Disclosure



Brian sat on the arm of the sofa, staring blankly ahead, trying with everything he had to make sense of the entire situation. First Nick showed up with some strange girl he couldn’t have known very long and announced that he was leaving. Then AJ leaves, only to be brought back unconscious by two weird looking kids who claim he passed out in back of a club after getting drunk, which couldn’t have been true. On top of that, AJ was now missing.

Then, they called AJ’s phone, and they heard him in the background with women, but he wouldn’t answer. After that, they called Nick, only to be told that AJ was with him and they’d never see either of them again. It was all too confusing. Baffling. None of it made any sense, whatsoever.

“We have to go to this club. If AJ truly was there, maybe we’ll find those kids again. Or maybe we’ll run into Nick. Something! I just have this gut feeling that someone there will know something.” Brian concluded, now standing.

“Right... and we only have four more days until we head back to the Keys to do some more recording.” Howie added, reminding everyone that they desperately needed Nick and AJ to get their acts together and get back in place, or they’d all be in serious trouble.

“Kev... what did you say that place was called?” Brian asked.

“Oh, it’s The Forsaken. It’s just off on the corner of Temple and Main.”

~*~*~*~*~*~


Thirst drove Nick to open his eyes. There was nothing but darkness surrounding him. Because of his increasing strength, he pushed the coffin open with the greatest of ease and light poured into the small space in which he slept the day through. Gray was still sleeping deeply on top of him, and they were tangled up in the softest of satin sheets. He sensed that she would awake soon, so he remained still, only taking deep breaths of the fresh night air that swept into their crypt from open windows in rooms above.

Gray’s smooth lips parted and her teeth shone brilliantly despite the dim lighting of the room. She shifted slightly, then opened her eyes wide, her thirst driving her to wake as well. She looked at Nick for only a moment, grinned, and then climbed like a sleek feline out of the coffin with the gray satin sheets covering her naked body.

Nick climbed out after her, wanting to stretch but not feeling comfortable doing so in the nude.

“You’re ashamed?” She asked.

“You’re reading my mind again?” He countered.

“No... I’m afraid that you’re becoming distant to me now. You’re thoughts are cloudy to me. But, it’s not difficult to see that you don’t like to romp around without the security of clothing.” She pointed to something on the wall with her eyes, and when Nick looked in that direction, he saw a robe that looked much like a smoking jacket hanging on a small silver hook. He pulled it down an wrapped it around his body. He was just about to thank Gray when she held up her finger to silence him.

Her eyes narrowed as if she were listening for something. Nick listened as well, and he heard rustling in the rooms above. Voices. One was familiar. Maia’s voice. Soft yet clear. She was speaking with someone, a man. His words were even clearer, but in a language Nick couldn’t comprehend. He turned to Gray and she was staring at him.

“Arius is waiting for you. He’s waiting for you both. You must go to him.” She whispered.

“Where is he?” Nick asked. Gray simply tilted her head upward and smiled.

“Follow the music.”

“But I don’t hear any mu-----” Before Nick could finish his sentence, he could here the music of a piano. He left Gray’s chamber and followed it up the long stairwell, through the long, pitch-black corridor, and into the room filled with the ancient looking furniture. Some Roman, some Egyptian, and some he couldn’t really tag an ancient civilization too in such a short time.

He continued to follow the music up another stairwell, but it was well lit with candles along the walls. The steps were covered with a deep scarlet carpeting, so soft that Nick felt as though he bare feet sunk into them.

The music grew louder... he pressed on.

He could smell a mortal. This was strange to him. Never had he actually acknowledged the fact that mortals had scents and he did not. It was a woman. She was clean, he could smell the expensive soap she used to bathe herself. She wore no perfume, for her body was already sweet smelling. She was sweating, probably due to fear. All this he detected before he even entered the room she was in.

