Page 34 of Siege of Blood and Betrayal

The open area known as the hub is a massive, hundred-foot circular area where six different corridors and wings of the compound converge. It’s normally full of boisterous bravado and at least two or three dozen of our family.

Today there is no one.

True, the horizon was glowing faintly orange with the coming of dawn when we arrived, but even so, it’s weird.

“Where is everyone?” Jaxon whispers, pressing his back against the wall. “Do you think they’re all dead?”

I shake my head. “The seethe has been knocked off its axis. Zane has a big job ahead to set things right.”

“Do you think he can?”

I throw him a sidelong glare. “Of course he can. Zane is every bit as smart, ruthless, and strategic as Francesco. He’ll unravel what happened here and then blood will flow. Anyone who had anything to do with this will die a horrible and painful death.”

Jaxon lifts his nose as we ghost our way through the abandoned common areas toward the residences. “Smells like the blood’s already been flowing pretty freely.”

It’s true.The scent of blood and death lingers. Unlike the metallic tang of human blood, vampire blood smells sweet. It looks and tastes a bit like grenadine.

And by the sickly sweet scent cloying in the air, it wasn’t only the king and Bran who died here last night.

There were others—and by the smell of it—many others.

That takes a bit of the sting out of the situation. I’d like to think that the people we’ve lived with and trusted for years didn’t just sit back and watch as our king was overtaken.

I stare at a particularly gory spray of blood staining the golden walls and figure that must’ve been someone’s carotid artery. “We may have been blindsided, but it’s good to know we fought and took some of them down, too.”

Jaxon looks like he’s half-expecting fanger mutts to jump out of the shadows. “How many of our friends do you think died here last night?”

“I’m hoping less than them.”

The two of us move through the blood-stained corridors and while there are no bodies, it’s obvious there were.

“There.” I point to Dante and Link coming out of the billiards room. The two have been on the staff as royal guards for centuries and were tight with Francesco and Bran.

They are both covered in blood and look hollowed out. I quicken my step and for a moment, they stiffen and drop low, as if readying to fight.

“Whoa. Easy, guys.” I hold up my hands and slow my approach. “We’re here to find out what happened and how we can help. Where is everyone?”

The two of them gesture for us to follow them back into the billiards room and then close the door. “A few of us were chosen to clear the bodies. The rest are either preparing and serving last meal to our new guests or have been secured in their chambers.”

“What the fuck?” Jaxon snaps. “They’re making us serve them?”

Link nods. “They took the education center first. They have the kids and are threatening them if anyone steps out of line.”

“Fucking Benoit.”

Dante’s gaze narrows. “Is he the fucking traitor that let them in here? We knew there had to be someone. There’s no way theywould’ve known where the kids have classes without someone telling them.”

I pull out my phone and let both Dante and Link look through the images Zane sent me.

Link points a finger toward the screen as they scroll through. “Yeah, that’s Daeva, the bitch that runs the show.”

“Zane watched the security video and said she left with the king’s head.”

Dante’s lips curl back, exposing the tips of his fangs. “She did, but she wasn’t gone long enough. She came back and now she struts around like she fucking owns the place.”

“And with the kids as her hostages, no one will say otherwise,” Link adds.

I need to make sense of this as quickly as possible. If the bitch is threatening the kids, no one will stand against them. Vampires don’t have the same reproductive cycles as humans and have a great deal more complications bearing children.

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