“Families are still trickling out after the wolf attack,” Alexander added. “They don’t feel safe here anymore. They’re leaving for the Haven.”
“Unless we take a stronger stance against the wolves, more will follow,” Scott said. “We need to put the wolves back in their place—sooner rather than later.”
“They’re trained fighters, and their numbers are higher than ours,” Alexander said. “Most of the vampires in the Vale don’t know how to fight, and our humans are worthless in battle. If we fight the wolves, we’ll lose.”
“Why are the wolves suddenly rebelling?” Stephenie asked, breaking back into the conversation. “We’ve lived in peace for centuries. We haven’t broken the treaty Laila signed with them when she first settled in the Vale—we’ve stayed in our designated land, and they’ve stayed in theirs. Their sudden hatred of us makes no sense.”
I hadn’t yet told any of them about my meeting with Noah. The meeting had only happened last night, and so much had happened since then.
But with Queen Laila dead, perhaps I could do what Noah suggested—perhaps I could lead the vampires and humans out of the Vale and settle on unclaimed land. It could be the start of a fresh kingdom—a kingdom that didn’t turn humans against their will, and didn’t strip humans of their rights. Most importantly, we would no longer be in danger of war from the wolves.
I wasn’t sure if the others would go for it, but I needed to try.
“A few weeks ago, some of the wolves started receiving visions,” I started, and everyone in the room looked to me, waiting for me to continue. “The visions are from someone they call their ‘Savior.’ Apparently, the packs have been at constant war amongst themselves forever. Their Savior has promised that once He rises, He’ll bring peace and prosperity to the wolves of the Vale. But there’s a catch. Before the Savior rises, He’s demanded that all vampires are cleared from the Vale. That’s why the wolves have decided to kill us all. They feel like they have to do it to give their Savior the chance to rise.”
Stephenie looked at me like I was crazy. Camelia stared blankly at her glass of wine, which for some reason, she hadn’t touched. Alexander’s eyebrows were furrowed, and Scott watched me closely, as if waiting for more.
“How do you know this?” Scott finally asked.
“I met with their leader last night,” I said. “His name is Noah, and he was the first wolf to receive a vision. He calls himself the ‘First Prophet.’”
“Seriously?” Stephenie scoffed and threw back the remainder of her wine, reaching for the bottle to pour herself a fresh glass. “He sounds like a cult leader—not a ruler.”
“He was surprisingly civil—for a wolf,” I said.
“Where did you meet him?” Scott asked. “Going into wolf territory is dangerous. I assume you know that.”
“I didn’t go to their territory,” I said. “I know that would be dangerous. Noah sent a witch envoy to bring me to the Haven, where we had our meeting. He had an interesting proposition, although I told him Laila would never go for it. But now that she’s gone…”
“What was the proposition?” Scott was apparently eager to get the point.
“We can leave this land and go somewhere else,” I said. “Somewhere that isn’t already inhabited. Further north, or maybe even south, to the States. We have a lot of options—all of them better than war with the wolves.”
“Absolutely not.” Stephenie crossed her arms, her expression sour. “The Vale is a respected kingdom, and more than that, it’s our home. Look around at everything we have—the palace, the town, even the human village! We can’t leave all of this behind. If we do and go somewhere else, we’ll have to start from scratch. We’ll have nothing.”
“Our sister makes a good point,” Scott said. “Plus, centuries ago, Laila and the wolves signed a treaty. We’ve done nothing to break that treaty. This land is rightfully ours. If we leave, we’ll look weak. We must stay and fight.”
“We’ll die.” I leveled my gaze with his, unwilling to back down. “You weren’t there in the square when those wolves attacked. I was. It was chaos. So many of our people were slaughtered before the wolves were finally brought down. We’ve been living in peace for too long—the vampires of the Vale don’t know how to fight. And the wolves only want to kill us as long as we remain on this land. If we leave, we live. Isn’t that what’s important?”
“We’ll have ran from battle and will be the laughingstock of all the kingdoms in the world,” Scott said. “The wolves are animalistic and lack all control. There’s a way for us to beat them. We just need to figure out what that way is.”
“And until we do?” Alexander asked. “We can’t hide Laila’s death forever. We’re going to have to tell everyone—before they hear it from somewhere else.”
“We’ll spin the story,” Scott said. “We’ll tell everyone that Laila went to the wolves to discuss peace, and that they killed her. Not only will it explain her death, but it’ll make our people more fired up to defeat the wolves.”
“A smart plan,” Stephenie said. “But there’s still a major point we haven’t yet discussed.”
“And what’s that?” I asked.
“Now that Laila’s gone, who’s the leader of the Vale?”
Camelia
“I am,” I said the first words I’d spoken since this meeting began.
The four of them—Scott, Alexander, Jacen, and Stephenie—turned their heads to look at me all at once. Their eyes all showed the same emotion—shock.
“What?” Stephenie was the first to speak. “You can’t rule the Vale. You’re a witch.”
“I was Queen Laila’s closest confidant,” I said, since despite the fact that Laila kept me as a willing prisoner as long as I kept up the boundary, it was true. “Not only that, but I’m the one who keeps this kingdom safe from harm. Of course I should step up as queen. It makes the most sense.”
