“What happened?” Hikari asks the moment she enters the room, Jeremiah trailing behind her. She finds her way to an open seat and plops down, all the while staring at me. She’s waiting for me to break, but Jasik called this meeting. I’ll let him speak first.
“Is it the witches?” Jeremiah asks. I watch as Holland physically winces. His ex has such disdain for everything he is, and that breaks my heart.
“No,” Jasik says simply.
“Then what is it?” Amicia asks.
Our leader enters the room, eyes narrowed. I don’t have to be a mind reader to know she believes I told Jasik about the blood oath. My throat tightens as she approaches me. Of all the empty seats, she chooses to sit directly beside me. We share a couch far too small for two people, and our bodies touch. Once again, being this close to her sends a shudder through me. It makes me physically ache to be near her, and I don’t know if it’s because she’s threateningly powerful or because of what she made me do.
“We encountered a rogue,” Jasik explains.
Amicia straightens, her interest piqued. Now that she understands I didn’t break her trust, the tension in my shoulders loosens, and I sit back against the couch. I can breathe again.
“From the same nest?” Amicia asks.
I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I’ve never seen him before.”
“That doesn’t mean he wasn’t part of that nest,” Malik counters.
“Your former coven hasn’t met everyone from ours,” Hikari explains. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t more besides us.”
“But this was different,” I say. “He wasn’t holding a grudge like the others. I’m not sure he even knows there was a rogue nest in Darkhaven.”
“He was there for you, Ava,” Jasik says.
I’m not sure how to take this. Is he agreeing with the others? Is he siding with me? If Jasik believes the rogue was there for me, then he must also believe that there are more creatures like me out there somewhere, just like the rogue said. After all, that’s why he came—to see me, to find me. But in the woods, Jasik was sure he was lying. What changed?
When I finally break eye contact with my sire, I glance around the room. It’s eerily silent, all eyes on me. I choke on my breath and cough to clear my throat.
“Not in the same way,” I say softly.
“What’s going on?” Jeremiah says, eyeing us curiously.
I’m not surprised we seem…off. Jasik and I can usually morph into the same being in times of duress. We’re usually so in sync with each other, but lately…things have been different between us. Every time we take a step forward, something happens to bring us to a screeching halt, or worse—to force us back several paces.
“The rogue told Ava she isn’t the only hybrid he’s met,” Jasik says plainly.
The room erupts in gasps, and I frown at Jasik. Why is he so bothered by this? He’s been acting strange ever since he killed the rogue. He seems…angry. Is he mad at me because of how I acted, or is he upset with the rogue for telling me the truth?
“You can’t possibly believe him,” Amicia says.
I arch a brow as I tear my gaze from Jasik. “Of course I believe him.”
“Ava, this does seem…weird,” Hikari says.
“It’s been months. Don’t you think we would have heard about other half-breeds by now?” Jeremiah cuts in.
“He was lying to you,” Jasik says. His eyes are emotionless, and it shakes me to my core. Jasik has never been so matter-of-fact.
“Why? What’s the point? He was already dead,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. How am I the only one who believes him? I glance at Holland, who seems lost in thought. He doesn’t meet my gaze. I wonder if he knows anything. After all, he is a witch.
“Maybe he was trying to distract you or something?” Jeremiah adds.
“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Malik agrees. “Rogues are notoriously untrustworthy.”
“No, it didn’t happen that way. He was too far gone. I used my cross necklace to get away, and it…” I trail off. How can I explain what it did? These vampires know the damage a cross inflicts, but have they ever seen it used against a rogue? It was nothing like what happened to Jasik. It was brutal.
“It burned him.” Malik tries to finish my sentence for me, but burn isn’t the proper word for what my cross did to that rogue vampire.
I shake my head. “It incinerated his skin. It branded him so viciously, it actually spread. In the end, tiny red veins flushed through his chest like spider webs. It didn’t just mark him; it tortured him. It’s almost as if the cross could sense how evil and soulless a creature he was, and it inflicted worse damage because of it.”
Once again, the room is silent. I eye Jasik, wondering if he will expose my misdeeds. I shouldn’t have tortured the rogue, even if he did deserve it. My job is to protect the innocent, not punish the guilty. Quick, abrupt attacks are what I’m trained to do. I’m not meant to prolong the pain like some psychopath. But I don’t regret what I did, and that makes dealing with the aftermath so much worse.
“I’ve never used a cross in my dealings, so I’m unfamiliar with how it affects rogues differently than other vampires,” Amicia says. Her voice is even, but I would guess her mind is reeling at this new information. If there was a way to harness the power of the cross, the vampires would be unbeatable. At her core, Amicia is a leader. She knows no other way than to protect her vampires.
“It makes sense, though,” Holland says, his voice soft, squeaky.
“Hmm?” Jeremiah says. He leans forward, eyes on his ex.
Holland clears his throat before continuing. “I mean, what Ava said. That makes sense. If you consider the cross an ally to mortals, then on a scale of good to evil, rogues are just one step away from being the devil himself.”
“I wonder what would happen if a rogue stepped inside a church,” Hikari says.
“That would be interesting,” Holland agrees.
“Let’s not get carried away,” Amicia says to the others before looking at me. “Ava, I know you’re upset about the events earlier today, and now this rogue has given you hope that you’re not truly alone, but I need you to see that that’s all this is. You’re scared of an eternity of alienation, but you mustn’t believe his lies.”
I exhale sharply. Part of what Amicia says is true. I don’t want to face forever alone, but until this very second, I didn’t feel alone. I knew I had Jasik and Malik and the others on my side. Amicia has a strange way with her words. In the same breath, she can both comfort and divide.
“In all my years, I have never met a creature quite like you,” Amicia continues.
“Neither have I,” Malik adds.
“I know you want to believe him, Ava, but he lied to you,” Jasik says.
“Why would he do that?” I ask. That rogue might have been a lot of things, but I’m not sure a liar is one of them.
“For kicks and giggles?” Jeremiah says. “I mean, if not to free himself, then I’d guess he did it for his own enjoyment.”
“I mean, look at you,” Hikari says. “He’s gone. He is never coming back, yet here you are, tormented by his words. And how long will you let yourself feel this way? He’s doing exactly what he planned to do. He might have experienced seconds of unbearable pain, but you’re willingly walking into an eternity of self-torture.”