Page 10 of Midnight Reign
ADELAIDE
The guys freeze,their eyes widening as they process my words. The silence that follows is heavy, charged with confusion. I take a deep breath, trying to organise my chaotic thoughts. “I think my human half died,” I whisper.
The guys exchange worried glances. Zaiah steps closer. “What do you mean, Addy?”
I run a hand through my hair, frustration building. “When Randall stabbed me, it should have killed me. A knife through the heart is not something you just walk away from. But I did. And now I feel different. Stronger. More alive, if that makes any sense.”
“It does,” Corvus says slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. “I saw the blade, it was wooden coated in silver. It is impossible for a vampire to walk away from that, and yet here you are.”
“So what does that mean?” Ignatius asks, his fiery hair flickering flames with his agitation. “Are you a full vampire now?”
I shrug helplessly. “I don’t know. I just know I don’t feel human anymore. The hunger, the strength, the heightened senses... it’s all so much more intense now.”
“We need to get you somewhere safe,” Zaiah says, his form shimmering slightly with concern. “Somewhere we can figure this out without prying eyes.”
Corvus nods in agreement. “Let’s get you to your room.”
Moments later, we reach my tower room, and Corvus helps me inside. The familiar surroundings are a comfort after the chaos of the past few hours. I sink onto my bed, the guys gathering around me.
“It definitely sounds like your vampire side has been fully awakened,” Corvus says slowly. “But there’s more to it than that. The healing, the increased power, is beyond what even a full vampire should be capable of.”
“So, what am I? If I’m not human anymore, and I’m more than a vampire... what does that make me?”
The guys exchange glances, uncertainty clear on their faces.
“We need more information,” Zaiah says, his white eyes thoughtful as they all dodge the question. “About Vespers, about this ritual, Randall performed. There has to be a reason he did this.”
“But where? There is nothing on Vespers here at MistHallow.”
“That you know of,” Zephyr murmurs.
I sit up straighter, intrigued. “What do you mean?”
Zephyr exchanges a look with the others before continuing. “MistHallow has secrets. Hidden places, restricted sections. My father has maps of every inch of this place. But they’re locked up back at home.”
Corvus glares at him, as do the other two guys. He shrugs.
“And you know this for sure?” Corvus asks, raising an eyebrow.
A slow smile spreads across Zephyr’s face. “I might have stumbled upon a few of them during my nocturnal wanderings.”
Ignatius snorts. “If that’s what we’re calling it these days.”
Zephyr shrugs. “The point is, if I go back home, I think I know where we might find some answers.”
“I don’t want you to leave,” I say anxiously, gripping his fingers. “But can you even leave once term starts?”
“They can try to stop me,” he says with that slow smile that does things to my insides that thrill me.
“Fuck,” I groan. “I don’t want any of you to get into trouble.”
“This is nothing,” Corvus says. “We’ve done way worse, and something tells me that when Zeph returns, we will be up to our necks in it.”
Staring at them, so willing to run into danger for me, I know I have to come all the way clean. “That crazy, ancient vampire woman is still in my head.”
Corvus stares at me, eyes narrowed. “Oh?”
“Do you know anything else about her?” Zephyr asks.
