Dark Heirloom (An Ema Marx Novel Book 1) (25 page)

Leena pressed her lips into a thin line. Her brows furrowed as she stared at the pink stain on the carpet. “Neither of us would make it alone. You need me for my knowledge and experience. I need you for your power and strength.”

I almost laughed out loud. Me, strong? She must be mistaken.

“I am not mistaken.” She stomped her foot and clenched her fists. “Please, you do not know what it’s like to lose so many people you love. Everyone around me grows old and dies so quickly. Jalmari is all I have left and—”

“I know what it’s like,” I blurted out. “Not the ‘growing-old-and-dying’ part, but the ‘losing-someone-you-love’ part.” Images of my mom and Anthony flashed through my mind. I winced, knowing Leena probably saw those images too.

The smile on her face confirmed my suspicions. “So, you’ll help me?”

I groaned. Nothing good could come from this. I should stick to my original plan and fly to Alaska.

“Please? I am begging you. I cannot lose Jalmari. Not like this. Not without the choice being his own.”

I hesitated. The last time Anthony and I spoke, he told me he had cheated on me. Anthony wasn’t possessed. He was just a normal guy breaking up with his normal girlfriend. He chose to be dishonest. Had it not been Anthony’s choice, had it been something vile and sick inside him, wouldn’t I have done everything in my power to help him? Of course I would. I was even willing to forgive him.

Leena bit her lip. No doubt she had heard everything I just thought, yet she waited patiently for my answer. Something inside me shifted as I studied her. Suddenly, none of it mattered. My human life was history. I was a vampyre, and these were my friends and family now.

I nodded at Leena. “Okay. I’ll help.”

Chapter 25

Dusk fell over the forest. I faced the wrought iron gate separating me from Jalmari’s castle. Ivy trembled against the stone walls, blowing in the wind. Gargoyles stared down from the towers. I shuddered, and peeked over my shoulder at Leena.

“Go on,” she whispered while vanishing into the woods. I faced forward, sucked in a deep breath, and then sighed.

Here goes nothing.

I phased and flew past the gate, past the door, into the castle. All was quiet as I slithered down the hall. I couldn’t sense Jalmari or Jesu. In fact, I couldn’t feel a single ripple of movement other than the normal flow of air. I hoped that wasn’t a bad sign. I didn’t stop to investigate. I stuck to the plan, and headed straight for Jalmari’s office. Only I didn’t make it.

In the ballroom, Jesu’s energy hit me like a brick wall. I froze at the top of the stairs, still invisible, but he noticed me anyway and called out. I felt the ripples of his voice, slow and even, like a dip in a pond. He’d said my name. It was only because I didn’t want him to follow me into Jalmari’s office that I materialized.

He stood at the bottom of the stairs. A hundred different emotions flashed through his eyes as he stared up at me. I winced. Jesu wasn’t the one I needed right now, and I hoped he wouldn’t get in the way.

He ran his hands through his hair, took a deep breath, and then dropped his arms to his sides. “Ema, you came back.”

I wasn’t sure if that was a question or a statement. “Yeah, well, I have nowhere else to go.” I shrugged and looked away, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

He didn’t. Instead, he started coming toward me, climbing the steps two at a time. “I looked all over for you.”

Ah, shoot.
I descended the stairs, grabbing his hand on the way down, and pulled him as hard as I could across the ballroom, past the dining room, into the kitchen. He didn’t resist.

“Ema, I am so sorry.”

I stubbornly forced myself to wait until I had pulled him all way inside the fourth wing, where no one else could hear us. Finally, I exploded. “Do you even know what you’re apologizing for?”

He glanced at me with solemn eyes. “For what Jalmari did. I… I am so sorry I did not get there sooner.” He reached for my hand, but I jerked my arms away.

“Don’t apologize for him, he can do that himself.”

Jesu winced. “I am not apologizing for him, he does not deserve forgiveness. I am apologizing for not saving you. If I had gotten there sooner—”

“Just stop, Jesu, okay? I left you in the dungeon on purpose, do you understand? I left you there because you lied to me. You’re not my hero. You’re not my knight in shining armor. What happened between Jalmari and me, well, that was as much my fault as it was his.”

Jesu’s gaze widened with fury. “How can you think that? He took advantage of you, Ema. He mistreated you, and none of it was your fault.”

I looked away. Heat rose to my face as anger and frustration boiled beneath my skin. I didn’t have time for this. I needed to get Jesu off my case, but how? The words spewed from my mouth like vomit. “Jesu, I want to marry Jalmari!”

