16. Chapter 15

The next morning we met up in the great hall, where Devon had ordered all the curtains drawn, so I could partake in the meeting where we would decide our next step.

Vasili, Brock, Faro and Cantor were also present, sending vibes of dislike toward me. I had gathered that vampires didn't stand very high on the hierarchy ranking of hell's creatures, so I tried not to take it as a personal affront. It was hard though. These were Devon's friends and I wanted them to like me just as much as I wanted to like them. Devon had enough worries without having to chose between his friends and me.

Honestly, I was beginning to like being a vampire, with not having to sleep, I had more time to spend with Devon and by having become immortal, we would have forever.

"I vote we take the fight to them," Vasili asserted.

Devon had discovered my father's lair, not far from the city where I had escaped his clutches. At this point, we had theorized that the estate had most likely been the place where I had been held in deep slumber until the year was right, when the Devil would be allowed to visit Earth for one night. Devon had further theorized that they had most likely taken me to the city because it was closer to the airport, from where we would have traveled to the Brocken in Germany.

It wasn't clear why they had woken me here in America instead of having waited until we were in Germany, but that wasn't important.

"I like that idea better than waiting here," Brock agreed to Vasili's suggestion.

A large black, flat object on the wall that Devon had explained to me was a screen, displayed an amazingly detailed map of my father's estate. Incredulously I stared at it, taking in the large house, the wall surrounding it, mechanical carriages—which Devon had said were called cars—parked in front of the mansion.

"Alright, seems as if we're in agreement. It's a perfect spot. Isolated, no neighbors for miles, and from what we've gleaned, it's just him, a handful of servants, and his guards," Devon said, pointing at the screen. "They only have four days before the meeting with my father during the Walpurgisnacht, whatever they're planning, they know they'll have to act swiftly."

"Why not just hide out for four days then?" Faro asked, leaning against a wall. "If Jonathan can't produce her," he pointed at me without looking, "won't your father or Adramalech deal with the bloodsucker?" He shrugged. "Not that I'm not up for a good fight, but just saying."

All eyes turned to Devon, "Not a bad idea either. The only problem is that my father will send Adramalech looking for Blanche and me. I'm almost certain he will be at Jonathan's place now, aware that Blanche is with me. This is his kind of entertainment, all he has to do is lean back and observe."

The room turned quiet for a moment, Devon looked from one o another, before he concluded, "Alright, so since everyone is in favor of taking the fight to them, we will do so tonight. Blanche and I will knock on the front door. Vasili and Cantor will break in the back while they're letting us in, momentarily turning off the alarm. Brock and Faro will come through the roof, and the demons will be ready, waiting in the shadows. Clear?"

I didn't understand much of his plan and was lost when he mentioned shutting down an alarm system, but aware that he and I would be a distraction to Jonathan's group while the rest of Devon's team would be readying themselves to attack from the back and above.

"Clear," the demons answered in unison. We spent more time fine-tuning the plan while we waited for night to approach. I was painfully aware that I was the reason why, and the looks I received from Devon's friends when he and I excused ourselves so he could feed me were cold at best.

When we were alone, Devon pulled me into his arms, "Little flame, there is one more thing I have to tell you."

The tone of his voice alarmed me. He sounded apprehensive and sad. "What is it?"

"Last night, I realized something," I looked up, and he closed his eyes, his expression full of regret.

Something cold spread through my stomach, a foreboding feeling spread, that threatened to choke me. "What?"

"Your father's plan… it's all for nothing now." He opened his eye and looked at me; his fingers on my hips tightened their grip as if he were afraid I would run. Which sounded appealing right then, because… he frightened me. Deep down, I knew I didn't want to hear what he had to say.

"You lost the ability Father wanted you for."

The coldness increased inside of me. "What?" My voice was barely a breath.

"Your ability to bear children," Devon's voice was tortured. "I'm so sorry, Blanche, vampires can't give birth."

"I can't have any children?" I stated flatly.

"I'm so sorry." Devon regarded me worriedly, while I felt frozen. I would never have children. Never. My heart would have stopped beating then, had it not already done so before. Pain wrecked my stomach and I would have sunken to the floor, had Devon not held me up. Devon! Oh no!

Would he still want me? If I could never have children?

"I will never have your babies," I said in a quavering voice, fearful of what he might say.

"Blanche." He lifted my head by applying gentle pressure with his knuckles underneath my chin. "We have forever. You and me, that is all that matters."

"But…"

"Don't worry about me, little flame. I never thought of having children. It's nearly impossible for all immortals."

"Oh," I took a minute to digest this, realizing that I was merely deflecting my own pain. Anger flooded me at the thought of all the things that had been taken from him and me. All the things we had gone through. Anger directed at Jonathan, whose greed had nearly ruined my life.