“You’re mortal,” Scott pointed out. “And while we’re grateful for the sacrifice you make to protect this kingdom, we all know you only have a decade left, maybe a few years more on top of that if you’re lucky.”
“A witch can’t rule the Vale,” Alexander added. “This is a vampire kingdom. We must be ruled by a vampire.”
“It has to be one of us.” Scott looked around at his siblings, his gaze serious. “One of the vampires in this room.”
“Not me.” Stephenie tossed back another glass of wine—she must have polished off four glasses by now. “I know my strengths, and ruling an entire kingdom isn’t one of them. I’ll leave it up to the three of you to decide.”
“I’m also going to step out of the running,” Jacen said, which surprised me—out of the three brothers, I thought he would make the most fair ruler. “I’ve only been a vampire for slightly over a year. The two of you have far more experience than I do. It should be one of you.”
Scott nodded, apparently pleased with Jacen’s answer.
But there was one big factor he apparently hadn’t considered.
“A prince can’t rule the Vale.” I sat straighter and matched their fierce gazes with one of my own, refusing to be dismissed by the vampires again. “All of the other kingdoms are ruled by an original vampire—even the Haven. Only an original can turn humans into vampire princes or princesses. A prince or princess can only turn humans into regular vampires who can’t use compulsion. Without being ruled by an original vampire, and therefore not being able to create any more princes or princesses, we’ll be the weakest kingdom in the world. We’ll lose all the respect and rapport we have with the other kingdoms.”
“There are only five original vampires remaining, and they each already have a kingdom of their own,” Scott said. “An original ruling the Vale isn’t an option. It must be one of us.”
“You’re wrong,” I said, smiling smugly. “An original vampire ruling the Vale is an option.”
“How so?” Stephenie raised an eyebrow, clearly doubtful.
“I’m a powerful witch,
” I said. “I’m certainly strong enough to perform the spell on myself that will turn me into an original vampire.”
“I thought the knowledge of that spell was lost?” Scott asked. “That’s why no more witches have been able to turn themselves into vampires.”
He was right—the spell had been lost. When the original vampires had bargained with the fae for a spell that would make them immortal, they’d agreed to give the fae all of their memories in return for the spell. They’d cast the spell, and then their memories had been taken.
No one knew the details of the spell except for the faerie who had given it to them. And from what Prince Devyn had told me of that fae, she loved collecting lifetimes of memories.
There was no way in Hell that I was giving up all of my memories. Memories make us who we are. Giving them up is basically the same thing as suicide.
Which meant I needed another way to get the spell.
However, the only reason I knew all of this was because Laila had told me. And before Laila had told me, we’d made a blood oath where I’d promised that I wouldn’t reveal what she’d told me to anyone.
Blood oaths lived on even after death.
If I told the others what I knew, my blood would turn against me and kill me. So I would need another way to get the spell—a way that didn’t involve divulging Laila’s secret.
“It’s true that knowledge of the spell has been lost,” I started. “But there’s one person in the world who might be powerful enough to know the spell—Geneva. We just need to get control of her ring. Once we have control of it, even if she doesn’t know the spell, we can command her to acquire it for us.”
Even though I was bound not to tell anyone what Laila and the other original vampires had done, I could always pretend like going to the fae to bargain for the spell was my idea. Then I could command Geneva to go to the fae and bargain away all of her memories in return for the spell.
“We’re getting that ring,” Jacen spoke up. “I’m going to make sure of it.”
“Good.” I nodded. “Once you have it, you’ll give it to me so I can get started.”
“My brother will do no such thing.” Scott’s voice filled the room—he sounded like he already thought he was king. “That ring will come directly to me. Once I have it, I’ll command Geneva to do as you wish. If you’re able to become an original vampire, then we’ll accept you as our queen.”
“We will?” Stephenie pouted, clearly disagreeing with him.
“We will,” he said firmly. “Camelia is correct that if the Vale isn’t ruled by an original vampire, we’ll be seen as a second tier kingdom in comparison to the others. We might not even be seen as a kingdom anymore at all. It’s the best interest of all of us—and for our kingdom—for Camelia to acquire that spell and turn herself into an original vampire.”
“Now that we have the concealment charms, I’ll meet with the guards to solidify our plan.” Jacen moved forward on his seat, clearly ready to get started.
“Not so fast.” Scott held up a hand, stopping him. “Before you leave, you’ll need to make a blood oath.”
“What sort of blood oath?” Jacen froze, suspicion dawning in his gaze.
“An oath that once you get custody of Geneva’s sapphire ring, you’ll kill Annika and will immediately return to the Vale to give the ring to me.”
“Deal.” Jacen didn’t falter.
I was impressed. Scott had clearly proposed the oath to ensure that Jacen was truly on our side. After all, it had been no secret that when Jacen had first met the irritating human, he’d had a soft spot for her.
At least he was rational enough to realize his mistake, given that Annika had played him for a fool and was actually a Nephilim—a creature whose sole purpose in life was to kill supernaturals.
