Bitten

After weighing the options once Roland was given the order to get Rhys to meet with the rest of the rebels, he decided that this was going to be a mission he would need help with. He wasn't comfortable asking his brothers to take this kind of risk, so he needed to decide which side was most dangerous. In the end, it had to be playing himself. Roland would be in the least amount of danger, and they had no other half-vampyres they could send to help him.

Rhys spent a few days making an amulet that would make his brother Soren look like Roland, and then spent an entire night teaching him Roland's mannerisms and attitudes. Only once he was sure his brother had it down did he hand him the necklace. "All you need to do is get me to them, and go along with what they want. Act like you are all in. If anything bad happens, you stay in character no matter what!"

"I know, Rhys," Soren said with a shake of his head.

"No, I mean it," Rhys told him, staring into his eyes. "That means even in the worst of circumstances. Even if they kill me right in front of your eyes, you do absolutely nothing to stop it, and nothing to try and get me out. Do you understand? You only leave once it makes sense for Roland to, and not a second sooner."

Soren swallowed hard at that, and then nodded his head. "I understand, Rhys."

Rhys was watching his brother's face closely to make sure he was serious, and then Rhys gave another nod and got up to get ready. Virmarus showed up not too long after, as Rhys wanted Soren's face at the party so none of this could come back to them. He was relieved someone else with The Shell would be there.

"Will you be okay with drinking blood?" Rhys asked him.

Virmarus grinned at him before he glamoured himself to look like Soren. "I eat my weight in raw meat. Blood will be nothing."

"Dad!" Tierney cried as she ran over to Rhys. He immediately picked her up and settled her on his hip before he kissed her cheek. "You look so handsome, Dad!"

"Thank you, princess," he told her. "Now you be good for your grandparents, alright? I don't know what time I'll be home tonight, but you have school tomorrow, so no staying up waiting for me."

Tierney made a face at that and Rhys gave her a confused look. She let out a huff when she saw the look he gave her and said, "Do I have to go to that school? Can't Gramma just take me back to Haven and I can go to school there again?"

"Why don't you like the school here?" Rhys asked her, though he suspected he knew why already.

What his daughter said next was not at all what he had been expecting to come out of her tiny mouth though. "Noble children are highly overrated."

Rhys stared at her in shock before he heard choking laughter behind him, and he turned to look at his two sisters, Gabriella and Seraphina, who seemed to be having a hard time keeping it together. Finally, Seraphina said to him, "I swear, I did not think she was listening to me when I said that."

"Not that she's wrong," Victor, one of his middle brothers, added from his spot near Marius.

Rhys pressed his lips together in vague annoyance, though he didn't disagree with his siblings, and turned back to Tierney. "Why don't you like them?"

'They're mean," she replied bluntly. It hurt hearing that from his daughter far more than he could have anticipated it would be. Everyone around them was silent as they took that in.

Rhys pushed back some of Tierney's hair behind her ear and told her, "They used to be mean to me too, but you know, there will be kids there that will like you exactly as you are. So you find them and stick with them. When you meet other dhampyrs here, try and befriend them. They are going through similar experiences."

"Will we go back to Haven when you save the kingdom?" she asked him.

Before everything that had happened recently, he would have agreed immediately to that. Now, though, he knew he didn't want to leave Vasile. "Wherever we land, I can make sure you can go to school in Haven, okay? Or maybe we can make a better school here in dismantling the problems. Either way, you'll go to a school that is safe for you, I promise."

Tierney seemed to accept that answer and hugged Rhys tightly. Once he had put her down, she said, "Say hi to the princes and princesses for me!"

"We will," Rhys promised her before his mom took her down the hallway toward the kitchen for dinner.

"Come on, or we'll never get you out of this house," Virmarus teased. Rhys nodded his head and followed Virmarus and his siblings out to the car. Soren had already left so he could take a car from the Andras residence as Roland.

To anyone in attendance, even the royals, it looked like the entire group of Draven children were in attendance. In reality, they were, but the real Soren was over with Lady Josephine and her group as they talked over glasses of blood. Rhys was nervous about putting his brother in this situation, but he was still fairly sure

he

was the main target that night, so he was trying to look like he was at ease.

