Page 52 of Dhampira

I pressed my lips together. Then, one by one, I closed his eyes. His face was frozen in a soft smile, the hint of a dimple in his cheek.

Footsteps approached and then Rasimir’s legs appeared on the other side of Duncan’s body. Slowly, I became aware of Vander and Lorcan standing nearby. Sauce from the stew snaked across the floor in a thin brown river.

“Get up,” Rasimir said.

The anger that had propelled me across the table was gone. Now everything ached as I stood on shaky legs. Stew stained the front of my bodice. Broken porcelain crunched under my slippers as I faced the men over Duncan’s body.

My father’s features were smooth, with no trace of emotion on his handsome face. But as before, the appearance of youth didn’t quite mask his age.

“You learned at the waterfall,” he said, “but your education is far from complete.” Eyes on me, he nudged Duncan’s shoulder with the toe of his boot. “This is nothing to us. The merman was nothing to us. Yet you wept for both.”

I tensed. Lorcan hadn’t spoken during the long walk back to the Drakhold. But he’d obviously reported my reaction to Rasimir. Then again, perhaps not.

Always assume someone is watching.

Rasimir bent, gripped Duncan’s body with both hands, and flung him across the dining room. Shock stole my breath as Duncan’s body sailed through the air and crashed into the hearth. The flames roared and cinders exploded. The next second, I choked as Rasimir gripped my throat.

“We do not weep for prey!” he roared in my face. His eyes snapped to solid black.

My reflection filled the shiny orbs, two miniatures of my tear-streaked face staring back at me. My knees loosened as my lungs seized. This was it. He was going to kill me. But fuck him if he thought I’d make it easy. I clawed at his hand, my nails digging into his skin. He squeezed harder. My eyes bulged, tiny hammers of agony slamming behind them.

“Majesty.” Lorcan’s voice sounded distant, the low tone muffled by the rushing in my ears.

Rasimir’s thumb dug into my windpipe. Fire burned in my lungs as my body strained for air. Black spots danced in my vision like ink dropped in water. My legs gave out, but Rasimir held me effortlessly.

The rushing grew louder. My legs kicked and flailed on their own, an invisible force jerking me like a puppet on my father’s string.

“My king,” Lorcan said more sharply.

My legs stopped shaking. The inky spots spread, and numbness trickled through my limbs.

“Majesty,” Lorcan said again, his voice cutting through the roar between my ears. “The war grows more dire every day. The dhampir is critical to your plan.”

The dining room tilted…and then faded. My hand dropped from Rasimir’s wrist, but I didn’t feel it fall. I was too numb. And the numbness was good because it wasn’t pain. Darkness spread from the edges of my vision, which narrowed to Rasimir’s face. He stared with flat, blank eyes. Monster.

Madness.

“She is a weapon you can’t afford to throw away!” Lorcan shouted, and now he didn’t sound cold or distant at all. “You could lose everything!”

Rasimir blinked. Hissing, he dropped me and stepped back. I collapsed, my knees hitting the carpet before I doubled over, my forehead pressed to the ground. Air rushed into my lungs, every heaving breath like crushed glass in my throat. Tears streamed down my face as I retched and coughed uncontrollably. The carpet abrading my hot, damp skin was a blessed relief because it was something—the return of sensation after I’d been almost entirely numb.

“You’re right,” Rasimir said above me. When I looked up, he stood in profile a short distance away, his hand trembling slightly as he swiped at his forehead. Vander and Lorcan observed him with tense expressions. “You’re right, of course,” Rasimir continued, and it was as if he spoke more to himself than to Lorcan. “Of course, of course.”

I kept my eyes on him as I got my legs under me and stood, careful to move as slowly as possible. The woods around Derryton didn’t see many bears, but springtime always brought a few. Running was the fastest way to get killed. Rasimir was far more dangerous than a bear, so I gripped the table and forced myself to stand still even as my heart galloped and my mind screamed at me to run as far and as fast as I could. My throat burned. Drying tears itched on my cheeks.

Rasimir lowered his hand and looked at me, his eyes green once more. For a second, they held zero emotion. No recognition. No anger. Nothing. Then he shook himself, and a mantle of authority descended over him.

He strode to me, and I sucked in a sharp breath as he grasped my chin before I could react. But he didn’t yell this time, and his gaze was thoughtful as he gave me a searching look.

“I meant to train you myself,” he said softly, “but distance might serve us both better.”

Agreement hovered on my tongue. Distance was just fine by me. The edge of the table bit into my hips as I held myself rigid in his grip, Vander and Lorcan silent observers over his shoulder.

Rasimir turned his head and addressed Vander. “Bring the next one.”

Vander left the dining room. Rasimir released me but stayed close, his shoulder almost brushing mine. Both he and Lorcan were unnaturally still, their eyes flat and their chests barely moving. I swallowed against a dry, throbbing throat as Lorcan’s words ran through my head.

War.