“As much as he tries, like the rest of us, he is still dangerous.”
“Then why aren’t you warning me off Brooke, or off you? You’re all the same, aren’t you?” It was a bold question, but I had to ask.
“Essentially, yes. But he is the only one of us who has drunk your blood. He’s showing signs of being drawn to you and it can only be for that reason.”
“But Brooke told me that it is only truly dangerous if a Vampire drinks from another Vampire, that’s when a connection is fused.”
“Yes, but human blood can still be difficult to resist. You may have been the first light soul Jonah has ever drunk from.” He put it in layman’s terms.
“But then theoretically he should be put off by my blood. If I have a light soul surely I would just repel him?”
The further Ruadhan tried to explain, the more I started to concede that Jonah might have been onto something earlier.
“True, darkness feeds darkness. He shouldn’t be drawn to you, but for whatever reason he still seems to be.”
I could see that Ruadhan hadn’t fully considered this, but then he wasn’t entirely enlightened on my individual circumstances. I might exist in a human form, but I was immortal. And who the hell knew what kind of immortal I was or how it had come to be. I didn’t break the rules because I was some sort of weird, abnormal exception.
“Well then, I’d stop worrying. Perhaps he just wants to be my friend!” I didn’t want Ruadhan looking over his shoulder every time Jonah and I had a conversation.
“Perhaps … We’ll see.”
* * *
EVENTUALLY THE MOUNTAINOUS, curved roads came to an end and Ruadhan highlighted the Pyrenees Mountains, which were coming into view as the light of the early day began to glimmer. The mountains were quite something, but what was even more appealing was that I felt nothing toward them. This was the first time that I was seeing them and I enjoyed the newness of the sensation.
“It’s pretty brisk up there,” Ruadhan said. “They’re covered in snow some three thousand meters above sea level, like.” Ruadhan knew a lot. Over a hundred years of reading and an interest in history and geography would do that to you.
“They are stunning, Ruadhan, really,” I replied with genuine interest.
We passed a sign for Neylis. I wasn’t surprised by the isolation of the place—there weren’t many houses around. Gabriel chose remote properties, and unique ones; our destination was an impressive barn conversion. I was too tired to ask for a tour. I needed to sleep. Ruadhan turned off the engine, unlocked the ground level with a key from underneath a plant pot, and led me to a bedroom in the basement of the property.
“You’ve not been here for a while?” I asked.
Remarkably there were fresh sheets and towels placed neatly at the end of the bed.
“Gabriel had someone here a few days ago, readying it for our arrival,” Ruadhan explained as he placed my backpack down neatly next to the head of the bed.
“A few days ago? I thought he only decided yesterday morning that we were leaving?”
“He decided several days ago, but Michael persuaded Gabriel to stay on a bit longer in Hedgerley. I guess we know why now.”
As groggy as I was, Ruadhan’s comment startled me. “Michael was lying all this time about his Gualtiero’s stirrings, wasn’t he? He knew they were near, but he wanted to get Thomas back in exchange for me—”
“Seems so,” Ruadhan cut in. “He didn’t count on Gabriel striking his own deal with Thomas and ending him first. Thomas, at least, must have had the sense to know that there’s no such thing as a deal with a Pureblood. I guess Michael was pretty cut up about it. I reckon in the end he just wanted revenge.”
“I cost him his life,” I murmured, pulling the quilt back.
Ruadhan drew the curtains, blocking the rising sun, before tucking me in like a small child. “No, love, the darkness inside him cost him his existence,” he said, his voice gentle. “His life was taken from him a long time ago; you need to separate the two.”
I was quite certain Ruadhan was also reminding me that the same rule of thumb applied where Jonah was concerned. So he got the last word in the end, and I was too tired to care.
Still dressed, I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.
EIGHTEEN
I COULDN’T BE SURE HOW LONG I SLEPT FOR; the thick velvet curtains blocked out any sense of day or night. My phone buzzing inside my pocket woke me.
Wearily sitting up, I yanked it out and saw a text from Gabriel. The message was simply a description of where the chess pieces had been when we had left our game.
I was surprised to find the set neatly placed upon the table in the corner of the room, waiting for me. I followed Gabriel’s instructions, carefully positioning the ivory statues back in the checkered boxes.
Cautiously this time, I moved the knight two up and one across to the left—where I had originally intended—this time fingering the round base. I texted him back with my move, nothing more. The phone vibrated in my hand as he speedily replied. This time it was his move, continued with a note.
CASTLE ON THE RIGHT FOUR SPACES FORWARD.
ARE YOU OKAY?
I contemplated my response. Moving one of my pawns, I spent far longer considering my answer to his question.
THIRD PAWN FROM THE RIGHT ONE SPACE FORWARD.
WE HAVE ARRIVED AT THE HOUSE, HOW ARE YOU AND HANORA?
I couldn’t help putting her name on the message—my way of reminding him that I was still upset about the situation. He didn’t reply instantly. I perched at the foot of the bed, waiting.
WE’RE IN THE STATES. I HAVE SEPARATED FROM HANORA FOR NOW IN SEARCH OF MALACHI ALONE. KEEP SAFE. STAY WITH RUADHAN.
DON’T LEAVE THE HOUSE. I’LL BE IN TOUCH.
I was disappointed at the lack of emotion; I guessed he was giving me space.
Rummaging through my backpack, I changed my outfit for some sweatpants, a T-shirt, and a jacket. I just wanted to be comfy. I found the bathroom and splashed water over my face, waking myself up, and ran my fingers through my long hair.
The glint of my crystal gem in the mirror above the basin reminded me of the interest that had spread over the Vampire’s face as he had regarded it. I took it off and sat on the tiled floor to study it further. The jewel was certainly unique; I had never seen anything like it. The gold band was delicate in comparison. I tipped it upside down and for the first time I noticed that the round, thick base underneath the stone had some sort of marking on it. I had to squint, but I was sure it was the symbol of a swan. How had I never seen it before? I guess I had never had a reason to look at it that closely.