Chapter
Sixteen

I’m not sure I how long I sit on Sebastian’s bed before Opal ducks her head in the room, sighing with obvious relief. “There you are.” She pushes the door open and steps inside. “I’ve been looking all over for you. The spread in the barn the Anima put out for the humans? Ah-mazing.” When I don’t respond, she tilts her head and frowns. “What’s wrong with you?”

Shaking my head, I pick at a loose stitch on the quilt. “I think Sebastian just broke up with me. I mean, that’s not the right phrase. I don’t know what I mean.”

Her eyes grow impossibly large. “First off, that’s disgusting.”

I roll my eyes. “How did I know you were going to say that?”

“Second.” She scurries over to the bed and drops beside me. “I have sooo many questions. When were you guys even a thing?”

I shrug. “That’s just it. We weren’t.” I chew on my lip for a moment, deciding how many details I should share before resolving to screw it. “We kissed last night. Something happened and he got a few more memories back, and then he made it abundantly clear there can never be anything between us.”

“Thank God! Because, gross, Charlie.” She makes a gagging noise. “If you really want to make out with a leech, I can go pull one out of the pond, their lips are probably cleaner.” She tilts their head. “Except I don’t think they have lips. Still, you’re probably going to want to sanitize because that’s nasty.”

I scowl. “Do you really think you’re helping right now?”

She sighs. “I get that he’s hot. But all the Mentis are hot. Their looks are meant to draw us in, get us nice and close before they pounce.” She jabs two fingers into my neck, making me flinch.

“And sure,” she continues, “Sebastian did save us. He’s not high on my list to stake, but a relationship between a human and a vampire could never end well.”

I yank on the thread, pulling it from the quilt and leaving a hole behind. “That’s what Sebastian said.”

“Because he’s right.” Her voice softens. “Even if there wasn’t a deadly war raging, vampires are immortal and humans?” She shrugs. “Not so much. Somebody’s going to die eventually.”

I make a face. “You’re just a ray of sunshine.”

“The truth hurts. But you know what might cheer you up? The bacon they have in the barn.” She groans. “Two words: Smoked apple. It brings purpose back to this dismal abyss of a monster-filled life.”

I can’t help but smile, even as my stomach grumbles. “I guess I can go for some purpose.”

“Great.” She jumps to her feet and grabs me by the arm. “I’ll lead the way.” She guides me from Sebastian’s room, down the stairs, and out the front door. Outside, the hum of voices and laughter can be heard before the barn even comes into view.

Two large doors stand open to the night, revealing rows of tables filled with people and vampires, talking and laughing in the flickering lamplight. At the far end of the room, two women with violins, a man with a guitar, and male vampire with a banjo play an upbeat folk rhythm.

The people sitting closest to the door smile as we approach. Several even call out greetings. The smell of bacon and warm bread wafts from several grills set up at the far side of the building.

The girl who’d been feeding Sebastian stands from the far end of a table. A splotch of blood blooms beneath the bandage on her neck. “Charlie. Over here. I saved you a seat.”

Inwardly I groan, even as I force a smile. “Um, be right there.” God, I’m petty.

“Go sit,” Opal says, dropping my arm. “I’ll get you a plate.”

“You’re only doing that so you can get another helping of bacon,” I say.

She grins. “If you can’t prove it, it didn’t happen.” She skips off before I can argue. After the condition she was in last night, it’s good to see her smile, even if it’s only outwardly.

“I didn’t get to tell you earlier, but my name is Natalie,” the girl says as I sit down.

Probably because you were getting your neck sucked on by the same vampire I’d kissed the night before.

“It’s nice to meet you.” And then, because I feel guilty for my bad thoughts I add, “Thanks for the clothes.”

She waves her hand. “My pleasure. We don’t get a lot of visitors, so I’m happy to help. Most people don’t know vampires exist, and the ones who do want nothing to do with them. Am I right?” She laughs.

Yeah. Because the other ones will rip your throat out—that’s kind of a downer.

I smile back. I do a quick glance around. The vampires are easy to spot with their glowing eyes. Most of the humans have plates of food in front of them while the vampires drink blood from glass mugs. Only a handful of humans, both men and women, sport the same bloody bandage on their neck as Natalie. And there are at least a hundred vampires in here.

“Where do you get all the blood?” I ask.

Natalie picks up a biscuit and begins to butter it. “Cows, mostly. But we also harvest pigs and chickens. The guys have a lot of fun making variations. They’ll infuse the cattle blood with alcohol or weed to give it a little kick. Speaking of, I have some smoke if you’re interested. Good stuff. We grow it ourselves so you know it’s pure.”

“Um, no thanks.”

She shrugs. “Totally cool.” She crams half the biscuit into her mouth. “That’s what this place is all about, honoring your truth,” she says, words muffled.

