by Megan Duncan
“If I don’t find her, then she’ll find me and I don’t want her catching me off guard again.” I might have survived the last two encounters with Ana, but that didn’t mean I would survive the next. “I guess I better go look for him then,” I said, not feeling very enthused. In all honesty I didn’t want to find Ana, I just wanted her to disappear forever, but that would never happen.
“Wait, wait! Before you go I need you two to help me decide on something,” Liz said frantically as she dug through the pile of stuff that she’d dumped on the chair. She pulled out two swatches and held them out before us. “Which yellow is better?”
Robin and I stared at the two colors, and then at each other. “Liz, they look exactly the same,” I told her, a small smile perking up my lips.
“They are not! This one is optimistic yellow, and this one is lantern light,” she replied, sternly.
“Umm… I like this one,” Robin said, pointing to one of the swatches. I’d already forgotten which was which.
“Me too!” Liz agreed. “How ’bout you, Claire?”
“I like that one, too,” I said, not really caring which shade of yellow she chose since they both looked the same to me.
“Good.” Liz opened up a notebook, shoving the color we’d all agreed on inside. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her so excited about something. It was nice to see she had something to keep her mind off things.
I rose from the sofa and headed for the door. As I grasped the handle I turned back to my two dearest friends. “I almost forgot. We’ve all got training tomorrow with Eli. I wouldn’t be late if I were you.” I winked at Liz, knowing she was never on time for anything.
“Training?” she said, helplessly. “For what?”
I plastered a wicked grin on my face and walked out the door to the sound of Liz hammering Robin with questions. Tomorrow night was going to be interesting to say the least. Liz wouldn’t even go jogging because she didn’t like to sweat. I could only image what Eli’s response would be when she gives him her first excuse as to why she can’t train. I could almost see the expression on her face in my mind. Yes, tomorrow evening would be interesting. Liz might not like it, but she’ll thank me for it later when she’s still alive after the war.
It took me ages to find Dmitry. He was in the gardens, sitting on a bench, his head tilted up toward the night sky. I didn’t see him move even an inch from the time I laid eyes on him till I was standing right beside him.
“Beautiful, aren’t they?” I asked, trying to strike up conversation.
“I used to think so,” he grumbled, interlocking his fingers across his chest and turning his gaze toward me. I was surprised to find anger in his expression. “What do you want, Claire?”
I stammered, taken aback by his tone. I knew things hadn’t ended well between us, but I thought we had moved past that. I had hoped we could still be friends despite everything, but maybe we couldn’t. He was a different Dmitry than the one I once knew. I knew it wasn’t just because of us either. His physical appearance may have been scarred, but something inside him had been too.
I took a seat beside him, my breath catching in my throat as I studied him. Yes, he was very different, I could see it in his eyes; I could feel it emanating from him. Without realizing it, my hand lifted to touch the scar that trailed down his temple. He jerked away from my touch, and I hesitated before reaching slowly for him again. This time he didn’t pull away.
The scar was smooth under my fingertips, the new skin was delicate; a stark contrast from the wound that had caused it. I didn’t want to imagine the pain he had gone through the night of the attack, but I was grateful he had survived. Despite his aggression toward me, I was glad he was here.
“How come it didn’t heal?” I asked curiously, my words coming out as a whisper as I pulled my fingers away.
Dmitry’s dark eyes found mine, an explosion of emotion being held at bay. At that moment I wished I could read his mind, but he kept his feelings locked down. I could only catch glimpses, like sand sifting through my fingers.
“They were too severe. I wasn’t able to feed quickly enough to assist in the healing. If it weren’t for your boyfriend I probably would have lost my eye,” he said, turning his gaze from mine and back toward the sky. His words were bitter.
“I’m sorry.” I tilted my head, trying to get him to look at me.
“For what?” he shifted in his seat, obviously uncomfortable being so close to me.
