“When I was sleeping.” Vlad almost gasped. He was quite certain that Otis and Henry were going to die, but he had no idea what D’Ablo and his cronies had in store for him.
D’Ablo nodded once more, his lips twisting into a sneer. “Luckily, I am an infinitely patient vampire. Besides, invincibility is well worth the wait.”
Vlad threw him a confused glance.
“ Through my studies, I have learned that the great vampire philosopher Diogenes once theorized that there is a way to steal the status, the traits, the power of the Pravus. And so he designed a ritual to do so. And you, my boy, have just handed it to me.”
Vlad rolled his eyes. “Nice try, nimrod. I know that book from front to back. There’s no ritual in there.”
D’Ablo held out his hand and in his most gentlemanly voice said, “Your hand, if you would.”
“Not a chance.”
“Very well.”
Before Vlad knew what was happening, he was grabbed from behind by Jasik. He had been so involved in his conversation with D’Ablo that he hadn’t even noticed Jasik moving into position. Otis summoned all the strength he could and leaped out to free his nephew, only to be met by D’Ablo’s elbow in his face. Otis fell back on the floor in a heap.
From behind his back, D’Ablo pulled a dagger-the same dagger, Vlad noticed with a shudder, that he had used to torture Otis. With a nod, Jasik grabbed Vlad’s wrist and offered up his hand. D’Ablo slashed his palm open, and Vlad cried out, but remained still. Blood dripped from the wound, and before it could close, D’Ablo pressed the backs of two of the journal’s pages against Vlad’s palm, staining them with crimson.
D’Ablo’s eyes were locked onto the blood-smeared pages. Vlad was about to use the distracted moment to shove Jasik away and try, somehow, to get his wounded uncle and friend out the door, but then something happened…
The pages began to glow. All of the pages.
And after a moment, flames scrawled across the pages that Vlad could see, burning letters, then full words, into the parchment.
Vlad almost forgot completely about the wound in his palm, which had already begun healing closed. He gasped, “What is it?”
“It’s your future, Master Pravus. It is your end.” D’Ablo met his gaze with the glowing grin of an empowered lunatic. The three words he spoke next made Vlad’s heart skip a beat and his limbs freeze with terror. “And my beginning.”
23 THE RITUAL
JASIK RELEASED VLAD AND STARTED HELPING D’Ablo to arrange things on the table. Otis reached a shaking hand up to Vlad’s sleeve and tugged him closer. “He believes the ritual contained in those pages will steal the invincibility of the Pravus, and he fully intends to perform it. He truly believes in the story, Vladimir, dangerously so. You must leave. Find a way out while their backs are turned. Or he is going to kill you.”
Vlad whispered back, “I’m not leaving without you and Henry.”
Otis smiled at him through his tears, grateful for even this final moment together. “Don’t you see, Vladimir? Henry and I are as good as dead. I can barely move, and he’s just a drudge. You can make another.”
Vlad flinched. “He’s not just a drudge.”
“Get out while you can. Get to Vikas. He’ll protect you.”
Vlad shook his head, tears welling in his eyes as well. “When we were in Siberia last year, I overheard Vikas tell you that I didn’t need his protection.”
“But you do. Right now, you do.” Otis winced in pain. As he spoke, a small amount of blood left the corner of his mouth and trailed down his chin. “Please. Don’t make me witness your demise. You’re like… you’re like a son to me.”
In that moment, Vlad’s tears dried, replaced by determination. Because Otis was like a father to him, the same way that Nelly was like a mother to him, and there was no way he was going to lose his entire family a second time. He was getting out of here-they all were-and they were going home, to Nelly.
“C’mon.” He took Otis’s arm and placed it around his shoulders, helping Otis to stand, despite his quiet protests, then gestured to Henry with a glance. Henry, wide-eyed, nodded in response and carefully stood, wincing as he put weight on his injured ankle. Vlad nodded to the big metal door, and Henry followed his lead. They moved slowly, only a single step every few seconds, hoping that the other vampires-who were engaged in some kind of setup for D’Ablo’s insane ritual-wouldn’t notice their departure until they were gone, or at least until they had a good head start.
The seconds slipped by, and Vlad counted his blessings with every heartbeat. After what seemed like an eternity, Vlad’s fingers met the ornate doorknob.
As if he’d actually heard the subtle sound of Vlad’s fingertips lightly brushing metal, D’Ablo stiffened, then turned to face them. “Fools. Did you really think that would work? The three of you are no match for even one of us. Especially given the fact that two of you are injured, one but a drudge. You can’t escape.”
Vlad’s jaw tightened. “ Then let’s even the odds. You and me. Right now.”
“As tempted as I am by your offer, Master Pravus, we have other business to attend to.” D’Ablo glanced at his cronies for a moment. “Lock Otis and the human in a cell together. It ought to be quite interesting having them share such a small space, what with Otis’s now surely ravenous appetite. How long has it been since you fed, Otis? Nine months? Ten?”
As Jasik helped Otis to stand-much more gently than Vlad had expected him to-a horrified expression crossed Otis’s face. One that sent a bolt of terror through Vlad. Otis forced a bitter laugh, as if D’Ablo’s twisted plan was of no consequence to him. “I’ve gone longer without blood.”
D’Ablo clucked his tongue. “You shouldn’t utter such lies in front of these impressionable youths, my friend.”
Otis wrenched his body forward, but Jasik held fast. Otis spat a mouthful of blood, which splattered on D’Ablo’s cheek. As D’Ablo wiped it from his face with the back of his glove, Otis growled, “I may be a lot of things, D’Ablo. But your friend is not one of them.”
D’Ablo very calmly removed a crisp white handkerchief from his inside jacket pocket and wiped the remainder of Otis’s blood from his pale skin. Once it was clean, he met Otis’s eyes, his gaze sharp, penetrating. “Enjoy your meal.”
Even Jasik seemed troubled by D’Ablo’s words. He pulled Otis back and firmly, but gently, took him out the large metal door. Ignatius wasn’t so kind. He grabbed Henry by a handful of hair and dragged him out of the room, kicking and screaming and swearing more than Vlad had ever heard him swear.
The door closed, and Vlad was left alone with D’Ablo. He wet his lips, which were suddenly unbelievably dry.
And though he wasn’t as sure of his status as Pravus as D’Ablo was, it seemed like a good way to stall for time while he thought about his next move. “So what now? You can’t kill me.”
“No, but with the ritual you were so kind to provide me with, I can withdraw that which gives you invincibility and imbibe it. And then, once I have drunk enough of your blood to render me immune to the horrors of sunlight, I will give you to Ignatius.” D’Ablo met Vlad’s eyes and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. “With your invincibility gone, he will be able to kill you. And in so doing, it will render me untouchable for all eternity.”
Vlad’s stomach shrank in fear. If he could keep D’Ablo talking long enough, he might be able to think of a plan. At the very least, it might prolong his inevitable demise. “So what now then, huh? Do you really think that all those vampires who truly believe in the Pravus will be very happy to hear what you’ve done?”