Home > Vampire by Birth : A Paranormal Romance Mystery Novel(7)

Vampire by Birth : A Paranormal Romance Mystery Novel(7)
Author: Cyndi Faria

Darkness seeps its way inside of me, Riley’s vampire bond and our half-vampire child, both binding to every molecule in my body. I allow this type of darkness. But my grandmother’s? No way.

“What’s happening? Are you okay?”

Riley’s in my mind in an instant, asking questions I’m not sure I can answer. Am I okay? Technically, I’m not in any danger at the moment. The mark on Salina’s thigh doesn’t seem life threatening. But my grandmother’s warning haunts me. My main concern is not spiking Riley’s vampire side. I need understanding and compassion, not aggression even if Riley’s intentions toward me and his daughter are completely justified. My grandmother has a way of pissing him off, and anyone else that knows her. “I’m not sure,” I admit.

“I don’t want to risk your safety. Talk to me.”

No way am I doing that telepathically. He’s everything to me, but I need to read Riley’s reaction, his facial expression and body language when I tell him about my day. There’s no use feeding my grandmother’s hunger for drama when she’s counting on me and Riley to nitpick each other and stir our anxieties unnecessarily. “Babe?”

“Yes, my queen.”

I warm when he calls me “queen,” and a smile lights my face. He’s my mate, here for me when I need him. I put my faith in him and need to remember his love for me even when I’m feeling stressed out. “I need your help, specifically, I need access to ancient fae-vampire curses and spells. I have no idea where to look since my grandmother seems to have hidden everything from me.”

“Sounds about right. But I may have a solution. Can you meet me at the PDU?”

 

 

Chapter 5

 

 

Riley

 

An hour has passed since I reached out to Tricia when she storms the PDU with her entourage of fae guards. She locks her emerald stare on mine. The presence of her guards doesn’t alarm me, as most of the men live at our compound with us, but I bare my fangs as her anger quickens. “What has Catherine done now?”

Even from the distance of forty feet, Tricia’s racing pulse and surging blood rules my bloodlust for her and my protectiveness over our sacred bond. But my hunger isn’t that of a turned vampire. Our link welds us together, as if our souls are fused. She leans in, her swollen belly molding against the bend I create holding her. “I’m here. You’re not alone.”

“I hate Catherine so much.”

I ease her back, hoping she can read my concern. “That makes two of us. But what’s happened that you’ve come here with your guards?”

She explains her grandmother’s warning, the doctor, and the mark on Camille’s baby. “Riley, what concerns me takes me back to your biological mother.”

“Who didn’t survive my birth.”

She blinks up at me. “Kane didn’t die because he wasn’t bonded to her like he is my grandmother, which could explain the reason why they never reproduced.”

“I don’t think their marriage ever had anything to do with love or creating a family.” I pull stray hairs from her beautiful green eyes, motioning for her to walk with me.

“True. But still, your bio mom isn’t here to tell us what happened. I can’t ask her if she had to choose giving up her life over sacrificing her child.”

“They say knowledge is power, which I believe we have access to on site. After Kane was brought down, the PDU confiscated his paranormal and Other Kind books he collected as well as wrote over the centuries. Those manuscripts are held inside the library.

She pulls me to a stop and her eyes go wide for a moment. “You never told me.”

“It didn’t seem important, but now our stakes are raised.”

We travel through the maze of hallways leading to the library, and I continue, “It’s not only our baby that’s potentially in danger. It’s you, me, and my entire coven—hundreds of thousands of men and women could die if we don’t understand what we’re working with. Our total annihilation would also void the treaty between vampire and fae, which could lead to the destruction of humanity. I won’t risk that. Tricia, I won’t risk losing you.”

“I think my grandmother’s counting on my demise, which is why I’m curious to find information on a cure of some kind. I feel like I’m the link to stop a human genocide.”

She’s right. The repercussions extend beyond our deaths. I slow my pace, attempting to read the fae men trailing us. “A cure for dark magic. Does that even exist? Radella is over a thousand years old. Certainly he’s heard of this before?”

“We’ve all heard rumors. Dark magic was originally created by the Greeks who obtained their knowledge from my fae ancestors. If it’s created, it can be destroyed. Many have tried, but I doubt they had access to the books Kane hoarded. We just have to find out how, which is why I brought my men to help in the search. I’m hoping we can collectively scour the manuals and literature and find something useful. My grandmother may be smart when it comes to spells and magic, but she wasn’t the one who created it. It’s a learned gift. I need to find who or what she learned it from, and pray it’s possible to one-up that bitch.”

Taking up her hand, I squeeze. “As long as we’re together, we can find the answers. I’ll call some of my men to help. They put their faith and trust in me to save them from Kane, which doesn’t stop just because he’s behind bars.”

“Catherine and Kane could be working together somehow. I think they’ll always search for loopholes to try to best us. We’ve come too far to let that happen.”

I push through the doors, the expansion of the library rising up almost five floors in order to accompany Kane’s wealth of Other Kind knowledge.

“Wow, this is impressive,” one of the guards murmurs.

I shake my head as I come to terms with the feat before us. “If we can’t find something here, we’re out of answers.”

Tricia pulls from me as she takes in the library. “Neither of us will ever accept that option.”

I take a moment, reaching out to a select few of my men telepathically, letting the turmoil inside of me fade and peace roll over me as we sync. I don’t divulge the fact that uniting with my team feels like an after-wartime homecoming when I’m the one who’s blessed that no brother has been left behind. “Meet me in the library.”

“My men are on their way.”

“Our baby is counting on us.” Tricia pats the top of her belly.

I realize it’s the first time she’s done so in public. She then strolls toward the ladder, pausing to address her guards, as well as my men, who spill through the opposing entrance.

Tricia greets each one, pulling them into a gentle hug.

Her endearing nature is what I love about her, making each man feel like they matter, which they do.

“Orders?”

Ben’s in my head the moment I spot him. He’s been my best friend since we were kids. We’ve had our differences, but there is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep him and his family safe. “Camille needs you. Go home. Be with your wife and daughter.”

“What’s happened?”

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