by Shuler, Tara
“That may be true,” Father Jacobs said. “But he has also endangered her life on more than one occasion simply by sending wraiths after her. They are dangerous, and unpredictable. You also mentioned your father might have had something he wanted more than he wants Alice?”
“At one point, he offered to trade Alice for something he said my father had of his,” Alexi explained. “We are not entirely certain what it is, but we believe we may know.”
“Do you think he would still make the trade?” Father Jacobs asked Alexi.
“I do not know. It is possible, I suppose. But we do not know where the item might be, nor do we really want it to fall into his hands. Father took it from him because he was dangerous with it.”
“What is this item?”
“It’s a talisman used in dark magic.”
Father Jacobs inhaled sharply and clicked his tongue.
“Well, then,” Father Jacobs said. “Then I don’t know what to say. Giving such a powerful being a greater source of power might not be in anyone’s best interests.”
“Yes, Father,” Alexi agreed. “That is what we have been worried about. Even if we could locate this talisman, our father took it away from him for a reason. To give it back to him could be very dangerous.”
“And, of course, you want to protect Alice,” Father Jacobs added.
“Admittedly, Alice is my first priority,” Alexi said. “Her safety is more important to me than anything else.”
“I understand,” Father Jacobs told Alexi. “I think perhaps my plan would be worth trying. Alice’s charm, combined with my mediation, might be enough to settle the matter.”
“What do you all think?” Alexi asked.
“I think it couldn’t hurt,” Liam said.
“I guess it’s worth a shot,” Kai agreed.
“Alright, then we shall prepare to leave at once,” Alexi said.
“Wait,” Father Jacobs said. “You’re not going. Only Alice and I are going.”
“What? No! I cannot allow that. It is too dangerous,” Alexi argued.
“Alexi, the only way this will work is if Dmitri doesn’t feel threatened. If any of you come along, the plan won’t work. He will feel as though we are there to provoke him, Alice’s charm might not work, and he won’t be receptive to peaceful negotiation.”
“What you are asking is far outside the realm of what I am comfortable with, Father,” Alexi admitted. “I do not think I can allow this.”
“I really believe it will work,” Father Jacobs told Alexi. “I wouldn’t put Alice at risk if I didn’t think it was our best shot.”
“But you are asking me to put her life in your hands,” Alexi said. “I do not know if I am capable of doing that.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Alexi. That’s a choice you will have to make. I believe this is safer for her than trying to attack, or waiting for him to do so.”
“Alexi, please consider this,” I implored, putting my hand on Alexi’s arm for emphasis. “I think this is our best chance.”
For the first time, I knowingly tried to use my charm ability. I concentrated on charming Alexi as thoroughly as I could.
“Please do not do that to me,” Alexi told me directly.
“Do what?” I asked innocently.
“Alice, that won’t work on me,” he said. “I can feel the difference.”
I could feel my cheeks getting hot with embarrassment and annoyance.
“What’s he talking about, Alice?” Kai asked.
“I have no idea,” I lied.
“Do not do that again,” Alexi ordered. “I do not invade your mind, so don’t invade mine.”
“Seriously,” Kai said. “What are you talking about, dude?”
“It’s nothing, Kai!” I snapped.
“It doesn’t sound like nothing,” Kai pressed.
“Okay, fine! I’m not in the mood to deal with this right now, so I’ll just tell you! Father Jacobs found out I have an ability I didn’t know I had. Apparently, I can charm people into falling in love with me without even knowing I’m doing it. Okay, there, are you happy?” I shouted frantically.
Kai appeared to be dumbfounded. His jaw hung slack, and his eyes bugged out. I knew what he was thinking, because I’d been thinking it ever since Father Jacobs told me.
“Say something,” I said to Kai.
“What do you want me to say?” he asked.
“Something. Anything! Just say whatever you’re thinking,” I demanded.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he wanted to know.
“I don’t know. I just wasn’t ready to.”
“I see. But you told Alexi.”
“And me,” Liam interjected.
“Shut up, Liam!” I snapped.
“You told Alexi and Liam, but not me?” Kai growled.
“I had to tell Liam, and Alexi dragged it out of me,” I tried to explain.
I could tell Kai was fuming. I hadn’t seen him look that angry in a very long time. His face was red, and his breathing was heavy and ragged. If he’d been a cartoon character, steam would have been pouring out his ears.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Kai asked again.
“Because I was afraid you might realize you didn’t really love me,” I finally managed to spit out.
Kai exhaled sharply, apparently relieved.
“Really?” he asked.
“Yeah… why? What did you think was the reason?”
“I thought it was because you loved Alexi, and not me.”
“What? What would give you that idea?”
“A lot of stuff, Alice. Just… never mind.”
“I appreciate the gravity of your situation, but may I redirect the conversation to that which we were having prior to Alice’s revelation?” Alexi interjected.
“Oh, yeah. Fine,” Kai muttered.
“As I was saying before, Alice,” Alexi said. “You do not need to use your charm ability on me. I can feel the difference. My love for you is real, and when you try to use it, I can sense it. I will allow you and Father Jacobs to try to reason with Dmitri, but only on one condition.”
