After Daybreak: A Darkness Before Dawn Novel Read online

  In the painting, Gustav’s eyes speak something else now. I think the painter captured it: hope that he’d made a difference.

  “So it was that the Montgomery line continued, albeit slowly. They were always in danger, but as time passed, their name was forgotten by most families as sons killed fathers to acquire power—we are a bloodthirsty lot. All the original signers eventually perished. Those who came after began to think the Montgomerys nothing more than a myth. But the Ferdinands had made one more promise: They would forever remind the son of Montgomery of his lineage and of his pact to carry it forward. It has been my duty, for five hundred years now, to visit the son of the Montgomery line and to tell him of his true heritage.”

  “You mean—”

  But she holds up her hand before I can continue, knowing that what I was going to say would pain me too much.

  “I never met your father,” she says. “I was unable to reach him in time, and for that I’m deeply sorry. But I did meet his father and told him the truth. It’s amazing. Every time I spoke to a Montgomery, they were rarely shocked. In many ways, I think they’ve always known. Even more telling is their ability to hold it forever, to keep it secret.” She sighs deeply. “Now that is the mark of Old Family.”

  “And that’s why you signed that Confirmation Decree.”

  “That’s part of the reason, yes. But there’s another, and this is where our little tale takes an interesting twist: No doubt you’ve seen the Montgomery family tree, and no doubt you’ve seen the branch that held two children. Maximillian Montgomery had a son and a daughter: Esmerelda. The first female Montgomery ever born. With her, I saw the chance to finally bring the Montgomerys back out of the shadows. I thought enough time had passed since the warrant was signed; I hoped that the Montgomerys would be embraced. Already the fear of war was growing.

  “And so I played matchmaker as it were. Esmerelda was quite simply beautiful, and she had enough Old Family blood in her that she was irresistible. And so I persuaded her to pursue one Murdoch Valentine.”

  At this she gives an incredibly wicked smile, and I give one back.

  “Your father, Victor, was notorious for taking human companions. Imagine his surprise when he took Esmerelda and found several months later that she had become pregnant with his child.”

  He would have been floored. With the exception of the Montgomerys, humans and vampires can’t have children. But Esmerelda had enough Old Family in her that she could carry Murdoch’s son. A son who would grow up to become . . .

  “Sin,” I say.

  “That’s right. A horrid name given to him by Murdoch. He hated the child from the outset. And he hated him even more when I arrived at his doorstep with the Confirmation Decree, showing that Esmerelda was part of the Montgomery family. Imagine his anger at knowing that he helped to continue that blood line by complete accident, a family his own ancestors had tried to eradicate.”

  “No wonder he hated Sin.”

  “Yes, and his hatred only grew when he found the child’s gift of day walking. He hated him so much that he did away with the boy’s mother.”

  I cringe at that. Victor puts his arm around me.

  “I’m so sorry, Dawn,” Lilith says. “I had no idea Murdoch would do that to her. The Valentines were the most powerful family, and they led the charge to compose the death warrant. I thought that if Murdoch’s son were a Montgomery, he would have to do the only honorable thing: embrace the Montgomerys, call an end to the destruction of their family. I thought, at the very least, he would protect Esmerelda. But I was wrong on all counts.”

  I think back to the family tree I saw but now fill in the lines myself. Esmerelda Montgomery and Murdoch Valentine, the parents of Sin Valentine. But there was another branch to that tree.

  “Esmerelda’s brother,” I prompt.

  “Yes,” Lilith says. “The Montgomerys were always to have at least one son to carry on the name. And so a boy named Jonathan was born, and he was your ancestor.

  “I’ve kept watch on the Montgomerys from afar,” she continues. “By my count only three remain. You. Sin. And the last full-blooded Montgomery, Octavian. You should meet him. I’m sure he can provide many answers for you. I heard he was somewhere far west of here, somewhere in—”

  “The mountains,” I say.

