Dark Heirloom (An Ema Marx Novel Book 1) (23 page)

I did a double take. “I’m sorry, did you say Satan? As in the devil?”

Jesu winced. “He is not really the
devil as personified by Christianity, but he is where the idea of the devil took root. His real name is Apollyon, but he’s gone by several different names throughout history, including Abaddon and less-obvious ones, like Lucifer.”

Nausea gurgled in my stomach. “You still think I am the one to stop him?”

He paused and looked at me. “I really do not know. I have never understood my premonitions fully. I just know that they have always come true.”

“In your vision, did I win? Did I live?”

Jesu caressed my cheek with his hand and whispered. “I did not see the ending, Ema.”

I pulled away. My thoughts clouded with hysteria. “I don’t have to fight him. I still have my freewill. Why would I fight Satan anyway?”

“He is going to seek you out, Ema. You have to be ready. You have to protect yourself.”

A metaphorical lightbulb turned on in my head, and I laughed. How many times had he told me that before?

“I get it now, Jesu. The training, the strictness, the desire for me to learn how to defend myself. It was all for this. You knew the whole time, and you lied
to me.” I backed away as I spoke.

“Ema, wait.” His green eyes widened.

“No, Jesu. I don’t know if I can trust you right now. I need to be alone to think about all of this.”

“Just give me one more minute, there is something else you need to know, please Em—”

I laughed. “Of course there is something else! All you and your brother do is lie. There will always be something else the two of you aren’t telling me. What is it with men and lies?” I turned my back to him and flew toward the ceiling.

“Ema, wait,” he shouted. “Do not let Jalmari come near you. My father is—”

“Not listening right now, Jesu.” With that, I phased my body and flew out of the dungeon. I went back to the fourth wing and solidified in the hallway between my bedroom and Jesu’s. I decided to go into his room.

Art supplies littered the tiny space as usual. I did a careful scan of the area, looking for the canvas with the dirty sheet covering it. I almost didn’t notice it on the floor, wedged between the bed and the wall.

I floated over Jesu’s stuff, snatched the canvas, and yanked the sheet off. Gasping, I nearly dropped the painting and almost tripped over piles of junk as my feet landed. Disbelief wracked my brain. The painting sent chills down my spine.

On the canvas, a very skilled artist had painted a portrait of a girl dressed in a flowing emerald green robe, leaning leisurely against a marble pillar in a rose garden. What shocked me most was that the girl looked the way I did when I was human. Red hair, chocolate-colored eyes, and a honey tan.

I looked at the date painted in black in the lower right-hand corner. It read,
Vintr.1588.
The portrait was painted four-hundred years before I was born.

Chapter 23

I wrapped the sheet around the painting and hugged it against my heaving chest. I knew Maria would help Jesu out of the dungeon, and then he would look for me, so I didn’t go to my room. That’s the first place he’d look, and I didn’t want to see him.

Instead, I phased to the guest room in the first wing, where this whole mess began. The room was exactly as I remembered it. Priceless artifacts glorified the mantle. The king-size bed stood plump with multiple layers of pillows and red silk comforters.

I laid the painting on the antique nightstand, then slumped on the bed, where I sank an inch into the goose down. The first rays of dawn leaked over the horizon, sending ribbons of gold through the wall-sized window.

I closed my eyes against the blinding light and tried to make sense of the situation. All I knew was that vampires and vampyres existed, and they didn’t like me. I didn’t care. I never planned on staying here. The plan was to learn what I needed to know, and go back to the States. I had learned enough. I knew how to use my powers. The bloodlust was still a problem, and I still wasn’t sure why or how phasing my hand helped—or if it would work again. I phased my right hand to try it. Nope. No calming energy this time. Just the heat of the sun against my molecules.

I unphased my hand and sighed. Well, I didn’t have to feed on humans. I could move to the country and hunt game animals at night. I couldn’t go back to Illinois. Jesu was right; I’d risk hurting everyone I knew if I did. Letting them believe I was dead was for the best. They could remember me the way I was, before I became a monster.

I could live in Alaska. The cold wouldn’t bother me, and the population was low. I decided I would leave Finland at dusk and go back to the States the same way I came; flying.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood as the atmosphere filled with Jalmari’s musky scent. A second, more desirable fragrance wafted into my nostrils, one which smelled of salt and metal.

Blood
.

I cursed Jalmari under my breath. He knocked on the door. I rolled my eyes and wondered how long he would fake being polite this time. “Go away.”

He allowed himself inside. “I know you’re upset, so I brought you this.”

