Devour, A Paranormal Romance (Warm Delicacy Series, Book 3) (17 page)

“If she did bury him somewhere, then maybe that’s how we can find her,” I tried not to sound too hopeful, even though the idea of catching Ana by surprise for once, did feel good.

“They were really close,” he said, sadly. “If she did bury him somewhere then she’d definitely be close by. She wouldn’t want to leave his side for too long.”

“I guess that’s it then. To find Ana, we need to find Luka’s grave.”

Spectacular wasn’t a powerful enough word to describe the library that was housed, in pristine condition, in the Château. Its beauty was unmarred by the attack of the dark vampires. Rich mahogany woodwork, opulent woven rugs fashioned with deep reds and vibrant golden hues, and plush armchairs decorated the space. Ornate carvings covered every shelf and table, but the attention to detail didn’t stop there. The ceiling was covered in a wood carved pattern of octagons and stars, separated only by small ornamental lanterns that hung delicately above our heads.

“Holy shooting star!” Robin exclaimed, stepping into the library behind me. “This is amazing.” She rushed past me, a skip in her step as she stopped before a shelf to run her fingers along the historic spines. Her fiery red hair reflected the warm glow of the lighting, making it look like it really was on fire.

“Very impressive,” Dmitry added. “You have quite the collection.” He walked past one of the several desks in the room, eyeing the open volumes. His eyebrows rose in surprise at one particular book whose cover was a faded royal blue. “You have a copy of Hinrik Leif’s theory of vampire evolution?”

“Not a copy,” Leona said, floating into the room beside me. “That is the original. The only one in existence.”

“I thought he destroyed all the copies before he died?”

“All, except one.” She approached him, her evergreen gown trailing behind her. Opening the book, she pointed to something inside before flipping through the pages one by one. “It is in his own handwriting. See his signature here?”

“Wow. How did you find this?” Dmitry asked, completely awestruck.

“That’s a tale for another time, young one,” she smiled, amused by his captivation.

“I’d love to hear it,” Robin chimed in.

“As would I,” Dmitry added.

“And you shall, but as I have been instructed, you have other information that you seek?” Leona directed her gaze toward me for confirmation.

“We do.” I nodded, stepping farther into the room. “We need to find a vampire burial ground.”

Shock painted itself boldly on her face before she quickly masked it. “There are countless burial sites. Is there something specific you are looking for?”

I couldn’t help but notice the hint of apprehension in her tone. “Not something, but someone.” I shifted nervously under her scrutiny.

“I see,” she replied flatly, walking to a shelf that stood beside a tall, paned window.

“It’s Luka,” Robin clarified, looking over to me with encouragement. The thought of finding Luka’s grave not only frightened me because of the chance of finding Ana, but also because I knew I was the one that had put him there. I had felt satisfaction when I killed Baal’s dark vampires, but I still regretted killing Luka. It couldn’t have been avoided; it was kill or be killed. Still, seeing the pained expression on Dmitry’s face made it agonizingly obvious that the mere mention of his brother would never dull in its sting.

“The vampire who tried to kill you?” Leona asked.

I swallowed hard as I caught sight of Dmitry stepping away from the conversation, pretending that a small book he held in his hands was incredibly interesting.

“Yes. He wasn’t buried at the family tomb in Noire. If someone had wanted to lay him to rest, where else could they have taken him?”

“Well…” Leona sighed and headed toward a far shelf across the room. I eyed her for a moment till my eyes wandered over to Robin. A thick book standing open on a pedestal had drawn her attention. And, for a moment, I envied her. I wished I could lose myself in these books and forget the world around me, but I had never been one for reading. I could never quiet my thoughts enough to focus on the words without distracting myself.

“That is going to make it considerably more difficult,” she said, as she began pulling books down from the shelves and depositing them on the nearby desk.

“I should have known it wouldn’t be easy,” I groaned, making my way toward one of her towering stacks.

“Why is it going to be so hard? Don’t you keep records of burial sites here?” Robin asked, curiously.

