I watched the city come alive.

But not this day. Today was for death, not life. Laurent was due to fetch me within the hour, and together we would cross the Rift and attend my brother Rolund’s funeral.

Against my will, my gaze was drawn to my hands curled around the balcony railing. As I had so many times over the past four days, I expected to see blood. When I closed my eyes, I saw Rolund’s blue eyes wide with shock and disbelief as he lifted his gaze from the sword I’d thrust into his belly.

Kinslayer. King killer. Already, the whispers raced across Ter Isir. Rumors swirled, linking me to Rolund’s death. No one could prove I killed him. After all, Sithistrans didn’t believe in farseeing.

At least, they weren’t supposed to. But that hadn’t stopped the whispers. Jordan of Twyl had mages embedded in the Towers of the Mir. According to their reports, the Brotherhood believed I was responsible for assassinating Rolund. A sentry swore he’d heard a woman’s voice drifting from the king’s tent the night my brother died. A southern knight claimed he’d seen the tent’s flap move of its own accord. By the time Rolund’s men checked on him, my brother lay cold on the ground with a gaping wound in his gut and no murder weapon in sight.

And now Sithistra had no king—and no heir.

Unless, of course, the Brotherhood chose me to succeed my brother. I was Baylen of Sithistra’s daughter. Half human. Born a royal princess of the South. But no woman had ever ruled the southern kingdom. And even if the Brotherhood was willing to overlook my sex, they would never turn a blind eye to my vampire blood.

And now I knew I wasn’t exactly a vampire, either. In the eyes of the Brotherhood, I was an abomination.

“You… Evil…”

I had no way of knowing what Rolund meant. If I had to guess, he referred to the prophecy. The savior of the realm will be bound in blood and reborn from the Rift. The mages believed my actions—and inactions—could steer the prophecy’s outcome, leaving the cryptic words open to interpretation—and political maneuvering. But Rolund and the Brotherhood were convinced I had to perish in the Rift to break a curse my father brought down on Sithistra when he married my elven-born mother. Not content with letting magic run its course, Rolund had attempted to carry out the prophecy the night I appeared in his camp.

I’d defended myself, my hand filling with Avenor’s sword when I needed it most. The sword’s unexpected appearance was a comfort.

But Rolund’s words still plagued me. Because I worried he was right—not about the prophecy, but about an entirely different kind of evil.

Midian’s evil, which the demon king had force-fed me after I foolishly tried to kill him in Vai Seren. I hadn’t heard his voice since Varick and I fled the Thicket, but I feared that could change at any moment. Like Rolund’s, Midian’s last words to me ran on a permanent loop in my mind. “Now I’m inside you, child. And this way, I won’t ever have to leave.”

The demon king was a liar. He might have lied about that, too. But I couldn’t afford to assume I was free from his influence. There is power in blood.

I knew it to be true. But what if mine was tainted beyond repair? If Midian was truly inside me, he might be able to take control of me the same way he’d taken over Avenor. The demon king had fed me intrusive, twisted thoughts when Varick and I ran from Vai Seren. Midian had tempted me with the promise of unimaginable power. He’d tried to convince me to take Avenor’s sword and seize all of Ter Isir for myself.

And the terrifying thing was, if Varick hadn’t shaken me from my trance, I might have succumbed to Midian’s sway.

What if it happened again? I looked at the city…and then down at the courtyard far below the balcony. If the demon king broke into my head again, would I be able to fight him off? And if I couldn’t, would I have the presence of mind—and the courage—to do what needed to be done? Midian wanted out of Eldenvalla. If we were linked by blood, he might be able to enter my mind.

And then he’d have my body, too.

“Found you.”

I turned as Laurent stepped onto the balcony. He was resplendent in head-to-toe black, the crown of Nor Doru nestled among the dark waves of his hair. Night-blooming roses chased around the crown’s base, the blooms’ centers studded with bloodstones. The severe colors suited my husband, who could be quite severe when he wanted to be. And when he wasn’t severe, he was charming and sensual. There was no middle ground with Laurent.

He was overtly sensual now, pausing and raking his silver gaze down my body. “That’s a beautiful gown. My compliments to the designer.”

“I’ll let him know you like it,” I said, playing his game. He designed all my dresses, wrapping me in silk and velvet according to his whims. It was an unusual hobby for a king, but then my husband was no ordinary ruler.

He walked to the railing. “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t stand out here. And you’re supposed to keep one of your ladies with you.”

“I know,” I said evenly. After I stumbled into Rolund’s camp, Laurent, Varick, and I had agreed I should never be alone—at least until I got control of my magic. Twice now, I had left my body while farseeing and ended up in the wrong destination. The first time, I’d been fortunate to land at Laurent’s feet. But the second, I’d somehow pulled parts of my brother’s camp into Laurent’s bedchamber. Then I’d stumbled into the Sithistran camp and killed Rolund.

But I’d also been temporarily locked out of my body. So I was stuck with a babysitter in case it happened again.

Laurent’s eyes were sharp as he took my hand from the railing and lifted it to his lips. “I didn’t see any of your ladies in your room just now. Did you hide them somewhere, or are you hiding something from me?”

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