  “That’s right.” She pauses. “The mountains.”

  I shake my head. “He’s dead. I met him when Sin took me there. He said that we were the last remnants of an Old Family bloodline. He said that, just before killing Octavian and draining his blood.”

  Lilith nods, her hands clasped together as though mourning at the man’s funeral.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” she says. “But I’m afraid Sin is more insane than you imagine. The hate inside of him festers without bounds, and it was a hate that began at the hands of your father, Victor. It pains me to say this, but in some ways you shoulder the blame for what Sin has become.”

  I’m about to defend Victor when he says, “I know. I knew my father had another son, but he rarely spoke of him. I also knew how strict my father could be, especially if it was a child he did not want. I could have gone back. I could have taken Sin away somehow. But instead I was young, afraid of my father’s wrath, and just left him there.”

  “But we can still right it,” I say. “Sin is beyond salvation, but we can still stop him.”

  “Perhaps,” Lilith says. “But for that, I believe we must reenter the council chamber. And Dawn, your right as an Old Family vampire I will defend with my life, but that may not be enough to get you the seat you deserve. I see that now. The Council may demand that only full-blooded vampires be allowed onto the Council. But we shall see.”

  “Lilith, I don’t know what to say. Everything you’ve done . . .”

  “I’ve only played a small part in this. I’ve set the stage, I’ve put the actors out, but you, Dawn Montgomery, will now step into the leading role.”

  Chapter 13

  Back in the council chamber our welcome isn’t exactly warm. No telling what they’ve been talking about since we left.

  Lord Paxton rises. “Miss Montgomery, we have examined your documents. We cannot deny that you have some trace of vampire blood in you, but you are not a vampire. Only a full vampire may sit on the Council. Are you willing to be turned?”

  “No,” Victor says adamantly.

  “Why, young Valentine? If she would join us, then surely she would want to be like us.”

  Victor places his hands on my shoulders, turns me, and gazes into my eyes. “I’ll die before I let you be turned.”

  “There’s no need for me to be turned,” I say, speaking with the conviction of truth. “I have Old Family blood in my veins. I can trace my lineage back as far as anyone at this table. Those facts alone give me the right to be here.”

  “She is right,” Lilith says, standing as well. “She is of the Montgomery family. Her blood gives her a right to sit on the Council.”

  “Perhaps,” Lord Paxton says. “But the concern exists that she will be more interested in her human side than her vampire. Dawn, you’ve spent your entire life living in the world of humans, yet if you would have a voice here, we need to be assured that your loyalty would be to us vampires. Perhaps a test is all that is required. Would you be willing to agree to that?”

  “No,” Victor says at the same time that I say, “Yes.”

  Victor turns to me. “You don’t know what the test will be, Dawn.”

  “I know I can’t vote if I’m not sitting on the Council. We need their help to defeat Sin.” I face Lord Paxton. “I’m willing to be tested.”

  “Tomorrow night, then. Leave us now, all of you. We have much to discuss.”

  Victor, Faith, and Richard bow. Because they do, I bow as well. Then we turn and walk from the room.

  No one says anything as we drive back to the hotel. When Victor parks the car, we all climb out, so silent, so somber, like the city. The rain has stopped, but a heaviness weigh
ts the air.

  I look at the decrepit hotel. I can’t face going in there right now. “Can we walk for a while?”

  “We need to talk,” Victor says.

  “We can do that while we walk.” I start out, not waiting for them, but I’m aware they’re following. Victor quickly falls into step beside me, his nearness protecting me from any vampires who think I might be “unclaimed property.”

  We walk along in silence. I want him to take my hand, but I know he’s upset with me. Vampires are out on the streets, but they give us a wide berth. A few are Old Family, descendants of those we just left. But most are Lessers. They bow as we stride past them.

  “I can’t believe that you agreed to a test without even knowing what it is,” Victor finally says.

  “I didn’t really have a choice.”

  “One vote on the Council isn’t going to make any difference.”

