Revelation of Blood (16 page)

“I’d been having nightmares,” I explained.
“Amun was coming to me every night. At first I just dreamed about
being chained in that basement but eventually he showed his
face.”

“That must have been terrifying for you,” he
said gently, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear.

“It really was,” I sighed. “I was glad when
we finally captured him. He had this kind of sick obsession with me
for some reason.”

“He sounds quite insane,” my father said,
rubbing his bottom lip thoughtfully. “How exactly were you able to
defeat him?”

I studied my father for a moment before I
shook my head. “It doesn’t matter,” I frowned. I don’t know why but
I didn’t feel one hundred percent comfortable telling him about the
Sword of Saint Patrick and my greatest weakness. I figured the
fewer people that knew, the better it was for me.

“So, I know that Day Walkers are born with
powers of some sort…what is yours?”

“I was given the ability to teleport,” I
explained and shook my head, “but I’ve only been able to do it
once. I haven’t exactly figured it out yet.”

“That must feel terrible not being able to
access your power,” he said sympathetically.

“Eh…it hasn’t really affected me yet. Having
a part of Amun inside of me allows me to absorb another Day
Walker’s powers through the consumption of their blood.”

“So you just drink their blood and you
automatically have their powers?” he asked, astounded.

“Yep.”

“How long does it last?” he questioned,
fascinated.

“I’m not too sure. During my test with The
Faithful I drank from two vampires. One had the power of empathy
and the other had the power of telekinesis. I’m still able to tap
into both of those abilities three weeks later. Amun mentioned that
whenever he drank a Day Walker’s blood, he absorbed their powers
and it lasted a few weeks, but he never said exactly how long. I’m
just waiting for the day they’re not there anymore. My Empath
ability seems to be dulling I think. I’m not bombarded with
emotions when I’m around people anymore. I have to actually want to
read someone before I can feel them.”

“You are an amazing being, my daughter,” he
smiled proudly at me. I shrugged a shoulder noncommittally. It
wasn’t like I’d personally done something to be seen as great; this
was just the way I was reborn, I guess.

There was a knock at the door followed by the
sound of it opening a few seconds later. Atticus Frost appeared
followed by two humans; a man and a woman.

“I hope the reunion is going well,” he
inclined his head. “I do not mean to disturb you but I figured you
might be hungry. You’ve been in here for hours and I don’t want to
seem like an ungracious host.”

“Thank you, master,” Lucian stood and bowed
his head. “You are too kind.”

“Drink and then when you are finished with
your visit, please show our guest to the guest quarters,
Lucian.”

“I’m not free to leave?” I asked, suddenly
worried. I didn’t want to resort to violence to get out of here,
but I would if I had to. I didn’t abide being held against my will;
not now that I was a kick-ass vampire and could actually do
something about it.

“Oh course you are, my dear Miss Morrison,”
he said with a smile, holding his hands palm up out in front of
him. “It is daylight and I just figured you would like a good
night’s sleep before you give me the answer to my proposition.”

It was nice getting to know my father, but I
didn’t think it would sway my decision. Archer was my life and my
future…why would I want to leave the man I loved? Besides, I had
family back in Austin; Trey, Aoife, Hunter, Quinn, and Lochlan…not
to mention Hagan, Nikki and Pádraig. My whole life was there. Five
hours of talking with my father wasn’t going to change that…would
it?

“I’d like a little more time with you, Skye,”
my father said a bit sadly. “I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.”

I chewed at my bottom lip thoughtfully,
indecision playing at my brow. I really wanted to get back home to
Archer.
He must be so worried
, I thought anxiously. The look
on my father’s face ultimately swayed my decision. “Okay. I’ll stay
the day.”

“Excellent,” Atticus smiled brightly and
clapped his hands together once.

“But,” I spoke up quickly, “I’ll be leaving
at nightfall, whether I’ve made a decision about joining you or
not. I’ve got friends who are probably very worried about me and I
don’t want to make them worry any longer than is absolutely
necessary.”

