The Vampire Gift 2: Kingdom of Ash (7 page)

“I’m here to guide you, Eleira. You cannot think of me as your enemy. You and I want exactly the same thing. We want—we need—for you to prosper. We need you to take your proper place and lead The Haven into the 21
st
century. I’m willing to treat you as an equal, if you give your word you will not go against me or challenge my rule. If I can be guaranteed your loyalty, you and I will be capable of spectacular things.

“But,” her voice becomes hard, “if you choose to defy me, I assure you, I will make your life here a living hell.”

She stands and gives a little self-congratulatory nod. “I’ve let it be known to the others that you have complete freedom to roam and explore the entirety of The Haven. There are no restrictions. You will find no doors that are locked to you. Consider it an extension of good faith. I’ve had your rooms made in the upper reaches of my castle. I’m sure after your escape, you will have no trouble finding your way back, hmm?”

She smiles at me. “Raul is waiting for you outside. Think of what I’ve said, and what I’ve offered you. I will beckon you to me in three days. You can tell me your choice then. But truly, Eleira…” she gives a little laugh. “There is only one path forward for you, if you want to keep your life.”

PHILLIP

April’s sweet blood flows down my throat. It sinks into me and is absorbed instantly by my body. Soon it courses through my veins. I close my eyes and lose myself in the ecstasy of the drink.

Never before have I felt anything like it. Never before have I even come close.

I draw upon the carotid artery in her neck. I’m filled with the thick, robust, and precious fluid. It is my nectar. It is the stronger aphrodisiac I have ever known.

The animal inside me struggles to be let free. After centuries of starvation, it is ravenous.

Keeping its instinctual longing at bay is the most difficult thing I have ever done. But I fight it, even as I drink.

I must stay true to myself.

I lose all sense of place and time as I drink and drink and drink. I’m vaguely aware of somebody else having entered the cavern. I give the entrant the same amount of attention that I might to a faraway gnat or a fly. All I know is April. All I feel, all I taste, all I experience is the precious human girl beneath me.

Her beating heart sends surges of hot blood into my mouth. It’s so strong. The blood is better, infinitely better, than the thin animal blood I’ve sustained myself on. It has kept me alive, yes, but it is putrid and weak compared to this.

How have I ever resisted the call?

I feel April start to weaken. Her body goes slack. Her limbs, which were full of strength only moments ago, fall to her sides. Her heartbeat slows to a dull and ominous
thud-thud-thud.

Alarm grips me, and I realize I’ve drawn too much.

It’s the hardest thing that I’ve ever done, but I force my fangs away. I draw back from her and hold her upright.

She looks at me through drooping eyelids. “You stopped,” she says, so softly I can barely hear. A weak smile creeps onto her lips. “I knew you had it in you.”

And then her eyes close completely, as she falls into me.

“No!” I cry out. “No, April—“

Laughter greets me from behind.

I spin on my heels. That new, despicable Captain Commander of the Queen’s guard is there, his sword drawn, laughing at me.

There’s a short female vampire at his side. I cannot see her face because she has some sort of cloth sack covering it.

“So,” the Captain Commander says. “It looks like your humanity can be overcome by darkness after all. Congratulations, brother. You are now truly one of us.”

He holds his hand out for me to clasp. I look at him in disbelief.

He thinks I’d take it?

He shrugs and draws it back after a moment. April’s eyes flutter open, for a second. Hope blooms inside me—hope that despite the amount of blood she lost, she might still be able to recover.

“I was a vampire before you were made,” I tell him. “Whenever that was. Don’t insult me with your congratulations.”

The words on my tongue feel false. I have a sense of the Captain Commander’s strength. Like nearly every other vampire in The Haven, it is greater than mine.

He laughs in a mocking sort of way. “You truly think so?” he asks. He leans into me. “You don’t remember me at all, do you, boy? And why should you? But it was I who introduced your Mother to the idea of this sanctuary.” He gestures around the cavern. “All that you know, everything that you’ve grown up with… it all stems from
me
.”

