Tristan takes a beat, then nods. Alright. I've just been sold to the highest bidder, like freaking prized cattle. My heart climbs my throat and I swallow it down, staring at Tristan's hardened face. He doesn't offer me anything else, and this quiet thing he has going on about him is usually hot, but right now it's freaking me out.
"So?" I blurt out. "Who is it?"
Tristan snaps his head to the right, quietly observing into the distance. I pry my ears but hear nothing. He turns back to me. "A vampire lord. No one is happy. They were arguing when I left. Whatever plans he has for you, they're not good."
Vampire lord. It has to be Kayn. My blood turns to ice. Donatello mentioned vampires deal with favors, so maybe the Collector owed Kayn something, and I had no chance from the get-go. This is fucked up. So fucked up.
What the hell does he want to do with me, anyway? Why are the others mad about his goal? The world feels like it's crumbling down around me, and I can barely suck air in.
Tristan snaps his head to the side again. His jaw clenches. "He's coming."
No words have ever given me this much panic. The fear shooting to every cell in my body is real, as real as my lack of plans, of escape routes, of a way out. I'm damned. This vampire lord will take me as his slave, and he'll bend me to his will until he destroys everything in me. I know it. I've known it from the second our eyes met.
"He won't touch you," Tristan says with a deep, gravel-like voice that rumbles to my bones. His eyes are intense on me, burying until he can see my soul. "I won't allow it." His words ring with truth, with promise, and I feel so fucking dirty for wanting to use him. Whatever he sees in me has him wanting to help. How could I think of doing this to a man like him?
I shake my head. "Go away, Tristan. You can't stop him. You'll only get hurt."
He's shaking his head even before I'm finished. "I will not desert you."
"You'll be killed, and I don't want that."
Tristan studies my face for a second. Can he hear my heart thumping? "Then I'm coming with you."
I blink slowly. "What? No. They're vampires. They'll just suck you dry and thank me for the snack."
"I'll fight them."
Damn it, he makes everything sound so freaking simple. "Listen, Tristan. When he comes to get me, is there a way out? An escape route?"
His eyes glitter with understanding. "Yes. The servants’ quarters have a back exit that gives into the woods. I can hold the vampire and you run."
I wish I could get excited about the idea, but the way he describes it… Tristan has a way of seeing things simpler than they are. "Is it far away? How do I get there without being seen?"
"Taking the inner corridors. It needs some getting used to it without getting lost, but..."
"Tristan," I cut him off because now I can hear the steps too. "That doesn't sound simple. And even if I run, can you guarantee there won't be guards?"
His brows furrow. "No. There will be guards." My stomach sinks. "There are the wards too. Do you think you can break them?"
I grunt in disappointment, almost dropping to my knees. "No! I can't break wards!"
"Oh."
"Yes! Oh!" I laugh, half-crazed, mostly hysterical at the prospect of not having a prospect. "So that's it. Guess it was good meeting you," I say with dripping sarcasm, though I regret it immediately.
Tristan doesn't notice as he whirls around, facing the darkness. The steps echo in the corridor, and I don't know if I want to curl in the corner or wait for my destiny with my head held high. No, scratch that. I'm definitely meeting him with my head held high. No one's going to put me down, even if there's no way out of this shit.
"Kayn," Tristan murmurs as the silhouette takes shape in front of me, lonely and quiet. A smile tilts on the angular face. My stomach flips.
Holy fuck.
CHAPTER 9
CASSANDRA
Prince's cheekbones angle so high when he smirks I half expect him to stab himself in the eye with them. The soft green hue of his hair catches the blue light as he walks closer, smugness all over his face as he opens his arms.
"Ready to go, pet?"