The King's War

18. Broken Promises

NATHANIEL

The body found in the rental car was not Avery's like I had suspected. It belonged to Travis, as did the blood in the gravel at the scenic overlook. He'd been shot in the back of the head, then his body was placed in the trunk of the rental car, and set aflame to hide the evidence. The police scanned the rocky field across from where Travis was presumably shot but found no trace of the shooter. Whoever did this had been thorough. He'd even taken care to remove the bullet from Travis's skull.

As relieved as I was that the body had not been Avery's, I couldn't shake off the guilt of Travis's death. He'd been killed because he worked for me. I tried to reassure myself that the dead guard knew the risks involved in his job. He'd died loyally doing his duty. But it didn't make the situation easier to bear.

Avery's parents were questioned extensively on what they knew, but I doubted they'd be able to tell us anything useful. This attack was premeditated and clearly involved multiple people. Someone had to shoot Travis, while someone else incapacitated Avery. Dumping a car requires two people, unless one was willing to make the trek by foot.

The question was, how had Travis allowed someone malcontent to get so close to Avery? Could it have been someone she knew and trusted? But she'd just arrived in town. Nobody local would have had time to plan such an operation on such short notice.

The Bell family had to be questioned. They knew where Avery was going and they had the financial means to back a professional job like this one. If they were responsible, it certainly made sense for them to strike when Avery was back at home to throw suspicion off of themselves. Problem is, why would they?

They were loyal to Balthazar, who was loyal to me. Sure, they'd initially fought against vampires in the war, but they were private military contractors. They'd been hired to. When it was clear that vampires were winning, they threw their lot in with us. Fighting against the order they helped create made no sense.

Still, that family had exactly the kind of resources a rebel group required. Access to weaponry, training in military tactics, knowledge of vampire security... The possibility could not be discounted. I'd need to keep a closer eye on them and do some digging into their activities.

If nothing else, they needed to be questioned in case they could provide anything of use to the investigation.

Right as I sent out an email to my top security personnel about that very topic, the door to my office burst open so hard it nearly flew off of its hinges. Queen Amelia Sinclair stood in the doorway, her face a mask of outrage.

Melanie hovered behind the angry queen. "Your Majesty, I tried to stop her, but—"

Amelia slammed the door in Melanie's face, cutting her off. She strode forward with a predatory gait. "Nathaniel," she said icily.

The Southern queen — the entire war, really — was the farthest thing from my mind in the wake of Avery's kidnapping. The meeting with Daphne Sinclair and Darren Frost seemed like a lifetime ago. I took in a deep breath. I could tell I was going to need all of the patience in the world to handle this encounter.

"Sir, should I send in the guards?" Melanie's voice chimed in over the PA.

I debated whether or not I should say yes. While Amelia's behavior was brash, I had anticipated such a reaction from her. After all, I'd teamed up with the witch who'd killed her husband. Her anger was entirely justified. Being dragged away by my guards would only infuriate her further.

"No, that won't be necessary," I replied, keeping my face composed. I folded my hands atop the table and gazed at Amelia with a look of disinterest. "Amelia. What brings you to my office?"