Nevermore, the Complete Series (76 page)

Salem kept quiet about the incident that caused me to leave; all he cared about was that I was back—safe and sound. I filled him and the hunters in on the details of the location of the entrance to Malik’s stronghold, as well as my encounter with Tiffany. Mikael was impressed by my ability to retain form for such a long period of time and felt confident that I would have no trouble becoming the raven during the final battle. I seldom let myself seriously consider what I was volunteering myself for. While I knew that I would be killing a Vampire Lord, I barely put any thought into the fact that it was really going to happen. I felt like so much time had been spent plotting and planning that it would just continue on this way. It was so much easier to discuss it than it would be to actually do it—and the more I dwelt on this fact, the more I understood why Salem was so hesitant about it.

A few of the hunters were uncomfortable with the fact that I had let a vampire go, despite the knowledge that she was similar to Hannah and Ezra in the sense that they didn’t feed on human blood.

“She could be setting up a trap,” Remus said and mumbled a silent prayer. “You have put us all in danger by trusting her, even more so by telling her all that you did.”

“Don’t be foolish, Remus,” Luca scoffed. “No one is aware of our plans but us—the only way any insider information could be revealed to Malik or any of his men would be if one of us told them.”

I considered the idea of a member of the Vanatori betraying the others, but I knew this was unlikely. They were a tight knit group and each of them had their reasons for wanting Malik and the other corrupted vampires gone for good.

“She’s his Queen, how do we know that she isn’t using our information for his gain?”

Nicolai, who was absent until now, burst through the door soaking wet from a sudden downpour, glared in Remus’s direction as he took in what was being said. “You’re accusing Alex of betraying us? Of all the simple-minded things you have done and said in the past…this is the absolute worst! If it wasn’t for her, we’d be damned to die just like the rest of the humans here. We’ve been struggling to find a way to kill Malik for years as our numbers dwindle and his grow ever larger, and now Alex is here to help and you are turning on her?!”

“Calm down, Nic,” Mikael said and offered a clean, dry cloak. “I agree that Remus is being unreasonable, but you must keep your temper at bay. Things are finally coming to an end, we are nearer to our goal than we have ever been before, and I understand that there is a lot of tension…but the more we focus, the sooner we can finally achieve our peace.”

“There will never be any peace,” Nicolai grumbled in response. “Regardless if Malik lives or dies, the memories will remain and someone will eventually take his place.”

“You don’t know that,” Camellia interrupted. “We could make a difference—for all we know, Malik has been manipulating all of these vampires and once he is dead, we’ll free them.”

“Don’t get your hopes up, Cam,” Sebastian warned. “Let’s just focus on our plan to get through unseen. We also need to contact the rest of the Vanatori groups.”

“He’s right,” Mikael agreed. “Contact as many people as you can, each of you—inform them of the risks, but remind them of the rewards as well. Many of them have waited just as long for this opportunity…in truth, some longer than we.”

Everyone nodded and set off to make their calls. While the room was alive with voices from each hunter muttering into their phone receivers, I blocked out the sounds with thoughts of Tiffany. She was free now, hopefully on her way out of the country and onward to a new life…yet, how many other vampires residing in Malik’s estate shared the same views as her? How many human-friendly vampires were going to be slain for merely being unfortunate enough to be one of his slaves?

I wished I had given Tiffany a way to contact me to aid me in saving the vampires undeserving of death, and was beyond upset with myself knowing that I was going to be the cause of a lot of lost lives. Maybe before the attack I could try to find others like her and set them free.

“We mustn’t grieve over the loss of the people that these vampires used to be,” Mikael said as if he had been reading my mind. “I understand that some of them are capable of retaining their human emotions, such as Hannah and Ezra, but our main focus is Malik…and Nicolai’s brother if we can. You have managed to save one of them Alex, but it ends there. We can’t afford to try to save more and get caught.” his stare pierced through me and I gulped. “I understand the desire to help, but we must put our priorities in order. We have worked too long for an opportunity like this, we can’t waste it.”

