"Looks like hunting really can help to unite us," Ida said. "Look at us getting along, and we haven't even left yet. I even got my sister to agree with me on something."
I rolled my eyes. "It isn't like we've spent time together to disagree on much."
"Let's not start arguing now," she said. "Oh, look at that. You've been keeping my necklace safe for me."
"What…?" I asked.
She walked to me and held up my necklace. "Look at it sparkle. I've never seen it look so pretty. Thanks for taking care of it. Hand it over."
"No!" I exclaimed. That was the necklace that Cliff had given me when I was three, after our engagement ceremony, just a little before I had been taken away and sent to live with my human family the first time. "It's not yours anymore."
"What do you mean it's not mine? I wore it up until I died."
I pulled it out of her hand. "You don't have it anymore. It was given to me when I was little."
She glared at me. "How dare you?"
"Chill out, Ida," Svana said. "It's just a necklace."
"Just a necklace?" Ida exclaimed. "It's mine. I wore that all the time."
"Try being nice to her," Alrekur said, "and maybe she'll give it back to you on her own. You can't blame her for not wanting to give it to you now."
Ida narrowed her eyes. "I'll get it one way or another."
NINETEEN
I walked into Cliff's room quietly, not knowing if he and Larus were awake. I'd just returned from my room where I'd showered off the blood from the hunt and changed clothes. I had gotten some on my clothes and didn't want to risk exposing Larus too early. Aside from that, Cliff didn't approve of hunting, so there was no need for him to see the blood either.
The lights were off and I could see them both in their own beds. I climbed next to Cliff and snuggled myself up next to him and he wrapped his arm around me. I closed my eyes, feeling stronger than I'd felt in a long time. I drifted off to sleep.
The sounds of angry voices in the hallway woke me up. There were so many talking and shouting that I couldn't tell what anyone was saying. I sat up, trying to make sense of what I was hearing. I thought I heard something about Francine being on her way.
Cliff sat up next to me. "We'd better get up and find out what's going on."
"Larus is still sleeping."
"We won't go anywhere without him, or without leaving someone to watch him."
I nodded and we made our way to the door in a split second. The hallway looked like mass chaos, with vampires running around in all directions.
"The war is about to start! Prepare for battle! We have only a short time!"
Cliff looked at me and we knew that we had to practice. The woods were enormous and it would take a long time for her to reach us, and with our vampire energy we wouldn't tire from a little training. I'd had so little time and I needed all that I could get. We found Mattie to watch Larus and we headed for the training grounds.
After an hour of practice, I saw something that caused me to stop suddenly, nearly dropping my sword. Cliff stopped just in time as he was running at me with his sword. He turned in the direction that I was staring, and even though I wasn't looking at him directly, I could see worry beginning to cover his face.
Alrekur was walking towards us with another vampire. I knew immediately who it was when I saw them. I couldn't believe my eyes. Why had Alrekur gone to the trouble of bringing him? It didn't make any sense. Was he really that valuable for the war?
Cliff put his arm around me as the two came closer to us. It wasn't the first time that Alrekur had seen Cliff and me together, but I was still surprised that he would put his arm around me in front of Alrekur.
"What are you two doing here?" Cliff asked.
Alrekur and Tanner stopped only a few feet in front of us.
"I've been rounding up every vampire I know. Although this one can't remember, he was useful in a previous battle from what I've been told."
Tanner extended his hand to me. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Vampires around the world are talking about the Sonnast."
I took his hand. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but nothing would come.
Alrekur looked at me. His memory is obviously still wiped. I will restore it if you wish.
My mind began racing and I felt lightheaded. I wanted to jump into Tanner's arms and ask him about his new life. But if his memories were restored, he would fall back in love with me and be crushed to know that I'd had Cliff's baby. It would also kill him to know that his mom and brother had thought he was dead all of this time.
