I set out to find the portal, leery of my surroundings. Every noise that wasn’t my own propelled me forward that much faster until I finally arrived at the boulder.
It was huge and directly to the right sat a gangly-looking tree with no leaves and dried, flaking bits of bark hanging off of it. Definitely the forked tree Theodosia had spoken of.
I studied the open air between the stone and the tree. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Leaves and broken twigs decorated the ground. The stench of wet earth tickled my nose.
The sound of rustling leaves somewhere behind urged me to take the leap.
This is it.
It was now or never. Grasping the small burlap bag in my pocket, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and stepped forward.
14
Delia
Landing on the ground with a thump a moment later, my head spun as I broke out into a sweat from the heat I’d traveled through, almost like I’d gone too close to hell. Rising to my feet, I held my stomach and waited for crashing waves of nausea to subside, keeping my eyes closed tightly as I rode the storm.
Once the feeling that I was about to dry-heave passed a few minutes later, I opened my eyes to find a landscape entirely different than the one where I’d been standing seconds before.
It appeared to be daytime, though thick gray clouds littered the sky, blotting out most of the light. Wind whipped all around me, bringing with it a biting chill. I’d found myself in the middle of a city, one that could rival the likes of Manhattan. Buildings, some skyscrapers and some much smaller, lined cemented paths that seemed like they went on for miles. There was one major difference though that I could see between Velum Mortis and other urban expanses. There were no cars or buses anywhere that I could see or hear, and for the size of the city, there didn’t appear to be many creatures walking around.
Did vampires conduct business the way humans did? Did they have currency and stock markets, restaurants and shops, and apartments and houses? It was all a sight to take in and a lot to think about considering what I’d been told about them my whole life. It was the first time I realized that the vampire species was much larger and more advanced than I could ever have imagined and that my education in the supernatural had been skewed to fit the council’s goals.
Voices nearby pricked my senses and I wished I still had my sword. Surely, I’d be found out in no time. I was probably the only thing in the entire city with warm blood, and they’d be on me like a heat-seeking missile in the darkness.
No. Theodosia didn’t send you here unprotected. At the very least, she had cloaked me with magic. I had to trust that it was working as intended since I hadn’t been caught yet.
I moved forward cautiously as I took in my surroundings. Spotting what looked like a bar attached to a tall tower, I made my way there, slipped inside, and climbed the stairs, careful not to cross anyone’s path. If I couldn’t find where I needed to go from that vantage point, I didn’t know what I would do. Ask someone in the bar perhaps? But that would risk being discovered as a human before I made it to my destination. No, if I couldn’t see where I was going from the tower’s height, I would have to try and find some other clues that would lead me to where I had to go.
I looked out over the city of Velum Mortis. Peeking between buildings, I found a hill with a road winding up to the top where a large structure sat. It looked very much like a castle, easily large enough to house hundreds of people, or in this case, vampires most likely, among other creatures I didn’t particularly want to cross paths with. Since I hadn’t believed Velum Mortis to be a real place, I never bothered to study up on its inhabitants.
A place that looked that much like a castle had to be meant for royalty, and it’s where I had to go. I just hoped that those loyal to Liam sat on its throne and not the faction he thought had plotted to get rid of him.
“You don’t belong here,” a voice said, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. “Who are you and how did you get here?”
I took a deep breath and stepped forward into the light. Faced with one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen in my life, the breath caught in my throat before I could let it out. He towered over me by at least a foot. Liam had been one of the tallest men I’d ever seen, but this man surely towered over even him. His eyes, gray and like a storm brewed just below the surface, fixed on me. I’d always been attracted to clean-shaven men, but the beard he wore suited him well.
“My name is Delia,” I said. “I need help.”
The man’s nostrils flared subtly. “You’ve awakened the king?”
“Yes,” I said, dumbfounded as to how this man could possibly know that.
“I smell him on you, slayer,” he said. “Can’t smell the humanity on you. I’m guessing the witch who helped you couldn’t scrub him away.”
“I’m not… I mean, I was a slayer, but I’m not now… It’s complicated,” I said with a sigh. “How did you know?”
“I’ve seen you before.” He cocked his eyebrow, and said, “Where is he now?”
I wanted to question him and how he’d come to know who I was, but there were more important things at hand and maybe if I was lucky, there’d be plenty of time for questions later. “Well, that’s why I need help. I woke him, but he was cursed again and has fallen back into a deep sleep. I had to leave him behind to try and find someone to help me. The witch, Theodosia, was the only person I could turn to and she sent me here.”
“So… You had His Majesty, and now you don’t?”
“Yes.”
“Then nothing has changed. And I have no desire for Theodosia or her sister to come poking around here. Go back home,” he said and turned his back to me.
“Please,” I nearly shouted. “Don’t go.”
“There’s nothing I can do. They’ll conceal him again if they haven’t already. He’s not likely to wake up again. I’m sure they made certain of that this time.”
