Jessica Rules the Dark Side Read online

  Chapter 22

  Antanasia

  "SOMEONE SPEAK," Lucius commanded, looking from one Elder to the next. "How did this happen?"

  No one volunteered an answer, and Lucius let the silence linger, continuing to scrutinize each face even as he slipped his hand under Claudiu's lifeless head, cradling it in a gesture that I didn't quite understand.

  Did Lucius respect—even love—his uncle, in a way?

  But Claudiu beat him when he was younger, and defied him...

  I didn't want to, but I couldn't keep myself from looking at Claudiu's corpse again. It almost looked like he was sleeping, until Lucius gently rolled him onto his back and I could see where the stake had entered.

  I found myself counting. One, two, three wounds. There's a lot of fresh blood on the floor, the body...

  With his free hand, Lucius closed Claudiu's eyes, which had been open and terrifyingly vacant, but the gesture did little to make the whole scene less awful.

  I covered my mouth with my hand again, frustrated that I could drink blood, that it had been part of my wedding, even, but that I could barely handle the sight of it right then.

  Don't get sick. You pressed your hands over a wound like that once, back in Jake Zinn's barn, in hopes of saving Lucius. You can do this. You've seen plenty of dead animals on the farm.

  "Who found him?" Lucius finally demanded, when no one answered his first question. He remained kneeling, seeming not to notice the blood pooling around him, staining his pants. "Someone can at least answer that."

  "It was me, Lucius. I found him." I turned to see my uncle Dorin stepping forward, all the pink in his cheeks drained away, and the right hand he was raising shook. "Ylenia and I were leaving at dawn, and we found him here."

  Lucius watched my uncle for a long moment, his expression even more grim.

  No, a part of me protested. You can't be angry with Dorin just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time! That's not fair!

  But I didn't speak up, because although I wanted to protect my uncle, I knew it was even more important not to show any division between me and Lucius. He always said presenting a united front was crucial.

  Or was I afraid to speak because I might say the wrong thing?

  And how could we all be so calm? There was a body there. It wasn't some TV crime scene. It was real.

  I kept my hand pressed to my mouth. This is my world.

  Lucius slipped his hand from beneath Claudiu and gently rested his uncle's head on the floor again, rising, and although the wound had been to Claudiu's chest, my husband's fingers were stained with blood, just like they must have been after the execution he'd performed less than two days before.

  "Someone send for servants to clean and prepare the body," he ordered the Elders in general. "I will stay here until they arrive, and we will reconvene late this afternoon in the meeting hall." He looked pointedly at Dorin, who flinched. "I expect everyone here to be in attendance. Every Elder."

  Dorin nodded. "Yes, of course."

  I tried to shoot Dorin a sympathetic glance, but his head was already bowed, his eyes hidden.

  There didn't seem to be more to say, so, as if following Dorin's lead, we all bowed our heads, offering Claudiu a spontaneous moment of silent respect. As we stood quietly, Flaviu stepped forward and laid his coat over the body, then took his place among the others again.

  I thought I should probably close my eyes, but I didn't. I watched Lucius through lowered lashes as he looked down on his uncle, his expression unreadable again.

  "Excuse me?"

  Everyone turned toward the small, tentative voice to see Ylenia still standing against the wall.

  What?

  "Umm ... I don't want to interrupt, but the stake hasn't been found, has it?" she asked.

  We all stared at her, and she got red and adjusted her eyeglasses, and I got the clear sense that she wished she hadn't spoken up, while I sort of wished I had said something. Anything. I was a princess and should have stepped up next to Lucius.

  Then all of us turned to face the gigantic door that led outside as it squeaked open on its old hinges and somebody else joined us, exclaiming as she stepped into the circle of vampires, clearly not understanding what was hidden under the coat at her feet, "Holy Toledo! Did I come at, like, a bad time?"

