Dahlia (Blood Crave Series) (16 page)

“I just need to be sure you understand the severity of the situation. I can see through the eyes of Alexander, what it felt like to drive a stake through the heart of those lamia. He enjoyed it.” Greyson paused as he swallowed hard, his voice becoming thick. “At the same token, some of the lamia I saw killed were young, almost innocent looking. It’s difficult seeing their faces every night when I close my own eyes.”

Dahlia slowly moved her hand toward Greyson’s and looked up at him earnestly, the pain engraved on his face apparent. “I’m sorry.”

Greyson laughed dryly. “Nothing to be sorry about. It’s just a part of being lapsus. You carry the responsibilities of your ancestors. I know what it feels like to have your wings plucked, ripped away from your flesh as you spiral down to the earth. I also know what it feels like to kill.” He glanced down at his hands as he spoke, as if glimpsing something only he could see.

She gave his hand a squeeze. “But it wasn’t really you. You’re not Alexander.”

“It might as well have been me. Alexander obeyed Merrick and did what he was told. He wasn’t good. When Merrick was trapped by the surviving lamia, it was Alexander’s duty, as well as others, to do everything in their power to release him. That sense of duty was passed on from Alexander and eventually to me.” He paused, letting her process what he just said.

Dahlia lifted her hand away from Greyson as she looked at him in confusion, hearing the implication in his words. “You’re helping Merrick get out?”

He looked down at his hand where it suddenly felt cold by the loss of her touch. “Yes. Merrick may be trapped, but that doesn’t mean he can’t control things from where he’s at. And he’s desperate to get out before it’s too late.”

“What do you mean by that?” She started to panic slightly at his words, her heart beating rapidly.

“Merrick has a lot of power. That’s from being one of the first of the lapsus and one with the purest of blood. From where he slumbers, he’s managed to stay alive all this time. But his time is running short. We must do everything in our power to make sure that Merrick becomes free. He also seeks revenge against those that trapped him.”

Dahlia paused at his words then spoke slowly. “Okay. Say everything you’re telling me is true—that there really are fallen angels and two vampires walking the streets. Other fallen angels, including yourself, are helping to get this Merrick fellow released so he can go on his revenge spree against the vampires he managed
not
to kill centuries ago. What does any of this have to do with me?” Dahlia still didn’t get their connection. If she really was a descendant of a fallen angel, it was not like she herself had promised to help Merrick.

Plus it didn’t sound as if Greyson even
liked
Merrick, so why was he willing to help him?

“As
angelus lapsus
, we can prolong our life. Eventually, like every living thing, we die, just like my father and my ancestors before him. That includes Merrick who, like us, will die. In a way, he’s lucky that he was trapped because it seemed to have prolonged his body. But like I said, his time is coming to an end.”

He paused. Then, “And that can’t happen.”

Dahlia frowned at his comment. She still couldn’t get over the fact that she was technically an angel. “Why not? It’s a good thing if he dies, right? From what you’re telling me, he seems quite cruel for practically wiping out an entire species. What’s so bad about that?”

Greyson looked over at her, almost imploringly as he answered. “Dahlia. If Merrick dies, he will make sure that the world as we know is in ruins.”

“How? And again, what does this have to do with me?” Dahlia was internally freaking out by the tenseness of the conversation and where it seemed to be going and was practically yelling by this point.

“We have orders from Merrick to initiate the apocalypse if he happens to die. Unfortunately with our powers, that’s an easy task,” Greyson said with a humorless laugh. “I can’t permit myself to be involved in the destruction of the world so I will do my part in making sure that doesn’t happen.

“People like Maddox,” he stopped briefly, shaking his head. “He would relish in creating chaos in the world. And he’s not the only one. It will happen if you don’t help Merrick because you, Dahlia, are a piece of the puzzle to granting his release.” Greyson concluded, biting his lip as if not wanting to tell her something.

“What? What is it?” She knew there was something more to the story.

