Chapter Five

Let’s Make a Deal

Khamari

“King.”

Two of the three elders bow before me, just deep enough to fake respect. I sit north, near the closure of trees at the round, rock-hewn table that stands at waist-level. The stone chairs siphon the temperature, and today, it feels like we’re on the edge of winter.

Just like the old mansion, we meet outside. Our new property, set deep in the north Georgia mountains, includes a courtyard three miles east from the main compound. A host of trees stand guard, protecting us from no one. Between the witch’s wards, electric fences, and No Trespassing signs, I’ve made sure no humans can accidentally stumble upon us. And if they do, well…I’ll leave that up to God or maybe Darwin.

“Alexander won’t be joining us today?” Garin asks. He’s an elder with yellow eyes and hair and the only elder who won’t attempt to bow to me.

“He’ll show if he wants. Otherwise, you will send your request through me…your king.”

Maab, Julius’s former lover, shoots a sharp look at me, though her nod is soft and yielding.

“Tell me about the news from the other clans.” I lean away from the table and stare at each elder, expectant, and with veiled patience. The same way Julius had done only a few months ago when he was alive.

Weeks had passed, but I still can’t make sense of his betrayal. My grandfather had given me the thing I wanted most—a family. Then he snatched it away. For power. And for the father of vampires who doesn’t give one shit about his death. Before the full swell of anger and grief can crest, Maab answers my question about the clans.

“There’s been instability in the Saqqara clan since Queen Chavdar’s murder.”

The queen had taken it upon herself to find the slayer who killed her lover back at the Slayer Academy and avenge his death.

Another slayer had found her, intercepted and killed the queen within hours of her stepping foot in Atlanta. She made it easy by teleporting around Atlanta, as if the Slayer Society doesn’t have eyes on the skies.

I pull my shoulders down, frown, trying my best at sympathy.

“We can have someone from another clan serve as an interim.” Garon leans forward on his elbows. I can tell he’s gearing up to pitch his pitiful progeny.

“The clan won’t accept someone who doesn’t have the same power as teleportation.” I dismiss him with a wave. “We’ll need to help them appoint the next leader.”

Garin snorts. “What’s there to help? They will fight, and the strongest will become king.”

“Or queen,” I remind him.

Queen.

Like Raven— No, Texas . But Texas is not my queen.

“Most of their strong have died,” I speak loudly over my inconvenient thoughts. “We can’t allow the rest of the clan—all who are young and haven’t fully realized their powers—to kill each other. We need to protect our numbers.”

“Right you are, King Khamari,” Maab agrees, her craggy voice heavy with approval. “There are so many skills a king or queen needs to succeed. Cunningness, a keen ability to read others, diplomacy, and a killer instinct.” Her tone is as shrewd as the measured look she gives me. “Strength is important, but it is not the deciding factor.”

“We’ll have a trial.” I level my best don’t-fuck-with-me look at each elder. Most approve with a nod or grunt or a centuries-tired sigh.

I continue. “The Ankhs will cover intelligence and mind control. Hekau, power and strength. The elders and royal courts will judge each category. The trials will not result in death unless they don’t adhere to the rules.”

“Sometimes killing is the only way to gain respect.” Garin leans forward. “Sometimes a pup needs to be killed before it grows up to bite the hand of its master.”

“Or one could say an old dog needs to be put down before it goes rabid,” I respond.

Garin’s yellow eyes turn molten gold. The tips of his fangs pierce the bottom of his thin, dry lip.

I lean in, sneering, ready for the old vampire to attack. I’ve been waiting for a good reason to end him. There was no need for me to deliver the final blow—an attack on the reigning king is considered treason. At the very least, I can have his fangs. At best, I can rip out his throat.

The chirping crickets stop, and the crisp fall air drops to a chill.

No longer open, the air is now trapped inside an icebox. I relax and await his imminent arrival.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Alexander says from behind us.

“Father.” Garin scrambles to stand and eagerly bows. The tip of his uneven nose brushes across the browning grass.

The rest of us stand and bow at a less enthusiastic speed.

