Darklight 4: Darkblood Page 5

  Good play, Roxy. We needed to know what kind of people Juneau hung around.

  The Immortal seemed oddly serene. A bit amused?

  "You don't trust me," Juneau guessed.

  Kane snorted. "Obviously. You’re a ruler.”

  “A ruler who saved you from Inkarri and her velek,” Juneau reminded him, a bite coming into his voice.

  “You saw an opportunity to make a situation work to your advantage.” Kane leaned toward the Immortal, teeth flashing menacingly. "It’s obvious you don’t like Inkarri, but that’s no surprise. In my experience, rulers generally dislike each other. You don’t like others getting in the way of your own selfish wants. Who’s to say you didn’t rescue us,” his tone dripped with sarcasm, “just so you could turn us in to Irrikus yourself for the social benefits? And now you want us to present our friends to you like they’re curiosities?"

  Kane was pushing it. I would be curious, too, if I came across an entirely new species for the first time. Actually, that exact feeling was quite familiar… and it could work to our advantage.

  Juneau tilted his head to the side, his long hair spilling magnificently over his shoulders and down his back. "Curiosity should never be looked down upon. In fact, I find it the highest honor among any creatures. My curiosity is a compliment. I meant no offense."

  Laini pressed her lips into a fine line. Her eyebrows quirked together in a slow movement, as if she was mulling something over. What was she trying to decide in her head? She looked to me like a still boat in the water, with equal chance of suddenly turning one way or the other.

  "Well, it's twice you've offended," Kane snarled and gestured to Laini. "You can play the innocent, magnanimous bystander all you want. This is a trap if ever I've seen one." He folded his arms stubbornly across his chest.

  "It seems likely," Dorian agreed, but with much less bite. “Juneau, you must understand that vampires are naturally suspicious of any rulers, given our tumultuous history.” Kane threw him an annoyed scowl as if to say, Our fearless leader can't be seriously duped by this weirdo.

  Juneau exuded charm, I gave him that. Dorian was probably trying to figure out why this ruler would choose to rescue us. Kane had a point—maybe his interest was a ruse and he planned to hand us over to the hunters to improve his status—but still, Juneau could have easily called out to Inkarri and taken the credit then and there. If it wasn’t for him, we would probably be in the back of the prison carriage with the Hive vampires and their allies from the exposed safehouse.

  “And we’re suspicious too,” Roxy chimed in, spokesperson for the human contingent. “We want to know your intentions just as much as the vampires do.”

  “What’s stopping us from killing you right now?” Laini asked, her voice sharp. “There’s enough of us to do it. I’m sure you’re aware of that.”

  My palms itched. Something in Laini had shifted on our way through the Gray Ravine. It intensified with every second that we stayed in Itzarriol. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but it was hardly the time. Better to wait until after this awkward exchange.

  “Well, even if we ignore the fact that I have servants ready to come fight on my behalf, your fangs aren’t out,” Juneau noted with a little shrug. “So I can’t be that evil. Of course, you could try to kill me regardless, but I don’t think it would end well for you.”

  Dorian had said before that he didn’t sense darkness within this strange Immortal. I peeked at Kane and Laini, neither of whom had their fangs on display.

  "Just because you don't make us hungry doesn't mean you're not up to something. We're not telling you anything unless…" Kane’s unfinished sentence hung in the air.

  The fact was, we had nothing to bargain with. Kane could snarl his demands all he wanted, but we were fresh out of leverage. We had zero allies. Our Hive comrades, who already held us at arm's length due to their own worries, had vanished into the back of a prison carriage. After the discovery of the safehouse, the hunters would be vigilantly searching every nook and cranny for wayward vampires.

  Juneau's eyebrows raised in what I imagined must be a well-practiced display of anticipation. He knew that we were putty—or perhaps fine pliable fabric—in his hands.

  Kane said nothing, seething behind gritted teeth.