When he did so, he saw a man sitting at a piano. But he wasn’t a man. He was more like a force. Nick could feel his power just by stepping into the room. He was an old vampire. Far older than Nick could ever have anticipated. Though the average mortal would assume that the man was merely forty years in age, Nick could tell that this vampire had seen many centuries come and go.

His hair, dark brown, was cut short. It reminded him of how men wore their hair in Rome, back when Caesars reined. He wore a black shirt, and it was only buttoned halfway up. His pants, they were black as well, and sleek. It seemed ironic to Nick that a man of such magnificence would dress so casually.

He finished his piece on the piano and looked up at Nick. He smiled, and his teeth were ten times as brilliant as Gray’s. They seemed a hundred times fiercer too, even Nick felt he should cower at the sight of them. It was then that the vampire turned his attention to AJ... who was standing across the room. Nick hadn’t noticed, he was too captivated by Arius.

“My sons...” He whispered, though as soft as he spoke it, his words echoed throughout the room and the halls. He stood up and in one movement he was standing but four inches away from Nick. His speed startled both the fledgling vampires, but they expected nothing less from a vampire of such skill and power.

He circled Nick, surveying him from the tip of his nose to his smallest toenail. Nick stood straight, careful not to slouch or seem as though he did not respect Arius’ presence.

“My darling Gray... such a foolish girl, she is. I see why she has chosen you. A remarkable resemblance of her first lover, you are. She took not the time to closely examine you. She knew not whether you have what it takes to handle the dark gift when she made you. She fell in love so quickly with your beauty, your charm, and your perfection that she.... she failed to notice your only fault. Do you know what that would be?” Arius asked, stopping in front of Nick’s face.

“No... of course you don’t.” Arius snapped before Nick could answer.

“She is my daughter, and I love her just as dearly as I would had Maia bore her from my seed. Her first lover broke her heart into many pieces, and you... you have the potential to do the same. Don’t.” Nick swallowed hard. He was unsure of what Arius meant. He could never break Gray’s heart! He loved Gray! She was all that mattered to him now.

“You... you’re not like your friend. Anne and Daniella, they’re infatuated with you, are they not?” Arius asked, now speaking with AJ. AJ didn’t answer, he only lowered his gaze and chuckled matter-of-factly.

“You remind me of myself when I was young. I was ruthless then, and I felt like I had the world in the very palm of my hand. And no one could tell me any different. I see that in you. I see that fire in your eyes, and I admire that. I envy that in you.” He placed his hand on AJ’s shoulder, and he hadn’t even laid a finger on Nick.

Nick stared at the two, and even though he hardly knew Arius, he felt jealous. Envy caused his blood to boil. He just couldn’t believe how much Arius favored AJ.

Arius turned suddenly away from AJ and walked over through a set of open French doors onto a French patio. He looked out at the city lights. He watched as the mortals below made their way from one place to the next, not knowing their fate or destiny. Never knowing when they’ll breathe their last breath or see their last night. He snapped his fingers, and Jin and Michael appeared with two girls. Nick was wrong, there were two girls, not just one.

“Take her, Nickolas.” Arius said, turning slowly and looking at one of the girls. She seemed scared, but ironically aroused. For some reason, she assumed that Arius meant that Nick was to make some sort of sexual advance. In fact, both assumed this. That was probably how Jin and Michael lured them there. They were both drunk. Nick wondered how he could have ever missed the smell of hard liquor, one he was quite familiar with when he was mortal.

He stepped forward and took the girl in his arms. She gasped as he pulled her close. He tilted her head to the side, exposing her ivory neck. Her artery pressed against her sweet-smelling skin, and he wasted no time in biting down into her flesh and consuming her young life in mere seconds. When he finished, he dropped her too the floor and took in a few deep breaths. He then licked his lips and looked at Arius for approval. He received nothing but a sharp glance.

Arius then waved his hand at AJ to proceed. As AJ stepped forward, the remaining girl looked at her dead friend and panicked. She shied away from AJ, but he gently took her hand and stroked it. Too inebriated to think clearly, she found comfort in his touch and began to forget about her friend’s sudden and cruel death.

