Blood Betrayal

Chapter Twenty

First thing in the evening Alistair made his way into Washington. Deep underground in the abandoned metro tunnels he navigated the cathedral-like court. A penetrating scent of decay permeated the entirety of Byron's underground abode. He could only speculate on how they dealt with the stench.

Any decent member of their race would be just as repulsed by rotting bodies as any human, if not more so. The dead can give no blood. Something perverse was happening in that kingdom.

The sun was only a few hours away yet Alistair had not had an opportunity to catch sight of Byron. They had carved new rooms and hallways into the rock and concrete that surrounded the prebuilt cavern. It had been turned into quite the maze. Shoddily wired electric lights flicked along the new passages. That coupled with the air of decay was creating a sinister atmosphere.

Sneaking in had not posed a problem. The stink of death was strong enough to cover his own scent from the wandering guards. Finding his way around the many passages was not as easy. It had given him time to think about alternative plans, ways to take the man down without killing him.

He could convince Byron that he was wrong. Or simply let him run with the knowledge that Daxus was after him. Even an insane man would see that Daxus was not to be reckoned with. Byron was old enough to remember when the High King was still involved in the their world.

The longer he waited the more he felt as though he had been sent on a fool's errand, that Daxus was setting him up to fail. The place was reminiscent of times when courts were located in large compounds. Back when they didn't have to hide.

Guards both vampire and shifter were milling about. If he was found poking around during the day he would have little choice in how many he killed. He would be in serious danger of losing his own life. Killing guards was something he didn't want to do. As far as he knew they were innocent. The shifter guards had more than likely been bred there. Forced to guard and be fed on. They were probably controlled by threats and acts of violence. Slaves that Byron used as he saw fit.

It wasn't unusual for their kind to use shifters in that manner. It was deplorable. Unlike the other races they could survive on bagged blood. There was no need to use others, no need to cause them pain. Everything about Byron was deplorable.

The next time he got a clear run back to the exit he would take it. He would return later with a better idea of where Byron slept. Ask for an audience with the King under the guise of wishing to move through the man's territory.

Just as the exit looked clear enough a muffled noise behind him set his body on alert. Before he could think about who had seen him or what to do about it his body had reacted. A split second later he had a man by the neck pushed against the wall.

His instincts made him faster than a brain could work. The only way one could do things that quickly was to let ones body take over and do them for you. It came as a genuine surprise to suddenly be staring into cold, darkly violet eyes.

"Impressive," Daxus choked around Alistair's grip.

The King's lips curled into a smug grin. It was all the more annoying because it came while Alistair still rode his adrenaline high.

He let go. There was no reason to pretend that Daxus could not escape at any moment though it was tempting. If Alistair thought he could cause the King pain he would have done it long ago.

The thought of holding the man's neck long enough to choke him was a pleasant one. Tightening his grip until the King's strange violet-black eyes rolled back into his head.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"And here I thought you would be happy to have my help in this nasty task. You wound me with your lack of gratitude."

Alistair glared shushing him by lifting a finger to his own lips.

"I told you I don't want your help. Are you here to make sure that I'm caught before I take care of your problem? Or am I the problem you were hoping would be taken care of?" he growled in a harsh whisper.

Daxus rolled his eyes. Alistair's anger boiled. He was used to getting full respect from his peers. He was not dealing well with a man that so blatantly showed his disrespect, a man that couldn't even be rebuked for it.

"Would you stop being so ridiculous. He's everyone's problem. I'm here to make sure that it does get taken care of. Good thing too, how long have you been here? Just kill the bastard already," Daxus told him while leaning against the wall with loosely crossed arms. His foot cocked up giving the impression of casual ease.

"Would you be quiet," Alistair whispered. His cavalier attitude was going to make the whole thing go very wrong. It gave weight to Alistair's suspicions that he wanted it to go wrong.

"You're so fidgety, Assyrian. Afraid you aren't up to task or are you trying to pull off a bloodless coup? Go on just get this over with, I'm getting bored."

The High King was well known for his fearful temper and iron fisted brutality. He seemed little more than a petulant child at the moment. Alistair carefully kept him in his peripheries while assessing the main chamber.

If they were caught they would have to fight and more than likely kill. They may not get out alive. But then killing had never bothered Daxus and it was no far stretch to say that he was probably able to take on an entire court single-handedly.

"This is not the right time. We will leave and I will ask for an audience with him," Alistair reasoned.

Daxus sighed and pushed off the wall walking boldly out into the main cavern while Alistair hissed out protests. A guard noticed the man casually strolling towards him. The tall leather-clad man broke into a jog quickly closing the distance between them.

The vampire guard almost got out who the hell are you before the King reached up and snapped his neck in one effortless motion.

"Daxus! You wanted me to take care of this then we do it my way," Alistair blurted while stepping out of the darkened hall he had been hiding in.

Daxus casually shrugged with his back still turned. The vampire was rolling and blinking its eyes helplessly from where he had hit the floor at an odd angle. A faint piteous gurgle bubbled from the man's crooked neck.

"We don't have to do this with that much force. Why ask me at all if you plan to barge in here and kill everyone yourself."

He looked into Alistair's appalled face with indifference.

"Your claim to the throne wouldn't carry much weight if I killed everyone now, would it? And he isn't dead merely incapacitated. You know perfectly well that a broken neck could hardly kill one of us. I asked you expressly because I don't want to kill everyone here and look," he turned in a circle on his heel, his arms out, "cleared the way to his room, it's right there."

He motioned to a set of large doors that sat along the far wall. "Go, and for the god's sake I hope I don't have to tell you to do more than break Byron's neck."

"How is it that you know exactly where he rests? Have you been here and done nothing to stop this insanity?"

"No, I have spies in all the courts. Would do you well to remember that bit of information."

Alistair backed up a step. To get away from the High King he wouldn't mind stepping into Byron's room regardless of what lay beyond those doors.

"Do not help me."

He watched Daxus for some sign that he agreed. He received nothing but a noncommittal half tilt of the head. Alistair turned to the double set of wooden doors. Byron's sleeping chamber lay just beyond.