Page 34 of Kept 3
“James, how is it that you and your sister have vampire blood in your systems?”
“I told you,” he squirms uncomfortably, “we drain a vampire and gain their strength.”
“I don’t believe you,” I stare at him, “because Lucy said you needed ‘top-ups’ if you were injured horribly, but it seems to me that she and you, since you are related, were born as hunters.”
He stares at me, saying nothing.
“I want to know how hunters were originally made.”
“That’s not something I can share with you, Josephine.”
“Then I’m afraid I can’t help you,” I rise, preparing to leave.
“Wait,” he closes his eyes, looking pained, “OK. But you can’t share this with anyone, ever. It is a closely guarded secret. It is part of hunter lore.”
“Just spit it out, James.”
“Did Lucy tell you that Elsbeth made all hunters?”
“No, I found that out for myself reading the journals.”
He considers me carefully for a moment.
“Well, what those particular journals don’t say, what I’m not even sure Lord Montague knows, is that the very first hunter was Elsbeth’s own son, Alexander.”
“What?” I know my voice is hushed and shocked.
“Her son, her only child. She gave him her blood when she learned he was to go to war against the French. She was worried he would die, so she had him drink a glass of her blood. But when he returned, she enlisted him to help her destroy her vampire enemies.”
“Holy shit,” I breathe, “and then what? She made more and more?”
“No,” he shakes his head, “the bloodline continued. Our family are descendants of hers. All other hunters were made byus. You see, she was a manipulator par excellence. Some of her family down the ages she favoured, but others who didn’t do her bidding, choose the wives she suggested, do as she recommended, politically, she turned against her. Eventually, the two sides of the family diverged. One side continued to serve, while one, the Lanesborough side, actively worked to destroy her, and every vampire they could find. The children who were not born with her vampire blood in their genes were enabled to continue as hunters by catching and draining other vampires. My family aim to destroy all vampires – but our numbers dwindle every year, through vampire predation and low birth numbers, so we have switched from just hunting individuals to huntingoneindividual who holds the key to all of them.”
“How do you know this super vampire even exists?” I wonder out loud.
“Because vampires are not the only ones who keep journals,” he says quietly, “and Elsbeth’s son was a diligent correspondent.”
“So, the pen really is mightier than the sword, in the end,” I muse.
“Yes,” he laughs quietly.
“Just so you know, there is no way I can read all Lord Montague’s journals in my lifetime. He has written one every year for the past five centuries,” I frown, filing away the information about James’ family for future consideration, “and just how do you propose I get into his library? Which I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, is locked.”
“Josephine,” he tilts his head to one side and smiles at me, “you have been living under this vampire’s roof for months, yet he has not turned you into his Kept – he has feelings for you, use them.”
“Feelings.” I roll the word around on my tongue for a moment.
‘Yes, I suppose he does.’
As I think this, I acknowledge, quite suddenly and uncomfortably, that I have feelings for Nicholas too.
“Yes, feelings,” James says, bringing me back to the moment, “so use them, or your body, or whatever it is he is enjoying right now, to get him to trust you and allow you to read his journals.
“My body? I’m not a whore, James.”
“I know,” he slaps his thigh in frustration, making me jump, “but do you want your freedom? Or do you want to be running for the rest of your life, forever looking behind you in the knowledge that one day, or one night, hewillfind you?”
I shudder and rise, he’s right. I need to end this.
