House of Ravens (4 page)

Well, that last part wasn’t quite as smooth
as I would have liked it to be, but it’s something.

The smug look on Anna’s face says she didn’t
miss it either. Same with Christian and Samuel, who give a slight
eye roll.

“
Are you sure you can live
peacefully in a house full of bloodsuckers?” Markov asks. He fixes
Ian with a cold, calculating stare as he takes five steps forward.
“In a house where some of us must hunt in the night? In a house
where violence will never be fully eradicated? In a house where we
do not hide what we are?”

Markov stops just a foot in front of Ian,
almost nose to nose.

“
Are you sure you can live
in a house where we keep our promises to a leader, that we will
never feed in this town?” he says quietly. His eyes study Ian,
taunting him. Testing him. “Are you sure you can live in a house
where I will kill any living being, mortal or immortal, if they
threaten the life of Alivia? Are you sure you can live in a House
with that kind of passion for the woman you claim to
love?”

The air holds so much weight I’m sure it’s
going to explode, leaving no one alive, no one to survive the
severity of Markov’s words.

Markov, who once terrified me so. Who seemed
so insane and out of control. But is now so devoted and loyal, I
can’t quite believe it’s real.

He stares Ian down, waiting to push him over
the edge of his control.

“
Yes,” Ian states. Simple.
And absolutely sure. “I can handle it. For Alivia.”

“
It has to be for more than
just Alivia,” Markov says. “It has to be for yourself. Because, in
the end, we are all selfish creatures, and unless it is for you,
anyone can be pushed past their breaking point.”

The words are profound and
absolutely true. Suddenly, my chest is filled with worry. Ian does
have a tendency to snap. To be pushed past his level of control.
His love for me really
won’t
be enough.

Ian looks over at me, and I see the
self-reflection Markov has forced him to embark upon. He doesn’t
answer right away, and I see it there in his eyes. A few moments of
self-doubt. The worry that maybe he can’t do this.

For just a moment, I panic.

“
I can do this, for me,”
Ian says. A promise said to me. A promise made to the House of
Conrath. “Because I can’t live this whole, long life hating half of
my DNA.” He looks back at Markov. “I can do this.”

After only two seconds of hesitation, a
slow, always terrifying smile begins to curl on one side of
Markov’s mouth. He reaches a hand forward, which Ian takes without
hesitation. “Then, welcome to the House of Conrath.”

A huge breath of relief escapes my chest as
Ian pulls Markov closer, enveloping him in a man hug. I’m
witnessing a miracle. Truly. Ian Ward, hunter of all vampires,
finding peace with Markov, the most manic vampire I’ve yet met—save
Cyrus.

“
Didn’t think either of
them was going to survive that one,” Samuel pipes up. He lets out a
chuckle and soon everyone is laughing along.

“
I think we were all just
witness to a phenomenon,” Trinity adds. Her expression is still
grim, never one to look happy, but there is a slight twinkle to her
eyes.

“
So, Ian’s staying,
Alivia’s back—does that mean you’re here to stay, too, Rath?” Anna
asks it with severity in her eyes, anger and mistrust angled in his
direction. She doesn’t forgive him for walking away from me, no
matter how justified he was in doing so.

“
If Henry is still alive, I
have to find him,” Rath says, looking uncomfortable under all their
stares. He’s never lived in a true House. This has to be somewhat
intimidating. “I will stay and help Alivia.”

“
Look at you, Livy,”
Cameron says with a wide, dopey smile. “Not even twenty-four and
your House dominates! Looks like you’ve got two more members
today!”

At this, all eyes turn to Obasi. His gaze
darkens, and his entire body stiffens.

“
It’s good to see you,
Obasi,” I offer. I’m timid, unsure of what he’s doing here. “May I
ask what brought you to Silent Bend?”

He looks around at the House members, as if
evaluating their strengths, their weaknesses. “Word was traveling
around the palace,” he says. His voice is intense. Deep and
rumbling, his accent one I cannot place to any specific country in
Africa. “You claimed a war was coming. A war with the Bitten.”

