Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Master Fistideeous pulled me aside as our time reading everything he’d found came to an end. “Primelle?” he said, his gray eyebrows rising. “I received your dillemsill the other day, asking that I also search the archive for any information about returning a vampire to their original state.”
I held my breath and glanced over my shoulder. Ree had left to use the restroom, but Kole still sat at the table, thumbing through everything.
I subtly pulled the gargoyle around a bookshelf so Kole wouldn’t overhear us. “Yes, and did you find anything?” I asked hopefully.
His wrinkly brow furrowed. “At this time, I’m afraid not. Nothing in our library exists that speaks of how to undo a vampire affliction, but I shall continue searching, consulting other gargoyles at the realm’s libraries if needed.”
The rising hope inside me dimmed, but I forced a smile. “All right, thank you for continuing to search.”
He patted my hand and hobbled off to another shelf.
Not long later, we finally left the Isle of Song as the end of the day drew near.
I nibbled on my lip as Master Fistideeous’s dire words continually rang through my ears, but I wasn’t willing to give up hope that there wasn’t a way to undo what my uncle had done to me.
And I tried to take heart in all that we’d learned.
The three of us had read countless books, scrolls, and tomes that Master Fistideeous had found, and it only furthered my resolve to return to my uncle’s estate.
Even though I desperately wanted to be returned to fae, I concentrated on the more important matter of stopping Arnel.
Everything we’d learned verified that Arnel had no moral compass, and it was entirely frightening to think of what he ultimately wanted to do.
With the kind of power he wielded by creating his godly potions, he was an imminent threat to the entire realm.
And to think he’d once sought to kill me, to rid the realm of a fairy who was so powerful. But after he realized he could harness my power, he decided I was better kept alive.
I shuddered as the three of us stood on the wide stone steps outside of the library. Since time moved differently on the island, the sun was still bright, but we knew that back home, evening was nearing.
Kole clasped both of our hands, and in a wink of magic, we rematerialized in the back room of Ree’s home. A cooing sound came from the living area through the door, then a laugh from Bennif as he played with Siam.
“Do you want to say hello again?” Ree nodded toward the noises, to where her family waited.
I glanced out the window that led to their back garden. Their home was small and quaint. Everything about it felt familiar and cozy, yet I was a vampire with a curfew. It was funny to think how laughable that was.
I regretfully shook my head. “If I’m not home soon, my parents won’t be happy.”
At my back, Kole shifted, also looking outside at the darkening sky. “Primelle’s right. We should go.”
Ree sighed and pulled me into a hug. “Next time.” She placed a kiss on my cheek, then pulled back. “Stars, you’re still so cold. Are you coming down with something?”
She tried to touch my forehead, but I stepped out of reach, barely keeping my vampire speed in check. “I don’t know. Maybe I am.” The lie spilled from my lips so easily. “I’ll visit the palace healer when I get back.”
She nodded emphatically. “Good idea. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.”
A shrill laugh threatened to erupt from me, so I plastered on a fake smile and thanked her again for helping. We promised to see each other soon, and then Kole took my hand and mistphased us to my private wing, landing us in my bedchambers.
The second the realm solidified around us, the bed caught my attention. It was crazy to think that only a day ago, the warrior had been driving his cock into me, entirely furious at how I’d responded to Nathaniel.
My awful vampire urges stirred, and thoughts of the warrior taking me again began to burn through my mind.
It didn’t help that Kole’s heartbeat grew stronger, as though his thoughts had also shifted to what we’d done there only the night before.
“I should go see my parents,” I said in a rush. “To let them know I’m back.”
“I’m sure the wards would have alerted them.”
“Oh, right.” My stomach began to curl, and my core tightened. Right behind me stood a tall, virile male. He could pleasure me like no other, make me come so hard I saw stars.
My body was turning toward him, my hands reaching, my fangs wanting to elongate before I even knew what I was doing.
I stopped at the last second, when I was only a hair’s breadth away from touching him, and slammed myself back, instantly putting a body length of distance between us.
With a start, I realized how quickly I’d moved.
It was fast, but not so fast that some fae couldn’t do it.
