Page 81 of How to Stake a Vampire

“We think we know what he’s planning,” Barney said. “And if we’re right, my nephew is about to commit an abomination.”

Bo gulped noisily. Pearl narrowed her eyes.

My pulse quickened. Barney and the Tremaines looked nervous. More nervous than I’d ever seen them before. And that in itself was scary.

“How so?” Samuel finally said stiffly, his tension humming across the mate bond.

“What we’re about to reveal violates several centuries of vampire secrecy laws,” Barney replied grimly. “Under normal circumstances, sharing this information with non-vampires would be considered treason.”

“But these aren’t normal circumstances,” Gregory added.

Constantia nodded hesitantly.

“No,” Barney agreed. “They’re not.” He took a deep breath. “The pureblood ideology Ludvik is a fan of isn’t just about vampire supremacy. It’s about fundamentally transforming what it means to be a vampire.”

I felt the familiar prickle of unease that preceded really bad news.

“Is this about the ancient ritual you mentioned? The one that would allow Ludvik to absorb the powers of other bloodlines to make himself into a new breed of vampire?”

Barney nodded, his face tight.

“This ritual requires a blood sacrifice,” Constantia said in a brittle voice.

There was a drawing of breaths across the room. Bo crawled quietly under my chair, his ears flat.

My heart thumped painfully against my chest. “You mean, he plans to kill someone?!”

Samuel clenched his jaw. Victoria frowned.

Barney and the Tremaines’s silence was all the answer we needed.

Well, that explained why the vampires looked like they were at a funeral.

“This is a surprise,” Pearl said sharply. “The ritual your nephew intends to use to make himself into a Vampire Lord is the Crimson Ascension?”

We all gaped at her, the vampires doubly shocked.

“The Crimson what now?” I mumbled.

“The Crimson Ascension,” Pearl repeated dismissively, like I’d asked her the time of day. “It’s the name of a forbidden ritual from the darkest chapters of vampire history.”

Barney lowered his brows. “How do you know about that ceremony?”

“He’s right.” Gregory frowned heavily. “That ritual has been classified for centuries.”

“I’ve been around long enough to learn some of your secrets,” Pearl said evasively.

This appeared to impress Bo but bring little comfort to Barney and Gregory.

There was no end to Pearl’s secrets it seemed.

I managed to set down my teacup with only a slight tremor in my hands. “I’m going to need you people to start from the beginning.”

A muscle jumped in Barney’s cheek.

“Over a thousand years ago, a group of vampires sought the help of the fae and witches to create a gruesome rite,” he began bitterly. “It required four key components: the sacrifice of a pureblood vampire from a powerful bloodline, the binding of a wraith to channel and amplify the transferred essence, a full moon to maximize the flow of supernatural energy, and a ley line to lock it all down.”

Victoria gasped and covered her mouth with a hand.