“Where is the item you took?” I ask, speaking for the first time.
“It’s not an item, my dear.” Lucien looks to the back of the house. “Terrin, please come here.” A child, no older than ten or eleven, slowly makes his way into the room. His dark eyes are larger than normal, and his skin is the color of snow. My stomach knots at the sight of him. Terrin makes his way to Lucien, who turns him to face the four of us. “This is Terrin Dernbach. He is the item that Callum is seeking.” He turns the boy back to face him. “Release your shield as I taught you.” The boy closes his eyes, and a rush of familiar energy hits me straight on. Vampire energy…
“An immortal child?” Cyrus asks. “That’s not allowed.”
“Obviously, I was not the one to make him,” Lucien responds.
“Callum?” I ask as I put the puzzle pieces together.
“Yes,” the boy answers. His voice is higher-pitched and matches his youthful appearance. “Callum is my father.”
“Wait,” Simon says. “Father, as in he produced you by…you know, or father, as in he turned you into a vampire?”
Terrin looks at Lucien, who nods, giving himpermission to speak. “I was born in 1750 in Vienna, Austria, the youngest of twelve children. My family was poor, and there wasn’t enough food for everyone. Callum promised my father that I would have a good life. In turn, he gave him enough money to feed my brothers and sisters until my parents were old and grey.”
“Your father sold you to a vampire?” I ask.
“He didn’t know Callum was a vampire, but yes.” Terrin looks down. “I was turned almost immediately.”
“That’s why he’s here,” Cyrus announces. “He’s looking for Terrin.”
“And your young vampire.” He nods toward me.
“I can keep Violet safe,” Cyrus retorts.
Lucien laughs. “Can you, Mr. Knight? Do the two of you want a life always on the run, looking behind your backs, moving from home to home…shall I continue?”
“Does he know where the boy is?” Simon asks.
“No,” Terrin answers. “Lucien did not take me. I escaped and found my way here.”
Cyrus crosses his arms across his chest. “You expect me to believe that?”
Terrin nods. “Yes, because it’s the truth. I have the ability to…”
“Do we have a deal?” Lucien interrupts.
“If I do as you ask, you will cast a spell to dispel the one Aurora placed on me?” Cyrus asks.
“Yes,” the warlock answers quickly. “Terrin deserves a chance to live. That was taken away fromhim when he was a child. He cannot go through life hiding from his maker. The only way to fix the situation is his death.”
Cyrus sighs heavily. “What if I don’t succeed?”
Lucien looks between the four of us. “Then I will tell Callum where to find Violet.”
A heartbeat later, Cyrus has transformed into the creature from earlier. He’s in front of Terrin and Lucien instantly. “Do not mistake my gentle spirit for weakness, Lucien Creed. I can wipe you from this world before you know what’s happened.”
Terrin steps in front of the older warlock. “You will not get through me,” he warns. His voice is low and calculated. The top of the immortal child vampire’s head barely comes to Cyrus’s chest. The boy shudders, and a burst of energy floods the room, nearly knocking me off my feet. What the hell?
Cyrus steps back. “What are you?”
“The boy is special,” Lucien answers. “It’s the reason Callum turned him to begin with and the reason he wants him back.”
“Special how?” Cyrus asks.
“Special enough to change the world,” the warlock answers. “He must be protected, Mr. Knight. The only way to do that is through Callum’s death.”
“Send the boy after him,” Simon says, moving toward Cyrus. “If he’s that powerful, let him kill Callum.”