He felt even more at unease when he saw Vasile and his siblings enter the party, but he knew he should have expected that. When they got over to where Rhys and Virmarus were standing, the two of them bowed before Rhys said, "Your Highnesses. Good to see you all here and doing well."

Vasile bowed in response, hiding a smirk in the process. "Your Excellency, Your Graces," he responded, "It's good to be seen."

The royal siblings all followed suit, bowing and murmuring their greetings. Virmarus followed Rhys' lead here, though he took a moment to look over the man that he knew Rhys was enamored with. He didn't linger though, not wanting to seem like anything but Soren Draven there for a good time with his siblings.

As they were talking, Roland and Josephine made their way over to where their group was standing. Josephine curtsied to the royal family while Roland gave a bow, though it was nowhere as deep as it probably should have been. It was a subtle jab at the royalty that Rhys had taught Soren, and Rhys could see that it grated on their nerves, though they were trying not to show it.

"Your Highnesses," Josephine said.

"And Your Graces," Roland said to the Draven siblings. "So many titles to reply to each other by. It seems so impersonal, don't you think?"

"Well, no one is truly supposed to feel like they can be informal with royalty," Rhys replied to him.

"Not even you?" Roland asked. "I heard rumors that you and the heir to the throne were quite close in school."

Rhys gave him a tight smile, though inside he was proud of his brother for playing the part so well. "That was a decade ago. I won't pretend that Prince Vasile and I are best friends or anything." Then he looked at Vasile. "Though I am most grateful to your family for backing up my application to my job. It's been quite fulfilling."

Vasile nodded regally in response. "It was only the wisest course. Your record as an ambassador more than speaks for itself," he said. His siblings chimed in with their own compliments, though Viktoria kept silent.

"Well, of course as a fae-touched dhampyr, he had to prove himself, didn't he?" Roland commented. "Hard to do that here. When has a dhampyr ever managed to get into the government here, other than as...well, I wouldn't want to say in such high company."

Nikodemus looked at him, the challenge plain on his face. "Please, speak your mind, young Roland," he said flatly.

Rhys knew what he was talking about of course, and even though Soren was following what Rhys had already set up, it did kind of hurt to hear. But he motioned to Roland to go ahead, and Roland just gave a tight smile. "Well, he's pretty enough to be a whore for a royal family member, but not much else," Roland said before locking eyes with Nik. "Have you ever seen a dhampyr anywhere else in high places?"

Rhys swallowed hard, feeling more pain for his daughter than for himself right then as her words echoed through his head. Everyone heard his almost silent reaction to it though, as everyone in the circle had superior hearing, even Virmarus.

Nik never broke eye contact with Roland, however. "Dhampyrs have long been a valued member of vampyre society, as you well know. They've served as Generals, mayors, diplomats, barristers, judges. Need I go on?" he asked Roland.

"But have any of them been the advisor to the King? Have they ever been considered good enough to wed a King?" Roland asked him, then looked at Rhys. "Tell me, Ambassador, did your school days ever teach you you were allowed to reach for those high places in vampyre society?"

Rhys seemed hesitant to answer the question, but eventually he said, "Quite the opposite, actually. Get out while you can was the main thing I took away from school. And my daughter seems to be feeling similarly."

"Isn't she merely five years old?" Roland asked. "Her first year of school."

"She is," Rhys admitted.

Nik looked annoyed as he conceded the point. "Children can be cruel to each other, it's true, and much of the time it is a reflection of the attitudes and beliefs of their adult role models, but that hardly serves as proof positive that the only position for dhampyrs in our society is that offered by bullies," he said, somewhat defensively.

"I don't exactly see you or the nobles trying to fix that perception though," Roland commented. "In fact, your most successful dhampyr was sent off to be an ambassador far away from Arcasias. Strange, isn't it?"

He didn't wait for Nik's response though. Roland took Josephine's arm, whose eyes were practically shining with amusement, and the two of them took their leave of the group.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Rhys said to Nik with a squeeze to his shoulder. "I appreciate you standing up for my kind. It means more to me than I could explain, and to my daughter. She wishes you all well, by the way. She asked me to give you her warmest greetings if we crossed paths tonight."

