Covet the Night, page 42
"Hurry up, you two!" Both girls looked to the door with matching sour expressions. Danica stood in the doorway, changed from her earlier gown of midnight blue to one of black silk. "Your final initiation test awaits," she said with a cheerful smile. "Go get changed and meet back here in five minutes."
Antonia walked stiffly to the door, but Gwen's feet were frozen to the floor. "Our final… test?"
Danica hustled over to Gwen, herding her inside. She wrinkled her nose as she gave her a once-over. "Shower as fast as you can. You smell of blood and release. Change into the dress we've laid out for you, then meet back out here."
"It's really happening?"
"Yes, love." Danica closed the door behind them. "It's really happening. By dawn, you'll officially be a Roux."
XXV
I
t was happening. It was really happening.
She was going to become a vampyré if she passed their final test and her body could withstand the transition. Danica and her sire, Aster, waited in the hall with Gwen and Becca. Neither vampyré deigned to speak.
Gwen fiddled with the long sleeve of her white dress. Shimmering beads adorned the cuffs and V-neck. Becca's white dress was, while cut in the same silhouette, composed entirely of quilted fabric.
Tired of the silence, Gwen turned her gaze to Danica. "Where are the others?"
"Distracting the court with a lavish masquerade," she replied as if the very answer was completely obvious. "Rumors should be spreading at this very moment of your celebration ball next week to lead astray any nefarious plots."
"Won't they think it's strange that we're gone?"
Danica suppressed a laugh, though her eyes glittered with bitter humor. "Why ever should they? It’s common knowledge that we've been keeping you three under lock and key and that you’re always tucked away early. As for us, who would bat an eye over our absence given my recent loss?"
"I'm sorry, sisters," Antonia exclaimed in a rush of breath, almost tripping as she hurtled out of the suite. Both vampyrés swiveled their gazes to her. "My—"
"Never mind, come along," Aster cut in briskly, tapping her foot until Antonia was beside them. Gwen noted the decided lack of color to Antonia's face and the reddened hue around her eyes. But there was no time to dwell on it, for Aster was striding away in the next second.
She didn't go far. Veering left, Aster aimed for an oversized portrait hung on the wall. She peered in both directions, her hand poised on the portrait's frame.
"Come," she ordered, hauling the portrait away from the wall enough to fit a body. A draft stirred around Gwen's ankles. She shivered at the haunting touch. "Hurry now," Aster prompted, waving a hand in the sliver of space she'd provided.
Antonia pushed her way to the front, entering the secret passage without further hesitation. The rest followed without a word.
Aster led them through a maze of secret passages. By the fifth turn and second staircase, Gwen stopped trying to memorize their route in case disaster struck. Instead, she spent the long journey attempting to reconcile her unsettled emotions.
She should have been happy. They were heading toward their final initiation at this very moment, and by Danica's own words, she would be a vampyré by dawn.
Gwen swallowed. So why wasn't she?
There was, of course, a sense of relief and joy knowing she’d succeeded and survived to this point. But the triumph was bittersweet and frightening. Now that death was imminent, fear licked at her skin. Every shadowy figure on the walls developed claws. Every rattle or innocuous sound made her heart skip a beat.
What if she failed, or it didn't work? What if she never woke up?
Fear transitioned to mourning the longer their journey went on.
Gwen never got the chance to live out her human life the way she wanted. Regret weighed down her past, but even more so, the future she would never have with William. The picture he’d painted of their human life sang to her soul. What would the Roux do if they discovered their connection?
Panic scored her from head to toe. Gwen stumbled, casting furtive eyes to her soon-to-be sisters to see if they noticed, but they paid her no mind. Her panic didn't abate. No matter if she came back a vampyré or not, she would still, technically, die. What did that mean for William?
Gwen wrapped her arms around her middle as she followed mindlessly. There was no time for her to process anything that had transpired within the past hour. Until this point, her sole focus was surviving. But now….
