Blood-Kissed Sky (Darkness Before Dawn) (5 page)

Normal wasn’t so great.

“Blood donations?” I ask, trying to make this conversation professional when it is painfully personal.

“No one’s donating. People are advocating that we break the VampHu Treaty, that we fight the vampires.”

“But this was all Sin’s doing. People have to give Victor a chance to show that humans and vampires can work in harmony.”

“People aren’t in the mood to listen right now, Dawn. Even the Agency isn’t trusted. We have to repair our reputation.”

I try not to sink into despair. I had such hope for the future. Now it’s just like Michael warned me: Things are worse.

When we get to our apartment building, Jeff sees us safely inside before leaving. Rachel and I take the elevator to our floor. I breathe a sigh of relief when we walk into our apartment. At least here, everything is the same. No, not quite. Rachel and I aren’t slobs, but things are just a little too pristine. “The hospital didn’t have any newspapers. So where are ours?”

“I tossed them already.”

“Rachel.” I give her a pointed look.

“You don’t need all that mess in your head yet.”

“It’s already in my head.” I pull my hair free of the ponytail. “What day is it anyway? Do I have school tomorrow?”

“Friday. And about school, the Agency has decided to hire a tutor. You’ll take lessons here.”

“Why?” And then it hits me. “Because of what people are writing on the wall at the Daylight Grill?”

“Clive just thinks it’ll make things easier on you.”

“No.”

“Dawn—”

“No, Rachel. I’m not going to become a prisoner in this apartment or hide out. The Teen Initiative was a good idea. It worked. We were finally able to meet our blood quota. No one could have anticipated the arrival of a vampire who could walk in the sun and would throw Denver into chaos.”

“We’ll talk about it later.”

She can talk all she wants, but I’m going to school Monday morning. I’m not weak and I don’t scare easily. If I retreat into hiding, Sin will have won a little bit of his war. I’m not going to be one of his victims.

“Try and get some sleep,” she says as she hugs me.

I squeeze her back, grateful she’s in my life. I know she and Clive mean well, but I have to do what’s best for me.

I walk into my room and close the door. It’s so good to be here. Home.

I glance at the clock on the bedside table. It’s a little after midnight. I should be tired, but I’m not. Maybe a warm shower will help. I unpack my duffle bag, putting the few items in it away. The last thing I take out is the picture I drew for the shrink. I trace my finger over the symbol. My palm tingles and it’s almost as though my blood sings, “Find me.”

What the hell is that? I place it gently on my desk, unsure if it holds secrets, or is just an image of my psychosis. I should destroy it, crumple it up, throw it away, but something holds me back. This stupid piece of paper feels alive....

God, what is wrong with me? I scurry into the bathroom and study my reflection in the mirror above the sink. I’m not even sure what I’m looking for: proof that I’ve somehow changed or reassurance that I’m the same. I’m thinner than I was and my blue eyes look too big for my narrow face. Leaning in, I pull my black hair to the side and scour my neck for any signs of a vampire bite. It’s like my crucifix tattoo was never even touched, let alone punctured. Strange.

I comb my fingers roughly through my hair. Too much doesn’t make sense. I have to visit Valentine Manor. I have to talk to Victor. I need to see for myself that he’s all right. He told me that we couldn’t be together, that I was his weakness and his enemies would use me against him. And Sin did exactly that.

But Victor came anyway. He risked his life for mine, just as I risked mine for his.

The last thing I remember isn’t his eyes, but his breath on my neck, the smell of his hair combined with the coppery scent of my own blood, the feel of it running down my skin. And his tongue lapping at the precious, life-giving fluid. I felt his strength growing with every beat of my heart, every ounce of blood that flowed through my veins and into his; but I need to see for myself that he’s fully recovered. I must go out to Valentine Manor. Tomorrow night.

“It’s a date,” I whisper with conviction to my reflection.

Turning away, I start the shower, strip out of my clothes, and climb into the tub. The warm water feels wonderful cascading over me. After being bound to a hospital bed, everything seems more sensitive. It’s almost as though I can feel each individual drop. The lilac shampoo and soap I use is sweeter than it was before. Maybe because it hasn’t been opened in so long. I could stay here forever, enjoying the sensations, but the water is beginning to lose its warmth.

I turn it off, step out, and blot all the water from my skin with a towel. I slip on my cotton pants and tank top. It’s hard to believe such simple things can be an absolute luxury.

Turning off the light, I go into my bedroom, disappointed not to find a vampire sitting on my bed. The first time Victor came to my room he threatened me, threatened to kill Rachel if I screamed. But even then, as much as I hated him for being a vampire, I instinctively trusted him, sensing that his threats were bluffs. I never told anyone about his visits. I miss him terribly now.

I turn off my light and crawl into bed. I stare at the door to the balcony, wishing, hoping Victor will come through it. But he doesn’t.

T
he mountain. The rock walls surrounding me. The pathway ahead, which I inevitably follow.

A shadow darts past, not too far from where I stand. It disappears into the inky blackness where the moonlight can’t reach it.

“Hello?” I whisper, but just my voice echoes back to me from the emptiness.

“Hellooo?”

Nothing.

My bare feet feel the rough, cold rock, and I kick up a pebble. I hear it skittering over the hard ground, then silence. Seconds pass.

Ping!

Thump.

I realize I’m at the edge of a crevice. I could slip over at
any moment. Would I fall into eternity?

I pick up my pace. The mountain juts out and I hug the wall, my toes gripping the edge of the cliff. I make it past the corner. The mountain curves inward and I have more room, but still I can feel the walls squeezing in on me, their emptiness somehow taking form, pushing on me.

The darkness goes on forever, its dimension infinite, able to hide anyone … anything.

I want to rush forward, but I’m held here by something I can’t define.