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. You’re not like her... you’re special.” He kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair back. She looked again at the corpse near her feet, but AJ only diverted her attention with another kiss, but this time on her lips. He caressed her arms with his fingertips, and his light, sensual touch made her forget all about what Nick had so recently done.

“See now, no harm will come to you. No pain.” He whispered. She rested her head on his chest and he rubbed her back, comforting her. He soon pulled away from her, wiping her tears away with his thumb, and tapping her chin so that she lifted her head up. Just as he got a smile out of her, he brought her close again and kissed her ear. Then her neck. Then he fed... so subtly that she wasn’t sure whether she had been bitten or whether he was giving her the more passionate kiss she’d ever received. He fed so very swiftly that she was uncertain whether she was dying or whether she was experiencing an orgasm to end all orgasms. He stopped and stepped away before she took in her last bit of air... and their eyes met... then she died, falling to the floor with her eyes wide open and blank.

Both the fledglings looked at Arius and he smiled. He then began to clap, saying “magnificent” over and over. Nick felt sick and could not help but leave the room. He stood in the hall by the stairs, feeling tears well up in his eyes, and just before they fell, his vision turned to a shade of red. He was crying tears of blood. And it made sense. For his body was nothing but blood now. No more useless mortal fluids. No clear, salty tears. Just dark, crimson, blood. He wiped his eyes and then tried to wipe the red smears on his hands off on his robe. As he did so he heard Arius talking to Maia again.

“You know that he’ll hurt her, yet you let him stay here. Why?” She asked.

“Gray must learn lessons just as every other vampire does... for herself. This way, in coming years, she’ll know better than to make mistakes like that one again.”

~*~*~*~*~*~


The night was still young, and Brian figured that if he stayed in the Forsaken long enough, he’d have to see Nick or AJ. If not them, possibly Nick’s new girlfriend. Or those strange kids that brought AJ home. He wasn’t alone in his quest. Both Howie and Kevin traveled with him. Leigh and Kristen stayed at the hotel, just in case someone called.

They weren’t used to waiting in lines outside the club. Celebrity status had spoiled them. In any other situation, they’d have been escorted to the front door, passed everyone standing in line. But, unfortunately for them, the Forsaken didn’t favor people like the Backstreet Boys and therefore they had to wait to get in just like everyone else.

Suddenly, Brian saw Nick and AJ walk by the long line with a group of very odd-looking people. Then again, everyone in line looked odd. But they looked particularly odd. All walking on one accord. Heads held high as if they ruled the Earth. All of them dressed similarly. All wearing the same smirk. All except Nick. His new girlfriend by his side, holding fast to his arm. His head was not held high, but very low. His smirk non-existent, a straight face in its place. It was as if he belonged with them, but he didn’t want to be. Brian was about to call out his name, but they were already approaching the front entrance and it would have been foolish for him to shout out Nick’s name over the music coming from the opening door.

Almost an hour and a half passed before Brian, Kevin, and Howie got to the door. The bouncer, a very pale-faced man, looked them over several times before thinking about letting them in. Their hair and clothing set them so far apart from everyone else. Misfits. Too square and preppy to really be Forsaken material. Kevin sensed that they were about to be rejected, so he stepped forward and attempted to reason with the bouncer.

“We have to get in there. Our friends are in there. You know them. Nick and AJ. Ones tall and blonde. The other is kinda short, dark hair with reddish streaks. Here, I have a picture...” Kevin showed the bouncer a picture from his wallet. All five guys were together, and the bouncer knew that whoever were friends with Nick and AJ had to be Forsaken material. He nodded and opened the door.

As the three stepped inside, they knew that AJ and Nick had gotten themselves into a world of trouble. There were more people sitting down then dancing. A couple in one corner were having sex, right there in the open. Another group were taunting a girl chained to the wall, and she was enjoying it. This was far beyond Gothic. It was sadistic.

