Chapter Three

Aurora fell onto the bed. She would never dare to cry in front of the others, but in the privacy of her bedroom she let out her grief. The loss of Stefan had shattered her heart into a thousand pieces. Her only brother was dead.

She had been warned. Her visions had shown Stefan’s death at the hands of a vampire, but it had seemed impossible. No new vampires had walked the earth for hundreds of years. Yet still, she prepared and planned, and hoped maybe there would be a way to save Stefan’s life. When years went by and the vampire never showed, slowly she put it out of her mind. She had been careless. Now he was dead.

She got to her feet, padded over to the open window, and let the cold night air blow in. It stung her face, but she closed her eyes and let it wrap around her, welcoming its crisp, cold embrace.

The soft footfall of someone coming down the hall snapped her back, and she turned just in time to see Jasmyne sneak her head around the corner.

“Aurora?”

They were sisters, connected not by blood, but by love. Jasmyne and Stefan had been partners, and for their kind, the promise of forever meant a very long time. Aurora knew his death must be unbearable for her and it would be selfish to send her away so instead, she motioned for her sister to come in and sit down.

“He was my brother,” Aurora began quietly. “But he was your partner Jasmyne. I should be the one seeking you out, asking if you’re alright. Forgive me sister, my grief has made me selfish.”

Jasmyne blinked away a fresh set of tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. “He was the only love I’ve ever known.”

Aurora knew the strength of what they had shared, and it hurt to see her sister in so much pain. They had been each other’s compass. A heart’s true north.

“I know you loved him,” Aurora began. “And for now, you will grieve, but eventually you will tuck all that love away somewhere special and find a new place in your heart. Trust me sister, the pain will eventually heal.”

The women shared so much, but they were as opposite as day and night. Aurora was a leader, fiery and fierce, while Jasmyne was always the first to stand by her side. With long blond hair and moss-green eyes, Jasmyne was soft and graceful, and often reminded her sisters of a pretty wood-fairy.

“I already miss him,” she whispered. “I feel so empty inside.”

Aurora nodded and they both fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

“Do you think he felt any pain?”

“No. It happened quickly.” It was not the truth, but Aurora could not tell her sister that the person she loved most in the world had suffered.

When Aurel howled on their way back to the house, Aurora had known it was time. The vision was to be fulfilled. She broke away from her sisters and went ahead, desperate to try and intervene, but she had failed.

“Do you really think that hunter was a vampire?” Jasmyne asked.

Aurora knew her sister was looking for answers, for any way to make sense of Stefan’s death. She knew because she was doing the same thing.

“Yes. He’s the first I’ve seen since our parents died.” Aurora thought of her own loneliness and the empty space that gaped inside her. At least she had her family. “I can’t imagine being the only one of my kind.”

“Aurora, how can you say such a thing? How can you feel sorry for him? He killed Stefan!”

“Do not forget yourself sister. I know you’re hurting but I am still the elder of this family.”

“But he murdered him, right here in our home!”

Aurora could see the poison in her sister’s eyes. It was the same darkness, the same twist of thorns that had taken up residence in her own heart a long time ago.

“Sister, I know you loved Stefan, but you have to honor him in a way that is peaceful and respectful. Stefan would not want your life to be spent in anger. I know my brother, and that’s not what he would want for you.”

“So, you’re not going to do anything? You’re just going to let him get away with it?”

Aurora knew that destroying Stefan’s killer would bring them both some peace, but it was something she just couldn’t do, not yet. First, she had to find out who, and what, he was. “The treaty still stands sister. You know that. It has been a long time since a vampire walked among us, but the rules have not changed. Our Council forbids the genocide of any vampire or descendant, you know that. First, we must find out what he is. If he has broken the law, they will deal with him. But if it turns out he is not what we think he is, then I will take care of him myself. You have my word.”

“I don’t care what he is. He can’t get away with this. It’s not right!”

“And he won’t Jasmyne. What he did will be investigated. The Council will make this right. It’s why they still exist.”

Aurora wanted to tear the fool limb from limb. She wanted to rip his head from his body and burn the pieces, but if she lashed out in revenge, she could end up being the one locked away, and that was not something she was willing to risk. Not when she still had so much unfinished business of her own.

“No matter what the Council decides Stefan will still be dead,” Jasmyne whispered. “He’ll still be gone.”

“And that will remain so whether or not I revenge his death,” Aurora whispered. “Jasmyne, if they take me away as well then where will our family be? I know it’s hard. I want to destroy him as much as you do. Stefan was my family, but so are the rest of you. I need to be here to protect you.”

“Protect us from what?” Jasmyne spat. “Humans are no threat to us. They don’t even know we exist.”

For the longest time, Aurora had wanted to tell Jasmyne of the true threat they faced. She had not even spoken of it with Stefan in such a long time. He had been a child when it happened, tucked away and blind to the horror she witnessed. “I want to show you something sister, but you cannot tell the others. Do you promise?”

