Chapter 72

PHOENIX

I hovered by the dance floor, watching my cousin and his new wife, Grace, cut a path through the dancing purebloods.

Grace had outdone herself. I remembered seeing her at school when I was younger, and she was all over Aric. She was known for her low-cut shirts and elegant updos.

She had the right structure for it all, of course. Tonight, she wore black because a pureblood vampire wedding is no fun if the bride isn’t wearing black.

Her dress clung to her form like a glove, dipping deep down to her navel, flaring out at the end in a long train richly decorated with little golden gemstones, imitating the intricate spools of gold adorning her dark locks.

She looked stunning, and I was trying my best not to be jealous.

Jealousy was my worst flaw. And it was visible a mile away. I always believed that being a twin would make me less jealous because I shared everything with Venus and she with me.

Over the last decade, however, we had been growing apart greatly because I had moved to live with the royal family, and she’d stayed with our parents.

I glanced at my sister. She looked happy cradled in Henry’s arms, dressed in a pink chiffon dress that matched her soft hair perfectly.

She giggled and kissed his cheek. I felt another pang of jealousy.

I had taken a card out of my grandmother’s deck and followed her example. There was nothing more stunning than a redhead in a red dress.

And I had chosen a show-stopping red dress. Long, shiny, tight-fitting, and bright red. But I wasn’t stopping the show tonight, which I should be grateful for.

It was Grace’s moment, and I didn’t want to get into a fight with her. But I had been hoping to at least catch the eye of the man I would probably marry.

Unfortunately, he had been pointedly ignoring me all night.

Alexander was a child. Immature and spoiled. That was obvious from far off. But I hadn’t realized he was also rancorous. He hadn’t spoken to me since our exchange last night.

A lot had happened. Eleanor had appeared, bringing with her drama, blood, and all sorts of excitement. As per usual.

And she had my brother whipped and my mother sobbing, and my father declaring his crime for all to see. The girl always had a hold over the three of them.

I was never jealous of a human child. But seeing her as an adult in my brother’s arms was jarring.

More jarring was Alexander’s reaction to her. I almost felt like he forgot me the second she appeared.

He ran to her faster than my parents did when he heard her scream. He pouted the rest of the night and even slipped off searching for her at one point.

I had always had doubts about marrying him. I wasn’t even sure I remembered how it happened that I moved in with the royal family.

It was obvious that my parents disliked him, but Grandmother Elizabeth and King Lucius had other plans.

Our marriage would be a powerful one, reuniting our bloodlines, avoiding conflict between our families. It was a smart and strategic move. And Alexander had seemed up for it.

I still needed convincing.

Watching my sister laughing, dancing, and hugging her partner had my chest aching. Alexander and I just weren’t romantic like that.

We weren’t romantic at all. Our nights together had been pure passion-filled spurs of the moment. It always burned up before we woke.

He wasn’t someone I found comfort in. He was someone I avoided to find comfort.

Came the very important question, did I want a love like my parents, like my sister and perhaps like my brother, or were power and royalty more interesting?

Was being the most powerful pureblood in the world more interesting?

I didn’t know that answer to that one. Power was key to me. I liked being strong, I liked dominating, and I had the right competitive mind for it.

On top of that, I had met no other pureblood my age who had given me any sort of lovey-dovey chills. Venus and Henry had been eyeing each other for a century. I had had no one in mind.

All the same, tonight, it wasn’t the ball gowns or the beautiful purebloods that had me jealous. It was the love in the gazes of those close to me for their significant others.

Perhaps love would win out for me.

I turned as a human scurried past me, brushing against my gown. I hissed at it, grabbing its neck and hauling it over to the table.

I plastered it face down on the tablecloth and pulled its arm up, ignoring the wince of pain. I sank my fangs deep into the human’s frail wrist.

It calmed immediately as I drank greedily, careful not to spill on my amazing gown.

“Phoenix.”

I turned to see my grandmother approaching. Her bushy red hair, the same hair she’d passed on to me, was neatly organized in a long braid. Her blue eyes twinkled.

“Grandmother.” I smiled, dropping the human’s wrist. It scuttled off, whimpering about its hurt shoulder. Grandmother stroked my hair appreciatively.

“You look stunning this evening.” She grinned at me.

“Red dress,” I agreed with a grin.

She laughed lightly, appraising the dancing crowd. “Your parents have been missing since the ceremony,” she said.