“Please continue.” Alexander sits in an open seat—the chair meant to honor Julius. Alexander says nothing about me sitting at the head, on the north side of the table. He pulls out a tattered book—a copy of The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. When he crosses one leg over the other, I notice his bright-green crocs.

Every week Alexander tries popular things to assimilate himself into the modern world. Usually, he is a few years or decades behind. Khaven secretly joked about it, but I think Alexander knew and found it amusing.

Garin jabs his thick, hairy fingers at me. “What are we going to do about that damn slayer who has the stone?” He’s projecting his voice like he’s in front of a crowd instead of rocks and trees.

“We will do nothing,” Alexander softly answers, flipping a crisp page, eyes intently fixed on the book.

Garin scrunches his nose but then relaxes when Alexander swiftly snaps the book close.

“The Maximus has the Philosopher’s Stone. But it is unstable and indecisive. It will do the work for us. It will break the slayer.”

“It’s unstable?” This time, I’m the one that’s confused by his answer.

“I’ve felt its energy. There is something foreign inside the stone that does not belong. It wants to be free, which is why it danced in the sky.” He stares at nothing, as if drowning in memories. “For a moment, it considered me,” he says softly.

Does the Philosopher’s Stone have a mind of its own?

“All of you know of the Emerald Tablet, yes?”

A smattering of yeses , including from me, answers Alexander’s question, but Aldercy gives an explanation.

“It’s the source of truth that will teach us how to create another stone. We will use this powerful jewel to walk in light.” He twists his mouth in such a way that he knows he’s given the right answer. Funny how the old ones act like needy children around the father .

It seems wrong to think of him as a father.

Alexander is hot and cold. Light and dark—a complex, terrifying blend of strange that sucks you in and leaves you dead. No one should want his attention.

“Certainly, yes that is one application,” Alexander begins. “But what does it mean to have unfiltered truth?”

What is the truth? Truth is subjective—defined and contextualized by man and based on a social construct. And will this mystical tablet spout recipes on how to create a stone or how to optimize our life?

“Khamari, I see your frown. I feel your confusion. What does it mean to you?”

I shake my head. “I won’t know until I read its contents. It’s supposed to be this great beacon of knowledge. The best I can hope for is transformation.”

Garin strikes the table with his fist. “We will transform. We’ll be stronger, invincible!”

I look up at the inky sky littered with man-made light and God-hewn stars. I finally say what I really feel. “The tablet is truth. Our nature is not.”

“Presently, we are creatures of the night. Who says we are undeserving of feeling the warmth of the sun?” Alexander’s voice pulls me from the magic of the constellations. “Who says that King Khamari St. John doesn’t deserve a place in Heaven or to walk the Field of Reeds?”

“Some say we are damned,” I remind him, remind myself.

“Will you let men of old huddled in darkness and cloaked in superstition determine your fate? These are the same ones who, if given the chance, would have killed you, because of your skin.”

My heart hammers at his words. I don’t know if he’s playing with me, but right now, everything he’s saying is hitting me. Hard.

“Maybe we are damned.” Garin shrugs his meaty shoulders.

A swift smile covers Alexander’s face. Delight and danger light like beacons in his eyes. “Then let us break this damnation.” His voice is fast and fevered.

“If there is one thing I have learned in my…my trials in the Netherworld, it’s that everything has a law. We use the tablet to understand these laws and break them.”

I nod, truly agreeing with him for the first time.

Duat, the Netherworld, may be the only thing Alexander is afraid of. Khaven had given me a full file that summarized the Underworld and trials in succinct details. I learned of monsters more terrifying than vampires that can devour your entire soul. Alexander was smart, lucky, or both, to survive. And the only shot at getting rid of him is to figure out a way to send him back to the Netherworld or to crush his soul completely, and all avenues, so that he can never return.

“Khamari, you will retrieve the tablet,” Alexander announces.

That’s when I stop nodding. “I know nothing about how to find this artifact.”

Besides, I can’t leave my brother. Not when he’s getting weaker by the day. I keep my worry for my brother close to my chest. Though Julius is dead, his advice still rings true—bury your weaknesses. And if you can’t bury them, burn all who know the truth before they dare betray you.