Yet, it’d been close. My uncle’s magic was likely to take hold of me at any second if I didn’t control myself better.
Kole’s nostrils flared, yet his expression gave away nothing. “Would you like me to fetch the healer?”
I stood frozen, unmoving, and with another jolt, I realized I wasn’t acting fae. Fae moved. They didn’t stand like a statue, not as vampires could. Consciously, I shifted my weight and finally processed his question. “What? No, I don’t need a healer.”
Kole studied me, his gaze burning. “Isn’t that what you told Ree you would do? Since you’re still so cold?”
The thought of the palace healer, Surrep, coming in here, so ancient and fragile, had my thoughts shifting to how easy it would be to drink from her.
The elderly healer had unique healing gifts, but I highly doubted she had any training in fighting off powerful creatures.
And she wouldn’t suspect a thing. It would be so easy to be alone with her.
Compel her. Drink from her. Even fuck her.
A gag worked up my throat, and I spun away. “No. It’s fine. Really,” I squeaked. “In fact, I’m quite tired. I’d like to go to bed.”
Kole’s heartbeat thundered through my ears, vibrating through me.
Drink. Fuck. Suck.
I squeezed my eyes tightly closed. It felt as though his whooshing pulse was a commanding song that threatened to pull me under. Blood. I wanted blood so desperately.
I worked my jaw, trying to get the ache out, trying to relieve myself of these unwanted thoughts and desires, but I could no sooner do that than I could make my heart start beating again.
Inwardly, I seethed. Fuck you, Arnel, and fuck you, God Tenevris, for cursing me with these awful urges.
Kole’s warm presence came up behind me, halting my inner cursing. He placed his hands on my upper arms before I could lurch away.
Leaning down, he ran his nose up the side of my throat. I shivered, and inadvertently, my fangs began to lengthen.
I clamped my lips closed and turned as stiff as a board.
He abruptly stopped. “Do you want me to leave?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.”
Silence followed, the length of it echoing around us before he finally said, “Why?”
Because if you don’t, these urges will continue. I’ll probably force myself on you again, and I might even compel you so I can drink from you. I’ll have complete control of you, and you won’t even know it.
I shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m tired.”
“No, you’re not.”
I squeezed my eyes shut even more, and my uncle’s magic began to stir.
Kole was stepping into dangerous territory, and I recalled how much he had studied that paragraph that described vampires.
Yet he hadn’t said a thing, and he’d never looked at me strangely today.
I took some comfort in that and slowly pried myself from his grip.
“Leave, Kole. Please.”
“Prim—”
“LEAVE!” I lurched away, guilt punching me at how horribly I was treating him again. Just as fast, our conversation from that morning reared, in which he said he would always love me, but I didn’t know if that meant he would stay with me.
Tense and frightened of what he would do next, I waited.
But Kole didn’t say a word. He didn’t even argue.
In a flash of mistphasing magic, he disappeared from my room, and I fell to the floor, knowing it was only a matter of time before the warrior left me for good.
I anxiously waited for Kole to return the next day.
I’d spent the night awake, too torn up over how awful I’d been to sleep.
I’d even contemplated connecting with him mentally but decided not to.
I’d banished him from my room. That didn’t warrant me interrupting his sleep after I’d forced him away.
The least I could do was not play with his emotions at all hours.
Instead, to pass the time, I read through the materials Nathaniel had given to me and pored through everything in them.
Similar to what Master Fistideeous had found, the documents spoke of the Goddess of Light being the creator of modern vampires. However, his information wasn’t limited to the fae lands. His colleague had done extensive research on vampires, even venturing to the other realm to study them further.
He’d documented how vampires in the other realm lived, how they interacted, what common characteristics they shared, and how they’d been forced to hide themselves from the common species of that realm in order to avoid persecution.
And like me, the portraits revealed that modern vampires were startlingly similar to how I looked.
Pale skin. Wickedly sharp fangs. But unlike me, they had rounded ears, apparently a trait of the species who lived in the other realm.
Yet, apart from those characteristics, one would never know we were different, which allowed them to effectively hide.
I laughed humorlessly when I read that. Even there, in an entirely separate universe, they had to hide too. At least I’m not the only one.