Captured (Vampire King Book 2) (16 page)

Ian
seized my right hand. Samuel grabbed my left. They both tenderly squeezed and
encased them in the warmth that only a vampire prince and king could give. My
pulse slowed down.

“Relax.
Nothing will happen to you while we’re here,” Ian murmured.

Queen
Regina strolled in her elegant silver gown toward her sleeping quarters. Her
two maids trailed behind her, holding the train of her gown.

“I’ll
be enjoying my delivered entertainment in private,” she announced to the guards
positioned on the side of her doorway. They made no move and gave no response.
She was queen and had already displayed her loyalty and service to the Quiet
King. Unlike the domina guards, her guards were there to protect her, not to
keep her within the castle’s gates.

Samuel
and Ian released my hands. Silently, we all followed her into her quarters.
Satin sheets draped all the walls. A huge cushioned throne stood in the center
of the room. The silver headrest of the throne was carved into coiling snakes.
Once the door closed behind us, we snatched off our masks. Samuel stormed to
the front.

“My
prince is now a king.” Queen Regina elegantly bowed before him. “My god, you’re
ripening as we speak. You have that same charge around you like your father. I
can feel it. Have you unearthed any of your abilities?”

“Enough,
Mother,” Samuel growled. “Tell me everything you know, starting with why you
chose Brie as my queen.”

In
that moment Queen Regina turned to me, her gaze traveling along my face and
then down my body, assessing me. “I like your choice. But, son, as you
remember, I sent many dominas your way, at least fifty. You chose this one as
your queen, so only you can answer that question.”

A
rumble boomed from Samuel’s chest as he stalked a circle around her. “I have no
patience for games. Brie’s blood is different from the other dominas.”

“No,
it is not.” A knowing smirk spread across her face. “Sure, Brie’s blood is
different than a regular domina’s blood. However, all of the fifty dominas I
sent to you for escape had this same blood type.”

Does she know what a blood mage
is?

I
stepped forward. “And what blood type is it?”

Queen
Regina backed up and lowered herself onto her throne. Ty, Victoria, Ian, and
Leeta remained within the shadows behind Samuel and me. No one wanted the Queen
to know Leeta was now a vampire. Samuel didn’t want to bring her to the castle,
but Leeta refused to be left alone in the sewers again.

“My
husband has been experimenting with blood types for centuries and he won’t
reveal his intentions to anyone,” the queen said. “But I believe this domina
system doesn’t produce soldiers fast enough for him. I think he is trying to
find a way for a domina to hold more than six fetuses in their womb.”

I
cringed. A six-fetus pregnancy was already difficult for dominas to come to
term with. Many couldn’t walk by the third month and were forced to rest in bed
throughout their entire pregnancy. Once delivery arrived, many dominas died in
surgery as the babies were cut out of them.

“Did
he ever find this special blood type or create it?” Samuel asked.

“I
don’t think so, but he found some new type that he named Phinova. My spies have
managed to sneak some of his papers to me. The name Phinova shows up all over
his ledgers and is always next to certain dominas’ test results.” The queen
placed her hands in her lap and threaded her fingers together. “This Phinova
blood type holds the answer. So every time I could, Samuel, I asked you to help
a domina with the Phinova blood type escape. Sadly, you never chose your queen
from them. Meanwhile, my spies continued to monitor the King.”

My
breath caught in my throat, but I forced myself to remain stiff and not show my
reaction. Ian stepped to my side. Somehow the Quiet King was able to discover
blood mages. That had to be why he wrote Phinova next to their names.

“The
King created a test to find this type and discovered several human women who
had it.” The Queen’s face shifted to a grim look. “For some reason, he became
desperate with the town of Zumaya. No one knows why, but he slowly and secretly
began destroying the Zumayan families’ income. He canceled all Capital City
orders on Zumayan mushrooms, but still, your town prospered. Next, he ordered
slaves to sneak into your town at night and damage the Zumayan crop. They
poured liquid metal into the earth and then covered it with soil. Then he
waited, until the town was desperate for his help.”

Rage
vibrated through my body so hard that I gritted my teeth.
All those deaths and hunger were due to the King?
There had been a
drought. It hadn’t rained for months and by the time it did rain, the crops
didn’t grow. We’d all assumed it was due to the shortage of water that season.
Months later, we tried again and again, but still no crops.
And we
suffered all of this because he wanted more blood mages
?
So many people died from hunger
and illness. I’d lost most of my family.

“Your
husband’s name was…” she held a finger to her forehead and then said, “Evan or
Ethan, right?”

My
mouth gaped open in disbelief.

“Ethan
is his name.” Samuel’s fangs emerged.

“Yes,
Ethan was paid by the Quiet King to offer you for a sizeable amount, if I
remember correctly,” the Queen explained. “I found it such an interesting piece
of information. I made a note with one of my spies to monitor you and notify me
immediately when you arrived at the castle. I figured you would be perfect for
Samuel. Surely, your husband was a cruel man and that when Samuel helped you
escape, you would fall for my son instead.”

I
just stood there, stunned. “Ethan? Are you sure?”

I’d
thought that I volunteered, not been sold.
What
about the young girls? Did they really test positive or was it a situation that
Ethan created?
He knew me well. If there was a situation in which I could
take the place of another and prevent them from being harmed, I would. A heavy
weight soared down on me and almost dragged my body to the floor. I wanted to
crawl somewhere and curl into myself.

“My
spies have no reason to fabricate their observations. I reward them well.” The
queen shrugged her shoulders. “Zumaya was given ten times the amount usually
permitted and Ethan was delivered five human women to choose for a wife and
mother of your children.”

