Page 52 of House of Pawns
Anna shakes her head. “Not just that. She’s trying to rebuild her House.”
The Debt. I had almost forgotten about the Bitten and their compulsion to serve those who turned them. “This could be a problem. One or two isn’t going to do the trick. This isn’t going to stop with just one Bitten.” I close my eyes for a second, trying to gather my thoughts. “I have to ask: do any of you have any Bitten with Debts to you?”
Lillian shakes her head. “Jasmine almost always turned them herself,” she says. “Sometimes Micah did it, or Christian. But no one else. At least not on purpose.”
I nod. I want to give Markov a side-glance, because I’m sure he’s turned a few, and I have to wonder what became of them.
“We’ll go to Jasmine’s House tonight,” Anna says, looking at Samuel who nods that he’s in. And Markov. “We will take care of the problem.”
Take care of it. I have a feeling that means they’ll be walking in with stakes and putting down any Bitten they find.
And I freeze for a moment. They’re talking about killing people who didn’t get any choice in this. They’re the ones who were caught unsuspecting in the crossfire.
But there’s nothing we can do about their unwilling loyalty to Jasmine’s House. She has revenge on her mind. There’s no telling what she will do with them. They won’t have a choice but to do what she says.
“Do what you have to,” I say.
With the nod of her head, she, Samuel, and Markov take off to prepare.
“The creation of more than just a few Bitten is highly frowned upon,” Raheem says. I turn to him. He’s wearing a stark white tunic today, turban to match. And he looks stunning. “Really, their entire species existence is unwanted but an unfortunate side effect of our kind’s thirst. This competitor of yours should be dealt with harshly.”
“We will handle it,” I say with annoyance. I turn and walk back up the stairs to shower and begin plotting once more.
Chapter
Nineteen
IN THE DARKEST PART OF the night, just before the sun starts rising, I sit in the library with Nial, Lillian, and Cameron. We’re quiet, listening for signs of attack or war, or whatever Jasmine has planned.
I do not know what is being said about me in town. This damage will be very difficult to repair.
At 5:29, I hear a whooshing sound, and the front door opens, in stepping the rest of our House.
“They’re hiding,” Anna says as she steps into the room, Samuel and Markov just behind her. “There’s no one at the House. But there’s blood there.”
“A lot of blood,” Markov says. And I see the glow in his eyes. The black veins are slightly raised around them. He’s thirsty.
“Looks like they’ve changed more than just one person,” Samuel says.
“The blood was fresh,” Anna says. She paces the room very slowly, her focus turned inward. “I’d guess they turned at leastone more person yesterday, during the day. They must have known retaliation was coming and took off.”
“You couldn’t follow a trail?” I ask. I’m somewhat annoyed. I wanted this dealt with swiftly.
“The snow makes that difficult.” And she looks up at me with shame.
The deep, hard breathing pulls my eyes from her to Markov. He’s staring at me with glowing eyes, his nostrils flared.
“Markov.” I say it meaning to sound commanding, to snap him out of his desire for my blood, but it comes out questioning.
“I will return soon,” he says. And without a word, he turns, and walks out the door.
“It’s been difficult for him,” Lillian says. “Controlling his bloodlust like he has.”
“I never thought I’d see him like he is,” Anna says, shaking her head. “You’ve trained him well.”
“Markov isn’t some dog to me,” I say as Raheem walks in. “What are we going to do about Jasmine?”
“You put her down like the traitor she is,” he says coldly as he walks up to me. He comes close. Too close for comfort. His breath warms my chest, his eyes boring into mine. “If you wish to fulfill this role as leader and regent of this area, it is your job to deal with threats that may expose our kind. This woman is your problem, Alivia Ryan.”
