as I saw the pallor of my mother’s skin. It was nothing like the vibrant, ivory flesh of a vampire. It carried an unusual shade of gray I’d never seen before, and so did my father’s. Their injuries must have been more severe than I had realized if they still looked this ill.
Nausea roared in my gut, and without even thinking I clutched at the stones under my blouse. Arrick was at my side as my breath drew in ragged gasps. He clutched my hands in his, tearing them away from the stones and forcing me to look at him. “They’re going to be fine.” He stared at me without blinking and all I could do was nod. “I promise,” he whispered in my ear, his breath tickling my neck.
“Claire, darling,” my mother cooed, stroking my hair. “Arrick is right, we will be just fine.”
“What’s wrong with you?” my tone wavered pitifully. It sounded like a stupid question after I said it, but they looked sick. As far as I knew, vampires didn’t get sick. In fact, we healed remarkably fast, as long as we fed.
“You’re not feeding?” Dmitry cut in. My father shook his head.
“Why not?” Arrick questioned, sounding alarmed.
“Baal and his monsters destroyed our stock,” Rennek said, standing up from the table. I hadn’t even realized he was there. My attention had been solely focused on my parents.
“What about donations?” I stepped away from Arrick’s embrace, eager to find a resolution.
“The population of the entire region is donating in masses, but…”
“But, what?” To my surprise, my tone had grown suddenly angry.
“Your parents are refusing to eat,” Jarvan added, with severe disapproval, stepping away from the table.
“You’re not eating?!” I whirled on my parents, anger dripping from my voice. They’d been brutally injured. Why weren’t they feeding?
“No,” my mother answered, sounding sad as she sat down. My father took a step to stand beside her, laying his strong hands on her shoulders for support. “We will not eat until our people and our guards have been fed.”
“All due respect your majesty, but that’s insane!” Dmitry countered, but shrank back at the glare my father gave him. I was shocked he’d been so bold to make such a statement.
“Insane? Insane to put the lives of our people first? Insane to cherish the existence of those that are most precious to us?” my father bellowed in rage.
“He’s right, Cathair,” Jarvan joined in, standing beside Dmitry. “How can you defend your people if you’re not strong enough to do so?” I could hear my father’s growl vibrate throughout the room.
“Our stocks are nearly replenished, your majesty. I planned to tell you this very news in my report tonight. There is plenty to go around for our guards and the royal family,” Rennek reported, trying to calm the storm that was brewing.
“It looks like we all could use something to eat,” my mother added, taking in all our malnourished bodies. She was right. We might have been trying to respect the dead by fasting; and they might have been trying to honor their people by not eating, but we’d never be able to fight Baal if we were too weak to stand.
“Introduce us to your friends, dear,” my mother said, smiling.
“This is Robin; she lived with me at the palace.” I gestured to my angelic-like vampire friend, and she bowed courteously.
“And what did you do at the palace?” my father asked curiously, all the anger gone from his tone though his expression grew suspicious.
“I studied vampire history under my parents’ guidance,” she answered, the word parents catching lightly in her throat. I prayed my father caught on to that and didn’t ask her about them. I knew Robin wasn’t ready to talk about it yet, and doing so would only cause her more pain.
“And this is my friend, Liz.” I latched onto her arm, pulling her to my side. I squeezed her hand seeing the nervous look in her eyes. She’d never been around this many vampires in all her life. I recalled how alarming that could feel.
“Oh, is this the famous Liz from your childhood?” my mother asked, her eyebrows reaching for the ceiling.
Liz glanced at me with a worried expression. “Nice to meet you. Your home is lovely.”
“Not quite as lovely as it used to be, but it will be,” my mother replied, the sparkle returning to her eyes.
My father nodded in Dmitry’s direction, ready for my mouthy friend to be introduced. “I’m Dmitry, sir. Again, I meant no disrespect,” he