Dark Secrets Box Set

by Angela M Hudson

  “But—”

  “No buts.” He led me to the stairs, leaving Jason behind. “Your head has been filled with enough misinterpretations of that damn scroll, and I’ve had it! This all needs to stop.”

  We reached the library again and Arthur blew out the lantern.

  “Why don’t you just tell me what your interpretation is, then?” I stopped and spun to face him. “If you seem to know so much.”

  “Because my notes on the prophecy are at Elysium.”

  “Bull shi—that’s a lie, Arthur!” I challenged. “There’s no way you’d come here and not bring those notes, or at least have them committed to memory. So what are you hiding?”

  “I have nothing to hide.”

  As Jason came up the stairs, he unrolled a page and held it up to the light. “Uncle Arthur, she needs to see the truth.”

  Arthur gazed at it, then at me, and stepped back. “Go ahead then. Read that last line to her, and you will see why I asked you to stay out of it.”

  Jase frowned at his uncle, clearly trying to read his motive. “It says, If the child is conceived, all shall be restored to what it once was. And that’s where the scroll ends,” Jason said, rolling it back up. “That’s the part that’s been torn off.”

  “All will be restored?” I said it over in my head, thinking about it all. “Is that what Morg interprets to mean my child can free the Immortal Damned—restore them, make them human again?”

  Arthur kept his eyes on Jason as he said, “Yes.”

  “But… that’s…”

  “Ridiculous,” Jason said.

  “Abstract,” Arthur added.

  “So…” My eyes watered as they brushed over Arthur’s frown. “Is there even any hope of freeing the Damned?”

  He sniffed and glared at Jason. “She needed that hope. This is exactly why I didn’t want you meddling in this!”

  My teary gaze followed Arthur out of the room then landed on Jason. “What does he mean?”

  “He doesn’t know what he means, Ara. Look, I just wanted you to see that these scrolls can be interpreted any way you want them to be.” He walked over and closed the hatch in the floor. “I actually believe in the hope for the Immortal Damned, but I think it’s in you, not your child.”

  I swiped a few fat, lukewarm tears from my cheeks. “Really?”

  “Yeah. That power of yours is said to start hearts, right?”

  I nodded.

  “I think it may be the key.”

  “You really think it could be that simple?”

  “The trickiest problems usually have the most basic solution.” He grinned, pressing the translated pages into my palm. “Forget this prophecy, Ara. Forget the child. Hell, even forget going after Drake. That’s not what matters to you. I think we need to spend more time examining your powers from a scientific point of view and find a way for you to free those kids.”

  “Scientific point of view?”

  “Yeah, you’re all energy and light. It should be studied, not forced. Maybe we should reopen the laboratory in the west wing. Could even give Arthur a place to make his herbal potions again and—”

  “Hang on. We have a lab?”

  “It’s been shut down for two hundred years, so I’m not sure we can call it a lab, really, and the space is a bit dusty—”

  “Why don’t we just build a new one; make it like Drake’s New York labs?”

  “Really?” Jason’s smile spread like the first light of day. “You’d really let us set up a new lab—here? At Loslilian? A real lab?”

  “Yeah.” I shrugged. “Maybe you could even research more ways to kill vampires.”

  “Ara.” He grabbed my shoulder, looking at the ground. “That would be a dream come true. I”—he shook his head—“I tried so hard to get on the scientific team in New York, but when it came to the interviews, it was between myself and a man who’d studied under Einstein, so I got stuck with the Blood Warriors instead.”

  “Are you qualified to run a lab?”

  “Qualified?” he scoffed. “More than. I’ve spent my entire vampire life at university studying. I only quit a few years ago when I joined the BWs.”

  “How’d you go to university if you had to migrate every year?”

  “It wasn’t easy, but it gave me much broader experience. It meant that I was taught by hundreds of different lecturers and, as a result, was exposed to many different opinions and lessons. So, it was hard, but beneficial at the same time.”

  I leaned my butt on one of the tables. “Well, I’ll need to get approval from the House, but I’ll run it by them in the next House meeting. Sound good?”

  He shook his head, his mouth wide with a smile. “That would be, for lack of a better word, wicked!”

  17

  I sat on the deckchair in the lower garden with a book, enjoying the sunshine and a quiet moment to myself. But shadows formed around my face and the sweet scent of orange-chocolate filled the air.

  “Guess who?” said a voice in my ear.

  “Uh, gee, is it…” I turned around, pulling the hand down from my eyes, and gasped. “Oh, my God. What are you doing here?”

  The face of my husband grinned back at me. “I’ve been here for days, Ara.”

  “Oh.” I cleared my throat. “Yeah, sorry, Jason. I just meant what are you doing in the garden?”

  David sat on the deckchair next to mine, running his hand over the warm golden tones in his hair. “I came to check if you were okay, you know, after finding out about your dad the other day.”

  “I’m…” What? Was I okay; not okay? “Coping. I mean, it was a shock, but I’m kind of getting used to it now. And you never called me, by the way. I’ve been waiting for you to let me know if you got any info from that book of Arthur’s?”

