Sorcery of the Blood, page 8
I pursed my lips together and flipped to the beginning part of the book. “There’s this section on a vampire that’s supposed to be ancient and filled with hate. It could be Caleb.”
“What? Let me see.” Kingston took the book from me and read it. He nodded. “Yeah, sounds like him.”
Tyrone took the book next. “Says here this guy’s as old as Jesus.”
“Yeah. Caleb’s old, right?” I said.
“Not that old. Besides, that’s bullshit. I’ve never met a vampire that old, or even heard of one.”
Kingston raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yeah. Elder vampires are a few hundred years old at the most. Hardly any of us make it to a thousand, let alone several thousand,” Tyrone said.
“Why not?” I asked with a frown. I was annoyed my research didn’t seem to have panned out.
Tyrone rubbed at his forehead like he was thinking. Then he said, “You know when you’re a kid and an hour seems like forever? And it’s never gonna pass because it’s so long?”
“Yeah.”
“And now if I told you that you had to wait an hour before you could get coffee, what would you say?”
“Fine. I mean, that’s nothing.”
He snapped his fingers and did a finger gun gesture. “That’s exactly the problem. See, time is a matter of perspective. The older you get, the faster it goes by. Doesn’t help that the people you love drop like fucking flies while you’re still the same as you were when you were turned. It’d be easier if we could turn every person we care about, but it’s not possible.”
“Why not?” Kingston snapped at Tyrone.
I glanced at him and shushed him, wondering why he was suddenly angry.
“Think about it this way. Would you turn your first boyfriend now if given the chance?” Tyrone asked Kingston.
He shook his head. “No way.”
“Exactly. Sometimes you think you know a person. Then you’re stuck with them forever, and you find out what they’re really like.”
“That’s fucking hilarious coming from you. Since you eloped with a vampire you only met a few months ago,” Kingston said.
“It was an impulsive decision, I won’t argue that. However, Ash is set in his ways. That’s clear to me just as it’s clear to me that Felix is mercurial. And being turned can change people. Not necessarily for the better.”
“But Kingston hasn’t changed,” I pointed out. “He’s the same as he’s always been.”
“Because he was a stubborn righteous asshole. He could always get worse,” Tyrone said.
“Excuse me, sitting right here.” Kingston was glaring at Tyrone, his hackles rising.
“Fuck you, I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to your boy.” He pointed at me.
“I’m not his boy,” I said.
“Oh, please. Yes, you are. Look, you want my advice?” I shrugged, and Tyrone leaned forward and took my hand. “Get the fuck away from him as soon as this is over. Live your life for yourself, not this moron.”
“That’s it. I’m going to kick your ass!” Kingston jumped out of his chair.
Tyrone pulled away from me. He shot to his feet, eyes blazing, but Kingston shoved him against the wall. It should have looked ridiculous since Tyrone was nearly a foot taller than him. Kingston had more muscle tone, and he’d been itching for a fight since we arrived.
“Stop it!” I yelled. “Don’t hurt him!”
They ignored me, getting ready to brawl like a couple of drunk frat boys. It made me angry. Kingston had been antagonistic and rude since Tyrone had taken us in. I didn’t appreciate Tyrone’s smug “I know more than you” attitude either. I wanted them both to be quiet. I wanted them to behave. I wanted them to stop.
There was a sudden strange pain in my head, one I hadn’t felt before. The pain expanded before leaving me in a wave. Once it had, every light bulb in the room exploded. They showered us with sparks and glass and plunged us into darkness.
I felt hands on my shoulders, and Kingston asked, “Martin! Are you all right?”
I backed away, holding my hands up and saying, “I’m sorry, I…I’m sorry.” And I ran out of the room. There was only one place I could go to get help.
Tali was in her room, and it was in a similar state to the common room, at least regarding books and papers being everywhere. The light bulbs were perfectly fine. She was muttering to herself as she went through pieces of parchment, and she tossed one aside as I came in. She paused when she saw me, and asked, “Are you all right?”
