A Kingdom of Blood and Betrayal (Stars and Shadows #2)(21)
“And trust me, Adara, none of them are treated as you are.” Hearing my name fall from his lips put me on edge.
“So, you do know who I am.”
“Of course, I do.” He chuckled and ran his hand over his full lips. “Do you really think our prince could bring you back here and the entire kingdom wouldn’t know of it?”
“Because of the prophecy?”
His eyes widened, but only for a moment before he smoothed out his features.
“Because of everything he’s sacrificed.”
“Who are you?” I held the candle higher, and a dimple marred the handsome lines of his face.
“Sorin.” He held his hand out in my direction. “I am the captain of the Blood army, and one of Evren’s best friends.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “So, you’re the captain of the Blood army and Evren is the fake captain of the fae?”
He simply grinned harder.
“Well, I guess technically he is if we’re referring to Prince Gavril’s men who are meant to do nothing but prance around his castle and protect his ass. Then yes, he is their captain.”
“And what is it that your men do?”
He sobered then, the smile dropping from his face. “We protect this kingdom and everyone who our prince serves.”
His answer angered me, fueled a hate inside me I couldn’t tame. “And those were your men who attacked us in the woods? What exactly were you trying to protect then, Captain?” I couldn’t forget that the men who came for me in the forest, the ones who tried to take me from Evren, had been wearing the uniform of Sorin’s army.
“Those men did not belong to me.” He leaned forward and his hands gripped the edge of the counter. “Those are the queen’s guard.”
“And you do not serve your queen?” There was a bite to my voice, and I hoped that he could hear it.
“I serve anyone my prince tells me to, but that attack to get you here before Evren was ready was not my doing.”
“I don’t trust any of you.” I shook my head and tightened my grip on the candle.
“That’s smart. You shouldn’t trust anyone but the prince.”
“I trust him least of all.”
That smile cursed his lips once more, deeper and truer than the one before it. “Are you hungry, Adara?” He motioned toward the food at his side, and my stomach groaned. “I know you didn’t just come to the kitchens because you heard that’s where the roguishly handsome captain hangs out.”
I set the candle down on the counter near him before hoisting myself up and sitting on the other side of the food. I picked up a piece of bread, and it smelled divine.
“It’s weird.” I cocked my head and looked over at him. “No one but you has described you that way.”
He let out a choke of a laugh, and I didn’t dare tell him that I hadn’t talked to anyone about him at all. I knew nothing about this male except for the fact that he was as handsome as he was arrogant.
“If it was Mina, that’s not fair. She’s still holding a grudge for that time I accidentally set Evren’s room on fire.”
“What?” My gaze slammed into his as he laughed.
“Don’t look at me like that.” He held up his hands in defense. “Evren had just set a pig loose in my bedroom, but everyone seemed to forget that little detail once the fire broke out.”
There was an awkward silence between us, and I shifted against the counter as I tried to imagine a younger Evren.
“Are you…” I started my question without thinking but stopped myself and shoved a bite of food in my mouth.
“Am I what?” His gaze roamed over my face, and I felt self-conscious under his inspection.
I swallowed before wiping my hand over my mouth. “Are you a full-blooded vampyre?”
Sorin grinned harder than before and a flash of his teeth glinted in the candlelight. “I am.” He nodded. “Most of the people you will meet in this kingdom are.”
“But you don’t want to bite me?” My question sounded foolish even to my own ears, but I was still embarrassed when Sorin started laughing so hard that he held his hand against his stomach.
“Is that truly what you think of us? That we just go around draining the blood from every human we meet?”
I thought about everything I had ever read and learned about the vampyres of this realm, and that was exactly what I thought. It was all I had ever known until I met Evren.
Sorin must have seen the truth on my face because he continued without me answering him. “Your histories of us are incorrect. Our thirst for blood has been honed into a weapon, but we aren’t walking around like crazed monsters desperate to taste you.”
He lifted a piece of meat between his fingers. “Most of us drink from animals when the need arises. Some of us drink from humans who are more than willing to allow such a thing.”
“What?” I jolted back in shock.
“When Evren fed from you, what was it like?” His gaze was serious, searching.
My back straightened at his question. “How do you know he’s fed from me?”
“There are many ways that I know.” He cocked his head and ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “But the most predominant one is because Evren told me. Close friends, remember?”