1. Immortal Life was Tedious
CHAPTER 1
Immortal Life was Tedious
J elisette de la Point’s immortal life was irrevocably changed the moment she locked eyes with the handsome vampire across the lake.
She brushed a lock of her chestnut hair behind her ear, her pale skin glistening beneath the light of the moon as she held his gaze. Even with the expansive, frozen sheet of translucent white ice between them, it was like he looked into her very soul.
Well. What was left of it. Four hundred and forty-nine years had passed since her Making, and during that time, her soul had frayed.
At first, she’d lost bits and pieces of it, then larger swaths had fallen away as time went on. Some, when she watched her parents die from afar. More, when her brothers passed away. It was seeing her great-nieces and nephews die that took the biggest chunk of her soul out of her.
They all lived a mortal life and died a mortal death, but not her.
Jelisette looked the same as she had the day of her immortal rebirth. Average height, pale like all vampires, with a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
As a mortal, Jelisette had been plain, but as a vampire, all her hard edges had been smoothed away. It was only right, since Isvana, the goddess of the moon, blessed all her children with immortality, grace, and beauty.
At first, Jelisette had enjoyed the blessings of being a vampire. She derived a certain delight from being one of the most powerful creatures in the Republic of Balance. Although the continent was home to many, only vampires were truly immortal. Even the most powerful fae and elves Faded after many centuries of life.
But now, Jelisette found her immortal life tedious. She was tired of finding willing mortals to feed her hunger, tired of endless nights, tired of doing the same thing each and every time the moon rose.
She’d shadowed to this lake in the Northern Region, in the land previously known as the Kingdom of Eleyta, because she’d hoped to see the aurora. Hoped the brilliant lights would pull her out of this slump.
She stood, preternaturally still beneath the moonlight, with her hands in her pockets. Despite the snow falling leisurely from above, she wore a black sweater and jeans. Her phone, a new-ish invention that had been popularized two centuries ago, sat silently in her back pocket.
She wasn’t looking at the aurora, though.
She was still gazing at the man across the water. He was staring at her, too.
The man—the vampire—was tall. Even from here, she could make out the golden hue of his hair. His eyes were sharp—black, like hers, another marking of Isvana’s blessing—and his face was chiseled. A strong nose, chiseled jaw, and high cheekbones gave him an otherworldly, deadly beauty. He was clad in black, like her, although he wore jeans and a leather jacket.
But his eyes.
Ithiar help her, but they held a glimmer of wickedness that delighted her to no end. She was drawn to him, unlike anyone she’d ever been drawn to before.
The vampire tilted his head. The corner of his lips twitched, and he smirked. In a move she’d remember for the remainder of her immortal life, he winked.
Her jaw fell open. She had killed mortal men for lesser causes. But coming from him, it did nothing but send a flurry of warmth through her.
In the next heartbeat, enormous, jet-black bat wings made of shadows and darkness burst from his back. They filled out the night, drawing the darkness towards him. The nameless vampire nodded as if to say, nice to meet you , and then he launched into the sky like a dark angel.
Each flap of his wings was like a boom of thunder against the silent night.
The vampire rose in the air, and Jelisette broke into a run. Her arms pumped. Her legs ate up the distance as though it was nothing. She ran across the frozen ice as though it was a sheet of glass, her feet barely leaving prints as she moved with the speed and grace of her kind.
By the time she made it to the other side, he was gone.
“Damn it,” she cursed.
With her hands on her hips, she turned in a circle. The mysterious vampire had vanished as if he’d never been there. No prints, no scent, nothing. She would’ve considered that it was all some strange dream had a glimmer in the snow not caught her eye.
Jelisette bent and dug through the white power with her bare fingers. The cold pricked at her, acknowledging her presence, but it didn’t bother her. As a child of the moon, her blood ran as cold as ice.
There.
She plucked the smooth object out of the snow. Standing, she examined it beneath the light of the moon. It was a button, black like the starless night, except for the silver initials engraved into it. ES.
