Palace Of Flames (Book One of the Damnata Series)

Chapter Twelve: Know Your Enemy

The Nocturna House, London

[Kristy]

I gulp as Laurence leads me reluctantly into the Nocturna House; apparently something extremely important is going down, and to be honest I really don't want to wait around to see what exactly it is.

Laurence has other ideas, though. One, for instance, is that he insisted we come here. To loiter aimlessly in a house full of bloodhungry Vampiires.

Another is that the most insolent and unpredictable Vampiire of the Nocturna coven, Willow, a mind-reader and clairvoyant of extreme talent, be made a Prophetess, in a sense, for both myself and the coven, so that she may keep me safe. I'm just miffed, naturally, that Laurence didn't even think of consulting me about my "protection", before running off to the Nocturna. That, and the fact that only a few days ago, she tried to eat me.

Seth, on the other hand, is simply furious with Laurence for not assigning him as my personal Protector. Right enough, doesn't he already do that, alongside Laurence...?

I frown as we enter the large front room that serves as a dwelling-place for the majority of the exceptionally large coven. I can already see the tall, green-eyed brunette that is the "mother" of the Coven, Autumn, knitting - of all bloody things for a Vampiire to do - in the corner of the room, and I can hear lively classical music playing from several large and extremely expensive-looking sets of speakers, situated in each corner of the room. Mikhael, the creator and leader of the Nocturna Coven, glances up from his book and smiles at me, dark brown eyes glistening, slightly covered by a curtain of spiky black hair that falls over the left side of his face. His smile is wide, warm and welcoming - way against the stereotype for any mythological and fantastical creature, let alone a Vampiire, of all creatures.

"Kristy! How lovely to see you again." He stands up quickly, walking across the room towards me - the Nocturna are all now fully aware that flitting and high-speed movements freak me out - and pulls me into a warm embrace. It feels slightly awkward, probably because I'm describing it as warm, but maybe it's actually just because I'm hugging a Vampiire that thinks hugging solves everything. Some leader, huh...

Once he steps back and turns to look at his Mate, Autumn, who is smiling slightly at me, I hear a squeal of delight, and then a thump. I feel arms go around my neck from behind, and then Avery is grinning, resting her chin on my shoulder.

"Kristy! Oh, it's so good to see you again!" The youngest member of the Nocturna lets go of me quickly yet reluctantly as Mikhael and Autumn give her a Look, and then she skips around to stand in front of me, grinning like a madwoman, ice-blue eyes blazing a storm of excitement and ecstasy at my presence. She can get a little...over-excited, at times, I suppose. Not that I'm not used to it, what with Tay being so insane, too, but even so, she's not a Vampiire, is she?

I can just about sense the melancholic atmosphere that is Willow and Seth entering the room, and sure enough, when I turn to look towards the door, Seth's almost-black eyes are filled with menace and pure, untainted rage, his goggles resting on his head, hair falling thickly over his dark eyes. Willow is no better as she trudges in behind her "brother", her blue eyes that are more white than anything glaring a blizzard of hatred and malice as she scowls at nothing in particular. Her purple hair falls over her face and covers her pale features, only revealing those not quite sane eyes. Seth leans back against the wall at the far side of the room, next to the window, his expression a vague scowl. James pops up from behind the large black leather sofa, grinning at Willow, who blinks in surprise at her extremely strange and bizarre Mate. James all-but-vaults over the back of the sofa, landing in front of Willow, and she huffs slightly to herself as she sits next to him on the sofa, studying me closely, eyes penetrating my confidence (or lack thereof).