Page 128 of Dhampira

Delphine’s hair rippled behind her like a banner as she turned down another tunnel of hedges.

“Delphine,” I snapped under my breath. My lungs burned. The next time she made a sharp turn, my frustration boiled over. “Who was that werewolf?” I demanded, rounding the corner and almost smacking into Rasimir.

Lorcan stood beside him, his shoulder brushing the hedge that towered over us. The splash of water from the fountain filled the air, which had lightened to lavender.

Delphine stared at Rasimir, her face pale and her eyes wide and terrified.

The entrance to the maze loomed behind Rasimir and Lorcan, the merman a gray mass behind them. Red flashed, and Vander and several knights stepped between the hedges at the front of the maze, their bodies blocking the merman’s bulk. Vander wore his black armor, Rasimir’s serpent glittering on his breastplate.

“What werewolf?” Rasimir asked, his tone conversational, as if he inquired about the weather instead of a mortal enemy.

Delphine began to tremble. Excuses tumbled through my mind, each one more unconvincing than the last.

The scent of blood hit my nose. Rasimir was covered in it, I realized belatedly, his coat glistening in the encroaching dawn.

He noticed me looking, and his eyes crinkled as he gestured to the stain. “The guard outside your room has gone missing. But don’t worry. I’ve questioned his friends. If he abandoned his post, he’ll suffer the consequences.”

My stomach twisted. More deaths landed hard on my conscience.

Rasimir looked at Lorcan. “Bring her,” he said, turning and heading toward Vander and the knights.

When Lorcan started toward Delphine, I moved to intercept him.

Don’t, he mouthed, his black eyes flashing. I shrank back, and he took Delphine’s arm and steered her toward the front of the maze. I followed, fear and desperation swirling in my chest. Lorcan hadn’t fed, which meant he couldn’t speak in my mind. He couldn’t guide me. I was on my own.

Vander’s eyes were hard and his mouth was a grim slash as we entered the courtyard. Rasimir was his sire. If Rasimir ordered him to kill Delphine, he had to do it. If Rasimir told him to kill me, he’d do that, too.

Rasimir positioned himself in the center of Vander and the knights, forming a semicircle in front of me. The courtyard’s statues sparkled under the rising sun. Lorcan kept a tight grip on Delphine’s arm as he pulled her to one side.

“Tell me, Daughter,” Rasimir said, tucking his hands behind his back. “Do you dislike your chamber?”

It was a trick question, of course. We both knew the script, but I couldn’t deviate from it. He wanted a show, and I either gave it to him or suffered his wrath.

“No, Majesty,” I said. “The chamber is beautiful.”

One of the knights darted a look at Rasimir and then gripped the pommel of his sword. The first kind serve Rasimir because they revel in cruelty, Vander’s voice said in my memory.

Rasimir studied me. “Odd, then, that you would leave it at such an unseemly hour. Then again, your guard went missing.” He looked at Delphine. “And of course, you were probably missing your lady-in-waiting.”

“No,” I said, stepping toward Rasimir.

Vander was suddenly in front of me. Steel rasped as the knights drew their swords. A warning glinted in Vander’s eyes as he forced me back with a hand on my shoulder.

“Sir Vander is protective of me,” Rasimir said, smiling as he strolled forward. “It’s all right, Captain. Corinthe poses no threat. She’s tenderhearted.” Vander eased back, and Rasimir took his place in front of me. “The little power she possesses is fickle,” he murmured. “Her gifts of no consequence. Such a waste. I’d so hoped you would prove worthy of my name.”

My blood ran cold, my stuttering heart pushing fear through my veins with every beat. At last, we’d come to it. He’d decided I was weak, my meager abilities not even worth passing on to my children. I didn’t have to worry about a wedding. Rasimir was going to kill me.

I swayed, my knees loosening. Sezat waited on my tongue, but it didn’t matter. Rasimir was shielded, my measly vor was nothing compared to his power. If I tried to petrify him, he’d just laugh and kill me faster.

“Captain,” he called, turning to Vander, “help Prince Lorcan take the traitor to the dungeon. Find out what she knows. If she’s still alive when you’re finished, the court can enjoy the leftovers.”

Vander started toward Delphine.

“No!” she cried, her eyes wild as she fought Lorcan’s grip. “Majesty, please, I serve you!”

Vander seized her other arm.

“Please!” she screamed, her voice rising. In a blur, she shifted into a large bird. Lorcan growled and grabbed her wing, preventing her from flapping into the air. Vander tried to grasp her other wing but ended up with a face full of feathers.