by Lola Gabriel
“Exactly. If those parasites…” Pyre paused as he glanced apologetically at Finley and cleared his throat. “If they took over Miami, it will be dire for every Gifted Immortal. Not only in Miami, but in the entire world.”
“Why is that? Because of the stone?”
“With the stone, they will also be able to detect every single immortal on the planet. There is a special inscription on the golden case, which makes it possible,” Pyre explained.
Finley crossed her arms. “This stone was originally in your family, correct?”
“Yes, why?”
“Did your dad do pretty awful things with it? Did he seek out other immortals for the wrong reasons?” Finley asked. “And please answer me honestly.”
“Yes. He did a lot of terrible things that I definitely didn’t approve of and still wouldn’t. He was a terrible ruler in those days, and even he will admit it if you asked him. He tracked down thousands of vampires, witches, and wolves, and had them slaughtered. They did manage to get their revenge, nearly wiping out our entire family lineage.”
“It must be tough,” Finley said. “You know, to lose that many people that you care about.”
“I don’t want your pity, Finley. I just want you to understand that there are things in our past, my past, that we do regret, and we have to live with that guilt for the rest of our lives. The only thing that makes it fade away into the back of our minds is…”
“Retribution?” she asked.
“No, our True Mates.”
Finley’s arms dropped to her sides, and tears filled her eyes. They were from both anger and sadness. She felt like a true failure, as she was the one person who could calm the blazing storm in his heart and mind, but she couldn’t even do that. She only made it worse, in fact. She wasn’t worthy of being the mate of a Dragon Prince, especially not Pyre’s. He deserved so much better than her, and it would be better if she disappeared out of his life as soon as possible.
“I’m sorry, Pyre,” Finley finally said after a long pause.
“For what?” he asked.
“For not being the mate you deserve,” she said quietly.
“It’s not about you being a vampire, Finley—”
“Of course it is. I’m guessing that it is painful for you to have me around because I remind you of a past you’d rather forget, right? I bring back all these memories of vampires in your life who fucked you over, deceived you, and wanted to hurt you. I don’t want that for you, and I don’t want to be stuck with someone who is miserable all the time. I’d rather leave altogether. The only reason I am still here is because I agreed to get the stone for you.”
“I should have just gotten it myself,” Pyre muttered.
“Then you can personally deliver your head to Luka,” she snipped.
“What are you talking about?” he grumbled.
“Luka wants your head delivered to him tomorrow night. That’s how he’ll know that he can trust me and have my loyalty. He said I can be a part of his family.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Seeing as I come from such a horrendous family. Those vampires aren’t your family—”
“And you are?” Finley snapped. “Just because I’m your True Mate doesn’t make us family.”
“I never said it did! You’re such a typical—”
“What? Vampire?”
“No, woman.”
“Well, I was the last time I checked!” she exclaimed angrily. “Look, I am just trying to help. I don’t get you. You’re hot, then you’re cold. You do something nice for me, then you’re an asshole. Make up your mind! If you want to do it yourself, go ahead! Get your stupid stone!”
“If you want something done, you’ve just got to do it yourself, right?” Pyre growled.
“Right,” Finley hissed.
They stood glaring angrily at one another before grabbing each other and kissing passionately. Their anger for one another had manifested into pure and unadulterated passion and desire. At that very moment, ripping each other’s clothes off seemed so right, although they both knew that it would just further complicate things.
8
Finley tapped her fingers on the armrest of the couch and stared wordlessly at Pyre, who paced around the room, talking on the phone. He seemed agitated, and his free hand waved around in the air while he spoke. She wasn’t sure who he was talking to, but judging by the angry tone in his voice and the scowl on his face, things were not looking good. It was nearly time to go to the address Luka had given her, and she was beginning to worry. She didn’t want them to think that she wouldn’t show up. What if Luka didn’t have the stone there with him? What was she going to do then?