“The young king is right. This requires the care of an experienced vampire.” Garin finally smiles, revealing rows of sharp, vile teeth that give him the look of a great white shark. “Let’s pull Rider out of hiding, pair him up with Ransome. Me and the boys will find it.”

“Khamari studies the constellation, the mind, and the body,” Alexander begins. “You are a fierce and ruthless soldier, Garin. However, you lack patience. It impedes your intelligence.”

Garin’s face turns the color of blood sausage. If my life wasn’t on the line, I’d laugh my ass off.

“Finding and decoding the tablet can change everything for us. Khamari, it can save your brother’s life. If you so choose, you can eradicate your hunger for blood. You’ll never touch another precious human again. He and you can live as a human or vampire or an immortal. It is your choice.”

There it is. The carrot and the stick that feels more like a gun to the head.

I ball my fists in my lap, my anger protected by the oversize table. Who knows how long chasing a mythological object will take? Khaven could die in the meantime.

Unless I get Texas to help. But then again, she wants that Dakota chick wrapped in a bow.

Dakota’s been in hiding since the massacre at the Slayer headquarters. Only Alexander knows where she’s located—she can’t stay with us, she isn’t safe. No matter how much value she brings, one slipup and she’ll be dead. No, she’s much too important for Alexander to keep her here—but she can’t be too far away. I’ll find her, give her up to the Slayers.

Texas will keep her word. Unlike me. If I go for the tablet, I’d be lying by omission to Raven again, knowing we want to create not only the Philosopher’s Stone, but use it to control humanity. Alexander is a conqueror, after all.

But then she wouldn’t have to be a slayer if vampires didn’t exist, right? It’s easier to stop a human Alexander rather than a vampire.

Right.

I clasp my hands together, liking my plan. I’ll tell her as soon as I make my move. Get the tablet, rid humanity of vampires, then run it back to the slayers.

Guilt the size of a fly buzzes around my head like a stupid conscience.

Mentally, I swat it away. Nah. I’m the only one who can do this shit.

“Make no mistake, the Emerald Tablet exists, likely somewhere hidden in a tomb in Egypt. It will not only advance us, but advance the world. No more senseless disease and famine. No more cause for us to suck humanity dry.”

Wait.

I stop my internal scheming at his words.

Alexander doesn’t want to kill humans?

“Really?” Garin voices my disbelief.

“There is no benefit in my ruling over a pile of dust and bones. I will not do or be the very thing the gods have decided to be.”

“And what’s that?”

“A passionless third party who dangles the afterlife like a prize. With me, everyone can choose to live for as long as they desire. In the meantime, I will meet with world leaders and introduce them to the new order and our power.”

“You’ll make them vampires?” I ask. We hadn’t discussed making new Royals.

“Temporarily. A few lucky ones with great influence. Ones who I believe will serve me well until we secure the Emerald Tablet.”

Garin flicks a nervous glance at Aldercy. Garin and Aldercy were like many of the vampires who never cared about death, since they were centuries-old apex predators.

I lean back, swallow, think.

For a Catholic guy like me, I’ve never questioned anything. It’s been rules and rituals, good or bad. And when I became a vampire, I accepted that I’d need to figure out a way to have a flame-resistant suit once I died. But skipping out on the afterlife? Ceasing to exist? I can get down with that. But what about population control? Humans and vampires could overwhelm natural resources. Then people would make choices that usually lead to catastrophic events.

“Khamari, do you agree with this? You always have a choice, of course.”

Last week a vampire had a choice to turn down a risky assignment to hunt down a group of slayers, including the Maximus, yet his spleen ended up clasped in Alexander’s claws when he hesitated.

I smile, or at least, I’m giving it a shot. “It will be an honor, Father.”

“Good.” Alexander doesn’t smile, but there’s something that looks like joy in his eyes.

He knows he’s paid for my allegiance but worse—he knows I’m curious.

Even without the ability to dig around my subconscious, he knows, deep down, I agree.

“Wrap up your affairs and be ready to leave in two days’ time. We’ll meet before you depart.” Without a backward glance, he slips away as soundlessly as he arrives.

