Spring's Vampires. Blooms of Blood: A Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance (Soulmates of Seasons Book 4)

by Eva Brandt

“I wouldn’t, if I were able to stop it,” I replied, disgruntled. “We’re all worriers in my family. It comes with having almost watched a sister die.”

  “I know,” he answered without missing a beat. “And I’d love to tell you that you’ll never have to see that again, but it’d be a lie.” He took my hand and threaded our fingers together. I could feel the sharp edges of my magic vibrating under his skin. “This power... The power you’ve been granted doesn’t come without a price. But everything happens for a reason, Eranthe. Hold onto that thought, no matter what. And always, always hold onto your soulmates. They will help you.”

  I opened my mouth to ask him for more advice. He knew Cezar, Baltasar, and Adrian, far better than I did. Maybe he could come up with a way for me to make it up to them.

  I didn’t get the chance to say a word.

  Before I even knew what was going on, the Grand Lich, the closest thing The Immortuos Voievodat had to a religious leader, crushed his mouth to mine.

  The kiss felt nothing like the intimate moments I’d shared with my soulmates, but it wasn’t uncomfortable either. On some level, I couldn’t understand it, let alone describe it. The sudden display of affection shocked me so much that I could do nothing but stand there, frozen, with my eyes still open and my mouth at the mercy of my would-be rescuer.

  It only lasted for a couple of seconds, and then the Grand Lich pulled away. The reddish mist that had carried me here floated toward me once again, and this time, it swallowed both me and the Grand Lich whole. My vision went fuzzy, and the dark crypt vanished into the cloud of crimson.

  I didn’t fight the strange power. Instead, I encouraged it, instinctively knowing that it was guiding me in the right direction. I didn’t know how long my journey lasted, but when my world turned real again, I found myself on the shore of the lake. A single look around told me that my efforts had worked. The pond was once again healthy, glowing with the power of Tis Ánoixis, no longer corrupted by the lamiae’s venom, or by me.

  Truth be told, if I hadn’t known any better, I might have thought I’d imagined the whole episode, including the exchange with Baltasar’s mother. But I was still covered in remnants of the viscous fluid that had been polluting the lake, and I still felt a strange sensation of surreal calm permeating my body. My lips were still tingling slightly after the kiss of the Grand Lich. And I still ached at the thought of everything I’d said to my soulmates.

  I had no idea how to apologize to them, so in a way, it was a relief when I found someone else waiting for me. The sound of a familiar cry was the sole warning I received before a certain zoophyte manifested by my side and pounced on me. “Your Majesty! You’ve returned.”

  Still in a daze, I instinctively wrapped my arms around Veggie and buried my hands in his soft fleece. When his green wool bloomed into red roses, I let out a sigh of relief. “Of course I’m back, Veggie, and I will fix this. I won’t let Tis Ánoixis die.”

  “I know,” Veggie replied. “I’ve always known. But Your Majesty, I’m so sorry about sending your soulmates into Hades. I didn’t realize it would cause a war. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

  My insides froze at his shaky apology. I hadn’t gotten the chance to discuss the trip to the underworld with my vampires, but if Veggie had been involved in Hades’s ploy in some way, I’d have thought that they would mention it. “I’m sorry, Veggie. I don’t understand. You did what?”

  Veggie pulled away from me and met my eyes with his tearful ones. “I knew about King Fufluns’s plan, Your Majesty. I knew what needed to happen. I was told that you had to fulfill the prophecy. I’m sorry. I should’ve never listened.”

  The prophecy. That damn prophecy again. The anger that surged through me at that moment was so intense that for a few seconds, I couldn’t speak. I bit the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted blood, reminding myself to not lash out against Veggie. My lamb was an innocent in all this. He’d undoubtedly been used by someone who’d taken advantage of his innocence and naiveté.

  Then again, Veggie wasn’t as naive as he seemed. He’d lived a long time—it came with being a constantly regenerating zoophyte—and he’d seen more than his fair share of crazy things. He was actually older than me, although during the time of the previous king, he hadn’t been walking around as much as now.

