Hotbloods (Hotbloods #1)

“Well, my father was my alchemy teacher, and the first several years of my apprenticeship were spent helping him develop the theory. He was the one driving the project, but I did most of the grunt work.” He sat up and turned around as if in shame, planting his feet on the floor as he turned his back on me. “I was the only one of his ten sons who decided to take up his profession, mostly for reasons of ego. My father is renowned throughout all of Vysanthe as an expert in his field, and my brothers didn’t want to feel overshadowed by him. I didn’t care about that, though, because I really had a genuine interest in the subject. So I took it up… only to regret it. I didn’t know at the time what the theory would lead to, or even the purpose of many of the lab tasks he was having me perform—but regardless, nothing can or will ever change that I am essentially the theory’s co-creator, and responsible for… all of this. I’m responsible for a lot of things that I wish I could take back.”

His last sentence was spoken with a gravity that resonated through my very being. I felt his emotions so deeply in that moment, his remorse and his frustration, it was as if I were experiencing them myself. I couldn’t imagine the level of pain the guilt must be causing him—especially when it wasn’t even his fault.

Okay. This explains a lot. I wasn’t sure how to respond to his revelation. I didn’t sense that he wanted any kind of sympathy or reassurance from me—just that it was something he was getting off his chest, since I had asked. So I remained quiet, waiting for him to continue.

“As soon as I realized what I had helped my father accomplish, I gave up alchemy and decided to become an explorer. I wanted a ship better than anyone else because… although I didn’t know for how long I’d be able to keep it hidden, given all the damage I was complicit in causing, I wanted to be the first to discover the blood, if it really was out there.”

“Why do you think your father kept the theory a secret from you, when you were working on it?” I asked.

“Not because he thought I’d be against it, if that’s what you’re wondering—he expected me to be onboard with it. He kept it a secret simply because he didn’t want a single leaky hole. He wanted to be the first and only alchemist to present the groundbreaking theory to our Queen Gianne, as it would enhance his already high status, and didn’t want to risk me slipping anything to anyone, even by accident. That’s how my father is. However, in an incident that I believe was not related to Jethro, but rather some other spy of Queen Brisha who managed to infiltrate her sister’s palace, some of my father’s papers were stolen—and the theory was leaked to the other side. Once both queens knew about the theory, it became a race to see who could discover the right blood first, and so from there, the whole thing snowballed.”

Finally, he turned to look at me again, and his eyes were so intense that I flinched, barely able to hold his gaze. “Countless lives have been lost because of me, as my people go around plundering planets, seeking out the magic blood. And I will be responsible for many more before my life is done. So maybe now you can understand better why I’m doing what I’m doing. Any creature who wasn’t a complete monster would do the same. It’s not noble or brave… It’s just a way to live with myself.”

He went silent, and his words hung in the air. I didn’t know what to say.

He turned over and reached for another vial and downed it, before resettling his head against the pillows, and turning his back on me again.

Navan didn’t speak again after that, and neither did I. After twenty minutes, I sensed that he had finally let sleep claim him, but I couldn’t sleep, not after that. So instead I watched him, trying to unpack everything he had said, everything new I had just learned about this troubled and haunted man.





Chapter Sixteen





I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep, but after Navan had been out of it for over an hour and a half, his calm, steady breathing must have seduced me into my own slumber. I woke up to the sensation of something hard and warm beneath my cheek, and as consciousness slowly trickled back to me, I realized with a start that I was partially lying on Navan. My head was on his chest, and I had one arm slung over his waist, my legs trying to intertwine themselves with his.

I jerked backward, and then realized why I had woken up in the first place. Navan was saying my name.

The blood rushed to my cheeks, and I crawled back so fast I almost fell off the bed. “Oh my God!” I exclaimed, mortified.

He was frowning slightly, his blue-gray eyes glimmering with mild amusement at my reaction. “Gee. I didn’t realize I was that horrifying.”

I blushed. “No! It’s not—I mean . . . I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right.” A smile played at the corners of his lips. “I suppose you must’ve gravitated toward my warmth in your sleep.”

“Yeah,” I said breathlessly, and as our last conversation came back to me, I was glad that I had managed to bring out a smile in him, even if it was at my expense.

I gazed around the room, still feeling rather disorientated, as I realized how low the sun had dipped in the sky. “What time is it?” I asked, rubbing my forehead.

He pointed toward the clock on the mantelpiece. “7 PM, which is why I woke you. I overslept too—woke up only a minute or two before you.”

“Oh man.” I swept my feet off the bed and stood up, running my hands through my clean hair. “We should get going then.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll, uh, use the bathroom real quick.”

I stumbled into the bathroom and closed the door, leaning my head against it and giving myself a few moments to calm my pounding heart. I washed my face with cold water and lathered another generous layer of cream onto my face and hands, before brushing my teeth, using one of the complimentary toothbrushes.

After I emerged, Navan took his turn, and he locked himself in the bathroom. As I heard the shower being turned on, I tried to imagine what the bathrooms were like in Vysanthe—whether they were similar, or something entirely different. For that matter, I wondered what civilization in Vysanthe looked like in general. The whole concept of other highly developed civilizations out there in the universe was still sinking in.

I made sure we had all our things together, and then ate another couple of bananas. We were about to make the last leg of the journey to New York, and I wasn’t sure how long it would be before I ate again. When we arrived, I supposed we would find another hotel to check into or maybe go straight to an internet café so we could start planning our stunt. God. It still hadn’t quite sunk in what I had gotten myself into. If all went according to plan, I was going to be coming face to face with yet another supernatural species—lycans.

Navan reemerged from the bathroom ten minutes later, wearing a fresh set of clothes, his black hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes damp.

“Ready?” he asked, sweeping his eyes about the room.

“Yes. If you are.”

I put on my coat and Navan grabbed the bag. Together, we checked out of the hotel, and headed back to the same forest we had landed in, figuring that was a good place to take off inconspicuously.