by M Guida
He pushed my hair out of my eyes. “He’s okay. See? Hades is here.” He ruffled his mane and smiled. “I think he’s more worried about you.”
Hades rested his head on my thigh and sighed heavily.
I nodded, not sure how I was going to face anybody, especially Gunnar.
Anton came in from the hallway. “Gunnar’s resting comfortably. He’ll be okay. Armond’s in there with him. He’ll be fine.”
Tears slid down my face. “I didn’t mean to bite him.”
Costin took my hand. “You couldn't help it. You’re a vampire, Ebony.”
"I had no idea," I murmured miserably.
Anton sat on the other side of me. “I’m sorry, Ebony. This is my fault. I should have known something was different about you when you couldn’t shift. You have three powerful bloodlines and I assumed the dominant one was a dragon. I apologize for not figuring it out.”
Costin glanced over at Anton. “You weren’t exactly yourself, my friend.”
"True," Anton murmured.
I rubbed my forehead. “What?”
Anton looked at me curiously. “I was drugged. I assumed you knew this.”
“Yeah, but we…I mean The Sentinels…we didn’t think you would…believe us…if we told you.”
Costin grinned. “He wouldn’t have.”
Someone pounded hard on the door. “I want to see my daughter. Damn it, Anton, let me in.”
Anton sighed. “I’d better go calm your father down.” He stood. “I don't want him in here. He’s out of his mind with worry right now.”
I lowered my head. “He’s embarrassed by me.”
Costin lifted my chin gently. “You’re a vampire. Not a leper. You’ve nothing to be ashamed of.”
Dad, Mom, Raven, and Lucien all burst into the room. I couldn’t look at any of them, my cheeks burning hot.
“Is she really a vampire?” Dad asked for the millionth time.
I winced and wanted to crawl underneath the couch and disappear. It was as if he couldn’t speak the word. I was an even bigger disappointment than when I couldn’t shift.
“Damn you, Vincent,” Mom said. “I have vampire blood in my family, remember? Are you saying something against that?”
“No, I just—“
“Then shut the hell up.” Her you-just-crossed-the-line tone meant an explosion was coming if Dad pushed her limits.
I jerked my head up. Dad’s mouth had dropped, but he didn’t say another word. Mom never talked like that to Dad unless he had totally pissed her off. This one of those times.
Raven sat on the other side of me and squeezed my hand.
Costin rolled up the sleeves on his arms. “We must perform the Ceremonia Oblitericta.”
I remembered what Rose had told me and a sharp jolt of fear slid down my spine. She never told me what the ceremony consisted of and truth be told, Costin scared the shit out of me.
“Of course,” Mom said. She smiled at me encouragingly. “You’re going to be fine, sweetheart.”
Dad frowned, but Mom’s stern gaze had taken the wind out of his sails, and he sank into a red velvet chair.
Costin bowed slightly. “I must prepare myself for the ceremony. If you’ll excuse me.” He stepped away and disappeared down the hallway.
Dad rested his elbows on his knees and put his forehead in his palms. He looked so dejected, as if his world had just crashed. The Golden Phoenix had an out-of-control vampire for a daughter.
Anton had been standing quietly and then lifted his head, as if he had heard something. A minute later, Armond came back from the hallway.
“Gunnar’s going to be fine,” he said. “He just needs to sleep for a while.”
I bit my lip and then buried my face in my palms as I cried softly.
“It’s okay.” Raven draped her arm around my shaking shoulders.
No, it wasn’t okay. It was far from okay. None of the other vampire students here had gone mad and attacked the person they love. And damn, I did love Gunnar.
“Ebony,” Anton said softly. “Costin and I are both ready. You need to come with us.”
I raised my head. Anton gestured with his arm. “We will go into my study.”
Dad, Mom, Raven, Lucien, and Armond stood up, but Anton held up his palm. “I’m sorry, but this is a private and personal ceremony for vampires only.”
Dad glared. “She’s my daughter, and she’s half dragon.”
