Chapter Sixteen

The next day, Mason and Mr. Sheridan were golfing while the guys got in a game of basketball in the indoor gym, an impressive, cavernous space I couldn’t believe belonged to my family.

Not as impressive as my boyfriend, though. He was all speed, sweat, and gleaming muscles.

The guys decided to take a break and order more snacks and rehydrate.

Vaughn flopped into a chair next to me. “We’re starving.”

He was sweating, but he still smelled like sunshine and salt water, with a little bit of werewolf pheromones thrown in. Underneath it, I could smell his blood. I remembered the taste, and my mouth watered.

Thorn’s phone buzzed with a text, and it jerked me away from drooling over my boyfriend. Thank god her phone had gone off. Why had I been smelling blood instead of boy?

“I’ll be back,” she said. “Duty calls.” She marched off, and Beckett trailed behind, but she ignored him. His usual mischievous smile was replaced by a troubled frown.

“What’s going on with those two?” Vaughn murmured.

I shrugged. “I have no idea.” I had thought that both Beckett and Thorn were into Xavier more than they were into each other, but maybe I was wrong. Or maybe they both just missed him. Thorn hadn’t even been the one to tell me she was my half sister, so I doubted she’d be spilling the details of her relationships.

Thorn came back a short time later, Beckett still trailing after her.

“Dad wants us to show you around the hotel,” Thorn said.

She looked at the group, but most of them shook their head.

“I want to play another game,” Connor said.

“And I want to watch him play another game,” Skyler said, wiggling her eyebrows.

Beckett said, “I’ll pass on the tour.”

Thorn’s gaze went to his, but he avoided her eyes. Now he was mad at her?

Finally, I was the only one who hadn’t turned the hotel tour down. I hesitated.

“Please,” Rose said softly. “I know you’re mad at us, but it would make our lives easier.”

I sighed. “I’ll grab my hat and parasol,” I said.

“We don’t have to go outside,” Thorn said. “But Rose wanted to show you her garden on the roof.”

“And the pool,” Rose added. “There’s a gazebo in the garden and plenty of umbrellas at the pool.”

“Lead the way,” I said. My sunlight allergy might be getting worse, but my curiosity overrode my worries. I wanted to see where my sisters had grown up.

I studied the twins as Rose showed me her favorite spots at the hotel.

“Are your grandparents still alive?” I asked.

“You mean our grandparents,” Thorn said. “No.”

“Do you—we—have any other relatives?” I asked.

“Dad has a sister, but they’re estranged,” Rose said.

Thorn snorted. “Big surprise.”

“We don’t remember her, though,” Rose said. “It’s always been just the three of us. That’s one of the reasons we were so eager to meet you.”

I knew she didn’t mean it that way, but her words made me feel like a consolation prize. The sister nobody wanted, until there wasn’t anyone else.

Part of me wondered exactly how long they’d known about me and why they’d let Vanessa be the one to break the news that I had not one, but two half sisters.

The hotel was gorgeous, but by the time we’d toured the seven restaurants (three human, four supernatural cuisine), three bars, another gym, one casino, and various other amenities, I was tired.

Then a thought occurred to me.

“Does Mason have any other kids?” I asked.

“Of course not,” Rose said.

“Not that we know of,” Thorn said.

I still wasn’t ready to completely forgive my sisters for not telling me the truth, but I had to admit I liked spending time with them.

When I met my sisters, shortly after the party where I’d been turned, I thought they were after Travis Grando, but they were really spying on me for my father.

It hurt that they’d lied to me because I thought that summer had been the start of a friendship. Now I didn’t know what to think. I was still getting used to the idea that I wasn’t an only child.

“Thank you for showing me where you live,” I said, realizing that was what they’d been doing. Showing me a little of their lives.

It didn’t escape my notice that my father wasn’t mentioned very often on the tour. They’d grown up in such luxury, but it must have been lonely.

“We saved the best for last,” Rose said. The sisters led me down the hall, past the suite where Beckett and Lucas were staying. I realized I’d never been inside.

“Welcome to our home,” Thorn said as we walked into their suite. It was even more impressive than the hotel itself.

We stepped into a foyer, and Rose and Thorn took off their shoes, so I did the same. A dark green antique rug covered hardwood floors. The walls were papered with a delicate floral pattern, not exactly what I’d expected, but there were paintings everywhere. They were nothing like the ones that hung in the lobby and Mason’s office.

These paintings made me feel happy. One depicted a forest scene, the other a rose garden, but the one that captured my attention featured two toddlers, one laughing and one scowling.

I gestured to the portrait. “Is that you two?”

