A Shade of Vampire 15: A Fall of Secrets (7 page)

T
he South American
authorities proved to be harder to get through to, mostly because of the language. A lot of the lower officials didn’t speak English and Corrine’s knowledge of Spanish was rusty, as was mine. We certainly weren’t anywhere near as fluent as my twins.

The process took us longer, but eventually we managed to reach an authority along the coast of each country who could grant us a reception. By the time we reached Panama, the sun was almost setting. I was glad to have remembered my umbrella. I’d had to use it a lot throughout the day.

The heat was suffocating as we arrived outside the police department in Panama City. My mouth was parched and my skin felt rough and dry. My body just wasn’t used to this type of heat. We entered through the main doors into a small entrance area, and then took a right through a door into a reception room. I groaned internally at the sight of huge windows letting the evening sun stream through into the room. It was crowded in here, and I didn’t want to risk opening up my umbrella in case I ended up poking someone in the eye. Rather than disturb Corrine and ask her to put a spell on me to shield me from the sun, it was easier for me to step outside while Derek and the witch waited in line to be seen.

I made my way back into the small entrance area. It was much darker here with fewer people. I leaned back against the wall, relishing its coolness, and took deep breaths. I closed my eyes, resting my stinging eyelids. Although I’d been careful to keep the sun from shining directly onto me, the brightness still affected me.

A beeping opposite me broke through my moment of peace. It sounded like it was coming from the pocket of the fair-haired man standing opposite me with his head buried in a newspaper. He cast a brief glance my way, then folded away his paper and walked toward the exit. I leaned my head back against the wall again, closing my eyes and trying to find a moment of peace again.

I rested for a few minutes before Corrine poked her head through the reception room doors and called me over. The three of us walked with an official into the back offices and we repeated much the same process as we had with Wilson with the dark-haired, mustached police officer we sat in front of here. He spoke better English than most of the others we had seen in South America, which helped things move along.

Once we had shocked him enough to agree to film us and pass on our message to his superiors, we left. Since he didn’t try to insist that we stay, Corrine didn’t need to vanish us. We walked back to the entrance hall, where I pulled out my umbrella and opened it. The sun had almost set now and the light was much softer as we stepped outside.

“So,” Corrine said, “we’ll go home now?”

“I’m up for that. Derek?” I looked to my husband.

His eyes were fixed on a spot on the pavement on the other side of the road. His eyes widened. “Sofia, duck!”

Before I could register what was happening, Derek knocked me off my feet and a smash behind us filled my ears. Shards of glass rained down upon Derek and me. As I tried to sit up, he forced me back against the ground.

Winded, I gasped, “Derek, what—?”

Corrine had ducked beside us now too, her face marred with confusion.

“Corrine,” Derek said hurriedly, “that cluster of trees further up the beach. You see it? Take Sofia there and wait for me. If anyone approaches, vanish her further up the beach.”

“What—” I choked.

“A man across the street just tried to shoot you, Sofia,” he hissed. “A man I’m sure is a hunter.”

I
wanted
nothing more than to scorch that man to ashes. The fire burning in my fingertips was begging for release. But I had to reel in my temper. I had to see the bigger picture.

As soon as Corrine vanished with my wife, I threw myself against the car nearest to me and peered over the roof. I caught sight of the man’s blond head hurrying away down the pavement. I wasn’t going to let him get away. Ignoring the commotion behind me that was forming at a bullet having just been shot through the window of the police department, I raced across the road and began chasing the man.

He looked over his shoulder and stopped as he saw me. He didn’t raise his gun again as I had expected him to, perhaps because I was clearly not a vampire.

I closed the distance between us quickly and grabbed him by the collar. I pulled him away from the pavement and took a right down a narrow cobbled street filled with market stalls and teeming with people. Wrestling the gun out of his hands, and checking him for any other weapons he might have been carrying, I pulled him through the crowds. I stopped at the other end of the street where there were fewer people and hauled him down a narrow alleyway. I slammed him against the wall, pinning him there by his shoulders.

“Who are you?” I hissed as he struggled beneath my grip. “You’re a hunter?”

He nodded, scowling at me. “Who the hell are you?”

“Derek Novak.”

His jaw dropped. “Novak?” he croaked.

“That will be the last word you utter if you don’t listen to me,” I whispered, digging my fingertips into his flesh. He winced as I applied heat.

“What are you?” he whispered.

“Human. Hunter. Vampire. Fire-wielder. I have, and have had, many titles. But none of them define who I am.” I shook him. “Do you understand me?”

He cried out as a surge of heat passed through my fingertips and seeped into his flesh. Sweat dripped from his forehead.

“You almost killed a person who was trying to accomplish the very thing that you spend your days fighting for,” I snarled. I picked him up and slammed him against the opposite wall. “Not all supernaturals are the same, just as not all humans are the same. There are evil and good among all races.” I bashed his head against the wall again. “Get that into your thick skull before you go shooting at an innocent person again.”

“What are you doing here?” he gasped.

“We have just spent all day traveling through countries trying to protect the lives of humans,” I said through gritted teeth. “Something you almost killed my wife for doing.”

