“Enough with the rumors!” I blinked, surprised that I’d shouted like that. I sucked in a deep breath, steadying myself. “They’re not true.”
“You barely know the guy.”
“I’ve seen enough. He was trying to save a little girl, a girl who barely had any ties with him. Cassius has compassion, even though he doesn’t look like he does. I know he looks upset half the time, but he really has it in him to care. I felt it. He treated me better than most humans ever did, and he makes me believe.”
“Believe what?”
“That not all vampires are bad.” My fingernails dug into the palm of my skin. When had I begun accepting vampires? If I turned into one just like Cassius, maybe that wouldn’t be too bad. “The kids here… they’re hypocrites. They talk about murder and the thirst for blood, hating on vampires, but most of them are working their hardest to be one. Like you. You’re one of the hypocrites too.”
Grey scratched the back of his ear. “You can’t deny that they’re the stronger race. Survival of the fittest, you know? If I had their powers then I wouldn’t have to back down all the time. I’d get my way.”
“The thirst?”
“There are pros and cons to everything.”
“You can’t hate Cassius. You want to be like him.”
Grey cocked his head. “Like him?” He laughed. “Maybe. It’s kind of funny, thinking about it.”
Grey let his realization sink in. His shoulders sagged.
After much silence, I asked, “Can I go for my walk now?”
Grey looked to the balcony, then back at me. “Don’t stay out too late.”
“Why? Because it’s unsafe?” I asked. “The sun’s out and it’s bright as hell.”
“Well, yeah,” Grey replied. “But you never know. Things are strange around here. There are bloodsuckers creeping about, for one.”
I rolled my eyes as Grey slid back into his bed. He covered himself with his blanket again. A soft breeze blew into the room, chilling my skin. I turned to the door and opened it.
I thought I’d meet an empty doorway, but standing on the other side was Miles. He was leaning on the wall right across me, his arms folded across his chest. Today, he wore the uniform I’d first seen him in—black with gold buttons, with the crest of the Lucian family on his blazer. I tried to process his appearance. I hadn’t expected to see him here. “Hello,” I said. “Did Cassius send you?”
“Yes,” Miles replied.
“What does he want with me?” I tried to contain the emotions that raged inside me, but a smile broke across my face.
“You’ll know it when you see it. Follow me.”
Miles started walking down the hallway. As a vampire, he moved fast. I did my best to keep up.
I was going to see Cassius again soon.
It had only been three days. I really shouldn’t feel this impatient.
Twenty-Seven
Verity
Miles’s wore a scowl the entire time he led the way. He wasn’t usually the happiest person, but today, his feet dragged, his whole body tense. He acted downright miserable. I wondered what had him so bothered. Maybe he’d drunk from the wrong human.
His feet thudded against the tiles we strode over. He showed me to a part of the Sanctum I’d never been to. It was darker and messier than most other areas. This corridor had broken objects and stray wood lying about. The smell of dust was strong in the air, and I had to push cobwebs away from my face.
I strained to keep up with Miles. “Um, can we slow down?” I asked. “You’re walking a little too fast for me.”
“No,” Miles said.
I flinched at how unfriendly he was. A second later, he began moving more quickly, and to match his pace, I had to kick into a light jog.
What a prick.
“Please,” I said. “Slow down.” I might have gotten a lot of exercise hunting vampires, but I still couldn’t keep up with one like Miles.
“I don’t know what Lord Cassius sees in a girl like you. You might have been a good soldier, yes, but I never thought you’d be his lover.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t usually speak ill of his love interests,” Miles said. “But he should know better.”
“Love interests?” I asked. “As in plural? Does he have others?” I wondered when I’d gotten this possessive about Cassius. Thinking about him with other girls sickened me to my core. I thought about Janella and how he spoke of her. The pain she’d managed to cause him.
“He’s had women before,” Miles replied. “But none that he’d sacrifice this much for.”
“What sacrifice?”