He was right. I couldn’t deny that as much as I wanted to avoid any unnecessary deaths, Malik had to die no matter what.

Camellia prepared a pot of coffee, knowing we would all be awake for a long stretch of time discussing our final plans. My part was going to be easy—at least to begin with—I was to pretend that I was completely unaware of the attack and stay at Malik’s side as much as possible, feigning terror so that he would stay with me. When the opportune time came I would use the distraction of the Vanatori’s frontal attack to transform and, hopefully, put an end to Malik with relative ease. I knew there would be more to it though, there always was. Nothing was ever easy or went as planned when fighting the undead.

My focus tonight would be training Salem on how to operate a crossbow and practice techniques necessary to back up the rest of the hunters. Despite my pleas for him to remain behind and in safety, he was as stubborn as me and refused. I wasn’t fond of the idea but I also wasn’t overly nervous about him fighting along with the Vanatori. He did have valuable expertise from being a former vampire after all, and the people he would be fighting beside were the best in the world at what they did.

It was also decided that during this crucial planning and preparation stage, I was to return to Malik and keep as calm and quiet as possible.

The next day Hannah escorted me to Varias and we were not surprised to see the place was completely cleaned up as if nothing had ever happened. The memory of the incident with Viola haunted me
regardless, and I couldn’t help but reflect on how disturbingly dangerous Malik could be when angered. Fortunately enough for me, his main interest was protecting me…but that made me worried for not only Salem but the Vanatori as well.

I had barely begun to walk towards the piano before I was quickly dragged away from Hannah. Cassius grasped my arm and tugged me upstairs, ignoring my questions. He wore a calm demeanor, yet I felt like it was all a cover up.

“Where have you been?!” he shouted in a panicked voice, looking me over once, twice and then a third time—checking for injury, making sure he could feel the baby kick.

“I-I’ve just been with my sister-in-law,” I managed to get out and he settled down beside me on the chaise.

“I have been worried sick. Is the child okay?”

“Of course it is,” I said and gave him an awkward look. “Sometimes I think you care more about me and this baby than even Malik does.”

“Nonsense…I am checking for him. I will report the good news to him when we arrive for the party.”

“What party?”

“We are holding a celebratory Masquerade ball, in honor of 300 years of business,” he explained. “Speaking of which…”

I watched as he stepped over to a cabinet on the other side of the room and delicately extracted something from within. My eyes ogled the object lustily as he turned and revealed it to me. He wasn’t being subtle at all with his hints that he knew what I was—the mask itself was elegant and black with a beak-shape for the nose, and surrounding the top were black and dark blue raven feathers attached to the mask with glimmering white stones. I wondered why he had not yet told Malik about me being the raven…or maybe he had.

“It’s gorgeous, Cassius,” my voice came out in a mere whisper as I tried to mask my thoughts. He grinned pleasantly and placed the mask over my face, gently tying the silk blue ribbon around the back of my head. He offered me a mirror that I assumed came from the cabinet as well.

I stared in awe at my reflection, feeling all too comfortable with the familiar appearance.

“You will be the most stunning guest at the ball, dearest Alexis,” he said and brushed his warm hand along my cheek. “You will find a gown awaiting you in Malik’s chambers. See to it that you retrieve it soon. He is waiting for us.”

“Right, of course,” I said more glumly than I intended and removed my mask. I hoped Cassius hadn’t noticed.

Laid out on the vacant, unused bed in Malik’s chambers was a silk black dress that gave me chills just looking at it. It was elegant, shimmering, and full of charm—yet, I couldn’t imagine it flattering my pregnant belly. Despite my doubtful thoughts, I pulled off my t-shirt and pants and slid the dress over my body. It was a little snug around my stomach but I felt comfortable in my own skin, perhaps a little too much.

“You look magnificent,” I heard the unmistakable voice of Malik as he snuck up behind me and slithered his arms around my waist. “I had no doubt that you would.”

“I did,” I replied with an unseen grimace. “But thank you, I love it.”

“My pleasure…” he said and looked out the window. “It isn’t long before the festivities begin.”