They decided to split up. Brian would check upstairs. Kevin would check downstairs. Howie would search the main floor. And they would meet up near the bar in fifteen minutes. They all went their separate ways, not knowing what to expect. Not knowing what condition they’d find Nick and AJ in.

Howie was nearing a dark corner of the club when he felt someone following him, closely. He turned around and no one was there. No one as close as he had suspected, anyway. He was just about to press on when he noticed someone standing in front of him. Seeming as though she was waiting for him. Waiting for him to turn around.

“You’re not from around here are you.” She hissed, licking her lips afterward. Her eyes frightened him.... he hadn’t realized he was standing under a black light until her eyes revealed it. Glowing a bright green. More unnatural than usual.

“No... I’m from Florida.” He told her.

“Are you here alone?” She asked, stepping a little closer to him and backing him into a tight corner.

“No, I’m here with some friends. We’re looking for....”

“Them?” She asked, pointing up towards the balcony at Nick, Gray, and the others. It took a moment for Howie’s eyes to adjust to the change in lighting. But when he saw his friends, he quickly tried to rush passed the stranger to get upstairs. But she grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

“No... no... no. You don’t want them. They’re trouble. If you go up there, you’ll be getting yourself into someone I don’t believe you can handle. But down here, down here is more suited for you, no?” Howie stared into her eyes and in mere seconds he forgot all about Nick and AJ. The only thing he could focus on was how beautiful she was. How mysterious. And how much he wanted to have her. She kissed him deeply, running her fast hands up his shirt and she moved her kisses to his ear. Then his neck.

“Howie!” Kevin shouted, startling them both. He pulled the strange girl away from Howie and she seemed to disappear into crowd just as quickly as she appeared.

“What the hell did you do that for?” Howie asked, clearly upset by Kevin’s rude interruption.

“They’re not fucking human!” Kevin shouted over the music. Howie looked at Kevin oddly as if he didn’t understand. And he didn’t. Of course they were human. What else could they be?

“They aren’t human! I don’t know what they are. They’re like damn vampires or something. I know you think I’m crazy for saying this. Hell, I hardly believe it myself. But I saw it with my own eyes. Downstairs. They’ve got teeth and these eyes that glow. Not like lights, but its like their eyes reflect light. I don’t know, it’s weird. But I’m telling you, they aren’t human.” Kevin advised his friend. Howie pushed Kevin aside, scoffing, trying to see if he saw the strange girl over the crowd. But due to his height, and the fact that most of the people there were wearing clunky, Gothic heals, he couldn’t see much.

“Oh yeah, well if they’re not vampires, why the hell did that chick just bite you?!?!” Howie turned suddenly and was about to roll his eyes at Kevin, but as soon as he turned, he felt the warmth of his blood trickling down his shirt. It was coming from his ear. Where she had just kissed him. He felt the wound, and it even felt like a bite mark. And he couldn’t imagine why it felt so good when she kissed him yet it hurt like hell now.

Howie took a second to decipher all that Kevin had informed him of. And as he looked over the room, he started to notice that not everyone was normal. He saw them in several booths, seducing people. Kissing people. They heads buried in people’s necks. Blood on their mouths. He saw their fierce eyes. And they all seemed to be staring back at him. They knew that he knew.

“We gotta find Brian!” Howie shouted.

~*~*~*~*~*~


Gray had managed to lure a young girl up to the VIP loft. She had a special fondness for Nick, and it didn’t take much coaxing to get her to make out with him. In fact, she even agreed to make out with both Nick and Gray. She knew what they wanted. She wasn’t stupid. And some part of her wanted to feed them. She wanted to be them. But since she didn’t know how to go about becoming a vampire, she settled for helping them to survive. She knew she wouldn’t die. At least she trusted that they wouldn’t kill her. However, she knew that she’d have to endure a great deal of pain in allowing them to drink of her. Nick nuzzled her neck and Gray prepared herself to sink her teeth into the girl’s arm.

