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“But
opening night is Monday isn’t it?”

“They found Kendra and Gregory today. Both attempted to run; Gregory got
away but they were able to catch Kendra. So, Tristan has called the first Allsummit in seventy-five years for the purpose of executing her. And we have to be there since she’s my fledgling.” He grumbled and looked me over, that near to neon gaze made me shiver. “Any other day…” Aleksi snickered shaking his head with some of that tension bleeding away from his body, his shoulders relaxed visibly. I passed my fingers through my dark hair and bit my bottom lip. “Every day is an exercise in control with you,” He purred turning from me before returning to shoving clothes in the bag.

“Will we be back Monday?”

“Probably. Monday night, definitely.”

“Don’t you need a dress rehearsal?”

“Technical rehearsal was today. We were doing another
Monday, but we don’t need it. Well, Tristan does but no one is going to tell him that.”

“My mother is coming Monday, I have to be there when she gets in.”

“Just tell her to meet you at Le Fleur after, I’ll have them reserve the private dining room for you.”

“Al-alright.”

He pulled me by the wrist out of my apartment and locked the door before he dragged me out to his car wordlessly. Something was bothering him, he looked antsy. He kept checking his rear view mirror nervously observing the cars around us. He seemed hyper-aware of everything as we raced to Crimson Hill.

“You haven’t said anything. I enjoy your compliance but I know you have an opinion on this, Autumn.” He broke our silence, those eyes
keening at a car in the rearview mirror. I stayed silent for a while. How did I feel?
Kendra deserves everything she gets. Now, check your lipstick you probably smudged it.
I turned down the visor and checked my lipstick in the little mirror. I kept pushing the reality away like I did with the bad dream.

“I…I don’t get why you need to execute her. She’s not hurting anyone; nothing’s happened since the apartment explosion. And she had nothing to do with that, she was locked in a box.”

“When Tristan told Leslie, she said she wanted to be the one to take off Kendra’s head. She understands it, I really wish you could.” He swallowed and changed lanes.

“I’ve never h-had…had many friends, Aleksi. If you hadn’t
noticed, I’m n-not exactly Miss Popular. Even with everything she’s done I still don’t think she deserves death.”

“The alternative worst case scenario
, she escapes again, gives birth and the child is revered as Vlad reborn or some bullshit. In the middle of the night, we’re pulled from our bed and they torture you to death in front of me and then kill me. Or, they throw us both in a partitioned oubliette. They’ll starve me for a month or six and then lift the partition; my hunger will make instinct kick in and I’ll kill you. Then once I’m coherent again, they’ll either, take my fangs and throw me back in the oubliette with your body for good, or they’ll kill me. At that point, I think killing me would be merciful.”

“And the alternative best scenario is she takes the baby and doesn’t bother us.”

“
No, that child exists for one reason alone—to tie Gregory to Vlad under the correct assumption that he cares for those with his blood above all others… except Elizabeta. If it survives, which I still don’t think it will; I can say with one hundred percent certainty, that the thought of leaving us alone has never crossed Kendra’s mind.”

The silence came back again, and I stared out of the window watching the cars pass as we turned down that scenic slice of highway that lead to Crimson Hill. I didn’t want to think about what was going to happen to Kendra. I was probably the only one in the world that didn’t want her dead. Even if she had been working from the beginning to get Aleksi, she was a victim of circumstances and being used as a pawn. Or at least that was my opinion, but my opinion didn’t really count for much. I wasn’t a vampire; my feelings on the matter amounted to a steak saying it felt bad about someone throwing out a plastic fork. Aleksi was extending a courtesy to me by discussing it.

“I understand why she has to die. I don’t like it, but I understand it
,” I added as we pulled into the gates. I was starting to hate Crimson Hill. Almost every recent horrible moment happened there. With the exception of the sex with Aleksi, I had nothing positive to say about my experiences within the walls.