His face shattered, but only for a second. Then it turned cold. His brows pulled tight in the center, and his blue lips pressed into a thin, hard line.

“No you don’t,” he firmly stated.

“Yes, I do.”

“No, you don’t. I may not know everything about you, but I know you despise my brother.”

He was right, of course, but that was the lie Leena told me to use with Jalmari, so I ran with it.

“It’s not because I like him. He owes me a new life, and he’s offering me the chance to be a queen. Can you imagine?” I spoke a few octaves higher so I would sound excited. “I was dirt poor before, living in the slums of an infested city. Now, I’ll be rich and powerful. A vampyre Queen. I’ll be a celebrity.”

Jesu frowned, and looked away. “You do not really want all that.”

“Yes, I do.” I crossed my arms.

He shook his head. “No. You want love. Real love. You do not care about material things.” He looked into my eyes. “You are better than that.”

I rolled my eyes and muttered. “Humph. I bet you think you could be the one.”

“Maybe.”

My jaw nearly dropped, but I caught myself, and fixed my face into a hard scowl. “Too bad, Romeo, that Ema is dead.
This
Ema isn’t going to make the same mistake. I’m all about the cash now. Excuse me, I have to go find my fiancé.”

Jesu sagged against the wall, his expression broken. I phased and left him behind. In my phantom chest, a sharp pain pierced my heart. I pushed the pain away and went in search of Jalmari.

I materialized before a door not quite thick enough to mask Jalmari’s musky scent. He was talking to someone, his voice gruff and urgent. I listened to his conversation for a moment. Too bad I couldn’t understand a word of it. All I could tell was that he was speaking on the phone to someone named Victor. Whatever, I was sick of waiting for him. I phased through the door and appeared in front of his desk just as he hung up the phone.

I placed my hands on my hips and plastered a smile on my face while batting my eyelashes.

He looked me over with raised eyebrows, yet his voice was dry and straight to the point. “Where did you run off to?”

“Just the woods. You could have easily found me if you tried.”

He snorted. “It is not so easy in daylight. I am surprised you stayed out so long. I worried you’d get a horrid sunburn.”

Sarcasm. Good ol’ temperamental Jalmari.

“So worried, you figured you’d stay inside to keep from burning yourself.” I rolled my eyes. “I guess I have an advantage.”

He slowly nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line. “That you do. So, you’ve come back?”

“Yeah. I thought about it and…” I took a deep breath and rattled off the same lie I told Jesu. “I want to do it. I want to be a queen. You owe me a new life, and you owe me a good one. I can’t think of anything better than royalty.”

He narrowed his eyes and studied me. I tried to hold my ground, but couldn’t, and looked away.

Damn, I’m such a crappy liar. I should say something.

I took a deep breath. “But… you should know I still don’t like you, and I am not sleeping with you again. Ever. I’m only doing this because I have nowhere else to go. If I’m going to stay here, I might as well make the best of it and take you up on your offer.”

Now I could face him with confidence, to show that I was serious, especially about not sleeping with him. He leaned back in his leather armchair and stroked the tip of his chin. I hoped he hadn’t changed his mind about getting married. I hoped he bought the lie and wouldn’t press me. He leaned forward on his elbows. The corners of his mouth curled in a sinister grin.

“Very well. We can make the engagement official tomorrow.”

I sighed in relief. If everything went according to plan, Jalmari would call the whole thing off by tomorrow. I glanced at the floor and scuffed my toes. “So, shall we celebrate a little tonight?”

Jalmari cocked his head. “What do you have in mind?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe a glass of blood or something like that.”

“I thought you didn’t want to sleep with me again,” he grinned.

I wrinkled my nose. “Maybe I’ll have a glass of wine. But I’ve never been engaged before. I feel like we should at least toast to it.”

“Very well. I’ll call Maria.”

“No,” I snapped, a little too quickly. I forced my voice to be calm. “No. We don’t need to bother her. I’ll get the drinks.” I smiled as innocently as I could. “I’ll be right back.”

I phased to the kitchen and opened the huge refrigerator. Medical bags full of every blood type in existence stocked the shelves. I couldn’t smell the blood when it was cold and packaged, but the sight of the crimson liquid aroused my inner beast, and I salivated like a starving dog.

I had to resist. If I gave into the thirst, I would end up as Mrs. Korento, and that was
not
going to happen. Grinding my fangs together, I grabbed a bag of blood, threw it against the counter, and kicked the door shut.