“For… for everything.” Sorry just didn’t seem good enough, but I couldn’t think of another word to apologize for what I’d done. His world, and everyone else’s, seemed to have been so much better before I came around.
“Whatever, it’s not your fault.” He sat up suddenly, turning toward me fully. After a deep, heavy breath he allowed his eyes to fall onto my face. My heart thumped in my chest as he leaned toward me. The realization hit me that this was the first time we’d been alone together since I left Noire. Despite everything, I couldn’t deny how incredibly attractive he was. He drew ever closer, watching my every feature for a reaction as our faces were only inches apart. Was he going to kiss me? Part of me hoped he wouldn’t, but another part of me craved the touch of his lips on mine again; the electricity that had shot through me when his fangs caressed my lips. It was wrong, it felt so incredibly wrong.
My body began to shudder, either from nerves or anticipation I didn’t know, but it brought a smile to Dmitry’s face. He pulled back, chuckling lightly to himself. What the hell was so damn funny?
“I knew it!” He leaned into the bench, lacing his fingers behind his head as he sat lazily.
“Knew what?” Aggravation began to bubble within me. He was playing games with me and I didn’t like it. Especially when it involved my emotions.
“That you still have feelings for me,” he answered, triumphantly.
“I… I… I do not!” The second the words left my mouth, I knew they were a lie. I would always have feelings for Dmitry, but they were different from what I felt for Arrick. Yes, Dmitry was stunningly handsome, and incredibly smart, but there was a very important piece missing between us. There was no connection like what I had with Arrick.
“I didn’t come here to talk about what I do and don’t feel,” I growled at him. I liked this new Dmitry less and less.
“Then why did you come here?” he said, curtly.
Drawing in a breath, I collected my emotions. Now wasn’t the time to snap at each other, even though he was being incredibly irritating it was warranted. If our situations were reversed I’d be the same way.
“I came to ask you about Ana.”
“Ana?” His brisk tone disappeared, and he sat up again, giving me a confused expression. “What about her?”
“I want to find her, and I was hoping you could help me.”
“What? Why would you want to find her?” he asked, dragging his hand across his short, blonde hair.
“I want to find her before she finds me.”
“Claire,” he said my name admonishingly, “that’s crazy. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“No. I’m just sick and tired of looking over my shoulder, worrying if she is hiding in the shadows waiting for the right time to come after me again.”
“She’s not going to come after you again, okay?” The pitch of his voice was softer, reminding me of the Dmitry I once knew.
“You don’t know that.”
“No, I don’t, but I do know that she won’t have the advantage like she had before. She won’t be able to get anywhere near you, Claire. That I can promise you.” He brought his hand to my shoulder and squeezed, conveying the certainty of his words. “I won’t let her.”
My mouth fell open at his words. In spite of everything, he was still willing to stand by my side, still willing to protect me. Maybe we could be friends after all.
“Why did you think I could help you with Ana anyway?” he released his grip on my shoulder.
“
Well… when was the last time you saw her?”
“The night she attacked you,” he answered quickly.
“Really?” I was surprised. I would have thought she’d have returned to the palace and tried to convince everyone she had no part in the attack. Or even work with her parents to usurp Nicolae. With me gone, that would have been the perfect opportunity for her. But, maybe she had other plans in the works.
“Yeah. Both she and her parent’s disappeared that night.”
“But what about Luka? She didn’t return for his funeral?” They were mates. I would have thought that she’d at least show up at his burial. I didn’t know much about their relationship, so maybe the depth of their connection wasn’t as deep as I thought.
“There was no funeral for Luka,” Dmitry said flatly, trying to mask the emotion I could feel stampeding inside him.
“Oh.” I couldn’t help but still feel guilty for killing Luka, but only because of the pain it obviously inflicted on Dmitry. No matter what, he was still his brother and I couldn’t imagine the agony he felt.
“He was to be burned, as punishment for his sins. His actions were unforgiveable.”
“Was?” I couldn’t help but catch onto the fact that something didn’t go as planned.