“Enough,”
I whispered as my heart broke into pieces. I was prepared for Ethan to move on
when I left. I was okay with him having a wife to mother my children, but I had
not been prepared for this deceit.
I
didn’t even know Ethan like I thought I did.
My eyes watered. Embarrassment
warmed my cheeks. I stared down at the ground.

You knew him, Brie, but your
town’s people were slowly dying
.
Samuel’s voice seeped into my mind.
The
most loyal people do the craziest things when death is at their door.

I
cleared my throat, still looking at the floor in front of me. “So, when the
King finally had me, why didn’t he impregnate me?” I asked.

“This
was the most unclear part of all. Granted, he’d impregnated many dominas that
arrived before you and were labeled Phinova. They either died in labor or
birthed dead babies. I assume that is why he chose to pay such a high amount
for you. Not only had you already had children, but he listed your daughters as
having the Phinova type, too.”

“My
daughters were tested?” I scowled.

She
nodded. “They’re on the future list of dominas to enter the Royal Court.”

Not while I’m alive!

Samuel’s
face snapped to me. His golden eyes brightened with rage.
Don’t worry, we’ll do something. I’ll spend my life making sure they
are safe from his harm, whether you stay with me or not.
His voice soothed
me a little.

I
nodded at him and held back my tears. My girls’ faces flashed in my head. They
looked like mini images of me, but most of all, they had that same blood-red
hair. They had to be blood mages too. Samuel said he would help me. Confidence
glazed over his eyes and mixed with rage.

Why would I ever leave Samuel,
this man who opens his heart to me with ease and dedicates his life to my life
and children?
I
inhaled fresh new air as well as a new decision.
This is where I belong, I think, by his side.

“But
the other dominas that you sent to me did not have red hair,” Samuel said.

“Nonetheless,
your father labeled them the same as Brie.” The queen shrugged. “I think she
may be the strongest of them all. Maybe the others had a diluted blood type
whereas Brie’s is strong.”

“So
what
was
my father’s plan for Brie?”
Samuel asked.

The
queen laughed. “He didn’t know himself. He took vials of her blood weekly and
he lay in her bed, never touching her. My spies reported nothing else.
Stupidly, he didn’t guard her enough and let her leave the gates, which was all
I needed for Octavia to whisper thoughts in her ear of escape.”

“And
then you sent Brie to me, hoping that I would fall in love with her?” Samuel
sneered.

“Actually,
no. I hadn’t planned on that. I figured she would fall for you and freely give
you her blood, but you seem pretty taken with her. Is that true?” The queen
chuckled.

“Yes.”
Samuel formed his lips into a straight line. “For once you’ve impacted my life
in a rewarding way.”

“I’ve
sent you so many dominas. And all my spies say is that you just use their
bodies and drink their blood.”

“You
have spies with me?” Samuel growled.

“Of
course, my king.” The queen raised her eyebrows. “Do you think it is a
coincidence that my own maid and personal guard raised you?”

I
glanced over my shoulder and saw Ty avert his eyes to the ground. Leeta backed
up farther into the shadows. Victoria held a sad expression, but she didn’t
appear shocked.

Of course Victoria must’ve known
Ty spied for the queen. She probably helped at one time or another.

Claws
ripped from Samuel’s fingertips. “So none of you actually cared for me all of
these years?” He looked around at our surrounding friends.

Ty
and Leeta began to protest, but Samuel snarled so loud it rocked the queen’s
walls and silenced them. Her two guards from outside ran into her quarters,
wielding sharp wooden swords.

“Queen
Regina, is everything okay?” The biggest guard stomped her way. “We heard a
threatening noise.”

I
hoped the guards wouldn’t spot Samuel’s claws.

“This
is all part of the performance,” Queen Regina explained and clapped at us.
“Please leave.”

Reluctantly,
the guards backed out and departed. I squeezed Samuel’s hand and edged closer
to him so that our hips touched.
I care
for you.
I thought and prayed with all my heart that he could hear my
thoughts.
Your queen is here and I’ll
always be with you.

Samuel’s
claws retracted.

“They
love you, but they are still expected to report to me.” The queen smiled. “Ty
and Leeta have tried for many years to escape their service to me, but I would
not allow it. You are destined to be king.”

I
spotted Samuel rolling his eyes from my peripheral vision.

“I
sent Brie to you so that you would drink her blood. I hoped that maybe this
Phinova type would be stronger than all the rest.” She turned to me. “I truly
didn’t think you would take his heart. I’m as mystified as the both of you must
be. I expected a different fate for you.”

“And
what was that?” I asked.

“Well,
like all the other dominas Samuel has helped escape, they have all eventually
been caught and thrown into the castle’s dungeons.” She glanced at her nails as
if the silver polish was more important to her than life.

So she would just use me and let
me wind back up at the castle, but in even worse conditions.

“How
many are in the dungeon?” I asked and turned to Samuel.

We can’t let these women sit
there.

Are you trying to take my place
as the best pathfinder in Capitol City?
His voice slipped in my head as he smiled.

I’m serious.

“Hmmm…perhaps
twenty or so are trapped in the dungeon,” the Queen replied. “I could draw you
a map to free them.”

“And
why would you help us?” Samuel raised his eyebrows. “Is there a reason why
you’re so willing to help me release so many?”

“It’s
time to begin steps to become a king. Currently, a hundred guards seek your
queen. There are dominas in a dungeon just waiting for you to breed with them.”
She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulders. “These are the years you should
begin your army.”

Brie, would you be upset if I
tore her head off?
Samuel
asked in my mind.

I
swallowed a gulp of fear.
Yes. Don’t kill
her, my king. We need her.