Chapter 199: 199-Need allies
"Or return vampires to a state where they can be destroyed. I don’t know exactly how their plan works. That’s why I came to warn you. This is no longer an ordinary conflict between hunters and vampires."
"And the person who killed you?"
"I suspect they knew what I came to say. But it couldn’t have been a hunter, a vampire working with them maybe... or someone with another motive. Don’t accuse anyone without evidence," Evelyn spoke, trying to make sense of it herself.
"How would they know you were coming?" Maisa got up and paced back and forth.
Her heart was unsettled and she couldn’t put herself at rest. Just as her other problems were fixed, a new one arose.
"I don’t know," Evelyn answered.
The unanswered question settled between them like another presence in the room. If the hunters had been watching Evelyn, why had they waited until she reached the academy? If they had not, who else had known what she carried in her memory?
Maisa wanted a name, but Evelyn was right. Acting blindly could expose them all. She needed to be smart about her approach.
Too many enemies were closing in on her from all sides. It was urgent to start getting rid of them one after another to rid her of constant worry.
"I’ll find out who killed you," she gave her word.
"We will," Evelyn corrected her as she had every intention to help.
Maisa looked at her. "We?"
"Did you think becoming a vampire would make me stop being your aunt?"
A startled laugh escaped Maisa. "Never," she lowered herself and hugged her.
"Good," Evelyn said. "I’ve survived death, and I refuse to let a few hunters frighten me out of my family."
"You don’t even know how to control your abilities yet. Let’s just take it one step at a time, aunt."
"Then you’ll teach me," Evelyn sounded optimistic. "And I’ll learn."
Maisa loved her positivity but it wasn’t enough to go up against the enemies after their lives. "I barely understand my own."
"Then we’ll learn together."
The simplicity of it tightened Maisa’s throat. She leaned forward and embraced her aunt even harder.
Evelyn held her carefully, aware of the strength coiled beneath her arms. She could feel how easily she might crush bone now. The thought made her loosen her grip at once.
After a long moment, Evelyn pulled back. "Does this mean I have to sleep in a coffin?"
Maisa stared at her, then burst out laughing.
"I’m serious, Maisa. What about garlic?"
"You don’t need a coffin or garlic," Maisa said between laughs. "Vampires in real life aren’t like that at all."
"How am I supposed to know what sort of monster I’ve become?" She joked.
"You’re not a monster," Maisa said, recalling that Aunt Evelyn had said the same thing to her the day she turned.
Maisa took both her hands. "You’re still the woman who raised me, protected me, and crossed the border because you were worried about me. You’re still my aunt."
Evelyn’s eyes shone. "And you’re still my little girl."
For a while, they sat together while the afternoon sun streamed through the window. The hunters were gathering, the academy remained full of secrets, and the flower of fate was sealed inside Maisa’s chest but Maisa had her aunt back.
When Evelyn finally settled against the pillows, Maisa picked up the empty container.
"You should rest. Your body needs time to adjust."
Evelyn caught her hand. "Promise me you won’t carry everything alone. Not the hunters, not the flower, and not the bargain you made to bring me back."
"I’ll try."
"That isn’t a promise, dear."
"It’s the most honest answer I can give you," she said. "Please, for now... just accept it."
Evelyn studied her, then nodded. "All right. I’ll accept that for now."
She closed her eyes, still holding Maisa’s hand. Within minutes, her expression relaxed but sleep did not come easily.
Every sound in the academy pressed against Evelyn’s awareness. Footsteps moved in distant corridors. A door opened somewhere below. Someone laughed outside, and the sudden burst of sound made her eyes snap open.
Beneath it all, hearts beat in different rhythms, each one a living invitation.
She imagined herself walking through the halls at night, following those pulses. She imagined the hunger taking control, her mouth against someone’s throat, blood spilling over her tongue.
Her fingers tightened around Maisa’s hand. What if she woke one night and could no longer tell the difference between love and appetite?
What if the monster was not something she had become, but something that had been waiting inside her all along?
Maisa watched the woman she had thought she would never see again, then pressed a hand to the center of her own chest.
Beneath her skin, the sealed flower of fate remained silent for now. She remembered the white-haired woman’s warning and the bargain written in blood.
"The day I come to you... You’ll know who I am," she shuddered at the words.
Maisa did not know when that day would come, or what the woman would claim when she arrived. But she knew someone had killed Evelyn to keep a secret, and someone else had brought her back because Maisa had been willing to pay a price.
Sooner or later, she would uncover the truth behind both acts. She only hoped the answers would not arrive together.
Until then, she would protect Evelyn, her mates, and herself and prepare for the alliance forming between the Everhearts and the Siseli family.
"I have to fight," she said firmly, determination hardening her gaze. "And to win, I need allies."
The first person who came to mind was Taratoya. The vampire possessed a remarkable talent for uncovering secrets, gathering information, and turning other people’s weaknesses into her greatest advantage.
She had a way of staying one step ahead of everyone, always holding a card that no one else knew existed. With someone like Taratoya on her side, she wouldn’t have to stumble blindly into danger or wait for her enemies to strike before learning their intentions.
If she could convince Taratoya to join her, she would gain more than an ally. She would gain a pair of eyes and ears in places she couldn’t reach herself, someone capable of uncovering hidden schemes before they had a chance to unfold.
And in a battle where the enemy could strike from anywhere, knowing who was coming for her might make the difference between victory and a devastating defeat.
’With everything I have learnt so far, I refuse to believe that I can’t get the upper hand in the upcoming war.’
This time, no one would take her family away without a fight.