“There is something you can do… You can take me to the castle. If you can’t help me bring him back, then maybe someone else can. Lucien is who I was told to find.”
His back stiffened and his head fell back ever so slightly. “You’ll get no help there. You’d be better off bargaining with the witch who cursed the king.”
“I’m pretty sure she wants me dead,” I said. “And you don’t know that no one will help me.”
“Oh, but I do,” he said, turning back toward me. “Those in charge won’t readily give up control. They’ve gotten a taste for it now.”
“Please,” I said. “I have to try.”
“You love him?” he asked, pulling his brows together as he looked down at me.
I barely nodded, afraid of how admitting it out loud would sound. I’d barely known Liam, but there I was, putting my life on the line for him again because I couldn’t bear the thought of living in a world where he didn’t really exist anymore. What else could it be but love?
“Then I’ll take you. Just don’t get your hopes up,” he said. “Follow me.”
“What’s your name?”
“Stellan,” he replied.
I followed him down the stairs of the tower and through a side door that bypassed the bar.
He let out a whistle and a few moments later, I was met with a snarl as a beast stepped out from the shadows. The creature looked like a wolf but was almost as tall as a horse and pure evil-looking. I stood cemented in place as I took in the sight of the thing.
It laid down at Stellan’s feet as he scratched the scruff around its neck.
“Holy hell, what is that thing?” I finally mustered the courage to ask.
The beast looked at me, curling its top lip back and exposing a row of sharp teeth as it snorted in my direction.
“He’s a hellhound and doesn’t appreciate being called a ‘thing’. His name is Cyrus.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, teeth nearly chattering from fear. If at any moment my life had passed before my eyes, it had been right then as the beast snarled at me. There
was something more otherworldly about its presence than the wolves I’d met in the forest, and Liam was right. Those big ferocious werewolves seemed like cuddly little puppies compared to this creature. “Didn’t mean to be rude, Cyrus.”
Stellan climbed onto the beast’s back, and said, “Come on if you want to go to the palace.”
My hands trembled, and my heart raced so fast I thought I might have a heart attack.
I tried to move, but my feet stayed glued in place. I’d never even ridden a horse, let alone a creature that was rumored to be able to kill a human with just a look, though I had somehow managed to survive its gaze.
Stellan swung his leg back over and hopped to the ground. Taking my hand, he pulled me close to the hound’s side.
“Allow me?” he asked.
I nodded, and he slid his hands around my waist, hoisting me up onto Cyrus’s back. Stellan took his place in front of me and said, “Hold on.”
I wrapped my arms around him and clung tightly to his body as we took off fast through the city, slowing only when we got to the foot of the hill that would lead us to the castle.
“You’re sure this is what you want?” Stellan asked. “They won’t recognize you as their queen, not without him at your side.”
“I didn’t expect them to, and yes. It’s what I have to do,” I said thinking to myself that I had no other choice. It wasn’t like I had someone else to turn to. The only hope I had was that they would hear me out and not decide to have me for lunch.
“If you insist,” he said and made a clicking noise with his mouth.
Cyrus lurched forward and had us at the castle a few moments later, and it became clear as to why there were no cars in Velum Mortis. No one needed them with that kind of beast roaming around. We were met at the gate by two guards, a male and a female.
“Stellan,” the man said, bowing ever so slightly.
“Haven’t seen you in a while,” the female said. “Who’s your friend?”
“She needs to see Lucien.”
“He’s expecting her?” the woman asked, giving me a once over before looking back at Stellan.
“No, but she has news he needs to hear.”
“News of what?” the man asked.
“It’s about King William.”
The female stiffened.
“It’s urgent,” Stellan said and hopped down off Cyrus. Both guards nodded and opened the gates as Stellan helped me down. “Stay close,” he whispered to the hound.
“I’ll go with you,” the woman said. “I’m Meredith, and you are?”
“Delia.”
“What news is it you have of His Highness?”
“No,” Stellan said. “I won’t have Lucien pissed at me because you couldn’t wait five minutes to hear it with everyone else.”
“What crawled up your ass?” she asked, shooting a death glare up at him. “Oh, wait. I don’t really care. It’s always something with you. Poor little Stellan, can’t come out to play with the rest of us because he’s been punished by daddy.”
“Yeah… You’d be pissy, too, if you were me.”
“No doubt,” Meredith said with a hearty chuckle. “I don’t know how you do it. I would’ve quit a long time ago if I were you. I think it’s what he would have wanted.”
I was curious what she meant by that but doubted I’d get any answers. Stellan didn’t seem like the type to open up, and I wasn’t the type to pry into business that didn’t concern me.
After making our way through the front door and down a long corridor to what appeared to be a throne room, we waited for our host.
Meredith held a finger to her ear and nodded. “He’s been summoned. Should be here shortly.”
