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

The biggest thing though, was that vampires needed to stop hiding the truth from the humans. I’d learned so much since becoming a vampire that I didn’t even know existed when I was a human. That had to stop. I knew the vampires didn’t think humans would comprehend their traditions or beliefs, but humans deserved to know. Keeping them in the dark about what was really going on in the realm only put them in harm’s way. Humans weren’t just food to me. I was a human not long ago, and I cared what happened to them. It’s our duty to protect them, not just to defend the life-giving blood they provided, but because it’s the right thing to do. And if we don’t defend them from Baal, they don’t stand a chance.

“What are you thinking?” Arrick asked as we stepped out of the palace, and made our way across the expansive field that stretched between the palace and the nearby tree line.

“I was thinking things need to change.” I lifted my eyes to gauge his reaction, but his face remained placid.

“They definitely do.” He squeezed my hand tighter and I squeezed back.

Dark figures dotted the landscape as we made our way toward the forest. My heart began to weep as we passed the giant tree that stood isolated on the barren, grassy hills. I remembered lying under it, cradled in its massive roots thinking I was going to die. Its leaves looked to be dipped in gold as the cool nights began to change their colors. I’d forgotten how beautiful fall could be.

The thick trees that stood before us swallowed up the procession as we stepped into the shadows of the leafy canopy. Moonlight cascaded down in fractured beams, slicing the darkness like daggers. We made our way silently, gradually forming a single line as we followed a small path through the dense foliage. Passing through a beam of moonlight, our cloaks twinkled like diamonds, reflecting light throughout the darkness.

I followed behind Arrick as the procession wound deeper and deeper into the forest. The vegetation grew thicker the farther we got. Moist leaves slapped against my bare legs, but I didn’t mind. I was too distracted by the beauty of the forest to care. Fireflies glimmered around us, dancing closer and closer, somehow mesmerized by our own sparkling cloaks each time we moved through a moonbeam.

My instincts told me we’d arrived before my eyes unveiled the truth. Silver light glowed powerfully before us, and I lifted my head, ready to cast my eyes toward a starry sky, but the canopy overhead was as thick as ever. Even the tree trunks grew wider. I peered around Arrick to find that the luminosity radiated not from the night sky or the vast moon, but from the ground. What was making the earth glow? I’d never seen anything like it, but I couldn’t mistake the sensation it gave me. Nyx definitely had a part in this. It was achingly beautiful, just like the moon was when the night began. I wanted to cry and smile at the same time.

Every step closer toward the exquisite light made my heart throb in pain. There was so much sorrow here. I could feel it in the air, filling my lungs with every breath.

The line of mourners slowed as we approached the funeral site. Two hooded vampires stood at the edge of the ring of light. They each carried a woven basket filled with something that carried the same silvery glow as the ground before us. Seeing it this close made something stir in my memories. I’d seen something that looked like this before, but where?

One of the figures handed Arrick a single glowing orb and he took it in his hand before bowing deeply. I watched his back as he strode away and toward the gathering of vampires in the center of the light. My eyes adjusted quickly to the brightness and the details became clearer. The earth looked to be covered in a low fog that was filled with the shiny glow. It swirled, and shifted as the cloaked figures waded through it. Orbs of light clung to the ground, and I was drawn to reach down and touch one; to pluck it from the earth and hold it to me like a newborn child.

A growl rumbled angrily behind me and I shifted my body back toward the figure beside me. A glowing light lay idly in their hand as they offered it to me. Even with their head cast down, I could tell who they were. The radiant light from her basket bathed her face in a gorgeous hue of silver and white.

Evilyn.

She hadn’t spoken a word to anyone since I returned. I’d wanted desperately to talk to her, but she refused everyone who requested entrance to her chambers. Arrick mentioned she wouldn’t even allow Nicolae in, that even after I’d run away with him after Ana attacked me, she fell into a deep depression. I never once thought that Evilyn might have been innocent in the whole scheme. I didn’t stop to think how much my absence would hurt her. I felt guilty for not trying harder to get her to speak with me.

I bent down, trying to connect with her. If only she would look at me I could convey my love toward her. I wasn’t angry with her, she had to know that. I still cared about her and I would never forget the moments we shared. If she would just let me apologize for leaving. If I could simply talk to her and tell her everything that had happened, maybe she would understand. Maybe then she wouldn’t be in so much pain and she could begin to heal.

