Page 16

This is how it’s done.

This is how it’s always been done.

T he gold mist is thick . Very thick. But it’s narrow too. And on either side of it there is a very dark purple. A purple so dark, it almost looks black.

Which means… what? That’s the past, or the future, or something unreal? But the gold is… I’m not sure. The gold is new. It’s not the present. At least, that’s not my first choice as far definitions go. Because in my extensive experience with dreamwalking, the light purple is the present.

But looking at the mist all around me, what it really looks like is… the Yellow Brick Road. From The Wizard of Oz . Except not a road, of course. Just a thick, misty path. But it’s definitely giving off the impression that it leads somewhere.

I look around. But I don’t feel like I’m anywhere. The two different-colored mists are giving off a tunnel vibe.

So. I dunno. There is really only one choice. I guess I’ll just follow the Yellow Brick Road. It’s probably gonna take me to a witch. But what the hell, witches aren’t so bad. I think I might be in bed with one right now, since this is a dreamwalk and, last I recall, I was nursing Syrsee back to health.

Time feels relative here, so I’m not sure how much passes when I notice that the purple on either side of the tunnel disappears, leaving nothing but gold. The worst thing about this is that now there is no road. There’s no path. So I stop and throw up my hands. “Now what?” I say this out loud to the mist.

Which doesn’t answer back. Not exactly, anyway. But there is a voice in my head—my own voice, actually—telling me that the gold is just like the purple. If you can imagine it, you can make it.

So where do I want it to take me?

My first instinct is Syrsee, but it’s not the right one. I know where Syrsee is. I have physical access to her. I can talk to her any time I want if I take myself out of this.

But the person I don’t have access to in the physical world is Paul.

And the moment I think his name in my head, we’re back in that hotel room. The one where I woke up from being second-born.

Paul and I are on the bed again. Backs up against the headboard. So close, our shoulders are touching.

“Aren’t you going to move away from me, Ryet?”

I shrug, looking straight ahead. “What’s the point. I’m stuck with you forever.”

“You’re the one who came to me.”

“I know.” I’m kind of snarling at him. I feel like a much angrier man since turning into a vampire. “Because I have questions.”

“So? Ask them.”

I feel like he’s a much angrier guy since I became a vampire too. “Why are you angry?”

“I’m not angry.”

“You sound angry.”

“It’s just the tendency.”

“Of? Because that doesn’t explain anything.”

“Master and slave. You and me. Father and son. But”—Paul looks at me—“please don’t think of me as your father. That would make our future… difficult. And… out of my comfort zone.”

I scoff. “Don’t worry. I do not think of you as a father.”

“Good. Because it wasn’t actually me who created you, it was the Darkness.”

“Doesn’t really answer why you’re angry.”

“I’m not angry. I’m… you’re… challenging me.”

I turn my head to look at him, chuckling. “I’m seriously not.”

“It’s not a conscious thing, Ryet. It’s just your monstrous nature. Like two stallions meeting out on the plains. Only one is needed, after all. One stud per herd.”

I’m making a face of disgust. “Herd?”

“If we had a herd, it would be easier. Right now, all we have is Syrsee. So we must share.”

“You’re kidding, right? Tell me this is a joke.”

“It’s temporary. Black witches are hard to farm.”

“ Farm ?”

“We need many more, Ryet. But don’t worry. We have all the time in the world. And now that Syrsee is on board?—”

“Oh”—I laugh—“you have grossly misunderstood what’s happening here. Syrsee is not on board with anything you’ve got planned. That’s for certain.”

“Well, it’s like this, Ryet. She doesn’t have much of a choice. You fed her the jars?”

My stomach clenches up. “What did you do?”

“I did what I had to. I gave her a push. And you a push as well.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The babies , Ryet. We need more Black witches. It’s critical for my plan.”

“What plan?”

“Need-to-know.”

“Fuck that. I’ve got wings, Paul. It’s time for me to know.”

He turns in bed, lowering himself into a more horizontal position. His smile is wide and genuine. Which surprises me, because he’s typically a less-than-sincere guy. “We. Are. The American Vampires. It’s a brand-new dynasty. By now, several things have happened. One, Josep is with the Darkness, making an offering. We’re bartering with it to get power. And two, the Obscurati know you’ve been born. You, Ryet, are the very first American Vampire. I’m in charge, of course, since I am your maker. But you…” He’s nodding his head at me. “You are the one we’ve been waiting for. And together, you and Syrsee are the parents of our bloodline. A brand-new bloodline. Or, well, you will be. As soon as she begins having babies.”

