by J. G. Massie
Isaac jumped back as I flung the door open. Nothing like a hot vampire showing up at your door to reinvigorate the soul! But one look up at his serious expression and I knew something was wrong.
“Isaac?” I rubbed my hands down across his chest and stomach, his abs making my fingers rise and fall like little speed bumps. “Isaac, what’s wrong?”
He gently folded his hand over mine, and touched my cheek with the other. “You better get dressed and meet us outside.” His hand slid across my cheek and down the side of my neck as he turned to leave. All I could do was stand in the doorway and watch him go, my weakened knees just barely able to support my weight. Sometimes it’s hard to believe he still has this effect on me.
“Get dressed,” I muttered to myself, absently repeating his last words as he disappeared around the corner. “Wait, what?” I looked down and suddenly realized I had been standing there in a less than modest nightgown. I slammed the door quickly, not even wanting to look around to see who else might have been getting a free show. What fooled me was the fact that Isaac’s eyes never roamed a single time.
I guess being a total gentleman has its downside too.
* * *
“What’s going on, guys?” I asked when I stepped outside.
“The changing of the guard is in full swing,” Lindsey said.
“And of course the Keepers were the ones who helped set things in motion,” Margie added, gesturing for me to step closer before throwing her arm around my shoulder. “We just thought you should bear witness to what happens next. The Noctem have been around for centuries, but this is history in the making.”
“What about Marco’s father?” I asked as we made our way towards the village center. “What’s going to happen to him?”
“I guess we’re about to find out,” Mandla said, his casual slow drawl making me wonder if he ever got worked up over anything. I swear, this guy could be on fire and not bother mentioning it.
I leaned up against Isaac’s back as he tried to push us through the mass of gathered vampires. Boy, how many vamps did this place have, anyway? It really seemed like they were multiplying by the minute.
By the time we made our way to the front, it became pretty clear that this was more than just a ceremony for Lucian. Sure, he was standing up on a dais at the head of the group, dressed in fancy garments and gaudy jewelry, but nearly everyone’s focus was on the two poor souls kneeling down in the sand before him.
Bound and gagged, wrapped in silver wire with only thin slices of cloth separating the deadly metal from their flesh, Emilio and Aleister kneeled with black bags pulled down over their heads. Although we could hear Aleister sniveling and whimpering from beneath his hood, Emilio was another story altogether.
Even in total defeat, there remained a sort of silent dignity about him. With his back straight, head high and level, one might think he still believed that he was the one in control here. I guess it’s hard for a leader to accept defeat, especially when he’s never experienced it before.
“Is this the bravery of the Noctem?” Emilio hissed, rising up even higher on his knees. I cringed when I heard the silver sizzle against his skin, and scrunched up my nose as the acrid scent of burned vampire flesh filled my nostrils. But instead of shying away from the binds, he held his ground, growling against the pain through gritted teeth.
“Bravery?” Lucian repeated, cocking his head to one side. “No, I wouldn’t consider eliminating vermin and pests from one’s home to be an act of bravery. It’s just something that must be done.” He dropped down to one knee, lowering his face to within an inch of Emilio’s. “Because if you don’t, the vermin will spread from within just like any other infestation. I’m sure you understand.”
“You fool,” Emilio snarled back, his pale skin still sizzling against the silver bands. It took a swift kick from Marco to the back of his head to force him back down, then a second to keep him down when he tried to rise again. Head down, Marco’s boot pressed firmly against the back of his head, his shoulders began to shake with deep, rumbling laughter.
“I’m glad to see you can still cling to your sense of humor, even in your final moments,” Marco taunted, applying just a bit more pressure with his boot. “I’m sure it will serve you well in the afterlife.”
