Page 62 of Treasured
“My two generals,” I sneered. “Ophelia and Hector.” Tapping the bloody stake against my thigh, I stared at the two of them. “I thought you were capable soldiers. Remind me, how many years have you each seen?”
The pair exchanged a glance and then lowered their eyes.
“My Making was eight centuries ago, Your Majesty,” Ophelia replied.
Hector said, “General Oak Made me seven and a half centuries ago.”
At the mention of the general, a hiss slipped through my fangs.
A timid knock came from outside my study, barely more than the brushing of knuckles against the door.
I shadowed over in a heartbeat, flinging the door open. “Have you found him?” I asked breathlessly.
My love had been missing for an entire turn of the moon. He vanished without a trace, and no one could find him. My heart ached. Nicolas was my other half, and he was just… gone.
General Oak stood in the hallway, gripping a missive in his white-knuckled hands. Though he was a head taller than me, the male seemed to shrink in my presence.
Still, he did not speak.
“Tell me,” I urged the soldier. “Where is he?”
General Oak swallowed. “Queen Marguerite, the humans, they…” His brows furrowed, and he stopped speaking.
Humans? I didn’t care about them. Not really. They were annoying and thought too much of themselves, but they were a part of our lives as vampires. We needed their blood to live. Vampires could survive off animals, but human blood brought us strength.
“What about them?” I snapped. The sooner I dealt with this, the sooner I could go back to finding Nicolas. He was the only human I cared about.
The general’s eyes widened, and the paper trembled in his hands. “They have… they are… the humans have decided…” He thrust the paper at me. “Look.”
I took the sheet, staring at the hastily written script. My heart pounded. I seethed, and red clouded my vision until it was all I could see.
“How dare they?” I hissed. “They’re mortals.”
I reread the words, wondering if something had changed.
It had not.
On behalf of all humans in Eleyta, we claim freedom. For too long, our people have suffered under the vampires’ control.
That is no longer the case. We will negotiate with the queen and work to form laws that are beneficial to both our people, or we will fight until none of the bloodthirsty monsters are left.
The Freedom Revolution is here.
Did they dare reject my rule?
My grip on the paper tightened when my eyes landed on the signatures at the bottom. Most of them were meaningless, but there was one I recognized…
No.
My heart dropped, and for a moment, I could not speak. I could not breathe. My legs trembled, and I leaned against the wall.
How could he do this to me?
His name was written there in black ink as clearly as the rest.
Nicolas De La Mont.
My eyes burned, and I swayed on my feet.