chapter 2
Dark figures dotted the landscape as we made our way toward the forest. My heart began to weep as we passed the giant tree that stood isolated on the barren, grassy hills. I remembered lying under it, cradled in its massive roots thinking I was going to die. Its leaves looked to be dipped in gold as the cool nights began to change their colors. I’d forgotten how beautiful fall could be.
The thick trees that stood before us swallowed up the procession as we stepped into the shadows of the leafy canopy. Moonlight cascaded down in fractured beams, slicing the darkness like daggers. We made our way silently, gradually forming a single line as we followed a small path through the dense foliage. Passing through a beam of moonlight, our cloaks twinkled like diamonds, reflecting light throughout the darkness.
I followed behind Arrick as the procession wound deeper and deeper into the forest. The vegetation grew thicker the farther we got. Moist leaves slapped against my bare legs, but I didn’t mind. I was too distracted by the beauty of the forest to care. Fireflies glimmered around us, dancing closer and closer, somehow mesmerized by our own sparkling cloaks each time we moved through a moonbeam.
My instincts told me we’d arrived before my eyes unveiled the truth. Silver light glowed powerfully before us, and I lifted my head, ready to cast my eyes toward a starry sky, but the canopy overhead was as thick as ever. Even the tree trunks grew wider. I peered around Arrick to find that the luminosity radiated not from the night sky or the vast moon, but from the ground. What was making the earth glow? I’d never seen anything like it, but I couldn’t mistake the sensation it gave me. Nyx definitely had a part in this. It was achingly beautiful, just like the moon was when the night began. I wanted to cry and smile at the same time.
Every step closer toward the exquisite light made my heart throb in pain. There was so much sorrow here. I could feel it in the air, filling my lungs with every breath.
The line of mourners slowed as we approached the funeral site. Two hooded vampires stood at the edge of the ring of light. They each carried a woven basket filled with something that carried the same silvery glow as the ground before us. Seeing it this close made something stir in my memories. I’d seen something that looked like this before, but where?
One of the figures handed Arrick a single glowing orb and he took it in his hand before bowing deeply. I watched his back as he strode away and toward the gathering of vampires in the center of the light. My eyes adjusted quickly to the brightness and the details became clearer. The earth looked to be covered in a low fog that was filled with the shiny glow. It swirled, and shifted as the cloaked figures waded through it. Orbs of light clung to the ground, and I was drawn to reach down and touch one; to pluck it from the earth and hold it to me like a newborn child.
A growl rumbled angrily behind me and I shifted my body back toward the figure beside me. A glowing light lay idly in their hand as they offered it to me. Even with their head cast down, I could tell who they were. The radiant light from her basket bathed her face in a gorgeous hue of silver and white.
Evilyn.
She hadn’t spoken a word to anyone since I returned. I’d wanted desperately to talk to her, but she refused everyone who requested entrance to her chambers. Arrick mentioned she wouldn’t even allow Nicolae in, that even after I’d run away with him after Ana attacked me, she fell into a deep depression. I never once thought that Evilyn might have been innocent in the whole scheme. I didn’t stop to think how much my absence would hurt her. I felt guilty for not trying harder to get her to speak with me.
I bent down, trying to connect with her. If only she would look at me I could convey my love toward her. I wasn’t angry with her, she had to know that. I still cared about her and I would never forget the moments we shared. If she would just let me apologize for leaving. If I could simply talk to her and tell her everything that had happened, maybe she would understand. Maybe then she wouldn’t be in so much pain and she could begin to heal.
She lowered her head even more, dropping the glowing orb back into her basket. My heart sank. I’d been so focused on the agony that Baal had caused that I didn’t stop to think about the heartache I had caused myself. I swore that when this nightmare was over I would make it right. I’d try to speak to her, and keep trying until she let me in. Just because I wasn’t her daughter didn’t mean I didn’t want her in my life. Vowing inwardly to keep my promise, I reached out and grasped an orb from her basket before moving forward. The grumpy vampire behind me grumbled something under his breath, but I didn’t care.
The object in my hand was softer than I expected and released a sparkling vapor of silvery light mixed with a gentle wisp of aroma. It was so faint, even with my vampire senses I could barely smell it. I pursed my lips and blew, sending the delicate veil cascading down my hand and toward my feet to reveal a beautiful white flower.
