Fate of a Blood Moon (The Hades Blood Moon #2)

Chapter 25

Andrei

“ T hough it’s nighttime, remember to keep the necklace I gave you at our layover in New York under your shirt,” Liam explained. “The sunstone needs to be flush against your body at all times.” He turned to Jackson. “If you feel the sun burning your skin tomorrow when you first step into the light, it means the stone needs to be re-enchanted. I’m not sure how long the spell lasts; I haven’t done this in a long time.”

“That’s reassuring,” Jackson said, rubbing his necklace under his T-shirt.

Jackson didn’t trust Liam at all, and I didn’t blame him. He’d been in my clan long enough to know that a witch always had ulterior motives. Liam was an outsider to us, but we needed a witch for this mission. I had my own reservations about the man, but as long as he followed our rules, then Liam could continue to breathe.

I moved away from him and leaned against the stone bridge crossing over one of the canals. Closing my eyes, I let the warm breeze dance over my face and neck.

“It’s been over two centuries since I last felt the sunlight,” I said, opening my eyes to take in the water and the passing gondolas. “God, New York in the daytime was incredible.”

Jackson came to my side. His handsome face upturned toward the sky as well. “Back in 1975, I had just moved to New York City to audition for Broadway. One day, I met a woman named Martha McAllister, who offered to give me a tour of the city. She was a member of the cast at the theater. Later, she introduced me to the director, who encouraged me to audition for a small part in the upcoming opera. We spent the day together and walked through Central Park. I still remember the bench where we sat, coffees in hand, as the sun set behind the trees. Fuck, I miss those sunny days.”

“What happened to Martha?” I asked. Jackson told Meredith and me about his past, but I had never heard that story.

“She got married in 1978 and moved out to Virginia to teach. She had a couple of kids and died in 2016 from an illness. I checked in with her about a year after you turned me. Martha sounded happy, really happy, which I was glad for. She was a lovely woman. Don’t get me wrong, Drei. I love being a vampire, but I’ve missed the sun. It reminds me of her and the chance she gave me.”

Jackson wasn’t the only one with fond memories of our brief human lives. As a child, I spent countless hours under the blistering sun, helping my mother plant in her garden or assisting my papá with bringing fish to sell. Mostly, I enjoyed the time with Mamá. Papá … far less so. However, I remembered what I had gained from sacrificing my soul: power, wealth, and control. If someone had the power to offer me immortality again, I would take it.

“According to the GPS, the hotel is only a few miles outside Venice. We can walk there and have the rental car dropped off,” Jackson said as he moved away from the bridge railing. Liam was typing something on his cell phone.

I nodded. “Alright, that sounds good. But we also need to feed soon. It’s almost ten, and I haven’t fed since we left New Orleans.”

“Does Venice have a network of blood suppliers here?” Liam asked.

“Unfortunately, the closest network is in Mestre,” I replied, “and we don’t have time to waste. We need to get to Mira.”

Jackson swung his backpack over his shoulder and gave me a quick nod. “Alright, let’s drop our shit off and go hunting.”

Once we settled into the hotel room, we changed into more upscale clothing and stored our documentation in the safe.

“Have you ever been to Italy?” I asked Liam, watching him adjust the cuffs of his white dress shirt. The top button was open, revealing a black stone necklace around his neck. I had never noticed it before and wondered if it was a magical artifact or merely a decoration.

“Never,” he replied. “This is actually the first time I’ve been out of the country. My family bounced around a lot in the States but never overseas. Once I joined Black Onyx, they had me get a passport … you know, just in case.”

Jackson emerged from the bathroom wearing a sleek blue suit with a black tie and gray shirt underneath. “How did the coven feel about you coming to Venice with us? Deadly vampires for hire and all?”

Liam chuckled. “Helen wasn’t too thrilled about the idea, but they understood you found a lead and needed my magic to help.” He turned to me. “But I need to know why you decided to keep the information about the tracker in Rachel’s arm from Gerald. You’ve known her location for months. If I’m going to lie to my coven, I need an explanation.”

My lip curled into a sneer. “Helen and Gerald want me to deliver Kylan’s ring after we leave Italy. I refuse to hand it over to them. I couldn’t run the risk of them assigning another witch to this. Your power is necessary for all of us to succeed.”

We still didn’t trust Liam, so I wasn’t sure how he would handle the explanation. My apprehension vanished when he subtly smiled and nodded in answer.

“I get it. I’ve been involved since the museum heist. If Rachel still has the ring, and your brother and she are heading to that cave, you’re going to need my magic specifically to stop them.”

I nodded, hoping his confirmation would ease Jackson’s remaining doubts about Liam’s motivations. His upbringing may have taught him to despise our kind, but he was now crucial to my goals.

“Speaking of the little runaway,” I said, opening the tracking app on my phone. I zoomed in on the coordinates and noticed that the timestamp had been refreshed hours ago. It showed that Rachel’s last location was just outside the home she’d been staying in almost two hours ago, a few miles south of the city.

“Is she on the move?” Liam asked.

