26
Emily?”
“She’s sleeping.”
“She needs to wake up.”
“Just let her sleep,” a familiar voice growled.
There was a soft sigh. “She’s already awake. Emily, open your eyes,” another familiar voice commended softly and I felt a hand shaking my shoulder. “Come on.”
“What?” I groaned, refusing to open my eyes. A sharp burning sensation ripped through my throat and I hissed in pain, snapping my eyes open. I gently touched my finger to it, pulling it back instantly when it burned. “Ow!”
Sebastian peered down at me, chuckling. “Don’t try to speak… You’re throat hasn’t fully healed.”
Last nights ordeals flashed in my mind, causing my eyes to grow. “Joel?” I inquired, wincing at the pain in my throat.
An uncomfortable expression crossed his face. “Well…”
“Is he okay? Oww,” I moaned, feeling like I had strep throat.
“Didn’t he say not to talk?” a snippy voice snapped.
I turned my head to glare at Vincent. When I opened my mouth to retort, he told me to shut up.
“Vincent,” Sebastian chided reproachfully. “Cut her some slack. She was attacked last night.”
“Well maybe if she wasn’t so stupid-”
“Enough,” a deep, booming voice stated, making me jump in fright. The King appeared in my field of vision, looking ready to drop. “Emily, try not to speak. Fiona’s coming with a white board in a few moments, so just write what you need to say.”
I stared at him for a moment before jerking myself out of my trance and nodding.
“To answer your question, Joel is fine,” he continued, running a hand through his shaggy hair. “Perfectly fine…”
His answer made me feel a little anxious. How could Joel be fine after those horrendous wounds? Was Solomon lying to me? Why would he do that? I needed to see Joel.
“Have no fear! Fiona is here!” a bright voice chirped and moments later the vampire herself appeared above me. “I come bearing a magical board of white.”
I forced a smile at her, too worried about Joel to find any actual amusement out of it. As soon as she handed me the marker, I began scribbling. My first question was asking if Joel really was okay.
“He’s fine!” Fiona assured me, smiling widely. “I’d bring him to you, but he’s at the court right now.”
Why?
Sebastian shifted his position, an upset expression crossing his face. “Well…”
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“With the wounds Joel acquired last night, they shouldn’t have healed for at least a week,” Solomon started, pulling a chair up next to my bed. “However, after he drank your blood, they seemed to heal almost instantly.”
“When I went to clean him up, he was nearly healed,” Fiona interjected, grinning at something. “Which was weird.”
“So I had Fiona cut Vincent’s arm-”
“What?” I gasped, staring at Solomon in shock. A searing pain went through my throat and I clenched my teeth to stop from showing it.
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. Vincent can handle it. Besides, he’s the only other one that has ever tasted your blood.”
I blinked at him, not comprehending how that had to do with what we were talking about.
“You look confused,” Sebastian commented, the corners of his lips twitching up. “We took some of your blood and gave it to Vincent to drink.”
My head swiveled around to gawk at Vincent. He didn’t look perturbed. He just glared at me, crossing his arms. Confused, I slowly dropped my gaze, wondering what he was upset with.
“Anyway, Vincent, show her the arm we cut.”
Heaving an annoyed sigh, I lifted my head back up just in time to see him pull up the sleeve of his black sweater. My eyebrows pulled together when I realized there was no trace of any type of laceration.
Where is it? I scrawled.
“It seems you have Blue Blood.”
I stared at Sebastian like he was crazy. All humans have blue blood. I waved the whiteboard in front of his face a few times to get my point across.
He chuckled. “That’s not what I mean.”
“Stupid,” Vincent muttered.
I glared at him. What was up his butt today? I hadn’t even say ten words to the guy today!
“Blue Bloods are humans who have a certain type of blood that can heal any kind of vampire wound rapidly,” Solomon explained, frowning at Vincent. “I didn’t believe any more existed but…”
It took a few moments for his words to register in my mind. When they did, my eyes bulged. I snatched the marker back up from the bed. What are you talking about?
“It’s not possible to make it any more simple,” Vincent snapped, sounding irritated. “Your blood heals us.”
“You fit the criteria too,” Fiona told me, tapping her chin with a finger. “Didn’t you ever think how weird it was that you needed so many blood transfusions and so often? It’s not normal. Nor is it normal for a human to resist having their memory erased. I read about Blue Bloods in a book once.”
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Blue Blood? What were they babbling on about? I could heal vampires? The thought almost made me snort.
“You look like you don’t believe us,” Sebastian observed, cocking an eyebrow.
