Chapter 27

"Shea," I whispered.

The connection of magic had just ended, leaving me feeling oddly cold in its absence. Or maybe that was the moonlit breeze that kept blowing past me where I stood outside against one of the tower walls.

Her voice had caught me completely off guard. Though I had hoped she would, I hadn't actually expected the young witch to reach out so soon—or at all, for that matter. I certainly hadn't expected her to come calling while I was under Hadrian's nose.

It had been a century since I'd had a conversation like that. With Alice.

But Shea was not Alice, and I hated that I had to constantly remind myself of that fact.

She even sounds like Alice.

But that could just be my mind playing tricks on me. Because I was so desperate to hear her voice again, to find anything tangible of my lost love.

I wondered for a moment if there was any possibility Shea and Alice were related. I had no idea how many witch families existed in the world. Alice was originally from New York and had fled to Vancouver, Washington, due to a bad home life. That's where we'd met, at the Skye Boarding House. Was it possible that part of her family immigrated to Illinois?

I'd have to find out Shea's last name and see if it was all more than just coincidence.

We had traded addresses, and I took her warning about her home being guarded very seriously. Witches were cautious people. Was I making the right choice, entrusting one of my most treasured possessions to one?

The grimoire was one of two of Alice's belongings I'd kept after she died. The other object was the brooch she'd worn every day. I felt the outline of it in my pocket. I always kept it on me so that a part of her was still with me.

But her grimoire, that was a different story. The book was bulky and tattered and smelled like an old shoe. I rarely ever looked at it. There wasn't much reason to since I couldn't use the spells it contained. Mostly, I didn't want to risk damaging any of the pages for the sake of my curiosity. The massive book could very well hold the secret to bringing Alice back.

So I kept it hidden in a lockbox in the closet of my small apartment in Chicago, and soon, it would be back in the hands of another witch. Was it foolish to hope Shea would come through? She was young, and I had no idea just how experienced she was with her powers.

I knew her motivations weren't centered around helping me. Not directly, anyway. She wanted the grimoire, likely to learn ancient spells. However, if trading the grimoire resulted in Shea finding a resurrection enchantment that would bring Alice back from the grave, the trade would be more than worth it.

And if she couldn't end up helping?

That was why I was back at Heritage Prep, currently downing my third blood bag in preparation for whatever twisted plan Hadrian had in store.

I took in one last deep breath of the early morning air before heading inside. The faint glow of dawn was creeping along the mountain tops, and the sun would be rising soon.

To any other vampire, the first rays of the sun would scorch any exposed flesh. But not me. The enchantment Alice had placed on me over one hundred years ago was eternal and unbreakable.

Today, the first rays of the sun meant it was time to meet Hadrian and face whatever fate he'd decided on for me. I began the long walk up the stairs that rolled up into the fortress of Heritage Prep.

It didn't take as long to make the climb this time around, probably because Marguerite's repelling presence wasn't lingering at the top. The memory from last night sprang into my head, and I found myself wiping my mouth again, as if her kiss had left a stain on my lips. It had certainly left a stain on my soul.

The huge, dark, cast-iron doors were shut to keep the sun out. No doubt all the windows in the school would be shut, too. Except maybe for the rooms where humans were waiting. Humans, who served as feeders for the vampires, as well as the ones trying to prove their worth to Hadrian.

I was familiar enough with the entrance to know how to get inside. A door within the door formed. It was wide and high enough to let me through. It was just another trinket of technology Hadrian had somehow come to possess over the years, but it did the trick—only allowing minimal light to enter the fortress.

Stepping inside, my eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness. Once they did, the familiar figure of Marguerite came into view in front of me. My hands clenched into fists, and my jaw tightened. I couldn't stop the scowl from forming on my face. She was the last person I wanted to see first thing in the morning.

She had her weight on one foot, her shoulders hunched a bit with one hand on her hip, and dressed all in black as usual.

"Have a good night?" she asked warmly, but her words felt icy.

I nodded curtly. "Actually, one of the best nights I've had in a long time."