“Ah, it speaks,” Emilio shot back, trying once again to raise his head. “My witless failure of a son has found his nerve at last. Seeing your own flesh and blood wrapped in chains seems to bring out the best in you. It’s a lot like stepping on an ant’s nest and claiming to be a mighty warrior, but it’s not as though I’m in any way surprised by your cowardice. It’s who you are, who you have always been. Why would you change now? You have manipulated our people into turning against me, and now you dare to claim victory over a prisoner down on his knees. Please tell us, oh former prince, what do you plan to do now that you’ve given up the power it took our family generations to secure?”
I knew Marco’s temper, and held my breath while wondering if Emilio’s barbs just might push him over the edge. But to my surprise, Marco actually removed his foot from his neck and took a step back. Calm, controlled, he wasn’t about to take the bait.
“Manipulated?” Marco repeated, the ice in his tone at odds with his all too calm expression. “All we did was open their eyes to the truth. As for turning them against you, you did that yourself through your own manipulations. But you already knew that.”
“Please, show mercy!” Aleister wailed, his frail body swaying back and forth. “I—I was tricked... Deceived, I tell you!” He inched forward on his knees like a worm, and nestled his hooded face against Lucian’s hip. “Never in my wildest dreams would I ever think of betraying—”
Lucian snarled in disgust and toppled the old man with a foot to the shoulder.
“Your survival instincts are as impressive as they are nauseating,” Lucian growled, rubbing at the wet spot on his hip. “But I’m afraid it is too late to grovel your way out of this.”
He stepped back and turned his attention to the surrounding mob. “It is an honor and a privilege to stand here before you, even though I wish it were under better circumstances. Let me be clear, I have no desire to be your leader.” That remark sent a rippling stir through the crowd.
“Which is why you are the perfect choice,” Marco blurted out, heads bobbing all around in agreement.
“I do not want it,” Lucian repeated, driving the point home, “but long ago I swore an oath to do anything and everything to help aid and protect my people, no matter the cost.” He glared down at the two kneeling wretches. I hadn’t known him long, but in that moment I saw the purest flash of hate I had ever seen from him. His eyes smoldered, turning so red I thought they might burst into flames. “And my first act as your leader shall be the first of many unpleasant decisions, I suspect. I sentence you both to death.”
He kneeled down between his prisoners, his words soft, his tone emotionless. “Any last words before I send you to the afterlife?” he asked, as innocently as if he were asking about the weather.
The whole scene gave me the chills, and it was in that moment that I realized exactly who Lucian really was. At first I had thought he was unassuming, passive even, but there was a big difference between being passive and being cold and detached. And that’s what he was at heart, a sociopath who would always make the hard choices based entirely on what was best for the clan. Emotion or personal feeling would never factor into any decisions. Marco was right, this man really was the perfect choice.
“Wait!” Isaac called out. In my moment of pondering Lucian’s character, I didn’t even notice when Lucian raised his claws just above their heads. Yikes, he was going to execute them right here in front of everyone? With his bare hands no less! “Cold” wasn’t even the word...
Isaac went streaking up, then gently pushed Lucian back a few steps with a well-placed hand to the chest. Lucian would just as well kill them as tie his own shoes, so Isaac was walking on thin ice here. “Lucian,” he sa
id softly, even though all of us could still hear him. “If the Noctem are to start fresh, then let it begin here and now. Instead of blind killing as they have always done, let the punishment fit the crime.”
“How so?” Lucian asked curiously, claws still extended with his arms raised. “Do you not believe they deserve to die?”
“Despicable as these two are, I see no reason to honor their memories by immortalizing them in death. They will become martyrs to a cause no one wishes to remember, and in that spirit their names will live on.”
“Then what would you suggest?” Finally retracting his claws, it now seemed as if Lucian might be willing to listen to reason. It was yet another factor that separated him from past leaders. He wasn’t too proud to hear out his advisors before making a final choice, even if he didn’t necessarily agree.
Isaac turned to Marco. “What was the term I kept hearing earlier? You know, when they deemed you to be a traitor to the Noctem?”
Marco’s lip curled up in a knowing smile. “Whispers of exile seemed to be the norm.”