“I—There was an accident,” I said and closed the door.
“What happened?” Tali approached and put an arm around me, trying to be supportive. I appreciated it even though my anxiety was going up and I was getting close to having an attack.
“Kingston and Tyrone were fighting, and I made the light bulbs explode,” I babbled. I was breathing too fast, and I felt shaky.
“Martin, listen to me. I want you to breathe in for me, okay? Breathe,” Tali said, and I did as she told me. “Good, now hold it. Excellent, and let it out slowly.”
I knew the technique. Focus on my breathing so I wouldn’t freak out about what I’d done. And it worked. I followed her directions until I was breathing normally again. I still felt shaky, however.
She smiled at me and said, “Congratulations! Your powers are growing.”
“I can blow things up? That’s not a good thing, Tali!” I said.
“I know, I’m sorry. I’m sure this is upsetting for you. But if your powers are growing, that means that you’re making progress.”
It was a weird thing to be happy about, but she wasn’t regarding me with horror or disgust. She took my hand and led me over to her stores. Tali took down two vials. “I’m going to show you how you can use that energy. And then you’re going to help me with the blood.”
Considering I wanted to hide under the bed forever, this didn’t sound like a fun prospect for me. I sighed and said, “Okay.”
Tali handed me a vial, and I knew it was vampire blood without her telling me. “I want you to feel, not think. Close your eyes and sense what’s inside the vial.”
“I feel dumb,” I told her.
Tali groaned. “Will you just give it a chance? Close your eyes.”
I sighed and did as she asked. I thought about how the vial felt in my hand and what was inside it. I saw a flash of teased red hair, and I asked, “Is this Cinder’s?”
“Yes. Okay, you’ve got a feel for it. Now I want you to sense the magic in it.”
Goose bumps were rising on my arms, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I thought I could hear something. Not a heartbeat, more like the wind whistling through the trees and the crackling of a fire. The ghost of Cinder’s laughter. I’d found the magic.
“Good,” Tali murmured. “Now see what you can do with it.”
What could I do? I knew she wanted to change the magic, make it stronger. Transform it so that our vampire allies would lose their weakness. I was seeing flashes in my head again. A woman with blonde hair. A male voice whispering to me. The last thing I saw surprised me.
It was the night I’d burned Kingston with the lance head. I remembered holding it in my palm, the way I was doing now with the blood. In my mind’s eye, magic swirled around the edge of the blade. I gasped and opened my eyes.
“What is it?” Tali asked.
“I…I…it doesn’t make sense,” I finally said. I put the vial down and sat on the bed.
Tali knelt in front of me and took both my hands into hers. “What did you see?”
“It was the lance head. The one Kingston has. It’s a holy weapon that belonged to an angel,” I told her.
“Interesting.” Taking in my expression, she asked, “Are you all right?”
“No, not really,” I admitted.
Tali nodded. “I’m sorry, I know it’s overwhelming. But I think this means the lance factors in somehow. We’ll have to research more. After you’ve rested.”
“I am feeling sleepy,” I said, and it was true. I was already tired after the light bulbs. This had pushed me into exhaustion.
Tali stood and patted me on the shoulder, saying, “Take a nap. I’ll keep researching.”
“Thank you,” I replied.
She smiled and got back to work.
I curled up on my side on the bed, too worn out to even remove my shoes. As I fell into strange dreams, I wondered if I’d helped or sent Tali on the wrong track.
Chapter Eleven
KINGSTON
I didn’t know where Martin had gone. After that trick with the lights, I wanted to talk to him and ask if he was okay. Even in the dark, I could see he’d been upset, and I couldn’t blame him. It was freaky, and I’d never seen anything like it. I wasn’t sure what to think; all I knew was I wanted to speak with him.
Was there something he wasn’t telling me? Did this have to do with his weird psychic feelings and working with Tali? I would know if I’d spent more time with him. Okay, I’d been avoiding Martin. Not intentionally, but I had since that night he’d asked to stay. I didn’t know what to say, and I wanted to talk to him anyway. That didn’t bode well because I’d likely say the wrong thing. Still, speaking was better than silence at this point.