I took the opportunity to admire the beauty of the marble floors and various works of art and statues that decorated the place. An ornate chandelier adorned in crystals hung at the room’s center, easily drawing one’s eye to it. But as beautiful as it was, it didn’t match the opulence of the throne that sat at the far wall. A wide strip of purple carpeting led from the entryway of the room to a staircase that led up to the throne, and it spread out beneath and around the chair. The fabric of the seat and armrests was royal purple as well and it looked old, but not tattered and decayed. It was like something I’d seen in a history book, but still pristine as if time hadn’t touched it.
At first, it was just the three of us, but the room quickly began to fill with vampires. My heart raced, and I took a step a little closer to Stellan. Maybe it wasn’t smart to trust him, but he’d helped me so far, and he was my best chance at getting out of this place alive.
Faces with hypnotizing eyes studied me, voices chattering about who I was and why I was here. Every time the door slammed shut behind someone new entering the room, I jumped a little in anticipation.
“Human?” I heard someone ask.
“Doesn’t smell like one,” another responded.
“She’s a slayer. A newbie,” someone said. “I’ve seen her before.”
I began to wonder just how much surveillance the vampires had done on my hometown or maybe even me in particular. Was it possible some of them knew all along who I was in regard to their king?
“Nonsense… If she’s a slayer then I’m a fairy. They’re not that stupid to come here.”
The doors pushed open one last time and a man with a commanding presence about him, like everyone in the room should cower before him if he dared lay an eye on them, stepped through.
Each and every vampire in the place cast their eyes down as he passed by them on his way to the throne. His blonde hair was tied at his nape and the suit he wore resembled that of eighteenth-century royalty with its embroidered trim and long tail.
He settled into the chair and fixed his dark eyes on me.
“Come forward,” he said.
I did as I was told and moved to the bottom of the steps.
“You as well, Stellan.”
I was happy to have the company.
He peered at Stellan long and hard for an uncomfortable amount of time before speaking again. “Why have you brought her here? Did you mean for us to make a meal of her? Though her scent has been altered, I can smell the humanity oozing from her.”
“My lord… She has news regarding the king.”
“King?” he said, scoffing. “He’s been lost to us these past twenty years. As far as I can tell, we’ve done quite well in his absence, if I do say so myself. You think I didn’t realize the date had come when he was supposed to be awakened? I assume she’s the one. His essence also pollutes her scent.”
“I know you knew it was time. We all did.”
“And I did nothing to bring him home. Why do you think that is?”
“Because you believe you’re a better ruler.”
“Precisely. William had a vision for our future that could never be attained or sustained. He was too ambitious, too eager to change our ways. Peace between the species was nothing more than a pipe dream.”
“I don’t care one way or the other who is better at ruling or whose vision is better for our people, but the throne belongs to him still, and I swore an oath to protect him.”
“Yes, and we all know how spectacularly well you performed that duty,” he said with a snobbish laugh. “He forfeited the throne when he left.”
“He forfeited nothing, and he didn’t leave us of his own free will. He was lured out and cursed.”
Turning his gaze toward me, he asked, “Why are you here?”
“He’s been cursed again,” I replied. “I believe the other slayers have taken him, but with some assistance I believe we could retrieve him.”
“Haven’t you been listening?”
“I have.”
“Then you disregard everything I have said?”
“With all due respect, sir. Yes. I reject it. I would be a pile of ashes right now if it weren’t for Liam. I can’t stand by and do nothing.”
“Liam?” he asked, drawing his brows together. “You refer to our
king so casually… Such a familiarity built between the two of you so quickly?”
“Yes. I love him, as he does me,” I said, trying to be as confident and convincing as I could muster.
“Just because you woke him doesn’t mean a damn thing to me or most of the vampires in this room.”
“It should matter,” I said boldly. Now wasn’t the time to back down. Either he’d help, or he wouldn’t, just like he would either kill me, or he wouldn’t. Showing weakness wouldn’t help in either case. “I’m your queen.”
Lucien burst out into a fit of laughter with others in the crowd joining in, but what I found the most interesting weren’t the vampires who were laughing along with him, but the ones who weren’t. There were many of them, many more than I’d expected. Maybe there was still hope.
“You are nothing and certainly not my queen, though I dare say I have a vacancy you might be willing to fill since you so desperately want to rule over my brothers and sisters in blood.”
“Absolutely not. I won’t sit at your side.”
“I don’t really want you at my side, if I’m being honest. I want you in my bed. Lay with me and I’ll consider helping you.”
“I’d rather die.” The thought of it turned my stomach. I wouldn’t betray Liam that way, even if it meant I could save him.
“Well, that could be arranged.”
“Will you assist or no?” Stellan hissed.
Lucien tapped his chin with a long bony finger and leaned forward. “Tell you what, my brother, I’ll call a meeting of the council. She will appear there tonight, as will you, and plead her case. We’ll put it to a vote. Whatever is decided will be final.”
“Thank you,” Stellan said and led me out of the great room.
Beyond the Veil (Vampires of Velum Mortis Book 1) Page 11