Page 40 of Stalk the Dark
“I’m the firstfemalewatcher to be handed this role.”
“Are you sure it isn’t more than that?”
“Oh, I’m not arguing with you. I’m certain it’sexactlythat. He snarled as much to his minions last night.”
Padma’s eyes narrowed. “What happened…exactly?”
So Ordell and Hemlock hadn’t told them. “Well, dinner came with entertainment…” I filled them in on the events of the previous evening.
Merry sat with her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide and unblinking, but Padma merely sneered. “That sick bastard. He’ll try to seduce you, just to prove he can.”
“Yeah, I figured. He has this eye thing that he does…” I shook my head. “I won’t let him get to me. I just need to find a way to use his fascination to my advantage. Keep him trained on me so he leaves the townsfolk alone.”
“You think you can do that?” Merry asked.
“I’m going to try my darndest, and part of that involves moving into the castle.” Merry gasped, but Padma didn’t look surprised. “Edwin told you.”
“Yeah. I think it’s smart.”
Well, I didn’t expect that. “You do?”
“Keep your enemies close and all that.” She cracked a small smile that I couldn’t help but match. “But you should know a little about the nobles before you walk into the Exciatio.”
“There wasn’t a whole lot in the journals. The three houses were mentioned, and there was a little about their abilities, but that’s all.”
“Merry is the expert on all things noble house related,” Padma said, looking over at her.
Merry sat up taller. “Idoknow quite a bit. I can tell you that House of Blessed is run by Zafrina Sangera. She’s old, almost as old as Tepes himself, or so the rumors go. She’s also gorgeous and graceful but…” Merry held up a finger in warning. “Do not let her beauty fool you. The woman is deadly as eff. Oh, they’re also rumored to do blood magic, but no one can confirm it.”
“Noted.”
“House of Shadows keeps themselves cloistered a lot. You don’t see them at many functions…but heck, they could be there and just hiding in the shadows for all we know. They’ve got the ability to control them, after all. Laudon Umbren is the head of that house. The Umbren familyaremoney. They own the banks and several businesses in the territory.”
Okay… “Blessed is bloody and deadly, Shadows are sneaky…and spirit? I read they did charity work.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Not just that; they literally worship Ezekiel. I mean they have a church dedicated to him. The Church of Blood Saints. The charity is called Heartsblood. A little on the nose but whatever.”
“TheyworshipEzekiel?”
“Yep, for bringing them into being.”
“Huh? How so?”
Both Padma and Merry stared blankly at me for a moment, but it was Padma who spoke. “You do know who…what Ezekiel is, don’t you?”
“Yeah, one of the oldest vampires in existence.”
She exhaled softly. “Fuck, the Order really needs to get its shit together.”
“He’s notoneof the oldest,” Merry said. “Heisthe oldest. Orina, Ezekiel Tepes is the first vampire. Ever.”
Chapter 15
The first vampire ever?
Ezekiel was the first?
I hadn’t thought in terms of there being a first or how vampires came to be. I’d just assumed they’d always existed in some capacity, in some form. Or like humans, evolved into what they were today, but I was obviously wrong.