  There was only one conclusion I could draw from all of this. Veggie wouldn’t have kept a secret from me or done something he perceived as dangerous, not unless someone he trusted greatly had demanded it of him. “Who?” I asked, already dreading his unavoidable response. “Who told you about the prophecy?”

  I wasn’t surprised in the slightest when Veggie answered, “Your lady mother, Queen Selene.”

  Five

  Reunion

  Cezar

  Leaving the forest after the confrontation with Eranthe reminded me an awful lot of my early attempts to change into my bat form. Everything was strange and unfocused. My reality seemed to have shifted on its axis and my body felt wrong and alien to me.

  I took the same approach I had during my lessons and refused to give up. I persevered. I didn’t collapse in a pile of twisted immortal flesh, no matter how much the idea appealed to me. This time, the pain I experienced was emotional, not physical, but I still endured it. I had to keep going, to respect Eranthe’s wishes and end this war, just like she wanted. It might not change her opinion of me and my friends, but it would give her the peace she deserved.

  There was only one problem with that plan. I’d long ago adjusted to shape-shifting and learned from the past mistakes I’d made while struggling with the process. I had already fallen into a similar pattern with Eranthe, and had no desire to repeat the errors I’d already committed.

  I’d left her side once because she’d asked me to, and it had led to her being kidnapped. Was it really a good idea to do it again?

  By the time we reached the edge of the forest, I’d found an answer to that question and decided I would not be returning to The Gardens of Edenia. It was much too risky after everything that had been going on in Tis Ánoixis. I deemed it very strange that her sister had agreed to leave. Yes, Eranthe was powerful and could protect herself, but she’d just been kidnapped by an insane god. Surely, Pandora understood that even leaving aside the invasion of undead, Fufluns might try again.

  Questioning a queen of the seasons outright wasn’t a good idea, but I still did it, although I attempted a tactful approach. “Your Majesty, is it safe to leave Eranthe here on her own?” I asked Pandora. “She might still need our help with cleansing the forest and there are clearly still hostile elements in Tis Ánoixis that could harm her.”

  Pandora grimaced. “Yes, I know, but she’s as safe as she can be. There’s not much else we can do right now. Our parents will be keeping an eye out. Rest assured that she will not be unprotected.”

  That didn’t fill me with much confidence. I hadn’t forgotten that Eranthe’s mother had been aware of Fufluns’s plans, at least up to a point, and had done nothing to stop him.

  My friends remembered this as well. It snapped us out of our fugue, forcing us to focus on our priority—Eranthe’s safety. “I’m sure you’re right, Your Majesty,” Adrian said calmly, “but it can’t hurt to have someone else around. I think we should stay.”

  Pandora arched a brow at him. “Oh?” she asked. “And you’d trust me with the captives?”

  The rays of the sun filtered through the clouds, and when they danced over her red hair, the sight reminded me of the bloody lake we’d just left. The veiled threat in the words didn’t help.

  Baltasar wasn’t put out by her reaction. “I can easily join you and make sure my mother doesn’t cause any further trouble. Besides, if Eranthe is angry with anyone, it’s with me. Adrian and Cezar shouldn’t have to leave her because of me.”

  “That’s not really your call,” Pandora shot back. “She sent you all away, remember?”

  “Yes, we remember,” I answered, “and we respect her opinions and req
uests. But, Your Majesty, I think you realize as well as we do that she’s not at her best right now. We don’t want to upset her, but leaving is a bad idea too. We can keep our distance and still remain nearby, just in case something happens.”

  Pandora looked from me to Adrian. Her eyes glinted with a silent, painful knowledge. At that moment, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was hiding something very important too, something that might be just as life-changing as our trip to Hades.

  I would’ve asked had Pandora’s serious demeanor not melted away into an entirely different attitude. All of a sudden, the odd sorrow vanished, and her lips twisted into a wicked, teasing grin.

  “Well, if that’s what you want to do, I won’t stop you. I’ve always been a firm believer in the power of sex. Three-quarters of the time, people communicate so much better through their bodies, and this situation, while regrettable, has a lot of potential. So by all means, gentlemen, stay.”

