Page 6

6

GAIDA

“So which one is that?” Dante whispers loudly. “Father or son?”

“Greetings,” the creature in the vault says, not moving any closer but still coming across as threatening all the same.

I blink. I’m speechless. The creature standing in front of us is… shockingly good-looking. No vampire monster from my worst nightmares here. His hair is cut short and jet black, his skin is slightly sallow, and his eyes are bright green, almost glowing.

“Draken,” I breathe.

Luke hisses, and Felix shoves me behind him.

“You won’t get anywhere near her,” Luke says, stepping in front of Felix.

Dante moves next to Luke, blocking the vault entrance. “Should’ve kept that shut,” he mutters.

I peer around the wall of protective men.

Draken smiles. It’s a small, barely-there lift of his lips that somehow manages to look both polite and predatory. “Such loyalty,” he remarks, his voice smooth as ice and just as cold. “How charming. I should thank you all for taking such good care of what’s mine.”

Luke’s growl reverberates around the vault.

My heart pounds against my ribcage as I push past Felix, ignoring his hissed warning. Luke’s arm shoots out to block my path, but I duck under it, moving forward until I’m just in front of Luke, with Felix shoving his way forward behind me.

“I’m not yours. Never was, never will be.”

Draken’s emerald eyes lock with mine, and I feel sick with the roar of triumph that courses through my blood. “At last,” he murmurs. “My Blood Queen”

“I’m Gaida,” I correct him. “Not sure about the Queen part yet. Definitely sure about not being yours.”

His laugh is sharp and dangerous. “Such modesty. Unnecessary, I assure you.” His gaze shifts to Luke, hardening. “Dad has been busy, I see.”

Luke’s hand snakes around my wrist, but he doesn’t pull me back. Yet. “Where is he?”

Draken gestures lazily to a corner of the vault where both artefacts rest. The sword and chalice, not touching but positioned like opposing chess pieces, separated by mere inches. “Right there in the sword. He isn’t getting his way this time.”

“The sword and chalice together released you,” I murmur. “Why not him?” That makes sense why the Guardians of the chalice wanted them kept apart.

Draken’s eyes flash with something dark and ancient. “Because I was merely trapped in the chalice, while he is bound to the sword. His essence and the sword are one. The sword must be destroyed to free him, not merely brought close to its counterpart.”

“But you...” I hesitate, trying to understand. “You were just waiting for the two to be near each other?”

“Proximity was all I needed,” he confirms.

Luke’s grip on my wrist tightens painfully. “Stay where you are,” he warns Draken.

Draken ignores him, his focus entirely on me. “You feel it, don’t you? The pull between us. The recognition in your blood.”

“I feel nothing,” I lie, even as something deep within me stirs in response to his presence. It’s not me, I know that. It’s the part of me that’s the Blood Queen, the ancient power that’s been awakening for the last few weeks.

“Another lie,” Draken murmurs, looking amused. “We’ll have to work on your honesty, my Queen.”

“How about we work on your listening skills?” Dante steps forward, his fangs dropping. “She said she’s not yours.”

Draken’s eyes flick to Dante with mild interest. “The DuLoc heir. How interesting that you’ve aligned yourself with her. Your ancestors would be disappointed. Such delicious rivalry.”

“My ancestors can fuck off,” Dante snarls. “And so can you.”

Draken’s smile doesn’t falter, but his eyes grow colder. “Such passion. Such misplaced loyalty.” He takes a step forward, and I feel Luke’s body tense beside me.

“That’s close enough,” Felix says, his voice steady despite the tension. I can feel his magick gathering around him like a storm cloud.

“Is it?” Draken asks, taking another deliberate step. “I’ve waited millennia for this moment. For her. Do you really think you can stop me?”

“Yes,” Luke says simply.

The air in the vault grows heavy, charged with supernatural energy. I can feel it pressing against my skin, making it difficult to breathe.

“Interesting,” Draken murmurs, his eyes fixed on Luke. “Father’s got his hooks in you, hasn’t he, Blackthorn? I can smell his power on you.”

“Shut up,” I snap, my patience wearing thin. “I want answers. How did you escape? What do you want?”

Draken’s attention shifts back to me, his expression softening marginally, which creeps me out further. “What I want has never changed, my Queen. Separation of the worlds. They are not meant to be merged back together, or they wouldn’t have split apart in the first place.”

“So you’re what? The good guy in this scenario?” Dante scoffs. “Forgive me if I find that hard to believe.”

