by Elle Jasper
Jake Andorra? Why would he be here? I’ve never even met the guy. I only stayed at his house in Charleston when we fought Valerian’s vampire fight clubs a little while back. I lay my palm against my forehead. “This can’t be happening.”
“There’s more.”
With my hand still fused to my head, I look at him. A bad feeling pits my stomach. “What? What else can there be? Where’s my brother?”
Eli edges closer. “Seth is safe. He’s at home with my mother and sister. Listen, Riley. Look at me.” I do. “In order to balance the strigoi DNA in your system, Julian had to inject his venom. It was the only way to give you control over Valerian’s urges.”
I blink. “How did Julian…inject his venom?”
Rising from the bed, Eli walks to the fireless hearth. He runs his hand over the back of his neck. “The same way I did.”
The moment the words are out of his mouth, I freeze. My insides grow numb, and mindlessly, my hand reaches for my throat. No freaking wonder it’s so sore. “You bit me, Eli?” I ask. Shock beats through me. Confusion makes my head spin.
In the next breath, he stands beside me, and he lifts my chin, forcing me to look at him. His gaze, harsh and desperate at the same time, may have at one time scared me. “It was the only way,” he says, his voice low, unsteady, as though he were about to totally lose it. “I couldn’t stand the thought of all those Arcoses binding with your DNA.” He drops his hands from my face, squeezes his eyes shut, lowers his head, and gathers his control. When he lifts his head, and those blue eyes stare into mine, I can plainly see he has gained it again. “I wanted you to have my DNA, Riley. Dupré. Not just Arcos.” His French accent thickens with his last words.
A mixture of emotions crowd me at once, and I slowly stand. Part of me—a big part—understands Eli’s actions. He didn’t want three powerful and deadly strigois’ DNA binding with mine. I get it. But the other part of me is pissed off. I know I was incapacitated, unable to make rational decisions. I know that. But still. Somehow, I feel…violated. Like I am nothing more than a beat-up doll thrown into the midst of four vampires who all take turns at me. Each trying to claim me. Well, I’m not anyone’s bitch. I’m not available to be claimed. “What part of me left is actually me, Eli?” I ask, and I look at him. “Any of it?” I thump my chest. “Is there anything left of Riley Poe inside? Or am I just some fucked-up mutated human with vampire tendencies?” Anxiety and irritation claw at me. I pace. The need to run takes over. Eli senses it.
“Riley,” he says, stilling me with one hand against my shoulder. “Stop.”
“No!” I reply. I’m angry. Hurt. Confused. “I need to talk to Seth. To Nyx. I…gotta be alone for a while, Eli. Think things through.”
“Non.”
I meet his look with silence. “Don’t follow me. You know I will outrun you.”
Eli’s eyes are hard, face determined. His grip tightens around my forearm. “Don’t do this, Riley. You’re not in Savannah.”
I give Eli one last look that hopefully conveys the message that I need to be alone. After several seconds, his hand drops from me. I turn, search the floor for shoes that look like mine, find a pair of worn brown hikers and pull them onto my bare feet. I head for the door in a house unfamiliar to me, and run.
Far into the wood I go, beneath a misty canopy of tall aged trees and atop thick bracken. Twice I look over my shoulder. Eli hasn’t followed. Finally, I slow to a trot, then, I walk.
For the first time, I notice what I’m wearing: jeans, a tank covered by a long-sleeved button-up shirt. I’m hardly ever cold anymore, but Romania seems a little different from home. I notice a biting cold wind whipping through the trees. It rustles an array of various colors above me. Some fall to the ground. Is it October? November? I don’t even know anymore. So consumed am I with the new knowledge of just what I have become, I barely notice my unique surroundings. The cold. The leaves. I don’t care.
“You’re deep in the Carpathians, love,” Victorian’s voice pushes through my mind. “My home.”
I quickly look around, my gaze darting through the brush, along the beaten path through the bracken. No sign of Vic. “Yeah, I can see that,” I say. “Did you help bring me here?”