She ran her thumb over the carvings and brought the object to her nose. She inhaled deeply, calling on her vampiric senses to come to her rescue.
The faint scent of shadows, pine, and cinnamon lingered, wafting up to her. It beckoned to her, stirring at part of her soul that she’d thought was long since gone.
Jelisette’s fingers closed around the button, and she gripped it tightly.
Right then, she vowed to find her mystery man again, no matter how long it took.
“Happy birthday!” The cheer rose through the crowded pub, and the ground shook as the two dozen gathered vampires stomped their feet.
Jelisette did not do that because, quite frankly, it felt beneath her, but she did lift her glass of blood wine in the air.
“Happy birthday, Narie,” she echoed before tipping back her cup and taking a long dredge of her wine.
Narie Bellant was newly Made, barely three decades out of her Fledgling years, and she still maintained many of her mortal qualities.
She stood at the front of the bar, her silky black hair in a high ponytail as she accepted kisses from Ilana and Justus, her partners. Dressed in a short silver dress that looked more like a napkin, she grinned. “Thank you, everyone. I appreciate you all coming out.”
“How old are you?” someone in the crowd asked.
Narie grinned. “Now, it’s not nice to ask a lady that question.” She paused and snickered. “So it’s a good thing I’m not a lady. I’m fifty-seven.”
Justus kissed her cheek. “She doesn’t look a day over twenty-five.”
Jelisette barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. The love between the three partners was sickening. She wished she hadn’t accepted the invitation to this stupid party. Who celebrated birthdays when they were immortal? Jelisette hadn’t done it in over three centuries.
Was she glad to be alive, at least in the loosest sense of the word? Yes. Would she celebrate the day she was given this life? No.
But Jelisette considered Narie and her partners to be friends… or at least, they weren’t her enemies.
After one lived for as long as Jelisette and many of the other vampires in the Republic of Balance had, that was sometimes all that it took to constitute a friendship.
She nursed her glass of blood wine, leaning against the bar top as she listened to the conversations around her. They were all fake. All full of false flattery.
Half these people would stab a stake through Narie’s heart at the first possible opportunity. They were all here for one reason: money and power.
Everyone knew that aligning themselves with Narie’s triad was a good idea. They had old money, and Justus was powerful. He was one of the only vampires who hadn’t gone into a deep sleep after the Four Kingdoms had reformed into the Republic of Balance.
The fakery continued around Jelisette. No one spoke to her, which was exactly how she preferred it.
Jelisette gave off a strong “leave me alone” vibe. She had for the past several centuries. One of her biggest pet peeves was when people were fake. She always preferred it when people spoke their minds, having lost her ability to endure pedantic, pointless conversations about two centuries ago.
Three and a half weeks had passed since she saw the mysterious ES at the lake. She’d returned twice, but both times, there was no sign of him. She didn’t know why, but that disappointed her.
She had so many questions about him. Why had he been there in the first place, and why was she so intrigued by him? All vampires were dangerously beautiful, but there was something about this man that made Jelisette’s core tighten.
She lost herself to the memory of ES ’ s wicked smirk and dark wings until enough time had passed that it would be socially acceptable for her to slip into the night without anyone noticing. Finishing her third glass of blood wine, Jelisette paid her tab with the bartender and walked towards Narie’s table.
“Congratulations on another birthday,” Jelisette said, infusing as much warmth in her voice as she could muster.
It was just on this side of icy, so not much.
Narie either didn’t notice or didn’t care because she smiled. Gods, she really was still so innocent. “Thank you, Jelisette. It was so nice of you to come.”
Justus stood behind Narie’s shoulder. The vampire used to be a fierce fighter. He served under the Last Vampire King and Queen, for Ithiar’s sake. He used to be known for his viciousness and brutality. He’d drained more than one Source of their lifeblood over his existence.
But now?
