He adds, “Without Alwar to put alliances into place quickly, half could turn into more. Benicio is no fool when it comes to politics. He will force the weaker kingdoms to choose sides, and they will look after their own self-interests first. They will choose him because they know we do not stand a chance of winning without Alwar at the helm.”
“But if I do the trade, isn’t it the same outcome? All the kingdoms will turn their back on Alwar if they see him failing to protect me, his wife.” I still can’t get over how strange that sounds. Wife. Wife of a giant warlord.
“Not if we outsmart Benicio.” Gabrio stands and folds his meaty arms over his chest like he’s getting ready to dig in hard. Bard used to do that, too. Now I’m beginning to see what was in front of me all along. They’re all brothers. Their beautiful faces—intense eyes, high cheekbones, pillowy lips. They all have the same broad shoulders and muscular physiques.
“Outsmart him how?” I sense he’s about to drop a bombshell.
“You will kill Benicio.”
I choke on my own spit and start coughing. “You’re out of your mind. Totally batshit crazy. I can’t be anywhere near him without falling under his spell, so how am I going to kill him?”
“You are new to our world. I am not.”
“Meaning?” I ask.
“I am perfectly aware of the influence Benicio has over those he chooses as his playthings.”
“I’m not his plaything.”
“You were. And he did it to humiliate Alwar, to show the world how weak and pathetic our Norfolk proxy was.”
“That’s not fair, Gabrio.” I had no idea what I was up against. Hell, I didn’t even know vampires existed. I was completely unprepared for everything that happened: being grabbed by Alwar, taken to the wall, stolen from them by a Flier, and then thrown into the path of the Blood King. “I’m lucky to be alive considering how naïve I was about your world.”
“A fact Benicio was also sure to flaunt to the public. You were never educated properly and completely clueless about the ways of our lands. Not a very powerful opponent for the Blood Battle. He made sure everyone knew this, which made Alwar look like a fool after issuing the challenge to the Blood King.”
Oh. My blood runs hot. Benicio was using me to make Alwar look like an idiot. Look at this stupid proxy! Ignorant. Weak. I was able to seduce her in minutes, and she didn’t even put up a fight.
“Well,” I say, “it finally makes sense.” My fingernails dig into the bark I’m sitting on.
“What?”
“When Benicio captured me, he put me in his dungeon. Once he figured out I was oblivious about the Proxy Vow and everything else, he put me in a guest room and…you know.”
“Drank from you repeatedly.”
“Yes.” I nod shamefully. I knew something was up when I went from prisoner to guest of honor in a matter of minutes. But after that first bite, I just didn’t care. “And he was right. I wasn’t prepared. I offered no resistance.”
“Well, now we have a chance to turn the tables on him. It has only been a handful of days since you left, and you are still quite thin—except for your stomach. Are you feeling all right?”
I press my hands over the bulge. “I ate too much cake, okay?”
“No matter. You are still as lovely as always. The loveliest female I have ever seen.”
His kind words throw me off. “I thought compliments and courtesy are frowned on by Wall Men.” So why’s he sucking up?
“But as you have reminded me several times, we are in your world. Also, I am attempting to butter you up.”
I knew it. “The tactic is less effective when you admit to lying.”
“I am not lying. You are stunning. Thin. But stunning. And this is the perfect recipe to blindside the Blood King. He will not see you as a threat. You will kill him.”
That’s a stupid plan. I know myself. I know what happened the last time I heard his voice through the bathroom wall. I ached for him.
“The problem is, Gabrio, I’m spoiled goods.” I stand and start walking toward Bard’s cottage. “I’ll be under his spell before I can ever get a knife anywhere near him.”
“You do not need a knife!” Gabrio calls out. “All you must do is bite him.”
I stop and turn. “You mean make him bleed to death?” I’m not doing it. I’m not ripping out his throat with my teeth. These fucking War Men. So gory.
“Your bite is poisonous to the Blood People.”
I blink. “What?”
“As is ours. Though, if we bite one of their kind, it is not our saliva that kills them first.”
“Hold on. I’m deadly? To all vampires?” This is crazy.
“I imagine it was part of the allure for him—turning a venomous creature into his docile pet. No doubt he felt it made him look like a mighty warrior, unafraid of anything.”