Keys to the Repository (blue bloods)

by Мелисса Де Ла Круз

  Keys to the Repository

  ( Blue Bloods )

  Мелисса Де Ла Круз

  Lavish parties. Secret trysts. Bone-chilling murders. Angels. Demons. Midterms. The day-to-day lives of Schuyler Van Alen and her Blue Blood friends (and enemies) are never boring. But there’s oh-so-much more to know about these beautiful and powerful teens. Below the streets of Manhattan, within the walls of the Repository, is a wealth of never-before revealed information about the vampire elite that dates back to the dawn of history. In a series of short stories, journal entries, and intimate letters, New York Times best-selling author Melissa de la Cruz gives you the keys to the Repository and an in-depth look into the secret world of the Blue Bloods.

  For my family: Mike, Mattie, Mom, Aina, Steve, Nicholas, Joseph, Chit, and Christina, and the memory of Pop

  The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.

  —Anaïs Nin

  Dear Constant Reader, When I was growing up, I was a huge fan of Stephen King’s books (I still am). And something I remember so vividly about reading his books is that once in a while he would include a letter to his readers in the introduction. These letters were addressed “Dear Constant Reader” because as he published more and more novels, it became apparent to him that his readers were eating them up—reading them as fast as he could write them, and so he wanted to thank them for that, and to celebrate it as well. In his letters he would give us a little insight into how he wrote his books, what inspired them, how they were written, and what he thought about them once finished.

  I loved these letters. I think I secretly enjoyed his letters a little more than the books themselves. As someone who had read all of his books, I was fascinated by this glimpse into their inner workings, and to be told something more about the stories —a background history, an inspiration, a governing idea, maybe—that was not to be found in the pages themselves.

  If you are holding this book in your hands, I hope it’s safe for me to assume that you are my Constant Reader, and that you are curious to find out a little more about the world of the

  Blue Bloods beyond what has been available in the novels so far. And for that, I am extremely tickled, humbled, and gratified.

  It’s always been a dream of mine to write a book like this, a companion book to the series. I absolutely adore companion books. On my shelf next to my many Stephen King novels, you will also find The Dark Tower: A Concordance, Volume 1 and

  The Road to the Dark Tower: Exploring Stephen King’s

  Magnum Opus.

  I’d like to share a little bit about the Blue Bloods se-ries —how I first imagined it and how it came to be and how the work is going. The story behind the story, so to speak. As King says, “Some people don’t want to know how sausage is made; if so, skip this and go ahead to the real meal.” So if you don’t want to hear about the backstory, you don’t have to read this.

  But if you do, here it is.

  When my editor asked if I ever wanted to try my hand at a horror/fantasy book, I responded with a resounding YES! YES!

  YES! As soon as I got off the phone with her, my mind was whirling with so many ideas. I knew from the beginning I wanted to write a big epic fantasy, like my favorite books from childhood: King’s Dark Tower series, Isaac Asimov’s The

  Foundation trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Anne

  Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. But I also wanted to set the story in the modern world, like J.K. Rowling’s wonderful Harry Potter books, which reminded me, as an adult, how pleasurable reading books could be. I especially wanted to set it in New

  York City, my home, which I had just left and missed terribly, as we had moved to Los Angeles in late 2003.

  It just happened that at the time my editor called, I was tooling around on the Internet and had found a Web site that listed every passenger on the Mayflower, along with their notable descendants. The list was the “lightning bulb” from the beginning: I thought, what if all these wealthy, important, and influential Americans (the list includes the likes of the Bushes and the Roosevelts, but also—which I thought was more interesting—American icons like Oprah and Marilyn Monroe) —what if all these great people had come to be that way because they were . . . (da da dum . . .) UNDEAD? (BWAHAHA-HA-HA.)

