Dark Heirloom (An Ema Marx Novel Book 1) (24 page)

Jalmari

Ema’s eyes rolled back and her body went limp on the floor as she fell into unconsciousness. I sighed in relief. I had worried she would refuse the blood, and even after she drank it, I worried the drugs wouldn’t work. I had packed enough sedatives in her drink to take out an elephant. Even so, on a vampyre, the drugs would only give me ten minutes.

Not knocking her out instantly worked in my favor, since she was able to arouse my libido. If I had known she would react to the bloodlust in such a way, I might have let her do the deed herself. It was too late now, she was out cold.

I lifted her body onto the bed and lay her on her back. Cautiously, I tugged the button of her jeans loose and unzipped the crotch. I pulled her pants off and then removed her undergarments, trying in vain not to think about what I was going to do. She was right, I was a monster.

“When I was alive, men knew how to be men,”
Father stated.

I wrinkled my nose at the thought.
When you were alive, women had no more rights than cattle.

“Is this not your castle? She has no rights here. She is yours for the taking.”

Will you shut up? I can’t do this with you in my head. You just worry about doing your part, and I’ll do mine.

“Very well.”

I waited until the voice crawled back into some remote recess of my brain, leaving my mind quiet so I could get this over with.

I looked at the half-naked girl. I could hardly make out the outline of her body in the blinding light. The sun’s harsh rays shimmered off her pale skin, turning it a rosy-gold color. She was very pretty, with a petite, mature, body. Cute. Different from Leena. Yet, I could not bring myself to desire her, and I went limp within seconds.

I was losing time and courage. The voice grumbled impatiently. I gulped. It was now or never. I could do this. I
had
to do this. My father wasn’t giving me an option.

My hands trembled as I undid my belt buckle, then unbuttoned my pants and pulled down the zipper. Beads of sweat trickled down my temples as I stepped out of my clothing. I had never been this scared to have intercourse before, not even my first time.

I took a deep breath, opened the girl’s legs, and positioned myself between her.

I’d killed before, but never raped. I knew there would be no coming back from this. I’d never again be able to stand the sight of myself. I’d never be able to face Leena. Why the hell did I even consider doing this?

“Quit stalling, you are running out of time, and you have not even started yet. Has it been so long that you forgot how?”

Fuck. You.

“You want me out of your head, do you not? Here is your chance. Do not disappoint me, Jalmari, or you will see how much more of you I can destroy.”

I growled at him. No more. I’d dealt with him long enough. It was time for him to possess someone else. I deserved my freedom. I didn’t owe Ema anything.

And yet, a heavy weight pressed against my chest. I didn’t want to pass such a curse to anyone. I didn’t think I could wish my father’s wrath on even my worst enemies. Besides, what would he do with the girl once he controlled her? What would he do to me?

“You ungrateful child. I command you—”

No. I’m taking you to the grave with me, no matter how long it takes, no matter how much you threaten, or drive me insane.

Laughter filled my head.
“You ignorant fool.”

A familiar warmth coursed through my body. Tension built in my crotch. My penis came to life until it ached and throbbed against my thigh. I moaned as ecstasy coursed through my veins, delighted and disgusted by the erotic feelings.
You asshole.

“This will teach you to sass me, boy.”

I tried to fight him. I tried to push back the yearning to be with the woman lying beneath me, this frail, sleeping angel. Had she always smelled so good? No, surely it was the demon toying with my mind.

Yet, her skin felt so soft and smooth. Her body, so warm. I admired her breasts, the planes of her stomach, her legs, and especially the scent of her flesh. My body pulsed, enlarged, and bobbing with desire, so close to her maidenhood. I couldn’t hold on to reality. My conscious, my doubts, my self-worth, everything slipped away as though burned to nothingness by the sun.

I wanted the girl.

I needed her.

I leaned in and licked her from her collarbone, up her neck, to just below her earlobe. The sweet taste of her flesh sent chills of desire along my spine, and it was too much to bear. She would be mine.

Chapter 24

My eyes blinked open, and then squeezed shut as I cursed the blinding sunlight. Inside my head, a tiny invisible hammer pounded against my brain. I pressed my fingers to my temples, hoping to soothe the headache.

A ferocious growl rattled the window, followed by the crashing of wood, and gruff voices shouting in Finnish. Without looking, I knew Jalmari and Jesu were in the room, fighting. I didn’t care what they were fighting about. I just wished they would shut up.

I groaned and rolled onto my side. Had I fallen asleep? Was that possible? I didn’t think vampyres could sleep. One of the guys smashed into the wall near the bed, jerking the frame. I sat up and shaded my eyes with a hand.

Jalmari and Jesu went at each other like two pit bulls over a bone. Jesu had been the one thrown against the wall, but he quickly doubled back and lurched after his brother. He didn’t stand a chance, though. Every time he got close, Jalmari phased and flew across the room, untouchable.

They had destroyed every piece of furniture in the room. All the pretty antiques sprawled across the floor in confetti-sized bits. The iron pole that had held the velvet drapes over the window lay askew. The curtains themselves were torn to shreds and charred. The massive wardrobe had collapsed into itself, a thin line of smoke rising from someplace inside.

