Chapter 36
Kelly and Fiona make room for us around the table. There's a few candles burning, the soft glow providing enough light for us to nibble on the platter of cheese and crackers waiting for us. Fiona and I exchange a look, one that silently is full of regret and relief. She has a few, small cuts on her face, but it's not enough to scratch the surface of her beauty.
"I'm glad you're ok," I whisper.
She nods in return, her expression reassuring me that she feels the same. Kelly scoots his chair closer to hers and protectively slides his arm around the back of the chair. He doesn't touch her, but the action speaks volumes. I glance at Fiona, expecting her to flinch at his sudden at advance. But she doesn't.
Perhaps their relationship is growing stronger than I realize. Is it because of Kelly pretending to know of their past? If it is, Fiona hasn't said a thing to me about it. Then again, she hasn't mentioned the fact that she's pregnant, either.
A piece of me wishes I would have spent more time trying to befriend Fiona before Kelly became immortal. The two of us were close, but Kelly was always the glue to hold us together. Now that the human version is gone, it's like we're learning to be friends all over again. Only this time it's not to make Kelly happy. It's to make us happy, leaning on the only other human around.
I drop my gaze from them and grab for another cracker. Kelly sighs after a stretch of silence and scoots his chair closer to the table.
"Fine. I'll start," he grumbles. "I don't want to know why the two of you were out of the house. What I do want to know is how you ended up in the hands of those Vultures."
My eyes flicker up to him in confusion. "Vultures?"
"Humans who have turned on their own kind," Bogdan replies evenly. "They're notorious for 'claiming' abandoned towns, traveling in small groups and wearing the hooded cloaks to resemble vampires."
"I've never heard of that before," I say, shaking my head.
Bogdan lets out a low, humorless laugh. "Humans are emotional creatures. When fear infiltrates their mind, they have a tendency to act irrational. Instead of fighting against the ones who are attacking their kind, they turn on themselves."
"I remember reading about them in class," Fiona interjects. "The same thing happened for the first war. Leo taught us – "
"That name will not be spoken in my presence," Bogdan interjects, his quiet voice sending a shiver down my spine.
He doesn't explain himself, but then again, he doesn't have to. If it wasn't for Leo, I wouldn't have the leaders of the human war trying to find me. If it wasn't for Leo, Fiona would have never been held captive for weeks on end. I try to tell myself that's all it is, but a piece of me wonders if there's a hint of jealousy behind his words, too.
Fiona swallows down the rest of her words. She tucks a strand of her red hair behind her ear and returns her gaze to the piece of cheese held between her index finger and thumb. Kelly stiffens at Bogdan's scolding tone, but he remains silent as well. Even if his memories of the past are all a sham, his protective nature is still intact, just as real as ever.
"We were walking back to the house and they just appeared," I say, clearing my throat and getting the conversation back on topic. "They said they owned the town and everything in it. Including us. And then they just...took us."
Kelly nods, his expression still taut with irritation. Bogdan brings his hands in front of his face, his fingers forming a tipi in front of his lips.
"And tell me," Bogdan says, focusing his bold, red eyes on me. "What brought you out there in the first place?"
The picture feels like it's burning holes through my pocket. I know there's no way Bogdan can see it, but I feel like he can all the same. If it was a different situation, I'd consider lying my way out of it. Or, at the very least, switching the subject. Kelly and Bogdan just saved us, though. They saved us without hesitation. The least I can do is explain what made us disobey his request in the first place.
"We were at the library," I answer quietly. "Researching."
Bogdan and Kelly exchange a curious look. Fiona keeps her eyes on the block of cheese, unwilling to meet my gaze or add to the conversation. I can't say I blame her. This was my fault after all. She was simply tagging along.
I shift in my chair, pulling out the photo from my pocket with trembling fingers. I set it on the table, face down, and push it towards Bogdan. The faded writing seems to shimmer beneath the flickering glow of the candle. Bogdan's red eyes remain on me until grudgingly dropping to the photo moving towards him.
His picks it up, his expression unreadable. His red gaze slides across the back for a brief moment before flipping it over and studying the picture side. Kelly leans forward and tires to get a better look at the object at hand, but Bogdan makes no indication that he wants him to look at it.
"I see you found my picture," Bogdan murmurs.
Wait.
He knew about it? Bogdan folds it in half and tucks it into his pocket. I stare up at him, floundering with how to respond. Here I was thinking the picture was random, put on the wall by the previous owners and unbeknownst to Bogdan.
When really...
"You knew about the picture?" I ask in disbelief.
Bogdan's gaze flickers to mine. "Yes, human. It's the only piece of my past that I have."
"But how..."
"It was in my back pocket when Axel took me," Bogdan explains. "The only evidence that I was once someone else before becoming...this."
He gestures down his torso in clarification. The room fizzles to silence. Not even the quivering flame makes a sound as it dances in the nonexistent wind, drops of wax sliding down the candle. It's the first time Bogdan has ever discussed his past aloud, at least to me.
I swallow hard and shift in my chair. "So... you already know who's in the picture?"
Bogdan shakes his head. "No. I simply know it's someone from my past."
"You haven't researched the name, trying to find out anything?"
Kelly leans forward this time, interjecting on Bogdan's behalf. "Why would he? Even if he researched, he wouldn't remember a thing. And let's say he did find what he was looking for. What good would it do, Finn?"
"I don't know. I'm not – "
"Do you think it would be any less painful for Bogdan to reconnect with a family he can't remember?" Kelly continues, his voice rising to a shout. "They already lost him once. Realizing he sees them as strangers after finding him again won't be any less painful."
