Lord Vaughn smiled at me again and something dark and dangerous flashed in his eyes. If he was this happy about something, it could only mean trouble for me. “Lacey, as you are the Legacy Bearer of House Vaughn, I’ve decided to honor the ways of our ancestors in choosing you a suitable husband.” He paused, leaving just enough time for my every nerve to cinch like tightly wound guitar strings.
“House Vaughn will be hosting a Tournament of Blood!”
Hushed whispers engulfed the room. I swayed in place.
My father continued, raising his hands. “I’ve hand-selected eight suitors, any one of which I would be proud to see continue the Vaughn name. With your help, of course.” He laughed and the crowd joined in, the whispers reaching a fever pitch.
“A Tournament of Blood?” I repeated, my own voice barely audible.
“It’s been nearly a century since the last one took place, a pity really, as it is quite good fun. The eight suitors will participate in three rounds of duels. Each winner will move on to the next round. At the end, there will be two men left standing, culminating in a final duel, which will be to the death.”
A flurry of whoops and hollers soared through the room, the volume deafening. My father all but danced a jig, his eyes sparking with glee. “The winner will be granted my blessing to join House Vaughn and marry you in order to produce an heir.”
As the full weight of his twisted words hit me, I felt what little blood I had left in my veins drain to my feet. The ballroom started to spin and then went black.
Chapter 4
“Lacey? Can you hear me? Please … open your eyes. I need you to drink.”
Jupiter’s voice coaxed me back to life and my eyes, though still heavy, slid open. She smiled down at me and pressed a cup to my mouth. It was faux and I drank deeply.
“Thanks,” I said, sitting up slightly. The world rocked as I braced my weight on my elbows. I was no longer in the ballroom, but settled on a chaise lounge that dominated one corner of the private bathroom I’d used earlier in the evening.
Jupiter made me drink the rest of the cup and then shuffled to the counter to refill it from a tall carafe. As my body found its equilibrium again, my mind went back into panic mode, replaying the despicable announcement my father made before the Court. Did he really plan on having some Medieval-style duel to win my hand? Who even talks like that?
My father. That’s who.
“Stars.”
“Here,” Jupiter said quietly, handing me the glass again. “You hit your head when you fell. Are you dizzy?”
I shook my head.
“What else can I get you?”
I sighed. “Jupiter, please don’t do that.”
“What?”
“This whole servant thing. I’m not some kind of queen!”
She quirked her lips. “Yeah, you kind of are. At least, of the East. One day you’ll be the baroness and the Court will be yours.”
“Goody.”
“Hey, be happy,” she said, her tone edged with an unfamiliar sharpness. “At least you’ll never have to worry about where your next rent check is coming from or worry that if you forget to polish the banisters just so, you’ll get thrown out on your tail.”
“We’re vampires, Jupe. We don’t have tails.”
Her frown deepened, my joke clearly not landing right. “You know what I mean.”
I nodded and my head started pounding. It must have been a nasty fall. “I know. I know. Thousands of vamps would kill to be in my shoes.”
“Literally.”
I snorted.
Jupiter rocked back to sit on her heels. “Listen, Lacey, you’re my friend. I don’t want things to change between us anymore than you do, but the cold hard fact is that things have changed between us. Whether we want it or not. You were gone and things here … well, they’re different now. I need this job. You have to let me do it the way I’m expected to, okay?”
I wanted to argue. The words bubbled up, but then died before reaching my lips.
A frantic pounding pulled me from my mess of thoughts. Jupiter jumped up like a startled jackrabbit and hurried to the door. I closed my eyes and listened to the hushed conversation on the other side of the room.
“She needs to get back to the ballroom,” a female voice whispered.
“We need another minute,” Jupiter replied, her tone frostier than I could remember hearing it before.
“But the suitors—”
“Can wait!”
The door closed and locked with a decisive click.
“A Tournament of Blood? What is he thinking?” I asked when Jupiter reappeared at my side. “He’s gone full on Medieval!”
“I honestly didn’t know anything about a tournament. I swear, Lacey, I would have told you!” She licked her lips and glanced at the door. I wondered if she was calculating just how long we had before one of my father’s guards would be sent to break it down.
By my count, we had less than three minutes.
Warmth spread through me as I finished the second cup. When it was empty, Jupiter snatched it away before I could argue and rinsed it at the sink. When she finished, she turned back to face me, an apologetic look on her face. “Ready?”
Dread settled onto my shoulders, but I pushed it up and rose from the chaise. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
The room spun a little as I stood, but righted itself quickly. The shock of the situation still lingered, but the full feeling in my stomach went a long way toward getting me upright. Jupiter held the door open and let me pass through. A cluster of servants stood outside and dispersed in all directions the moment I stepped into the light.
Jupiter stayed with me, half a step behind, as we returned to the ballroom. “I have to go check with the rest of the staff,” she said, pausing at the archway. “Will you be all right?”
I bobbed my head. “You know where to find me,” I replied, frowning up at the dais where my father was laughing with some of his guests.
She squeezed my hand and then disappeared into the crowd.
Lord Vaughn glared at me when I rejoined him but his harsh expression quickly rebounded. “All better, darling?”
“Yes,” I replied, my voice cold.
“Low blood sugar,” Lord Vaughn told the onlookers, flashing a smile. “She never does take care of herself while traveling.”
To those who didn’t know us, they might think it good-natured fatherly teasing. But to me, it felt like silver barbs prodding at me.
Poor little Lacey, hopeless and incapable. Clearly you can all see why she needs a husband so desperately?
Gag.
“Now that you’re back,” Lord Vaughn transitioned, addressing the entire Court. “Let’s get the festivities started. I’d imagine you’re—pardon the phrase—dying to meet your potential suitors.”
Oh, yes. Positively giddy.
He didn’t give me room to respond, instead, he waved his hand and a line of vampires trooped in and came to a stop before us. There were eight of them in total. I eyed each one warily. So, these were the vampires my father deemed appropriate matches. The ones willing to fight, possibly to the death, to marry me. It had nothing to do with me. That much I knew. Sure, I had my appeal. Any vampire—make that man—would be happy to have me as their wife. Even without my title, I had my looks, smarts, and a vivacious spirit. Or, at least, I used to. The va-va-voom was rapidly draining away as the snare on my ankle tightened.
It was obvious that the eight vampires before me weren’t interested in any of my individual qualities. No, they all wanted one thing—the title. Being made a Lord of House Vaughn would come with land, power, and money. If the day ever came that my father passed on his title, I would be the Baroness of the East and they would be the Lord of it all.
I despised them on sight.
As I went down the line, I memorized their faces. They were all handsome, some more than others, but there was no denying that being paired with any of them we would create a good-looking couple. Some of them I recognized as the sons of old vampire families. The Court was large, but still managed a certain small-town feel, as only a fraction were active in the upper echelon of the hierarchy.