Immortal Blood (1) (3 page)

‘Stay away from the windows, there’s been a security breach.’

‘Another attack?’

‘Probably.’

‘Who is
it this time?’ I pretended not to know. As I said this, I found that I didn’t want Calvin to get caught.

‘We’re not sure. Probably vampires,
possibly sorcerers. You never know.’

‘Aren’t we trying to negotiate peace?’ I blurted out, before I could stop myself.

‘Now, how would you know that?’ she demanded, scowling. ‘Have you been eavesdropping again?’

‘Me –
eavesdropping? Never,’ I said artistically, mentally slapping my brow. She had caught me off guard, so I had acted stupidly.

‘Make sure you don’t blab about it to anyone. Very few people k
now about this, Ranka, and it must stay that way.’

‘You know full well I couldn’t care less about what you and Mom do, Asvi.’

She responded by sizing me up, before saying, ‘There’s a guard posted at your door. See you later.’

And with that, she was gone. I waited for about ten seconds, before flinging open the
curtains and rushing outside. My heart was beating frantically in my ribcage. What if Calvin wound up dead because of me? I didn’t exactly like him – or was I lying to myself, was it my prejudice talking? – but something inside of me, perhaps guilt, told me I owned him one.

Straining my ears,
I could detect faint shouts as well as dogs barking somewhere in the distance. Flashlights occasionally illuminated the manicured lawns and groaning trees dotting my vision, yet Calvin was nowhere to be seen.

What is wrong with me? I can’t fall for him. You need to pull your act together, girl
!
Just remember you wanted him dead but an hour ago
.

Mom had me and
all of my sisters neatly lined up in the entrance hall, as the house staff moved forward to open doors and greet the Falstads. The ‘royal family’ strode forward in the cold night air surrounded by bodyguards, both female and male.

‘Callista,’ my mom spoke up with an earnest smile, as the leader of the Falstad coven walked into the house
, her white long coat flapping out behind her, ‘it’s an honor to have you at my house again. I hope you had no difficulty getting here.’

Our family’s age-old friend walked up to us with her arms outstretched in a welcoming hug, her green eyes as beautiful as ever. ‘My dear Pyrna, what a delight it is to see you again. I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you some,
as there was an assassination attempt on my life.’

‘How awful!’ Mom delivered, sounding genuinely shocked
as they broke their short-lived embrace. ‘Was anyone injured? I can call in the doctors, if necessary.’

‘No, my dear,’ Callista assured her, perhaps with a note of suspicion in her
melodic voice. She probably suspected my mother might have been involved. Despite their friendship, we lived in treacherous times. No one could be trusted outside of the coven. The war for feeding territories was a game of backstabbing as well as open combat. ‘Please don’t bother. We fought off the attack without having suffered any casualties. My eldest, Corey, is an excellent warrior. He took care of us. Son, come forth and greet my beloved friend.’

His muscles bulging underneath the thin layer of his jacket, he took a few steps in our direction and bowed a little too courteously. I couldn’t help giggling, but Brigida stifled my snickering aborning with
a sharp nudge to my ribs.

What a douche
, I thought, sneering at him.

‘
Thank you for having us, Mother Pyrna,’ he said in a raspy voice, using the proper title for any coven leader. ‘I’m thrilled to be your guest again. The last visit was a pleasurable experience.’

Seriously who speaks like that in our day and age? I couldn’t help mentally chastising him. I was frustrated and could barely hide it. I
hadn’t slept the entire day, wondering what had happened to Calvin. Luckily enough, Adisa had casually strolled into my room at dusk, informing me that he had successfully gotten away.

‘Corey, you and your family are always welcome in my home.’ Chin raised, Mom took Callista’s hand in her own and turned to face us, her daughters. ‘Now, do you remember my most prized possessions? The girls were very exciting when they heard you were coming.’

We nearly died of excitement
, I wanted to say, but, having guessed my intentions, Asvi smothered me with a murderous, daring glare. So I bit my tongue.

Callista
took to scanning us with her piercing gaze, saying a few kind words here and there to my sisters, until she finally reached me. At which point, she came to a halt and surprised me by gently brushing her palm against my cheek. ‘My, my, have you grown, young lady! What a beautiful face you have, not to mention you father’s fierce stare and determined stance.’