Atticus did not look particularly pleased at
my announcement but ultimately nodded his head. “Very well, Miss
Morrison. Enjoy your meal and I shall see you both when the sun
goes down.
Au revoir
.”

The leader of the Dark Ones left and my
father and I turned to the human feeders. “Hello,” I smiled
politely.

The young, handsome blond haired man nodded
his head and walked toward me as the woman did the same for my
father. Because I was in a formal evening gown, I had the man kneel
before me as I leaned down to run my nose up the side of his neck.
“Mmm,” I moaned appreciatively, “pineapple.”

My father chuckled from his seat on the
couch. “I told you it was my favorite.”

I called forth my fangs and tilted the man’s
head as I bit deeply into the thick, pulsing vein in his neck. Hot,
pineapple infused blood poured into my mouth and I sighed in
absolute ecstasy. My donor’s blood was sweet, rich, tart, and
overwhelmingly satisfying and I lost myself to his taste and my
surprisingly needful hunger.

I hadn’t eaten all day and allowed myself to
drink more than I normally did. Pulling my fangs out proved to be
harder than I was prepared for. Archer had pretty much always been
by my side when I fed and I wished he was here now.
Stop or
you’ll kill him
, I thought to myself and withdrew my fangs on a
frustrated growl.

“Father,” I breathed, standing up as I held
my breath and closed my eyes. “Get him out of here please.”

I heard my father pull away from his donor.
“Why do you fight so hard against what is only natural for you?” he
asked, sounding genuinely perplexed.

“We are not barbarians,” I quoted Atticus as
I tried again. “Please escort him out. I’m afraid my bloodlust will
get the better of me if you don’t.”

Lucian sighed and I heard him stand. A second
later my donor groaned as my father picked him up and led him to
the door. I braved a quick breath in and the delectable pineapple
and tart blood smell began to fade the further he was taken away
from me; for that I was grateful.

“Submitting to your nature, your desires, is
not a crime, Skye,” my father said as he took my hand and led me
back to the couch. “We are bloodthirsty beings. Nothing is wrong
with drinking your fill every now and again. It sure beats going
around hungry all the time. Aren’t you sick of never feeling
full?”

“Yes,” I admitted hesitantly as I met his
eyes. “I get so hungry sometimes and the little blood I’m allowed
only takes the edge off.”

“Then why not bask in the enjoyment of your
meal? Take your fill?”

“Because the donors could die,” I whispered,
not understanding.

“Everyone dies, Skye,” he shrugged his
shoulders. “Humans begin dying the moment they are born.”

“But when and how a human dies is up to God,
isn’t it? Who are we to choose their fate?”

“God allows us to exist,” my father explained
patiently as he took my hand. “Do you not ever wonder why? Could it
be that maybe we are meant as a form of population control? I’m not
sure, but why would he give us this extreme hunger if he did not
want us to drink our fill?”

I thought about what he was saying and it
made me wonder. “Have you ever killed anyone while feeding before?”
I asked timidly. I didn’t want to offend him with my question but I
was genuinely curious.

“Yes,” he nodded his head. “To be able to
control one’s bloodlust so soon after rebirth, like you are
practically able to do, is unheard of. Newborns kill, Skye…it’s
only natural.”

“How did you feel…you know…after you killed
them?” I asked in a whisper, fascinated. This wasn’t something I
could talk about with Archer or the rest of my family. I was too
scared to broach the subject with them for fear of being looked
down upon. Truth was, the fear of being disowned by my only family
was always in the back of my mind when I fed. What if I did
accidentally end a life? Would Archer condemn me?

“How did I feel? I felt full,” my father
chuckled lightly as he patted my hand. “To be honest, I try not to
think about it. It’s not like I could take it back. Why torture
myself needlessly? The deed was done.” He studied me for a moment
and then took a deep breath. “I can see how hard you fight against
what you are. I see the torture in your eyes when you deny
yourself. Are your actions that harshly judged by the Day
Walkers?”

“Not exactly,” I shook my head, struggling
for the right words to explain.

“If you chose to join us, to be a part of our
family…my family, we would never judge you or look down upon you
for doing what is only in your DNA to do, Skye. You would be free
to be who you are; to embrace your needs and fully flourish into
the magnificent being you were born to be.”