  Juneau gestured toward the grand house behind us. "This is my family home." A cold sheen came over his eyes. "However, now that all my family members have finally passed away, I live here alone, in peace. You know how it is, Mother always giving you a hard time about not being bloodthirsty enough for the family line. She was eventually happy I took to fabric so well."

  Something about his tone gave me pause. Had he taken out his family in order to inherit the house? I shared a quick glance with Dorian, wanting to check whether he thought this guy might be some kind of serial killer.

  The pain flared again as our eyes met, making us both take a sharp breath. Beneath the pain, however, nothing in his face made me think he sensed great darkness in Juneau.

  As I made my own visual assessment of our impromptu host, Juneau's dazzling robes caught my eye. His soft hands, which held no indication of labor, hardly looked like they would dirty themselves with blood. In the moment of tense silence that followed his words, Juneau brought his hands to his neck and touched a delicate string of pearls. Now that I was paying closer attention, I realized he wore several additional pieces of jewelry. I counted six rings on one hand, two stacked on his index finger. A gleaming golden skull ring sat on his thumb.

  "I can even take off my magicked jewelry, if that will reassure you further that I have no malevolent spells on my person," he said. He began to remove the skull ring.

  Kane scoffed. "This is what makes you untrustworthy! You’re trying too hard," he said. "Why would you do this in front of vampires? We’re supposed to believe that you’re purposefully making yourself weak in front of us?"

  Juneau smirked. "You're no fool, but you must believe me when I say that I am simply curious and more than a little bored. Nothing fun happens here anymore." His nostrils flared. "It's always the same stupid parties over and over. Celebrations of cruelty and power. Can you imagine anything so inane? I have half a mind to fall dead from a lack of intellectual stimulation. I want something from you, something to spice up my day."

  "Of course you do," Kane said hotly.

  "Let's hear what he has to say," Dorian said. He swept his cloak around him. His strength must have returned faster than mine. My heart beat quicker, seeing his handsome determination in the strange aquatic lights of the courtyard. There was still a slight burn in my chest, but it was much better than before.

  Juneau held out his arm toward the house. "I'll let you stay here for a night under my protection. In exchange for my hospitality, I want your stories. I want to hear them from your own mouths." His stare quickly flickered to me and Roxy. "I especially want to know about these two enchanting creatures. That's all I ask."

  "A story is all you want?" Dorian asked tightly, his jaw set as he stared Juneau down. “One story for one night.”

  "A story is worth more than many things," Juneau replied. "It's all I want. And if you decide not to trust me, then, as we’ve mentioned before, your party outnumbers me. You can jump me, tie me up, and make a tidy little escape into the soul-lit night.” He paused, and I couldn’t help but momentarily appreciate his dramatic timing. “It's only polite that I let you inside to confer among yourselves for a while. I'll leave you to it."

  He walked elegantly toward the grand double doors of his mansion and threw them open. A wave of cooler air and musky fragrance washed out into the garden. I shifted, staring closely at Dorian and the other vampires. What did they sense in Juneau? Could there be any magic that covered an Immortal's darkness, camouflaging their nature?

  Juneau gave a playful knock on the door and smiled. "Come now. Or would you rather try your luck with Inkarri and her magicked velek as they patrol the streets? The skimmer patrols will be out, too. Ugly little things." Th
e hint of a threat lingered in his otherwise warm voice, and a tingle ran down my spine. This ruler had saved us, but could he be trusted?

  Dorian's gaze swept over our group. I could practically see his silent decision in the lines of his tense expression.

  We had little choice. Who was I kidding? We had no choice.

  As a group, we cautiously followed Juneau inside the mansion, the doors closing behind us with a thunderous slam.

  * * *

  True to his word, Juneau let us have time alone in the antechamber of his home. Where he went while we spoke in low, urgent voices, I had no idea, but the vampires seemed convinced that he had actually left. We quickly discussed that we should give him a modified version of our story. We didn’t have time to make up something entirely new and get our stories straight, so we would keep as close as possible to a harmless version of the truth. Some parts we could leave out for our own safety and that of our allies both here and in the Mortal Plane, in case Juneau was just trying to gather information to sell to Irrikus. We would tell him nothing of the supposed connection between the Immortal Plane and the Bureau, and not a single word about the existence of the Hive, which was of the utmost secrecy. However, we still needed to keep him entertained, so we would spill harmless details.