“It’s called Astraia,” Robin’s sweet voice whispered beside me. I beamed up at her, completely forgetting the beauty in my hands and savoring the joy of her presence. I wanted to jump into her arms and squeeze my best friend as hard as I could. Her expression softened briefly at my reaction but no smile broke through her grief.
“What does it mean?” I asked, knowing that giving me a history lesson was the one thing that might help her forget her sadness, if even for a moment.
“It means ‘Goddess’ Tear’.” She lifted the flourishing bloom to her nose and inhaled the soft scent.
“From the Moon of Tears?” I was suddenly intrigued with the history of this flower.
Robin glanced up at me surprised, but also amused. “Yes. The flower blooms only at night, and it only glows after the Moon of Tears. The tears of Nyx fall from the sky and the flowers soak up her essence. The essence is then gathered and used for ceremonies like tonight’s, and your Blood Mate ritual. It’s a very rare thing to see. I’ve read about it, but it’s so much more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.”
“It’s a shame it takes such a dreadful act to bring about such a beautiful thing,” Arrick said, stepping up behind me. He held his flower is his palm and placed his other hand on my lower back. The small touch sent warmth spiraling through my body.
“Yeah.” Robin nodded, looking around at the crowd that was gathering. “I should find my mother before the ceremony begins.”
She left without a second glance, and I watched her walk away until she was just another shrouded figure in the crowd. “What do we do now?” I asked Arrick, dropping my weight onto a stone bench that was nestled in the roots of a nearby tree. I deposited the flower onto my lap and watched as the smoky glow traveled down my legs.
Arrick sat down beside me and sighed. He cupped the flower in his hands, and hung his head. “Now we descend into the tomb and place our offerings at the feet of Nyx.” I nodded, but he wasn’t even looking at me to see it.
When the last of the procession received their flowers, they made their way toward the largest tree nearby. The roots jutted out of the ground like pillars, holding the tree above our heads, suspended over the earth. We walked through the web of roots and under the massive trunk that spread well over four meters wide. I stretched a hand out and brushed my fingertips along a root. It was colder than I had expected and I drew my hand back. On the other side of the tree, the roots spilled down into a deep hole in the ground. A stone staircase covered in moss sloped downward into the earth below.
With every step, dropping deeper into the earth, I realized we were lowering ourselves into the entrance of the tomb. Under the earth, moss, and skeletal limbs of the monstrous tree roots was stone. Four stone walls that had long ago been embraced by Mother Nature. Instead of swallowing the tomb, the landscape hugged the structure. The roots clasped the pillars and wrapped around the archway leading to the depths below. Moss grew around chiseled carvings making the sculptures stand out, and the images that much more captivating. Astraia flowers dotted the mossy growth providing a soft light. Several stone benches lay in crumbled mounds, but others still stood, defying the test of time.
At the center of the farthest wall stood the mouth of the tomb nestled between the roots that were draping the doorway like curtains. The procession made its way inside, their Astraia flowers illuminating the darkness; while others paused on benches, taking time to collect themselves before entering the sacred place. I was one of them. I found a bench that was only partially collapsed and took a seat. A statue of Nyx stood nearby, her head was tilted toward the entrance, and her arms were reaching toward the mouth of the tomb, longing for the souls that lay to rest beneath her. Stone flowers pooled at her feet.
I sat a moment just watching everyone slowly make their way in and out of the tomb. I felt Arrick’s presence nearby, but he gave me my space, yet was still staying close enough that I could sense him, or call out if I needed him. Which could happen very soon. I wasn’t sure my limbs would allow me to make the steps needed to pass through the threshold of the crypt. As soon as I entered that tomb there would be no going back. I would have to accept that those we lost were truly gone, and they’d never be with us again. My heart would no longer be able to play tricks on my mind, pretending there was hope for them. Pretending that Nyx would perform some miracle and bring them back to us. My mind knew that wasn’t going to happen, but my heart just wouldn’t let it go.
