Page 5 of Crimson Devotion
Without a word, I obey her clear command, and she’s quick to put the necklace around my neck. The chain is thin, with a little crescent moon pendant that suits it perfectly.
“What’s this?” I ask, subconsciously reaching up to touch it.
“A protective spell. It won’t let a single vampire touch you. An invisible shield, if you will.’’
“Not even the Sacred Seven?”
“Especially them,’’ Yvonne mumbles. “Don’t worry.’’
I turn to look at her, remembering the time when I first found out who she truly was.
As per usual, I was snooping around her study yesterday while she was out, skimming through her thorough research. That’s when I stole all the potions from the potion room that’s connected to her study. She had vial upon vial of many liquids in there, and a little crystal ball. Not knowing what the crystal ball did, I didn’t pay much attention to it until I accidentally spilled a vial of blood on it.
It was Yvonne’s blood.
And within a minute, every single part of Yvonne’s past was revealed to me.
Yvonne Von Cardell is the witch that cursed the Sacred Seven. The oldest witch alive. The immortal one. And the one that put Lucifer D’Achille to eternal slumber. No one knows who she is, or her ties to the Sacred Seven.
Yvonne has a binding past to them, and if the rest of them were to find out that she’s still alive, and immortal, they’d come for her. For her safety, and my own, I will never utter a word of what I’d seen.
“I trust you.’’ I take a deep breath, giving her a soft smile. “Thank you.’’
“Don’t thank me.’’ She scoffs and steps back, allowing me to pass. “I’m only doing this to keep you alive. You’re a fantastic hunter; it would be a shame to lose you.’’
“Yeah, yeah.’’ I wave her off. “I’ll be careful, don’t worry.’’
“And if you need help—’’
“No,’’ I cut her off with a determined expression. “I need to do this on my own. For myself, and for my parents.’’
—
Thirteen hours of a terribly turbulent plane ride later, I’m finally on Romanian soil. I probably should’ve learned a couple of phrases in the language, or at least enough to ask for instructions, but I didn’t, and now, I’m left to fend for myself.
I have a physical map that I’m struggling to understand.
From the slight research I did, there’s only one castle in Transylvania that would be fitting for someone of Ophelia’s caliber. It’s massive, and the locals are hesitant to even talk about it. However, one was kind enough to tell me that humans do not go there.
After pressing for directions, I got an answer.
One that I completely forgot approximately fifteen minutes later.
With a deep breath, I head toward the small path on the right, completely disregarding the map. I tuck it in the back pocket of my jeans, my Dr. Martens creating a squeaky noise whenever they hit some mud.
The forest is thick, and I can barely tell there’s a small path. In one hand, I’m holding a flashlight, because it will get very dark, very soon, and in the other, a stake. If Ophelia’s as strong as Valerio,I know it won’t do any permanent damage, especially if he’s returned the bracelet to her already.
But I can still use it to my advantage.
More than anything, I need to know why.
Why did she kill my parents?
Vampires have the ability to only feed on humans, then heal them, and go on their merry way. However, the toxins in the vampire’s blood are highly addictive, hence why many become what hunters call “blood vessels.” They cannot function unless a vampire feeds on them, which is one more reason to get rid of them all.
They’re an abomination. A mistake of nature — or to be precise, Yvonne’s mistake.
To be fair, she cursed them with the inability to roam freely, and since it was the full moon, and she was an inexperienced witch back then, it kind of bound them to the full moon.
