Devour, A Paranormal Romance (Warm Delicacy Series, Book 3) (5 page)

“You fought against them in the dark ages?” I asked, suddenly intrigued. I’d never heard that piece of information. I didn’t understand how Nicolae could have ever trusted them. What did they do to make him believe they’d changed their ways?

“We did.”

He moved away from a crowd of vampires as they made their way to the stairs to exit the crypt. I watched as their eyes surveyed our faces, and I could feel them flicking out feelers to sense our emotions. I clenched my grip on mine to be sure no one could sense anything from me. My expression might betray me, but without knowing the truth in my heart they’d never know for sure.

“After the last battle we searched the wreckage to recover our dead; to give them a proper burial. That’s when we found them. They were new to the mutation and hadn’t fully changed. Many of our kind wanted to kill them before they had a chance to devolve, but I couldn’t do it. I convinced my followers that by killing them we’d only be inviting darkness into our hearts. That it was against everything we were fighting for. I was convinced that the only way to save them was to accept them, and allow them to welcome the goddess into their hearts.”

Arrick groaned beside me, obviously unhappy about the decision Nicolae had made so long ago. Against my initial desires, I was starting to understand him. Nicolae really did want peace; he just very often made the wrong decisions. It was about time he started making the right ones.

“Centuries later and they still haven’t changed. All those years and you didn’t suspect even once that something was off?” Arrick asked.

“No. When they’d taken Ana as their daughter, starting a family for themselves I thought that was a sign they finally erased the darkness in their hearts. It had only been a ploy. Not until whispers of their desire for the throne did I allow myself to believe I’d made a grave mistake saving them so many years ago.”

“They’ve been lying in wait all these years; biding their time,” I said more to myself than to Nicolae or Arrick, as I was slowly putting the picture together. Even though they’d never fully transformed physically into dark vampires, they had mentally. Lilith and Samael were definitely members of The Dark. Perhaps it had been their plan all along, betting on Nicolae’s kind heart to pity them. They played on his only weakness, knowing he would try to give them salvation. After they’d lost the war, this had been their only option.

When the time was right they would take his throne and control over the Noire region, but did they really believe Baal would let them have it? Maybe they were pawns too. Another one of his plans to take over our realm and transform it into what he wanted.

“How does Baal fit into all of this?” Arrick asked the question I was just starting to form in my head. “Is he really a god?”

“I cannot say. In the dark ages he was our greatest foe; the leader of his monstrous army. His thirst for blood, endless rage and hunger for power had turned him into something else entirely. He is more than a vampire now. Baal worships the old, long forgotten gods. What they have done to him I do not know.”

My nerves began to tingle and the stones burned against my skin, but too late did I realize that it was not because of Nicolae’s tale, but because of something else. Fox was approaching and every fiber of my being couldn’t stand his presence. I had yet to know is role in everything, but I did know that he was the one who took me. Though it was by the order of Nicolae, he was still the one who had executed it. He’d followed orders without question and taken me from my parents. Were the stones heating in response to my rage or did they know something about Fox that I didn’t?

There was one last thing I wanted from Nicolae before I was willing to let the conversation die, and I needed to ask it before Fox reached us.

“Nicolae,” I said his name firmly. His face became relaxed and I could sense he felt relieved after telling me the truth. At least I knew he didn’t enjoy lying. “You’ve risked thousands of vampire and human lives, you’ve lied and caused immense pain to those dearest to you…” he nodded in acknowledgement as he took a deep breath. I almost felt like a judge preparing to give him his sentence, but I knew nothing I could say or do would hurt him more than what he’d already done himself. I eyed Evilyn once more. No, she’d probably never forgive him, and the vampires in this region might never respect him again. They might even overthrow him and elect a new ruler for all I knew, but for now, while he was still the king, I had one request. “You’ve done all this and more, but though they were the wrong choices you did them with the best intentions. I’m not saying I forgive you, or even that I understand all the decisions you have made but I do ask one thing.”

Nicolae pulled back his shoulders and stood tall for the first time in a long time. He looked eager to do as I asked of him, like a true king ready to serve and protect his people and his vampires.