Eerie tingles ran across my skin and my instincts felt eyes penetrating through me. It wasn’t Arrick, I knew his gaze intimately, nor was it any other vampire for that matter. This felt different, it pierced straight through me making my heart beat faster and cry out with sorrow a thousand times more powerfully than any sadness I’d ever felt. I turned my head and locked eyes with the statue that stood beside me. My heart somersaulted in my chest and I stumbled out of my seat. Nyx’s head had turned in my direction. Horror was written on her stone face, as her emotions slammed into my chest like a train. A scream caught in my throat. Nyx’s pain was more than I could bear. Burning heat grew like wildfire in my body and any second I knew I was going to explode into flames. I closed my eyes tight, fear crippling me as I leaned my back against the bench. Was Nyx angry with me for what happened? Did she blame me? Was this my punishment? All these questions rampaged through my head until everything suddenly stopped.
“Claire! What happened?”
I was in Arrick’s arms and back on the bench. I squirmed out of his embrace and stepped frantically away from the statue, but it was back to normal. Nyx’s face retained the solemn gaze toward the crypt entrance. She wasn’t looking at me. Had she even moved at all, or had it all been in my head?
I fell onto another bench; this one more crumbled than the last, and scanned the vampires around me. Some of them gazed at me curiously, others seemed to find my outburst offensive, and glared openly. Arrick walked over and knelt before me. He pulled a tissue out of his shirt pocket and began dabbing my face. Sweat and tears mingled across my cheeks.
“Are you all right?” He took my hands in his and kissed them until I stopped shaking.
“I don’t know.” I placed my hands on my chest and tried to catch my breath. The stones under my dress were warm against my skin. Maybe I shouldn’t have worn them, but I hated taking them off. I hated being away from them. I knew it was strange, and Arrick worried about me, but the stones and I were somehow connected. “I felt someone watching me and when I looked up the statue of Nyx was turned to me. She was screaming in pain. I could feel her inside me.” I covered my face with my hands. I sounded like a crazy woman. Talking statue? Maybe I really was losing it.
Arrick turned toward the statue of Nyx a growl building in his chest like he’d kick that statue’s butt if he had to. It was almost comical. This man, this blood mate, would protect me from anything, even my own wild imagination.
I placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m okay, Arrick. I think I just let my emotions get the best of me.” I smiled weakly.
“You? Let your emotions get the best of you? Such a thing could never happen.” His sarcastic smile broke through the last trembles of my nerves and warmed me through and through. “This is why I fear so much that you hold everything in. Feel, Claire.” He placed his hand on my chest just above my heart.
“But I don’t want to. It’s easier if I just block it all away.”
“It might be easier now, but it will cause you more pain in the end.” He looked away and lifted my Astraia flower from the ground. “Here.” The luminescent light was starting to fade. I took it from him and touched the petals gently. “Time heals all wounds, Claire. But they will not mend if you do not allow them to bleed.” He lowered the hood of my cloak and brushed the hair from my brow before placing a gentle kiss there. “I think there is someone who needs you.”
I looked in the direction in which he had turned his gaze and found Robin, struggling to walk into the tomb. Without another thought I made my way to her. Tears spilled down my cheeks of their own accord as I pulled my friends hand into mine. She didn’t jump at my sudden touch, but squeezed back with the fierce strength she’d always possessed. Our eyes met, both red and swollen with tears, speaking more than any words could ever express. We would get through this together. I might be fighting the sorrow with every fiber of my being, but I wasn’t going to allow her to fight her’s alone. The walls around my heart crumbled and the flood gates released. Robin and I walked hand in hand into the tomb. Neither of us were ready to say goodbye, but it was the only way we’d be able to overcome the grief.
The roots of the ancient trees weaved through the stone walls of the crypt like spider webs, yet somehow it made it comforting. The smell of moss and earth filled the small confines and filled my nostrils. It wasn’t at all as horrifying as I’d thought it would be. The sight of the plant-life gave a small twinkle of hope in an otherwise heartbreaking place. The narrow hallway sloped down into an expansive room. Torches hung from sconces on the walls and lit the area with a brilliant warm glow, muffling the sounds of sobs with their crackling light. Robin shuddered as we weaved through the mourners. Several archways dotted the walls around the room, leading down other confined passageways. In the center of the room stood a massive statue that reached from floor to ceiling. It acted as a pillar and a focal point. The mourners gathered around it, and from the glow emanating upward I could tell that was where we needed to go.
