Page 10 of House of Pawns
I don’t have an answer for him, so I stare at him for a very long time. Absentmindedly, I reach for the key that hangs from my neck and turn it over and over between my fingers.
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “I’m angry. What she did and everything she does is so…manipulative and entitled. I think the most important thing that’s come from the last few days is that I’ve realized that I am no longer afraid of the House.”
My chest feels lighter just saying the words. Because it’s the truth. For the past few months, I’ve been scared. I’ve been their pawn. No more. “I think many things changed the night Ian died. I went to the House that night prepared to die. I faced the reality of my own death that night and I accepted it. I’m not saying I look forward to my death, but I don’t think I’m scared of it anymore.”
“That is a dangerous fear to loose, my dear Alivia,” Rath says. He leans forward, his black eyes fixed on me.
“But it’s a fact, dangerous or not.” I say it simply. “I’m no longer afraid of the members of the House killing me. And I’m not scared of Jasmine.”
Rath twirls the ring he always wears between his fingers. It’s huge and bulky, and, no surprise, it bears the Conrath raven crest. “And what do you want to do with these realizations?”
I shake my head again. “I don’t know that, either. But I think I need to prepare for the arrival of the King. Sooner rather than later. I think he might have sent spies to watch me.”
I realized it earlier as I studied my crown on the desk in the office. Jasmine thinks she already knows me.Why would she need a spy? The faceless enemy with the snake brand should have no concern over me.
But if word started to leak out into the vampire world that a Royal Born might have a daughter, the King certainly would have a reason to spy on me.
“If this is true,” Rath says, suddenly sliding his ring back into place, “then I think you need to seriously consider those names on your allegiance board. With the King coming, you will need strength at your side.”
“So, is this the beginning?” I ask quietly. I twirl another glossy puzzle piece between my fingers. I found it lying on the floor just outside my bedroom just an hour ago. This one features a corner of Ian’s booted feet and a chunk of the porch.
“The beginning of what?” Rath asks.
“A revolution.”
I HAVE TO CONSIDER EVERY aspect of this situation.
A few days ago, I told Jasmine that I was going to take the House from her. It was an act of revenge—take from her what she loved in exchange for taking from me what I loved. Circumstances have changed, but now I need her vampires to protect myself from the King.
How do I make my first move? I know I will start with Lillian. But how do I reach her and how do I ask her to come to my side? I don’t have her phone number—I certainly can’t just call her up at the House. And while I think she’s an ally, I’ve learned that people, or rather vampires, are not always what they seem from the outside. Can I really count on her leaving Jasmine?
There are seven members of Jasmine’s House. Can I gain them all before the King arrives?
A weighty consideration: if the King is coming, am I safer to resurrect sooner than later? I’ve heard of his games and demented sense of entertainment. Hunting humans, vampires fighting other vampires to the death. This human body is weak. If I’ve learned anything about myself in the past few months of living in Silent Bend, it’s that I need to take matters into my own hands.
Can I also take my own life?
There is a small whisper inside of me sayingnot yetto my impending death.
One of my biggest concerns in all of this is Ian.
How is he going to react to all of this? To all of my plans? I want him at my side. I’m desperate for his support. For his acceptance.
But it’s a stupid question.
Ian is going to hate every bit of it.
Sunday evening, we sit in a nest of blankets and pillows on the floor of the ballroom, looking out the giant glass doors that let out onto the veranda and gaze out over the river. We don’t touch, we simply sit side by side. Quiet. Observant.
It’s twilight. The sun has set and everything is cast only in a dim glow. I know even this much is painful for Ian, but here he is, with me.
“You’ve been distracted lately,” he observes. I glance over at him. He isn’t looking back at me. He’s just staring out, I think at Henry and Elijah’s above ground tombs. “I kind of thought you’d be busy telling me not to hate myself and that none of this is my fault, but you haven’t. I’m grateful for it, but it just seems out of character. What’s on your mind, Liv?”
I look away from him, back outside. My eyes scan the trees, the scrubs. I search for spying eyes, the same as I’ve been doing since I was in the cemetery. “I need to tell you something that is happening, and I need you to keep an open mind.”
“I don’t particularly like the sound of that.” He admits it harshly.
“Don’t be an ass, Ian,” I growl at him. “This is serious, and I have to handle it as an adult and as a Conrath.”
