Devour, A Paranormal Romance (Warm Delicacy Series, Book 3) Read online

  “I want you to see something.” He placed my fingers on his lips before pulling me down from the ledge and twirling me like a princess on the dance floor. A giggle escaped me and I slapped my hand over my mouth. I hadn’t laughed in so long that it felt alien to me, and on a night like tonight it felt wrong.

  He smiled encouragingly when he caught my startled expression, pulling my back against his chest. I followed his finger with my eyes as he pointed up to the night sky, where the massive moon hung like a sparkling diamond. Gasping, I stepped closer to the railing.

  “I’ve never seen it look like that before.” I cast my eyes across the luminescent globe, painting every inch of it into my memory.

  “It’s almost as beautiful as you are tonight.”

  His breath tickled my ear and I let out a sigh. He was being awfully sweet to me. I just woke up and I was still in my pajamas, I couldn’t be that beautiful.

  “Why does it look like that?” In all my life, human and vampire, I’d never seen the moon like that.

  “My mother used to call it the Moon of Tears.” He’d never talked much about his parents before and as much as I wanted to ask him more about them, now wasn’t the time.

  “Moon of Tears?” I buried myself deeper against his chest.

  “Yeah, look.” He pointed to a darker spot in the sky toward the northeast edge, just over the nearby forest.

  I followed his direction. “What am I looking for?” Just as I said it, movement grabbed my attention. What I had thought were merely stars before was more than that. “Are those shooting stars?”

  “No, they are falling stars,” he said, sadly.

  “Tears.” I understood his mother’s name for it now. It looked like the night sky was crying stars. They floated downward toward the earth, flickering sparkles capturing the light of the moon. “It’s so stunning, but so sad at the same time.”

  “I was thinking the same thing before you came out here. I was wondering how something so amazing could be so depressing.”

  “How come I’ve never seen them before?”

  “Well, the last time I ever heard of this happening was after the Dark Ages. And even if it has happened since then, I don’t think humans can see it.”

  I spun around in his arms. “Do you think they’re Nyx’s tears?”

  “I’d like to think so. If it is her tears; that has to mean she is watching over us, right?” I nodded.

  I thought the very same thing. If it weren’t for my belief in Nyx, I might never have made it through my transformation, and I definitely wouldn’t make it through what was to come. The thought brought chills stampeding down my spine, and sobered any passion left between us.

  “We’d better get ready. What time do we need to be at the forest’s edge?”

  “Midnight.” Arrick gave the moon one last, longing, glance, no doubt casting a silent prayer to Nyx.

  Judging by the distance of the moon from the horizon, I guessed that only gave us about two hours to get ready. As with most ceremonies in my new life, tradition dominated and there were customary garments that had to be worn. Arrick had already pulled our cloaks from the closet. They were a lot like the ones used in our Blood Mate ceremony; only these were a deep navy blue, flecked with infinitesimal silver beads covering its entirety. No doubt they were made to resemble the night sky.

  I lifted the smaller of the two cloaks from its hanger, holding it before me as I stood in front of the mirror. I felt ridiculous wondering what I should wear under it, or for even caring how I should do my hair. Neither of those things mattered, but I was so desperate to keep my mind off what I would have to do tonight that I forced myself to do it anyway.

  “They were made to symbolize Nyx and to help guide the lost souls of the fallen to her.” Arrick walked up toward the mirror behind me while he buttoned up a black dress shirt. I stepped aside to take in his full form. Dressed head to toe in sleek black, he looked dapper and sophisticated. It was a far cry from his usual ‘tight, dark jeans and flannel shirt with leather jacket’ look, yet it still seemed to suit him. I drank in the sight of him and my heart teased with the thought of allowing him to take my mind off my worries again to kiss him until dawn and sleep my sorrows away. But as much as I wanted to, tonight wasn’t the night.