“And that is?” I asked.
“That you marry me before you go.”
“What? No! No way, Alexi!” I shouted.
“Is it really that horrible to think of marrying me?” Alexi asked, sounding more amused than hurt.
“It’s not that. I just won’t me manipulated into something like that. I already told you all, I’m not even thinking about relationships right now, and even if I were, I’m not even remotely ready to get married!”
“It is my condition. You may accept it, or not,” Alexi stated firmly.
“Not!” I shouted. “Why is that your condition, anyway?”
“For one thing,” Alexi said. “My father saw us get married, and he saw us happy together. I do not believe anything could happen to you if we were on that course. Once we are married, the course will continue as he saw it. For another thing, Dmitri would be less likely to harm you if we were married, because he knows how strict vampire law is regarding marriage, especially where Council Elders are concerned.”
“What does that mean?”
“Vampires, for the most part, respect the Council and hold it in very high esteem. If Dmitri harmed a Council Elder, especially if she were the wife of another Council Elder, he would become the most hunted vampire in existence,” Alexi explained.
“Well… can’t we just tell him we’re married?” I asked.
“No, because word travels very quickly where the Council is concerned. We would have to make it a real wedding, and it would have to be a very big production.”
“We don’t have time for a big production! We have to do this now!” I argued.
“If you cannot accept my condition, then I cannot allow you to go.”
I narrowed my eyes and learned toward Alexi. My face was almost touching his. In the deep black shadows of his cloak, I could almost see his eyes glinting.
“Listen to me,” I said, my voice low, but serious. “And listen to me well. I am going. You cannot stop me. If you try to stop me, I will fight you with everything I have. I am doing this with, or without your permission.”
Alexi stared at me for a moment, and then sighed deeply.
“You are very stubborn,” he stated.
“You have no idea,” I returned.
Alexi sighed again. I could tell he was very close to relenting, but he needed a little more convincing. He wanted to know I would be safe.
“Listen,” I told him. “The worst that could happen is that Dmitri could take me prisoner. It’s happened before. You’ll find a way to get me out. Please, Alexi. I’m begging you to let me do this. Please.”
He was silent for a moment, contemplative.
“Fine,” he conceded. “But if anything happens to you…”
“If anything happens to me, I trust you to get me out,” I convinced him.
“You know I would not stop until I got you back – no matter the cost.”
“I know, Alexi,” I agreed, placing my hand gently on his cheek.
His hand closed around my wrist, and I felt him press his cheek harder against my hand. I could feel his love for me surging through my skin like an electrical current. It was intense and undying, and I knew what he said was true. Nothing, short of death, would stop him from trying to get me back.
“Please be safe, my love,” he whispered, his voice faltering slightly.
“I will,” I told him. “I promise.”
“You must feed before you go,” he said. “I will call one of the volunteers in here for you.”
“Alright,” I agreed.
It was true. I had been trying to find Alexi to tell him I needed to feed when I’d overheard Liam’s big revelation. That was something I definitely wished I hadn’t heard. Liam was my best friend – the only person I could confide in and have fun with without it being complicated – and now he might be leaving.
Alexi brought a young man up to the dining hall. He must have been around nineteen or twenty. He was cute, but not overly so. His arms were sleeved in tattoos, and his hair was spiky and dyed green.
“What’s your name?” I asked him.
He looked confused.
“My name?” he asked. “Why?”
“Because you’re not just food to me, that’s why,” I said. “And I appreciate what you’re doing for us.”
He fidgeted uncomfortably, shoving his hands in his pockets and shifting his weight back and forth from one foot to the other.
“Blake,” he answered.
“Thank you, Blake,” I said. “I’m Alice. And again, I really appreciate you doing this.”
I always felt guilty feeding. Ever since I was a little girl, feeding had made me feel so strange. I knew some vampires saw humans as nothing more than food – like cattle, but with more personality. I had never been that way. Although humans had once made me feel extremely uncomfortable, they were always my equals.
“Will you sit down?” I asked Blake.
“Sure,” he said, shrugging and sitting down in the chair in front of me.
I knew my venom would paralyze him, and I didn’t want him to get hurt in case I couldn’t catch him in time. Usually, that was no problem. Occasionally, the feeding frenzy would take over, and I would forget what I was doing. It was easier if they were sitting down.
As my face neared his neck, I could hear his pulse racing through his veins. He seemed nervous, and I wondered how long he’d been a volunteer, and why he was doing it at all. His heart beat so quickly it was almost fluttering.
“Just relax,” I whispered into his ear, placing my hands on his shoulders.
I heard his heart rate slow very slightly, and a little of the tension in his shoulders loosened. I placed my lips gently against his neck, and the muscles quivered underneath his skin. His heart rate increased again, but this time, I thought it sounded more like excitement than fear or anxiety.
It was then that I caught an intoxicating whiff of his blood. I don’t know where the scent came from, because I was certain I hadn’t bitten him, yet. But somehow, I could smell it. I felt some kind of darkness stirring inside me, and it quickly began to boil over. It was a kind of rage, and I couldn’t control it.