“
That’s right.” I nod. Just
the thought makes my throat turn dry.

“
If it is a war with the
Bitten, I will do whatever it takes to keep my kind safe from
them.” The words are spoken hard, with history and vengeance. But
he does not give further explanation.

“
We greatly appreciate your
help,” I say, hoping I communicate my gratitude through my eyes. “I
am still getting my feet under me after returning from my trial. I
will keep you informed of everything going on. Until then, I hope
you’re comfortable staying with us.”

He grunts in the affirmative, and there are
no more words from my strong, terrifying fellow prisoner.

“
Okay,” I say, feeling
mentally exhausted already. “We have a lot to catch up on. Much to
do. But it’s been a hell of a long day. I’ll see all of you at
dawn?”

Each of them nods, Lillian giving me another
apologetic smile. Cameron gives me a peace sign with his fingers as
he walks away. Markov grants Ian one more daring look before he,
too, wanders out of the ballroom.

“
Your room is still open,”
I say to Rath. “I think I need some rest, but we’ll talk in a few
hours, okay?”

The conflict is so obvious in his eyes as he
looks back at me. Without a word, he nods, and walks away.

Finally, it’s just Ian and me alone in the
ballroom.

“
Well, this turned into one
hell of an unexpected day.”

A smile pulls on my lips and I let myself
sag into Ian’s arms. I’m suddenly wiped out, but I don’t feel like
I can rest. Not even close. There’s so much to be done. So many
things to figure out.

“
I’m beat,” I confess into
his shirt. “Can we just freeze time for like, three hours, and take
a pause to breathe. And maybe get something to eat?”

Ian chuckles, tightening his arms around me.
“Life has been a little non-stop since the second you stepped foot
in this town, hasn’t it?”

“
That’s an understatement,”
I breathe as I turn my head and rest my cheek against his chest. I
take three slow breaths. Relax my body into his. “This is
nice.”

“
Yeah, it is,” he whispers
into the top of my head. He presses his lips into my hair, holding
me close.

But I know we can’t just stand here and
enjoy the feel of one another. There’s too much tension in the air.
Too much weighing down on my chest. I need to take care of things.
And so does he.

“
You should go see Lula,” I
say because I’m too responsible.

“
I know.” He presses his
lips to my head once more before backing up, taking both of my
hands in his. “Elle says Lula’s not good, that she probably won’t
live much longer. I need to get things sorted. See Elle. Figure a
few things out.”

“
This still isn’t going to
be easy, is it?” I say with a sad smile.

“
It’ll always be
complicated,” he says back.

“
But worth it.” I lean
forward and gently press my lips to his. The kiss lingers, longing
for more, but knowing it can’t happen. We both have too much that
we must take care of.

“
I promise it will be,” he
says with so much weight for this moment. “I’ll be back before
midnight. I want a good, long nap, and I want you there with
me.”

“
You’ve got a deal,” I say,
snagging one more quick kiss before he turns and heads for the
front door. I watch as he goes. He grabs a set of sunshades before
walking out and closing the door.

I’m not sure what to do with myself for a
moment. There are too many people I need to talk to. Too many
things I need to take care of.

But in this moment, I’m feeling disconnected
with actually being here, back in my home. So I find my feet moving
forward. I walk down the northern hall, listening for activity
behind the doors. Lillian is in her bedroom, as is Rath. I open the
next door, the one Sebastian was staying in when he was so brutally
murdered. There, I find a perfectly clean and normal looking
room.

I can only imagine the horror Beth and
Angelica felt when they had to clean it up once they returned from
San Diego.

I wander back the other way. I find the
kitchen empty, Katina nowhere to be found, so I have free run of
the kitchen. I make myself a towering sandwich, ravenously hungry,
before I head upstairs.

