“Please,” Gilbert tried again.
Should I give in and show them a new me? Stumble directly into the runaway train of their wishes? Or did I continue to show strength in peace?
“While I’m here,” I said, pausing my crush. “I want information from you.”
“What kind of information?” Gilbert answered rather enthusiastically. “Anything, my king.”
The others came forward, also offering up their services.
“Any information you have on illegal feedings will be appreciated,” I answered.
A series of glances between the vampires, followed by lots of quizzical expressions.
“We don’t know anything about that,” Gilbert finally answered.
Of course not.“I see. What is this man’s name?”
“Bryan.” The woman who’d been cradling him spoke up. “The love of my life.”
She didn’t seem as terrified as the others. “And you are?”
“Tilly, Your Majesty.” She bowed respectfully.
There were nine of them originally; Paris killed the one called Kevin with his strange crystal blade.
“Do you know anything?” I pressed.
Tilly folded her arms, disappointment etched on her face. “Why do you care?”
That caught me by surprise. “I care deeply.”
She shook her head. “We don’t believe you.”
The heat of my fury dialed up a notch. “Tread carefully here.”
She scoffed. “Why? For you to spare my love? Because you will. Because all we’ve seen over the years is weakness from you, King Silvanus. You have reduced us to nothing more than?—”
I silenced her with a loud, “I’ll have your tongue.”
“It will grow back,” she countered.
Her tone of disappointment grated on my patience.
“What would happen if I killed him right now?” I said.
She took a moment to answer. “I would be sad, but it changes nothing. Everything stays the same.”
Was she testing me, pushing me to kill him?
Don’t rise to this.
I put a question to these treacherous vampires. “If you can’t remember what came before the war, then how can you be so sure I’m failing you? What if Iamdoing the right thing by being peaceful, and avoiding killing those of you who step out of line?”
Tilly didn’t even consider my words. “Because the bloodthirst tells us so. You must feel it, too. The desire to hunt.”
I’d hunted many mortals across this world, drank their blood, killed them in return for killing us. Sating a need, exterminating a threat. Stalked city streets, lurked in shadows, listened to the frenetic heartbeats of my prey, reveled in the heat of their blood gushing down my throat, seasoned with their fear.
Dark days.