A figure caught her eye. Up ahead, past the last small flight of stairs, was Madame Roux. She stood in the middle of a thin corridor by a ragged door. A smile more radiant than the sun beamed back at them. As they reached her, the door glided open.
Gwen's eyes roamed the pristine room. Several swatches of silky white fabric hung from both walls and ceiling. She wove between those draped from the ceiling, gently brushing them aside to reach the center of the room where a circle enshrined with rose petals was laid out.
"Be seated," Madame Roux bade the initiates.
The three formed a triangle, leaving a generous amount of space between themselves. Once they settled and turned their eyes toward Madame Roux, her smile became even more demure, a look Gwen thought not possible.
"It brings me joy to see you three here," Madame began, directing her gaze around to each initiate. "Each of you has shown great promise. Be it with treasures untold"—her eyes landed on Becca—"through acts of courage and fortitude"—then glided to Antonia, who sat all the straighter—"or in your steadfast loyalty"—and rested finally on Gwen, whose muscles clenched at the attention—"you have honored us, and so we seek to honor you. The time has come to give yourself anew, to give up your name, your identity, and be forged in our immortal image."
Madame snapped her fingers, and Aster appeared with a bowl and goblet. She passed the goblet to Antonia and placed the bowl on the ground before vanishing in the thick streams of white.
"Tonight, we ask only for the truth. Drink from this cup, and it shall be so told from your lips. From this bowl, answer the questions. Discover for yourselves who is worthy enough to bear the name of Roux." Madame produced a small, wicked blade from the folds of her skirts. "I shall leave you to your final challenge in peace. No questions shall be asked if one or more of you is found lacking," she asserted with a husky flourish to her voice. She bent and laid the knife at the bowl's side, then rose with hands folded neatly atop one another. "No questions shall be asked of your time here at all to better forge the bond you create here. When you are finished, go to the door and ring the bell at its side three times. A sister will come to fetch you for your baptism, where we will wash away your mortal sins before bestowing the kiss of eternal life upon you."
The three initiates remained silent, staring somberly at their fate.
"Semper Paratus."
Madame's skirts flared about her as she twirled and left, her exit ushering the hanging decorations and a slew of petals to chase after in her wake. Gwen caught a glimpse of the door and golden bell beside it before the fabrics settled back into place, distorting it cleverly from view.
"Norok." Antonia raised the goblet in salute before bringing it to her lips.
Gwen caught Becca's eye at the guttural roll of Antonia's R. She'd yet to hear her speak in her native tongue and was mildly surprised to hear it now. Antonia passed the goblet to Becca, wiping the wet from her lips with a quick swipe of her thumb.
"Cheers, I guess," Becca muttered as she eyed the drink warily before taking her turn.
Gwen's heart thumped against her rib cage as she leaned forward to accept the goblet from Becca. "Cheers." She offered a wry smile and downed the contents. It tasted vaguely of mint.
"Now what?" Becca asked as the three eyed the bowl and knife.
Gwen set the goblet down near the other objects and took from the bowl one of its coiled pieces of paper.
"We tell the truth," she murmured.
Gwen unraveled the small scroll with steady fingers, though she was all too aware of the clammy nature of her palms. She glanced at both women, noting their identical composure. Stiff spines and blank faces—both braced for the worst. Gwen rolled her shoulders back and read the question, her lips parting without a sound coming forth. She read the question a second time silently before lifting her gaze back to the others, her stomach rife with anxiety.
"Where did the medicine go?" Gwen asked, crumpling the question in her fist. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Antonia raised both eyebrows and shrugged.
They looked to Becca. Her face was ashen and eyes downcast. Gwen studied the brisk rise and fall of her chest.
"Becca?"
Her ivy-colored eyes collided with Gwen’s.
"I… we…." Becca closed her eyes and placed a hand over her heart, releasing a whoosh of air before she opened her eyes. "I took the medicine."
"What medicine?" Antonia questioned. "When?"
"Why?" Gwen chimed in.
Becca squirmed in her seat. "Medicine from the hospital, back before all this, when I was still premed."
