I got up and followed a guy to the dance floor when he asked me to dance. He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me close. He was blond like Candido with dark eyes. I could almost imagine he’s what Candido would have looked like in his youth back before Sibyl. It made it easy to smile at him and press in close. There was a bit of whiskey on his breath so he smelled a little like Candido too.“You know I never got a chance to talk to you,” he said. “When we were still in school. I wanted to, but you always seemed uninterested… what changed?”I shrugged. “A lot of things. Does it matter we’re talking now?”He grinned. “No, I guess it doesn’t. I hear you liked math.”I nodded. “Yeah. I do.”“I was majoring in Physics,” he said. “I wanted to design cars. I’ve learned to like math as a matter of survival. I'd still rather not pick up a book if I don’t have to.”“Me either,” I said grinning. “What year?”“Senior. I was finishing up my senior project. I know that makes me older than
The van bumped and shook as it raced away from the party scene. I heard other people whimpering and scared around us as were jostled around.“It’s the vampires.”“I bet Claire brought them!”“I didn’t.”“Quiet!” Someone shouted. “Next one who talks is getting a bullet in the leg.”“Just let us—ah!” The gun went off and the woman who talked screeched in agony. I could smell the blood. Claire started to pant, staring at the woman’s leg.“Her eyes…”“She’s a vampire!”They shuffled away from Claire as she continued to stare at the growing pool of blood.When the van came to a screeching halt, the doors were flung open and people dragged us out. The woman who had been shot was dragged away screaming. A group of vampires forced her down and bit her wherever they could reach, draining the last of her blood.Claire panted.“We got them both.”“Good, take them to him.”I tried to struggle and fight, but the man punched me in the gut. I felt my ribs crack as pain exploded through me and the ai
Ian chuckled. “Perhaps I was wrong. Dear girl, how could a hybrid entity like your Francium have turned you? Did you not consider it? Do you even remember your turning?”I shuddered at the thought.“I… choose not to remember it.”“Oh please, it is not something you could choose to forget.”“He choked me…”“And then?”“I woke up.”He sighed heavily. “Must you be coy about this? Or perhaps are you hiding it from Francium. I assure you, now is not the time to be reticent.”“That’s all!”Ian huffed. “I am not asking you how he killed you. That is irrelevant. I am asking about your turning. You were called, Claire, by the Goddess. She told you something, did she not?”Claire went silent, but I knew the look on her face. She knew exactly what he was talking about. What could the Goddess have told her? Why hadn’t Claire told me about it? Why hadn’t she told Francium? He looked just as shocked as I was.“Point proven,” he said. “Your turning started long before Francium delved into choking or
I looked at Candido who kneeled beside them with a grim expression.Gilgamesh was Candido’s cousin?“Just hold on,” Vanessa said and screamed again. “What are you all standing there for? Get a fucking medic!”“It’s too close to his heart,” Candido said softly.She shook her head and looked at Ian and Cillian. “Please. You have magic. You can do something.”“It brings me no joy to tell you that I can do nothing,” Ian said grimly. “My magic is not of the healing variety.”“You’re lying!” She screamed. “You’re the one who came up with this plan!”“I merely gave you the opportunity. Extended a suggestion,” Ian said. “It may not register to you, Vanessa, but this is war. Lives will be lost, as tragic as that is.”“It’s all your fault!” She screamed. “You vampires… My son…”I didn’t know what to say or do. I considered going to Candido, but I couldn’t speak and that was irritating, so what good would it do. I turned away, stepping back. Yggdrasil glared at me, pushing past me with a bullet
Estella? I had never heard the name before. Not once had he ever mentioned her, but I went still and cold at the hope and happiness that seemed to fill his voice. I looked over at him. He didn’t even look at me. He was star-struck, staring at her. She turned her head, and I saw a glint of silver in her ear.She seemed frozen in his gaze, eyeing him.“…’Dido?” She asked.I clenched my jaw. What a stupid nickname. He should be offended. I was offended that she would talk to him so familiarly. She should be addressing him properly. Only me and his family got to call him by his first name. Who the hell did she think she was?He burst into incredulous laughter. “I can’t believe you’re still alive. I—”He stilled and turned, but it was too late. A vampire screeched and lunged out of from under a jeep, tackling Estella to the ground. Vanessa twisted, planting herself between Van’s unconsci
She shook it out around his shoulders and wrapped him in it.“Sit down before you pass out or shift,” she said gently, steering him to sit down. “You’ll end up in a coma, if you don’t.”I growled at her, trying to push her away.“Hedy, stop—”“It’s okay,” she said, stepping back and gesturing to the stone nearby. “Could you get him to sit?”I wanted to push him away from her, toward a jeep on the other side of the clearing, but Candido swayed towards the stones. I followed, keeping myself between the two of them. He sank onto the stone, leaning forward and shivering a bit.I turned towards her as she approached, digging through her bag. I growled at her, ready to fight her if she came any closer.Candido grabbed me by my arm and yanked me to sit beside him. I landed hard and cried out.“Sit down,” he growled, that weight of his alpha
I couldn’t go far. The whole area was blocked in by jeeps, the large stone wall, and the barrier that had been erected around the area. It was ridiculous that I couldn’t even find a place to cry alone in peace.“Ah,” Cillian’s voice cut through the air. “I was wondering who it was…”I scowled at him. “Go away.”He cocked an eyebrow at me then turned back. “I think Candido and Estella are headed back to Lunae’s Circle. Are you staying here?”I grit my teeth. “Maybe I should.”Cillian walked and sat beside me. “Do you want to talk about it?”“No,” I said. “Go away.”Cillian shrugged and stood. “Fine. I’ll leave you to your crying.”I turned on him. “You’re just going to leave?”“If you were a child, I would probably push until you caved. Maybe bribed you wi
We got back to Lunae, but I didn’t go looking for Candido. I went back to the barracks, putting on the stupid cuffs and collar again. I saw Estella as I headed into the barracks. Claire didn’t come find me, I bet she and Francium were together and having sex.I burned with envy. If only Candido would just…I thought back to the Blood Moon. Could I ask for that too? Cillian hadn’t said there was a restriction on what I could ask for. Maybe the Goddess would listen to me. I was… half vampire? Would that make me closer to her? Would that make her more willing to listen? I hadn’t believed much in her, but would that make her less likely to listen to me?Couldn’t she see how unfair this all was to me? Couldn’t she see how badly I wanted Candido?I waited and kept to myself for days. No one came looking for me. It burned me, even more, to know that Candido was probably out with Estella. Maybe he’d met her