Page 40 of House of Pawns
He releases my hand and it does shake as I pull it back intomy body. The look in his eyes tells me Markov knows exactly what kind of effect he is having on me.
“I have a proposition for you,” I tell him. I need to maintain control of this situation, even if I feel I will never truly succeed with this man. “And I hope you will be open to it and willing.”
Markov tips his head that he is listening.
“I know very little about King Cyrus and how he works.” I lean back in my chair and cross my legs. “I understand he likes games, I know how desperate he is to be reunited with his queen. But I need someone who has lived a long time and heard many stories at my side when he arrives.”
“Are you calling me old, Alivia?” he asks with an amused smile.
“Yes,” I say back with coyness.
He actually smiles wide enough to show teeth. “Yes, yes I am.”
I smile in return. “I want you by my side, as an advisor, you could say. When the King comes, I am going to need you.”
He takes a moment to consider it. Rolling the implications around in that devious head of his. And gradually, he smiles. “It would be my pleasure to serve you, my queen.”
Chapter
Fifteen
WE ALL SLEEP DURING THE day, except for Rath. He informed me he was intending to call a meeting with the house staff and let them know they were once again moving back to a graveyard schedule. But the rest of us, myself included, we sleep.
It takes me a while to get there. I lie in my bed, listening for sounds in the house as I see the clock on the desk tick to ten AM. I listen for Anna, hear her shuffling in her room. I listen for Cameron, or Nial. But it’s quiet. Calm. Peaceful.
My new family sleeps and then so do I.
Around seven, I wake to the sound of heated and tense voices. My heart leaps into my throat when I recognize one of them as Ian’s.
Not bothering to change out of my long sleeved sleeping shirt, I barrel out of my room and dart toward the stairs.
Ian stands in the doorway, a heated look in his eyes as he stares at Markov.
“Ian,” I say as I descend, trying very hard not to trip. “You’re back.”
His eyes dart up to my face. “This psycho is a member of your House now?” he demands, holding his hand out toward Markov.
“Ian,” I hiss, taking his hand in mine and attempting to tug him toward the stairs. “Stop. We need to talk.”
“How many of them do you have now?” he demands, not budging one inch. “I’ve been gone just over a week and if I’m not mistaken, I hear five other vampires in this house.”
It’s six, actually. Anna must be out searching for the spy. “Please,” I say, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice. “Can we please go talk in private?”
I glance at Markov, who looks pissed. I imagine how hard he’s holding himself back, and know it is for my sake that he’s doing so.
“Come on,” I say, pulling Ian hard toward the stairs. And he allows me. I hold his hand, desperate for it to cling to mine as we ascend, but it doesn’t.
Down the hall, into my room, and the door is shut behind us.
Ian stands with his back to me, his hands fisted in his wild hair. I watch him for a long moment, waiting for him to say something. For him to ask questions or yell at me. But he just stands there with tense shoulders.
“We found Nial,” I say when I don’t get a breath out of him. “He thought he was the only of his kind. He was alone. He’s a doctor and can get the blood the House needs. Anna came to me. There was a…confrontation, with Jasmine two days ago. Markov and Cameron joined me after that.”
“What kind of confrontation?” Ian asks as he lowers his hands. He looks over his shoulder at me.
And suddenly I’m having a difficult time meeting his eyes. Shame claws its way up my chest over what I’ve done.
“I took advantage of Jasmine’s weak spot,” I say. As I do, I cross to the window that looks out over the back lawn and the river. Ian follows me. I pull back the curtain and he follows my line of sight to the graveyard. “Ian, she had my mother dug up and brought her here from Colorado. And then she left her on my front steps.”
