Idris

Celia was too light, a constant reminder that she had no blood in her veins, nothing for her heart to pump. I marched on, head held high, and each step felt like I was leaving a part of myself behind in these woods.

By the time we reached the rock face that held the portal to our compound, I felt like another person. A shell.

We walked through, and our mansion rose tall in front of us, grand and imposing. I hadn’t returned since my father had tried to burn me alive on the roof. The memories were too heavy, but now I didn’t even think about it all. I wanted to get inside and take care of Celia. Her body.

The front door opened and Tendra came running out, stopping abruptly with her hand covering her mouth as she saw me holding Celia, Amelia sticking to my side.

“Oh, no,” Tendra said, and the care with which she looked at Celia nearly broke what was left inside me. I loved Tendra as my queen and as my friend.

She lifted her gaze to me. “Oh, Idris, I’m so sorry.”

I nodded to her, unable to speak, and walked past her on the way into the mansion. I heard Athan murmur to her, and saw my soldiers retreat to the barracks. I’d thank them later. I’d make up for this…somehow. Right now I couldn’t handle anything.

I went right to my room, and laid Celia down in my bed. I knew I’d eventually have to hand her off to be buried, but I wanted a little more time with her. She looked so…peaceful. I stroked her hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead, wishing I could hear her voice one last time and feel her fingers slip into my hair.

I heard Tendra’s voice again, then Amelia’s soft one. Amelia. Fuck, I had to make sure she was taken care of. I straightened from the bed to see Tendra speaking to Amelia, who was shooting me furtive glances. I sat on the edge of the bed and drew Amelia to sit next to me. She leaned into my side, and I realized she was trembling. Tendra looked like she didn’t know what to do, and I wasn’t so sure, either. But I’d promised Celia I’d take care of her sister, and it looked like at the moment, Amelia only trusted me. I felt like a former version of myself, but I called on whatever was left of my humanity to take care of Amelia. I would be somewhat human for her.

“Amelia, this is Tendra. She’s our queen, and she was fully human until recently. She can help you get settled here until you decide what you want to do.”

“What I want to do?” Amelia looked at me with wide eyes.

“Yes, if you wish to move somewhere, we can provide you with money and a bodyguard. Until you need to be turned. Did your father explain all of that?”

She nodded and bit her lip. “But what if…what if I want to stay here?”

I gripped her hand. “You can. Of course you can. Whatever makes you happy.”

“I want to stay here.” She glanced at Tendra and some of the caution had left her eyes. “Are there…things I can do?”

Tendra brightened at that. “Of course! We have tutors, and there are human children who live with their parents who serve us. You can make friends!” Tendra was talking a little too brightly, and I raised an eyebrow at her. She calmed down. “I-I think you can be happy here. With us. I don’t know everything that happened yet, but I’m sure you could use some happiness.”

Amelia was still watching me. “Will you be here?”

I hadn’t been for a long time. I’d needed to focus on training, on tracking down the Valarians. But for now…“Yes, I’ll be here if you want me to be.”

“I do,” she whispered.

“Then I will be. Why don’t we set you up in your own room?”

Amelia’s lips parted. “Yes, I—that would be nice. But I don’t have anything. No clothes, no…nothing.”

Her eyes began to fill with tears, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “We’ll get you what you need. Don’t worry, okay?”

“Okay,” she sniffled.

Tendra stepped forward. “Amelia, how about I take you to get you some food, then I’ll show you your room. Would you like that?”

After an encouraging nod and little push from me, Amelia stood and walked toward Tendra. “Um, okay, I’d like that. I’m kinda hungry.”

Tendra smiled. “We’ll get you fixed up.” Amelia looked back at Celia, biting her lip, and I knew she was unsure and nervous. But I also knew Tendra had it under control. She led Amelia out of my room, and as soon as they were gone, another shadow filled the doorframe.

I knew who it was before he took one step inside. “Brother.”

Athan didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Get cleaned up. Meet me in my office. We have a lot to discuss.” His voice wasn’t warm anymore, wasn’t sympathetic. And that was what I deserved.

“Yes, brother,” I said.

He didn’t say another word and walked out.

I didn’t want to take a shower, because Celia’s scent was still on me. But I also bore the blood of the Quellen and vampires we killed, so I stepped into the shower and cleaned myself up.

