Blood Curse (19 page)

"Which is?"

"You were meant to be one of us, Aria. Rialto was meant to be your partner and your sire."

Aria gulped, despite the fact her throat was bone dry. “You mean he has to change me over like he did Antonia?"

"No!” Seta rose from the floor, her eyes wide. “It won't be like that!"

"Aria, you are not Antonia,” Christian interjected as he placed his glass on the coffee table before him and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “There are certain signs that can't be ignored, signs coming from you. Seta is a powerful witch, and there are things she sees that no one else can see."

"Like what?"

"Your auras.” Seta bent down and took Aria's hands in her own. “When we first met at the hotel, I barged right in because I didn't know anyone else was in the room with Rialto. All I could feel was him. When I walked in, I saw the two of you entwined in the exact same aura. That doesn't happen, Aria, not unless you are two halves of the same soul."

"Two halves of the same . . .” Aria shook her head. A dull throb pounded in the center of her forehead. This was too much.

"I know of the dreams, Aria. Rialto had visions of you as a baby. Fate was telling him his soul mate had arrived. Fate led him to you."

"Fate killed my mother?"

"No, not exactly. We are helping you find her killer, but that isn't what brought Rialto to you. The dreams did; the passion he felt in them."

Aria could feel her skin heating up, imagined it reddening, as she averted her eyes, focusing on the wooden boards beneath her feet.

"It's all right, Aria. There is no need to be embarrassed. The dreams are only natural, seeing as how you two were meant to be joined."

"You mean like married?"

"Well . . . not exactly.” Seta turned to Christian for help.

"Aria, Seta is trying to explain that the two of you were predestined to become one in blood and soul. There is a story older than she and I put together about vampires fated to mate and produce children. Under normal circumstances, children are not born to our kind, but these vampires fated to be together are special, chosen. Their children will grow to be great warriors, defenders of mankind. And one of them will save the world from eternal darkness."

Aria shook her head again, trying to clear the confusion settling there. Seta and Christian looked at her intently, their full belief in this story evident in the hopeful gleam in their eyes. Could it be true? It all sounded so cultish to her, so surreal. “Why would I be chosen? It doesn't make any sense."

"Those who are predestined to mate have special abilities which are to be passed down to their children, certain traits which will make the children powerful warriors."

"I have no special traits or abilities. I'm just a normal human woman."

"A born witch is created every other generation."

Aria frowned, wondering what that meant. “Okay, so if Rialto has a child the kid will be a witch. What's that got to do with me?"

"Rialto actually took some of my abilities when I turned him, so he can not pass on any magic to his child. You, however, definitely will give birth to a witch."

Aria shook her head. “But that would mean my mother was a witch."

"How do you think she knew when the two of you needed to leave that dreadful little town? You'd barely driven a few miles before your house was raided."

"How do you know that?"

"I'm a witch, as was she. We have a tendency to see certain things."

"No,” Aria said, shaking her head against the memories starting to surface. All the dreams her mother had which turned out to be true, her warning not to get involved romantically with anyone in Pickahoe, the way she'd come to her in a dream to warn her about Rialto. The way she'd looked at her so sadly and hugged her so tightly and often during the last few weeks of her life . . .

"My mother knew she was going to die, didn't she? Why didn't she do something to prevent it? It doesn't make any sense!"

"A lot of things seem to not make sense, Aria. It doesn't mean they don't. If your mother did see her death coming and didn't take precautions, there was a reason, just as there was a reason she didn't let you know she was a witch. Maybe you weren't supposed to know. “ Seta again grabbed her hands. “There were several times I heard the story of the predestined mates and thought it was all rubbish, but the moment I saw you, I knew who you were. Rialto needs you."

Aria glanced over to Rialto. He lay so still, so lifeless. She couldn't explain why she felt such a deep connection with him, or why she'd dreamed of him before they first met. Maybe there was something to this story that Seta and Christian obviously believed in, but she couldn't stop the fear slithering through her, the fear of “what-if.” What if she turned out like Antonia? Would she kill innocents? Would Rialto have to kill her?

