“Yes, m’lord.” Rau accepted his duties with a bow, and led the others out.
Our remaining trio lapsed into silence.
Hours passed.
Not for one instant did the motion outside ever cease.
The moon peaked, then began to bow it’s head.
Still the voracious masses huddled over Vinx’s fallen from.
Night gave way to dawn. The sky brightened to a brilliant lavender. While Natalie propped her phone up and zonked out in a wing-backed chair, Vlad and I stood statue still and waited. In the distance, the first gleam of dawn brightened the horizon.
“They’ll have no choice but to stop soon, or they’ll all be fried to a crisp.” My chin jerked toward the rising sun.
Vlad peered down at his own hand, turning it over in the light as he considered the unthinkable. “Or… not.”
That terrifying epiphany tightened around my heart in a fist of icy fear. “Her blood… they’ll all be day walkers.”
“If each individual has been able to consume enough.” Squaring his soldiers, Vlad’s jaw tensed.
Natalie woke with a jerk, wide eyes scanning the room. “What did I miss?”
“The possibility that the rules just changed.” I forced the words through tightly clenched teeth. “And we are about to find out if that’s true.”
Natalie’s chair squeaked as she joined us at the window.
The world slowed.
The first gleam of morning sun cut across the lawn.
The mass of vampires recoiled out of habit… then a wave of realization washed over them.
Their hunched postures straightened.
Hands stretched toward the rays of sunny warmth.
“Oh fuck.” Seizing Vlad’s forearm, I moved toward the door. “We need to go. The others may have set up camp thinking it’s safe. We have to warm them.”
Vlad’s cold hand clamped down on mine. His eyes bulging in disbelief. “Carter, look…”
In the center of the celebrating throng, Vinx rose to her feet.
Her clothes had been ripped away.
Every inch of her was bathed in blood.
In tribute to she who returned the sunlight to their lives, every vampire took a knee before her. She didn’t waver. Didn’t falter. But stood proud and strong before them. Head thrown back, she screamed a mighty battle cry to the sun, marking her victory.
Chapter Twelve
Vinx
Leaves crunched under my bare feet. The kneeling crowd scooted back, allowing me to pass between them. Not one met my eye, but kept their heads bowed as they offered up quiet prayers. Chills shuddered through me that had nothing to do with the brisk morning breeze. I guessed it to be shock, though the word seemed weak in comparison.
Head swiveling in one direction then the other, I tried to piece together what happened. How was I alive and moving? A motion in the distance snapped my attention to the manor. Vlad burst out of the same patio door I dropped Carter at. Fangs bared, he charged through the crowd straight for me. I watched him come with detached interest, finding his sense of urgency odd. The world had slowed down hours ago. Didn’t he know that?
Skidding to a stop in front of me, he caught my wrists and turned my arms over to inspect them. This way, then that, and back again. Mouth opening and shutting, his forehead crinkled into a deep V. “You don’t have a mark on you. How is that possible?”
“I’m a science experiment.” My voice sounded odd to my own ears, a haunting echo ringing down a long tunnel. “I heal fast.”
“No one could heal from that this fast.” Cradling my face in his palms, he wiped a bit of grime away with his thumbs. “I thought they ripped you to pieces. Had I known you were alive and suffering, I would have faced the entire horde to save you.”
“You would have died. The Dragon saved me. He told me…” Blinking hard, I tried to make my muddled mind focus. “I can’t remember now. It’s been a really weird day.”
Vlad unbuttoned the first four buttons of his shirt and tugged it over his head. Looping the collar around my neck, he guided my limp arms into the sleeves. “No truer words have ever been spoken.” He wrapped a protective arm around my shoulders, and pulled me tight to his side. “Let’s get you out of here before the novelty of sunbathing wears off and they get hungry again.”
Peering up at his painfully handsome face, I shook my head. “They won’t hurt anyone again.”
“Yes, I’m sure seeing the sun has been next to godliness for them. That doesn’t change what they are.”