“And she needs to learn how to manage her new vampire powers,” Anton said quietly. “The Ceremonia Oblitericta only takes about an hour. Please wait here.”
I was shaking so badly my teeth were chattering, but I squared my shoulders and followed Anton out of the living room and into his study. White candles were lit and a spicy incense filled the room. A small wooden table had been put in the middle of the study, upon which were a chalice, an open book, and a tall red candle with roses carved into it.
Costin was dressed in a long black robe similar to Anton’s and his eyes were dark red. The familiar tingling sensations rolled over me and something fluttered inside me as if it were trying to escape. The bat?
I glanced in a mirror and gasped when I saw my reflection. My eyes had gone as red as Costin’s and all the blood had drained from my face.
“Welcome, Ebony. The Ceremonia Oblitericta is a sacred and secret ceremony for vampires. We have had this ceremony ever since the first vampire, Vlad, commanded it.”
His eyes also red, Anton picked up a black robe off the chair behind his desk. “Here, slip this on.”
I obediently put on the robe. I knew I wouldn’t have the strength to say no.
Costin held out his palm. “Now—kneel.”
I knelt on the floor and Anton got down beside me. Somehow, I felt comforted having him near me.
“Vampires have lived alongside humans for centuries,” Costin began. “At first, humans were only looked upon as prey. That was during the Dark Years. When the Black Plague broke out and the human population declined drastically, Vlad realized we could not continue to kill humans. If they died out, we would soon perish ourselves. Animal blood does not sustain us as human blood does.”
He picked up the chalice and lifted it high. “We had to come to a new way of life. We had to learn to feed on humans without killing or enslaving them. Vlad is still the most powerful vampire alive, and he has left us with these commands: not to kill humans, or force them to become blood slaves against their will. We must always give them the choice to give us their blood. We must live with them in harmony. Do you agree to accept these commands?”
I never wanted to attack someone like I did Gunnar again, especially someone I loved. I nodded. “I do.” My voice croaked.
Costin lowered the chalice and picked a dagger up off the table. He cut his wrist and let the blood drop into the vessel. “I warn you—your vow will be binding. Will you honor your vow?”
“I will. I never want to hurt anyone again.” My voice broke. I wasn’t sure if Costin or Anton even heard me properly.
“The incense represents the shadows we use to hide from humans and supernaturals. The light indicates that we’ve broken away from our murderous nature.” He approached me with the dagger and chalice.
“Hold out your wrist, Ebony.”
His gaze held mine. I couldn’t have looked away if I wanted to. As if in a trance, I stuck out my hand. He sliced my wrist with the dagger and I winced. Drops of my blood mingled with his in the chalice. Next, Anton stuck out his wrist and Costin repeated the actions so that Anton’s blood mixed with ours.
Costin picked up the candle from Anton’s desk. “With this flame, I bring new light to this blood. A vow to live in peace with humans and supernaturals. To only take what is freely given to us.” He lowered the flame into the chalice. “Traneste.”
Red smoke swirled out of the chalice and took the form of a dark rose.
Costin raised the chalice with his right hand. “Ebony, do you solemnly swear to not kill or take humans against
their will?"
Tears glistening in my eyes, I vowed, “I do, I swear I do.”
He handed me the chalice. “Drink, Daughter of the Night."
With trembling hands, I took the cup. I still wasn’t sure I should do this, but Gunnar’s face flashed in my mind, and I drank greedily. I was doing this for him.
My heart raced, sending a surge of adrenaline gushing through me as if I had just drunk three gallons of Red Bull. My fangs lengthened and my body burned with power.
“Stop,” Costin said in a loud voice and I immediately obeyed.
He took the cup and drank, and then handed it to Anton who did the same.
“We are now bound to one another," Costin said. “Anton and I have already taken the oath and now you have too. Usually, it is a whole class that is bound together, but we will be a strong triad. You may rise, Ebony.”
I did as he said.
He smiled. “It is time to let your power come forth. Call upon your bat."