I was looking for him when I rounded a corner and ran smack into Tyrone. He stared for a moment, and asked, “Looking for Martin?”
“Yeah, what’s it to you?” I asked.
“I’m trying to find him too. Seems he doesn’t want to be found.”
I didn’t like the implication. Tyrone and I stared each other down, and I could feel him sizing me up.
“How are we going to find him?” I asked.
“I think we should talk instead. Come with me,” Tyrone said.
I bristled, tempted to turn him down. I followed him anyway.
We walked to his office, and he sat behind his desk. The room was smaller than I expected, about the size of a walk-in closet. In front of his desk sat two wooden chairs with cushions tied to them. Tyrone had selected an old-fashioned leather chair for himself.
On the ceiling was a dingy ceiling fan with a light. A pin board with a ton of papers attached hung on the wall, and then there was the desk. It looked like it was rescued from a dumpster somewhere. On it stood several stacks of paper about three feet high, and I asked, “What the hell is all that?”
“Registration forms,” he replied, holding a few up so I could see. “The more people I can get working here the better off we’ll be.”
“And that’s not making Caleb suspicious?”
“Told him we keep accidentally eating the employees. Not like he’s gonna check.”
“What are you doing with them?” I asked.
He shrugged. “We’ve put people in rooms, hiding them or rescuing them. Some of the humans are helping where they can. For the most part, we’re trying to house people until we can get them out of here.”
“The Defiant helping with that?”
Tyrone nodded. “Yeah, they have a system. They’ve been building underground tunnels like the ones the cartels use to smuggle drugs across the border. I’m not sure how many they’ve got, but it’s doing the job.”
I sat down, and I asked, “Why are you doing this?”
Tyrone looked at me as though I’d just said something ridiculous. “You’re kidding, right? I’m able to help, so I’m going to. Why do you think I wouldn’t?”
“I—” I paused. I knew why, and so did Tyrone.
“You need to get over this fucking prejudice you have against vampires. One, you are a vampire, and you haven’t become a bloodthirsty psycho. Two, you’re forgetting we’re all people. Do you think I like what that shithead has done to this town? I fucking hate it. This is like Nazi Germany all over again,” he concluded, frustration clear in his voice.
I blinked, and couldn’t contain my surprise as I asked, “You were in Nazi Germany?”
“No, I was in Oklahoma. Where they were pretending to be better than the Nazis but still ran my black ass out of town,” Tyrone replied.
“Sounds like To Kill A Mockingbird,” I said.
He snorted. “Yeah well, that was pretty common back then. Fuck, it’s still common in some places. I’ll tell you about Georgia in 2007 sometime.” He waved his hand.
“You set up the hotel to save people?” I didn’t attempt to hide my skepticism.
“No, I set it up to cover my weed operation. Now I’m using it to save people.”
I sighed. “I might have misjudged you.”
“I know you did.” Tyrone didn’t sneer or roll his eyes. He gave me a calm look as though to say, “your move.”
“I deserved that,” I admitted. “But my main concern is everyone’s safety, especially Martin.”
“Why do you think I’d hurt him? You’re doing a good job of that on your own.”
My eyes widened. “How dare you—”
“You should have let him stay,” he continued. “He loves you. It probably took every bit of courage he has to even ask.”
“How do you know about it? Are you spying on me?” I couldn’t keep the indignation out of my voice.
“Yes,” he said.
“Why am I not surprised?” I growled.
“I didn’t trust you. I still don’t. But Martin vouched for you. Someone’s gotta look out for him.”
I knit my fingers together. “Do you know what that was last night?” I needed to change the subject, or I’d do something I’d regret.
“The Carrie incident? Martin’s stressed out, and he’s learning about magic and psychic powers. If I had to guess he’s getting stronger in that area, and us fighting made it pop.” He flicked his fingers, mimicking an explosion. “But let’s not get sidetracked. We need to talk about how we’re gonna proceed.”
