Nevermore, the Complete Series (71 page)

“Hey, Jace.
Yeah…I’m sorry, I’ve been a little busy…not to say I’m too busy to talk to you. But I have a job now, working at a restaurant playing the piano.”

“That’s awesome! I can’t believe I never really knew you liked music class,” he said with a laugh. “I’m still at Howard’s, of course.”

“It’s a good place, there’s nothing wrong with it. Money is money, right?”

“Right.”

“I’m surprised you’re up, isn’t it like eight there?”

“Yeah, pretty close. I’m usually up this early. I’ve been working some random shifts to cover here and there. I’ll be going in at eleven today.”

“That sounds kind of annoying.”

“I’m used to it now. Been doing it a while.”

“Yeah…I guess you have...look…there’s a reason I called, and I really wish I could be there to tell you. Then again, at the same time, I’m sort of glad I’m not in this case.” I laughed nervously.

“What’s going on?” his voice quickly went from amusement to concern.

“One second, going to step outside.” I got up and walked to the door, opening it slowly and quietly as to hopefully not pull Hannah’s attention from whatever she was talking to Ezra about. Once outside, I took a deep breath in preparation to tell Jason why I had called.

“Jason, I’m…I’m pregnant,” I whispered, wishing my voice had been quiet enough that he couldn’t hear.

“Oh…I see what you mean by you’ve ‘been busy’.”

“Jason…please, just try to be happy for me…I really need your support.”

“I’m sorry, Alex…I just can’t be happy about this,” he said angrily. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Jace…”

“No. Don’t try to comfort me. Go be happy and do whatever it is you are doing…I’ve got to go.”

My response was cut off when he hung up. The tears came instantly and it was hard to fight the urge to toss my phone in frustration.

I waited a bit before coming back inside, trying to make myself stop crying and compose myself. I didn’t want Hannah to start probing me about why I was upset.

“There you are!” Salem greeted me as I came in. “I was just about to come out and get you. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah…I’ll tell you later.”

“As you can see I went ahead and summoned one of your favorites…since we were discussing it earlier. Lasagna and breadsticks!”

My stomach rumbled as I saw the steaming dish of food sitting on the table. I wasn’t completely sure if it was from hunger or if I was just starting to feel nauseous again. My doubt soon faded as I felt bile coming up my throat. I turned and ran to the restroom.

When I came out of the restroom Salem was immediately there asking if I was okay. I could see over his shoulder and noticed Hannah’s curious expression. She turned away as soon as we made eye contact. I hoped she wasn’t piecing anything together.

“Yeah...I’m fine. Just that…stomach thing…from the food the other day. Remember?”

Salem looked over at Hannah, turned back towards me and gave a knowing nod. “Right.”

“I’m going to go ahead and
lay down, tell Hannah and Ezra I’m sorry.”

Once I was in the bedroom with a door between Hannah and myself, the tears came again. Crying
myself to sleep wasn’t something I had planned for tonight, but after the unpleasant conversation with Jason, it seemed impossible to avoid. When I woke, I found myself bundled up in a fleece blanket and a pillow tucked under my head. Salem was nowhere to be seen, but I heard the shower running. With a brief stretch, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I nearly screamed when I discovered Hannah staring across the room at me.

“It’s about time you woke up,” she said and scraped her long, sparkling silver nails across the table surface. “You’re going to be late for work if you don’t get ready fast.”

“Ugh,” I groaned and climbed off of the couch. “Where is Salem with a mug of coffee when I need one?”

“You were out for almost twelve hours; I’m surprised you’re still tired.”

“It’s normal during-,” I paused and shook my head. “Never mind. I didn’t sleep very well, even if it was a long time.”

She nodded and eyed me curiously. “I’ll go start up the car while you get dressed.”

“You’re going with me?”

“I said I’d be there the whole way, right? They won’t suspect anything from me, and maybe I can get some info on what Malik is up to with my visions.”

