The king observed him coolly. “What brings you to Devon?”
“And why were we not informed in advance?” the queen added.
“A failure in communication, I’m afraid,” Callan said. “My deepest apologies. May I say you have a gorgeous home here.”
The queen’s lip curled into a slight snarl. “I would have preferred a house that hadn’t been occupied by humans for centuries, but I lost that particular battle.” A weak sigh escaped her pink lips. “My husband sees it as a triumph. That we’ve taken what’s theirs and made it our own.” She rolled her eyes. “We’ve taken their whole world, darling. Can we not build a house that reflects who we are rather than who we defeated?”
House Lewis had taken a different approach and completely gutted what was once Buckingham Palace. They retained the shell but not much else.
Movement caught my eye and I looked down to see a tortoise crawl across the slabs of stone. I’d never actually seen one in person before.
My delight must’ve been evident because the king smiled. “Ah, one of our castle pets has come to join us.”
A tortoise seemed a strange choice for the ruling vampire family.
“My father prefers stags,” Callan said. “We had several that roamed the grounds in Scotland when I was a boy.”
The queen watched the tortoise make its way slowly across the floor. “Before the Great Eruption, this castle had a walled garden with a small animal kingdom for visiting children. The only animal to survive and thrive was the tortoise. There are at least a dozen of them roaming about the grounds. I objected to them at first, but I must admit, they won me over in the end.”
Callan glanced down to admire the creature. “Slow and steady wins the race, indeed.”
I didn’t bother to forge a connection with the tortoise. He seemed perfectly content with his situation. Not that I blamed him. If you’re going to live a long time in one place, you could do a lot worse than Peyton Castle.
“I heard we’ve been graced with a special guest.” A vampire swept into the hall wearing a pale blue cloak and matching shoes with pointy toes. She was no more than twenty with auburn hair that cascaded past her shoulders and a button nose. The adorable features stopped at her mouth, which was lined with red that accentuated her shining white fangs. It was a mouth designed to inflict pain and cruelty.
Callan immediately lowered his head and I followed suit. “Princess Louise, I presume,” he said.
The princess took her place by her father’s side and studied the Demon of House Duncan from head to toe. “Father, was this your idea?”
“Certainly not. I didn’t know until now.”
The princess frowned. “Surely the other Houses wouldn’t bypass protocol.”
“I can explain, Your Majesty,” Callan said.
“I’d love to hear it,” the king said.
“I’ve accompanied my companion, London Hayes of the Knights of Boudica…”
The king’s focus turned to me. “Knight? But you’re a woman.”
The queen patted her husband’s arm. “There, there, darling. I know it’s a shock to the system, but women are capable of far more than childbirth and domestic duties.”
The king clapped a weary hand against his cheek and shook his head. “My wife mocks me.”
“We paid a visit to Albemarle to see the earl,” Callan continued. “We were en route to the train station to return to Britannia City when we were redirected by members of your team.”
“Now that you’re here, we insist you stay for the gala this evening.” The queen cast a quick glance at her daughter and I immediately understood.
“An excellent notion,” the king chimed in. “I believe there’s room for distinguished guests in Courtenay Tower, isn’t there?”
“We shall make room,” the queen stated.
I swallowed hard. An entire castle teeming with vampires?
“We appreciate the gesture…” Callan began, but the queen cut him off.
“Nonsense. There will be five hundred guests in attendance. Imagine how excited they’ll be to discover your presence among them. Tonight you shall be the jewel in our crown.” She turned to the princess. “Louise, speak to Esmerelda about a dress for our knight.” The queen raised her thinly drawn eyebrows at me. “Unless you’d prefer decorative armor?”
“A dress would be fine,” I said. “Thank you for your generosity.”
“Any friend of House Duncan is a friend of ours,” the queen said.
“House Lewis,” Callan reminded her.
The queen’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yes, of course. Naturally our esteemed neighbor House Lewis.”
The king whistled through his fangs, creating a shrill sound that jolted me. “Edwards, please deliver our guests safely to Courtenay Tower.” He looked back at us. “The staff there will attend to you.”
I wasn’t thrilled by the prospect of more time among vampires, but I didn’t see a way to object without drawing their ire. I’d be careful, keep my head down, and escape to the train station in the morning.
Edwards escorted us to another golf cart that delivered us across the grounds to the riverbank where Courtenay Tower was located. I’d originally thought the queen meant one of the six towers connected to the castle. This separate accommodation was a relief. Maybe I could hide in here all night and meet Callan at the train station tomorrow.
“I’m sorry about this,” Callan said, once we arrived inside the tower. “If it weren’t for my insistence on accompanying you, we wouldn’t be here.”
Edwards opened one door. “Your Highness.” He continued along the corridor and opened a second door. “Miss.”
I entered the round room with its large canopy bed and heavy furniture. The bedroom was bigger than my entire flat.
“Adjoining rooms,” I murmured, noting the door that connected Callan’s to mine.
On cue, the door flew open and Callan appeared. “A convenient feature.”
I stared at him. “Convenient for what?”
“Esmerelda will be with you shortly.” Edwards bowed and left us alone.
I gave voice to my thoughts. “Maybe I should stay here and let you go alone.”
“And miss a House gala?”
“I’m not really a gala kind of girl.”
His penetrating gaze sent tiny shockwaves throughout my body. “I’m afraid staying here isn’t an option.”
“Why not?”
“It would be taken as an insult. Battles were fought over less.”
“Then maybe vampires need to reexamine their priorities.”
His green eyes flashed with indignation. “You have no idea how House politics work.”
Nor did I want to.
“You will attend the gala on my arm.”
My eyebrows rose. “Is that a royal decree?”
“Call it whatever you like. Just be ready when I call for you.” He retreated into his room and shut the door between us.
Be ready when he called for me? Was I a dog now?
I spun on my heel and disappeared into the bathroom where I released a bit of magic.
There. Much better.
I washed my face, untangled the knots from my hair, and waited for Esmerelda to arrive.
If I was about to enter the belly of the beast, I might as well look good doing it.
11