How on earth did I sleep through all this? I didn’t bother to interrupt the boys. They both deserved a good beating, and it was kind of funny that they were administering it to each other right there in front of me.

The memories of earlier came back groggy and dream-like. But, the more I replayed the scenes in my mind, the clearer they became. Only, for the life of me, I couldn’t remember what happened after my make-out session with Jalmari. I wondered if the bloodlust caused me to blackout, the way alcohol does to people. After all, I must have been really wasted to hook-up with Jalmari.

I pushed back the covers, but then quickly pulled them over my body again. My pants and underwear were missing.

Why the heck am I half-naked?

I scanned the room and spotted my clothes on the floor near the edge of the bed. I leaned over and snatched them just before the two boys started kicking and rolling around on the ground.

Jalmari got the upper hand, but he saw me out of the corner of his eye and faltered. “
Voi
paska
.”

Jesu took advantage of the distraction and shoved Jalmari off of him. Jalmari fell against what was left of the smoking wardrobe. Jesu pushed himself to his feet. “Ema—”

Jalmari threw a punch at his jaw. Jesu staggered back against the fireplace.

Meanwhile, my mind raced as I became more aware of myself. I was half-naked, and I could only come up with one conclusion—one that I hoped like hell wasn’t true, yet the signs screamed loud and clear. I had sex with Jalmari.

Oh God.

I finished redressing, hopped off the bed, and jogged out the door. Heat and dry tears stung my eyes as self-loathing burst from the pit of my stomach. Both Jalmari and Jesu called my name, but neither one came running as they continued to swing punches at each other. Fighting. Over me. How stupid!

I needed to get out. I needed to go. Now.

A white light flashed. I suddenly stood outside, at the edge of the island, someplace between the forest and the cliffs overlooking Lake Inari. Without any effort at all, I had somehow managed to phase from the hallway of the first wing, and fly all the way to the edge of the forest in a split second.

It terrified me.

The daylight blinded my eyes and warmed my skin a little more than was comfortable. I shifted into a wolf and stood under the shade of the nearest tree. As a wolf, I could see okay in the light, which beat being a blind vampyre.

I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t fly back to the States in the sunlight, but I would not go back inside the castle either. I couldn’t stand this place any longer. I couldn’t stand
them
. I felt so ashamed, throwing myself at Jalmari. How could I be so irresponsible and drink that much blood in front of him? He took advantage of me, but it was also my fault. I knew better.

Storm clouds gathered together, blocking out most of the sun, but not enough to see with sensitive vampyre eyes. A change in the atmosphere ruffled my fur. I wasn’t alone. A predator waited, doubled over in the lethal scent of vampire. I perked up as my mind supplied the name.

Leena?

She materialized not more than ten feet away. A black dress hugged the contours of her hourglass figure, and her hair blew wild and crazy around her pale face. Her green eyes burned into mine as her lips curled into a mischievous grin.

“Grab your clothes.” Her voice rang in a sing-song way as she closed the gap between us. “We have much to discuss.”

I couldn’t speak as an animal, so I growled a warning.

Leena rolled her eyes. “I am not here to fight. Come.”

She snatched my clothes and then, like a lightning strike, one hand flashed out and touched my back. Next thing I knew, we phased and shot into the sky. Jalmari was right, Leena was
fast.
Faster than he was. A myriad of things passed through me as we flew, so many that the names buzzed and blurred in my mind. My atoms felt nauseous.

Within a minute, we materialized. I fell forward on my hands and knees, and regurgitated a puddle of maroon vomit on a white carpet.

Leena grumbled her disappointment. “Haven’t you ever flown before?”

“Not that fast.” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, then stood and glanced around the room. The bare white walls matched the plain white carpet. The room lacked life. No pictures. No bookshelves. No nightstand, or dresser, or television. Just a bed in the corner with an old fashioned flower-print comforter, neatly done and wrinkle-free. At least the room was dark. “Where are we?”

“We are in Helsinki.”

“But whose house is this?”

“That doesn’t matter,” she snapped. She phased out of the room for a moment and then returned with a rag that she tossed at me. Sighing, I knelt next to the puke and tried to scrub it off. Big mistake. I smeared it, making a large pink stain.

Leena sneered at me as if I were a worm.

I looked at the stain and shrugged.

“How much do you know?” she demanded.

I hesitated. I better not tell her about the dirty deed I did with Jalmari this morning.

She slapped me clear across the face so hard my head snapped to the right.

Shoot!
I forgot she could read thoughts.

“Leena, I’m so sorry. I don’t understand Jalmari’s interest in me. I wish like crazy that he would just leave me alone. I don’t like him, really. I don’t want anything to do with him. I feel terrible.”

Leena glowered. Her fists clenched tight. “Never mind all that right now. Do you know what you are?”

I gulped. “Yeah, a vampyre. King Apollyon’s great, times twenty, granddaughter.”

Leena nodded. “Good. Now, do you know what Jalamri is?”

