Longing for You, стр. 46
“Pathetic,” Amelia said. “I’m supposed to be a descendant, someonewho has to fight against a darkness that’s coming, and I have no idea how touse magic.”
Byron walked over to the bed and got in. “You will learn. We goback to London tomorrow, and we’ll contact our friends at The Portal—thenyou’ll be more confident. Besides, do you think I’d let anyone get through me?”
Amelia gave up with her magic and slipped under the covers besideByron. “That’s the thing that puzzles me. Why would a relatively weak grade-onebeginner witch be the one prophesied to fight the darkness that this Anka womanbrings? You are the most powerful vampire alive. Why not you?”
Byron pulled Amelia into her arms. “We must trust your ancestors.They can see the whole picture. Can you still hear the voices?”
“Yes, in the background, when I concentrate, but I can’t hear themvery clearly again.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing. Or they might drive you insane,” Byronsaid.
“Sybil said that Bronte, my mum, will be one of those voices, andthat I will find a way to hear her one day.”
“I’m sure the strength of a mother’s love will make that happen,”Byron said.
“I wish I could have known her and what she was running from.”
“We’ll keep looking for information, I promise,” Byron said.
Amelia was quiet for a while and then started to pull off hernightdress.
“What are you doing?” Byron asked.
“You need to feed,” Amelia said flatly.
Byron pulled the nightdress back. “Oh no. Not after today. I fedon a blood bag before I came through.”
It was jarring, every time she thought of today. The parents shethought she hated had actually protected her all her life. Their actionstowards her and their intentions were so conflicting.
“I phoned Uncle Jaunty to tell him about Mother and Father.”
“What did he say?” Byron asked.
“The same as me, really. He hadn’t seen Mother in twenty years,but it still hit him hard. Do you think everything will be all right with thepolice?”
“I assume so. What can they say? We know you’re a vampire andprobably you or someone you know killed them?” Byron shrugged. “I’msure they’ll release the bodies soon for burial, and if they don’t, I’ll have aword with the police commissioner. The Debrek name carries some weight.”
Amelia leaned up on her elbow. “I really want to honour theirlives, what they did for me.” As Amelia said that, the tears that she wishedearlier she could cry for her parents started to fall.
“It’s all right. Let it all out.” Byron pulled her into a hug. “Wewill give them respect and all my gratitude for keeping you safe. I promiseyou.”
“Do you think Victorija is involved in this? In killing myparents?” Amelia asked.
“It would have been my first thought. Alexis was sure the vampiresshe dispatched today were Dreds, and the intelligence we are getting is thatthe Dreds are becoming more active, turning humans left, right, and centre, andbringing dark witches to their cause, but Victorija has vanished from publicview. No one has seen her, and I’m concerned.”
“Why?” Amelia asked.
“Because my cousin likes the world to know what havoc anddestruction she is causing. She thrives on others being afraid of her power.Her sudden introverted behaviour makes me suspicious that she has somethingelse going on, or that someone else is using her vampires. Sometimes it’sbetter the devil you know.”
“Hmm. Maybe killing Lucia had a greater effect than we realized,”Amelia said.
“Lucia never gave up hope on her, even after her death. She wassure there was a way back for Victorija, despite everything.”
They both listened to the noises of the forest outside the bedroomwindow for a while, and then out of the darkness, Amelia said, “Who was myfather, and how will we ever find out if Sybil doesn’t know?”
“I’m sure all the answers you need will come to you.”
* * *
Katie tried to catch her breath, then rolled on top of Alexis. Shesmiled down at her and stroked a dark lock away from her eyes. They had movedto the bedroom and been making love for some time now. It was better than Katiecould ever have imagined.
“What are you thinking?” Alexis asked.
“The first time you drank blood from me. I wanted you so much. Youmade me feel like a sexual being for the first time. I’d never felt like thatbefore. I used to fantasize about you touching me.”
Alexis grinned. “Even when we fought with each other?”
Katie lightly scratched her nails down Alexis’s face. “Even moreso. You made me frustrated, horny, like I wanted to fight with you and tearyour clothes off at the same time. At night in bed when I’d be lying in thedark, you kept coming into my mind, and you didn’t take no for an answer.”
“I wish I’d known.” Alexis smiled. “I would have been happy tofight and tear each other’s clothes off. How is your neck now?”
“You mean the bite that I’ve always wanted from you?” Katiegrinned.
She touched her fingertips to the fresh wound, covering them inblood, then painted them across Alexis’s lips. Alexis’s tongue snaked out totaste it, and her eyes glowed red. She flipped Katie onto her back.
“You know how to tease a vampire, don’t you?” Alexis said.
“Teasing you comes natural to me. You were my first crush and…”Katie hesitated. “My first love.”
Katie could see the tension in Alexis’s eyes, but instead ofsaying anything back, Alexis kissed her deep and hard, as if trying to let heractions tell Katie what she felt. Like touching her heart.
Katie hoped she’d be able to say it soon. She understood Alexis’sdifficulties, but she did need to hear the words.
Alexis lifted Katie’s hand and put it between her breasts, overher heart, and silently looked into her eyes. Katie’s eyes were full of loveand trust, which Alexis felt she didn’t deserve.
“Don’t let go,” Alexis said. She slipped her fingers into Katie’ssex and, splitting her fingers