Uncovering Truths

I don’t have much time. Fortunately they won’t be back until tomorrow but there is still a risk that Eden or James will hear me sneaking around. I don’t know what I’m doing and I don’t even know if there is some kind of security system in place in their room. What if there’s a camera or something that could catch me in the act. 

I push back my thoughts of doubt and convince myself to open the door as quietly as I can. I shut the door behind me, turn on the lights, and gaze around Vicky and Selene’s room. 

It quaint and had modest furnishing with two twin beds, a bookshelf, a desk with several cabinets, a shared bedside table, and a lamp. Apart from the several knives, weapons, and rope stacked against the wall, I’d almost say this is a pretty normal looking room. I don’t exactly know what I was expecting. 

I start with the bookshelf and skim the top shelf carefully. I make a mental note to remember exactly what order the books and papers were stacked in so that I can put them back in the positions I found them and begin shuffling through them. I feel a hint of pride knowing I’m searching in the right spot as many of these items contain information about vampire and angel lore. I find a notebook titled, ‘Pure List,’ with handwritten notes of names, plans, and specific details of different individuals. At the bottom of each person’s/family’s page there are reports of their assassination attempts with descriptions of how much blood they were able to extract from them. I can’t help but foolishly think about how I could use this evidence to submit to a local police station. I shiver and put the notebook back. It’s not quite what I’m looking for. 

What I want to find is some clues on how to stop Feyer. I know looking through Vicky and Selene’s stuff was not necessarily a guarantee that I’d find anything but I held out hope. Book after book, page after page, I read through what sounds like a fantasy genre to me depicting vampires and angels and how their worlds worked. I couldn’t quite determine if any of this information would help me. 

Then I’m drawn to a particular book on the third shelf. It’s tucked away in a corner but seems to be well taken care of. It’s a pitch-black colour with gold accents along the rims. I pick it up and admire the careful stitching of a hand-sewn cover. The book title, ‘The Complete Collection of the Demon Queen,’ has me pondering. For a book that claims to be a complete collection, it seems to be rather thin. I note the blue sticky note on the cover that read, ‘blood volume reference p. 27.’

Curious, I turn to the table of contents and skim the topics of interest ranging from the origins of the Demon Queen and descriptions of her legacy. Immediately I get lost in the pages and discover that this Demon Queen was some sort of dark angel with powers to control fate. She was one of the most skilled and powerful angels with the ability to manipulate fate. Many said she could have prevented wars, famines, and natural disasters. But instead of protecting humanity with her amazing powers, she caused numerous tragedies on purpose.

People couldn’t uncover the motives behind her actions. The more some would try to approach her and beg her for mercy, the more fear grew within the people. Soon people would start bringing her offerings of riches and acts of service in hopes that she would spare them. They fully began to worship her like a deity and dedicated their lives to serving her.

I shiver and eventually find myself at page twenty-six. A group of light angels spent years training to face the Demon Queen and successfully lock her away in an enchanted prison to spend the rest of her immortal life isolated from all living beings. The prison was crafted carefully and constructed by the finest craftsmen to be nearly unbreakable. But unfortunately nothing is impenetrable. The prison’s lock can be released by a sacrifice of blood - blood of faeries, pure vampires, and/or dark angels. 

I freeze. Is that what this has all been for? So that Vicky and Selene can unleash some monster known as the Demon Queen? I’m not entirely sure what I was anticipating but it definitely wasn’t this. It seemed extreme even for them. The book describes the Demon Queen as being able to murder thousands with one single strike. What could they possibly have to gain by unleashing her into the world?

I jump and let out a little shriek when I hear a ‘ping’ noise. Relaxing my nerves, I note that the sudden sound comes from a laptop on the bedside table. The laptop is slightly ajar and I find my eyes darting towards the screen. Curiosity consuming me, I open the laptop fully and see incoming messages:

Selene: Did you think about my proposal?

My heart beats fast and I hold in a gasp. This is a personal conversation between Vicky and Selene. 

Vicky: I have a new target in mind. I can send you the coordinates later today. 

Selene: …

Vicky: I’ll organize the kill plan

Selene: It seems unnecessary. We’re so close and have two pure blood vampires at our disposal already. 

Selene: We only need two more.

Two pure blood vampires? Selene must be referring to Eden and Frost. My palms are sweaty and my heart sinks at the thought of what they are probably in-suiting. We only need two more?  Two more pure vampire kills? Does that mean they plan to kill Eden?

Vicky: I’d rather avoid getting rid of them. 

Vicky: They are still useful to us. 

Selene: Your motives are questionable. 

There’s a pause. It’s excruciating. 

Vicky: I assure you I am only being tactful. 

Vicky: The targets I have in mind are nearby our newest home. 

Selene: And why haven’t we successfully targeted them before?

Vicky: It was not the right time. 

Selene: Alright but if this is unsuccessful I expect we will be ending Eden and Frost. 

Vicky: That would make sense.

I want to scream and throw the laptop across the room but I bite my tongue and maintain my composure. Without thinking I place everything back in the exact positions I found them in and exit the room. I feel light-headed as I convince my trembling legs to move towards my room. 

I’m three steps away from my door when I finally collapse to the ground. My breathing is hectic and tears are streaming down my face. I clutch my stomach in a sudden rush of pain. 

I feel someone’s arms wrap around my shoulders. 

“It’s okay, breathe,” Eden says to me. 

My brain is frozen. I can’t calm down. 

“Follow me,” Eden says. He supports my arms and waist as we stand up together and walk into my room. From there he sits me onto my bed and sits down beside me. He doesn’t leave my side for at least ten minutes.

I seem to only be capable of holding onto one thought in this moment: I have to save him no matter what.