As promised—or threatened, depending on how you looked at it—my father stood on Matthias’s doorstep, two guards in tow. As soon as Matthias pulled the door open, my father marched inside, his pace as if trying to keep a cape floating aloft behind him. “Where is Lacey?” he barked.

With a roll of my eyes, I sidestepped into his line of sight and wiggled my fingers. “I’m right here; you can put off calling in the National Guard.”

His lip curled back, revealing the edge of his teeth. He kept his fangs tucked away—for now—but the low growl that rumbled up from his chest told me they wouldn’t stay that way for long. “I’m in no mood for your smart mouth, Lacey.”

“Well, what kind of mood are you in, Father?” I crossed my arms. “The kind where you tell me what you’re doing to find my best friend? Because if it’s any other kind of mood, I’m not interested.”

Matthias stared at me, both his thick eyebrows raised into sharp peaks.

My father glared at me for one lingering moment, then yanked his attention away and focused it on Matthias, who almost comically snapped to attention. “Are you going to offer me a place to sit?” his tone was nails on a chalkboard.

Matthias jolted and hurried to gesture at the dining room off the kitchen. “This way, my Lord.”

With a smug smile, my father swept past me. His guards remained at the front door.

I met Matthias’s eyes and dropped my voice to just above a whisper. “I’d suggest finding something of a stronger vintage, if you’re planning on serving beverages.”

I breezed past him and trooped into the dining room. My father had commandeered the place at the head of the table, his spindly fingers interlaced and propped before him expectantly. Frowning, I took the opposite end. The more space between us, the better.

Matthias came in with a decanter that was three-quarters filled with a deep red liquid. My nose wrinkled as he placed it in the center of the table. It was real. He ducked back into the kitchen and returned with three glasses. My father reminded me of a tiger lazily watching some kind of small prey, unsure if the kill was worth the effort. Matthias, to his credit, didn’t show a hint of intimidation as he poured a generous amount into the three glasses.

“Very good,” my father said, smacking his lips after taking a sip from the glass Matthias presented him. He waved a hand and Matthias took the seat indicated.

“This isn’t a tasting event,” I growled. “Tell me what’s going on.”

His expression soured as he lifted his eyes to mine. “Life in the human world has made you impatient, darling.”

I swear, if he called me darling one more time …

“Ivan’s family has been notified of his death. No one saw anything useful, though we’ll continue looking into the matter.”

“Why was he in my bedroom?” I demanded. “Did you hand out complimentary room keys to all of these so-called suitors?”

“Of course not!” he snapped. “I don’t know what Ivan was doing in your room. I’d have to assume that if he was last seen in the company of a young lady, perhaps they were looking for some privacy.”

I shook my head. “There are a dozen bedrooms in the mansion. Most of which aren’t locked up on gala nights.”

My father considered it and then gave a maddening shrug. “As I said, daughter, there is an investigation. You can’t expect me to have all of the information soused out within an hour.” He paused and I knew he was dragging it out intentionally. My fingers curled into tight balls under the concealment of the table. “It’s a pity it had to be Ivan. Several Court members had their money on him being the winner of the tournament.”

“You cannot be serious!” I snapped.

Lord Vaughn’s blue eyes shifted to mine, looking bored. “The bets were substantial amounts of money, Lacey. People are upset.”

I blinked, unable to form words that would sufficiently express my utter disgust.

“Any word on Jupiter?” Matthias interjected, as though sensing the wave of dark anger radiating from me.

“The girl hasn’t been found.” His tone was bland, as though checking off inventory from a clipboard.

“The girl?” I jumped to my feet and slammed my hands on the table. “Her name is Jupiter, and while you might not care that she is one of my friends, she should matter to you as she is a member of the Court, not to mention part of our household! Oh, and while we’re on that subject, I’d like to know what made you think it was okay to force her into servanthood in the first place! Instead of being an honored friend of House Vaughn, and thereby granted protection and other assistance when her employer moved, she was forced to brand herself in order to be given the honor of cleaning our toilets!”

“She wasn’t forced into anything,” Lord Vaughn countered. “I provided a position for her when she asked for a job. You make it sound as though I enslaved her.”

Molten lava flooded my veins and my eyes narrowed into thin slits. “You might think you’ve gotten away with something, but let me assure you—I’ll never forget this and I’ll never forgive you for it either. One day you’ll regret what you’ve done.”

Lord Vaughn reclined back and grinned, wholly unaffected by my threat. “This is quite the display for your potential betrothed.”

I snarled. “You will find Jupiter and you will bring her home, or I will spend the rest of my days reminding the Court that you failed to protect her. You might think you’re immune to their scorn, but from what I’ve been hearing, you’re already running a little low in the loyalty department these days. Do you really want to make it worse?”

Fire blazed behind my father’s eyes.

There. I’d hit my mark.

The heat melted his blue irises, turning them pitch black. “You don’t think I know how to handle the Court? You think that you could sway them away from me?”

I planted my palms on the table and leaned forward. “I think you’re more concerned with this barbaric tournament than you are about anything or anyone else.”

He shrugged, the casual gesture at odds with the smoke still lingering in his eyes. “How I run the Court is really none of your concern. You’ve made it very clear that you don’t want any part of it.”

“And yet, here I am, being forced to be a part of it again. If you don’t need or want my help or opinions, then let me go!”

