A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)(55)

“Okay, it’s time to reach out to Calliope and let them know it’s all good,” Hansa said, then closed her eyes. “Telluris Draven.”

A few moments passed in absolute silence, but nothing happened. She frowned, giving Jax a brief glance before she tried again.

“Telluris Draven,” she called out.

Still, she didn’t hear anything. She clicked her teeth with frustration.

“This is weird,” Harper muttered, then tried reaching out as well. “Telluris Draven…”

“Telluris Draven.” Jax tried as well.

A couple of minutes passed, all of us trying to call out to Draven, but nothing happened. I couldn’t even feel his presence like I had before, back on the platform. I’d felt him in my mind as we’d traveled through the stars, and even as we’d reached this galaxy, so it wasn’t an issue of distance that impeded Telluris. Our souls were meant to be connected in an extra-sensory manner that allowed us to communicate at any time, from any place.

My stomach churned. I didn’t like this.

“Could it be that disruptive asteroid belt?” I asked.

“Yes, it could be,” Hansa replied, her eyes wide with the realization as she looked at Jax and Patrik. “We could be cut off from GASP because of those damn purple crystals orbiting Neraka. How can this be?”

“It shouldn’t be the case.” Patrik frowned. “Like Draven said, Telluris connects our souls. It transcends space altogether; it isn’t subject to any physical interference.”

“Then what do we do?” Harper crossed her arms over her chest, visibly displeased with our current inability to communicate with GASP—a feeling we all had in common.

“We’ll speak to Emilian about it,” Patrik replied, his eyes finding mine again. “If he has no answers, we’ll try again later. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try a couple of over-Ninetieth-Circle spells tomorrow.”

“And if that doesn’t work?” Hansa asked.

“Then we tough it out, finish the recon mission, then light-orb our asses out of here.” Jax’s blunt reply pointed at our only other option. “This shouldn’t take more than a week, anyway. And if it goes beyond that allocated time, we all know Calliope will send an army to retrieve us, if they can’t get a hold of us.”

Heron leaned against the balustrade, scratching the back of his head.

“Yeah, they’ll get anxious back in Eritopia. They’ll think something happened. I guess the sooner we gather enough data to discuss and decide how to assist the Exiled Maras, the quicker we can get back to Calliope, before Draven and the whole of GASP send their space armadas after us.”





Fiona





(Daughter of Benedict & Yelena)





We all made our way downstairs, where the two Imen servants waited to take us to the grand dining room of the inn. It was a spacious banquet hall, with elegant cream-and-golden wallpaper, chestnut wood paneling, and lacquered flooring of the same shade. Candlelit brass chandeliers and lily-shaped sconces provided a warm, yellowish light, and a large dinner table with a seating capacity of twenty people reigned in the middle.

The Five Lords stood up as soon as we walked in, with a dozen Imen servants lined against the walls, waiting to service the dinner table. The smell of roast spices poured in through a half-open door at the other end of the dining room.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Emilian said with a warm smile. “I took the liberty of having the inn’s chefs prepare food for your non-vampire and non-Mara friends.”

“That was very thoughtful of you, Emilian, thank you,” Jax replied with a nod as he took his seat at the other end of the table, while we sat down on either side of him.

The Five Lords had been joined by Rewa, who had now changed into a delicate pink chiffon gown, and another Mara we didn’t recognize. His ruffled reddish hair and the shape of his jade green eyes were similar to Rowan’s, so I assumed there was a relation there.

The table had been set neatly, with a fine white tablecloth with golden embroidery on the edges, crystal glasses, and fine porcelain dinnerware. A beautiful floral arrangement was set in the middle, with golden ribbons and ivory-colored blossoms.

The Imen went about their table services, pouring water and blood from different gold-brushed pitchers.

“This is Vincent, of House Roho,” Emilian said, as the unidentified Mara sat up and gave us a curt nod. He wore a yellowish green three-piece suit with fine gold embroidery and a white, high-collared shirt which he’d paired with a pale green silk ascot.

We all nodded in return, and Vincent took his seat next to Rowan.

“He is my son,” Rowan said, “and Sienna’s brother. I believe Rewa has already told you about my daughter.”

We didn’t say anything, watching the Five Lords, Rewa, and Vincent as food was brought out from the kitchen and laid on the table in gold-plated warming dishes. We helped ourselves to our hearts’ desires—I opted for a bloody mix rich in sweet and peppered spices, as did the rest of our vampire crew, while Caia, Blaze, Hansa, and Patrik settled for slices of roasted meats and vegetables. I couldn’t eat any of that, but even I had to admit it smelled good.

“I understand Sienna was the last to disappear,” Jax said, taking a sip from his blood cup.