Page 36 of Discovery of the Vampire
I stared at the thing before me, my mind reeling with the impossible choice he'd given me. Find the book that would help him do God only knew what, or watch everyone I cared about die. Again. It was a cruel, twisted game, and I was just a pawn on his chessboard.
But my heart ached unbearably at the thought of putting Brogan and his coven in danger. Despite our complicated relationship, despite the fact that he'd pushed me away, I wouldn’t be able to watch him die. Not after everything I'd already lost.
So what choice did I have? Marcus had made it clear in the past he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. And if I refused to help him, he would make good on his threats. He would torture and kill everyone I'd come to care about in this city, leaving me alone and broken once again.
Tears blurred my vision as I struggled to find a way out, a solution that wouldn't end in more bloodshed. But there was none. Marcus had me backed into a corner, and he knew it. If I didn't help him, he'd exact his revenge, and then find someone else who would.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath. I hated myself for what I was about to do, but I saw no other way. If I wanted to live through this, if I wanted to have any chance of protecting Brogan and the others, I had to play along. For now. Until I could figure out a way to stop him.
"Fine," I whispered, my voice hoarse with emotion. "I'll help you find the damn book."
Marcus smiled, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. "I knew you'd see reason, Esme. You always were a smart girl."
I swallowed back the bile that rose in my throat at his condescending tone. I wanted to scream, to lash out at him with every ounce of power I possessed. But it would be futile. He was too strong, too cunning. I had to bide my time until I found a way to outsmart him.
"How exactly do you expect me to find this book?" I asked, my voice trembling despite my efforts to keep it steady. "I don't even know where to start looking."
Marcus shrugged, his casual demeanor belying the threat that lurked beneath the surface. "As I said before, you're a clever girl, Esme. I'm sure you'll figure it out." Then he smiled. "But I can give you a hint, if you'd like."
I swallowed hard and nodded once.
"Blood, shadow, death, and fire—these are the keys. But keys don’t turn themselves. You’ll have to be willing to spill, to illuminate, to break, to burn. And when it’s done, when you stand at the end of it all… you won’t be the same. But you'll still be here, along with everyone else, and I'll have what I need."
Blood, shadow, death, fire. Those were trials used to break a magic lock. What if I couldn't do it? What if I wasn't strong enough? "I'll need time," I said, trying to buy myself some breathing room.
Marcus glared at me. "You have one week from today, Esme. One week to bring me the book, or I start making good on my promises."
With that, he turned and walked out of my apartment, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the crushing weight of the task he’d given me.
I sank down onto the couch, my legs no longer able to support me, and buried my face in my hands, hot tears spilling down my cheeks as the enormity of the situation crashed down on me. I was trapped, caught between an impossible choice and a monster who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
You could run.The thought flashed through my mind, a desperate, tempting idea. I could pack my bag, leave everything behind again, and disappear into the night. Start over somewhere new, somewhere far away from Marcus and his threats. Cross the ocean. Cross many oceans.
But even as the idea crossed my mind, I knew I couldn't do it. I couldn't leave Brogan and the others to face Marcus's wrath alone. If I ran, he would take it out on them. Their blood would be on my hands.
And if I was being honest with myself, I didn't want to run. I was tired of living in fear. My family had died because of this book. I owed it to them to see this through, to end this.
I wiped the tears from my face with shaking hands. I had to be strong now. I had to find a way to outsmart Marcus, to beat him at his own game. And I had to do it without putting anyone else in danger. The first step was to find that damn book and discover why it was so important to him.
I stood up, my knees still wobbly, but my resolve strengthening with each passing moment. I would find it, but not for Marcus. I would find it for myself, for my family, and for my new friends. And when I did, I would use it to destroy him, to make him pay for everything he had done.
I was finished being a pawn in Marcus's game.
16
JESSE
Iwaited in the hallway outside Ryan's apartment, listening to her and her mate talking inside. I'd left Cruthú home with Shea for this visit, although my oldest friend wasn't happy about being left behind and let me know about it before hopping over to my vampire mate for comfort. But I didn't want her getting her feathers ruffled during the conversation my sister and I were about to have.
There was no need to knock. Ryan and I had a connection through our shared bloodline. If she was too distracted to notice me here, the spirits would tell her through the other ability we shared—communicating with those not present in this physical realm. Ryan was just beginning to grasp the full extent of this power, something that filled me with sorrow as I reflected on how she'd believed herself to be mentally unstable for so many years before our paths crossed once more. But I was helping her learn to have the upper hand with her spirit friends.
The sound of my sister’s laughter, light and carefree, brought an ember of warmth to my soul, and a smile played around my lips. However, I knew the moment she realized I was here by the sudden lull in conversation on the other side of the door, and the whispered argument that soon followed.
My smile fell as quickly as it had appeared. Christian, my sister's mate, did not like me, and his feelings were shared among his coven. This normally didn't bother me in the slightest. I couldn't care less about any vampire's opinion of me other than my Shea's. But to spare Ryan these arguments with him, I normally kept my visits to the daylight hours when he was still asleep. He knew we saw each other often—that was no secret, and he knew I was the only one who could help Ryan control the power within her—but it spared him the uncomfortableness of seeing us together.
However, this conversation couldn't wait until tomorrow, because Luukas had just received a phone call from our new friends in New Orleans.
As I knew would happen eventually, our father had returned to The Big Easy to continue his quest to recruit my very distant cousins. Only this time, he knew I'd be waiting, and he'd be more careful.
