by Zara Zenia
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, the overwhelming pain of it all crushing my chest.
Trylor looks confused, his head tilted to the side and his eyebrow raised in a question. “What for? You didn’t force me to my coronation.”
I shake my head, hugging myself. “No…for everything you’ve been through. It was bad enough…but you’re King…that must—”
“My failure to my people eats at my conscious every moment of every day,” he says, his voice rough and ragged with emotion.
“It’s not your fault,” I say instinctively. I know I don’t know much about Trylor or his people. And I know basically nothing about what happened here, other than the evil destroying things, so I really have no place to make claims like that, but it seems like the right thing to do.
“Thank you,” he says sincerely, accepting my hand when I place it over his. “But it is. I am sworn to protect these lands and these people from invaders and enemies and I failed them. My only hope for redemption is to drive this threat out once and for all.”
“Well, that’s what I’m here for, right?”
He nods and leans forward, pressing his hot forehead against mine. He stays like that for a long moment, and I can feel his emotions pouring out of him, invading me, making my heart swell with the need to help him and his people.
“We’ll figure it out,” I say, whispering the promise. “We’ll save your people.”
Trylor pulls away from me and stands, bringing my hand to his lips for the briefest moment. “We will. But first you must recover. I’ll see you again soon.”
And then he leaves me alone in this big empty room with nothing but my own worries to keep me company. Luckily, once he’s gone, I realize I really am exhausted all over and soon, I’m asleep.
Chapter Sixteen
Morgan
I wake up to unbearable heat and light shining in my face. It’s not sunlight at least, or I’d be burning right now, but it’s light and I normally sleep in the dark so it’s strange and disorienting. My eyes open and the bright light makes me squint, but soon they’ve adjusted and I can look around the room, sitting up on the feather-soft bed to find another just like it next to me with Lucas lying upon it.
My body rebels at the idea of getting up, but I force myself to my feet anyway, unbearable hunger making me weak, making my movements sluggish and uncoordinated like I’m drunk. But this is the opposite of that. If I don’t have something to drink very soon, things are going to get ugly real fast.
“Lucas?” I say, watching my friend’s bed for any movement. He stirs, sitting up and blinking before letting out a fierce growl, his eyes going black and red, bloodshot and wild. It lasts only a moment before his eyes return to normal and he blinks again.
“Gods, I’m starving,” he says.
“Me too,” I nod, frowning at the palatial surroundings. This place looks like one of the rooms of Versailles or something with gilded edges and mirrors and crystals glittering from the ceiling. It’s like these people have never even heard the word ‘understated,’ and that’s coming from a vampire.
We can go a long time without eating, but it’s not a pretty process, and we’ve already been without food for too long, searching for Eva without pause. When I’d said at the cabin that we should have eaten before, I wasn’t kidding, and now that gnawing hunger is ten times worse, stoking my bloodlust and making me forget all reason.
That’s the problem when you don’t feed your vampires. They run the risk of going feral. Turning into mindless killing machines. And no amount of blood will bring them back. Nothing can save a vampire who’s that far gone.
My body tightens like my veins are constricting, drying up from the lack of blood in them. Pain lances through every nerve-ending in my body, reminding me of the desperate hunger I need to quench. But how?
There are windows on one side of the room, each covered with a thick, heavy drape that blocks out most of the light. Still, some light spills on the floor under them and the curtains do nothing to stop the unbearable, stifling heat.
“We need to hunt,” I say, turning back to look at Lucas. His veins are popping already, dark and black against his pale skin, throbbing visibly and I know it has to hurt like a bitch because he’s clenching his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut to ward off the wave of pain.
“I’m not sure I can,” he says. For all their increased power, elder vamps struggle with hunger more than the rest of us. All those powers mean they run through blood faster, and they more they use their powers, the more blood they need. Lucas has been hungry for as long as I have, but he also took Eva on that vision trip and now he’s suffering for it.
To be honest, I’m not sure I can hunt either in this state. Just standing requires a lot of strength and I don’t even know where we are. I can’t just escape, find hunting grounds, and make my way back here to help Lucas. That’s not a plan at all.
But just on cue, the door on the far side of the room opens and instantly I smell the girl. She’s a maid, it looks like by the uniform and downcast eyes. She’s got a riot of dark black curls and sturdy body with ample curves. In another time, I may have considered her for more than a quick meal, but now it’s all I can think about. I lick my lips, my eyes traveling down the smooth caramel skin of her neck, finding her pulse throbbing there, beckoning me.
I don’t have to look at Lucas to know he’s eying her the same way I am. And I don’t have to look at him to know that he’s trying to warn me away from her with a stern glance. I’ve known Lucas long enough to predict how he’ll react without having to verify it.
The maid’s clearly a dragon, her eyes a bright violet, watching us closely as she sashays across the room holding a tray with a large pitcher and a pair of goblets.
Even though my fangs have popped out and my whole body is clenching with the need to bite into her neck and feel her hot lifeblood gush into my mouth, I can’t move. The hunger’s gone too far. My body can’t support me anymore and I wobble, catching myself on the bed. I try to stand again, but I’m hit with another wave of excruciating hunger pains.