As she felt the two vampires feeding, she felt her body growing numb. First in her fingers and toes. Then in her knees and elbows. Then her hips and shoulders. Then her head felt light. And that’s when they stopped, just before any permanent damage could be done. She collapsed on the leather seat of the booth, her arm still in Gray’s hand. She was moaning, her body in shock. Yet she kept a smile on her face.

Not yet satisfied, Gray turned to Nick and kissed him, biting into his tongue and feasting on his still new and thin vampiric blood. Not yet thick as her own, but sweet in its own right. She moved from his mouth to shoulder, and once she moved Nick could see Brian coming up the stairs toward the loft. He couldn’t believe it. He could smell Brian’s cologne. His hair gel. His sweat. His fear. He wondered if Gray could smell it as well. But she was far to engaged in their embrace to notice anything else.

Nick was angry. Arius had insulted him. He couldn’t believe Arius would say that he was destined to hurt Gray. Gray was the love of his life. From the very first time he saw her, he just knew that she was different from everyone else. She was the one. They were meant to be. He couldn’t imagine how he could ever hurt Gray. They were together now. After all of her years of searching. Over two hundred years of searching. She found him. And nothing would tear them apart. Her blood ran through his veins as his ran through hers. They were one. One body. One soul. One vampire.

He was determined to prove Arius wrong. He had to, otherwise he’d let Gray down. And he couldn’t do that. He loved her too much. He knew that Brian, his best friend, would be the one reason he turned his back on Gray. So he decided to turn his back on Brian before it was too late. And it was then he figured out why Arius disapproved of him. He was still too human. He had too many reservations. But no more. He took Gray’s arm and began to drink from her. The steady flow of her blood into his mouth and his into hers was so very pleasing that Nick could actually feel his mortal cares fading. Brian locked eyes with Nick. And it was then he saw what his best friend had gotten himself into. Death.

Gray could smell Brian now, she raised her head from Nick’s shoulder. Nick, in turn, let her arm go. And when Brian saw their crimson lips, terror filled his being.

“Nick...” Was all Brian could manage to say. There were no words to express what thoughts were racing through his head. Confusion. Anger. Fear. It was all too much to take in. It was then that Nick smiled, showing Brian his teeth, showing Brian his transformation. Nick scratched Gray’s flesh with his sharp, glassy nails. Her blood stained his pale fingers, and he kissed them just before he kissed her. Brian stepped back a few feet, but before he could turn and run, Jin and Michael stopped him. They had Howie and Kevin in their grasp as well. All Brian could think about was if this was his fate. He wondered if they had cornered Nick like this. If they had cornered AJ like this. He wondered if they would make him one of them. He wondered if he’d ever see his wife or family ever again. Gray then got up from Nick’s lap, her hand still in his, and stared into Brian’s eye.

“Do not be afraid. We don’t bite.” She teased. Jin snapped his fangs at Howie, making him jump a little. Nick remained seated, staring at his three bandmates, smirking now where he wasn’t before.

“It’s not nice to intrude on a private party.” Daniella said. The three frightened men looking to the right and saw AJ standing with both Daniella and Anne. They clung to him. It seemed to them that they were the ones in control of AJ, but it was quite the opposite. He stepped forward, and the followed at first, but then he gently pushed them back and they sat down with no objection. And this wasn’t anything knew. Alive or not so alive, AJ always had his way with women, always making them hasten to him.

“I say we teach them a lesson.” AJ suggested to Gray. The three were shocked that he would say such a thing. Then again, he wasn’t the old AJ. He was someone entirely different. And so was Nick. And they hadn’t the first idea on what to do to get the old Nick and AJ back.