Christian and Samuel are down in one
bedroom. I hear their voices floating through the door, but I leave
them be. Cameron’s door is wide open. I see him lying on his back
in his bed, a set of ear buds in. He smiles and nods to me as I
walk by.

Down at the end of the hall is the door to
my bedroom.

I walk through, leaving it open, and sit on
the edge of the mattress. Looking around, I suddenly feel out of
place.

When I first arrived at the Conrath Estate,
I felt so out of place. Nothing felt like it really belonged to me
and it was months before I felt I could touch anything and not feel
guilty about it.

Suddenly, I’m feeling like that again.

The only reason I felt comfortable here was
because Henry was dead. He was gone, and I, his only heir, was left
with everything.

But if Henry isn’t dead, what does that mean
for me?

This house?

My leadership?

I know he didn’t ever want the leadership,
but technically, if he’s still alive, all this is rightfully
his.

My whole world suddenly feels very
unstable.

Yet, I’d exchange it all for the possibility
of knowing my father.

My sandwich finished, I rise to my feet.
Back down the stairs. I grab a set of sunshades and walk
outside.

It’s April, and Silent Bend is absolutely
beautiful in the spring. Millions of flowers bloom all over the
property. The front flowerbeds are breathtaking and grand. The
trees that line the driveway from the road to the house sway in the
breeze, fragrant and so full. I wander around the side of the
house. The hedge maze is tall and thick, the gardens back here just
as beautiful. The temperatures aren’t quite warm enough yet to
warrant filling the pool, but it won’t be long.

It’s beautiful out, but there is this sense
of dread in the air. Something urgent and ugly. It clinches at my
heart, making it race.

The curse still lingers in the air.

My purpose in wandering the property is not
solely to admire the beauty of the landscape. My sharp, enhanced
eyes are looking for signs.

The boot prints under the windows. The
handprint that’s barely visible on one of the back doors. The claw
marks that scrape the metal of the fence that surrounds the
graveyard.

Evidence of the snake army’s spies are all
around my property.

“
It’s all old,” Anna
says.

I turn around to see her walking up from
behind. I stand at the ledge before it drops down the bank and into
the Mississippi River. We stand facing it, where I see footprints
disappearing down the embankment and rising up on the other side,
so far away.

“
All the evidence,” Anna
continues. “Except those prints. They showed up two days
ago.”

“
You think they’re hiding
across the river?” I ask. I can see Louisiana every day from my
house, yet I’ve never crossed the river to set foot on its
soil.

Anna shrugs. “They could be hiding
everywhere. I wandered around Porter, the town there, yesterday.
The scent wore off after just a few miles.”

“
So we’re still nowhere
closer to discovering what’s going on?”

Anna slides her hands into her back pockets,
looking out over the territory she helps me govern. This region,
the entire southeastern portion of the United States, is Conrath
territory. We’re in charge of it when it comes to the vampires. My
rule, up to this point, has been so small, so focused. I know that
issues are going to arise. Maybe something in Arkansas or South
Carolina. And it’s going to be up to me to deal with it.

“
Things have been quiet
since the day Cyrus dragged you away from the Estate,” she says.
“Not a single attack. No more missing people, at least, not from
around here, that we know of. Alivia, I think they know you’re
gone. They’ve been biding their time until you return. Now that
you’re back, I think things are going to start getting deadly
again.”

“
Why is this so personal?”
I ask. “Whoever is behind these attacks obviously has a huge beef
against me and my family. First they tried to kill Henry—did,
tried—I don’t know… And then they frame me for multiple major
crimes, only to take a break while I go to trial?” I shake my head,
the anger and resentment and the vengeance rising up inside of me.
“I need to know why.”

“
Henry had a lot of
history. I’d say he must have done something pretty bad for them to
carry a grudge this big on to the next generation.” Anna sighs, and
it’s obvious, the toll this has already taken on her. I can only
imagine how frustrating this must be. She’s in charge of my
security, in being my General. And she’s no closer to taking them
out than we were on day one.