She lowered her head even more, dropping the glowing orb back into her basket. My heart sank. I’d been so focused on the agony that Baal had caused that I didn’t stop to think about the heartache I had caused myself. I swore that when this nightmare was over I would make it right. I’d try to speak to her, and keep trying until she let me in. Just because I wasn’t her daughter didn’t mean I didn’t want her in my life. Vowing inwardly to keep my promise, I reached out and grasped an orb from her basket before moving forward. The grumpy vampire behind me grumbled something under his breath, but I didn’t care.

The object in my hand was softer than I expected and released a sparkling vapor of silvery light mixed with a gentle wisp of aroma. It was so faint, even with my vampire senses I could barely smell it. I pursed my lips and blew, sending the delicate veil cascading down my hand and toward my feet to reveal a beautiful white flower.

“It’s called Astraia,” Robin’s sweet voice whispered beside me. I beamed up at her, completely forgetting the beauty in my hands and savoring the joy of her presence. I wanted to jump into her arms and squeeze my best friend as hard as I could. Her expression softened briefly at my reaction but no smile broke through her grief.

“What does it mean?” I asked, knowing that giving me a history lesson was the one thing that might help her forget her sadness, if even for a moment.

“It means ‘Goddess’ Tear’.” She lifted the flourishing bloom to her nose and inhaled the soft scent.

“From the Moon of Tears?” I was suddenly intrigued with the history of this flower.

Robin glanced up at me surprised, but also amused. “Yes. The flower blooms only at night, and it only glows after the Moon of Tears. The tears of Nyx fall from the sky and the flowers soak up her essence. The essence is then gathered and used for ceremonies like tonight’s, and your Blood Mate ritual. It’s a very rare thing to see. I’ve read about it, but it’s so much more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.”

“It’s a shame it takes such a dreadful act to bring about such a beautiful thing,” Arrick said, stepping up behind me. He held his flower is his palm and placed his other hand on my lower back. The small touch sent warmth spiraling through my body.

“Yeah.” Robin nodded, looking around at the crowd that was gathering. “I should find my mother before the ceremony begins.”

She left without a second glance, and I watched her walk away until she was just another shrouded figure in the crowd. “What do we do now?” I asked Arrick, dropping my weight onto a stone bench that was nestled in the roots of a nearby tree. I deposited the flower onto my lap and watched as the smoky glow traveled down my legs.

Arrick sat down beside me and sighed. He cupped the flower in his hands, and hung his head. “Now we descend into the tomb and place our offerings at the feet of Nyx.” I nodded, but he wasn’t even looking at me to see it.

When the last of the procession received their flowers, they made their way toward the largest tree nearby. The roots jutted out of the ground like pillars, holding the tree above our heads, suspended over the earth. We walked through the web of roots and under the massive trunk that spread well over four meters wide. I stretched a hand out and brushed my fingertips along a root. It was colder than I had expected and I drew my hand back. On the other side of the tree, the roots spilled down into a deep hole in the ground. A stone staircase covered in moss sloped downward into the earth below.

With every step, dropping deeper into the earth, I realized we were lowering ourselves into the entrance of the tomb. Under the earth, moss, and skeletal limbs of the monstrous tree roots was stone. Four stone walls that had long ago been embraced by Mother Nature. Instead of swallowing the tomb, the landscape hugged the structure. The roots clasped the pillars and wrapped around the archway leading to the depths below. Moss grew around chiseled carvings making the sculptures stand out, and the images that much more captivating. Astraia flowers dotted the mossy growth providing a soft light. Several stone benches lay in crumbled mounds, but others still stood, defying the test of time.

At the center of the farthest wall stood the mouth of the tomb nestled between the roots that were draping the doorway like curtains. The procession made its way inside, their Astraia flowers illuminating the darkness; while others paused on benches, taking time to collect themselves before entering the sacred place. I was one of them. I found a bench that was only partially collapsed and took a seat. A statue of Nyx stood nearby, her head was tilted toward the entrance, and her arms were reaching toward the mouth of the tomb, longing for the souls that lay to rest beneath her. Stone flowers pooled at her feet.

