He continued staring into my eyes, as though he couldn’t have adored me more than at that moment.
“No, of course not.”
* * *
I stared around at all the familiar faces in the cave as everyone filed around the ceremonial stone at the center.
I scanned the benches for the Novalics. They had arrived later than usual and also sat in different seats, further to the left than I was used to. Normally they sat opposite us.
Erik and Helina Novalic sat together. Then, next to the girl, my eyes fell upon another dark-haired, green-eyed vampire I had never seen before. He was clearly related to them. Their brother, I assumed. He must have been a new recruit while I was gone. I looked away from him as soon as he looked up.
“That man next to Helina, he’s also a Novalic?” I asked in a voice barely louder than a breath.
Rhys frowned at me.
“Yes, Mona. His name is Kiev. Don’t you remember I already introduced him to you a while ago?”
“Oh.” No matter how much I racked my memory I couldn’t remember meeting him. So much had happened recently, I must have forgotten. Clearly, he couldn’t have made much of an impression on me.
So that’s three Novalics we need to watch.
I looked back at Kiev Novalic, whose eyes were now fixed on the slab in the center of the cave. Even though the vampire wasn’t looking at me, there was something about his presence that made me uncomfortable. It was hard to put a finger on. I just felt… disturbed. Restless.
I was relieved by the time the ritual was over.
“I suggest we stay back and wait until the vampires have returned to their rooms,” Rhys said.
I watched as the crowd made their way out. Kiev was the first to rush out.
Hmm. Interesting.
Isolde also stayed behind with us. We were now the only three people left back in the cave.
“I suggest we pick a vampire each,” she said. “We’ll wait until they’ve fallen asleep and then search each of their rooms tonight.”
“I’ll check Kiev’s,” I said. Though I wasn’t quite sure why. Perhaps it was because his body language had already piqued my interest, and he was fresh in my mind as he’d hurried out first.
“All right,” Isolde said. “I’ll check on Helina. Rhys, you’re responsible for Erik. We’ll all meet back in my room after we’re done.”
“Do you know where Kiev’s room is, Mona?” Rhys asked.
I shook my head.
“It’s on the floor below Helina and Erik’s quarters,” he said. “It’s the first door on your right as you climb up the stairs.”
“All right.”
We glanced at each other once more and then each of us vanished.
I appeared by the staircase and eyed the door that was supposed to be Kiev’s. I placed my ear against it. I heard the sound of water running in the bathroom. I assumed he was getting ready for bed.
I waited another hour or so, walking up and down along that corridor and checking his door again at intervals. Finally, all had become silent and I heard deep breathing.
I appeared inside. All the lights were turned off. I made myself invisible as I crept along the hallway toward the vampire’s bedroom. The door had been left partially open, just enough for me to slip through without having to touch it. Once inside, I looked around the bedroom.
The first thing I noticed was the smell of women’s perfume.
Strange.
Kiev lay in the center of the four-poster bed, a sheet half covering his bare chest. He was perhaps the most handsome vampire I’d ever laid eyes on.
Again, I experienced the same discomfort I’d felt back in the cave. My throat felt dry and my heartbeat quickened.
I tore my eyes away from him and, forcing my mind back to the matter at hand, I continued searching the room. I ducked my head under the bed. I checked the bathroom. I walked over to the balcony doors and peered behind through curtains. Nothing.
Then I turned and stared at the cupboard a few meters away from the bed. That was large enough to store a body for sure. I eased the doors open and looked inside. Nothing but the vampire’s clothes.
I scanned the apartment once again but it was clear I wasn’t going to find anything. Slowly, I walked back toward the front door and vanished myself. Once I was on the other side, away from the vampire’s presence, I could breathe more freely. I decided to walk the rest of the way to Isolde’s room rather than transport myself there with magic, to clear my mind and gather my thoughts together.
Both Isolde and Rhys were already there waiting for me when I arrived.
“What took you so long?” Rhys asked.
“The vampire took a while to fall asleep.” I sighed. “And I didn’t feel comfortable going in there until he had. I wanted to be able to move around without him in the way.”
“So, any luck?” Isolde asked, looking at me impatiently.
“I found nothing. You?”
They both shook their heads.
“Then maybe it is one of Annora’s people after all,” Rhys muttered.
“We’ll have to see what she says once she’s conducted the investigation. But I didn’t think the Novalics would betray us,” Isolde said. “We still don’t know their older brother that well, but I doubt he’d put his and his siblings’ life at risk by doing something so foolish. Of course, it’s possible the Novalics have already destroyed the immune and hidden the body…”
We all fell silent.
“Well, there’s not much else we can do while we wait for Annora’s report.” Rhys stood up and held my hand, leading me toward the front door. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Aunt.”
We left the door and made our way back to our own apartment.
I removed my cloak, then walked over to the bed and sat down, removing my shoes. Rhys stood leaning against the doorway of the bathroom. His cloak and shoes still on, he stared at me with heat in his eyes.
I raised a brow at him.