He sighs. “Yes. ‘Twas for your own good, I’m afraid. Like I said in Atlanta—my father is the only one strong enough to overpower Valerian’s forces growing inside of you. Had he not intervened, you would have surely turned. Already you were experiencing a fierce quickening, Riley Poe. You nearly ripped the jet apart. Dupré had a difficult time containing you.”
“I hope so,” I answer, and continue to walk. Past a large boulder, with several scattered rocks beside it, I meander along a path well worn by others before me. “Where are you?”
“Here.”
Startled, I jerk my head behind me. Victorian Arcos steps from behind an aged fir tree. I don’t know why, but for some reason, the sight of him comforts me. Yeah, it bothers me that I feel that way—that I ran from Eli, but am comforted by the sight of Victorian. I can’t explain, so I won’t even try. Not even to myself. Not now.
“Hey,” I say, and move toward him.
He gives a slight nod. “It’s good to see you…sane.” He smiles.
I give a slight chuckle. “Not so sure about that, Vic.” I look at him. “You following me?”
His smile lingers. “Of course.” He cocks his head and studies me. “How are you feeling?”
Turning, I shrug and begin to wander down the path. Something, and I don’t know what, warned me not to tell Victorian about the newly added Dupré ingredient to my DNA. “How would you feel?” I respond.
With a long stare, he finally nods. “So right, so right. My father…he can be quite, well, abrupt.”
“Hmm,” I say, and continue on. “I can hardly wait to meet him.”
In the next natural blink of my eyes, Victorian closes the distance between us and rounds on me. His hand on my shoulder stills me. “I would have never let him harm you,” he says, determination tightening his words. “Never.”
As I look into his unusual chocolate eyes, I see it. “I know that.”
With a single nod, he turns me loose. We continue on in silence.
After a while, the dense wood thins, and a small, ancient-looking village lies ahead in the mist.
“The belfry at the citadel has the most stunning view of all Transylvania over the village and back up to Castle Arcos. Would you like to see?”
Sliding Victorian a gaze, I smile. Then I laugh. “Are you freaking kidding me?”
Victorian stares, confusion making his eyes question.
“We’re in Transylvania. A family of vampires?” I encourage.
Victorian grins.
“And you’re my tour guide now?” I say.
If a vampire could blush, it’d be Victorian Arcos who could pull it off. He smiles. “Of course. And, of course.”
Now that I take a closer look at everything around me—the ancient medieval village, the cobbled streets, the colorful buildings, the old-as-dirt-church and the castle? It totally reminds me of a scene out of Van Helsing. Any minute I expect Drac’s brides to come flying over the belfry to swoop down and nab some dinner from a hapless villager.
“We never feed from our own villagers,” Victorian offers.
I snap my head toward him. “I thought you couldn’t hear my thoughts.”
He blinks, stares at me, and smiles. “Well, I just heard you clear as a bell. It must be your new metabolic changes that have given me the communication back. Sweet.”
“Sweet?” I ask at his use of modern slang. Then I chuckle. Vic makes me laugh.
Just then, the bell in the church tower tolls. It sounds positively spooky.
As we descend from the forest and onto the path leading into the village, I notice my surroundings. Breathtaking hardly describes them.
“It’s true,” Victorian offers. “Our land is second to no other.” With an elegant sweep of his arm, he describe
s the view. “We’re surrounded on three sides by the Carpathians,” he says in his unique accent, and as I look, I see it’s true. Rigid pikes, most with snowcaps, form an almost complete circle in the distance. “Reminds me a little of the Rockies,” I answer. When I notice Victorian looking at me, I explain. “Big ink conference in Denver.”
“Well, very much like your Rockies, there are large animals in the wood,” he says. “You need to take caution, Riley, when taking off alone.”
“What kind of animals?” I ask.
“Bear. Lynx”—he meets my gaze—“wolf.”
“Warning heeded,” I respond. Suddenly, my brother crosses my mind. Then I look at him. “I need a pay phone.”
Victorian immediately withdraws a mobile phone from his pocket. As we walk toward the church, he punches in a few numbers, then hands me the cell and guides me to sit on a little stone bench facing the cobbled streets. “Just dial your area code and number. I’ll be right back.”
