Jacen glanced back and forth between the doorknob and me. It was clear what he was thinking—he thought I should just open the door myself.
But bursting into a home seemed rude—no matter how abandoned it appeared.
So I raised my hand to knock again… at the same time as the door started to slowly creak open.
Annika
A beautiful woman in a hand-stitched gown stood in the opening. She looked like she’d stepped out of a fairy tale. Behind her, I got a glimpse of the inside of the house—it was bright, cheery, and full of plants and flowers.
“You must be Annika,” the woman said with a smile. “Please, come in.”
I stepped inside the warm cabin, and the woman took my coat, hanging it on the coat rack. Even the coatrack had greenery on it—flowering vines that traveled up its spine. The entire room smelled like an overdose of floral perfume, so strong that too deep of a breath made me dizzy. The scent covered up the smell of the woman’s blood—I had no idea what type of supernatural she was, if she was one at all.
“Who are you?” I gazed around the plant-filled entry room, which seemed to glow from within. Even the windows were scrubbed clean and completely in tact—far different from the cracked, dirty panes I’d observed on the doorstep. “What’s this place?”
“I’m Dahlia,” she introduced herself. “And this is the home my sisters and I have made for ourselves while waiting for your arrival.” She turned away from me and looked at Jacen suspiciously, clearly sizing him up. “Who’s your friend?” she asked.
“Jacen Conrad.” He gave her hand a solid shake before dropping it promptly. “Vampire prince of the Vale.”
“I didn’t realize we would be hosting royalty.” A smile flitted across Dahlia’s face, and she tilted her head toward him, batting her lashes.
“Jacen is my chosen companion for my journey.” I stepped closer to him and took his hand in mine, leaving no space between us. “He’s making sure I stay safe and protected.”
“I see.” She glanced down at our joined hands and took a small step back.
Yes, I was staking my territory. And no, I had no shame about it.
”My sisters are waiting in the living room,” she said, quickly changing the subject. “Shall we join them?”
I looked around the bright, blooming room—this lady could either be as kind as she seemed, or secretly evil, like the hag from Hansel and Gretel who lured children into her home to plump them up and eat them. I didn’t feel a need to be on guard, so I suspected the former. However, I glanced at Jacen, curious to get a read on his thoughts.
He just shrugged in response, as if leaving the decision to me.
Unsure what else to do, I looked inward, toward my angel instinct. Warmth spread through my chest—a feeling I was coming to associate with the confirmation that my intuition was correct.
“That would be great,” I said to Dahlia with a smile. “Thank you.”
She swished her skirt and led the way toward a nearby door—it was rounded and carved of wood, perfectly in place in this fairy tale dwelling. “You’ll want to mind your head once inside,” she warned Jacen. “You don’t want to knock into the hanging gardens.”
He nodded in response, although I suspected that if he knocked into a hanging garden, it would be the garden that got hurt—not his head.
We followed Dahlia into the living room. Like she’d warned, multiple boxes hung from the ceiling like chandeliers, each one overflowing with blooming plants. Just like the entryway, every flat space in this room held plants and flowers, the scent so strong that it felt like breathing in a sickly sweet poison.
Two women in similar dresses to Dahlia’s sat on opposing couches sipping tea. They shared Dahlia’s brown hair and light eyes, and while they didn’t appear to be triplets, they all looked the same age.
They each lowered their cups of tea when we entered.
“These are my sisters,” Dahlia told us. “Violet and Iris.” She pointed to each of them as she said their name. “Sisters, this is Annika the Nephilim and Prince Jacen of the Vale.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
Jacen simply nodded at them—apparently my greeting was enough for both of us.
“After all these years, you’ve finally arrived,” Iris—or maybe it was Violet—said, looking at me in awe. “Would you like to sit down and join us for tea and sandwiches?”
Annika
The sisters poured us cups of vervain tea—they’d grown the herb themselves—and served us mini sandwiches with the crusts cut off. I was hungry—a side effect to fighting a troll in the freezing cold, I supposed—and was quick to dig in.
Jacen didn’t eat or drink anything, despite accepting a cup of tea. Did he think these women were trying to drug us? My instinct told me that they weren’t, which was why I felt comfortable accepting food and drink from them, but I appreciated that he was looking out for me.
“What is this place?” I asked after polishing off a sandwich. “Are you supernaturals?” I gazed around the flowering room again, the questions escaping my lips one after another. There was clearly magic at play here—I just wanted to find out what type of magic.
“We are mages from the realm of Mystica.” Iris gave me a small smile before taking a sip of her tea.
“Come again?” I blinked, half of what she’d said not making sense.
“Mages are the mythical ancestors of witches,” Jacen said slowly. “It’s rumored that they live in a realm parallel to our own, and that thousands of years ago, they came to Earth and mated with humans to create the first witches. Soon afterward, they returned to their world, never to be heard from again.”
“That’s halfway true,” Violet said. “Because we didn’t come to Earth. The humans came to us. Thousands of years ago, they discovered the entrance to the Tree of Life—the Tree that acts as the bridge between realms.”
