«V-Veronica...» I murmur in a faint voice.
The woman pulls back her hood.
«Truly excellent work, Jacey. I see you followed my advice in the end.»
«T-This... this is a dream, right? I must be dreaming — there’s no other explanation...»
«Oh no, this is reality, my dear Jace Lance...» John cuts in. «...or perhaps I should call you by your real na: Jace Volkom, twin brother of Queen Mia Volkom, and the only survivor of the Volkom massacre, along with her.»
«I... what? If this is a joke, it’s gone on long enough! And you, Mom — what kind of trick did you use? Yeah, I get it... it was you, John, who cast that spell, and my mother put on that whole act to make it seem like it was her? And then... what the hell are you doing here, Veronica? I... I don’t understand anything anymore...»
I collapse to my knees, my mind completely shattered.
«I imagined that after all this you’d be ready to learn the truth, Jacey, but it seems we rushed things a bit...» Veronica murmurs, shaking her head.
John is about to speak, but my mother stops him.
«No. I want to be the one to tell him everything. He’s the man I love, after all.»
She crouches beside , pulls into a warm, affectionate embrace, and begins stroking my head.
«It all began fourteen years ago, on the night of the coup staged by House Dulcar — the second most powerful house in Mildelar at the ti, and John’s trusted allies. The Dulcars’ strength alone wasn’t enough to overthrow the Volkom authority, so they asked us for help. We struck a deal: our support in exchange for the Volkom twins — you and Mia. You were only four years old then, while your older sisters were already well into their twenties, so you were still easily malleable. Unfortunately, Mia slipped through our fingers, but we managed to find you. Jacey, at what age did you start feeling your first vampiric impulses?»
«E-Eleven, maybe twelve...» I whisper, more shaken with each passing second.
«Exactly... and before that you weren’t much different from a normal human being. In other words, too weak and defenseless to co into contact with the truths that lie beyond ordinary human knowledge. An orphanage would have been the ideal place for you to spend your early years — certainly safer and more "normal" for a child your age. Do you understand what I’m saying, Jace?»
I nod faintly, more from reflex than true comprehension — my mind refuses to process what she’s telling .
«And the rest... well, you know it yourself. You were finally ready to be introduced, step by step, to this world. Gradually, without haste, waiting for the right mont. You t ogres, dark emissaries, succubi, incubi. And above all, you learned just how real the threat of the Monster Slayers is — for people like you, like us.»
«Speaking of Monster Slayers... damn it, Archwitch Veronica, are you going to free or not? They’re starting to tighten a bit too much!» Kimberly grumbles.
Veronica smiles and, with a snap of her fingers, the chains dissolve into black smoke. Kimberly rises casually, stretching her back.
«And thank goodness this was supposed to be a farce! Hank almost really broke my back! Does that idiot realize a half-vampire’s regeneration isn’t the sa as a real vampire’s?!» she continues, snapping at John.
What the hell is happening now?! Why did Kimberly call my mother Archwitch? And why did she free her? And the familiarity with which she addressed John... wait. Farce? What farce? Don’t tell that...?
«You’re such an asshole, Jace. You were ready to let die just to save your own skin after the night of sex we had, huh? You Volkons are all the sa — use won first, then toss them aside!»
«K-Kimberly... at least you — will you tell what the hell is going on?!»
«Oh, Jace... Veronica’s right — if things aren’t spelled out for you, you just don’t get them. Rember when I told you John has nurous contacts within HESPARC? How do you think I knew that?»
«I-I can’t believe you were in cahoots with him all along... it makes no sense...»
«And yet that’s exactly how it is. Funny thing, life, huh? John tried for almost two years to convince you nicely to join us, but obviously you needed a reason. That’s where I co in. You’ve always been pretty good at feeding on blood without getting caught by HESPARC, so what you needed was a Monster Slayer to show you what you were risking without soone like John covering your back. Soone who’d hound you day and night, keeping you from roaming the outskirts in search of blood, pushing you to accept John’s help — but without killing you. In short, soone like . Every single word about my history with Mia Volkom is true, and when John asked to tail the twin brother of the woman I love... well, how could I refuse?»
As Kimberly speaks, Veronica keeps holding and stroking , as if trying to soothe a madness about to erupt.
And how could I not lose my mind? In just a few minutes, everything I thought my life was has been overturned — revealed as sothing ticulously orchestrated by John, down to the smallest detail. All to push toward him. And the worst part is that, in hindsight, it all makes damn sense.
«Why did you do it...? Why stage this whole charade that’s been going on for nearly eight years? All just to make join you? All this trouble for that...? It’s insane...»
«You probably still haven’t processed that the blood of the most powerful vampire house of all flows in your veins — a house that now has only two survivors. And above all, the only blood capable of turning other races into vampires... or rather, half-vampires.»
«Half-vampires...?»
«Creatures that are only partly vampires. Take your Kimberly, for example. Her strength and speed match a vampire’s, yet she can’t use Blood Manipulations, nor does she possess near-instant regeneration like yours. But unlike a true vampire, her Sanguis is so negligible that she doesn’t need to feed on blood. That’s a half-vampire. And your blood can turn anyone who consus it. Didn’t I always tell you that you had potential? I don’t train just anyone personally.»
«So... you just want to use to create an army of half-vampires...?»
«Exactly,» John replies without the slightest hesitation.
«And now that you’ve told all this, you think I’ll join you? If I refused a million tis to beco your lackey, what makes you think I’d agree to be nothing more than your tool?»
«Oh, Jace... look around you. The woman who raised you and whom you love more than anyone in the world, Kimberly, lania... everyone in your life is also part of mine. And now that all the truths are out, turning your back on would be the sa as turning your back on them.»
Veronica’s soft lips brush my ear.
«You always rejected him because you feared he’d hurt those you love, didn’t you, my beloved Jacey? I could see it in the anger and worry in your eyes when you saw and John at the sa table. But now that you know everything, you have nothing left to fear. John won’t harm anyone you care about. You yourself are alive thanks to him — he saved you that night fourteen years ago. The last eight years of your life were nothing but a long path preparing you for this mont. But now it’s ti to close that Chapter and begin a new one. One where you’re no longer just Jace Lance the vampire, but Jace Volkom, destined to beco the greatest of all vampires.»
As she says this, she hugs tighter and helps back to my feet, my legs still weak and trembling.
John steps up, face to face with . Alex and Hank — now in their human forms — move closer too, threading their way through the dozens upon dozens of sacrificial victims of this farce.
Kimberly, Veronica, Hank, and Alex all stand around with John.
John smiles and gives my shoulder a friendly pat.
«Welco aboard, Jace Volkom.»
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