Miles ignored me. We stopped in front of a red door. Silver baroque patterns lined the edges, creeping over the polished wood. The door had artwork carved into it, too. I couldn’t see the artwork clearly in the darkness, but I could vaguely make out an image of a werewolf facing a winged creature.
“Welcome to the artifact room,” Miles said. He pulled a ring of keys from his belt, then unlocked the door. As he pushed open the entrance, a sickening scent of iron and perfume wafted toward my nostrils. “It’s where we store items precious to vampire kind.”
“Cassius is in there?”
“A part of him is.”
“A part… of him?”
Miles nodded solemnly.
I wasn’t sure whether my stomach felt weird because of the scent, or because of what Miles had told me. What did he mean, exactly? Things weren’t adding up.
Miles let me through the door first, stepping aside to make way for me. A ringing sensation thrummed in my ears as dread snaked its way through my chest. Miles had brought me here to show me Cassius, but it didn’t sound like I was going to get Cassius in one piece.
If anything had happened to him…
Was that why he’d been missing for three days?
Miles walked to a wall and flicked a switch, bathing the room with a bright fluorescent light. I squinted against the stark brightness.
“Where is he?” I asked. True to its name, the room held many artifacts, all of them displayed in glass cases. I spotted a variety of metal snakes. There were some gold bottles, and some cases displayed large, imposing armor that looked too big for most men.
“Over here,” Miles said, striding past me with his frustratingly wide gait.
He led me to the end of the room and to a square object that was covered with black velvet.
Miles grabbed the edge of it. “He told me to give you what you wanted.”
“And what’s that?” I asked.
Miles’s expression hardened. He didn’t have to answer for me to know.
I bit the insides of my cheeks. Nausea clawed up my throat. “I don’t want it anymore.”
“I told him it was foolish, but he wouldn’t listen.” Miles tugged the fabric away from the box, revealing a glass case.
Inside was a jar that contained a beating heart.
I’d made the same mistake again.
I didn’t get to say goodbye. This hurt just as much as that time with Gran. Maybe even more.
“Cassius made me promise to keep you safe,” Miles said as he pulled up in front of my apartment. He put the car in park and unlocked the doors. “Once the staff find out that Cassius is gone, there’s going to be a ton of problems to deal with back in the Sanctum. I can’t stay with you for long. I’ll leave after your sister gets what she needs. If you need anything after that, call me. You kept my number with you, right?” Miles sounded helpful, but he looked at me as if I deserved to die. I knew he served Cassius wholeheartedly. For him, it must be torture to serve the person who’d caused his master’s death.
I held the jar containing Cassius’s heart on my lap. Through the glass, I felt it beating. “Why?”
“Hm?”
“He didn’t have to do this. He doesn’t even know Hannah.”
“I think he was looking for a reason,” Miles said. “Immortality can be tiring, and the losses my master went through wore him
down. He needed an excuse to die. Something that he felt strongly enough for. And that was you.”
“Me?” I rubbed my eye. A tear had escaped. “I’m no one important.”
“He thought otherwise, apparently.”
I continued to look at the throbbing heart. I hugged it close to my chest. Its rhythm mimicked my own pulse. “This… This is my fault. I told him I could never love him before he made this decision.”
“I think he wanted that. Your rejection made his leaving easier.”
“Stupid, stupid man. How did he get his heart out?” I asked. “Where is his body now?”
“I cut it out myself.” My eyes widened. “It was difficult. But I do what I’m told. I’ll serve his last orders till the day I die. He wants me to make sure that Hannah gets the heart as soon as possible. Reunite you with your sister. That is the task I must fulfill.”
“Yeah,” I replied. Why was I suddenly feeling so weak? “How… how am I supposed to feed it to her?”
“Grind it up,” he said with a flat look. “Turn it into a smooth mixture before pouring it into her mouth. Once it’s properly incorporated into Hannah’s blood, Cassius will truly die. His line will end and Endar Lucian will be the last fullblood alive.”
I couldn’t believe what Miles was saying. He talked about preparing Cassius’s heart like it was a food recipe. “Truly die,” I said. “You mean he’s not fully dead yet? His heart’s right here in my hands.”