When the sound of his steps disappears, Aldercy whistles. “A tall order.”

Garin shifts his bottom jaw. “Looks like the Golden Boy gets the prize.”

“Not boy. King,” I correct Garin, standing from my chair. “Maab will serve as proxy while I’m away.”

I give them all a nod of dismissal before returning to the mansion.

…

After leaving the meeting, I find my older brother playing games in his room.

He doesn’t stop shooting the other players on the screen when I knock and then enter his room.

“You on live?” Khaven rarely plays on the console and plays on his PC. But he noticed Alexander liked to play video games, and he wanted face time with our infamous father and then started playing with him.

“Yeah. Grab a controller and give me five.”

I pull the second Xbox controller out of the gray fabric storage bin near the TV stand. Khaven’s fingers furiously clicking the buttons on the controller is the only sound in the room.

“So…what happened?” he asks.

“I’ve got to pack my bags. Go on the road.”

Khaven’s face twists like he’s eating something bitter. “For what?”

“To find the Emerald Tablet.”

He drops his controller. “Dayum. That’s some 007 shit.”

“You’re about to lose.” I point at his character on the screen.

Khaven snorts. “Yeah, well. Not every day my little brother hunts down the Emerald Tablet. Shit’s dangerous.”

“How you figure?”

“Is Alexander coming with you?”

“No.”

“Exactly.” He snaps his fingers. “He probably can’t go. And if someone as powerful as him can’t dodge whatever’s blocking him, then it can probably kill your ass, too.”

“I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about you.”

“Why? Alexander’s cool with me for now, and he’ll stay cool if you deliver. I’ll get you the tech you need once I have more details about where you’re going.”

“Somewhere in Egypt.”

“Right. Get two phones, two new SIM cards—one for the boss and one for us. I need to find you the right adapter, too.” Khaven taps his temples, signaling me to talk using my telepathy.

I shake my head. “Still not as strong as I’d like. It’ll hurt you.”

“C’mon, Khamari. We can’t let them overhear us.”

“What’s the plan, Superman?” he finishes his question telepathically.

“I’m going to find Dakota. That’s the only way she…the Maximus will heal you.”

Khaven rolls his eyes. “How?”

“I’m going to dreamwalk Dakota.”

“And what if she finds out and then tells Alexander? She’s powerful…and we already know she’s a snitch.”

“I’ll be in and out. She won’t know I’m there.”

“You think you’re so damn smooth.”

“Like butter, baby.”

Khaven snorts out loud. “More like raw cocoa butter.”

I laugh, too . “Relax. I’ve got this.”

Khaven sighs again out loud. “I figured something like this would happen and…”

I lift my eyebrow.

“I know where she is.”

“What!”

Khaven thumps my temple.

“Why are you just telling me this?”

“Because if Dakota and I go missing, you’re as good as dead. And I knew you’d try to make good with that slayer chick, so I sat on it.”

“Khaven—”

“Don’t be stupid, man.”

“I’m not.” I stare at Khaven. “This is a fair trade. We’re getting something out of it in return. Besides that, Dakota is the only living person who can figure out what happened between me and Raven. She’s gotta go.”

“That’s true. Which is why I’ve been tracking her.”

“How did you do it?”

“Ableism.”

“Huh?”

“No one expects the guy in the wheelchair to hack all of your phones.”

“Phones? How many does she have?”

“Three.” He smirks. “One for Alexander, one for some vampire she’s linking with. One that’s more for playing games.”

“You gonna give me the info?”

He gives me a thumbs-up. “Villa Rica. Thirty miles west of Atlanta. Far away from all the major developments near a horse ranch. She comes into the city at least once a week for a vampire hookup.”

“Hidden Fang, right?” I confirm, already knowing the answer. That’s probably the reason Raven was there dressed like… I swallow, remembering the leather bustier.

“Yep. She’ll be there on Tuesday at midnight.”

The muscles around my chest loosen. Finally, some good news.

“I’ll let your girl heal me, but I’m not leaving.”

“No. You need to get somewhere safe.”

“I’ll pretend that I’m still sick until you come back. Once you return, we’ll make our escape.”

