“What if they don't? Will you have to turn other people into Truebloods to meet the count?” I can't imagine Riley inflicting his vampire status on someone else. He only joined the Beaumonts to have a place to live, and sure, he had little choice, but when he was thirteen, it seemed like the only one.
Riley gulps. “I don't know for sure, but it's clearly expected of me. The High Council will want me to do it soon, and that probably means within a year or two.”
I sigh in relief, but I wrap my arm around Riley's back instinctively. He has so much to do and so little time. “You shouldn't have to do this.”
“I took Dominic's blood as a vampire. These are the consequences,” Riley says with a weak smile. Our faces are just inches from each other. “I'm alive and I'm not a raging murderer, but now I have responsibilities. Ancient vampires only give their blood to vampires they consider their heirs, and only if they fear their time is short for whatever reason.”
“Dominic's time was short,” I say. “He broke the law and the High Council knew, and you were the only Trueblood left here. So it makes sense. Maybe there's a chance we'll get through this.”
“Maybe,” he says.
“We'll come up with a plan,” I say. “Let's skip class tomorrow, and I'm going to call Lily as soon as the sun's up so we can get together. I hope her parents have let their guard down since we caught Dad working against the hunters.” Mike Rivera, Lily's father, said to my face that he and Dad were friends, and that he thought I'd be a good friend to Lily after all. “She might have some ideas she can combine with us. We meet as soon as the library opens, and then we come up with a way to survive, with none of the other Nightsides listening in. Because I'm sure the Originator is among them.”
* * * * *
I call Lily as soon as I figure she's up for school, and Riley goes downstairs to raid the blood stash that's still in the fridge. The cell that used to hold Dominic is now empty, with the cot still disheveled from the struggle, as if it's a crime scene. And it is. The three of us took him out of his cell and didn't even return him. Riley will have no one bothering him, and I hope there is enough blood in the cooler after he depleted much of the deer population while poisoned.
Lily answers, and I quickly explain to her the deal.
And she goes quiet on the other side of the phone as I pace around our bedroom, keeping my voice as low as I can in case the Originator is in the mansion and listening.
“The Convening? I forgot about that, because usually only senior hunters go,” Lily says. “Of course they'd want Riley to show up.”
“You know about the Convening?” I ask. Senior hunters go? But isn't it only a vampire event?
“I've heard about it from my parents. Hunters always go because they want to know about the rules Truebloods come up with. That's part of the truce. We make sure the Truebloods are following the rules they make for themselves, and they agree to stay organized and stop each other from rampaging through society. They also agree to, well, keep their Nightsides under control.”
“Great,” I say. “I just found out we're slaves in some covens, and now the hunters condone that?” Anger pumps into my limbs from some deep core inside of me. This is getting more and more awesome by the minute.
“Some covens,” Lily says. “Others, well, you know. I'll meet you in the town library at opening. The librarian won't bother us, I think.”
“I'm glad you have a phone now,” I say.
I can hear the smile in Lily's voice. “So do I. My parents still have no idea about my stunt since I could return the stun gun back in its place and remove my fingerprints.”
I end the call shortly after that, and go downstairs to find that Trish, Daeshawn, and Walton have all retreated somewhere, and that the rest of the mansion seems to be empty. Many of the Nightsides prefer to go out at night, and I hope that's because they don't want to hurt people if they get too hungry. Soon, the sun will come up and the main throng will return and retreat to their rooms to sleep for the day. I find the dining room empty of everyone, and I realize that I miss having Mom and occasionally Dad down here, making or enjoying coffee.
Mom hasn't been here much since he left.
I can only wonder what she's going through right now, and I hate that I don't have the resources to comfort her. She came here to Moon's Peak to pursue Dad, and now he's gone again. Mom is in no shape to listen to my problems right now.
I find Riley coming out of the basement, and he nods with another small smile. “The blood bank came through. There was blood down there, and enough to fill all my vials. I should be good to tolerate the day for at least a few hours. You know, when morning actually gets here.” He opens the curtains and looks out on the darkness, and out our window that overlooks the parking lot. On the horizon, the first pink glow of morning shines through the trees. In an hour, Lily will get up at her normal time.
“At least