  “Eight to seven, it will make all the difference in the world.”

  “We could’ve reasoned with them, laid out our case in more detail and convinced one of them to change their vote.”

  I turn sharply and he stops in his tracks. I stare up at him. “Old Family are stubborn. They would’ve debated for a decade before finally noticing that their heads were in a guillotine. Sin could be weeks, maybe just days from marching. There’s no more time for talk.”

  He puts his hands on my shoulders, squeezing me lightly. It feels nice.

  “I know. But they’ll never see you as equal as long as you’re not a full vampire.”

  “Before we went to the Council, you said it doesn’t matter what’s in my blood, but it does. You saw the Council’s reaction. Can you imagine when the citizens of Denver find out? Whenever they see me, they will only see the fangs I don’t even have. They will only see the enemy.”

  He moves his hands down until they’re wrapped around my own. “I don’t see the enemy in you.”

  “But can you see how screwed up everything is? Vampires don’t want me because of my human blood. Humans won’t want me because of my vampire blood.”

  “You don’t have to tell humans about your heritage.”

  “But if I don’t, am I admitting to being ashamed of the vampire in me?” I break free of his hold and start trudging forward again. “In any case, I’ll figure out what to tell the humans when we return to Denver. Right now, my issue is the vampires. Any idea what sort of test they’ll give me? Don’t suppose I’d be lucky enough to discover that they’re talking about a multiple-choice quiz to test my knowledge of vampires.”

  I’m trying to make light of it because I don’t want Victor to know how worried I am that I made a big mistake in accepting their challenge.

  “I doubt it,” Victor says, his tone serious and concerned. I could probably tell him a real joke right now and he wouldn’t laugh. “A seat on the Council isn’t often vacated. Tests are never required to fill one that is. I have no idea how the Council will test you.”

  He has no imagination, but I do. I imagine it’ll be difficult and dangerous.

  “Maybe it’ll just be an inquisition,” I muse.

  “They tortured people during the Inquisition.” He slips his hand into mine. “Tell them you changed your mind, you don’t want a seat on the Council.”

  I look up at him. “We need my vote to get the Old Families to rally against Sin.”

  “We don’t need them. We can fight this by ourselves.”

  “But at what cost?”

  We both grow silent, and I try to distract myself from my worries by taking mental snapshots of the city so I can describe everything to Tegan. She’ll be so disappointed to learn that there’s no beauty here. A few gaslights are glowing, and I’m not sure why. Vampires don’t need them. Maybe humans wander the streets at night as well, although I haven’t seen any.

  “When are you going to stop being angry about Xavier?” I hear Faith say from several feet behind us.

  “I told you, Faith, I’m not angry.”

  “You give a good imitation.”

  Richard doesn’t respond, and I can sense Faith’s frustration building. Finally, she hisses low, “All right. What did you want me to say when he asked me to stay?”

  “‘I can’t because it’s not where Richard will be.’ I wanted to be the reason you wouldn’t stay with him. Not Victor.”

  “You are! Don’t you understand? I’m scared, all right? I don’t like that I think about you all the time. I don’t like that during the past ninety-eight years I compare every guy I meet to you.”

  “You do?” I hear the genuine surprise in his voice.

  “Does that make you happy?”

  “Yes, it does.”

  I hear a fist pounding into flesh and can’t stop myself from glancing back. Richard is holding Faith’s wrist. I have a feeling she punched his shoulder.

  “I hate you,” she says.

  He cradles her face. “Do you really?”

  She shakes her head. “But you’ll stop wanting to be with me eventually.”

  “Stop wanting to be with you? I love you, Faith.”

  “Vampires can’t love.”

  “If vampires can’t love, then they can’t hate. If you can hate me, you can love me.”

  “You’ll break my heart.”

  “Why would I do that? In ninety-eight years, I’ve never met anyone who intrigues me like you do. You’re stubborn, spoiled, and you try so hard not to be loved.”

