Xenides still believed me under his compulsion, however, and shouted for me to help him. The stupid f**k. When I didn't come as he commanded, he rushed me. I misted out of his way before becoming corporeal again. He rushed again, with the same results. Sounds of fighting came from behind me.
Pay it no mind; we have this, Flavio's voice floated into my mind as I faced off with Xenides once more. He was preparing to charge again. At least my blood still worked with the Council; I hadn't seen Charles again since his first attack against Xenides.
"You will disregard all former commands," Merrill's voice dripped compulsion behind me. Russell, Will and Trevor were now safe. Xenides snorted at this turn of events, a wounded bull about to charge again. Charles's claws materialized and raked Xenides across the nape, just as he rushed toward me. Charles would have taken his head, too, if Xenides hadn't raced forward at that moment. Even so, his rapid momentum kept his head attached and propelled his body toward me. I misted away again, turning to face Xenides as he slid to a stop, panting on the other side.
"You will do my bidding," Xenides commanded when I materialized before him.
"Fuck you, shithead," I snapped. Charles dropped from the air beside me, and I heard similar sounds at my back. The Council's supply of my blood had just worn off.
Xenides was only now beginning to worry that his compulsion hadn't worked. Blinking dark eyes at me, he struggled to come to grips with reality.
"She is a Queen," Wlodek now stood at my left—Charles was at my right and glaring angrily at Xenides.
"She is not," Xenides attempted denial. "I will take you down, old man." Xenides pointed a lengthy claw at Wlodek's chest.
"I'll get this," Merrill stalked forward, claws forming on his fingers.
"No, I will." I'd been running through ways to kill Xenides in my mind, ever since Charles nearly killed him the second time. I didn't want any conventional death for this piece of crap. Xenides' remaining vampires were held by the Council at my back, and I wanted them to see this. In fact, I wanted everyone to see this. I wanted them to know just what this Queen was capable of doing. Yeah, I was royally pissed, and a good mood was far off in the future for me. And my arm still hurt and bled a little from Xenides' attack on top of all that.
"Lissa," Wlodek breathed beside me, "Show this animal that you are a Queen." He jerked his head toward Xenides.
"With pleasure," I growled.
Yes, I can turn to mist in a blink. And once I'm mist, I can mist through or inside anything. And once I mist inside something, I can blow my mist outward, making things explode. Xenides' brain was a tight space, but I got inside it anyway. It's a good thing vampires turn to ash when they die. If they didn't, Wlodek and Merrill would have worn Xenides' blood the rest of the night. As it is, they wore the ash from his head when it exploded, and I wasn't about to pay any cleaning bills.
I'm not even going to ask about your mindspeech, I sent a private message to Merrill as I stalked away from him and Wlodek. I was angry, my arm hurt and I needed blood.
Your father's blood, came the terse reply. Well, I shouldn't have been surprised. Not even a little.
Vampires parted around me as I waded through them. More than half the Aristocracy was dead, if I were reading things right. The ones that remained, however, were going to their knees as I passed. Gavin, Charles, Russell, Will and Trevor fell in behind me, warning vampires away if they came too close. The Council, Wlodek included, followed in my wake.
* * *
The grounds and gardens surrounding the chateau were destroyed, while abandoned vehicles and bits and pieces of human and Elemaiyan bodies littered the lawns. The scent of spilled blood was everywhere. Only one of the chateau's walls still stood; the rest was rubble and strewn everywhere. Survivors had found candles and torches, and those were spaced here and there—mostly to provide a bit of comfort and to reassure human companions who'd been led back to the chateau by Moretti after the battle. Some of the companions were reunited with their vampires. Many were not. Xenides and his minions had destroyed more than three hundred of the five hundred members of the Aristocracy. Charles was working nearby on his laptop, entering names of deceased vampires. I'd hugged him when we got a moment alone—Xenides might have done a lot more damage if Charles hadn't shown up when he did. If I had anything to say about it, Charles would be invited to join the Aristocracy. I didn't give a damn that he was barely three hundred years old as a vampire. He deserved that honor.
Someone found blood for me in an abandoned limousine, and I was drinking it as I settled wearily on a stone bench against a broken outside wall. Wlodek, Merrill and Flavio were sorting things out and assigning burial details to hide human and Elemaiyan bodies. If a spade couldn't be found, vampire claws were utilized to dig up earth and bodies were dumped in deep holes.
"You wanted this one?" Russell grinned as he and Will hauled Devlin to me.
"Yes. I want that one," I agreed, setting my bag of blood aside and staring at Devlin. "Did you intend to kill René?" I snapped at him. He was the one who'd sold all of us out. He'd given information on the Annual Meeting to Xenides. I had a feeling I knew what his price had been in exchange for that information.
"No," he whimpered, struggling in Russell and Will's grip. "I wanted Hancock to die."
"Yeah, I figured that out," I muttered.
"Please don't kill me like you did Xenides."
"How do you want to die?" I asked indifferently. I had no patience for this one.
"I wish his death," Gavin stepped up beside me. "René was my kin and I claim Blood Vendetta."
"In a minute," I said, waving Gavin off. He stepped back. "Devlin, nobody else knows," I said. "Except you and me, that is. You made Aubrey. He wasn't René's. René only took him to keep you from dying. He gave you a gift, Devlin—René kept your head attached to your shoulders by claiming your child. Didn't he? You made Aubrey before you were old enough as a vampire. And how did you repay your sire?"
Devlin shuddered. "I didn't want him to die," he snapped, refusing to look at me.
"But he did. You betrayed your sire and cost him his life. Over what?" I let my claws slide out.
"He was giving too much attention to Hancock," Devlin whined. It was an old song—sung by many. Killing over petty jealousy. It made me ill. "He's yours," I nodded to Gavin.
"No!" Devlin shouted, but Will and Russell had already stepped back and Gavin's claws were swift. That one word turned out to be Devlin's last. His body dropped before me and I watched in satisfaction as it flaked away.