  My other idea was that I very much wanted to have an origin story for my vampires. I had yet to come across a vampire novel that had one. I wanted a believable explanation for their existence. I had always loved the story of Paradise Lost and found Lucifer’s fall incredibly romantic and tragic. And so: the Mayflower, the New York elite, and vampires as cursed angels who fell with Lucifer—my outline was really starting to take shape.

  I imagined a large, sprawling story with a huge cast of characters. Some pieces came into place easily: three girls, three different motivations. Schuyler, the shy girl who might hold the key to the Blue Bloods’ salvation; Mimi, whose superficial façade masks her true nature; and Bliss, who hides a dangerous secret. Other pieces, like how the Lost Colony of

  Roanoke figured into the tale, came as I was writingthe first book. Soon I was off and running, and now, five years later, I am more immersed in the story than ever. It is alive in my mind, the

  Blue Bloods’ saga dominates talk at my dinner table (my husband is a supportive sounding board), I spend my days turning over plot points, and I can’t sleep if I can’t solve a character’s dilemma.

  In these pages you’ll find the mythology of the Blue Bloods explained, some new stories featuring our favorite young vampires, and a sneak peek at what’s to come. I should warn you, The Repository Files, which include character profiles, were written by rather crotchety historians who work for the humorless Committee, so you might find their estimation of the characters a little astringent. Also, while the Repository might think they know everything, careful readers will observe that in certain instances their knowledge is somewhat limited.

  Thank you for welcoming the Blue Bloods into your library. I have very much enjoyed the journey that has brought them to your shelves.

  I don’t remember how Stephen King said good-bye to his readers, but for me, it’s always a very fond . . . xoxo

  Mel

  THE REPOSITORY FILES

  The following documents you are about to read contain top secret and classified information concerning the history of the

  Blue Bloods. These records were compiled and maintained by Conduit Renfield, the Repository’s longest-serving historian, along with higher-ranking scribes and their interns.

  The Committee employs a secret underground network of

  Wardens, Venators, Conduits, and interns to keep their members safe and also to keep track of their actions and whereabouts. In Blue Bloods (or Repository Record #101), Mimi Force said of the Committee Wardens: “It was eerie how they knew so much about you—almost as if they were always there, watching.” She was right.

  ONCE UPON A TIME IN PARADISE

  The Fall and Rise of the Blue Bloods

  It was the beginning of the end. Lucifer, the Prince of Heaven, the Morningstar, the most beautiful angel of all time, became so enamored with his own beauty and power that he came to believe his light was as great as the Almighty, and that the throne should be his and his alone. And so he gathered his loyal army of angels for the War to End All Wars, and with swords blazing, trumpets blasting, and hellfire in his heart, he came to claim what was not his to claim.

  The battle was a day of black smoke and searing flame, clashing swords and cracking whips. Alas, with victory in

  Lucifer’s grasp, at the crucial moment to deliver the crushing
blow, the twin Angels of the Apocalypse—Abbadon and Azrael —his most loyal lieutenants, stayed their hand. They betrayed the Morningstar and knelt to the golden sword of Michael instead, turning the tide of battle. But it was too late to save themselves.

  All the rogue angels were banished from Heaven. They woke to the cold of the earth as immortals, condemned to walk the world forever, and cursed until the end of days to feed on the blood of their human brethren. Where once they were angels, they were now “vampyres.” Angels of fire and death. Soulless creatures bereft of light and love, with the immortal blue blood running in their veins.

  But they were not without hope. Gabrielle, the Virtuous, out of love for her people, chose to descend with them, to bring a ray of light to the damned. She was joined by her mate, the mightiest of them all, Michael, Pure of Heart, who could not bear to spend eternity apart from her. Gabrielle and Michael were called the Uncorrupted, vampires by choice instead of sin.

  Together, Gabrielle and Michael established the Code of the Vampires, a foundation of rules that would govern their community through the centuries, and help them to forge a way back to their glorious home in Paradise. The life cycles of the vampires were coordinated to match a human lifetime, and so the vampires followed the rites of life (Expression), death

  (Expulsion), and reincarnation (Evolution).