I hesitated for a moment when I saw Nyx’s face carved into the stone. Even though her gaze was cast downward I still feared she’d look up at me. I felt ridiculous for fearing her. My belief in her had done nothing but help me in the past.
Her expression was chiseled to display a deep sense of melancholy. Nyx’s hands were cupped under her face, and tears dripped from them to a pool at her feet. I marveled for a moment at the magic of such a sight, but realized it was probably a fountain. Yet, that fact still did not change the message the image represented. Nyx was weeping for her lost children. Unlike at the temple in Naos, this water wasn’t crystal clear. It was dark and limitless like the night sky.
Robin and I approached, looking down into the pool, watching the flowers floating in the murky water. They twinkled like stars in the night sky, like the souls sparkling inside every one of us. Together, we gently dropped our flowers into the water and watched them mingle with the others. Even though I hadn’t decided if I was crazy, or if Nyx had tried to send me some kind of message, I whispered a quick prayer as my fingers dipped into the water and released the flower.
“My father always wondered what happened when we died. He had so many books on the afterlife and the realm of Nyx. Now he’ll finally know the truth.” Robin’s words were full of sorrow, but her tears had subsided. I hugged her and she rested her head on my shoulder. “Do you think it’s true what they say, Claire? That our spirits live forever, even after our bodies have turned to dust?”
“I do. Nyx wouldn’t have made a soul as bright as your father’s to let it flicker away. Something that beautiful can never fade.”
Robin smiled up at me. “I think so, too. I never gave much thought about dying. Not until now. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that I could come here and talk to him. Maybe he’ll hear me.”
“Our souls are always connected to us and the ones we love,” Arrick said as he sat beside us and placed a comforting hand on Robin’s shoulder. “The children of the goddess are laid to rest here so that their souls may visit this plane and hear the prayers and words of their loved ones. Your father’s body may be gone, but his soul will never die.” His words were full of sympathy, yet there was strength in them. I could feel his conviction.
“Thank you.” Robin patted his hand. “I’m going to go say goodbye.” Arrick and I nodded as she stood up and walked toward her mother on the other side of the room. Mara rested her head against the wall, her fingers caressing a carving that I couldn’t quite make out in the dim light or through the fog of tears that still clung to my lashes.
Arrick guided me back out toward the tomb entrance and to an empty stone bench, different from where I’d sat before. Tonight had been harder than I had expected. Not just because of the pain I felt, but seeing the anguish in the ones I cared about. Every vampire around me had lost someone.
A face I recognized caught my attention across the expanse of the tomb courtyard. It was the young vampire who’d danced with Robin at my coronation ball. He was consoling a girl beside him. They looked like they could be related. They shared the same high cheek bones and dimpled chins. She was probably his sister, but the sight of the two of them standing alone sobbing meant only one thing. They’d probably lost both their parents. I could see him fighting back his own tears, trying to be strong as his sister whimpered on his shoulder.
Suddenly my anger was pumping through my veins and my hands flew to my chest, grasping the stones that lie hidden. “I’m going to make Baal pay for this.” I growled through clenched teeth.
Arrick tugged softly at my wrists, trying to pull my hands away. “Just not today, Claire. Control your anger.”
“I am controlling it, but I refuse to deny it.”
Okay, maybe I wasn’t controlling it. My future had more than one battle in it, the battle with Baal and his legion of dark vampires, and the battle within myself. Arrick had to be sick of always trying to calm me whenever I let myself get heated, which was pretty often.
“I’m not asking you to deny it. I can taste the vengeance you crave. I can feel the hatred sweltering in your heart. Baal will pay for his crimes. I promise you.” A hint of anger lingered on the edge of his voice. I hadn’t thought he could be as angry as I, but maybe he could mask it better. “I will fight beside you, Claire. No matter what, I’ll help you stop him or die trying.” The certainty in his tone was undeniable. Arrick was pledging an oath to me.
“As will I.” Robin’s voice was so deep with fervor I hardly recognized her. I looked up, startled to see not just the torment in her features, but the rage in her eyes. That wasn’t something I wanted to see.
“No, Robin. I need you to stay safe. I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you.”
She took a seat beside me, dropping her hood and taking my hand. Her red curls stuck in tendrils to the tears on her cheeks. She was pale; paler than any vampire would normally be. Dark circles had formed under her eyes and her body looked frail. All our bodies looked frail. The fasting was beginning to take a toll on us.
