Page 15 of Blood & Ice

“But in theory Janara could use your blood or Tally’s in a spell and hurt either one of you?”

Astrid nodded gravely. “Uncle Fox told me about a weapon that can curse his family—it’s like this dagger made out of bone. Janara keeps it on her at all times, just in case. He told me to avoid getting stabbed with it if at all possible.”

I could practically hear Fox saying the words and fought not to roll my eyes. The man was still a pretentious bastard, always smirking and acting superior. But my irritation gave way quickly to fear. If one family-cursing bone dagger existed, it was likely that the one Aurea possessed was the real deal. I realized, with a pang of loss, that I’d been praying that Aurea’s threat had been empty, because now she really did have me over a barrel.

Maverick and I exchanged a solemn glance. His irisesflickered briefly to that hellish color, but the rage dimmed quickly. He knew the score too, and didn’t want to make a bad situation worse. I could have kissed him for that.

“What’s going on?” Astrid pressed. “Are you two in some kind of trouble?”

“Always,” Maverick responded, plastering over the awkward moment with one of his trademark smirks. “You should know that about me by now, sister mine.”

“Is there something else I can help with or did that answer your question?” she frowned.

“One more thing,” Maverick said. “Have any of you ever heard of some kind of vampire god? Is that a thing?”

He directed the question at Rook this time, who stared back, unsmiling. The kid looked paler than usual, owing to the hex placed on him centuries ago. The binding that kept him inside the castle was wearing off slowly, but he still couldn’t stay away from the castle for more than a day or two. Fox estimated it would take around six months for the curse to go away completely. He’d be heading home tomorrow evening and he’d be trapped in Blood Rose for the next few days to balance the magical drain on his body.

Rook shook his head slowly. “Not that I know of. At least, we don’t have a deity like your goddess. My line was supposedly descended from the first vampires, which is why we’re considered the public face of vampire kind.”

“These first vampires, were they just like modern ones? Could they do anything extra?”

Rook’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you asking?”

“I had a nightmare,” Maverick lied. “Just trying to assure myself I’m watching too many horror flicks late at night. Was it ever possible for vampires to...” He paused floundering, unable to find the words. I finished for him.

“Does Dracula compare in any way to vampires that arethousands of years old?”

Rook chewed his lip, thinking. “I’m not sure. There are rumors that some vampire powers had a basis in fact, but it would have been so long ago that there aren’t any written records I could point to. It’s mostly rumor and conjecture.”

Astrid cleared her throat, shrinking under the suspicious stare that Maverick turned her way. She raised her hands in surrender.

“Don’t hex the messenger.”

“What more do you know, Astrid?” he asked.

“I think you should call Aunt Celestine. She’s mentioned the sort of thing you’re talking about.”

Maverick stared at her in unflattering shock for a moment before he burst out, “You’ve been talking with Celestine? When? How?”

Astrid winced at his tone and volume. “Ouch. Could you tone it down, Mav? That hurt.”

Maverick mouthed at her soundlessly for a moment before grimacing and amending his tone. When he spoke, his voice came out slowly and quietly, enunciating each word.

“Why and how are you talking with Celestine?”

“By phone. She’s entitled to a little contact with the outside world, or she’d go insane within a few weeks. I wrote to her not long after I turned, asking her for more details about her vision she’d seen that caused her to… well, do what she’d done to the others and tried to do to you. I just wanted to understand why she did it.”

“And?” Maverick continued, his eyes angry again. As far as I understood, Celestine Depraysie was like Public Enemy Number One.

“And what I got back sounded insane,” Astrid continued.

“What did she say?” Maverick asked.

Astrid shook her head. “I think you really need to hear itfrom her own lips. I can call someone and get you a meeting with her.”

“Not yet,” Maverick said. “At the moment, we have bigger fish to fry. We’re going out. Don’t wait up for us.”

Before I could protest, Maverick seized me by the hand and dragged me bodily from the coven house and out into the cool evening air.

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