Shapes of Autumn (Boxed set, books 1 - 5)

by Veronica Blade

  “Whatever you say.” Dathan nodded at a nearby headless body. “We have some bodies to dispose of.”

  “Oh.” Autumn’s mouth twisted. “That sounds super fun.”

  I exhaled in relief. She wasn’t too hard-core if the dead still revolted her.

  “Zack!” My mom jogged across the lawn and tumbled into my arms. “Oh, baby. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “Yeah, I’m good. But when the dust settles, we should talk.” I breathed in her sweet, metallic scent, then gave her one last hug before releasing her.

  “Yes, we have much to discuss.” She gave me her mom smirk that told me I was going to get reamed. What the hell? She was the one who’d kept secrets from me. I was the one who had the right to be angry, not the other way around.

  Autumn threw herself at my mom. “You’re alive. Again.”

  “Yeah, yeah, let’s go.” Dathan waved a hand toward the palace. “Before one of the unconscious decides to wake up and dart us with tranquilizers.”

  Chapter TWENTY-SEVEN

  Autumn

  By morning, we’d almost finished matching the bodies to the heads, identifying them, and logging the info into the database. Those tasks would never make it to my Top Ten Fun Things to Do, but at least I wasn’t the one hauling all the bodies to the basement incinerator.

  From what we could gather from the interrogations Cedric had conducted, only two of his palace staff—other than the four who’d died while trying to assassinate him and the two we’d captured who’d staked Kayla and Tony—had been involved with the kidnapping. The rest of the bodies hadn’t been palace residents.

  Once the estate had been restored to normal, those of us who’d been up all night took some time to catch up on rest. I stopped to check in with my parents so they’d know I was okay. And Maya of course. After hearing the relief in her voice, guilt smothered me for disappearing on her. Zack called his aunt Cara and assured her he was fine, promising to be back soon for Favianne’s memorial service in two days. I wished I could tell them Favianne was alive. But I couldn’t.

  Later that afternoon, I gathered with Zack and his family in the gym, along with the king’s council. Dathan stood next to Cedric on a makeshift stage.

  The place was packed with vampires from all over the city. They spilled out of the gym and into the atrium.

  The table had been placed in front of Cedric and I wondered why they’d set it up with a goblet and knife. Maybe they’d rooted out someone in the audience who had been a part of the uprising and they planned to make an example of him in front of the rest?

  Cedric was finishing up his summary of recent events while he made eye contact with various vampires in the crowd. “To my staff, who stayed in this room as we dealt with the traitors, I thank you. To apprehend those responsible for the kidnapping, it was necessary to isolate you in order to prevent confusion between you and those who would eventually be killed or captured.”

  Murmurs floated through the large room and one vampire stepped forward. “If I may speak for everyone, we are grateful that the news of your demise was false.” He bowed and stepped back with the others.

  Cedric nodded. “We have the werewolves to thank for that. They wanted to leave almost as soon as they arrived, but I persuaded them to stay and help. They showed great courage and risked their lives so that I might discover those behind the threat to the throne.”

  A blond woman stepped forward. “Do we have any more information on the attacks in Arizona, Montana, and New Mexico?”

  Cedric shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. Those crimes appear to be completely unrelated to the unrest here in the palace. Our intel suggests Ulric may be our man. Or werewolf, I should say.”

  “The werewolf king’s henchman?” a blond woman asked as others in the room booed and hissed.

  “Yes, his fiercest warrior. And now we know why he’s so powerful.” Cedric scowled. “We believe he’s hunting vampires, using their blood to increase his power to kill his own kind and shape-shifters.”

  My heart picked up speed. I knew this wasn’t the time to interrupt Cedric, but I couldn’t help myself. I tugged on his sleeve and whispered, “Is there anyone in particular he’s after?” Please not my mom and dad who were in those states around the same time.

  His face looked pained. “Your parents have been contacted and are rushing their arrival. We’ll go over it then.”

  My insides iced. This terrifying—and immensely powerful—werewolf could be hunting my parents.