The maid sets the tray down on the table between us and pours out two goblets, offering one to us each.
“Drink,” she says, her voice thickly accented and forceful.
Lucas groans, his eyes red with the strain of fighting off the bloodlust. “We don’t need wine, we need blood,” he says, growling at the goblet of dark red liquid.
But it’s not wine, I realize. I can smell it. That tantalizing mouth-watering smell that came in with the maid isn’t her, it’s what she’s brought with her.
Without another thought, I snatch the goblet from her and gulp down the contents, the salty irony taste the best thing I’ve ever had. The blood splashes down my throat and pours through my veins, reinvigorating me, making me feel alive again — or as alive as a vampire can be. All of a sudden, my vision’s clearer, the room’s no longer blurry. And my body is working too, able to hold me up and move about the room without resistance.
“Drink it,” I say to Lucas. “It’s blood.”
His hand is shaking when he reaches for the goblet and as hard as he tries, he can’t get a grip on it. The maid looks part horrified and part disgusted, but she manages to bring the cup to his lips and help him drink.
I’m already refilling my glass for another helping. It’s still warm — far better than the chilled blood bank supply we frequently rely on — and tastes exotic and spicy. Dragon blood.
After a few gulps, Lucas is able to take the goblet away from the maid and she begins her retreat, never taking her eyes off of us as she walks backwards out of the room.
I pay her no attention now. Not that my thirst for blood has been sated, she’s not interesting to me anymore. She’s just another woman. Nowhere near as appealing as Eva. Nowhere near as enchanting and obsession-inspiring.
I wonder if Eva is here too. I assume she must be. She leaped into the teleporter before either of us, so if we made it to the other side, one can
assume that Eva did too. I only hope she fared better than us. I hope she isn’t incapacitated with hunger and exhaustion somewhere alone. I’d happily keep her company, but first I’d have to find her. And call me crazy, but I get the feeling the dragons would rather I didn’t do that. If they wanted me to know where she is, they’d have put us all in the same room, right?
I still can’t believe we’re trusting these beasts. I can’t believe that Lucas agreed to coming to this planet on only the hopes of Eva saving us all. That’s a tall order, even for someone that knows they’re destined for it. Eva didn’t have a clue and that’s even more worrisome. How could she not know that she’s the one? How could she get through life without knowing the grand purpose she’s destined for? It’s crazy. It seems impossible. But I know her look of confusion when she asked about it was genuine. I know she really doesn’t know what’s in store for her.
It’s not a great situation. The task ahead of Eva is more than I could ever ask of anyone. It’s more than any of us could ever ask of someone. I think we each balked at the idea, rebelled against the prophecies, but at least we knew what we were getting into. Sure, maybe we hoped that there would be another way once we found her, but we knew the way things are meant to go.
Poor Eva doesn’t have a clue. She’s agreed to this without knowing. She’s scampered off to this strange planet because the dragons left her with no choice. Would it still work if Eva didn’t really have a choice? This whole thing was supposed to come from her free will, but are we forcing her hand too much? We’ve certainly made our case that we need her, that all life needs her, but is there really a choice for her to make there? She could decide to say no, but she’d do so with the knowledge that she’s dooming everyone and everything in existence. What kind of choice is that?
I want to leave and find her. I want to talk to her about all of this and see where she’s at. See how she’s coping with it now that the immediate danger is gone, but I can’t do anything without talking to Lucas first.
Chapter Seventeen
Lucas
I finish the first goblet of blood without even really being able to taste it. I gulp it down so fast that I hardly have time to feel the sticky liquid wetting my tongue before my mouth is empty again. The maid is already walking out, watching us both closely like she’s afraid we’re still going to attack her. Perhaps I considered it at first, but that was only out of desperation. Now that I’m not starving, I’d never reach for a living meal. No matter how delicious it may be.
She says nothing as she closes the door behind her and I instantly wish I’d asked something about our accommodations, where we are, if we’re free to roam, etcetera. But I didn’t ask any of that and now she’s gone.
Morgan refills his glass and sips on it slowly, wandering around the room with a pensive expression.
“What is it?” I rasp, my hand still shaking as I reach for the pitcher. It’s been a long time since I got to that level of hunger. A long time since I felt like my body is shriveling up and the pure animalistic rage covers my vision red. I try not to let that happen anymore. After so many centuries of living with this hunger, I’ve adapted to it. I’ve learned to ignore it, to push through it, and to keep going. But this time was too close. This time, I nearly gave in. And once I give in, there’s no going back. Once the beast takes over my mind, I’ve forfeited and I’ll be gone forever.
But I narrowly avoid that fate yet again. The blood is warm on my lips, smooth going down. There was a time when I was repulsed by the very idea of drinking blood, but now I hardly remember what real food was like. It seems like another lifetime ago. Though the memories are mine, it feels like they’ve come from a vision journey, from someone else’s mind.
“Do you think Eva is all right?” he asks, his tone more worried than I can remember hearing it before. It seems that we’re both driven to her, both pulled to her in the same ways. It seems neither of us wants to be a part from her and we both have the same need to know she’s safe.