“Of course we do, dear, but…” she ran her index finger along the spines of nearly a dozen books before pulling three volumes off the top shelf. “What you are looking for won’t be in any records.” Leona dropped an armful of books onto a desk and gestured for me to take a seat. I did so, and Robin took a seat across from me, separating the teetering stack into two.

“Then how are we supposed to find it?” Dmitry asked, sounding agitated as he plucked a book from Robin’s stack.

“During the dark ages, battles raged all over our realm. Back then, there wasn’t time to build tombs and honor the dead as they deserved.” Her voice saddened at her words, emanating from her like a cold breeze. I didn’t dare ask, but I knew that Leona must have had to bury someone in such a way.

“So, you just buried them in the battlefield?” Robin asked, looking completely shocked.

“It was all we
could
do,” Leona answered as she hugged a thick book in her arms. “There were several sites where the graves were left unmarked; their loved ones would never be able to return and say goodbye.”

“That’s horrible,” I said, feeling a deep sadness for all the lives that had been lost.

“More than you can even imagine,” Leona said, turning toward the window. Her silver hair mimicked the luminosity of the moon as it cascaded down her back in a mass of roped braids.

“We’re going to need to read through every battle report in these books to find any mention of burials,” Dmitry said.

“Yes,” Leona answered without looking away from the window.

“These are all the battle reports?” Robin inquired, her eyes bulging at the piles of books before us.

“We better get started,” Dmitry said with a heavy breath. It couldn’t have been easy looking for where your brother might be buried, but he seemed to be happy the conversation was over. He didn’t appear to be much of a talker anymore.

I pulled a red bound book from the top of my stack and dropped it in front of me, causing a cloud of dust to puff out. I waved it away with my hand, fighting back the urge to cough. All the while, I couldn’t pull my attention away from Leona and back onto the task at hand. I had thought it was hard dealing with the horrors of Baal now, but to have gone through it more than once… now that was something I didn’t ever want to do.

The hours crept by at an utterly slow pace. In all that time we’d only managed to get through less than a handful of books, resulting in zero information. Maybe my idea to track down Ana wasn’t as good as I thought it was, but we had to keep trying. It wasn’t just about me wanting to prevent her from getting the upper hand; it was also about getting information out of her. She was the only vampire that we knew, without a doubt, was working with Baal. She had to know some information, no matter how small, that might give us an advantage.

I gently turned the decaying pages one by one, trying my best to decipher the handwriting of the person who had transcribed it. The volume I was skimming through was a collection of several journals from vampire warriors of the dark ages. Most of their notes were about how much they missed their loved ones whom they’d left behind, or how hopeless they felt that the war would never end. My eyes fixated on the wavering penmanship as the author poured their heart out.

~

2nd Blood Battalion – Night One-Hundred Sixty Four

The enemy is recruiting humans and beasts to do his dirty work. They attack us during the day when we are weak, and cannot defend ourselves. The soldiers and I are beginning to wonder if we made the right choice. Was fighting against our nature the best decision? We embraced our Goddess because we were fearful of the destruction and bloodshed, but in doing so we have only caused that which we feared. I worry that we are no worse than our enemy, and I pray for the world we are leaving behind. The world that will be left behind if this massacre is ever over.

~

2nd Blood Battalion – Night Two-Hundred Five

Captain Jengo found us shelter in an abandoned mine and we hope they do not find us here. Our numbers have been slaughtered to less than half. Reinforcements should have arrived twenty nights ago. If they do not get here soon, I do not believe we will survive another day. We cannot withstand another attack, if we even live long enough for that to happen. Blood is scarce, and everyone is going hungry. I can see it in their eyes; it’s a hunger like a raging fire burning through our flesh, only to be quenched by feeding. It will not be long before we turn on each other. I am doing my best to stay strong, but I don’t know how much longer I will last.

~

2nd Blood Battalion – Night Two-Hundred Twenty

I awoke to the screams of my comrades. They could not face the horrors of our world any longer, and launched themselves into the light of day. I watched, peering out of the shadows, as their cries faded away and their bodies turned to ash. I must admit, I considered it myself, but the face of my beautiful mate kept flashing in my mind. I promised I would come home to her. She is the only beautiful light left in this world of evil.