She had already expressed her concerns to Pyre, and he had assured her that Luke didn’t go anywhere without the stone, and if he was to welcome Finley into the clan, he would definitely have it with him. Other vampires had stolen the stone in the past, and he thought Luka would use the stone in the same way.
If Pyre was correct, Luka would make each vampire who became a part of his clan recite an ancient verse from one of his old books, while he used the sharp edge of the stone to cut the new vampire’s arm. A droplet of blood was then collected and absorbed into the stone, hence its name, the Blood Stone. It all seemed very medieval to Finley, and even though she normally like that kind of stuff, this was much more terrifying.
Pyre threw his phone onto the table, which startled Finley, who was lost in her own little bubble, and she glanced up at him.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. It should be.”
At that moment, the doorbell sounded, but it didn’t come from upstairs. Finley frowned at Pyre, who immediately walked over to the opposite wall, and much to Finley’s surprise, he opened a door that blended in perfectly with the wall. Outside stood a woman with long brown tousled hair and a pair of piercing blue eyes. Finley stood and walked closer. The woman greeted Pyre as if she had known him her entire life, and he reciprocated the gesture.
“Pyrencko, it’s so good to see you!” She beamed, her long dress flowing behind her. It almost looked as though she had no feet and floated into the room.
“It’s good to see you too, Val.” Pyre smiled slightly. “And you know I hate being called that.”
“I know, but it is such a beautiful name,” Val pointed out with a sly smile and touched Pyre’s cheek. For a moment, Finley thought she saw a slight flush in his cheeks, but it was gone within an instant. The woman approached her and held out her hands. “You must be Finley.”
“Hey,” Finley greeted her with a nod and apprehensively took her hands.
“It is such a pleasure to meet you. I am Val, and I have heard so much about you,” Val said melodiously, wrapping her warm fingers around Finley’s cold hands.
Finley looked at Pyre from over Val’s shoulder and raised her eyebrows at him. He, however, shrugged innocently.
“Was Pyre talking about me?” Finley asked.
“Oh, no, honey. Pyre didn’t tell me anything about you.”
“Then how do you know so much about me?”
“The spirits told me. The earth, the wind. Everything around us spoke to me, told me about how beautiful and good you are,” Val sang once more, and her eyes suddenly glowed. “And that you are dead but alive.”
“She’s a vampire, Val,” Pyre said wryly.
Val’s smile suddenly faded, and her mouth straightened into a horizontal line. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she glared at Finley, as if she stared right into her soul. Finley shifted her weight and lowered her gaze, feeling ashamed for the second time that day. Finally, after what felt like an hour, Val spoke, her voice kind.
“There is no need to feel ashamed, my dear. You are a vampire, that may be true, but your heart is pure. You are not like any vampire I have ever had the privilege of meeting.”
Finley’s cheeks flushed, and she smiled shyly. “That’s so nice of you to say.”
“Normally, your kind wants to kil
l someone like me,” Val sighed.
“Someone like you?”
“She’s a witch, Finley,” Pyre interjected.
Val scoffed.
“Typical Pyrencko. He feels that he must be in control all the time. But there is one thing he cannot control. Do you want to know what that is?” Finley nodded, and Val beckoned her closer. “His heart.”
“Are you sure about that?” Finley asked.
“Can we get back to the matter at hand, please? We’re kind of pressed for time here, Val,” Pyre muttered as he rolled his eyes.
“Yes, yes. Of course, Mr. Bossy,” Val shrugged and stepped away from Finley.
“This has to be as authentic as possible. No glitches, and none of that voodoo stuff you like so much, Val. Do you understand?” Pyre ordered.
“Look at him.” Val looked at Finley. “He takes the fun out of everything.”