“The Tree of Life.” I gasped, my cup of tea clanging with the saucer. “That’s what Rosella told me I needed to find.”
“Be patient—we’ll get to that,” Violet said with a kind smile. “Are you ready to hear the remainder of the answer to your question?”
“Sorry,” I said, since while I wanted to jump straight to the Tree, I also didn’t want to anger these women. While they seemed kind, they also seemed powerful.
It was never a good idea to piss off people who held a lot of power—at least not if you wanted them to help you.
Violet gave a small nod, and continued. “The humans were safe in Mystica, of course, but in the other realms?” she said. “Not so much. Our kind sympathized with the humans—as we do with all living creatures—and we rescued the ones we could from the other realms, bringing them back to Mystica. Once they were all safe in our realm, we gave them a potion to erase their memories from the moment they’d discovered the Tree, and we returned them to Earth. When they were safely returned, we cast spells around the Tree of Life to prevent humans from stumbling upon it again. The Tree has remained hidden to this day.”
“And the witches?” I asked. “What does this have to do with them?”
“Mages love all living creatures,” Dahlia said with a knowing smile. “When the humans were in our realm, we loved them as well. Many women ended up impregnated during their stay—it was this mixing of humans and mages that resulted in the creature you refer to as a ‘witch.’ The human women who were impregnated had their children on Earth, and the mage women found their children loving homes on Earth once they were born.”
“The mages gave up their children so easily?” I asked.
“It was the kind thing to do.” She smiled again, as if the solution were easy. “In our realm, the witches would have always been weak compared to the mages, but on Earth, they would be strong. Earth was the best place for them. So, we gave them the best.”
“I see.” There was something eerie about these women that made the hair on my arms stand on end, but I forced a smile, since they were being exceptionally accom
modating to us.
Plus, they knew about the Tree of Life—and I needed to learn how to get there.
“We were correct—the witches have thrived on Earth for thousands of years,” Iris added. “Well, until recently. But that’s where you come into play, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know,” I told them. “All I know is what the psychic Rosella told me—that I need to go to the Tree of Life to get the Holy Grail. Then she had a vision of the coordinates for this location, wrote them down, and here we are.” I looked around the strange, plant-filled room, still amazed that we were inside what had appeared to be a dilapidated building when we’d pulled up.
“We’ve been here since your birth,” Dahlia said. “Waiting for you.”
“So you could bring me to the Tree of Life?”
“No, dear.” Iris threw back her head and laughed. “We won’t bring you to the Tree of Life.”
“Oh.” I deflated, since I’d been hoping they would. “But you said your kind cast the spell to hide it, so I thought you knew where it was?”
“We do,” Dahlia said. “But the Holy Grail only belongs to one who has demonstrated his or her worth to have it. Therefore, we cannot go with you. This is your task, and you must complete it with the help of your chosen companion.” She made a brief nod to Jacen—avoiding his gaze—and then turned back to me. “However, we can start you on the path to find the Tree. Would you like to receive our help?”
Annika
“Yes,” I answered, since obviously I hadn’t traveled up here for nothing. “Of course I’d like to receive your help.”
“We were hoping you would say that.” Violet placed her tea down on her saucer and stood.
Her sisters did the same, as if they were robots programmed to move in tandem.
Creepy.
“Come,” she continued. “We have a fully stocked boat waiting out back.”
They led the way, and I followed warily, with Jacen by my side. How could there be a boat waiting out back? I’d seen the back when we’d pulled up—all there had been was a dilapidated dock. There certainly hadn’t been a boat.
Then again, all this had been was a rundown, abandoned building.
The mages clearly had magic of the likes I’d never seen—not even from Geneva herself.
They led us out back, where sure enough, a gleaming fishing boat sat attached to a shiny dock.
“How did you do that?” I looked behind us, amazed to find that the house also looked shiny and new as well.
“It’s a more powerful version of the boundary spells used by the witches on Earth,” Violet explained. “The decrepitness is simply an illusion. You’re only seeing through it because we’re allowing you to do so.”
“Very cool,” I said, since it was.
“I’m guessing we’re supposed to leave in that?” Jacen motioned toward the boat, which bobbed peacefully next to the dock.
“Of course,” Violet said. “We’ve had the boat waiting for you for years.”
Jacen turned to me. “Do you know how to drive a boat?” he asked.
“No,” I answered, since while I’d gone out on boats with friends before, I’d never actually driven one. “I’m guessing that doesn’t mean you do?”
“It can’t be much harder than driving a car.” He turned to the mages. “Right?”
Dahlia rolled her eyes and gave us a quick rundown on how to handle the boat.
“There are supplies inside,” she told us once the lesson was over. “There’s water, but no blood. I hope you’ve brought your own?” She glanced at Jacen, then at me, and I realized her implication.
She thought Jacen was planning on drinking from me.
“I have a bag of it in the car.” He placed his hand protectively on mine. “I don’t drink from the vein, and more importantly, Annika can’t afford to be weakened during this journey.”
“Good.” She nodded. “There’s a fridge inside the boat. You’ll find an ample amount of weapons to choose from.”
