“Of course, I am.”
“Good. The duke’s heir has announced his intent to wed. You will be up against men and women of rank and standing. If you manage to insinuate yourself into his life and retain his interest until you uncover this threat to our existence, well then, there’s nothing that can stop us. Prove to me that I’m right about your aptitude, Lucian.”
I lifted my chin. “I believe you underestimate me. Such a menial task seems beneath me.”
Vrykolakas drew closer. I could see the fine hairs inside his cavernous nostrils. “Oh? Do tell.”
I licked my lips. “I will certainly be able to accomplish your task, but I’m capable of more than fetching a list of names for you. These humans aren’t as clever as you suppose. In fact, I could win the entire competition if I so chose—the future duke’s hand. Wouldn’t that be something?”
Vrykolakas’s nose flared. “It would be. Very well, Lucian. If you think so highly of your prowess, let us sweeten the pot. Get me those names and win the future duke’s hand, and I will grant you the honor of tracking down and draining every last hunter who disgraced you tonight. The influence and means that you acquire through the duke would be an interesting advantage.”
I felt a thrill of pleasure at the thought of draining the men who’d stormed my castle, but I wanted more. I sighed. “I thought you were all-powerful, Vrykolakas, god of vampires. I’m sure you can spare more than blood for my trouble.”
A chuckle reverberated from deep in the bat’s throat, where I could make out the clicking of those teeth down his gullet. “Since I find your brashness so amusing, I will consider it. Name your prize.”
A smile pulled at my lips. “I want power. I want to be the most powerful creature to ever set foot on this earth. Can you offer me that?”
Vrykolakas considered. “Complete your tasks, and when I restore your powers, you shall be more powerful than before. You will have no equal.”
“No equal,” I echoed, my mind racing with the challenge set before me. Me, a human. It was laughable. I hadn’t the foggiest idea of how to navigate that world, I was so long removed from it.
“Then you had best figure it out, and quickly,” Vrykolakas advised. He narrowed his eyes as he regarded my uncertainty. “I will give you a gift to get you started, Lucian. When you awaken in a month’s time, it will be at the doorstep of the duke’s residence. One whom you trust is a guest there currently, someone in the duke’s circle. You will be granted residence alongside your competing suitors. The rest, however, will be solely up to you. Do you understand me, Lucian? I will not lift a finger to help you after you awaken. If you are discovered, the humans will surely kill you. And I will let them.”
“I understand,” I replied, numb.
“Good. Then you also understand that if you fail in this test, I will not restore you to a vampire. It is all or nothing. The hand of the future duke and those names. Without both conditions met, you will remain human, with all that comes with it. You will grow old, your body will fail you, and you will die an insignificant mortal death.”
I swallowed hard, imagining myself coughing up my own blood as I lay feverish in bed. Would that truly be my fate? Weak and feeble, lying in my own piss as my mind faded? No. I would not die like that. Count Lucian Cross would not die a cautionary tale for other vampires. I was going to meet the challenge of Vrykolakas, and I would come out the other side triumphant, stronger than ever. Nothing was going to stop me.
“Good,” Vrykolakas said, grinning at me. “That’s very good. And Lucian, if you fail to get me those names, I will torment every waking moment of your human existence.”
Before I could respond, Vrykolakas was on me. He was a blur as his jaws snapped at me, teeth puncturing my right torso so deep that I felt them graze my bones. I was in a state of disbelief, petrified as I felt a wet tongue lap at the blood escaping from my wounds. His saliva numbed me, a cold coursing through my body that I couldn’t shake. It slowly invaded my flesh, bones, and blood, cutting me off from every part of my body.
My eyes rolled back in my head as my face went numb, a pathetic grunt escaping my lips—the last sound I would make as a vampire.
Just as I was finishing my tale, Nancy entered the room and set a tray of tea before us.
“I made cucumber sandwiches just in case you haven’t eaten,” the maid said kindly as she poured a cup for Helena and stirred in two sugar cubes.
“That was very thoughtful,” I said, eyeing the sandwiches with curiosity. I hadn’t eaten since I’d become a vampire, but I supposed this was how I would be absorbing my nourishment as a mortal. It was so much simpler when it was just blood, but I had to admit that the idea of eating different things was enticing. I vaguely recollected enjoying eating and the variety it offered. As a vampire, if I’d consumed anything besides blood, I couldn’t keep it down. Vrykolakas had given me the rare opportunity to experience several things I’d never thought I would again. Food was toward the top of that list.
As soon as Nancy left the room, I took a sip of tea. It was warm and strong. It didn’t leave me tingling with the euphoric afterglow of blood, but it was pleasant in its own way. The cucumber sandwich was something else entirely. As soon as the bread passed my lips, I moaned with pleasure. The cucumber was crisp, and the mayonnaise creamy and decadent. After I’d shoved the second slice into my mouth, Helena cleared her throat politely, and I paused as I recalled myself. I chewed what was in my mouth carefully and swallowed before dabbing at my lips with a kerchief.
“Pardon the scene, Helena. I haven’t tasted food in …” I let the thought trail off as Helena shook her head with a grin.
“To think, I would be introducing you to new experiences,” she sighed. “The tables have turned, it would seem.”
I straightened. “To be fair, you’rereintroducingthem. I was human once, you know.”
“I can hardly imagine it. Did you torture the other children you grew up alongside?”
“You’d be surprised, my dear Helena. I was a rather sensitive boy, I think. Immortality … does things to you.”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, I suppose it would. One more reason why I’m grateful for how things turned out.”
“You truly aren’t … upset?” I was surprised to find that I cared what her answer was.
“I’m not. I won’t lie and say that growing old hasn’t had its challenges. But I’m … at peace with myself in a way I don’t think I could have been had I been changed. I’m happy with where I am and how I will leave this life.”