“That’s all I wanted to
hear,” He added softly as he parked the car and got out. I followed him, quickly catching up as we climbed the stairs. His fingers sought out mine, lacing together the first instant they could.

“But what if the baby survives?” I looked up at him and he shook his head.

“If, on the off chance that happens, Elizabeta will take it and raise it.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“I could hire a bunch of Nannies and never actually care for the child
, or converse with it; but I think it would be better off with Elizabeta, who would actually nurture the child. I have no interest in dealing with that creature if it lives.”

“Oh.”

“And again, I’m going to say I would treat it differently if it were our child. But it’s not.” He opened a door and I was shocked to find that we had managed to walk all the way back to his bedroom. Clearly, I was distracted. Closing the
door, he released my hand and threw the bag on the bed. “Red panties, the corset and the lacy collar. Now.” He pulled off his coat and started rummaging through the white dresser. “I want to pay my respects to Vlad before the shit-storm.”

Without a word, I stripped down to nothing and retrieved the specified garments from the bag. Aleksi watched me in the mirror, his eyes full of heat as I padded nude around the room. He closed the drawer with a loud thud as I slipped on those bright red panties that matched his tie. He disappeared into the room behind the hidden panel next to the bed as I pulled on the corset and started trying to tug the ribbon tight enough. A few minutes later, while I was still struggling, he entered the room wearing a white button-down shirt, and black vest. In his hand was something very interesting. Twirling between his fingers was a black leather riding crop.
Oh, that looks fun.
I bit my bottom lip.
Stop that!
I released the soft flesh and drew a shaky breath.

“Turn around
,” he said as he slowly approached me, his voice and eyes darkened with desire.

Slowly, I presented my back to him with a swallow. The slight caressing pressure from his fingers skidding up the bright red satin drove me wild. I arched back, the curve of my bottom attempting to seek out that hardened flesh that I knew from his look would greet me. However, he kept himself far enough back from me that I couldn’t reach him as he pulled the ribbon tight, compressing my already tiny waist further. Sliding his hands over the corset he bent over,
snatched the collar off of the bed and left the crop behind. I lifted my hair above my head as he secured the bright red lace and satin at my throat. It was the same collar I wore at Elizabeta’s ceremony, the same collar I wore the first time we had sex. His fingers lingered at my throat before falling away. In silence, he hooked a bright red ribbon lead to the collar and led me out of the room and into the hall.

When we reached the shrine, we found it surprisingly Spartan. The glass cases that held Vlad’s armor and swords were gone. Most of the red and black silk that draped from the ceiling was gone as well, leaving only the ceiling and the cold marble behind. Vlad was, of course, still there on the black marble altar and still had that length of black velvet draped over his waist and lower. But everything seemed so different without the little-added extras. It really felt more like a tomb than a shrine now.

Aleksi bent over Vlad and pressed his forehead to the torpid vampire’s and lingered. Vlad’s face didn’t seem pleased, his brow was creased with worry even as Aleksi raised and stepped back. No words were exchanged, there was no hissed whisper in my mind, but as Aleksi led me out of the room I looked back at Vlad and I could have sworn that his fingers twitched.

From the shrine, we went to a massive ballroom that was packed with people. Again the human and Vampire dress code differences were drastic. Most of the Vampires were at least black tie, but instead of black those ties—or dresses—were the hues of the vampires or their sires, several vampires wore the same color. Most humans, on the other hand, wore next to nothing; we were paraded around in our intimates, and few if any looked happy to be there. It was the first time I noticed the bruises, scars and half healed lacerations visible on the bodies of most servants.
Things could be so much worse.
I did, however, notice that the servants on the riser at the back of the room didn’t look like the ones milling about on the floor. They cowered when their vampires of choice raised their hands or gestured in their direction.
Well, not every side of beef is grass fed, and not every chicken is free-range. You honestly didn’t expect this?
Some vampires eyed Aleksi and I dubiously as they parted for us.

