“And she is the daughter of one of the most bloodthirsty demons there is. Even if she is to accept you for who you are, her father won’t. Her mother has killed hundreds if not thousands over the course of her long life, and I don’t mean humans. The legacy of Covenshade… Let’s just say that it’s steeped with blood.”
I say nothing, don’t blink, don’t move.
“The blood of werewolves,” Mercy murmurs.
She reaches for my arm, but I jerk it away.
“You mean…”
Mercy nods. “Julian, you didn’t know—”
“Stop,” I say coldly.
“We should—”
“Leave me alone.”
And I stalk away.
I can sense that Mercy wants to rush up to me, to join me on my walk, but she knows better. I do my best thinking when I’m walking alone, pacing, moving. The wolf in me is an active one, and I share that trait.
Covenshade. I do recall that vampire line now, and yes, it is soaked in the blood of werewolves. My own pack had nearly been wiped out by her ancestors.
A vampire. How could I have allowed myself to be so easily duped? Perhaps she knew who I was, could see through the disguise, and decided to have a bit of fun with me.
She has a name now, a name I curse, and my heart feels empty, so very void of all the emotions I felt when we had been together.
But it’s not Romelia’s name I curse. It’s Mercy’s. Without her interference, I could remain ignorant, and as they claim, ignorance is bliss.
And I am not longer ignorant.
And I no longer have bliss.
Chapter 7
Romelia
Watching him leave my side is not as painful as I feared it would be. There’s something about him that makes him so very different from every vampire I have ever met, and I giggle to myself as I toss up and catch the golden cufflink I took. He might not be willing to return for the handkerchief that I’m tightly clutching in my other hand, but this cufflink? Perhaps.
It’s beautiful. I hold it up to the reddish light of the moon and admire the crescent moon shape. He adores the moon as much as I do, that’s plain to see, just one more way that we’re similar.
How I feel, it's ridiculous and absurd. You can't make a connection to a person like we did so quickly. I don't even know his name, but that doesn't matter. He doesn't know mine either, but I'm not worried. When you're willing to bare your soul to a person, and they bare theirs back, you know that will not be the last time you see the person.
Some people come into our lives, and they make no difference at all. Others will change you for a time and then leave, and you might revert back to who you were, or you might remain changed, but it's more on you than them.
But there are some who come into your life, and you’re forever changed. Those are your soul mates. It’s not always a matter of love, only acceptance, and this man, he’s done that for me. In the short span of mere hours that we spent together, he’s already changed me, and I know I changed him.
He’s my soul mate, or at least one of them.
He’s only left me for not even sixty full seconds when Tyra appears by my side.
“I interrupted something earlier, did I?” Tyra asks through gritted teeth.
I giggle. “It’s all right. I don’t mind—”
“You don’t mind?” Tyra asks sharply. “Well, that’s good to know.”
“What is the matter? Are you upset that I wasn’t by your side for the party?”
“The party’s over,” she says flatly, “but you were too busy to realize.”
“To realize about the party? Yes. I’m sorry. Did something happen?”
“You tell me,” she says evenly, lifting her chin. She’s so rigid and uptight that I reach over to rub her back to soothe her, but she shifts away from me as if she can’t bear the thought my touching her.
“I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong?” I ask.
“You don’t know, do you?” Tyra asks, searching my eyes critically. “You don’t know!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about if that’s any consolation.” I shrug sheepishly, but I can’t stop smiling. Despite how strange she’s behaving, I am far too happy to stop.
“The man you were kissing, the man you were with… Do you know who he is?”
“Actually, I…” I shrug and bite my lower lip, careful so that my fangs don’t pierce my skin. “I don’t even know his name, but I do know that he’s kind and sweet, a wonderful dancer—”
“And a werewolf,” Tyra says flatly.
“What? No. Don’t be ridiculous. He… He can’t be. His eyes, his fangs…”
“He’s a werewolf. I’ve seen him before, once or twice at Moonstone Academy.”
I cross my arms. “And just what were you doing there?”
“You know I can’t stand them. I wanted to make sure that none of them are poaching near our land, near the campus. I’ve joined the task force of students to protect our academy, and—”
“There’s no threat of the werewolves to us.”
Tyra barks a bitter laugh. “Your mother saw to that, didn’t she?”
I stiffly square my shoulders. “My mother wasn’t the only one. Her sister did the same.”
Tyra grimaces. “You’ve always hated your aunt, my mother. You can’t bring yourself to hate your mother despite how controlling she is, so you blame mine. They both did what they had to do. The werewolves were out of control, breeding all over the place—”
“Breeding?” I exclaim. “You act as if they’re animals!”
“They are! They spend how much of their lives running around as wolves? They’re mangy, disgusting perversions of nature. We aren’t meant to be animals!”
“We live off of the lifeforce of another. We’re a parasite, an infection,” I spit out.
“Is that right?” Tyra asks coolly. “You hate vampires now, is that it? All because of him.”
She shakes her head, and when I reach for her hand, she jerks her arm away.