“Do you understand what will happen if Alexander figures out your game? He already watches you. Closely.”

“Because I’m your insurance. He needs you for something, Khamari. It’s the only reason he hasn’t killed you just yet.”

“I think he likes me. Respects me.”

“Yes. But he also knows you have great potential. And he wants to use that somehow.”

“Khaven—”

“Even if he suspects me, he won’t kill me. Not yet. Everyone has skin in the game…me, too.”

“What if he reads your mind?”

“I can feel it when he tries. Maybe I’m not as protected as you, but we have the same parents. I have the same access to Mom’s powers. He’ll only get the goods if he enters my dream.”

We still don’t fully understand our mom’s side of the family, their powers, and how to use it. For the past few weeks, I haven’t had a break to even think about it. I know it protects me. And sometime between bringing Alexander back from the dead and power leaping—something vampires experience every decade—I’ve leveled up in not only having the ability to dreamwalk but to read thoughts, emotions, and sometimes even projecting thoughts. Sometimes I go into the city to pretend to feed, but I really practice my powers on humans. Over the past few weeks, Khaven grew in his strength in telekinesis. But he’s no match for Alexander.

Neither of us is.

“And if he does?” I whisper my fears. “What if he enters your dreams?”

“I sleep on opposite schedules now. He sleeps during the day, and I sleep at night. If I slip up, I’ll reach out to your girl. I’ll have the day to get moving.”

“Don’t take any naps.”

“I won’t.”

Khaven is too smart to be nonchalant.

“Take this seriously. Fuck up and all our plans…” I snap my fingers. “Go poof.”

“Which is why you haven’t told me all your plans.”

We stare at each other, no more words to be said. Khaven is the smartest guy I know. Our plans are risky, but worth it. All of this is bigger than us and the world doesn’t need another dictator.

He reaches over for a fist bump. I bump him back.

“Grab your controller, Mari. I feel like killing some aliens.”

…

Every dreamwalk feels different. Surprisingly, even vampires dream. Sometimes their subconscious forgets they are no longer human and they’re back in time with their family.

Most times, I’m walking in a nightmare.

Tonight, Texas’s is hues of dark gray and metallic purple clouds with mists so thick I can’t see in front of me. I’ve walked her dreams before, and they were never this dark, this terrible. With every step I take, I taste her unwelcome. Rage stings my skin like an army of yellow jackets.

There is a strangeness here. Voices that aren’t hers, some laughing and groaning and whispering. It feels like I’ve been walking for miles when the dark mist finally rolls away and spreads like deep rain puddles beneath my feet.

When I take a step forward, the voices cease.

All except one.

“He’s here. The dreamwalker.”

“The heartbreaker,” someone else adds.

“Who are you?” I ask, boldly taking another step into the dark puddles. The wetness soaks up through my ankles.

“We are the darkness…”

“We are the light…”

“We are the saviors of this world…”

“We are trapped!” The voice slaps me like a steel glove.

“Trapped?”

A hooded shadow appears before me. Dark loose curls spill over their shoulders. “Why are you here, vampire?”

“To give Raven—”

“Texas,” the specter hisses.

“To give her news. I know where the mole is hiding.”

“This is good,” the shadowy figures replies. “This will settle her. We will tell her the news.”

“No. I will. We have a deal. I need to look her in the eyes, make sure she gets me.”

“She understands you. Far too much, Dreamwalker.”

“Who are you?”

“Fadeela. A slayer and one of the hundred souls in the stone.”

I draw in a sharp breath. “You’re inside of her mind?”

“No. The stone connects to her spirit.”

“You’ll destroy her,” I accuse, realizing Alexander’s theory is true.

“She’ll learn to live with us. To fight us and then with us.” She circles me. “I’ll allow you to pass, but you must give her this message. Tell her to listen.”

Fadeela disappears along with the thick mists and deep waters.

Now, I’m standing at the foot of the bed in Raven’s room. Well, at least the dream version that I’ve created in my mind’s eye. I’m more so visiting her subconscious. From the old, gleaming wood, I quickly recognize she’s sleeping at Prussakovs’ mansion.

“Texas.”