He closed the distance between us and pushed me down against the bed. He caught my lips and unbuttoned my dress. Slipping his hands behind me, he ran them along my bare back.
I held his head and stared into his eyes.
“What?”
He pulled me up into standing position, letting my dress fall down my shoulders.
“You have no idea how enticing you are to me now.” He groaned as he ran his lips along my throat. “I want to complete us. We’ve delayed this long enough…”
Reaching into his pocket, he got down on one knee.
“Marry me, Mona.”
I took a step back, a gasp escaping my lips as I stared down at a sapphire ring.
He wanted me. I wanted him.
Why wouldn't I say yes?
Somehow, I hesitated. Although I knew Rhys was the one and only man I would end up with, the idea of marrying him alarmed me.
I guessed it was just the way he had sprung it on me so suddenly. I felt like I needed more time for the concept to sink in before accepting his proposal.
Perhaps sensing my surprise, he reached out and held my hand.
“You don’t have to give me an answer now, my love. I’ll wait until you’re ready. I’ll wait a thousand years if that’s what it takes.”
I sat back down on the bed.
“I think I just need some rest,” I murmured. “It’s been a long day.”
He nodded and placed the beautiful ring on my dressing table.
We undressed and I snuggled up next to Rhys beneath the covers. I placed my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, while he stroked my hair.
We didn’t speak the rest of that night as we drifted off to sleep. He gave me space to get lost in my own thoughts. But I was sure he already knew my answer.
Although it had come as a shock, there was nobody else other than Rhys whom I belonged to. He owned my heart and mind. My body and soul.
Chapter 28: Kiev
I’d been anticipating that anytime now, Annor
a or one of her comrades would notice Anna missing from the cells and alert Isolde.
The Novalics would be the prime suspects.
So as a matter of urgency I had to find somewhere safer to hide Anna. My room was the perfect place, because people were unlikely to venture into it for no reason. But it was also the prime target. I stalked up and down the room trying to rack my brains for some kind of solution.
The apartment wasn’t huge and there weren’t many hiding places. The cupboard spanning the entire length of one wall would have been perfect—it was more than big enough to hold her. It could have even fit me if I curled up my feet. But it was far too obvious a hiding place… But as I was staring at the wardrobe, a solution came to me.
I hurried upstairs and brought Erik down. He always had been good with woodwork.
“I want to section off the back part of this cupboard. Remove the back board, and cut this cupboard’s depth in half, say. That way, Anna can lie behind it. If you do it right, no witch will suspect anything is behind it on a cursory glance.”
He leant inside and knocked against the wood.
“Hm.” He looked at the wood. “Well, let me try to remove this…”
His voice trailed off as he began to run his claws around the edge of the board.
“It’s not fastened very tightly,” he muttered. “If you go down to the kitchen and bring me up some kind of long thin knife, and also some kind of utensil with a blunt end, I’ll have a go at this.”
I glanced over at Anna who was sleeping.
“I won’t harm her,” Erik said.
I rushed down to the kitchen and brought up as large of an array of utensils as I could find in my hurried search.
Erik began undoing the screws and then ran a knife around the edge of the wooden board. Slowly, inch by inch, he removed the entire board until it was loose enough to be pushed forward.
He stepped out and both of us pulled the entire wardrobe forward. I slipped round the back of it and pushed the board forward until I was sure that I’d left enough room for Anna to lie comfortably.
I also checked the front of the cupboard wouldn’t look odd in case it was opened. No, there was enough space to fill up with clothes.
Once Erik was sure that I was happy with his handiwork, he left Anna and I alone.
Although part of me felt guilty making Anna lie back there, it was the best I could do for her right now.
* * *
I lay in bed the morning after the ritual, feeling relieved that we’d found a hiding place for Anna. Mona and Rhys had attended the ritual for the first time in… I’d lost track of how long.
I had no idea where they’d gone, but wherever it was, clearly it had done something to Mona. The way she’d looked at me from across the flames, it was as though I was a complete stranger.
I’d thought this was just her way of distancing herself from me. But her eyes also appeared darker, or perhaps that was just the firelight playing tricks on my eyes.
A part of me wished that Mona hadn’t returned. Anna had taken my mind off of her recently. But now the discomfort I felt seeing her again returned full force. That ritual couldn’t have ended soon enough. As soon as it had, I’d shot right out of the cave.
I knew now that Anna had to spend as much time as possible behind that cupboard.
I still had no semblance of a long-term plan, and given that Anna was so close to childbirth, I was just taking things one day at a time.
I was fighting a losing battle. But it was a battle I was committed to fighting until the bitter end.
At least Anna had stopped vomiting and was able to stomach the simple meals I was concocting. Her fever was gone too, and she was much more lucid. Although there were still times when she appeared to drift off, she appeared to be recovering.
I’d done my best to make the cupboard soundproof by adding extra cushions and blankets. Though of course, there was only so much air we could block off or she’d suffocate.
As I lay in bed listening to her breathing, a thought that had been at the back of my mind ever since I’d first swept her out of that dungeon circled in my mind.