~

2nd Blood Battalion – Night Three-Hundred

Eleven of our own died during the day, but not by enemy hands. No, the enemy never came for us again, feeling no need to waste their resources when they knew they had already infected us. Our battalion is afflicted with hunger, and it is spreading like a plague. Many are afraid to leave out of fear of facing the enemy. We are already so weak, we wouldn’t stand a chance. I’ve even witnessed some feeding on themselves out of shear desperation. They latch onto their arms and drain themselves. It’s sickening, but the scent of their blood makes my body convulse. I’ve thought about crawling out of the cave and waiting under the stars until the sun swallows me, but I do not have the strength to do so. I believe my time is nigh.

~

2nd Blood Battalion – Night Three-Hundred Nine

I love you Celeste. I know I promised to come home to you, but the Goddess has not willed it to be so. I pray that you will find it in your heart to forgive me. Our bodies may be parted, but our souls will forever be joined, my love. Stay strong, my love, my heart, as I have stayed strong for you. Thy face has been my only comfort, and I will go in peace knowing you are alive and safe.

~

I turned the next page, but it was blank. As was the next, and the one after that. What happened? Did the reinforcements ever arrive, or did Captain Jengo and his battalion get slain by the enemy? Or… could it have been worse? Did they turn on each other out of sheer starvation; no longer able to control the raging hunger that was burning inside them? Did Celeste ever read this journal? Did she know how much her soldier missed her, or even what happened to him? My heart lurched in my chest. This had been what Baal had hoped to do to us.
This
was the pain he had wanted to inflict by destroying our blood banks. I had been hungry before, starving even, but I couldn’t imagine needing to feed so bad that I would kill one of my own. I could never do that… could I? I guess, inside, you think you are brave and strong but you never really know for sure until something happens. Something that makes you choose between humanity and the beast.

My fingers instinctively flew to my neck, only to find the stones were no longer there. Their determination for revenge and thirst for victory helped ease my fears and I felt naked without them; vulnerable.

The creaking sound of the library door made me jump in my seat; my nerves shooting through me like lightening. The entries in the book had strengthened the fear within me. Dmitry groaned beside me as I lifted my gaze to find Arrick strolling into the room. My heart instantly reached out to him, latching on for that immediate sense of tranquility whenever he was near. A sexy smirk played on his face, each of us enjoying the connection we shared.

“You okay?” he asked, detecting the lingering tendrils of fear that had woven around me.

I nodded. His strong hand rested on my shoulder as he leaned over me to catch a glance at what I had been reading. I caught a hint of his woodsy, masculine aroma and breathed deeply.

“What are you reading?” he inquired, surveying the mass of books scattered before us.

“It’s a long story,” I answered, shutting the book that rested in front of me. I didn’t think I could handle reading another entry, at least not right now.

“Well, I’ve got time. Want to go on a walk with me?”

“Um…” I looked to Robin and Dmitry, feeling guilty about the idea of leaving them behind to do all the work. Dmitry avoided my gaze, raising his book higher to cover his face. Robin glanced up, a suggestive smile pulling at her lips.

“Go,” she said, winking at me.

“Are you sure? This was my idea. I shouldn’t leave you two to do all the work.”

“We’re fine, right, Dmitry?” He didn’t reply, but she didn’t seem to notice at all as she turned her attention back toward me. “I really don’t mind, Claire. It’s actually nice to have something to keep my mind off things.”

“Let me know if you find anything?”

“Of course.” She smiled before burying her nose back in a book.

Arrick pulled me close to him, circling his arm around me as we walked out of the library and into the open hallway. “I’ve been worried about you,” he whispered, planting a kiss on top of my head. “Tell me what’s troubling you so much.”

I sighed, both enjoying his closeness and thinking about everything that was stressing me out. “The question is; what isn’t troubling me. I feel like I’ve been caught in a whirlwind. There are moments when I think everything is going to be okay, and then moments when I feel like all hope is lost.”