Marguerite smiled wickedly, touching her tongue to the pointed tip of one of her fangs. "Must've been from our dance."

A shudder trickled through my body. "I assure you, that had nothing to do with it."

She put her free hand on my chest. "Ooh, Julian, that hurts."

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again." I pointed between myself and Marguerite several times in rapid succession. "You and I? Whatever we used to have together, before becoming vampires, is long dead. Whatever romantic ideations you have with me will never happen. Not after the events you set into motion by turning me."

Her grin only spread wider. "I can offer you an eternity of love. That witch of yours would have died eventually, anyway."

Anger bubbled in my chest like boiling water, threatening to spill over.

Calm yourself, Alice's thoughts surfaced just before I was about to strike out at Marguerite, cooling the brewing tempest of rage. She's desperate for any kind of emotion from you. Beyond blood, feeding off emotion is the passion of vampires. You saw what happened last time. Do not give her that control again.

My breathing slowed at the very sound of her voice in my head. It was so clear, so tangible, like she was standing right next to me. And she was completely right.

"If you don't mind, I have a punishment to get to," I said, moving past her.

At the last minute, she grabbed my arm firmly, stopping my progression toward the stairs that led to the dungeons below.

She stepped close, bringing her cold lips to my ear.

"I don't want to see what Hadrian does to you down there," she whispered, her tone serious for once. "But whatever torment he puts you through, I want you to know I don't agree with it. If you survive, I will be here to help you recover."

I jerked my arm from her hold and continued on.

"Don't worry about me," I called as I walked to the top of the stairs. "If I live, I'll recover just fine on my own. If I die? Well, you can start looking for others to promise your undying, eternal love to." Actually, you should do that whether I live or die.

I took two stairs at a time. It wasn't that I was excited for what I was about to go through, just more than eager to get away from Marguerite. And I just wanted to get this ordeal over with.

The dark stone stairway was lined with muted lights embedded in the walls. Long ago, when the fortress was built, the vampire originators had relied on torches. Those had long since been replaced. Hadrian was a firm believer of finding and utilizing new technology as much as possible.

Following the half circle, I jogged past the opening that led to the first lower level. Heritage Prep was a massive place and far more than just a school. Hadrian's legion of vampires were housed in the same place, and the higher up the ranks individual vampires became, the higher up in the towers they resided.

The lower levels were living quarters and classrooms for Initiates—humans desiring to become vampires. Some of them were the children of the vampires living here, waiting to be turned, and others were willing volunteers. Hadrian himself had been a human Initiate—at least until he'd come of age—but he'd been bred for a much grander purpose.

Hadrian's lineage was the oldest of vampire nobility, going back thousands of years. Each successive male vampire in his bloodline would mate with a human girl every fifty years to produce a male heir. The strength and abilities compounded with each generation gave Hadrian powers unlike any other vampire.

My shoes tapped against the stairs as I continued my descent, echoing in my ears and bouncing off the walls in either direction. I was surprised I didn't run into any humans or vampires along the way.

Five levels down, the stairs finally ended, opening into a wide chamber that held a damp and musty smell. I had rarely ventured down to the dungeons during my time working with Hadrian, and now I remembered why.

There were dirty cages lining the walls, their iron bars painted black. Most of them were empty, but I discovered that a few held humans who were suffering from their own punishments. They made no sounds. There were several vampire guards around who were strictly there to stop any whimpering or begging.

One of the guards saw me and approached me.

"Well, well, well," the short, stocky vampire sneered, looking up his nose at me, which really defeated the purpose. "Look, fellas. Julian Asher really has come back."

The other guards turned their attention to me, and I recognized a few of them. I definitely knew the one who was now posturing in front of me, tapping a metal club against his hand. The dungeon keeper had a receding hairline, and his spiky-gelled white hair shot out at random points.

"Hello, Rory," I said. "I see that some things never change. Like your status."

The guard's sneer disappeared, replaced with a wicked glare that I had seen on multiple occasions.

Rory pointed his club at me. "We'll see how snappy you are after Hadrian's through with you."

"I can hardly wait for the party," I deadpanned. "Where is Hadrian?"