“And I couldn’t stand it if I let others fight for me. I have to do this, Claire. Not just for me, or for you, but for my father. I won’t let his death be in vain.”
“I won’t let that happen. I promise.” I pulled her into my arms and held her to me as tightly as I could. I didn’t know how, but I knew there had to be a way. No one was unstoppable. There had to be a way to stop Baal; we just had to figure out what it was.
“I want to go with you to Naos. I don’t want to stay here anymore.”
I pulled Robin away from my chest and looked into her eyes. “Are you sure?”
She nodded.
“Let her go,” Mara spoke up. She was sitting a few feet away, a black lace veil shrouding her face. “She will be safer there. There is nothing left for her here.”
Robin began to shudder, so I rubbed her back to comfort her. “What about you?” I asked Mara. Surely, she didn’t plan on staying here. Was she really just casting her daughter away; the only family she had left?
“I will stay with my husband.” There was cold finality in her words.
“But…” I blurted out to protest, but Arrick put his hand on mine and shook his head.
“Leave her be,” he said.
I could only shake my head as Robin began to sob softly. She’d lost her father, and now, in a way she’d lost her mother, too. I knew the loss of a mate was brutal for vampires, but I never quite understood how much until now. Mara would never let Edgar go, and she’d never be able to go back to who she was. Was this what happened to Ana? She was already a monster before Luka died, and it only amplified after his death. After I killed him.
I continued rubbing Robin’s back as she steadied her breathing. Maybe it was better for her to come to Naos than to stay here and watch her mother turn into a shadow of her former self. At least in Naos I could make sure she was protected.
My eyes traveled across the vampires around us as they gathered in small groups, shuffling slowly in and out of the tomb, and others beginning to filter back up the stairs looking completely weakened. The energy needed for the evening seemed to have drained them. The young vampire I’d recognized earlier with his sister was guiding her back up the stairs of the crypt, allowing her to rest all her weight against him. I watched his jaw clench with effort to hold her up, his muscles straining to comply. It normally took a lot of exertion to tire a vampire, but with such a long time since drinking blood it didn’t take much.
The crowd of mourners broke away to reveal Nicolae standing alone. I ground my teeth to keep from growling, but failed to prevent my fangs from stabbing into my lips. Luckily, they didn’t draw blood. He was standing off to the side, looking completely catatonic. He should be comforting his fellow vampires, telling them he will avenge their loved ones; that he will stop Baal from harming anyone again. Arrick might want me to control my anger, and he might also be right, but this I couldn’t stand for.
Before Arrick could react to the fury he was no doubt starting to sense within me, I bolted from my seat like a jack rabbit. I marched toward Nicolae with fierce determination to give him a piece of my mind. I’d been easy on him for everything, but not anymore. I’d overlooked his wrong doings because I couldn’t let go of the few memories I had when I had thought he was my father. Now that I knew my real father, I knew he’d never stand aside when others suffered around him. No, Nicolae wasn’t even half the man my father was.
“You!” I hissed the words like an angry cat. My attack was assembling inside me. I was ready to call him out on everything. Every dirty deed, every shameful act. He wouldn’t be able to hide from any of it. Arrick appeared by my side with lightning speed, but he didn’t hold me back as I had expected. He just stood like a guardian beside his princess ready to defend her and aid her in any way she needed.
Nicolae’s eyes fell slowly to me, and the vacant stare that I had thought I saw was nowhere to be found. Nor was the vampire I had once known. What stood before me was a broken shell, a fallen king with no will to go on. I could feel my wrath begin to dwindle as surprise and confusion snuffed it out.
“Forgive me,” Nicolae begged, his voice wavering with emotion and guilt.
I stepped away as he reached for my hand, a single tear falling down his cheek. I didn’t want to forgive him, but could I really refuse him? This man, this vampire, this king, was begging my forgiveness. Who was I to say no?
“You’re a monster.” I whispered the words, but was still able to express the ire I felt. “You had me kidnapped. You allowed me to live a lie my entire human existence. You risked my life when you knew others were vying for your throne. You knew didn’t you?” He blinked miserably at me, unshed tears threatening to fall. “You knew all along that the threat of The Dark returning was possible?”