“It’s difficult for a fullblood to die. That’s one reason why he’s lived until now, even though his will to survive disappeared long ago. There’s still a way to bring him back. We can return the heart to his chest and he’ll awaken the next day.”
I stiffened. “We can still save him. Return his heart. And—”
“No.”
“No? We can still save him!”
“And your sister?”
Guilt washed over me. What about Hannah? I’d sworn to protect her, but here I was, betraying her for Cassius. “She’s… We can figure out a way to bring her back. We can find an alternative.”
“There is no queen. The council has been trying to find her, but it’s been a long time.”
“But—”
“You’d be going against his wishes,” Miles said. “Cassius wants to die. I will see that he gets what he’s looking for.”
I was at a loss for words. If not for Miles getting out of the car and moving over to my side to open my door, I would have stayed in my seat. The whole situation numbed me. I couldn’t believe it was happening. The ache in my chest ate me from the inside out. I hated every moment of this.
“Your sister needs the heart,” Miles said.
“I know.” I shifted, turning so I could get out of the car. “I know, but I can’t accept this. Cassius can’t just—”
Pain.
It sliced up my spine and took over control of my body. Black bled into the edges of my vision. I arched my back and ground my teeth together, and as I tried to move toward my building, I fell toward the ground.
It hurt so much.
What the hell was going on?
“Verity?” Miles called. He said my name over and over again, but his voice grew increasingly distant. “Verity, you all right?”
I wasn’t all right.
The pain was unbearable.
I collapsed onto the ground, the jar slipping from my fingertips.
I blacked out then, and a memory awakened in me.
A memory I didn’t want to face. I’d suppressed it long ago, and it had returned to haunt me.
Twenty-Eight
Verity
5 years ago
I hated being rushed, and I especially didn’t want to be rushed on my birthday. Why did Gran have to overthink everything? I shouldn’t have to worry about getting home on time. I could take care of myself just fine.
I knew she cared about me, but her concern only caused more inconvenience.
I sighed and got off the bus, waving goodbye to Sarah. I wasn’t that close to her, since I’d only met her in math class this year, but I thought that if we hung out enough, we could be good friends. I didn’t get along with people very well, so having a chance at making a new friend got me all excited. Sarah had invited me to the movies, but I couldn’t because of the promise I’d made to Gran.
Gran was used to me not having plans for my birthday. I had to tell her that things weren’t going to be the same after this year. Sarah was trying to introduce me to her circle. I had to help her with her homework for that, of course, but I understood that I had to provide value to be accepted. Nobody wanted a useless kid amongst them, right?
Damn it. I was pathetic. Maybe Sarah thought I was a try-hard. I just really liked her. That was all.
The bus closed its doors behind me and its engine rumbled. It pulled from the sidewalk, disappearing into the streets of Brooklyn. I sighed and moved toward the front door of my apartment building. I checked my watch. Seven fifteen. I was late, but not by that much. Gran was lenient, so I guessed it didn’t really matter.
As I opened the door, the wonderful scent of spices and stew wafted toward my nostrils.
I smiled to myself as I climbed the stairs, heading toward my apartment. Maybe skipping out on that gathering with Sarah wasn’t that bad. Gran was an amazing cook. I should count my blessings instead of complaining.
I rapped on the door, signaling my return home, before fishing out my keys from the front zipper of my backpack. Gran opened the door before I had time to unlock it. “Surprise, surprise,” Gran said. We weren’t heading out today, but Gran had dressed herself up anyway. She wore her favorite dress—a frilly one that had a floral pattern—and had painted her face with makeup. Gran was awesome at putting on makeup. She’d tried to teach me once or twice. I used it a little but was never as good as her. I guessed that I just wasn’t one for detail.
“You’re somewhat overdressed,” I said, grinning.
“Overdressed?” Gran faked offense. “I’m just trying to honor this very important occasion.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s just a birthday.”
