Vengeance (The Captive #6)(33)

“So I’ve been told.”

“And what of your parents?”

“My mother was murdered by vampires when I was four. My father was killed during the battle against the old king. My older brother, Daniel, has taken what would have been my father’s place as a representative on The Council the new king has established.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shrugged as he stared out at the swirling snow. “That’s life. People come and go from it.”

“I suppose. You really must have hated vampires.”

“I did and some of them I still do, especially ones like those who have invaded your town and most likely destroyed the town of Chester. Humans have a streak for cruelty within them too. I’ve seen some hideous things while living in the woods, and there were humans who turned against their own kind when King Atticus took power. Vampires have become my family, my best friends, and will one day be my nieces and nephews.”

“And your children?”

“Probably not.”

Before she could question him further, he turned and walked away from her. She remained where she was, standing by the doorway and staring out at the snow. She had to return to Badwin, to the children, but there was no way they were going to be able to find their way back in this blizzard.

***

Tempest sat near the fire, the flames dancing across her face as she watched William walk toward the front of the cave and back again. His pacing had intensified while the storm continued endlessly on through the night and into the next day. Against his thigh, the small crossbow he had strapped to him bounced a little with every step he took. For a vampire, he was far more comfortable around weapons that could kill him than she ever would have been.

“How old are you?” she inquired.

“Nineteen,” he replied. “Though most times I feel far older.”

He looked older. She would have guessed at least twenty-five, maybe twenty-seven or eight. “Don’t we all,” she replied with a smile. He finally stopped pacing to look at her. “You’ve seen a lot in such a short time.”

“I have.”

“And you survived the change despite the odds.”

“It’s believed there is vampire DNA in our line.”

“Really?” She was unable to keep the disbelief from her voice. “Amazing. Who would have thought the leader of the rebels would be descended from the very thing they fought so hard against.”

“It was a surprise to us as well.”

“What was it like, the battle that overthrew the old king?”

His eyes were distant. For a minute she didn’t think he would answer, then he walked to the other side of the fire and settled onto the ground across from her.





CHAPTER 12


William drew up his knee and draped his arm across it. Her deep brown eyes were questioning as she watched him; the brown lashes surrounding them swept toward her dark blonde eyebrows. She was older than he was, yet she looked younger, far more innocent and unknowing of the atrocities of the world. Atrocities he’d encountered time and again in his relatively short life. How did he tell her about the endless nightmares that woke him every night and haunted him during the day?

He didn’t know how and right now, he didn’t feel like talking about it.

“What was it like to grow up in your village?” he inquired instead.

She tilted her head to the side, pursing her mouth as she studied him. “Quiet, often lonely.” Her soft voice carried over the crackling of the fire. He may not have been able to hear her clearly as a human, but he heard her clearly now. “Most of the vampires running the home while I was growing up were far from kind. I learned early to stay out of the way.

“I spent a lot of time exploring the surrounding mountains and caves. When I was growing up, we learned to fend for ourselves, and as we got older, we helped to take care of the younger children amongst us. It wasn’t often we got word of the outside world or had visitors. It was probably three months before we’d learned there had been a war, that it was over, and things were to change.”

“What did you think of that?” he asked.

“It was a good thing,” she said. “But it didn’t much change things for me. There were blood slaves in our town, but I was too poor to have ever owned one. As children, we learned to rely on animal blood, and the blood of those who had done something wrong and were forced to donate. I never really considered the life of the humans. I was too busy getting through my own days and trying to keep the younger ones alive.”

“Understandable.”

“And what was life like in the forest, amongst the rebels?”

His fingers tapped against his shin while he contemplated her question. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as his thoughts turned to those days that in some ways had been far simpler and far more brutal. “A battle for survival, freeing, fun, deadly.”

“What an odd combination.”

He released a small snort of laughter. “So was being a rebel. Every day we worried we would be discovered, but we spent many of those days irritating vampires, setting traps, hunting for food, and just being with each other. We were a large, extended family.”

“And now?”

“That family has grown to include people and vampires I never thought it would, and it’s growing more every day. Jack was recently married.”