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“Not necessarily,” I said, caressing his hair. “I believe there is a way.”
Gabriel shot me a glance.
“Vedoma is responsible for both spells: the transformation and delaying the sacrifice. You becoming a vampire requires a blood sacrifice, but you’ve probably killed so many until now. Am I right?”
Gabriel looked down and nodded. I knew he wasn’t proud of his actions, but he also didn’t have a choice.
“What if we eliminate the creator of the spells and let the previous blood spillage at least be worth one familial sacrifice? Vedoma said you cannot attack her since she holds the reigns of the spell and would immediately force you to kill Athena, but what if I attack her?”
“You must be jesting,” Gabriel said. “Vedoma has not been defeated for centuries. The powers she holds only within the Eye of the Dragon stone is beyond anything else.”
“So it’s true. The stone she has is stronger than the one I had?”
“Indeed so. When the stones were conjured, the level of power infused within mirrored those of their creators.”
“And who were those creators?” I asked.
“Dragons. But only those part of The Order. A father and two of his children held the power to breathe scorching magic into inanimate objects. The stone conjured by the father was the strongest of all. It is this very stone that hangs from Vedoma’s neck.”
“What powers does her stone grant?”
“She can travel during any segment of time. How do you think we were able to sell art pieces from any epoch? Only through those powers.”
“But why does she stay so much in those times?” I asked. “During the time I lived here, she only appeared once.”
“She is forced to travel back since staying here for long ages her. Once she returns to the times she first traveled, she’ll return to her youthful self,” Gabriel said, looking at the sky.
“You mean if I travel to medieval Wallachia now, I’ll be twenty-one again?”
“Indeed so. You will not age in the past. But since the present is, in a way, Vedoma’s future, she must return to her roots.”
“Talk about the fountain of youth. They should sell that instead of jars of overpriced face creams,” I said. “Do you believe Athena is the same?”
“Athena is the only human who can time travel without any stones. It is part of her DNA. As long as she doesn’t seal her fate, time will be at her command.”
Gabriel had to be right since Athena had already traveled in time by accident and spooked my parents into oblivion. I never thought I would have a vampire for a husband and a natural time traveler for a daughter, but here we were. “I still believe we can defeat her as long as we have a good plan.”
“Your naïve enthusiasm inspires me, but I don’t see how we can make it happen. Especially since I cannot help you.”
“You might not, but Kira and Troy can. They’re both Once Diluted. Two Once Diluted equals one Gabriel the Immortal, isn’t it?”
“Not quite. Otherwise, I would’ve been dethroned a long time ago. Also, Kira has been released from her duties.”
“Don’t tell me you imprisoned her.”
“She betrayed my trust,” Gabriel said.
“But you let her lead me through the woods.”
“It doesn’t matter. By the laws of our society, she must be punished.”
“What if Her Majesty disagrees?”
“I thought you didn’t wish to involve yourself in vampire politics?” Gabriel smiled softly. I could see our conversation calmed him. Maybe somewhere deep inside, he believed everything would be okay.
“If no one is willing to put their foot down, I might as well do it.”
The genuine laugh that escaped Gabriel’s mouth made me giggle as well. At least he was enjoying himself.