I looked Tanner over. He looked stronger and more secure; his grasp on my hand was firm as he looked at me as though expecting me to say something.
Turning my attention to Alrekur, I shook my head no. Leave his memory alone. I looked back to Tanner. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well. Where are you from?"
He let go of my hand. "I'm leading a group of vampires in Canada. Alrekur has been keeping in touch with us about the war periodically and we've been preparing for battle."
"Do you enjoy that?" I asked, wanting to know every detail of his life. But I knew it was for the best to keep my distance.
Tanner nodded. "We have a good group; you can trust us. Our allegiance is with the Fyrsturae. We're proud to fight for and alongside you."
I ached at the formality in his tone. I was tempted to have Alrekur restore his memory, but I couldn't do that to him. I'd been selfish with Tanner before, and look where he had ended up: staked by Alrekur and sent off to Canada with no memory of his former life. I wasn't going to be selfish again. It would hurt him too much.
"We should get going," Alrekur said. "I need to take him to the castle now. The king and queen are preparing a speech for all of the vampires who have arrived since the last meeting." He looked at me again. If you want his memory restored, say the word.
Feeling tears threatening, I shook my head.
"You look upset, Sonnast," Tanner said. "Is there something I can do for you?"
"No. I was just thinking about a dear friend that I lost. You remind me of him."
He nodded and shook my hand. "I'm sure he was very lucky to know you. If I or any of my clan can be of any assistance, just say the word. We're here to serve."
"Thank you," I said, my voice wavering. Cliff and I stood in silence as we watched Alrekur and Tanner walk away.
"Did Alrekur offer to undo the memory loss?" Cliff asked, still holding his arm around me.
I nodded, afraid to speak. I had known that Tanner was alive somewhere. Alrekur had been right. I never would have thought to look for him in Canada. I felt like I was about to start shaking and I wanted to sob. I wanted to run back to them and have Alrekur restore his memory. I longed to walk through the grounds with him, hearing stories of his new life and to tell him about everything that had happened to me.
But I couldn't do that to him. It was for his own good. He was actually leading a group of vampires and he had no recollection of any of his past pain. I had broken his heart and I didn't want to do that again. Why had Alrekur brought him back, knowing how I felt about him? Did he think that if I saw Tanner it might cause me to leave Cliff?
As if reading my thoughts, which of course I knew was impossible, Cliff said, "I've heard rumors about him being a strong and powerful leader. Alrekur made a good choice in bringing him and his vampires here. I'm sure that couldn't have been easy for him."
I nodded, not wanting to say how hard it was on me too.
Cliff pulled me closer and wrapped me in a hug. "I know how difficult it was for you to not have his memory brought back. As much as I wish you didn't care about him, I know it pains you. Cry if you need to, my princess. I'd rather you mourn him here in my arms than all alone somewhere. I'm here for you no matter what."
That was all that it took for the floodgates to burst. I dropped my sword to the ground and the tears poured down my face, soaking his shirt almost immediately. My arms and shoulders began to shake,
followed by the rest of my body. Before I knew it, I was wailing in Cliff's embrace over the loss of my old friend and love.
I was sure that I could have been heard for miles. My sobbing took over as a wide range of emotions ran through me. Relief at actually seeing him alive, gut-wrenching pain at losing his friendship forever, knowing that we would never again be friends. Guilt ran through me for all that I'd done to him. He would be living with his family, as a human, if it weren't for me. I'd ruined not only his life, but their lives too.
When I'd finally calmed down, I took several loud, wobbly breaths. "I'm so selfish," I told Cliff. "If it weren't for me, he'd be playing college football and enjoying the life he was supposed to live. Instead, he was killed twice and is now a vampire, with his family thinking him dead—which he is, technically. I should have never talked to him in the first place."