  Autumn. Zack nudged me with his elbow. We’ll figure it out, okay? Same way we always do. Easy for him to say when it wasn’t his parents in grave danger. But his words soothed me. I bit back the fear and my limbs steadied.

  “As I was saying,” Cedric redirected to the audience, “each one of us is indebted to these werewolves, to some degree or another. Specifically Autumn and Zack. I invite all of you to show your gratitude by joining me in a centuries-old ritual.”

  Dathan stepped forward. “Drinking from a vampire has been illegal for centuries. We outlawed it because of werewolves like Ulric and a few humans. We have no intention of ever revoking this law. However, for tonight only, King Cedric and I agreed to honor these two brave werewolves who risked their lives for us all. His Majesty and I will go first.”

  The people in the crowd talked amongst themselves and I glanced at Zack. Are you going to do this? I asked.

  He stared straight ahead. Haven’t decided yet.

  Dathan handed the dagger to Cedric, then held out the goblet for him. Cedric pressed the blade across his wrist and blood streamed into the cup. “For Zack and Autumn,” Cedric began, “who without their acts of bravery, I would truly be dead.”

  Although I appreciated the sentiment, the whole thing seemed exaggerated to me. We’d been fighting for our own lives as much as theirs. Not that I minded the benefits of vampire blood, but taking on their characteristics felt more like acquiring side effects. I didn’t want to become more of a killer than I already was.

  I laid a hand on Cedric’s arm and directed my thoughts to Dathan. I’m not sure about this. Maybe some aspects of your personality, well, maybe they’re not good for me. I’m not comfortable with how easy it was for me to kill.

  Dathan rolled his eyes. You mean how easy it was to protect yourself when you needed to and how much more prepared you were to fight for your life? His face grew solemn. Sharing my power doesn’t make you any less of what you are. Your decisions are still yours to make. My blood only makes you stronger and more capable of doing what must be done. Besides, you’re not just taking the worst from me and everyone here who’s offering. You’re taking the best of us as well.

  Does this mean that they’ll all be able to keep tabs on me? That was the last thing I wanted.

  No, Cedric rubbed his healed wrist on the edge of the cup and the last bit of blood dribbled over the rim and down the inside. If they were to ingest your essence, yes. But you’re not giving anyone your blood. It is they who are giving a piece of themselves to you, which means you’ll be able to sense them when they’re nearby. And knowing whether a vampire is friend or foe may come in handy.

  I swallowed, noting the other vampires stepping forward to make their offering.

  Enjoy this moment, little one. This is the ultimate gift from a vampire. It means they’re accepting you into their vampire family as lifelong blood brothers. Dathan turned to the crowd again, cut his wrist, and let his blood stream into the goblet. Braulio went next, then Regis, Tony and Kayla, followed by every vampire in the vicinity.

  “Zack, you too.” Dathan motioned him to the front and offered him the goblet. “Half of this is yours.”

  Dathan explained it to me a bit more, I told Zack. It’s okay. I’m going to drink my half.

  Zack hesitantly took the goblet. He sipped, his gaze roaming the room. After a few gulps, he clenched his jaw and slowly pushed the goblet toward me. As he turned away, I imagined how difficult it was for him to put it down. How diffi
cult it would be for me.

  Goblet in hand, I braced myself and downed the rest of the blood. I stared at the remaining film on the inside of the cup and stifled the urge to lick every drop. I commanded myself to set the cup down as I studied the faces of the vampires who had participated in the ritual. They were connected to me now. Family. I’d been swathed in a protective cocoon—by my own natural enemy.

  Strangely, I was consumed with the hunger to hunt down any werewolf—or any other species—who would dare hurt my friends for their own selfish desires.

  Through their blood, they’d passed on to me the instinct and drive to ensure their survival. Ulric can’t feel this connection with those he drinks from or he couldn’t slay them, I told Dathan.

  He gave a slight inclination of his head. A little of our blood has a positive effect on other species. Too much makes you go mad.