Vampires actually cowered from Aleksi. As he made his way through the crowd, they stepped back tilting their heads to the side to bare their throats. Was it because of Vlad? Was it because of the execution that was about to take place? Was it something else?
He said he smelled aggressive.
The closer we got to the little riser the less vampires the tripped over themselves to get out of Aleksi’s way, but still we were met with odd looks.

When we stepped on the riser, Aleksi walked to a small, ornate, golden throne with a bright red pillow beside it. I knelt instinctively and he smiled down at me, his fingers passing through my hair. I smiled up at him, closing my eyes as I enjoyed the sensation of his hand on me. After a moment, he sat on that throne and crossed his ankles, briefly looking out over the room. I opened my mouth to ask what was going to happen and closed it almost immediately—I didn’t know if I was allowed to speak unless spoken to.
You are aware that the average twenty-seven-year-old wouldn’t even contemplate the idea of not having permission to speak.

“Once the other elders arrive, Tristan will have them bring out Kendra. I’ll go over there”—He pointed to a metal table which was raised above the crowd on another riser. The table had a massive antique operating mirror above it, angled so the room would get the optimal view of whatever went on—“and then, I’d suggest you start shutting your eyes.”

“Al-alright
,” I stuttered out as I stared up at him. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, quickly brushing his lips against my skin.

Other vampires began taking their seats, their servants kneeling on the pillows beside them. Leslie knelt beside Tristan, I couldn’t help but to notice that she was allowed a sheer robe over the garnet colored bra, panties and stockings she wore. My friend looked amazing with her hand resting on Tristan’s knee as they laughed and joked. This was her element, that chocolate brown hair of hers was shiny and expertly curled. I trailed my fingers through my own tresses as those old inadequacies reared their head. My hair, to me, seemed dull and horrible. My curl from the morning had fallen leaving me with pitch black loose and messy waves. The only thing I felt I could pride myself on in comparison was the fact that my hair was longer. Hers stopped at her mid-back and mine was now almost to my hips.

“She’s like a little doll that just personifies life.” A blonde female vampire in a tight cobalt blue satin dress remarked to Aleksi as she paused in front of us. “But it only makes sense that you out of all of us has the pick of the litter, old friend
,” She cooed in a husky voice as she sat on Aleksi’s lap.

“Estella
,” Aleksi said curtly. His attention, however, was on me completely as he gently stroked my cheek with the back of his hand.

“Have you seen my new pretty?” Only then, as she tugged on the thin blue lead did I realize it was in her hand. On the other end, wearing a pair of satin briefs that matched her dress, was a painfully thin male with large, pale hazel eyes ringed with black eyeliner. His hair was cut short everywhere but in the front where it hung in his eyes. His lip was pierced and he had several tattoos on his chest and stomach. He, like so many other humans
there, looked frightened. “His name is Byron, and he is the very definition of the word masochist.” She swooned leaning her head against Aleksi’s shoulder. “Byron, sit beside…” She sucked her teeth and shook her head. “Oh Aleksi, you’re so rude. What is the lovely girl’s name?”

“Autumn, and no I won’t share.” He glanced at the vampire before returning his attention to me. The way he stared at me almost made me uncomfortable, it was like he was in a trance. “She’s very obedient but also very mine.”

The thin, pretty male sat beside me on the pillow and I glanced at him for a moment. He put his hands on his thighs and we stared at each other for a time, assessing each other with equal abstract interest. In another lifetime, we might have met at a coffee shop and maybe gone on a few dates, and then broken up after being unable to articulate what we were missing. That unfulfilled need that would have made more tattoos cover his body while I grew restless and frustrated. Aleksi trailed his finger over my chin to bring my attention away from Byron and back to him.

“I wasn’t suggesting anything of the sort. I’m content for a change, and you know how much these modern humans bore me. The toleration of our sexual proclivities is
welcome but other than that there is no more grace in the being that is human. Byron has grace, though not so much as a dancer. He has appreciation for true art, and I love that.” She sighed wistfully.

“I’m happy for you, Estella. I really am.”