Pulling up short, my hand rested gently on the taut muscles of Vlad’s arm to halt him. “But it does. It changes everything.” I pressed my index finger to my lips. “Listen.”
In the silence that followed, he heard it. Thousands of beating hearts drummed a beautiful symphony around us. Long-stilled muscles pumped with life once more. I knew it was because of me, some special something in my blood. But I couldn’t begin to explain how or why. Science blended with magic in the anomaly that was me.
Eyes widening, Vlad stumbled back. When his eyes met mine once more, it was with blatant awe. “You… brought them back to life?”
“I’m a science experiment,” I reiterated with a shrug.
Seated at the head of the dining room table with Batdog in my lap, I turned the mug reading #backthefang back and forth between my palms. Two days had passed since the attack on Lockwood, yet somehow it seemed the pause button had been hit on my life when the first vampire sank their fangs into me.
I had showered multiple times under scorching hot water.
Scoured my skin to an angry pink.
Still, I felt my body was no longer my own.
Everything I was, everything within me, belonged to my people now.
Not that they weren’t appreciative. The original campers emerged from the tunnels to find the number of my followers had grown by the thousands. Now, an entire colony of humans and vampires alike lived together on the Lockwood grounds in celebration of the life and hope I offered them. All while I sat there draped in a shawl and sipping warmed cow’s blood. Surreal didn’t even begin to explain it.
In the midst of it all I hadn’t heard one word from the Dragon. Not since that day on the knoll. I still felt his power surging within me, yet the menacing timbre that once accompanied it had grown silent. How odd that I had come to think of him as a friend, and actually missed him.
“Madam Draculesti?” The voice of the woman sitting opposite me snapped me from my reverie.
“Hmm?” I managed, eyebrows raised in question.
Hovering protectively behind me, Vlad placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “The representative from the department of defense asked you a question, my Queen, regarding the vampires you brought back to life.”
“I heard her.” I brought the mug to my lips and treated myself to another sip. “She asked me if I knew how I healed those vampires. Which is an incredibly false statement. I didn’t heal them. That would imply they suffered from an affliction.”
Dressed in a pristine black pant suit, the woman—who introduced herself as Defense Secretary Anita Harrington—shifted in her seat. The man next to her was a building. I had to assume his only role there was as muscle. They trusted me enough to ask for a favor, but not enough to come unarmed.
“I never meant to imply as such.” Harrington cleared her throat, her hands neatly folded on the table. “That said, you gave all of those people a second chance at life. That is truly remarkable. The government sent me here to celebrate that miracle with you, and inquire as to how this happened? Is there a science we could use to offer this same opportunity to more of the Nosferatu population?”
Setting down my mug, I carefully positioned it so she could read the inscription on the side. “The science is me. I don’t know how or why, but it was my blood that healed them. T
hat particular anomaly never happened before that day. Carter Westerly and my husband,” I placed my hand over Vlad’s, “both drank my blood prior to that and both are still vampires. So, I suppose if you truly wanted to unlock that mystery you would need to lock me in a lab somewhere and do experiments until you found the key. Is that what you’re after?”
Vlad let a threatening rumble escape his tightly locked jaws.
While all color drained from her features, Harrington maintained eye contact. I might not approve of what brought the woman to my door, but I did admire her moxie. “No one has any intention of turning you into any kind of guinea pig, I assure you. However, the government is willing to expunge any and all charges against you if you were to return life to more of the vampiric society as you did for those other individuals.”
As I let her words hang in the air between us, I scratched the top of Batdog’s head. “You are offering to clear my record if I wipe out the entire Nosferatu population? I get special treatment for eradicating an entire culture you deem unfavorable?”
Harrington’s nostrils flared, a fire building behind her eyes. Yeah, I definitely liked her. “With everything going on in our world right now, you can’t fault humans for being uneasy. There’s a war brewing and we find ourselves at the bottom of the food chain. At this point, we are considering all options in hopes of ensuring our survival.”
