The tip of a sword, though not mine, protruded from the front of his stomach, and blood poured from his mouth. He slumped to his knees. Jadeon stood behind him and withdrew his blade. Blood dripped from the end, staining the marble floor red.
“I’m not usually one to interfere,” Jadeon said calmly. “But as it’s you…”
He stood proudly, his blazing stare full of power, dashingly dressed in the finest waistcoat and black suit. His hair ruffled to perfection. His expression calm, it dissolved into a gentle smile. He oozed serenity, even with the monk crumpled at his feet.
The monk wasn’t moving, but he was far from dead. Shocked, no doubt, at being impaled by Dominion himself. I pushed away, putting some distance between me and my attacker.
“Is that my sword?” Jadeon said.
“Might be.”
“Thought I recognized it.”
“I didn’t need your help.” I took in the deepest breath, wanting to believe that lie.
Jadeon raised a hand in the way of a command. Two other monks, their hoods covering their faces, trekked toward us. They grabbed their fallen colleague and dragged him away across the floor, his legs scraping behind him.
“What will happen to him?” I said.
“He disobeyed an order,” Jadeon said.
“Will they kill him?”
“There will be a trial. So we’ll see.” He lowered his gaze and held out his hand, assisting me to my feet, his strength disarming.
I let go and raised my sword toward his chest. “It was you who poisoned me?”
Jadeon reached out and his fingers touched the tip of my sword. He lowered it. This was Dominion, the most powerful vampire that had ever walked the earth, and I’d just threatened him with my sword.
I’d threatened my lover. Once lover.
My lips trembled.
Jadeon responded calmly. “Blue illuminate would have killed you. I improvised. That is, Fabian Snowstrom concocted something for you that was a little more palatable.”
“But you were angry with me for drinking it?”
“I was angry with you because you were determined to drink blue illuminate.”
The sob caught in my throat. “What have you done to me?”
“You asked me to find a way, Ingrid.” He lowered his gaze. “I did.”
“What is happening to me?”
“An incantation reserved for kings who once ruled the earth. It made them legends. It was better than the alternative.”
“Oh.” I swallowed hard. “Is is permanent?”
“Yes.”
I sucked in my breath, dazzled that I’d been left with this. The implications were far reaching. This gift. This curse.
“The alternative wasn’t an option,” he said. “I made a vow to protect you and I intend to keep it.”
It crossed my mind how this gift would have been back when I was in the police. Only days had passed since my old life had bled away, but it felt longer.
“I was willing to die,” I whispered it.
“Then you are ready.”
Jadeon’s aura exuded a supernatural force, as though he’d harnessed nature’s power. Having been bequeathed this new sense to interpret energy fields emanating from each life force, I’d not felt it from him before. I wanted to throw myself into his arms, embrace him, but his sternness held me at bay. Now I understood why Orpheus and all other vampires respected him. The energy circulating him would have those around him on their knees.
Shaking my head in denial, trying to focus through this blur of radiating light that came off him, I tried to convince myself this wasn’t happening. That this new found ability wouldn’t endure a lifetime.
“Don’t be frightened of it,” he said. “It’s always like this at first. That same intuition you’ve relied upon your whole life, that same inner feeling that has guided you during your darkest days, it’s still there. It hasn’t left you. In fact it’s burning brighter than ever. Give yourself over to that trust, Ingrid. Surrender to this sorcery bestowed upon you.”
“I’m ready.”
He held out his hand. “The Athenaeum holds one of the greatest secrets of mankind. It’s time we shared it with you.”
A jolt of excitement ran up my spine. “But is it worth dying for?”
He gestured. “Yes.”
We made our way through the foyer and onward, our silence doing nothing to ease the tension between us. With a pull of the candle holder upon that familiar fireplace, the entryway to the lower chamber scraped open.
Within the grand library, the temperature dropped and blackness befell the enormous chamber. That faint scent of old books and burning wax permeated the air, instilling a sense of timeless knowledge yet to be discovered. This wonder of literary greatness would bring any awed scholar to their knees.
“Over there, we have books on every religion known to man.” Jadeon swept his hand outward. “And over there are sacred texts strewn upon shelves, waiting for when the reader is ready to find them. As though the books themselves are living, breathing entities.”
“What about Riley?”
“His memory will be honored.”
“It’s not enough.”
