A Destined Death (29 page)

“Yes,” they declared in unison.

“Then there’s another issue we need to discuss. Coty needs to be brought here or to the mansion in Seattle before I contact the Elders. It might be dangerous, and I swore to Armando I’d keep him safe.”

“I’ll do it,” Tina said.

“Who the hell is Coty now?”

I gave Ben a tolerant look. “Armando’s son.”

“Don’t tell me those parasites can breed!”

Ignoring him, I turned to Candy. “We need any information you can find out about the Elders. Right now we have nothing.”

She nodded.

“Why did they take Armando anyway?” Tina wailed. “They said they wanted Draven!”

“I don’t know,” I grumbled, wiping my hair off my face with a frustrated force. “I don’t even know why they’d want Draven. Armando was the one who revealed himself in France.” My own words gave me my first clue. “That’s what Draven said, ‘since the incident happened right there in Paris, I’m afraid they’ll hear of it.’ That means the Elders must be in Paris.”

“I think we should try to find a bargaining chip,” Candy suggested. “If they’re holding them for something serious then we’re going to need leverage. I have an idea but it might cost me another day of recovery.”

“All right, we’re wasting time,” I said. “We’ll have to figure this out on the way. I need to get to Seattle first. Candy, try to speed up Coty’s paperwork and you two need passports. You can fire the actress, too. I’m going to get him myself.”

“I’m going with you to get him.” Tina beamed. “After all, I’m going to be his mother.”

“Fine. Get your things together. We leave in a half an hour.”

With the decision made, the two girls rushed off and Ben drifted outside. Making the decision to go was easy. Draven was a part of me that I couldn’t live without, and if I ever wanted to see him again, I had to go to France. At the same time though, ignoring his last plea made me feel like I was betraying him.

I put my head in my hands and fought to ward off the emptiness that threatened to swallow up my body and pull it into some dark void where I’d never be heard from again. I hadn’t heard from Draven, not even a whisper since I woke up and that alone terrified me.

Draven… Draven, can you hear me? Please, tell me you’re all right.

No answer.

If you can hear me, Draven…I love you.

****

I insisted on taking Hecate to Washington. I took the first driving shift, but I couldn’t concentrate on the road. Draven’s image appeared every ten miles, and I slowed each time until I realized it was only my imagination. When Candy offered to drive for the third time, I let her.

Ben had passed out in the back seat the minute we left. I, on the other hand, found sleep impossible with Candy speeding and weaving in and out of traffic. Instead, I found myself staring at the scabs on my knuckles, feeling a strange new sense of hope roll over me in one large wave.
Lissa had seen the future. She told me I would have to go to France in order to save Draven!
The letter finally made sense, and my spirits lifted at the new possibility of success.

Feeling optimistic for the first time all day, I leaned forward enthusiastically. “I have a question, Tina.”

“Yeah?”

“How in the hell did you pull off the whole ‘I have virgin blood’ thing?”

“I’m only a virgin because…Armando turned me down. Not that I’m a big fan of rejection,” she clarified needlessly, “but he said no because he wants to wait until we’re married. They’re so old-fashioned. I bet Draven rejected you too.”

Candy giggled, and when I bit my bottom lip, Tina pouted and turned forward in her seat. Eventually, laughter filled the car, relieving a bit of tension.

“So what’s the deal with you and Draven? Has he just been following you around since your birthday party two years ago or what?”

The thought unsettled me and left me feeling unbalanced. Had it really been two years? It seemed like only days ago that he’d introduced himself as Interested and saved me from the helicopter. It was a day after that that he saved me from the kids with the knife, and then I made a wish and heard his beautiful voice. Then came the night he begged me not to go to college, to use my precious time to enjoy my life. I’d been so foolish then. I could have wished for him every night, and he would have been there––but I hadn’t. I would wish for him now if I didn’t think it would cause him pain to not be able to fulfill it.

Candy finally broke my train of thought with a giggle. “Okay, I guess Armando didn’t tell her everything.”

“Tell me what?”

“Will you tell her, Candy?” I asked as I gazed out the side window. “I don’t think I can right now.”

“Yes, Milady. In 1944, Draven and Alicia planned to be married but she died on their wedding day. It was the same day that Draven became a vampire. He’s been chasing her soul ever since. Now she’s been born into Elizabeth, and they plan to finally make the reunion permanent.”

Tina scowled. “Then why haven’t they done it yet? All of this would be a whole lot simpler if she was a vampire.”

There it was. In one sentence, Tina had correctly placed the blame on me, and I felt sick again, knowing it was my fault. I should have married Draven the instant he asked me.

Candy spoke up defensively, “Because they wanted Armando there and Armando wanted Coty. Thanks to Elizabeth, they’re finally a family again, and it’s important for everyone––”

“All right! All right! Geez. What’s so dangerous about going to Paris anyway?”

Candy glanced at me until I nodded. “We’re marks, meaning we’ve been bitten. Vampires can smell that, and our scent calls to them. Plus, being around other vampires makes us more conspicuous. We’ll stand out like a bright red apple in a group of oranges. We’ll be easy to find, and since we already know about vampires, they won’t think twice about attacking. Besides that, they have no trouble killing tourists, and Draven tells me that Paris is like Vampire Central. It doesn’t make for an easy situation.”

Tina wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.

“You can change your mind,” I offered. “You’re welcome to stay in Seattle at the mansion.”

“I’m going,” she said softly.

“I’m going to fix this,” I promised, even though I had no idea how yet. Lissa knew the answer, and she’d told me it lay in the eye of Osiris. All I needed to do was figure out what it was.