Jasmyne eyed her cautiously and nodded. The trust they shared ran deep, and despite her sister’s grief, they were a family. She knew nothing could break the bond they shared.

Aurora padded over to the bedroom door and waited to make sure none of her sisters would interrupt them. From downstairs their gentle laughter floated up and she could hear them reminiscing about Stefan. As she listened, her thoughts drifted back to when they were all children, not a care in the world, their faces covered in dirt. It had been a good childhood, a happy home. Now everyone was gone, and she was all that remained of her true bloodline.

Aurora opened the dresser and took a soft velvet pouch from the drawer. As she turned, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and was reminded that despite centuries on earth, she still looked no older than a 30-year-old human woman. Eventually, she would age and someday die, but she was a first-generation descendant, the first child ever conceived between an Amazon warrior and a vampire. How long she would live was yet to be determined, but whatever time she had, she intended to use finding the monsters that destroyed her childhood village. The monsters that murdered her parents.

“Aurora?” Jasmyne whispered. “What is it you want to show me?”

“It’s about all of our parents,” she began. “It’s time you knew the truth sister.”

Jasmyne glanced down at the velvet pouch. “The truth?”

“First I need to tell you a story. Jasmyne, do you remember when we were young, back when we all lived with our families on the Romanian Plain?”

Jasmyne nodded and her eyes fell. “Yes, another tribe came into our village. They killed almost all of our elders. The very next morning we had to leave.”

“That’s right, but it wasn’t another tribe that killed our families.”

Immediately Jasmyne’s eyes clouded with rage. “You mean it was a vampire who killed them? Like the one who killed Stefan?”

In many ways, Aurora wished it was that simple. “No, the things that came into our village were not other vampires Jasmyne. And they weren’t human.”

“What are you saying?”

“I was eleven years old that night. I was in my bed, and Stefan was in his bed too. Our parents were out in the kitchen. Do you remember that night sister? It was wintertime and there was snow on the ground.”

As she described it, Aurora was transported back to her childhood home. She could smell smoke drifting in from the wood stove that warmed the kitchen and hear the gentle sound of her mother’s laughter. Then the crash that changed everything.

“A terrible sound came from the kitchen and I climbed out of bed to go and see what it was, but as I turned the corner…”

“Aurora?”

“My father was running toward me. At first, I couldn’t understand why he would run. He was a vampire elder. He was strong and he was proud. It made no sense, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back down the hall. He quickly gathered Stefan out of bed and tucked us both down behind our old blanket box. He looked at us closely and said something I will never forget. He said ‘Ssh now, not a word. Stefan my son, you must be as still and silent as the corn that grows in the field and when you become a man you will provide for your sister just as the harvest has for us.’ And then he turned to me and said, ‘Aurora my daughter, you must be as still and silent as the sunflowers that grow in our garden and when you bloom into a beautiful woman you will be just as radiant and glorious. You are both so important. Respect the earth and love each other. We’re so proud of you.’ Then he covered us with blankets and told us not to come out until the sun came up.”

Jasmyne nodded and a tear slipped over her cheek. “My parents hid me away too. My mother said there was another tribe in the village that wished us harm. She made me promise not to come out no matter what.”

Aurora took a deep breath. Telling Jasmyne the truth was difficult, but she needed to hear it. “I tried to do what my father told us sister, but I couldn’t stay in there. Not when I knew my parents were in danger. After a few minutes, I let go of Stefan’s hand and tip toed as quietly as I could toward the kitchen. But when I got there - ”

Jasmyne reached out the touch of her hand causing Aurora to jump.

“When I got there, standing over my mother was something that I don’t know how to describe. I was young Jasmyne, but I know it wasn’t a vampire or a human. It was something else.”

Jasmyne looked at her closely. “What do you mean, something else?”

“It was a creature with a skeleton on the outside, and behind the bone was thick black flesh. Its eyes were deep and hollow, empty like there was no light inside. And there was something ancient about it Jasmyne, something unworldly.”

“Aurora…”

“I knew I should go in and try and help my mother,” she pushed on. “I wanted to be brave, but I was so afraid. I hid behind the door trying to find the courage. She never knew I was there. She never knew I came and then…”

“And you think that’s what killed all of our parents?”

Aurora nodded and tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. “A few of the elders survived, and the next day they took all of the children, including us, away from there. That morning many of us woke as orphans.”

Jasmyne nodded slowly and took a moment before she spoke. “So, what were they?”

“That’s what I need to find out sister. A long time ago I had a vision that showed me a vampire. Not one of the remaining Council, but a changeling. A newborn. He was supposed to help me, but now…”

“So that’s what this is about? You think that murderer is supposed to help you track down some make-believe monsters?” Jasmyne got to her feet and fixed Aurora with a look. “That’s why you won’t kill him?”

“It’s not as simple as that Jasmyne.” Aurora willed her sister to understand.“I need to speak with the Council, but I also need your support. I cannot do this alone. Tell me, sister, will you help me?”