‘You think I look like my father?’ I asked, not bothering to thank her.

‘Very much so, dear. You have your mother’s features, but it looks like you inherited a lot more from your dad than his mere looks.’ The way she studied my face, it made me feel as if she was trying to decide whether or not I was good enough for her precious little son. ‘I remember seeing you as a child and thinking you had his erect carriage and careless demeanor. He was a good man, your father.’

‘How would you know that?’ I asked, perhaps coming across as a little rude, but that was part of my charm, and I knew it.

‘Ha-ha,’ she exclaimed, beaming at my mother, ‘the mouth on this one. Well, child, your father and I grew up together.’

‘I had no idea. You must know an awful lot about him, then,’ I said, full of hope.

‘I do know a thing or two. Would you like me to tell you a little adventure we once had?’ she said, offering me her elbow with an amiable smile. I gave her a flat stare that said I’m not five years old, but entwined my arm with hers jus the same; a new story about my deceased father was just too good to pass up. I couldn’t resist it.

As Callista’
s entourage mixed with our coven to drink fresh blood from wine glasses and engage in idle chatter, Mom pretty much forced Corey onto me. In fact, we were seated so close to each other at the huge dinner table, it was getting on my nerves.

Any closer, and he
will be right on my freaking head.

One thing I did like about him, though,
was that he did not seem to be at all interested in me. So that was something we had in common.

Both of our parents kept encouraging us to talk, and if it hadn’t been for Birna, the whole situation would have been super awkward.

‘Ranka,’ Mom said, once the servants took away the leftover pieces of raw bear meat, ‘why don’t you show Corey around the house? Maybe let him see our new underground shooting range? It wasn’t here the last time he visited.’

Looking forward to some alone time with my books and dreading Corey’s company, I forced a
huge smile, saying, ‘Of course, Mommy, I’d love to do that.’

Unlike everyone else, she did not miss the sarcasm in my voice, as both of us knew I never addressed her in such endearing
manner.

‘Oooh, can I come?’ Birna asked, lighting up like a Christmas tree. I couldn’t help but wonder what she was so excited about.

‘Please do, or else we might die of –’

‘You’ll love our new shooting range,’ Asvi interrupted, knowing full well I had intended to say ‘boredom’. ‘I hear you’re an excellent archer.’

‘I suppose so,’ our guest replied, shrugging it off. ‘Apparently, if the rumors are true, you’re not too bad yourself.’

‘Come,
Corey,’ Birna exclaimed, jumping up, ‘you’ll teach me how to shoot properly. I could definitely use some training.’

Am I imagining it, or is Birns
already head over heels for this guy
?

‘What – now?’

‘Well, we’re done eating, aren’t we?’

‘All right,’ he said, getting up himself, ‘why not? Please lead the way.’

‘You kids behave,’ Callista called after us, as we slid out the crowded dining room, crossed the bustling hall filled with the sounds of ringing glasses and occasional laughter, and then headed for the hidden dungeons.

Used to the sight, all of us completely ignored the emaciated prisoners and their yells as the prison guards tortured them.

Once Birna was close enough, and Corey was too busy scrutinizing one of the occupants behind the silver bars, I whispered in her ear, ‘You’re being a little too flirtatious, sis’. Aren’t you forgetting something?’

‘And what might that be?’ she enquired, tossing aside her
perfectly-combed hair.

‘You’re engaged, remember?’

‘So what? Ain’t no wifey just yet!’ She snapped her head in my way, looked me over and added, ‘You’re not jealous, are you?’

‘Jealous? The guy’s a total douche.’

‘And who might that be that you’re talking about?’ Corey suddenly weighed in, his cold eyes meeting mine. In that instant, both of us knew, perfectly well, that I had been talking about him.

Her typical self, Birna froze up with
discomfort. I, on the other hand, held his gaze and delivered, ‘Didn’t your mom teach you not to listen in on private conversations?’

His thin lips formed an ugly
, yet somehow equally pleasing smile. ‘She taught me to confront people and say what I feel to their face.’

‘Is that a challenge?’ I said, lifting an eyebrow.