And I thought some of the festivals we sold soap at were out there. But at the same time, I can totally picture my aunt loving this place. “So, if you have so much animal blood, why were you giving Sebastian your blood?”

“Oh, that.” She dusts the crumbs from her hands. “The Anima believe human blood is sacred and they reserve it only for special occasions. Obviously, the King receives daily offering because of his condition. The guards on duty will also receive human offering before taking their posts. And blood here is always freely given.”

“Why give Sebastian your blood, then?”

She reaches for another biscuit. “Because of the special mission he’s going on with Delaney. They’re going to need their strength.”

“Mission?” I whip around. “What mission?”

Shrugging, she tears the biscuit in half. “Dunno. Something for the King.”

Before I can respond, the music stops mid-song and the entire room falls silent. Natalie stands, along with everyone else in the barn, and motions, hurriedly, for me to do the same.

Why not? I think, climbing to my feet.

When in Rome, and all that.

Around me, humans and Anima alike press their right fist across their chest and bow their heads. From the open doors, the sound of synchronized marching fills the barn as four Anima enter, each holding a wooden pole over their shoulder, balancing King Matteo, staked to his throne, on a platform above them. They set him down in the middle of the room.

A crow flies down from the rafters, transforming into a shirtless vampire with feathers woven into his waist-length black hair. The long knife tethered to his waist makes me inhale sharply. “Who among the humans would honor and be honored by the King, by offering upon him their lifeblood?”

Across the barn, dozens of chairs scrape across the wooden floor as women—and a few men—leap to their feet with their arms raised, Natalie included.

“Sit down, girl,” a nearby woman hisses. “You know you can only give offering once a week.”

Huffing, she folds her arms and sits down.

The knife-wielding vampire points to a woman with shoulder-length blue hair and tattoos decorating both arms. She squeals excitedly before dashing to the throne. Matteo holds out his hand and she places her own within it.

He smiles at her briefly before drawing her to him and spinning her around to face us. “Today we give thanks to Amelia for her gracious offering of lifeblood.

The entire room chants, “With blood, comes life, and life brings hope.”

Looking around, I’m starting to get the eerie feeling I’ve accidentally joined a cult.

“With this offering,” the King continues, “I take the life and hope it brings for a peaceful coexistence for humans and vampires alike.” He pulls the woman to his face and sinks his teeth into her neck. The barn erupts into cheers. The woman in his arms closes her eyes and smiles.

Holy crap. I did join a cult.

The band begins to play, and the people around me sit, resuming their own meals as Matteo continues to drink.

Opal appears at my side. She drops a plate piled high with bacon in front of me. “How fucked up was that?” she asks.

Natalie frowns. “It was a beautiful gift of life and hope.”

Opal drops into the seat beside me. “Simmer down, crazy pants. I’ll drink the Kool-Aid as long as it comes with a side of bacon.” She elbows me in the side.

A line of blood trickles down Amelia’s neck, soaking into the front of her shirt. I shift uneasily in my seat. “I think I lost my appetite.” For as long as I can remember, Aunt Rachel taught me how important it was to be tolerant of all people, no matter their race, religion, or sexuality. But blood-drinking ceremonies might be too much for even me.

Still, what they want—a coexistence between vampires and humans—is so much better than the hunting and slaughtering of humans the other clans prefer. Maybe I should be open-minded?

I glance at Matteo, his teeth sunk into the woman’s neck. She moans.

Nope. I quickly turn around. I can’t do it. “I think I’m going to get some air.”

Opal makes a face. “The barn doors are wide open. There is plenty of air.”

“Not the right kind.” Shaking my head, I stand.

“Okay.”

I’ve already started for the door when King Matteo’s voice rings out. “Charlie, a word?”

Damn. I force a smile to my lips and slowly turn. “Sure.” Even though the ceremony I just witnessed soured my stomach, I can force myself to stay if he has an update on rescuing my aunt.

Humans and vampires alike watch with interest as I approach the throne. Another woman stands with Amelia, taping a bandage to her neck before ushering her away.

I stop several feet away, shifting from foot to foot. “Everyone is looking at us.”

Matteo smiles warmly, blood a crimson stain around his mouth. It takes all of my willpower not to stare. “It’s not often we have guests. My people are curious. Already the whispers have begun.”

Before I can ask what he’s talking about, he shifts, wincing slightly as his eyes dart to the stake and back. “You ran off last night quite upset, and rightly so, but I never got a chance to put your mind at ease. I want you to know that I’m going to do everything in my power to retrieve Rachel before any harm comes to her.”

“Thank you.” I try to smile, but it feels strained.

He frowns. “I’m getting the sense you don’t believe me.”

I shrug and inch a little closer. “I’m sorry. I want to believe you, more than anything. But I’ve met the other clans and you—” Without meaning to, my eyes travel to the stake in his chest.