  After we left the antechamber, we found Charrek waiting in the hall. He guided us through what felt like never-ending grand halls and chambers, through twinkling emerald tiles that changed as we moved from room to room, climbing from the floor to walls to the ceiling. They morphed into incredibly colorful mosaics formed from millions of tiles that had been lovingly carved to fit into an enormous, intricate narrative depicting alligator-like creatures crawling across endless rolling hills, slices of onyx stone, and plants I had yet to see in the Immortal Plane. Behind the reptilian horde, mounted on winged beasts made of pure embers, were an array of rulers that all looked like Juneau in some regard. The same skin, the same hair. I couldn’t help but notice that each was minutely disfigured—they were all missing their eyes. I tore my gaze away, dizzy from the intricate patterns, and once again unsettled by the possibility that our host was a little insane.

  Unfortunately for my dizziness, there were nothing but intricate patterns everywhere I looked. Each open door afforded us a new glimpse of extravagance. The servants had obediently fled and were nowhere to be found. Only Charrek led us through the mansion, staring straight ahead as he finally ground to a halt and opened a set of double doors for us. His thick bottom lip was affixed in a permanent pout, the jaw tucked forward into an underbite, but his large eyes were clear and calm as we passed him. His second pair of arms—the less muscled but more dexterous-looking pair—remained crossed at all times. Interesting.

  Juneau sat like an Immortal prince at the end of a long dining table that stretched nearly the entire length of the walls. The polished black creation could easily seat forty people, but we all clustered together at the end by Juneau. I sat as near the ruler as I could, and Dorian, with his superior hearing, sat several chairs away in isolation. I leaned my elbows on the cold stone surface.

  The dining hall stretched high above us, arching slightly before disappearing into inky darkness. Part of me wanted to slam both fists onto the table to see how far the sound would echo in the emptiness. I couldn't shake the feeling that it must be rather depressing to eat alone in this room every day, with only servants around for company.

  Everything about Juneau's home made me feel as though we had stumbled into some bizarre, above-ground version of Atlantis. The walls seemed to breathe with life as dappled blue-and-green light filtered down from innumerable gems embedded in stone columns. The same kelp plants that lined the exterior wall shivered and swayed in raised mother-of-pearl planters around the room's perimeter. I squinted at the moving plants. There was absolutely no breeze in here.

  Never-ending rows of portraits stared down at us from the walls. It was clear that they were family members, as with the hunting mosaic, and many appeared very much alive as they glared down at our meeting. They didn't look happy at all, and Juneau was nowhere among them. Another sign of dysfunction.

  Juneau turned toward me and Roxy, whom he had specifically requested to sit beside him near the head of the table. Dorian balled his hands into fists and set them on the table. Kane let his hand hover casually near the knife on his hip. I still felt the blade tucked securely in my sleeve, ready to fall into my hand at the first sign of trouble.

  Juneau leaned a bit closer, appraising me with a quick sweep of his sharp eyes. "So, tell me who you are. What’s your story?"

  Where could we start?

  Once upon a time, I imagined myself saying, a vampire kidnapped me at my old job, and now I have deep feelings for him.

  Juneau wanted an interesting story. We certainly had one. But could we trust him enough to tell it?

  Chapter Six

  Roxy nudged me under the table.

  I thought back to our conversation in the antechamber. We needed to say enough to pique his interest and get him hooked on wanting to hear more so we could stay here. But I really didn’t want to tell him anything very personal or detailed. If he couldn’t be trusted, I wanted him to know as little as possible about me and my team. A few lies might be needed. Giving Roxy a subtle nod, I let her know I was ready to begin.