“We can test it out on Sebastian if you want-”
“No!” Immediately I regretted vocalizing my reaction. My hand shot up to my throat and I squeezed my eyes shut.
Fiona giggled but quickly stifled it. “Sorry, Em… You’re funny.”
I rolled my eyes at her. How was causing myself pain funny to her? I turned to Vincent, glaring at him. Leave Sebastian alone, I wrote.
“Whatever.”
A sinking feeling made itself known in my chest and I felt the sudden urge to cry. Why was he being so mean? I wracked my brain for a reason for his behavior, but came up short. There was no reason for him to be so moody toward me!
“Focus,” the King commanded. “This is a serious issue.”
I cocked my head to the side, furrowing my eyebrows again.
“Emily, if word gets out that you have Blue Blood, you’ll be in danger,” Sebastian told me. “There are… poachers, if you will, who will want to get a hold of your blood as soon as possible.”
“Poachers?” I squawked in horror, ignoring my throat’s protest.
“Shh,” Fiona shushed, flicking me on the shoulder. “Write.”
Picking up the marker with a shaky hand, I began to scratch my thoughts down as quickly as I could. What do you mean by that? Poachers? Like the ones who kill those poor baby seals?
“Except these ones kill Blue Bloods,” Solomon corrected me. “They also sometimes keep them locked up so they can use them repeatedly.”
My eyes widened considerably.
“We won’t let anyone know though!” Fiona assured me quickly. “No one will know you’re a Blue Blood. If anyone did find out…” She made a face. “Well, we’d be screwed.”
How many are there?
Solomon smiled sadly. “That we know of? One.”
I blinked at him. Did he mean I was the only one? Confused, I picked up the marker again. That’s me? Where are the others?
“Dead,” Sebastian responded flatly. “Like my father said before, those rogue vampires used them for their blood carelessly. I’m sure there are some around somewhere, but they’re probably in hiding. Generally Blue Bloods are humans from vampire descent… As in, maybe they’re great, great grandparents were a human and a vampire; they had a child, that child married a human, until the vampire in them was hardly there. They also know vampires exist.”
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“She definitely didn’t know vampires exist when I drank from her,” Vincent stated.
Solomon nodded. “That’s right, she didn’t know, which is why I’m confused… You’re one strange human, Emily. Never before have I met someone, human or vampire, as troublesome as you.”
I smiled sheepishly. It wasn’t like it was my fault. Vincent was the one who kidnapped me.
“As of tomorrow,” Solomon started slowly, his emerald eyes piercing into mine. “You’re going home.”
“What?” Vincent and Sebastian cried before I could even start to react. In fact, his words hadn’t even sunk in yet.
When they did, my heart swelled with joy. “Really?” I croaked, not even noticing the pain this time.
“Father, that’s-”
“Silence Sebastian,” Solomon commanded, cutting him off. “This is the only way to keep Emily safe. She must return to the human world.”
“But the court…?”
The King shook his head. “The court will not know we’ve returned Emily home.”
I nearly shook with excitement. I could go home? I’d be able to see my family again? I could go to school! On any other occasion I would be ecstatic that I didn’t have to go to school, but school sounded so… normal.
“There’s a chance she might not be safe there,” Sebastian argued, giving a pleading look to his father. “It’d be safer if she was here-”
“Sebastian, don’t allow your feelings to change what you know is the right thing to do.”
He opened his mouth to retort, but closed it abruptly, his shoulders sagging. “Of course, Father.”
“Feelings?” Fiona inquired, lowering. “You have feelings…?” She glanced at me, her eyes betraying the calm expression on her face.
I shook my head immediately, my chest constricting at her hurt look. Even if she didn’t say it, I now knew she still had feeling for Sebastian.
“No surprise there,” Vincent said scornfully.
“I don’t have any romantic feelings,” Sebastian confessed smoothly. “She’s just easy to talk to about my… problems.”
I nodded at his words. Friends, only, I jotted down, showing it to Fiona first.
She relaxed straightaway, her usual smile slipping onto her face. “Oh. I can’t exactly say I want Emily to go home either, for the same reasons. It was nice having a girl around to talk to…”
I returned her friendly expression. It was nice being able to talk to Fiona too… I bit my lip roughly as my mind began to process reasons to stay. There was no way I wanted to stay here! My friends and family were at home; here were only vampires I’ve only known for a week… Vampires who were surprising sweet and caring, who seemed impossibly normal, and who I truthfully felt like I’ve known forever instead of a few days.
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