He smiled dotingly at his progeny. A century ago, he fell in love first with Ilana, and then with Narie. He Made them, and now they lived in a mansion on the outskirts of Golden City.
Justus had called it domestic bliss when Jelisette had made the mistake of asking about it a decade ago.
She thought it sounded more like a prison. How could he just turn from bloodletting and violence like he’d never found joy in it? Jelisette didn’t understand. How could something as stupid as love and devotion ruin such a wicked vampire?
It turned out Justus was nothing but a weak, weak man.
“I appreciated the invitation,” Jelisette said smoothly. “Unfortunately, the night is calling me.” Despite the blood wine she’d enjoyed, she was still hungry. “I might go search for something… more filling.”
Justus nuzzled Narie’s neck, kissing her skin softly. “Perhaps you should find a Source, Jelisette. Someone to remain with you permanently.”
Jelisette did not think that would happen. She wasn’t inclined to keep Sources like some of her brethren. “Perhaps I will.”
Justus’s fangs glistened in the purple light. “Think about it.”
“I shall.” Jelisette dipped her head, her chestnut locks falling over one shoulder. “Have a wonderful evening.”
With that, she took her leave. The bell above the door chimed as she pushed it open and slipped into the cold night. Her breath clouded in front of her, and icicles dangled from the lampposts.
Her apartment was on the other end of Golden City, but there were hours until sunrise, and besides, she’d always enjoyed walking.
Keeping to the shadows, she let the darkness running through her veins trickle from her fingers. She strolled down the streets of Golden City slowly, letting the symphony of the night caress her ears as she moved. It had snowed earlier, and the sidewalks were still dusted in the white substance.
Streetlights created pockets of illumination, but she didn’t need them. The shadows were her home. Mortal women didn’t walk the streets of Golden City alone. It was asking for trouble—not even the Representatives and their families were that stupid.
But Jelisette had no reason to fear. She practically wished for someone to try and attack her. She would relish the opportunity to destroy them in a physical match before draining them of their blood.
Unlike in the past, when vampires lived in the Northern Kingdom of Eleyta, and they ruled all the humans around, there were laws in the Republic. Rules and regulations meant to stifle and oppress vampires.
No longer could Isvana’s children find blood from any Source—willing or not.
Now , they had to get consent. Not only that, but the Representatives had decreed that if a vampire lost control, they would be tried for murder.
Just last year, Dominica Leblanc had been tried and found guilty of killing a pair of teenage elves when she lost control of her feed. The Chancellor had personally laid down the ruling: she would spend the rest of her life in Black Prison in solitary confinement. Apparently, Dominica was supposed to be happy they decided not to stake her.
It was gods-damned ridiculous. After all, vampires were blessed by the gods. They required blood to survive. Regulating the source of their life was ridiculous.
Unfortunately, there were no vampire Representatives. It was a vast oversight, especially considering that every other species in the Republic of Balance was represented on the Council, including the fae. No one was looking out for the children of the night.
Maybe one day, Jelisette would do something about it. She’d like to knock the Representatives down a few pegs. They were always so high and mighty.
She turned right, walking down Main Street. She passed the statues of the High Ladies of Life and Death. Shrouded in green and red markings that ran over their entire bodies, the two elves were forever immortalized for their work in restoring the balance to the Four Kingdoms.
Jelisette had almost reached the end of the block before something tickled her nose. The scent was barely there, a mere hint beneath the city’s perfume, but it called to her. The moment she smelled it, her shadows thrummed in her veins. She turned slowly, sniffing until the smell grew even stronger.
There.
Cinnamon, pine, and shadows. Her fingers slipped into her pocket, and she felt the button. She’d kept it on her ever since the meeting on the lake. It was silly since Jelisette wasn’t an emotional vampire, but she couldn’t bring herself to part with it.
Was ES here, in the Central Region?
She had to know. Tucking the button back in her pocket, she turned to follow the scent.