My eyes narrow. “What are you talking about?”

April wavers again. I catch her under the arms. “What are you talking about?”

“
I
was one of the first vampires your Mother ever made,” he gloats. “How do you think she found me so quickly following the death of her former Captain? She and I have a history unrivalled by anybody else. We knew each other before you were even born.”

He steps closer. The thirst for more blood is pulsing through me. It’s all I can do not to sink my fangs into April again.

But through an enormous effort of self-control, I manage to keep the urge down. April’s willingness to offer herself to me, and the value she placed on Patricia’s life make me capable of it.

“I know your Mother is using you,” he continues. “I can see through the act she puts up. I’ve known her for longer than you’ve been
alive
. And because I’ve known the Queen for so many years, all the things she thinks are clouded in secrecy are to me transparent as glass.”

He stops an inch away from me. “I could be on your side. I could help you navigate through all the turmoil that is to come.”

“What turmoil?” I ask. My natural suspicions are swinging in with full force.

“You think the succession is going to be smooth?” He laughs. “I considered you more intelligent than that.”

“You don’t know who you’re talking to,” I say. “I’ve been here my whole life. Maybe you were made first, but you’re an Outsider. You don’t have a tenth of the influence you claim to possess.”

He smirks. “Is that so? Then tell me, please, how I managed to subdue this one—” he snatches the bag from the female vampire’s head, and all of her strength is suddenly revealed to me. I nearly stagger back from shock.

She is, without a doubt, the most powerful vampire I’ve ever encountered.

“—with her being so much stronger than I?”

“Oh, hello.” She smiles at me. “You must be the youngest of the Soren’s. I’ve heard plenty about you.”

I put April behind me to shield her with my body. My venom hasn’t yet sealed the wound on her neck. With her blood flowing freely, she’s at risk of being made prey by the two vampires here with us.

“Don’t worry about her,” the blonde prisoner says. She looks at the Captain Commander. “May I speak to him?”

He nods but keeps his sword in hand.

“I come from your Father’s coven,” the female explains. “Raul brought me here alongside James. I did not think you and I would meet for a long time. But I’m glad we did…even if it comes on such unexpected terms.”

“What do you mean, unexpected?”

“You’re supposed to be the one to have rejected human blood, aren’t you?” she asks. “And yet here I find you, feeding on a timid human girl.”

A growl rises from my throat. It’s the darkness inside rebelling against the insult.

“Enough,” the Captain Commander interrupts. “I’m here for you to swap places.” He leads the blonde vampire into a cell and slams the gate shut.

But there’s a certain
deference
in the way he treats her that is unlike any I would expect the Captain Commander to show a prisoner.

It’s unnerving and intriguing. Something is going on between the two of them. Both are Outsiders with uncertain loyalties.

I’m going to be careful with them both
.

The Captain Commander returns to the entrance and holds the door open for me. “Come on, then. Let’s get you out of here. Your brother is back, as you’ve heard. As is the girl. I’m sure you lot have much to discuss.”

I start for the exit. The Captain Commander suddenly raises his sword and points it at me.

“Just you,” he says. “The human stays.”

It’s a meaning of how much April’s blood has invigorated me that I make no move to obey, despite our difference in strength. “She’s coming up,” I say.

I expect a rebuttal. Even my position in the family doesn’t protect me from being subject to the hierarchy.

Yet the monster that’s slowly waking inside me is making me recklessly bold. It thirsts for blood. Even though I’m under no illusion that I could win, I still see myself attacking the Captain Commander if he decides to stay in my way.

To my surprise, he lowers the sword. “As you command,” he says considerably, “my Prince.”

Just before we leave the cavern, I notice his eyes flash to the blonde prisoner left behind us. Again, I wonder what that means.

RAUL

I walk briskly through the charred remains of the village, my guilt eating away at me for having ruined so many homes.