“His body was stolen.” Fury burned in his voice.
“Stolen? Who would steal his body?” It didn’t make any sense, until Dmitry’s wrathful expression turned toward me.
“Ana,” I whispered in shock. “You don’t think she…”
“Who else would have taken him?” he asked.
“But what would she even do with him? Do you think she buried him somewhere?”
“I don’t know what she’d do. Obviously I’m not a very good judge of character.” I frowned at his words. He was still beating himself up over what happened. There was no way he could have known his brother could do such a thing. Luka was his family; you can’t help but think good things about your family. I hoped he’d learn to forgive himself. I didn’t blame him for what happened and neither should he.
“If she did bury him somewhere, then maybe that’s how we can find her,” I tried not to sound too hopeful, even though the idea of catching Ana by surprise for once, did feel good.
“They were really close,” he said, sadly. “If she did bury him somewhere then she’d definitely be close by. She wouldn’t want to leave his side for too long.”
“I guess that’s it then. To find Ana, we need to find Luka’s grave.”
Chapter 9
Spectacular wasn’t a powerful enough word to describe the library that was housed, in pristine condition, in the Château. Its beauty was unmarred by the attack of the dark vampires. Rich mahogany woodwork, opulent woven rugs fashioned with deep reds and vibrant golden hues, and plush armchairs decorated the space. Ornate carvings covered every shelf and table, but the attention to detail didn’t stop there. The ceiling was covered in a wood carved pattern of octagons and stars, separated only by small ornamental lanterns that hung delicately above our heads.
“Holy shooting star!” Robin exclaimed, stepping into the library behind me. “This is amazing.” She rushed past me, a skip in her step as she stopped before a shelf to run her fingers along the historic spines. Her fiery red hair reflected the warm glow of the lighting, making it look like it really was on fire.
“Very impressive,” Dmitry added. “You have quite the collection.” He walked past one of the several desks in the room, eyeing the open volumes. His eyebrows rose in surprise at one particular book whose cover was a faded royal blue. “You have a copy of Hinrik Leif’s theory of vampire evolution?”
“Not a copy,” Leona said, floating into the room beside me. “That is the original. The only one in existence.”
“I thought he destroyed all the copies before he died?”
“All, except one.” She approached him, her evergreen gown trailing behind her. Opening the book, she pointed to something inside before flipping through the pages one by one. “It is in his own handwriting. See his signature here?”
“Wow. How did you find this?” Dmitry asked, completely awestruck.
“That’s a tale for another time, young one,” she smiled, amused by his captivation.
“I’d love to hear it,” Robin chimed in.
“As would I,” Dmitry added.
“And you shall, but as I have been instructed, you have other information that you seek?” Leona directed her gaze toward me for confirmation.
“We do.” I nodded, stepping farther into the room. “We need to find a vampire burial ground.”
Shock painted itself boldly on her face before she quickly masked it. “There are countless burial sites. Is there something specific you are looking for?”
I couldn’t help but notice the hint of apprehension in her tone. “Not something, but someone.” I shifted nervously under her scrutiny.
“I see,” she replied flatly, walking to a shelf that stood beside a tall, paned window.
“It’s Luka,” Robin clarified, looking over to me with encouragement. The thought of finding Luka’s grave not only frightened me because of the chance of finding Ana, but also because I knew I was the one that had put him there. I had felt satisfaction when I killed Baal’s dark vampires, but I still regretted killing Luka. It couldn’t have been avoided; it was kill or be killed. Still, seeing the pained expression on Dmitry’s face made it agonizingly obvious that the mere mention of his brother would never dull in its sting.
“The vampire who tried to kill you?” Leona asked.
I swallowed hard as I caught sight of Dmitry stepping away from the conversation, pretending that a small book he held in his hands was incredibly interesting.
“Yes. He wasn’t buried at the family tomb in Noire. If someone had wanted to lay him to rest, where else could they have taken him?”
