Page 17 of The Vampire Castle in the Sky

The wordswise-ass wankerburned at the tip of my tongue, but we were supposed to be reasonable adults now, so instead of verbally prodding him, I set my blanket and book aside and went to hover over him. And I continued to hover until he broke. Very mature, I know.

“Will you stop staring at me?”

“Why?” I crooned. “Don’t you like it when I stare at you?”

Hector shifted in his seat. “It’s making me… itch.”

“Well, I have questions.”

“Questions.”

“About the ceremony.”

He lifted his eyes at the ceiling, searching for his lost patience, most likely. “You already know what happens at the ceremony.”

I did—partly.

I knew an unbreakable bond was forged between vampires when they consumed each other’s blood. So when Esperida had first assembled the conclave, she had drunk from a chalice of ceremonial wine containing the blood of every member of each family, thus ensuring their eternal loyalty to her.

What I didn’t know was what that meant for Hector. Did he have to drink their blood as well? Were they going to accept him despite the circumstances of his condition? Or would they try to steal what was rightfully his?

I bit into my lower lip, disquiet lapping over me like icy water. “Aren’t you… worried?”

Hector’s face hardened with immediate understanding. “We are a society of laws. A society of balance. If this balance gets disturbed, our relationship with the humans will collapse as well, and then we’ll be back where we started, being hunted andput down like wild beasts. By challenging me, they put at risk the very foundations of vampire prosperity.”

So theycouldchallenge him.

Oh, that wasn’t good. That wasn’t good at all.

“How would they go about it?” I croaked. “Challenging you, I mean.”

Hector pursed his lips, considering it. “They wouldn’t attack me in my own abode. There’s no honor in that. Instead, they would… nominate a fighter, if you will. Someone strong enough to take on the challenge. But that’s highly unlikely.”

“Do you trust them that much?”

“I trust their need for peace and their intolerance of change,” he clarified. “I trust their fear.”

“Of you?”

His eyes snapped on mine, clear as ice-melted streams. “Of the Castle, Thea. Whoever has the Castle, has the most power, and whoever has the most power has the title. The Castle is bound to me by blood, and the families will have no choice but to respect that.” He paused, and although he seemed to be as composed as ever, I felt the rise of apprehension in his blood as though it were my own. “I’ll make them respect it.”

“And I’m supposed to pack my suitcase and leave you all alone with them just because of a stupid law?” I huffed.

“You realize that I’m a grown man, right?” he countered, and perhaps it was the way he said it in that deep voice of his or the way his body was sprawled on that couch, masculine and marvelous, but the only response that rose to my lips was,Believe me, I’ve noticed.

Thankfully, I was able to swallow down the words and focus on the matter at hand. Part of my mind was already weaving the threads of a plan. A dangerous, ridiculous, absurd plan. But these usually proved to be the best ones, anyway.

“I have an idea,” I prompted.

Hector sighed dramatically. “Spare me.”

“We can pretend we’re married.”

Even the tips of his ears turned bright red. “Excuse me?”

“Before you explode, let me elaborate. Spouses are allowed to be present at your ceremonies, even human spouses. Eron accompanied Esperida everywhere, didn’t he? And besides, this is about you, not the old bastards. You’re about to be appointedsovereign. This should be a celebration, not a somber ceremony. And you should celebrate with someone who loves you. Since Eron and Esperida can’t be here, I will. The main reason Queen Eloise kept me at the court for so long is because I happen to be an excellent diplomat. You, on the other hand, are as unsociable and disagreeable as an incarcerated bat. If I stay, I can make sure that everything goes smoothly with the bloodsucking pricks and that youhave the wonderful night you deserve. I mean, when was the last time you had actual fun? The last time you laughed and danced and didn’t take yourself so seriously? And you know you can’t have fun without me. The entirety of our friendship was based on the fact that you have no idea how to enjoy yourself without my delightful company.”

Hector shut his book, pulled himself up, and looked at me more earnestly now that he understood I wasn’t joking. “First of all, stop comparing me to a bat. This is exactly the heinous slander that perpetuates interspecies prejudice. And at any rate,” he continued crossly, “ifI’d gotten married, don’t you think that as the son of the vampire sovereign I would have invited the three families to the ceremony?”

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