Candy spent an hour sharing everything Armando told her about Coty, and we all memorized the details. She also called her “paper man” in Seattle who promised to have the papers ready in three days’ time.

“Great, now we just need a brilliant plan, an incredible bargaining chip, and we’re off to Paris. Any ideas yet?” I asked hopefully.

Candy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Well, I was going to bring this up later but I’m thinking about going to Johnny.”

“Absolutely not,” I said, gaping at her. “He’ll kill you after what happened last time.”

She shrugged. “I think he has too much fun playing with me to kill me. Besides, he’s the only vampire I know how to get a hold of. I know he’ll talk to me, and I know he’s had dealings with the Elders.”

I shivered, remembering his cold turquoise eyes and the fear he instilled when he walked toward me. I rubbed my arms. “Let’s save that as a last resort.”

“Well, maybe I can find something online. Um…what did Draven say?” Candy asked delicately.

“He begged me not to try to find him.”

“What are you two talking about?” Tina gasped. “When did you talk to him?”

“Before he left.”

“No you didn’t. I would have heard––”

“Draven and Elizabeth have a special bond,” Candy explained. “They can talk with their minds, like telepathy.”

“Then talk to him now!” Tina demanded. “Ask
him
what to use for a bargaining chip!”

I returned my attention to the window, wiping away tear after tear.

“What’s wrong with you? Why won’t you do it?”

“I don’t think she can hear him right now,” Candy said softly. “They must have some way to block his communication.”

“Beyond death,”
Draven had said.
“Our bond stretches beyond everything.”
If that were true, then why couldn’t I hear him now? If he were already dead, I was putting more people in danger for nothing. Shaking my head, I quickly dismissed the idea. Lissa
knew
he was still alive. And if Draven were dead, I knew I would feel it. I would feel the world dissolving around me, and I wouldn’t be able to go on. He had to be alive.

****

We finally arrived at Draven’s mansion around sunset, all of us exhausted. Candy led Ben and Tina to close rooms and retired herself only when I insisted. I felt drained too, but I had something important to do before I slept. In the French room, I dug out the letter that I’d hidden under the mattress and reread it before I slept on the floor in the Egyptian room.

Two Lissa’s lifted me off the floor with the Egyptian rug. They tossed me up into the air like a child on a blanket. Both smiled happily like I was in the right place for a change.

Charles woke me up at noon, wearing a scarf pulled as tight as his smile. “Brunch is served,” he said brusquely.

When I made it to the marble table, Tina and Candy were already eating. Tina raved about the size of the mansion but I spent a moment recounting the moment when Draven had set me on the table nude. I smiled pleasantly until my eyes fell on an irritated gaze. “Thank you, Charles. I’m sorry we didn’t call first.”

“Oh, I called,” Candy assured me.

“What’s wrong then?”

Charles glared at me and then excused himself.

“Why’s he acting so weird?” I whispered.

Candy shrugged as she cut up her pancake. “My guess is withdrawal. He hasn’t been bitten in a while. No worries, Milady.”

Surprisingly, her usage of the ancient title actually felt reassuring but I didn’t smile. “Does he…know?”

“I’ll tell him after brunch.”

I nodded because he had a right to know but after he’d insinuated that I’d only hurt Draven again, I was acutely aware of how unpleasant his response might be. “Has anyone seen Ben?”

“He’s out mailing that cross necklace to a safe place,” Candy said. “Is he going to help us?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“What can I do to help?” Tina asked.

I thought for a moment. “You can finish planning my wedding. Maybe we could do a double.”

Tina’s eyes filled with delight. “Really?

“If you want, but you’ll have to do all of your shopping online or by phone.”

“Why?” she snapped.

“Just trust me,” I replied harsher than I meant it to be.

“Fine, but we should pick colors and dress styles together––”

“Oh! So far the color is blood red, and I already have my dress. Is it still in the trunk of the car, Candy?”

“Oh no, Milady! I hung it in your wardrobe immediately. It’s safe and sound.”

I eyed her curiously. “So when you say my wardrobe…do you mean in the French room? Really, I could be looking all day.”

Candy giggled. “I’m sorry. It’s in yours and Draven’s room, Milady.”

My interest peaked. “Show me!” I insisted, jumping out of my chair.

I followed curiously as Candy led us to the room, and I gawked in awe at the largest custom-sized bed in the world. “It’s huge.”

Tina giggled. “I don’t think that’s for sleeping.”

Candy shook her head and opened the walk-in closet.

Tina screamed in protest when she saw the dress. “That’s not a wedding dress!”

“No, but it’s the dress I wanted.”

“Well, try it on before I decide.”

I gladly tried on the dress for the first time, and when I looked in the mirror, I imagined Draven by my side, smiling happily. He would like the dress. I smiled too, deciding it felt nice to think about something pleasant for a moment.

“All right, so it’s perfect. I’ll get one like yours.” 

Candy and I glanced at each other.

“We better put that order in today because they’ll have to make it.”

“Wait. What about bridesmaids, groomsmen? I don’t know how much of anything to order. How many guests, for instance. These are things I need to know.”

“Candy is the Maid of Honor, and Armando was supposed to be the best man. Maybe Charles will do it. Coty will be the ring bearer, and the color is red. The wedding will be wherever Draven wants it, and it will take place as soon as possible. Invite whoever you want. Anything else?”

“Anywhere, any time? No problem. That should be easy to plan!” Tina ridiculed.

“Good. Now help me out of this dress so we can get back to work.”

“Fine,” Tina smirked, “but if you die on your wedding day this time, I’m going to kill you!”