“No Alex, we need not be violent. After all, they are only here because they care about the two of you. I’m sorry that we now possess two very important members of your little group. And I’m sorry that you won’t be getting them back. I’m sorry that we’ve changed them into what they are now. And I’m also sorry that they can never return to their human forms. But you shouldn’t worry. They’re happy with us. You can be happy with us as well, if you like. You can live forever... never age a day...” Kevin recognized that she was trying to convince them to become vampires as well, and he wouldn’t hear of it.

“We’d be crazy to fall for that shit! We came to get our friends back and we’re not stopping until we do!” He shouted, trying to shake Michael off but ending up unsuccessful.

“It’s a shame how ignorant you are. No matter what you do, you’ll never get them back. They don’t want to go back. They belong with us. And there is nothing you can do to change that. I am no one to bargain with. And I am certainly no one to piss off. I could end your life in seconds if I wanted to. All three of you. But I choose not to. Only because you were once friends of the one I love. But know this... whatever you’re thinking of, we already know it. Whatever you’re planning, we’re ten steps ahead of you. So understand how lucky you are that we haven’t ended your lives... yet. And understand that the minute you try to interfere in our lives again, that minute will be your last.” With that, Gray leaped forward, scaring the three so much that they all jumped back. In the split second that they closed they’re eyes, all seven vampires had vacated the loft. All that was left was the girl, still lying on the seat, still smiling and mumbling words even she didn’t understand.

“Where’d they go?” Brian asked, looking around and seeing no sign of them.

“I think I can find out.” Howie said, rushing down the stairs toward the corner where he encountered the female vampire. She was still there, but she was sitting on the lap of another vampire. Laughing with him. And her laughter was piercing and sharp. It was obvious to him now that she was not human. Kevin and Brian were right behind him, curious as to how he was going to figure everything out.

“Oh... Mr. Florida, you missed me a great deal, no?” He snatched her up from the other vampire’s lap and held her tight. He was only able to do this because she allowed him too. Because at any given second she could throw him clear across the room at her own volition.

“When I was here with you before, you said that those people up there were trouble. That means you must know them. And we need you to tell us everything you know.” Though she wasn’t as strong a vampire as those of Arius’ coven, she could sense that Howie was in despair and needed her help. She led the three out the back door where it was quieter and where no one would hear her.

“Your friends are far from your reach. They think differently. They act differently. They’re not even themselves anymore. They’ve become apart of a family of vampires unlike any others.” She explained.

“So you really are vampires?” Brian questioned.

“Of course. Vampires have existed for thousands of years. Since ancient times. I, myself, am a very weak vampire compared to your friends. Arius’ coven are among the most notorious and the oldest known to our world...” Kevin stopped her.

“Arius? Who’s Arius?” He asked.

“Allow me to explain to you how everything was explained to me. Many thousands of years ago, the very first vampire fell in love with a Roman. That Roman was Arius. She gave him the dark gift. She gave him so much blood from her own body that she nearly died in his arms. And she bade him to go out into the world and pass on her pure, dark gift onto a chosen few. In all the years he’s walked this Earth, he’s only made five vampires. His life partner, Maia. Anne from medieval England. Daniella from Renaissance France. Gray. She is his most precious daughter. She was a slave right here in New Orleans. And there was his son, but his name and story are a mystery to us all. Some say he and Arius had a great disagreement and Arius locked him away in a tomb in Europe and he suffers there even today. Others say he found a way to become human again. And he died many years ago. But no one knows for sure...”

“Ok, but what does any of this have to do with why they’re trouble?” Howie insisted.

“They’re not any more trouble than any given vampire in this building. I only said that because no one likes them. They’re like upper class vampires. We can jump to great heights, but they can fly. We can move faster than the human eye can catch us, but they move faster than the speed of sound or light. And because they are the direct decedents of the queen of all vampires, and her blood still courses through their veins, they know all the secrets of our origin. They are the most powerful creatures on Earth. And we all envy that.” The vampire went pacing back and forth before she went on.

