Queen's Gambit (Dorina Basarab 5)

I opened an eye. “Read about what?”

“The col de mort.”

“You didn’t invent it?” I frowned.

“No. No, it was in a detective novel, a metal tip used to make a training sword deadly. But I thought—”

“That wood would work the same way on vamps.” I sat up. “You did invent it!”

And then I felt dizzy.

“Dory!”

“M’kay.” I caught myself with one hand. It hurt. I picked it up and looked at it, and all the skin was burned off the palm.

How’d that happen?

“She isn’t.” Floor vamp laughed. “You’re both going to die.”

“Why?” Louis-Cesare demanded furiously. “We came in peace to your court—”

“Does this look like peace?” the vamp snarled, and started up, until the col de mort bit into his chest. He froze.

“This is of your doing,” Louis-Cesare said. “I came back for my wife. All I want is to take her and go—”

The vamp snorted. “I’m sure you do!”

“Zakarriyyah,” I said, finally placing him. I tried to snap my fingers, but that doesn’t work with no skin.

Startled, dark brown eyes met mine. “How did you know my name?”

“You were at the palace, in the desert. You were going to set yourself on fire to allow the others to escape.” I looked at him soberly. “That was very brave.”

Louis-Cesare and the vamp were both staring at me now.

“How did you know about that?” the vamp whispered.

“Saw it. Hassani showed me.”

“Before or after you tried to kill him?” Another vamp snarled. He was the opposite of the skinny, bald guy on the floor, having a full head of hair, more muscle than he needed, and a beard that looked like it was trying to eat his face.

Oh, that would be mine.

I grinned.

And then I remembered what he’d said.

“Kill him? I saved him.” At least, I was pretty sure.

My head hurt.

“She has bleeding on the brain,” the vamp woman under Louis-Cesare’s arm said, speaking for the first time. “I’m a healer. I can help—”

“No!” That was the big bearded vamp. He looked at Zakarriyyah. “You saw what they did upstairs, the monsters they unleashed on us!”

“What monsters?” I asked.

“Do you mean the fey?” Louis-Cesare demanded. “We fought them; we didn’t send them!”