“Well…” Leona sighed and headed toward a far shelf across the room. I eyed her for a moment till my eyes wandered over to Robin. A thick book standing open on a pedestal had drawn her attention. And, for a moment, I envied her. I wished I could lose myself in these books and forget the world around me, but I had never been one for reading. I could never quiet my thoughts enough to focus on the words without distracting myself.
“That is going to make it considerably more difficult,” she said, as she began pulling books down from the shelves and depositing them on the nearby desk.
“I should have known it wouldn’t be easy,” I groaned, making my way toward one of her towering stacks.
“Why is it going to be so hard? Don’t you keep records of burial sites here?” Robin asked, curiously.
“Of course we do, dear, but…” she ran her index finger along the spines of nearly a dozen books before pulling three volumes off the top shelf. “What you are looking for won’t be in any records.” Leona dropped an armful of books onto a desk and gestured for me to take a seat. I did so, and Robin took a seat across from me, separating the teetering stack into two.
“Then how are we supposed to find it?” Dmitry asked, sounding agitated as he plucked a book from Robin’s stack.
“During the dark ages, battles raged all over our realm. Back then, there wasn’t time to build tombs and honor the dead as they deserved.” Her voice saddened at her words, emanating from her like a cold breeze. I didn’t dare ask, but I knew that Leona must have had to bury someone in such a way.
“So, you just buried them in the battlefield?” Robin asked, looking completely shocked.
“It was all we could do,” Leona answered as she hugged a thick book in her arms. “There were several sites where the graves were left unmarked; their loved ones would never be able to return and say goodbye.”
“That’s horrible,” I said, feeling a deep sadness for all the lives that had been lost.
“More than you can even imagine,” Leona said, turning toward the window. Her silver hair mimicked the luminosity of the moon as it cascaded down her back in a mass of roped braids.
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“We’re going to need to read through every battle report in these books to find any mention of burials,” Dmitry said.
“Yes,” Leona answered without looking away from the window.
“These are all the battle reports?” Robin inquired, her eyes bulging at the piles of books before us.
“We better get started,” Dmitry said with a heavy breath. It couldn’t have been easy looking for where your brother might be buried, but he seemed to be happy the conversation was over. He didn’t appear to be much of a talker anymore.
I pulled a red bound book from the top of my stack and dropped it in front of me, causing a cloud of dust to puff out. I waved it away with my hand, fighting back the urge to cough. All the while, I couldn’t pull my attention away from Leona and back onto the task at hand. I had thought it was hard dealing with the horrors of Baal now, but to have gone through it more than once… now that was something I didn’t ever want to do.
The hours crept by at an utterly slow pace. In all that time we’d only managed to get through less than a handful of books, resulting in zero information. Maybe my idea to track down Ana wasn’t as good as I thought it was, but we had to keep trying. It wasn’t just about me wanting to prevent her from getting the upper hand; it was also about getting information out of her. She was the only vampire that we knew, without a doubt, was working with Baal. She had to know some information, no matter how small, that might give us an advantage.
I gently turned the decaying pages one by one, trying my best to decipher the handwriting of the person who had transcribed it. The volume I was skimming through was a collection of several journals from vampire warriors of the dark ages. Most of their notes were about how much they missed their loved ones whom they’d left behind, or how hopeless they felt that the war would never end. My eyes fixated on the wavering penmanship as the author poured their heart out.
~
2nd Blood Battalion – Night One-Hundred Sixty Four
The enemy is recruiting humans and beasts to do his dirty work. They attack us during the day when we are weak, and cannot defend ourselves. The soldiers and I are beginning to wonder if we made the right choice. Was fighting against our nature the best decision? We embraced our Goddess because we were fearful of the destruction and bloodshed, but in doing so we have only caused that which we feared. I worry that we are no worse than our enemy, and I pray for the world we are leaving behind. The world that will be left behind if this massacre is ever over.