  Sighing heavily, I did my best to put a stopper on my attraction, at least for tonight. I guess it was a normal reaction. When you lose people you love and care about, those that remain become that much more important to you; and you realize you don’t want to waste any second you have been given with them. Especially when war is the only thing that exists in the future. Many more precious souls would be lost before this war was over.

  I followed Arrick’s lead, donning a simple black dress that flowed down to my knees; the lace trim tickling my skin. I felt like a robot as I moved mechanically around my closet, pulling on plain, black ballet shoes and clipping on black pearl earrings. My thoughts wandered to Robin more than anyone else. I hadn’t seen my friend much since I’d gotten back. She had always been an endless ray of sunshine in a world of eternal night, but now she was the polar opposite. I swore to make it my goal for the night to be there for her in any way I could.

  Someday she’d be happy again.

  I’d make sure of it, or die trying.

  As much as I’d enjoyed Arrick’s efforts to distract me earlier, I wasn’t sad when he gave me space to get ready and collect myself. Tonight we were burying our loved ones; saying goodbye to precious souls who would never again speak our names, embrace us, or fill our lives with their treasured presence. Rage began to bubble, but I forced it down to a simmering heat. I couldn’t let myself lose control tonight.

  With the cloak draped over my shoulders, I exited my closet avoiding the mirror. I honestly didn’t care what I looked like, and I felt the need to avoid looking myself in the eye. Over the past few days I was slowly becoming someone I didn’t recognize anymore, and that wasn’t who I wanted to be.

  Moonlight poured into my sitting room as if it were trying to wash away the pain I’d experienced in this place. I stepped into its glowing beams, allowing it to seep into my pores and calm me from the inside out. My jaw unclenched and my shoulders relaxed, I hadn’t realized how tense I was. Expelling a breath, I turned toward Arrick who was sitting on the edge of the couch.

  “Ready?” he asked, looking like he dreaded the evening’s events as much as I did.

  “As I’ll ever be,” I answered, heading for the door. Arrick sped to my side and linked our fingers together as we weaved our way through the crumbling hallways. Where there were once beautiful tapestries, fresh cut flowers and intricately woven rugs were now piles of debris and shattered memories. It was leagues cleaner than when I first arrived, but there was a lot of work to be done before the palace would be back to its former glory.

  We passed servants and construction workers on our way out of the palace as they cleaned up their work areas after a long and hard day’s labor. I avoided their gazes and ignored their bows or curtseys as I passed by. They were happy to see me because they still believed I was their princess. Would Nicolae ever tell them the truth of what happened here? Of what was happening everywhere? From what I’d heard so far, they’d been led to believe that the anti-vampire protestors attacked again. How much longer will that excuse work? Did everyone really believe that?

  Maybe it was time our regions stopped living separately and started uniting together. We probably just made ourselves easier targets living the way we had for the past few hundred years. If it weren’t for Nicolae kidnapping me, I’d have grown up in Naos. Would Baal have still attacked? If so, we might not have stood a chance. Right now, the only thing connecting our two regions was me. It didn’t make Nicolae’s actions justified, but it certainly made me think. Maybe everything did happen for a reason, even the bad things. Baal could have picked us off one by one and we would never have been the wiser. As soon as we got back to Naos, I knew what I had to do. If we were going to win this w
ar we were going to have to start fighting together, and not just as allies in battle, but in life as well. We needed to start uniting our regions; living as one. Allowing people to travel back in forth if they wanted to, without fear of punishment.

  The biggest thing though, was that vampires needed to stop hiding the truth from the humans. I’d learned so much since becoming a vampire that I didn’t even know existed when I was a human. That had to stop. I knew the vampires didn’t think humans would comprehend their traditions or beliefs, but humans deserved to know. Keeping them in the dark about what was really going on in the realm only put them in harm’s way. Humans weren’t just food to me. I was a human not long ago, and I cared what happened to them. It’s our duty to protect them, not just to defend the life-giving blood they provided, but because it’s the right thing to do. And if we don’t defend them from Baal, they don’t stand a chance.

