Morvicti Blood (A Morvicti Novel Book 1) (42 page)

“Romulus called to tell me just the day before you rose that your coloring had returned. I was in Romania and that’s why he came to Murphy Street to check on you.”

“And ran into The Ripper,” Angelique said.

“Yes.” Octavian sighed. “Rom thought you might rise soon, Austin. We were going to increase the flow of blood you were receiving, hoping it would work. But we didn’t know for sure. The Morvicti who go below ground from aging typically need a couple of years to fully revive, though some have risen after a few months and others taken more than a century, but we never know for certain. Your injuries were so severe we believed, you being only half Morvicti, it would likely be decades before you rose.”

“But you were wrong.” Austin couldn’t get over that Davis and Drake were one and the same man. How many more deceptions had there been in his life?

“Yes, I was wrong, and I regret it.”

“What is the number of slumbers an individual Morvicti can have?” Doc was obviously trying to lighten the tone with his question.

“We are not certain.” Octavian leaned back in his chair. “Some of our oldest have been below ground many times, but their slumbers can last centuries. I’ve had four slumbers of my own.”

“How old are you?” Angelique asked.

“I was born September 14, 1312.”

Angelique’s eyes widened. “Over seven hundred years ago.”

“That’s amazing,” Michael said.

Doc Wilson smiled. “The Morvicti could live forever.”

“It might seem amazing to you, Doc,” Austin said. “You’re not half Morvicti. I will never go under again. When I die I want it to be over. That’s the way nature intended things to be.”

Gita turned to him. “Nature, Austin? We’re part of nature, too, just like humans. We aren’t monsters.”

“I’m sorry, Gita. My whole life I thought I was human. Hell, I didn’t even know there was anything else. I know I have so much to learn. And please understand what a shock this is to me and Angelique. There’s a part of me that wants to go back to the way it was before.”

“If you did, you would be dead for good,” Angelique said. “I don’t want that. I choose this new life, no matter how different it may be.”

“Sis, we don’t have a clue what that even means.” He turned to Octavian. “Maybe you should explain how our lives are going to change now that we know the Morvicti’s secrets. Not just for Angelique and me, but for Michael and Doc, too. We deserve to know, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, you do for many reasons. My private jet will take us to Satu, Romania, tonight. Tomorrow we will be brought before the Imperial Morvicti Council.”

“Do we have a choice in the matter?” Austin asked.

“I am afraid not. If you do not show they will hunt you down and bring you before the court anyway. If they must go on the hunt, I am sure the decision would not be favorable.”

Doc sighed. “And we already know what kind of resources the Morvicti have at their disposal.”

“Jack told me that halfbloods are looked down on by your kind, Octavian,” he said. “The council wants to see Angelique and me because we are half human, right?”

“Fanatical orthodoxy is the reason.” Gita frowned. “Ancient thinking that needs to change.” She turned to Octavian and lowered her eyes. “Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Majesty.”

“Gita, speak freely. Each of you should. We must stand together in front of the council. I, too, have much to explain.” Octavian looked at Angelique and Austin. “Morvicti have not practiced execution for millennia.”

Doc lit his pipe. “Is beheading your only form of execution?”

“Yes, Dr. Wilson. Beheading and years of blood starvation are the only ways to kill my kind. Under my grandmother, Roxanna, our laws changed protecting humans and halfbloods from being killed the same as the Morvicti. But in every bloodline, including my own, there are those who reject those laws, believing them heresy. They call themselves The Brotherhood of Purity. These fanatical orthodox followers continue to kill in secret.”

“Why don’t you stop them, Lieutenant? You are king, after all,” Austin said.

“I am trying to stop them in every way I can. When I discover them, I demand they be brought up on charges and tried for their crimes. I
am
king, but like most human monarchies, ours has evolved into a more democratic government. My powers are vast, but limited.”

“Was David Bathry orthodox?” Angelique asked.

“Yes.”

“But he had a halfblood to do his dirty work,” Austin said. “Quite duplicitous of him, don’t you think, Octavian?”

“He used The Ripper because he didn’t want to get caught. I’m certain his plan was to kill Jack once he was done with him.”

“What if Bathry had gotten caught?” Michael asked.

Octavian answered, “He would have been staked and sent to The Sanctuary of the Forgotten. He would remain below ground forever in slumber.”

“If your people do not believe in killing, what will happen to Michael and me since we know the secret?” Doc asked. “We cannot slumber like you. Stake us and we die.”

“Few mortals have ever discovered our truth, Dr. Wilson. Prior to our laws changing, any who did were locked away or killed. As far as I know there have been none to learn of our existence since our laws changed. But I have been working on a plan through the night and I believe I have a way to protect each of you. When we go before the council you must swear to keep our secret. Michael, you are in a valuable position. I’ve already spoken to our contact at the CIA. She will be meeting with you to discuss your future.”

“Who is ‘she’?” Michael asked.

“Deputy Director Brown.”

His eyebrows shot up. “She’s the head of European Intelligence.”

“And she’s not the highest in the CIA who are Morvicti either. Your future will be bright.”

“You mean, if I swear allegiance to
you
it will be. What about my oath to uphold the United States Constitution?”

“Michael, there will never be a conflict. Morvicti helped create parts of your constitution.”

“You’ve got to be joking.”

Octavian shrugged. “Thomas, I can understand how difficult it must be to put aside your life’s work to keep our secret.”

Doc turned to Gita, and smiled. “Not as difficult as you might think, sir. I’m in love with Gita and she’s Morvicti.”

