Sunlight: Blood Magic Book 4 Read online

  After another half hour of discussing things back and forth, we finally decided that inaction was the best action to take. Well, for the most part. Theodore was looking to stir up trouble because a city in turmoil was easier to take over than a city under control. Ethan would spread the word among the vampires about the chalk circles, and Finn was going to go along to Campion Row tomorrow morning to suss out what exactly Theodore was up to.

  I didn’t mention it to Ethan, but I planned on going, too. If Theodore was there, then it was likely that Rita would be as well. I had no idea what I’d do once I saw her. All I knew was I had to try something. The longer she stayed with her madman of a father, the more lost she was to us.

  I said my goodbyes to my friends and drove back with Ethan and Rebecca to his place. After the crash Emilia caused, Ethan had replaced his car with an SUV almost identical to the previous one. As he drove, he also typed out messages on his phone, and it astounded me how he could focus perfectly on both activities.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, eyeing his phone. He typed so rapidly that I couldn’t make out the words. His thumb made speedy, barely perceptible movements over the touch screen.

  “I’m organising a little gathering of my own,” he replied, slipping the phone into his pocket and putting his hand on my knee. His fingers brushed back and forth, causing tingles to shoot between my thighs. Yeah, I wasn’t letting him distract me.

  I gave him a steely look. “Elaborate.”

  “I have to ensure that my people know about Theodore’s plan. The only way to do that is to gather them in one place and make an announcement.”

  “And what place would that be?”

  “They call it the Market Below. It’s an underground trading area for vampires and one of the few places I know Theodore will never step foot. Magical folks dislike it underground. I think it plays havoc with their powers somehow.”

  Hmm, that was food for thought. “There’s an underground vampire market in Tribane?”

  “There is. Would you like to see it?”

  “Hell yeah.”

  “Can I come, too?” Rebecca asked from the back seat.

  Ethan turned his head to look at her briefly and reached out to ruffle her hair affectionately. “I’m afraid not, my sweet. It’s not a place for little girls.”

  “You can stay with my friend Amanda while we’re gone. You’ll like her. She’s very nice.”

  Rebecca’s eyes immediately lit up at the prospect of meeting someone new, instantly forgetting all thoughts concerning the vampire market.

  “By the way,” Ethan said, eyes flicking momentarily to mine. “I noted something interesting about Alora, the half-elf.”

  “Oh?” I replied, intrigued.

  “She smells very similar to your young friend, Florence.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “She does? Do you think Florence has elf blood, too?” I asked with interest.

  “It’s possible. Her talent for reading emotions is certainly the type of ability found in elves. They’re a very old race, and very rare nowadays. It could be that she’s the distant relation of an elf who passed the empath gene down to her.”

  “If we ever get rid of the barrier around the city I’ll contact her and let her know your theory,” I said, hoping Florence was still doing okay with her new boyfriend.

  Later that evening, I left Rebecca in Amanda’s care while I headed out with Ethan and Lucas. I took Ethan’s hand into mine, and in a bold move, I wrapped my other arm around his neck and pulled him down to me for a kiss. What I had initially meant to be a quick peck turned into a full-blown snog as he slipped his tongue into my mouth.

  “Hey,” I finally managed to say when I came up for air.

  He grinned and slid his arm around my waist, pulling me snug against his side. Lucas watched all of this without saying a word. Ethan didn’t lead me to his car, instead taking me to the end of the street. His arm fell away from my waist as he bent to open a round manhole cover.

  “Eh, no way am I going down there,” I said emphatically as Lucas’s eyes gleamed with mirth. I bet he knew all along I wasn’t going to be up for this.

  Somehow, I’d failed to make the connection that an underground market would be among the sewage system. In my head, I’d imagined something a little more mystical and a little less e-coli and rat-infested.

  “I can walk you back to the house if you like,” Ethan offered, his silvery eyes looking back and forth between mine.

  I glanced at Lucas for a moment, and the fact that he clearly assumed I’d turn back made me determined to keep going.