“There is no way to get your friends back. And even if they did agree to leave Arius’ coven, they would be at the mercy of other vampires who hate them because they’re better than us. They can’t walk in daylight with you. They can’t grow old with you. They’ve been cut out of the human world. They’re supreme beings now. There is no turning back.” She explained.

“But lets say we want to take our chances and get them back? Where could we find them?” Kevin asked. She began to laugh.

“That’s suicide. You enter their home, you’re dead men.” She countered.

“But we know we can talk some sense into them. We just need to talk to them alone, without Gray and the others.” Brian pleaded.

“I will tell you where to find them. But you mustn’t tell anyone that you learned this information from me. My life depends on that.” All three promised to keep her identity a secret.

“Temple Street is a very long street. It goes on for blocks and blocks. The farther you go down Temple Street, the less lively it gets. When you reach the end of Temple, there will be no clubs. No stores. No people. Just houses. Old French mansions. Some are museums now, only open during the day. But one, at the very end of Temple Street, that one houses the ones you want. But if you go, go during the day. Vampires sleep like the dead while the sun is up. And be warned, they are bound to have a mortal guarding them. I don’t know who or how much strength this mortal might possess. So be careful, he or she will kill you before allowing you to interrupt the vampires’ sleep. And there is nothing you can say or do to convince them otherwise. This is all that I can tell you.” She started to walk away.

“But what if one of them wakes up?” Brian asked. But she didn’t answer. She just ran off into the street, and once she turned the corner, she was gone. They knew they’d never see her again, but they were extremely thankful for her help.

~*~*~*~*~*~


Arius was waiting for his children when they returned. He and Maia were sitting next to each other, holding hands, silent. Everyone could tell by their color that both Arius and Maia had fed and fed well. They didn’t have to look twice or think twice about his intentions. He had something to say. And they knew it was best to sit down and listen. They didn’t have to be asked or told, it was routine now. They all sat down around Arius, and then he stood.

He took a good look at the group. He children. The only beings in the world that he truly loved. He opened his lips, which was what he usually did before beginning to speak. He’d part his lips as if preparing them for the profound words about to be released.

“We have lived in this house for five whole years. The longest span of time that we have remained in one place since the Great War. And now our time here is quickly coming to an end. The east is calling us. And we must go. There have been a great many changes in the east since we last traveled the land there. I’ve an unparalleled desire to walk the Great Wall of China, to hunt around the grounds of the Taj Mahal, to gaze at the reflection of the moon on the waters surrounding Indonesian islands, perhaps. All of these wonderful things await us. And it is our decision that we shall set sail tomorrow night. At sunset. No later than that. Our race is that of age. The blood that courses through your veins is ancient and rich. The New World is no place for our kind. For us to live in the Americas is like having royalty live in the lowest corners of the Earth. Ancient vampires should live in the Old World. Europe. Asia. Africa. There is where we belong. And there we shall go.”

Once Arius was finished announcing the destiny of the coven, each vampire went his or her separate way. Gray went down into the tomb, not bothering to acknowledge Nick. In fact, she walked sternly and with speed as if she didn’t want him to follow her. But he did so anyway. She reached their chamber and opened a chest. Nick had never noticed it before. As large as it was, he was astonished that he’d missed it. Inside were various keepsakes that Gray must have collected in her travels across the world. She picked up a blanket. It was small, blue, and very soft. She held it against her cheek, smelled it, kissed it, and then she turned to Nick with tears in her eyes. Blood tears.

It was a baby blanket. Nick didn’t understand. It made no sense. Why was she crying over a baby blanket? It looked modern, like the ones given to mothers by the hospital when they first give birth. It couldn’t have been a blanket for her own baby. Vampires couldn’t bare children. And it definitely could not have been a blanket that her mother used when she was a baby. She was born into mortality over two hundred years ago. Nick had to ask.

“Whose baby blanket is this?” She sat down in an old chair as she wiped the crimson tears from her face, leaving red streaks along her cheeks.

“It’s yours.”



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