“I’m sure she is,” I say, finishing a second glass. The blood reinvigorates me, fills me with energy that can’t be contained. “I don’t think they would have brought her all the way here to endanger her further.”
He nods, his jaw tight as he paces around the room. My logic hasn’t soothed his concerns. But Morgan always needs more time. I busy myself with another drink, leaving the last remnants of blood in the pitcher for him. It’s fresh and delicious and I’m wondering where our hosts procured it, also wondering if it would be rude to ask.
The very thought that I’m worried about being rude to a dragon is absurd. Our races haven’t mingled much in the last few centuries, but enough that we know to keep our distances. Fights between our kind are always deadly and bloody.
Morgan paces to the window and pulls back the curtains a fraction, narrowing his eyes on the view outside.
“Fire and dragons everywhere,” he grumbles, dropping the curtain again. His skin is glowing red from the brief moment in the sun, but he’s not smoldering. Either it’s nearly dusk, or the sun on Desergan doesn’t burn the same as ours. It’s something worth testing, but I’m in no condition to do it now after my first meal in months.
“Did you expect something else from the dragon planet?” I ask.
Morgan growls and shakes his head. “No, but I didn’t expect us to be on the damn dragon planet.”
“That makes two of us,” I say with a nod. But my agreement doesn’t temper his rage.
“You’re the one that seemed to think this was such a good damn idea. You’re the one that said ‘work with the dragons, it’s the only way.’ You’re the one who said this was the only way and jumped into that damn teleporter and made us wind up who knows how far away from Earth.”
“And your point?” I drawl slowly, letting Morgan rage and vent all he wants. Old as he is, he’s still a child in many respects. Still ruled by his temper and need for control. But there’s no time or place for either of them right now and he’s just going to have to accept that.
“You got us into this! You can’t suddenly start acting like you regret our position.”
“I did no such thing,” I say, sitting on the edge of my bed, folding my hands in my lap neatly. He can rant and rave all he wants, he can throw his temper tantrums, but the fact of the matter remains that we’re here whether we like it or not. We’re here to see this thing through to the end. To help Eva, to help the dragons — enemies though they may be — and to save our kind. We’re stuck, and throwing a fit about it isn’t going to change anything. Morgan will realize it eventually, but if he needs to let off some steam first, so be it.
“I don’t like this. I don’t trust them. We should have just taken her. We could keep her safe.”
“How? They’ve already destroyed our village. What’s left of the clan is in no condition to protect anyone, let alone a human outsider. The wolves expect her to still be on Earth. It will take a long time for them to find her again here. This is our best shot.”
Morgan grunts and paces some more, but after a few minutes he slows, refills his goblet and falls back onto his bed.
“That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“Nor do I, but it is what it is,” I say, giving him a firm gaze.
Morgan generally trusts my judgment. We have known each other and been companions for enough decades — centuries, even — to have that kind of understanding.
“But, the good news is that they could have killed us. Or left the curtains open. Or starved us. Poisoned the blood… There are many things they could have done, but chose not to. That is promising at least.”
“I guess,” he grumbles, sounding resigned about it.
“We do need to work together with them. I know you don’t like the idea and I’m honestly not thrilled about it myself, but that’s our only path forward. I’m sure the dragons have misgivings of their own about us, so we’re all just going to have to suck it up for Eva’s sake.”
He grumbles again
, but nods finally. “You’re right. Eva is what’s important here. I want to see her again. I need to.”
The moment he says it, I realize I need to, too. Eva’s appearance and disappearance from my life happened in the blink of an eye, but the impression she left on me is unforgettable, unignorable. The pull to her, the desire to track her and find her and bury my nose in her hair and feel her pulse beneath my lips is unbearable. All-consuming.
“Perhaps we should go looking for her. I’m sure we can pick up her trail easily enough.”
We both stand at the same time, stretching and finishing off the last drops of blood. Who knows how long it will be before we have another fresh supply. That’s one thing you learn early as a vampire: feed when you can, as much as you can. It’s something I ignored in the past few months and it nearly spelled the end for me. I can’t take those kinds of risks anymore now that Eva is in the equation. I have to keep her in mind. I have to remember what’s at stake.
Morgan goes to the window again, looking out and shaking his head. “It’s wild,” he says to my questioning look. “You should check it out sometime.”
I nod, but head straight for the door that the maid left through. Being on a different planet is certainly a novel experience. Something I should be enthused about. After so many centuries on Earth, you’d think that having a chance to see and explore a new planet would excite me, would shake away the boredom that plagues my kind. But it’s Eva who has that effect. Eva who makes me feel like my heart is racing though it hasn’t beat in a millennium.
I open the heavy door — twice as tall as any door needs to be, though that’s probably for the dragons, now that I think about it — and find a hallway decorated with the same lavish touch as the room behind us. There’s no one in sight, so I step out onto a plush cream carpet and step forward to the railing opposite the door. This whole hall is open to the atrium below, as well as the halls on the upper and lower floors. So the center of the space is open from the very bottom to the very top and walkways and rooms line the perimeter in tiers. I look down over the railing, and then crane my head back to look up.