I sat a moment just watching everyone slowly make their way in and out of the tomb. I felt Arrick’s presence nearby, but he gave me my space, yet was still staying close enough that I could sense him, or call out if I needed him. Which could happen very soon. I wasn’t sure my limbs would allow me to make the steps needed to pass through the threshold of the crypt. As soon as I entered that tomb there would be no going back. I would have to accept that those we lost were truly gone, and they’d never be with us again. My heart would no longer be able to play tricks on my mind, pretending there was hope for them. Pretending that Nyx would perform some miracle and bring them back to us. My mind knew that wasn’t going to happen, but my heart just wouldn’t let it go.

Eerie tingles ran across my skin and my instincts felt eyes penetrating through me. It wasn’t Arrick, I knew his gaze intimately, nor was it any other vampire for that matter. This felt different, it pierced straight through me making my heart beat faster and cry out with sorrow a thousand times more powerfully than any sadness I’d ever felt. I turned my head and locked eyes with the statue that stood beside me. My heart somersaulted in my chest and I stumbled out of my seat. Nyx’s head had turned in my direction. Horror was written on her stone face, as her emotions slammed into my chest like a train. A scream caught in my throat. Nyx’s pain was more than I could bear. Burning heat grew like wildfire in my body and any second I knew I was going to explode into flames. I closed my eyes tight, fear crippling me as I leaned my back against the bench. Was Nyx angry with me for what happened? Did she blame me? Was this my punishment? All these questions rampaged through my head until everything suddenly stopped.

“Claire! What happened?”

I was in Arrick’s arms and back on the bench. I squirmed out of his embrace and stepped frantically away from the statue, but it was back to normal. Nyx’s face retained the solemn gaze toward the crypt entrance. She wasn’t looking at me. Had she even moved at all, or had it all been in my head?

I fell onto another bench; this one more crumbled than the last, and scanned the vampires around me. Some of them gazed at me curiously, others seemed to find my outburst offensive, and glared openly. Arrick walked over and knelt before me. He pulled a tissue out of his shirt pocket and began dabbing my face. Sweat and tears mingled across my cheeks.

“Are you all right?” He took my hands in his and kissed them until I stopped shaking.

“I don’t know.” I placed my hands on my chest and tried to catch my breath. The stones under my dress were warm against my skin. Maybe I shouldn’t have worn them, but I hated taking them off. I hated being away from them. I knew it was strange, and Arrick worried about me, but the stones and I were somehow connected. “I felt someone watching me and when I looked up the statue of Nyx was turned to me. She was screaming in pain. I could feel her inside me.” I covered my face with my hands. I sounded like a crazy woman. Talking statue? Maybe I
really
was losing it.

Arrick turned toward the statue of Nyx a growl building in his chest like he’d kick that statue’s butt if he had to. It was almost comical. This man, this blood mate, would protect me from anything, even my own wild imagination.

I placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m okay, Arrick. I think I just let my emotions get the best of me.” I smiled weakly.

“You? Let your emotions get the best of you? Such a thing could never happen.” His sarcastic smile broke through the last trembles of my nerves and warmed me through and through. “This is why I fear so much that you hold everything in. Feel, Claire.” He placed his hand on my chest just above my heart.

“But I don’t want to. It’s easier if I just block it all away.”

“It might be easier now, but it will cause you more pain in the end.” He looked away and lifted my Astraia flower from the ground. “Here.” The luminescent light was starting to fade. I took it from him and touched the petals gently. “Time heals all wounds, Claire. But they will not mend if you do not allow them to bleed.” He lowered the hood of my cloak and brushed the hair from my brow before placing a gentle kiss there. “I think there is someone who needs you.”

I looked in the direction in which he had turned his gaze and found Robin, struggling to walk into the tomb. Without another thought I made my way to her. Tears spilled down my cheeks of their own accord as I pulled my friends hand into mine. She didn’t jump at my sudden touch, but squeezed back with the fierce strength she’d always possessed. Our eyes met, both red and swollen with tears, speaking more than any words could ever express. We would get through this together. I might be fighting the sorrow with every fiber of my being, but I wasn’t going to allow her to fight her’s alone. The walls around my heart crumbled and the flood gates released. Robin and I walked hand in hand into the tomb. Neither of us were ready to say goodbye, but it was the only way we’d be able to overcome the grief.