Nik's smile was brilliant and happy at the mention of Tierney's greeting. "She's so sweet, Your Excellency. Please give her our warmest regards in return," Nik responded.

Rhys smiled genuinely at that. "I will. She hates to miss all the parties but I told her she has so many years yet that she will be able to take part in it all. Right now she just needs to be a child."

"She has a better chance of that once she's surrounded by cousins she can play with," Marius said.

"And maybe a sibling or two," Seraphina teased.

"Oh no, I always take precautions for not getting pregnant," Rhys joked.

"You joke, but fae can do all sorts of things," Marius pointed out.

Rhys just grinned at him, though the way his eyes twinkled at the comment told everyone that he probably could figure out having kids with a man if he wanted to. Vasile was looking elsewhere so hard that he might as well have been staring agape at Rhys. He was just glad that Roland had wandered off. He was completely unaware that it wouldn't have mattered, but he was still cagey about how many people knew about their connection just then.

He was about to say something to change the subject when the appearance of his parents took the necessity from him. He turned along with everyone else to bow to the Royal Couple and await their proclamation to begin the party. They each spoke at length about whatever charities they were supporting with this gathering before entreating the party-goers to enjoy the festivities before leading the first dance.

Everyone took part in the dancing, feasting, and blood. Rhys knew the beginning of all of this would be like any other party, and he was right. Vasile and him didn't spend a lot of time together at the party, mostly staying in each other's periphery. They spoke a few times, but it was only about the party itself or Vasile's governance lessons.

It was toward the end, as people were looking for after parties or rides to get home, that Lady Josephine sent Soren over as Roland to speak to Rhys. There wasn't much Soren really had to say to his brother to get him to come with, but they both went through the motions anyway in case someone was listening to them.

Vasile and his siblings were leaving the party together when he saw Rhys and Roland talking to each other seriously. He shared an alarmed look with Lukas, who peeled off from the main party to see if Rhys needed an excuse to get away from what was no doubt an uncomfortable conversation.

Rhys gave him an appreciative smile but told him that he would be okay. Roland put an arm around Rhys and smirked at Lukas before he said, "Don't worry, Your Highness, I'll take good care of your pet for you."

"He's not our

pet,

" Lukas spat out at Roland.

Roland just grinned wider. "You'll have to prove that sometime then. Off you go."

"I'll be fine, Your Highness," Rhys said to Lukas, and something in his eyes told the prince to leave it alone. Lukas let out a low growl but then he turned away and went back to his family. Rhys knew Vasile would probably be worried, but this had to happen.

"You sure are popular with the royalty, Ambassador," Roland commented.

Rhys just nodded, opting not to comment on it. Eventually, Rhys agreed to come with Roland, and he followed the man to where Lady Josephine was. She took them in a car to her own home, where the others were waiting.

"Welcome Ambassador," Josephine said once they were in the study. "I'm sure you know who we are by now."

"Vaguely," Rhys admitted. "I have heard whispers, but no concrete name or plans yet. What I don't understand is why you want to talk to me of all people. I'm not a pure blooded vampyre, and I know your group hates that."

"Now, now," Josephine said with a wave of her hand. "Half-breeds have their place. Mostly as labor, but until the separate realms are fully segregated, bastards like you will happen. And right now, you in particular, could be very useful to us."

"Useful?" Rhys asked as he eyed the others.

Josephine motioned with her hand and one of the men there brought over a messenger bag and dropped it at Rhys' feet. He knelt down to look into it and found all of his letters to Vasile that had never been delivered. Rhys looked up at Josephine in surprise.

"You can keep those," Josephine said dismissively. "I already have copies. We know you're very...close to the crown prince. Maybe you two could be of help."

"For what price?" Rhys asked. "Your plan is to kill all the royals, so what incentive do I have to help you?"

Josephine smiled at him. "I'd be willing to let Prince Vasile live if he stays out of my way. You as well. All you need to do is get me into the palace, and then you two can disappear. Leave Avanær and never return, and you two can live happily ever after. What do you say?"

Rhys stood back up, putting the messenger bag around his midsection. "That's tempting, I'll admit. Even if Vasile felt the same way, and you should know he doesn't since he did nothing to stand up for me earlier, there is no way he would leave his family here to die. So I'll have to refuse."