Gran stepped aside to make way for me, and I entered the apartment. “Just a birthday? Never say that in front of me ever again. You know that birthdays are sacred in this household.”
“Mom and Dad don’t think so,” I said bitterly. I scanned my apartment for them. They hadn’t returned home yet.
“They love you very much, my dear. They’re just busy adults. It’s expensive here in the city, and times have been tight.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said. I always thought they loved Hannah more, anyway. Hannah was their real daughter, after all. I still worked really hard, but Hannah was the child with all the medals. Someday, I might be good enough for them to attend my birthday dinner. “What did you cook?” I dropped my bag next to the sofa.
A huge spread awaited me at the dinner table. It was just as amazing as the one Gran had prepared for my breakfast. I hadn’t realized I was hungry until then. “How long did this take you?” I asked. Gran had probably spent the whole afternoon cooking up all my favorite foods. Pot roast. Caramelized sweet potatoes. Mushroom meatloaf. I put my hand over my stomach. It grumbled.
“Your parents are working late again,” Gran said. “So I don’t think they’re going to show till a couple hours from now. And your sister has ice-skating practice. But we can have dinner without them and cut the cake when they get home.”
“We can’t finish all this.”
“We can try.”
I opened my mouth to say something, then glanced at Gran’s arm and saw a Band-Aid stuck to it. “What happened to you?”
“Oh, this?” Gran asked, laughing to herself. “It’s nothing. Just went to donate some blood while waiting for the pot roast. It’s the third week of the month and Thursday.”
“Oh,” I said. “Right.” Gran always went to donate blood then. She said it was one way to do her part for society, and she wanted to be useful, even though she’d r
etired.
“It doesn’t take very long,” Gran said. “I wonder if my blood has saved any lives. It’s nice to think about.”
“Yeah.” I focused on the word blood. My mind was transfixed on that word. I couldn’t understand why. Suddenly, the food didn’t seem all that appetizing. I licked my lips, craving something else. I failed to put my finger on what exactly.
Gran switched on the television. “Want to watch a movie together?”
“Movie?”
“Yep. It’s how we spent the last birthday. You enjoyed it very much. Do you want to watch another cartoon?”
“Uh huh…”
“Verity?” Gran asked. “Are you okay?”
My mind was fogging up for some inexplicable reason. I pinched myself. Had I not gotten enough sleep the night before? I blinked to try to keep myself awake. “I am, yeah.”
Gran moved to the row of DVDs on the shelf. “I got a new one from the store today. I think you might like it—” While reaching for the box, she carelessly nudged a porcelain statue. It slipped over the edge of the shelf and fell to the ground, smashing into pieces.
The smell of the food was making me nauseated. I couldn’t stomach it. Maybe I was falling sick.
“Oh goodness,” Gran said. She placed her hand on her back then knelt to the ground. “I’m starting to become too clumsy. My, my, my… Verity, could you get the broom?”
“On it,” I said, trying to snap myself to attention. The fog in my head wouldn’t clear. Something sharp poked my tongue. Did I need to go see the dentist? My throat was feeling somewhat dry. Maybe I just needed a glass of water.
I turned around to head to the storeroom, when Gran yelped, “Ouch.” She turned to me, wearing a sheepish grin. “I’m really getting on in my years. First I drop the statue, and now I cut myself? Get me a rag while you’re at it, dear.”
I heard what she’d said, but her instructions wouldn’t sink in. Her blood…
Her blood.
It smelled so ridiculously good. The edges of my teeth grew sharper against my tongue. Unimaginable thirst took control, and all I could think about was quenching it with Gran’s blood. The scent was so sweet. It called to me, drawing me to it. I inched toward Gran and stopped before her. A throbbing sound rang in my ears. At first, I thought it was the sound of my own pulse. I then realized that it wasn’t my heartbeat I was hearing, but Gran’s. I focused on her neck, her exposed jugular.
Fullblood Academy: A Vampire Academy Mild Bully Romance (Vampires of the Sanctum Book 1) Page 20