Gasps and whispers fluttered behind me, but I ignored them. I might have decided that I would try to forgive Nicolae but there was only one way I could do that. He had to admit to everything. He had to confess his guilt, and beg Nyx for forgiveness; not me.
“No.” He swallowed hard and took a deep, wavering breath before continuing. “I didn’t know The Dark was coming. I knew Ana and her family was after my throne, but I never would have imagined in my worst nightmares that they’d attempt what they did.”
“They almost succeeded,” Arrick replied in a growl beside me.
“I’m sorry.” He sighed at Arrick then looked back toward me. “Their thirst for power was stronger than I had ever expected.”
I could only shake my head. Claiming ignorance didn’t sit well with me. He was the king, he should’ve known everything. Especially when it came to the royal family and those in it.
“And what about me? You didn’t know I was Cathair and Ione’s daughter?”
“I knew,” he admitted, his head hung low.
Anger was storming inside me. He knew! He knew all along and he still took me. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. How could anyone be so cruel, so evil as to steal a baby; a helpless, innocent child?
“Why?” Arrick wrapped his arm around me as I shook with pain and anger.
“The only way to keep Lilith and Samael from openly attacking the throne was to reestablish my power. Without that, I would lose the support of the other vampires in the region. They wouldn’t stand beside me should Lilith and Samael execute their plan to steal the throne.”
“You knew they were plotting against you. Why didn’t you just simply have them killed?” Arrick tried to keep the level of his voice down. Several of the vampires around us were attempting to listen in, while others shifted away; uncomfortable with the conversation or unable to handle whatever truths might be revealed.
Nicolae’s face lost its sadness and filled with regret. “I thought that I could change their mind. I hoped they would see reason. When I took my role as king I vowed an end to the killing, to death. I wanted to avoid it at any cost.” His face hardened at Arrick, but grew soft again when he looked at me. “I thought I could give you a good life, Claire. You are loved more than you’ll ever know.” His eyes drifted away from me, so I followed them.
Evilyn sat at a lone bench in the far corner of the courtyard. The hood of her cloak had remained draped over her face, but the light of the Astraia flower that she still held in her hands illuminated her ruby red lips. A long braid woven with black velvety ribbons spilled out of her hood.
“There was nothing she wanted more in this world than a child,” Nicolae said, his voice filled with sorrow. “She prayed and prayed to Nyx for countless years, and was never blessed with such a miracle. Perhaps Nyx was punishing her for marrying me…” I looked back to him. I could feel the desire to pull Evilyn into his arms seeping out of him like honey. He must have felt my eyes on him, because he jerked his face back to me with surprise. Maybe he got lost in the pain, or the memories of seeing his wife begging the goddess for a child that would never come.
“When I learned of your birth I saw it as an opportunity. I could give my wife that which she most desired and I could protect my region from being ruled by Lilith and Samael. I always knew they’d never fully accepted our new way of life, but I refused to admit it. When they’d agreed to follow me I thought they’d relinquished their loyalty to The Dark. I was wrong.”
“You fought against them in the dark ages?” I asked, suddenly intrigued. I’d never heard that piece of information. I didn’t understand how Nicolae could have ever trusted them. What did they do to make him believe they’d changed their ways?
“We did.”
He moved away from a crowd of vampires as they made their way to the stairs to exit the crypt. I watched as their eyes surveyed our faces, and I could feel them flicking out feelers to sense our emotions. I clenched my grip on mine to be sure no one could sense anything from me. My expression might betray me, but without knowing the truth in my heart they’d never know for sure.
“After the last battle we searched the wreckage to recover our dead; to give them a proper burial. That’s when we found them. They were new to the mutation and hadn’t fully changed. Many of our kind wanted to kill them before they had a chance to devolve, but I couldn’t do it. I convinced my followers that by killing them we’d only be inviting darkness into our hearts. That it was against everything we were fighting for. I was convinced that the only way to save them was to accept them, and allow them to welcome the goddess into their hearts.”
Arrick groaned beside me, obviously unhappy about the decision Nicolae had made so long ago. Against my initial desires, I was starting to understand him. Nicolae really did want peace; he just very often made the wrong decisions. It was about time he started making the right ones.
“Centuries later and they still haven’t changed. All those years and you didn’t suspect even once that something was off?” Arrick asked.