“And this is what you came up with?” Hovering right outside of the door, Natalie picked that moment to intervene. “The world has been watching my broadcasts. The fact that Dorian Gray is a threat is public knowledge. Yet, you suggest eliminating the beings strong enough to actually fight against him? You have this completely wrong! You should be asking the Nosferatu population to turn the army, navy, and marines! Build an army of the undead to fight the undead! Believe me, after everything I’ve seen I’ve been begging to be turned!”
“And refused because we need a human voice speaking on our behalf,” I finished, taking a line from a conversation she and I had no less than a hundred times over the last two days.
Lips pursed into a thin, white line, Natalie held up a finger to bitterly acknowledge the point. “Which I understand. But it doesn’t change the fact that Dorian has an army, and we would do well to build one of our own. You may choose to ignore it, Representative Harrington, but an attack is coming. Right now, Vincenza has what Dorian wants more than anything else… the world’s attention.”
Harrington’s security guard rolled his eyes, earning an elbow from his boss. “I appreciate your concern, truly I do. However, it’s my job to eliminate immediate threats whenever and wherever I can. I have watched all the footage, and do believe vampires are being drugged and turned into weapons. That being the case, restoring their mortality would eradicate that issue.”
After another sip from my mug, I dragged the tip of my tongue over my crimson-coated lips. “I will only turn those who desire this for themselves. It must be of their choosing. In exchange, I want our NPI Bill immediately passed into law.” I watched her bristle and wasn’t the least bit surprised. “Those that remain Nosferatu will have equal rights, or we have nothing further to discuss.”
Harrington glanced to her own hands, as if hoping the most diplomatic response would suddenly appear scribbled onto her palm. “In light of everything that has happened, I’m not sure I can make such a lofty promise.”
Taking a seat in the chair beside me, Vlad crossed one ankle over the opposite knee. “Come now, it couldn’t be that difficult. You said it yourself that you believe our kind are being poisoned and killed. If that prediction is a reality, and Vincenza agrees to turn those who wish to be, when all is said and done, the majority of the vampire population will be human… or dead.”
Keeping her face whitewashed of emotion, Harrington’s brows betrayed her by hitching ever so slightly in interest. “I suppose that’s true. I’ll take this matter before the President and get you a response as quickly as I can.” Scooting her chair back from the table, she extended her hand to me. “I thank you for your time, Madame Draculesti. We will prepare a public campaign to ensure all Nosferatu know of what you offer them and construct a way to adequately handle the rush of interested parties.”
Closing my hand around hers, I squeezed just enough to make her feel a slight bite of pain. “Of course. Because why would anyone want to voluntarily be a deadly predator?”
Our stares were locked in mutual challenge when Carter burst in from the kitchen, trailed by the two remaining triplets. “Grab your phones! Click on any app, now!”
The manor came alive with a buzz of activity. Micah and Finn jogged up behind Natalie, with Mic’s pointing to the screen of her phone. “Are you seeing this?”
Palming the remote that was resting on the walnut bookshelf, Thomas clicked on the flat screen mounted to the wall. “It’s broadcasting everywhere. He’s pirated all communications.”
I didn’t have to ask who. I knew even before Dorian Gray’s face flickered into focus.
To no one’s surprise, it was my name on his lips. “I have heard Vincenza Larow-Draculesti’s claims that I am behind the drugging of vampires. That it was at my bequest that an army of undead attacked the cozy little sanctuary she has built with her brethren in Connecticut. She… is absolutely correct in every one of these claims.”
Harrington sucked in a shocked gasp, hand fluttering to her mouth.
