Page 34 of Ruby Red Sky

If I stayed here, it would be inevitable that my own blood would be drunk.

Lukas was still talking to Kalix, and I scanned the room, taking in the festivities. The people who’d gathered to watch the spectacle of me and Kiam being introduced to the Queen had spilled out onto the marble floor. Voices echoed under the glittering rafters, some in serious tones and others, joyful. Furtive glances were sent my way as people milled about.

The Queen reigned from her throne, accepting what looked like gifts. Small packages and tiny satchels were piling up beside her seat and to my surprise, Kiam was beside her. He was perched on the edge of the second throne; the one I assumed belonged to Wyvon, the absent King I’d heard mentioned.

Eyeing Annalise, I wondered if she’d make good on her lunch invitation and what that would involve. I pictured myself sitting across from her at a small table with her drinking a wineglass full of blood, much like Kalix, as she fantasized about tearing my neck to shreds.

A shudder coursed down my spine just as something tapped my shoulder. I whirled around and came face to face with Katarina.

“Do you want to walk around?” She asked. “Don’t be so jumpy, they can smell fear.”

“Ha,” I scoffed. “Then they’ve been smelling me and drooling for a while.”

“C’mon,” she said, taking my hand. “You’ve been cooped up for the longest.”

Katarina tugged me lightly and I glanced over my shoulder at Lukas. He was deep in conversation, gesturing with one hand and pushing his hair back with the other. Kalix didn’t so much as twitch. Kiam appeared spellbound as the Queen leaned closer to him and ran her finger down his cheek.

I was on my own.

My pulse hammered through my veins, but I let Katarina drag me. “Where are we going?”

Colors whirred past me as she led me to the other end of the room. Vampires were moving faster than my eyes could detect, periodically blurring the scene. We stopped at a long table with an impressive spread of food, and I headed straight for the chairs lined up along the wall.

“I thought you were a goner for sure,” a girl with bright red hair hurried over to us.

Katarina lightly batted her arm. “Knock it off.”

“Honestly, I thought I was, too. This shit is terrifying.”

A server stopped by us with a tray full of wine. I grabbed one of the etched crystal glasses. It was edged with scrolling silver and looked almost too pretty to drink. “I love these cups,” I muttered. “So pretty.”

“Cassia, this is Nancy. Nancy, Cassia,” Katarina introduced me and the redhead. “I’m her maid,” she said to the new woman.

“I think I might’ve seen you in the hall before,” I remarked to Nancy.

Actually, I was positive I had. Her hair was pretty distinctive, couldn’t miss it. I just didn’t know how to let her know I’d ignored her on purpose in the past.

Nancy stared at me for a moment. “I’ve seen you.” Not knowing what to say or what else to do, I took a sip of the wine. “You never leave your room.”

“She belongs to Lukas,” Katarina said pointedly.

Nancy rolled her eyes. “No shit.”

“He didn’t really give me a choice in the matter,” I retorted. The air around the three of us was tense, and I had no idea how to interpret it. I could assume befriending workers, given Lukas’s obviously high position wasn’t typical, but I didn’t know how to go about shunning potential new allies or friendships.

Nancy grabbed a giant strawberry from a dish on the table. “I don’t see you complaining.”

“Well, I don’t think he even likes me very much so who knows if this will last.”

As it was, I barely saw him. Granted, I’d been rather difficult, but still. If he was planning on marrying me, wouldn’t he want to spend time with me? Did I even want him to?

Conflicting thoughts banged around my mind. I wasn’t into relationships where the two people were strangers or ignored each other—like my last relationship. But I also wasn’t into murder and kidnapping.

Katarina snort-laughed and quickly covered her mouth with her palm before she glanced around. No one was paying us any mind. “He’s staring at you right now,” she whisper-hissed. “He definitely likes you.”

Nancy nodded her head. “Yeah, I never see him with anybody. How the hell did you even snag him?”

The crowd parted and from my vantage point I glanced up and over the floor. Sure enough, he was looking right at me. Someone crossed my view, and when they passed, his eyes were still on me. The way he stared, it made my breath catch inside my throat. More people wandered by, but his gaze didn’t waver. He had me set in his sights as if bodies weren’t blocking him, as if they were see-through.