“Good and evil are such limited concepts,” Draken says with a dismissive wave. “I prefer to think in terms of balance. My father would upset the natural order of things. I would preserve it.”

“So what has any of this got to do with me?” I demand, needing the answers now that they are practically right in front of me.

Draken’s gaze intensifies, making my skin prickle with unease. “You are the balance, Gaida. The Blood Queen is the fulcrum upon which everything pivots. Neither my father nor I can act directly without your consent. That’s why he’s been so desperate to manipulate events, to position you where he wants you.”

“And where is that exactly?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

“By his side, of course. To merge the worlds back together, he needs the Blood Queen’s power freely given.” His eyes flicker to Luke. “It’s why you are useful to him.”

Luke’s jaw tightens.

“You are the last of your kind,” Draken says softly. “The final descendant of the original Blood Queen, who helped me keep the worlds separate when my father sought to merge them. Your lineage has been carefully preserved through the centuries, diluted but never extinguished.”

“The original Blood Queen? The First vampire?”

He shakes his head. “No, that is a different bloodline entirely. The Blood Queen was a goddess born of blood, the exact moment when the worlds first split.”

Okay, this is starting to make some sense. There is a bit of actual backstory instead of hearsay and lies.

“And what happens to me when I choose?” I ask, my voice steadier than I feel. There is no if about this now. It’s happening whether I want it to or not.

“You would remain as you are. My Queen.”

“And if I refuse both of you?”

His smile turns cold. “Who knows? Are you willing to find out?”

“Yes,” Felix says, calling his bluff before I can.

Draken smiles. It’s a secretive sort of sexy smile that makes me want to puke on him but also move closer to him. “Something tells me the Blood Queen won’t be so easily convinced to leave it.”

He is right, damn him. I can’t just leave it and see what happens. What if it makes things worse? What if I can help make sure that this seemingly inevitable event is done in the safest possible way?

“Ah, she knows,” Draken says. “Come to me.”

I pull myself out of Luke’s grip and step forward, my hand outstretched. Draken moves with vampire-given speed to grip it, lacing our fingers together before my guys can even move.

Thunder cracks overhead as the ground shakes beneath us. The sword flies up into the air and zooms straight for me. In a flash, Draken has pulled me behind him and takes the brunt of the hit, in the face, blood squirting out everywhere.

“Fuck!” I shriek as he pulls the sword out when he turns to me, spraying me with his blood. “What the hell?”

Draken lets out a low growl. “Try and hurt her again, old man, and you will wish you had made better choices.”

“I don’t need you to protect me,” I grit out, trying not to appreciate his efforts.

Draken holds the bloody sword out as his face heals. “Take this and destroy what is in it.”

“Don’t I need it?” I ask with a frown.

“What for?”

“Whatever plan you have to keep the worlds separate?”

“No, we don’t need the sword. It’s a liability, if you hadn’t already noticed.” His dry tone almost makes me giggle.

“Well, we can agree on that. Too bad, your dad is now the sire of one of my loves.”

His eyes narrow. “Break it.”

I glance at Luke. He is absolutely livid. I swear I see steam coming out of his ears. But he doesn’t move a muscle to break up this little whatever the fuck it is.

I lick my lips. “How?”

“With your blood, my Queen.”

“Won’t that bond him to me?”

“Destroying the sword will destroy him. It’s what should have been done millennia ago.” His voice drops lower. “Your blood can unmake what blood once made.”

Luke steps forward, his movement so swift it’s almost a blur. “Don’t,” he says, his voice raw. “Gaida, we can’t trust him.”

I glance between them, feeling the weight of this decision pressing down on me. “If I destroy him, what happens to your bond with Mashtar?”

“It dies with him,” Draken answers before Luke can.

“Him being?”

Draken smiles. “Clever girl to ask the right questions. Mashtar. It dies with Mashtar.”

“And how exactly do I use my blood to destroy him?” I ask, eyeing the gory sword still in Draken’s hand.

“Gaida,” Luke hisses.

“Ssh,” I mutter to him. “Don’t you want this?”

“I want to know what will happen. I am turned vampire. I cannot be without a sire.”

Draken beams and slaps Luke on the shoulder in a friendly sort of gesture that is unnerving. “Ah, another clever cat amongst the pigeons. What will you do, My Queen? Leave him sireless and potentially a ticking time bomb, or give him the thing he craves more than anything but is too scared to admit it?”