Finley suppressed a smile when she felt Pyre’s eyes on her and simply nodded at Val. Val slipped her shawl off her shoulders and let it fall gracefully to the floor. She raised her hands shoulder-height, and the room suddenly grew very dark. From her hands, a dark crimson glow appeared, and the atmosphere in the room grew grim and thick. Finley shifted her weight uncomfortably. It felt as though she was suffocating. The ground beneath her feet started to shake, and the terror built up inside her, although she knew that Val and Pyre would not allow anything bad to happen. In front of Val’s feet, a swirling vortex of smoke rose from the ground. Something started to form inside it, but Finley couldn’t see what it was just yet, although she had a suspicion. The ground shook some more but eased down as the smoky tornado started to disappear.
What was left on the ground at Val’s feet was both amazing and grotesque. It was an exact replica—or at least, that was what Finley hoped it was—of Pyre’s decapitated head. It looked pretty real, and even the smell was close to accurate. For the first time since becoming a vampire, Finley dry heaved at the sight and the stench of Fake Pyre’s blood. It was dark, almost black, and much stickier than usual. It had a charcoal smell to it, mixed with undertones of rotten leaves and tree bark.
Finley cringed and turned away. “Is that really what it looks and smells like?”
“Absolutely. Dragon blood is completely different to human blood. Some vampires love it, but it’s definitely an acquired taste,” Val answered.
“Right,” Finley said in disgust and glanced at Pyre. “Don’t worry. I swear I will never bite you, especially after seeing that.”
“You should see what your blood looks like—”
“Okay, enough. You two clearly have some issues to work out later,” Val pointed out, emphasizing the last word, and stepped back. “Are you happy with that, Pyrencko?”
Pyre knelt down beside the head and nodded. “It’s perfect, as usual, Val.”
Finley stared at him with a frown, wondering how many times Val had conjured up a fake decapitated head for the sake of getting things done. She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of that thought, deciding that she would rather not know the answer to her own question. Some things were better left unsaid and unknown.
“Well, in that case, I shall be off then.” Val turned to Finley. “Be safe, Finley, and don’t let Pyrencko make you feel anything less than worthy.”
Finley opened her mouth to say something, but she had no words. Val knew exactly what she felt inside her heart, without having to tell her. Not even her own mother knew her that well. Finley simply smiled. “Thank you, Val.”
Pyre glanced briefly at Finley before walking Val outside, leaving Finley alone in the basement with the fake head, but it made her skin crawl. She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like if it was really Pyre’s head, and her heart suddenly cramped up tightly in her chest. Although she had told herself that she shouldn’t get too attached to him, his presence and the way he made her feel, she knew she was too far gone. She depended on him too much, and her heart would be broken when she had to leave.
She loved Pyre. However, it seemed like the feeling wasn’t mutual.
“Hey.” Pyre’s voice brought her back to the present moment. “Are you okay?”
“I guess. I was just thinking about what I need to do,” she answered.
“Do you need me to go over the plan again?” he asked as he approached her.
“No, I know what I have to do,” she said, and a burning question forced its way out of her mouth. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“If you could go back to anywhere in your life and change one thing—”
“Finley,” he warned.
“Please, just answer me,” she begged.
Pyre shifted his weight. “There are too many.”
“The most important one.”
“They’re all important.”
A tear suddenly ran down Finley’s cheek, and she lowered her gaze. She nodded, deeply disappointed in Pyre’s answer, or lack thereof, and quickly wiped the tear away. There was no time to be emotional or allow any feelings to get in the way of her mission. She was to go to the address Luka had given her and give him the head. Pyre would crash through the house with his truck, and when Luka was distracted, Finley would snatch the stone and get the hell out of there as quickly as she could. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need to kill anyone, but if she had to, then she wouldn’t hesitate.
“I’m sorry that I can’t tell you what you want to hear, Finley,” Pyre told her, and as their eyes met, Finley clearly saw the sincerity and the deep regret in his eyes.
“We can’t always get what we want, can we?” She shrugged and grabbed the bag, which looked a lot like a bowling ball bag, only a bit bigger. “Can we just get this over with?”
