Page 63 of Love Lives
I wasn't sure where that thought had come from, and I shoved it aside before it could take hold in my head. Maybe old Vlad hadn't been someone who enjoyed torturing people, but that wasn't who we were dealing with today. Present Vlad regarded my sister with a cold glare.
"I'm only doing what has to be done," he said. "That prophecy cannot come true."
"You were the one who wanted it the most," I reminded him once more, even though I didn't think it would do much.
"Things have changed," he said, simply.
"They have indeed. You don't need to kill all of us."
The vampire raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to go on.
I clenched my teeth and pulled up my shirt just a bit. High enough for him to see the oddly shaped mark on my belly. He stared at it, puzzlement clear on his face.
"Is that...?"
"I've been marked," I made myself say, trying not to let my nerves show. If Vlad thought I was the one the prophecy spoke of, he would leave the rest of my family alone. It would put me at a higher risk, yeah, but wasn't that what big brothers were for?
"Remy!" Collin hissed from behind me. I ignored him. I hadn't told him about this part of my plan. He hadn't needed to know. My eyes remained on Vlad. The vampire took a step toward me. Then another.
Apprehension made me want to take a step back, but I made myself stand firm.
"If that is the mark of the prophecy..." Vlad started, then trailed off. He was close enough now that I could feel the magic radiating off him. Involuntarily, I shrank away. In spite of all my good intentions, I couldn’t pretend that his power didn’t touch me. Standing in his presence felt like seeing the thunder clouds roll in overhead and knowing that you had to get out of dodge or be struck.
It took every ounce of willpower I had not to turn around and run.
"Is this you making a sacrifice?" Vlad asked.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. How could I speak when I almost couldn't breathe?
Vlad looked back to his assistant. The moment his gaze left me, I felt some of the pressure lift. "I don't care about the witch," Vlad said. "Let him go."
The vampire lady took his orders in a very literal way. She removed her hand from Caspar, who nearly fell flat on his face. At the last moment, though, he caught himself. My sister dashed forward to go to his side, but before she could reach him, he raised his hand and tried to fire a spell at Vlad. Bright red beams of energy flew from his fingertips and toward the vampire. In return, Vlad raised his own hand, deflecting the spell easily.
"Did you really think that would work?" he asked in a tired tone of voice. "I wouldn't have set you free if I thought you were a threat." With his hand still in the air, he made a circular motion, first at Caspar and Elle, then the rest of us.
Suddenly, I found himself utterly unable to move.
Puck had warned us of this. That the vampire might use magic. He said he had ways to get us out of the situation, but only if he could still move. I hadn't quite understood what he meant, then. Now I did. If Puck was just as frozen as I was...
Holy shit, why had I thought confronting an ancient vampire would be a good idea?
No, I'd never thought it was a good idea. I just hadn’t had anyotherideas either.
Vlad turned his attention back to me. "Maybe it doesn't matter if this is your sacrifice," he mused. "Maybe I should simply kill you anyway." He eyed me up and down. "Tell me, have you lost your heart to a vampire yet?"
"Maybe it's a family thing," I said, trying to appear braver than I was. "You're my ancestor, you should know."Vlad's expression remained impassive. Of course. He didn’t remember. He wasn’t the vampire I saw in my dreams, the vampire Atlus had placed all his hopes in. That was Atlus’s mistake. He’d put too much faith in love. He hadn’t considered that love could fade, that it could be forgotten.
At least this would be over with my death. If Vlad truly believed that I was the dhampir the prophecy called for, there would be no reason for him to hurt my siblings. "If you kill me, the others can go free, right?" I forced the words out through a throat that felt too tight to speak.
"If you are who you say you are..."
Right then, I really hoped I was. "Atlus would be so disappointed in you."
"Atlus?" Vlad frowned, trying the name on his tongue.
"The man who thought you loved him."
"You can stop talking now." Vlad reached a hand out to me, not touching me, but I knew he wouldn't need to touch me to kill me. He was more powerful than that. I forced my eyes shut, exhaling. I wanted to be calm, resigned, but in truth, my heart was beating a thousand and one miles a minute. The storm clouds were growing thicker. The air was charged with static.