“Find me.”

How? How can I?

“Find me.”

Who are you?

“Find me!”

My world collapses, and then comes together again. I’m in bed, sweating, my breaths short. It’s still dark.

“They’re getting worse, aren’t they?”

The voice is not the one from my dreams. It’s familiar and comforting; it grounds me in this world rather than one of illusion.

“Victor!” I can see his silhouette so clearly with the moonlight streaming in through the window. He’s sitting on the edge of my bed. Reaching out, he tucks my hair behind my ear, his palm skimming along my cheek. I welcome the warmth of his skin. Old Family vampires are born vampires. They’re warm-blooded, have heartbeats just like us. But they need to drink human blood for sustenance. “You’re okay. You’re really okay.”

Lunging up, I wrap my arms around him. He puts his around me, holding me tightly. I can smell the earthy richness of his unique scent and hear the rapid thudding of his heart. Mine is beating out the same rhythm. He has an inexplicable hold on me, and I wonder if things will change between us since he took my blood. I think of that moment when his fangs pierced my skin. While I was conscious I experienced a mixture of pain and ecstasy. Since then, whenever I’ve thought about it, I’ve been unable to determine which sensation was stronger.

“I can’t stay long,” he says. “I just had to see you, to know you were truly awake. Now I can finally sleep.”

“I’m so grateful you’re alive. They say someone brought me to the hospital. That was you, wasn’t it?”

He eases away. “Yes.”

Leaning over, I turn on the lamp so I can see him more clearly. He’s as gorgeous as ever. His black hair brushes over his shoulders. He’s wearing a black T-shirt and jeans. He would blend in with the night, but here in my blue bedroom he stands out. And I’m glad, so glad he’s here.

“You
did
have the strength to stop taking my blood,” I say. “I know you were afraid you wouldn’t.”

“I barely drew away in time,” he says, his voice a rasp. “Your blood … is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. So sweet. It was like … it held power over me. I can’t explain it.”

He turns his back on me and plows his hands through his hair in frustration. “Even now, it calls to me.”

“It’s just because it was fresh—”

“No, it’s more than that. I nearly killed you, Dawn. I pride myself on my control. For me, human blood is nourishment, a necessary evil, and nothing more. It’s always been like that, until you came along. You bring out the monster in me, Dawn.”

My neck starts to throb, right where Victor drew blood. Maybe it’s the pounding of my heart setting it off. It’s kicked into high gear ever since I realized Victor was near. As though it’s calling for him, he turns back to me and skims his fingers along my tattoo. He appears mesmerized.

“I have no scars,” I say to bring his attention back to my eyes.

“I gave you a blood kiss.”

Just when I think I know everything about vampires, I learn that I don’t. “What’s that?”

“I sealed the wound with a kiss. Vampire saliva carries a weakened version of our rejuvenating properties, but it’s enough to heal a bite mark. In the days before blood could be safely drawn and stored, when we had no choice except to take blood directly from the source, it was a way to ensure our donor didn’t bleed to death and that he could remain anonymous, if he wanted. Most did.”

“Tegan had stitches from Sin’s bite.”

“I doubt he took the time to properly tend her wound.”

“But you did.”

“You say that like I’m a hero. I should have never taken from you to begin with.”

“I offered, Victor. A gift. It would have been rude not to accept. And I know how Old Family vampires adore etiquette.”

He releases a soft laugh, relaxing a little. Old Family vampires have rigid codes of behavior. I had to learn all these silly rules—how to walk, how to curtsy, how to sit like a lady—before I met with Lord Valentine. I hated all of it. But there was kind of a grace to it. And I don’t want Victor to regret taking what I offered.

“Victor, I’ve been thinking about Brady.”

“You can’t feel guilty, Dawn. What you did, you did out of love for him. You set him free. In his final moment, he was thankful for what you did.”

My head knows that, but my heart is having a difficult time accepting it. Brady thought the blood of an Old Family vampire could cure him of his affliction—reverse what Sin had done and turn him back to a human. He abducted me to lure Victor into his trap. Victor had four hundred years to develop his fighting skills, but with Brady’s Thirst-increased strength they were well matched. I decided which way the tide would turn. I chose Victor. We killed Brady together, both our hands on the stake. No, not killed. As Victor said, we set him free.

Brady never wanted to be a monster. He’d gone insane. All he wanted was to be cured.

But there is no cure for the Thirst or vampirism—except death.

“I want to give him a proper funeral—”

“I knew you would want that. I was going to arrange a burial for him, but when I returned for him the next night, I discovered the sun had turned him to ash.”

“But he was a Day Walker, immune to the sun.”

“I was as surprised as you. Day Walkers are a new phenomenon. There’s so much we don’t know about them, but apparently after one dies, he’s simply a vampire and the sun is once again his enemy.”

The image of Brady’s body turning to ash saddens me, the sunlight scorching him until nothing remains. But I close my eyes tighter, and see him drifting through the wind, up and up, to rejoin the beautiful sky that he loved. Maybe … maybe it’s better that he be up there than buried in the ground.

I open my eyes. We could go on for hours about the dangers of the Day Walkers, even more so about the Thirst. But right now I want to talk about us. I know it’s unwise to tempt us both, but still I sink back onto the bed, bringing him with me until we’re lying on our sides, face-to-face.

“What did you mean when you said, ‘They’re getting worse’?” I ask.

He cradles my face, skims his thumb over my cheek as though he can’t stand to not touch me. “When you were in your coma, I knew you were dreaming. Your eyes fluttering, your body sweating, jerking slightly. Every time I thought you’d wake up, but you didn’t. I was worried you’d be trapped forever in some kind of nightmare world. I was afraid that even though you were right in front me, I’d never be able to reach you.”