Why am I doing all this?
Why would I risk my life and the lives of my siblings for some woman I barely even know?
I shut my eyes and lay there for hours as I searched the deepest parts of me. I sat up only once I’d found my answer. Or at least what I believed to be the answer—for my own mind could be a confusing and treacherous place sometimes.
Memories of a pregnant Sofia flashed before my mind. The beautiful redhead kneeling before me, tears welling in her eyes as she begged me to allow her husband to be by her side during her pregnancy. Begging me to have mercy on her unborn children. The sadness in her eyes as I’d punished her for even mentioning Derek Novak’s name in my presence. The screams of her newborn as I’d snatched him minutes after his birth.
Somewhere deep within my black soul, I knew I was grasping at what had eluded me for centuries: Redemption.
Chapter 29: Mona
I got up early the next morning before Rhys had woken up. Untangling myself from him, I pulled on my cloak and left the room. I wanted a few hours to myself before I returned and gave him my answer.
I wandered aimlessly down the corridors, recalling the look on Rhys’ face as he asked me the question I was sure he’d wanted to ask for years now. He’d looked happier and more nervous than I’d ever seen him before. I imagined how he’d react once I finally said yes.
I stopped walking, realizing that I had arrived on Kiev Novalic’s floor. I absentmindedly placed my ear against his door as I passed it.
Silence.
Backing up against the wall, I slid down it and sat on the floor, staring at the wall opposite me.
I might as well do something useful.
Although I’d searched Kiev’s room and found nothing, something about him still left me suspicious.
“Mona?”
I found myself staring up at Efren.
“What are you doing up here so early?”
He eyed Kiev’s front door, frowning. He was still wearing his night clothes.
I stood up quickly, straightening my dress, and, remembering that he wasn’t to know anything about our suspicions yet, said, “It’s nothing, Efren. I was just taking a walk and decided to rest my legs.”
He looked at me disbelievingly.
“You know,” Efren said, placing a hand on my back and leading me away down the steps, “I’ve noticed Kiev behaving rather strangely recently. I caught him bringing up a tray to his bedroom. A tray that smelled suspiciously like normal food. I think he may be swiping humans from the dungeon and having more than his fair share of blood.”
He raised his eyebrows, then continued walking on his way, leaving me staring after him.
So there’s definitely something going on with this vampire.
Normal food. There was only one place regular food was prepared and that was the main kitchen on the ground floor.
I decided to head down to the kitchen and wait. I wanted to see for myself what this vampire was getting up to.
I returned to Rhys’ room first to find him still sleeping. I walked over to the desk and scribbled down a note.
“I’ve got cause for new suspicions about the Novalics. I’ll be gone a few hours investigating. I’ll return as soon as I can.”
I placed the note on my pillow, knowing that it would be the first thing he looked at when he woke.
* * *
Covered by an invisibility spell, I’d been sitting in a corner of the kitchen for a couple of hours before the vampire walked in. He made his way over to the pantry and returned with a handful of vegetables. Clearly he’d timed his arrival just before the cooks came in to begin preparing lunch.
I watched as he worked with furious speed, chopping the vegetables into small pieces. He boiled them, mixed them with milk in a bowl, then poured out the finished liquid into a bowl. Placing it on top of a tray along with a l
arge jug of water, he rushed out of the room.
I vanished myself from the spot and reappeared in his corridor in time to see him come running up. He opened his door and slammed it shut.
I placed my ear against his door once again.
Heavy furniture scraped against the floor. And then came the sound of a voice I’d been expecting to hear all along.
A soft female voice said, “Thank you.”
I breathed in deeply, thinking carefully about what my next move should be.
She was still alive. That was a relief. Now I needed to get her out of there as soon as possible.
I decided to just do this myself. Still invisible, I appeared on the other side of his door. I crept along the hallway to see the cupboard pulled out from the wall, a pregnant woman sitting behind it as she sipped from a bowl.
My breathing became heavier as I prepared myself for what I was about to do.
I manifested myself.
The vampire shot to his feet, his eyes wide with shock. The human choked on her meal.
“Mona?”
“Novalic,” I said coldly. “This game is over. I’ve come for the immune. And I suggest you don’t fight. It will only make things worse for you and your siblings.”
I moved toward the human, but Kiev ran in front of her. There was no way I could reach her without dealing with him.
He towered over me, glaring down at me. Again, I experienced that unnerved feeling that settled over me whenever I was around him.
“What happened to you?” he asked softly.
“What are you talking about?” I snapped. “Get out of the way.”
“You don’t remember me at all, do you?” His eyes darkened.
“I barely know you. I believe I was introduced to you briefly once—”
He lunged forward and brought me crashing to the floor. His full weight was over me as he pinned me down by my wrists.
As I was about to wield my powers, I froze, staring up at him. His eyes had turned red.
I couldn’t fathom why, but watching that green give way to such a frightening red filled me with an overwhelming sense of loss. The sight left me more breathless than his weight crushing against me ever could.
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