“Yes, my friends, it’s all absolutely true. I admit to it all.” Folding his hands in front of him, a sinister smile coiled at the corners of Dorian’s lips. “More to the point, I’m delighted to see what exactly you plan to do about it. Because, dear viewers, I am as old as Vlad Draculesti himself. But unlike my old friend—who decided to sleep a few centuries away—I have been busy integrating my money, power, and position into many of the institutions and securities you blanket yourself in. I have funded your prisons. Backed your banks. Sponsored your broadcasts. Bought majority shares of countless corporations. I could go on and on. That, however, will not be necessary. You will soon see the magnitude of my reach. As of this moment, all assets have been frozen across the country. Shipments of any kind have been halted. What is on the shelves in stores is all there is. The money on your person is all you have. The playing field has been leveled, now it comes down to survival. Lock your doors. Bolt your windows. You think vampires are the real monsters? Watch what your own kind is capable of in their darkest hour.” Throwing his arms out wide, Dorian’s face brightened with malicious glee. “Welcome to the end of days! The final match has been thrown, and the world is about to ignite in a blaze that will consume us all.”
Without another word, the feed cut out and the screen went black.
Micah tried her phone.
Thomas attempted to flip channels.
Both looked up wearing the same mask of anxious trepidation.
“He’s cut all forms of communication,” I uttered, voicing the reality it didn’t take long to deduce. “This is what he wanted all along, and we played right into his hands. In the rise of panic, people will turn on each other and the streets will run red with blood. In the midst of the chaos, Dorian Gray will have his war.”
Chapter Thirteen
Vinx
“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! This is the Hartford Police Department, we have barricaded ourselves inside of the building after an army of vampires surrounded us. There are thousands of them. Send the army! Drop bombs! Hell, send Chuck Norris! Just get us out of here!”
Static crackled as Finn switched frequencies.
“Please, if anyone can hear us, this is the Westover Air Reserve. We’ve been attacked by countless undead. Men and women have fallen. Those of us that remain have taken cover, but they have us surrounded. They have taken possession of the weapons and machinery. We’re at their mercy. Help us… or pray for us.”
Yet another channel on the CB radio.
“We sh
ould be out there, helping people. But the vampires seem to be targeting police stations and military bases. Anyone that could defend the human population is under attack. I don’t know if I’ll make it out of here alive. If not, please, someone tell my wife, Shelby Winstrom, that I love her. God save us all.”
Pacing the length of the room, I combed both hands through my hair. “Turn it off.”
A click and those panicked voices faded away.
Arms folded across his chest, Vlad stared at the dining room table as if a blueprint of the battle had been burned into the wood. “How many of the magi traveled here with us?”
“A dozen, my lord,” Elodie stated, her hands clasped behind her back.
“And how many able-bodied vampires do we have ready to fight?”
“Vampires?” Pushing off the wall, Natalie’s face reddened. “Have you not been paying attention to what’s happening here? You have humans and vampires alike lining up to fight for your cause!”
“Did she really just interrupt the father of all vampires to make this a debate of species?” Thomas snorted in disbelief.
“Yes, the hell I did.” Natalie’s professionalism went out the window, her voice cranking up a few octaves. “Believe it or not, you’re not the only ones that want in on this!”
“But we’re the only ones that can survive it!” Finn countered.
“Not if we work together! You’ve seen the number of followers she has. They’re right outside that door. You’re ignoring an entire army!”
Finn slammed his palm onto the tabletop. “Of bodies we would have to step over on our way to the front line! We want to save these people, not slaughter them!”
“She has a point. If led by a magi, they could be useful.”
Thomas cast a sideways glare in his sister’s direction. “Really, Elodie? I thought you had more sense than that.”
“Enough!” My roar echoed through the manor, silencing everything and everyone. The haze of red crept into the edges of my vision, my fingernails stretching into talons. I didn’t need a mirror to know the attributes of the Dragon had taken over. The wide eyes gaping my way clued me in on that fun fact. All looked at me with fear—except for Vlad. His pupils dilated to black pits of danger… or desire. Dropping fang, he let his monster flag fly right alongside mine. “We know this is happening in the New England area. We can only assume it’s nationwide. Right now, we can’t match Dorian’s numbers.”
The Veiled Series Collection Page 47