  Taking a deep breath, I replied, “No, that’s alright. I still want to come. I just needed a minute to get used to the idea.”

  “Once you get through the tunnels it’s not so bad. You can climb on my back, and I’ll get us to the market in a matter of seconds. You won’t have to endure the stench for too long.”

  I eyed him warily. “Okay, then.”

  Ethan went down on one knee, so I could climb onto his back. When I was securely situated, he moved toward the manhole and climbed down. Lucas followed suit. The second we hit the tunnel Ethan began moving at vampire speed, and everything became a blur of motion. Unfortunately, I could still smell the sewage.

  Moments later he slowed down, and I realised I’d been squeezing my eyes shut to keep from getting dizzy. I opened them and looked around to see a mass of vampires gathered in a large open space. The place was huge, about the size of a football field. There were market stalls set up in orderly rows selling all variety of goods.

  I stared in fascination, still holding firmly onto Ethan’s back as I took the place in. Vampires stood and chatted amiably, others hovered by stalls bartering and haggling for goods.

  When Ethan entered, the conversation hushed, and they all turned to look at him with what appeared to be reverence in their otherworldly eyes. He patted me on the thigh, and I let go of his neck, hopping off onto the ground.

  Some of the vampires watched me instead of Ethan, and I knew that they were aware of what I was—of what I could give them. It was weird, though, because I didn’t feel unsafe. I had this odd sense of safety at Ethan’s side. I knew that none of the vampires would be able to get to me because of him.

  Ethan slipped his hand into mine, a show of solidarity but also possession, and led me on a walk around the market. The vampires continued what they’d been doing, but without the same vigour as before. They were all far too curious about Ethan’s presence, anticipating his announcement.

  A mezzanine floor ran around the edge of the upper wall of the market, and tugging me to him, Ethan pulled me up onto his back again before climbing a ladder to the mezzanine. Once he reached the top, he let me off and walked to the railing. Placing his hands firmly down on the railing, he cleared his throat, and every vampire present fell silent for the second time.

  They looked up at him, heads all turned to attention. I spotted Lucas below, standing by a stall. He picked up a gold watch and examined it, perhaps the only vampire in the whole place who wasn’t staring at Ethan.

  “Today, while you all slept,” Ethan began, “the sorcerer Theodore made a televised broadcast to the humans of the city. To put it simply, he told them to mark their doors with a circle in chalk before gathering at Campion row. From there, he instructed them to visit every home without a circle and burn it to the ground.”

  The revelation was followed by exclamations of shock and surprised intakes of breath. Some vampires clutched their partners, unmistakable fear in their eyes. All of a sudden, I saw Ethan’s species in a new light. They might live a lot longer than humans, might be a lot stronger, but they were still mortal. They could still lose the things that they held most dear.

  “I have called you all here tonight so that you can be aware of this and mark your doors as the humans do.”

  Before Ethan could say more, a dark-haired vampire stepped to the front of the crowd. “Why don’t you just let us all have a drink of your li
ttle blood whore, and we won’t have to worry about daytime attacks?” he asked, his mouth a cruel slant across his face. My heart thundered in my chest at the suggestion. Remind me why I thought it was a good idea to come here?

  Without a word, Ethan jumped from his spot and landed gracefully on the ground in front of the vampire.

  “How dare you suggest such a thing,” he seethed, fury emanating from him as he prowled around the man.

  Suddenly, the man’s demeanour changed. Something in Ethan’s gaze caused him to fall to his knees.

  “I’m s-s-sorry. I didn’t mean it. Please forgive me.” He bowed his head as though submitting to a king.

  With one swift movement, Ethan kicked the man hard in the ribs. “Get up,” he demanded.

  The vampire fumbled quickly to his feet, his entire body shaking with fear. I almost felt sorry for him, but then I remembered his suggestion that they all drink from me and my sympathy faded.

  “Apologise again,” Ethan commanded.