“I ask that you join us. Fight with us. Let the Noire and the Zakarian regions stand up against Baal, and banish darkness from the world forever.” I reached out and held his hand in mine; pushing out all the hopes and dreams I had for this world.

Fox flashed to Nicolae’s side and placed a hand on his shoulder. He whispered words into his ear that I couldn’t hear, but I watched Nicolae close his eyes and wrinkle his brow. What was Fox saying? Why couldn’t he just stay out of a conversation that he wasn’t invited to? I had begun to clench my jaw when Arrick’s hand rested on my back, and I relaxed.

Nicolae revealed his fangs and turned his head up to the starlit sky as he hissed into the night. “I, Nicolae Amaros Noire, king of this region, pledge on this sacred night that we will stand against Baal.” He turned his face toward me and pulled his hand free before biting into the tender flesh of his wrist. “Do you Claire Zakarian, princess of your region accept my vow?”

The smell of his blood wafted into my nostrils and my mouth began to salivate. I pushed back my hunger and brought my wrist to my lips. I twinged as my fangs pierced the delicate flesh, and took every ounce of strength I had to not drink my own blood.

“I do.”

I offered my hand to his, and our wrists slid together as a ribbon of warm crimson dripped to the ground. As his lifeblood mingled with mine I could feel Nicolae opening up to me. I knew his every emotion in that moment. I could feel his honesty and loyalty. I had made the right choice in trusting him, and for the first time in a long time, he had made the right choice too.

A look of annoyance sprouted on Fox’s face, but was quickly masked as he pulled Nicolae away for a private conversation. Something wasn’t right about Fox, and I knew I needed to find out his origins if we were to continue to trust him. I couldn’t be feeling this way for nothing. Could I?

“Wow,” Arrick breathed the words with surprise in his voice.

“What?” I spun around to look at him and felt suddenly dizzy. The small amount of blood loss hit me hard and I began to wobble on my feet.

“Are you all right? Sit down for a second.” He guided me across the courtyard, away from spying eyes and listening ears.

I lifted my wrist and licked the wound closed. Small morsels of blood coated my tongue and teased my hunger. Would I last the entire fasting? I thought I had been doing a good job managing it, but maybe that’s why my rage was so out of control.

“Can we get out of here?” I wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and allow my brain to process all the information I had learned. Maybe after some rest I could come up with some kind of plan for stopping Baal.

“Sure, just give yourself a second. Blood vows take a heavy toll even when you’re feeding normally. To do it during a fasting is borderline insane.”

“That’s what that was.” Instinctively I knew what had to be done, but I hadn’t known the term. “Does that mean he can’t break his promise?”

“Unfortunately, no. But it is a great show of respect that he will honor his words.”

I nodded. I was hoping that some magical spell would bind him to it, so that there was no chance he’d betray us, but at least I had felt his true feelings. He’d meant what he’d said and, for now, that was as good as it was going to get.

“Do you trust him?” I asked Arrick when I caught him eyeing Fox and Nicolae talking across the courtyard. They were obviously speaking of Evilyn because they kept glancing toward her. Of the few dozen vampires left, she was the last one still holding her Astraia flower. I wanted to go to her, but what could I say? Would talking with me only cause her more pain? Would I be able to talk to her without losing my temper? Doubtful. Perhaps it was best if I just gave her space and let her deal with her grief in her own way.

“I’m going to give you two a moment and check in with Naos. I’ll be right over there, okay?” Arrick pointed to a nearby root that spilled over the edge of the wall and then jutted back up; forming a twisted looking seat.

Robin took a seat slowly beside me, like the movement caused her great pain. I reached my hand around her to rub her back and my fingers brushed against flesh. I looked up, startled, to see Dmitry standing over her. His eyes were red and his once full lips looked thin. He pulled his hand away, but not his gaze; it bore into me with a mixture of emotions I didn’t understand.

I’d seen very little of Dmitry since my return. He had avoided me like the plague; leaving a room whenever I entered or sending someone else to speak to me whenever he had a question. He was yet another vampire I had to have a one on one conversation with, but now wasn’t the time. I was still worn out from the last one and wasn’t particularly in the mood anyway.