Deep breath. Hold it.

I searched the cupboards and pulled out two glasses. My heart pounded against my ribs. My cheeks burned, and I finally let my breath out as I eyed the bag of blood and thought about the best possible way to pour it.

The air shifted as Maria solidified in the kitchen. She looked me over and stifled a laugh. Her bright smile stretched from ear to ear. “Can I help you with anything, darling?”

“Can you pour that for me, please?”

“Of course, dear.” She glided over to the counter and opened the bag. “I can bring them up if you like.”

I bit my lip. “No, thank you, I’m sure I can manage.” I smiled, but couldn’t tear my gaze away from the flowing blood as Maria filled the glass. “Do we have any wine?”

“I believe we keep some in the cellar. Any preference?”

“No, whatever you can find will work.” Besides, I was sure it would taste like ashes.

Maria nodded and tossed the empty bag into the trash. She phased out of the kitchen to get the wine.

The instant she was gone, I set to work. I pulled out the handkerchief Leena gave me and unwrapped it. Inside were seventeen red nightshade berries. The plant was extremely toxic. I was supposed to trick Jalmari into eating them. Leena explained that seventeen berries was a lethal dose for humans, but for a vampyre, the fruit would only paralyze them for a few hours. She warned me not touch the berries myself. One drop through the skin could cause hallucinations.

I searched for a fork, mashed the berries, and scraped them into Jalmari’s drink, stirring quickly. When I was done, I wrapped the handkerchief around the fork and shoved both into the bottom of a trashcan.

Fidgeting, I waited until Maria reappeared with a bottle of sparkling white wine in a tin of ice. I took half a step forward and casually positioned myself in front of the glass of blood, hoping Maria wouldn’t notice it for any reason. Could she smell the nightshade?

“Thanks, Maria, I can take it from here.” My voice squeaked as beads of sweat formed against my temples. I had to calm down or someone would catch on. I waited a moment for Maria to leave. When she didn’t, I gathered the drinks and left, hoping she hadn’t formed any suspicions.

Jalmari didn’t bother to look up when I entered his office. He sat behind his desk, carefully reading a small stack of papers.

“What are you doing?” I set the glass of blood, and the wine, on his desk. I pushed the blood in his direction, almost fainting from nerves. Even with poison in it, I ached for a sip.

Jalmari answered simply. “Work.”

I nodded. Of course. He practically ran a country. My hands trembled as I lifted my glass. “To… new beginnings?”

Jalmari took his cup and gently clicked it against mine.

“To new beginnings,” he repeated, and took a long sip.

I tried to keep my eyes from bulging out of the sockets as I stared. How long would it take for the nightshade to go into effect? Why hadn’t I ask Leena that before? Without thinking, I took a gulp of wine and choked. It was like licking an ash tray.

“Ugh!” I wiped my tongue with the back of my hand, trying to get rid of the bitter soot taste. “Will things ever taste normal again?”

Jalmari laughed. “No,” he answered, and then pushed his glass in my direction. “But this will make you feel better.”

One look at the poisoned blood sobered me. Biting my lip, I decided to sit quietly in the rigid chair in front of his desk. “No thanks, I’ll be okay in a minute.” I gulped down my nerves and prayed he wouldn’t get suspicious.

When I glanced in his direction again, I gasped. His pupils dilated to double their size. Only a thin line of his green irises remained. He cocked his head, blinking rapidly. His pale lips pursed, and his brows pulled together in a tight furrow.

I debated whether or not to speak.

Beads of sweat formed on his pallid skin, matching my own perspiration as a tense silence lingered between us. In slow motion, Jalmari rose from his chair. His face and hands glistened in clammy sweat.

My voice came out as a high-pitched squeak. “Is everything okay?”

Yeah, I should have kept my mouth shut.

Perspiration drenched his clothes. The color drained from his already pale face, and his voice was hoarse. “What did you do to me?”

Panic wracked my brain, only this time it was because I worried Jalmari might die. He looked like he was having a heart attack. This couldn’t be right. The berries were supposed to paralyze him, and he didn’t even drink much. Leena didn’t say anything about profuse sweating. I swallowed hard, and tried to make my voice even.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You. Bitch.” He took two steps, and then fell face-first against the floor. Seizure-like tremors overtook him. I gasped and leaped to my feet, but I wasn’t sure what to do. Had I mixed the berries wrong? Did I use too many? Shit, I didn’t mean to kill the bastard.