When I walked back into the bedroom, Celia was still there, pale and silent. Dead. In human circles, keeping a body like this might be seen as weird, but we vampires didn’t quite see it that way. I knew eventually Athan would take her from me, but he hadn’t said a word yet, so I’d keep her as long as I could. I’d sleep on the floor and let her have the bed, even though she’d never know. I’d do anything for her right now. She’d sacrificed herself so Amelia and I could live, and I didn’t know how to handle that type of selflessness. I would have died for Tendra, sure, but that was for the greater good of the clan and also as a refusal to give in to my father.

I dressed, and after pressing a kiss to Celia’s cold temple, locked my bedroom door behind me. I ignored everyone I passed. The Gregorie compound was home to human servants—who were paid well for their efforts—as well as the soldiers we trained on site. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone, and since I wasn’t known as the friendly, charming Gregorie brother, no one expected me to be any different. If only they could have seen me with Celia…I shook my head. No. Too late for that.

I entered Athan’s office to find him standing at the large window, staring down at the back courtyard where some human children of our servants were playing soccer. I didn’t sit, not until Athan told me to. I thought for a moment of getting on my knees, but at this time, I wasn’t sure I’d get back up. Fuck, I was hungry, too. How would I ever drink from a human again who wasn’t her?

Athan turned around, jaw tight, eyes firing. “You lied to me.”

I didn’t say anything. He was right.

“You lied to me,” he said again. “You planned an entire assassination behind my back. You”—he inhaled sharply—“you could have been killed!” He ended on a roar, and I flinched. The naked pain in his eyes was the one thing that speared into my frozen heart.

Regret flooded through me, and surprisingly, it was a warm feeling. Regret meant…well, it meant I gave a shit. If nothing else mattered to me, I took comfort in the fact that my brother did. “I’m sorry, Athan. I fucked up.”

He opened his mouth, face still flushed with anger, but then snapped it shut, and his brows dipped. Maybe he’d expected me to argue, but I couldn’t. Not when my actions had ultimately led to Celia lying pale and dead on my bed.

And maybe all of that showed on my face, because Athan’s face softened and he came out from behind his desk. He sank down into a chair and motioned me to sit in the one across from him. I did, and we were so close I could feel the heat from his body.

“Tell me,” Athan said, “what happened?”

I started from the beginning, confessing that I’d planned to kill her father all along, that I’d never intended to negotiate. Athan’s jaw got tight again at that, but he seemed to understood why I’d been consumed with revenge and rage.

Then I told him about Celia. How she was beautiful and kind and selfless. How she carried Valarian blood, but she wasn’t a Valarian. I told him what happened at the Valarian bunker, and how she made me promise I’d save Amelia no matter what. That it came to that, because Keno forced me to drain her.

“And why is she not turning?” Athan asked. “Did he force you to give her somnus? Her dhampir blood should still have protected her from dying.”

I shook my head. “She has the veil.”

Athan stilled, and he leaned forward. “Excuse me?”

“I don’t know much about it. Do you remember?”

“I didn’t study like you did, but I have heard of it. All I know is that the veil is a dhampir who can’t be turned. Before we had a truce with humans, the occasional dhampir born with the veil was seen as a good thing—vampires who could breed, grow our clans.”

“Her father said something to me, that there were things about her I didn’t know. And Keno told her she had the veil.”

“How did he know? How did her father know? She had never been turned….”

“I don’t know, that’s the thing,” I said with frustration. “She didn’t ask Keno, because he was in the process of trying to breed her before she managed to stop him.” A low growl filled the room, and I realized it was me. I cut it off quickly before continuing. “I fed from her, brother. Twice. Without somnus. Then Keno ordered me to drain her.”

“Shit,” Athan said. “I had no idea. None of us did. That must have been the reason her father let her live as human.”

“But I don’t get it, because she had the dreams, Athan. We talked about them. So her body was reacting to the pull and yet she couldn’t have been turned? Would she have just gone mad?”

“The only time I heard about the veil was from Father. And we can’t ask him….”

“Can we reach out to other elders?” I asked. I wasn’t sure of the point, though. Celia was dead, and nothing was going to bring her back.

