Page 50 of Always Eros

“I’m told that you might know something about a blood king,” Hale asks. “I was attacked a few nights ago by, um… men, who demanded to know his whereabouts.”

“I know the men who attacked you were vampires,” I answer. “Eros told me they exist.”

Thorn seems to laugh, but ends up coughing. Did I say something funny?

“Right,” Hale says. “Do you know anything about a blood king?”

“More importantly,” Eros says, gently rubbing my shoulder. “Do you recognize Hale?”

I glance at Eros and nod before turning back to Hale. “Your picture is in the Devotion hall,” I answer. “As a disciple.”

Hale’s face screws up. “Disciple? I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve never been in a cult and certainly not referred to as a disciple. This doesn’t make any sense.”

“When were you turned, Hale?” Yves asks.

Hale opens his mouth to speak, but seems to lack words to answer. “Um, my rebirth is hazy. I don’t know the exact year or who my maker is. I awoke in a mansion surrounded by the others who would become my coven. We were dumped there.”

“But when was it?” Eros asks.

“Roughly a hundred years ago. Maybe a bit more. As I said, it was hazy. We stayed in darkness for years, fed by men in masks. Other vampires.”

“And you have no idea who turned you or why?” Yves asks, sounding as skeptical as I feel. “What were you doing before that?”

Hale rubs his forehead. “I don’t know. It’s like I just woke up and was this. My life before that…” He shakes his head. “No memory of it. Eventually, we were freed from our confines. After that, one of us stepped forward to lead the coven. His name was Nalan. We stuck together and slowly learned what we were and how to take care of ourselves. No one came. No one explained anything.”

“You were turned and abandoned?” Thorn asks. “That’s fucked up.”

“Indeed,” Yves agrees. “And suspicious. Who does that? And not just one person, but several? It doesn’t sound right.”

“Honestly, I haven’t thought about it in so long. We found our own home, met other vampires, learned how to exist beyond the mortals.” His eyes flick to me. “To hear that I’ve been recognized in this way is alarming. It makes me wonder what my life was before this.”

Biting my bottom lip, I search my memory for anything that could help. “We were told the blood king died from tainted blood and appointed his best disciple to take over, who became known as the Supreme Being.”

Hale tilts his head. “Supreme Being…”

“Does that ring a bell?” Eros asks.

“Vaguely. Many years ago now, Nalan disappeared for a few months. It wasn’t unlike him. Sometimes he wanted to be in solitude. This time was a little different because he was gone longer than usual and he never checked in. We worried. When he returned, something was different. He didn’t want to talk about it, but I overheard him mumbling in his sleep one night. I couldn’t make it out but hearing you say those words feels familiar. Supreme Being. I think that’s what Nalan was saying.”

Yves and Eros exchange looks before Yves speaks. “I think we need to learn more about Nightsky.”

Hale’s eyes go wide. “Nightsky? Where did you learn that word?” he asks, looking at each of us.

“It’s the name of the cult I was in. Where I saw your picture.”

“No.” Hale stands, gripping his side as he backs away from all of us. “No, that can’t be true.”

“Well, it is. Do you know about Nightsky?” I ask.

“Nathan talked about it all the time. He didn’t call it a cult. He said it was a religious order that his brother belonged to. A peaceful religious order.”

“Oh shit,” Thorn says. “Nathan was connected to Nightsky.”

“And was possibly tracked down because of that connection,” Yves adds.

“And it’s becoming pretty fucking clear there’s a lot more going on at Nightsky than a peaceful religious order,” Eros says. He grips my hand in his. “You could be in danger, Justice. If they hunted Nathan…”

“They weren’t looking for Nathan,” Hale says. “They wanted me. I am certain of that.”

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