He looked shaken enough by now, his face drained of all color, so I let go of him, though not without first jolting him with another wave of heat.

He staggered back further down the alleyway, stopping and staring at me.

“My family and my people are your allies, not your enemies,” I said, trying to calm the storm raging within me. “The black witches are the ones you need to focus your energy on ending. They are the root of all this trouble now.”

“Black witches,” he breathed, “they are the ones who stole those teenagers from the school?”

I nodded grimly.

He frowned. “But some vampires are still our enemies. You forget about the incident in Chile. It was caught on camera, a vampire tearing through innocents’ throats. Do you know the vampire who did that?”

My voice caught in my throat. The hairs at the back of my neck stood on end. Clenching my jaw, I shook my head.

“I don’t know that vampire.” I breathed out heavily. “But what I’m saying is that the black witches are the primary threat now. They are the ones we need to be focusing on. So just… don’t just go shooting at any vampire you see, all right? Especially if you suspect that they are one of my people.”

The hunter nodded. I stepped aside, handing him his gun back, before he raced away.

“I don’t know that vampire.”

The words echoed around in my head long after the hunter had disappeared. It pierced my heart to realize that it was true.

The man I’d seen in that footage was not my son.

At least, not the son I knew.

T
he Oasis
. Once the home of the Maslens.

I stared around at the lavish atrium, barely believing what Jeramiah had just told me. My parents had told me about this place, the history it held. My mother had been imprisoned here by Borys Maslen. It was also where Benjamin Hudson had lost his life, as well as my uncle, Lucas Novak. The Oasis held a lot of meaning for my family. None of it good.

I was already unsure about the decision I’d made to join Jeramiah’s clan. Now the situation just seemed even more inauspicious. I glanced at Jeramiah, who seemed to be watching my reaction closely. I did my best to conceal my shock.

“You have a very impressive place here,” I said.

Jeramiah smiled. “Shall I give you a tour?”

“Sure,” I said, my mouth dry.

Jeramiah began leading me forward along the ground level that encompassed the beautiful gardens in the center of the atrium. Most of the doors we passed by were closed, but Jeramiah pushed the occasional one open to reveal luxuriously furnished chambers and apartments. They were all decorated similarly—opulent Egyptian furniture, shiny marble flooring, bright murals on the walls, warm, soothing lighting. A few of the doors Jeramiah pushed open were dark and I could hear snoring coming from them.

“Most of these scoundrels are sleeping now,” Jeramiah said. Letting down his dark shoulder-length hair, he shook it out before gathering it up above his head and tying it back in a bun. “You’ll get to meet them soon enough.”

“How did you find this place?” I asked.

“This place is legendary. Most vampires know of it. It had been thoroughly destroyed by the hunters when they destroyed the Maslens’ coven. But since then, we’ve managed to not only rebuild it but also reinstate security. We have a number of witches living here with us. Hunters still know about this place, but they can’t get inside.”

Having walked full circle, Jeramiah gestured toward the glass elevator.

“You’ve seen this lower level now, more or less,” he said. “Of course there are the human chambers. They’re down in the basement.”

“Where do you keep your half-bloods?” I asked.

“Most of them live among us. Those who serve us stay in servant quarters built into our apartments.”

“What about the man I just half-turned, Tobias?”

“Oh, yes. I put him down with the humans for now until he stabilizes a little. Then we’ll decide where to put him up…” Jeramiah frowned at me. “I haven’t offered you any blood since we arrived. Would you like some?”

I ran my tongue over my lower lip. Truthfully, I could really do with some blood. I nodded. “Please.”

“In that case, let me take you straight to my apartment—my refrigerator is fully stocked. You can explore the other levels another time. They’re mostly just filled with apartments and halls similar to what you’ve seen on the lower level anyway.”

We ascended in the elevator up to the highest level and stepped out. I followed him forward. He stopped after we passed the fifth door. Withdrawing a key from his pocket, he slid it into the keyhole and the door clicked open. It was dark inside. He flicked a switch and the lavish apartment lit up.

“Jeramiah?” a groggy female voice called.

Jeramiah smirked. “That’s my half-blood, Marilyn,” he muttered. Raising his voice, he called, “Hey, baby.”

He led me toward a door at the end of the hallway that was ajar. He pushed it open to reveal a huge, dimly lit bedroom. A blonde girl lay stretched out on the bed, apparently naked but for a sheet wrapped around her. I backtracked into the hallway, leaving Jeramiah and his girl alone.

“So you brought Joseph back with you?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Jeramiah replied.

She appeared in the doorway, still wearing nothing but a thin white sheet, Jeramiah standing behind her. She was pretty with large brown eyes and pale, freckled skin. She gazed up at me, squinting in the light.

“You’ll have to excuse my girlfriend,” Jeramiah said, sliding his hands around her waist and kissing her shoulder. “Marilyn can’t be expected to look presentable at this time of day.”

“Hi, Joseph,” she said, winking at me. “Nice to meet you.” Her eyes roamed my body as if she were undressing me in her mind.

Apparently noticing, Jeramiah gripped the back of her head and pulled it down as he planted a forceful kiss on her lips. “Watch where your eyes wander,” he said.