I concentrate on this last part of his little speech first. “Why are you acting like Syrsee can just create a whole coven of witches in no time at all? Because human reproduction doesn’t work that way.”

“Are we human, Ryet?”

I get that sick feeling in my stomach again. “Don’t play with me.” These words come out angry and low.

“We’re not human, you know this. She will have your baby. Your specific baby. That is a given. But there are other ways to make more of us. And that is what we need. A population explosion , Ryet. We need minions.”

“What are you talking about? Like… halfbreeds?”

“No!” He laughs. “And you know what I’m talking about. You were one, Ryet. A scion, of course. We can make dozens of them at once.”

“How? You said you planned me from birth and that’s the only reason it worked.”

“Does one put all one’s eggs in the same basket, Ryet?”

“Stop talking about yourself in the third person. You sound ridiculous.”

“The sentiment remains. I have dozens of scions, Ryet. All we need now is the blood to take them across the finish line.”

“ What ?”

“I did not pin all my hopes and dreams on you. I have more. But, to be clear, you will always be my first.”

I look away, staring out the sunny window. “So you… and me…”

“Oh, we are. It’s a special bond, Ryet.”

I turn to look at him again. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m not jealous of your stupid fucking scions. I’m asking if I’m tied to you forever or if I’m allowed to just… fuck off.”

Paul throws his head back and laughs.

“What’s so funny?”

“You’re so serious.”

“Of course I’m serious. I didn’t ask for any of this. And I’ve spent the last sixty-five fucking years being your bitch. I want freedom. I want Syrsee. I want to take her places, and fuck her senseless, and drink her blood, and feed her mine, and whatever. I want to enjoy myself now. I’m done with you and your plan.”

“Not quite yet, Ryet. Don’t get ahead of yourself.” I open my mouth to protest, but he puts up a hand. “If you want to take Syrsee and explore the world, be my guest. Go.” He goes serious again now. “But we must complete what we started. We must.”

“Which is what?”

“The baby, Ryet. Her blood is good, but with another infusion of Darkness we can make… a kind of… Type O.”

I squint my eyes. “You’re talking about blood typing.”

“That’s the secret. The scion’s immune system must be able to handle the Black blood. And with this baby?—”

“Hold on.” I put up a hand. “You’re telling me that you want Syrsee and I to make a baby and give it to you to use as food to turn more scions into vampires.”

“Correct.”

“This is not happening.”

“Of course it is.”

“No.” I’m shaking my head. “This is a very firm no, Paul. No. I will not breed a child for you to feed your new dynasty of vampires.”

“OK.” This OK comes out way too confident. “How do you propose to stop it?”

“Stop what? The baby? Well, protocol dictates that you would need my cooperation in getting her pregnant?”

“Of course.”

“Well, I’m not going to agree to this. It’s as simple as that.”

“I’m offering you a good deal here, Ryet. You and Syrsee can raise it—up to a point. And then I will take over.”

“No. You’re insane if you think Syrsee and I will be having a baby and then handing it over to you.”

“Did you miss the part where I said the two of you could raise it? The part where I take it away from you is over a decade away. You’ll have another by then. Probably four or five.”

“She’s not a fucking broodmare.”

“ She is , Ryet. She absolutely is a broodmare. My broodmare. And you are my stud. It’s a match made in heaven, don’t you think?” It’s a rhetorical question. “You love her, she loves you. Making babies has always been fun. You remember that, right?”

All the muscles in my neck go tight when he alludes to my human children.

“Well, making Black witch babies is more than fun, Ryet.” He’s practically chuckling these words out. “It’s… well, you’re going to find out soon enough. Just as soon as you talk Syrsee into freeing me from this prison.”

“Wait.” I smile. “You’re stuck here, aren’t you? So none of this happens unless Syrsee and I agree to it. Otherwise, you stay right where you are.”

“Let me guess. Now you’re thinking… Maybe we should leave him here? Well, let me caution you, Ryet. You do not want me to be here when she goes into heat.”

“Heat?”

“When she cycles. It will happen very soon. That’s why she’s sick.”

My mind is spinning. Trying to parse all these words into something coherent. She’s coming into heat ?

“And it’s not as simple,” Paul continues, “as just sticking your cock in her and coming. That’s not enough, Ryet. It needs to be done properly. And only I know how to do that.”

“So? Maybe we don’t need a baby.”

“Need as in want, or need as in require? Because whether you want one or not isn’t the issue here. She must be pregnant in her first cycle or she will die, Ryet.”

“Bullshit.”