Scowling, Rory twisted about and pointed in the opposite direction. "Thataway. Past the next room of cages. Madness Chamber."

A shock of worry made me flinch at the mention of the torture room, the nickname bringing back memories. It was one room I'd never actually been to, but I'd heard the screams coming from it more times than I cared to remember.

"That excited, are you?"

I steeled myself. "I was simply worried my punishment was going to be a lot worse: having to report to you down here for the next month. I'd rather be stabbed in the chest by a copper pole."

Rory moved with superhuman speed, swinging the club straight at my face. My rapid reflexes moved on instinct, and I caught the top of the bludgeoning weapon with my hand, matching the strength of the dungeon keeper, holding the club above both of our heads.

Rory gritted his teeth at the strain. "You never were one of us. And you never will be."

I wanted to agree with him. Instead I said nothing, just kept my eyes locked on Rory's with bold determination.

"Rory, Rory, Rory," Hadrian's voice tsked behind me. "Will you please explain to me why you're keeping Julian from his duties?"

Duties. I fought a derisive snort as I held my stance, unwilling to back down until Rory did.

"The outcast started it," Rory whined, relaxing his arm.

I let go of the club and turned to face Hadrian.

"There's no need for insults," Hadrian corrected smoothly, shifting his gaze from Rory to me. "He's come back home. And outcasts don't come home, do they?"

I knew the question wasn't aimed at Rory.

"No, they don't," I answered.

Tilting his head, the vampire leader looked back at Rory. "See? We're all on the same team here." He brought his pale blue eyes back to me. "It's time."

"See you around," I said with a nod to Rory, then walked by the rows of cages, feeling the fearful gazes of the human captives following me.

"Sorry you got held up by him," Hadrian said as we walked side by side through the next room of cages. The apology was insincere, only used as a formality.

I kept my gaze forward, not wanting to see the haunted looks of the caged humans. "I expected nothing less. Rory's always been an idiot."

"A loyal idiot," Hadrian added.

A short, awkward silence surrounded us. To an onlooker, we might appear to be friends, perhaps walking off to share a meal together.

We walked into the next room, more cages set into the walls. My footfalls seemed to get heavier the closer we got to the Madness Chamber.

"I must admit, I'm still shocked you came back," Hadrian said, breaking the silence.

"It had to be done," was all I said.

"Indeed."

We entered an area of the fortress I was entirely unfamiliar with.

"I should probably prepare you a bit for what's about to happen," Hadrian prefaced. Again, the insincerity of his tone wasn't hidden. It seemed as if he were gloating.

We must be approaching the Madness Chamber.

Clearing his throat, Hadrian continued. "Typically, in similar instances, the punishment for deserting occurs at the top of the center tower—my personal chambers. The betrayer is placed in a cell made of tinted glass that blocks out most of the sun. But not all. The roof of the tower opens, and the traitor then suffers a slow burn that can last for several days. It's excruciating, from what I've heard. If the deserter desires to shift his loyalties back to me, salvation is rewarded just before death."

I shuddered. It was a torture created specifically for vampires. Alice's spell would protect me from that kind of torture, and Hadrian knew it. Being a daywalker had given me vast privilege during my first stint in Hadrian's ranks.

"Nobody has ever betrayed me twice," Hadrian continued. "It's a tough lesson to learn, but it is effective."

Up ahead, I could see a small doorway that was bleeding red light. I forced myself to swallow.

"Since that method of punishment would do nothing to you, I've had to think outside the box."

Upon reaching the doorway, Hadrian gestured for me to go in first. I looked at him, not seeking forgiveness or a way out but exuding determination.

"Whatever you have prepared, I will prove my loyalty to you." For Alice.

Stepping past the threshold, I saw that the red room was about as small as my studio apartment. And it was full of vampires gazing at me curiously. They pushed to the sides of the room, revealing a plexiglass container that had to be at least ten feet high and ten feet wide. Some form of liquid was inside it—I didn't want to guess what. But the whole thing seemed like something that would be found in an aquarium.

Except it lacked fish.

