The Fangs of Bloodhaven (25 page)

“What about my friends?” Everett asked. With Vanguard’s help, he rose back to his feet. Every nerve in his body felt fried. The blood thirst was so strong he could barely think. He had burned everything in that burst of energy. He didn’t know how much longer he would be able to hold a conversation.

“Your
friends
,” he stressed the word so that Everett knew exactly how he felt about it, “Are a warlock and a werewolf. Both species are, to say the least, strictly forbidden from entering these hallowed halls. They will be tortured and killed,” the vampire concluded levelly as though he described a slap on the wrist instead of death.

The thought of Adrielle and even Vanguard suffering at the vampires’ hands struck a chord of steel inside Everett. He was the only one who could save them. Through Dr. Transton’s instructions, he had unwittingly brought his friends into this situation. He would do everything he could to get them back out.

Fierce protectiveness filled him with white-hot anger. Everett stared the vampires down using a strength he didn’t know he had. “If you want me to meet Leon, you will let my
friends
leave in peace. If there is any threat of them being harmed, we’ll leave now.” He lowered his voice. “But if you think they’re a threat, wait until Leon sees what happens if he tries to harm a hair on either of their heads.”

The vampires were silent for a moment. The leader finally spoke. “It is approved. Your friends will go free and you will come with us. Leon requests the pleasure of your company.” His tone stated he felt Everett’s company would be anything other than pleasurable.

“They won’t be harmed,” Everett repeated just to make sure.

“Everett, we won’t leave you here alone,” Adrielle protested.

“Yeah,” Vanguard seconded. “This is madness. We should all just leave together.”

“Then Nectaris will be lost to the wendigo,” Everett replied quietly so only they could hear. “I’ve got to try.” He turned back to the vampires.

“They won’t be harmed. You have the word of Leon, Sovereign of the Vampires of Bloodhaven.”

Just the name sent a surge of pain through Everett’s cramping stomach. He needed blood.

“Go back to the clearing where you found me. I’ll meet you there,” Everett said in a voice just above a whisper. He walked with them back to the door. “Stay wary. I don’t trust these vampires. Maybe you’d be safer leaving the jungle entirely.”

“We won’t leave you,” Adrielle protested. “Even leaving here without you feels wrong.”

“It’s okay,” Everett reassured them. “I’ll be there soon.”

He put a hand on the door. The wood turned into the pool once more. Adrielle’s eyes were filled with tears, but she knew they couldn’t stay.

“Rett?” she asked.

“It’ll be alright,” he told her with as much reassurance as he could muster. “I’ve got to try. Whether I fail or succeed, I’ll meet you in the jungle. Keep an eye out for me.” Everett took her hand and helped her through.

“I will,” she promised.

Vanguard was next. Everett met his gaze. “Take care of her.”

The warlock nodded solemnly. “You take care of yourself.”

“I will,” Everett replied.

He waited until Vanguard’s last purple shoe disappeared through the door. A breath of relief escaped him. Regardless of what happened, at least his friends would be safe.

Everett turned cautiously around. He met the leader’s gaze. “I’m ready to meet Leon.”

Chapter Twenty-five

The six vampires surrounded Everett. He fought back a feeling of claustrophobia as they led him down the hall. The luminescent rocks lit the walkway around the corner to a set of doors. Each vampire set a hand on them. Instead of opening, the doors again became like ponds, sucking them through.

Everett gasped at the shock of cold followed by the heat of the next room. When he drew in his next breath, he could barely control the animalistic surge of survival that followed. Blood was so thick in the air he could taste it. He clenched his hands into fists in an effort to center himself and looked around.

They were beneath the pods in the clearing. Giant brown roots snaked along the ceiling and walls. Tubes were interspersed among the roots and the blood of the buck and other creatures being devoured ran through the tubes to a great vat below. An arm of stone churned the mixture as it boiled, sifting dark bubbles off the top. Below, the now nearly black liquid dripped into thick containers of blown glass. Other vampires dressed from head to toe in gray stacked these bottles carefully on trays. One vampire carried a tray through another of the strange doors and out of sight.

Everett pictured himself taking down the six vampires and shoving his face below the dripping liquid. He wanted it so badly he had to force himself to keep walking. He knew the blood thirst was giving him false confidence in his abilities. He didn’t know what the force he had pushed from him was, and given the state of his frayed nerves, he doubted it would happen very soon in the future.

His eyes locked on what appeared to be cells along the far wall of the room. Three individuals that were barely skin and bones leaned against the bars and watched the dripping blood. Their eyes were glazed and not even a flicker of interest showed when Everett was led past. He wondered if they had been guilty of stealing blood. It was a merciless torture, watching the blood drip so closely, yet so far out of reach.