“I’m not thirsty,” I lied.

The glass clinked as he set it on the nightstand. The scent burned my throat. My tongue felt like cotton, and my primal instincts screamed in protest. I lifted a finger in the direction of the nightstand, but quickly corrected myself.

If I can control myself here, I can control myself in Alaska.

The foot of the bed sank as Jalmari sat near my feet. I opened my eyes and shot him my best ‘can’t-you-see-I-don’t-want-to-talk’ look.

“So, you’ve seen the painting.” He nodded at the nightstand.

“Yeah.”

“You still think my brother is the better man?”

I shrugged. “Who cares?”

He sighed. “I would like to start over. There is no reason for us to hate each other.”

I bit my tongue to keep from screaming.
There’re plenty of reasons. You destroyed my life.

“I would like for us to be friends.”

“That’s a lie,” I blurted out.

“No, it’s not. You asked me which clan you belonged to, remember? You belong with the Neo-Draugrian. This is as much your home as it is mine. I always welcome a new vampyre to the clan, no matter how they came to their new life, and it was wrong of me not to treat you with the same courtesy.”

“Just stop. I’ve had enough of your crap. This isn’t my home, and never will be. The only reason you suddenly want to be my friend is because I’ve become valuable to you, am I right?” I sat up and fixed him a hard stare.

Jalmari pressed his lips into a thin line.

I sighed. “Yeah, I’m right. And I think I know why, too. Jesu’s premonition.”

His eyes bulged.

I nodded. “That’s what I thought. Look, I’m not going to battle your father. I don’t even know the man, but from what Jesu said, I’m pretty sure I’d lose, so I’m not going to try, okay? I’m just going to go back to the United States and pretend I never even met you guys.”

“You can’t.” Jalmari grabbed my shoulder and squeezed it a little too hard.

I pulled away. “Relax, I’m not going back to the city. I’ll go someplace remote. I’ll hunt animals at night. No one will ever know I exist.”

“Ema, vampyres did not survive this long by living alone in the wilderness. Besides, I won’t allow you to leave.”

I furrowed my brows and stood. “I wasn’t asking permission.”

Jalmari stood too, and took my hands. “I won’t allow you to leave because I need you to stay and be queen.”

I laughed and pulled my hands away. “Yeah, right. Why don’t you tell me what this is really about?”

“That
is
what this is really about.”

“Why don’t you marry Leena? Why me?”

Jalmari bit his lip. “The Council doesn’t allow vampires to obtain titles of nobility because their will is bound to their sire. It’s too risky to have a vampire in the court when their maker could order them to spy, or break the law, or any number of things. And Leena… she is my vampire. The Council views her as an extension of myself—my servant, and nothing more. You, though, are a vampyre. You answer to no one, but yourself. You could be queen of the entire clan. Together, we can unite the Neo-Draugrian and the Romani, and stop the hunting of innocent people.”

I scoffed. “So now you care about what happens to the
innocent
people?”

He furrowed his brows. “I have always cared. I don’t enjoy killing people. I don’t enjoy living in secret either, but I do it because it’s the best way I can think of to have both species inhabit the same world in peace. You think places like Club Korento were possible when my father ruled the world? But there is only so much I can do alone. With you by my side—”

“Don’t hold your breath.” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know anything about politics, or ruling a group of people. Heck, I’ve never even had a manager position in the work force before. Besides, to be queen, I’d have to marry you, and that is
not
going to happen.”

Jalmari moved his lips, but was silent and stared at the floor for a long time.

“You’re right,” he spoke softly. “It was silly of me to ask. I suppose I sent Leena away for nothing.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry. Anyone could see how much she meant to you. At least,” I couldn’t help adding, “you got to say goodbye.”

Jalmari studied me for a moment. “You lost a lot of people coming here, didn’t you?”

I looked away, and then nodded. “Yeah I did, in a way. In another way, I was pretty much alone to begin with.”

Jalmari cocked a brow. “You cannot be both. You were either alone, or you weren’t.”

“Well,” I shrugged. “I had my mom. But… my boyfriend and I… had a fight. I’m not sure if we officially broke up, but it seemed that way. Now, I can never see him again, regardless, and I just feel… robbed of time.”

Jalmari nodded. “I understand.”

I scoffed. “How can you understand? You and Leena were together for over two-thousand years. That amount of time makes things different.”

“Does it?”

“Well, sure. There must be nothing the two of you don’t know about each other. If you could marry her, you’d know exactly what you’re getting into. No surprises, no turning out to be something different. Human life is so short and full of doubts. There isn’t enough time to really get to know someone, to be certain they’re the one you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with. Maybe… maybe that’s why he did it.”

