Free The Vampire Gift 2: Kingdom of Ash by E.M. Knight

about looking for Mother.
    I have a bone to pick with her. The old Phillip, the one who was meek and passive, the one who never stood up for himself, is long gone. With April’s blood flowing through my veins, I feel like a new man. One who won’t take things as they are handed to him lying down. One who will stand up for what he believes in and let all those around him know.
    The first step is to find Patricia and make sure Mother held up her part of the bargain.
    I’ve managed to tame my thirst for now. I thought that tasting April’s blood would open up the floodgates and turn me into a veritable monster, no better than one of The Convicted in my lust for blood.
    But something about the connection I felt with April—imagined or not—tempers that hunger. My body feels invigorated, and strong. Most of all, however, it still feels like my own.
    I’m still in control.
    Did Mother know this would happen? If so, she deserves more credit than I’ve given her.
    I run through the forested paths of The Haven. On a whim I decide to take the route through the village. I want to see what progress has been made—if any—in repairing it while I was locked away.
    When I arrive, I’m left bitterly disappointed. It is in exactly the same state it would have been after the fires died down. No repairs have been made. Nothing’s been fixed or salvaged. It just looks like a charred mess.
    Where are all the humans?
    I run through it quickly, hating the vile smell of ash still lingering in the air. All of this for Eleira… only to have her boomerang right back into our midst.
    Well, now that she’s transformed, I won’t have to worry about the antidote Raul had me searching for.
    I come to the vampire compounds high up on the trees. There’s movement up there—I feel the presence of others like me mingling about.
    I take a deep breath and start to climb. I’ve never been close to many of the other residents—but even so, they’ll all notice a difference when they see me. They’ll know immediately that I’ve fed.
    I can’t imagine the sort of scandal it will start. Phillip Soren, who has held out fueling his vampiric side ever since his creation, is now a true vampire?
    Some of the Royal Court will even see it as a threat, I imagine. Well. Time enough to deal with that later.
    But when I make my entrance into the common room or the compound, it’s not my name that’s on everyone’s lips.
    It’s my brother, James’s.
    “Have you heard what the Queen has done?”
    “His sentence is horrible!”
    “She’s banished her own son!”
    “If he’s not safe, what does that say for the rest of us?”
    “James was a fool.” I stop short when I hear a gruff voice make that proclamation. “He went against the Queen, and now he has to pay the price. It’s justice.”
    I look at the vampire who said that. He’s an old-timer, one of those who has been in The Haven almost as long as I. He doesn’t rank very highly in power—none of them here do—and usually it would be blasphemy to speak against a member of the royal family like that.
    It seems things have drastically changed while I was locked away.
    I approach him. He notices me and stands taller.
    “Well, well, well,” he says, puffing out his chest. “If it isn’t Phillip Soren. What brings you to spend time with the peasantry around these parts?” The vampires around him chuckle. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d ever demean yourself by being seen with us.”
    There’s pure venom in his voice, in his stance, in the way he regards me. He’s still stronger than I am—April’s blood hasn’t given me an immediate boost in hierarchical strength—but I feel stronger than any of the vampires here.
    I don’t answer until we stand nose-to-nose. “I heard what you said about my brother.”
    “Oh? Good thing, that. I meant every word.”
    “It’s dangerous,” I warn, not backing away. “To make proclamations like that where others can hear.”
    He laughs.