I try to justify my actions by telling myself this was essential to getting Eleira away. But now that we’re both back, all the destruction I’ve caused seems to be so… meaningless.

I look at her walking at my side. She’s kept her arms hugged around herself this whole journey.

But her eyes take in everything. She is as troubled by the state of the village as I am.

“Hey. You all right?” I ask.

She starts in surprise. “What? Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am.”

“You don’t look it,” I note. I hate the growing distance between us. Eleira has withdrawn more than I would have thought possible after the meeting with my Mother. She hasn’t told me what they discussed.

“Neither does the village,” she tells me. Her eyes sweep over the charred remains of the buildings. “What happened here? Where are all the humans?”

“Most are safe,” I say. “They were brought underground for their own protection, once Morgan sensed we were returning. My Mother took precautions…”

“To keep them away from me,” she interrupts. There’s a sad inflection in her voice.

“No,” I say. “Eleira—”

“Don’t lie to me!” She stops and looks right into my eyes. Hers are glowing with determination. “I know what I’ve become. I can feel it. Don’t tell me it’s not me the humans are hiding from when I know it really is.” She blinks, almost in surprise, then says, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

“I do,” I say. “It’s the darkness. I’ll help you navigate it. But you need to trust me.”

“I do trust you,” she murmurs. “And Morgan offered me the same thing.”

I look at her and ask her for clarification. “What thing?”

“To help me navigate my new… powers.” She slumps back in on herself. “But I don’t want help. I want to do it on my own.”

“You’re not on your own,” I tell her firmly. I reach across and take her hand. “Don’t you forget that. You have me.” I touch the large gemstone on her finger. “You have this. It’ll help.”

“And who will help the villagers?” she asks, her voice a shadow of its former self.

I look into her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Their homes are destroyed,” she says. “
They’re
the ones you should be concerned with, not me.”

I frown. “Eleira, you’re speaking madness. The villagers have always managed. They’ll rebuild and resume. Their lives will be back to normal in short order.”

She shakes her head. “You don’t get it, do you?” She draws her hand away. I feel the loss immediately. “They’re not people to you. They’re just… pawns. Just sources of blood for you and your kind.”

“What? That’s not true at all!” I feel a flash of anger go through me. “Why would you accuse me of something like that?”

“Because it’s the way
I
feel about them now,” she whispers. Even with my enhanced hearing, I can barely make out the words. “I’m fighting it, Raul. I’m fighting it with every bit of strength I possess. But it’s… impossible, in the face of the monster lurking within me.”

Her eyes take a desperately sad, faraway look. “I thought I would come back and help them. Instead, all I can think about is taking their blood.” She shivers. “It scares me.”

I step toward her and put an arm around her shoulders. She resists for a moment… and then melts into me.

I let her put her face into my chest as silent sobs start to rock her body.

“Hey,” I say softly. I tilt her chin up. “Hey. It’ll all be okay. We’ll get you to the castle. I’ll get you your fill of blood from the banks. Once that’s done, you’ll feel better.

She clings onto every word like a drowning woman to a life vest. “Do you promise?”

“I swear it.” I drop my lips and place a kiss on hers. “Now come on. The sooner we get you nourishment, the easier all of this will be.”

ELEIRA

Raul’s assurance takes away some of the guilt I feel as we make our way up through the silent trees toward Morgan’s castle.

Now that I’m transformed, everything about The Haven feels so much different. My eyes are no longer blind to the beauty of the place.

The evergreens are wonderful. They infuse the night air with so much life and prosperity. It’s probably from my enhanced sense of smell, but I don’t think I’ve ever breathed in air this pure before.

When I was here as a human, all I could see was horror, destruction, and death. Now, as a vampire, the night holds new meaning. The very air holds new meaning. This isn’t a graveyard or some place to be reviled.

It’s a beautiful, verdant sanctuary.

The silence is so pervasive. But at the same time, it’s amazing. That a place could house so many people and yet be so quiet astounds me…

Of course it helps when the majority of those people are locked underground.