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Janelle, in her black, shiny coupe, raced down the road at a reckless speed. She paid no heed to any traffic signs as she headed straight towards Helena’s Bog. Benedict, unfazed by Janelle’s driving, was quickly brought up to speed on how his fiancée had been preoccupying herself during the past few days.
“So, you’re trying to tell me that Moira wanted to ensure that I would marry her, and only her, today?” Benedict asked, peering at his watch.
“Correct. You have to understand that despite the delays, she had been anticipating for this moment for quite some time.” Janelle said as she casually changed gears. “Even though you wanted to find your human mate, she remained undeterred. For the last few years, she had spies watching your every move. If there is one positive thing I can say about my daughter, she is very determined when she wants something.”
“She made me believe that she was happy for me. She encouraged me every step of the way.” Benedict disclosed.
“Well, she was confident that you’d never find your mate. I mean, really, the odds were stacked against you. And just when the wedding was within her reach, you neatly pluck it away from her. She was so bitterly enraged on that Halloween night. Those welts you gave her took some time to heal even with the best ointments around.”
“SHE was the banshee?!” Benedict asked, incredulously.
“Huh? Oh, right. Well, when she got word that you caught a human’s attention, she urgently rushed off to the Silver Bullet. She was hoping that her disguise would scare Ally away.”
“I can’t believe this. How did I not sense her?”
“With very, very powerful runes. Stolen from my collection, too.”
Benedict could hardly accept what he was hearing. At that very moment, Moira suddenly became a stranger to him. Her actions were unrecognizable. He no longer had any trust or confidence in her. Who was this vampire that he came so close to marrying?
“It’s as if I never knew her.” Benedict added, bitterly.
“Dearest Benedict, don’t be so angry with Moira. I’m afraid her father has poisoned her mind a long time ago. Vincent is obsessed with power and has no shame using his daughter to obtain more of it. Although I do think she cares for you, you must understand that pleasing Vincent is her utmost priority. And, marrying you would have pleased him greatly. It’s a pity. She tries so hard to be validated by him.” She lamented, shaking her head.
“Well, I hate to disappoint, but I will.”
“Then, I do hope you marry Alice before midnight. If not, you will lose everything, and Moira and Vincent will come out as the real victors. Simply canceling your marriage is not enough. You better ensure that someone can marry you in time.”
Benedict sighed, forgetting the layers of complexities involved in his situation. “Do you think she is capable of harming Ally?”
“It’s hard to say.” Janelle confessed. “She truthfully hates Alice. This whole ordeal made her more unhinged than ever. But, I don’t blame her. Bitten by a human! It was quite the humiliation.”
“Ally bit her?!” Benedict asked, surprised by this revelation.
“Yes, it happened during the abduction. Moira made the error of underestimating Ally’s abilities.”
“Good! HA!” Benedict chuckled.
Janelle smiled warmly at Benedict, glad to give him this small moment of respite. Like Vincent, she watched Benedict grow and flourish from a timid vampling to the wonderful, admirable vampire that he was today. He would have been an amazing son-in-law, she thought. He flashed her a brilliant smile, and Janelle couldn’t help but wish him all the luck in the realm. He was a good vampire. He deserved to pursue this love.
Benedict, who was still chuckling to himself, relished the image of Ally showing Moira a thing or two. He admired her bravery. He knew how taxing her transition must have been. Yet, despite this, Ally stood her ground. She faced her demon. And soon enough, he would see her. He would touch her. Kiss her. By Blood, his luck was finally turning around.
Or, was it?
Benedict had to practice caution. He was in a vulnerable state and desperately wanted to trust Janelle. He counted his lucky stars that she was aiding him to rescue Ally. But, he knew it could all be a ruse. He had to stay vigilant. He could not allow his desperation to cloud his judgment.
He turned to Janelle and looked her over. She was focused on the task at hand. Her eyes pinned to the road ahead, her hands firmly gripping the steering wheel. It perplexed him that Janelle was sitting next to him. He wasn’t family, and she owed him nothing. She did mention that the Verdons had done terrible things to her, but was it so awful that she would turn against her husband and daughter? Where did her loyalty lie? How could Benedict be certain that Janelle was not preparing an ambush? They were heading towards an isolated area. No random bystander could witness against her household. Vincent might be trying, right now, to throw him off the trail.
Benedict had to get to the bottom of this. He had to know why she was willing to betray the two vampires she was supposed to love and support unconditionally. And all for someone who was, in fact, an outsider. Benedict was not married to Moira, and he should have never been put before Janelle’s clan.
“Why are you doing this?” Benedict asked finally.
“It’s a long story.”
“Oh, we have time.”
Janelle smiled meekly. She understood why it was important for Benedict to know. To understand why she was risking her place in the Verdon Household, jeopardizing the House’s position, and betraying both her husband and daughter to help Benedict reunite with his mate. If word gets out, she knew she would be in a shit storm of trouble. But, how could she stand by and allow her family to get away with their plans?
