corpse, as if Piper would leap to her feet and declare it a joke.
A cruel, cruel joke.
Garin dusted off his hands. “As I told you, I wasn’t hungry. Now you’re one less. And as for you, girl, my patience is wearing thin. Let’s go.”
He motioned with a single finger for Lilac to come, but her limbs were leaden with grief. She sat, hand still on her stinging cheek, unable to tear her gaze from the lifeless body at his feet. Though her eyes had remained open, Piper’s gaunt face was still hauntingly peaceful. She hadn’t even had time to realize what was coming.
None of them did.
Ignoring Bastion’s look of astonishment, Garin bent to snatch Lilac by the arm and hoisted her up. “I said, let’s go.”
Lilac barely managed a nod, shudders passing through her like the storm battering on outside.
Bastion began to drag Piper’s body like a rag doll.
“Leave her,” Garin commanded. “We’ll get someone else to dispose of the corpse. Aren’t you going to show us in?”
The other vampire threw him a steeled look before moving past them and beneath the archway. “This way, my Prince of Night.” He ushered them in with a wave.
Numbly, Lilac allowed Garin to tow her into a circular room lined symmetrically with a dozen shadowed doorways, a torch between each. They must’ve been directly under the hill; the roof arched upwards into a shallow dome with a metal grate at its center. A single beam of moonlight shone down through the iron bars, illuminating dust particles that danced like celestial embers in the putrid air. The silver light hit the ground, illuminating a round plate engraved with the outlines of two swords crossing at midpoint.
Something shifted behind them, and Lilac was startled to notice two vampires—a man and a woman—who flanked the arched entryway. They wore dark leather armor, but Lilac could see no weapon like the sword Garin carried. With a shudder, she realized that there would be no no need.
Garin relaxed noticeably beside her as he took the room in.
“Are you glad to be back?” Bastion asked.
He only cleared his throat. “As you can imagine, circumstances are less than ideal.” He turned sharply on the guard vampires. “One of you, take care of the girl’s body in the vestibule. Put her in the entry hall just before the boulder. The other, bring a meal to my room. A meal for my thrall,” he clarified.
“We burn the bodies at the pyre,” the woman replied lazily, as if she couldn’t be bothered.
Garin froze. He exhaled next to her.
The other scoffed and raised a brow at Bastion. “Who is this?”
In a flash, Garin was at the vampire’s throat. “I’m who you answer to from now on, you insipid cretin.” He snapped his neck, just as quick as he had Piper’s. The woman scuttled back in alarm as Garin’s second victim fell to the floor.
“He’ll wake in a couple hours, for fuck’s sake.” The woman, who cowered against the wall, nodded vigorously. “You get to do both chores now. Get to it.”
“Fledglings,” said Bastion, rolling his eyes as she scurried out of the room.
“Are they new?”
“They joined us a few years after you departed.”
“Fantastic,” he groaned. “The more idiots, the merrier.” Garin was already gripping the back of Lilac’s dress once more, though this time, his hand rested at the small of her back.
Bastion waved a hand dismissively at the first door on the left. “No one’s been in Laurent’s room or office since his death.”
Lilac tried to remain expressionless, but the moisture in her eyes made it difficult. She blinked them back, glad for the distraction of the vampires’ exchange. She wiped them before anyone could notice.
“Let’s keep it that way until we have a better idea of what happened. I think I’ll sleep in my old quarters tonight.”
“Are you sure?” Bastion studied his brother curiously. “His quarters are much bigger than ours. More room for two.”
“We’ll make due.” He tugged Lilac toward one of the dark passages to the left of Laurent’s quarters.
Bastion shrugged. “I suppose. Anything must be better than wiping down bar tops at the tavern.”
“Bastion,” he growled, spinning on him. “I returned to ensure someone sensible takes Laurent’s position as head, and to save our coven from overzealous pricks like you. Do not test me.”
Without another word, Garin adjusted his grip on her waist and steered her into the hallway.
Being alone with Garin allowed her to refocus, and after everything, she wondered if he planned on keeping his word after