A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)(62)

I chuckled and rolled my eyes, understanding exactly what kind of creature I was dealing with as we left the study room. That was Heron, in all his might and glory—an oversized kid with nothing but playful mischief on his mind. While it was amusing to look at, it also made me wonder if he’d ever consider or even be capable of settling down with a soulmate.

“Yeah, your future wife will definitely have her hands full,” I chuckled as we descended the stairs, looking for the Imen servants.

“A wife? What can I do with a wife that I can’t do with all these ladies who are happy to welcome me into their beds at night? Why settle for a flower when I can have the entire garden?” Heron replied, rendering me speechless and leaving me somewhat disappointed, though I kept that last part to myself. “All I know is not to try and pull that crap with you again, because you’re clearly not that kind of girl. And I like that; I respect that. Although, be advised, that won’t stop me from being myself, Avril. I will make you blush once in a while.”

I chuckled again, though that tinge of disappointment was still lingering inside me, moving farther down into my stomach. I decided then that it was better to shove Heron into the friend zone, rather than get my hopes up and hurt myself in the process.

“That’s cool,” I muttered, “as long as you’re aware that for every action there will be a reaction.”

“Bring it on, vampire girl.” Heron smirked. “I know you can hold your own!”

I shushed him when I noticed one of the male Imen dusting porcelain figurines inside a glass cabinet in the sumptuous living room.

“Work your magic,” I whispered.

Heron nodded, then moved toward the Iman, his eyes flickering a beautiful gold. This wasn’t the first time I was watching Maras perform their mind-bending tricks, but it was the first time I was watching Heron do it.

“Milord, milady.” The Iman noticed us and took a short bow. “How may I be of assistance?”

“You can tell us the truth,” Heron replied, his voice huskier than usual as his golden gaze settled on the Iman. “Or face the consequences of a horrible life in never-ending pain.”

“Milord, I always tell the truth.” The servant seemed unfazed.

“How are you being treated here?” Heron asked.

“I am treated well, milord. Nothing is missing from my life.” The Iman’s face was blank, his eyes glassy. “And everything is good.”

I noticed Heron’s frown. It mirrored mine. Somehow, I wasn’t satisfied by the Iman’s answer.

“What do you know about the string of disappearances?” I asked.

“Little to nothing, milady,” the Iman replied. “Only that there are rumors around Azure Heights that it all has something to do with the Valley of Screams.”

“And what can you tell us about the Valley of Screams?” I insisted.

“It’s full of dark and…” His voice trailed off, and he started coughing. He grimaced from the pain, suddenly turning pale as he doubled over and coughed some more.

“Stop mind-bending him,” I said to Heron, moving closer to the servant. “It’s hurting him somehow… I think…”

“Oh, it’s definitely hurting him,” Heron muttered, and caught the Iman before he collapsed. He put one arm around his waist and helped him sit on one of the red velvet sofas in the middle. “And it’s not supposed to.”

The Iman shuddered and coughed more, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. One of the female Imen came in, noticed her colleague’s state, and frowned.

“Please forgive him, milord, milady.” She sighed. “Rauss has been feeling ill for a while.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Heron asked. I stared at Rauss, who rubbed his face with his hands.

“It’s a disease most Imen get after our fortieth year of life,” she said. “It’s an affliction that gradually weakens the body, until we eventually die. We call it ‘the slumber before Death’. We all go through it before we die.”

She shook her head then, apparently surprised by her own candor, then gawked at us with wide eyes.

“My apologies, milady, milord. I don’t know why I said that. I shouldn’t have said that,” she added in a trembling voice.

“It’s okay, thank you for sharing.” Heron’s calm voice made me turn my head to face him. His eyes were bright gold as he looked at the female Iman. He’d been mind-bending her from the moment she’d walked in. He recovered his jade gaze as the female Iman helped Rauss off the couch and scuttled out of the living room, wary of making eye contact with us.

She knew she’d said something she shouldn’t have, and she knew that if she stayed longer in our presence, she might be compelled to say more—that much I’d been able to read from her fearful expression.

“She’s no stranger to mind-bending, either,” I murmured, placing my hands on my hips.

“Not her first time, for sure,” Heron replied, visibly concerned as he looked at me. “They’ve been mind-bent out of their minds, if you’ll allow me the pun.”

“What do you mean?” I pressed my lips together to smother a smile.

“They’re practically brainwashed. I’ve seen this happen a few times, with other creatures back home. It’s what happens when too much mind-bending is done to one person. Their brains get fried.”