Page 48 of The Night Runs Red

He held up a hand to stop me. “Don’t, Calia. What’s done is done. And regardless of the consequences of my actions, you saved me. I would have died in that garage if you had not offered your blood. I regret not being quick enough to stop you from being abducted.”

We both sat down at the table. Jasper pulled a small flask from his pocket, shaking it lightly before handing it over. “This conversation will likely require something a bit stronger.”

The alcohol burned my throat as it went down, but a sense of calm washed over me as I slid it back to him. We were silent, neither wanting to bring back the memories of that terrible day but needing to all the same. “What happened after they took me?”

Jasper blew out a sharp breath. “When a vampyre feeds from a living being, it lulls our body into what we call the daze. It does not matter what’s going on in the world around us. We are focused on taking in the sustenance we require or seeking the high of pleasure it provides. But it is almost impossible to snap out of it once we are in the daze. Thoughts and actions are fuzzy, nothing quite makes sense. It’s as if—”

“As if you’re in a daze?” I asked with a smirk. It amazed me how much I still had to learn about their kind, but I was an eager student.

He laughed. “No one said vampyres were original. Either way, I entered that mind space once I fed from you. When you were ripped away, I knew what was happening. I knew I should stop it, that I needed to get up and take you back, but my body refused to cooperate. Blood is the most intoxicating drug, and once its influence falls, there is no going back.”

I didn’t realize how much it affected them. My uncle had told me once that vampyres don’t often feed directly from living beings because of the consequences that follow, but I didn’t realize what they were until now. If done at the wrong time, it could mean your demise.

“When was the last time you fed from someone?”

Jasper thrummed his fingers along the table. “It’s been years—decades, really. He worked here in the manor. I don’t know how it began. We’d become good friends, but somewhere along the way, it grew into more.”

“What happened?” I was almost afraid to ask, knowing this story wouldn’t end happily.

He smiled sadly. “He grew sick. The kind that all the magic, potions, and power in the world could not have cured. I was there when he took his last breath.”

I reached out on instinct and placed my hand atop his. “It sounds as though you really loved him.”

“I did. Given the chance, I would have liked to live a life with him, I think. But our world is not always kind, and that dream is not always obtainable.”

I recalled my conversation with Rion when he’d found Jasper and me in the kitchen. He’d said Jasper would toss me away after he used me, but now it made sense. The man in front of me was broken, searching for someone who would light a fire in his heart the way someone had once before.

“What was his name?” I asked softly, careful not to break his tender reverie.

“Finn,” he said, tone melancholy before turning toward me and clearing his throat. “Now, where can I help you? Rion said you’ve been held up here looking for information on a symbol?”

Quickly, I filled him in on what I’d learned so far—which was next to nothing—until we landed on what I was studying before he came in. “But look at this,” I said, shoving the book of pairings toward him. “The information on the union before Rion and I is redacted. I can’t find anything about it.” He furrowed his brow, scanning the text. “Do you know anything about them? You were around then, right?”

He shook his head. “Rion and I were not in Kallistos, then. His father sent us both to school around that time.”

Well, shit. I had hoped I could ask Rion about it later, but Jasper ruined that idea. I just didn’t understand why their records were erased. Who were these two people, and who had something to hide by ensuring their identities never came out?

I could ask my aunt, but with how my uncle had been acting lately, my trust also wavered with her. It broke my heart, but I suddenly felt unsure about their constant love and affection over the years. That was crazy. Surely it hadn’t all been a ruse.

The only people left were Rion’s mother and uncle, both of whom terrified me to varying degrees. There was absolutely no way I could speak to them about this. They didn’t even like me. No, scratch that. They loathed me. Half the time, they looked at me like I would become their next tasty meal.

I groaned in frustration, leaning back in my seat. Jasper rested his head on his palm while he studied me. “Why are you lingering over this? I thought you were researching some symbol.”

“I was. I mean, I am.” I paused before scrunching up my face. “I’ve been searching for days and can’t find anything. I’ve looked through every old, dusty book I can find, scoured websites for old relic records, and you know what I have to show for it?” I threw my arms wide. “Nothing but more questions. But this? This feels important whether it pertains to that stupid symbol or not.”

He leans forward over the table. “If these records were sealed, it is likely for a reason, Calia.”

“My life is apparently at stake, Jasper. I’d say my curiosity is warranted,” I snapped.

He raises his hands in surrender. “I said nothing about not helping you, but just warning that this may lead you down a path you cannot return from. You must be ready to accept information you may not be ready for.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He sighs. “Calia, this woman is your ancestor. She was afflicted with the same curse placed on your shoulders, yet you have heard nothing about her. Doesn’t that seem strange?”

Obviously, it did, or I wouldn’t be holding onto this the way I was. “Of course, but—”

“So it stands to reason that someone is lying to you. At the very least, they are keeping information from you, but why?”

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