Chapter 34

Gideon

I ripped the photograph out of the frame and tucked it into my shirt. I wanted to run back to the castle, find my mistress, and demand to know why she was in a photograph with a vampire. Was she a vampire, too? Had she helped me in order to win herself a better place from which to spy on us all? Or was she an assassin?

No, that made no sense. An assassin would not have bothered to help me. And Nora had been alone with me several times. If she was an assassin, she could have attacked then.

No, it was more likely my “fated mate” was a spy. I had to admit that was a bold claim. I wondered how she planned to convince me we were truly mates.

I wanted to find Nora and demand answers. First, though, I had to get back to Jasper and help coordinate the testing. If Nora was a vampire, she would be found out by the healers. If she wasn’t, I would talk to her later and find out what she knew.

I hoped for her sake she had some good answers to my questions. Because gratitude was not enough to hold me back if I found out she had endangered my home and my pack.

I found Jasper with the healers in the main palace.

“Well, do the healers have a test that can tell us if there are any more vampires among us?” I asked.

I had been fairly certain there must be such a test when I gave the order, but it never hurts to check these things.

“Yes,” Jasper said. “And fortunately it is quick. The healers have all checked each other, and me. We’re all clean.”

I patted his shoulder. “It’s good to know my loyal Beta isn’t a blood sucking monster.”

Jasper chuckled. “I’m sure it is.”

One of the healers approached. “Your highness, when you gave the order for everyone to be tested…” he trailed off, visibly hesitant.

I held out my arm. “I meant everyone, yes.”

“Very good, your highness,” the healer said.

The test was quick and relatively painless. The healer pricked my finger with a needle and squeezed a few drops of blood into a tiny square of parchment. He waited a moment and nodded.

“The prince is, of course, not a vampire,” he declared.

“What would happen if I was a vampire?” I asked. “What would the test look like?”

“Oh, the parchment is treated with several herbs, including garlic, that react with vampiric blood. The test strip would change color to bright blue, and possibly ignite or begin to smoke. It’s impossible to mistake.”

“Very good,” I said. “Do you have enough materials to test the entire royal compound?”

“We do, your highness.”

I wondered why they had so many tests available. Did the healers predict a potential disaster like this? Or was it just easier to make the test strips in bulk? I decided not to ask. The important thing was that we had enough supplies.

“I’ve summoned the guards who aren’t on patrol,” Jasper said. “We’ll test them, and if they all pass, they can escort the healers around. I think it’ll be most efficient to test the castle occupants in their rooms. We can summon the lower ranked servants to a central location.”

“That sounds logical,” I said. “The central courtyard should do for that.”

“Right,” Jasper said. “I’ll take some guards and summon the servants. I’ll have the patrols check for any stragglers, anyone hiding out to avoid the test.”

“Good idea. I’ll coordinate the testing here. The nobles will handle the indignity better coming from a prince,” I said.

Jasper bowed and stepped out to explain the situation to the guards he’d summoned.

Thankfully, the guards all tested clean. They divided into teams with the healers, and set out to begin testing everyone.

I went with one team to deal with the nobles. I doubted anyone so highly placed would secretly be a vampire, but a day ago I would have said it was impossible for a vampire to be hiding among us at all.

I wasn’t taking anything for granted.

We started with the servants hall. The guards and healers quickly formed a procedure. The guard would knock, give a brief explanation that amounted to “the prince has ordered this,” and the healer would administer the test.

The servants all tested out clean. I was especially glad to see that none of the kitchen staff were vampires. The potential for disaster there was immense.

After checking the servants, it was time to deal with the nobles. While the servants cooperated readily, I had to explain, cajole, and pull rank with several of the nobles.

Interestingly, my brother Marcus cooperated without a single argument.

He did chuckle when the test revealed he was not a vampire.

“You were there when I was born, brother,” he said. “How could I be a vampire?”

“I suppose you could have been turned at some point,” I said, grinning with relief that he hadn’t made an issue of things. “But if it makes you feel better, I had myself tested too.”

“Well, so long as you’re being fair about it,” Marcus said. “Why didn’t you ask me to help coordinate?”

“I could use your help now,” I said. “If you would join Jasper in the servants’ main courtyard, there are quite a few people who need tested and a prince’s authority will make it go faster.”

“Of course, brother,” Marcus said.

After Marcus, we reached his mistress’ quarters. Clara wasn’t there. I wasn’t surprised, and led the healer to Nora’s room. As I guessed, both mistresses were in there.

“We are testing all occupants of the royal compound,” I announced. “It would be best if you both cooperated.

Nora stood, and dipped in a curtsy. “Of course, your highness.”

She extended her arm for the healer. I stayed close, alert for any trick. She was the one I most suspected, as her mate had been a vampire.

Regardless of the result, though, Nora and I needed to have a long talk after this.

I watched as a drop of her blood fell onto the slip of paper. There was no reaction. The paper did not turn any color, let alone blue. It certainly did not smoke or ignite.

I found myself almost disappointed. If Nora was a vampire spy, then she was just doing her job. She was an enemy, sure, but I could respect that.

Then, it was Clara’s turn. She extended her hand confidently, and the healer gently pricked her finger. The blood drop struck the paper, which turned a soft purple.

The healers frowned, and stepped aside to consult with each other. One of the guards grabbed Clara, but I waved him off. She wasn’t going to run and I doubted she was any threat. Most likely that strip of paper was flawed somehow. It was supposed to turn blue for a positive result, not purple.

I approached the healers.

“What does purple mean?” I asked.

The first healer answered, “I am not sure, your highness. I have never seen that result. We should test her again with a fresh strip, in case something was wrong with this one.”

“Very well,” I said.

Again, Clara submitted to the test. And again, the paper turned purple, not blue.

“What does that mean?” Nora asked. “Is something wrong with Clara? Is she sick?”

“No,” I said. “We don’t know what it means, but she’ll be staying with the healers until they figure it out.”

The healers were quick to agree.

“There are more tests we can run,” the lead healer declared. “We will figure this out, your highness, ladies. I am sure it is merely an oddity. There may be some factor in her blood that we haven’t accounted for, something rare.”

“All right,” I said. “Clara, go with them. Nora, you and I need to have a serious discussion.”

I pulled out the photograph and handed it to her. Nora’s face went pale.