‘More of a lesson. Talking behind people’s back is poor manners, to say the least.’

I felt like flipping him off, but
, remembering the promise I’d given Mother, cracked an evidently fake smile instead. ‘I’ll be sure to remember that one. Shall we?’

Seething with anger, I led the way down a few gloomy tunnels ignoring the guards as they saluted me by raising their fists. Soon enough, we were in the
shooting range and Birna was acting a little too dumb in order to attract Corey’s attention.

They seemed to be getting along famously, but I couldn’t help noticing that whenever Corey brushed his cheek against Birna’s face, or helped her draw the bow by holdin
g her arm, his smoky gaze came to rest on me. I honestly couldn’t have cared less. My mind was too busy retracing what I’d read the other night, and Calvin’s handsome face materialized before me every now and then, reminding me of his pleasant scent. The recollection had me salivating. In addition to that, I kept reiterating to myself that I didn’t like him.

Once we were done shooting arrows, we ran into Asvi on our way upstairs. She informed us that Mom wanted me to give Corey a tour of our massive mansion. Clenching my teeth, I agreed and with assistance from Birna, introduced our guest to our stables, library, underground barracks and
garage.

By the time w
e were done, the sun had completely drowned in the horizon, and we were all seated on a bench beside a Victorian fountain. Birna was going on about something completely irrelevant, when Corey interrupted her by saying, ‘You know, now that it’s finally nighttime, can’t we do something more exciting than stargazing?’

‘Look, we’re not exactly having the best time of our lives here, either,’ I snapp
ed at him, crossing my arms.

‘Ranka!’ Birna exclaimed.

‘What? I’m just saying.’

‘It’s all right, Birnie,’ he assured her, ‘your sister is right. That’s why I suggest we go out clubbing tonight, what do you say?’

‘Why not?’ I shrugged indifferently, deciding spending time at a nightclub was a more delightful prospect than sitting in one place and staring at his face. ‘But I’m going to say this once, and once only! No hunting – agreed? I don’t wanna get in trouble with my mother. I pretty much have to watch over you and,’ I had a flashback of Sigurd pinning me down to the ground, ‘I’m the one who’ll get if you end up hurting yourself.’

He broke out in howls of laughter at these words, seeming genuinely amused. ‘
You
watch over
me
? Now, that’s funny.’

If it hadn’t been for Brigida’s sudden appearance right behind me, I would have definitely slugged him in the mouth.

‘Hey boys and girls – well, boy and girls, actually. Did I hear someone say clubbing?’

‘That’s right,’ Birna answered her, ‘we’re gonna take Corey out. Any suggestions?’

‘Well, you can always go to Flash, we always have a table reserved there,’ she said, texting on her iPhone.

‘Sounds good enough for me. What are waiting for?’

‘Now wait a sec, Corey,’ I protested, remembering my last visit to the place and the humiliation associated with it. ‘Can’t we go someplace new?’

‘Sure we can,’ Brigida decided for everyone, before brushing a shock of blonde hair out of her round face, ‘and I know just the place.’

Minutes later, we were inside Mom’s silver Rolls-Royce. Despite the fact that we were just as quick on out feet if not more so, cars offered comfort as well as cover from the dull weather, which I couldn’t say about the former of the two traveling methods.

About an hour later, we reached the
never-sleeping city and parked the car in the underground parking of a five star hotel, before walking to the club.

‘
Miss Jonsdottir,’ a bald man at the entrance exclaimed, the moment his sneaky eyes came to rest on my sister, ‘how lovely it is to see you here again.’ Judging by his hungry stare, he had a crush on her.

‘Hello, Hugo, I suppose there’s a free table for us in the VIP section?’

‘Yes, of course, ma’am. For you always. Please follow me.’ He said something to one of the bouncers and he admitted us inside. ‘The usual stuff, ma’am? Two bottles of Louis Roederer Cristal?’

‘Make it three.’

‘Three it is, then.’

As the cold liquid trickled d
own my throat, I did my best to conceal my disgust. We vampires fed off blood and raw, fresh meat. Anything else was a challenge to swallow. As for alcohol, our mother allowed us to drink, as it had no effect on our inhuman bodies.

