Page 18 of Ashvale: The Vampire's Thrall

"You sound just like a kitten." The smirk on his face heated his dark eyes and when warmth swept through me, I was surprised. I guess having the bond didn't mean I would only be attracted to Hayes. Given the choice, I wouldn't touch Hayes with a ten-foot pole, though that was mostly on account of his attitude and not his looks.

I decided not to answer his subtle flirtation, unsure how I felt about it or him. "I figured I'd look into genealogy, what with my upcoming debut."

Rowan nodded. "Someone you're hoping for?"

"Not really, I can't remember everyone. I guess it wouldn't be bad to be a royal."

Something flashed across his face and I sat up, intrigue sparking. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"I mentioned the royals and you became... I don't know. Amused? Concerned?"

He shrugged lightly and placed a bus ticket stub into his book. "I don't know what you mean."

Fine. I'd let him keep his secrets—for now. "Not a fan of the monarchy?" I teased and he looked at me in surprise.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about your memory."

I frowned as I stood, pushing back the tiny chair that would have cut off my butt’s circulation, had it still existed. "No shit. What am I missing?"

Tucking the book under his arm, he swept the others into a neat pile—clearly I'd stumbled on his reading spot. "It's just that they don't really exist any more."

"What?" I was genuinely shocked. How could so much have changed in the thirteen or so years that I'd been gone. "What happened?"

"Nobody knows. One day they were here, the next they were gone."

"Dead?"

He lifted one shoulder and dropped it as he stepped away from the table without looking at me. "Presumed."

"You don't agree?"

He seemed to hesitate but then stopped before the entrance to one of the stacks. "I think it would take a lot of work to just vanish one of the most powerful bloodlines in our history."

"Or someone even stronger," I murmured and he nodded.

"Or that," he agreed. "Either way, the dead have a nasty habit of coming back around here."

"I'll try not to be offended that you called me nasty."

He laughed. "Well, there's always one exception to every rule." He didn't wait for my reply before his tall form disappeared into the stacks and I heard his heartbeat fade away as he left the library.

I turned to the book I'd left on the table, and climbed on top of the wood to read it. I wasn't going to subject my body to that tiny chair again. Curiosity driving me, I used the index to flip to the page mapping the monarchy and traced the lines with the tip of my fingers. It was one of the oldest and strongest lines of vampires in existence—some even thought it was the start of the vampire origin—which was why they worked in conjunction with the council to 'rule'.

There was a line beneath the most recent of the monarchs, indicating a birth, and I frowned as I took in the date. Whoever this child had been, they would have already turned nineteen. Were they dead or vanished with the rest of the royal family? Or were they out there somewhere?

It felt like there were just too many threads, too many strange and seemingly unconnected mysteries occuring at Ashvale and the larger vampiric world as well, and I’d only been there a few days. My head was spinning as I scanned the names over and over, none standing out to me. But maybe it wasn't all so unconnected—my recollection of the council chamber, my death and the lengths someone went to to ensure that I didn'tstaydead…

If the dates were slightly inaccurate in the recording, which was a big if, was it possible that I could be the missing child? It would definitely explain the interest someone or something had taken in my welfare, but I was still lacking the thing that Hayes seemed to believe mattered most: motive.

ChapterTen

More clothes had been leftin my room yesterday evening when I'd arrived back, like some weird fairy godmother had sensed I was going to run out of plain tops soon. How they'd got into mylocked roomwas a question for another day. Either way, I was more than grateful to wear something a little different, selecting a bright red vest top that made my tattoo sleeves pop.

I didn't have a class until the afternoon so I'd lounged around in bed all day, looking through the genealogy book and trying to find any spark of familiarity among the names. So far, nothing had come to me.

Given how he'd reacted yesterday when I'd been heading to class, I was shocked when I opened my door to find Hayes waiting outside.

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