Page 138 of House of Crimson Hearts
In the centre of the room there is a vampire noble. His hands are tied to a wooden pole. The type they used to use to burn witches millennia ago.
“Well, this doesn’t look good,” I mutter.
The ballroom has returned to the stage and tiered seating arrangement of the pairing ceremony. Though now, the segregation between vampire and hunter is even more stark than that first night. There’s a physical gap between the two species. Shit.
My siblings are sat in the front row all together: Sadie, Dahlia, Gabriel and Xavier. On the other side of the gap in the front row are the hunters who paired with them. Keir, Lincoln, Talulla and two spaces left, one for Red and one that will remain empty where Fenella should have been.
“And I thought we were making progress with reintegrating our kinds,” Red whispers.
“Clearly not.”
I glance back at the pole. Around the base, blood pools, deepening to the colour of dried wine.
Cordelia and the Chief prowl around the vampire, circling like vipers ready to strike. The vampire whimpers.
“P-p-please,” he says.
“Quiet,” Cordelia shrieks. “Confess. Or forfeit your life.”
“PLEASE,” he whines.
“Mother?” I call just as she swings back her fist. She falters and turns to us. “Ahh, Octavia. I have unearthed the traitor in our midst.”
“Traitor?” I ask.
Beside me, Red shifts on the spot, her body tenses like she’s preparing for an assault and I’m not sure she’s wrong. I scan the crowd of vampires and hunters in the stands. There are as many hunter guards as there are vampires. Security though, doesn’t seem to be easing the unrest. There are people physically growling at each other.
“What’s going on?” I say.
She swings around and grabs the vampire by the throat. “This vampire is responsible for the attack on the carriages as you were making your way to the amulet.”
“He’s responsible for the death of Fenella,” the Chief says.
And here we have the real reason everyone is tense. He broke the accords.
“It… it wasn’t me, I didn’t lay my hand on them.”
“But you did pay someone to do it,” the Chief snaps.
The vampire nods.
“Confess to the first attack. On the night of the partnering.”
The vampire’s eyes go wide, “I—I swear it wasn’t me. I’ll admit to paying vampires for the attack during the trial. But that first night wasn’t me.”
“CONFESS!” Cordelia shrieks and smashes her fist into his face.
The vampire’s nose shatters, blood pisses down his chin but it dries just as quickly as his body repairs itself.
“I said, confess.” The way Cordelia’s voice snarls out the words it makes a shiver slide down my back. The malice, the level of malevolent control in her tone sounds like death himself.
Mother paces in front of him. “I’m tired of this. Given your hunter died, you have my support to end him.”
Support? What the hell is this? Why isn’t she persisting? Why is she giving up torturing him so quickly? That is not the Mother I know.
Unless… the first attack really wasn’t him and she knows that…
“What’s wrong?” Red whispers, grabbing my hand.
