“So, besides the rest of us needing to hibernate periodically, you’re going crazy?”
“It seems so. It started a few centuries back. Five first-generation vampires turned completely insane. We thought it was an isolated case, especially when we didn’t hear any new reports. Until seventy years ago, when another first-generation vampire showed signs of mental deterioration.”
Fuck. Please don’t say it is you, Uncle.
“Who?”
“Tatiana.”
I take a step back, not hiding the surprise on my face. “But what about the truce?”
“It’s a sham to hide what’s going on with her from her followers. Not even her son, Boone, knows.”
Rubbing my face, I begin to burn a hole through the Persian rug. “Why are you protecting her? That female tried time and time again to end your life.”
“I’m not protecting her. I’m protecting our way of life. What do you think will happen if the news spreads that first-generation vampires are going crazy? Do you think only Tatiana is thirsty for power? We can’t let others find out.”
I freeze on the spot for a second and then turn to him slowly. “You’re afraid your mind is going to desert you too.”
He nods solemnly. “Yes. That’s why you have to be free of the curse. If I go, you need to take my place.”
I shut my eyes for a second, having a terrible time dealing with the news. My uncle is the only parent I have left. He’s the solid foundation in my crumbling life. I can’t lose him too.
“Where is Tatiana now?” I ask.
“Locked in her mansion. Isadora cast a spell around her property, so she can’t leave, but thanks to her illness, she doesn’t know she’s living in a prison.”
“And no one knows about that? What about Jacques?”
“Tatiana has been compelled to deny visitors.”
Son of a bitch. No wonder the male is going out of his way to impose his dominance.
“Why go through all that trouble? Why not just kill the bitch?”
“If she’s gone, we’ll have a civil war on our hands. Her highest-ranking officers will fight for leadership. The Council of Elders decided unanimously to keep her alive until we find a cure.”
“If this disease is linked to the Nightingales’ departure, how do you propose to find it?”
“One more reason to bring them back.”
“For centuries, we have looked into it. They’re gone for good.”
My uncle clenches his jaw hard and then looks away first. “I can’t lose hope. I won’t give up.” After a moment, he glances at me again. “And you can’t give up either.”
35
Vivienne
Aurora is the first to come into Lucca’s room after he took off. Karl follows right after her. I’m still sprawled on the floor, dealing with the mortification that I offered my neck to Lucca like a cheap blood whore and he refused.
“What happened?” Aurora asks.
“Did Lucca hurt you?” Karl follows.
I get back on my feet, making sure I don’t lock gazes with either of them. “No.”
“He looked like the devil was after him,” Aurora adds.
Well, I think in this scenario, I’m the devil. I don’t voice that thought out loud.
The picture he took from my trailer catches my attention. Now, I want to know as well if the bracelet Rikkon gave me had a purpose.
I take the photo and give it to Aurora. “Do you see the bracelet I’m wearing in that picture?”
Aurora raises both eyebrows. “Yeah. What about it?”
“Look closely. There are strange symbols carved on the charms. Do they mean anything to you?”
“Shit. They’re so small.” She squints, bringing the picture closer to her face. “I think they’re ancient Druid runes.”
“Can I see them?” Karl asks.
He spends maybe ten seconds scrutinizing the image before he looks at me with troubled eyes. “I think those charms are used to erase someone’s memories.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would Rikkon give me such a charm and also wear a similar one himself?”
Aurora is staring at me in a different manner now, almost as if she were trying to X-ray me with her vision.
“Shit,” she blurts out.
“What?”
Shaking her head, she walks around me. “I have to go.”
“Hell to the no.” I run after her. “You’re not going to leave me hanging like that.”
I’m surprised when I find the living room empty. Maybe Manu and Lucca’s friends went after him.
I grab Aurora’s arm, turning her around. “You can’t leave without giving me an explanation.”
She glances at Karl, who is now sporting an extremely grim expression.
“Cut the crap. You two are freaking me out,” I say.
“You’d better tell Vivi what you suspect, Aurora. Enough with the cloak-and-dagger attitude.”
She takes a deep breath. “Fine. I’m probably going to regret this.” Looking into my eyes, she says, “I don’t think you’re human, Vivi.”
I let go of her at once, stepping back. “Nonsense. Of course I’m human.”
“You know the secret chamber you stumbled upon, the one with the five coffins?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s protected by powerful wards. Only the headmaster, my mother, and I are able to break through. No one is even supposed to know that corridor is there, but you found it the first time you went to the catacombs.”
“And that automatically makes you think I’m not human?”
“Not until you showed me that picture.”
“What kind of creature do you think Vivi is if not human?” Karl asks.
“I don’t know. Have you ever smelled her blood?”
I grimace, and Karl does the same.
“Yeah.”
“But did you actually take a good whiff, like dissected every single note of her scent?”
“No. Why would I do that? I’m not a vampire.” He crosses his arms.
Aurora whirls around and walks over to the kitchen. When she faces us again, she’s holding a knife in her hand.
“What do you think you’re doing with that?” I widen my eyes, concerned about the witch’s state of mind now. She looks positively deranged.