Cliff rubbed my back. "Don't take on all of that guilt. Samantha hunted him down before you knew you were a vampire. She got him addicted to the vampire venom, pointed him in your direction and disappeared. Then I took off in my selfish anger, practically throwing you into his arms when you were the most vulnerable. Trust me. If I had known that you had to be in love at all times, I never would have left you for a second."
I shook my head. "I'm not innocent. You make it sound like all of these things came together and that I had no choice in the matter. I could have made different choices and saved his life, kept him from becoming a vampire. Even after that, I could have walked away after I chose you over him. How could I have been so selfish?"
He squeezed me. "Shh. Don't beat yourself up. Look at him. Did you notice how he's become a different vampire? He's leading an entire group on his own. He stands tall, full of confidence. The insecurity that used to be there is gone. He has a different life now, but it looks like it's a good one for him."
"You're right," I said, managing to keep my voice steady. "Thank you, Cliff, for being so understanding."
He put his finger under my chin and pulled it up gently so that I was looking into his eyes. "I love you and I know how hard it was for you to see him again. But you made the right choice all around. He's better off not remembering, not only for himself, but also for those he's leading. They need him to be focused on the battle at hand."
The lump in my throat felt like it was growing larger. If I was making the right decision, why did it have to hurt so much? I'd already sobbed profusely in his arms over Tanner. It wasn't fair to Cliff for me to start again. "It's also best for everyone else if I forget about him too," I said, my voice wobbling again. Tears sprang back up into my eyes and I blinked them away.
Cliff rubbed my back again. "I'm really impressed with these decisions you're making about him. They're so selfless."
I nodded in thanks and stood tall. "We'd better finish our practice session. It won't be long before your mother arrives with her troops."
Picking up my sword, I backed up and stood in my stance, ready to fight. He gave me a sad look, as if he were asking me if I was sure that this was what I really wanted. To answer his unspoken question, I ran at him with my sword held high. He blocked my parry and we began coming at each other with our swords at higher levels of speed and intensity than ever before. I was done with crying. My emotions were going to be dealt with differently from now on.
As I swung the sword, taking my feelings out on it, I began to feel my strength return and even grow to levels that I'd previously never known. By the time that Cliff signaled to stop, I felt like I was actually ready for battle. I felt like a warrior.
"I need to practice using the bow and arrow," I said.
He took a breath. "You want to keep going? We've been hitting the swords for a couple of hours!"
"I want to practice. I need to be proficient in more than one type of weaponry."
"No arguments there. Are you sure you don't want to take a break first, though? We could get a bite to eat or find out what's going on in the castle. There may be more news, with vampires arriving from all over the world."
"The war is on. That's all we need to know. As you know, all of us royals have been 'donating' our blood so that it'll be ready and waiting in case anyone is bitten, assuming that your mother arrives on the full moon. We know everything we need to know. The full moon is tomorrow; the good werewolves should be arriving shortly. What we need is for me to be fully trained. Thanks to my parents constantly sending me away, I've had limited opportunity, unlike the rest of you who've been training your whole lives."
"Okay. Let's train with the bow and arrow."
A couple of hours later, we arrived back at the castle. A buzzing energy could be felt long before we reached it. I couldn't imagine the enormous castle ever being full of vampires, but with so many arriving, it was getting close.
Toby and his packs were supposed to have arrived while Cliff and I were training. They were to stay in Cliff's old wing because that wing was rarely used. It was where the dungeon was located and no one liked going anywhere near there. The idea was that with them staying there, the chances of a scuffle between one of them and a vampire would be minimized.
Word had been sent to vampires worldwide that we would have some werewolves fighting on our side and that they wanted peace between the species, but there was no way to predict how some of the vampires arriving would react to them.
The servant who opened the doors for us informed us that my parents were holding a meeting in one of the largest halls in the entire castle.
"He didn't say that we were required to be there," I told Cliff. "Want to grab something to eat?"
"Shouldn't we find out what they're talking about in that meeting? It's probably important."
"Aren't you hungry? You brought up eating hours ago."