  But Lucifer and his minions remained contemptuous of their fall from Paradise. They had no desire to regain God’s grace or to live by the Code. They preyed on their fellow vampires, feeding on their blood and memories until they became beings of chaos, misery, and delirium. Their blood turned silver, and they were called Croatan, the Silver Bloods.

  For a time they were subdued and controlled by the power of the Uncorrupted, and for centuries served as the Blue

  Bloods’ slaves. That is, until the day the slaves rose up against their masters in a merciless slaughter. Thus did Michael declare war against Lucifer and his followers, seeking revenge and bringing death and havoc to his enemies.

  The war culminated in a final battle in ancient Rome, when

  Cassius (Michael) unmasked the emperor Caligula, who was revealed to be Lucifer himself. Michael sent Lucifer into the fires of Hell by the point of his golden sword, forever locking him behind an impenetrable gate.

  After Rome, for millennia the Blue Bloods lived in relative safety. However, every hundred years or so, rumors persisted of attacks on young vampires in Venice, Florence, Barcelona, and

  Cologne, but information was inconclusive, and later suppressed. For all intents and purposes, the community believed the Silver Bloods had been destroyed.

  Distressed by the rise of religious persecution in Europe in the seventeenth century, a coven of Blue Bloods crossed to

  America, looking for peace. But the ancient evil followed them there, with a rash of mysterious disappearances at Plymouth. A few years later, their entire settlement at Roanoke was taken, with no clue as to their whereabouts except for a lone message—“Croatan”—nailed on a tree.

  During this time of chaos in Plymouth, John Carver (the angel Metraton) called for a White Vote to challenge the leadership and gain the title of Regis of the Coven. John and his wife, Catherine Carver (the angel Seraphiel), were convinced that the Silver Bloods had never been fully vanquished and that a traitor Silver Blood was hidden among their ranks; that one of their own was Corrupted. John Carver agitated for vigilance and an investigation.

  But Myles Standish (the archangel Michael) was equally passionate in his belief that the Silver Bloods no longer walked the earth. For the first time in Blue Blood history there was disagreement within the Conclave of Elders. But John Carver lost the White Vote, as the Conclave chose Myles Standish, thereby confirming their faith in Michael once again. The

  Carvers lost their governing position in the Conclave, their lone opposing voice silenced under the Regis’s ironfisted rule.

  As the years went by, the Blue Bloods grew comfortable, satisfied, fearless, and proud. They amassed vast wealth and influence in the New World that rivaled the grand palaces and empires they had built in the Old. The Silver Bloods had neither been seen nor heard from since Roanoke. As far as the ruling

  Conclave was concerned, Croatan were a myth; their existence legislated out of Blue Blood history.

  In New York City, the Conclave leadership established the

  Committee, under whose aegis the vampires ran the Board of

  Trustees of the New York Blood Bank, among other educational institutions and charitable causes, as the Blue Bloods continued to advance their mission to bring art, light, truth, and justice to the human world.

  ONCE UPON A TIME IN NEW YORK . . .

  Four hundred years after the disappearance of the Roanoke colony, the mysterious attacks on the vampires began again. In

  New York City, Blue Blood victims were being taken during their most vulnerable period, their adolescence, before they are fully in control of their powers. Aggie Carondolet, a student at the

  Duchesne School, and four other teenagers, were fully consumed to Dissipation, their life force drained from their veins.

  Half-blood vampire Schuyler Van Alen, along with her human Conduit, Oliver Hazard-Perry, and fellow Blue Blood

  Bliss Llewellyn, attempted to solve the murders and the disappearance of their friend Dylan Ward, who was charged with the crime. Schuyler’s investigation brought her in contact with her secret crush, Jack Force, and to the malicious attention of his twin sister, Mimi. The Force twins hailed from the richest and most powerful Blue Blood family in the city. Their father, Charles Force, was the latest reincarnation of Michael, the vampires’ immortal leader.