  I blinked and refocused on the crowd. Nearly every vampire in the room was bowing their head before Zack and me. My eyes misted and I glanced at Zack. Wow, he said.

  Chapter TWENTY-EIGHT

  Autumn

  Now that we could roam the palace at will, Cedric’s council relocated from his private suite to their own quarters. On the off chance that he and Dathan had missed a mutinous werewolf-hating vamp, he wanted Zack and me to sleep in his suite, as well as Alura and Renzo. Since he didn’t have enough rooms for us each to have our own, we still had to double up.

  Zack hadn’t spoken a word to me since the blood ceremony, thoroughly avoiding my gaze at all times. He’d even suggested to Cedric that Alura sleep in the bedroom with me. He commandeered the sofa while Favianne and Renzo took Dathan’s room. I didn’t know where Dathan had gone but, for all I knew, he could’ve gone back into slumber.

  I shuffled my heavy limbs to bed, rolled over, and allowed the tears to leak out in silence. For the first time in weeks, I’d spent the night without him. I woke after a restless night, more tired than when I’d gone to sleep.

  After commanding my body to get out of bed, I got ready in slow motion, dreading another day of estrangement from Zack. While I caught up with Favianne over breakfast, he was nowhere to be found. Later, I helped Cedric with a computer issue and still no Zack. He popped in close to lunchtime while I was texting my mom, but he was gone so quickly I didn’t get a chance to wave hello.

  With every hour I endured, Zack was more distant with me. I rubbed my chest, thinking how much further away he’d be by the time tomorrow rolled around. And then it would be time to go. I might never see him again. Would I even get a chance to say good-bye?

  I wasn’t sure anymore whether or not I’d done the right thing by breaking up with him. But if I changed my mind, what was the point? Zack would probably take off with his parents before I had a chance to fix things with him anyway.

  After lunch—which he ate in another part of the palace—Zack left for a walk with his mom and dad to talk things out. Too queasy to eat, I dashed up to my room to freshen up and then puttered around, contemplating whether I should pack now or wait until the last minute.

  Dathan darkened the doorway—I could sense him without looking. I swiveled to offer him a smile. “What’s up?”

  “You should eat.”

  “I’m not hungry.” I slunk to the window—praying I hadn’t gotten the tendency to brood from Dathan—and searched the grounds for Zack.

  “You’re lovesick.”

  Irritation welled up in me. “And?”

  “So you admit you’re in love with him?”

  “Doesn’t matter. I dumped him and he’s fine with it.”

  “And you dumped him because…?”

  I sighed. “Because even separately we’ll have a difficult time surviving with the barriers we already have. And if anything happened to Zack because I was too selfish to let him go, I may as well die.”

  “So dramatic.” Dathan clucked his tongue. “Life is too beautiful to let it pass without having exactly what you want. Especially if you have all eternity.”

  “Yeah?” I quirked one brow. “This from one of the biggest sourpusses I’ve ever met?”

  “Oh, the cruelty.” He clutched at his heart, then grew serious, cocking his head. “Even ancients like me can change. Having you and Zack here somehow breathed life into this dead soul.”

  I wouldn’t read too much into that comment. Because I seriously doubted he was any less crazy than before. “You’re not a dead soul. You’re just… scary.”

  He studied me, tilting his head. “I’d hate to think I scared you.”

  I offered him a mischievous smile. “Not as much.”

  “Good.” And then he disappeared.

  What the hell was that? Whatever. I had packing to do. My parents would arrive tomorrow and I didn’t want to hang around pining over Zack any longer than necessary.

  As that thought formed in my head, I knew I’d be missing Zack for a hellishly long time. I couldn’t imagine ever getting over him.

  Chapter TWENTY-NINE

  Zack

  After almost a full twenty-four hours stewing at both my parents for keeping me in the dark, my anger toward them had eased up only a little. One day I’d completely forgive them. But not today and I wasn’t going to make it easy on them.

  I sat on the stone bench and sipped on my bottle of root beer, staring off at the trees swaying in the distance, the rows of colorful flowers and precisely pruned shrubs. “Let’s hear all your excuses so I can get on with my day.”

