Free Twice Dead by Kalayna Price Page B

well.
    “Kita?”
    Just my name, carried with so much uncertainty, I almost didn’t recognize it from Nathanial’s mouth. I could feel him staring at me, the weight of his gaze prickly against my back.
    I didn’t turn. I couldn’t.
    “Let’s get this over with,” I said to Tatius.
    “So anxious?” He held out his hand, and I gritted my teeth but obediently took it, letting him pull me closer. He lifted his wrist and bit deep. “His life is in your hands. Drink.”
    “I feel a slight sense of déjà vu,” I said, but leaned over his bleeding wound.
    His fingers trailed through my hair as I drew from his wrist. He didn’t tell me not to bite him this time, but I guessed as much. Besides, I was well fed, and even with blood running over my tongue, my fangs didn’t descend.
    He opened his wrist twice more before he nodded. “That will suffice, for now. We three have a date with the Collector.”

Chapter Eight
    The council chamber was empty when we left the sitting room. Tatius walked through it without comment. Then he led me through so many corridors and stairways I couldn’t have guessed where we were.
    Nathanial followed behind us. He hadn’t said a word since I made my deal with Tatius, but I could feel his gaze on my back. I didn’t turn around. I didn’t know what to say to him.
    Sorry? You’re welcome? I’d done what I had to do, and we’d both survived. So far, at least.
    Tatius finally stopped outside of a large door, but he didn’t enter. Instead he turned, his gaze assessing as he looked me over. He didn’t look completely pleased with what he saw.
    We’ll have to do something about your wardrobe, his voice said inside my head as he reached out, straightening the collar of my old gray coat.
    After swiping my hair over my shoulder so the bite he’d left on my neck was unobstructed, he nodded as if satisfied, took my arm, and turned toward the door again. Then he just stood there. He didn’t seem inclined to open the door for himself, so I reached out. Companion and servant, lucky me.
    Tatius stopped me with a gentle jerk back, and the door peeled open. A vampire I didn’t recognize blinked at me, her baby blues wide as she looked from my arm locked in the crook of Tatius’s to his mark on my throat. Surprised or not, she didn’t falter as she stepped aside. Her head dipped to Tatius as we passed, a small but intentional movement. A sign of respect? I hadn’t noticed the other vampires bowing before, but as we passed, each vampire paused to tip their heads, some touching the tips of their fingers to their foreheads. Am I expected to do that?
    Three council members sat at a large dark wood table in the center of the room, two additional seats had been left open. One was for Tatius, and now that Nathanial was on the council, the other must have been meant for him. Where the hell am I supposed to go?
    I glanced around. The non-council vampires, who had been scattered around the room, were now congregating along the far wall. The setup looked exactly like the council room we’d been in earlier, down to the fabric draping the walls.
    “Should I…?” I nodded to the line of vampires.
    Tatius smirked, his green eyes glowing with the candlelight. “Companions remain with their masters.”
    He tugged me toward the table—and the too few chairs.
    Slouching into the centermost seat, he slapped his thigh.
    Oh, he has to be kidding.
    He wasn’t.
    Gritting my teeth, I perched on the edge of his leg, my back straight as I continued to hold most of my own weight.
    He didn’t let me get away with that. Wrapping an arm around my waist, he dragged me further into his lap.
    Now smile at my vampires, his voice said in my head.
    Oh hell, I wasn’t going to be able to keep this bargain. Not at this rate. I chanced a glance at Nathanial. He was staring straight ahead—which meant he was the only person in the room not watching Tatius’s little show. Taking a deep breath, I flashed my teeth at the