“In fact, she must be pregnant for every cycle or she will die, Ryet.”

“You’re lying.”

“Am I? Ask yourself this, if a Black witch could choose to not have a baby—a girl child that she must either hand over to me as a feeder or kill and steal her power—don’t you think that at a least a portion of them would refuse to have a baby and not put themselves into this hopeless position?”

I just… stare at him.

“She doesn’t have a choice any more than her mother or grandmother did. She must be pregnant by the time her first cycle ends or she will fade quickly. Within hours, Ryet. But don’t worry. I’ve changed things. It’s going to be much better for her—and you—in this new way going forward.”

“Explain this, Paul. And do not tell me it’s need-to-know. I need to fucking know.”

He smiles. Like me begging him for information was part of his plan all along. And it is. It must be. Because he is Paul, the vampire. And he knows way more than me. “You’re ready then? To hear the plan I have for you and her. And… me.”

“You?”

“In order to make a Black witch you need two vampires. That’s how Josep and I have done it all this time. But you can make something else—something more than just a Black witch—if you have three vampires.”

“Me.”

“You. And me. And Josep.”

“With Syrsee? At the same time?”

Paul nods, smiling. Maybe even picturing this in his head. Which infuriates me.

“No. I’m saying no.”

“Then you just want me, do you? Or Josep? Because regardless of your feelings on the matter, there will be two vampires involved in the conception of your child with Syrsee. You and I? You and him? Or… all three of us?”

“Fucking her?” I’m growling now.

“No, Ryet. You can be the fucker.” He pauses to laugh. Diabolically, I might add. “She’s yours. Black witches aren’t made with sperm. Not just sperm, anyway. It’s a blood transfer. Between you, the Darkness, me, Josep, and Syrsee. Josep and I will be there, drinking and sharing with her. And you and the Darkness will be there fucking. And sharing.”

“Wait. The Darkness is gonna?—”

“ You are the Darkness, Ryet. Or, at least, you will be. It will be inside you when you take her. It will be the actual one fucking her.”

I just stare at him.

“When we’re all reunited in the physical world Josep will come to us filled with the Dark gift. You will drink him and you will not give the blood back. You will keep it. The Darkness will live inside you for a time, and then, at the proper moment, when Syrsee is in full heat, we’ll all get in bed, snuggle up to one another, and the Darkness will spill its seed inside her, using your cock to do it.”

He reaches for me, placing his hand on my face. I don’t even pull away. I’m not even thinking about him. I’m thinking about all those horrible words that just came out of his mouth.

He kisses me. Then bites his lip, letting his blood spill into my mouth.

I want to resist and pull away, but the craving is suddenly there. That overpowering lust for his blood that I had all these decades since he made me.

He pulls back, licking his lips as he looks me in the eyes. “It will be fun, you’ll see. You’ll love it. And we’ll do it over and over again, in that same way, every single time Syrsee comes into heat. She will love it too. You’ll see. She will be moaning. She will come so hard when you plant the seed of darkness inside her. And all the while, Josep and I will be drinking her. And then you will drink us and she will drink us. And we will come too. All of us. You will love it, Ryet. You will dream about it when it’s over. It will be the only thing you ever think about again.”

I picture this in my head and I believe him. I know how he made me crave his kiss of blood all these years. It was powerful and every time I fed, those little drops were enough to drive me mad with lust.

His hand slips down to my cock and I realize I’m naked. It’s a dreamwalk, so reality is relative, I guess. But the weird thing is, I don’t mind.

He grips me tight, sliding his hand up and down my shaft. And all I want to do is close my eyes and enjoy it. Just give in for once. Stop fighting him every step of the way. I’m so tired of fighting him.

And he’s right. I don’t think I will mind.

It’s a terrible thought and I hate myself for thinking it, but when I picture the three of us—and Josep, I guess, but I don’t even know what he looks like—when I picture us all drinking each other, it’s the only thing I ever want to think about.

So I let him touch me.

And I let myself enjoy it too.

I will do this thing. He will be there, and Josep will be there, and Syrsee will be there and we are going to make Dark babies.

“That’s it.” Paul is whispering this in my ear. And then he’s biting me. Pulling my blood out of me as I breathe through it, grabbing his hand on my cock so I can force him to go faster.

His lips are on mine and the blood is flowing into me too.

This is how it’s done. This is how it’s always been done .

Paul pulls back. “Listen to me, Ryet. Listen now. Because we can’t do this if I’m locked away in the purple. Save me, save her, save yourself, Ryet. This is how it’s done. This is how it’s always been done. You need to set me free .”