  Chapter 23

  Raniero

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  Lucius, my friend—

  Early this day at one o'clock p.m. yours truly is about to order the delizioso bean burrito at Terrible Taco, a most famous eatery that is parked very conveniently near to my own shack of domicile, when there is a taptaptap upon Raniero's bare arm.

  "Si?" I look down, expecting to find a turista in search of surfing lessons (I have a small word-of-mouth business in surfing education, did you know? Sadly, I never remember to ask for payment—which I think helps commerce. It is a vicious cycle, no?).

  But it is not a turista. It is a vampiro, who looks closely at the arm which I despise and says, "You are Vladescu Lovatu, no?" (I am as famous as Terrible Taco! LOL, but with sad face.)

  My new friend—who wears many piercings to tell the world that he fears nothing, not even Raniero!—does not wait for my denial of identity. He is too busy offering me congratulations on my many achievements in the fields of death, dismemberment, etc.

  You can imagine that this is not the kind of praise I wish for, so I thank him for his kind words and reach for my food. Tuttavia, before I can walk away, my misguided young fanatic says to me, "You heard about Claudiu, right, dude?"

  I stop and nearly drop a very good burrito to hear his next words, which I quote to you: "That dude is toast, man."

  Lucius ... is this story true? Is Claudiu destroyed? If so, when? Because we have been in correspondence this very morning, several times, and you mention nothing.

  I do not believe in worry, but I admit that this news shakes my peace, just a little.

  I very much look forward to the messaggio in which you laugh at me and advise, "Do not listen to young vampires who can barely speak for the silver posts that hinder their foolish tongues!" I anticipate, too, the lengthy paragrafo in which you express unhappiness with bean burritos, shacks of any kind, and places in which people say "dude" and are not ashamed. If you like, I will lecture myself and spare you the trouble, LOL!

  Though per favore,... answer presto, Lucius, if it is no difficulty.

  And if you do not mind telling me ... is Melinda Sue there, in the middle of this possible-if-unlikely death and destruction?

  Raniero

  Chapter 24

  Mindy

  ME AND JESS huddled on the big bed in my guest room, totally giving up on unpacking my suitcases. We'd tried to pretend like we were both okay, but Jess's hand started shaking when she tried to unzip the bag with all my shoes, so we just sat down next to the black dress I brought along in case something fancy happened.

  I gave that dress a real sad look. Too bad the something fancy was gonna be a funeral.

  "I'm really sorry this happened now," Jess said. She bit her fingernail, which was a habit I knew she was trying to break. I didn't remind her, though. She had enough on her mind without worrying about her manicure.

  One of the old vampires had actually been killed. When I walked in the door, I'd thought there was, like, a dead dog on the floor, and I was totally confused about why Lucius was covered with blood. When I finally caught on to what was happening ... that was like the first time I kinda understood why Jess might think being a princess wasn't everything it was cracked up to be in storybooks.

  "Are you okay?" I asked her. Her eyes had big black circles under them, and she was way too thin. I was glad I brought the Tastykakes.

  "I should be asking you that." She gave me a real worried look. "And I understand if you want to turn right around and go home."

  She said that, but I knew my best friend, and she wanted me to stay. "No way, Jess
," I told her. "I'm not leaving you now!"

  Jess looked way relieved. "I honestly believe you're safe here." But she still gave me one more chance to back out. "But I really do understand if you want to leave."

  Gosh, I kinda did want that. Then I thought about spending break with my mom bugging me every day to get a job at McDonald's or KFC, 'cause she was gonna start charging me rent, and all of a sudden the alternative didn't look so bad. It wasn't like any of those old vampires—and let's face it, one of 'em was guilty of murder—would bother me. "Jess?" I said. "I gotta tell you something."

  "Yeah?" She got mad at herself and tried again, 'cause she was working to make her speech more royal. "Yes?"

  "I kinda flunked outta school," I confessed. "I don't really have anyplace else to go right now, 'cause my mom is pissed. If I go home, I gotta pay just to live in my stupid bedroom."