“No, something’s wrong,” I said, closing the app and reloading the program. A notification popped on the screen when it rebooted, and my jaw tightened.

Offline.

I stared at the GPS screen, the pin no longer blinking. “It only goes offline when there’s a major temperature change,” I muttered, trying to make sense of it. I glanced up, feeling my chest tighten. “It’s not in her body anymore.”

A deep, controlled breath escaped me as fury boiled beneath my skin. “Looks like Rachel dug it out.” Another thought, even more infuriating, hit me. “I guess I was right to assume Jase got here before us. He would’ve told her.”

Jackson didn’t hesitate to say the only other explanation. “Or she’s dead?”

The thought shook me, but I couldn’t let myself go there. Though I couldn’t feel Rachel like usual, something told me she wasn’t gone. The bond was weakening, yes—fading, like someone was tampering with it. I could still sense her, but the connection was thinning with every passing second. My anger rose, burning hotter than before and causing me to dig my nails into my palm. It was a struggle to control this rage. I didn’t like other people messing with my things.

“You’ve looked at that map a million times,” Jackson reminded me. “We know where she’s been, so all we need to do is go to the villa, kill a few people, and force the survivors to tell us where they went.”

I shook my head. “If Jase has made contact with her, he’d do it without Valentina’s knowledge; he knows the risk. Which means she could still be there. Or someone who may know which way they’re heading.”

“Do you plan to kill them, too?” Liam said. “If you put down ‘She Who Walks with the Devil,’ you’d secure your power position within Black Onyx. Believe me.”

“Yeah, right,” I bit out. “You’ve never met the damned woman. It won’t be good if she realizes we’re coming for her daughter. Valentina will unleash hell on our heads.”

“This trip keeps getting more and more interesting,” Liam added. “Valentina will slow us down. She also could have the ring.”

When I looked at Jackson, I immediately noticed the concern in his eyes. “What do you think?” I asked, watching his gaze flit between Liam and me.

“Honestly, Liam might be right. If Rachel fled, Valentina would be the first to track her down. She’ll pose a roadblock for us. Let’s get to the villa, see who’s still there, and take care of it. If we find the ring while doing it, even better.”

I nodded. “Alright. Let’s feed, and then we can pay a nice little visit to that lovely home.” I looked at Liam. “Witches have always been self-righteous pricks. So, I’m only asking this once: are you willing to do what it takes to help us? To kill if you must … even humans?”

Liam crossed his arms over his broad chest and grinned, a glint in his eyes. “If it means we are a step closer to that angel’s sword, then yes, I will kill anyone who gets in the way.”

Venice was the perfect playground for those like Jackson and me. The city filled with locals and tourists out for the evening, taking in the architecture and intricate canals. We blended in perfectly. The more crowded, the more likely no one would see someone get snatched off the streets. Humans cared too much about themselves to notice strangers. That made hunting so easy.

As the city lit up with nightlife, we headed deeper into the Dorsoduro District, watching each group of people as we passed. The area was alive with the sounds of music, the smell of saltwater and spices, and the rhythmic beat of human hearts. I paused along a canal’s edge and looked out at the water. Though I was sure someone would realize I was undead, no one seemed to notice. Humans believed that if they ignored us, we would leave them alone. Ignoring a wolf in a city of sheep was foolish.

Beside me, Jackson casually leaned against the wrought-iron railing, his tall frame cloaked in a black leather jacket. His black locs fell over his shoulder while listening to a gondolier singing as he passed beneath us. He sang along with the man, the timbre of his voice clear in the night air. The gondolier looked up at Jackson and offered a deep bow before resuming his opera. The couple in the boat were so engrossed in each other and their wine that they didn’t notice the beautiful voice was coming just above them. A fiery burst of hunger clawed at my throat.

It was time to eat.

Liam was a few feet away, fingers tapping against his thigh, as if he felt the pulse of the city itself. He brushed his brown hair back, and his eyes glowed excitedly despite the growing darkness. Several women had glanced at him while we walked, but he paid them no mind.

“Liam,” I called. “Grab a bite to eat at that restaurant across the road, and we’ll meet up with you in thirty-five minutes.”

Liam looked around. “You sure?”

We walked over to him so no one could eavesdrop. Jackson smiled. “Trust me, you don’t want to watch. It’s a lot bloodier than what’s in the movies.”

Liam chuckled. “Alright, but don’t kill anyone here. If they catch us within the city limits, it’ll be fucking hell, and the coven will demand that we leave. Plus, if the women hear about it, they’ll flee.”

“Well, I can’t promise anything,” I teased before nodding to Jackson to follow me. Liam sighed and walked in the opposite direction.

Jackson and I wove through the narrow cobblestone streets toward the smaller shops and restaurants. Strings of gold fairy lights crisscrossed above our heads, creating a warm glow over the crowd of people. Musicians stood at the street corner playing violins, drowning out the boisterous laughter of humans seated at the outdoor tables.