“No. When they’d taken Ana as their daughter, starting a family for themselves I thought that was a sign they finally erased the darkness in their hearts. It had only been a ploy. Not until whispers of their desire for the throne did I allow myself to believe I’d made a grave mistake saving them so many years ago.”
“They’ve been lying in wait all these years; biding their time,” I said more to myself than to Nicolae or Arrick, as I was slowly putting the picture together. Even though they’d never fully transformed physically into dark vampires, they had mentally. Lilith and Samael were definitely members of The Dark. Perhaps it had been their plan all along, betting on Nicolae’s kind heart to pity them. They played on his only weakness, knowing he would try to give them salvation. After they’d lost the war, this had been their only option.
When the time was right they would take his throne and control over the Noire region, but did they really believe Baal would let them have it? Maybe they were pawns too. Another one of his plans to take over our realm and transform it into what he wanted.
“How does Baal fit into all of this?” Arrick asked the question I was just starting to form in my head. “Is he really a god?”
“I cannot say. In the dark ages he was our greatest foe; the leader of his monstrous army. His thirst for blood, endless rage and hunger for power had turned him into something else entirely. He is more than a vampire now. Baal worships the old, long forgotten gods. What they have done to him I do not know.”
My nerves began to tingle and the stones burned against my skin, but too late did I realize that it was not because of Nicolae’s tale, but because of something else. Fox was approaching and every fiber of my being couldn’t stand his presence. I had yet to know is role in everything, but I did know that he was the one who took me. Though it was by the order of Nicolae, he was still the one who had executed it. He’d followed orders without question and taken me from my parents. Were the stones heating in response to my rage or did they know something about Fox that I didn’t?
There was one last thing I wanted from Nicolae before I was willing to let the conversation die, and I needed to ask it before Fox reached us.
“Nicolae,” I said his name firmly. His face became relaxed and I could sense he felt relieved after telling me the truth. At least I knew he didn’t enjoy lying. “You’ve risked thousands of vampire and human lives, you’ve lied and caused immense pain to those dearest to you…” he nodded in acknowledgement as he took a deep breath. I almost felt like a judge preparing to give him his sentence, but I knew nothing I could say or do would hurt him more than what he’d already done himself. I eyed Evilyn once more. No, she’d probably never forgive him, and the vampires in this region might never respect him again. They might even overthrow him and elect a new ruler for all I knew, but for now, while he was still the king, I had one request. “You’ve done all this and more, but though they were the wrong choices you did them with the best intentions. I’m not saying I forgive you, or even that I understand all the decisions you have made but I do ask one thing.”
Nicolae pulled back his shoulders and stood tall for the first time in a long time. He looked eager to do as I asked of him, like a true king ready to serve and protect his people and his vampires.
“I ask that you join us. Fight with us. Let the Noire and the Zakarian regions stand up against Baal, and banish darkness from the world forever.” I reached out and held his hand in mine; pushing out all the hopes and dreams I had for this world.
Fox flashed to Nicolae’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder. He whispered words into his ear that I couldn’t hear, but I watched Nicolae close his eyes and wrinkle his brow. What was Fox saying? Why couldn’t he just stay out of a conversation that he wasn’t invited to? I had begun to clench my jaw when Arrick’s hand rested on my back, and I relaxed.
Nicolae revealed his fangs and turned his head up to the starlit sky as he hissed into the night. “I, Nicolae Amaros Noire, king of this region, pledge on this sacred night that we will stand against Baal.” He turned his face toward me and pulled his hand free before biting into the tender flesh of his wrist. “Do you Claire Zakarian, princess of your region accept my vow?”
The smell of his blood wafted into my nostrils and my mouth began to salivate. I pushed back my hunger and brought my wrist to my lips. I twinged as my fangs pierced the delicate flesh, and took every ounce of strength I had to not drink my own blood.
“I do.”
I offered my hand to his, and our wrists slid together as a ribbon of warm crimson dripped to the ground. As his lifeblood mingled with mine I could feel Nicolae opening up to me. I knew his every emotion in that moment. I could feel his honesty and loyalty. I had made the right choice in trusting him, and for the first time in a long time, he had made the right choice too.