“Are you nervous?”

“I am never nervous…though I am quite excited for tonight.” He seemed distant, deep in thought about some secret joke he wouldn’t reveal to me. Something felt very off about the way he smiled and it made me uncomfortable.

“You seem…different,” I said gently, hoping to pry out even the most minor of details.

“I am fine,” he growled unexpectedly and I stepped back.

“I-I’m sorry, Malik…my lord…I only want to ensure that you are okay.”

His eyes settled on me and I watched his expression quickly transform yet again into a smile. “Of course, dear Alexis, you must forgive me. I am a little tense. There is…something very important that I must announce during the celebration, and I haven’t yet decided on my speech.”

“Can I help in any way?” I had a feeling there was far more in his mind than what he let out.

“No, this is something that I must take care of alone,” he patted me on the shoulder. “Return to the restaurant and see to it that everyone is enjoying themselves.”

Hannah was lying across the length of the piano, texting someone via her cell phone, when I arrived back at Varias. As soon as she spotted me, she sat up and arched a brow in response to my attire.

“Have a hot date tonight that I don’t know about?” she asked and laughed girlishly.

“Ugh,” I grumbled and took my place on the bench. “There’s a masquerade ball tonight in honor of this restaurant being in business for…a long time. I don’t remember how long Cassius said—either way, I’m surprised you didn’t know. Surely you spend enough time eavesdropping around here that you should have known.”

She shrugged and tucked her phone in the pocket of her jeans. “I had no idea. It must’ve been pretty sudden, ‘
cause I think I’d have heard something by now. Pretty strange for something like an anniversary, don’t you think?”

She was being sarcastic but I knew what she as getting at. If it had been a huge, planned in advance occasion for something as significant as an anniversary, everyone would have known in advance. No, this was something that had developed suddenly. My mind raced at what it could mean as I ran my fingers along the ivory keys and absentmindedly let a song rush through my fingertips. Eventually my mind led to Salem and I wondered how his training was coming along. As my thoughts came full circle and the current song ended, I immediately began another. I had become so adjusted to this particular piano and the few songs in the songbook that I could play them all without even a glance down at the keys—Cassius often stopped by to compliment me on the fact.

Having been so caught up in my own thoughts, I hadn’t noticed the gradual absence of the restaurant’s guests. The only people present besides me were Hannah and Cassius, both apparently trying to get my attention.

“Hello, Earth to Alex…” Hannah finally got through the barrier of thoughts. “We need to get over to Malik’s house immediately, before the ball is officially started.”

How long had I sat there playing in my own little world that I had not only not noticed the guests leave, but also couldn’t recall Hannah leaving to change clothes. I was awestruck by her appearance. She wore a stunning, flowing dark green maxi dress with a black silk ribbon that wound around her slender waist. Her mask resembled a peacock with its vibrant green, golden and blue feathers. A loose bun kept her hair up with one thin strand of a golden curl hanging beside her ear. Cassius, on the other hand, was un-surprisingly clad in his typical trench coat and wore no mask at all. I flinched when Hannah put my mask on over my eyes.

Without giving me a chance to comment, Cassius took me up in his arms and carried me through the vast doors and outside to an unexpected surprise—an elegant horse drawn carriage awaited us.

I felt cramped and uncomfortable in the coach, although I did enjoy the views and the gentle clip-clop of the horse’s hooves. My ears were quickly overwhelmed by the sound of dozens of voices from surrounding guests exiting their own vehicles and heading into the building. Cassius helped me out of the carriage, effortlessly supporting my weight, and then offered to assist Hannah but she declined.

The main room of Malik’s mansion generally held a few pieces of furniture, but tonight it was swarming with bodies—cold, dead husks donning beautiful textiles and masks. There was no disagreement on my behalf that this was a splendid way to celebrate—a night to pretend you were someone else, concealing your secrets behind a sparkling mask that outshone the devious beast you truly were. The music was subtle yet sweet, weaving through the mass of twirling bodies.