Another thought, though, entered my mind. Satan had ordered my father to raise me for the purpose of bringing his son into the world. Had that ability not been robbed from me, Devon and I would never have found peace anywhere.

Now, though, Satan was done with me. He would never want me. Never.

I would never bear a child. Never.

Two nevers.

Everything in this world has a price , I realized and strangely I felt myself coming to terms with this new development.

"The demon and the vampire," I said with a wane smile.

"Prince of Demons," he corrected with a hesitant smile.

He nudged me with his fingers. "Will you be okay with this?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

Regretfully, he shook his head, and I nodded.

"Let's go make my father pay." I pushed my chin forward determinedly. I would still need time to come to terms with everything, but now all I wanted was to finish this and get some revenge.

We took several cars. Devon and I were alone in one while the others piled into the rest.

"Are you alright?" Devon asked when he parked the car in front of an elaborate gate.

"I'm not alright, but I'm ready," I answered honestly.

He squeezed my hand reassuringly. "This will be over soon. I won't let anything happen to you."

We waited a few moments to give Devon's friends time to jump the fences of the sprawling property and spread out. The gate, however, opened before Devon even rang the bell.

"They must have cameras," he commented.

I didn't ask what cameras were or why the gate was being opened by invisible hands. By now, I realized there was much to this time I didn't know yet, and I looked forward to discovering all of it at Devon's side. I purposely shut out any thoughts of us dying. This would end today, one way or another.

He drove the car slowly down the gravel driveway. Small rocks crunched underneath the tires, sounding ominously like breaking bones, and a shiver rolled up and down my spine.

It was dark. Only a few lamps were lit down the driveway and inside the house, but as we got closer, I made out figures standing by the entrance door, waiting for us.

Devon stopped the car in front of the long, rounded steps leading up to the grand entrance platform. He gave me an encouraging nod before he exited the car and opened the door for me.

"Well, look who is gracing us with their presence. Have you come to your senses?" Jonathan asked.

"We came to propose a deal." Devon took my hand and led me up the stairs. I still wasn't used to the silence inside my chest. Right now, my heart should have been beating up a storm. Instead, it lay there dormant, making me even more nervous.

"Come on in," Jonathan offered with a false smile, unable to hide the glee in his eyes. Without Sir Roger, he wasn't half as smart as he thought himself to be.

"Search them," he ordered when we entered the grand foyer.

Four vampires stepped forward, and I followed Devon's example, spreading my arms out and enduring their hands as they moved up and down my body.

"We didn't bring any silver or stakes," Devon joked, but neither Jonathan nor any of his henchmen acknowledged it.

Without another word, Jonathan waved us into a large sitting room. The balcony doors were wide open, allowing a view of a large, park-like area behind the veranda. I didn't dare look, but I was sure that Vasili, Faro and Cantor had already slipped inside, hiding, just as Devon had predicted, the tall figure of his brother entered through the open patio doors.

"Well, good to see you again, little brother. You don't look worse for the wear. And look, you brought the lovely bride."

"Adramalech," he acknowledged tightly.

"Time for you to leave, little brother. You've done your duty." Adramalech stared me up and down gleefully.

"Not going to happen. But you should consider leaving if you value your life."

Adramalech tsked. "You still haven't learned your lesson, little brother?"

From the shadows, another form materialized.

"Ah, Dagon, how good of you to join us." Adramalech inclined his head.

"Don't celebrate too soon, brother. I have yet to make up my mind whose side to choose this time," Dagon replied coolly.

"You're not going against Father. I know that," Adramalech said just as equably.

Dagon crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the large, empty fireplace. He waved a hand in a let's get on with it motion.

"Very well, then. Take the girl," Adramalech instructed my father's vampires.

Devon turned into a fighting stance at their approach, and I instinctively hissed, turning my hands into claws and baring my fangs.

Adramalech recoiled. "What the fuck?"

Dagon laughed heartily. "Well, that's an unexpected turn of events. Congrats, Devon. Seems you outwitted him."

"I wasn't the one who changed her," Devon informed his brothers, keeping an eye on the vampires who looked at Jonathan for guidance.

"Who dared?" Adramalech hissed.

"I told you I would have her ready for you," Jonathan said, but his voice faltered.

"As a fucking vampire?" Adramalech spat, and Dagon's laughter turned into howling as he doubled over from it.

"I fail to see the humor in this." Adramalech scolded Dagon, "Do you have any idea how furious our father will be?"

"That's the fun part," Dagon panted, wiping actual tears from his eyes. "Because it won't be directed at us."

My stomach dropped; even though this was part of Devon's plan, the reminder that, as a vampire, I would never be able to bear his children still hurt deeply.

With astonishing speed, Adramalech moved to Jonathan's side. Grabbing him by the throat, he lifted him high up into the air. "What game are you playing?"

Jonathan squirmed under Adramalech's grip. I was sure it wasn't hurting him and he didn't need to breathe, but he was scared of Devon's brother, that was easy to see.

