Page 39 of Vampire Blood

We needed to take action. And for that, I needed information. Information that could only come from one person, the one I hated to deal with, the one who was locked beneath the earth in a cell meant for monsters.

“Callum,” I said, not looking back as I walked, my steps sure and purposeful. “We’re going back to the cell. I need answers. We’re not getting any closer to finding Aurelius or dealing with the rogue shifters without more help.”

Callum’s boots scuffed the dirt behind me as he caught up. “You sure about this?” he asked. “He’s not going to give you anything easily. And he’s still... dangerous.”

“I don’t care,” I muttered, my hand instinctively tightening around the hilt of the dagger at my side. “I’m not sitting around waiting for them to make the next move. We need to know what the other vampire clans are up to. Damien might be the only one who can tell us. I’ll get the information from him, one way or another.”

Callum didn’t respond right away, but I could feel his eyes on the back of my neck. He knew how much I hated dealing with Damien, how much I wanted to avoid him altogether. But sometimes, you had to put your emotions aside for the greater good.

“We’ll do it together,” Callum finally said. “But if he tries anything—”

“I know,” I snapped, cutting him off. “We handle it. We don’t back down.”

The tension felt heavier now, pressing down on me as we neared the place where I’d locked away my uncle. The air felt thicker here, as if even the earth itself could sense the weight of what was about to happen.

It didn’t matter. I was prepared for whatever came next. The answers we needed were within that damned cell, and I wasn’t leaving without them.

I didn’t look at Callum as I gestured for him to open the door. He did so without question, the heavy metal creaking under the strain.

“Damien,” I said, my voice steady, though my mind was anything but. “I’m here for answers. And you’re going to give them to me. Now.”

The silence from within was suffocating, but I didn’t flinch. I knew that man too well. He’d try to make me doubt myself, try to twist the truth. But I wouldn’t let him. Not this time.

“I’m listening,” I said, pushing further into the darkness.

Damien’s chuckle echoed from the darkness of the cell, the sound like nails scraping against a blackboard. I could feel his eyes on me, even though I couldn’t see them clearly through the bars. His presence, like always, was suffocating, filling the space with a sense of malice and old grudges.

“How many times are we going to do this dance?” he asked with contempt, as if I were wasting his time.

I stood there, unmoving, my eyes adjusting to the dim light in the chamber. Callum was by my side, silent as always. His presence was a steady reminder that I wasn’t alone in this. Still, this confrontation was mine to handle.

“I’m not here for games, Damien,” I said in an ice-cold voice. “The rogue clans, Aurelius, the shifters—you know something. I’m not leaving here until I get some answers.”

Damien’s eyes narrowed, but the mockery didn’t vanish. “Answers? You think I care about your little war, your human struggles? I have nothing to offer you.”

I leaned in closer, my fists tightening on the cold iron bars, my voice low but forceful. “You do have something to offer, Damien. Information. And if you don’t give it to me, I’ll take you to the rogue vampires myself and leave you on their doorstep wrapped up like a fucking Christmas present.”

His expression faltered for just a moment, just long enough for me to know I had hit a nerve. He quickly masked it, but the damage was done. I had him on edge.

“Do you really think I’m afraid of you, Lucas?” His smile twisted into something cruel. “You’re no threat. Not to me. Not to anyone.”

I wasn’t interested in playing his game anymore. “Where are they hiding him?” I demanded, cutting through his words. “Aurelius. You know something, and you’re going to tell me.”

Damien let out a slow, deliberate sigh as if he were humoring a child. “You don’t even know what you’re up against,do you? Aurelius isn’t some lowborn vampire, Lucas. He’s an ancient, a relic from a time before your precious town ever existed.”

I stepped closer, anger bubbling beneath my skin. “What do you mean? Tell me more.”

Damien shifted in his cell, his eyes glinting with something dangerous. “You want to know? Fine. Aurelius was sealed away long ago, but he’s not just some forgotten corpse. His power is tied to more than just blood. It’s bound to the earth itself, to an ancient place. The shifters have been trying to unlock that power, to wake him from his prison for a long time.”

“The place,” I said, my voice sharp. “Where is it?”

Damien’s eyes flickered with something like hesitation, but then he gave a small, almost imperceptible smile. “Now that’s the question, isn’t it? It’s not something you can just stumble upon, Lucas. The power of Aurelius is tied to an old site, hidden deep in the mountains. Few even know of its existence. But you—”

“Where?” I interrupted, pressing him harder. I needed him to give me something concrete.

Damien’s lips curled upward as if he enjoyed this more than he should have. “The old temple. The one buried beneath the earth, beneath the ruins of the city. The one no one remembers. My guess is that’s where they’ll attempt to awaken him.”

The words hit me like a hammer. My heart skipped a beat, the weight of what Damien was saying crashing down on me. The temple. The ruins. I had heard whispers, rumors from the older vampires, but I had never paid attention. No one had.

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