“I will, brother,” Athan said. “I’m sorry.”

I looked down at my feet. “I love her. She loved me. In a way I hadn’t thought anyone would ever. The only reason I haven’t gone insane is because I promised her I’d be there for Amelia.”

“I wouldn’t let you,” he said quietly. I lifted my head to meet his gaze. “You are my brother. You have led the Gregorie army for decades. You were willing to be burned alive by our father rather than hurt Tendra.” He bit off his last words and looked away, banging his fist onto the arm of the chair. “This isn’t fair. You don’t deserve this. You deserve happiness and I’m so angry I can’t give it to you.”

I stared at him, at the muscles jumping in his jaw, at the narrowing of his eyes, veins pulsing in his neck. “You don’t deserve a brother who lied to you—”

His hand sliced the air, cutting me off. “I understand why you did what you did. And you paid unimaginable consequences. I’m not going to add to the guilt I’m sure you feel.”

I swallowed. “Thank you, brother.”

He faced me. “I’m sorry. For Father, for Celia, for all the times you tried to do the right thing. You are impulsive and ruled by your emotions, but that’s what makes you a good man.”

I began to shake my head. “I’m not a man. Celia tried to say that—”

“You are,” he said sharply. “And we will avenge her.”

I bit my lips between my teeth, my fangs puncturing the skin. “The Valarian army is still out there.”

“I know.”

“Do we have numbers?”

“They are probably a couple hundred strong. Led by a vampire named Viktor. I’ve met him before. He is older than both of us, and he hates us more than I thought possible. Something to do with a grudge against our elders.”

“Where do you think they are now?”

“I’m not sure. They might have left New Jersey, although I know they have several hideouts in the state, and even in Mission Woods. They will come back for Keno, though.”

“I see we worked hard to add to their hatred.” Athan laughed at that, and in spite of everything, I smiled.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m sure finding his burned body tied to a tree will not endear us to them.”

“I need to get Amelia settled. I promised Celia.”

“Then we plan,” Athan said. “And this time, you will listen to me, yes?”

“To the letter,” I said with as much sincerity as I could.

A knock came at the door to Athan’s office. “It’s me,” came Tendra’s voice.

“Come in,” Athan answered, and turned to see her walk inside.

Tendra held a book under her arm, face all business. “So Amelia likes to read, and while she’s stoked about the library, we really need some updated titles. Young adult stuff. She wants proms and high school crushes and teenagers saving the world from dystopias, you know? We have old, musty books with cracked spines about ancient stories and weird prophecies.” She blushed. “Well, obviously some prophecies come true, but still, Amelia just wants some normalcy and…”

She continued to talk, but I was still stuck on the talk of old, musty books. A fleeting memory flashed across my eyes and I reached out and snagged it. My father mentioning prophecies, something about the veil, as his finger brushed along the spine of a book…

“The book!” I hollered. Tendra jumped out of her skin, and Athan jerked his head to face me.

“What?” he said.

But I was already up, racing out of the office toward the library. The mansion was huge, and I pounded along the hardwood floors and down a massive wooden staircase toward my destination. My heart was pumping hot blood through my veins. I felt alive again, the kernels of hope seeding into my brain. Maybe there’d be something in that book, something that could help Celia.

Feet pounded behind me, and I burst into the library with Athan and Tendra on my heels. The Gregorie library was the biggest room in the mansion. Thick mahogany shelves lined the walls and stretched up to a vaulted ceiling with a mural of literary characters—painted decades ago by several humans who loved us enough to leave something behind. Something beautiful. I loved this library, always had. The smell of paper, the swish of pages as members of the clan educated themselves, the quiet murmurs and giggles of parents and their children. But right now I wished the library was a hell of a lot smaller, because searching for one book among thousands was going to take time and manpower.

I whirled around. “A book. A book about the veil.” I poked my temple. “I remember it. Not the title, or what it looked like, but I fucking remember it.” I turned in a circle to take in the massive library, which probably held thousands of books. “I don’t care how long it takes me. I won’t rest until I find that damn book.”

“We’ll help you,” Athan said immediately.

“I’m calling in reinforcements,” Tendra said and ran back out.

I faced the first shelf and took a deep breath, and then I began to pull out every book and study it for one mention of the Blood Veil.