His eyes were on me the entire time as I stepped through the crowd of colors and glitter. Malik was stunning in his burgundy velvet suit and a black Venetian mask with golden swirl ornaments across his gray eyes—and I hated admitting it, even if it was only to myself. Yet, I knew that if anyone were to look at me at that moment they would note
the look of admiration on my face. I was fortunate enough that these people believed I loved the man and thought of me as his Queen, therefore making it less awkward for me to be ogling at him. What pained me most was the idea of betraying Salem, even if only in a fleeting thought.

Malik approached me swiftly and presented me with a deep red rose, tucking it gently behind my ear before pressing his tender, cool lips against my rosy cheek.

“You look even more magnificent as every second passes,” he whispered and I noticed the subtle discomfort over the mask I wore resembling his enemy—the raven.

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” I laughed and gasped as he wound his arms around my waist and dragged me out onto the dance floor. “This really is a big night for you, huh?”

“More than you know.”

I spied Hannah dancing with a random vampire across the room; she was keeping her eye on me as much as possible. Cassius was nowhere to be seen, but I didn’t imagine he’d be out here dancing amongst the rest of us. While he seemed like a gentle, caring man—he also seemed secretive and solitary at times. I rested my head against Malik’s shoulder as we slowly strode across the room, flowing like water in a stream with the rest of the dancers. Soon, Hannah and I were beside each other and something about the look on her face concerned me.

“May I borrow the Queen for just a moment?” she said toward Malik and he nodded lightly before releasing me over to her.

Despite the awkwardness, the two of us danced along with the remainder of the crowd and I watched Malik engulf himself in conversation with a masked couple against the wall nearest to us.

“What’s the matter?” I asked as we stepped in rhythm with the others.

“My phone has been going off for the past few minutes,” she replied, keeping her focus in Malik’s direction.

“Where in the world do you have a phone?!” I gawked at her, then spotted the ribbon around her waist—there was a noticeable lump if you took the time to observe. “Oh, I see.”

“I told the others only to contact me if there was an emergency…”

I swallowed hard and tried to steady my heart beat. “Maybe it’s just Salem checking up on us, he tends to worry…”

“I don’t think so, Alex, I made myself clear before the ball,” she frowned and spun me around slowly and I soon realized that she was leading us toward the opposite side of the room, away from Malik. “There is something very suspicious going on—and you cannot deny the fact. This isn’t just some spur of the moment celebration of the restaurant’s anniversary, and the only way we’re going to get any answers is if I can get my phone…and I’m going to need your help.”

“What? How am I supposed to help? Couldn’t you just go outside, or get off the dance floor…?”

“I’m trying to not raise suspicions here, Alex. Now, while my back is turned to Malik, take the phone out and see what is going on…if it’s anything severe, whatever you do—don’t panic. Calmly, we will leave the building and alert Malik or Cassius that you are sick due to the baby—can you do this?”

“I’m not making any promises,” I replied nervously.

She rolled her eyes and presented me with the opportunity. I reached underneath the strand of black silk and extracted the slim cell phone. My chest was hammering with nervous beats as I looked through the phone—seven missed calls from Salem, four from Ezra, a few from ‘unknown’ numbers that I recognized as belonging to members of the Vanatori. There were two voice mails and one text message. I scrolled through the text with a look of utmost confusion—the letters were scrambled and incomprehensible. The sender was Salem, but I couldn’t make out what he was trying to tell me.

Ignoring whatever the message was, I went straight to voicemail and the phone nearly slipped through my hands.

Salem’s accented voice came through the machine in a state of panic: “An attack…there are too many of them…Traian…” the message ended with a painful scream followed by silence and loud banging.

“Hannah, we need…we need to leave…” I scanned the room anxiously. “Something is wrong at the hideout—something serious.”

She nodded and without warning she grasped my hand and pulled me out of the building, startling the guests, completely ignoring her own plan of an inconspicuous escape. I heard Malik’s confused shouts following after us as Hannah helped me into the nearest unoccupied carriage, took the reins, and led us away from the ball. The rose from behind my ear fell loose and was crumpled beneath one of the wooden wheels.