by Aria Sparke
Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live.
Marcus Aurelius
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 - Lily — Touchdown
Chapter 2 - Flynn — Goodbye
Chapter 3 - Lily — A Different Sky
Chapter 4 - Flynn — Loss
Chapter 5 - Lily — A Magical Legacy
Chapter 6 - Flynn — Flight
Chapter 7 - Lily — Reunion
Chapter 8 - Flynn — A Picnic
Chapter 9 - Lily — The Truth About Jack
Chapter 10 - Flynn — Facing the Future
Chapter 11 - Lily — Balloon Magic
Chapter 12 - Lily — A Witch’s Fury
Chapter 13 - Flynn — Dark Search
Chapter 14 - Lily — The Price of Witchcraft
Chapter 15 - Flynn — Stasis
Chapter 16 - Lily — Swimming Against the Tide
Chapter 17 - Flynn — The Invitation
Chapter 18 - Lily — A Ruberio Lunch
Chapter 19 - Flynn — A New Bride
Chapter 20 - Lily — Secrets
Chapter 21 - Lily — Anubis Ball
Chapter 22 - Flynn — Night Shadows
Chapter 23 - Lily — Flight
Chapter 24 - Lily — With Tarek
Chapter 25 - Lily — Dawn
Chapter 26 - Lily — An Agreement
Author’s Note
The Vampirica Series
CHAPTER 1
Lily: Touchdown
In the early hours of daylight, the plane dropped from the bright blue sky to an airport surrounded by pale olive hills. Flight made me vulnerable and uneasy, so when we touched down on the tarmac, I was grateful to be on solid ground once more. As I scrambled from the plane, I may as well have been an astronaut climbing from his shuttle onto a foreign moon. Everyone I loved was so far away, and I was so completely alone.
After witnessing Bella’s death, leaving Flynn behind and flying across the world, I battled to maintain composure while waiting for my luggage in the terminal. Nauseated and exhausted, I felt my head spin. Holding my handbag tightly in one hand, I grabbed my case with the other before negotiating the usual security and screening. Emerging into the outside lounge, I searched the gathered crowd for a sign. Someone holding a card with the words ‘Anubis student’ caught my attention, so I hurried in his direction. Alexis had promised someone would be waiting for me here but had given no names.
Nearing the cardholder, I felt my breath leave my lungs and my legs buckle with shock. My jet lag and the trauma I’d experienced in Wicklow were creating an optical illusion I reasoned as I staggered forward. There could be no other explanation. Surely when the cardholder removed his hat and dark glasses, he would look different.
The mirage shepherded me toward a doorway where I followed him through to a sunlit exterior. He guided me along a path that threaded between stark, angular airport buildings to the outside world that was dazzling and clear. No rain fell and no clouds impeded my vision. Canberra wasn’t like Wicklow, at least not today.
‘How?’ I finally said between clenched teeth when we reached a parking lot far from the pickup area. ‘Who are you?’ My tone echoed my disgust.
He remained silent until he’d ushered me into the passenger seat of the car and closed the door.
I fought to control my anger. ‘You’re dead,’ I accused him after he’d climbed into the driver’s seat. I struggled to make sense of him.
‘I know what you’re thinking, Lily,’ he said quietly in his usual voice.
After he had removed his hat and glasses, I stole glances at this face. It was surreal and frightening seeing him again.
‘I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to say.’
His voice was my father’s, yet that was impossible.
Outside the crisp air of the still morning floated by as we drove through an outer suburb of Canberra. It was September and spring again here. My world had been turned upside down making me wonder if this was a dream. The quiet surrounds of the city should have soothed my overwrought mind, but instead they served to clarify and intensify the shattering realization.
When we pulled up at a traffic light, my father gazed at me with a blank expression. I wanted to be sick. How could he form the necessary words to explain his existence a world away from where I had come? How could he explain his own death and sudden reappearance? How could he begin to explain his absence from my mother while she died desolate after his death? Rather than hug my father, all I wanted was to spit on him because I no longer recognized him.
