Page 16 of Crown of Death
“I promise you he is not dead,” the man says, tossing the syringe into a corner. I hear glass shatter. “But he had to be contained before he caused me a problem. He’ll wake nearmorning.”
He’ll wake. Meaning this man doesn’t plan to kill him beforethen.
“Who are you?” my voice quakes, but comes out clear and strong. “Why are you doingthis?”
I jump at the sound of metal scraping concrete. He drags a metal chair across the floor. He sets it just in front of me and sits, resting his elbows on hisknees.
“My name is Edmond Valdez,” he says, his voice beautiful and luring. “I am one of the heirs to the House of Valdez.” He studies me once more, but instead of the smirk and scheming in his eyes, I just see searching. “I’m doing this because you look exactly like your mother, and that makes you very, very interesting to theCourt.”
“My…my mother?” I question, confused at the turn this has taken. “I…I don’t look anything like her. I’m…I’madopted.”
Understanding dawns in his eyes, and a little smile pulls at the corner of his mouth. “Ah. That makes sense,then.”
I shake my head, blinking three times fast. “No. None…none of this makessense.”
He smiles sympathetically. “It will soon. All of this is because you look so very much like yourbirthmother. I’d question if I’m just seeing things. Buthispresence,” he nods his head at Eli, “just confirmsit.”
“My birth mother?” I question. “You…how could you possibly know who she is? It was a closed adoption. My parents don’t even know hername.”
Edmond smiles, and I think that really is genuine pity in his eyes. “Because I’ve met the woman, on more than one occasion. She was at my House just two years ago. You have her same nose, lips, brow. Your eyes, though, I suspect you got those from your father. Whomever he maybe.”
My head is spinning. Faster than I can keep upwith.
Toomuch.
Every single bit of this night is just toomuch.
Monsters. These people aremonsters.
Ripping off heads. With glowing redeyes.
I’ve been abducted bymonsters.
“She’s spiraling,” the woman says, who has been so very quiet this whole time that I forget she’s even here. “We need to do something aboutit.”
“Hmm,” Edmond says, looking atme.
My vision is getting dark. I’m breathing toofast.
“I’ll doit.”
“Fine,” hesays.
Suddenly, there’s a sharp prick in myneck.
And then nothing butblack.
Chapter 5
“Wake up.”
The voice pierces through the fog like a laser beam straight to myeye.
“You should wakeup.”
Even though my brain has snapped to consciousness, it still takes a monumental amount of effort to drag my eyelidsopen.
Everything is a dull yellow blur. Fuzzy shapes that move around. And a searing pain in my neck. Blinking rapidly, my vision slowly comes into focus. Pain stabs through my neck as I straighten it, raising myhead.