“You disgust me,” she says, but tears fill her eyes. “How can you…”
“I didn’t know who he is,” I say softly. “I didn’t know he was… he is a…”
I can’t bring myself to say it, and I turn away from her.
After a long, cold moment, Tyra drapes her arm around my shoulder and leans her head against mine.
“I didn’t mean to ruin your night. I wasn’t eavesdropping…”
“Not much you mean,” I mumble because I know her.
“Not much,” she allows, and I grin slightly despite myself. “I just don’t want you to get hurt. Why would he come here? Why would he take you away from the party? What intentions did he have for being here?”
“What are you suggesting?” I ask stiffly.
“I don’t know. Maybe… Is it possible that our mothers might have wronged some of his ancestors? What if he wanted revenge? He could mean to harm you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I slide away from her, staring straight ahead at the dark castles that dot the landscape. Their long shadows look ominous tonight.
“It’s possible,” she insists, “and there’s more than one way to harm a person. You’re beautiful. What if his aim is to wound your heart rather than to hurt you physically?”
“Tyra… You don’t know him.”
“And you do?” She barks that bitter laugh again, and I’m already beginning to hate that sound. “You didn’t even know what he is!”
“Please, Tyra, don’t,” I whisper. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Ruin your night? You could have been spending your hours with me, having fun at the party with the other vampires, as you should’ve all along. You could’ve talked to Constantine. He looked for you the entire party. That’s why I went to find you, but when I saw you with… him… I had no choice but to spend the rest of my time with Constantine to ensure he didn’t see you with that… that werewolf.”
“How was I dece
ived?” I mumble. “How do you know for certain that he’s…”
“He may have had red eyes and fangs, but I can smell the trace of magic on him. I can smell the effects of it on you.” She sniffs, wrinkling her nose. “Your eyes are redder than normal, and your fangs are sharper too.”
“Maybe because I’m upset,” I murmur.
“That’s understandable, of course,” Tyra says. “Maybe I should’ve gone about telling you differently.”
“You mean with some compassion?” I ask dryly.
Tyra laughs and shrugs sheepishly. “I have more of my mother in me than you do,” she says softly.
I wince. “Does that mean I’m more like Father?”
Tyra eyes me and shakes her head slowly. “No. No, you aren’t like either of your parents, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s just… You’re too trusting. You went off with a strange boy for the duration of the party. You two were alone for hours. Even if he wasn’t a werewolf, that still wouldn’t have been smart. You realize that, right?”
"You do realize that I'm a vampire, so I possess super-speed and superior strength and all of that? And I might not have mastered blood magic, but I do have other abilities. I can protect myself."
“I know that,” Tyra says soothingly. “I understand. I just worry about you. That’s all.”
“Hmm.” I eye her and try to ignore a wave of guilt. Failing that, I give her a one-armed hug. “Was he so terrible?”
“Who?”
“Constantine.”
“He seems to know a great deal about you,” she says.
“And I’m sure you filled in any gaps he had.” I suppress a sigh. “I didn’t mean to ruin your night. I know you were looking forward to the ball.”
“There are a few who are still partying,” she says. “Do you want to come and join in?”
“You go ahead,” I murmur. “I… I think I’m going to head back to my room.”
“Are you sure? Maybe you shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“Honestly, I think being alone is exactly what I need right now.”
“If you’re sure…”
“I’m sure.”
Tyra hugs me tight. “I’m just looking out for you. Don’t shoot the messenger.”
I wrinkle my nose. “I hate guns. Bite. You should be telling me not to bite the messenger.”
Tyra laughs and squeezes me again before releasing me. I catch a glimpse of her eyes before I dash away, using my vampiric speed to reach our castle in two seconds.
She looked at me with a combination of pity and worry.
I want neither.
All I want is to know why I feel so strongly for a young man I just met, a werewolf of all beings. Does it matter that he can turn into an animal?
Does it matter to him that I have to drink blood?
If it did, he wouldn’t have talked to me in the first place, and he certainly wouldn’t have kissed me not once but twice.
Why had he come, though? Surely he didn’t have plans to make a vampire fall in love with him?
Not that that had happened… But I do know this. If I am not careful, I very well could lose my heart to him, and if Tyra learns that, he could very well lose his head.
Chapter 8
Julian
Under normal circumstances, during my walks, I’m able to come up with plans. I can settle my mind and work out the best course of action to take.
Right now, though, my mind will not settle. I feel so very foolish. Why am I bothered by who her parents are and what they did? She is nothing at all like them. She is the moon, while they are the sun. They're destructive and powerful, capable of burning certain beings alive, of wiping them off the face of the earth and turning them into ash, unlike she, who provides light and laughter and smiles and giggles. But she's also so very deep, thoughtful. She cares about people, perhaps too much, which makes her nothing like her parents. She's nothing like her kind.
My cell beeps, and I ignore it, but then there’s another call. I send it to voicemail, but there’s another call immediately.
Nostrils flaring, I remove my cell to realize I have missed calls and texts from both Bermon and Mercy.
We need to go. The potions are wearing off.
