“You know Valerian too?” Lucius asked, his voice ending in a squeak.
“No, I do not,” Oracle murmured, softly rubbing the vampire’s arm in an effort to sooth him. “When he turned you, he had a witch give you a death spell.”
“A death spell…I don’t understand. I’m not dead.”
“But youaredying,” Oracle said, softly. “The spell was only activated when you went more than two weeks without drinking Valerian’s blood.”
“It’s been more than that since Valerian died,” Lucius confirmed.
“Is Lucius’s pain also caused by the spell?” asked Kieran.
“Yes, it is part of a death spell.”
“And I’m guessing it’s also the reason I can’t translocate anymore,” Lucius muttered, angrily.
“Unfortunately, yes. Once you passed the time limit Valerian had set, all of your abilities disappeared including feeding from animals or humans,” Oracle said.
Lucius snorted. “I never drank from a human, even though I was tempted many times when my need for blood was overwhelming. Valerian knew I wouldn’t drink human blood so he’d refuse me permission to feed until I was nearly crazy with thirst. Then he’d summon me to one of his human orgies to watch while he and the other vampires would gorge themselves. The smell of blood would drive me crazy, and many times I was close to giving in, but I knew if I did, I’d lose the last remnant of humanity that had stubbornly clung to my soul.” His eyes tearing up, Lucius whispered, “But that doesn’t matter, now, does it, since Valerian won in the end.”
The room fell silent after Lucius had finished. Then Kieran asked Oracle, “Can Remy remove the death spell if he knows what it is?”
Shaking her head, she replied, “No, only the witch who cast it can remove it.”
“I guess that means I’m going to die,” Lucius mumbled, realizing the last bit of hope he’d clung to on his journey had just evaporated.
“Not necessarily,” Oracle said, with a gentle smile. “The spell can be broken by your Fated Mate.”
“Oh, my gods!” Kieran exclaimed. “A Fated Mate! Perfecto!”
Lucius’ eyes widened. “A Fated Mate for me? Valerian told me I’d never have one.”
“Valerian lied to you because he did not want you to look for yours,” Oracle said. “Lucius, I am sure most of what he told you were lies, intended to keep you in line until you accepted your life as a vampire.”
“I don’t think so, because I was already doing everything he ordered me to do,” Lucius said.
“Ahh, yes…but Valerian knew he did not have your loyalty and he sought to have total control over you so he would never have to wonder if you would obey him or not,” Oracle replied.
“But I always did,” Lucius protested.
“Are you sure about that?” asked Oracle, her eyes twinkling.
Opening his mouth to answer, a memory suddenly flashed into his mind. Snapping it shut, he knew Oracle was right. There were many times Valerian gave him orders he ignored, or just didn’t respond to right away. He knew he was playing a dangerous game but it gave him hope; if he could retain just an iota of independence, he might be able to regain his freedom someday. But his minuscule acts of rebellion proved useless because a death spell now foretold his doom. “Whether I always obeyed him or didn’t doesn’t matter, now. As you said, I’m dying.”
There he did it. Lucius spoke the words out loud, thinking it would somehow help him come to terms with his impending death, painful and horrible if the last few days were a harbinger of what he could expect. A sob escaped him at the unfairness of it all.
“Don’t give up, Lucius,” Kieran said before looking at Oracle. “A Fated Mate can break the spell, right?”
“Yes, once they have mated, the spell will be broken.”
“Why does it have to be a Fated Mate?” asked Lucius.
“Because no magic is powerful enough to block the power of the Fates, dear,” Oracle said. “Therefore, once you claim your Fated Mate and taste his blood, the power of the spell will be broken, giving you back your abilities.”
Her words tunneled deep inside his soul where the tiny flame of hope still burned. But when Lucius remembered his master telling him the odds of anyone finding a Fated Mate were astronomical, the flame began to flicker, threatening to go out. His luck had run out a long time ago and he no longer had the will to fight a losing battle. Closing his eyes, Lucius felt himself slip back into darkness.
Sensing the young vampire was about to give up, Kieran called for Logan on their mind link. Drawing from deep inside him, he used the power the gods gave him, removing as much despair as he could. Keeping his eyes on Lucius, he asked Oracle, “Do you know who his Fated Mate is?”
“I do.”