‘Well?’ I said between clenched teeth.
His eyes welled, so I stared ahead and didn’t relent. I had to stoke my anger and maintain it because I owed it to my mother.
‘Please, Lily, I can see you’re angry, but I can explain.’
I raised my eyebrows not wanting to give him an inch. What words could he form to make sense of this and excuse himself?
‘You don’t understand. They came after me in Florida. That’s why I took a job that involved so much travel away from you and Elise.’
He wasn’t making sense. ‘They?’
‘You already know them ... the Berishas.’
Once again, down the rabbit hole I plunged, but this time it was airless and more messed up. ‘Why would they come after you?’
We drove beside a beautiful lake rimmed with blossoming trees, running paths and people pushing prams and walking dogs. The water rippled and glittered in the morning light as I wound the window down to catch a better view and breathe the fresh air.
I heard him inhale as though gathering courage. ‘I’m a dhampir.’
I felt no shock, but in my head, a giant puzzle with cogs and wheels clunked and whirred into place. Of course, now it was starting to make an ugly contorted sense. ‘Tell me what happened—everything.’
‘It wasn’t an accident. The Berishas rammed me off the road deliberately, and one of them ran a silver blade through the left side of my chest.’
I frowned. ‘Then you should be dead.’
‘I was very lucky. He missed my heart because I’ve unusual anatomy. The positions of my organs are reversed, so my heart’s on the right side.’
Could I trust him? ‘You never mentioned that before.’
He smiled wryly. ‘It didn’t really come up.’
How dare he make a joke. He had no right.
‘The doctor who declared me dead had failed to recognize my body had switched into dhampiric torpor where my heart only beat once a minute. When I regained consciousness in the morgue that night, I rang a dhampir from my clan. He identified my body the next day and organized a body switch the following night when I had almost fully healed.’
A body switch? I didn’t even want to know how that could happen.
‘They switched the body of a Berisha dhampir they had killed.’
‘But you would’ve looked different. Didn’t anyone notice?’
My father shook his head. ‘My face was damaged in the accident, so my clan made sure the dead dhampir’s face was a mess.’ He half laughed. ‘The dhampir already had a matching chest wound on the left.’
A dark shadow crossed my mind as I recalled mention of shape shifters in the witchcraft books I’d been reading. I couldn’t let on I suspected him. How could I test him? I struggled to think of memories only we would know, yet I needed to plant them carefully.
‘When I heard they’d murdered Elise, I wanted so desperately to be by your side,’ he said. ‘I can’t imagine how hard and lonely it was for you.’
I pursed my lips as I blocked the memories, not wanting to feel any of
them again.
‘I couldn’t come to you, not with the Berishas monitoring the funeral.’
I sighed. ‘It was held in daylight.’ Even though it was a gloomy day, I knew they would’ve sizzled in the light if they’d come.
‘Their dhampirs would’ve been close.’
Could he be speaking the truth?
‘They have dhampirs and human contacts everywhere. We knew we had only one hope of protecting you and that was at the college.’
‘We?’
‘The Ruberios and me.’
‘There are a lot of Ruberios. Who are you talking about?’
‘Alexis.’
‘He didn’t tell me.’
‘Alexis didn’t think it was safe until you knew more about our world.’ He reached for my hand on the seat, but I quickly withdrew it. ‘I think he sent you here deliberately, so we could reunite.’
I gazed out the window.
‘You’ve been so brave, Lily.’
Annoyed as a tear slipped from my cheek, I knew I had to focus and test him even if I didn’t want to talk to him at all. Gathering my strength, I formed the words in my head and mentally practiced them before testing him.
‘I wish we could go back in time. Remember how good it was when you taught me to climb the large tree in the corner. What sort of tree was it?’
‘The old oak?’ He smiled. ‘You called it your faraway tree. You’d spend hours in the treehouse I built with your friend Sandra—poor girl.’