He allowed the vampires to lead him through another chilling door to a vast, dark room beyond. His sneakers sunk deep into the thick orange carpet that covered the middle of the glowing stones that lined the floor. Wall sconces with flickering candles lit the walkway from pillars spaced along the cavern. Everett couldn’t tell how big the room was. It fell away on either side with a feeling of emptiness.

The vampires reached the door at the end and motioned for him to continue.

“You’re not coming?” he asked. His voice sounded small and pathetic in the huge cave.

“Leon awaits,” the leader said in a level tone.

Everett took a steeling breath and stepped through the last door alone. It took a moment before his eyes cleared and he could focus on what lay around him.

The room was warmly lit with both the glowing stones and sconces of candles. A scent of sage and lemon touched Everett’s nose. A carpet worked with beautiful scenes of forest hunts and bold knights had been spread across the floor. It appeared ancient, yet perfectly preserved. Animals that no longer existed were depicted with extreme detail. Everett felt as if he was staring at something lost and found again.

“Welcome.”

The voice ran across his skin like a breath of cold air within the warm space. His head jerked up and he spotted a vampire sitting at a simple table near the other end. He could have sworn the room had been empty when he entered it; the thought set his teeth on edge.

Everett crossed the carpet.

“My friends were attacked.” He kept the statement level, not accusing or complaining, just stating a fact.

“And for that, you have my deepest apologies,” the vampire Everett knew must be Leon replied. His voice was also level without any inflection to let Everett know how he really felt.

Everett stopped near the far side of the table. Five rich wooden chairs gilded in gold and lined with plush red velvet circled the table away from the vampire. Everett stood behind the furthest of these like a shield. It didn’t help him feel any safer.

“Are they safe in the jungle?” Everett asked.

Leon set his elbows on the table and threaded his fingers together. He looked at Everett across them, appearing very vampirish to Everett’s way of thinking. The vampire was a bit older. His surroundings made age appear like a fleeting thing, definite at one moment, and then whisking away in the flicker of the candles and the glow of the floor stones.

“Is anyone ever truly safe in the jungle?” Leon asked, raising an eyebrow.

The thought of his friends being attacked by vampires set Everett on edge. He had to resist the urge to jump onto the table, cross the short distance between them, and pummel a real response from the vampire. Blood thirst was definitely taking its toll and the pain in his stomach rapidly increasing.

It took every ounce of self-control for Everett to ask instead of demand, “Are my friends in danger of being attacked by vampires?”

A smile spread across Leon’s face. Though there was no humor in his gaze, there was a hint of something calculating when he said, “Now you’ve asked the right question.”

As if he knew how close Everett was to running back to the surface to ensure his friends’ safety, Leon opened a hand in a gesture that was simple, yet expressive as though he offered Everett the world. “I promise you from the depths of my soul that your friends in the jungle will not come to harm from the vampires that dwell within Bloodhaven. Please take a seat.”

Wary, Everett took the chair he stood behind. He sat on the edge of the soft cushion, uncertain what the vampire expected from him.

“This is your first time at Bloodhaven.”

It was a statement instead of a question. Everett wasn’t sure if Leon expected a response. The silence lengthened palpably. He finally went with, “Yes, it is.”

Leon nodded. “I am Leon, the Sovereign of Bloodhaven. Who might you be?”

Everett debated what to say. He was there to get help for Nectaris. His mother had always said that honesty was the best policy. “My name is Everett Masterson. I’m from Nectaris.”

Leon ran a hand through his long black hair. It fell around his shoulders in compliment to his black and red tailored clothing. The colors made the pallor of his skin stand out.

“We have a tradition here, Everett. A partaking of blood.”

Everett couldn’t help the way his stomach rolled at the word blood. He winced at the pain.

Leon’s sharp eyes caught the movement. His gaze narrowed slightly, though the smile stayed on his face. “You’re thirsty.”

As much as he hated revealing the weakness, Everett couldn’t deny it. “It’s been a while since I drank.”

Leon snapped his fingers. The sound was quiet, but the doors behind him immediately pooled. Two vampires in gray walked silently to his side. Leon said one word that was too quiet for Everett to hear, and the vampires vanished as soundlessly as they had appeared.

“My apologies for entertaining a hungry guest,” Leon said with another smile that reminded Everett of the two-headed snake that lived beneath his father’s greenhouse.

When Everett was younger, he had asked his father why he didn’t kill it. His father had replied that anything strong enough to have survived the Ending War and the fallout deserved the courtesy to not have life cut short by a shovel.

“It is poisonous, son,” Mr. Masterson had concluded. “So I may regret my empathy someday.” His father winked. “But compassion has gotten both of us this far. I feel like it’s more than worthwhile.”

The door pooled again and the scent of blood permeated the air. A goblet was set in front of Leon, and at the vampire’s gesture, a second was placed on the table near Everett. The two gray-cloaked vampires then left them once more.

Leon lifted his goblet. “Please drink,” he said. He then put the cup to his lips and took a deep pull of the liquid.

