Page 14 of Siege of Blood and Betrayal

As his squire, my life is bound to Zane.

Why would Da do this to me? Is this really what he wanted for me or was it a last-minute decision because of there being a traitor in our midst? Why didn’t his powers go to Huntley? Did he suspect him of being the inside man?

My order arrives, and the server gives me a concerned look as she hands me my tray, but I interrupt whatever she might say by offering her a wide smile and accepting my food. “This is great. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

I take a deep breath as she turns to go back to the counter and then I stab my paper straw into my cup. Why is fountain Sprite at McD’s so refreshing? Is it a childhood happy place thing? And Filet-O-Fish… come on. Is there anything better at two in the morning when you’re drunk and the bars are closing?

After a bite of my sandwich, I wipe a gob of tartar sauce from my lip and go back to accessing the secure server my father set up.

It requires a series of authentication steps, each one more complex than the last. No one other than our family could answer the questions right, so it’s a matter of wading through the tests more than being challenged.

Finally, I reach the locator interface, and a blinking dot appears on the map. “There you are, Zane. It’s been a minute, eh?”

I wolf down my food, stuff my laptop back into my backpack, and get moving. The vampire bitch made out like she knew where the prince and the dagger were, but I think it was all bluster—at least, I hope it was.

She wanted Da to help her get into the vault.

That showed how little she knows.

The same probably rings true for Zane’s whereabouts.

Hopefully, whoever she has on the inside isn’t in the upper echelon and doesn’t know where the heir to the Vasari seat is being sequestered.

The streets are quieter now, the rush of commuters and sports fans having found their way to their destinations. It makes navigating the sidewalks easier but doesn’t offer the same level of cover it did earlier.

I consider plugging in my SIM card to open my Uber app to get off the streets altogether, but no. If Da’s attackers recognized who I am, they might be trying to track me.

It’s too risky.

I tuck my phone back into my pocket and go old school. The fastest way to hail a cab in Toronto is to go to one of the big hotels. “Hang on, Zane. I’m coming.”

Zane

Another day, another meaningless stretch of night among the rich and entitled of the Toronto elite—such is the life of a Fondatori prince.

I need to be highly educated, but will never need to apply for a job. I need to train in physical combat, but no one would ever dare instigate a fight. And I need to keep who and what I am a secret from everyone I meet, lest they get any ideas of using me as leverage against my father.

When the condo buzzer goes off, I glance at the mirror of my ensuite bath and check that I look better than I feel.

Thankfully, I do.

My father’s Old-World origins give me the olive skin and dark hair that people swoon over.

My mother’s first-generation, true-blood status gives me strength and power.

My vampire genetics gives me a chiseled musculature, a natural grace, and the allure of ‘other’. My status as a true-blood strengthens that and gives me a few other perks as well.

So, sure, if the outside package were an accurate reflection of the man, I’m on top of the fucking world.

A shadow takes over the sliver of golden light beneath the door and then a soft knock follows. “Jaxon is back from the pickup. Are you ready for your company?”

I drop my head, my hands braced on the side of the sink. “I suppose I have to be.”

The door opens and Huntley steps in. Even without looking into the mirror, I know the look he’s giving me. He worries when I get like this.

The soft pad of his footsteps brings him to stand behind me, and then the heat from his body warms the bare skin of my back. “You don’t have to keep up the façade, Z. You can feed without playing into your father’s plan of painting yourself as a spoiled playboy.”

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