Crimson Kiss (Onyx Assassins 5)

“Shit, I meant to be here.” Alek rubbed his hands over his face, exhaustion written on every line of his expression.

“They needed you at the shelter,” I argued.

A grunt of agreement sounded around the table. The Sons had attacked the shelter for abandoned and abused females, and news of the carnage had been widespread by the time our fast was broken this evening. Every Assassin, including our king, had wended immediately except me. Why? Because I’d been assigned to Avianna’s safety now that Olivia was pregnant. It wasn’t that Olivia lacked the skills to defend our princess—she didn’t. But young were scarce, precious, and protected above all else.

“The terms were what she agreed upon?” Alek bit out the words, his teeth grinding so loud I could hear them from the opposite end of the table.

“They are, with one exception. The Deveraux family insists on guarding her once the betrothal takes place.” The words tasted like venom in my mouth.

Take her. Claim her.

I flipped my knife again and caught it. The instincts were screaming louder, becoming more insistent now that I’d tasted the sweetness of her blood. At least now I knew why my brethren had gone temporarily mad while they’d been fighting their mating bonds.

But you’ll never have the happiness they’ve found.

No, I was doomed to the same fate as always—wanting Avianna and never having her.

“They expect me to leave my sister defenseless?” Alek questioned, leaning forward.

“They seem to expect our trust,” I responded quietly. “But we negotiated that a guard of our choosing would accompany her to their new property, wherever this Deveraux Hall may be upstate, so that we can see she’ll be safe. But they expect us to leave the moment she bleeds her signature on that betrothal agreement.” End over end, I flipped my dagger, keeping my concentration on catching the blade instead of the fears of my brothers, which assaulted my senses as if they were screaming at me. It had always been the easiest way to keep up my mental shields.

Go figure, everyone else in this room had a power they could access. I had one that had nearly driven me to madness before Alek had taught me to control it.

Ajax and Ransom were the closest, and I lowered my shields enough to feel Ajax’s fear for the stability of the throne. Ransom feared for Olivia’s safety while carrying his baby.

Mine was easy enough to identify—I was terrified of Avianna’s demise.

She would leave the royal residence—leave me.

She would journey upstate to a place none of us had seen.

She would spend a week at their home, so that she could decide on any other terms to negotiate before signing her life away.

And in six months and three weeks, she would be wed…and only God knew if I would see her again.

“You’ll take her,” Alek ordered.

“I’m sorry?” I caught my dagger by the tip.

“You will take her,” Alek repeated.

“Ransom is—” I started.

“Our best in combat,” Alek agreed. “But I know you won’t hesitate to kill, to break alliances…to do whatever needs to be done if you discover they’re lying. She’s only signed the terms for negotiation, not the contract itself.”

I locked my jaw. He was right. I was absolutely ruthless when it came to Avianna’s safety. I’d killed hundreds over the years—bloodmad vampires, murderers, traitors, or those the Conclave had passed their judgment on. My soul had been black by my fifteenth summer. I had no problem lining my handbasket to hell with the souls of anyone who would harm Avi.

Samuel had done the human equivalent of putting an offer in on a piece of property, and she’d simply signed the counteroffer. It was far from a done deal.

“What were your thoughts on the agreement other than security?” Alek asked.

Every head turned my direction, like this was a fucking tennis match.

“I think she made her choice.”

Alek sat back in his chair. “We can’t have it both ways, can we, boys? We can either step into this new age where females decide their futures, or we can stop evolving and let Darwinism do its thing.”

There were another series of grunts in agreement.

“Samuel won’t hurt her,” Dagon said quietly, but with absolute conviction in his voice.

I lowered my shields again. The taste of unripe citrus hit my tongue. Dagon feared misplacing his loyalty. The vampire had control over the elements, and would be a terrifying opponent should he regret siding with us in the Conclave chamber days ago.

“He’s never been violent,” Zachariah agreed. Sour mushrooms filled my mouth. He feared only himself, as usual. “It’s always been Saint with blood on his hands.”

All of the Hunters nodded.

“And you honestly think he can control that fucking lunatic?” Lachlan growled.

Zachariah met his stare. “I think he’s done so for centuries. Up until the princess was taken, I would have told you that Samuel was the most honorable of all of us. He’s just…” He shook his head.