I touch her chin and tilt it upward. “And how old are you, sweetest?”
“Nineteen,” she says defiantly.
“So you have five years left. Maybe that’s enough time. Maybe not. Who can say for sure? Do you really want to live with such uncertainty? Five years… it seems like eternity to one so young as you. Yet it is nothing to a vampire. It will pass in the blink of an eye. And you… you’re so pretty. Your skin is flawless. Your hair is fair. Your body—when it’s healed—is in the best shape it will ever be. Every day that passes brings you closer to old age. Closer to imperfection.”
“Is that why you brought me here?” she asks. “To mock me?”
“Certainly not.” I look into her eyes. “I brought you here to make an offer.”
“What offer?”
“The offer of The Gift.”
She sucks in a raw breath.
“My organization…” I chuckle to myself, “…has been keeping an eye on the Fang Chasers for generations. Would you like to know the greatest secret of your cult? Would you like to know why they have remained merely a fringe institution for all these years?
“It’s because not one of your members has ever been successful.”
I back off. “Think about that for a moment. Generation after generation of humans have been chasing eternal life, with none receiving it. But imagine! You could be the first.” I reach out and stroke her hair. “Or, if the Queen discovered your true motivations… you could be dead within the fortnight. Do you think she would let you live, if she suspected what you want?”
April stares at me and doesn’t answer. I can see her feeble human brain working feverishly behind those eyes.
“What is your organization?” she finally asks.
“We are called The Vorcellian Order.” My lips curl up in a haunting smile. “From the blank look on your face, I take it you’ve not heard of us?”
April shakes her head. I notice she’s trembling. From fear?
No. Adrenaline.
This one is bolder than I thought.
“You are amongst a handful of Fang Chasers to ever actually penetrate a vampire’s coven,” I continue.
“How do you know?” she asks.
“Because,” I say. “I helped engineer your kidnapping.”
“Liar!” she accuses.
“Oh no,” I say. “Everything I say is true. You see, the Vorcellian Order… we manipulate things. Creatures of the night think they are the lone source of power in this world. Their arrogance is the Order’s strength, the Order’s opportunity. I let you be captured… because I knew you might prove useful to me in the future.”
I stand up and start walking around her. “It was James who abducted you, was it not? Why am I asking? We both know it was. He was also your first real lover, wasn’t he? And you, fool girl that you are, thought you stole his heart.”
Cracks start to show in April’s façade of strength.
“You see, my order doesn’t just deal with vampires. Oh, no. We watch over all supernatural beings. We separate the legends from what’s real. The Loch Ness? Doesn’t exist. Bigfoot? Simply a myth. But vampires, and witches? They’re real. Ghouls, too, and spirits… but I don’t want to scare you with stories of those yet.
“My order controls a small band of witches. Not very powerful ones—none so mighty as your Queen—but they are ours. They are on our side.”
I grip the back of her chair and whisper in her ear. “I was the one who ordered a witch to give James a longing for you. You had a consistent routine in your old life, didn’t you? Every day, you would go from school to the seedy diner where you scraped together just enough cash to pay the rent. Every night, you left for your crappy apartment at exactly the same time. You took the same path. You never looked up.
“Really, April. You made it too easy for us.”
She breaks. Silent sobs start to rock the girl’s body. Hearing of her past is undoubtedly painful for her.
That’s why I’m so eager to do it.
“I had my witch implant an image of you into James’s dreams. Just the smallest inkling of your likeness… but enough to make him obsessed.
“The hunter’s instincts took over. He saw the streets you walked on, he knew the time, the place, the pathetic monotony of your life… and he whisked you away from there. He made you his lover. His pet. But never, not ever, did he intend for you to become…” I lower my voice, “…a vampire mistress.”
I smile cruelly. “So. You now know my secrets. It’s time to give me yours in return. First, who is Eleira to you?”