Anyone who looked at Seraphina would know that she was a large woman. With a brother the size of Xion, it was clear that they both came from substantial stock. But when we had to move her to the dungeon below the palace, I wondered if the woman was made of lead. Devlin hoisted the majority of her weight into his arms but I let out a graceless grunt as I lifted her thick legs.

Thankfully, Daisy was small enough that my father could carry her alone.

And when we descended down the stairs, one of my questions was answered.

"What the fuck are you all doing down here?" Devlin gasped.

And, stacked like dead fish at a market, a single cell was stuffed with human beings. Staff members. There was a cook, the pastry chef that Xion adored, the groundskeeper who would offer me little ripe fruits when she spotted me in the garden, and a handful of guards, their uniforms filthy.

"Finally come to kill us?" one of the growled.

Devlin didn't flinch, though I felt like I had been slapped and my father almost dropped Daisy.

"Look, they have Daisy," someone else pointed out.

A maid who was pressed against the bars eyed me warily. "Where is the king? They said they were going to kill the king, then make examples of us as those who couldn't be loyal. Is that what you're here to do? To make examples of us?"

"Actually, we were just going to lock Daisy and Seraphina up. Seems like stumbling onto you all has been a wonderful accident," Devlin corrected.

No one inside the cell seemed to believe him, but my arms were getting tired and I knew that Seraphina could gut me with ease, even if surprise was on my side. I gestured for Devlin to move with me and together, we got the women in the cell and secured the door. I couldn't help but stare at Seraphina.

Had she really betrayed her brother for her lover? Or was this all just a misunderstanding?

I swallowed hard, grateful that I was not in Xion's position for once.

"Peter?" Devlin said.

A solider stood quietly at the back, his eyes focused, his mouth unsmiling.

"Oh fuck," Devlin hissed, "Get the keys. Peter is the most loyal man we have on the ground."

"Is that a wise idea?" my dad interjected.

"We need all the help we can get," I said with a shrug. Who knew who was foe and who was friend anymore? How was I supposed to decide who was innocent when I barely knew these people and had killed someone myself?

"No, Lark," my father pushed back. "They need all the help that they can get. You do not have to be a part of this if you do not want to be."

I turned to the man who had raised me, stunned.

"You have done enough, more than these people might deserve," he added. "This might have been your battle, but this does not have to be your war. We can leave right now and you can have a clear conscience for the rest of your life if you so choose it."

I saw my father for what he was then. With blood on his farm shirt and dirt on the skin of his face, he was a simple man from a small village that knew how to survive. And, above all else, he knew how to do whatever was required to keep his family safe.

"This is my war. He is my mate, regardless of his mistakes," I said firmly.

My dad watched me for a moment, studying my features as if he were searching for a lie. When he could not find anything telling, he simply nodded his head once.

"Peter, how well are you to travel?" I asked.

The guard shrugged. "I would have to eat first. We've been in here for at least a day now, but I'm alright otherwise."

"Perfect. Have a snack, then I need you to go to my village. There's a young man named Sampson who needs to answer some questions. I would so appreciate it if you could bring him and his little accomplice here."

We released the staff members who were being held. My stomach twisted when a little old lady stumbled out of the cell, so frail it was a miracle she had even made it this long. This was who they wanted to make an example of? It wasn't right under any circumstances, but slaughtering loyal guards and soldiers made sense. Killing sweet little old women did not. My father was at her side in an instant, offering his arm as they moved to find her some food and somewhere to sit down.

Peter asked me a handful of questions while I dug through the kitchens, finding him stale bread, bruised fruit, and some dried meat. I told him where Sampson lived, what he had said, what he looked like. And I specified that I wanted him brought back to the palace alive. He was a rat and he deserved whatever punishment I could come up with, but I did not want to act in anger and I wanted him to face whatever I chose for him.

After Peter selected three other men to go with him, I explained to Devlin that Xion would be needing blood soon. The man didn't balk at the idea. He just nodded and set off to find a sharp knife and a waterskin.

"I need a bath," I said, though I really meant a nap that would last a lifetime.

"Later," my dad said. "Those horses need tending to first. They have worked far too hard to be neglected for even a second longer."

The barn was quiet after all the ruckus. The only other person there was a stable boy who had been held in the cell. I could tell my father admired the way the young man cooed and clucked to the horses, even after such a frightening experience. The poor thing had been trapped and told to wait until they returned to kill him and was now returning to work, only caring about the horses.

"I can see why you didn't want to come home," my father commented, his gaze sweeping through the stunning stables.

"I would have demanded to come home had I known that Sampson was taking all of the things that I sent for you and that you were letting him court my very young sister," I said, working the bristles of a brush through the dried sweat on Pandora's coat.

"You know your sister. If I told her no, she would have turned against me, not him. And, he's not foolish. He knew that if he enforced harder taxes on us then lifted them as soon as they started their relationship, we would get the message."

"So you would let her marry him then?" I challenged.

"I would hope that she would listen to our guidance and if not, then he would be cold and dead before he made it to the altar," he said.

I let out a little laugh as if he were kidding, but I knew that it hadn't been a joke. Family first. Always.

"Are you sure you want to stay here, Lark? Are you sure that you want this to be your life?" he asked, seriousness filling the stables.

"I'm in it now," I sighed.

"We can get on these horses and go right back home. We'd have to move. There would be too much gossip and too many rumors. But we would make it work," he insisted.

I paused my grooming, watching my pretty horse stand so quietly for me. She had been thrust out of her life and tossed into a new one. She hadn't had a say in it. But over time, given the right ingredients, she had shifted into a sweet horse, an honest one. She was still sensitive and needed a seasoned rider, but her eyes weren't as wild.

"You know, I missed you guys like crazy. Sampson even came to get me once. I'm sure it was all tied into this big plan now, whether it was to scout the palace out or to see if he could rile Xion up. But he offered to take me home and Xion told me he would let me go, he would let me break our deal. And I hated the thought of going back to that village. I would be the face of gossip for months. And then, life would go on. It was a life that I don't want anymore. When I thought about the family, I wanted to bring you all here. I wanted to share this with you or even just visit often. But, going back to the life I used to live is no longer an option."

"There are other pretty palaces," my dad said carefully.

It was something I was prepared to admit to myself, but it came ripping out of my mouth anyway. "There are other kingdoms, but there is only one vampire king."

~~~Question of the Day~~~

Do you write reviews for books you have read?