“Do you believe in God, Lucian?” I asked,
genuinely curious. Was he living his life the way he was because he
was without fear of a higher power judging him? Did he think he
would not have to atone for the deaths he caused when he crossed
over?

“Of course I believe in God, sweetheart,” my
father replied, genuinely surprised at my question. “I was raised
Catholic and was even an altar boy as a child. Becoming a vampire
doesn’t completely erase the person you were. My beliefs remain
intact.”

I took a deep breath and considered all that
Lucian had said to me. I didn’t know if I agreed with all of it,
but one thing was certain…it was nice to open up to someone and
talk about anything without the fear of being looked down upon. Oh
sure, I could talk to Archer about pretty much anything too, but
for some reason, talking with my father made me feel a bit more at
ease. He wasn’t perfect and Archer definitely was in my eyes.

“You know,” I sighed as I smiled a small
smile up at my father, “I’ve really enjoyed this…talking to you
tonight. This may sound a little crazy, but I feel like this
missing piece in my heart has finally been filled.”

“I feel the same way,” he smiled warmly as he
leaned over and drew me into his arms. “This is all I’ve ever
wanted, Skye; to have my daughter in my arms where she always
belonged. I’m just going to be sad when you leave at sundown. I
don’t want to let you go.”

“I know,” I swallowed thickly as I wiped a
tear from the corner of my eye.

“Won’t you please consider joining us?” my
father asked, his eyes practically begging me. “We could finally be
a family, Skye.”

I nodded my head as I leaned in to hug him
again. “I promise I’ll think it over, Dad. There are a lot of
things to consider.”

“You wouldn’t have to worry about money or
housing,” he said a bit excitedly as he leaned back and took both
my hands in his. “All that would be taken care of for you. You
could have your own room here at the colony or you can have your
very own house outside of it. Master Frost is a generous man. He
and I would take care of your every need.”

“That’s really sweet,” I nodded my head and
then stifled a yawn.

“Oh, I see we’ve kept you up too long,”
Lucian said with sudden concern. “Let’s get you to the guest
quarters, okay?”

I nodded my head and followed him out the
door. The walk to the guest wing took a few minutes as we followed
numerous winding, stone hallways. Lucian told me that we were deep
underground but was vague on exactly where. The time and money that
must have been spent making this sprawling compound boggled my
mind.

Lucian showed me to a quaint, cozy guest
room, gave me a tight hug, and bid me goodnight. The guest room was
furnished with a queen sized bed, a night stand, a dresser, and a
small chair and table. Feeling absolutely exhausted, I kicked off
my heels and crawled into bed still wearing my evening gown and
went straight to sleep.

I awoke to soft knocking on my door and I
bolted upright, momentarily forgetting where I was. “Come in,” I
replied thickly, my voice full of sleep.

A woman opened the door and smiled at me as
she entered. “My name is Sarah and I’m here to prepare you for your
departure.”

“Uh, okay,” I mumbled, a bit confused. “What
does that entail?

Sarah held up the bag she had in her hand and
came over to pull the bed covers back. “Master Frost and Lucian
would like an audience with you before you leave. They arranged a
change of clothes for you.”

I allowed her to help me stand and she
immediately went to work unzipping my dress and helping me out of
it. I felt a little uncomfortable at first but soon got used to it.
Sarah was human and she obviously did this a lot. I briefly
wondered if she was some other vampire’s lady in waiting or
something.

I watched as she neatly folded the evening
gown and put it in a small black duffle bag. From the bag she
brought in, she withdrew a short black sweater dress and started
pulling it over my head. Once that was done she sat me down in the
chair and deftly set about combing my hair and securing it into a
chic bun on the crown of my head.

“There,” she said, as she helped me stand.
“Feel better?”

I’d feel better after a long, hot shower but
decided to just smile and nod my head. Stepping into my Louboutins,
I followed her back out the door.

Sarah led me back to the throne room and told
me my evening gown would be waiting for me in the helicopter.