Isaac snapped his fingers as if just remembering. “Yes, that’s it.” He turned back, hovering over Emilio in particular. “I can’t think of a more fitting punishment than to strip away their very identities and send them back out into the underworld. Powerless by family name, masterless rogues, they’ll be rejected by all other vampire clans. Within a few weeks they’ll probably wish you had finished them off.”
Lucian scanned the crowd, searching their eyes for signs of what they might want him to do. Suddenly, a rare smile crossed his face. “Done,” he said with a nod, his decisive decision followed by a sudden explosion of cheers.
* * *
I had to admit, watching Emilio and Aleister get tied together and set off to sea in a tiny two-man boat was probably the most satisfying thing I’d seen in a long time. Listening to them argue while waves tossed the boat like a toy, it was obvious that each was convinced it was the other’s fault. It was actually kind of sad, though. Defiant even in defeat, it meant that neither one had learned a thing.
The village was different now, I could just feel the change in the air. A new era had begun, and it was now up to Lucian to deliver. It was a tall task, but he seemed to be off to a pretty good start. We had done what we had come to do. Under Lucian’s leadership, we could actually call the Noctem allies for the very first time.
Mission accomplished, it was time for us to go.
After speaking with Lucian for a time, Marco finally came back to join the rest of us. “I’m staying,” he stated plainly, his usual bluntness on full display.
“What? W-Wait a minute,” I began. “Marco, we need you. I thought that Lucian—”
“Is going to step in as my replacement, yes,” Marco interrupted, waving off my urgent tone. “But the learning curve will be steep. While I have been groomed for this position my entire life, he is about to be thrown into the fire with little to no understanding of what this entails. I will remain behind to help ease his transition. It is the least I can do.”
“How long—”
“I...don’t...know,” he cut me off again, his eyes dancing with amusement at my desperate impatience. Given his advanced years far beyond his appearance, I must have come across like an impulsive teenager. “But rest assured, I will come find you once I am finished here.” He smiled. “After all, there is no way I’m letting you have all the fun.”
I rose up on my toes and threw my arms around him. “You promise?” I whispered in his ear.
“On my honor,” he whispered back. “Now go on. Scat. I have work to do, and so do you.”
After saying our goodbyes and loading up with fresh supplies, we boarded our ship and were rising and falling with the waves in no time. Unlike Darkeum Cove, I was actually looking forward to our next destination. Oh, how I missed Amber. I couldn’t wait to see her again.
Chapter 11
We had only been on the water for a matter of minutes when an odd, prickly sensation rattled through my body. Intuitively, I knew that we had just crossed through some kind of energy field, the same invisible barrier that helped keep Darkeum Cove hidden from the outside world, I imagine. To my great relief, it appeared to be much easier to leave than it was to enter.
“Okay, we’re through,” Isaac said, echoing my thoughts just as his pocket began to buzz. I guess that meant that signals were getting to our phones again. I hadn’t even noticed we were cut off, but when he pulled it out of his pocket, the phone was not his. It was mine!
“Hey!” I chirped, frisking myself in disbelief. “How long have you had that?” I didn’t know which part embarrassed me more, the fact that he swiped my phone without me even noticing, or the fact that getting no calls was so normal that it didn’t seem unusual.
“Long enough to let the Noctem techs do a little tinkering on it,” Isaac said with a wink as he held it up and away from my outstretched hand. “Your number is still the same, but it’s no longer associated with any phone lines. You’ve gone dark as far as anyone can tell.”
“Oh, spine-tingly-dingly,” I said in my best Ned Flanders voice as I finally managed to snatch it out of his hand. I spun away and glanced at the screen. Just two new texts...Yup, that seems about right. But I nearly dropped the phone when I saw the name. “Excuse me,” I blurted, clumsily stumbling my way to the far side of the deck. After a final glance over my shoulder, I hunched over my phone with one hand shielding the screen from the sun.
Tessa... Look, I’m sorry I was just mad okay?? I thought we were best friends...but you don’t seem to want me knowing anything about your life these days... just let me know that you got this okay? TTL...