Was the risk worth it?

"What happened to Rialto after that night? What did he do after he killed Antonia?"

Seta's gaze fell to the floor as she released her hold on Aria's hands. Christian suggested Seta sit on the couch as he rose from it to pace. He stopped before the chaise and looked down at Rialto's resting body.

"He was deeply distraught after the incident. He took care of the mother and child first, giving the woman some of his blood so she could heal through the next day, and making sure they were left with someone who could care for them. Then he went to the cliffs."

Aria felt the sensation of being pulled away again, but fought against it, keeping her eyes open and fixed on Christian. She had a feeling she didn't want to see what Rialto had done.

"He lowered himself to the ground, stretched out and waited for daylight."

"Daylight would kill him,” Aria said, horrified.

"Yes, but first it would make him suffer. The direct rays of the sun are cruel to our kind. They rip away at our flesh, slowly peeling away layer upon layer until there is no longer any barrier of protection. But first it heats our blood, bringing it to a scalding boil, cooking our internal organs. The pain is excruciating as we fry beneath the rays, waiting for our skin to peel away so the boiling hot juices inside can seep out, evaporating under the intense heat."

"Enough, Christian!” Seta was shaking where she sat, streams of tears running down her cheeks. “She gets the point."

Christian nodded solemnly. “Aria, he allowed that torture to happen to him. He would have allowed it to kill him, if Seta hadn't arrived and carried him out of danger."

"And you expect me to put him through that again?” Aria rose from her seat, punishing the floorboards beneath her feet as she paced the room, fuming with anger that Rialto would do such a thing to himself. “You're both crazy if you think I will allow it! Fate or not, I won't put that kind of guilt over his head."

"Aria, it won't be that way,” Seta cried. “It is destiny. Antonia was not meant to be one of us. You are!"

"How do you know that? How can you be one hundred percent sure I'm one of these chosen few? Have you ever thought that this story you speak of is just that? A story? Something old vampires tell little ones to get them to sleep?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Aria!"

"Ridiculous? I'm the one being ridiculous while you two are spouting off old stories about predestined vampires who can have babies? Why me? Why in the world would I be chosen to give Rialto a child when everyone I've ever loved has suffered because of me? Believe me, Seta, I'm the last person who should be involved with your son. You said it yourself; my blood is poisoning him."

"But, Aria . . ."

"Enough!” She raised her hand for silence. “I don't want to be a vampire. I've had more than my share of guilt already, and I don't need anymore. And after seeing images of my childhood, Seta, how in hell do you expect me to agree to bring a child into this world who would have an even harder time trying to be accepted? I'm sorry, but I'm not the woman you think I am. I'm not the mother of Rialto's future child."

"Then you must be the angel of death,” Seta said through clenched teeth, “because that is exactly what you will bring to him if he doesn't change you over."

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"Seta."

Seta bristled at Christian's warning tone while she watched Aria leave the room in tears. It took every bit of restraint she possessed to keep from running after her. Instead, she turned her heated glare toward Christian's angelic face. So calm and peaceful looking, he made the blood flowing through her veins burn like molten lava. “What am I supposed to do, Christian? My son is dying."

"Maybe not."

"Of course he is. You know the story."

"I know a few versions of the Blood Revelation, as do most of our kind. The story has been passed down for centuries, and it has changed several times, depending on the age and origin of the vampire telling it."

"There are some consistencies."

"Yes, there are, but my point is we don't know the whole truth to the story. Maybe Rialto is supposed to fall ill and Aria is supposed to refuse him."

"Why would that be?"

"I don't know.” Christian ran a hand through his short, dark hair and joined her on the couch. “But fate is fate. Everything happens for a reason. You were meant to go over the cliff that night. Rialto was meant to be left on that same cliff . . ."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Think about it. Ridding the world of evil is what we do. You changed Rialto over and he was able to rid the world of Roberto Garibaldi, an act that made the lives of several people much better."

