Page 77 of Kiss the Dawn
“I hate it when you call me that.”
“Then what should I call you? Father?”
I wince, then note the pain in his eyes. Has it always been there? Unease stirs in my belly. Sensations that have been absent for too long. Things like concern and anxiety and bone-aching longing.
My mind turns to Orina. Again.
What is she doing at this moment? I turn my sight inwards, find the nearest Raven, and slip into its mind, commanding its wings to take me to her apartment. We fly high above the city and swoop toward her building. There it is. Her balcony. Her window. But the lights are out. She’s not home. Where could she be?
My chest grows tight.
I slip from the Raven’s mind and back into myself.
“Master, are you all right?” Godor asks.
“I’m fine.”
“You do not sound fine.”
When did he become so insightful? “And how doesfinesound, Godor?”
He considers the question for a moment, then shrugs a powerful shoulder “Not like that.”
The car slides to a smooth halt. It looks like we’re here. I remind myself to smile, show no fang, and to be civil. No murderous glares, no withering ones either.
I’m a new man. An approachable man.
A benevolent king.
This is my new leaf, not just for Orina, but formyself. I take a breath and exit the vehicle. This part of town is quiet. An industrial estate with several abandoned warehouses in need of repurposing. Can they be used for good? I make a mental note to investigate it. Homeless people need shelter…Do we have homeless here in Dracul? It irks me how little I know about my own territory. Rage and hunger have consumed me for too long. But Orina freed me from the grip of my past, and I see clearly now what must be done to make this a better place, not just for the vampires but for the humans. I’ve allowed my kind too much freedom, and they view humans as property now. My fault.
The scourge of the blood drinkers is my fucking fault.
I will rectify it. I will bring a balance not just to win Orina’s heart but to keep my own.
A light drizzle begins to fall as I make my way across the lot to the building with the silver sign that saysInnovation.
The windows are dark, which almost gives me pause.
“It is too quiet,” Godor says. “Godor doesn’t like it.”
“You need to stop talking about yourself in the third person, Godor.”
“I sense someone.”
“Good. Then we can ask them where it is we need to go for this tour.” But there are no other cars here. Noone at all. I slow my pace, my preternatural instincts warning me that something is wrong.
But the doors ahead open, and a man appears, a huge smile lighting up his face at the sight of me. “Ah, Your Highness.” He makes an awkward bow. “We are so excited that you could join us.”
“It seems that I am the only one to join you.” I indicate the empty lot.
He gives an awkward laugh. “Ah, yes. The public will be arriving in half an hour, but we hoped to give you a private tour to begin with. Our science team is so very excited to speak with you about our new initiatives.”
A sales pitch, then. They want more money. Not a problem. I can do this. I smile in what I hope is an easy, warm manner.
“Well, of course. Please lead the way.”
I stride toward him, Godor close behind me.