  “I beg your forgiveness. I’m sorry a thousand times. Please, spare me,” he rattled out desperately.

  Slowly, Ethan shook his head. “Not to me. Apologise to her.” He gestured up at me, and I inhaled sharply when the attention of the entire market fell on me. My palms grew sweaty as I gripped the railing tight.

  “I’m sorry, my lady. Truly, I am,” the vampire said. “Please, accept my sincerest apologies for what I said. I’m merely frightened and—”

  “That’s enough,” Ethan hissed, grabbing a hold of the collar of his jacket and flinging him into the crowd. “Anybody else have anything to say on this matter?” he asked, striding back and forth. Absolute silence answered him. “Very good.”

  If I blinked, I’d have missed it, but his eyes flicked briefly to Lucas, who still stood by the market stall. Ethan gave him a barely perceptible nod, and Lucas slinked swiftly through the crowd to the dark-haired vampire. His hand slid to the inside pocket of his coat, and he pulled out a stake. Finding the vampire who’d spoken out against me, Lucas grabbed him by the throat and slammed the stake straight into his heart. Those standing close by gasped in shock, obviously getting the message. Anyone else who dared to threaten me would meet the same fate. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but my survival instincts kicked in. I’d much rather the vampires fear harming me than believe I was an easy target.

  “I will suffer no more threats against my woman,” Ethan declared. “The punishment for this is death. I hope you all understand that now.”

  There were low murmurings of assent, and nervous anxiety gripped tightly at my chest. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. Ethan had to have a man killed for threatening me. Would it always be this way, or would the vampires eventually accept me as Ethan’s partner?

  Having power wasn’t the cushy setup most people imagined it to be. You had to make hard decisions and do hard things. And I understood that. I got why Ethan had Lucas kill the vampire, but it still made my stomach twist with unease. I was so tired of all the death.

  “The sorcerer Theodore is trying to incite us into violence again,” Ethan went on. “I will not allow that to happen because it is not the kind of ruler I intend to be. I am no Whitfield. An unhinged, power-hungry leader creates an unhinged, power-hungry populace, which is why I don’t hold your past violence against you. You were under the frenzied command of a blood thirsty tyrant, and your actions followed suit. But hear this. There is to be no more unnecessary harm done to any humans. In order to survive, we need to be able to live peacefully among the human population in a symbiotic manner, and that is the kind of environment that I will strive to create for all of you. I will put a stop to Theodore’s plans to ruin us. You have my word. And after that, we still endeavour to live in peace, and hopefully, prosperity, too.”

  As I looked down on the vampires all listening intently to Ethan’s speech, I saw something change in them. They were taking in his words, and there was relief on their faces. They didn’t want to be at war, and the kind of city Ethan was describing appealed to their hearts. A grain of hope formulated within me. Perhaps Alora was wrong when she said it would be a little girl who finally brought peace to Tribane. Maybe, just maybe, it would be Ethan who did it.

  Finn

  You know what I think? I think it should be made illegal for anyone to ever have to be up this early in the morning. I was awake and dressed at the arse crack of dawn. I’d had my breakfast, and I was currently in the process of arming myself to the teeth. You’d be amazed by the number of weapons a fella could store on his person once he put his mind to it. So far, I’d managed five guns, seven knives, and several stakes. Yes, it was morning and there weren’t going to be any vamps around, but you could never be too careful.

  I’d commandeered Ira into coming along with me to Theodore’s gathering on Campion Row. We stood in the kitchen, a selection of knives scattered across the counter, when the door creaked open. Alora stepped into the room. She was dressed, her hair tied back in a ponytail, which instantly gave me ideas about pulling it out and watching all that golden hair fall over her shoulders.

  “What has you up at this ungodly hour, Goldy?” I asked.

  “I want to come with you,” she answered, and I frowned immediately.

  “No can do. This is an iffy situation we’re going into, and if a riot breaks out, it’s not going to be safe for you. I need you to stay here.”

