“Yes.”
“Vampires are not so different. Our souls are created immortal—to reincarnate over and over again. They are the reason only some humans can be turned to vampires.”
“No, that’s because of the sucky gene.”
“No, it’s because you must have a soul capable of immortality.”
“Not a gene?”
“There is no gene.”
“What!”
“It was a lie made up to generate fear—to stop vampires changing men randomly and creating the wars we had at the beginning of time.”
“You’re kidding me?”
“No.”
“My God.” I frowned at nothing. “That gene lie caused so much trouble for me.”
“I know.” He patted my knee. “But, even if it were true, and you had the gene, you could not have been a vampire, because you were born of Lilithian blood. You cannot be Vampirian and Lilithian.”
“I know. But it just…I just wish I knew then what I know now.”
“As do we all,” he said sympathetically. “But, even if you’d known you were Lilithian back when Jason bit you at the masquerade, it wouldn't have saved you from slipping into a coma as the venom poisoned your system.”
“I know. But, it would have saved David a lot of anguish for thinking I was going to die.”
“If I could have trusted him to protect you, knowing what you were, I would have told him.”
“Why didn't you trust him?”
“I was concerned, at first, that his love for the law outweighed his love for you.”
I nodded to myself. “So, how can you tell if someone has an immortal soul?”
“It’s in their eyes. Have you ever met someone, seen a child born who has a certain depth about them—wise, as if they’ve been here before?”
“Yes. I have, actually.”
“Those are the souls who reincarnate—the ones who become great leaders, wise prophets, scientists—vampires.”
“But, what about Lilithians? No human has ever died when being turned Lilithian?”
“No. We believe the Lilithian venom can immortalise a soul.”
“How?”
“We’re not sure, but your kind is so much closer to nature than the Vampirian bloodline and all its created. Perhaps a way to look at it would be that one is created of God, the other manmade.”
“So, are there many immortal souls in the world?”
“Yes, roughly over a third of today’s population.”
“Then, those Drake turned to create his new army—why did so many die?”
“That was exactly the question I asked myself, and my answer was—” He stood up again, “—I suspect he killed half of them deliberately to maintain the lie of the gene. Our people would ask questions if he suddenly created masses of vampires from mere men.”
“Wow. So the story unfolds,” I said; Arthur laughed. “So, this dagger can send an immortal soul to heaven?”
“Or hell.”
“How?”
“Prevents it from reincarnating.”
I looked at the dagger. “Then, it could kill you, or even me?”
Arthur touched the tip of his finger to it. “Yes. But only if wielded by the hand of the king—an entity we do not posses. Unless—”
“Unless?”
“By right of heir.”
“And that's why you want a child with me—not because of the prophecy.”
“Yes. So I can kill Drake.”
“Why do you want to be the one?”
“Because, there is something else you must know about this dagger.”
“What?”
He angled it to the light, making the silver sparkle on the edge of the hilt. “He who drives the dagger takes the fate of that beneath it.”
“Huh?”
“Whoever kills Drake will die along with him.”
My lips parted, cold breath making them dry.
“Do you see, Amara, I never wanted to hurt you; never wanted to have a child with you for my own selfish reasons. I want to die, knowing I've taken that son of a bitch to Hell with me, and that, in the process, I would be saving my nephews.”
I nodded, looking up quickly when the ring of his plural registered in my ears. “Nephews? Then you know?”
“That David's alive, yes.” He nodded.
My jaw almost hit the floor. “How long have you known?”
He sniffed, leaning back on the table. “I suspected it for a while. But, the Coronation Ball was a dead giveaway.”
“Why?”
“I smelled him all over you. At first I thought Jason had come back, but you were much too melancholy for that to be the case. And Jason was supposedly out of the country. It meant only one thing…my David was alive.” His lip pulled into a smile as he turned around, placed Yahanna in its box and closed the lid.
“Why didn't you tell me you knew?”
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure you even knew. I watched you closely when you cried for him, when you were sad talking about him, and I could not, for the life of me, decipher your true emotions. I thought maybe he had come to you that day, while you slept, and kissed your hair to show you how proud he was, but that you were left unaware.”
I touched a hand to my chest, feeling it burn. “Then why didn't you just ask me if I knew?”
“Because, my dear, if David believed it was safer for you to be left in the dark, I would respect that. I know nothing of his intentions or plans, only that he has good reason for every decision he makes.”
“So, do you think he knows that the dagger can kill Drake?”
Arthur nodded. “I suspect so.”
“What makes you so certain?”
“Because you weren’t surprised when I mentioned the dagger, which means Jason knows about that as well, and if Jason knows, there is no way he would keep that kind of information from his own brother.” He grinned. “My David is a smart boy. He knows what this dagger does by now, I would bet my life on it.”
“So, he thinks he has to kill Drake? Is that what he plans to do?”
“If I know him, yes.”
“Then…why isn't he here? Why hasn't he come to see me, tell me, spend time with me before he just wanders off to die!”
“I'm not sure, but whatever his reasons, it must pose some risk to you for him to be here. Or—” He took a moment before continuing. “Or he is mentally preparing you for his death?”