Veins stand out in Vyvyan’s neck, and my adrenaline spikes. I must be right.
Everything clicked last night. During our confrontation, the Balam referred to its summoner as a “she.” Vane’s sudden appearance to rescue me and insistence that I do not return to the Nest made it clear he was protecting someone. Who else would he shield if not Vyvyan?
“I don’t care why you did it,” I add quickly. “I’m sure you had your reasons. I won’t tell anyone. I want to come home.”
There’s a beat of tense silence, then Vyvyan says, “You’re right. And do you want to know why I did it?”
I gasp, and Vyvyan sits straighter. Her beautiful face lights up with a cruel smile.
“For the vampires, but especially for Vane.”
I don’t dare say a word.
“You see, we’ve survived over a century without the help of witches,” Vyvyan continues, her voice dripping with condescension. “The witches forced us underground, then later began killing us to harvest our tears.”
I swallow hard, my mouth too dry.
“Together, Vane and I persevered,” she continues. “We turned these tunnels into a city. But there had to be rules. No one went up to the surface without permission, and Vane did not, under any circumstances, sire any progeny.”
A knot forms in my stomach as Vyvyan’s words punctuate my eardrums.
“We were strongest, just the two of us. . . until you came along.” Vyvyan’s eyes narrow with hatred. “Vane’s sensitive. He has been struggling with the idea of eternity for some time now. Nothing I did made him happy anymore. Then you stumbled into our club, and suddenly, Vane acted like his usual self, but it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with you.”
The pieces fall into place. She staged the attack to drive a wedge between Vane and the surface world. She wanted to blame the witches and give Vane a reason to retreat underground with her again. The wolf tracks weren’t part of her plan – they were an unexpected complication.
“He defied my orders, broke all the rules,” Vyvyan continues. “When he Turned you, he came to me in hysterics—not because he betrayed me, but because he feared foryoursafety. You’d become a target as part of our family, third in line for the vampire throne.”
My knees buckle. Vane went to her for help, fearing the consequences I would face. If true, it counters the monstrous image I’ve built of him.
“My distaste for you began when I understood Vane’s love had shifted. Sharing his affections, particularly with someone as pathetic as you, wounded my pride and heart.”
My mind reels. How can it be true that Vane loves me when he treated me so horribly?
“I had him devise a plan to bring you into the Nest, but to lie about your sire,” Vyvyan reveals. “To ensure you wouldn’t come near him, I told him he had to break you. Otherwise, you’d never give him up.”
A sob catches in my throat. She manipulated Vane during his most vulnerable moments.
“When he began disappearing again—likely to escape the pain of seeing you, knowing you hated him—I devised a plan to bring him back, but this time for good. I summoned the Balam, intending to blame the witches and force us back underground, safe from their influence, where we could be happy. But your poisonous blood interfered, ruining everything.”
I understand it all now – her fear of change, her desperation to control Vane, her desire to recapture what she fears she’s lost.
Vyvyan flashes her fangs as she rises from her throne. “Which is why kicking you out of the Nest wasn’t the answer. You must disappear. For good.”
I stumble back. “What, you are going to kill me?”
I shake my head. Vane left. He looked me in the eye and walked away. If he’s the obstacle between Vyvyan and me, his absence should clear the path.
“After everything—after all my loyalty—this is how you repay me? With a death sentence?” I ask.
Vyvyan shrugs. “It is for the good of the coven. Your blood is deadly.”
Vyvyan may look human, but the humanity inside her is long gone.
“I trusted you. I believed in your promise of a home for outcasts. But now I see the truth. You’re no better than the monsters you claim to protect us from.”
The witches feared the vampires because we were different. Now, Vyvyan’s doing the same to me.
“Your blood could lead to mutiny, Desiree.”
