The Heart's Ashes (78 page)

“
Oh God.” I sniffled, picturing how the flames fingered his
skin, dissolving his face, singeing his hair until it curled and
shrivelled against his scalp—and all the while, I sat, watched—did
nothing. “How can I ever forgive myself for not helping
him?”

“
It’s not your fault, baby.”

Without
another thought, I slid my bottom teeth across my wrist until the
flesh popped open and a burst of blood spilled out, as I fought
tears and sobs to hold my arm steady. He was alive—frozen in pain
while he laid there burning. Melting. He felt that. I rested my
wrist against his lips. “Drink,” I cried, “David,
drink—please?”

“
Ara.” Emily grabbed my hand. “He can’t. He’s too badly
damaged. He has no way of swallowing.”

“
No.” I looked at the unrecognisable face of the man I loved.
“There has to be a way to get blood into him.”

“
We’ve tried, baby.” Mike lifted me away from David and
pressed his thumb firmly against the cut on my wrist. “He’s just
too burned.”

“
If he can’t drink blood, how will he recover?”

“
It will happen—in time,” Morgaine said. “We’ll coat his burns
with it, and, eventually he’ll start to heal. It’s just going to be
a long process—from the outside, in.”

“
But he
will
recover?”

“
Yes.”

The breath I
took numbed my legs as it travelled through me. I dropped to the
floor, snuggling into Mike when he squatted beside me and cupped my
face to his chest.

“
I thought he was dead. I thought I killed him—took our
forever away. I—” I looked up at the body; supple, still fleshy,
not burned to a stiff carcass, but melted like plastic when it’s
still warm. “I’m so happy he’s alive. Is that selfish of
me?”

Emily shook
her head and smiled. “He feels the same, Ara, for what it’s worth,
okay, and he’s not in too much pain, right now. I know he looks
bad, but I’ve injected him with horse-grade tranquilisers and a few
other dangerous substances. He’s pretty high right now.”

“
Really?”

“
Yeah.”

“
Does he know I’m here? Can he hear me?”

“
If he can, I can’t tell. He has so many other emotions and
feelings going on right now. I’m not sure what’s what,” Emily said,
then, like the sun warming the room inch by inch, her smile spread
across her face. “Okay, looks like he does know you’re
here.”

“
David?” I knelt beside him, my hand hovering over the places
I wished I could touch.

“
I think he’s wondering where you’ve been,” Emily
said.

“
I didn’t know you were alive, David. I…I thought I killed
you.”

Emily placed
her hand on my shoulder. “Okay, that’s enough, Ara. You know what
he’s like. What do you think him worrying about your emotional
well-being is going to do for his recovery?”

“
See? This is why I didn’t want her in here,” Morgaine said.
“But you don’t listen to me.”

“
Come on.” Em helped me stand. “I need to give him another
blood bath. I don’t think you should be here for that. Go get some
rest and a coffee, and I’ll let you come back later
today.”

“
Okay.” I wanted to kiss him so badly and tell him everything
would be all right. “I love you, David. Please don’t forget that. I
love you, and I’m so sorry I—” do I say
didn’t
or
couldn’t
help you. The fact is, I
didn’t know I could.

“
Ara,” Emily’s tone became urgent, “just go. Mike?” She looked
at him. “Just get her out of here, please—I think David can read
her thoughts.”

Mike tugged my
arm, and I backed out of the room, not taking my eyes from the
miracle of life in agony before them. “I love you, David.”

The door
slammed shut behind us, leaving Mike and I alone in the early
morning darkness. “Ara. I don’t know what to say, baby. I’m so
sorry, we—”

“
He’s alive.” I stared at the empty space of everything around
me. “Mike. It’s okay. I’m just so glad he’s alive.”

“
Well, I know everything’s well in the world according to Ara,
baby, but we still have the problem of Arthur.”

“
What about it?”

“
He can’t know David’s alive.”

“
Why?”

“
Remember what I said about Drake and the
prophecy?”

“
Uh—”

“
Drake’s weak. He won’t attack or come after you right now—it
should give us time to get you strong and the throne. But if Drake
finds out David’s alive, he’ll attack now. Arthur may be digging to
see if David’s really dead, I mean, we have no idea what he’s up
to, Ara.”

“
It could be nothing.” I leaned on the wall. “What if he
genuinely wants to help?”

“
Yeah,” Mike scoffed, “And what? Jason genuinely tried to
help
you
?” Mike
studied my stiffening posture. “Yeah, thought you might feel that
way. So—Arthur knowing about David? No. Got it?”

“
Okay,” I whispered.

“
Right. Now, come on, it’s still dark outside—you can get a
few more hours’ sleep before the sun comes up.” He wrapped his arm
over my shoulder and nudged me away from the wall.

“
Will you stay with me, Mike?” I snuggled into the heavy
warmth of his arm. “I—I just don’t wanna be alone.”

“
Sure, kid.” He nodded. “Might get busted by Em,
but—”

“
Oh. Really? Would she mind?”

“
Right now?” He shrugged. “After what you’ve been through, and
what I went through worrying about you? I don’t care.”

In the time it
took for David and I to get married, be kidnapped and tortured, and
come home again, the lake caught the scent of spring, and banished
the ice to another year. I perched on the park bench, tucking my
knees up to my chest, looking out from the place Jason and I first
talked after he saved me from evil-candy-floss-lady at
Karnivale.

The dreams I had, or the mind-links, kept playing in my head,
showing me a side of my torturer that didn’t match what he’d done
to me—a side I wished was real. In that world, I loved him and he
loved me, and it was okay; it held no bearing out here in reality,
where I loved David. And that was the worst thing about it,
because, while my actions, my betrayal to David seemed separate
from life, like falling in love with characters in a book, the
heartbreak for Jason’s betrayal, for loving me then torturing me,
was something that
did
extend out here. And it hurt more than the
torture.

