Crimson Covenant (Onyx Assassins 1)

“And how does all this help me keep Lyric alive?” I snapped. Every day Xavier sent a demon emissary to the opera house, waiting for me to turn her over. Every day he went home empty-handed, only riling up the demon king’s temper even more. “Conclave is in a little over a week, and I have to have legal grounds to stand on.”

“Then do what I already told you to and marry her.” Julian pointed to the passage he’d just read out loud. “This says acceptable bloodline.”

“Not sure if you’ve noticed, but Alek’s girl isn’t exactly a vampire,” Lachlan stated with an obvious lack of patience.

My stomach flipped as it hit me. “It doesn’t say vampire.”

“Exactly.” Julian grinned and turned to the ancient text he’d been studying when we walked in, flipping back a few pages. “Now, since I was the one who did this translation between the two British wars, I was worried perhaps I’d gotten something wrong, but the old text is translated perfectly, see? The King will wed a bride of his choosing who bears his crest from an acceptable line.”

The two British wars—the revolution and 1812. Julian knew our laws better than any other living vampire. He’d been there at the formation of Conclave, too.

“Acceptable blood,” I muttered. That was our problem.

“I’ve found a potential solution for that, too, but I’m not going to lie and say that marrying Lyric won’t jeopardize your throne. Wait here.” The scholar rose from his seat and grabbed another text from the desk behind him. “If you look back in the law to which families are deemed acceptable for writs of nobility, it is at the discretion of the King. Whomever dictated our ancient laws must have worked off the assumption that only a vampire would be considered. That arrogance is going to give you the loophole you need.” He flipped through the text—this one a modern, typeset version, and pointed to the passage. “Here. So, if you deem her to be of an acceptable bloodline, then you can argue that she is worthy to be your queen. As long as…” He looked away.

“As long as what?” Lachlan barked. “Spit it out, man. You’re holding the future of our species in your hands.”

He wasn’t wrong there. There would be no other for me.

“As long as she’s…and this is the law, sir, not my opinion—intact, as it would say.” He got out those last words slowly.

“She has to be a virgin? What kind of bullshit is that?” Lachlan spat. “We’re immortal, we’re not just hanging around for centuries without sex, and neither are the females. Who the hell put that into law?”

Julian quirked an eyebrow. “Actually that bit was put in by your great-great-grandfather, Hamish.”

Lachlan blinked. “Okay, well, apparently he was an arse.”

“I already knew that.” It was exactly why I hadn’t taken her after she’d disclosed that little fact. “And we don’t have a problem there.” But someone who came after me might. The law needed to be changed.

“Thank God for one less hurdle to overcome,” Julian noted. “In that regard, you simply present her as your bride, marry her, complete the mating bond, and get busy providing us with a long-awaited heir.” Julian lifted his brows at me, and I knew it wasn’t a suggestion. That was as close to an order as anyone would ever give me.

“And Xavier’s claim on her?” Lachlan asked. “We’ve got the lass locked down tight, but eventually she’s going to leave the estate. He’ll be watching for her.”

He was right. Every day I felt Lyric’s impatience with her confinement grow.

Julian set that text down and walked around the edge of the table to pick up another that I recognized well. It was basically the pocket edition of the Conclave Agreement, mass-produced by the witches so each ancient family would have no excuse but to follow the law. “This says that demons have the right to determine the future of any seer, which we all know is a swift death. I’m still tracking Lyric’s records through the foster care system, but I think it’s safe to say she’s a seer.”

“Agreed.” There was no other explanation for seeing through a glamour.

“But this law also states that royalty of any house can be given immunity at the leisure of the King who sits at the head of Conclave, and if you marry her, Lyric will be vampire royalty. She has your immunity.”

A slow smile spread across my face, finally seeing a path out of this that left Lyric alive. Xavier would be pissed. He’d have to get over it.

“But Alek,” Julian’s voice softened as he used my given name. “That is not your biggest worry.”

Lachlan grunted.

“She’s human,” I said softly, finding the older vampire’s gaze locked on mine.

He nodded. “I’ve never heard of a human being turned. I can’t even explain why she didn’t die the first time you fed her.”