  “But I can help,” she said, and I had a hard time imagining how she could possibly be of assistance. She’d be far more of a hindrance since I’d have to be looking out for her the entire time.

  Still, not wanting to come across like a prick, I entertained her idea. “Okay, how exactly can you help us?”

  With her hand on the wall, she felt her way over to a chair and sat down. “I have a couple of other abilities as well as my visions,” she replied, and my curiosity piqued.

  I folded my arms. “I’m all ears.”

  She ran a finger back and forth over the surface of the table. “I can interfere with people’s emotions, so if the crowd becomes incensed, I’ll be able to calm them.”

  “Well, that certainly sounds like it could come in handy,” I agreed, changing my tune. “What else can you do?”

  “Um, well, that’s all actually,” she answered, sheepish. “Perhaps I exaggerated a little when I said a couple.”

  “How many people can you affect with this … ability?”

  “A lot. Maybe a hundred.”

  I leaned back against the counter and tapped my boot on the floor, considering it. Calming down a hundred people might not be everyone, but it would still make a big difference if things got out of control. The population had been damaged enough in the past few weeks, and we didn’t need any further casualties.

  “And what if you get separated from me and Ira? How will you defend yourself?”

  She chewed on her lip. “You could give me one of those knives over there?”

  “You can’t see. How did you know …?”

  “I could hear you moving them around,” she quickly explained, and I grinned.

  “Good hearing.”

  “So, can I come?” she asked hopefully.

  I sighed, having no clue why she would even want to come. If I had my choice, I’d be back in bed catching another forty winks.

  “Okay, then. But you need to stick by me at all times. Understood?”

  She smiled. “Understood.”

  “I’m not sure this is wise,” Ira said as he slid a gun into one side of his shoulder holster and a second into the other side.

  “I’ll keep her safe,” I said as we resumed silently arming ourselves.

  Before we left, I took a piece of chalk and drew a circle on my door. I didn’t want anyone mistaking my house for a vamp den, even though I’d played host to my fair share of fangs in recent weeks. Oh, how my once immovable stance against them had been moulded to make allowances. I felt like I’d sold out. Then again, my choices had been kind of limited.

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nbsp; Once we were ready to go, we climbed in the van and drove to the city centre. Along the way, every house had a big white chalk circle on the door, and there were hundreds of people walking in the same direction as I was driving. I had to park a distance away from Campion Row because there was far too much foot traffic clogging up the roads as well as the pathways. When I got out, I took Alora’s hand in mine, and we walked. I stopped when my phone started ringing, and I pulled it out to see Tegan’s name on the screen.

  “Hold on a second. I have to take this,” I said to Alora and Ira before I answered.

  “Well, I’ve never known you to be an early bird,” I said in greeting. “Perhaps Cristescu’s a good influence after all.”

  “Hilarious,” she replied. “Where are you?”

  I cocked an eyebrow, listening to the noise in the background on her end. “Where are you?”

  “I’m at the top of the Blackfield monument. There are so many people here, Finn. I’m worried.”

  Oh, you silly, silly woman. I tightened my jaw. “Are you alone?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Stay where you are. I’ll be five minutes.”

  It actually took us closer to ten minutes to find Tegan because of the crowds. We climbed the steps of the monument, and I gave her my most disapproving stare.

  “What?” she asked, and there was just the tiniest sliver of guilt in her voice. “I had to come. Rita could be here.”

  “Of course, you did. Where’s Cristescu?”

  Her mouth tightened. “Still asleep. He doesn’t know I’m here.”

  I whistled. “He’s not going to like it when he finds out.”

  “If he finds out,” she corrected me. “And he won’t if I have anything to do with it.”

  “He’ll know. Have you forgotten how he read me yesterday? The bloke has a flipping radar for thoughts now, and we have you to thank for it.”

  I turned from her and guided Alora over to sit down on a step.

  “It’s not a bad thing. I believe he’s going to rule the vampires peacefully,” Tegan went on.