“I love you too. I’ve missed you and the babies.” She lifts her face and Curry showers her face with kisses. “Tell me they’re both all right.”
He squeezes her again. “They’re fine but anxious to have their mother back.”
Vincent watches the union. “Take your granddaughter and leave this place. And remember me the way I once was and not as the monster you see before you now.”
Anna shakes her head. “No. I know what will happen when I leave.”
“It’s the way it has to be.” Vincent pulls her into his arms–and maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to trust him with her–but my intuition tells me he would never harm her. “I was a fool but I’ve never regretted my love for you. I wish I had been selfish enough to turn you. We could have had a good life together.”
“Anna, it’s time to go. Lairah will take you and Chansey home while we tend to our unfinished business.” She’s hesitant to let go. I’m guessing she suspects what will come next. Vincent will refuse the one last offer of help and that’s when things are going to become violent.
“Chansey, please wait for me in the car with Lairah,” Anna says.
I see the exhaustion on Chansey’s face. She doesn’t have the strength to debate the issue and she accepts assistance with walking when Lairah offers.
Anna waits until Chansey is safely out of hearing range. “What makes my granddaughter a blood jewel?” He looks to the floor to avoid her eyes but Anna is persistent. “I need to know for her. And her children. If you ever had any feelings for me, you must tell me.”
He’s hesitant but finally answers. “All blood jewels are agápes but not all agápes are blood jewels.”
“What makes Chansey and Avery different from other agápes?” Anna asks.
“It happens one of two ways.” He lifts his face so he can see her eyes. “Their human mothers or a maternal descendent shared blood with a vampire.”
Shared could mean two different things and we need to know the difference. “Shared as in gave or shared as in drank?” I ask.
“Does it matter?” He deflects answering with a question.
How could he think it wouldn’t? “Hell yes, it matters. There are countless blood swans all over the world. They have the right to know if they’re putting their future daughters at risk.”
Vincent hesitates before replying. “There is no risk for the blood swans. It only happens when the mother or one of her maternal descendants drinks the blood of a vampire.”
I’ve never heard of this and I can tell Curry hasn’t either by the expression he’s wearing. “Why would a human drink blood from a vampire if she wasn’t being turned?”
Vincent looks at Anna. “I won’t have her subjected to any more of these questions.”
Anna closes her eyes and tears roll down each of her cheeks. “I did this to Chansey. She’ll spend the rest of her life in danger because I tried to make you turn me.”
“I would never hurt her now that I know she is your granddaughter.” He’s telling the truth. I hear it in his voice but that doesn’t protect Avery from him.
“But other vampires won’t care,” Anna whispers.
Chapter Fifteen
Anna turns one last time before leaving the house and a look passes between her and Vincent. I think it’s her final plea–begging him to give himself up to Landra. But I see rebellion in his eyes and expect no surrender from him. He’s addicted to the blood of my agápe–my heart and soul–so he dies tonight if he doesn’t willingly return her to me.
There’s no point in being unclear about our intentions. “You have two choices. You can come with us and allow Landra to help you with your addiction or you can die now.”
“Fools,” Vincent laughs. “Chansey had a get out of jail free card because she’s Anna’s granddaughter but you can’t possibly think I’d willingly hand over my only other blood jewel.”
“Actually, that’s exactly what I expect. Avery doesn’t belong to you. She’s my agápe and you know what that means. I’ll fight until the end for her. And it’ll be your demise. Not mine.” He knows this so maybe he has a death wish.
“Your union is ordained by Anteros. Blah … blah … blah. Do you think I give two shits about your bond with her? I only care about her blood so there’s no way I’m handing her over.” He’s persistent. I’ll give him that.
“I’m giving you one last chance as a courtesy to Anna.” I offer him one last out because I promised her I would. “Let Avery go or die.”
“I couldn’t if I wanted to. Something about Avery’s blood has changed. It’s richer now and my addiction to her is nearly insatiable. It’s so bad that I fear my own unquenchable thirst.”
Avery’s blood is becoming richer to nourish the life growing inside her. And every time he takes blood from her, he’s taking life from our child. I’m certain of it.
He has admitted he’ll never let Avery go so there’s no debate. It’s time for him to die. And I’m not a bit unhappy about being the one to do it. “You tortured my agápe for months. You murdered her parents and turned her sister.”
“I turned Jennifer at Avery’s request.”
It’s a weak argument and I feel the need to correct him. “Jenn was dying because you bled her dry. Avery didn’t want to lose the only family member she had left so she threatened to kill herself if you let her sister die.” He doesn’t argue. “You persistently refuse to release my agápe and you have no desire to reform so I don’t have a choice. You have to die tonight.”
“I watched my sister go mad from the withdrawals after you took Avery. She killed herself in the sunlight. It was a gruesome death and it’s only a matter of time before my fate is the same as hers if you take Avery.” He stands before me with his arms spread wide, his signal to invite me to drive a dagger through his chest. “I saw Anna and said goodbye. There’s nothing more I need from this life so I welcome death.”
Killing him like this wasn’t going to be any fun. “You have no fight left in you?”
“I would have fought you to the death if Anna hadn’t come but seeing her changes everything. She is a ray of sunshine in my darkest hour even after all these years.”