“Finley, I—”
“Please, Pyre. I just want to get this done.”
Pyre nodded wordlessly and helped her place the bloody fake head inside the bag, and he zipped it shut. Their hands briefly touched, which sent a bolt of electricity through Finley’s body, but she shrugged it off. “Are you ready?”
Ready to leave you while my heart starves to death for your love, sure, she thought, but she only said, “I’m ready.”
Finley’s jaw clenched as she stopped in front of the wrought iron gates of the address Luka had given her. She looked through the bars of the gate at the mansion in front of her, and she swallowed down the lump which had already started to form in her throat. She didn’t expect it to be such a massive house. Her senses were going crazy all of a sudden, and she tightly clutched the strap of the bag containing the fake head. The gates suddenly opened, startling her. The heels of her boots clicked on the stone driveway as she made her way to the front door. A large fountain towered up before her, with a valiant horse carved out of dark marble spewing water from its upturned muzzle, glistening in the moonlight. The water somehow had a calming effect on Finley, and she strode up the wide steps leading to the front door. She reached out to knock, but the door opened before she could do so.
Wade, the burly vampire whom she had met the previous night, stood in the doorway and stared down at her.
“Hey. Wade, right? Do you remember me?” she said, a little more cheerfully than she wanted.
“The boss is waiting for you,” he answered curtly and opened the door, allowing Finley to enter. “Do you have what he asked for?”
“I do,” she answered, motioning to the bag.
“Good. The boss will be pleased,” Wade answered. “Follow me.”
Finley smiled, but it was left unseen by Wade, as he immediately made his way into the foyer and down the wide passageway. The elegant and beautiful decor stunned Finley, and she felt as though she had been transported to another time. She didn’t expect the house to be so elegant. A beautiful staircase which ran up along the wall, with wrought iron banisters and balustrades. A crystal chandelier sparkled in the moonlight, and even in the dim lighting, Finley felt like she belonged there.
She wondered for a moment if it would be such a bad thing to rea
lly become a part of Luka’s clan. There, she could be free and happy, and just maybe, she could forget about Pyre. But being in the same city as him would be difficult. She’d always wonder where he was, what he was doing, and with whom. It would drive her crazy.
Also, if Luka knew that Pyre wasn’t dead, there was no possible way that he would allow her to be a part of his clan. He’d have both her and Pyre killed, and that would be the end of that. Whichever way Finley tried to go, it would always end badly. There would be no winners, and that was the most devastating thought of all.
No matter what she did, no matter what she decided to do, she would lose.
Lose Pyre. Lose herself.
She followed Wade down the hallway, and he led her to a large room, which looked like Luka’s study. There was a midcentury writer’s desk against one wall, and a stool covered in red tapestry. The same family crests graced the walls, along with a painted portrait of Luka wearing medieval attire.
Finley clutched the strap of the bag tightly when she saw Luka sitting comfortably in a wingback chair, and his face lit up when he saw her.
“Finley, how wonderful to see you!” He stood and gallantly walked over to her. He took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips. They were surprisingly warm, and Finley stood frozen on the spot, not certain what to do.
“I apologize that I did not come sooner, but it turned out to be a bit messier than I had anticipated,” she told him, motioning to the bag.
Luka glanced down briefly, and a smile formed in the corner of his lips. “Please, Finley, do not apologize. There was no doubt in my mind that you would succeed.”
“Thank you for your confidence in me,” Finley said with a nod.
Looking like a child about to receive a birthday gift, Luka’s eyes sparkled as he pointed to the bag. “May I?”
“Of course,” Finley answered and handed him the bag. “It’s yours to do with whatever you please.”
Luka took the bag from her, and Finley stepped away. She immediately noticed the Blood Stone on the low kidney shaped table a few feet away from her, and she slowly moved towards it, without attracting too much attention to her movements.