  Schuyler learned the truth about the Silver Bloods from her grandmother Cordelia Van Alen, who was fatally injured after a

  Silver Blood ambush. Following Cordelia’s last wish, Schuyler left for Venice to find her exiled grandfather. Lawrence Van Alen returned to New York to tell the Coven the same thing he had told them back in Plymouth as John Carver: he suspected that one of the oldest families of the Conclave had been Corrupted, and was hiding a powerful Silver Blood—perhaps the most powerful Silver Blood of all.

  After Aggie’s death, the Carondolets called for a White

  Vote to replace Charles Force, who was then the Regis of the

  Coven, their leader. They were unsuccessful in their attempt.

  Like the Carvers centuries before them, the Carondolets were promptly banished from the council. Charles Force refused to believe that the Silver Bloods had returned. He dismissed the deaths as random anomalies, not the work of their old, mythical foes.

  But he could not stop the Committee from calling in the

  Venators, the Conclave’s secret police force, to investigate the murders, sending one of them to enroll at Duchesne, the elite private school that many of the victims had attended. Kingsley

  Martin, the Venator assigned to the mission, was ordered to discover who among the young Blue Bloods had been drawn to the Dark Matter, a sign of Silver Blood Corruption. Mimi Force was the strongest suspect.

  A Silver Blood attack at the Repository of History, the very center of the Blue Bloods power, left the Chief Warden murdered. Mimi was charged with the crime and brought to face a blood trial. Only a vampire with Gabrielle’s power would be able to clear her by reading the true memories embedded in her blood. Schuyler, as Gabrielle’s daughter, agreed to perform this act. In the blood memory, Schuyler discovered that Kingsley

  Martin, the Venator and allegedly a reformed Silver Blood, was the true culprit, and that Mimi was innocent. Schuyler also found out that Jack Force returned her feelings for him. But this discovery was complicated by the fact that she had recently performed the Sacred Kiss with Oliver Hazard-Perry, marking him as her human familiar, bound to her by blood and love.

  Under Lawrence’s influence, and after the embarrassment of the blood trial, the Conclave called for a White Vote, and for the first time since the Blue Bloods’ banish
ment from the

  Kingdom of Heaven, Michael was no longer Regis, as Charles

  Force lost his position. They named Lawrence to lead them in his place.

  Kingsley Martin disappeared after the trial, but was brought back to the fold when Lawrence discovered the truth behind his actions. Charles Force had secretly ordered the loyal Venator to call up a Silver Blood from deep inside their most protected stronghold. Kingsley, a reformed Silver Blood himself, had set up Mimi to perform the rite, but at the last moment she had been too weak, and he had performed the dark spell himself.

  According to Charles, the call should never have worked. It should have been impossible. It was a test that was supposed to have failed.

  Now even Charles had to admit that their immortal adversaries had returned. A broken man, he turned his back on the Conclave, wasting his days locked up in his study. In his absence, Mimi promoted herself to the family seat in the council.

  The Silver Blood attacks continued, and the Venators reported trouble in Corcovado, where the demon Leviathan, Lucifer’s brother, was imprisoned. Lawrence departed for Rio to secure Corcovado and left the Coven in the hands of the

  Regent, the second-highest-ranking Blue Blood, Nan Cutler.

  Alone in New York, Schuyler had problems of her own. Her lost friend Dylan Ward had returned unexpectedly, displaying signs of Silver Blood Corruption, but her secret love affair with

  Jack Force took up all her attention and distracted her from the danger. But when the whole Conclave was called to Rio, Schuyler suspected something and traveled to the city as well, hoping to aid Lawrence.

  During a dinner party to welcome the Blue Bloods to the city, the Silver Bloods revealed themselves at last and, led by the traitor Nan Cutler, slaughtered the members of the Conclave and left the house to burn with the Black Fire. Mimi barely made it out of the party alive, but it was her hand that felled the false