Rise of Anowen by Renee Peters & Rae Stilwell

Author:Renee Peters & Rae Stilwell [Peters, Renee & Stilwell, Rae]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781734644104
Published: 2020-03-25T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Lian kept his eyes forward as he followed Lady Vanessa back to her drawing room.

He still tasted blood on his tongue as if he had partaken in the garden orgy and felt the rise of the darker beast their gift made of them twisting his veins like threads. He forced it down, along with the swirl of thoughts that echoed through his head.

The Aegean Houses had thralls; this had been known — if borne with a certain distaste for the idea of making slaves of mortals. There were benefits to having meals available in-house which could not be denied. Particularly with a coven of Free Immortals.

The queen’s blood....

They passed another servant who shifted to the side of the gallery and lowered his head as the Immortals walked past. The man’s face was pale, and Lian could hear the want in his thoughts as they turned down the corridor.

The lord did not let his disturbance show on his features. He should have expected it, and yet he had been taken aback by the terror of the mortals brought in for the sport of the hunt. Perhaps it was just another difference between his coven and those of the Aegean Houses.

His family remembered their mortality.

Within the drawing room, a servant waited. The woman stood alongside a polished tea tray, nested between two gold, velvet-lined armchairs facing one another.

Lady Vanessa settled into her seat first and turned her hand over in an invitation for Lian to join. In silence he did so. For a moment, the only sound between them was the gentle clatter of the teacups as the servant poured their drinks. Steaming blood, scented with sweet herbs, splashed into the cups.

“It is my preference to be direct, Redmond,” the Queen stated coolly. “You have no doubt noticed the presence of elders on the estate, and equally so the evident infancy of Delresus as a House.” She raised her cup to sip the brew. “These, my children, were once as you are — exiles among our people, vulnerable … weak.” Her gaze settled upon his own. “And now you see them: embraced, accepted, counted worthy of the Delresus name and of its protections.”

She set the cup down with a clink. “My House grows and is strengthened for their loyalty, and they have found their place in our world. It is a mutually beneficial agreement and one they were glad to enter.” She paused and a thin, cold smile lifted her lips. “It is the same agreement I am prepared to offer you and the family you so eagerly wish to protect.”

Lian watched her mouth, stained red with blood and the touch of rogue she had applied before their meeting. His own cup had not been raised higher than his chest, and it hovered in his hold before he set it back upon the saucer.

“My Lady is … wise,” he began, slowly. “Your coven will rival those far older than your own for accepting pariahs into your fold.” He did not doubt

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.