I still wasn’t sure.
‘Test me more, Lily.’
He knew. ‘Alright.’ I folded my arms. ‘Color of my first tricycle?’
He frowned. ‘You didn’t have one.’
‘Name of my dog, not the last one but the one before?’
‘The last German shepherd was Cracker and the one before, Molly and the black cat, Archie.’ He glanced at me with a sad smile. ‘I visited your mother’s grave in Wicklow one night.’
I heard him sigh. I sensed he wanted me to talk about Elise’s death, but I couldn’t. ‘You came to Wicklow but didn’t visit me?’
‘I didn’t visit Cecilia or Alexis either. It was too risky.’
‘Then why did Mom take us to Wicklow if she knew about the Berishas?’
Dad shook his head. ‘We argued over it for years. She thought it was her duty to help Cecilia fight them, but I stood in her way. I only wanted to keep you both safe.’
As he spoke I grew more confident he was no shape shifter but rather, my real father.
‘I’m a dhampir or vampire hunter, yet not from the Ruberio clan like those in Wicklow.’
My heart sank at the thought of more feuding vampire and dhampir clans in the world.
‘I’m from the Varnas clan in the south. We originally came from Russia yet have fought on occasion alongside the Ruberio clan.’
‘You didn’t explain to me properly why the Berishas would target you. I’ve been to a college full of dhampirs and the Berishas haven’t made a habit of targeting single dhampirs as far as I know.’
‘My case is different. I killed someone dear to Vincent Berisha—his brother.’
My blood chilled at the mention of his name. ‘Do you mean Samir? But he’s still alive.’
‘No, not him. He had another brother, the youngest ... they’re a dangerous family.’
I nodded and looked away. It horrified me to imagine my father killing someone even if he was a Berisha. I accepted it would take time for me to reconnect with my father and I wasn’t in a hurry to force it. Even though his look and sound were familiar, he felt like a stranger and I had difficulty warming to him. I couldn’t separate from the lingering resentment and anger no matter how much I’d missed him.
A fountain on the lake spurted water into the air and the wind blew it in a shimmering sheet over bobbing ducks. We drove through light traffic toward the small city center on clean open roads. In the distance, tree-covered hills led to a mountain range on the western horizon. If Flynn were by my side, I would have felt hopeful and tranquil—but he wasn’t.
‘I couldn’t risk coming back to you and Elise in Florida and then when you moved to Wicklow, it was even more dangerous for me to be near you. I was terrified they’d find you both and draw you into their clan or worse.’
‘So where have you been since you, um, died?’
‘Here, in Australia. I’ve moved several times. From my nightly explorations, I don’t believe there’s any vampiric activity in Canberra, but you can never be sure.’
My father turned into the drive of a neat red-bricked house with a cottage garden at the front. He showed me into the house which was modern but sparsely decorated. It had polished wooden floors, a tiled kitchen and three carpeted bedrooms, but without paintings, pot plants or rugs, it felt sterile. Out the back was a washing line with a few towels, t-shirts and socks flapping in the breeze over a vegetable garden—signs of precious normality in a screwed-up world.
‘The university’s within walking distance, about ten minutes away on foot. You can stay on campus in one of the residential colleges or if you’d prefer, here with me. It’s up to you, Lily. I don’t want to pressure you after all you’ve been through.’
I nodded and when I caught his hopeful expression, experienced my first sign of thawing toward him. Like a steady drum in the back of my mind, a comforting message repeated itself over and over. You’re not alone anymore.
* * *
CHAPTER 2
Flynn: Goodbye
The plane lifted off into the night sky carrying the only woman I’d ever truly loved. I found it difficult to breathe as I stood for several moments watching the plane lights blink and eventually disappear into the clouds. I prayed it would carry her safely as I wondered what would happen if I never saw Lily again.
Shaking off my despair, I steeled myself for the following day. I decided that if Lily could be courageous enough to travel to an unknown world alone, I could be brave enough to face my father. Our future depended on me remaining strong and protecting Lily from my father and the Berishas.