His parents had survived the attack on the palace, but I’d heard rumors that they wished they hadn’t. He and his family were shamed after Luka’s attack on me and begged Nicolae to relinquish their roles and duties in the palace. I’d heard that they’d even asked to be banished, but Nicolae refused them. They kept to themselves, avoiding the accusatory glances and whispered curses, but I came across them one night when Arrick and I were walking through the gardens. I’d almost thought they’d seen a ghost by the way they looked at me. If I could ever keep them from running from me I planned to tell them I didn’t blame them for their son’s actions. In fact, now that I thought about it, I wasn’t sure Luka actually followed the ways of the dark vampires. Ana had him on a choke collar. It’s crazy to think how powerful love really was. Especially a vampire in love. What was it about love that was so much more potent to a vampire than a human? Maybe that was a question Robin could answer for me someday.

Arrick arrived back at my side as he tucked his thin cell phone into a pocket under his cloak. I wanted to deluge him with questions about my parents and the state of Naos, but I knew the word ‘parents’ could send Robin into a fit of tears so I bit my tongue. Arrick gave me a small smile and nod to ease my worries for the time being.

“Let’s head back to the palace, shall we?” Arrick offered me his hand and I took it.

I looked back to reach for Robin, and saw that Dmitry was offering her his. She grasped it without looking up at him and they followed us up the stairs and away from the tomb. I felt oddly at peace as we walked through the dark forest toward the palace. The tall trees shadowed us from the outside world; masking the pain and fear that waited there for us. If only I could hide away in the forest forever, but that wasn’t an option.

There was too much at stake.

Too much I wasn’t willing to lose.

I’d naively thought by vowing to fight beside us against Baal that Nicolae also meant he’d tell the truth about what happened. To not only let the vampires of the region know the facts, but the humans as well.

I was wrong.

Without wasting any time, a meeting was called three nights later to make a public statement about the ‘incident’. That’s what they were calling it now. Not an attack on innocent humans and vampires, not a heinous act of violence by pure evil; but simply an incident.

My first reaction when I heard a statement would be made was relief. My anxiety abated, but when Arrick clarified it for me I slammed the balcony door shut so hard that the glass panels shattered into a million pieces. Of course then I was even more upset that I’d broken something and let my anger burst out of me. I still had trouble keeping my temper from exploding, but I was learning how to reel it in quickly. With Arrick’s guidance I tried to focus on the positive. As soon as I found some positives I was certain his plan would work.

Maybe.

I shooed the servants away and ordered them not to clean up my mess. They had too many other, more important things to do than clean up after my outburst. I knelt down on my hands and knees, and picked up the pieces of shattered glass, dropping them into a waste basket. I glanced regretfully at the balcony doors as I deposited the last bit of glass into the bin. The night breeze flew freely through the open panes and across my face, drawing me out onto the balcony like a beckoning lover. It was cool, and glorious, reminding me of nights I’d spent with Liz on her porch swing. A sigh escaped my lips. Life was so much simpler back then.

The harsh, white lights of news crew vans flashed across my face and tore me from my trip down memory lane. Positive; I had to focus on the positive. I understood Nicolae’s fear of causing mass hysteria by informing the humans of the region about the dark vampires. It would likely only do more harm than good. But I couldn’t help feeling that there had to be a better explanation than the one he was using. Wasn’t there?

Yet, there was another message Nicolae was trying to send tonight that wasn’t meant for the public at all, and this one I did agree with. Every remaining member of the Vampire Royal Family would be present during the statement. We would stand beside Nicolae showing our support and strength in hopes that Baal would see it. Clinging to the optimism that Baal would see he had
not
defeated us. We still stood tall and would never give up.

I turned from the balcony and headed into my closet to prepare for the evening. A long, shimmering, blood red gown hung from my floor length mirror. A flowery lace strap covered one shoulder giving the dress an appealing asymmetrical look. I hadn’t wanted to fuss much so I allowed my hair to fall in natural curls down my back. It had been a while since I’d worn it down and I was surprised to see how long it had gotten.