Page 24 of The Vanishing
“Minha amiga, he’s okay,” Ladislao assures her. “He’s kind, like me. And from the outside world.”
She’s blinking at Nino with large brown eyes. The dim nature of the room makes the light of Nino’s aura sparkle and reflect in her irises.
“Nino, can she touch your shield?” Ladislao urges her to stand at the bedside, just beyond the perimeter of his sphere. The girl seems harmless, and Nino knows he’s well protected behind his aura, so he nods.
Ladislao guides her hand up. He gently presses her palm flat against the shape. Her eyes widen with astonishment. She sucks in a breath and whips her head toward Ladislao, then to her hand before resting her gaze on Nino.
“She can’t speak,” Ladislao whispers. “I think my tio or someone did something to her… She’s the only purebred I’ve met here outside of the tall guy with one ear. It took me months to earn her trust, but I think I have it now?”
Looking her over, Nino considers the weak pulse of her purebred aura—the quiet swirl of two separate energies within her. “She’s bonded.”
“Mm. I think her mate is down in the village.” He turns to her. “See? We’re not bad people. He’s strong, but he won’t hurt—”
The three of them jump at a loud banging sound against the door. The small female removes her hand and rushes toward the exit. Before she’s there, the one-eared male steps inside, snarling, “Enough—Kahla, what’s taking you so long? Useless wretch.”
As soon as the girl disappears into the dark hallway, the male slams the door shut, rattling the walls. When it’s silent, Nino withdraws his aura and falls back down against the bed in a huff, his energy levels tanking fast.
“I don’t know why his ear hasn’t regenerated already—it’s been over a year now…” Ladislao walks over to the small table, regarding its contents: two glasses filled with liquid.
“She left her lantern. Do you want blood?”
Nino’s stomach turns. “Whose blood?” he asks, his voice dry and tired as he lies with his cheek pressed against the silk comforter.This smells weird…
“Don’t know.” Ladislao shrugs. “But it’s purebred, so it will help you feel better.”
“No thanks.”
“You can drink another vampire’s blood this way without hurting your bond, amigo. So long as it isn’t intimate feeding—”
“Iknowthat. I don’t want it.” Nino sighs, his aching body limp against the bed as he mumbles. “I’d starve first.”
Across the room, Ladislao picks one of the glasses up from the tray. “True devotion… My tio is wrong about you and your mate.” He lifts the glass to his lips and finishes the entire thing in one long pull.
“Who was that female?” Nino asks when he’s done. “Why did you have her touch my aura?”
Ladislao picks the second glass up and holds it in Nino’s direction. “Last call?”
“It’s all yours.”
He lifts the glass and devours it. Nino can’t imagine drinking another vampire’s blood—under any circumstance. His mate has experienced the deepest betrayal possible within their culture. Nino would never do anything to trigger that feeling within him again. Ever.
When Ladislao is finished, he smacks his lips in a loud, satisfied sound. “I don’t know who this is, but they’re not bad at all. Very nice to my nature.” He places the glass down, then moves back to his seat on the ottoman. “She’s been bringing me blood since I arrived a year ago. I think my tio chose her because she’s non-verbal, which means she can’t talk about me with her other community members… I could be wrong though.”
“Are you a secret? And why would she be afraid of me?”
“Because she’s young, and maybe… I think some vampires here, they don’t know anything about the outside world. She was so skittish and fearful of me at first—for a long time. But after a while, I could see her mind changing. She started smiling at me when I said funny things and she lingered in the room, listening to me talk instead of dropping off the blood and running away. Usually, she doesn’t have an escort—the one-eared creepy guy stays pretty close to my tio’s side. She was nervous again today, but did you see how she reacted to your aura?”
“She seemed surprised.”
Ladislao nods. “It’s good for her. This exposure. I’ve noticed… Aside from my tio, maybe the other vampires here have weak auras? Kahla and One-ear, their energies are so pathetic as purebreds. After being here a year, I feel that mine has faded, too. I think she was surprised at how strong your aura is.”
Nino pushes himself upright. “Why is your uncle doing this? Do you know how this started?”
“I know he started this place a little over a hundred and fifty years ago, after he got into a fight with my father. They couldn’t agree on how to run the realm in Rio de Janeiro after Grandfather died, but since my father was the elder, he won. My tio decided he’d make his own ‘perfect realm’ somewhere new.”
Our race has become bastardized—marred with these first-, second- and third-generation creatures that reek of human blood…
The harsh words Lajos expressed during his visit to Kurashiki resurface in Nino’s mind. It seems the old vampire has succeeded in his goal. But to Nino, the result is questionable: faint auras, skittish and non-verbal servants and a one-eared henchman. Nino has never met purebreds like this. This realm seems far from perfect.