  My mom raised one eyebrow. “I can understand why you’d be angry, but I still expect you to be respectful and listen to your father’s explanation. We’ve earned at least that,” she chastised.

  No one could put me in my place like Mom. I softened my tone. “I’ll listen but I can’t guarantee it’ll make a difference.”

  Renzo—also known as Lucio, also known as Dad—narrowed his eyes. “You’ve already decided we can’t be forgiven?”

  “I don’t know… did I only imagine you guys treated me like a child these past few days?”

  “Zack! I raised you to give others the benefit of the doubt.” My mom’s eyes flared and I hung my head, knowing she was right and I wasn’t being fair. “Your father and I spent some time talking and I think you may feel differently when you hear what he has to say.”

  I chewed the inside of my mouth to stifle the temptation to point out that whatever was about to come out of Renzo’s mouth was probably a result of coaching from my mom. I sighed and leaned against the back of the bench. “I’m all ears.”

  “With that kind of optimism, I guess I have nothing to lose,” he said wryly, his mouth tightening as he kneeled in front of me. “In all the centuries I’ve been alive, I’ve done too many things I’m not proud of. As I wrote in the letter to you years ago, sometimes I questioned even having a soul.”

  I remembered that letter. I’d read it every time my mom had gone into the hospital and I’d felt lost or lonely. I’d read it when the stress of going to school and working had gotten to be too much. I’d read it when I was trying to keep my mind off Autumn. And I’d read it just to remember my dad.

  Crap, I was already weakening.

  A slow smile crept up on his face. “And then I met your mother, and for some crazy reason she loved me.”

  My mom entwined her fingers with his and a pang of longing coursed through me. I’d never have that with Autumn, the knowledge that she’d be there for me day after day, her love never wavering. Autumn didn’t feel that way about me anymore. My stomach twisted. I glanced away and took another pull from my root beer bottle.

  Renzo rested a fist on my knee. “And then you came along. You were the one thing in my entire existence that I did right.”

  My brows shot up and I used the mouth of the bottle as a pointer as if I were targeting him. “And that’s why you abandoned us?”

  Renzo threw his head back and sighed. “I’d been mauled. Your mother believed I’d died, mourned me, and held a memorial service. Was I supposed to break w
erewolf law and risk her life by exposing the existence of werewolves? Not that I was in any shape to return. I was in excruciating pain with no one to help me, and unable to feed. Meds don’t work well on us, by the way, because we metabolize them so quickly.”

  I sat the bottle on the bench and folded my arms over my chest in a gesture that must have appeared childish. What did I care what they thought? They were the ones who had to prove themselves, not me. “That doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me you weren’t dead.”

  “Mm-hm.” His mouth slanted and irritation swept over his face. “Because six-year-old boys are so good at keeping secrets.”

  “I didn’t stay six forever.” I groaned in frustration and straightened my spine. “You had years and years to do it. What about when I turned sixteen? Seventeen? How did you convince yourself then?”

  “I didn’t.” The worry lines between his brows smoothed out. “We either turn humans or we cut ties with them. In order to have you in my world, I would have had to rip you out of there without your mother ever knowing who took you or what happened. I couldn’t do that to either of you and I didn’t think she would survive it. So I chose to give you the chance to go to a normal school without the burden of knowing that in a few years, you could be serving the werewolf king. Or on the run.”

  Renzo waited a beat, measuring his words. “Not contacting you was probably the most unselfish thing I’ve ever done and it took everything I had not to seek you out. I couldn’t know you like I wanted to, yet every part of me needed you in my life. Instead, you shared a life with your mother, which you wouldn’t have had if I’d come back. And more time with your aunt Cara and uncle Mac, your cousins.”

  My chest expanded and I gave in a little bit more. Bits and pieces of images flickered through my mind. I couldn’t make out my dad’s face, but I remembered how I felt as a little boy. I remembered how much he loved and doted on me. I’d been his whole world and he had always made sure I came first.