  “What are you thinking?” Arrick asked as we stepped out of the palace, and made our way across the expansive field that stretched between the palace and the nearby tree line.

  “I was thinking things need to change.” I lifted my eyes to gauge his reaction, but his face remained placid.

  “They definitely do.” He squeezed my hand tighter and I squeezed back.

  Chapter 2

  Dark figures dotted the landscape as we made our way toward the forest. My heart began to weep as we passed the giant tree that stood isolated on the barren, grassy hills. I remembered lying under it, cradled in its massive roots thinking I was going to die. Its leaves looked to be dipped in gold as the cool nights began to change their colors. I’d forgotten how beautiful fall could be.

  The thick trees that stood before us swallowed up the procession as we stepped into the shadows of the leafy canopy. Moonlight cascaded down in fractured beams, slicing the darkness like daggers. We made our way silently, gradually forming a single line as we followed a small path through the dense foliage. Passing through a beam of moonlight, our cloaks twinkled like diamonds, reflecting light throughout the darkness.

  I followed behind Arrick as the procession wound deeper and deeper into the forest. The vegetation grew thicker the farther we got. Moist leaves slapped against my bare legs, but I didn’t mind. I was too distracted by the beauty of the forest to care. Fireflies glimmered around us, dancing closer and closer, somehow mesmerized by our own sparkling cloaks each time we moved through a moonbeam.

  My instincts told me we’d arrived before my eyes unveiled the truth. Silver light glowed powerfully before us, and I lifted my head, ready to cast my eyes toward a starry sky, but the canopy overhead was as thick as ever. Even the tree trunks grew wider. I peered around Arrick to find that the luminosity radiated not from the night sky or the vast moon, but from the ground. What was making the earth glow? I’d never seen anything like it, but I couldn’t mistake the sensation it gave me. Nyx definitely had a part in this. It was achingly beautiful, just like the moon was when the night began. I wanted to cry and smile at the same time.

  Every step closer toward the exquisite light made my heart throb in pain. There was so much sorrow here. I could feel it in the air, filling my lungs with every breath.

  The line of mourners slowed as we approached the funeral site. Two hooded vampires stood at the edge of the ring of light. They each carried a woven basket filled with something that carried the same silvery glow as the ground before us. Seeing it this close made something stir in my memories. I’d seen something that looked like this before, but where?

  One of the figures handed Arrick a single glowing orb and he took it in his hand before bowing deeply. I watched his back as he strode away and toward the gathering of vampires in the center of the light. My eyes adjusted quickly to the brightness and the details became clearer. The earth looked to be covered in a low fog that was filled with the shiny glow. It swirled, and shifted as the cloaked figures waded through it. Orbs of light clung to the ground, and I was drawn to reach down and touch one; to pluck it from the earth and hold it to me like a newborn child.

  A growl rumbled angrily behind me and I shifted my body back toward the figure beside me. A glowing light lay idly in their hand as they offered it to me. Even with their head cast down, I could tell who they were. The radiant light from her basket bathed her face in a gorgeous hue of silver and white.

  Evilyn.

  She hadn’t spoken a word to anyone since I returned. I’d wanted desperately to talk to her, but she refused everyone who requested entrance to her chambers. Arrick mentioned she wouldn’t even allow Nicolae in, that even after I’d run away with him after Ana attacked me, she fell into a deep depression. I never once thought that Evilyn might have been innocent in the whole scheme. I didn’t stop to think how much my absence would hurt her. I felt guilty for not trying harder to get her to speak with me.

  I bent down, trying to connect with her. If only she would look at me I could convey my love toward her. I wasn’t angry with her, she had to know that. I still cared about her and I would never forget the moments we shared. If she would just let me apologize for leaving. If I could simply talk to her and tell her everything that had happened, maybe she would understand. Maybe then she wouldn’t be in so much pain and she could begin to heal.

