Shadow Bound: The Darkfell Vampire Clan: 2 by L.A. McGinnis

Author:L.A. McGinnis [McGinnis, L.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fools Journey Press
Published: 2021-11-29T16:00:00+00:00

Tiresome.

That’s what torture was, tiresome.

I was beyond tired of hearing the dripping of my own blood.

Tired of expending precious energy healing my wounds while my weight pulled against the nails holding me to the wall, my flesh tearing with every shallow breath.

So far, I stayed ahead of the damage, and normally, this would be a little more than a nuisance. But I was still weak from the fight with the revenants, from not feeding regularly, from too many things to count.

I did have the family ring back on my finger, though I hoped it didn’t end up in a revenant’s stomach. Or on a revenant’s front paw.

Three days, I told myself.

Survive for three days, long enough for Hugh to get Seraphina to get out of the country and to safety, and then I could let go. Go into the Pale and be done with this useless life.

“So, tell me what you did to end up on Viktor's bad side?”

I stared down at Queen Katarina in her finery. She turned slightly, checked her ass in one of the mirrors.

Viktor couldn’t have come up with a worse torture himself.

“Oh, you know, the usual. Murder and mayhem, with a bit of breaking and entering thrown in for good measure.” My voice remained light and playful, but inside…

Inside I felt an emotion I’d long become inured to. Fear.

“Viktor seems to think that you found a new queen to replace him.”

She forgot about me for a moment as she ordered a Knightsguard to fetch a chair, which she strategically placed just so, where she could see herself in the mirrors, the dim lighting complimenting her pale complexion. By the time the guard left, the table groaned under the weight of fruit and meats and wine beside her. She filled a crystal glass, sniffed, then took a sip.

“You look comfortable.”

“And why shouldn't I be?” she asked. “I wasn’t foolish enough to cross Viktor. You know how vindictive he can be. You should have stayed on his good side. That’s what I do.”

“You just got here,” I observed. “Give it some time. I'm sure by tonight there's a good chance you'll be up here beside me.” I shuddered at the thought.

“Oh, Deston, you are quite the jester. As if I would allow myself to be trapped by my own blood.” Katarina slowly poured another glass of wine, her glittering eyes scanning the empty chamber behind her before she turned back to me.

“I'm curious about this new queen. My guess is, she's young and naïve. Am I right?”

“And you said you knew Viktor?” I asked, careful to keep my voice neutral. “He sees conspiracies in the shadows. If I had a new queen waiting in the wings, don't you think she’d be on the throne already?”

“Not untrained,” she pointed out, sipping her wine. “If she's young and untrained, you wouldn't take the chance. You'd make sure she was at her strongest before she faced Viktor.” Her smile showed a wine-stained fang.

“Come now, Deston, let’s not pretend we are strangers.

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