me turned and stared that I realized it had come from me.
14
Take Me With You
Complete and utter shock caused my knees to buckle.
If Kelly and Heather hadn’t been standing on either side of me, each holding an arm, I might have hit the floor as well.
Heather, who was taller and better able to see over the crowd, leaned close to my ear and whispered, “It’s not him. It’s not Reece.”
I lifted my head. The thumping of my heart was definitely no illusion. I really needed those vampire biology lessons to understand how that was possible.
“Are you sure? You can see his face?”
She nodded rapidly. I had to see for myself, though. When the people in front of me dispersed, I hurried to the front of the room.
Heather was right. It wasn’t Reece.
This poor soul had been much older. Though I felt sorry he’d met such a swift and gory end, I couldn’t help but be relieved.
My eyes were so fixed on the shocking sight of him, I didn’t notice Imogen had left the throne until she came and stood beside me.
“Why did you do that?” I asked through lips that felt numb.
“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked.
“He was probably starving and desperate. He might have been out of his mind from animal poisoning. We have doctors. Maybe they could have helped him. You could have... I don’t know... put him in jail or something instead of killing him.”
Imogen used a tone of exaggerated patience. “You’re very young. When you’ve been around as long as I have, you’ll understand what I’ve come to accept—fear is the strongest motivator there is. If our race is to survive and thrive, we cannot have disobedience in the ranks. Strong leadership is essential, and our kind always does better with a queen who inspires respect, loyalty, and yes, a little fear.”
She left my side and walked toward the exit, speaking in the kind of blasé tone you could only have when you’d seen centuries of death.
“Besides, he was too far gone. At a certain point, it’s a mercy to end them.”
I went through the next day in a daze.
The rogue’s public execution in the chamber didn’t seem to have affected anyone else the way it affected me, with the exception of Kelly and to a lesser degree, Heather.
I didn’t know what I was going to do or where I would go, but I was sure of one thing... I didn’t belong here.
If Imogen’s order was an indication of the kind of “leadership” expected of queens, I was definitely out. I could never kill a man—not on purpose anyway—and I couldn’t understand how it had been necessary for the protection of our people.
It was hard to see the others just going about their business as if it hadn’t happened. Maybe they weren’t, as Imogen called them, my people.
At this point, it seemed like the best thing I could do was leave. Maybe I could find a group of vampires who thought differently. A group who had no idea whose “daughter” I was.
Maybe Heather’s boyfriend would agree to let me sneak out tonight without telling Imogen. I was on my way to find her when I ran into Kannon.
“Hey there squirt,” he said. “Where’re you going in such a hurry?”
“Nowhere,” I lied.
“Well you sure are in a rush to get there—you walked right by me and didn’t even see me.”
“I’m sorry. I’m distracted I guess.”
“Well I’ve got something that’ll get your attention.” He paused dramatically. “I saw Reece.”
“What? Where? Are you sure it was him? Is he okay? Why didn’t you bring him here?”
Kannon chuckled. “Hold on now, one question at a time. We were patrolling near the Pennsylvania-West Virginia state line, and I saw a vampire dart into the woods. I followed him, got a good look at him. It was definitely Reece. As for why I didn’t bring him back, the answer is I couldn’t catch him. He’s damn fast—he’s Imogen’s child, too, you know.”
“So he was in good shape then?” I said, my heart soaring.
His smile dimmed. “Well, I wouldn’t say that. He’s been out there alone for a long time, Abbi. He looked rough. I told him I was there to help, but I’m not sure he even understood what I was saying.”
“Maybe he didn’t recognize you. You said you were chasing him. Maybe he thought you wanted to hurt him.”
“Maybe. Who knows what he’s been through in the past few weeks? I’m sorry I couldn’t bring him in. I know you’ve been worried