"Moon Goddess vessel?" I ask.
It sounds familiar but foreboding, and yet, I can't call up any information about it in my head. I should know about it while I was Theo's teacher, right? Or am I taking up time remembering my memories?
Gezer continues, "If you take a look inside you, you will see that you are created together with the others. I am sure she devoured some of you. And when you reached a certain number of offspring with humans, you can no longer bear a child."
"I already know I can't bear a child. I can get pregnant, but NOT bear a child," I whisper. I haven't talked with Theo about this.
Gezer's eyes reddens. He looks me up and down as if he can see something that human eyes cannot. "You have been tampered with. The Moon Goddess will not like it," he smirks. "How did you do that?"
"Tampered? How can you perceive that?"
"Vessels can identify each other. You should be able to identify me, too."
"How?"
"By-"
"Shut up now!" Klevon interrupts and points his sword at Gezer. "Kaiya! Why the f*uck are you still talking to this filth?!"
I kneel before Gezer and remove Klevon's sword pointed at his neck. "Will you teach me?" I ask.
"I can, but it will take time," he responds. "How long have you been alive?"
I scowl. "I… I don't know. Do Vessels live that long?"
"Yes, until such time you are ripe for the Moon Goddess to pick."
"Kaiya will not be a vessel," Theo states. He reaches for my arm and pulls me up. "She will remain in this world. And no god or goddess can take her."
Gezer smiles. "A heretic," he comments, shifting his eyes to Theo. "So, it will happen soon, huh?"
I snatch my arms away from Theo. "If you need to bring me back to Pitchford, I need these three vampires with me," I say.
"They are blood-sucking demons, Kaiya!" He faces me and adds, "Klevon is right in this one. They need to be killed. A vessel's goal is to procreate until they reach the threshold. When that time comes, they will live forever until such time that their gods can use their bodies and walk this planet."
I snort. I look up into his eyes. A decade before, we had an understanding. We will fight against the gods. However, I still find it hard to forgive him. He is still full of these lies, these manipulations, and how can I love someone that I do not know?
"You seem knowledgeable about these things," I accuse.
"Because you told me before."
"You also told me that you have no more secrets that you can tell me."
"But-"
"I want these three vampires with me," I insist.
"We can't! We must kill them!"
"No!"
"Do you know why the war happened a hundred years ago?! Because the Moon Goddess is about to descend here! She's about to take your body and walk this planet!" he screams.
"That's not what's written in history."
"Humans hid it. And for a good reason! You know how we can get so religiously blind and selfish. It's the reason why these tragedies repeat! In just my lifetime, how many times do you think this same ritual happened?! This is the third time I've seen this! That's discounting Klevon and Lorant's experience!"
"What else, Theo?"
"What do you mean?"
"What kind of information or piece of history are you still hiding from me, Theo?"
He lets my shoulders go. "That's all. I was waiting for you… to somehow… regain your memories."
"Why is there a need for a vessel to live like an immortal?"
"Because they need to fill their heads with knowledge. In that way, human minds can handle the immortal minds of a god or goddess."
"Does Harbin know?"
"Of course not. If he did, he won't teach you. Rather, you will be the one to teach him."
"How long have I been alive, then?"
"You said it's hundred of years. But you are never certain since you lost memories of that."
"So, the last war is just a war to prevent the Moon Goddess from walking this earth… What will happen if she succeeds and takes my body?"
"She will become the highest monarch in this world. Humans will kneel to her and human kings don't want that."
"Then the easiest way is to kill me. That way, the Moon Goddess won't walk this earth."
"I will kill anyone who will ever suggest and attempt that."
I wonder, if our mate bond is destroyed, will I still love him? "Do you know that I am also the Alpha Queen?"
"Alpha Queen? No, of course not. I just know that you are a Vessel. What is an alpha queen, anyway?"
"And my mate, you know about him. That's why you didn't insist on bringing me to Duran castle."
And now, I also understand why he can't let go of his position. I sneer. I only mate with Kings, huh? That's frustrating. Did I live like this all my life? Did I share all my mates with other women like how my life is with Theo? Then, I won't be surprised if I decided to escape this fate.
I wonder, if I break the mate bond with him, which King will I mate with next? Without thinking, I tiptoe to him and press a kiss on his cheeks. He freezes at the gesture.
Then I walk to Gezer and say, "I will save your life, only if you promise not to kill any humans for food. You can partake in blood, but you need to get it without killing. And if you break that, you will lose your sanity, degenerate into simple-minded monsters, and then we will kill you."
I take my knife and cut my palm. "Are you fine with that vow, Gezer?"
He takes the knife that I am offering and he cuts his palm as well. "Just so you know, I hate killing either. My lover died of starvation because she refused to drink blood, so what you are proposing is something I can live with."
We shake hands, and the instant our blood mingles with each other, I feel the electricity. It enters my bloodstream, snakes through every fiber of my being, and then it sizzles in my brain. I take a huge gulp of air and exhale unsteadily. Gezer and I stare at each other and understanding passes through our features. He felt the vow as strongly as I did.
He nods and as an added affirmation of the vow, he says, "I am Gezer Zarn, a vampire of the Blood God. For all eternity, I, and all my descendants, will honor this vow."
Before I let go of his hand, I say, "I am Kaiya of Pitchford, a she-wolf of the Moon Goddess. For as long as I am alive, I will make sure that Gezer Zarn and his descendants will honor this vow. In exchange, I will do everything in my power to protect them."
"I'm guessing you will do the same thing with the others," General Lorant interjects.
Two vampires are standing behind him. This time they are docile. They cut both their palms and offers them to me.
"I am Ninus Chaudhri, a vampire of the Blood God. I will uphold the vow that I, and my descendants, will not partake in human blood thru killing. If we dishonor this vow, my descendants and I will degenerate into simple monsters who want nothing but destroy."
"I am Inanna Manheimer, a vampire of the Blood God. I will uphold the vow that I, and my descendants, will not partake in human blood thru killing. If we dishonor this vow, my descendants and I will degenerate into simple monsters who want nothing but destroy."
Same as with Gezer, electricity runs through my body the instant our blood touches. It is a blood vow. Something that is much more powerful than I did with Theo, which is nothing but words.
And so, when I stand up and shift my attention to him, he also understands that all the vows I made with him are non-binding.
"Since we have that vow, I need to tell you something," Gezer interjects. "One of us escaped this island. Another vessel vampire. So, it might be a problem if he starts feeding on live humans and starts turning them into mindless beings."