"Ah, so much fun, this is even better than I thought it would be," a woman appeared from behind a corner and I recoiled, stepping closer to Devon who put his arm protectively around me.

"That's the woman… she's the one," I mumbled.

Elizabeth Bathory sashayed into the room, moving straight to Adramalech. "If you like I can explain."

"I'm all ears, Lady Elizabeth," Adramalech acknowledged her, looking neither surprised, nor letting Jonathan down.

Elizabeth ran her hands over Adramalech's chest seductively, "You see, a few hundred years ago, Sir Jonathan approached me with a ridiculous plan. He wanted me to turn his daughter into a vampire, so that he could present her to your father in the future."

"Didn't the idiot know that vampires can't have children and that her," he nodded his chin at me, "only purpose in life was to give my father another son?"

Elizabeth smiled. It would have been alluring and sensual, had it reached her reddish-brown eyes. "Not at first."

"You bitch," Jonathan wiggled against Adramalech's hold, who didn't appear fazed by it. "You double crossed me."

At that Elizabeth laughed. "I entertained your idea for a while," she winked at Adramalech, "forgive me, but you cannot deny a lure for more power."

"Of course not," Adramalech acknowledged, making my skin crawl with the calculating glance he assessed her with.

Elizabeth was still as beautiful as she had been the day she told her pet to turn me into a vampire. If anything, the years had only made her look more alluring and she used it to her full advantage.

"When he finally figured out that his precious daughter , wouldn't be able to fulfill her womanly duties with your father, he consulted me again. This time, he asked me to put her under a spell that would create the illusion that she wasn't a vampire." Elizabeth explained, never once even looking at me, her whole focus was on Adramalech. I realized that this must have been her goal all along, get close to Adramalech and have him owe her a favor. Him or Satan. Jonathan and I had only been pawns in her schemes.

"What is she?" I whispered to Devon.

"One of the most powerful witches there ever was," he whispered back.

"Father would have seen through that," Adramalech boasted.

Elizabeth's smile said otherwise, but she only shrugged.

"You bitch, you promised. You said you and I would rule the world," Jonathan spat, still hanging in the air. To Adramalech he pleaded, "She is just as guilty as me. It was her idea. She said that your father wouldn't find out. He would mate her, and then she would have an unfortunate accident. She and the baby."

Adramalech shook his head, "And you believed her?" He laughed snidely. "How do you think Satan would have taken the news of his son and bride dying? Didn't you think for one second he wouldn't hold someone responsible for that?"

Jonathan's eyes darted to Elizabeth, making it plain that he would have blamed her. Elizabeth laughed loudly, "You have a lot to learn if you thought you could double-cross a double-crosser."

The urge to slap her and Jonathan was nearly overwhelming. I had been nothing but a puppet to both of them. Thankfully, Devon's hand around my waist grounded me enough not to give in to my urge. I had a feeling both Jonathan and Elizabeth would get their due at Adramalech and Satan's hands. Still, the idea of what would have happened to me had Devon not interfered twice, was enough to make me nauseous.

"Now, why don't we hand this pathetic vampire over to your father and then you and I will get to know each other better?" Elizabeth purred, rubbing herself at Adramalech's back.

"Well, this was surely entertaining, but I have some… fires to watch," Dagon interrupted, pushing himself from the wall, not even trying to mask his bored expression.

With that, he dissolved with a plume of smoke into thin air. Stunned I stared at the place where he had stood a blink of an eye ago.

"Excellent suggestion," Adramalech nodded at Elizabeth, before his eyes landed on Devon," better not show your face to Father again. Consorting with a vampire." He spat on the ground in disgust. "He won't call you son any longer."

"Are we good, then?" Devon coolly posed his question to his brother.

Adramalech chuckled. "Yeah, we're good, as long as I don't see you again. You won't be any competition to me."

And just like that, he, Jonathan, and Elizabeth were gone.

"What are we going to do now?" I asked into the silence.

"I could show you the world, for starters," he offered.

"That sounds nice." I snuggled into his chest.

"We're free," he said, "we can do whatever we want. What would you like to do?"

I took a moment to think about it. "Honestly, seeing the world sounds like fun."

"How do you feel about a yacht?"

"What's that?"

"A big, fast boat."

"Hmm, I think anything with you and me sounds like fun." I snaked my arms around him.

"I'll plan a trip for us," he said, kissing the top of my head.

"I can never go out into the sunlight," I cautioned.

He grinned. "Let me worry about that. I'll find ways. Maybe I'll turn you into a demon. How would you like that?"

That didn't sound too bad either. We would have to see, life with Devon would most definitely be interesting. We had so many options and opportunities.

He said, "I love you, Blanche," While his eyes devoured me.

"I love you, Devon," I replied, and we sealed our bond with a kiss that would carry us through eternity.

THE END