  The power of sex? Where had that come from? We had no intention of approaching Eranthe sexually anytime soon. After the earlier episode, I’d be happy if she even agreed to give us the time of day.

  Pandora’s odd comment took me aback so much that I couldn’t reply at all. She didn’t wait for me to recover my composure. Instead, she turned away and waved her elegant hand. Within seconds, the winds of autumn swept over us, levitating her into the skies and dragging Baltasar along.

  “Good luck!” she called out to me and Adrian. “You’re going to need it.”

  The two of us watched the avatar of autumn disappear into the distance. Once she was gone, I glanced at my friend and said, “I don’t know about you, but I don’t like all these secrets Eranthe’s sisters are keeping. We should go back and find her.”

  “I might not be able to keep her from noticing us,” Adrian warned me. “No, cancel that. I’m sure I don’t have that kind of power. And if she does sense us, we might lose what little chances we have left of building a relationship with her.”

  “Yes, probably, but Eranthe was right. This was never about us. For her, it might be about her people, but we have our own priorities, don’t we? To keep her safe. I’m willing to do whatever it takes as long as we manage to accomplish that goal.”

  Adrian nodded. “You’re right, of course. I suppose I can’t help but wish things were different, but in the end, that doesn’t matter.”

  A long, drawn out sigh interrupted the exchange between me and my friend. “Always so self-sacrificing. You do realize there’s no need for such dramatics, don’t you? Your relationship with the Lady of Spring will be perfectly fine.”

  I turned, only to find that, at one point during my conversation with Adrian, the Grand Lich had arrived. He sat on a stone behind us, his fiery, unblinking eyes fixed on me and my friend. From that alone I could tell he’d reached a point of irritation and exasperation that usually brought about bad news for whomever incurred his wrath.

  I wasn’t too worried, since I knew he’d never hurt me. “With respect, My Lord, you can’t possibly know how our relationship with Eranthe will turn out.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I can.” The Grand Lich got up and crossed his arms over his chest. “Anyone with the slightest talent in soul manipulation could see that she loves you. She’s just not prepared for what that means yet, or for everything else that’s been happening to her. It doesn’t help that she has a temper and she isn’t dealing with her new powers very well.”

  That explanation was strikingly similar to what Pandora and Jack had told us earlier. A worm of suspicion niggled at the back of my mind. “Grand Lich, as much as I appreciate the reassurance, there are other things that take precedence now. What did you tell Eranthe’s family?”

  The Grand Lich laughed. “Very good, Cezar. I suppose I should’ve known you’d figure it out. As for what I told them... It was only what I absolutely had to. They had to understand the future in order to accept it.”

  “Not this again,” Adrian snapped at him. “There’s no such thing as fate, Grand Lich.”

  “There is, if it’s manufactured,” he replied.

  His voice was barely audible over the rustling of the tree leaves, but paradoxically, that just made the words sound louder. Then again, maybe I was just imagining the effect because of the insane confession the Grand Lich had just made. “Manufactured?” I repeated. “What do you mean? What are you doing?”

  “Just ensuring your safety and that of everyone you know and love, like I always do. Why do you feel the need to ask such silly questions?”

  Adrian’s magic started swirling anxiously at the response. “I think our reasons for that are pretty obvious. We can’t allow you to use Eranthe, not even to secure the future of The Voievodat.”

  It was a terrible idea to challenge the Grand Lich in this way. Both Adrian and I were aware that we were no match for our leader. Even so, we’d gone to the underworld for Eranthe’s sake. We weren’t afraid to stand up to him, just like we hadn’t been afraid to face the gods of the underworld.

  Granted, our challenge might have ended in a pathetic failure had the Grand Lich been inclined to take us up on it. Fortunately, he wasn’t. Instead, he let out another sigh, sounding even more tired and disgruntled than before. “Just go see to your soulmate before I lose my patience with this whole mess and do something you’ll all regret more than I will. I’ll answer all your questions eventually, but not yet. Right now, your Eranthe needs you more than you need answers.”