A look of annoyance sprouted on Fox’s face, but was quickly masked as he pulled Nicolae away for a private conversation. Something wasn’t right about Fox, and I knew I needed to find out his origins if we were to continue to trust him. I couldn’t be feeling this way for nothing. Could I?
“Wow,” Arrick breathed the words with surprise in his voice.
“What?” I spun around to look at him and felt suddenly dizzy. The small amount of blood loss hit me hard and I began to wobble on my feet.
“Are you all right? Sit down for a second.” He guided me across the courtyard, away from spying eyes and listening ears.
I lifted my wrist and licked the wound closed. Small morsels of blood coated my tongue and teased my hunger. Would I last the entire fasting? I thought I had been doing a good job managing it, but maybe that’s why my rage was so out of control.
“Can we get out of here?” I wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and allow my brain to process all the information I had learned. Maybe after some rest I could come up with some kind of plan for stopping Baal.
“Sure, just give yourself a second. Blood vows take a heavy toll even when you’re feeding normally. To do it during a fasting is borderline insane.”
“That’s what that was.” Instinctively I knew what had to be done, but I hadn’t known the term. “Does that mean he can’t break his promise?”
“Unfortunately, no. But it is a great show of respect that he will honor his words.”
I nodded. I was hoping that some magical spell would bind him to it, so that there was no chance he’d betray us, but at least I had felt his true feelings. He’d meant what he’d said and, for now, that was as good as it was going to get.
“Do you trust him?” I asked Arrick when I caught him eyeing Fox and Nicolae talking across the courtyard. They were obviously speaking of Evilyn because they kept glancing toward her. Of the few dozen vampires left, she was the last one still holding her Astraia flower. I wanted to go to her, but what could I say? Would talking with me only cause her more pain? Would I be able to talk to her without losing my temper? Doubtful. Perhaps it was best if I just gave her space and let her deal with her grief in her own way.
“I’m going to give you two a moment and check in with Naos. I’ll be right over there, okay?” Arrick pointed to a nearby root that spilled over the edge of the wall and then jutted back up; forming a twisted looking seat.
Robin took a seat slowly beside me, like the movement caused her great pain. I reached my hand around her to rub her back and my fingers brushed against flesh. I looked up, startled, to see Dmitry standing over her. His eyes were red and his once full lips looked thin. He pulled his hand away, but not his gaze; it bore into me with a mixture of emotions I didn’t understand.
I’d seen very little of Dmitry since my return. He had avoided me like the plague; leaving a room whenever I entered or sending someone else to speak to me whenever he had a question. He was yet another vampire I had to have a one on one conversation with, but now wasn’t the time. I was still worn out from the last one and wasn’t particularly in the mood anyway.
His parents had survived the attack on the palace, but I’d heard rumors that they wished they hadn’t. He and his family were shamed after Luka’s attack on me and begged Nicolae to relinquish their roles and duties in the palace. I’d heard that they’d even asked to be banished, but Nicolae refused them. They kept to themselves, avoiding the accusatory glances and whispered curses, but I came across them one night when Arrick and I were walking through the gardens. I’d almost thought they’d seen a ghost by the way they looked at me. If I could ever keep them from running from me I planned to tell them I didn’t blame them for their son’s actions. In fact, now that I thought about it, I wasn’t sure Luka actually followed the ways of the dark vampires. Ana had him on a choke collar. It’s crazy to think how powerful love really was. Especially a vampire in love. What was it about love that was so much more potent to a vampire than a human? Maybe that was a question Robin could answer for me someday.
Arrick arrived back at my side as he tucked his thin cell phone into a pocket under his cloak. I wanted to deluge him with questions about my parents and the state of Naos, but I knew the word ‘parents’ could send Robin into a fit of tears so I bit my tongue. Arrick gave me a small smile and nod to ease my worries for the time being.
“Let’s head back to the palace, shall we?” Arrick offered me his hand and I took it.
I looked back to reach for Robin, and saw that Dmitry was offering her his. She grasped it without looking up at him and they followed us up the stairs and away from the tomb. I felt oddly at peace as we walked through the dark forest toward the palace. The tall trees shadowed us from the outside world; masking the pain and fear that waited there for us. If only I could hide away in the forest forever, but that wasn’t an option.
There was too much at stake.
Too much I wasn’t willing to lose.