The Heart's Ashes
Page 16

“What sentence did he give?”
“Two years first grade torture followed by five hundred years imprisonment.”
“But that’s horrible! How can he do that to someone he loved?”
“Sentencing wasn’t the worst, Amara. He was the one that did the torturing.”
I covered my mouth with a shaky hand. “That doesn’t sound like the David I knew.”
“Well, the David we all knew wouldn’t shirk his duties because of a human.”
“Well, it’s not my fault he loved me.”
“Isn’t it? Things were going well for Councilman David. His uncle expected him to go far—until you came along and ruined his life with feelings.”
“What’s so bad about feelings?” I said with a certain amount of insult.
“Nothing. We all have ‘em. But it’s the feelings for you that caused the trouble.”
“Why, because I was kidnapped by his brother and he couldn’t get revenge?”
“No. It started before that. Apparently, Arthur had a hard time even making David return to duty. Had to knock some sense into him.”
“He would have returned if he could’ve brought me with him.”
“What, as a human?” his tone rose high with incredulity.
“Yeah.”
“They’d have killed you on the spot.” He gave a small shake of his head, as if that were a really dumb thing to say. “No humans.”
“Why? You’re with a human now.”
“Not living with one, and I’m not a councilman.”
“So?”
“So, they have different rules.”
“Why?”
“You know, if I tell you this, and you blab, I do have to kill you. It’s no joke.”
I nodded.
“Okay, fine. Your funeral. So, you want a background narrative, or shall I just answer that one question?”
I laughed. “Umm…narrative.”
His eyes narrowed to thought. “Okay…narrative. Here we go. So, once upon a time.” He stopped and laughed. “Nah, I’m kidding. We’re too dark for fairy-tale beginnings. Um, where to start? Okay. Well, see, vampires on the Council live distinguished lives. They have, in some ways, fewer rules than us minions, but their rules are stricter and more enforced. They’re expected to maintain the Set for two years, which is intense, laboured work—no human contact. At all. Ever. Aside from food. But when that time’s over, they can take two years to be human—live wherever they want, do whatever and eat whomever they want. Even though we don’t care much for humans, the human lifestyle, all the glamour and fun, is something we all desire. A trait we carry on from our roots, I guess. Being on the Council offers you the most freedom. It’s a much respected, very sought after position that takes vile and disgusting acts to get in to. David had to work hard to earn his place there.”
“So—do the ‘minions’ have limits on how long they can be with a human?”
“Not an actual limit. If they hear about a vampire and a human being together too long though, the Council usually steps in. But, really, who’d want to be with a human? Your species don’t really fascinate us. We use you for our own guilty pleasures, but that’s about it.”
“David didn’t do that.”
“Whatever. I don’t care either way.”
“I do.”
“You need to get over that. He’s not coming back for you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Don’t I?” He glared at me. I hated the look of cocky certainty in his eye. “Amara, if Councilman David comes back, he faces...well, it doesn’t matter. He won’t come back here—not for a human. You’re just not worth it.”
“Then I’ll just have to find him.”
“Right, and, if the World Council can’t find him, what makes you think you will? Look, I don’t mean to sound harsh, but...get over him.”
“I can’t.”
“You just have to.”
“No, I don’t.”
Eric groaned. “Stubborn, aren’t ya?”
“So I’ve been told.” I hugged my bag and stared forward.
“Okay, I’m telling you this for your own good, girl.”
I cringed at the tone he used. “Please don’t.”
“I am anyway, okay?”
My shoulders tightened a little.
“Thing is...David is, at the very least, a strong man. When he makes up his mind...” Eric shook his head. “If you only knew what it took for him to gain his position on the council—how much he had to sacrifice—then you’d understand that him throwing that in, just because the law prevented justice for him, is no small feat.”
“So?”
“So, if he left that behind, with the deep-seated knowledge of what would happen if he did, and he didn’t bother to take you with him, then his defection was not for pain of the heart, but for the principle.”
“Huh?”
“He cares more about the failure of justice than that he couldn’t be with you.”
“Oh.”
“Do you understand now, that he’ll never return for you?”
“I always understood that, Eric. I just don’t want to believe it.” I sat thinking about everything for a second. “Do you think he’ll come back if Arthur changes the laws of how vampires interact with human-mates?”
Eric shook his head. “I think Arthur’s plan is futile. You can’t change the past, can’t restore Councilman David’s faith in the system. And new laws won’t see Jason punished for what he did to you.”
“It should,” I scoffed.
“Why?” Eric jostled about with a curt chuckle. “It was a taste of David’s own medicine, if you ask me.”
Hmpf! “So, what will these new laws mean, then—what will change?”
“Everything,” he scoffed. “See, Arthur can’t change the fact that a human’s death means nothing to a vampire, but he at least wants your species to be considered protected. There are too many of these cases where vampires are losing loved ones because of random or revenge attacks. I guess you could call it a Human Rights movement.” He found that funny, but I had other things to worry about.