Everett’s hand shook slightly when he lifted the cup to his lips. He was about to drink the lifesaving liquid when the scent touched his nose. He hesitated.

“Is something wrong?” Leon asked.

Everett caught the hint of humor in the vampire’s voice that didn’t show on his impassive face. “What kind of blood is this?”

Leon nodded. “Again, the right question. You’re a fast learner, Everett from Nectaris.” When Everett refused to drink without an answer, the vampire lifted his own goblet and swirled the liquid inside. He took a deep sniff of the aroma rising from its depths. “This is homo sapien thirty-five AEW if I’m not mistaken,” he winked at Everett. “And I never am.”

“This is human?” Everett asked in horror. The fact that he was holding a cup of human blood gripped his heart in a fist. He dropped the goblet onto the table. It teetered to one side, then righted itself. The thick liquid inside slowly stilled.

Leon watched him closely. “Am I to amass from your behavior that you would prefer something else?”

“Why do you have human blood?” Everett demanded. “Who does it come from?”

Leon shook his head. “Those are the wrong questions, Everett.” He gave a patient sigh as if he was used to explaining the origin of the blood he drank. “The correct question is
when
. When is the blood from, and if you heard me, it was thirty-five AEW, which means that the blood presented to you was drained thirty-five years After the Ending War when blood-letting from humans wasn’t banned.” He gave another self-suffering sigh. “Alas, wouldn’t it be nice if we could still continue the practice?”

“I’m not sure the humans would agree,” Everett stated flatly.

Leon studied him for a second. His smile returned. “I forget that you mentioned claiming Nectaris as your home. I can’t imagine how it must be to live behind the walls of stone that contain the five great cities. What joy you must experience there.” His tone was flat and dry.

“It’s my home,” Everett said. The human blood was too close. He had never drunk from a human, not really. He had always been worried that after tasting it once, he would never be able to maintain the control he practiced every day. He refused to be a threat to his family.

Yet the smell filled his nose; it was right in front of him, thick and beckoning. He locked his hands together beneath the table where Leon wouldn’t see. His arms shook with the effort it took not to grab the goblet and down its contents in one gulp.

“Do you prefer a different year?” Leon asked in a slightly teasing voice. He tilted his head to one side. “Perhaps a thirty-seven? Or maybe you’re one of those specialists that refuses to drink anything but a twenty-five or older.”

Everett shook his head and spoke tightly. “I would prefer something non-human if possible.”

The vampire stared at him as if he was insane. “Even with this wealth I have offered you? I should be offended, appalled. I should have you thrown out for such a request.”

Everett stood and the chair behind him slid back.

Leon chuckled and waved a hand. “Sit down, Everett of Nectaris. I’m only giving you a hard time.” He snapped and the door turned to a black pool again. He spoke with his gaze still on Everett as he sat back down. “Our young visitor isn’t used to the high-quality beverages of Bloodhaven. Please bring him the freshest bottle of jungle you have available.”

The vampires both bowed and disappeared again. Everett wondered if he had read the expressions of disbelief on their faces, or only imagined them.

Leon answered his unspoken question. “Don’t mind them. You must have seen the pod farm in the jungle above. We tap the plants and bottle half the take, leaving the rest so the pods can flourish. We’re running low on our stock of human blood, and so I have implemented the bottling in order to give us a backup for when the blood runs dry.” He lowered his voice but whispered loud enough for anyone to hear. “They can’t stand the jungle beverage, but I feel it has a wild, earthy flavor they’ll soon learn to like.”

Everett didn’t know what to say in reply. He opened his mouth to try, but the door revealed the vampire in gray once more.

As soon as the cup was swapped for the other, Everett picked it up with both hands and sucked it through his hollow fangs. The taste was earthy as Leon had described, but it was also wonderful and filling. It flowed through his body, reaching his bloody stream directly from his fangs. The blood felt as though it coated his insides, spreading warmth through his limbs. He drank the final gulp and waited for the last drop to pool in the bottom so he could tip it up and catch it in his mouth. He then set the goblet down, his stomach satisfied at last.

Leon was watching him.

Embarrassed by his lack of manners and aware of how noisily he had downed the blood, Everett used the red cloth napkin on the table in front of him to wipe his mouth before he looked back up.

“Thank you,” he said.

Leon gave a nod that appeared as though it came from a majestic lion. “I’m glad you approve.” He snapped his fingers again and the goblets were removed. A vampire dressed in yellow came in carrying two animals. The first she gave to Leon.

“Perfect,” he said. “A follow-up snack.”

She walked to Everett’s side and handed him the second animal. Everett stared down at the creature. It looked like a large gray and white puppy that was less than a week old. Its eyes weren’t even open. The animal gave a little grunt of discomfort at the way he was holding it. Everett brought the animal close to his chest. It grunted again and in a moment its breathing settled into the slow cadence of sleep.