Her eyes snap open, and she pushes up from her sleeping position. My eyes drift down and back up.

“What do you want?”

“I know where Dakota is hiding.”

“Tell me.” She scrambles from the bed. “Where is she?”

I rattle off her address. “I don’t suggest you go to her house. My intel says she’s coming to the Hidden Fang for sure tomorrow at midnight.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what they said before and she wasn’t there.”

“I can’t speak for your intel, but mine is legit.”

She rolls her eyes. “Fine. I’ll talk with the crew, see what’s the best mode of action.”

“The club will be best. By the time you hit the ranch, she’ll be in the wind.”

“I’ll take that under advisement.” She turns around, facing the wall. “You can leave now.”

“Will you help my brother?”

“As soon as I get my hands on Dakota.”

“I’m serious.” I step forward. “You’ve always kept your word.”

I lift my pinkie. It’s something we used to do all the time back when we were together.

“Really?” she huffs.

“Yes. It’s the only way I know you’ll keep a promise.”

She wraps her pinkie around mine so hard that it nearly snaps. “ If I get Dakota, then it’s a deal. I’ll heal your brother and take him somewhere safe.”

I shake my head. “He wants to stick around. Monitor things while I’m away.”

“Away? Where are you going?”

“Vampire business.”

She crosses her arms. “What do you mean, vampire business? Let me guess, you’re meeting about more ways to kill humans.”

“I’m not interested in killing humans. You know this.”

A chorus of voices rise. Some loud, some soft as whispers. It reminds me of what Fadeela asked of me.

She runs a hand through her hair. “Shut up,” she mutters to herself.

“You hear this all the time?”

“You hear the voices, too?” Her eyes widen with what looks like relief.

“Yes. It’s the souls from the stones.”

“I don’t understand why they aren’t dead. I’m just using their powers, not their souls.”

“They seem as real as you and me when I entered your subconscious.”

“What do they want?”

“They want you to listen.”

The voices grow louder at the revelation.

“How…h-how in the hell am I supposed to listen to all of this?” She jumps from her bed. “I can concentrate on just one voice.”

“Then do it one day at a time.”

She rubs her arms and huffs. “I don’t have time for advice that I can get from a decorative pillow. I can’t handle all this stuff going on in my head, plus what’s going on out there.” She waves her arms.

“I mean invite one soul at a time. Start with Fadeela. It was her who stepped up. She told me I need to leave you alone.”

Raven stops pacing. “Oh, really?”

“Yep.”

“I might like her.”

I roll my eyes. “Start off with one a week. Ask her to organize which ones make the most sense to amplify your powers.”

“Sometimes I forget how helpful you can be,” she whispers. Then she throws me a gutter-dirty look. “But I wouldn’t have forgotten if you didn’t take that from me.”

“I did it—”

“To protect me.” She lowers her voice to mimic my voice and accent. “You’ve sung this song before. And look where it got you. Nowhere.”

“Maybe. Or maybe you got another year of being with Grandma Lou, playing in the band, and hanging with Dee.”

She flinches like someone dumped a bucket of cold water on her. “Don’t say her name.”

“Look…both of us have had some bad luck. And yes, I’ve decided for you, but I would do it again and again. Because I’ll never stop—”

In fact, I’m doing it again.

She doesn’t care about how I feel. What matters is saving my brother and figuring out a way to make sure the tablet can eradicate vampirism, while keeping my head attached to my neck.

“I’ll be gone for a while. But I’ll check with you, just in case.”

“In case of what?”

“In case Khaven’s in trouble.”

She points to my face. “You’re growing your beard again?”

“Best way to cover identifiable scars.” I point to my neck.

“Looks good.”

“I bet.” I rub at the grotesque scar on my neck.

“Not because of the scar.” She crosses her arms, then lifts herself from the ground with her toes.

“I’ll be seeing you, Texas.”

She grunts. “Khamari?”

I stop and turn around.

“Whatever this vampire business is…make sure you don’t die just yet.”

“Because you care?” I tease.

“Charlotte says we still need someone on the inside. You’re still our mole, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.” I turn around and leave her again.

It’s never easy for me to leave.