“I want Karl to smell your blood.”
I shake my head. “Nope, absolutely not. You’re not cutting me.”
“I agree with Vivi. That’s unnecessary.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be such a baby. You can’t be afraid to bleed a little. Your boyfriend is a vampire. Eventually, he’s going to bite.”
Fat chance of that happening. He ran for the hills when I offered.
“That’s a futile experiment. If I could tell Vivi wasn’t human by the scent of her blood, I would have done that already.”
Aurora sighs in resignation, dropping the knife on the kitchen counter. “You guys are no fun.” She turns toward the front door and then stops halfway. “Oops, I almost forgot my bag. Do you mind? It’s right behind you.”
The leather bag with colorful flowers embroidered on the front is heavy as hell. “What do you have in here? A collection of rocks?” Before I turn around to give her the bag, a sharp pain comes from my forearm. “Ouch!” I immediately drop the accessory to see what happened.
“What the fuck, Aurora!” Karl exclaims.
She’s holding a small Swiss knife in her hand, which is gleaming with my blood now.
I cover the small gash on my arm and glower at her. “You cut me! I can’t believe this.”
“It’s just a scratch.” She turns to Karl. “Here, take a deep breath of this.”
He grabs the knife from her hand with a brusque movement. I bet that if Aurora weren’t a girl, Karl would kick her ass. But he brings the blade under his nose and takes several deep breaths.
“And?” she asks eagerly.
“Will you give me a minute?” he snaps.
“God, I thought you were a wolf. Shouldn’t you have better senses?”
He flips her off, reminding me of the Karl I used to know, the one who I thought was human.
I’m still mad at Aurora, but I’m also on pins and needles. Me not being human could explain why Lucca is obsessed with my blood. It wouldn’t solve anything though.
“So?” I ask after a while.
“Give me a second. I think there’s something different about your blood after all.” He takes another whiff. “It’s almost like something was done to it to conceal … well, something.”
I hug my middle, afraid now that I might be an awful creature. Why else would Rikkon want to make me forget who I am—if that’s what he did? We don’t know for sure.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Can you tell what’s different about Vivienne’s blood or not?” Aurora asks without any patience left.
“It’s familiar. It’s—” He lowers the blade while his eyes go wider. His skin looks paler too.
“It’s what?” I ask.
“I think you have Nightingale blood.”
I blink fast, trying to process his words. What the fuck?
“That would explain why the wards didn’t work on you,” Aurora murmurs.
“They’re the immortals who created the vampires. But what happened to them? I’ve never heard about the Nightingales until I came here.”
“They left this world many centuries ago, but it’s possible they left behind descendants, half-bloods. Rumor has it that they liked to mingle with humans,” Aurora replies.
“So, you think I’m the lost great-great-great-granddaughter of one of those beings?”
“Yeah.” I read regret in his eyes, which seems out of place.
“If the Nightingales were so powerful that they could create several species, then how come I don’t have an ounce of their magic?”
Aurora shrugs. “Maybe your lineage got too diluted. Who knows?”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t have powers. You can’t let anyone know about your connection to the Nightingales,” Karl says in a serious tone.
“Why not?”
“Because diluted or not, your blood has power even if you don’t possess abilities. And I know many Bluebloods who would kill to get their hands on it.”
Not only their hands on my blood. Rikkon’s too. Everyone is telling me that I have to stay in Bloodstone, but what about my brother, who’s in the hands of that awful dragon kingpin? I can’t hide here and forget about him. I have to get Rikkon out of there.
36
Vivienne
I wait until it’s high morning and everyone who should be tucked in is sleeping away the day. The familiars and humans staying at the institute have adapted to the vampires’ nocturnal schedule, so I shouldn’t bump into anyone. But that doesn’t mean I can simply walk out of the institute’s front door.
Manu didn’t spend the night in her room. Where she went, I don’t know. I hope she’s with Lucca. The way he ran out of my room yesterday left me reeling. I’m still worried about him, but getting to Rikkon is now my top priority. I don’t know what’s going to happen once he’s free or if I will ever come back here. But I can’t allow my mind to dwell on those questions, or I will never leave.
To be safe, I wear a hoodie, keeping my head low when I head out of my apartment. Lucca’s necklace is safe deep in my jeans pocket, and in my hand is my other lifeline—my phone. When I reach the main building where all classes are held, I want to run. But if there’s anyone around, the sound of my hard steps on the floor would draw too much attention.
I speed-walk, wishing I could do it as fast as vampires do. It seems to take forever to reach the stairs leading to the catacombs. The scariest experiences I’ve had at Bloodstone happened in the bowels of the institute, and here I am, heading back down there less than twenty-four hours after Boone’s attack. But that’s the only secret way out of here that I know of. All other exits are locked to avoid any accidents—aka attempted murders or suicide by sun.
My heart feels like it’s on the verge of smashing straight out of my chest. I’m shaking all over, remembering the nasty encounter with the ghost from the secret chamber. I haven’t forgotten how it tried to choke the life out of me or the terrifying screams it brought from Boone. What if it’s still here, waiting for its next victim? Shit. I should have thought about that before venturing in its domain.
