A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)

“I found this among Genevieve’s belongings,” she said, and I noticed Draven’s gaze soften and flicker black at the sight of it. “Draven said I could give it to someone who meant the world to me, just like his father had gifted it to his mother. I’m considering this a small, celebratory gift for your first mission.”

I looked at it, fascinated by its deep blue and white swirls, feeling the faint energy emanating from it. It gave me warmth and sweet familiarity, quietly bringing me back to some of my most precious moments with Mom, Dad, Serena and Phoenix.

“It’s beautiful,” I mumbled. “And strange. It feels nice…”

“It has some magical properties.” Serena winked. “Almus didn’t make a habit of giving bland gifts. It can summon the wearer’s memories, and I think it will keep you company during your voyage. Should you feel too far away from us, just let this amulet take you back, even if just spiritually.”

I hugged her as tight as I could, making her giggle.

“This is the sappiest thing you’ve ever done for me, and I love it!” I whispered.

“I know, it’s super emotional and whatnot, but I honestly thought of you when Draven said I could give it to someone who meant the world to me. Sure, he’s my soulmate, but the amulet was never designed for a male wearer. And you mean the world to me…”

She smiled and kissed me on the cheek, then took the amulet from my hand and put it around my neck, admiring it for a second.

“Yep, it suits you.” She grinned.

“And it feels good, too,” I replied, tapping my chest as it warmed up. “I could get used to this. It’s like you’re all in here with me.”

“Good,” Mom said, caressing my hair. “Because we are.”





Caia





(Daughter of Grace & Lawrence)





Of all the members of my immediate family, Vita seemed the most worried, hugging me over and over, as if I were sailing off to the unknown and never coming back. Of course, technically speaking, I was flying into the unknown in a magic ball of light, but I had every intention of making my way back home in one piece.

“Just promise me you’ll be careful and won’t get ahead of yourself,” my sister said.

“Vita, she’s more than capable of looking after herself, my love,” Bijarki replied, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. I had to crane my neck back to look him in the eyes. “Besides, she wouldn’t have been approved for this mission, had our senior officers not thought she could handle it. You should trust their judgment.”

“I do, I just don’t trust this whole concept of Neraka.” She sighed. “I haven’t been able to summon any visions about it at all. Neither have Aida or Phoenix.”

“Well, it’s not like you’ve been on top of your Oracle game lately, anyway.” I grinned. “And I’m pretty sure your instincts would kick in and visions would forcefully come through if there was anything life-threatening to worry about. I say enjoy the silence!”

“Nevertheless, be wary, sweetheart,” Mom said, wrapping her arms around me again. “We need you back in one piece.”

“It’ll be fine, Mom, don’t you worry too much.” I smiled, downplaying the magnitude of my first mission with GASP. I was excited and nervous and jittery, too, but I’d made it too far to back down, and had no intention of chickening out anyway.

“I’ll try to summon some visions of you, instead,” Vita said. “Maybe it’ll work. According to Rewa, that asteroid belt around Neraka might have some role to play, like a natural cloaking system to protect the planet from outside forces.”

“We’ll have Telluris on, anyway,” I replied. “Seriously, stop worrying so much. You’ll get wrinkles.”

My sister laughed, but I knew it was an effort on her part. We’d only just met, and we’d been spending a lot of time together. I loved her to bits, and the feeling was more than mutual—we were nearly inseparable as sisters. More than once we’d heard Bijarki chuckle and say he’d have to set his wife up with a daily agenda and make sure he squeezed himself in there, before she forgot about him because of all the time she spent with me.

“Time for Telluris,” Draven announced.

One by one, we bade our parents and siblings farewell again, with the promise that we’d be careful. Then we walked over to the middle of the white marble platform, where Draven stood, ready to connect our souls through ancient Druid magic.

We gathered around him, putting our hands up. He used a small knife to draw a few droplets of blood from each of us, collecting it in a wooden bowl filled with dry herbs and black crystal powder. He topped it with his blood before he set it on fire, his eyes glowing red for a split second.

“Telluris,” Draven commanded. The contents of the bowl flared up, and a bright golden light expanded from it, washing over us.

It cut my breath short, before I relaxed and felt the spell’s effect seep into my very core. My body hummed gently on the inside, as if resonating with the others. I glanced around at our group and noticed familiar expressions—we could all feel each other’s presence, far beyond the physical realm.

“This is it?” Blaze asked, looking at his hands, as if hoping to see more of the spell’s effects than the short-lived incandescence of his veins.

“It’s a spell of absolute trust.” Draven nodded. “You’re all joined through an unbreakable bond. You will be able to sense each other wherever you are, for a few weeks, sometimes up to two months before it fades out. The bond can be broken prematurely only by death, which you will all feel if you lose one of your own.”

“I thought this was just a recon mission.” Heron grimaced. “Why are you making it sound so gloomy?”

“He’s simply explaining how the spell works,” Jax replied with a raised eyebrow directed at his younger brother. “You’re the one making a drama out of it.”

“Am not,” Heron scoffed, and Jax stifled a smirk.

Viola came to us with a piece of black chalk in her hand. Draven took a few steps back, motioning us to stay together.

“You’re all connected to me now, too,” he said, moving farther away, while Viola drew a circle around us. “I will be able to reach out to you by calling out your names after saying ‘Telluris’. You will be able to do the same, regardless the distance between us. Remember that. I only ask that you notify us of your safe arrival once you land on Neraka, and that you check in every six hours.”

“Unless it’s an emergency,” Aida added, coming over to Draven’s side. “Then reach out, no matter what, obviously.”

We all nodded, watching curiously as Viola drew symbols around the black chalk circle, while Phoenix got involved and placed bundles of crystal powders and dark red herbs at the center of each drawing. My pulse accelerated as I mentally prepared myself for the actual travel to Neraka.