Pigalle Palace
Page 15
Her hand carefully traced the gold half-medallion that hung around my neck.
“I still have the other half,” she said.
“Good.”
“What is it?”
I stared at her carefully. “My mother told me it’s a special key. The two pieces, together, unlock something here in this castle. I don’t know where to look. She said it only works with two people, one male and one female. She specifically told me to give one to a woman whom I would spend eternity with and when the day comes, together, we will unlock something.”
She frowned and replied, “If your mother was human, how did she get this? Does anyone know about this?”
“No one knows, but me. My mother was human, yes, but she was born to King Allemand and Queen Christione.”
She gasped, “So, you were destined to be the heir anyway.”
“Technically, Legend would’ve been the next heir, but the curse rearranged things.”
“And your mother was human?”
“Yes.”
“Born to vampire parents?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“How can a human child be born to vampires?”
“It was a birth defect. They hid her from the Préfet and sent her to New Orleans where she grew up with a human family that King Allemand trusted. When she met my father, he was a vampire. Because she knew all about her parents being vampires, she was instantly attracted. She stayed in her human form and gave birth to the three of us. Once word got out about her half-blooded children, they murdered her and my father. She already knew her destiny because she had powers. Though she was human, she had supernatural powers and could cast powerful spells. Her father, King Allemand, gave this medallion to her and he told her to pass it on to her youngest son… He was the one that wrote the Divination.”
“Does anyone else know that you are King Allemand’s grandchildren?”
“Mother and Father know, but my siblings do not.”
“All this time, Rain, you’ve known that you’re a direct descendant of King Allemand?”
“Yes. That’s why the Divination was written. Allemand knew he and his wife would be killed. He knew his daughter would be killed. He had to leave something behind so the government could make sure that only his heir would rule Pigalle Palace once again. Their bodies lay in a hidden tomb, somewhere in this palace.”
“Your mother’s body, too?”
“Yes.”
“Do you plan on telling Legend, Onyx, or Azura?”
“I will tell them when the time is right. There is so much more I can say; only I’m uncertain. While I’m here, I’m going to find out everything there is to know. I want you to lay back and enjoy tonight. There’s no need for you to worry about these matters.”
“I’m ready to go inside. Will you be joining me?”
“Yes, my love.”
Credit: Courtesy of Dario Smith
Born and raised in Sacramento, California, Niyah Moore was touched at an early age with the precious gem of prose. Under the subtle pushing and guidance of a literary mentor, Niyah decided to pursue a career in writing professionally. Her works include the novels Guilty Pleasures, Bittersweet Exes, Major Jazz, and the Tell Yo Bitch series. She has also contributed to several anthologies, including Mocha Chocolate: Taste a Piece of Ecstasy, Lies Told in the Bedroom, and Zane’s Busy Bodies: Chocolate Flava 4. She is an Honoree of the 2013 Exceptional Women of Color Award of Northern California. Visit her online at www.niyahmoore.com.
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
© 2015 by Niyah Moore
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means whatsoever. For information address Strebor Books, P.O. Box 6505, Largo, MD 20792.
ISBN 978-1-59309-632-8
ISBN 978-1-4767-8332-1 (ebook)
LCCN 2014942329
First Strebor Books trade paperback edition March 2015
Cover design: www.mariondesigns.com
Cover photograph: © Keith Saunders/Keith Saunders Photos
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