Magic Forged (Hall of Blood and Mercy #1)(65)

And that totally went against everything House Medeis taught. But it didn’t feel wrong…

Rupert writhed in Killian’s hand and choked.

“Killian, you’re going to kill him!” I said, panic really starting to sink into me.

Killian watched Rupert with disinterest. “That’s the point.”

“But—he’s from the Drake Family. You…” I trailed off when I realized Killian wasn’t listening.

I had to do something!

I hoped with every corner of my heart that I wasn’t going to die for what I was about to do. I barreled into Killian, smacking into his chest, then stood on my tiptoes so I could reach up and place my hands over his cheeks, pulling his head down to look at me. “Don’t do this, please!”

I wish I could have thought of something more impressive or thoughtful, but I don’t think it would have moved him anyway.

A stifling silence blanketed the gym, broken only by Rupert’s wheezes. Killian stared down at me—his eyes still the bottomless shade of black that threatened to envelop me.

“Fine.” He dropped Rupert.

The vampire hit the ground with the grace of a sack of potatoes, and immediately drew in a deep, coughing breath.

I dropped my hands from Killian’s face and took a step back.

Killian turned on his heels and strode away.

I glanced back at Rupert, who was curled up, holding his neck as he tried to breathe again.

Chances were he’d hate me more if I stuck around to chat, so I hurried after Killian.

I paused at the gym door—I was supposed to be training now—but Celestina made a shooing motion, so I followed Killian out.

Killian didn’t even glance down at me when I joined him, jogging to keep up. “What is it? You got the mercy you wanted.”

“Yeah. Um, are you okay?” I asked.

Killian halted, then looked down at me, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at me in clear confusion. “What?”

“You were really upset,” I said. “I mean, all he did was clock me one in the head.”

“He disobeyed me.”

“Yeah, you said that, but it seemed like a pretty extreme reaction.”

He blinked slowly, like a cat. “I require my Family to be obedient—and I wish to keep you compliant and easy to manipulate. Rupert threatened both of these things.”

“Killian.” I rolled my eyes. “If you are trying to keep me compliant, I have got some news for you.”

He stared down at me for a really long moment, then the corner of his right lip quirked up slightly. “You are a strange creature. Not long ago you accused Rupert of being the murderer, and yet today you spoke up on his behalf.” He gently cradled my left cheek in one hand, then pushed back my hair on my right temple, inspecting the area where Rupert had hit.

“I don’t get it either,” I admitted. “It just felt wrong.”

“And of course you must strive to live by mere feelings.” His voice contained an ounce of bite that actually made me feel a bit better.

“It’s not feelings so much as a moral code,” I said.

Killian slightly shook his head. “You virtuous idiots disgust me.”

I folded my arms behind my back as I tried to figure out what to say. “Thank you. For listening.”

Killian shrugged slightly. “Don’t make me regret my decision.”

I squawked in irritation. “How am I supposed to affect Rupert?” I demanded.

Killian laughed and sauntered off, moving at a much slower and relaxed pace.

Whatever had bothered him was gone.

I watched his back disappear down the hallway, then turned around with the intention of going back to the gym and getting myself an icepack from the freezer. Even with the fae potion I was probably due for a headache in a few minutes, so it was key I prepared. (And hopefully Josh or someone else had dragged Rupert out of the gym by now.)

As I trotted back, I had to wonder…had Killian really come down so hard just because Rupert disobeyed an order? Or was he—as unlikely as it seemed—concerned for me?

As soon as the thought formed, I laughed. It was so hilariously impossible; I was a little embarrassed I even thought it. Killian Drake was a killing, political machine. There was no way he’d ever come to trust me, much less care for me.

Ruefully, I shook my head as I re-entered the gym, where Celestina hugged me and proceeded to shove another fae potion down my throat. By the end of the day, I’d mostly forgotten about the incident, except for the implications it might have on my suspicions of Rupert.





Unfortunately, in the week that followed another vampire was murdered—the leader of the Flores Family. Despite the vampires pooling their resources—aka their spies—the murderer still hadn’t been tracked down. (Apparently this time Killian had gone so far as to hire a werewolf to sniff out the area, but she insisted she only smelled vampire, which soured the vampires on hiring additional outside help.)

The murder doubled the intensity of the air around Drake Hall, and dinners were now a grim affair. I didn’t see much of Rupert either, but Celestina wouldn’t tell me if he was still in trouble or not, she just reassigned weightlifting duty to another vampire—Gavino, whom I privately called Steely Voice.

He was pretty nice, and he told me Rupert was still alive and a part of the Drake Family, so I wasn’t too torn up about the switch.