The iron-studded wood door to the main chamber creaked open, and a massive vamp wearing a black robe and a sword at his hip filled the doorway. “The Council awaits,” he droned.
“I’ll bet it does,” Wraith muttered, as he brushed past the male.
Inside, red and black candles burned in silver sconces and copper candelabras, lighting a room that could have been a B-movie set. From the crimson throw rugs shot with gold and the life-sized, gilded portraits of vampire heroes dating all the way back to ancient Rome, the place was a Hollywood cliché.
The Council members—seventeen of them, sat in a semi-circle in their high-backed thrones. The highest-ranking vampire in the world, the Key, motioned Wraith forward. It took every ounce of willpower Wraith possessed to obey Komir when what he wanted to do was stake them all.
“This is unexpected, incubus,” Komir said as Wraith halted in the center of a pentagram that had been set into the floor with white marble tiles. “What brings you?”
“A request.”
A black-haired female to Komir’s right laughed. “You, who mocks vampire law and kills your own kind, want something from us?”
“That about sums it up.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth he regretted them, and offered a stiff, “Apologies. I’m exhausted. You know, from saving the world.”
One of Komir’s silver eyebrows shot up. “Yes, we heard.” He tapped his fingers on the arm of his throne. “So what do you want, oh, great hero?”
Sarcastic ass. Wraith respected that, though he hated to respect anything about these fuckwits. He could have asked one of UG’s vampire staff members to turn Serena, but he couldn’t risk the consequences. It went against vampire law to turn a human without permission from the Council. Those who broke the law were subject to a variety of punishments, including execution, a fate shared by their prodigies.
“The human I would take as my mate is dying. I, ah… humbly… beg that she be turned.” He’d rather be beaten than beg for anything. But this was for Serena, and for her, he’d plead until he turned blue.
A low rumble came from a red-haired male at the end of the semi-circle. “You slaughtered my brother. I’d rather kill you than help you.”
Several others murmured in agreement with Red, and Wraith’s gut did a slow slide to his feet. They were going to turn him down.
“Please,” Wraith said, bowing his head. “I’ll do anything.”
Komir sat there, all imperious. After a long, dramatic silence, he addressed the Council. “Who objects to Wraith’s request?”
Everyone raised their hand, and Wraith’s knees went rubbery.
“Council aside, I’m inclined to grant you this favor,” Komir said, and Wraith’s heart leaped. “But it goes against everything we are. We must choose those we change very carefully. A vampire who sires another is responsible for introducing the changeling to vampire culture. We spend a year with them, teaching our ways, sharing everything from feeding to sex.”
Wraith went taut, couldn’t prevent the low-pitched growl in his chest. No vampire would take Serena to bed. Ever. “I will do that.”
“You? You’ve shunned vampire society and made a mockery of it. Murdered your own kind without mercy.”
“I was wrong.”
“You lie.”
Of course he did. Serena’s life was on the line, and he’d never had a problem with lying. He was usually more convincing, however.
He stepped forward. “See these eyes? They should be brown. But they’re blue because vampires gouged out the ones I was born with. Vampires. Before they did it, they hung me from rafters and peeled off my skin. Burned the soles of my feet with blowtorches. Gutted me so my brothers had to shove everything back in and tack my intestines in place so they wouldn’t slide down to my nail-less toes.” He stepped out of the circle he was supposed to be standing inside. “So tell me, you bunch of dickless fucks, why I should have embraced my vampire half. Tell me!”
Several of them looked away.
“That’s what I thought.”
Komir stood. “Your brothers informed us of your past. Your greatest fear is torture, is it not?”
“It’s my second greatest fear,” Wraith said, his voice strong and sure. “My first is to lose Serena.”
“I almost believe you.”
“You’d better.”
“Perhaps you should prove it.” Komir walked from around the half-moon table and stopped beside a blood-stained platform. “There has been much pain on both sides—yours and ours. But there will be more. If you wish to save your female, you will face your fear to do it.”
Oh, fuck.
“Are you willing?”
Wraith glanced at the platform, and flashbacks of being strung up in the warehouse blazed through his mind.
He fought to stay upright as he faced Komir. The charm couldn’t protect him from this if he agreed to it. “Yes.”