Page 19 of Vampire Sins
Xavier didn’t flinch, but a shadow passed across his gaze. I’d banished his secret hope that turning into a vampire would make me forget about Luke. There was no way that was going to happen. If anything, binding myself to Xavier only cemented the certainty of who I was. The succubus part of me had diminished, but that ancient magic I’d been born with was still there. I didn’t think that the vampiric transformation had fully worked, but I couldn’t deny the fangs poking out of my teeth.
“Nimra should bring word,” Xavier said, then fished through his pockets for his phone. He brought it out and frowned at the screen. “Something’s wrong.”
I peered around his shoulder. “What do you mean?”
He showed me a picture of the sky with an arc of blue light unfurling like a tidal wave across the city. My eyes went wide. “I have to get up there.”
Xavier gripped my arm. “Luke is an immortal in every sense of the word. Even Derek can’t kill an angel. You’ll do him more good staying here and awakening Hades.” His gaze flashed with warning. “If you don’t, then we all will perish along with my father.”
I growled and ripped free of him. Xavier startled, clearly not expecting me to be strong enough to overcome him. I grinned. Being a vampire was going to be fun. “Fine,” I said, “but don’t think I’m doing this because of you. Luke is just as important to me as you are and I know he can take care of himself, but I’ve seen what Derek is capable of.” I clenched my jaw. “Luke might have survived his heart being ripped from his chest, but he almost didn’t survive it being broken. Derek knows which buttons to press.”
Xavier took a step away from me, giving me the space I needed. I hadn’t rejected him, but he knew that if he pushed me, I would, bond or not. “I leave my fate in your hands, Sonya,” he said, his foreign lilt stronger as emotion raged against him. He wasn’t used to letting someone else be in control. “My only desire is to protect you.”
I whirled from him and approached the ancient vampire trapped in stone. Hades’ arms crossed over his chest and glittering red emanated from his eyes. “If you want to help,” I said, “then be quiet while I concentrate.”
I reached out and lightly pressed my fingers against Hades. I expected the stone to be cool under my touch, but heat speared through me the moment I made contact. Hades was alive and well—and aware.
The self-inflicted curse trapped him in this state for years at a time. But he wasn’t aware of me or Xavier or anyone else in this room. He was inside his own mind. When I closed my eyes, I sensed him and reached for him.
“Hades?” I asked, the words echoing in an eerie ghost-like chamber as my spirit moved into Hades’ consciousness.
An attractive man who could have passed for late thirties turned and frowned. He’d been buying a gelato from his favorite cafe—the very same one where I’d visited before meeting Xavier. Perhaps there was something to be said for vampiric magic. Hades kept an eye on his sons, even while he slept.
“Who’s there?” Hades snapped and a sudden wind ripped the gelato from his hand. It crashed to the ground, the treat melting on the cobblestone street.
My presence was a terrible disturbance in this peaceful place where Hades let his mind rest, but there wasn’t any choice. Derek had brought an army to take him down, and I didn’t know what the Incubus King planned to do with me. Whatever it was though, I didn’t want to find out.
“You have to wake up,” I urged and punctured my nails through the veil.
In the real world, his statue fractured under my touch, sending sharp cracks digging across the stone under my fingers. Xavier’s emotions raged with concern and fear that plucked at me, distracting me. He was just going to have to deal. This was exactly what needed to happen.
Hades finally sensed me, his gaze locking onto mine before a familiar red hot power shot through my chest. My back arched and my eyes went wide, my vision momentarily overwhelmed by brilliant red flames. Had I been a succubus, the power would have been too pure for me to handle, but Xavier had changed me. I knew what these fires were. Vampires seemed just as cold as the stone beneath my feet, but there was a fire so hot inside their veins that it could burn the world to ash if set free. This was the raw power of Blood, of life and sacrifice. When blood spilled, magic itself was set loose.
The Blood Stone I’d worn as a necklace, and eventually absorbed into my chest, was just a construct to contain it. As a vampire, I more than held the power within me, I communed with it. When red-hot flames scorched through my veins, I should have turned to ash. Instead, I endured and become stronger for it.
Being able to survive the invasion of Hades’ power didn’t save me from the agony. A scream ripped from my throat and Xavier’s hands extended to grab me, his movements and thoughts just as much a part of my awareness as all of my four who bled into my vision.
Luke, shaken, panicked, but running towards me right now, and otherwise healthy and alive.
Jet, silently contemplated a murmuring group of dragon shifters who whispered their concerns deep beneath China’s soil. His eyes searched the cave’s ceiling, sensing me. The air in his chamber echoed with familiar tears I couldn’t explain and he frowned.
My magic decided that Jet wasn’t in immediate danger and searched for Nate. He was the only one I couldn’t find and my blood ran cold wondering if he was alive or dead.
Xavier. He was the one in immediate danger. The world froze as I surveyed the situation from a place outside of myself. His arms outstretched, his jaw bulging and his eyes wild with panic. When I saw what he was looking at, I empathized with his uncharacteristic outburst. My body had twisted into an unnatural position, my head leaning back and streaks of red power streaking across my skin. I knew if he touched me he’d die. I snapped out a hand and sent a blast of lightning, sending him flying to the other side of the room. The other vampires didn’t dare touch me and huddled against the walls with wide eyes and fully-extended fangs.
The dream-world enveloped me and Hades snarled. His slicked-back hair and clean-shaven face transformed into a beast with red eyes that howled with rage. “Who are you?” he demanded. His words hissed through his fangs and it took every ounce of willpower to remind myself that this was just inside his mind. He couldn’t hurt me… right?
When he blurred, moving too fast for even my vampire senses to keep up, he appeared in front of my face and grabbed both of my wrists. I resisted him when he tugged. If he managed to drag me any further into his world, I might fall into the cursed sleep with him.
“Xavier is in danger,” I blurted. “The Incubus King is attacking the city and Apollo is helping him.”
Hades scoffed, but his vice grip eased. “Why would Apollo attack my city, one full of vampires?” His eyes flashed with warning. “Even if he was foolish enough, Xavier wouldn’t let anyone into this city.”
I rolled my eyes. “Who do you think sent me here? Do you really believe that I found the super secret vampire bunker, converted myself with vampirism, and found you all by myself?”
Hades glowered, but drew in deeper to inhale my scent. “You have Xavier’s blood in you. Your turning was recent.”
“Yeah,” I said with a grin. “Very.”