Thorn nodded. “Our aunt painted these.”

“She’s very talented,” I commented.

“The ones in the lobby are hers, too,” Rose said.

I repressed a shudder. “You mean the ones where the eyes follow you?”

“Yes, Dad told me that she used to spy on people from behind those paintings.”

“So I wasn’t imagining it?”

“You must have been,” Thorn replied. “Nobody else knows about it, and our aunt hasn’t been here in years.”

There had been paintings in the house in the desert, Vanessa had been seen with a strange woman, and the mysteriously absent aunt loved to paint. I was starting to see a connection.

“Why doesn’t she come to The Bran any longer?” I asked, my mind racing.

“She and Mason got into a fight,” Thorn said. “Ages ago. We were little.”

“Come on,” Rose said. “I want to show you the best part.”

She opened a door, and I realized that yes, she had definitely saved the best for last.

It was a library.

“Mason said you could borrow any of the books,” Thorn said. “And that he might have something that would be helpful about magical jewelry.”

I stiffened. “Did you tell him about the ruby?”

“Of course not,” Thorn said. “That’s need to know, and he definitely doesn’t need to know. At least not until we find out what The Executioner wants with it.”

“We did tell him about the tiara, though,” Rose said. “He would have found out anyway. He knows everything that happens in Vegas.”

“And there might be a book about the tiara in here?” I asked.

“There’s pretty much a book about everything in there,” Rose replied.

She went to the discreetly placed panel near the door and punched in some numbers.

“High security,” I commented.

“There are a lot of books,” she said. “And some of them are priceless.”

It was a large room with teak bookcases and comfy chairs strategically placed next to reading lamps, but it was really cold.

I shivered.

“Sorry,” Rose said. “Should have warned you. Dad keeps it freezing in here to protect the books.”

“Here,” Thorn said. She threw a blanket at me. “Tell us what to look for?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “But I did take a photo.”

I browsed the shelves, not sure what I was looking for. Granny could happily spend a month in here. On impulse, I got out my phone and took a quick photo, making sure I stayed away from the rarest books, and then sent her a text with the pic attached. She was going to lose her mind over this place.

I finally settled on a book about ancient vampires. I was thumbing through it, looking at the illustrations, which were gorgeous, full-color pages of death and destruction, when I spotted a tiara with little skulls all over it. The tiara had supposedly belonged to Elizabeth Bathory, otherwise known as the Blood Countess.

My mother was probably a fan, but something told me that wasn’t why she wanted the Blood Countess’s tiara.

I thumbed through the photos on my phone until I found the picture I’d taken of the tiara that had been stolen from Viva Vintage.

“That looks just like the one in the illustration,” Rose said. “But that’s impossible.”

“Maybe we need to have another conversation with the owner,” I said. “I need some answers.”

“What are you going to ask him?”

“Why the long-lost crown of the Blood Countess was sitting in his store,” I replied.

According to the book, the tiara was the prized possession of the ancient ruler of the vampires. She’d worn it for thousands of years, until it’d been lost or stolen. No one had seen it again, and somehow it had just shown up at a vintage and antique store?

I wanted to know where the owner had gotten that tiara.

“Can I borrow this?” I asked.

“Dad has two copies,” Thorn said. “He won’t care if you take it.”

But when we got to Viva Vintage, the store was still boarded up tight.

…

When I got back to the suite, I said hi to Connor and Skyler, who were sacked out on the couch watching a movie, and then went to find my boyfriend.

He was reading in bed, his hair wet, like he’d just taken a shower. He wore gray joggers and a plain white tee. I climbed in next to him.

“Where’s your dad?” I asked.

“Still out with Mason,” Vaughn replied.

“He feeling better? Think we can head home soon?” I asked.

“We probably should,” Vaughn admitted. “Though he seems to be enjoying running around Vegas with Mason. My dad doesn’t want to leave.”

He put his book down and put an arm out, an invitation to snuggle I was definitely going to accept.

“You smell good,” I said, pressing my face into his neck and breathing in his fresh clean scent.

Vaughn placed feather-soft kisses on my cheek, jaw, and down my neck. “I missed you,” he said. “Let me show you how much.”

He was the best kisser—just enough pressure, not too much tongue. His body pressed into mine, and I suddenly felt hot. Too hot.

I put a hand to his chest. “Although I’m enjoying this a lot,” I said, “I need to shower.”

He laughed and then released me before flopping back on the bed.

I ran a bath and threw in the fancy bubble bath the hotel provided. As soon as the tub was full, I got undressed and slipped in.