“Whether you like it or not, you hold the key to the future of the East Court. As such, there are certain expectations placed upon you. This Court has already faced a scandal that could have shattered it. We’ve survived. Old wounds have healed. We are rebuilding into something bigger and stronger than the world has ever seen and you will be a part of it. You will bring forth the heir who will—”

I screamed.

The frustrated roar ripped from me before I could think better of it.

Matthias jerked in his seat, surprised. My father’s expression remained stony.

I threw my hands up in the air. “You keep saying you need me to give House Vaughn an heir. The whole idea is ridiculous! You don’t need an heir because you’ll never give up the reins. If you die, you and I both know the Court and the Vampire Council will come in like a pack of vultures and fight over the territories, so unless my child is a ruthless and blood-thirsty maniac, they’ll walk right over him or her and there won’t be one thing I will be able to do about it. This is vanity! The illusion of power and security.”

“Who’s to say your child won’t be strong enough to hold them off?” my father asked.

“Because I won’t give you that level of influence in their life,” I snarled. “You’d have to kill me first.”

We stared at each other, the room suddenly quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

It was a bluff. We both knew it. If he snapped his fingers, I could be banished to one of the dank cells beneath the mansion, and he could snatch my child away to put through whatever twisted brainwashing he so desired. He hadn’t been able to turn either of his daughters into murderous tyrants, but he wouldn’t have Athena in the way this time. If he pushed me out of the picture, there wouldn’t be anyone there to pump the breaks.

Fear clutched at my throat, making it impossible to get a full breath.

“I’m tired of this endless arguing. What is it that you want, Lacey?” My father’s face looked pinched as if the very question brought him pain.

This was my chance. Likely, my only one.

I squared my shoulders and stared at him, unblinking. “I will play nice with these so-called suitors on one condition.”

Lord Vaughn inclined his head, waiting.

“I want you to dispatch every available resource to find Jupiter and when you do, you will release her from service with enough money that she never wants for anything again.”

His nostrils flared but he didn’t immediately shoot me down.

Progress.

“I have three of my best men looking into the events of this evening. Despite what you think of me, it does concern me when one of the Court is attacked. This case is especially grave considering the timing and location of the attack. Jupiter will be found and brought back, one way or another.”

“And?” I rolled my fingers impatiently.

Lord Vaughn’s mouth went into a firm line but he gave a slight nod. “When she is returned, she will be freed from her blood oath to House Vaughn, provided a settlement, and permitted her choice of housing which will be declared hers, free and clear for as long as she likes.”

I paused, letting the words of his promise soak in, making sure he hadn’t twisted or bent any of them to fit his own desires. Satisfied, I nodded.

“You’re the witness,” I told Matthias before reaching out to extend my hand to my father.

Matthias glanced up and looked between us. “My Lord?”

“She’s correct,” Lord Vaughn said. “You’ll serve as the witness. The deal is made.”

He took my hand in a near bone-crunching grip. Our matching ice-fire eyes bore into one another for a long moment. My fingers screamed out for relief but I didn’t so much as breathe until he released me.

The moment he dropped my hand, he swept up from the table. His guards shuffled back into place, semi-permanent fixtures at his sides.

“I’ve had my men bring up your belongings,” he announced, gesturing at the pile of suitcases by the door. “You will be staying here until I deem it safe for you to return to the mansion.”

I groaned. I’d already pushed my luck and was too drained for another argument.

“I assume that will not cause a problem, Matthias,” my father said, more of a statement than a question.

Matthias offered a polite smile. “Not at all, My Lord.”

“Good.” Lord Vaughn headed for the front door. “I’ll leave one guard outside your door. They will change out every eight hours.”

I raised a finger. “Anyone but Jerrod.”

My father held my gaze for a moment but then nodded. “Fine.”

When the heavy door fell closed, I released the breath I’d been holding. “Well, on a scale from afternoon tea to nuclear war, I supposed that was somewhere around a back alley brawl.”

Matthias let out a low whistle.

I flashed a wry grin. “Reconsidering your urge to marry into the family?”

He stared up at me, his eyes earnest. “I may not have had a physical blade to my throat, but I assure you, it wasn’t my choice to sign up for this tournament. I have no desire to be play politics or get any deeper in the Court madness than I already am. I’m prepared to fight for my life, but I’m not interested in fighting for your hand.”

I barked out a laugh. “Way to let a girl down easy.”

He winced. “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right.”

“Don’t apologize.” I held up a hand. “Though, I am curious. If you don’t want to win the prize, how did you end up smack dab in the middle of this mess?”

He raked a hand through his dark hair and I realized how thick it was between his fingers. “You have a complicated relationship with your father, so you’ll probably understand when I say: my mother.”

I frowned. “I hadn’t exactly pegged her as a shark.”

Matthias laughed and some of the pressure in the room lifted. “Maybe not a shark, but I promise you, behind her love of crystals and psychics and fancy clothes, she’s not an easy woman to say no to.”

I picked up the untouched glasses and dumped their contents back into the decanter. Matthias stood and took it to the kitchen. I followed with the glasses.

Exhaustion swept over me as I rinsed the glasses clean. The victory over my father had been worth the effort, but left me drained. We’d finished one battle, but the war was far from over. I’d have to figure out a way to keep my potential future child out of his grasp another day.

I could only handle one life-altering problem at a time.