Jalmari shook his head. “There isn’t one person in the world you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with. There are just people. Some of them you learn to love and never look back.”

“What about Leena?” I shaded my eyes with a hand as the sun basked the room in a fluorescent glow.

Jalmari looked at the ceiling, squinting. “If I was a braver man—”

“You would have married her,” I finished for him.

“No.” He shook his head.

“No?”

“If I was a braver man, I never would have bitten her. I would have let her live out her life as a human. I would have let her have babies and grow old, even if our time together was short. But I was a coward. A selfish coward. I stole her freewill and her fertility so I could keep her with me.”

We sat in silence while the room, and everything in it, drowned in white light. I had to close my eyes again, I couldn’t stand it.

“I wish I could believe you,” I finally said.

“What do you mean?”

“I want to believe that the way you talk about Leena is real, because it would mean that you have a soul and a conscience. It would mean not every word out your mouth is a lie.”

Jalmari sighed. The bed bounced slightly as he stood. I listened to the sound of his footsteps, and the swoosh of fabric as the curtains closed. I opened my eyes, squinting in the still bright light, as Jalmari took the glass of blood from the nightstand and sloshed it around.

“I suppose it no longer matters if you believe me or not, all the damage is already done. I do not know how to keep you from phasing, so I cannot force you to stay here, even if I try.” He forced half a grin onto his lips. “I would prefer we keep in touch. I’m sure you can understand my need to keep tabs on fellow vampyres?”

I nodded while staring at the scarlet liquid as he spun it around like a miniature whirlpool of blood. I hesitated. “You’re not going to tell your father where I am, are you?”

Jalmari grinned. “Of course not. Besides, I don’t know if there is any truth to my brother’s vision.”

He held the glass to his mouth, but paused when he noticed me licking my lips. Cocking a brow, he moved the drink in my direction.

I snatched the glass and guzzled the liquid all at once. Every muscle in my body instantly relaxed. My insides basked in energy until my very core tingled. My body became uncomfortably warm. I breathed deep through pursed lips as my fists gripped the bedspread. Powerful urges washed over me, numbing my thoughts.

Jalmari sat on the bed and brushed his fingertips against my thigh. I gasped, realizing I could feel
it.
Really
feel him, his glorious, baby soft skin.

I couldn’t tell if he’d done it on purpose. He wasn’t looking at me. But just the fact that I could feel the warm tips of his fingers filled me with shock and joy, suspicion and desire. Why could I feel him and not Jesu? What else would I feel with Jalmari?

I brushed my fingers across the top of his hand and bit my lip to keep from squealing.

I can feel that!

Jalmari faced me, his full lips slightly parted. A little voice in the corner of my mind buzzed like a bee, telling me this was a very bad idea, but I ignored myself. Nephilim Ema wanted to play.

Jalmari sat in silence, but his body language said everything. His hand lingered on my thigh, warming a spot very close to my crotch. His eyes gazed into mine, sparkling with desire. He licked his lips, and slowly leaned in, until his nose brushed against mine. He remained there, his breath against my cheek. I couldn’t stand it. Dropping the chalice, I crushed my lips and body against his.

My hands flew around his neck. He gripped my hips and pulled me onto his lap. His tongue glided over mine with perfect rhythm. A hand came around to my chest and messaged my breasts. His manhood swelled and pushed against his pants, poking my thigh. Knowing he enjoyed himself kicked the bloodlust up a notch. Making-out wasn’t enough. I wanted so much more. I wanted to bathe in blood with him while making love.

I managed to unlock my lips from his and kissed the base of his neck. My fingers tangled in his midnight-colored hair as I pressed the tips of my fangs against his skin.

Jalmari shoved me off him, anger flashing across his features as he stood. I fell against the bed, disappointed and taken off guard. Why’d he stop?

“No biting,” he breathed, but I was already on him again, kissing him and enjoying every tingle of feeling his body offered. Then, my ability to feel tapered off and dead-ended. I smacked into a brick wall of numbness. I pulled away from Jalmari, completely confused and flustered.

“What’s happening? I’m numb again.”

Jalmari held onto my waist and watched me, but he didn’t say anything. Suddenly, the room spun. Nausea knotted my stomach.

“I’m going to be sick.” I pushed away from him and took two steps toward the bathroom. I must have laid down then, because the room tilted from an odd angle, and the last thing I saw were Jalmari’s shoes.