  “Dawn says love is worth the pain, but I think it could kill me.”

  “It won’t. Trust me.” Then he lowers his head and kisses her. Leaning into him, she winds her arms around his shoulders. With her heels, she’s almost as tall as he is.

  As they begin entwining themselves around each other, I look away. “Maybe you should tell them to go back to the hotel.”

  Victor grins. “I think they’ll figure it out. You probably won’t be sharing a room with Faith this morning.”

  “That’s okay. She snores.”

  His grin broadens. “Did you want to go back to the hotel?”

  “No, let’s walk a little more.” We never have any time just for us, and while New Vampiria isn’t romantic, it is quiet. A light mist begins to fall.

  “Before the war, there was a beautiful field just over there,” Victor says. “It was so green and lush. I wish you could have seen it.”

  Where he’s pointing, I see dilapidated buildings. “We lost so much in the war.”

  “Things that can never be replaced,” he says. “I don’t even know if they can be rebuilt.”

  “They have to be. We must have a world that’s better than this depressing place.”

  “There’s that optimism I admire.” He stops and faces me. “If the field were still there, I’d take you on a picnic. I’d—”

  A scream rends the quiet. I jerk around, trying to determine where it came from. Faith and Richard are nowhere to be seen. I guess they did return to the hotel.

  Then the terrified scream comes again.

  “There!” I yell, and dash toward the mouth of an alley. As my legs churn, I yank out my stake from my holster. Although it’s dark in the alley, just enough light is filtering in that I can make out the silhouette of a girl pressed against the wall, fighting off a guy.

  “Hey, asshole!” I shout.

  With one arm across her shoulders, he keeps her pinned in place while he slowly turns his head to glare at me. He’s emaciated, too thin. His cheeks are hollow. Dark half-moons rest beneath his eyes. Hissing, he reveals his fangs. “I’m hungry. You’ll do for dessert.”

  “Help me,” the girl pleads.

  I glance quickly back. Victor’s not here. What happened to him? Crap! Terror slices through me. Was this some sort of trap?

  “Please!” the girl cries out, bringing my attention back to her.

  I need to find Victor, but I can’t leave the girl to this monster. I start running, gathering my energy and strength—

  I take a flying leap and kick him hard,
knocking him back, freeing her. “Run!”

  She doesn’t have to be told twice. I hear her rapid footsteps as she escapes, leaving me to face the vampire. He quickly comes to his feet.

  “I guess you just became the main course.”

  He comes for me. I duck, shove him back. Hunger has made him weak, but also determined. We start circling each other.

  He lunges. I swipe my stake across his chest. He leaps back to avoid it. Snarls.

  “When was the last time you had blood?” I ask.

  “What do you care?”

  He rushes forward—

  I leap to the side, then swing out a leg, knocking him off his feet. He lands hard, and I jump on top of him, pinning him, squeezing my knees against his arms, holding him down. I place the tip of my stake on his chest, above his beating heart. He roars.

  Then surrenders. I feel him going lax. It could be a trick, but I think of the starving humans I saw in Los Angeles. I think about Crimson Sands. I think about the world I want to live in instead of the one that I do.

  “You can have some of my blood,” I say, shoving up the sleeve on my jacket.

  “Dawn, no,” Victor says.

  I look back to see him standing there. I wonder where he was, but that’s a question to be answered later.

  “I don’t have enough vampire in me to infect him with the Thirst. I have enough human blood in me to sate his hunger until he can find a legitimate blood source.” I glare at my defeated vampire. “He’ll kill you if you take too much.”

  “I wasn’t expecting your generosity.” With a sudden powerful move, he shoves me off and is standing over me.

  From out of the shadows emerge cloaked figures. I leap to my feet, my stake at the ready. I was right. It is a trap. I start easing back toward Victor.

  “We’ve seen enough,” a voice I recognize from earlier in the night says. Lilith pushes back her hood.