I could feel my fangs sinking into his neck, although I didn’t do it intentionally. Something had taken control, and it wasn’t me. It wanted to devour this poor boy, and I felt powerless to stop it. More and more of his blood flooded into me, and it was warm and soothing. I was delirious with the pleasant feeling, and the slower his pulse became, the better it felt. My arms wrapped around him, and I constricted his body as though I were trying to squeeze every last drop of blood from his veins.
“Alice!” I heard a voice shout, though it was dulled and echoic as if I was hearing it from the other end of a long tunnel.
I felt hands pawing at me, though I couldn’t understand what they were trying to do. I could vaguely feel some kind of tugging, but it didn’t matter. All I wanted was blood.
“Alice, darling, please,” I heard a voice say.
The voice was still reverberating and distant, but I could clearly tell it was Alexi. He was saying something else, but I couldn’t tell what it was. Blake’s pulse grew weaker by the second. Before long, he would be dead.
“Alice, stop… before you kill him,” Alexi’s voice pleaded in my ear.
I felt his hand close over mine, and the electrifying surge of his love overwhelmed the darkness inside me. I snapped back to reality in a split second. I retracted my fangs and gasped loudly, staggering backward into Alexi’s strong arms.
It took me a moment to gather my wits. It almost seemed as if everything around me was moving in slow motion, but it wasn’t. Sounds were faded, muffled. I leaned backward against Alexi, who wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. I heard a commotion, scuffling and voices that sounded panicked. I couldn’t understand what was happening, or what was being said.
I shook my head and tried to get a grip on reality. I remembered the feeling of something dark taking over inside me, and I remembered sinking my fangs into Blake’s neck. I gasped aloud. Had I killed him?
“Alexi!” I shrieked. “What have I done?”
“Shh,” Alexi comforted me, stroking my hair. “It is alright, darling. You stopped in time.”
“Maybe,” Liam muttered.
“Liam!” Alexi warned.
“What?” I gasped. “What does he mean by ‘maybe’, Alexi?”
“Nothing, darling,” Alexi replied. “Just calm down. He will be fine.”
“I don’t understand what happened,” I said. “I’ve never lost control that way. It was like I couldn’t stop. Like I wasn’t even in control of myself.”
Father Jacobs and Alexi exchanged worried glances.
“What? What was that look?” I demanded.
Alexi opened his mouth as if to speak, but he grunted slightly, and then paused as if he couldn’t find the words. I turned to Father Jacobs, and he only looked down at the floor.
I pulled away from Alexi and flew across the room to stand in front of Father Jacobs. I looked into his eyes and searched for the answer.
“Please, Father,” I implored. “Tell me what’s going on!”
“I can’t be sure,” Father Jacobs told me honestly.
“Then tell me what you think is going on,” I pleaded.
He shifted his eyes toward Alexi, as if looking for either help or permission. Alexi said nothing, so Father Jacobs sighed.
“I believe this is the beginning of a process that was set in motion by you dabbling in dark magic,” Father Jacobs said at last. “I’m afraid this darkness may get far worse.”
“But I hardly spent any time on it,” I argued. “How can this be happening? I only dabbled in it for a few hours!”
“Alice, I’m afraid that even the slightesy foray into the dark arts can drag a person into darkness,” Father Jacobs said grimly. �
��It isn’t something to be toyed with.”
“You can stop it, though, right? Have you found someone who can help?” I asked him.
“Not yet,” he admitted. “But I will keep trying. You have my word.”
“What have I done?” I lamented. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“It will be alright,” Kai said, putting his arm around me. “I know it will.”
“I hope you’re right,” I said, but I was doubtful.
I almost killed Blake. He was an innocent victim – a volunteer. He was there because he wanted to be, because he trusted us. And I’d nearly taken his life away in a moment of weakness.
At least I would be strong when I went to see Dmitri. Blake’s blood now coursed through my veins, and I could already feel it strengthening me. If Dmitri would not accept our proposal, at least I had a chance to defend myself.
We decided it would be best if we left right away. Alexi’s driver had purchased a new Guardian, and it was sitting in the driveway fueled and ready to go. Kai hugged me goodbye. I could tell he wanted to kiss me, but he respected my boundaries. Alexi was not so accepting. It was all I could do to struggle away from his arms.
“Alexi, please,” I tried to reason with him, wriggling my way free of his embrace. “I have to go.”
His hands grasped my shoulders, and he leaned close to me.
“I still object to this,” he told me sternly. “But I am trusting you. You must come home safely to me.”
“I will, Alexi,” I tried to convince him, but I wasn’t so sure myself.
“I love you, Alice,” Alexi told me. “With all that I am, I love you.”
I noticed over his shoulder that Liam was standing in the window, watching me prepare to leave. When he saw me looking at him, the curtain quickly closed. He couldn’t even stand to be near me.
“I will return soon,” I told Alexi.
I kissed Alexi and Kai both on the cheek, and then I joined Father Jacobs in the Guardian.
Chapter Eleven – Negotiations
Fortunately, Dmitri’s compound wasn’t more than an hour away. It was a long, anxious drive. Although I was worried, I was almost relieved when we pulled up to the front gate. As I started to leave the car, Father Jacobs grabbed my arm.