He nods. “I understand. While might and power may be impressive, they lie. True strength comes in compassion and understanding, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Well, yeah, that all sounds very well and good on paper, but when a Corpus is trying to rip out your throat, there’s no compassion or understanding that’s going to make them stop.”

He frowns. “That’s where you’re wrong. While my sisters have been so focused on this damn war between us, they’ve completely missed the bigger picture. Lurking in the shadows? Harvesting humans like cattle?” He makes a disgusted noise. “Once I bring all vampires into the light, their way of life, their very existence, will be in jeopardy.”

I inhale sharply. “Wait. You want to go public with your existence?”

“Absolutely. My people have spent too many years hiding.” Murmurs of agreement rise from the tables around. “We want to coexist peacefully with humans. And going public is the only way to do that.”

“The humans are going to freak,” I say.

“Initially.” He nods. “But we are committed to peaceful coexistence. And the humans will come around once they recognize we can heal their diseases with our blood. When they understand we mean them no harm, they will join us to exterminate the ones that do.”

His words fall on me like a mountain of bricks. “You want the humans to help you win the vampire war.”

Green fire flashes through his eyes. “I want the humans to aid us in peaceful coexistence.”

A chill spirals down the length of my body. What an idiot I was to assume Matteo was weak. He may be staked to a throne, but his mind is as dangerous a weapon as any Corpus’s fangs.

A single question pushes to the front of my mind. “Where did Sebastian and Delaney go?”

“To retrieve the object I spoke about last night. He volunteered at first dark, and, like you, I have a good feeling about him, despite his Mentis shortcomings.”

The item that will either prove or disprove that I am his daughter.

“I don’t believe he really is a Mentis,” I say.

The King shakes his head. “Nor do I.”

“So,” I twist my hands together, “what exactly are they retrieving?”

Matteo sweeps his gaze across the barn. Slowly, the room falls silent as the air becomes thick with anticipation. “The cruel Faerie Queen of Air and Darkness created me and my two sisters to be her personal army.” His voice rings out, echoing against the rafters.

Chair legs squeak as people lean in.

“Having carried out her atrocities against Fae and humankind for centuries, we could take her slavery no longer, so we rebelled. Together, my sisters and I killed her along with her entire court. The Faerie Queen had three magical items she used to rule and dominate, and my sisters and I split the articles amongst ourselves.

“Cordelia, Queen of the Corpus, took the Faerie Queen’s blade. The sword is embedded with stealth magic. Whoever wields it can blend into the shadows.

“It should be no surprise that my sister Seraphina, Queen of the Mentis, chose the crown. The crown was forged with compulsion magic. With it, my sister and her clan can persuade humans to do their bidding.

“I chose the necklace of transformation, which enables my clan to transform into birds.” His head falls against the throne, and he turns his gaze to the ceiling. There’s something sad about his expression. But if I used to be able to fly, and no longer could, I’d probably be sad, too.

“It soon became clear that my sisters and I could not agree on how to feed and exist among humans. That’s when the fighting began. It is the magical objects my sisters war over. They believe that by holding all three, they will be able to rule, and ultimately destroy, the other clans. Because of this, I hid the necklace.”

An uneasy feeling coils in my gut. “That sounds like a dangerous mission.”

He smiles. “There is no greater warrior in all of the clans than Delaney. She was deadly before I changed her. Now she’s unstoppable.”

“Sure, but why take this risk? If there’s any chance the other clans might attack you for the necklace, why bring it here?”

“Only myself or someone of my lineage can wield the necklace. If you wear the necklace, and the stones glow green, then we will know for sure if you are my daughter or not.”

It’s impossible to wrap my mind around—that magic Faeries and glowing stones actually exist. But standing in a room full of vampires does make me more inclined to believe than I would have been a week ago. “And if it doesn’t glow?”

He’s quiet for several moments before answering. “It is time the necklace returned to me. I am stronger when I wear it. Rescuing Rachel will not be easy, and I need all the strength I can muster.”

I have so many more questions, but Matteo waves a hand in the air, silencing me before I have the chance to ask. “Go,” he says. “Enjoy the night with my children. Be at ease knowing I will rescue Rachel and all will be well. I must converse with my warriors and prepare them for the battle ahead.”

He snaps his fingers and the four large vampires that carried him into the barn return to his throne and lift it from the ground. Marching in unison, they carry him from the barn, their footsteps echoing into the night.

The music begins immediately, as does the talking and laughing. Despite the mood of people and vampires around me, I can’t get the itchy bands of anxiety to release their hold of my body.

Be at ease, the King said. All will be well.

But as I step out of the barn into the warm summer night, a series of tremors overcome me. I hug my arms tight across my body because I know, despite what the King said, the feeling digs inside my brain like a thorn.

Nothing will ever be right again.