I automatically started to take off my clothes, but Costin clasped my wrist. “We are not shifters. We do not need to remove our garments like they do to transform into mist, fog or smoke, nor to change into a bat. Once again, dear Ebony, call forth your bat.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
Please, bat, come forth.
The big beautiful black bat with red eyes and long eyelashes formed again in my mind.
We are one.
Rather than coldness and revulsion, warmth and calm swept over me as if I was being cocooned in a puffy quilt. I arched my head back and spread out my arms wide. My bones and muscles shifted and shortened.
When I opened my eyes, I was no longer standing. I was soaring through the air on leather wings as long and as a wide as a bald eagle’s. I flew and glided around the room, twirling in circles and doing dives. If the window had been open, I would have slipped out.
“Now return to me, Daughter,” Costin said.
I hovered in front of him and shifted back into a human. I couldn’t believe how easy it had been. Raven said it had been difficult.
Costin smiled. “Very good." He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a silver chain necklace with what looked like a ruby pendant. “This isn’t a ruby.” It was as if he could read my mind. “Ebony, you are a powerful vampire already. Not many freshmen or even seniors have ever mastered shifting into fog. That sometimes takes many years. You are like your sister. You are more powerful than probably any vampire at this school, except for Anton of course. That is why the Armageddon sword chose you.”
My eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yes. Eventually, you may even develop the ability to read minds, or sense feelings. That is an advanced gift that not every vampire is blessed with. Both Anton and I can sense feelings and sometimes we can read minds, but doing so drains much of a vampire's power and can leave them vulnerable. Remember that.”
He held out a pendant. “This is Rose Unaknium. It is some of Vlad’s blood, crystalized into a jewel, which cements your bond to him. Do not break the stone. Otherwise, it severs the ties and you will grow dark.”
It was beautiful. “I won’t. Is the stone on the Armageddon sword Rose Uanknium too?”
“Yes. Turn around and I will put this on for you.”
The minute I put it on the necklace, the relentless hunger for blood quieted.
Anton smiled at me. "You will no longer stay at Wyvern Tower. After the games, you will move into Shadow Tower. There, each day before breakfast and classes, the vampires drink a glass of blood together.“
“I never knew that.”
“It’s one of the bonds we share,” he said with a smile. “The blood is from a local bank where donations have been willingly made. Now, are you ready to face your family and friends as a powerful vampire?”
I thought of my friends, the people in the arena, my family, especially my father, and Gunnar, and shook my head doubtfully.
“How can I face them? What I did was horrible."
“No,” Anton said. “You were trying to fight the bloodlust on your own without the support that you needed. The fault was mine.”
Costin put his hand on my shoulder and looked at me kindly. ”Ebony, any vampire would have experienced what you did. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“What about Gunnar? Did I make him a vampire?”
Costin tilted his head back and laughed loudly. “No, you don’t have the power to change a supernatural into a vampire, and even if you did, the ceremony would prevent you from being able to do it. These days, vampires are born, not made. Anton was the last vampire to be made and that was hundreds of years ago.” He put out his arm. "Shall we go?”
I swallowed my dread and braced my shoulders, ready to find out if my family, the Sentinels, and Gunnar would ever accept me again
Chapter 34
Anton opened the door to a sea of familiar faces—family, friends, and The Sentinels.
Rusty stepped forward first. I didn’t even know he was here. “Are you okay? What the fuck have you been doing in there?”
Before I could answer, Anton quietly said, “The Ceremonia Oblitericta.”
I looked around the group, cleared my throat, and clasped the Rose Unaknium stone. “I’m a vampire, not a dragon shifter.”
My dad gritted his teeth. “You’re a dragon shifter.”
Costin went nose-to-nose with my dad. “She’s a vampire. Get it through your head, Vincent.”
“But she has my and her mother’s blood.”
Anton stepped in between them. “She has three kinds of blood, Vincent. You know this. It turns out that her dominant bloodline is vampire, not dragon. You need to accept that.”