I don’t even think. I grab the phone and dial Seth’s cell. It rings three times before my brother answers.
“Hello?” Seth says.
A whoosh of relief rushes through me at hearing his voice. “Hey, bro. It’s Ri.”
After a moment of silence, he answers. “Riley?”
I smile. “Yeah. How ya doin’, squirt?”
“Riley!” he says excitedly. “I miss you! How—what’s going on? Are you okay?”
I laugh at the excitement in my brother’s voice. I feel like I’m smiling on the inside. “God, I miss you, little brother. Yes, I’m okay. A little weird, but okay.”
“Weirder than before?” he jokes.
“A lot more,” I answer. “How’s Nyx—”
“What do you mean, a lot more?” he asks. Worry now laces his words.
“It’s nothing, Seth,” I say, not wanting to stress out my fifteen-year-old worrywart brother. “Nothing I can’t handle. Seriously.”
“I miss you, Ri,” he says, and for a second, sounds like my old baby brother. Before vampires. “When ya comin’ home?”
“I’m not sure, but soon,” I say. “Nyx?”
“She’s fine,” he answers. “Luc pretty much stays at the shop with her during the day.”
“Good. What else is going on?” I ask.
“It’s…been busy,” he answers. “A lot of activity between here and Charleston. Valerian’s gang has been on the move. We’ve managed to intercept several kills. They’re random and unorganized, almost as if some of the newlings have split from Valerian. Noah’s guys have been here twice. We’ve been there three times and headed back tonight.”
If Noah’s little clan of humans with tendencies have been helping Seth and the others, then Valerian must be out of control.
“How’s Preach and Estelle?” I ask.
“Well,” he sighs, then continues. “Ever since the Gullah killing, things have been tense. I repapered the entire upstairs of Preacher and Estelle’s apartment, and just started on the kitchen. Fresh coat of haint blue on the door and ceiling. And Estelle’s been making some stuff that stinks like crazy.”
Haint blue paint is a Gullah belief; they use it on doors and ceilings to keep the bad spirits out. Estelle is a superb brewer of root potions, but they stink like hell. And work like hell, too.
I close my eyes briefly. “The killing. Tell me.”
“Eli didn’t tell you?”
I sigh. “I didn’t give him a chance. I ran out as soon as I woke up.”
“Woke up from what?” he pushes.
I give up. My baby brother deserved to know. “I had two quickenings to get through. They’re all done now, so no worries. Got it?”
“Two?” he asks.
“Yeah. Another Arcos. And a Dupré. I’ll explain that one later, so don’t ask.”
“Did they hurt you, Ri?” he says solemnly.
“No, Seth. I’m fine. Honest.” I see Victorian heading toward me with something in his hand. “About the killing?”
“It’s been kept quiet, but I overheard Mrs. D. talking to Mr. D. on the phone about it. We didn’t know her, but she was one of the nieces. Seventeen years old. Preacher knows it wasn’t the Duprés. Feels sure it wasn’t you either, Riley. The attacks haven’t stopped though. Seems like someone turns up dead every day, no matter that we run the streets each night. It’s almost like the ones we’ve saved haven’t mattered.”
“They’ve mattered, bro. Every single one matters. And Seth, you guys have to check on Bhing,” I say. “I think she was attacked. She could be in the quickening.”
“Okay. I’ll see about it.”
Victorian hands me something wrapped in a thick brown paper. “I’ve gotta go, bro. I love you. Be home soon. And stay safe, okay?”
“I will, and I love you, Ri,” he answers. “Be careful. And don’t fully put your trust in Victorian. I know he’s there, and that he has helped you. But, I don’t know. Something about him. I’m not sure I like it.”
I smile. “Okay, okay. Got it. Watch your back. And I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
The click on the line lets me know my little brother has ended the call. I give Vic back his cell.
“Is all well there?” he asks, then sits beside me.