"You were premed?" Gwen's eyed Becca with new regard.
The younger girl nodded.
"I was a shoo-in for the University of Utah. Both my parents worked there. My brother went there a couple of years before me. It was expected."
"But why did you take the medicine? For what purpose?" Antonia prodded, a quizzical frown pulling down the corners of her mouth and forehead.
Becca licked her lips anxiously. "I took it for my boyfriend so we could—" Becca winced, trying to hold back the words but unable. In the end, they rushed out of her louder than intended. "—sell them!"
Becca slammed a hand over her mouth, eyes glossy with tears. Gwen reared back, sharing a stunned look with Antonia. They allowed Becca a moment to compose herself as she rubbed a hand over her chest, fingers coasting toward her throat at times as she worked to settle her erratic breathing.
"Why?" Antonia asked on top of Gwen's question. "How did it all start?"
Becca mumbled something incoherent under her breath, pinching the bridge of her nose as she sighed. "I didn't know he was a dealer when we got together. He was just this guy who ran in the same circle as me and some of my friends. I only ever saw him at parties, and one night we got to talking and hit it off. I learned about what he was doing after a couple of weeks from one of my girlfriends. Josh promised he would stop."
Gwen caught Becca's sorrowful eyes. "But he didn't?"
A few tears escaped Becca as she shook her head bitterly. "He had me completely fooled… and wrapped around his finger. I never had a guy pay that kind of attention to me before—and the sex was incredible," she recalled with a genuine laugh. A fond smile stole onto her lips before fading. "He got into trouble, and I helped him out of it, and that was that. All of a sudden, I was stealing medicine for him to sell. I took my parents' prescription pads and used them to get drugs from the hospital's pharmacy. It was simple enough to dress the part of a resident and fool whoever was working the desk, but it surprised me how easy it was," she admitted. Becca took one of the decorative rose petals in hand, twirling it in her fingers. "I got the drugs. He sold them. We made out with so much cash, but it was drawing too much attention to us. At least, that's what Josh said. He started getting paranoid. Started using. Started hitting me. I swear I aged ten years in two months once that switch was flipped."
Becca tore the petal in half and let the pieces drift to the floor.
"Things just snowballed out of control after that," she confessed. "I was barely making it to my classes. I refused to see my family and friends because I didn't want them to see what I let happen to me. And one day I just—" She snapped her fingers, the resounding slap of her finger striking the ball of her thumb startling Gwen. Becca's eyes met Gwen's, daring her to ask the question.
"What was it?" Antonia's voice quavered. "What made you snap?"
Becca sighed and closed her eyes. "It wasn't even ten in the morning, and he'd popped an Oxycontin. When it hit, he got on this tangent about how he was going to make everything right. How he had everything already set up." She opened her eyes and stared blankly ahead. "He said how my 'sweet-ass body' was going to put everything right. The guys would be over in a few hours to take it for a test drive and—"
Emotion clogged her throat, though Becca fought it valiantly.
"And you snapped?" Antonia concluded, voice ripe with understanding.
Becca nodded and picked up another petal, tore it in half, and let it drift to the ground before repeating the process. "I spiked his drink with fentanyl. A lethal dose is only two milligrams—can you believe that? It's so small compared to other opiates."
Goose bumps littered Gwen's arms and legs. "How much did you give him?"
Becca's hands paused in their ministrations. "I crushed up everything we had, then mixed it in the drink I fixed him. He was so high he didn't even notice. He tried to down it in one—probably planned on throwing the glass at me for fun—but it hit him in seconds. Josh's lips turned blue almost immediately, and he started to seize and foam at the mouth. And I just… walked away. I took our stash of cash, snagged my passport, and left."
Her eyes glued themselves to her empty hands.