I nodded. “They’re in the woods. I think they’re looking for Aric and Eleanor. If she survived the turn, that is.”

“That’s what I thought,” she concurred, grinning and waving at my grandfather, who had just appeared from inside the castle, hauling an exhausted-looking human with him.

“Will you join us?” Elizabeth flashed me a wink and indicated gently to where my grandfather and their blood bag were headed toward the barn.

“Of course,” I murmured, letting her guide me away from the festivities.

We slipped into the barn and shut the door behind us. I could hear the wedding party roaring outside, but we were out of earshot of anyone there.

Grandfather Damon sat on one of the chairs in the far end of the barn, next to Father’s whiskey station. He was admiring the handicraft.

His human was curled in a ball at his feet. His body was trembling, and I could hear the racing of his heart pounding in my head. He smelled delicious.

“Is this about Alexander and me?” I asked immediately, watching as my grandmother went to her husband’s side.

“Yes,” Grandfather Damon replied quickly, his dark eyes boring into mine, searching my expression. I lifted my chin, arching my brows.

“What do you want to know?”

“It’s more what you need to know,” Elizabeth breathed.

“What do you mean?” I crossed my arms over my chest, staring at them pointedly.

“Phoenix, how attached are you to Alexander? Really?” Damon asked bluntly.

“Enough. But I’ll always be loyal to my family, of course,” I answered quickly, my gaze darting between their hard expressions. “What’s going on?” I pressed.

“We need your help, Phoenix,” Elizabeth explained. “But you’re not going to like it.”

“I already dislike this,” I said, scowling. “Help with what? To spy on the Nights?”

“Not quite,” Elizabeth breathed out heavily. “Phoenix, we’re going to overthrow them. And we need you to do it.”

I stared at their serious expressions. “You’re not joking, are you?” I murmured.

“We’re not,” Damon answered, stroking the hair of the human at his feet. The human shuddered, his heart racing.

“Why?” I pushed.

“Because they’re a threat to our family. And because we don’t trust William nor Alexander to be fair rulers.”

“Lucius is king now. Can’t we wait for him to pass?” I questioned.

“He’s the threat to your father, and he could also be one for you. You live within his reach. He’s not a gentle vampire, Phoenix.”

“I’m aware,” I murmured, remembering having seen him massacre a room full of servants for letting a human escape.

“Where does that leave me? I was supposed to marry Alexander. You told me to,” I reminded Elizabeth. She nodded in agreement.

“It makes you an heir to the throne after Angus or Demetrius take it. And between yourself and your siblings, I do believe you would have the strongest drive to claim it after his passing.”

I nodded slowly in agreement. “Venus doesn’t want it, and Aric would rather live his discreet brooding life,” I mused. “They’d give it up for me as you did.”

“We think so as well. But there’s no certainty, Phoenix. Aric is changed now that he’s got the human.”

“Eleanor might not survive the change. He’ll go back to brooding and making music within the century,” I replied.

“If she does survive, she’s unpredictable.”

“She’s not dangerous,” I answered. “She’d be a turned vampire.”

“One who has strong attachments to the Mcnoxnoctis family. I don’t know where she could steer your brother. He did seem quite taken with her.”

“I really doubt she’ll be a threat,” I answered dryly. Damon chuckled.

“Perhaps not, but we must always remain vigilant, Phoenix. First lesson as a princess.” He winked at me.

“So, what do you want me to do?” I asked them. Elizabeth flashed me a wide smile.

“You’ll have to occupy Alexander while we take out his father and grandfather, dear.”

“That’s easy,” I scoffed.

“You may also have to kill him once he finds out. He will want the crown,” Damon replied.

“I see.”

“Can you do that?” my grandmother asked me, her blue eyes wide.

“I can,” I answered, giving her a small smile. “We’re not so close anyway, though we would have made a good couple. I’m perhaps not made for the married life.”

“There’s a lot more to life than marriage and children, Phoenix. And in five hundred years, if you change your mind, the possibilities will be tenfold as queen,” Elizabeth told me.

“I agree.” I nodded at them. “So, when are we going for them?”

“Lucius is on his way here,” Elizabeth admitted. “Alexander called him yesterday evening. He’ll be here by tomorrow. We’ll do it tomorrow. Good for you?”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “That works for me.”

A cracking sound echoed outside, followed by the crash of a tree falling to the ground.

“What was that?”