I despised the way she spoke to me, as though I were slow, but I played along. “He’s a vampyre. He’s the prince. He’s Apollyon’s son.” I winced. “He’s my great-uncle.”

Gross, I had sex with a relative.

“Besides that,” she seethed. “Jalmari needs your help. He is possessed by a demon.”

I quirked my brow in disbelief. “He is?”

She narrowed her gaze. “Do you remember, in the alley, when Jalmari told me to do as I please? It was technically an order, but one that gave me a shred of freedom, until he could order me to do something else. Since I could do as I please, I took a quick peek into his head before the two of you vanished. I heard a second voice in his mind.”

She crossed her arms and glanced away before continuing. “I should have known from the beginning. He’s only acted this way once before, during the Second World War. Apollyon somehow got stronger, and Jalmari lost control. He went to Germany that year with the crazy idea of using the Holocaust to help rid the world of Romani.”

“Why am I not surprised?” I muttered.

Leena faced me and wrinkled her nose. “That was not like him. He worked so hard to make Finland a friendly place for both vampyres and humans. It was his demon father who convinced him otherwise.”

“Are you sure he’s not just schizophrenic?” I frowned at the knowledge of Jalmari having anything to do with the Holocaust. The past just kept getting worse.

“What do you know of King Apollyon?” she demanded.

I shrugged. “Nothing, I guess. I never met the man. Jesu said he’s where the idea of Satan came from.”

Leena nodded. “King Apollyon wasn’t stupid. He knew he had enemies. He was good at alchemy, and bound a part of himself, his soul or whatever you choose to call it, to Jalmari’s body so that if anything happened to him, his soul would jump to Jalmari and live inside him like a parasite. When King Apollyon was finally assassinated, that’s exactly what happened. Only, no one knew. Jalmari kept it a secret for years, ashamed of being at his father’s mercy.”

“So, you’re saying Jalmari’s possessed by his own
father
?” I stared at her, looking for some sign that she was joking, or lying, or insane.

“Yes.” She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “The Neo-Draugrian Council stripped Jalmari of his title when the war ended in 1945. He exposed us to Hitler, and several of his generals. Jalmari worked twice as hard to win his status back. Of course, it helped that no one else was available to claim the position.”

“Right.” I nodded. “Jesu couldn’t do it because vampires aren’t allowed to.”

Leena nodded. “Yes, unfortunately.”

“So, you think it’s really Apollyon who’s interested in me, and not Jalmari?”

Leena scoffed. “I am positive it is.”

I rolled my eyes. As I absorbed this information, the question which dominated my thoughts was, why me? Why was Leena sharing this information as if I had any way of fixing things? Oh. Because I did. Supposedly.

“I think I understand why you’re telling me this. You know about Jesu’s vision. You think I can help Jalmari.”

Leena tilted her chin and let her arms fall to her sides. “Yes. You can.”

“There’s only one problem. If the only way to stop Apollyon is by killing Jalmari, then…”

“No, I’ve found a different way.” Leena knelt and reached for something under the bed. She pulled out a medium-sized trunk, and unlatched the lid. “There is a way to free Jalmari from Apollyon, and kill him separately.”

She pulled a thick, leather-bound book and a cotton knapsack out of the chest. The book had Greek letters imprinted on the cover. She put them both on the floor, and then opened the knapsack and laid out its contents for me to see. A small pot each of red and yellow paint, a skein of white wool, several small red candles, a bushel of small red berries still on the stems, an apple, and a lighter.

My eyebrows rose in question. “What is all this?”

“This…” She pulled the thick book into her lap and lovingly traced the symbols with the tip of her finger. “This is a collection of spells I’ve gathered over the years. My father started it in ancient Greece.”

“Your human father?” I cocked my head.

“He was an alchemist. He gave me his collection of spells when I was just a girl. I was his apprentice, destined to become an oracle of the goddess Athena. He said my ability to read minds was a gift from the gods.” Leena smiled at some distant memory of her childhood.

“Wait a second, your telepathy has nothing to do with being a vampire?”

She shook her head. “I was born with my gift. Now, back to the point. There is a spell that will open the gate to the underworld, and allow us to enter. Once inside, we can find the rest of Apollyon’s essence, separate him from Jalmari, and kill him.”

“Whoa.” I stood. “Hold on. You’re saying we can use
magic
to go to
hell
and kill
Satan
?”

Leena rose. “That is correct.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“I am perfectly sane.” She put her hands on her hips.

I rolled my eyes. “You can’t be that sane if you honestly don’t see anything wrong with that plan. Magic isn’t real, the spell will never work. The only way we’re going to hell is if we kill each other.”

Leena snorted and mumbled something that sounded like “stupid human.”

“Excuse me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Before mainstream religion, everyone used magic. But the dumb humans die so quickly, they forget what they’re capable of. We remember.”

“Uh huh. Let’s say, for the sake of arguing, that the spell does work and we go to the underworld, and actually find Apollyon. You really think you and I can kill a man that evil?”

“Oh please.” Leena waved a hand. “He will be weak from being in the underworld for so long. Defeating him will be easy.”

I grumbled. “If everything is so peachy, then why do you need my help?”