“Maybe…” I eyed the keys dangling in her hand and felt a sudden rush of nerves at the idea of her driving my beloved IQ. “I’ll be right out…”

Watching her leave, I gathered a bundle of clothing, scarcely paying any attention to what it was, and dressed quickly. Salem exited the bathroom right after I finished dressing and I was very thankful. My bladder had not appreciated the twelve hours of sleep, and I ran past him into the restroom.

Once I stood up I came face-to-face with myself in the mirror. I looked terrible. I didn’t know if it was from the stress, pregnancy, or just the long sleep, but either way I didn’t like it. Despite the possibility of being late to work, I spent more time than usual brushing my hair and applying makeup. Once I was satisfied I came back out to see Salem still standing there, strands of damp hair clinging to the side of his face. I approached him and gently brushed them behind his ear.

“Try not to worry too much,” I said, “Hannah will be with me…I know that might not sound very reassuring, but I’ll be okay.”

He kissed me on the forehead and pulled me close. “Be careful for the both of your sakes…and I don’t mean Hannah’s.” He placed one palm against my stomach.

Smiling and nodding, I reassured him again that I would be fine, gave him a kiss and left the apartment.

Directly after entering Varias, Cassius separated Hannah and I and escorted me out of the building despite my protests. He ignored my complaints and led me to a limousine waiting at the side of the building. To my dismay, Malik rolled down the window and smiled widely at me—not hesitating for a second to conceal his fangs. This was his territory, and he wasn’t afraid to be himself.

“What’s going on?” I asked when Cassius loosened his grip from my arm.

“We’re going home, dear,” Malik replied and Cassius opened the car door.

“I don’t live with you.”

“You are my
Queen, of course you live with me. What might others say if they see you living off in some run-down apartment building, hmm?” The thought alone that he knew where I lived was terrifying; though I should have known…as Cassius was the one who provided it. “I promise you will find your new place much to your liking. Come now,” he offered his hand to me and I reluctantly took it.

I crawled onto the comfortable leather seat beside him, subtly checking my pocket to ensure my phone was intact. If anything were to happen, Hannah would be my first resort as she was nearest by.

The drive was awkward. Malik droned on about how similar to my mother I looked and routinely touched my hair and face. I was beyond glad that the drive was a short one—not only because of the unwelcomed advances of Malik, but because it also meant that Hannah wouldn’t need to travel far to save me in the event that I needed her.

As I stepped out from the vehicle I was mesmerized by the expansive mansion ahead of me. The familiar courtyard from my mother’s shared visions unfolded before
me and I watched in horror as female vampires in rags came walking past the vehicle—I knew where they were going. These were Malik’s slaves, vampires he either Sired or purchased from other vampires to do his bidding. They gathered the food that was provided to him and his wealthier housemates, and most likely the restaurant as well. This is the same position Destiny had been in—and I feared the worst for myself.

“You’re not going to make me into a slave,” I stated firmly.

Malik laughed and placed his cold hand upon mine. “I would not dream of it, love.”

“Of course you wouldn’t, you don’t sleep.”

“Figuratively speaking,” he added and helped me out of the vehicle when it came to a full stop.

“How many rooms does this place have?” I asked when I stared up at the tall building.

“Thirty or so,” he shrugged. “Very few of them are put to any use. This mansion was passed on through generations in my family.”

“How long has it been in your possession, considering it can’t be passed on by you since you don’t die?”

“Two and a half hundred years. I had already been around quite a while before my Sire was slain and it came into my possession, though,” he said, grinning at the startled expression on my face. “Come, there is something I wish to show you.”

Malik led me up a set of gray stone steps and through two vast doors which were opened by slaves as we approached. A long, red carpet ran along the entryway floor. The walkway went all of the way toward the end of the building. Countless doors lined the walls and I couldn’t help but wonder if his estimate of thirty rooms had been modest for such a huge place. It was massive and beautiful yet eerie. Ancient and elegant, but housed evil—much like its owner. I followed him down the carpet, past at least ten doors, and through a wide archway that revealed a view which made me stop in my tracks.

