“Of course there is.” He blew out a long breath. “What is it?”
“There will be other objects in the cavern besides the sapphire ring,” I told him. “They may look harmless, but I must warn you—those objects are very dangerous. While in the cave, you must only touch the sapphire ring. Do you understand?”
“I understand.” He nodded. “And once I bring you this ring, you’ll do as you promised?”
“I swear it.” I removed a knife from my pocket and ran it over my palm. Blood oozed from the cut, and I stared at the boy daringly, handing the knife to him.
He hesitated—for a moment I feared he wouldn’t go through with the deal. But then he took the knife and made an identical cut across his palm.
The moment he did, I took the knife back and grabbed his hand with mine, our open wounds touching. A shock buzzed through my body—the magic of the impending blood oath.
“If you bring me the sapphire ring, I promise to provide you with all the money and luxuries you desire, as long as you tell no one but your family of this deal,” I said. “Do you swear to agree to this blood oath?”
“I swear.” He kept his gaze locked on mine the entire time. If he were a supernatural, I might have been intimidated.
But he was only human, and thus he had no affect on me.
A light glowed around our hands, the warmth spreading to my body. Then the light dimmed, the blood oath sealed.
“Good.” I pulled my hand away from his. As always after blood oaths, both of our cuts had healed. “Now—are you ready to climb that mountain?”
“Yes.” He gazed up at the towering peak, looking as determined as he’d appeared before slaughtering that wolf. “I’m ready.”
Camelia
As expected, I waited down at the base of the mountain for days. The boy had a long trek ahead of him, so I’d come prepared.
It was easy to do a warmth spell around my area, and I’d brought a tent, some food, and reading material—a seemingly never ending supernatural series that I’d recently become addicted to. Much of it was incorrect on the abilities of supernaturals, of course, but it was entertaining nonetheless.
While I was technically still within the boundaries of the Vale, it was nice to get away from the drama of the palace for a few days. But finally, on the dusk of the fourth day, I was awoken from sleep by a loud smack next to my tent. I pulled open the zipper and peeked out, my breath catching at the sight before me.
The boy had fallen from the mountain, his body mangled, his skin burned to a crisp. His face had been smashed to a pulp from the fall. The only way I knew it was him was because he was wearing the red hiking shoes I’d provided for his trek.
Then the clouds moved away from the moon, lighting up an object in his hand.
A diamond, glittering in the moonlight.
Well—a human would think it was a diamond.
I knew better. I gasped and brought my hands together, shocked at the unexpected present lying at my feet.
Because that wasn’t a diamond. It was a seeing crystal. One that had been created by Geneva herself. It had only been rumored of amongst witches, and it was extremely difficult to use, but if handled properly it could apparently answer whatever question a witch asked of it.
Geneva had created the seeing crystal for the use of witches only. If touched by any other creature—supernatural or human—it would kill them instantly. It was a dangerous weapon. That was why the witches had thought it best to lock it away inside the cavern.
The stupid human boy must have been so greedy for wealth that he’d gone against my warning and touched the crystal anyway.
But how close had he been to the sapphire ring? Maybe he’d gotten to the ring before the crystal?
I searched his pockets and found nothing. He’d gotten all the way up the mountain, inside the cave, and his stupid greed had been the end of him.
I paced around his corpse, nearly screaming in anger. I’d been so close to getting what I’d wanted.
But I stopped pacing, realization dawning on me. This wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened. No… it was a blessing in disguise. Because if—once—I learned how to use the seeing crystal, I could ask it exactly how to free Geneva.
I pried the crystal from the dead boy’s hand, shoved it inside my bag, and headed back to the palace.
I smiled the entire drive there, knowing I was one step closer to freeing Geneva, marrying Jacen, and finally becoming a vampire.
Jacen
The blood poured down my throat, and the human went weak in my arms. The warm, delicious liquid called to me, urging me to keep drinking—to drink and drink until I was bursting with it—but if I did that, this human would surely die.
And so, I pulled back.
I took one step away, and then another, wiping the excess blood off my lips. It smeared on my hand, bright and red, and I ran my tongue over it, determined not to let a single drop go to waste.
Then I stared at the twin pinpricks in the woman’s neck—at the droplets of blood peeking out from them—but I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms and forcing myself to back away until I stood against the opposing wall.
The woman opened her eyes, looking wearily around the room.
“Take her away,” I ordered to Laila.
“Are you sure?” the vampire queen asked. “She’s still alive. There’s more blood left…” She took a deep breath, indulging in the exquisite aroma. “It smells so delicious.”
“Take her away!” I glared at the human, aware of each pump of her heart as it sent blood rushing through her veins. But I forced myself to take shallow breaths. The shallower my breathing, the less sensitive I would be to the tantalizing scent that urged me to keep drinking until the woman was drained dry.
“Only if you’re sure.” Laila’s voice was silky and smooth—I might have even thought she sounded seductive, if she wasn’t annoying me to death.
I huffed and turned to Daniel. “Take her away,” I said steadily, looking straight into his eyes and putting as much power into my voice as possible.
Compelling him.
His face went slack, and he picked up the human, carrying her out of the room.
Once the doors closed behind them, I allowed myself to breathe normally again. I looked at Laila, waiting for her to say something. We were the only two in the room now—Camelia had been noticeably distant since my refusal of her proposal earlier this month.
At least she seemed to be accepting my rejection with dignity.
“I see you’ve been improving your compulsion,” Laila observed.
“I have,” I said.
“And that’s seven days in a row that you’ve been able to stop yourself while feeding.”
“It is.” I nodded. “I’m able to control myself around humans now.”
“In a sanctioned setting,” she pointed out.
I waited for her to continue—waited for her to say that it was time to move onto something bigger. That I was ready to leave the palace.
She said nothing.
“I’m ready to leave the palace now,” I said, since clearly she wasn’t going to say it first. “This past week has proven that.”
“Perhaps.” Laila smirked and raised an eyebrow.
“What else do you need me to do to prove myself?” I asked, raising my voice at her again. I knew she was a queen and that she technically deserved respect, but she frustrated me to hell, so screw the rules. “Do you need to bring a whole crew of humans in here to tempt me? If so, then do it! Do whatever’s necessary for you to trust me.”
“When you’re ready, I’ll know,” she said, giving me that irritatingly knowing smile of hers. “In the meantime, it’s Christmas Eve. I have some tasks to attend to in order to get the palace ready for tomorrow. I’ll see you soon.”
She smiled at me one more time, swished her dress around herself, and left the room.
Jacen