Dad turned and walked away down the hall. It tore out my heart.
Mom clasped my cheeks. “I love you, Ebony, and I’m very proud of you, no matter what you are. You just need to give your father time. I’ll go talk to him.”
She followed my dad.
Raven tilted her head and looked me up and down. “Don’t worry about him. I think it’s cool you’re a vampire.”
“And she can control her powers and her lust for blood now,” Anton said. “Rusty, did Professor Elfiel finish officiating the Academy Games?”
“Yeah, he said that all the winners run a race in the catacombs. Where are they, anyway?” Rusty’s voice was casual, as if he was just curious.
I held my breath and looked at The Sentinels. Was that there where Evan and Greenwood being imprisoned?
Anton smiled. “They’re below Shadow Tower, but the doors to them cannot be opened without knowing the spell. There's a bell down there at the end of the catacombs and the first one to touch it will win this last race.” He waved his finger. “However, shifting is against the rules.”
Armond motioned with his hand to another bedroom. “I believe someone wants to see you.”
I took a deep breath. It was the moment I’d been looking forward to and dreading at the same time. I nodded and forced my shaking legs to move. Gunnar had every right to yell at me and tell me he never wanted to see me again.
I walked into the bedroom, expecting to see Gunnar barely alive, but he had made a full recovery. He leaned against the headboard, shirtless, the sheets down to his hips, Hades back on his chest. His white hair flared over his shoulders and his blue eyes were bright. God, he looked amazing.
I hesitated in the doorway, unable to say a word.
He held out his hand. “Come, sit with me. I’d be up already but Anton is insisting I rest until tomorrow.”
I forced myself to move and sat on the edge of the bed, afraid to get any closer. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
He scooted next to me. “I know. Do you honestly think I’m angry with you?”
I lowered my head, tears sliding down my cheeks. I couldn’t answer him. He clasped my chin, forcing me to look up at him.
“Ebony, do you think I wouldn’t forgive you, after all the truly terrible things I have d
one myself?” His voice was soft and husky. He brushed the tears off my cheek with his thumbs. “I was a complete monster, and you always stayed by my side.”
“You’re not a monster.”
“Neither are you.” He brushed his lips over mine and then slipped his hand around my neck, pulling me closer. “You’re all I ever think about. You’re the one who got me through the dark times. You’re a beautiful vampire, the girl who stole my heart the first time I ever saw her.”
He kissed me first gently and then hungrily, as if he was afraid to lose me. He made he want him and only him. I threaded my fingers through his hair, devouring his masculine taste, fueling my desire. I ran my fingers over his back, tracing his muscles.
Someone cleared their throat and we broke off the kiss. Rusty leaned against the doorway. “Your dad’s already pissed off at you. You want to send him over the edge?”
We glanced at each other and we both sighed heavily. I got up and licked my lips, savoring his taste. “I’ll see you later.”
Gunnar grinned. “Always.”
I left with Rusty and hoped Dad didn’t run into Gunnar’s room and tear him a new one. I wanted to eat with The Sentinels in the cafeteria, but I had to have dinner with my family. Dad rarely spoke and didn’t even look at me once.
That night I could barely sleep, there was so much swirling around my mind—Gunnar, Dad, Greenwood, and facing everyone. I clasped my pendant and curled up in a ball, finally falling asleep in the wee hours.
Once again, Anton got me up far earlier than I would have liked and I got ready in flash for the final event. I just knew in my gut Evan and the real Greenwood were down in the catacombs. What was Ari’s game? Why hadn’t he done something yet?
At breakfast, my dad was absent and I didn’t ask where he was. Fuck him if he couldn’t accept that I was a vampire. Sorry if I didn’t meet his perfect expectations. I wasn’t Raven, and I never would be.
Anton had all the winners, including myself, Rusty, Armond, Gunnar, Artemis—the witch who beat me in transmutation—and some other students I didn’t know meet in front of Shadow Hall. There were eight of us altogether.
