A Fall of Secrets (A Shade of Vampire #15)(47)

Soon she reached the end of the forest and found herself standing in a grassy clearing at the edge of a cliff. Her face shining with sweat, her eyes wide, she looked around. She whirled around at the sound of a snapping twig.

“So you came.” A deep voice spoke from the darkness of the trees behind her. A tall man with pale skin stepped into the clearing. Like Lilith, he wore a long cloak, his hood pulled up over his face. I could barely make out his features in the shadows but for two bright blue eyes. Lilith remained rooted to the spot as he stepped further into the light of the moon, closing the distance between them. Slowly, he lowered his hood, revealing cropped black hair.

“I shouldn’t have come,” Lilith breathed.

“Then why did you?”

Tears glistened in the witch’s eyes.

Passion ignited in the man’s gaze. His arms shot out and he pulled Lilith against him, dipping his head and claiming her lips. Lilith flinched at first, but then she eased into his embrace. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck, pulling herself closer. His large hands traveled down her back, one resting on her right hip while the other bunched up the hem of her dress and slid beneath it, brushing against her thigh. Breathless, she gripped his hand and stopped it from traveling any further.

“No,” she whispered. “No. I came here to tell you that I can’t see you anymore.”

The man stared at her. “Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’?” Lilith snapped, even as her voice broke. “You know what would happen if I was caught with a vampire. I have disgraced my kind enough as it is.”

He gripped her hands. “You love me.”

She winced.

He let go of her, growling in frustration as he turned to look down at the sea of treetops beneath the cliff.

She called after him, her voice faint and weak, “I’m sorry… Magnus.”

Magnus. A vampire.

To my frustration, the vision vanished. I need to find out more about this man. I was about to drink more potion when, to my surprise, another vision began overtaking me. I leaned back and closed my eyes.

Two elderly women, together in a room. One lay on a bed, apparently sleeping, while the other sat alongside her holding her hand. Incense burned on the windowsill, causing a light haze in the room.

The resting woman’s eyes shot open. She tried to sit bolt upright, but the other pushed her back down.

“Lilith,” she gasped, twisting her head to face the woman next to her.

“It’s okay, Shana. It’s okay.” The now aged Lilith patted her sister’s hand.

“I am sure that I won’t make it through the night,” Shana said, her eyelids fluttering. “Don’t leave my side.”

“I won’t,” Lilith said.

“Promise you’ll stay here with me like I stayed for Mother and Father,” Shana said.

Lilith nodded stiffly. Shana wheezed and coughed up a mouthful of blood, which Lilith cleaned up with a flick of her hand.

“I just had… the most frightful vision.” Shana gripped her sister’s hand so tight her nails made dents in Lilith’s skin. “I saw our future generations going astray. Growing complacent and neglecting all that we have worked for. Rejecting the very purpose of our existence… They will bring ruin to us all.”

Lilith placed a hand over Shana’s forehead. “Just rest now,” Lilith said.

Shana shook her head. “No. I can’t.” She looked Lilith straight in the eye. “You must hold on for as long as you can. It’s too late now for me and the rest of our generation, but you… you must try to hold on. I-I believe you were meant for this, sister.”

Lilith grimaced, guilt showing in her haggard face. Her jowls wobbled as she shook her head. “You of all people know that isn’t true,” she replied. “I am a disgrace to our kind.”

Shana scowled. “If you are truly sorry for the mistake you made, then now is the time to redeem yourself… Live on. One of us must.”

“But even if I wanted to, how would I?” Lilith asked.

“Find a way… If you don’t, then nobody will.” Shana gripped hold of Lilith’s arms and pulled her closer toward her until Lilith’s nose was but an inch away from hers. “Find a way, and this will be your redemption… Take the mistake you made and turn it into an advantage. You know the binding power of love… especially in Magnus’ case. He is an immortal.”

The warm glow of the bedroom disappeared along with Shana, and now the elderly Lilith was alone, crouched down over a cauldron in the center of a small grimy chamber. She stirred furiously as the liquid bubbled, fire licking the sides of the vessel and making her break out in a sweat. She began to recite a spell. Her words echoed around the room, her voice growing louder and louder, until the entire room was filled with thick smoke that was billowing up from the liquid. It became so dense that Lilith disappeared from sight.

But that haunting chant still echoed in my ears as I emerged from the memory. I played it over and over in my head, afraid that I might forget it. Scrambling to my feet, I crawled out of the cave and inscribed the chant on a slab outside. I stared at the words—now able to absorb them by sight as well as by hearing. Each time my eyes traveled across the words and each time they rang through my head, their meaning sank deeper, my understanding becoming clearer, until finally it dawned on me.