"You might be wondering why such a crowd is here," Hadrian said as he made his way over to the tank. "These are brothers and sisters who have expressed doubts about the vampire cause. Keep in mind that they haven't deserted. You are about to become their greatest teacher."

The door shut behind us, a steel bar falling into place, locking us inside. I was glad Rory wouldn't be able to watch from the doorway. Whatever I was about to endure, I didn't want that asshole to have the chance to gloat later.

I looked the tank up and down. "Acid? Chemicals?"

Hadrian furrowed his brows. "No, nothing that intense."

He tapped a screen that was embedded in the wall, engaging a pulley system that lowered a large, round slab of metal I'd originally mistaken for part of the ceiling.

"I'm assuming that's copper?"

Hadrian rolled his eyes. "We're not monsters, Julian."

I beg to differ.

Another few taps on the panel by the door caused the far wall directly behind the tank to pull out into two staircases that surrounded the tank.

I looked at Hadrian in confusion.

"Come," Hadrian said, walking to the left staircase and gesturing for me to go up the right one.

I did as he instructed.

The top of the stairs joined together, creating a landing. From this high up, I could see the other side of the flat sheet of metal. Just as Hadrian had said, it wasn't copper, but a solid steel, which seemed to be a common theme in the fortress. I had never noticed that detail before.

There were no chains, no locking mechanisms. Just a big, round piece of metal.

It was a lid.

Understanding dawned on me like the sun I'd witnessed climbing over the mountains that morning.

"Drowning," I mumbled through a tight throat.

Hadrian nodded. "Very astute, old friend."

I considered this. In all my years, I'd never experienced drowning before. A vampire couldn't actually die from prolonged submersion, but his body still required air. Such an experience would not be pleasant.

"This is Julian Asher," Hadrian called out, addressing the group of vampires in the room. "He was born in the late eighteen hundreds and was turned close to the turn of the century. Seven years ago, he deliberately deserted Heritage Prep and the vampire cause, outcasting himself into isolation."

Murmurs rose among the observers, causing Hadrian to raise his hand. They quieted down instantly.

I swept my eyes over them, realizing these vampires held a spark of rebellion that was about to be put out. And right now, if they would stand together, their strength in numbers would be too much for Hadrian. We could kill him. He's locked any help out.

The thought was pointless. These vampires were still at the school, which meant they still had loyalties—however weak—to Hadrian. But maybe, given time, I could plant enough seeds to form a rebellion. A group of vampires who were willing to stand up against Hadrian. I committed their faces to memory.

Hadrian continued. "Last night, Julian returned asking for pardon and desiring to re-enter our family. After some discussion, it was agreed that he would be allowed readmission to our cause and forgiven of his desertion after an appropriate punishment had been doled out. Only then will the slate be wiped clean. May this be a lesson for those among you who have concerns about what we are trying to build in this world and how trying to go it alone does not work."

The room went quiet as all eyes stared at me.

"How long?" I asked, the sudden dryness of my throat an irony that wasn't lost on me.

Hadrian pointed back down to the touchscreen by the door. "After your punishment begins, your countdown timer will appear there."

I nodded.

Great.

"In you go," Hadrian said, placing a cold hand on my shoulder.

I inhaled and exhaled a few times, knowing I wouldn't get the chance to do so again for a long time.

Alice, be with me,I begged. I need you now more than ever.

"See you on the other side." I took one last breath before jumping into the water.

It was cool against my skin, red lights at the bottom lighting up and making the water look like blood.

I watched through the windows as Hadrian ran down the stairs and punched in the command for the lid to fall into place. As it did, I suddenly felt myself being pulled down to the bottom, near the bright lights. The lid somehow had the ability to make me sink—more of Hadrian's strange technology.

Already I felt the need for another breath. The air in my lungs threatened to spill out at any moment.

The tank vibrated as the heavy lid sealed into place.

Hadrian stepped away from the panel, and the digits that popped up on the screen took the air right out of me, causing trailing bubbles to dance in the red light.

24:00:00.

One whole day.

Alice, I need you.

The thought came as my lungs filled with water, and my mind sputtered.

Alice…