  Jess blinked about ten times, like she was almost as surprised by my news as by a dead vampire in her house. "Wow ... I'm so sorry. I guess you've had a rough fall, too. I'm sorry if I was too busy complaining about my life to really listen to your problems."

  I shrugged. "It's okay. I didn't really get what was up with you, either. I thought you were being kinda whiny. Until today."

  "Yeah. Yes." Jess got almost scared and whispered, "I'm really worried about Lucius."

  It was my turn to blink. "Why?" I couldn't imagine anybody I'd worry about less.

  But Jess got even quieter, even though the only vampire within a mile was her personal bodyguard, Emilio. "Lucius had a fight with Claudiu yesterday, in front of the Elders. A bad fight."

  I was no mathlete, but I could at least put two and two together. "Oh, wow. Sorry, Jess." Then I had to ask, "You don't think he coulda..."

  "No." She shook her head. "There's no way." But her eyes got, like, desperate. "You believe that, right?"

  I took a sec to think. I'd seen Lukey bang Frank Dormand up against a locker, and I knew he was no saint. But I'd also seen him at their wedding, and there was no way he would mess up what he had with Jess by killing another vampire. Plus, if Lucius was gonna kill somebody, he wouldn't hide it. He'd do it in plain sight, then stand there and tell you why. And you'd probably end up saying, "Sure, Lucius. I get it!"

  Last but not least, Jess needed me to believe her. I made up my mind, right then and there. "I believe you, Jess. Lukey's totally innocent."

  I was glad I could say that and mean it, 'cause it seemed to mean a lot to her. She even tried to smile. "I'm sure it's going to be okay, right?"

  "Oh, yeah, definitely." I tried to smile, too. But I wasn't sure about that at all.

  Then we both got real quiet and just sat there being bummed about our lives.

  After a minute, 'cause we could never shut up for long, Jess looked at me like I was some math problem she wanted to solve. Like the world's sorriest algebra equation. "What happened at Lebanon Valley, anyhow? You were never in Honors Club in high school, but you never flunked anything, either."

  I got red and almost wished we were talking about dead vampires again. "I don't know. I just couldn't think there."

  I wanted to tell Jess about Raniero. I really did. But there was no way I could tell a princess who was married to the guy who'd just dominated at a murder scene that I had spent even a month with the only vampire who woulda cried at the sight of blood, and maybe run away, 'cause he hated violence. Violence was the only thing he hated.

  I would never have a real prince—not being royal was, sadly, the only thing Ronnie ever put his foot down about—but I wanted more than a poor, lazy, New Age peacenik who wouldn't stand up for me. Even if he was the world's best kisser, with eyes that drove me crazy.

  Jess knew me well enough to read my mind, though. She bent her head, trying to see my face. "Min ... whatever happened with you and Raniero? At my wedding?"

  I knew I'd have to tell her soon—shoulda told her months ago—but I was still glad when somebody knocked on the door. Until that person popped her head in. A head covered with curls that were like Jess's, only frizzier, like they needed a date with a product with silicone. And she wore a purple shirt that was Jess's signature color. This new girl's mouth was like Jess's, too—which wasn't really her fault.

  Still, I couldn't help thinking, This chick's a Jess knockoff. And I know knockoffs!

  I crossed my arms over my Anna Sui–look-alike shirt and watched Elaine or Elainey, whatever her name was, stutter and stammer and apologize her way into my room like she was sorry she existed—but wasn't gonna let that stop her from trying to cozy up to a princess.

  So... this was Jess's new friend.

  Chapter 25

  Antanasia

  "YLENIA, THIS IS my best friend, Mindy."

  My cousin took a few hesitant steps into the room and smiled shyly. "Hi. Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

  Mindy nodded—but didn't smile. "Yeah. I've heard stuff about you, too."

  I looked at Min, surprised, by the cold greeting.

  Then I turned back to Ylenia. "I guess you and Dorin came back for the meeting, huh?"

