Vampire Court by Ingrid Seymour

Author:Ingrid Seymour
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: PenDreams
Published: 2019-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

After bathing, Vinna and I walked together to the dining hall. I felt fresh and renewed, and it wasn’t only because of the bath. I even found myself smiling widely, which I hadn’t done in so long that it felt foreign to my face.

A thought occurred to me that made the smile disappear.

“Will the others suspect anything if they see us talking again?” I asked.

“Nah,” Vinna said. “They’ll probably think I’m planning some nasty deed against yeh. Revenge or something.”

“And are you?” I felt very naive since this hadn’t occurred to me.

She shrugged and waggled an eyebrow.

“That’s not funny, Vinna,” I complained.

“Who said it was a joke?”

My shoulders slumped. I stared at the ground pensively, worry gnawing at my chest. Maybe she thought I would go after her next.

“I won’t challenge you,” I said.

She stopped and turned to look at me. We were halfway through the path that led to the dining hall. The sun had gone down well past the walls that surrounded the compound. The days were getting shorter, and the lamps hadn’t been lit yet, so shadows fell across her face.

“Are yeh saying yeh’ll be content being Fourth Pawn?” The way she asked the question made me realize this hadn’t been her expectation.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” I kept walking, but Vinna halted me by placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Yeh’re going to challenge Breen. Yeh’re going for First Pawn right away, aren’t yeh?”

My answer was a sigh. I wasn’t being very smart confiding in Vinna. All along, this might have been her reason for approaching me.

She shook her head. “Don’t be stupid, Bianca. Breen’ll wipe the floor of the Challenge Hall with yeh, then she’ll cut yeh into tiny chunks. She won’t pardon yeh.”

“Oh, I know that.” I resumed walking.

“Then yeh must have a death wish.”

“Maybe,” I said. What reason did I have to live, after all?

“Well, if I can’t talk yeh out of it,” she said, “I’ll help yeh.”

“You will?” I scrutinized her face to make sure she wasn’t mocking me.

“It’s the least I can do.” She leaned closer and whispered behind her hand. “I hate Breen. Down to the bone.”

We entered the dining hall, laughing, and walked toward our Quadrant’s table. I was so distracted that I’d forgotten all about Rook Neculai’s letter and, feeling his attention, my eyes were unthinkingly drawn to him right away. He was intent on me, a small smile stretching his thin lips, making him look like the mouse who ate the cheese.

A blush, hot and intense, rose up my throat into my face. His eyes twinkled at my reaction, which must have made him think I would heed his summons.

Irate, I composed my expression and glanced away. The guile of him! I had no interest in nasty, middle-age Rooks. In fact, he was probably more than middle age, considering he’d tasted vampire blood. I heard he’d been a Rook for more than thirty years, which meant he could probably be my grandfather.

I had never liked older men, even if some of my friends had.

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