He rolled his eyes at me before leading me away from the bedroom. I caught Marilyn still eyeing me from the doorway as we walked away. Jeramiah took me into a large kitchen. There was a beautifully carved rosewood table in the center. Stored in cabinets above the sink were silver cutlery and a number of crystal glasses.

The vampire strolled over to the tall fridge in the corner. When he opened it, it was filled with shelf upon shelf of jugs filled with blood, except for the bottom level, which appeared to have some human food—Marilyn’s, I assumed. He pulled out two large glasses from one of the cabinets and set them down on the table. He filled them up with blood and handed one to me. I eyed the glass, sniffing it before taking the first sip.

The cool liquid glided down my throat like sweet ecstasy, lighting up my taste buds. This was the most delicious blood I had tasted since turning into a vampire.

Jeramiah was watching my reaction with mild amusement. He raised his dark brows. “Good?”

“Yeah. Really good. Where do you get this blood?”

Jeramiah flashed a smile. “Let’s save some surprises for later, shall we?”

He began drinking from his glass, draining it in seven gulps. He poured another glass for himself, then topped mine up. I stopped after three glasses. I could have consumed more, but I was still holding out hope that I might be able to wean myself off human blood and replace it with animal blood. So while I was here I wanted to accept only what was absolutely necessary for me to not feel hungry.

“Shall I take you to your room now?” Jeramiah asked. “You look like you could do with some rest.”

I gave him a faint smile. I doubted I’d be able to sleep, but I was eager to be alone. “Yeah, I’m pretty exhausted.”

Jeramiah stood up and placed the blood back in the fridge. He gestured casually to the glasses. “My servant will clean those up.”

“Marilyn is your servant?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“No, no. She’s my girlfriend. There’s another half-blood living in the rooms at the back of my apartment.”

Truth be told, I was surprised that Jeramiah had made a girlfriend out of the half-blood. I had just expected them all to be used as servants. It made me feel at least a little better about this place, that not all half-bloods were enslaved.

We exited Jeramiah’s apartment, stepping back onto the open veranda connecting all the apartments. He pointed to a door on the same level, on the opposite side of the atrium.

“We lost a member of our coven recently,” he said. “He used to live over there. You can have his place now.”

“What happened to him?” I asked.

“He tempted fate. Got drunk out of his mind one night, ended up leaving our base and wandering around outside in the desert… You see, our witches have secured this place from the hunters. But the protective boundary only stretches so far around The Oasis. This vampire was foolish enough to step outside of it. Hunters are notorious for having people positioned around this area. Our coven has annoyed them too many times for them to give us an easy ride anymore. So let that be a lesson to you. Don’t go more than five miles from this place if you want to avoid being burned from the inside by a hunter’s bullet.”

“Thanks for the tip,” I said grimly.

We arrived outside the door to the apartment. It wasn’t locked, so Jeramiah pushed it right open. He switched on the lights to reveal an apartment very much like his own. He took me on a short tour, showing me the master bedroom, two smaller bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large kitchen, a sitting room, servant quarters right at the back, and to my surprise a sauna—at least, it looked like a sauna.

He noticed my confusion as I looked at the wooden room.

“Yes, this is what it looks like. A sauna. Just a basic courtesy for the half-bloods living among us. Since they are not fully vampires and only display partial symptoms, being cold all the time can become uncomfortable. Saunas help to ease some of the discomfort.”

“I see. Well, I won’t need any half-bloods in my quarters,” I said.

Jeramiah gave me an odd look, holding my gaze for a moment, before shrugging. “As you wish… I’ll leave you now. Have a good rest.”

I saw him to the door and closed it as he left. I leaned back against the wall, taking in the atmosphere of the apartment. There was a subtle aroma of sandalwood in the air—incense perhaps. I walked into the master bedroom. One entire wall was taken up by the mural of an exotic-looking beach. I smiled bitterly. It reminded me of my mother’s Sun Room.
How far away I am from there now…

I headed into the en suite bathroom, turning on the golden taps and relishing the cool water. I raised my head and stared at myself in the mirror. My eyes weren’t pitch black as they had been, but they were still a much darker shade of green than usual. Hopefully, if I was able to abstain from killing, they would return to their usual lighter color.

Jeramiah was right about me looking like I needed rest. Still, I had no desire to even try sleeping. I stripped out of my soiled clothes and stepped into the shower. The water gushed down onto my back, soothing me like a massage. I still couldn’t get over the facilities of this place. How lush it felt. I never would’ve dreamed in a million years that we were in the middle of the desert. They certainly wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without the witches. I wondered how they had gotten them on their side to begin with and how many were here altogether. I had only seen one so far—Amaya.

I reached for one of the soft white towels hanging on the rack and dried myself. Wrapping the towel around my waist, I headed back into the bedroom. Opening one of the cupboards, I found a pile of clean cotton pants and shirts. I pulled one of each off the shelf and dressed, then sat down on the bed directly opposite the mural. I stared at it, my vision unfocused.

I just have to keep my head down and wait this out. At least I won’t cause any more harm to anyone while staying here.