“It rarely is.” He lowered his gaze. “Heaven exists for men like him.”
Taking in the view, the soft yellow lighting that bathed the library, I knew there was more to this place than books. Within the Athenaeum’s walls lay a profound revelation that I only now felt ready for. “The spell Fabian cast on me made me worthy to stand here,” I said in realization.
Jadeon gave the faintest smile. “The elders will only approve of you if you are befitting their world.”
The magnitude of his disclosure left me stunned.
“To be one of us,” he continued. “To serve alongside us, you must be considered a celestial being.”
“One with a unique gift?”
It’s too much…
“I’m here for you,” he said softly. “I always will be.”
I needed him to tell me I could stay, that he’d let me remain by his side as his friend, his lover. Whatever he wanted me to be.
He gave a slow, calm smile.
“Is that a yes?” I said.
“Take off your sword.”
Lifting off the harness, I laid my weapon at the door.
He reached for my hand and took it in his. “Observe. Say nothing. Understand?”
“Yes.”
The next room we entered seemed insignificant compared to the grandness of the library that we’d left behind. Jadeon gave a nod that this was what he wanted to show me. I was stunned by the simplicity of the area.
Leather couches were positioned here and there. The fireplace roared with fresh firewood, its smoke billowing up a chimney. The scent of pine and cigars lingered. Five men sat in well-worn armchairs, their ages stretching between twenty and sixty-years-old. Some of them were reading and others chatted amongst themselves. They regarded us briefly before their focus returned to their books, or their conversations, showing an easy comfort. Their irises had given away their immortality. Unlike the vampires who reigned above, these were easily more sedate. The atmosphere oozed calmness.
I tried to read from Jadeon what he was showing me. It all seemed so ordinary. A door opened behind us and a man of seventy or so entered. His flock of white hair and matching beard gave him a professorial air. He was dressed smartly in black trousers, a checkered shirt, and a suede jacket. His shocking brown irises gave away his immortality. He oozed an old-school charm. He could have strolled along the corridors of Cambridge University, or Oxford, or held a lecture at some other prestigious college and his students would be none the wiser.
The vampire took Jadeon’s hands in his. “You’ve left it too long between visits,” he said in a Scottish accent.
“Alecks, it’s good to see you,” Jadeon said.
“And who is this lovely lady?”
“Ingrid Jansen.”
“Welcome Ingrid. We’re delighted to have you vi
sit us.”
“It’s good to be here,” I said, wherever here was meant to be.
“So your death was faked too?”
My throat tightened and I gave a weak nod.
“You get used to it,” Alecks said, turning to his friends. “We all did.”
“They are waiting for her,” Jadeon said, cutting this introduction painfully short.
They?
“Let’s not leave too much time between visits,” Alecks said, his face crinkling into a smile.
I followed Jadeon out. Hands shaking, not sure what that was all about, I reached for my sword and eased the harness back over my head, securing the weapon snug behind me. I trusted Jadeon with my life but felt safer with my weapon close to hand. He led me back through the library toward the exit.
Was this the secret? A bunch of old men sitting in an anteroom and smoking cigars? Studious men with a good deal of wisdom no doubt, but surely not the kind anyone should die for?
“Jadeon?”
“Nothing in life is ever as it seems,” he said. “Dare to peer beyond the ordinary.”
“Who was that man?”
His face lit up. “Dr. Graham Alexander Bell.”
I took the deepest breath.
No, impossible...
Jadeon arched a brow. “The telephone.”
The same Bell who invented…”
“Yes.”
“You called him Alecks?” I said.
“That’s his name.”
The air felt thick, stuffy, just like the room we’d left behind, cloaked in too much cigar smoke.
“And the others?” I said.
“All of them chose immortality so that their genius would endure.”
“They’re all inventors?” This rush made my head spin. I needed to sit down. I needed to go back in there. “How many are there?”
Jadeon gave a mega-watt smile as that tough, masterful demeanor cracked a little.
I failed to hide my exhilaration.
“Many advances both in science and medicine have been discovered here and allowed their freedom in the world.” He gave a nod, letting me know more would be revealed in time.
There were so many questions. A need to settle my rambling thoughts and think rationally about what this really meant. I turned away, needing to go back.
