Page 18 of Vanquished Gods
“Numinous…what’s that?”
“Awe-inspiring,” I said.
“Ah, sweetheart, yes. Well, that’s exactly what I mean about vampires being godlike. King Sion without his shirt on is numinous as fuck. That’s what I mean.”
“Tell me more about Maelor unleashed,” I said.
“Oh, yes,” she chuckled to herself. “Absolute bloodbath when he’s unleashed, poor man. He feels ever so guilty afterward. But it’s not his fault. It’s the night goddess working through him. And that’s the risk the thralls take for greatness. It’s all worth it for the thrill, of course. And what’s the point of life without a thrill, or without the chance to become something divine?” She tugged at my hair as she braided flowers into it. “Have you experienced the sexual power of a truly magnificent vampire like Sion? Because once you have a taste of it, you might as well be dead without it.”
My chest flushed as my mind flicked back to the feeling of Maelor’s lips against my throat. Then the image of Maelor morphed into Sion—more feral, hungrier.
Rowena’s fingers worked expertly to thread the white poppies into braids. “And with a king like Sion, all it takes is a touch. Just a brush of his lips against your skin will make your knees weak and your blood pound, and you’ll melt into his arms. When a vampire king drinks from you, you’ll become soft, malleable, pliable as warm beeswax. Some of the witches say thralls get so obsessed because the powerful vampires exude a magic calledamoris. It even works on vampires like me. When we breathe it in, it makes us wild with need until it’s all we can think about. Getting fucked by a vampire king.”
She yanked at my hair, tugging my head back.
“Ow.” This womanreallyneeded to get laid because she was taking out her frustration on my scalp.
In the mirror, I could see that her beautiful blue eyes danced. “But they always want the humans, don’t they? Even a beautiful vampire like me…I’m not what they want. I’m not alive. They want your life. The rosiness in your cheeks. Do you understand that? Sion craveslife.”
Oh, yes. I understood all too well the dark impulse to crush a rose in bloom.
“How old are you, Rowena?”
“Just a few years younger than Sion and Maelor. We were all alive together back in Lirion. I knew Epona, too. So beautiful. So full of life. Mirthful. And when Sion turned into a vampire, he wanted to wrap her in his shadows, like the night consuming the day. A vampire wants to devour the living, to be inside you, to ruin you so that you crave them, and only them, and all you can think of is the wild, erotic pleasure of their fangs in your throat and their cock inside you.”
Archon above.Were all vampires insane? “Can you ease up on the hair pulling?”
“Sion feeds from me sometimes.” She sighed. “Even though I’m a vampire. But I serve him so faithfully. In time, he will realize my worth. I will get a navka pendant. You know, I’ve seen too many thralls give in too easily. They’re not after the real prize, like I am. He will see my value one day. I have served him all these centuries.”
“Are we almost done here, or…”
“The thralls keep hoping he’ll choose them. If a vampire falls in love with you, he can turn you. It’s the easiest way to become immortal.”
“Is that how you were turned?”
“I loved him,” she said sharply. “I caught his eye.”
I stared at myself in the mirror, and the candlelight bathed me in warm light. “…Okay.”
She giggled. “He is the kindest and most gentle lord.”
Kindest and most gentle lord.Rowena was full of shit, but at least she was entertaining.
“Now, let’s get you to the lunarium. I know everyone is eagerly awaiting you.”
CHAPTER 9
With the ivory silk brushing over my body, I stalked through the hall, following Rowena. In so many parts of the castle, the imposing windows overlooked the sea, and it sparkled like dark, diamond-flecked silk under the sky.
“How long has Sion lived here?” I asked.
“Centuries ago, the Mormaer granted him this island for his services as a loyal vampire soldier. Then Sion made himself a king. In the old days, before the Tyrenians, it had always been its own kingdom, you know. Even if it is a small island.”
Rowena led me up to a soaring archway of dark stone and gestured for me to enter while she slipped into the shadows outside.
I crossed into a room with a round, open-air ceiling. Candelabras on the table cast off a warm light that danced over the faces of three men sitting at a round table—Sion, Maelor, and Percival. Beyond them, more arched windows overlooked the sea. With no glass in them, a briny breeze rushed in and kissed my skin, then wrapped around the towering stone columns that surrounded the room and stretched up to the sky.
Sion’s amber gaze locked on to the poppies in my hair. “I was hoping you’d like the flowers.”