Almost Everything by Tate Hallaway Read Free Book Online Page A

it—not forever. The thing that truly sustained vampires was … well, it was death—magical, ritualized murder. It was a thing Dad called the sacred hunt. Traditionally, it was performed once every human generation, about twenty years or so.
    The reasonI couldn’t look at Elias right now was that he and I both knew that if he died of starvation, it was completely my fault.
    I’d stopped the hunt not once, but twice.
    “I’m not the only one who suffers,” Elias said.
    Like, I didn’t suspect that. As if I needed that kind of responsibility. I so needed to hear that there were hundreds of vampires who were slowly dying, thanks to me. My cheeks burned as I gathered up all the big pieces of bowl and tossed them into the garbage. I got the broom from where it rested behind the pantry shelf.
    But I’d had good reason to stop the hunt. Last time, it had been Mom in the crosshairs. I couldn’t have let her be the victim, could I?
    “So, you see, the Southern prince and his army are double the threat.” Elias’s voice was quiet, not at all accusatory, and he looked at my mother as he spoke, but still his words cut me. I focused on sweeping the floor and gathering up the bruised fruit.
    Mom pursed her lips. “You worry too much about Ramses’ problems. You should focus on taking care of yourself. Go find a … friend. You’ll feel better.”
    “Mom!” I was utterly grossed out by what Mom seemed to be implying.
    “What? Blood has to help him, doesn’t it?”
    I startedto speak, but Elias cut me off.
    “Where do you think I was? Nothing does much good. I can’t get enough. Not without killing,” he said. As he crossed his arms in front of his stomach, his eyes flashed cold. “I could do it. I have … wanted to. But, if I kill outside of the hunt, alone, that makes me nosferatu. No turning back. Not ever.”
    My mouth hung open; so did Mom’s. I didn’t know what “nosferatu” meant in this context, but the dark look on Mom’s face made me think that maybe she did.
    Elias didn’t seem fazed by our reaction. “And if I cross that line, I would lose more than my place in the ranks of the kingdom. I would lose my mind. Over time, nosferatu are reduced to unthinking, soulless animals. That’s why their name is synonymous with zombielike vampires.”
    It sounded as though he had some personal experience with one of those nosferatu. Our eyes met, and he nodded solemnly as if he’d heard my unspoken question.
    He continued. “It was once part of my duties to hunt down and destroy escaped slaves who had become nosferatu.”
    No wonder his reputation preceded him. Elias wasn’t just any old assassin; he was a
vampire
killer.
    Mom chewed her lip and adjusted her glasses. “And you say you were tempted to cross this line … recently?”
    Elias nodded. “I understand your concern, Amelia,” he said, hanging his head again. “It’s no longer safe for you to harbor me. If I could tarry but one last day, to gather my things and make alternate arrangements?”
    “Thatwasn’t what I was thinking about, but, yeah, that sounds like a really good idea. You should go,” Mom said plainly. I wanted to protest, but she continued before I could form any words. “But what I wanted to know was, if you’re tempted, how are the others faring? I mean, everyone says you’re such a noble gentleman, as if that’s something unusual. Is there going to be a nosferatu problem?”
    Even though she stood in her nightshirt and slippers, there was something in the tone of her voice that made it very clear she was asking as the Queen of Witches.
    Elias lifted his head defiantly. “I am in exile, and, as such, at much greater risk. The prince will surely call a hunt, and the kingdom will feed, if it has not already.”
    “Oh, I think we’d know if it had.” There was that royal “we” Mom used only in her Queen of Witches role. “We need to talk to some people, if you’ll excuse us.”
    Elias nodded briefly, as if only