Chapter 33 The Blood Vow

I walked onto the stone balcony and saw the bags first. Three big leather bags sat near the door. My heart dropped into my stomach like a heavy rock. It was sunset, and the sky was a deep, angry red that looked like a fresh cut.

Silas stood at the rail with his back to me. He was wearing his long brown coat. He did not turn around when I came up the stairs. The wind was cold and it pulled at his hair.

"You are back," Silas said. His voice was flat and hard. It did not sound like the man who had held me in the Dead Lands.

"I am back," I told him. I felt strong again. The King’s blood was moving in my veins like a warm fire. But I also felt dirty. I felt a big weight of guilt in my chest that I could not push away.

Silas turned around slowly. His nose moved as he sniffed the air. His eyes grew narrow and his mouth turned into a thin line. He looked at my neck and then he looked at my mouth.

"I can smell him, Elena," Silas spat. He took a step toward me and his face was red. "The cedar wood. The old fire. You have the Alpha’s blood inside you right now."

I looked at the floor because I could not look at his eyes. "I was dying, Silas. Mirella said my spirit was a hollow hole. Valerius was the only one there."

Silas hit the stone rail with his open hand. Slap. The sound was so loud it made me jump. "I do not care! You took his life into your body. You shared a soul with the man who branded you!"

I looked at his bags again. "Why are you packed, Silas? Where are you going?"

"I am leaving this house," Silas said. He grabbed the handles of two bags. "I cannot be near you when you smell like him. Every time you breathe, I see his face. I am done."

"No!" I ran to him and grabbed his arm. I felt the cold leather of his coat. "You cannot leave me now. Torian is at the river. His army is big and mean. I need my commander."

Silas pulled his arm away from my hand. He looked at me like I was a stranger he did not like. "You have your King now. Let him fight your war. Let him give you more blood when you get tired."

"Valerius is a prisoner!" I yelled. I felt tears starting to burn my eyes. "He is nothing to me. He is just a tool to stay alive for Leo. Please, Silas. I am surrounded by enemies. If you go, the palace will fall."

I saw a flash of something in Silas’s eyes. It was not love. It was a dark, hot pride. He liked that I was begging him. He liked seeing the Queen on her knees.

"You want me to stay?" Silas asked. He dropped the bags and they hit the stone with a loud thud.

"Yes," I whispered. I wiped my face with the back of my hand. "I need you."

Silas walked closer to me. He was very tall and he blocked the light of the setting sun. He looked down at me with a mean smile that did not reach his eyes.

"I will stay," Silas said. "But I will not do it for free. I want a deal, Elena. A real deal."

"Anything," I said. My heart was beating too fast.

"The war with Torian will end soon," Silas said. He reached into his belt and pulled out a small silver knife. "The moment the last Iron-Tooth wolf is gone, you will exile Valerius. You will send him away forever."

I froze. "Silas, he is the father of my son."

"I do not care," Silas hissed. He grabbed my right hand and pulled it up. "He goes to the Dead Lands. He stays in the mist until he dies. If he ever comes back, I will kill him myself."

"I... I can do that," I said. My voice was shaky. I wanted to keep Silas more than I wanted to keep the King.

"No," Silas said. He held the silver knife over my palm. "I want a blood vow. I want a promise you cannot break. If you lie to me, your own magic will eat your heart."

The sun went down behind the mountains. The world turned gray and cold. I looked at the sharp blade of the knife. I thought about the war and the empty gold boxes. I thought about the red spy's head in the dirt. I had to have Silas at my side.

"Do it," I said.

Silas pressed the knife into the middle of my hand. Slice. The pain was quick and hot. Red blood ran down my arm and dripped onto the stone balcony. Silas did the same to his own hand.

He grabbed my hand and pressed our palms together. Our blood mixed in the dark. I felt a sharp pull in my chest. It was a cold, heavy magic that wrapped around my heart like a chain. The vow was made.

"Now you belong to the plan," Silas whispered. He let go of my hand and his eyes were dark and happy. "He will be gone. And then it will just be us."

I looked at my hand. The cut was already closing, but the skin felt tight. I had made a deal with a man who wanted to own me. I felt like a bird in a cage, even with the iron crown on my head.

"Go to your room, Silas," I said. I felt very tired. "We have a war to win tomorrow."

Silas picked up his bags and walked toward the hall. He did not look back. He walked with his head high like he was the one who had won the fight.

I stayed on the balcony and looked at the moon. It was a big white eye in the red sky. I felt the Alpha blood moving in my body. It felt like it was crying. It knew I had just promised to throw its master away.

I turned around to go inside. I wanted to see Leo. I wanted to feel his soft hair and know he was safe. I walked down the long, quiet hallway toward the nursery.

I reached the big wooden doors and pushed them open. The room was dark. The fire was out.

"Leo?" I called out.

No one answered. I walked to the bed and pulled back the blue blanket.

The bed was empty.

My heart jumped into my throat. I looked at the floor and saw a small trail of gray dust. It looked like footprints. Small, tiny footprints that led out of the nursery and toward the back of the palace.

I ran back into the hall. I followed the dust. Every shadow on the wall looked like a reaching hand. I reached the end of the hall where the old stairs went down into the earth.

The heavy iron door at the bottom was standing wide open. It was the door to the royal crypts. The place where the old Kings were buried in the dark stone.

I heard a small voice coming from the deep hole. It was Leo. He was talking to someone.

"Grandson," a deep voice rumbled. It sounded like grinding rocks. "Come closer. See the gift I have for you."

My blood turned to ice. I knew that voice. It was my father, the Beta. But he was supposed to be a slave in the kitchen.

I jumped onto the stairs and ran down into the dark. I had to save my boy from the ghosts in the dirt.

The door behind me swung shut with a loud bang.