Page 25 of Love Heals
"Let me rephrase my question," Collin said. "What do youexpectthe prophecy to say?"
"Don't you think there has to be a good reason the vampires are so scared of dhampirs?" Vlad asked. "The prophecy must reveal a power exclusive to them, something that would allow dhampirs to overthrow vampires." He paused. "I don't know the true version of the prophecy, but there's two lines that repeat themselves over and over again in various translations from different sources.The curse of the vampires will vanish from the earth."
We all let the words of the prophecy wash over us for a moment or two.The curse of the vampires will vanish...Did that mean we would cease to exist? An uncomfortably cold sensation settled in my stomach.
No wonder the vampires of old had been scared.
Nobody liked having the end of their reign, maybe even their lives, foretold.
While we stood in silence, Vlad pulled something out of a small bag he'd brought. It was a stone, barely larger than his fist. No, not a stone. It was too shiny for that. It glittered too, when the light caught it just right, in deep blue and teal colors. Once Vlad held it up for all to see, I recognized it immediately. The Seeker Stone. It had been one of Nicolai's most prized possessions, capable of finding anyone. If one was willing to pay the price.
My heart dropped, knowing exactly how this gem had passed into Vlad's possession. He must have been working with these mortals all along. Of course. He must be how they got that bomb installed at the basement in the first place.
My hands balled into fists at my sides. I wasn't a violent creature, never had been, but that moment, I found myself wishing that I was. That I had a superpower more effective than just getting people to desire me more. That I had something I could throw into his face to make him hurt the way I hurt every time I thought back to that night.
But I didn't have anything like that. I was a pet, not a warrior. So I exhaled and made myself stay exactly where I was, saying nothing as the mortals studied the stone with interest, as if it wasn't the spoils of a war won with blood.
Vlad glanced my way, but his expression was unreadable. I only hoped that my face mirrored his.
"What is this?" Luke asked. "The gem you wanted?"
"I promised you I'd tell you what I had planned, didn't I?" Vlad replied.
"I still don't understand why you needed me to take out Nicolai."
"I didn't," Vlad admitted. "I wanted to see if you had what it takes."
"To fulfill the prophecy?"
Vlad nodded.
"What exactly are the conditions?" Remy asked, even though he'd been quiet so far.
"I can't be certain," Vlad responded. "But we will know once we know the full prophecy. This stone will lead us to the last person alive who knows it."
"How?" Collin asked. Apparently, his reservations about working with Vlad were taking a backseat for now, his eyes glued to the gem before him. Briefly, he cut his gaze to Luke. "It looks kind of like the Blood Crystal, doesn't it? Only the colors are different."
Luke nodded, but didn't say anything.
"It's part of a set," Vlad explained. "Three stones in total. They work in different ways. The Blood Crystal protects you. This one will lead us to what we seek."
"But how does it work?" Collin asked again.
Vlad exhaled. "This, I do not know. It has to be activated through means unknown to me. Luckily, though, there's someone in the room who might be able to tell us." The older vampire's gaze bored into me.
I tried not to let the intensity of his stare intimidate me. I didnotwant to be this vampire's center of attention. Even if all vampires were predators, this one was much higher up in the food chain than I was.
Jared turned to me, moving a little, as if he wanted to block me from Vlad's gaze. I allowed myself to exhale as I felt some of the pressure fall off me. Jared shot me a questioning look, though. He wanted to know too. I bit my lower lip, feeling conflicted.
"I can't tell you about the Seeker Stone," I said, keeping my eyes on Jared, even while I knew that everyone in the room was looking at me, that everyone was listening.
"Why not?" Jared asked. It was a neutral question, free of judgement. He was genuinely interested in my reasons. If he'd asked any other way, I might have kept them to myself.
"I can't betray my kind again," I explained.
"We're not asking you to kill anyone," Collin said. I didn't look at him, and I didn't respond to him either. No one had asked me to kill anyone when I'd helped Luke, and yet that was what my decision had resulted in. I wasn't going to help this family again without thinking about it long and hard.
And then, there was that other thing that held me back. I didn't like to admit to it, even to myself, but the thought of telling the mortals how the Seeker Stone worked made my throat constrict and my sire’s voice fill my head.Don't ever share this with anyone.It hadn't been a simple request. It had been a command, one that I couldn't refuse, if I wanted to or not.
