Crimson Covenant (Onyx Assassins 1)

But it wasn’t terror that filled my veins at his primal display. It was curiosity and challenge and want and all things I couldn’t fathom but were there nonetheless. I should run the opposite direction. I knew that in my bones, but my soul begged to differ. It didn’t matter that I was surrounded by three ancient and insanely powerful vampires, one of which seemed to be having a silent argument with his sister at the moment. I didn’t cower, didn’t tremble.

And maybe it made me a human idiot, but I stepped out of Avianna’s gentle hold and stopped an inch before Alek.

King.

Whatever.

“I’m hungry,” I said, my voice only cracking slightly. I arched a brow at Alek’s surprised gaze and told my body to stop aching to lessen the distance between us. When he made no move, I glanced over my shoulder and pointed toward the double doors. “Food this way?”

Avianna chuckled, covering her lips with her gloved fingers. She nodded.

“Brilliant,” I said and shifted to push open the doors myself, but Alek moved faster than I could follow. Stepping before me, he opened the doors, and I swore Avianna and Hawke wore identical looks of shock.

“Thank you,” I said, wondering if I should technically bow now that I knew he was the King of the vampires. I decided to simply walk past him. I hadn’t bowed when he’d brought me to his dark palace, and I suppose it would be awkward to do it now.

I barely swallowed my gasp as the room unfolded before me—a grand ballroom bedecked in crystal and filled with creatures so stunningly beautiful my shoulders drooped. They moved with an ethereal grace I’d never master, and some spoke in hushed conversations in languages I couldn’t fully understand. Flames flickered from iron sconces decorated along the stone walls, and tables draped in black linens were positioned all throughout the massive room. A dais had been erected at the farthest wall of the room, a long table empty, waiting.

For royalty.

For Alek and his sister and his Assassins.

Warmth flushed my cheeks as I scanned the room, searching for where a mere human would sit among the power in this room. I spotted an empty round table in the far corner and stepped toward that direction.

Alek’s hand darted out, gentle and warm on my bare elbow. I paused at his touch, and the entire room fell silent. Hundreds of eyes turned their gaze on us, on that familiar touch on my arm.

“I will feed you,” he said, his voice not harboring any of that cold he had moments ago.

“I’m fully capable of handling that myself,” I said, pointing toward that empty table. “I wouldn’t want to keep you from your guests.”

“If that is where you’d like to sit for the evening, then by all means, we will sit there. But I go where you go,” he said, his eyes widening almost as if his words had surprised even himself.

I swallowed hard, my heart racing against my chest. His eyes fell to my bare neck, and I saw the hunger there, the need. I stepped closer to him, an instinct flaring in the very depths of my soul to provide for him, take care of him.

“Are you going to…eat?” I asked, my words a whisper between us.

He inhaled sharply, almost as if my willing nearness had tightened the unexplainable connection between us.

“Come,” he said instead of answering me.

I obeyed, following him to the dais across the room. He held my hand with such gentleness as he helped me climb the stairs, and it wasn’t until we were seated that the chatter returned around the room. Avianna grinned as she followed us, taking a seat on my left, positioning me between her and Alek.

Not going to lie, with the sharp gazes I received, and the downright gaping glares from some, I felt very much like the meat in a royale with cheese.

Music filtered in through invisible speakers moments later, and soon the talem were in a flourish of serving. Some, like myself, had meals of roasted chicken and greens and fresh baked bread that crackled in my hand, and others were served goblets of thick red liquid that I had no problems identifying.

Many visitors came to the royal table to pay their respects to Alek and Avianna, all with saccharine-sweet smiles and well wishes for the future.

It all was…incredibly beautiful and dull.

Not that I was wishing for the kind of excitement that came with a room full of vampires, but I’d never been the party type. I’d much rather spend time with a book and a good cup of tea. The thought of books had my mind racing back to that incredible library, to the invaluable additions the information had added to my research. Maybe I could sneak back—

“Immortal life boring you?” Alek leaned down to whisper in my ear.