A Fall of Secrets (A Shade of Vampire #15)(52)

I nodded. “That makes sense, I suppose. But I do hope that you will return to him.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tissue, wiping a tear that had spilled down her cheek. Then she gave me a watery smile.

“Well, I’m glad you came by. It was good to talk. I-I can’t pretend that I don’t still hold feelings for you, but somehow it feels like a weight off my chest that we are no longer hiding things.”

“I agree.” I stood up. “And I hope after all this, we’ll be able to resume our friendship even if it never becomes anything more than that.”

She nodded, standing up too. I headed for the door and opened it. I stepped down onto the porch, looking up at her once more. We held each other’s gaze for a few moments. Then she stepped down, touched my forearm and planted a chaste kiss on my cheek.

My heart hammered against my chest, whatever blood I possessed rushing to my cheeks.

Adelle’s cheeks also grew rosy. “I hope you didn’t mind. I’ve just wanted to do that for the longest time.”

My voice caught in my throat. I backed away down the stairs. “Goodbye, Adelle.”

“Goodbye, Aiden.”

Chapter 38: Derek

Now that the rest of our council members and my daughter had returned from yet another wild escapade, I called another meeting in the Great Dome.

Sofia, Corrine and I recounted in detail our visit to the police to those who hadn’t yet heard about it. This led the discussion toward speculating on the repercussions of humans and supernaturals clashing on such a wide scale for the first time. I had already mulled over the situation so much in my mind, I found myself tuning out and losing myself in my own thoughts.

When the door burst open and Mona stormed inside, I sat bolt upright.

Kiev shot to his feet and enveloped her in an embrace. She drew away from him quickly. Her hair was disheveled, her face sweaty, as her eyes traveled around the room, falling upon each of us.

“Do any of you know a vampire called Magnus?” she asked, panting.

“Magnus? What? What happened?” several of us asked at once.

She gripped the edge of the table and sat down. “Just answer my question.”

There was a silence as each of us stared at her disbelievingly, then began racking our brains.

“Magnus who?” Vivienne asked.

“I don’t have a surname,” the witch replied. “But I do know that he must be a vampire old enough to have been alive during Lilith’s youth.”

“I knew a Magnus,” Kiev said suddenly. “He visited the Blood Keep briefly during my stay there, a long, long time ago.”

Mona gripped Kiev’s forearm, shaking it. “And?”

Kiev’s eyes narrowed as he called on his memory. “He was also a child of the Elders, like me. He would certainly have been old enough to have been around in Lilith’s younger years…”

“But if Mona doesn’t have a surname, how do we know this is the same person?” Sofia asked, her brows furrowed.

“Describe the Magnus you knew, Kiev,” Mona urged.

“He was, uh, tall. Short, darkish hair—at least at that time. I can’t remember his eye color clearly now… blue, perhaps.”

Mona nodded. “I do believe that’s him.”

“But what is all this about?” I asked, no longer able to contain my impatience.

She stood up and began pacing up and down. “I accessed Lilith’s memories.”

Kiev’s jaw dropped. “Huh?”

“When she made me a Channeler, a bond formed between us. As she probed my memories, I also had access to hers. I took a powerful memory potion to force me to recall them.” Mona stopped pacing and looked directly at Sofia and me. “We must find Magnus.”

“Find him? Why? What if he’s no longer alive?” We all began asking questions at once again.

Determination blazed in Mona’s eyes as she answered, “Magnus must still be alive if Lilith is alive.”

“Baby,” Kiev said. “Slow down. You need to explain what the hell you’re talking about.”

“Lilith was in love with a vampire named Magnus,” she said. “She used that love of an immortal to bind her to this world.”

“Lilith’s immortal?” Sofia gasped.

“No,” Mona replied. “She’s not immortal. Binding herself to an immortal’s love has allowed her to extend her lifespan far, far past its natural length, but it will wear off.”

“When?” Zinnia asked.

Mona scoffed. “I have no idea. But we can’t afford to wait around for it to happen naturally.”

Kiev looked at Mona in disbelief. “That creature, you’re telling us that she’s capable of… love?”

I was surprised to see a flicker of melancholy cross Mona’s face. “Indeed, she is,” she said, her voice softening. “The love she still holds for Magnus is what’s keeping her alive. It’s the only living thing about her—the cause of whatever breath she has left in her decrepit body. Her heart… it’s still beating with that love, even after all this time.”

Everyone was speechless for a moment as we let the witch’s words sink in.

“So what exactly are you saying?” Xavier asked. “We’d have to kill Magnus?”