I immediately went on guard. “Why will we need weapons?” I asked.
“You didn’t think getting the Holy Grail was going to be easy.” She smirked. “Did you?”
“Of course not,” I said, although when I imagined the Tree of Life, I imagined a peaceful place—certainly not a place where I would need to use weapons.
I realized what a stupid assumption that was. Around supernaturals, it was always a good idea to have weapons. And after the encounter with the troll on the bridge, it was clear that my stake—despite having been previously owned by a powerful original vampire—wasn’t going to cut it.
“How do we find the Tree of Life?” Jacen asked. “Is there a map?”
“Of course not.” Iris huffed. “We couldn’t very well leave a map to the Tree of Life hanging around for anyone to find, now could we?”
“No,” I agreed, staying serious despite the ridiculousness of her tone. “That would be extremely irresponsible.”
“It would,” she said. “Especially when it’s so simple to tell you how to get there. You just need to take the boat directly northwest. Stay the course, and you’ll eventually reach the mist. Don’t let the mist frighten you—you must remember that it’s part of the spell to deter people from finding the Tree. As long as you hold onto that knowledge, you’ll pass through unharmed.”
“Thanks,” I told her, secretly glad that the directions to get to the Tree weren’t complicated. I doubted GPS would work in the open sea, and I’d never been good with directions. “I really appreciate your help. But I can’t help from wondering… why are you helping us? You’re from another world entirely, so why do you care if we succeed on our quest?”
“A heady question,” Iris said. “Especially because the answer isn’t one you’re yet ready to hear.”
“But we can tell you this,” Dahlia chimed in. “If you fail, Earth won’t be the only realm in danger. You must succeed—not just for Earth, but for all of us.”
“Wow.” I let out a long breath and looked out at the sea. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”
“You are.” Jacen’s gaze was strong and steady—he was confident in me. “You’re the bravest, most resilient person I’ve ever met. You can do this. Fate wouldn’t have chosen you if you couldn’t.”
“Thanks.” I couldn’t help but blush at the compliment—as if I were still at the palace competing for his hand in marriage instead of working with him to defeat a mysterious threat that could destroy the world as we knew it.
“We have faith in you, too,” Dahlia said. It was perhaps the nicest thing she’d said to me since I’d walked through her door. “You’re the final Nephilim. This destiny has always been yours.”
They gave us some sandwiches to go, and then Jacen and I situated ourselves in the boat, thanked the mages again for all of their help, and we were off.
Karina
It was impossible to sleep on the plane flight to India, and it wasn’t because the jeans and tank top I’d bought at the airport were uncomfortable, or that I’d been shoved into a middle seat in coach class like I was in a heard of cattle.
It was because all I could think about was that with each passing minute, I was getting closer and closer to being reunited with Peter.
I still had access to my bank account, so it didn’t seem like King Nicolae knew yet that I’d gone rogue. The vampire court of the Vale must have decided to stay silent about Laila’s death. It was a smart move—one I would have suggested myself. The Vale was in a dangerous spot with the threat of the wolves looming near—the sudden death of their leader would only result in panic.
However, it wouldn’t be long until the truth came out. So I’d removed a hefty sum of cash from the bank—enough to last me for a long, long time.
Not that I’d need much of it, since compulsion was a handy way to get everything I wanted without having to pay.
I got off the plane—along with my backpack full of cash and my treasured mini-portrait of Peter—and h
eaded straight for the taxi line. It was long, and full of humans who were sweaty and smelly after a long travel day.
Not even the delicious scent of their blood could cover up the awful body odor.
I ignored the line and headed straight to the man up front, despite the protests of bleary-eyed travelers who’d been waiting in the line for who knows how long.
The man looked me over and said, “You need to go to the end of the line, ma’am.”
“I’ve received special permission to skip to the front.” I spoke in the native tongue—languages had always been of particular interest to me—weaving the magic of compulsion into my tone. “Call me a taxi, now. One with air conditioning.”
The air conditioning wasn’t for my personal comfort—vampires were tolerant of extreme temperatures—but because I had a long drive ahead and hoped that one with air conditioning would stink less than one without.
I was wrong.
After what felt like forever, the driver arrived at the address I’d given him. It was the furthest away from civilization one could get without driving straight into the national park. There was only one small country house around, and since no lights were on inside, it appeared that its inhabitants were fast asleep.
The driver turned around and told me how much I owed.
Before he finished speaking, I leaned forward, pulled his head back, and sunk my fangs into his neck. He went limp in my arms, thanks to the calming effect of my venom. It had been so long since I’d had a drink—I couldn’t take one on the plane or in the airport, at least not without drawing attention to myself—and I relished in the velvet taste of his blood. It had a nice little kick to it, as if he ate spicy foods on a regular basis.
I only took what I needed, breaking away before taking more blood than he could afford to lose. I watched as the remains of the venom on his skin finished up their job, healing the twin pinpricks on his neck. It would be sore tomorrow—as if he’d slept on it funny—but other than that, he would have no idea that anything was amiss.
The Vampire Wish: The Complete Series (Dark World) Page 55