I shrug and peek inside the paper. A fried dough pie of sorts, and it smells like pot roast inside. “Well, my brother’s okay.” I lift the pie to my nose and sniff, then look at Vic. “But there’s a lot of shit going on. Your brother is on a rampage and doesn’t seem to have his army under control.” My teeth sink into the meat pie, and the moment the spicy flavors hit my tongue, my stomach growls in answer. I had no idea how long it’d been since I’d eaten anything. Normal people food, that is.
Victorian’s chocolate brown eyes stay locked on me. “Yes, it’s a bad situation there. My brother”—he looks away—“is out of control.” He stares off, toward the jagged mountains. “Despite my father’s crassness, he is still very much a believer in following the codes of vampires.” He looks at me then, eyes hardened. “If caught, Valerian will suffer in ways you can’t fathom.”
I continue eating, almost to the point of cramming larger bites into my mouth to feed my starving stomach.
“Good, yes?” Vic asks. He nods in the direction he walked from. “Best baker within a hundred miles.”
I nod in agreement, thinking he has to be right, and continue devouring. As I chew, I glance out over the small village, and the people moving about the cobbled streets. An old woman—red scarf tied over her hair, a brown dress and brightly colored apron tied over the front, and a woolen sweater, with sturdy, shin-high black boots—hustles across the street with surprising agility. As she passes us, she glances first at me, then at Victorian, and then mumbles under her breath.
“May God walk with me through this dark place, to my house of prayer,” she says, quietly but audible. Then she moves fast into the little church and disappears behind a thick wooden door that looks as though it has been around since King Arthur.
“Do many people here speak English?” I ask, and finish my pie.
“She wasn’t speaking English.”
I swallow and wipe my mouth. “What was she speaking then?”
Victorian grins. “Romanian. Seems like you’ve picked up a little trait from my father.”
“Great,” I answer. “Can’t wait to see what else pops up.” I stand and look around. “All right, Vic. I’m gonna head out.” I give him a quick look. “I need a little time alone.”
“Wait,” Victorian says, and leans close. He lays a hand against my shoulder. “There’s something else I should warn you about.”
I give him a skeptical look. “What else could there be? That I now have three powerful strigoi bloodlines converging with my own? Yes, I know. Yes, I’ll be careful—”
“You may experience things,” Victorian says, ignoring my rant. “Out-of-body type of things. You will see more than just through another’s eyes,” he says seriously. “You’ll actuall
y be there. Or so it will seem.”
My mind doesn’t grasp this at once. “You mean…like becoming two people? Me and someone else?”
He shakes his head. “No. Almost like…converging with another’s soul. You’ll be inside of them, hearing, seeing, feeling everything that they do. Only they won’t know you’re there.”
I rub first my eyes, then my forehead. “That’s…sick. Any way I can avoid it?”
A small smile tips the corner of Victorian’s mouth. “Hardly. But you can learn, over time, how to control it. You’ll have to. Because although the soul and body you’re visiting can’t hear or see you, they feel your emotions. Whatever you experience, they experience.” He shrugs. “If you’re frightened, they’re frightened. Heart rate speeds up, breathlessness, adrenaline.”
I shake my head. “Why?”
Again, he smiles, and it’s more of a regretful type of smile than anything else. “Because it’s what the strongest of the strigoi are capable of. They do it on purpose to gain control of their victims.”
I think on that for a moment, and then look at Victorian. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
He nods. “I will see you later, love. Be careful. And watch for the bears and wolves.”
The feeling that I need to heed way more than Romanian carnivores strikes me full force as I take off at a slight jog along the path out of the village.
I run toward the ridgeline of the Carpathians in a hurry.
To what end? I have no freaking idea.
Part Six
NEWBLOOD
I thought Miles was bullshitting me when he told me about Riley Poe. Damn if he wasn’t right. I’m not sure I’ve ever met as strong a woman—human or otherwise—like her. Good thing, too, since most experienced humans with tendencies would have a hard fucking time handling three strigoi bloodlines. Bad thing, though, is she has no idea what’s coming. Eli says she can handle it. Noah Miles swears I’ll enjoy watching her handle it. Little does Riley Poe know that she’s about to merge more into my world than she ever dreamed. I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t looking forward to it.