Blood Debt (Kingdom of Blood #1) - Callie Rose Page 0,71

of us tumble out after him. Deepthroat vamp jerks my knife out of his mouth and throws it aside. A mistake on his part. I grab it as it skitters across the floor, then leap up, take aim, and stab.

I should have wiped it off first. The slick film of blood and foam compromises my grip, and I miss his heart. There’s a scuffling sound behind me, and I try to keep myself alert for a sneak attack as I recalibrate my target and go for the vamp’s head. He hisses and leaps out of the way, too fast even with a chest wound.

“Stop, tribute!” a voice from behind me shrieks.

“No! Don’t stop, Mimi! Run!” The sound of Nathan’s panicked tone has me spinning around, and my heart lodges in my throat when I see him.

They have him. He’s caught.

A vampire holds him in a one-armed chokehold. His other hand curls around Nathan’s throat, his claw-like fingernails denting Nathan’s skin. As I watch, beads of blood pop up under the claws just as beads of sweat pop out on Nathan’s brow.

“Give up, sweetie,” the vampire drawls, grinning darkly at me over Nathan’s shoulder. “Or the boy dies.”

“Don’t do it,” Nathan gasps, wincing at the pain in his neck. “Run, Mikka. Get out of here. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re a liar,” I say around the lump in my throat. “And an idiot if you think I’m leaving you.”

There’s nothing else I can do. I’m pretty good at attacking without telegraphing my movements, but there’s no way I could end this fight before Nathan dies. This is why I try so hard to maintain the element of surprise when I go up against vamps on the outside, and why I always used to hunt alone.

I slowly put my blades on the floor and raise my hands as the vampire holding him chuckles. As soon as I straighten, another bloodsucker grabs me from behind, locking me in a chokehold. I could probably get out of it if I tried, but I won’t. Nathan would be dead before I could manage it.

“Let me kill her, Ahmir,” the one holding me growls, tightening his grip around my neck. “I won’t be talkin’ right for a week after that stunt.”

Ah. That’s why my back is wet. His slowly closing neck wound is bleeding all over me. Gross.

“Nah,” the one holding Nathan says. Ahmir. His grin widens, and it makes him look even more evil somehow. “The Council of Elders will decide what to do with them. Roy, grab those weapons. The prince will want to know what his precious tributes have been up to.”

Fuck.

Cold sweat drips down my spine, and I drag my feet in spite of myself. The stark terror gripping my heart has very little to do with the room full of vicious, ancient vampires I’m about to face. It has to do with the fact that one of those vicious, ancient vampires is Bastian—whose parents were killed by hunters.

He was vulnerable with me when he told me that. He shared a part of himself I doubt he lets many people see.

And now he’s going to hate me even more when he finds out what I am.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The vampire guards who caught us call for backup quickly and send several of the new arrivals to alert the Elders and the prince about what’s going on.

By the time we reach the council chambers, most of the vampires I usually see behind the high table in the dining hall are already there, and I curse inwardly. If I had any hopes of getting a small amount of respite or another chance to escape before we were hauled before the vampire court to face justice, they’re quickly dashed.

The vampire behind me shoves me to my knees, and Nathan drops down beside me. From where I kneel, I can’t see Bastian’s eyes. Maybe that’s for the best, since I don’t think I’d be able to look him in the face anyway.

Damn him. Damn this whole mess.

The rug looks thick and lush under the long table, but the floor beneath me is hard, unforgiving marble. The room is full of vampires, and more are filing in. Whatever word got sent out after Nathan and I were captured, it must’ve reached pretty much the whole damn hive.

“What is the meaning of this?” Bastian demands. “What’s going on?” He isn’t loud, but his voice rolls across the room, full of power.

“We caught these two trying to escape,” Nathan’s captor says. “Blood tributes,