I use the Flashlight app on my phone, hoping I can remember which of these tunnels lead to the mausoleum. I’m not even a minute in this dark maze when I hear a soft moaning behind me, followed by a cold breeze. Fighting the terror that’s trying to get a grip on my mind, I increase my pace.
“Vivienne, you can’t run away from me,” the disembodied voice of the ghost I freed says from behind me.
Fuck. I break into a run without direction. The ghost cackles nearby, but now, I don’t know anymore where the noise is coming from.
“Leave me alone!” I scream.
“Release us,” she hisses.
A cold, clawed hand grazes my shoulder, making me yelp.
“Give us your blood,” the ghost whispers close to my ear.
Like an idiot, I whirl around and flash the light at it. Then, I really scream. The ghost is more gruesome than I remembered. Decaying skin, dark holes instead of eyes, and the longest, sharpest fangs I’ve ever seen. She’s a fucking vampire ghost. I should have known.
She reaches over with her talon-like hands, too fast for me to stop her. She’s going to shred me to pieces just like she did with Boone. A split second before she touches me, a bright blue light illuminates the entire tunnel. The ghost backs off, shrieking, and then it vanishes.
A solid, warm hand touches my arm, making me jump.
“Relax, it’s me,” Aurora says. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. She’ll be back.”
“I-I don’t know the way out anymore.”
“The stairs back to the institute are straight ahead.”
“I’m not going back there.”
“Are you running away?” Her tone is incredulous.
“I’m going to get my brother back.”
Aurora lets out a string of curses under her breath. “Fine. I’ll come with you. I need a break from all these bloodsuckers anyway.”
“We have to get to the old cemetery. There’s a tunnel here that leads to the mausoleum.” The air becomes cooler even though there’s no breeze now. I hug myself while keeping the beam of light pointing forward. “These tunnels all look the same.”
“Shh. Quiet. I’m gonna try something.” Aurora closes her eyes, and a couple of beats later, a glowing symbol appears on her forehead. It’s a crescent moon. When she opens them again, her eyes are also glowing a pure white light.
Freaky.
After a moment, the light fades from her eyes. “I got it. Let’s go.”
I follow the witch girl, hoping she knows where she’s going. We turn several times, and it seems to me we’re getting more and more lost. The time on my phone tells me we’ve been walking for almost ten minutes. I don’t remember taking that long to reach the secret chamber when I came in through the mausoleum entrance.
“Vivienne,” the ghost calls out again.
“Did you hear that?” I look behind me.
“Yeah, I did. We’re almost there.”
“Vivienne!”
I point my phone toward it, seeing the ghost zipping down the tunnel toward us.
“She’s coming!”
Aurora pulls my arm and shoves me ahead of her. “Keep going. The stairs to the mausoleum are at the end of this tunnel.”
My muscles lock tight, and for a second, I can’t move.
“Go! Run and don’t look back,” Aurora shouts in my face before whirling around to deal with the deadly wraith.
Propelled by her command, I snap out of my paralysis and take off down the tunnel, pushing my muscles to the limit. There’s another shriek and then a yell that sounds like it came from Aurora. Damn it. I
should turn around, but I’m useless. I have no power or weapon to fight a ghost. I finally see the stairs. With a last push, I jump the steps three at a time, zooming upward until I reach the dark mausoleum. The door is closed, keeping the dusty room in shadows. But thankfully, it’s not locked.
Shoving the door open, I stagger forward and collapse onto a patch of overgrown grass and weeds while I gasp for air. My heart is climbing so high in my throat that I think I might throw up. When another body falls next to mine, I don’t have the energy to turn my head.
“Damn it. That specter is strong,” Aurora says, also sounding a little out of breath.
“I heard your scream.”
Aurora sits up, rolling up the sleeve of her jacket to reveal a nasty gash on her forearm. “She managed to get a swipe in.”
I force my body into a sitting position, but the nausea hasn’t passed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” She pulls a glass vial from her leather bag and pours the contents over the wound. Her face twists into a grimace, but that’s the only sign she’s in pain. She doesn’t make a sound.
“What’s that?”
“Just a generic purifying potion. I have no idea if that specter’s talons have poison in them. One can’t be too careful.”
“She looked like a vampire zombie ghost. Scary as hell.”
“That’s a way to describe it.” She puts the empty glass back in her bag and turns to me. “So, what’s the plan?”
I push myself off the ground and then offer my hand to Aurora. “Now, we meet our ride. They should be waiting for us at the end of the road.”
“They?” She raises an eyebrow.
“My bandmates, Cheryl and Vaughn.”
“Of course. You played in a band, right?”
“Yeah, Nocturnal.”
Aurora chuckles. “How appropriate.”
“So, about that ghost, aren’t you worried it’s going to come after us?”
“No. I believe your blood freed that spectral bitch from her prison, but she’s bound to her other companions, who are still locked in the chamber. So, she’s trapped in the catacombs until all of them are free.”
Dark Prince: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Blueblood Vampires Book 1) Page 19