  "Well, I won't be attending, of course." She glanced at Mindy, the even bigger outsider, to clarify. "Since I'm not an Elder. But yes, Dorin needs to go. Obviously."

  "So you really found the body?" Mindy asked. She was cocking her head like tiny Ylenia might have staked a six-foot-tall vampire. "That musta been awful."

  Ylenia shuddered, a trait that seemed common to all Dragomirs in the same way a cynically arched eyebrow marked Vladescu males. "Yes. It was terrible. But Dorin actually saw Claudiu first, and he tried to turn me around, before I could see too much." Her voice got a little thick with emotion. "I guess he knew it would upset me to see the body, given what happened to my father so recently."

  "Ylenia's father was just destroyed," I explained, for Mindy's benefit. "That was the trial I was telling you about."

  "I'm sorry about your dad," Mindy told my cousin. "My dad's gone, too. It sucks."

  Ylenia blinked some more. "Your father ... died?"

  "No, he just left," Mindy said flatly. "But he's, like, a jobless loser anyhow, so it's no big deal, I guess."

  Mindy had spent so much time at my parents' farm that I sometimes forgot about her shiftless dad, who hardly ever even called her from wherever he happened to be crashing at any given time.

  "My mother left like that." Ylenia trumped Mindy in terms of family dysfunction. "I haven't seen her in years."

  "Sorry," Min said. "That sucks for you, too."

  Ylenia shrugged. "It's okay. I got to attend a good boarding school in England because of it. At least until the money ran out." She managed to smile at me. "And now I'm fortunate to live in Antanasia's family home, since she lives here."

  Mindy didn't seem to have anything else to say, and although the awkward dynamic between them was making a bad day even worse, I had to ask Ylenia, "Do you want to hang out with us? Or with Mindy, because I have to go get ready for the meeting soon."

  My semipermanent sense of foreboding deepened again at the thought of that gathering. Lucius threatened Claudiu. Everyone saw them fight. Heard them both declare, "This is not over."

  "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that," Ylenia said. "I know that I have no say in what happens at councils, but I thought I might just suggest"—she held up her hands—"not that I have any right to suggest anything to a princess..."

  "Ylenia, we're friends," I reminded her. "And I could use a suggestion right now."

  "Well, I imagine that Lucius has thought of this, but in case he hasn't—maybe you should ask all of the Elders to produce their stakes."

  "What?" Mindy blurted the question before I could.

  "That's how my father's killer was ultimately convicted," Ylenia explained to both of us, since of course I'd missed the trial. She looked at Mindy, though, assuming I would understand what she said next. "Every male vampire has a stake that is given to him by his father, at the achievement of manhood."


  I remembered, then, something else from my mother's journal. "A stake, like blood, is distinctive to its bearer..." And I knew that Lucius had only one stake.

  I turned to Mindy, too, putting it in terms she'd understand. "Ylenia's right. A stake is like a ... a bar mitzvah gift."

  Mindy frowned. "That's a pretty twisted present."

  "Perhaps," Ylenia agreed. "But most male vampires, in particular the nobles, will use only that stake when a weapon is needed. It becomes like an extension of one's arm." She paused. "And a stake is never 'misplaced.'"

  I nodded, understanding. "So you're saying if one of the Elders destroyed Claudiu, his blood would be on their weapon."

  Ylenia nodded too. "Yes. The scent of my father's blood was on his killer's stake. It was unmistakable."

  "This is getting a little weird," Mindy interrupted. "No offense."

  "It is weird," I admitted. And yet simply requiring everyone to produce a stake might be an effective way of finding the killer. Or at least of helping vindicate Lucius, whose stake would be clean.

  "I'm sure Lucius has thought of this," Ylenia added again. "But on the off chance that he's distracted—and grieving—I thought I'd offer the suggestion to you."

  I wasn't sure if Lucius was grieving, but he was definitely distracted. "Thanks."

  "I just want to help," Ylenia said. Then she looked at the door. "I'll get going now."

  "Thanks," I repeated. "Let's hang out later. The three of us."