Blood Illusion, the Heir That Never Was

My voice made Lucius jolt so hard he almost dropped the bundle.

The movement angered the thing in his arms.

The infant let out a piercing sound, something between a cry and a snarl.

It wasn't the sound of a vampire fledgling, but something far more feral.

A corner of the blanket came loose. I saw a pair of eyes flash with a wild, gold light.

And two small, sharp canines.

The half-breed mongrel was starving, eager to sink its teeth into the nearest living thing.

Lucius's expression shifted rapidly—from terror to guilt, and finally, to cold resolve.

He took a sharp step back and threw the snarling monster onto my bed!

"Gods! Rhiannon!"

Lucius let out a deafening roar, his performance hitting its climax. "Look what you've done! You've birthed… a monster!"

The creature landed at my feet and immediately began crawling toward me, trying to get a taste of my blood.

I calmly lifted my foot and pinned it to the sheets by its chest with the tip of my boot, immobilizing it.

"Nice acting, my Lord," I said softly.

But my voice was drowned out.

The door burst open.

Lilith, who had been waiting outside, rushed in.

She was in a thin hospital gown, looking pale and weak, but her voice was surprisingly loud.

"What is it? Lucius, what's happened?"

Lilith ran to the bedside and let out a theatrical scream at the sight of the half-breed pinned under my foot.

She clapped a hand over her mouth as fake blood-tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Oh, by the First Sire… Lady Rhiannon…"

She pointed a trembling finger at me, her eyes full of fake disbelief and hurt. "How could you? For power… you betrayed our kind and consorted with those filthy werewolves?"

The hallway was instantly crowded.

Physicians, servants, and several Covenant Elders and Knights.

It was obvious they had all been invited by Lilith to watch this "show."

Everyone saw the canine-toothed infant struggling and snarling at my feet.

Shock.

Then, overwhelming fury.

"A werewolf mongrel!"

"We're bleeding for the Covenant on the front lines, and our Lady is sleeping with the enemy behind our backs!"

"Kill the monster! Kill the traitor!" The crowd was a sea of rage.

The Knights' eyes glowed red, low growls rumbling in their chests.

In a time of war, there is no greater treason than tainting the bloodline.

Lucius stood in the center of it all, his back ramrod straight.

He looked at me with a mask of anguish, even managing to squeeze out a few blood-tears.

"Rhiannon, I loved you, I trusted you… and you bring me this shame."

He took a deep breath, his Lord's aura washing over the room, silencing the chaos.

"As Lord of the Shadow-Crest Covenant, I will not tolerate this betrayal that defiles our blood!"

Lucius raised his right hand, pointing his finger at my nose, his voice cold and merciless.

"I hereby strip Rhiannon of all her titles! She is no longer our Lady! She is no longer under the protection of this Covenant!"

Lilith, hiding behind him with a smirk on her lips, was still crying out, "Lucius, she must have been confused… can't you spare her?"

"Traitors don't deserve to live!" Lucius cut her off righteously, then roared at the doorway, "Temple Knights! Seize this traitor and throw her into the Sun-Scorched Dungeon!"

The death sentence was passed.

Everyone expected me to cry, to beg.

I didn't.

I sat on the bed, my foot still pinning Lilith's monster.

Then, Lilith's gaze darted to my bed.

To the slight bulge under the covers.

As if she realized her little charade was missing something.

A new mother needed a baby in her arms.

The perfect prop for a devastating accusation.

She sucked in a breath, her face contorting into a perfect mask of victimhood.

"No! That under the blankets is my child!" Lilith shrieked, her voice hoarse with a chillingly real panic.

She pointed a trembling finger at me, her performance reaching its peak, scarlet tears streaming down her face.

"She took my baby! Lucius! She swapped our children! She's jealous that I gave you a pureblood heir!"

The sudden accusation stunned everyone into silence.

"She's hiding him! Give me back my son!"

Like a madwoman, Lilith lunged for my bed. She shoved past the servants trying to stop her and scrambled for the bundle under the sheets, her hands reaching out in desperation.

"My heir…" she murmured, her hands closing around the swaddled form.

But the moment she lifted the bundle—

She froze.