Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 116618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116618 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
“I need to go after him,” I say as soon as the door closes behind us. “I can track him. I can—”
“You can get yourself killed,” Valtu interrupts, his voice sharp. “Or worse, captured. Which is exactly what they want.”
I round on him, fury replacing despair. “What do you mean, exactly what they want? Why would they care about me specifically?”
The vampires exchange glances, a silent communication passing between them. Finally, Abe steps forward, his expression grave.
“Your blood type,” he says simply. “It’s AB negative.”
I stare at him, the implications sinking in. “How long have you known?”
“Since a couple of hours ago,” he admits. “I called your parents.”
My eyes bug out. “My parents?”
He nods. “Yes. Of course, they knew your blood type. Didn’t want them to worry about it though, so I didn’t mention the murders. Luckily the AB negative information about the cases hasn’t yet hit the papers yet. But the moment I learned that, I knew you’d need backup after all, signal or not.”
“So I’m next,” I say, blinking at the truth.
“You won’t be next,” Valtu says, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“Then Callahan will be,” I say. “Don’t tell me that’s his blood type too?”
“No,” Abe says. “He’s O positive.”
“Then why take him? Please, I don’t understand.”
“We have an idea.”
I sink onto the couch, the fight temporarily draining out of me. “Then tell me the idea. Tell me everything. No more secrets. What are the Ivanovs planning? What is this gateway? What new world are they talking about?”
The four vampires exchange glances again, some unspoken agreement passing between them. Abe sits beside me, while the others arrange themselves around the room—Ezra perched on the arm of a chair, Adonis standing like a sentinel by the door, Valtu prowling restlessly near the windows.
“Skarde,” Abe begins, the word heavy with history, “as you know, is the king of the vampires, sire of us all. He lives in what some call the Red Realm. Not a physical location exactly, but a dimension adjacent to our own, accessible only through certain doorways or through specific rituals under specific conditions The Ivanovs were among the last to leave Skarde,” Abe continues. “They were expelled, to be precise. For practices considered abhorrent even by vampire standards.”
“Blood rituals,” I guess. “Like the ones they’re performing now.”
Abe nods. “That, and worse. They’ve spent centuries trying to find a way back. Every few decades, they attempt the ritual, always failing. Always leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.”
“But this time is different,” Ezra adds. “They believe they’ve found the key. A specific sequence of sacrifices, each with particular attributes, culminating in a final offering that will tear open the veil between worlds.”
“Me,” I say flatly. “Because of my blood type.”
“Not just your blood type,” Abe corrects. “Your nature. A vampire with AB negative blood. It’s extraordinarily rare, more so than with humans—I’ve encountered perhaps one or two in all my centuries.”
“So they’ll try to drain me dry to open their doorway,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “To escape a world where they can’t freely slaughter humans.”
“It’s more complicated than that,” Adonis says, speaking for the first time since we arrived. “Many of our kind believe humans are destined to destroy themselves and this world with them. That our only hope for long-term survival lies in returning to the Red Realm.”
“Do you believe that?” I ask, looking around at each of them.
“I believe in balance,” Abe says carefully. “In finding ways to coexist. The Ivanovs never sought that balance. They see humans as livestock, nothing more.”
“And what happens if they succeed?” I ask. “If they open this gateway? Theoretically, they would leave this world. Isn’t that for the best?”
“Theoretically, yes,” Abe says. “But you, my dear…you’re the price. Which is why the doorway won’t be opened.”
“We won’t let that happen,” Valtu says.
“When did you learn all this?” I ask.
“Non-stop digging since you left the house,” Ezra says, jerking his shoulder toward Abe. “Their detective skills are on par with Callahan’s.”
The mention of his name makes my heart sink.
“What about Callahan?” I press. “Where does he fit into their plans?”
Another exchange of glances, this one more weighted than before. Valtu opens his mouth to speak.
“Val,” Abe says, a warning in his tone.
But Valtu shakes his head. “She deserves to know what we learned. Especially now.” He turns to me, his dark eyes uncharacteristically serious. “The Ivanovs aren’t just any vampire family. They’re one of the original bloodlines from Skarde. Some of the oldest vampires alive. Their blood carries potency. Power.”
Understanding begins to dawn. “And Callahan?”
“Dmitri Ivanov had a son,” Valtu says simply. “A child he gave up for adoption thirty-five years ago, as an experiment. To see if vampire nature would emerge even without knowledge of one’s heritage. To see if blood truly is destiny.”