Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 122946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 615(@200wpm)___ 492(@250wpm)___ 410(@300wpm)
“It’s morning. I wish to sleep,” Theseus replied, and I looked over to the windows, which were now tinted. Sure enough, the sun was up, but the light couldn’t get in.
“Rest well.” Was all Taelon said as the doors closed.
“And this is why I hate balls,” Theseus muttered when they were gone.
I turned to him. “Does this happen often?”
“Lucy was entertainment. There was blood all around, and yet, it was only when we were not there that she lost control. Someone did something to trigger her, but who? We will never know. How? We also will not know. What I do know is that she has a lot of control for her kind, and this was not her fault alone.”
“They voted to have her executed, how is that entertainment?”
“Ask the Romans.” He frowned. “From what I can see, President Swan enjoys the cultures of the world. He has taken a bit from each one. Did you notice the paintings? He has many other children from all over the world. His second child is Egyptian, his third from Brazil. He collects vampires like they are toys. And tonight, he wished to punish one for mating against his wishes while also entertaining his guest and keeping up appearances. A human life should not have warranted such a punishment.”
“I thought you said we wouldn’t know who?”
“Who did it exactly, we do not know. However, who could do such a thing without his permission? How did he have such a punishment ready?” he questioned.
Worry crept in. “If you’re right, he’ll try again to hurt Lucy.”
“No, he won’t,” he said, and I didn’t understand.
“Why not.”
“You.” He frowned. “He can now use her life against you. You showed him a gift and a weakness in you, and he will exploit it. Druella, when you healed that human, could you smell yourself?”
I thought back, shaking my head. “No.”
“You…you smelled like a witch, Druella. A very powerful witch.”
“How can I smell like a witch if I’m a vampire?” I asked, confused.
“Exactly.” He frowned. “And why do you have a memory that you do not remember? One of you being against some coven, and me calling you a powerful witch only for you to then smell like a powerful witch?”
“You don’t believe in coincidences.”
“I think we are beyond the realm of coincidences.” He placed his hands on my shoulders to bring me closer. “If you are as powerful as I think you are, it is possible you have a second gift. It is rare, but as a mortal, your powers would not have been dormant. Powerful witches rarely live without a coven…”
“Someone would have known of me.” I stared up at him, the expression on his face stern.
“When you were healing the human, how did you feel?”
I glanced down at my hands. “Would you prefer just to see?”
“It brings me joy to know you trust me, but drinking from each other should not replace speaking. And if you cannot make sense of it, your mind will be muddled as I tried to see. Tell me.”
He was right, of course. I had a feeling he was used to being right. “I think I prefer your drinking because I don’t believe myself or the things that happen.”
“Whatever you tell me, I will believe you…always.”
I smiled. “Even if I told you I saw a ghost?”
“A ghost?” He stared in disbelief, which was a bit ironic. Then he pulled himself together. “Forgive me; it is not that I don’t believe you, but that—seeing spirits, I have only heard of such from witches, not our kind.”
I closed my eyes, trying to organize it in my mind. Like he said, I needed to say it, put order to it, outside of him just drinking the knowledge from me. “I was trying to reverse time, trying to get my gift to work when I wanted it to. But it wasn’t, and they were all upsetting me. Judgment like that bothered me. Then I heard this voice. It was so smooth and clear. It kept telling me A life for life. I didn’t understand at first, and then I saw him. The human was standing right next to his own body.”
“He appeared as a ghost? Was it his voice?”
“No. His voice and the one that told me a life for a life were different. He asked me to save him, heal him. He told me his sister was sick, and he needed money. When I asked how, I wasn’t asking about how to kill Lucy. I meant how could I save him, and he told me, magic. Simone came to mind and how she would have healed you before I changed it, and I just knew I could do it. And doing it—it felt like—” I tried to think of something he could relate it to. “I felt like going home and knowing where everything was and how it worked. I didn’t need to ask questions. It was easy. I wanted him to heal, and he was healed. I felt it in my hand. It was raw, powerful, and ready to do what I needed.”