A Fall of Secrets (A Shade of Vampire #15)(24)

“We have just spent all day traveling through countries trying to protect the lives of humans,” I said through gritted teeth. “Something you almost killed my wife for doing.”

He looked shaken enough by now, his face drained of all color, so I let go of him, though not without first jolting him with another wave of heat.

He staggered back further down the alleyway, stopping and staring at me.

“My family and my people are your allies, not your enemies,” I said, trying to calm the storm raging within me. “The black witches are the ones you need to focus your energy on ending. They are the root of all this trouble now.”

“Black witches,” he breathed, “they are the ones who stole those teenagers from the school?”

I nodded grimly.

He frowned. “But some vampires are still our enemies. You forget about the incident in Chile. It was caught on camera, a vampire tearing through innocents’ throats. Do you know the vampire who did that?”

My voice caught in my throat. The hairs at the back of my neck stood on end. Clenching my jaw, I shook my head.

“I don’t know that vampire.” I breathed out heavily. “But what I’m saying is that the black witches are the primary threat now. They are the ones we need to be focusing on. So just… don’t just go shooting at any vampire you see, all right? Especially if you suspect that they are one of my people.”

The hunter nodded. I stepped aside, handing him his gun back, before he raced away.

“I don’t know that vampire.”

The words echoed around in my head long after the hunter had disappeared. It pierced my heart to realize that it was true.

The man I’d seen in that footage was not my son.

At least, not the son I knew.

Chapter 18: Ben

The Oasis. Once the home of the Maslens.

I stared around at the lavish atrium, barely believing what Jeramiah had just told me. My parents had told me about this place, the history it held. My mother had been imprisoned here by Borys Maslen. It was also where Benjamin Hudson had lost his life, as well as my uncle, Lucas Novak. The Oasis held a lot of meaning for my family. None of it good.

I was already unsure about the decision I’d made to join Jeramiah’s clan. Now the situation just seemed even more inauspicious. I glanced at Jeramiah, who seemed to be watching my reaction closely. I did my best to conceal my shock.

“You have a very impressive place here,” I said.

Jeramiah smiled. “Shall I give you a tour?”

“Sure,” I said, my mouth dry.

Jeramiah began leading me forward along the ground level that encompassed the beautiful gardens in the center of the atrium. Most of the doors we passed by were closed, but Jeramiah pushed the occasional one open to reveal luxuriously furnished chambers and apartments. They were all decorated similarly—opulent Egyptian furniture, shiny marble flooring, bright murals on the walls, warm, soothing lighting. A few of the doors Jeramiah pushed open were dark and I could hear snoring coming from them.

“Most of these scoundrels are sleeping now,” Jeramiah said. Letting down his dark shoulder-length hair, he shook it out before gathering it up above his head and tying it back in a bun. “You’ll get to meet them soon enough.”

“How did you find this place?” I asked.

“This place is legendary. Most vampires know of it. It had been thoroughly destroyed by the hunters when they destroyed the Maslens’ coven. But since then, we’ve managed to not only rebuild it but also reinstate security. We have a number of witches living here with us. Hunters still know about this place, but they can’t get inside.”

Having walked full circle, Jeramiah gestured toward the glass elevator.

“You’ve seen this lower level now, more or less,” he said. “Of course there are the human chambers. They’re down in the basement.”

“Where do you keep your half-bloods?” I asked.

“Most of them live among us. Those who serve us stay in servant quarters built into our apartments.”

“What about the man I just half-turned, Tobias?”

“Oh, yes. I put him down with the humans for now until he stabilizes a little. Then we’ll decide where to put him up…” Jeramiah frowned at me. “I haven’t offered you any blood since we arrived. Would you like some?”

I ran my tongue over my lower lip. Truthfully, I could really do with some blood. I nodded. “Please.”

“In that case, let me take you straight to my apartment—my refrigerator is fully stocked. You can explore the other levels another time. They’re mostly just filled with apartments and halls similar to what you’ve seen on the lower level anyway.”

We ascended in the elevator up to the highest level and stepped out. I followed him forward. He stopped after we passed the fifth door. Withdrawing a key from his pocket, he slid it into the keyhole and the door clicked open. It was dark inside. He flicked a switch and the lavish apartment lit up.

“Jeramiah?” a groggy female voice called.

Jeramiah smirked. “That’s my half-blood, Marilyn,” he muttered. Raising his voice, he called, “Hey, baby.”

He led me toward a door at the end of the hallway that was ajar. He pushed it open to reveal a huge, dimly lit bedroom. A blonde girl lay stretched out on the bed, apparently naked but for a sheet wrapped around her. I backtracked into the hallway, leaving Jeramiah and his girl alone.