Where are you?
The vampires aren’t going to bed anytime soon. We really have to go.
If you aren’t by the car in five minutes, I’m forcing Bermon to drive us home. This place is giving me the creeps.
Julian! Pick up your phone!
Even more texts flood in as I stand there, but I shut off my phone. They can leave without me. That’s fine. I know how to return to the academy.
Once I want to leave.
But I don’t want to leave. Not yet.
My grip on my phone is almost tight enough to ruin it, so I force myself to relax. I bring up my phone. Although off, the light of the red moon is enough that I can see my reflection. My eyes are no longer red but light green. My potion has worn off entirely. My scent is going to be all over the place, and the vampires are about. I don't know if they have classes during the day like every other academy. I don't even know if they sleep in coffins all day long and are only up during the night. Some vampires are active during the day, but I would think most prefer the moon.
She has to. I know she does. Another connection we have. Perhaps werewolves and vampires aren’t as different as the two paranormal beings like to believe.
With a deep inhale, I catch her scent—that of incense and flowers. Before I know what I’m doing, I’m following her trail, and I’m eventually lead to a particular castle near other ones. From the amount of heartbeats I can hear, there are other vampires about. These castles must be the living quarters of the vampire students who attend the academy.
My nose is the only thing that led me here. I’m an excellent tracker, if I do say so myself, and not one blade of grass had been broken. She used her vampiric speed to venture here. Why? Is she merely tired or…
Using my nose, I walk around the castle until I can spy her room. It’s on the third floor, and I linger there. Now that I’m here, I’m not certain what I should do.
Her window opens, and the moon halos her with redness as she steps onto one of the many balconies dotting the side of the castle. She looks so very beautiful, the red contrasting the silver and black on her gown, highlighting the jewel around her throat and along her neckline.
“Why does it matter who he is?” she murmurs. “I don’t even know his name, but I know so much else about him that I know Tyra’s wrong. He doesn’t want to hurt me.”
“No,” I call softly. “He doesn’t want to hurt you.”
Her eyes widen before her lips curl into her easy smile. “Is that so?”
"Yes. And he has a name if you wish to know it. Or if you prefer mysteries… Or if you think opening up to a handsome stranger is easier… Whichever you prefer."
She giggles. “A bit of an egotistical maniac, is that what you are?”
“So you don’t think I’m handsome?” I ask.
“Looks can be deceiving,” she says, suddenly guarded.
Vines grow along the wall of the castle. I grip one and yank but not too hard. The vine holds, and I use it as a rope to climb up to her. I do not climb high enough to reach her balcony, but now, I can see her in all of her loveliness, and her cheeks are a fresh rose color despite her porcelain complexion.
“Look at me,” I murmur. “If you want me gone, say the word. I will leave, and I won’t return.”
She stares at me, taking in my lack of fangs and focusing mostly on my eyes.
“Not a bad shade of green, don’t you think?” I joke.
She grins and shakes her head. “You think highly of yourself, don’t you?”
“Not at all. If anything, I am very worried that you will reject me because of my blood, and I don’t think that’s fair, and yes, I know that I drank a potion to become a vampire, but I didn’t—”
“Did you?” she interrupts.
“Did I what? Drink a potion?”
“Become a vampire.”
“I think it was more to appear as one. I don’t know. My friend purchased it.” I shrug.
“Well, did you have a thirst for blood or not?” she asks mildly, her lips still curled in her ever-present little grin.
“No, I can’t say that I did.”
“Hmm. Then not a vampire at all.”
“Do you want me to be one?” I ask.
Immediately, I berate myself. What a stupid question to ask! It’s not as if I can become one.
Except I could.
Not that I would, though. Of course not.
“No,” she murmurs after staring at the red moon for a period. “No, I don’t want you to be—Will you come in?”
“To your room? That’s not proper.”
She giggles. “Nothing about tonight has been proper.”
“No, but… I don’t want to endanger you in any way.”
She lifts her eyebrows. “And you will endanger me in my room? You can’t control yourself?”
“No, I can. I just… Others… won’t understand.”
“Won’t understand what?” she asks softly.
“Us,” I say simply. There’s nothing more that needs to be said on that particular matter.
She slowly nods a few times, her grin returning. "What is your name, Mr. Hero?"
“You could continue to call me that,” I say, smiling broadly. “I don’t mind that at all.”
She giggles and rolls her eyes. “Oh, I bet you do. Your name, kind sir?”
“I like that too.”
“Are you avoiding giving me your name?”
“No. I’m merely teasing. I am Julian Moonblaze, and I am forever at your service.”
“Have you gone back in time? You sound like you belong in another age.”
“Only if you are in that other age.”
She shakes her head. “You’re nothing but a flirt.”
“I beg to differ. You know that I’m not.”
I try to push down my rising fear. I need to ask for her name. Is Mercy right? It doesn't matter if Mercy is, but if she lies to me… Would she lie? Does she feel shame about her parents? She does. I already know she does, but…
Blood Haven: Year One: A Mayhem of Magic World Story Page 5