Fiona stares up at Kelly, and understanding blossoms through her delicate features. Kelly's voice is thick with desperation, and it's clear he's not just talking about Bogdan. He's talking about himself, too. And in his moment of haste, he's also thrown away his cover to Fiona. Despite what he might be showing her or telling her about their past, he doesn't remember what he's pretending to know. He doesn't remember a thing.
A film of tears develops in front of her bright eyes. She sets her piece of cheese on the table and looks up to meet my gaze. The hurt in her expression makes me sick to my stomach. She knows everything Kelly has said about remembering their past together has been a lie.
And she knows I was a part of it.
I try to muster up all the regret and guilt I can in my expression. She gives me a sad smile in return, retracting her hand from the table and setting them on her lap. A single tear slips down her rosy cheek. To my surprise, she doesn't say anything. Aside from her single tear of sadness, she acts as if nothing has changed.
I wait for her to shout in protest. I'd even be alright with her standing up and slapping Kelly and I both across the face. We both deserve it. She doesn't, though, and her restraint makes the situation even worse. She's not angry either of us.
Her heart is breaking all over again.
Kelly doesn't seem to realize what he's said, but Bogdan's meticulous gaze dances between Fiona and me. He watches our interaction closely, never missing a thing. Even if Kelly doesn't realize what's just happened, Bogdan does.
He hums low in his throat to take back control of the conversation. "I keep the picture with me wherever I go, human. Not because I want to remember my past, but to always remind me which side I'm fighting for."
He takes the picture out of his pocket again and unfolds it slowly. His slender, flawless fingers slide around the edges of the photo, his red eyes studying its image with familiarity.
"I may be immortal, but at one point in time I wasn't," Bogdan continues calmly. "At one point, all vampires were human or had partial human blood flowing through their veins. Without humans, we wouldn't exist. And without humans, we won't survive. Therefore, they are the species I need to fight for. To fight with to ensure their survival and protection."
The silent understanding following his words leaves me breathless. All this time I've been sneaking around with a picture in my back pocket – a picture that Bogdan already knew existed. He didn't just know it existed. He purposely put it on the wall, aware of its presence the entire time.
Once again Bogdan's confession manages to make me feel both inadequate and foolish. Had I just asked him about the photo, I wouldn't have sneaked away to the library in the first place. Had I just listened to him, I wouldn't have singlehandedly gotten Fiona and I captured by Vultures.
My shoulders slump in defeat. I am always a step behind. Always. Whether it's because he can smell the change in my emotion or because he's learning to study my facial expressions, Bogdan sets down the photo and lightly touches my knee beneath the table.
"So, human," he says, lightening the tone of his voice as best he can. "What did you find?"
He's giving me a chance to explain myself. I try to catch Fiona's gaze, but she refuses to meet it. The cracker in my hand is getting soggy from the sweat lining my palms, and I set it aside, dusting my fingertips on the length of my pants.
"The person in that picture," I say, hoping my explanation will help in some way. "Is Archer Robbins – a Secondary. I'm not sure how he's related to you, Bogdan, but it's clear he is. In some way. This picture was taken in the Village."
Bogdan's expression is unchanging. He nods for me to continue.
"So....so since the Secondaries have immortal blood in their veins, there's a good chance the man in that picture is still alive," I continue, and my sadness begins to crumble beneath the excitement breaking through my voice. "And that means there's a good chance that the entire Secondary population still exists!"
Kelly frowns and drops his gaze to the table, glancing at the picture for the first time. His brow arches in confusion.
"A Secondary?" he questions.
"A species which is a mix of human and vampire," Bogdan explains. "I know the man in that picture is a Secondary, human. Why does it matter if their population exists?"
I tap on the edge of the photo. "If we find them, we can convince them to help us. Don't you see? They can help us, Bogdan. They can help us win the war."
Another silence falls throughout the table as they ponder my words. Eventually my vampire shakes his head.
"They won't help us," he argues. "We haven't seen their kind since the end of the first war. Humans and vampires alike shunned them from society. They left and never looked back. Even if we managed to find them – which in and of itself is an unlikely task – it would do us about as good as running into a clan of Vultures."
Kelly grunts in agreement. When I don't respond, Bogdan's fiery eyes trace over my features.
"You disagree, human?"
I nod a single time.
He crosses his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair and tilting his head to the side. "And why is that?"
"Because," I say. "Even if they don't want us around, we have something that just might make them listen."
Kelly laughs humorlessly. "Yea? And what's that?"
I tap the picture with my index finger. "This. We don't just have a picture of one of their kind. We have a vampire who used to be one. Even if Bogdan can't remember them, they'll remember him. And you're right. It might not be enough for them to help us. But...it might be enough to get them to listen."
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A/N: Ah, well said, Finn. Looks like the trip to the library wasn't futile after all!
**PLEASE READ**
Alright, so here's the deal. After much deliberation, I have decided to make this novel into a series. I'm not sure whether it will contain two, three or even four novels (including a prequel). Therefore, the next chapter will be the last chapter of book one of The Consort series.
Book two of the series – A Consort's Will – will pick up where this novel leaves off. I'm already working on the first chapter so for those who follow me, you'll see it when it's posted.
If you have any questions, let me know in your comment, and I'll try to clarify any confusion. But as of right now, this is the plan moving forward with the series.
Thank you to all for you unwavering support, awesome comments, and all the votes. Can't tell you how much I appreciate it.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!