  Without another word, the Grand Lich vanished. His vagueness and refusal to provide us with a real explanation would have infuriated me, but the latter statement sounded an awful lot like a warning.

  The last time we’d ignored a warning from the Grand Lich, it hadn’t gone well for us. To this day, I still didn’t know to what extent that had been a manipulation, but I did believe that the Grand Lich wouldn’t tell us such things if Eranthe wasn’t genuinely in trouble.

  As it turned out, it didn’t take us long to confirm that guess. Adrian and I rushed back, fully intending to track down Eranthe at the pond. We didn’t get very far.

  I’d always known that these woods possessed magic I couldn’t completely understand or overcome, but I only realized the full extent of this when it started to shift around us. The withered trees began to recover and a few of them moved aside. The grass shortened, forming a very clear trail lined with rose bushes.

  The message was clear. ‘This way to Eranthe.’ I shared a look with Adrian and asked, “Is this safe?”

  He just shrugged. “I’m fae-born, remember? We trust the forest. And honestly, I’m more confident in this path than I am in my own instincts.”

  That was unfortunate, but true, so we changed directions and headed down the path. It must’ve been imbued with some kind of magic, because within less than a minute, we ran into another meadow, one that held almost as many flowers as the labyrinth we’d gotten lost in when we’d first arrived to Chronikos.

  Unfortunately, that was where the similarities stopped, as the grove was filled with the dead bodies of countless unicorns.

  The sight was more familiar to me than that of the flowers, but I didn’t think Eranthe would appreciate me saying that. She was currently tending to one of the fallen creatures, trying to save the survivors of the herd.

  She didn’t look up when Adrian and I entered the meadow, but her shoulders went rigid. I wanted nothing more than to approach her and provide some comfort, but I stayed where I was. I’d told Pandora that we’d keep our distance from her sister and I’d already broken that promise. I needed to at least try to give Eranthe some space.

  Adrian had other ideas. He took a deep breath and slowly walked up to Eranthe. “You have no real reason to trust me,” he said, “but please, let me help.”

  Eranthe glanced up at him and smiled bitterly. “I have plenty of reasons to trust you. It’s myself I don’t trust, although I’m trying.” She petted the mane of the unicorn in front of her and a sole tear trailed
down her cheek. “If you could look over the other survivors while I help Cloud, I’d much appreciate it. They should be a little better, since I gave them some assistance when I first arrived, and Cloud and Veggie protected them. But they’re still very ill, and I need to focus on healing Cloud.”

  “I understand. It would be my honor to take up this task.”

  After a quick, polite bow, Adrian hastened to follow Eranthe’s instructions. I didn’t have his skill with magic, so I ended up just standing there, watching them work. Adrian was no healer, but he did manage to extract the dark magic that had been making the unicorns ill, which was really the biggest problem.

  At one point, The Vegetable Lamb appeared and started trailing him in silence. As soon as Adrian did his part, the lamb would press his body against that of the targeted unicorn and a bright light would envelop them both. It was the same light Eranthe was now emitting, and it didn’t make me uncomfortable.

  It was the silence and the uncertainty that got to me, the knowledge that I should be doing something but was failing my soulmate through my inaction. The Grand Lich had once again been right. Eranthe was obviously not well. I didn’t need magic to tell me that. A simple look at her made it more than clear.

  But if I intervened now, I’d just get in the way and hinder her progress and her work. What a mess. How were we supposed to get out of this one, with our relationship intact, if this kept happening?

  I didn’t know how long I stood there, watching Eranthe, Veggie and Adrian help the unicorns. By the time they were done, there had also been a significant change in the forest. The leaves were more verdant, most of the dark magic having dissipated.

  I would’ve been happier about that had it not come at a dire cost for Eranthe. When she pulled away from Cloud, the healthy glow in her cheeks had faded into an alarming pallor that reminded me far too much of the skin tone of an undead.

  I didn’t even have to think about my next course of action. Within seconds, I made my way to her side and wrapped my arms around her. “Just lean on me now. You’re not alone. We’re here. We can help you.”