Trial by Thrall (Trial #2) Read online

  “Do you normally play with curse charms like they’re a game of marbles?”

  I jump at the male voice and look up at the vampire in the doorway of my study. “Do you normally just walk into a stranger’s house without knocking?” I retort. “How the fuck do you guys keep getting in here? I know I locked the front door!”

  The twenty thousand year old vampire smiles. He’s built like a quarterback – tall, wide shoulders, thick biceps, athletic, with an air of confidence and awareness. His eyes are a dazzling shade of blue, his hair dark.

  “Your dad told us where the spare key was,” he says.

  Startled he answered truthfully, I stare at him.

  “You shouldn’t be playing with those,” he says and lifts his eyebrows towards the collection of random shit on the desk.

  “For the record, no one has played marbles in about a hundred years,” I snap. I put the treasures back into their trunk. “What’s a curse charm anyway?”

  “We’ll talk about it some other time.”

  Sure. Why not. It’s not like I’m going to get any real answers out of this guy anyway.

  He glances around the study and picks his way through the piles. He’s careful not to so much as brush any of the books.

  “I’ve started off asking everyone else this question, so I might as well ask you,” I say and take a deep breath.

  “I’ll answer, if you agree to something.”

  “You don’t know what I’m going to ask or if you’re allowed to answer,” I tell him.

  “I’ll answer it no matter what rule it breaks.”

  I’m intrigued. He can’t be serious. “Hmmm. Okay. So what do I have to agree to?”

  “Not to open the Book of Secrets, or any other book in this library, for six days.” He pauses a few feet from me and waits, blue gaze on me and form relaxed. He doesn’t have Ben’s edge or Tristan’s aloofness.

  Myca seems … curious. As if he hasn’t seen a Kingmaker in half his lifetime.

  This isn’t going how I expected. I really do hate the Book of Secrets and how it fucks up my world and emotions with every revelation. But … isn’t that part of the trials? Learning about what’s going on, however little I really want to know?

  I have a feeling, if the Book could talk, it’d tell me hell no to his proposal. This is countered by the need to know who killed my father and the slim chance Myca will actually tell me. Add to the mix the instinct that wants the Book as far from me as possible, and the fact I don’t know how to handle any more emotional damage, and I’m leaning towards agreeing with Myca’s terms.

  “You think, I’ll talk,” he says. “You’re at hour zero now. Usually, new vampires start to feel the hunger within six hours. By hour eighteen, they’re either mad with bloodlust or bent over the neck of their neighbor’s dog or child sucking them dry.”

  I frown. Why is he telling me this?

  “Twenty four hours, and the blood lust is blinding. They attack people outright like rabid animals. Thirty six hours, and they’re dead, if they don’t feed,” he continues. “You’re tough, and you’re a Kingmaker. I’m betting you can make it thirty hours before the bloodlust claims you. But, at whatever point you decide you need my help,” he holds up a piece of paper with his address and phone number on it, “let me know or just show up. Don’t try to feed from anyone else. Your enhanced incisors won’t emerge for three days. You’ll have no luck trying, even if you weren’t specifically programmed to crave me.”

  “Thanks for the warning, but I don’t see it coming to that. I don’t have a problem going with you now,” I reply, cringing at the thought of attacking my neighbor’s dog.

  “You willing to agree to what I asked?”

  I’m missing something here, and I’m guessing it’s important. But that’s been the story of my life for the past two weeks. Why should it change now? “Fine,” I relent. “Yes. I won’t touch the books for six days, and you’ll allegedly answer my question.” I can’t wait to hear what excuse he comes up with for avoiding the question.

  He holds out his hand, and we shake.

  “The answer’s yes,” he says, dropping his hand.

  “You don’t know the question!” I snap.

  “You want to know if I killed your father. Yes. I did.”

  I stare up at him. Did he just … my jaw is on the floor, and I rewind the last few seconds mentally, searching for whatever I’m missing. How … what … holy shit!

  “Still wanna come with me?” he asks with a half-smile.

  “Fuck. You!” I manage. “Get out!”

  “See you tomorrow night.”

  “There’s no way in hell that’s happening! If I have to eat every fucking dog on the block, I’ll make it six days without you, and I don’t care how I have to do it!” I shout.

  “Don’t wait until you can’t control it and end up doing something you’ll regret,” the creature who preys on humans advises me. “Good luck, Kingmaker.”

