Page 53 of Dhampira

Weapon.

Who was Rasimir fighting? And what kind of weapon was I supposed to be? How did I fit into his plan? The fire roared, flames licking over Duncan’s body. At the edge of my vision, embers shot from the hearth and landed on the carpet. The scent of cooked meat reached me. I bit the inside of my cheek as my stomach pitched.

Vander returned with a woman in tow. Like the witch from the dungeon, metal covered her mouth and encased her hands. But she was clean, her clothes intact and her skin gleaming with good health.

I braced for Rasimir to utter the word to remove her gag. Instead, he grabbed the woman’s arm and shoved her toward me.

“Drain her.”

The woman stumbled into me, backing me harder against the table. Up close, the metal covering her mouth was even more gruesome. It stretched with her facial movements, the steel shifting as she breathed heavily through her nose. Thick lashes framed her brown eyes, which widened with fear as I caught her shoulders and spun her around. My heart raced as all three men watched me.

Drain her. My throat burned, Rasimir’s fingerprints like a noose around my neck. The woman began to struggle, and I tightened my grip as I stumbled away from the table with the woman in my arms. Her elbow caught me in the ribs, sending pain bolting through my midsection. Grunting, I hauled her more firmly against me.

“Do it!” Rasimir barked.

My fangs were still extended, the tips scraping my bottom lip. The woman’s jugular throbbed down the side of her throat. Heart pounding, I waited for the monster inside me to rouse. But it wasn’t hungry after I’d drained the merman and just drained Duncan. His flesh still sizzled on the fire, the scent like pork roasting on a spit.

Pushing the woman away, I staggered to the side and vomited Duncan’s blood all over the floor.

Behind me, Rasimir sighed. “Take care of it.”

Footsteps, then a woman’s muffled cry was abruptly cut off. A soft sucking sound followed. Almost instantly, that cut off, too.

A spitting sound, wet and sharp. “Poisoned,” Lorcan growled.

Gasping, I dragged the back of my arm over my mouth and straightened. When I faced the men, Vander hovered near the door. Lorcan stood over the woman, whom he’d shoved to her knees.

She glared at me, her brown eyes sheened with blue.

Blood traitor. She didn’t have to say it. The words burned in her stare.

Lorcan’s face was a mask of disgust as he swiped blood from his lips.

“It’s been a while since the old cunt tried that,” Rasimir said. He moved between me and the woman, blocking my view of her. Lorcan’s mouth tightened as he remained at her back.

Rasimir bent and cradled the woman’s head in his hands. A croon entered his voice as he addressed her. “That was foolish, sweetheart. If you’re capable, tell your mother I send my regards.” His shoulders jerked, and a loud crack made me jump.

Rasimir turned, one hand tangled in the hair of the woman’s severed head. As he stepped away, her body fell forward onto the floor. Her spinal column protruded from the torn muscle around her neck. Bright arterial blood pumped over the drying river of stew.

My stomach pitched. I breathed through my mouth, but it didn’t help. The scent of burning flesh and fresh blood clung to my nose and throat.

“We’ll have to be more vigilant,” Rasimir said, lifting the woman’s head. He stared into her eyes for a second before flinging the head away. It landed with a wet squelch.

Lorcan stepped back as the woman’s blood reached his boots. “I’ll see to it, Majesty.”

“I hope so.” Rasimir stared at the woman’s head, his gaze thoughtful. Then he looked at me. He seemed to arrive at some internal decision before sweeping a look from Vander to Lorcan. “I want both of you to take Corinthe out tomorrow. Tell her who she is.”

Lorcan bowed his head. “As you say, my king.”

Rasimir left.

When Lorcan came to me, I let him take my arm and escort me from the dining room. As its horrors faded behind us, the questions in my head swirled faster. What war? What kind of weapon?

Who am I?

But I didn’t need answers. Not anymore. I just needed to get as far from the Drakhold and Nocta as possible.

My chamber doors whisked open at our approach. Delphine turned from the washstand, a greeting dying on her lips as I crossed to the bed and climbed in. The last thing I saw before I turned over was Lorcan’s tall, dark form framed in the open doorway. I waited until the door closed and his footsteps faded down the corridor. Then I waited some more, the rustle of Delphine’s skirts accompanied by the quiet sounds of her tidying the chamber. The merman’s fountain splashed outside. Moonlight streamed through the balcony doors. I closed my eyes and focused on taking slow, even breaths.