  “I couldn’t find it.” He reached across and stole my hand. “Sorry. I just forgot to mention it. Did you take that pregnancy test?”

  “Not really any need. You said you couldn’t smell any difference in my scent.”

  His hand tightened on mine. “I’d still like to know.”

  “Okay. We have one in the Medic room. I’ll do it later and text you.”

  “Thanks.” His secret smile showed that lovely dimple in the side of his cheek, making his eyes sparkle like the Emerald City. “I uh… I spoke to that friend of yours—the one you asked to have a word with me about not being around to make a baby.”

  I nodded. “And?”

  “And, I’m sorry. It’s just bad timing. I’m too busy, my love.”

  “You’re here now,” I said suggestively.

  He looked at the book in my lap and smiled. “Not today.”

  I looked down at my book too. “When?”

  “Just… not today.”

  “Fine.” I ground my back teeth together, the irritation making a question I was going to leave alone—in the past—creep up my tongue. “Hey, Da—Jase?”

  “Yes?” He laughed.

  “Why did Nate say that Em was, quote: ‘David’s Emily’?”

  His eyes shifted to the side, spine straightening. “He said that, huh?”

  “Yes. In front of everyone.” My voice quivered. “So what did he mean by that?”

  He cleared his throat and sat back, dropping my hand. “What are you really asking, Ara?”

  I stared at him for a long moment, not sure I wanted him to answer this. “Did you sleep with her?”

  “When?”

  “Ever. I don’t know. You share blood, you were clearly ‘best buds’ in high school.” I sat up, placing my feet to the floor in front of David’s. “Have you slept with her?”

  His gaze stayed on my feet. “No.”

  “Look me in the eye and say that.”

  He looked me in the eye, the pupil small and black, swimming in the green. “No. I never slept with Emily.”

  “Was she your girl?”

  “I just… she…” He ran his hand through his hair again. “When I first got to the school, Emily was the only n
ice person there. I had to work my way up in the ranks, Ara. I was pretty much the jocks’ punching bag for the first semester.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.” He laughed. “Good thing I can handle a punch. But it wasn’t until I joined the football team that people started to respect me.”

  “And you let them treat you like that?”

  “What can I say?” He shrugged, looking so human. “I was pretty broken. I just didn’t care.”

  “I’m sorry.” I reached for his hand, but he pulled away.

  “Emily was nice to me, Ara, and I found out a few things that made me feel… I guess, bad for her.”

  “Like what?”

  After hesitating for a long moment he said, “This is her personal business, my love. All I can say is that I took her under my wing and told the jocks to lay off.”

  “What were they doing?”

  “Nothing. Just… they just treated her like a piece of meat. She didn’t deserve that.”

  “In what way?”

  When he stood up, his shadow took the warmth of the sun from my face. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past. I protected her, I guess. Made it seem like we were some kind of item.”

  “Like you owned her?”

  He nodded, pushing both hands into his hair again. “Yes.”

  “And she was okay with this?”

  David turned around to face me, arms falling loosely to his sides. “Yeah.”

  “Did you know she was in love with you back then?”

  “Yes.” He laughed. “But it was little-girl-love, Ara. Very different to how she feels for Mike now.”

  I nodded. I understood that love only too well.

  “Jason?” Walter said, coming down the stairs toward us.

  “Walter,” David said, tipping an imaginary hat. “Lovely day.”

  “Splendid. And I see you’re making yourself acquainted with our queen.” Walter clapped him on the shoulder. “There may be hope for this prophecy child after all.”

  David turned his head and winked at me. “If I have anything to do with it.”

  I nearly laughed. He played his brother so well even I was convinced; he became lighter—the weight of the world leaving his shoulders, his eyes and his voice for a second.

  “Good. Good. Hopefully we’ll have word of an heir within the month, then we can name you King.”

  David bowed his head, smiling, and Walter marched down the garden steps, leaving us alone again.

  “We’re going to announce it next month,” I said.

  “What?”

  “A pregnancy.”

  “You can’t.” He sat down, the weighted version of David taking over the light-hearted act of his brother.

  “Why?”

  “They’ll check you if there’re no obvious signs.”

  “But—”

  “I know.” He held his hands up. “I know we said it would be good to flush out ulterior motives and to get Ja—me crowned, but things have changed. It won’t be so easy.”

  “What do we do then?”

  He sat back. “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Nope. There’s nothing to be done. We’ll just catch Drake and leave it at that. If we drain him and starve him, his immunity will fade and then we can kill him.”

  “So that’s the plan? Just catch him and kill him?”

  “Right now, yes.” He frowned down at his hands. “I just… I don’t think you’re ready for a child, Ara. And I know you’ll do it for the sake of your people and the Immortal Damned, but they’re not suffering right now and there are other ways we can kill Drake. I don’t want to put you through a teen pregnancy if I don’t have to.”

  “So you think I can’t handle it?”

  He scratched his cheekbone. “It’s not to be insulting, my love. I just… you’re only nineteen.”

  I wanted to be insulted, but I was a little bit too happy for that.

  “What?” he said. “Why are you smiling?”