  I folded my hands and faced Juneau, who burned with excitement as bright as a newborn star. Studying him more closely, I saw a muscle tense in his jaw. Although he hid it well, he was on high alert for any sign of lies or reluctance. I would have to be careful. Let's start with some harmless facts to relax him.

  "I'm a human," I said, then jerked a thumb over to Roxy. "She's a human, too."

  Roxy waved.

  Juneau's false calm shattered in an instant. If he’d intended to play it cool, that strategy was lost in the wind. He leaned forward with an excited wheeze. "No. Human?"

  "Yes," I confirmed. "We came from the Mortal Plane to help our vampire allies search for some of their missing family. We think they might be somewhere in or around the Immortal capital." The best way to cover a lie was to base it in genuine truth, yet I couldn’t help but register something strangely enticing about Juneau's reactions. Unlike the commanding thrall in Inkarri’s voice, his had a genuine warmth that shimmered with outrage and even delight at the prospect of scandalous news, the kind that made you want to go on and on.

  "Family in Itzarriol? I do hope they haven’t met the same fate as those poor creatures in the house the hunters raided," Juneau said and shook his head, sending platinum silvery locks flying. Still, his face showed a little spark of delight. "I just knew something was happening beneath the surface of this vile city. There have been rumors I've picked up here and there, about humans. All speculation, of course.” He leaned even more toward Roxy. “Is it true that your kind have no idea that vampires exist?”

  “Well,” she said slowly, “we obviously know, but… no, most humans didn’t know about vampires until very recently. The information got released when the vampires came looking for asylum from your kind.”

  He had the decency to look shamefaced for a moment before getting swept up in his excitement again. “I’ve seen flashes of human experiences when I’ve used dark energy from souls, mostly ghastly crimes. Little bits of emotions, you understand, because we can’t directly see you in your actual plane. But I never would have guessed you looked like, well, weak little vampires with dull coloring. You look positively harmless."

  "You really have a way with flattery," I said, arching a brow. The naïveté of his statement made me want to smile.

  “Yeah, and we’ll see how harmless you think we are when I’m done with you,” Roxy muttered.

  Kane grinned wolfishly, all teeth and sharp angles, a hint of pride in his eyes. I glared slightly at Roxy but was secretly proud of her for standing up for us. I worried about antagonizing Juneau further, though. If he was actually dangerous, he might grow angry with us. Where was the balance in this situatio
n? In human dilemmas, I could easily navigate unspoken social expectations. We needed more caution with our new Immortal acquaintance.

  “She’s joking,” I assured Juneau. “But she’s right. We may not be vampires, and we may not be like the humans who committed the terrible acts you’ve seen, but we’ve survived in the Immortal Plane long enough to reach your city.” I said enough to placate Roxy and Kane, but hopefully kept it vague about exactly how prepared we were. If he underestimated us, it would be to our benefit.

  Juneau pressed his elegant fingers over his mouth, a boyish look of sheepishness crossing his face. “Of course, of course,” he murmured, apologetic.

  His eyes suddenly dropped to the empty table. "My goodness, do you require sustenance?" he asked, with a note of panic in his voice. "I'm such an awful host. My mother would…" Trailing off at the end, he touched the skull ring on his finger.

  A moment later, an Immortal wildling scampered through the door and hurried to stand beside Juneau. Coming to about hip height on me, the creature was covered in shaggy green moss that gleamed richly in the watery lights of the room. She wore a dazzling blue dress. Her only visible facial features were a set of shiny, curling horns protruding from the greenery and decorated with several gold and silver trinkets. It seemed Juneau liked to ensure his staff were as well dressed as he was.

  "Hello, Fenru, my dear," Juneau said cheerfully and waved toward Roxy and me. "Use your lovely powers and find out what these humans,” he gave her a conspiratorial grin, “eat, and prepare a meal for them. Make sure it’s delectable. We want to make a good impression on our guests.” He nodded at the vampires, including them in his statement, before turning back to Fenru. “But be careful with the wilder ingredients. I suspect they won't have the stomach for Sironese sandworms or death moss soup."