"And everything that happened back then has led us to this night."

"Exactly, and everything happening right now is for a reason. I believe in your instincts, Seta. I believe those two are meant to be together. I felt the passion between them myself the first time I met Aria."

"But Rialto said he'll never change her over, and she says she doesn't want to be changed."

"Does she have to be changed?"

"Yes. For the prophecy to be fulfilled she has to be immortal."

"Can you turn her?"

"Believe me, if only it were that simple. The Dream Teller told me long ago that Rialto would eventually find his true love and that I absolutely could not turn her. Rialto still blames himself for what happened to Antonia. He needs to turn Aria, to see that he didn't taint her, that there was already something dark inside her.” She looked at her son, once more feeling the rage which engulfed her each time she thought of the woman he'd been forced to kill. Why hadn't she predicted what was to happen? Why hadn't she been able to stop it? “I'm scared that once again I'm not going to be able to stop him from doing something to hurt himself. I can't
make
him turn her."

"Their feelings right now may change. Circumstances may change."

The fine hairs along the back of Seta's neck stood on end. “I didn't like your tone just then, Christian. Your last statement sounded a little ominous."

"Things are happening, Seta. Things have been happening for centuries. You're a witch. Don't tell me you don't feel it."

"If you're referring to the panic and sense of impending doom, yes, I feel it."

Christian's eyebrows furrowed. “Doom? I'm not sure I would call it that. It's more like a pull. I started feeling it the last morning I woke as a mortal. It's steadily grown stronger since. It's kind of like being on a train and not knowing the destination."

"Yes.” Seta shook her head before resting it on the back of the couch, tired of this conversation and tired of trying to figure out whatever it was that Christian was trying to say. The only train she felt was the one that had gone off course and was speeding toward a major catastrophe. Something was
wrong.
Rialto was sick and that never happened to their kind. Eron was missing, and there was someone or some
thing
out there preying on innocent women and making it look as if vampires were to blame.

And she couldn't shake the feeling that it was all tied together.

Where was Eron? She would feel so much better if he were near. And he would be near if he could feel the fear racing through her veins. Eron would never leave her alone when she was in this much turmoil unless . . . something had happened to him. Again she tried to think of a way that could even be possible, but her head ached with the effort. Eron was extremely old and extremely powerful. He could fight off anyone.

"What are you thinking about over there?"

She looked at Christian, caught the concern in his eyes, although he was trying to appear nonchalant. “I can't feel Eron."

A spark of something flared in his eyes, but he quickly closed them and erased whatever emotion had momentarily escaped him. “He's dead?"

"No. He's not dead. I don't feel that, but I don't feel anything else either. I've called to him, but he hasn't responded. It's been like this for months now, and for some reason I've started getting images of him."

"What kind of images?"

"I saw him when I read the body we found in Leakin Park, and I've seen him in these flashes I've been getting, warning flashes of danger."

"So Eron is somehow tied up with this situation?"

"Yes, but I don't know how. He can't be the killer."

"Of course not, but he can't be a victim, surely. Who would have the power to overtake him?"

"I don't know. It would have to be someone very powerful themselves or extremely smart."

"It would take a maniacal genius, Seta. Eron's no fool."

No, Eron was no fool but someone had managed to fool him nonetheless. Seta glanced at her son, felt her pulse quicken. “There's more, Christian."

"Hmm?"

"The scent of vampire we found on the body; it was Eron's scent."

"What?” Christian's eyes darkened as he leaned in. “How is that possible?"

"I don't know. It was so faint that Rialto didn't notice. At least, I don't think he did. The scent was diluted somehow."

"Eron couldn't have killed those women."

"I believe we've already established that."

"Then how? I mean, if his scent was there, he had to have had some access to them."