As I drove back to Anubis College, I imagined how lonely it must be for Lily leaving everyone who mattered in her life since her parents had died. Seeing Bella’s death would only have heightened her fears about my father and his threat. Would she still want to be in my life?
It was well after midnight when I turned into the college drive and as usual, lights burned brightly in windows as most of the dhampir population had little need for sleep and loved the dark hours. I hurried to Alexis’ office and found him with Martin, Anya and Leah, who was holding Avery, yet another half sister in the Ruberio clan.
‘She’s gone.’ I hated hearing my own confirmation.
‘We had to send her away,’ said Alexis obviously recognizing my pain.
‘I know—but to Australia? Why so far away?’
‘The further, the better,’ he said and I knew he was right.
Leah held the baby out for me, so I took her and gazed in wonder at her deep blue eyes, striking blond hair and small pale face. Bella’s witchy genes must have overcome Tarek’s to produce blond hair, which made me smile. Like most newborn dhampir babies, Avery looked and behaved like a two-month-old human. I could see her already lifting her head from the crook of my arm and smiling at me. I shook my head, blown away by the perfection of her tiny fingers and toes.
‘Hello, little sister,’ I whispered to her. ‘Please don’t be in a hurry to grow up.’ (It was a useless piece of advice for a dhampir.) I turned to Leah and Alexis. ‘Lily promised Bella she’d look out for her, but who will raise her now?’
Alexis shrugged. ‘First we must tell Tarek about Bella’s death and his daughter’s birth. We’ll worry about sorting Avery’s care after that.’
It didn’t seem fair that this small being was so helpless and dependent on us. I could see Alexis wasn’t relishing the prospect of telling Tarek. ‘We’ll do it together, so no one’s singled out for blame.’
Alexis smi
led at me, obviously relieved by my suggestion.
We were all afraid of him.
There was a rustling sound in the doorway where I had left the door open only minutes before.
‘Yes, you must tell him, only, he already knows.’ Tarek swept into the room with a thunderous expression. He was wearing his ancient gear with the black cape and frilled shirt, which always made him more intimidating. I loathed the clothes and suspected he knew.
Horrified by his sudden entry into the room, I hoped he hadn’t heard our earlier conversation and the mention of Lily’s destination.
‘I visited Bella’s room,’ Tarek said in a steely voice. ‘She wasn’t there.’
No one spoke.
‘A stray dhampir gave me the news.’ He glanced at Avery curiously. ‘Is that mine?’
I saw Anya flinch but frowned at her to remain silent. Tarek was dangerous in this state and although Anya was one of his children that fact wouldn’t spare her if she angered him. He held no soft spot for his adult children.
I held Avery out to him and he gathered the baby in his arms.
‘Bella named her Avery,’ I said.
Avery grabbed Tarek’s little finger and clung to it ferociously before bellowing at him and fixing him with angry eyes. Tarek touched the baby’s cheek gently and gazed at her for a few moments. Her tears turned to a gurgle and she smiled at her father. A ripple of recognition and amusement crossed Tarek’s face before it clouded over and he turned to Leah. ‘What happened to Bella? Why did she die?’
Leah froze and shook her head while the baby began to whimper again.
‘You’re a witch who specializes in vampiric births. What happened?’ Tarek demanded.
‘There was nothing anyone could do, Father,’ Alexis said. ‘The birth was so violent. She bled out before Leah could reach her. It was no one’s fault.’
‘I brought Bella here for you to watch over her.’ Tarek fixed her with an expression of disdain as the baby began to cry more loudly.
‘No, Father,’ Anya said. ‘It happened so suddenly and without warning. Leah did everything she could.’
‘And Bella wasn’t alone when she died,’ I added. ‘A student was with her.’ Although I hoped the thought of Bella being with someone in her final moments would console him, I didn’t dare mention the student was Lily. I wanted to keep his mind as far away from her as I could.