Though we walked the full distance of the library, I scarcely remembered it. My mind was too far away, trying to piece together the revelation that perhaps many of our greatest minds had chosen the pathway of immortality.
My heart raced with the thrill of it. “You offer these individuals the choice to become vampires?”
“Council members deem whom to approach. It’s been done this way for centuries.”
We made our way up the stone steps and out, along the foyer, toward an enormous double doorway, reaching at least twenty feet high and making it one of the most impressive entryways I’d ever seen.
Jadeon gestured to the door.
From inside my jacket pocket I removed the ornate key that Jadeon had handed me last night. “You gave me this?”
“No,” he said.
My thumb caressed the metal ridges.
“Those who wait for you on the other side.” He brushed a stray hair out of my eyes. “If you were ever to make it this far, Ingrid, they would consider you worthy to use it.”
The key fit perfectly into the double doorway’s lock. I took a moment to savor this. And then turned the key, its mechanism echoing. These endless possibilities beckoned.
Doors swung open before us and my heartbeat faltered.
Within this vast candlelit room, hundreds of immortals were gathered, all dressed in their finest regalia. Again their striking beauty awed me, all of them dressed decadently in velvets, and silks, and richly textured leathers, just as I’d seen when I’d first visited. I recognized the tall redhead who wore an outfit of armor. That stunning raven haired goddess who had eyed me suspiciously. Elaborate headdresses were worn by some, most were bejeweled in one way or another.
A pathway cleared down the center.
Jadeon swept his hand wide. “If you were to enter through these doors, you would enter as Bohemia.”
The greatest joy swept over me. “Bohemia,” I whispered.
“But you’re not going in,” he said flatly.
My gaze shot to the many beautiful faces, the glare of the irises holding me in a vice-like mystical grip. “Why?”
“Because—”
“I have as much a right to be here.”
“That may be true—”
“I’ve more than earned my right to stand here. Go in there.”
“Woman! Will you listen to me?”
“Okay,” I relented, readying for whatever he was about to say and preparing for my comeback. Which would be right of course. My opinion would carry weight and have him seeing reason.
Jadeon reached into his inner jacket pocket and held out a small black velvet box.
“What is it?”
He eased open the lid, revealing a dazzling sapphire ring. I mean gorgeous. Like stunning and take your breath away kind of gorgeous.
My voice found me again. “Are you…?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Is that…”
“An engagement ring.” He beamed at me. “I thought we’d go out and celebrate. If you like?”
I flung myself into his arms and held him tightly.
“You haven’t answered?” He hugged me.
“You have to say the words,” I said, tears falling as I pulled back to look at his face. His gorgeous, handsome, perfect face as I looked into those dreamy eyes that held mine with all their mystical deliciousness.
“My, you really do have it bad,” he said.
I thumped him.
Jadeon flashed a mega-watt smile. “Ingrid, will you marry me?”
“Yes, of course.”
He held my shoulders. “Listen, my darling, I know what it is you have been through. I know what you have lost. I promise with every fiber of my being to give you the life of your dreams.”
Trembling in the wake of all that had happened, my life no longer recognizable, I reached for him, needing to be closer.
“Hey,” he soothed. “I’ll always be right beside you, guiding you every step of the way.” His gaze found the room of vampires, their faces staring back at us. “Ancient civilizations have risen and fallen. We are not perfect by any means, but we, they, have done what needed to be done in order to survive. There’s too much at stake here. You see that now. Mistakes have been made and those who are guilty will be punished. We ask your forgiveness.”
“They accept me then? Us?”
“Well, now that the risk of you arresting anyone has been eliminated.”
“You sound like Orpheus.”
“Careful.”
“Sensitive subject?”
“Orpheus will never have you.” He raised my chin with his fingertip. “I claim you. You’re mine.”
“I am yours.”
“Paris sound okay to you?” he said. “For a honeymoon?”
I covered my face with my hands. He knew I’d always wanted to go with him.
“Well that went better than expected,” he said.
“You didn’t think I’d say yes?”
“Oh, I knew you’d say yes.”
I thumped his chest playfully again.
Jadeon laughed and cupped my face with his hands, leaning in to kiss me leisurely, circling my tongue, not caring about these witnesses. My lips pressed against his, desiring this feeling of him being this close.
Saving me. Possessing me. Loving me.
Completing me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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A Vampire's Bohemian Page 27