“Fantastic.” A small smile crept across Scott’s face. “In the meantime, I’ll serve as acting king of the Vale. Does anyone in this room contest my right to do so?” He looked mainly to Prince Alexander—the only one of his siblings who hadn’t said he didn’t want to be king.
Prince Alexander said nothing, giving his older brother only a single nod of acceptance.
“Perfect,” Scott said, leaning back in his seat. “Now, someone fetch me a knife. We have a blood oath to make.”
Annika
I had so many questions for Mary, mainly about how it was possible that I was a Nephilim when all of the Nephilim were supposed to be dead, and about why I’d only come into my powers this morning. But Geneva was back in minutes with both humans in tow, so I’d have to wait to ask my questions until later.
I’d known what the humans would look like—I’d been disguised as the redhead the entire time I was pretending to be Princess Ana, and Geneva had been disguised as the older woman.
The humans she brought look nothing like I’d expected. Their clothes were filthy, and their hair was tangled and stringy. They were covered in dirt, grime, and their own waste, the stink overpowering the entire cabin. The stench was so strong that I could barely breathe.
The older woman stared at us in shock.
The redhead bolted for the door. She was fast—for a human.
Mary rushed past her in a blur, blocking the way out before the human had a chance to blink.
That didn’t stop the girl. She raised her arm up, getting ready to punch.
Mary’s hand was wrapped around her wrist in a second. “We’re here to help you,” Mary said calmly. “There’s no need to fight us.”
As if the human ever stood a chance.
“Okay.” The girl was surprisingly calm. Her back was facing me, but she sounded like she might even be smiling.
Mary let go of her grip and lowered her hand down to her side. She relaxed when the girl didn’t try to run again. “I’m sure you have many questions,” she said. “We’ll answer them all after you freshen up. I’ll show you to the washroom.” She headed to a nearby door—one that I assumed led to the bathroom.
The girl followed. But once they were halfway there, she bolted for the door again.
Again, Mary blocked her path, moving in a blur.
The girl screamed and tried to hit Mary again, but her attempt was futile.
Mary held both of her wrists in a second, holding her in place. “What’s your name?” she asked the girl.
The girl stood completely still, saying nothing.
“What’s your name?” Mary repeated, although this time, she sounded different when she spoke. There was something fuller—more musical—to her voice.
She was using compulsion.
Normally, when vampires used compulsion, they sounded no different than normal. There was only one explanation for why I could suddenly tell that she was using compulsion—it must be one of my heightened abilities as a Nephilim.
“Raven,” the girl said automatically.
“It’s nice to meet you Raven,” she said, still holding onto her wrists. “I’m Mary, and I’m the leader of the place where you are now—the Haven.”
“What are you?” Raven asked.
“You’re not going to panic after I answer your question,” Mary said, once again infusing her voice with compulsion. “I’m a vampire.”
As instructed, Raven didn’t panic. The older woman crossed herself and muttered a few words in prayer.
“I assume you have many questions,” Mary continued. “My friends and I will happily answer them for you. But first, the two of you need to get cleaned up. I only have one washroom, so you’ll need to take turns. I’ll set some clean clothes in there as well. We’ll answer your questions once you’re both cleaned. Now, I’m going to let go of your hands, and I recommend that you don’t try to escape again. Like I said, my friends and I want to protect you. But if you leave this cabin, the tiger shifters outside will immediately maul you to death and eat you alive. Unless, of course, the hungry vampires get to you first…”
She let go of Raven’s hands, and this time, the redhead didn’t fight or run.
&nbs
p; This time, she looked properly terrified.
“Very good.” Mary smiled. “Now, come. It’s time for the two of you to get cleaned up.”
Annika
Once Raven and the other human—Susan—were cleaned up, they sat down with us in the living room.
They both wore the same loose fitting, all white outfit that Mary and the other vampires I’d seen in the Haven wore. Since they were in Mary’s size, the pants were short on Raven and too tight on Susan, but both of them had managed to squeeze into the clothes.
A shower had done them both wonders, and they now looked just like the versions of them that I’d expected. Raven didn’t try to run again—I supposed Mary’s threat of tiger shifters and hungry vampires was enough to make the fiery human realize that escaping would be futile.
Once they seemed as comfortable as they were going to get given that they were still in a room with their abductor, a vampire, and that there was no hope of escape, the three of us told them everything.
“So you truly had no idea what she was doing to us?” Raven asked me once we were done, glaring at Geneva.
“I didn’t,” I confirmed. “If I knew she was keeping you prisoner, I never would have gone through with the plan.”
I briefly remembered one moment when I’d almost asked Geneva how she was getting the vampire blood and making the transformation potion for me each day, but I’d been interrupted before I’d had a chance. I don’t know what answer I would have expected, but the thought had never crossed my mind that Geneva had taken them prisoner in some abandoned supernatural prison, telling them nothing of why she’d taken them and leaving them to think they were going to die there.
I’d assumed that if Geneva had to do something so inhumane and horrible to follow through with my command, she would have told me so I knew exactly what I was asking of her.
The Vampire Fate (Dark World: The Vampire Wish Book 4) Page 5