In about half an hour, the party really picked up pace and people got down to some serious dancing. The promise of love and broken hearts was in the air, as girls and boys rubbed their
sweaty bodies against each other, smiling and enjoying the mixture of lively tunes and sporadic beats.

‘That guy h
as been staring at you for a while now,’ Brigida leaned over and yelled in my ear. ‘Maybe you should ensnare him in your webs, sis’?’’

‘I said there’ll be no hunting today,’ I replied, but my words caught in my throat the moment I saw his piercing gaze. It was Calvin.

‘As you wish. He’s mine, then.’

My stomach did a tilt at these words. ‘No,’ I protested, no
t really knowing what to say. I didn’t want either one of them to get hurt.

‘What do you mean?’ She looked at me with confusion. ‘He’s a sorcerer. Can’t you smell it? We’ll be doing the
world a favor…’

‘I changed my mind. I want him for myself.’

‘Fine, but only because I’m nice. He’s so cute. Don’t let him get away.’

That’s when it came to my attention that Corey was missing. Fearing the worst, I glared questioningly at Birna, who shrugged in response and
pointed in the direction of the exit. I gestured both of my sisters to follow, noting that Calvin had disappeared.

I hope that idiot didn’t fall into the same trap I did
, I thought to myself, quickening my step.

‘Hey, big guy,’ I addressed one of the bouncers at the exit, who looked at me in surprise, ‘seen the cocky-looking fella that was with
us when we came in?’

He pointed his clipboard. ‘Went that way. H
ad some company with him, too.’

The idiot. I thought I told him no hunting
, didn’t I?

‘Thanks.’

My sisters and I rounded a corner, waited for a few teenagers to pass us by then sped off into the gloom of the alleys, where my fears were justified.

Corey was down on the ground, unconscious, and the sorceress that had fooled him was about to lower her dagger on his head when Birna sent her flying into the air with a
high kick. As expected, an angry genie popped into existence with a haze of crimson smoke and lifted her a few meters above the ground. Brigida and I attacked without much forethought; she taking on the spirit and I the sorceress.

The fight continued for all of ten seconds, and I was about to bite down on the witch’s neck, when reinforcements arrived. Apparently, the sorcerers were having a big operation at the club and we were unfor
tunate enough to be in their way.

There were six of them, all their spirits hovering by their side, awaiting orders.

‘Enough,’ the one in the lea
d yelled, his dark brows knotting together, ‘let her go, bloody.’

‘I will, but first she’ll
have to safely see us out of this little problematic situation,’ I returned, mind racing.

We were heavily outnumbered and
would not stand a chance if a fight happened to break out.

‘I’m not going to play your little games, girl,’ he replied, looking like a cross father, ‘nor will
I let you harm one of our own.’

‘If you come any closer you’ll be the one harming her, not me,’ I warned, holding his gaze with a
flinty expression.

‘Fine, let’s do this the hard way, then
,’ the man replied, glancing at his genie and nodding.

Moving through the air, the spirit charged at us. A blast of freezing air abruptly struck my face and then, much to my own surprise and
astonishment, my sister and I were standing in the middle of the topiary garden of our home.

‘What the hell just happened?’ Birna demanded an explanation, feeling up and down her body.

‘Never mind that,’ I said, panic rising in my throat. ‘Where is Corey?’

That was when a bright flash blinded us momentarily and once my vision returned to norm
al, we found Corey spread-eagled near the gurgling fountain.

‘Oh, thank
Odin!’ Birna allowed, rushing to his side.

‘Is he dead?’ I asked, beside myself with fear.

‘He seems to be breathing,’ she informed us, lighting up a little. ‘We should get him to the doctors.’

Moving with great ease, she propped him up on her shoulder, his hands swaying lifelessly
as she walked.

‘Wait, we can’t do that,’ I protested.
‘Mom will fry me alive.’

‘Seriously, Ranka,’ Brigida said with a note of repulsion in her sweet voice, ‘the guy might be dying, for all I know. Besides, you’ll be in real trouble if he doesn’t make it. You better pray he does.’

‘Why are you blaming me?’ I countered, as both of us followed Birna inside the house. ‘It’s not my fault!’

Just then, much to everyone’s relief, Corey came wide awake, coughing and breathing heavily.