He glanced down at the plate in his lap. Some kind of meat. Rice. Flatbread. Neona tore off a piece of her bread, then used it to scoop up some meat and rice. He followed suit, tearing off a piece of bread. When he looked up, the other women were still scowling at him.
What had he done wrong? How could he ask if he wasn’t allowed to speak? He spotted Neona’s pet leopard lounging nearby on the grass, watching him with narrowed eyes.
The queen grumbled something in Tibetan, and Neona nearly choked on her food. Then the other women joined in, pointing at him and fussing.
Cat, what the hell is going on? He asked Zhan.
They’re disappointed in you. The cat sneered. They thought you were so manly, but it turns out you’re just a weakling. Couldn’t even get it up—
What? Zoltan mentally shouted.
“What?” Tashi switched to English, staring at Zoltan. “What is he doing?”
Lydia pointed at him. “He was communicating with the cat! I heard him!”
“What?” Neona turned to him, her eyes wide with shock.
Gasps circled around the fire pit.
Lydia rose to her feet. “Explain yourself.”
“Very well.” Zoltan set the plate of food aside. “I’m not a weakling. And Neona can verify that I can indeed get it up—”
“That’s not what I meant!” Lydia yelled. “You were talking to the cat!”
“You can talk to Zhan?” Neona leaned toward him, her eyes intense.
“Sure.” Zoltan shrugged. “I’ve always been able to talk to animals. My mother could communicate with animals and birds, but I guess I only inherited the animal part.”
Neona sat back with a gasp. More gasps echoed around the fire. Even the queen looked shocked.
The leopard gave him a sheepish look. I guess I should have warned you. Tashi and Lydia can hear us.
Zoltan nodded. I understand. Those two women had always been away whenever he’d communicated with Zhan before.
Neona stumbled to her feet, her plate falling over and spilling food on the ground. Her face had paled, and she was breathing shakily as she faced the queen. “You told us male children could never inherit our gifts.”
The queen’s face grew pale, but harsh. “I didn’t believe they could.”
Tears glittered in Neona’s eyes as she pointed at Zoltan. “He inherited a gift from Dohna. What if Minerva’s son is gifted? How would we know when we gave him away?” Her voice rose and cracked on the last word.
“Sit down, Neona,” the queen hissed.
“No!” Tears flowed down her cheeks. “We should have kept him. What if he has Minerva’s gift? What if he can talk to—”
“Enough!” the queen shouted. “What is done is done.”
Neona shook her head. “If we had kept him, Minerva would still be alive!” With a sob, she turned and ran.
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
Zoltan jumped to his feet to follow her, but the queen held up a hand to stop him.
He gritted his teeth. “She shouldn’t be alone.”
The queen glanced toward the burial mounds, where Neona was headed. “She won’t be. You’re our prisoner. You will remain here.”
He’d had all he could take of this coldhearted queen. “You’ve lost one daughter, and the other is suffering.”
Nima arched a brow at him. “Then do your part and give us another female.”
More thunder rolled, sounding closer, and the wind grew stronger.
“It will rain soon.” The queen stood and motioned toward Neona’s house. “Go there and wait for her.”
“I’ll go wherever I please,” Zoltan said softly. “And you can’t stop me.”
The women stiffened and gave the queen worried looks. Lydia pulled the knife from the sheath strapped to her leg.
The queen approached him. “Are you anxious to die, human? I have spared you so far only because you are the son of Dohna, whom I loved dearly.” She whipped a sharp dagger from a sheath on her belt. “But she wronged us by letting you live so long. I should rectify that tonight.”
“My mother never wronged you,” Zoltan said. “She never spoke of this place, never revealed your damned secrets, and never gave me a drop of your Living Water.”
More gasps echoed around the fire. The flames danced wildly in the strong wind.
Queen Nima studied him, her eyes narrowing. “Then how have you lived so long?”
Lightning cracked close by, illuminating with a flash the women’s pale, shocked faces.
“It’s simple.” Zoltan stepped back so he could keep all the women and their weapons in view. “I’m a vampire.”
Chapter Eighteen
“I knew it!” Queen Nima raised her dagger, ready to strike. “You’re a spy for Lord Liao!”
The other women drew their knives.
He extended his hands to the side so they would see he was unarmed. “I’m not here to harm you. I want to help—”
“You’ve helped yourself to my daughter, you monster!” the queen shouted, her face turning red with rage. “I will not tolerate this insult—”
“Enough!” He took a deep breath to calm his own growing anger. “Do you think so highly of yourself that you’re prepared to take on Master Han and his army? He has nine hundred soldiers!”
Nima glared at him, while the other women exchanged worried looks. “Pay no heed to his lies,” she hissed.
“You want the truth?” Zoltan snorted. “If I was your enemy, you would all be dead by now.” He teleported behind Freya, ripped the knife from her hand and tossed it aside, then zoomed back to where he’d been standing.
“What?” Freya blinked. “How did you—”
“Vampire speed,” Zoltan explained. “I could disarm you all—” He dodged to the side and caught the knife Lydia had just thrown, plucking it out of the air with ease.
Another bolt of lightning flashed and lit up the shocked faces of the women.
“As I was saying—” He tested the tip of the knife with a finger. It was deadly sharp. And damn if it wasn’t one of the hunting knives he’d left in Frederic’s cabin as a gift. “I’m not here to harm you. I belong to a group of good Vamps, and we’d like to help you defeat Lord Liao and Master Han.”
“Ridiculous,” Nima muttered. “No vampires are good.”
“Remember Russell? The guy who saved your life? He’s a friend of mine. He joined in your battle, hoping to kill Lord Liao.”
“He did attack him,” Freddie muttered. “But Liao vanished.”
Zoltan nodded. “Liao and Han have some special powers, so no matter how strong or fast you are, you can’t compete with them. Since my friends and I are Vamps, we possess the same powers. We’re your best bet at defeating them.”
“That makes sense, actually,” Freya murmured.
“Don’t listen to this monster.” Nima motioned to him with her dagger. “He will twist your thoughts, using his evil mind control. You saw what he’s done to Neona. He’s turning her against—”
A clap of thunder burst overhead, so deafeningly loud that everyone flinched. A drop of rain landed on Zoltan’s head.
“Neona’s mind works perfectly well without any help from me,” he told the queen. “If she’s questioning you, it’s because you deserve it.”
“You will destroy our way of life!” Nima shouted. A few more drops of rain plopped down around them, some landing with a hiss in the fire. “We cannot allow you to interfere with our sacred duty!”
“What is your sacred duty?” he asked.
“We will not discuss it with you. Leave!”
“If your sacred duty is that precious to you, you’ll need our help to survive so you can keep doing it. Lord Liao is looking for you. He won’t stop until he finds you.”
“He’ll never find us,” Nima insisted. “We’ve been here for millennia. No one finds us!”
“I did! Liao will, too. You cannot hope to remain hidden. Modern technology will make it impossible. Satellites in outer space can pinpoint your location here. Times are changing, and you will have to change with it.”
Freddie exchanged a look with her sister. “Our father warned us that the outside world was changing fast.”