  He walks out of the study. Seconds later, I hear the front door close behind him. I’m too tense to move, too shocked to know what to do.

  Myca killed my father. I have the answer I’ve sought since the beginning of this mess. My mind is blaring with alarms, and I can’t make any sort of sense out of what my instincts are trying to tell me except … fuck!

  I reach for the Book of Secrets, not giving one shit about my promise, not after what Myca admitted. Maybe it’s not a hard decision to make after all about which clan to banish!

  The Book won’t budge from the desk. I can’t pick it up, can’t open it, can’t even nudge it out of place. It’s as solid as concrete and unmoving as a block of heavy iron.

  Cursing, with tears filling my eyes, I reach for the book mentioning Myca with the intention of burning every fucking vampire book in the library.

  It won’t move either.

  I try another random book from the piles then another and another.

  Nothing will budge!

  Coldness streaks through me. I have no idea what to do, whether or not Myca’s telling the truth about the bloodlust, and no books or letters from my father to guide me.

  My thoughts are a jumbled mess, along with my emotions, but there’s one thing I do know. I will never, ever, ever show up on Myca’s doorstep or call him or seek him out at all, ever, no matter what the fuck happens to me in thirty hours!

  Trial Series

  Trial by Moon

  Trial by Thrall

  Trial by Blood

  Trial by Heart

  Also by Lizzy Ford …

  Non-Series – 2014 - 2016

  Black Moon Draw (Amazon, Amazon UK) (about a reader sucked into her book)

  Highlander Enchanted (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  The Door (2016)

  Water Spell (2016)

  Dragon Tear (2016)

  Trial Series – PNR

  Trial by Moon (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Trial by Thrall

  Trial by Blood

  Trial by Heart

  History Interrupted – Time Travel Romantic Adventures

  West (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  East (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  North (2016)

  South (2017)

  Omega

  Omega (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Theta (2016)

  Alpha (2017)

  Omega Beginnings Miniseries – individual episodes

  ALESSANDRA (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  MISMATCH (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  PHOIBE (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  LANTOS (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  THEODOSIA (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  NIKO (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Cleon (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Herakles (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Omega Beginnings Miniseries – complete set

  (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Starwalkers Serials (with Julia Crane) – new adult science fiction serial

  Severed (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Trapped (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Exile
d (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Revealed (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Escaped (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Heart of Fire – sexy dragon shifter

  Charred Heart (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Charred Tears (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Charred Hope (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Incubatti – Buffy meets 50 Shades

  Zoey Rogue (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Zoey Avenger (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Rhyn Trilogy – new adult paranormal with demons

  Katie’s Hellion (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Katie’s Hope (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Rhyn’s Redemption (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Rhyn Eternal – Death finds love

  Gabriel’s Hope (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Deidre’s Death (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Darkyn’s Mate (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  The Underworld (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Twisted Fate (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Untitled #6 (2016)

  War of Gods – paranormal with gods, guardians and exceptional humans

  Damian’s Oracle (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Damian’s Assassin (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Damian’s Immortal (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  The Grey God (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Damian Eternal

  Xander’s Chance (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  The Black God (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Hidden Evil – paranormal with angels and four horsemen

  Hear No (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  See No (2015)

  Speak No (2016)

  Unnamed Series

  Unnatural (2016)

  Unmade (2016)

  Theta Beginnings Miniseries (novelettes)

  Silent Queen (2016)

  Shadow Titan (2016)

  People’s Champion (2016)

  Supreme Magistrate (2016)

  Anshan Saga – new adult science fiction romance

  Kiera’s Moon (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Kiera’s Sun (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Santa’s Ninja Elves (short stories)

  Natasha & Hunter (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Non-series titles – 2011 - 2013

  Star Kissed (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  A Demon’s Desire (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  The Warlord’s Secret (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Maddy’s Oasis (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Rebel Heart (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Witchling – young adult paranormal

  Dark Summer (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Autumn Storm (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Winter Fire (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Spring Rain (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Broken Beauty Novellas – new adult dramatic fiction

  Broken Beauty (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Broken World (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Voodoo Nights - young adult paranormal

  Cursed (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Chosen

  Writing as SE Reign, erotica writer

  101 Nights

  Claimed (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Tainted (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Crushed (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Volume One Box Set (Serials 1-3) (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Tempted (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Captured (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Twisted (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Volume Two Box Set (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Cornered (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Also by Lizzy Ford …