Page 29 of The Vampire’s Mercy (Blood Melody #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

SILVANUS

The world is mine!

Treasures so divine!

Out I go to wander and see!

Oh, how magnificent to be a leaf so full of glee!

The white rose petals fell again, and a tiny Paris was in my hand. He danced, he twirled, and memories of my brother Lucius returned to me.

Shards of a past, the story not quite piecing together to make a whole. But I remembered his love of politics, the king of vampires before me, and better suited to carry the Heart of All.

Me being king meant he was dead. But how? When did it happen? And how were the vampires still alive? What was the process to pass the crown safely to another without killing everyone else?

I watched my brother on his obsidian throne, sitting with such regal grace. He always wore white, his blond hair tied in a long braid, a golden crown on his head. Taller than me by a few inches, with bigger muscles, and a lot more forceful than me.

A better king.

A dead king.

How did I become king? What was the process of passing on the crown? I had no idea, that part of me lost in the wilderness of my mind.

I asked the dancing Paris.

He didn’t have an answer, only twirled on the spot.

The petals fell thicker as the leaf song went on.

More memories came. My brother and I laughing at a grand dining table, drinking blood from bejeweled goblets.

Me standing beside him as he spoke from his throne.

Him commanding a room, facing an army of…

What? What was he facing? I couldn’t see the things in the forest my brother howled his fury at.

“Show me,” I pleaded with the tiny Paris.

The melody swirled around me, showing me the moonlight and the endless expanse of forest around me. Home. Home. Home. What was its name?

“Please show me.”

But Paris melted into a white puddle, oozing off my hand as the petals withered. The melody dropped, reality knitting back together as the magic collapsed.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “Goodness.”

“What happened?”

I looked up at Paris, who stood a few feet away, his hands in his pockets.

“I saw my brother,” I answered.

“Oh.”

A stab of grief pierced my core. “He’s dead. I know he’s dead. But not how. Not when.” Pain scratched through my skull.

“Shall I sing some more?”

“No. Let’s wait for a while.” I got to my feet. “Have you always had this power?”

He shook his head. “No. My voice has never done anything like this before.” He sighed, massaging his temples.

“What if it’s connected to the blade? It has to be, right?

This all happened after I woke up on the ice, and it’s pointing to something big.

But what does it mean?” I almost heard his mind ticking with thoughts.

“May I see it?” I asked. “The blade?”

Paris licked his lips. “Erm, it’s always weird near you. And I can’t summon it at will. It only appears when I’m feeling threatened or whatever. At least, I think so.”

He sat down on the floor, leaning against my bed. “Shit,” he breathed.

I crouched before him. “What is it?”

He lifted his head, the blue of his eyes drawing a gasp from my throat. Those lashes of his were delicate obsidian frames around two works of art.

He released a shivery breath, gaze locked to mine. “I… I…” He got to his feet. “It’s like it doesn’t want to hurt you.”

I stayed crouched, pressing a hand into the floor. “Interesting.”

“Annoying.”

“Why would it kill Layla but not me?”

“For starters, you’re like a walking diamond,” he said. “Nothing cuts you.”

Only if I’m weakened.

“As for why it doesn’t want to,” he added. “I have no idea.”

More to ponder, more nonsensical revelations. But at least I knew Lucius now, along with the grief over losing him.

King of where?

Where is our home?

My head throbbed, in need of respite.

“We have business to attend to,” I said, standing up.

“What kind of business?” the elf questioned.

“You’ll see.”