Lucas recoiled, but Holden was less compliant.
“Warden. ” This was said in a warning tone that carried commanding weight. She was addressing Holden by his title, his low rank, which implied she was superior to him. “You will release the rogue. ”
Holden hesitated, but he let go of Peyton. It was only then Peyton seemed to become aware there was anyone aside from me in the room with him. He unhinged his jaw and raised his head from my neck to look around. His face was smeared and dripping with my blood.
“Ew,” I said, and the room spun, making me wonder how everyone managed to stay standing. I tried to raise my hand to cover my throat but found none of my limbs would do what I wanted them to. Paralyzed by blood loss, all I could do was lay there and watch the theater of the absurd unfold around me.
Someone new came to stand over me. She had gold-toned skin and thick, straw-blonde hair, with eyes so green I thought she was part cat. The eyes were what gave her away, too even and calm to be genuinely human. Ingrid. Si
g’s daytime human servant.
She gave me an appraising look, appeared to be satisfied with my place among the living for the time being and turned to whoever else she had with her. Snapping her fingers twice, she indicated the bewildered vampire on top of me.
“Alexandre Peyton, you are to be requisitioned by the vampire Tribunal and held for investigation and punishment based on the charge of abandoning the laws of the council and attempting to expose the secrets of vampire society to the general public. Do you acknowledge and accept this decision?”
He snarled at her. I’d never seen a human address a vampire in such a cavalier and condescending manner. Ingrid obviously believed she had no reason to fear Alexandre Peyton and was making sure he knew it.
“I take your lack of response as acceptance. There will be hell to pay should the Tribunal’s pet not survive. Sig is especially fond of the half-breed. He won’t like it if she dies. ” She cocked her head to the side. The expression on her face was that of a Harvard scholar speaking to an insolent puppy who had just peed on her rug.
From behind her a collection of vampire wardens descended on us. They jostled me against the hard concrete floor as they grabbed Peyton and pulled him off me. He began to thrash like a hooked fish when he realized Ingrid wasn’t just speaking out her ass.
“Take him to the Tribunal,” she said, her voice monotone and bored. When they had removed him from the room, she looked at me again, then cast her gaze to the three werewolves and the remaining warden, Holden.
“Someone may want to give her some blood. She’s not looking well. I suspect she wouldn’t be too picky, given her situation. ” What she meant was that any healthy vampire would have rejected werewolf blood outright. As smart as Ingrid was she didn’t know anything about me other than what the council did, that I was half-vampire. Her dismissive title of half-breed was more accurate than even she was aware.
“Warden,” she said to Holden, “you will come with me. ”
“No. ”
The room shifted and I felt my whole body getting heavier. Everything was quieter and people’s voices were taking on the slow, drowsy quality of a broken tape recorder.
“She’s my responsibility. I won’t leave her. She’s my responsibility. ” He was kneeling by my head, stroking my blood-soaked hair.
“This won’t escape the Tribunal’s notice. ”
“They made this decision for me. ”
She snorted and left without another word.
“Someone needs to help her,” Holden said, presumably to the wolves, though his eyes never left mine.
“How?” This from Desmond.
“She needs blood. ” Lucas sat next to me, clamping a hand over my shredded neck. It took several seconds before I noticed his touch.
“Like an IV?” Dominick was still hovering nearby.
“No. ” Holden shook his head. “No, she needs to drink blood. ”
“Why?” Dominick asked. He was the only one unwilling to accept the obvious answer.
“Vampire. ” It was my last word before everything went dark.
Chapter Thirty-Six
When I woke up it wasn’t from any kind of prophetic dream or restful self-indulgence. I came to in the back of a moving car, only somewhat aware of my head being in someone’s lap and that same someone stroking my hair.
“Where…?” I began to ask, but my throat felt as if I’d been swallowing broken glass and I couldn’t say anything more.