"We can eat later. There are more important matters at hand. Besides, your parents are probably wondering where you are. You know they always want you at these meetings."
"Do I? It seems like they prefer me to be in Delphic Cove. That's where they keep sending me. Perhaps that's where I should go."
"Are you on edge because Tanner's here? Or is it that werewolf boyfriend of yours?"
I raised an eyebrow at him. "You're going to get jealous now, of all times? What happened to earlier, where you were holding me and comforting me? Was that only a show?"
"No it wasn't a show. I meant it. I'm sorry, Alexis. I suppose I'm on edge with everything going on. Aside from that, it has been barely a week since you came back to the castle. A week ago, you were in love with that…thing."
"I knew we should have talked more about this! You have nothing to worry about. He knew the entire time that we were together that I wanted to find you. He knew that as soon as I could figure out a way to the castle, back to you, I would do it—and I did."
"You can't blame me for wondering."
I folded my arms. "Insecurity is really unattractive. Let's just go to that stupid meeting." I started walking in the direction of the wing where the meeting was being held.
He caught up with me. "That's not fair, Alexis. You know that I've spent my entire life waiting for your return, thinking of nothing else except you. Since you came back into my life, you've fallen for how many guys? Dare I count them all?"
I stopped and turned to him so suddenly that my hair flew around and nearly whipped him in the face. I narrowed my eyes. "I wouldn't have given Tanner the time of day in the first place if you guys would have been more helpful with my blood needs. I was a newly transforming vampire who'd had a massive first exposure to blood and I never had a chance with the whole 'get exposed one drop at a time' crap. This, by the way, is only something my parents thought up to keep everyone under control—if you haven't figured that out already. We're vampires! We're meant to enjoy feasting on blood!"
His eyes widened and he stepped back slightly.
"Blood gives us strength, power, and clarity of mind! It doesn't cause us to act like savages—that's only what you've been lead to believe. You wouldn't know that tho
ugh, because you've never had more than a glass full! You should try going on a hunt. Have you ever smelled the fear of a human who is afraid for their life? It's unlike anything else you'll ever experience. Not until you actually taste the fear-soaked blood will you understand what it means to be a vampire!"
Cliff opened his mouth, but then closed it, not saying anything.
"Just look at the Fyrsturae. If anyone knows about being a vampire, it's the Fyrsturae—original, pure vampires from ogres and water faeries. Do they sit around sipping the blood of human volunteers as if it were freaking tea? No! They love the thrill of the hunt as much as I do. Surprise, surprise, since I'm one of them. Just another secret kept from me my entire life. Yes, the members of our group can be unpredictable at times, scary even. But you know what? That's what it means to be a vampire. We're not British royalty! Vampires get their strength from blood—fresh, fear-tainted blood. Mortals should fear us! Why has our kind been hiding for so many centuries? It makes no sense! We should rule over them. You—"
I heard clapping from the distance. I looked away from Cliff and towards the noise. My parents, the rest of the Fyrsturae, and some other leaders were standing not too far away.
"That was a fantastic speech, my love," Alrekur said, grinning. "I couldn't have said it better myself. I adore your passion; I can't wait for the day when we're leading together."
I looked over at Cliff. I'd started my tirade because of his jealousy, and Alrekur had never called me his love in front of him before. He looked thoroughly pissed.
Alrekur laughed. "Easy there, boy. You know that once she's built her line with you, she'll choose me. If you drank fresh blood, you might have the strength to fight me right now, like you want to. But you already know that you don't stand a chance."
I sighed, not liking where this was going.
My father stepped in between Alrekur and us. "Let's save our energy for our real enemies. So, daughter, you've figured us out. You couldn't be more correct in your assessment of why we ordered one-drop-at-a-time blood exposure for the descendants. We wanted to keep everyone docile enough that we could focus our efforts on finding the Fyrsturae's resting places."
The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5 Page 93