Greyson squeezed his eyes tightly, rubbing his hand over his forehead. “Merrick’s a bit of an ass. Even though we as lapsus live for quite some time, it was never enough for him. He was always on this quest to find everlasting life. It was why he truly hated the lamia so much. He thought that the answer would be in their blood, since they were immortal, and it was the reason why he was so adamant on killing them. More than anything, he was jealous. He harvested some of their blood, tried to figure out what was in the chemical make-up that led to their immortality. He even experimented on other lapsus using the vampire blood on them,  but his experiments never panned out. Ended up killing them in the process. Merrick wants another shot on figuring how to maintain his life and the first thing he has to do is get out. According to him, he needs the following to become free.”

He began to tick off his fingers. “First is the blood of a half-breed. Second, the blood of the one who trapped him—who happens to be the oldest of the lamia, one of the two who escaped that night of the massacre.”

Dahlia tried to wrap her mind around everything Greyson was saying. “Why does he need blood from two separate beings?”

“Because blood between lamia and lapsus cannot be mixed—it’s biochemically impossible. If a lamia fed on any of the lapsus, the lamia would simply die. It’s one of nature’s ways of siding with the lapsus, I guess. A precautionary measure if you will.”

Dahlia recalled to what he said earlier. “And you said half-breed? Isn’t that like any descendant of the lapsus—part-angel, part-human like you? Why am I the piece to the puzzle? Why does it have to be me and not you?”

“We’re not talking about part-angel, part-human blood. We’re talking about part-angel, part-lamia blood. With your healing qualities, it will strengthen him. You are what he’s been searching for all this time.”

He said it so matter-of-fact that Dahlia was quiet for a moment. Then she began laughing hysterically, looking up into his serious face. “Yeah right, Greyson. First, you tell me I’m a fallen angel. Now you’re saying me I’m half vampire? Dream on,” she scoffed.

“Doesn’t your blood have the power to heal?”

She didn’t bother asking him how he knew. He seemed to know everything about her. “Yes, but—”

Greyson wouldn’t let her finish. “Just like lamia, you are able to regenerate from trauma. Only your blood can actually heal others, something the lamia do not possess except to change them into lamia themselves. The ability to heal might have been one of your characteristics as a true fallen angel—we have various other talents—but with lamia blood coursing through your veins, it manifested in your blood. Like the lapsus would, you age, can walk out in the sun, and you don’t have enlarged incisors. Unlike lamia.”

“But a vampire?”
This was
so
not happening.
“And Merrick wants my blood for this…ritual?”

“Yes.” Greyson said it without hesitating.

“And you’re here because you do what Merrick tells you to?”

Greyson winced at her words but nodded his head in agreement. “It is what Alexander promised. Merrick sent me here to retrieve you. I’m a very good tracker.”

Dahlia scowled at she stared at him in resentment. “So what? You were just going to kidnap me against my will and bring me to the unconscious guy?”

Greyson said nothing then slowly nodded again.

She shook her head in disbelief. “How long have you been watching me, tracking me?”

“I’ve kept watch ever since you were a child of five.”

Confusion still marred her face as she asked, “And what about before then—the time that I can’t remember?” Although shocked and heated, Dahlia felt a sliver of hope that he could shed some light about her unknown past.

Greyson gave a laugh, but no humor shown in his eyes, as hope instantly dissipated from her. “That’s a mystery for us all. As soon as you were born, we couldn’t find you. You simply vanished. We concluded that a protection spell was placed on you but by whom, I do not know. We knew you weren’t dead because Merrick still felt your essence alive. Whoever took you must have wanted you safe. When we did find you, we too made sure you were protected and no harm came your way.”

“Because my blood’s so important,” she said disgustingly with the shake of her head. Dahlia didn’t know what to make of Greyson keeping tabs on her all this time without her even knowing.

But deep down inside, Dahlia always knew someone was watching.