I lay back and tried to relax and clear my thoughts. I’d tested the temperature of the water earlier, but it was starting to feel too hot on my skin. I turned the cold faucet on full blast, but the burning sensation continued.

I screamed. It felt like something was trying to rip away my skin. I hopped out of the tub and toweled off quickly. The burning sensation didn’t stop. My skin was bright red and began to blister.

I howled with pain.

“Tansy, are you okay?” Vaughn asked. “I’m coming in.”

It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen me naked before.

“Just you, okay?” I said. “I’m not dressed.”

Vaughn opened the door and then rushed to where I lay on the floor, hoping the cool marble tile would help soothe the pain.

“What happened?” Vaughn asked.

“Something in the water,” I managed.

He inhaled sharply when he saw the blisters, which were getting bigger.

He picked up the bottle of bubble bath and examined it. “Is this what you used?”

I nodded.

“I’m calling Granny,” he said. “I don’t want to do the wrong thing, and I’ve never seen anything like this before.” He raced out.

I hoped he’d be quick. Blisters were forming on my face, on my lips, even on my scalp.

What felt like a lifetime later, he ran back in. “Granny thinks you had an allergic reaction,” he said. “Rose is on the way with something to help.”

“Allergic reaction to what?” I managed.

His brow furrowed. “To the water.”

A few agonizing minutes later, my sister came in holding a vial. “Drink this,” she said.

I gulped it down. “Nasty.”

“Nasty or not,” she said. “It will stop you from becoming one big blister.”

After that, Rose gave me some lotion to smear onto the blisters and then I got into bed, wearing one of Vaughn’s cotton T-shirts, which was the only thing I could stand against my skin.

“It should be better by morning,” Rose said.

She smiled at me, but her eyes were worried. She hesitated like she wanted to say something else, but instead she added, “Now try to sleep.”

I hadn’t been able to go to bed before midnight lately, but I found my eyes drooping.

“I’m going to go sleep in the other bedroom,” Vaughn said. “I don’t want to bump you.”

“No, stay,” I said. “They’re already starting to heal, see?” I held out my arm. The angry pus-filled blisters were already fading.

Vaughn slid into bed next to me. “Okay,” he said. “Wake me up if you need anything.”

I snuggled next to him and fell into a dreamless sleep.

But hours later, I rushed to the bathroom and threw up a sickly green bile. I felt dizzy, unable to think or move. This was terrifying.

Finally, I tiptoed back into the bedroom. Vaughn was still sprawled out on the bed, sound asleep. I couldn’t stop staring at the pulse at his neck. My fangs came down, and a voice in my head urged me to bite, to drink.

Instead, I grabbed my phone. I wouldn’t put Vaughn in danger just to appease my vamp hunger. “Rose, I need you,” I whispered. “Something’s wrong. Come here as soon as you can.”

I managed to walk into the living room and waited until I heard a soft knock.

“What’s wrong?” Rose asked. She had her portable apothecary with her.

I told her about the green bile, the bloodlust, everything. She frowned.

“I’ll need a lock of your hair or a bit of your blood,” she said, then looked at my eyes. Something in them made her add hastily, “Hair, I think.”

She took out a tiny pair of scissors and snipped at my hair. “You may as well cut it all,” I joked. “It’s been growing faster than ever lately.”

Her lips didn’t even turn up as she mixed together a few ingredients and then dipped the lock of hair into the vial.

“Poison,” she muttered. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“What do you mean?” Like it wasn’t bad enough that she was saying I’d been poisoned. She also had never seen the poison before?

“I mean,” she said slowly, “this poison is killing you, but only the magical part of you.”

I gasped. “That’s not possible.”

“It’s like your vampire side is killing your witch.” She started to cry. “I’m sorry, Tansy, but it is. Your witch side is dying.”

I couldn’t let that happen. I’d been born a witch. A Mariotti witch was who I was. If Travis Grando hadn’t bitten me, I’d still be a witch and my life would be a lot less complicated. Not for the first time, I cursed the day I’d met him. It had been the worst party of my life.

It had been bad enough to become a striga vie, but I wasn’t sure I’d survive losing the witch in me.

“Is there an antidote?” I asked.

She shook her head, silently sobbing. “I don’t know of one.”

“So that’s it? The witch in me will die, and all that will be left will be a vampire?”

“I’m s-sorry,” she said.

“You can’t tell anyone,” I said. “Promise me.” What good would it do?

I gritted my teeth. “I don’t suppose you know how to prevent the vampire side from taking over?” I asked the question but didn’t really expect her to answer.

My sister’s sobs finally stopped. “I don’t,” she said. “Not yet, anyway. But I’ll find a cure. If it’s the last thing I do.”