"That's too bad," Josephine said, and then she moved so fast that Rhys barely had time to respond. She grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head aside. If he wasn't going to help them, then he could die here.

Rhys let out a cry of pain as her fangs pierced into his artery. He needed to figure out something fast, or else he was dead. Soren was watching as Roland, but there was nothing he could do right then. He was following the rules Rhys had put down before they did this. He didn't look as gleeful as everyone else, but he did stand there against the wall with a smirk on. It was an act, though, because he was tensely hoping Rhys would get himself out of here.

Josephine's fangs ripped at his skin, and she was draining him as fast as she could. He grabbed at something under his clothes, forcing a necklace up and out of his shirt. When the pendant made contact with Josephine's breasts, she screamed and dropped Rhys. He rarely wore this silver pendant, but he knew it might come in handy eventually.

Rhys fell to the ground, his flesh torn and bleeding freely now. The other vampyres went towards him, and he grabbed onto the messenger bag before he forced himself to teleport out of there. Soren felt a rush of relief but stayed in character, putting on a scowl and letting out a swear that Rhys had gotten away. Rhys reappeared not far from the palace borders. The wards made it so he couldn't teleport inside, but he could teleport nearby.

He grabbed at his boots, pulling out one of his iron blades. He always kept them sheathed unless he needed them so he wouldn't get burned by them. Now, he brought the dagger up to his neck and held the iron against it. His skin sizzled against the iron and Rhys let out a scream as the iron burned the open wound closed.

That scream got the attention of the guards, and a couple of them came to find out who was there with their weapons out. When they saw it was Rhys, and that he was injued, they rushed to get him inside and to call the doctor.

The royal family had gone into their family room to sit after the party to wind down and have drinks. It was normal after events like this, though this time Vasile was worrying about Rhys being with Roland. Their chitchat was disturbed as one of the guards ran into the room, looking alarmed.

"Your Majesties!" the guard cried, taking only a brief moment to catch his breath before he said, "Ambassador Draven is here, and he's badly injured!"

The entire family sprang to their feet, save Viktoria. At a wave from the Queen, the guards brought a barely conscious Rhys into the room and set him on a chaise over by the fireplace. "Fetch the doctor, at once!" Veronika commanded as she pulled a bottle of blood from the cupboard, not even looking at the label before popping the cork with a sharp fingernail and gently dribbling a few drops into Rhys's slack mouth.

Rhys reacted to the blood, opening up his eyes more and letting Veronika put more into his mouth. It didn't take long for the doctor to get there. Him and his nurses made the royal family back up so he could work. They worked first to get a lot of the formal wear off of him, taking in how much blood had soaked into his shirt and tie. He wouldn't let them touch the bag around him so they worked around it.

"The-the pendant, it's silver," Rhys stammered out. "Don't...don't touch it."

The doctor looked alarmed for a moment, looking back at the King and Queen before he took a handkerchief and wrapped it around the pendant while one of the nurses unclasped the chain. He disposed of it into the pocket of Rhys' pants. It wasn't illegal to have silver in Arcasias, but it was generally frowned upon. Under Rhys' job though, especially with the Shell, some allowances had to be given, even if they were questionable to the everyday nobility.

"Get an IV going," the doctor told one of the nurses before he prompted the other to blood type Rhys and get a bag for a transfusion. "We need blood and saline."

The doctor let out a sigh and came over to the royal family. "He's lost too much blood. Unlike a pure-blooded vampyre, he can't just recover it by drinking. It would take longer and far more blood for him to do it. We'll have to do a transfusion, and he'll need to rest. On top of that, he has a bad burn from iron. It looks like he did it to himself in order to stop the bleeding. Quite ingenious, but I have no idea how to treat it. We need to get someone in from Fyrie who would help."

Vasile's mind went instantly to Sylvae, but he didn't know whether he should be the one to mention her. Luckily for Vasile, Rhys was still conscious enough to be listening to them vaguely. He turned his head to them, keeping his arm still for a nurse while he kept the other around the bag he hadn't let them take off of him, and said, "I know someone. I need a pen and parchment though."