Dark Obsession (Vampire Royals of New York #3) - Sarah Piper Page 0,39
and confusion.”
“So this is what bound him to Chernikov,” Dorian said, lost in his own churning thoughts as he recalled the Russian demon’s warnings. His secrets are your secrets now, Dorian Redthorne… “The two of them conspired to murder the royal family, and then escaped to America, where my father ascended as king and put in place the Accords that allowed Chernikov to expand his own criminal empire.”
“And Rogozin,” Cole said, “and every other demon shitbag to follow in their footsteps.”
“What else is in the book?” Dorian asked Colin.
Colin skimmed through the rest, shaking his head. “Just more of the same—Kendrick confiding in him about the statue and the book, telling him about the blade, how it would make vampires the most powerful supernaturals on earth. Father doesn’t mention the specifics of the Book of Lost Souls, or the details of the murder, or how he managed to convince Chernikov he didn’t have the blade. After the initial entries, the rest are little more than praise for Azerius. It’s as though Father thought he was some sort of demigod, or...” He flipped through the pages, quickly skimming. “The last entry is… Wow. He wrote this just days before his death.”
“What does it say?” Dorian asked.
“Azerius, the Great White Raven, King of Kings, I remain, as ever, your faithful servant, yet I can no longer decipher what it is you’re asking of me. I have followed your commands as best as I could interpret them. I have guarded your secrets. I have sacrificed so much in your name—spilled the blood of innocents, destroyed families, started wars—and yet a dark curse remains within my blood, a blight upon my house, my sons, our sires. It is, I fear, Nikolai’s final revenge. And so I ask of you—I beg of you, Azerius—grant me guidance in my final hours, so that I may know your will. So that I may end this and free my sons of this once and for all.” Colin sighed. “That’s it. The very last entry.”
Again, Augustus Redthorne’s final words haunted Dorian’s memory.
Your brothers… you must find… genetic…
Was this what he’d meant? Some sort of dark curse on their bloodline? Nikolai’s revenge? Dorian rubbed his hands over his arms where the tattoos beneath his shirt were already fading, despite his recent feeding on demons and cold blood bags, despite Isabelle’s temporary spell.
Had Chernikov somehow caused this?
“In every answer lies a thousand more riddles,” Dorian muttered.
Colin closed the book, and for a long moment, no one spoke. Deep within the twisted caverns beyond the makeshift laboratory, Dorian could hear the crumbling of rock, the faint dripping of water seeping into the cracks of the stone, the slow yet endless passage of time as it consumed the very walls around him.
In that moment, a profound sadness flooded his heart, threatening to carry him away.
Blinking back the sting of unshed tears, he took a deep breath and focused on the sound of Charlotte’s heartbeat, a steady rhythm that instantly calmed him, reminding him of her life and vigor, her warmth.
He glanced up and found her already watching him, a soft smile curving her lips, her eyes full of something so rare and intense and beautiful, it made him believe—for just a moment—in divinity.
She held his gaze for another heartbeat, and something deep and profound passed between them.
Dorian hadn’t the words for it, but eventually he turned away, as if looking into her eyes for too long would break him.
Colin put the Corvidae book back on the shelf, and Charlotte finally spoke.
“If the blade of the Bessmertnym Soldat was truly forged by the demon Azerius, and it has the power to not only eradicate demons on contact, but turn humans into vessels, it’s no wonder Rogozin and Chernikov are so eager to acquire it.”
“You know what’s even more fucked up?” Cole said. “If this is true, all those high-ranking generals and police you mentioned weren’t actually killed. They were turned into demons. For all we know, they’re still around.”
“The blade might have other powers as well,” Colin said. “Perhaps Father left additional clues, but we just don’t know at this point. I think we should err on the side of caution and assume we’ve only just scratched the surface of its abilities.”
“It slices, it dices, it juliennes!” Aiden said exuberantly. Then, dropping into a deadpan that sent a chill down Dorian’s spine, “And look, ladies and gentlemen. It opens the bloody hell-book too.”
Dorian had been on the other side of the chamber, and now