"Cassia found me in Italy. I was out late, trying to figure out where I could sleep without being disturbed when a couple of guys cornered me. I put up a helluva fight, and if it weren't for Cassia showing up out of nowhere…." Tears spilled over Becca's cheeks as her jaw clenched. It took her several seconds to gather herself and speak. "She killed them, bought me a drink to make sure I was okay, and we talked all night into the dawn. She was kind and empathetic but also so serious as we spoke. She held my hand the entire time, and all I can remember thinking was how cold she was." She chuckled at the memory, quieting for a long moment after. "When she offered me the chance to start a new life, I knew I couldn't refuse. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in jail, and I couldn't face the person I’d become in such a short time for him. So, I said yes, and now I'm—"
"Here," Gwen finished for her.
Becca nodded.
"Am I fit to be a Roux after everything I’ve done?" Silence followed Becca's inquiry.
Is she? Gwen wondered. She’d made more than her share of mistakes, taking a man's life and fleeing from the mess without saying anything to her family or friends, who were undoubtedly worried sick. And yet, despite all the marks against her, Gwen didn't think her undeserving of the Roux name. The mere thought of declaring otherwise felt wrong, especially after spending the past few weeks in her company.
Antonia cleared her throat. "The world is better off without him in it, and," she added with a grimace, "you."
"Gee, thanks." An angry flush rose on Becca's cheeks.
"You belong here, Rebecca," Antonia said kindly. "Our sister lines may encourage a certain rivalry between us, but it is because of this that I know you will make a formidable Roux."
"I agree," Gwen said.
Becca sagged in relief, then reached for the bowl.
Her nails scratched against the bottom before fishing out a new question and rolling it open. Her eyes darted over the sentence once before flitting to Gwen. "How did you procure the sunlight ring?"
Gwen froze. Madame Roux said we didn't have to reveal how we’d gotten the treasures from the first test! Frustration burned through her veins as she ground her molars together against the drink's compelling magic.
"William," she half gasped, half shouted, unable to hold out.
Antonia stared at her in disapproval, Becca in confusion.
"Why would he give you a sunlight ring?" Antonia asked.
"It was a trade." Gwen stretched out the sentence as she battled to control the narrative. "I overheard him having a conversation with Irina Vrana—"
"What were they talking about?"
Gwen scowled at Antonia, apologizing to William in her heart for having to betray his confidence. She opened her mouth to reply but found what she remembered lacking. "Something about favors and owing each other," she shared, eyes narrowing as she sifted through her memories. "Irina wanted William's help decoding some scroll and scepter. Or maybe it was about a mirror. I can't remember which exactly."
"That's it?" Becca's skepticism rankled. "Did they say what the scroll and scepter were for?"
"Only that it would help Jax, though I'm not sure how. I only overheard the end of their conversation, and then Irina's niece and her friend appeared."
Antonia's forehead took on several deep lines. "But why would he give you a sunlight ring? Why not just kill you?"
"He was going to." Gwen licked her lips, the scene playing out in her head before a flush crawled up her neck to span her cheeks. "I tried seducing him, but that did not go as planned. I ended up making a huge ass of myself, but something about the whole exchange endeared me to him. He helped fix my dress after I, er… offered myself to him, and then he suggested the trade. I would keep his conversation with Irina a secret, and he'd give me his sunlight ring."
Antonia's scowl didn't abate. "That's hardly a fair trade. For him," she elaborated.
"I'm aware that it wasn't a fair trade," Gwen snapped. "But that's how it went down, and then he kept being everywhere I was. At least, that's what it felt like."
Becca spared her a pitying look. "He was just using you. You know that, right, Gwen? The Roux hold considerable power in court. He was probably trying to get close to you so he could get closer to one of the other sisters in your line."
"That's what I kept thinking, but why? Why would he do that?"
Becca swallowed, eyes growing wide with alarm before cursing and spilling the truth. "Because the royal households are debating new laws for the court that would affect him."
Gwen's jaw slowly opened. "What kind of rules?"
"The kind that would relegate all supernaturals who aren't vampyrés to an even lower status and restrict their privileges and access in the court, along with their voices." Becca avoided Gwen's gaze as she delivered the news, but once she finished, her shoulders hunched, and she cast her eyes to her. "I'm sorry, Gwen."