This was sent days ago. I held my breath and checked the second message.
Okay, don’t worry about me...I can take a hint...I won’t bother you anymore
Dammit, Kyle! I’m not trying to cut you out of my life. But how can I possibly explain any of this to you? You’ll think I’m crazy for sure!
I cocked back my hand without thinking, intent on throwing my phone right into the water. But my arm stopped cold just before it got plucked from my hand.
“You shouldn’t do that,” Isaac said, playfully flipping it once in his palm. “The techs worked pretty hard to give you infinite minutes for the rest of your life. Seems like a waste to throw it away, don’t you think?” But when he handed it back, his playful grin dropped away. “Don’t worry, he’ll come around.” His tone was so soft, I almost didn’t recognize it. I felt a twinge of guilt shoot straight through me even though I knew it wasn’t my fault. Did vampires get jealous, of humans no less?
“Isaac, I didn’t mean for you to—”
“Hey, it’s all right,” he lied. Did he really think I couldn’t see the hurt in his eyes? “I can only imagine how he must feel, but I think it’s probably for the best.”
“I’ll bet you do,” I said, a tad harsher than I intended.
“Indeed,” he replied, his voice soft as his broad shoulders sank. Even though his stance couldn’t be less intimidating, I shriveled under those dark eyes. It was a hard talk to have, but one we couldn’t avoid forever. “Yes, I admit it. It bothers me to know that another man has your memory locked deep inside his heart.” His shoulders sank even lower. “And that he has a place in your heart as well just about pushes me over the edge.”
I wanted to crawl under a rock. I never meant to hurt him, either of them for that matter.
Isaac perked up a bit, his dark eyes coming back to life. “But that doesn’t mean I wish to see another man get hurt either, and that is precisely what would happen if you allowed him to stay close to you. Tessa, whether you like it or not, that part of your life is a thing of the past. You are a Keeper, and anyone close to you will always be in danger. You must never forget that, even if it means releasing those who mean a great deal to you.”
His eyes softened, and he let out a long sigh. “But in the end it is your choice, along with the consequences that go with that ch
oice.”
I closed my eyes, trying my best to gather my thoughts. I knew he was right, it all came with the territory. A life of loneliness and solitude was the accepted price of being a Keeper. The alternative was to endanger everyone I cared about, and that simply was not an option.
“Isaac, you’re right—” But when I opened my eyes, I was standing there alone.
I stalked over to the edge of the dock and looked down into the water. The way the waves were smashing against us, I knew we must be moving along at a pretty good clip. The deep blue sky matched the water below, and the gorgeous scene did wonders to lift my mood. It felt like forever since I actually felt safe.
“So many secrets,” came a low rumble from behind. Startled, I glanced back over my shoulder at the big man, wondering how much he might have overheard.
“What do you mean?” I asked. I wasn’t in the mood to be judged, and certainly not in the mood to do any explaining.
“Out there.” With a sweep of his meat hook hand, he gestured out across the open water. “If these waves could speak, I bet they would reveal many of the world’s secrets. Not only have they splashed the shores of the living, but they have seen all the creatures of the underworld and where they lay hidden. Indeed, the sea holds many secrets.”
“I suppose that’s true,” I agreed, relieved that was all he meant. “Guess I never really thought about it like that.” I leaned into the rail, resting my chin in the crook of my arm. “Anyway, it sure is beautiful, don’t you think?”
“Of course,” he said, his full weight leaning against the rail as it groaned in protest. “My people have always been mesmerized by the sea. It’s as powerful as it is beautiful.”
“Your people?” I repeated, his words hitting me like a thunderbolt. As much as I trusted Mandla, I actually knew very little about him. “When am I finally going to meet them? I mean, we have to make sure the werewolves are onboard with our cause too, right? Where is your family anyway? Do they all live on some faraway island covered with strange plant life, strange creatures, and even stranger—” The sad look on his face put an abrupt halt to my mindless babbling.