The sun thawed
my face, golden and warm, like sitting in front of a fireplace.
With my eyes closed, I revelled in the sensation of open
air—freedom, sunshine, colour; things I never thought I’d see
again.

“
Amara?” A tall man walked toward me slowly, his dark suit
outlined by the glow of the sun.

“
Arthur?” I stood up to greet him. The short white beard and
kind, crinkled eyes I’d always imagined David’s uncle to have
blurred, showing the truth of a young man, no older than thirty,
standing before me with eyes like my husband, but blue as the sky,
and a smile so similar I caught my breath.

“
My dear, sweet, Amara.” He smiled warmly, cupping my hand
then kissing it.

I remembered
him then—not just his voice, but his face—the one who studied me
carefully at my hearing; the one who sat at the right hand of
Drake.

I pulled my
hand away.

“
I understand your aversion to me,” he said softly, lowering
his arms. “After all, you couldn’t know how I fought for you, both
before and after you were captured.”

“
It wouldn’t change things, even if I did.”

He bowed his
head.

“
And, what do you mean by
before
? Did Jason tell you about
me?”

“
Please—” he offered the park bench, “—sit with
me.”

I obliged.

“
You see,” Arthur continued, resting his ankle on his knee,
“when David went to the Blood Rave a few months ago, he set off a
chain of events that resulted in the Council learning of your
existence—”

“
Because of a Blood Rave? We were sent to our deaths because
of a
Blood Rave
?”

“
But you’re still alive.” Arthur smiled. “Much to my supreme
joy.”

“
Didn’t know you cared.”

“
But I do, all the same. I cannot convey to you the
immeasurable grief of losing my sons.” He lowered his gaze to the
grass. “However, I truly am happy to see you, Amara.”

“
But you sat there, in the council chamber, and watched your
nephew beat me. How can you be so two-faced?”

He nodded. “If it is any consolation at all, I refused to
drink your blood there—not even for the sake of
pretending
to want you dead. I could
not bring myself to harm you.”

“
But you let
them
do it.” I thrust a balled fist onto the bench. “Why would you
do that if you wanted to help me?”

“
What matters is that I’m helping you now,” he said and took
my hand.

I just wanted to hit him and run away. My fingers itched to
move from his. “Why? Why
are
you helping?”

“
Many reasons; one of them being a promise I made to my son,
to always watch over you if ever he was taken away.” His mouth
tightened, his eyes going dark. “Of course, when I swore this,
neither he nor I foresaw the possibility of death. But I assume
David would still wish me to protect you.”

“
Don’t say his name.” My eyes watered thinking of the way
Jason threw him onto the fire—like he was nothing, and worse still,
he was alive, felt everything.

“
His mention troubles you greatly. I can see that.” Arthur
touched my cheek; his cold, stiff fingers shocked my warm skin,
sending a tingle of shivers down my spine. “But, for the purpose of
our chat, my dear, I must mention him occasionally. May I ask your
blessing for that?”

I turned my
face away. “Fine.”

“
I understand the Lilithian head of security, Mike, has plans
to leave for Loslilian in a few days.”

“
I—” I frowned. “Head of security?”

“
Were you not made aware?”

I shook my
head.

“
He leaves in two days to start training the new
army.”

“
Army?”

Arthur held
back a smile. “Yes. The Lilithian Knights. An elite team of vampire
hunters; skilled, with the ability to paralyse in one bite. Of
course, I assume—” he nodded toward me, “—with your bite, you will
create more like Mike.”

“
Like Mike?”

“
Yes. Those bitten directly by a pure blood also have the
ability to end vampires’ lives.” He looked at me, holding a gaze
infused with either anger or confusion, or maybe something else.
“Tell me they at least educated you on this much.”

“
Oh, yeah, they did. Um—but, I don’t know about turning an
army. No one even mentioned an army, or security or...” My
shoulders dropped. “Or Mike leaving.”

“
You see?” Arthur grinned warmly. “You need me. I will be a
great ally.”

“
We’ll see.” My eyes rolled, but a smile crept up.

“
You have no reason to trust me, my dear, not after everything
you’ve been through, and I do not expect your trust.” He lifted my
chin and turned my face to look at him. “If it’s all the same,
though, I will help you win this fight, overrun the Council and
take your rightful place as queen of the Three Worlds. I do not
need you to trust me in order to do that.”

“
Good, because I
don’t
trust you,” I said coldly.

Arthur nodded
softly, pressing his lips together. “I hope, in time, that will
change. But, I know my honour and I am a man of my word. I want
only to help you rid the world of Drake and take back the
throne.”

“
Why does it have to be me? I mean, seriously, I’m nineteen
years old. I can’t be a queen.”

“
It is your birth right, Princess,” Arthur said assertively.
“A position taken from Drake, originally, and given to Lilith by
her father—the first vampire.”

“
Why her? Why my bloodline?”

“
Because Drake is blood-thirsty, unkind creature. Power was
never intended to fall back to his hands, but he took it, stole it
from Lilith when he discovered she could be killed. Our existence
began as a race of beings that supported human life, not destroyed
it.”

“
Is that what Drake does—destroys life?”

“
Not so much these days. There were many centuries where he
believed humans should be farmed, stored in lots to use for our own
nourishment. He did not care for discretion, or for life. It took a
curse to show him the error of his ways, but when he fell in love
with a Pagan named Anandene, his rule became tyrannic again, and
Vampirie was forced to step in.”

“
So, Vampirie wasn’t like Drake.”

Arthur
laughed. “Not at all. Before Drake was born, vampires lived in
peace among the humans—a utopia we, who are true to the original
vampire, wish to restore.”