She mulled the idea over. Can she confide in Benedict? Weighing her options, she eventually decided that yes, she could. She must tell him.
“Vincent plans on destabilizing our realms” She sighed. “When he was younger, he was more considerate and tolerant. The end of the Old Hunt and the death of many of our friends, allowed us all to reflect on our ways. We had to share this planet and coexist with humans. We had to ensure peace. The witches and sorcerers, who represented humanity, came up with the treaty. Vampires were prohibited from hunting humans for sport or nourishment, and humans had to end all attempts at eradicating vampires. Both parties were guilty of initiating the Old Hunt, and both had to come to grip with their prejudices and hatred for one another. Vampires saw themselves as superior beings. Humans saw vampires as a threat to be vanquished. With time, Vampires and Humans began to build a trust and interbreeding between species were no longer as uncommon. But, all good things can come to an end.” Janelle mused, turning onto a concealed dirt road.
“What changed?”
“Time. Eventually, vampires and humans began to embellish their history and twisted it into something false. Arguments between species would occur, accusing the other of instigating the Old Hunt. Humans began to distrust vampires and became suspicious of their version of the war. Humans, having a shorter lifespan, began to believe rumors of Vampires lying about the official reasonings behind the war. Humans thought the treaty was a scam. Many were certain that their missing loved ones had been abducted by vampires. And truth be told, they were probably right in some cases. At that point, our realm decided it would be wise to conceal our species from humans, which was easy to do, once again, due to their short lifespan. After a few hundred years of concealment and destroying all existing evidence of our presence, we went from reality to folklore. Nevertheless, we decided to continue to uphold the treaty. Even though humans forgot about our existence, our realm agreed not to hunt them. We hoped to avoid having another Old Hunt. But not everyone was in the same boat. Vincent believed the treaty was a bad deal. He argued that it was weakening our species. We don’t have as much land as humans, we don’t even compare to the size of their population. Rumors of diseases were popping up all around our realm. Some believe it’s due to the lack of high-quality human blood in our diet. Other thought it was due to us mingling with humans. I can confirm that studies are being conducted to verify if interbreeding is weakening our species.”
Benedict scoffed. How utterly outrageous. “Based on what evidence?”
Janelle shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, but Vincent is convinced. He wants change. And what Vincent wants, Vincent gets.”
“Over my dead body.”
“It could come to that.” She replied matter-of-factly.
“He would have to convince every Council Executive to make such drastic changes.” Benedict added.
“And you don’t think he has the power to do that? My, Benedict, you have your head in the sand. Vincent has dirt on every exec... well, except for you. But, if you lose your possessions, then you must admit that he would have an upper hand over you.”
“Perhaps, but I can guarantee that I will never sign off on anything that could annul the treaty that is currently in place. Never.”
Janelle nodded but remained unconvinced. Time will tell, but she hoped that Benedict was right. A return to the old ways would be a terrifying and bloody future for generations to come.
As they were nearing the end of the dirt road, Janelle killed the motor of her coupe. They sat in silence, both digesting the conversation they shared, and the future of their realm if they were unsuccessful.
“Tell me how to stop him.” Benedict said, finally breaking the silence.
Janelle shook her head. “I have no advice. Part of me hopes you will be fortunate and win this battle. But, you must understand that Vincent is here for the long run. He can afford to lose a battle, but he won’t lose the war.”
“Then, help me! Help me stop him!” Benedict ordered.
“No.”
“Why not?!”
“This is where we part ways. I have done as much as I can to help you. As much as I don’t agree with Vincent and Moira, blood will always be thicker than water. It is now up to you to win this fight. Best of luck, Benedict.”
Although disappointed, Benedict understood wholeheartedly.
“Thank you, Madam Verdon. I’m not sure I would have been able to get this far without your assistance.” He reached for her hand, lifted it to his lips and kissed it. “I will be forever grateful.” He then reached for the door handle.
“Wait.” She whispered. “One last thing.” She handed him a small satchel.
With an arched eyebrow, Benedict peered inside. Inside, were three gleaming gemstones.
“Hematite...” He breathed softly.
Janelle nodded, pleased by his reaction. “Use these to banish the goons. Do not try to take them down yourself. When you are within their vicinity, quickly summon them away. No chants are necessary, all you need to do is point the stones towards the goons and simply think of a location to dispel them. Once the deed is done, the stones will crumble to dust. They are for one use only, so make sure you don’t screw up.”
“You’re the gift that keeps on giving.” He said smiling. “Thanks, again.”
“The cabin should be north of here. It’s about a half hour walk.”
Benedict nodded and stuffed the satchel in his coat pocket. He climbed out of the coupe and waved farewell to Janelle. They shared one last look, a look worth a thousand words, and then the spell was broken as Benedict shut the door. Janelle shifted the car into reverse, backed the car away, swung it quickly around and headed back to the city.
Benedict watched as the car sped away and vanished from view. He took one deep breath, and began his way, heading north. He was ecstatic. Feeling, with each step, the distance between him and Ally’s shrinking.
