Gena Showalter - Unraveled

“True,” he said with a smile.

“And I’m proud of you, you know,” she said huskily, gaze dropping to his lips, then his neck.

Was she thirsty? Please…

Riley coughed.

They ignored him.

Praise had always been a rare commodity in Aden’s life, and he soaked hers up. In the institutions, the doctors had merely questioned him and the other patients had been wrapped up in their own problems. In foster homes, neither the well-meaning nor the uncaring parents had known how to deal with him, had even feared him. At the ranch, the other kids had ridiculed him at first.

“You’re not embarrassed that I’m a weak human?” he asked her. Because he knew, even if she wouldn’t admit it, that that’s how her people saw him. Would probably always see him.

She countered with a question of her own. “You’re not embarrassed that I’m a bloodthirsty fiend?” Even as she spoke, her gaze returned to the pulse at the base of his neck, which was hammering wildly. She licked her lips.

“Is my fiend thirsty now?”

“No,” she croaked, arms falling away. She stepped backward, adding distance between them.

“Liar,” he said, but didn’t push. She refused to drink from him because she didn’t want to turn him into a blood-slave. He understood, but he hated the thought of her beautiful mouth on anyone else.

They wouldn’t argue about it now, though. No time.

“Come.” Determined, she held out her hand. “The party is waiting.”

He twined their fingers and allowed her to usher him down the carpet, Riley trailing a few steps behind. The closer they got to the doors, the more noise Aden heard beyond them. But when they passed the thick metal arches, he realized there was no one in the hallway. There were only alabaster statues of people and animals and intricately carved chests, all open and empty. What were they for, then?

Beyond another set of doorways, however, was a ballroom brimming with vampires, their werewolf guards and humans. The vampires talked and laughed, the wolves, in animal form, prowled throughout, and the humans were again on the fringes, eagerly awaiting a summons.

The cobbled walls were black, the monotony broken by long, oval mirrors, and again, the only light source was the golden glow of candles. Above, the ceiling looked like a… He frowned. Sure enough. A cobweb. In the center of the web hung a chandelier. And that chandelier had legs that stretched up, as if a spider walked along the ceiling.

Someone spotted him, and conversations halted, the sudden silence interrupting his ogling. All heads turned to him. Aden shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Several minutes—an eternity—ticked by just like that. No one moving or speaking, just watching him, judging.

Should he do something? Say something?

They’d only ever been ruled by Vlad, he reminded himself. They were as clueless about this as he was. Not that he planned to rule them. He would figure a way out of this. Soon.

“Is he ready to see? To know?” someone muttered. Conversations started back up, the volume quickly rising. He thought he heard words like beast —maybe feast —and horde. Maybe bored.

“Should we wait until after the coronation?” someone else asked.

“Wait to see what?” he asked Victoria from the corner of his mouth.

She shifted uncomfortably, as he had done, and whispered, “They want to tell you about…they want you to know… Oh, this is difficult. I had hoped never to have to speak with you about this, but it was decided that, as king, you must know.”

“Know what?”

“That we are not…alone.”

Literally? ’Cause he could have figured that out on his own. Clearly they weren’t yet on the same page. “You want to explain what you mean?”

“No.”

“Do it anyway.”

She sighed. “There is…something with us.”

O-kay. Time to try another route. “If I’m going to…run things—” God, he couldn’t believe he was saying that, even just to get answers “—I need to know everything. So, let’s try this again. What something is with you?”

Twin pink circles bloomed on her cheeks. “This is so embarrassing, and you might run screaming from me once you find out.”

“I’ve seen you eat, and didn’t run screaming.”

“Yes, but this is worse.”

He didn’t give up. “I promise you, nothing could make me run from you,” he said, squeezing her hand. “And you know I like you, just as you are.”

“Well, hold on to that thought.” She gazed down at her feet and kicked out as if moving an invisible rock. “First, you should note that despite the familiar trappings you see here, whatever you thought you knew about vampires from your books and movies doesn’t come close to the truth.”

“So noted,” he said dryly.

Her eyes widened. “Can you be serious?”

“I’ll be serious if you relax.”

The pink tip of her tongue slipped out, sliding over her lips and leaving a sheen of moisture. Of course, she didn’t relax. “If you insist on knowing…”

“I do.”

“Then here it is. The truth. We are…more than bloodsucking vampires.” Her chin lifted stubbornly. Like her sister had done earlier, she practically dared him to protest. “There. Now you know.”

“Hardly. Explain.”

Again she licked her lips, her mulish vibe giving way to a nervous energy. “Aden…”

“Victoria. Just say it. Rip the Band-Aid.”

Her shoulders sagged in defeat. “Very well. We are more than bloodsuckers because we have…we have monsters living inside us.”

Monsters? “Again. I don’t understand.”

“We are possessed—wait.” She shook her head, dark hair dancing over her shoulders. “I’ll explain a different way. But first, the good news.”

A stalling tactic, he knew, but he didn’t stop her.

“The designs you see on the walls? Well, we have them burned into our skin. All of us.”

“ You have these marks?” He’d swum with her—and they’d only worn their undergarments—yet he didn’t remember seeing any marks on her. And he’d looked. Hard.

“Yes. I have them.”

“Where? And why?”

“On my chest. And they are…wards.”

He ignored the first part of her words because yeah, he wanted to stare at the area in question, and focused on the second. “Wards?” Aden blamed the pills for his inability to fit the pieces of this crazy puzzle together.

“As I said, we each have a monster inside us, and they are true beasts of nightmares. Humans would probably liken our condition to that of demon possession. Anyway, the wards in our skin keep those monsters contained inside us and quiet, rather than walking the earth.” Now she squeezed his hand. “Believe me, you never want to encounter one of these creatures. They are savage and brutal and crave the death of those we drink from. Destruction is all they know.”

He was quiet a moment, trying to absorb her words. “How did you get them? And do you have one inside you?”

As she started to reply, five men stepped forward to form a half-moon around him, each watching him expectantly. They clutched bejeweled goblets, thick red liquid swirling inside. Blood, no doubt. He smelled the coppery tang.

“You remember your council, I’m sure,” Victoria said, sounding relieved that their conversation about the monsters was over.

Not even a little . “Of course.” He met her gaze, silently telling her they’d be discussing those monsters again. Very soon. Then he turned back to the…councilmen, he supposed they were called. They were older, almost identical to each other with silver hair, strong builds and only slightly lined skin. Plus, their fangs were visible, poking from their lips.