“Look, if this is about the training…” I started but stopped when he shook his head.
“I’m talking about you.” Tyrone leaned forward. His eyes were piercing. “I know you’ve got a shit ton of baggage. But I care about Martin’s happiness, and in order to keep him happy, I’m willing to let bygones be bygones. If you stop being an asshole.”
“You’re only doing this for Martin,” I scoffed. “Oh, yeah. You totally don’t have feelings for him anymore.”
“I love him, I’ll always love him. Not in a romantic way. That’s past now. I love him like he was my own flesh and blood. And if keeping you alive makes him happy, then I’ll do it. So long as it doesn’t interfere with keeping my people alive.” Tyrone’s eyes were as deadly as ever but shining with sincerity.
“You want a truce,” I concluded.
He nodded. “If you can stop acting like a sanctimonious prick, I might have a way for you to work out your anger.”
“What did you have in mind?”
In answer to my question, he smirked. “How would you like to go on a little hunting trip?”
My jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious.”
He chuckled. “You’re driving everyone crazy, and you need to get out. We’re going hunting.”
“We?” I said with surprise.
“Yeah, I’m going with you. To make sure you don’t get killed or expose us. Don’t flip. I know how to hunt.”
I frowned. “How the fuck are you going to hunt? Hell, for that matter, how am I going to hunt? I can’t use my holy objects now. I’ll fucking set myself on fire!”
“You know that shit only works because you believe in it, right?”
I didn’t, and I know it showed on my face.
He kept talking anyway. “Crosses, holy water…they only work if you believe in them. I know you’re a lapsed Catholic, but you still believe in the power of all the trappings. A Jewish person would have just as much luck with a Star of David and reciting their own prayers. Same goes for a Muslim. Even a Wiccan could hunt a vampire if they weren’t such nature nerds.”
“So…how the fuck does a vampire hunt other vampires?” I asked.
“Easy. Believe in yourself.” Tyrone was smirking, and I didn’t know if he was joking or not.
It sounded like bullshit, made up just to fuck with me. I didn’t care; I could do better out in the city than in the hotel. “I’m in.”
“I’ve got one request,” Tyrone said.
“Of course there’s a catch. Okay, what is it?”
“Do you think you can start training humans too?”
I nodded. “Absolutely. Training them would be easier. I have experience there,” I told him.
“Good. Some of the people we’re taking on are refusing to leave and want to fight. Most of them are staying on the top floor, and they’re a mixed group. I don’t think any of them have ever fought before except that one person. They came in with biker leather and a few weapons hidden on them. They’re quiet too.”
“Nonbinary?” I asked.
Tyrone nodded. “Yeah, goes by the name Haven. They have a girlfriend named Lelise, who’s a humanitarian. She was wearing a Black Lives Matter hoodie when she arrived.”
I chuckled. “I bet Caleb loved that.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t kill her on the spot.”
“Me too.”
“Introduce me to them later. I can figure out who needs what sort of lessons.” I got up but stopped before leaving the room. “And let me know when you want to go hunting. I’m ready any time.”
“Yeah, you got it.” Tyrone waved a hand. “Now get out of my office. I’ve got shit to do.”
I left.
Our conversation left me in a better mood. I knew I’d been an asshole. Tyrone, Ash, and Martin had called me on it. I wasn’t so conflicted now that I knew Tyrone was helping people. They all were, really, in their own ways. If I hadn’t been holding on to my hate, I would have seen it sooner. I knew why I couldn’t let the hate go. And it wasn’t just because of my brother.
Tyrone and Martin had been together, and I envied Tyrone. They’d been a good match, though I would never have said so aloud. I never found out why they’d broken up, but I suspected it was because of me. I was so absorbed in my thoughts I almost missed Martin duck around a corner. I frowned and followed him, catching up in seconds. I grabbed his wrist and said, “Hey, I’ve been looking for you.”
