A dense row of dark hedges on either side of the road marked their final approach to the palace.
"I realize all of this excitement has likely taken the focus off of what was planned for today," Grayson said, drawing the attention of both Penelope and Cora from the terrain outside.
He noticed that Penelope's breath had gotten shallow as the palace drew near. She did not want to be here. It was understandable but also concerning, for Penelope was soon to be the only living thing in Gray Vale and so would need the palace's protection. Hopefully she could acclimate to life within its walls. Everyone should fear how Cora would react if something happened to her mother.
"You are talking about the death by desire?" Cora asked.
That was how the royal family had coined her ability when she first moved to Gray Vale. It was hard to tell how successful their rhetoric surrounding her presence was. Certainly, the term 'death by desire' was much more sensitive to the vampire audience than anything mentioning life would be.
Inviting death only when it was desired—no earlier and no later. It was the perfect situation, really. Few humans were even given a Goldilocks death like that. They typically either died much earlier than they would like, not having time to appreciate all of the joys they had found in life or not having accomplished all that they wished to. Or they died later than they would like—forced to endure the immense pain and suffering that came with terminal illnesses.
There was rarely the gift of that perfect timing of death that Cora's gift afforded the vampires. As far as she was concerned, the vampires were incredibly blessed to have her here. But few seemed to agree. Cora still only saw the fear and anger that sprung up wherever she was present. Perhaps it was time for the royals to create a new marketing strategy for her.
"Right. The death by desire," Grayson said, a subtle mirth in his eyes that neither female seemed to pick up on.
"Who is it?" Cora asked, her attention taken again by the dark hedges that lined the drive.
The ominous steepled towers of the palace finally came into view. Cora heard Zane's Dracula impression in her head. "Castlevania," he always called it.
She smiled recalling the joke just as a sharp pang hit her just above the heart. Would he still joke like that? Would he still be the same?
"A friend of the family," Grayson's vague answer finally came.
She turned to him with narrowed eyes. The only other time she had done this it was for a 'friend of the family.'
"What is the process of selecting the death by desire candidates?" She asked.
Grayson chuckled. "Selecting? Miss Cora, they come to us."
For the first time, Cora could sense something extra about Grayson… like a layer of deceit. When she noticed it, the Veiled sprung to her eyes and she squeezed her eyelids shut.
She tried not to see the Veiled unless it was necessary. She only viewed it when she needed it to draw in the energies around her to create life. Otherwise, there was too much information about her surroundings and those she was with. She didn't want to see the heartache that her mother carried around, for example. She didn't want to see the place inside of her family that throbbed desperately for her father to return.
And now the Veiled was trying to push its way into her awareness. It wanted her to see the deceit that Grayson was surrounded with.
"I know about it," she whispered to herself, trying to convince the Veiled to retreat—to leave her alone.
She knew the vampires were deceitful. She knew how much darkness they carried inside. She didn't need the reminder to not trust this one vampire in particular. But something about her gift and these death by desire candidates had made the Veiled appear. She was onto something with the question she asked, clearly.
Penelope squeezed her daughter's knee. She could tell that Cora was struggling with something, and while she couldn't see what Cora saw anymore—she had sacrificed that ability to see the Veiled before moving here—she could imagine it. This was a dark place, and these were dark, secretive people.
"Miss Cora, are you all right?" Grayson asked. Her heart had sped up considerably.
She nodded with her eyes still shut and turned to open them only with the view of what was outside the carriage. She was not prepared to scrutinize what Grayson might be hiding from her at this time. She didn't want to see his aura or his heart or his hidden self. But the Veiled was still there, still palpable. Still throbbing in the air outside and insisting that she be aware of everything that was surrounding her.
Cora's eyes widened when she suddenly noticed dark creatures flying around the palace. She had never seen them before, and somehow she had never sensed them. She never tried to see the Veiled when she approached the palace. And now the view of those dark winged creatures circling made this place even more ominous. They were like large bats or… she gulped… or demons.
"Miss Cora?" Grayson said, following her line of sight.
Her lips were pressed together to keep from making a noise, but she had every indication of being terrified. Her heart was racing and her eyes were trailing something outside the window.
When Grayson called her name, she squeezed her eyes shut again and tried to concentrate on calming down. It didn't matter that there were terrifying creatures flying around the palace. It didn't change anything, right? She still had to live here. She never trusted the royal family anyway. This wasn't exactly new information. They were scary. That was all.
She took a deep, calming breath and smiled brightly. "I am all right," she said.
Goddess, if the Veiled did not cease and she was forced to view her brother as some kind of terrifying creature or surrounded by them, she wouldn't be able to hide the horror any longer. She wouldn't be able to lie about it.
As the carriage came to a stop in front of the palace, Cora silently pleaded with the Goddess in her mind. 'Please let him be himself. Please let Zane be all right. And please let the Veiled leave me the hell alone.'