Page 57 of Always Eros

Justice is hanging on Hale’s every word, while the energy amongst me and my coven is tense at best.

“There were several of us there and…” Hale pauses, clearly struggling to continue. “After being alone for hours, the doors opened and we were attacked, our blood drained. On the brink of death, a man appeared before me.” Hale closes his eyes. “He was old and grotesque, but he had these fangs. He told me I owed him.” When Hale opens his eyes, they glow crystal blue. “The blood king is my maker.”

Chapter Twenty

JUSTICE

Am I really expected to believe that this young man with the wild story is several hundred years old? Really? And the blood king, who’s allegedly been dead for a long time, is not only a vampire, but turned other people at Nightsky into vampires?

Cool. Okay. I’ve obviously gone insane at some point, and all of this is just a weird fever dream.

“Do you need to take a break?” Eros asks me.

“No. I need to hear the rest of this.”

Hale stands, pacing behind the chair for a moment before turning to face us again. “When we woke in the morning, one of my friends was hanging from the stairs in the hallway, his neck snapped and a wooden stake in his heart. It was all the warning we needed to stay put. We were kept there for years, as I explained before. We were weak for some reason, but eventually, we found strength. I felt like I could move mountains on my own. We were told we’d be returning to the compound soon, but no one came. That was when Nalan stepped up to lead us.”

“And what happened to the blood king and the whole cult?” Yves asks.

“I don’t know.”

“You have to know something,” Syn says. He looks pissed off.

“There were rumors, but—”

“Then tell us the rumors,” Raphael says from his chair, shifting forward in a threatening manner. “Whatever happened at that time obviously has some relevance to recent events.”

Hale’s expression tightens, but he nods. “We heard the poisoning rumors too. Two members of my coven wanted to return to the compound. They felt safer believing the blood king was dead. While there, they heard that the one who would come to be called the Supreme Being was the one who betrayed the blood king and gave him poisoned blood. He wanted to take Nightsky in a new, more terrifying direction, while the blood king wanted to stay more underground. Believing we’d be in danger if discovered, Nalan decided we should leave the mansion. Others returned to the compound, believing their chances were better there. We heard, but never confirmed there was some sort of uprising. Our friends who returned were killed during it.”

Leaning against Eros, I listen to Hale’s story with a sinking feeling. It has to be true. Too much of it is similar to the stories I’ve been told. I rub my temples, trying to adjust to this new reality.

Eros rubs my back, smiling warmly. “Do you need a drink? Tea?”

I shake my head. “It’s weird, because even though no one ever said vampire, everything I’ve learned since leaving, combined with what Hale is saying… It’s gotta be true. I just… I can’t believe I was surrounded by… My parents…” My voice cracks under the strain. “Maybe I do need a break.”

Eros scoops me off the couch and takes me back to his apartment. Once I’m on my feet, I stand in front of the windows, gazing out over the city skyline.

“That’s what really happens to disciples, I think. They get turned into vampires, then they go find other people to turn. It’s not missionary work. The Supreme Being is trying to turn the world into vampires.”

Eros shrugs slightly. “Not everyone. Vampires need mortals for blood.”

I lean against the window, gazing at this enigmatic, gorgeous man. All night the question has been poking at me, and as much as there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to ask it, I think I have to before anything else happens between us.

“You promised me you would answer any questions I had.”

“I did,” he says, his jaw tense. “I will give you any knowledge you seek.”

“What do you do for work? Are you, like, vampire hunters, or something?”

“No.” Eros sits on the sofa, obviously reluctant to answer me fully.

My stomach churns with anxiety.

“We are assassins, Justice. We’re hired hit men.”

“You…” I shake my head. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t this. “Assassins?”

He nods. “We’re hired by very rich and powerful people to rid them of their problems.”