Page 19 of Betrayed in Blood
Devon looked at Sonja, whose expression was locked down. He turned toward Alejandro and Mariah who sat silent as stones.
“What’s going on here?”
Gregor sucked in a long breath and released it slowly. “These children are all vampires.”
It tookseveral minutes for Devon to register what he’d heard. Children. Vampires. They were so young.
“Let’s say hello to them.” Gregor strode out to the play gym and when the children spotted him, they all ran to him. He stroked their hair and laughed as the children shouted over each other to be heard.
Devon followed, knowing Cressa was a few steps behind him.
“Now, children, you must listen.” Gregor waited for them to quiet. “This is my good friend Devon. He’s the leader of a great vampire House in the United States. Let’s make him feel welcome.”
Two youngsters, a boy and a girl, each took Devon’s hands and led him to the swings, where they pushed him toward one. He sat and gently swayed as the children surrounded him. They asked questions about the States, how large his House was, and whether he liked Spain and their home.
He glanced up to find Cressa standing off to one side, Sonja next to her as they watched. Once his welcome had worn off, the children returned to the gym, and Gregor walked with him to the tables where the teenagers were working on crafts.
Devon stopped by each one, asking what they were doing while watching them demonstrate the craft. He didn’t want to disturb the readers, but he also didn’t want to make them left out. He’d noticed them watching him over the tops of their books. So, he stopped to ask what they were reading and if they enjoyed their studies.
After a half hour, the chime rang again, and without hesitation, the children strode back to the building. Before they disappeared into the building, they all turned and waved, and he waved back.
Once they were alone again and seated at a table, Devon asked, “Are these orphans?”
“No. They were all born here within the last twenty years. We have several vampire females who are pregnant. The building in the back that you probably noted when we arrived are apartments, but also includes a state-of-the-art maternity ward, including a NICU, which, fortunately, is rarely needed.”
“I don’t understand.” And he didn’t. The vampire infertility problem was a known crisis and had been for decades. It was a rare moment that any female got pregnant. It was one of the reasons the Council sided with Venizi over a century ago that it was necessary to allow vampires to turn humans. There was a restriction on how many could be turned within a House over a given period of time, though a few of the Houses found ways around the restrictions.
“How can there be so many children?” Rage built as he glared at Gregor. “What are you doing here? Is this some sort of bioengineering?”
“No.” Gregor must have sensed Devon’s anger, but instead of matching his ire, he slowly shook his head. His demeanor appeared more sorrowful. “The Council has been lying to our society for generations.” He shrugged. “I believe that many on the Council don’t know the truth. But the ancients who still hold a seat know. Most ignore it. Others hide it.”
Devon stood, and Cressa popped up beside him. “I don’t believe it. This is too important to hide.”
Gregor had stood in reaction to Devon. “No, my friend. This must remain a secret until you uncover theDe første dage. It’s the single document that can shed light on the dark and unite our society. And I trust you to be the beacon to our path forward.”
ChapterSix
I grippedDevon’s hand as we walked through the manor toward our suite. The farther we walked, the more he leaned on me. I released his hand and grabbed him around the waist to provide more support.
I had no idea what was going through this head. The school had been a shock to me. A gaggle of baby vamps. Kids who would mature at a normal human rate until they reached puberty. At that time, their aging would begin to slow until they reached their late twenties to early thirties, when the process would decrease further, moving at a barely measurable rate.
From the first mention that the children were vampires and all through Devon’s interactions with them, I’d kept an eye on him. His voice had shaken the first time he’d said hello to a young male. It grew stronger as he smiled and laughed with them. He maintained his cheerful attitude until their walk back to the golf carts, when his smile collapsed, and a tic formed along his jaw.
How he’d held it together for this long was beyond me. He’d always suspected more was going on with the vampire Council than just the purge—the attempted genocide of an entire race of people. Devon had always been concerned about the fertility issue within his race, but he’d never mentioned suspicions that the Council might be hiding something so crucial to their sustainability.
I opened the door and, once inside, immediately closed and locked it. We barely made two steps before Devon crumpled to the floor. I dropped next to him and wrapped my arms around him.
He leaned his head on my shoulder as his body shook. Then the sobs came. Never, not once through his addiction, or when he found the car carrying me to the manor nothing more than a burnt husk, or during my escape from Shadow Island, had I ever known him to cry. I’d never witnessed him broken.
No words were spoken as I held him until the crying stopped, and his arms came around me.
“Come on. Let’s get you to bed.” I kissed his cheek, but when he didn’t move, I nudged him. “I can’t properly hug you like this.”
He lifted his head, and the air caught in my throat. A tortured soul stared back at me. He must have been thinking of his family and friends. All the vamps in his life who’d spent years—decades—trying in vain to have children, not knowing that somehow, the game had been rigged.
What else could it be? Somehow, the infertility problem within the vampire species didn’t exist at El Recinto. Gregor hadn’t elaborated on how this came to be. Maybe he didn’t know. Maybe he understood how much this would impact a House leader—how much it would impact Devon.
I tugged on his arm, finally getting him to rise, and with my help, he removed his clothes before falling into bed. I threw the covers over him before I quickly undressed and crawled in next to him. His skin was ice cold, and I nestled next to him, sharing my warmth.
