Kristen Painter - Blood Rights

S he was not for him. He knew that, and not just because of the voices, but getting his body to agree was a different matter. Her scent numbed him like good whiskey. Made him feel needy. Reckless. Finding some shred of control, he shadowed her out of the club, away from the mob awaiting entrance, and herded her deep into the alley. He scanned in both directions. Nothing. They hadnt been followed. He could get her somewhere safe. Not that he knew where that might be.

No one saw us leave.

She backed away, hugging herself beneath her coat. Her chest rose and fell as though shed run a marathon. Fear soured her sweet perfume. She had to be in some kind of trouble. Why else would she be here without an escort? Without her patron?

Trust me, were completely alone. He reached awkwardly to put his arm around her, the first attempt at comfort hed made in years.

Quicker than a human eye could track, her arm snapped from under the coat, something dark clutched in her hand. The side of her fist slammed into his chest. Whatever she held pierced him, missing his heart by inches. The voices shrieked, deafening him. Corrosive pain erupted where she made contact.

He froze, immobilized by hellfire scorching his insides. He fell to his knees and collapsed against the damp pavement. Foul water soaked his clothing as he lay there, her fading footfalls drowned out by the howling in his head.

House of Comarr
Blood Rights
Flesh and Blood
Bad Blood

Published by Hachette Digital

ISBN: 978-0-748-12129-8

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright 2011 by Kristen Painter

Copyright 2009 by Jaye Wells

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

Hachette Digital
Little, Brown Book Group
100 Victoria Embankment
London, EC4Y 0DY

www.hachette.co.uk

For Grandma B,
who instilled in me in my early years
the power of a good story well told.
I wish you were here to see this.

In this shall the coming of the end of days be revealed: the light and the dark shall collide, and the covenant shall be broken. Sorrow shall bind the darkness, and he shall devour the light and arise reborn. Then blood and sorrow will be his mistress.

SCROLL OF THANICUS (13, 175176)

Corvinestri, Romania, 2067

T he servant trembled in front of the grand fireplace that had never been lit and never would be. The girl the girl is, well, it seems that is, we cannot He bit at his lip.

The gilded mantel clock ticked toward sunrise. Tatiana yawned and rolled her hand through the air. Go on.

His hands twisted, fingers knotting. We cannot find the comarr, my lady.

Tatianas veins iced and she stilled at the mention of the female blood whore. What do you mean, you cannot find her?

Weve searched Lord Algernons manor, and she isnt there.

Tatiana and Lord Ivan had discovered Algernons body just that evening, a rather unusual occurrence in a vampire death. Ashes yes, bodies no. How long do you suppose hes been dead? Not more than a few hours, surely.

His hands fisted at his sides. We believe two days, perhaps three. We think it happened just after the Century Ball, my lady. Perhaps that night or the next morning. We have no way of knowing exactly.

A spark of pain lit her palms. She glanced down at the tiny crescents of blood left by her nails, watched them vanish as she forced herself to relax against the velvet upholstered chair. Algernons death meant the Elder position could be hers, but proving herself worthy of that title would require this chit to be brought to justice. The girl would be found. Even with a three-day lead, how far could she travel alone and unprotected? She was a simple comarr, bred for her blood and her social skills, little more than the vampires equivalent of a geisha. The girl knew nothing of the kine world, just as humans knew nothing of this one. The girl would be simple to find among the kine. Like a sparkling gem in a mud puddle.

Search again. Search the grounds as well.

Yes, my lady.

Now. Begone. Tatiana leaned her head into her hand. With Algernons death, the council would have little choice but to appoint her Elder. Her reign would be a very different one from that old fools. She would start with bringing that thin-witted girl before the council. By making an example of her to the other comarr. A dark joy lifted Tatianas thoughts. When she was appointed Elder, Algernons manor would be hers. Along with all his property in it. Not that she cared for any of his baubles and treasures but one, the one she and Lord Ivan had come to fetch when theyd found Algernons body.

At last, the pieces were knitting together. All her work, her meticulous attention to detail, her endless studying of the prophecies, her personal sacrifices finally, she would wear the mantle of power shed been stitching these many years.

The taint of her past, the human years spent in poverty and squalor, those wounds could only be salved by the protection of great power. The ghosts of those who had used her, treated her like rubbish, those ghosts still haunted her, as spectral as the lost loves of her human life. Power could exorcise them, once and for all. She had to believe that. Or go madder still. Her fingers drifted to the locket around her neck.

The scent of kine had not dissipated. She looked up at the servant, dropping her hand from the locket. Why are you still here?

He shifted from one foot to the other. His head stayed bowed. There is one other thing, my lady.

Tatiana sighed out the end of her patience. What?

She appears to have taken a few of Lord Algernons possessions.

Her nails drummed the chairs carved arm, wounding the old wood. Such as?

As best we can tell, some jewels, gold coins

Insignificant. Now go, search again. Finally, she could join Mikkel in bed, where he undoubtedly already chilled the sheets for her. Of all the paramours shed had since her turning, hed lasted the longest. Perhaps it was his youthful exuberance.

The minion stayed put. Fear wafted off him in delicious waves. Her stomach growled, causing him to jump.

What else? Bothersome mortal. Kine really were good for one thing and one thing only.

The servant shivered. The ring you asked me to look for? It was not on Algernons person or anywhere else in the house. I believe that the girl has taken it.

Bloody hell. The ring of sorrows, gone. Wood splintered beneath Tatianas grip. That old dolt must have shown the girl the ring. Probably bragged about it. Algernon deserved to have his head removed from his neck. Unfortunately, the girl had beaten Tatiana to it. She forced the tip of her tongue against the razor point of one fang until blood coated her mouth. With pain came clarity. How many searched with you?

Twelve.

She tested him. And they also know the ring is missing?

No, my lady. Concern lined his forehead. I told no one else, just as you instructed me.