Page 86 of Undying
“That’s just crazy,” I mutter, unable to understand that mentality. “I would give up anything for a chance to have a family and find love.”
Silence fills the room at my confession. As awkwardness stretches between us, heat fills my face, and I look away from his too penetrating gaze.
Thankfully, Milo takes pity on me and breaks the silence.
“There is another side to the dhampyr myth. While some might consider it a blessing, others believe it’s a curse.” Milo clenches his tablet to his chest. “Usually, the appearance of a dhampyr is a harbinger of an impending war.”
Well, fuck me. Can my life suck any harder?
Suddenly nauseated, I lick my lips, curling my hands into fists to keep them from shaking. “Do I cause the war?”
“No, of course not,” Milo assures me, his face earnest, but I don’t relax, the muscles along my spine wound tight with tension.
I’m almost afraid to look at Stanton, his lack of reassurance very noticeable, and my heart sinks with dread as I force myself to meet his gaze. He grimaces, his brown eyes almost sympathetic. “While you might not throw the first punch, your very presence might actually herald it. Dhampyr are said to be able to change the tides of the war. If you take the crown, things will get better for our species.”
“Crown?” My voice emerges as a squeak, and I take a hasty step back, worried his crazy might be contagious. “I don’t understand. Vampires don’t have a single ruler. Right?”
“Not in a traditional sense,” Stanton agrees, reaching up to scratch the stubble under his jaw. “Males rule the territories, but a queen is meant to rule over them all. Only she has the power to keep them in check. When we don’t have a queen…things get infinitely worse.”
My brain just kind of short-circuits at what he’s implying. “And you think I’m supposed to be this next queen?” I can’t keep the incredulousness out of my voice.
“If you fail to take the crown, the world will be swallowed by darkness.” Stanton speaks with such conviction that it might as well be a premonition of things to come, and a shiver goes down my spine.
While part of me wouldn’t mind seeing the world burn after what happened to me, the thought that I could stop the same tragedy from destroying others eases the rage that has kindled in my chest ever since I woke up in a pit of corpses.
I sink my hands into my hair, the digits tangling in the strands as I rake them away from my face. “Why me? I’m the least likely savior. You would be better off picking someone else, someone more qualified. Even some rando off the street would be better.”
“That you honestly believe thatisthe reason.” Milo casts me a sad smile, his green eyes almost dull. “Throughout history, it’s those who don’t want the power who make the best leaders.”
I snort at him, not falling for his bullshit, even if his words might carry a hint of truth. “They also get dead really fast. Even if I want to bring justice to the people who deserve it, it would be a race to see who could kill me first.”
Milo grimaces, not even trying to deny my accusation. “The future of the world is changing. A fight is coming, regardless of what you want, a darkness that will swallow the world if no one can stop it. While we can help you survive and prepare for what’s coming, only you are strong enough to do what must be done.”
My gut sinks, and I want to curse the injustice of the world. It’s insane that I’m even thinking about their cracked idea, but if it’s a choice between being a queen or a slave, I’m determined to be a queen. “And how does one even go about becoming queen?”
“It’s as simple as it is difficult,” Stanton replies as he pushes himself away from his desk. He strides toward me, only stopping when he’s just out of reach. “You need to get at least five of the vampire lords to take a knee, pledge you their name, and give you their oath.”
I snort, my mind boggling at the impossibility of the mission. If you think cats are difficult to wrangle, picture trying to get a bunch of egotistical males who have been around for centuries to agree to turning over their power and follow a woman.
It just isn’t going to happen.
Stanton must read the doubt on my face, maybe because I’m not even trying to hide my absolute disbelief at his plan. His smirk is slow to come, but it’s potent enough to steal my breath. “And if they don’t, then you remove them like you did Dafoe and his minions.”
Kill them.
I think about it for a second, then nod.
I can do that.
There is no love lost between me and the vampire species as a whole, my memories of being killed still too fresh for me not to relive it in vivid detail each night when I close my eyes. It’s about time someone steps forward and brings them to justice for their actions.
Who better to keep them in check than a dhampyr who straddles both worlds? But that only works if I can take the crown.
“What happens if I fail?” I have to ask. I need to know how much it will cost me.
Stanton’s expression turns grim. “We either find a way to keep the vampires in check, or the humans will start to hunt us like they did in the Middle Ages. While we might be strong from centuries of cunning and hiding in plain sight, humans have numbers on their side. If it comes to war, we’re the ones who will suffer. We need humans to survive. Without blood, we slowly devolve into nothing more than feral beasts unable to control our bloodlust.”
Note to self—don’t deprive yourself of blood.