  David grunted when I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck, winding him a little. “Thank you, Da—son.”

  “For what?” He laughed, patting my elbow.

  “You’re right. I’m not ready to have a baby, but I… I just didn’t want to let everyone down.”

  He squeezed me tight. “I know.”

  “You always know.”

  “But for now, I need you to continue this fake relationship.”

  “Why?” I gasped, sitting back.

  “It gives me time. While the people are waiting for you to turn up pregnant, they’re not hassling for a wedding or pushing you to bear a child. They’re at ease. If you ‘break up’ with Jason, they may actually force you to fornicate with a man of their choosing, and something tells me it might end up being Walter.”

  “Walter? Why him?” I nearly threw up.

  David laughed. “The House want him in power. He’s one of the people we’ve been watching closely.”

  “But he’s Lilithian.”

  “I know. Exactly why no one would suspect him.”

  “Isn’t he sworn to the throne of Lilith?”

  David smirked, sniffing once. “Can you keep this to yourself?”

  I nodded eagerly.

  “You can’t tell Jason or think it around him.”

  I nodded again.

  “Walt doesn’t have a Mark.”

  “What?”

  David laid back on the deckchair and put his hands behind his head, making himself look like Jason again. “I snuck into his quarters and saw it for myself. He’s pretending to have taken an oath, as I suspect another Lilithian around here is. In fact, I bet if you compelled him to do something, he’d do it just to keep that pretense up.”

  “So, what, you think he wants the throne?”

  He nodded, squinting in the sun. “Yep.”

  “All this royalty and conspiracy stuff really sucks.” I clicked my tongue. “Will there ever be any rest?”

  “When Drake is gone, yes, I trust that things will change. And, in the meantime, I actually feel better knowing my brother is watching over you.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. “He’s one of the most powerful vampires here, Ara, and that’s one reason why I want him to pose as your partner.”

  “So you want him with me twenty-four-seven?”

  “Not that often.” He reached out and tickled my ribs, making me squirm; I grabbed his hand and held it tight. “But, yes, for the most part I want him with you, especially now we no longer have your Private Guard.”

  “Do you think I was stupid to do that?” I averted my eyes, pretty certain he’d say yes.

  He lifted my chin. “No. I don’t.”

  “Mike does.”

  “I know. But even I have had my suspicions for a while that Mike’s intentions with those guards may not have been professional.”

  “So you think he’s, like, stalking me?”

  David laughed aloud. “I think he’s… he’s not used to letting you go off by yourself. He’s always been there—always been your… bodyguard. Even when you were kids. I know you liked that because he made you feel safe. He was almost like the father-figure you needed. And that’s a twisted way to look at it, I know, but I believe he’s having a hard time not being the number-one man in your life.”

  “You think he’s not over me?”

  “I think he is. But it’s a habit for him to be this way with you. And you pulling against that, trying to grow up, it’s got him panicked.”

  “Like he’s gonna lose me?”

  “Or just… that things will change.”

  “But they have changed. We’re vampires.”

  He shook his head. “Not much has changed, Ara. You’re still under his wing. You’re still his little ‘baby girl’.”

  I smirked at the obvious distaste in his mouth. “Are you jealous?”

  David scoffed, straightening his collar. “With a face like this? I got no need to be worried about Mike.”


  My mouth opened wide for the breathy giggle his sexy self-appreciation forced from my lips. “I love it when you play around like that. I miss that version of you.”

  I saw his heart melt a bit in the warmth of his eyes. “I miss it too. I miss us.”

  “Me too.”

  “Are you coping okay being alone all the time?” he asked.

  I sat back, clicking my thumbnails over each other. “Yeah, for now. But I miss having someone to talk to, you know, someone who listens and doesn’t roll their eyes at me if I ask a stupid question.”

  “What kind of question?”

  I looked right at him. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, okay?”

  He touched his chest. “Promise.”

  “Okay. Well, um, Drake never made an oath. So how come Ja—you could be compelled by him?”

  He rolled his eyes, exaggerating the move, and we both laughed. “No, uh, it’s actually because, without a true queen—a Pureblood that’s connected to the Stone—an oath made to any ruler would be upheld, even the president of the United States. So Jason could be compelled by either.”

  “Oh, so now that I’m queen, Drake would have to kill me to get allegiance back?”

  He nodded. “Something like that.”

  “Okay. And when you’re King, you’ll be One with Mother Nature too, and you could compel him?”

  “Yes, because you actually swear me in by your blood—as the One True King.”

  I nodded. “Cool.”

  “Yeah.” He chuckled affectionately. “It’s pretty cool.”

  “So, like, I cut myself and bleed on your blood—that sort of thing?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Thanks,” I said softly, and slowly wound a finger under his, then slipped my hand all the way into his palm.

  “For what?”

  “For not rolling your eyes at me, like, well, for not meaning it.”

  He laughed. “Ara, I love you. And I know how your mind works.” He tapped his head. “You miss things. It doesn’t make you stupid; it just means you were thinking about something more important at the time.”

  I smiled down at our hands. “It’s hard, you know.”

  “What?”