Page 12 of Fallen Star

In a rush, all my fear, anger and hatred come flooding back into my veins, like boiling lava. I allowed myself to be distracted by all the wonders of this new world, but he's still a monster. In fact—oh shit. "Are all these people vampires?" I ask, shuddering. Am I surrounded by my greatest enemies?

"No," he says, studying my face. "But many, if not most, are. There are Fae, of course. Those with the ears you saw. And there are Shade. Those who are both Fae and vampire."

Fae. He throws that word out so casually. Like, of course. Fae. Duh. My mind—however—is spinning. "You're right," I say. "I don't trust you. But it is because you are a vampire. A monster."

He raises an eyebrow as we pass the threshold of the palace. The two guards on duty salute with a bow as we pass them. "Monster? That seems a harsh term for someone you just met. Someone who saved your life, as I recall."

"You live on blood and kill to survive. What else would you call that but monster?"

"There is a lot you don't know," he says, his face turning hard. "About my kind, and about me."

I stop walking, crossing my arms over my chest. I might regret this, but… "Take me back to my world. I'm done here."

"There must be quite the battle going on in that beautiful, fiery head of yours. On the one hand, you must be dying to see more of this world, to learn more about all the things you know nothing about. You have a chance to learn about an ancient culture that's still alive! On the other hand, you clearly have suffered trauma at the hands of someone like me. Your responses are too ingrained, too triggered to be thoughtfully considered."

He pauses, waiting for me to say something, but I press my lips together, angry that he can read me so well.

His lip twitches into something of a smile. "Let me ask you something. Are you racist?"

The question is so out of left field I don't even know what to do with it except answer. "Um, I mean, no. I try not to be. I suppose we are all influenced by the racial tensions of the culture we are raised, but having traveled extensively and immersed myself in different cultures, I think I've done a better job than most of exposing my own internal biases and dealing with them."

He nods. "Would your feelings about a different race change, if whatever trauma you experienced at the hands of a vampire, were done by the hands of someone from a different race instead? Would you hate that whole race for the crimes of one person?"

I suck in a breath, unable to exhale for the longest moment."That's an unfair comparison. Vampires aren't human. Their biological needs are antithetical to human life. They are inherently killers."

He chuckles. "Looking at human history, you could say the same of man. Your biggest wars and largest death tolls weren't triggered by monsters. They were triggered by humans. Men, mostly. Do you hate all men? All humans?"

He has me at an impasse, because of course I don't. I glare at him, frustrated at this line of questioning.

"Give my kind a chance," Dr. Vane says with a charming smile. "You might be surprised you don't know everything there is to know about vampires. Where one might kill, another might heal." He winks, reminding me again of the debt I owe him, then pulls a ring off his finger and places it into my hand. "Show this to any vampire in this realm, and they will see you home safely. You are not my prisoner. But if you stay, I can help you. Rather, we could help each other." And with that, he walks away, letting me choose whether to follow or stay.

I stare at the ring in my palm. It's thick and gold, set with a blood red gemstone. The sides are etched with an ancient script I don't recognize. I slip the ring onto my middle finger, and consider my options.

Stay… or go.

He left the choice to me.

Making me culpable in my own destiny.

If I leave, I'll never know what he knows about the artifact I seek. Not to mention, I'll lose my chance to learn about this world and culture.

If I stay, I'll be sleeping with the enemy, so to speak. I will be putting my life at risk. And there are things on Earth I need to tend to.

In the end, there was never really a decision for me. I am who I am.

And so I follow the vampire into his lair.

Dean Vane, Prince Of Lust

Iknew she would follow, of course. What else could she do? Her mind is buzzing with curiosity and a quest for knowledge and understanding I have never seen in another person aside from myself. I feel pulled to her in a way that is unnerving for one such as myself. Usually, it is my pull over others that is the overwhelming force. And though I can smell her attraction to me, reluctant though it may be, it is not what one would expect. My draw to her is much stronger, putting us at an uncomfortable imbalance.

At least it's uncomfortable for me. She seems fairly oblivious to it, which makes the situation even more frustrating.

I knew Dr. Stone would be someone to contend with, though I had assumed she was a he, given the reports I'd received. Clearly she has done a good job of keeping her identity secret, though the 'why' of that is a curiosity I intend to sort out. I didn't expect her to be so knowledgeable of the paranormal—for a human at any rate. Though whether she is human or not is still up for debate, despite what she might say—or even believe—about herself. What she did with the Mother Tree, that shouldn't have been possible.

She's something extraordinary, and I'm going to need her to stop what I fear is coming—and to find my brother.

Whether she knows it or not, she might be the key to it all.