Lucas nodded. “I willprovide you with whatever is needed, and you will testify to the Quorumtomorrow that she is a diluted descendant ash of the fourth house.”
The woman clenched herjaw. “And if I do this, you will let my family go?” For the first time, some ofher timidity fled and her fangs flashed as she glared at Lucas.
He smiled. “We’ll see. Bea good girl.” He opened the door and she stormed out.
Wait, what the hell justhappened? Ryder was looking at me like I was going to sprout a second head.Lucas had kidnapped her family to keep this information private? I wasn’t sureI wanted to know what was going to happen next. I really wanted to demand herelease the captives, but I didn’t have any pull with the powerful Quorummember. Poor Madeline … I would have to try and figure out something later.
I realized that Ryder hadstarted talking again, his words short and clipped. “This changes everything,”he said to Lucas. “If she isn’t ash and if she’s a direct descendant, we can pullher from the culling. The Quorum will spare someone so special.”
Did Ryder just call mespecial? I raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t delude yourself!The Quorum would never let her live, for fear that she could overthrow them.You’re not old enough to remember the dark days. We keep her in the culling andtell no one of this revelation.”
Hey, I’m right here.
“Excuse me? What’s the fourthhouse all about?”
The white-clad vampirewasted no time turning to me. “When Carter Atwater was bitten by the batinfected with Anima Mortem virus, and transformed to a vampire, he manifestedthe power of levitation. As a direct descendant, you too should be able to utilizethis power to some extent.”
Whoa. This was … what theactual fuck was going on here? Carter Atwater was my father and an Original.Was that why he’d been in hiding and told my mom that things were rough forhim. How had he not died with the other Originals? And if my mother was rightabout our Christmastime money deposits, he was still alive now. Something toldme I shouldn’t trust this knowledge to anyone. If they tried to kill him once,they would do it again.
Lucas met my eyes as ifreading my train of thought. “Your mother didn’t say anything about still beingin contact with Carter, did she?”
Lie, Charlie, lie yourass off. I huffed. “Yeah, right. She was shocked as hellabout what I turned out to be. Said the guy screwed her and ran off.”
Lucas seemed like hewanted more of an answer. “You know there was a fire and Carter’s body wasnever actually recovered. You can tell me if he has contacted you. Some say hemight still be alive.”
My eyes flicked to Ryder,who shook his head the tiniest bit.
I smiled at Lucas. “Trustme, if this dude was alive, I would have you drag his ass to the Hive so Icould kick him in the nuts for ruining my life.”
Lucas smiled, but itdidn’t quite reach those silver eyes. “Alright. Let’s keep this all underwraps. Keep training. Charlie, I’d like to have you over to my place for dinnertomorrow night.”
My eyebrows shot up asRyder cleared his throat.
“I’d love to,” I saidwith a fake smile. I trusted Lucas, but only to a certain extent. Still, therewas no reason to let him know that.
The next night I was summoned to thefiftieth floor. Jayden informed me that this level held the penthouses. Lucaslived the cushy life. I wondered what he’d been like as a human, beforebecoming vampire and all powerful Quorum member. Maybe I’d find out tonight.
Lucas opened the door andgestured for me to step inside. I crossed the threshold into his massiveapartment, and wondered for a moment why the Quorum members would want theirplaces up high with all that sunlight around. Made more sense for them to be inone of the twenty sub levels. Of course, the moment I ventured a little furtherinto the room, my feet sinking into soft carpet, I understood exactly what thedraw was. Floor to ceiling windows spanned the entire side of his apartment,and just like when I ran on the roof, the view was spectacular. He’d never seethe sun rise across the city, but maybe the moonlight was enough for him. Iguess it had to be enough.
Lucas’ place was veryopen-plan, each room seamlessly blending into the next. The furniture wasexpensive but simple, all creams and whites. Which was not a surpriseconsidering his love for that trench coat. Which he wasn’t actually wearingright then, but still his slacks and button dress shirt were in shades ofwhite.
“What happens when thesun rises?” I asked, taking in the wide expanse of windows which covered everythingfrom the river to the edge of the Portland.
“The same shutters closeover our floors.” He stood next to me, both of us at the window of his mainliving area. “I could have taken one of the basement suites, but I alreadymourn the loss of the sun. I don’t want to lose anything else.”
His words mirrored my ownthoughts from before. That was the most personal revelation I’d heard from thereticent vampire. For the hundredth time I wondered why he had taken such aninterest in me. It felt like more than the fact I was an ash-unicorn – somethingdeeper.
“Come,” he finally said.“Dinner is almost ready and I don’t want it to get cold.”
I followed him through afew more impressive rooms, catching a glimpse of the massive stainless steeland marble-benched kitchen, before we ended up in a simply adorned medium sizedroom. It held not much more than an eight-seater dining table, which had twoplace settings made up on it. There was also an antique-looking hutch, whichwas oddly out of place in his very modern penthouse.
“That was my wife’s.” Hemust have noticed my interest – his words were so low I almost missed them, evenwith ash hearing. “She loved it, took her months to restore it, and I justcouldn’t part with it … even after.”
My breathing went alittle ragged, matching with his. The usually cool, calm, and collected malewas leaking emotions all over the place. It was hard hearing that tone of loss,and I wondered what had happened to his wife. What had happened to him? How didhe become a vampire?
As we took our seatsacross from each other, I hoped that I might have some answers tonight. Thesilence between us grew, but it didn’t really feel uncomfortable. I figured hemust have someone cooking, because there was no way for him to be here and inthe kitchen. Unless that was his superpower.