“That’s another issue the council must deal with. Our laws still do not allow for us to marry mortals. Which brings me to my plan for you and Gita. If you will agree to help our scientists in their research of our slumber, I believe the council might allow a union between you and my cousin.”

Angelique folded her arms over her chest. “Michael and I are already married, Octavian. I know I’m a halfblood. So does it even matter to the council?”

“As long as Michael takes the vow and agrees to serve the Morvicti I can’t imagine they will want to dissolve your marriage.”

Frustrated by the entire discussion, Austin looked Octavian in the eyes. “Who the hell do these council members think they are to dictate to us? We’re not Morvicti. We have been living our lives the way we please, and I, for one, like it that way. Why should we even go to see them tonight?”

Angelique looked about ready to say something, but chose to remain quiet instead.

“Like it or not, Austin, the Morvicti run the world,” Octavian said. “If you do not swear to keep this secret it will cause war and chaos on a global level that has never been seen before.”

“You mean World War III?”

“Yes. The fanatic orthodox immortals hide now. But if you dare to threaten the Morvicti’s secret by refusing to swear your allegiance, more will join their numbers; blood will flow and nations will fall.” Octavian looked at Doc. “Is there some place in your home where I could speak to my children alone?”

CHAPTER 75

11:55 AM

Octavian walked into Dr. Wilson’s library with Austin and Angelique.

Of all the battles he had fought, enemies he had faced, and obstacles he had overcome in his very long life, he had never felt as uneasy as he did now. He never thought this day would happen, but he had always hoped it would. Now that it was here, he was not sure where to begin.

Austin and Angelique took seats on the sofa, and he sat in the chair opposite them.

She reached in her purse and pulled out a picture of Katherine, placing it on the coffee table. “Jack claimed this photo is of our mother. Was he telling the truth?”

“Yes,” he said. The photograph could not capture one-tenth of his wife’s beauty or vitality, but it conjured up memories of happier times. “Her name was Katherine Marie Abbott, and she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I was deeply in love with her, and married her in secret because it was against our laws. I dropped out of sight for many years. We lived a simple life. We had a little house a few miles from Monett, Missouri, where you were born and where your mother and I practiced medicine.”

“You have a medical degree?” Austin asked, his eyes narrowing.

“One degree of many. An advantage of a long life, I suppose. Your mother was a physician, too. We met in Dallas during medical school. She wanted children. A family.” He took a breath, trying to calm his thoughts, then continued, “The Morvicti have difficulty conceiving, and there are many miscarriages, unfortunately.”

Pain swept across Angelique’s face. “What about between a human and Morvicti? You and Katherine conceived Austin and me.”

“I was not sure how it would be between a human and an immortal. Other than my cousin, Irina, your grandmother was the only Morvicti I’d ever known to conceive a halfblood.”

“Mary Jane Kelly,” Austin said.

He nodded. “Roxanna tried to protect her, but failed. Mary Jane remains in our family’s sanctuary, but has yet to rise from her slumber. When Katherine got pregnant after ten years of marriage, she was thrilled. I was, too, but I also worried if she could carry you to term.” He brought out the iPad and clicked on the video. “This is your mother when she was six months along with you.”

He held the device to the side so they could get a better look at it. He smiled, remembering that day in the park with Katherine.

“Put down that camera, honey,” Katherine said. “I’m as big as a barn.”

“You look gorgeous, sweetheart,” he answered in his American accent.

Katherine laughed and shook her head. “Honey, I’m taking you to the eye doctor tomorrow.”

“Okay, only if you tell me the truth about what you think of my suggestions for naming our twins.”

“Roxanna and Romulus? It’s a little too out there for me.”

“What do you like?”

“I love the name you mentioned yesterday for our daughter. Angelique. It’s beautiful, like she will be.”

“What about for our son? James, Jr.?”

She grinned. “It fits you, but I have another idea. I loved our honeymoon. It was just the beginning of our wonderful life. What would you think about naming our son Austin?”

The image fluttered for a moment. He remembered setting down the camera on the picnic table. He appeared on the screen next to the only woman he had ever loved.

Though he looked nearly identical now as he did then, he watched his younger self,
happier self
, hug her. “Angelique and Austin have the most wonderful mother in the world.” He kissed her.

…And the screen went black.

Angelique wiped her eyes. “She was beautiful.”

Austin stared at the empty screen. “She looked happy. What happened to her?”

He took a deep breath, having prepared himself for this question. “A fanatical orthodox Morvicti found us. He didn’t want her to deliver you. The bastard drove his vehicle into the side of our car when we were going to the grocery store. She died in labor. I had to perform a caesarean to deliver you. I did everything I possibly could for your mother, but her body was broken and she did not respond to any treatment. She was so…so fragile, and I could not save her.”

He felt his eyes well up, and he choked back the tears. “I promised Katherine that I would make sure you were safe. The only way I knew how to do that was to let you be raised by humans. Except for my closest family, the Morvicti assumed you had died in childbirth. It destroyed me to lose the three of you that day. Despite being crowned king, I became your commander, Austin, just so I could be close to you. And I posed as the insurance representative to make sure you were okay, Angelique, after losing your adoptive parents. Everything I did was because of my love for Katherine and for you. I was always with you, but always in the background.”

Angelique stood and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tender kiss on the cheek.

Her sweet gesture filled him with warmth, something he hadn’t felt in years. He knew she had accepted him as her father. He watched Austin pick up the photo of his mother.

His son’s stare never faltered from Katherine’s image.

Austin is still not ready to accept me. He may never be.