Page 18 of Light Fae's Love
Despite its current disrepair, the white and black hall is clean, the blasted black marble columns and pitted arches with their white gargoyle fountains surrounded by repair scaffolding. Though none of the myriad fountains spout blood, however, I still smell it in the air. For a moment, that smell raises a dark bloodlust inside me—before my newfound control from both Quinn and Lucca washes it away. I see now that a massive silver cage dominates the center of the hall; a handful of Vampires gather around it, some of Quinn’s best fighters.
Two familiar faces stand with them, the Lady Eiseth Pendragon and Arturos Morregain. I smile at Eiseth and Arturos; the British Mistress’ mist-grey eyes glow to see me as Arturos gives a kind but solemn nod.
As Lady Eiseth and I kiss cheeks, I note she wears no armor today, only a silver-grey velvet gown in Arthurian style, her white hair done up in ornate British Isles braids. Dressed in a casual navy vest and trousers with a white shirt and white silk pocket-square, Arturos welcomes me also with a brief kiss to either cheek.
I feel Lucca bristle now as we face Quinn, however. Our Master Vampire is dressed in a lovely charcoal grey Armani vest and trousers this evening, accented by a crimson pocket square and his gold-onyx rings and Rolex. Quinn didn’t mention that our meeting tonight would have witnesses, which is why Lucca is irate.
Especially not high-level Vampire ones.
“Quinn. Why are these Vampires here?” Lucca says now as he nods to Eiseth and Arturos.
“Lucca. I have invited some of our allies to be present for this evening’s demonstration.” Quinn is quiet, though we’re not out of earshot of the others. Vampires all have excellent hearing, and Quinn gives Lucca an elegantly calm gaze, though I can feel his displeasure at Lucca’s rudeness.
And our extreme tardiness tonight.
Quinn is a dark fire of sexiness to Lucca’s bright blaze, however, even dressed casually as he is tonight for whatever we’re doing. His high cheeks and jaw are chiseled to perfection, his appearance the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome in a gloriously Italian way. His dark eyes fringed with long lashes, Quinn’s straight dark brows are intense as he lifts one at Lucca. A flash of rivalry passes between them, Quinn’s dark Vampire energy flowing around me like a devouring sea.
As if he knows exactly what Lucca and I did today.
And why we’re so late.
“Our allies?” Lucca bites now as his blue eyes flash, never knowing when to not argue with Quinn. “These Vampires are your allies, Quinn, not mine. Very few people know of our trio just yet: what if they blab about us and it gets back to my father? It could devastate everything I’m trying to accomplish with my Summer Fae right now.”
“That will not happen, Lucca.” Quinn is condescendingly patient, as Devi crosses her arms and scoffs nearby, rolling her eyes. “Lady Eiseth and Arturos aided us the night our power exploded the Bloodstone—they know you were instrumental in creating our trio’s bond that night. Your Royal Summer Fae magic is potent; they can feel your power flowing through both Ariana and myself now. They are not idiots. They have kept our secret since that night, and I am certain will keep it as long as need be. Are you not?”
“I just…” Giving a low growl, Lucca combs a hand through his short ash-blond hair. He sets his hands on his hips, glancing at the Vampires. “Fine. But if I hear even a breath of talk in the Fae rumor-mill, I am coming straight to you.”
“Good thing Vampires don’t need to breathe,” Quinn says with wit now as he gestures back to the group.
It’s Lucca’s turn to roll his eyes, though we rejoin the waiting Vampires. As we do, I admire the contraption dominating the center of the hall. An ornate 1900s cage like something Houdini might have used, it’s massive, as big as one of the Hotel’s manticore carriages or bigger as I study it now. Pure silver bars on three sides are etched in a poisonously glowing red-violet script, blue velvet drapes drawn closed inside. The fourth wall is solid silver, like a vault door, glowing with that same dangerous crimson-violet sigildry and script.
A strange combination, like Vampire Bloodsigns and Faeanic sigils all at once.
Those elegant silver bars glint in the chandelier lights like steel or mercury, the whole thing like a lockbox as it stands so beautifully but solidly intimidating before us. I’m glad of its cage-like austerity as something behind the velvet drapes seethes, hammering against the drapes and shuddering the bars. The bars ring like chimes as the creature crashes into them, testing its prison.
And Quinn nods to his warriors, dressed in black like Catering staff, to open the drapes.
As those Vampires pull on four gilded cords with long tassels at the corners of the cage, the blue velvet is pulled back. We watch as a nasty dark smoke rushes up from the cage’s depths, hammering against the bars. Malevolent red eyes burn from that smoke, my breath catching as I realize Quinn has captured a Vampire Revenant—a kind of ancient, disembodied Vampire spirit. I hope the Revenant isn’t as savvy as Houdini as its gaze fixes upon me.
A gaze burning with hate.
“You’ve captured a Revenant, Quinn! Inside a Corinthian Box,” Lady Eiseth says with amazement now as she reaches out to the bars and the creature inside roils, trying to get to her.
“It is a cage of my modification.” Quinn watches the creature, though I can feel how pleased he is at what he’s accomplished. “I call it a Florentine Box. But yes.”
“Your runes are different from the classic Vampire Bloodsign style used on Revenant-capturing devices. Almost like they come from an old progenitor Fae language,” Eiseth says with curiosity as she glances at Quinn, confirming my suspicions that Quinn used Faeanic sigildry on this contraption as well as Vampire. “How long have you been working on this?”
“Since I had an… encounter with a strong Revenant last summer,” Quinn is evasive now, as if not wanting to mention something yet even to his close allies. “I was wary of it, and wanted a way to incarcerate it should we ever meet again. I’ve found a different use for the cage now.”
“Can you return this Revenant to its original nature by your trio’s magics, like you did the night of the Bloodstone event? Intentionally, rather than accidentally?” Arturos asks now as he glances at Quinn. The question is astute; our trio returned a lot of Vampire Revenants back to their human forms during the events of a week ago, though it was entirely by accident.
It’s still unknown if we can do it on purpose. Quinn simmers with intention as he glances at Lucca and me.
And I understand that’s why we’ve been summoned tonight—to find out.
“Moon and stars. Really, Quinn?” Lucca says, setting his hands on his hips and shaking his head. “You couldn’t just leave all that alone?”
“No. I couldn’t.” Quinn is brisk as he faces our group, his darkfire aura surging through the hall. “My friends. We are committed to Vampire equality, but we fight an uphill battle in the wider world. Vampire Revenants ruin our attempts at proving to the world our egalitarian nature. They rampage in the shadows, killing indiscriminately with their last ties to their humanity forgotten. Ancient Vampires who have lost their connection to their physical self and their sanity, they are bestial power with no rational thought left. They will always undo every inch of trust we gain in the Twilight Realm, a problem we have yet to solve. But now, I would offer a demonstration. Of a future that could be… if we are strong enough to accomplish it. Vampire, Fae, and Dark Fae—together.”