Ripper (Hunter #1)(106)

The King of all Vampire crossed his arms and allowed everyone around to feel his will. Even I could feel it. “It must be done. She’s a dangerous creature. She must be controlled or put down.”

“Danny?” The queen breathed out his name, her eyes wide.

“Master, she’s my niece.” Zack put himself between me and the king.

Daniel stared at Zack, his lips in a sympathetic frown. “She’s also capable of enormous destruction. You haven’t read the files I’ve read. Hunters, when left to their own devices, always kill, and she’ll do it indiscriminately. If I let her go, she won’t be able to stop herself. She is completely undisciplined. She nearly killed Dev just for touching her when she was in that state. Tell me, Kelsey, do you want to be responsible for killing someone or perhaps many people because you can’t control your power?”

“No. You should put me down.” There was a hollow place inside me, an emptiness I was fairly certain nothing could ever fill.

Dan sighed. He walked up to me. “I am not going to kill you. I’m going to train you. I’ll teach you to control the power inside you. You can use it for good, Kelsey. You can help people with it.”

He was talking to the wrong girl. “I really don’t care.”

That wasn’t the answer he was looking for. It seemed I was turning out to be a disappointment to the king. I didn’t care about that either. “You will care. You’re in shock. I’ll give you time, but I want my vote.” He turned back to the Council. “I move to recuse Marcus Vorenus from this vote. He’s obviously emotionally involved with the female in question. As he holds the vampire seat, I invoke my right to vote in his place. Vampire votes aye.”

And so did everyone else, with the exception of the witch. She voted nay and Donovan didn’t have any convenient way to dispose of her. It didn’t matter. It was one versus five, reaching the threshold in which, apparently, the Council can claim someone’s life.

“Are you done with her, then?” Marcus asked, the rage in his voice barely in check. “May I take her back to the cell you intend to cage her in?”

There was a lot of yelling and arguing going on. The chaos was all around me, but I focused on Donovan and the sound of Marcus’s voice. From what I could tell, Marcus Vorenus might be the only person in the world who hadn’t lied to me or used me to further himself and his agenda.

“She can go and rest,” Donovan said. “I’ll make sure her new quarters are arranged for tomorrow.”

“There will still be bars on the door, I suspect,” Marcus replied.

Donovan didn’t move. “Yes, but it will be more comfortable. She can have guests. She can have family with her. Olivia has offered to stay with you for a few days while you settle in.”

“No,” I said firmly with the only real emotion I’d had in hours. “No, I don’t want to see her.”

“Kelsey,” Donovan cajoled. “She was worried about you. Don’t blame her or Nate.”

“Fuck them,” I growled. “You can put me in a cage, Your Highness, but you can’t make me forgive them.”

“Come, cara mia.” Marcus took my hand firmly in his. “I will stay with you. I won’t leave you alone.”

He began to lead me out. Donovan nodded and the man named Trent stepped out. He was apparently my security, well, everyone else’s security from me.

Marcus turned as we passed the vampire king. His voice was low, but I heard him over the arguments going on around me. “And Daniel, call her by her proper title. Call her your Nex Apparatus. At least Louis was honest about what he was.”

Donovan’s blue eyes flared with what looked like shock and then he registered only a dull kind of pain. He turned and walked back to Quinn, who put an arm on his partner’s shoulder, seemingly to comfort him.

Liv and Nathan were hot on our heels.

“Kelsey,” Liv pleaded, trying to get me to turn around.

“Do you wish to speak with them, cara?” Marcus asked.

I shook my head. In that moment, if I never spoke to them again, it would have been fine.

“Go,” Marcus said firmly.

Liv and Nate stopped. Their expressions went blank and they both turned and walked out the door.

I almost made it out of the Council chamber. I almost made it into the hallway that led to my little cell where I could lay down and try to shut out the world. I almost made it…

Joseph Castle burst through the doors, the same doors Gray had run through looking for me, the same ones he’d walked out of my life through.

“That bitch killed my son,” he declared, his clawed finger pointing at me. “She killed my son and I will have my vengeance.”





Chapter Sixteen





Marcus paced back and forth. I watched him from the cot in my jail cell. His long, elegant hand stroked his chin while he contemplated the problem of me.

“I’ll be fine on my own if you want to go back.” I almost hoped he didn’t. I should want to be alone, but I found him comforting even when he was agitated.

His handsome face turned toward me. “They can handle Castle without me.” He laughed bitterly. “Apparently I am not needed at all, cara mia. If the king doesn’t agree with my position, he’ll simply have me recused and vote in my stead.” The vampire walked over and sank down beside me on the cot. “I would rather stay with you. Kelsey, you have not cried. It’s fine to do so. I won’t think less of you.”