Though I didn’t need or miss human food, I still enjoyed the aromas of timeless recipes. I inhaled slowly, savoring the scent of rosemary, the tang of lemon gelato, and the richness of squid ink risotto. The piazza’s central fountain sparkled like liquid silver under the lights, and the beauty was almost enough to distract me from the burning hunger.

Almost.

“There’s plenty of people around,” Jackson muttered. “Let’s pick one and take them to the back, where no one can see. We’ll have to use speed, but I doubt anyone will notice.” He ran his hand over his mouth. “Fuck, I hate doing this.”

I scanned the area, taking in the servers and tables nearby. There was one table off to the side, near a small garden, with a young woman sitting alone in a red floral-printed dress. She typed on her phone with her elbows on the tablecloth, utterly oblivious to her surroundings.

“There,” I said, gesturing with my head.

Without a word, Jackson used his vampiric speed and ran to the woman. In the blink of an eye, he pulled her out of the chair and carried her toward the back of the building. Her phone slipped from her hands and hit the cobblestones, shattering the screen. I looked around one more time to see if anyone noticed. When no one looked our way, I hurried after him, kicking the broken phone out of sight.

Jackson was holding the struggling woman as I approached. I grinned down at her, letting my fangs show prominently. The woman’s eyes widened, and she thrashed even harder.

“Shh,” Jackson whispered. “I’m going to pull my hand away, but if you scream, I will snap your neck and dump your body in the sea. Understand?”

The woman stopped struggling; the fight drained completely, but fear shone in her eyes.

“Are you alone?” I asked, kneeling in front of her. She nodded. “Good, you know English. We’ll not kill you. We only need your blood, nothing else. I promise you.”

I looked at Jackson. “Lay her down gently.”

Slowly, Jackson removed his hand from her throat and laid her flat on her back. The woman let out a quiet sob while she closed her eyes, and a few tears ran down her cheek. I moved over her, straddling her hips to keep her pinned. She was lithe with long, shapely legs, and her skin had a warm olive hue.

I went still for a moment. While I had drunk from the vein after Rachel left, this was the first time I’d done it to an unwilling person in a long time. It felt different. Hunting prey wasn’t as exciting anymore. If anything, what we were doing had become repulsive … but we needed blood, and vampires couldn’t deny their nature. This was supposed to be easy—natural.

While Jackson slipped his hands under her armpits and pulled her up on his lap, I leaned in, fangs scraping against her neck. As I sank my fangs in, I felt the rush of blood enter my mouth. It was like fire in my veins, igniting every one of my senses.

Fuck. The woman tasted divine. Since Rachel, no other blood would satisfy me like hers. But this … this was close enough until I could get Rachel back.

As I drank, she tried to kick and resist but kept quiet, more tears streaming down her soft cheeks. I wrapped my muscular arm around her back to lift her slightly, pressing my body into hers. Jackson ran his hand down her arm before gripping her wrist and pulling it toward his mouth, sinking his teeth in.

Once I felt satisfied, I released her and climbed off, using tissue from my suit pocket to wipe my mouth and chin clean and ignoring that flicker of anxiety that we had to leave soon before anyone noticed. Jackson continued drinking from her for another thirty seconds. I watched him close his eyes, and he let out a satisfying moan. “Fuck,” he said as he pulled his lips free from her wrist. “I needed that more than I thought I did. Though I didn’t mean to take that much.”

Jackson had always been careful, unlike me. He often felt guilty for taking from an unwilling victim. He never had issues finding a woman who would gladly let him drink from them in New Orleans. I saw the conflict in his eyes. Blood dripped from the woman’s wrist and onto his pants. The woman’s warmth was gone, and her breathing became ragged.

“We’ve taken more than enough,” I said, watching the woman’s eyes flutter. “We might kill her. Remember what Liam said?”

Jackson nodded, lowering her arm back to the ground. The woman’s current state told me we would have plenty of time to leave the city limits and get to the villa before she could regain enough strength to get help. We’d be long gone before any authority could track us down. I took another tissue from my pocket and handed it to Jackson.

“Wipe the stain on your pants as best you can, and then prop the woman against that wall,” I said. “A server on their break will be able to find her soon enough.”

Once Jackson had cleaned up his mess and tucked away the unconscious woman, we hurried away from the restaurant and down the road to where Liam had gone. A few minutes later, he joined us, and we returned to the hotel to get the car.

After a twenty-minute drive, we entered a neighborhood right along the main river that cut through the municipality of Mira. The GPS on my phone guided us to a villa surrounded by a tall iron fence and hovering trees. Two men stood guard, and from the looks of it, they were human.

Getting inside should be easy.

Liam walked up the closed gate and placed his hand on the knob. A subtle blue light trickled lightly on the surface, and he pulled back. “Shit,” he cursed. “It’s enchanted. I can feel the elements attached to it. It’s made to keep me out.”

“You?” I asked, walking closer to the gate with Jackson. “What do you mean?”

Liam turned to look over his shoulder at us. “Witches.”

I nodded. “Alright, once we get through, we’ll find a way to get you in.” Liam looked back as the two human guards spotted us, and I smiled. “It’s time to play.”