  She lowered her head even more, dropping the glowing orb back into her basket. My heart sank. I’d been so focused on the agony that Baal had caused that I didn’t stop to think about the heartache I had caused myself. I swore that when this nightmare was over I would make it right. I’d try to speak to her, and keep trying until she let me in. Just because I wasn’t her daughter didn’t mean I didn’t want her in my life. Vowing inwardly to keep my promise, I reached out and grasped an orb from her basket before moving forward. The grumpy vampire behind me grumbled something under his breath, but I didn’t care.

  The object in my hand was softer than I expected and released a sparkling vapor of silvery light mixed with a gentle wisp of aroma. It was so faint, even with my vampire senses I could barely smell it. I pursed my lips and blew, sending the delicate veil cascading down my hand and toward my feet to reveal a beautiful white flower.

  “It’s called Astraia,” Robin’s sweet voice whispered beside me. I beamed up at her, completely forgetting the beauty in my hands and savoring the joy of her presence. I wanted to jump into her arms and squeeze my best friend as hard as I could. Her expression softened briefly at my reaction but no smile broke through her grief.

  “What does it mean?” I asked, knowing that giving me a history lesson was the one thing that might help her forget her sadness, if even for a moment.

  “It means ‘Goddess’ Tear’.” She lifted the flourishing bloom to her nose and inhaled the soft scent.

  “From the Moon of Tears?” I was suddenly intrigued with the history of this flower.

  Robin glanced up at me surprised, but also amused. “Yes. The flower blooms only at night, and it only glows after the Moon of Tears. The tears of Nyx fall from the sky and the flowers soak up her essence. The essence is then gathered and used for ceremonies like tonight’s, and your Blood Mate ritual. It’s a very rare thing to see. I’ve read about it, but it’s so much more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.”

  “It’s a shame it takes such a dreadful act to bring about such a beautiful thing,” Arrick said, stepping up behind me. He held his flower is his palm and placed his other hand on my lower back. The small touch sent warmth spiraling through my body.

  “Yeah.” Robin nodded, looking around at the crowd that was gathering. “I should find my mother before the ceremony begins.”

  She left without a second glance, and I watched her walk away until she was just another shrouded figure in the crowd. “What do we do now?” I asked Arrick, dropping my weight onto a stone bench that was nestled in the roots of a nearby tree. I deposited the flower onto my lap and watched as the smoky glow traveled down my legs.

  Arrick sat down beside me and sighed. He cupped the flower in his hands, and hung his head
. “Now we descend into the tomb and place our offerings at the feet of Nyx.” I nodded, but he wasn’t even looking at me to see it.

  When the last of the procession received their flowers, they made their way toward the largest tree nearby. The roots jutted out of the ground like pillars, holding the tree above our heads, suspended over the earth. We walked through the web of roots and under the massive trunk that spread well over four meters wide. I stretched a hand out and brushed my fingertips along a root. It was colder than I had expected and I drew my hand back. On the other side of the tree, the roots spilled down into a deep hole in the ground. A stone staircase covered in moss sloped downward into the earth below.

  With every step, dropping deeper into the earth, I realized we were lowering ourselves into the entrance of the tomb. Under the earth, moss, and skeletal limbs of the monstrous tree roots was stone. Four stone walls that had long ago been embraced by Mother Nature. Instead of swallowing the tomb, the landscape hugged the structure. The roots clasped the pillars and wrapped around the archway leading to the depths below. Moss grew around chiseled carvings making the sculptures stand out, and the images that much more captivating. Astraia flowers dotted the mossy growth providing a soft light. Several stone benches lay in crumbled mounds, but others still stood, defying the test of time.

  At the center of the farthest wall stood the mouth of the tomb nestled between the roots that were draping the doorway like curtains. The procession made its way inside, their Astraia flowers illuminating the darkness; while others paused on benches, taking time to collect themselves before entering the sacred place. I was one of them. I found a bench that was only partially collapsed and took a seat. A statue of Nyx stood nearby, her head was tilted toward the entrance, and her arms were reaching toward the mouth of the tomb, longing for the souls that lay to rest beneath her. Stone flowers pooled at her feet.