Books aligned every wall. A ladder leaned against the side of one of the many shelving units for easy access to the high up novels. A large golden chandelier hung in the center of the room, directly over a circular sofa that wound around a glass table with a pile of opened archives lying on the surface.

“This is amazing…” I whispered in awe, longing to touch the spines of each and every book. There was no telling just how many there were, what they held within them, how old they were!

“This room was your mother’s favorite,” he said with a fond smile. “She spent so much time reading, which was not a luxury that any of my other slaves had the honor of indulging in. I am overwhelmed with guilt any time I use that word to define her, I hope that you are aware of this. I did not think of her as a slave, she was my companion.”

“For someone with slaves, it is funny to consider you actually have feelings.”

Neglecting my comment, he swiftly strode across the vast library and plucked a particular book from the shelf. It was worn at the edges and the cover was completely blank. He handed it over to me carefully, as though offering me something fragile.

“This belonged to your mother…” he said and glanced away. “Please, make yourself comfortable while you browse through its pages.”

Before allowing myself even the slightest glimpse into the book, I retreated to the large red sofa and sat down. Malik stood in the distance, appearing to be observing the other contents on the shelves, but I had a feeling he was keeping watch over me.

The scent of the old book’s pages reached my senses and I once again noted the obvious signs that it had been frequently used. When I opened it, I was astonished by what I saw. Page after page were filled with scribbles of my name. After flipping through roughly forty pages, I stumbled upon something different—

Paul

16

Willowshire

Hobbs

Waldron

Raziel

Then the rest of the book was empty. My mother had been obsessed with me beyond belief…it was no wonder Malik tried to ease her thoughts by convincing her I was imaginary. Sadly, it didn’t help her in any way.

“How did she even remember all of that?” I wondered aloud.

“The more a vampire obsesses over a particular thought—be it of a person, place, or thing—they can eventually unlock repressed memories based solely around that one thing,” Malik explained as he paced the room. “She would experience random fits of hysteria from time to time; losing you traumatized her unlike anything I had ever witnessed before.”

“I drove her to insanity…”

Malik was beside me in the blink of an eye, his cold hand gently lingering on the side of my face. “It wasn’t your fault, Alexis. But you definitely are something worth obsessing over.”

I didn’t know whether to feel flattered or disturbed by his comment—maybe both. “Can I keep this?”

“Of course,” he answered.

Cassius entered the room and signaled for Malik’s attention. “Excuse me,” he said with a bow. “I need to speak with you, my Lord.”

Malik acknowledged his request and stood, leaving me to sit alone on the couch once more. The two men retreated to the far side of the library, nearly out of ear’s reach.

“She is a threat to you, why can you not see that?” Cassius asked, glancing briefly in my direction.

I turned away so that he didn’t notice my stare and pretended to browse through my mother’s diary again.

“I can handle myself, Cassius. She is but one hunter, while I have an army of vampires at my beck and call.”

“There is something of utmost importance that you must know. I have foreseen your death.”

“The Vanatori have tried and failed to kill me countless times—they are my only threat here, if you could even call them that. They are a mere thorn in my side, nothing more. What could you possibly have seen?”

“A raven, my lord.”

With a silent gasp, I shut the book and my thoughts were sent racing. I was the only living raven that I was aware of, yet…as far as I
knew, it was no longer a talent I possessed. Then again, I hadn’t attempted transforming since the visit to Florida. Had I been capable of it this entire time and simply was not aware of it? Salem had retained his ability to summon things after all…

“Excuse me, Malik,” I said and rose to my feet. “I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I’m afraid I have to leave…at least for a little bit. My sister is visiting and I promised to show her around.”

He came to me and planted a gentle kiss on my cheek, eying Cassius the entire time. “Do return swiftly, my dear.”