“No. Because
you’re
important,” implored Greyson, looking down at Dahlia earnestly.

She glanced up at him in distrust, confusion still in her hazel eyes. “Why should I help this guy at all?”

He ran a hand through his hair then sighed. Finally looking back at her he answered bluntly. “You don’t really have a choice in this, Dahlia. The alternative will only lead to devastation. But the reason you should help him is because—”

“Because what?” Dahlia exclaimed angrily as she interrupted him.

Greyson remained quiet for a moment as he slowly mulled over the thoughts in his mind. Then he finally said the words that shattered Dahlia’s world all over again.

“Because he’s your father.”

Chapter 14

“My father?” Dahlia almost choked on the words, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

She quickly got up and started to pace back and forth, needing to release her nervous energy. Greyson just looked on silently, a hint of regret shown on his face.

“Yes, your father. Merrick has a special gift of his own. We all do as lapsus, like your healing ability. With Merrick, he can predict the future, at least to a certain extent. He knew he would be trapped with a spell bounded by lamia blood. Since lamia and lapsus blood repel one another, there’s no way any lapsus could get to Merrick without getting hurt. He had to create a buffer of sort, something that would allow his mind to break free from the lamia blood.”

Dahlia stopped all movements directly in front of Greyson as she stared down at him. “And that’s where I come in.”

He nodded his head in agreement. “That’s where you come in. He impregnated a human and forced a lamia to turn her. Once she changed, he casted a spell to freeze her body until it was time for you to be born centuries later.”

“So I was procreated centuries ago?”
What the hell?
Dahlia eyed him unbelievably, grinding her teeth together. “Why did he wait so long?”

“The timing has to be perfect and everything has to align properly, like chess pieces. Remember, yours is not the only blood needed. The lamia that trapped him needs to be here and not off somewhere gallivanting and nowhere to be found. So we waited for him to come back.” He paused, giving a dry laugh. “I’m sure Merrick has plans for him for what he did. Us lapsus can be vengeful at times.”

“No,” Dahlia shook her head fiercely, rejecting everything that he was saying. Her eyes darted around the room as she refused to look at his face. “This isn’t happening. This is not happening to me.”

“Yes it is, Dahlia. There’s no point denying it. Your father—”

“He is
not
my father!” She finally looked up at Greyson, tears forming. This was not the way she planned to learn about her birth parents. “Stop saying he is. I don’t have a father. Merrick is just a man. An evil man that I want nothing to do with.”

“If you just give him what he wants—”

“What he wants? He literally wants my blood. He’s going to kill me. And I can’t believe you’re allowing it.” Dahlia turned away from him, realizing that she was fighting for her life.

From behind her she heard Greyson murmur, “I would never let him hurt you.” He got up from the couch and came up behind her, grasping her upper arms as he brought her back against his chest. He bent his face next to her ear. “I would never let anyone hurt you.”

Dahlia collapsed into his arms. Her knees had given way and if it hadn’t been for Greyson, she would be a mess on the floor. Her mind then flashed to everything that he had told her and she jerked out of his arms, walking away.

“This is all too much. I don’t know what to believe anymore,” she whispered, stumbling on her feet. Greyson tried to balance her by grasping her arm again, but she quickly moved away from his touch, guarded.

He instantly dropped his arms by his side in defeat.

“I’m sorry,” she said regretfully, eyes wide. She moved closely to Greyson and tentatively touched his hand. She looked up into his face and again wondered how someone so beautiful could be so dangerous. Even through all this knowledge, she wasn’t afraid of him, just cautious.

“I just need some time to think.”

Greyson nodded soberly. “That’s fair. It must all be confusing right now.”

“Tell me about it.” Dahlia brought her hand up to her face and sighed in frustration. Then she looked back at him with a shake of her head. Stepping away from him, she turned toward the front door and left the cabin without saying goodbye. Greyson stood alone as he watched her walk away. He refused to leave it at that so he whispered within her mind.