Mark of Betrayal (Dark Secrets #3)(14)
Author: A.M. Hudson

“But, when Jason kidnapped me, at the Masquerade, he said he was allowed to mutilate his kill any way he saw fit.”

Arthur smiled. “He was just trying to frighten you.”

“So, you aren’t allowed to mutilate us?”

“In some ways, we are, but there are limits. You see, fear makes the blood warmer, so scaring a human a little is deemed acceptable, but, in the cases we store below, what they did went beyond a little fear.”

“And Jason kidnapping me didn’t?”

Arthur swallowed. “Not according to our standards.”

“What about your own, personal standards?”

“My dear, it is purely because you are a friend and I care for you that I see what my nephew did as unacceptable. Had he raped you, I would have skinned him alive, whether you were a friend or not, but, other than that…I’m sorry, he did not hurt you enough to justify imprisonment. And don’t look at me that way—I had to see the same look on David’s face the day Drake made that ruling.”

I looked down at my feet.

“Amara?” He took my hand, his tone commanding I look at him; it was hard to see now with only a dim light on the distant horizon, while pale lamps stepped in where the sun failed. “Jason never had any intentions of—” He inched closer, swallowing. “He was never going to rape you. He—”

“Yes. I know.”

There was a shift then, in energy; I felt it. “How did you know?”

“He told me.”

“When?”

“The night of Karnivale.”

“You talked that night?”

“Mm-hm.” I nodded, realising I’d probably said too much. I just assumed he already knew. I could almost hear Morgaine’s disapproval.

Arthur remained silent.

“Arthur, you okay?”

His eyes narrowed, his brows pinching in the middle. “I’m glad he had the chance to tell you that—before he died.”

“Me too.” My lip quivered. I thrust my shoulders back slightly and sat taller, swallowing the gut wrench Jason’s death brought. “But, back to the issue at hand. The prisoners.”

“They should not be freed.”

“Says you. I’ve been told Drake’s methods were harsh and that he was unfair.”

“Then perhaps you have been misinformed,” Arthur added crossly. “Drake ruled our nation for many centuries with an iron fist, and with good reason. Vampires misbehaving draws attention, spreads unrest, and, like a plague, encourages others to do the same. The only way to control them is to own their fears—to be the very nightmare they run from in their sleep.”

“You sound pretty passionate about this?”

“I have served beside the king for my entire vampire life, Amara. We have fought for our freedom, our concealment and our community. To see a young girl become queen and make changes to all that we have spent centuries developing—” He sat forward and looked at the ground between his legs, breathing out heavily. “It’s just difficult. I can see you making the very same mistakes Drake made in the beginning.”

“Like what?”

“He made friends of vampires; an option, I’m afraid, is not viable for those in power. He tried to rule by love of his people, and while that is a noble path, there are lines. And you must draw them. Second, you have a good heart, Princess, but you must learn not to use it when making decisions about members of our society that cannot fit in.”

“That’s all very well, Arthur, but what Drake deems punishable, and what my kind do, are very different things.” I thought about Pepper. “Look, fact remains, I want to free the prisoners. Now, are you going to help me with that, or not?”

“I guess I have little choice,” he said to the ground.

My eyes narrowed. “Arthur, I understand how you feel—”

“No, Princess—” he looked right at me, “—you do not. You cannot possibly fathom the nightmarish ordeals it took to gain control over the vampires, or the devastation they infected upon this earth in a time before Lilithians were even a thought in God’s mind. I was there; I witnessed the terror—I helped write many of the laws that see vampires punished and, yes, our methods are cruel, harsh, but if you could only see what I have seen, you would realise why, by freeing those depraved brutes, you are about to make your first big mistake.”

“Well, I disagree. It’s a difference in opinion.” I folded my arms.

“No, it’s that you, my dear, are not listening.”

“I am. I’ve heard everything you, Morgaine and everyone else has had to say. But this is my decision.”

“Not entirely,” he said. “Not right now. Until you have made your oath, all your decisions must be approved by the House.”

“Fine then. Once I’m queen, I’ll free them. You can’t stop me.”

“I would not seek to stop you, but I would hope, after many conversations, you would see my point.”

I slumped in my seat a little then took a deep breath and looked at the starry sky. “I’m sorry, Arthur. I don’t mean to argue with you. It’s just that…I just don’t like people telling me what to do—telling me I know nothing.”

He reached across and patted my hand. “You remind me of my nephew, in that sense.”

“Which one?”

“David.”

I looked down at his hand on mine, softening away from spoiled-princess mode. “So, the imprisoned vampires are really that bad, huh?”

“Contemptible.”

“I just never imagined there’d be vampires that did things like that—horrible things.”

“They’re not so very different to human’s, Ara. If a human is capable of violence, then of course a vampire is.”

“Well, I was only planning to free the ones I thought were punished unfairly.”

“How will you determine that?”

“Go through each case, I guess. Maybe bring their lawyer back in, discuss each one with him.”

Arthur shuffled in his seat, clearing his throat. “That would be impossible.”

“Why?”

“Because the vampire who sentenced the prisoners we keep here is…dead.”

My stomach dropped. “David?”

“Yes.”

“Then—” Ouch. I hadn’t expected that. “Then, I guess I’ll have to assign someone else I can trust.”