Chapter 26: The Blood Memory Gift
Lucius
The safehouse felt smaller in the hours before dawn.
Selene sat by the window, pendant clutched in her hands, staring at something only she could see. Six hundred years of memories, six hundred years of lies, all crystallized in a piece of silver jewelry that should have been buried with its owner.
Michael had retreated to the bedroom, processing everything in the solitude that new hybrids seemed to crave. His transformation was stabilizing—I could feel it through the connection our shared blood had created, the hybrid signatures resonating like tuning forks finding harmony.
But Selene was the priority now.
I approached slowly, giving her time to acknowledge my presence. She didn't look up, but her posture shifted—making room, inviting proximity without words.
"I need to tell you something," I said.
"More secrets?"
"The opposite." I settled beside her, close enough that our shoulders almost touched. "I want to give you everything. Every memory I have, every secret I've kept, every plan I've made. Complete transparency."
Now she looked up. Her eyes were red-rimmed, ancient grief finding fresh expression. "Vampires don't share complete blood access. It's too—"
"Vulnerable. Intimate. Dangerous." I nodded. "I know what I'm offering."
"Then why?"
The question deserved honesty. Real honesty, not the calculated truth I'd been dispensing since waking in that alley.
"Because you've spent six centuries serving lies. Because Viktor used you as a weapon, Kraven manipulated your loyalty, and everyone you trusted built their power on your ignorance." I met her eyes directly, letting her see something I rarely showed anyone—sincerity without calculation. "You deserve truth. And I have truth to give."
Selene studied me for a long moment. Six centuries of reading people, of surviving political games and battlefield betrayals, all focused on parsing my intentions.
"If I drink your blood... I'll see everything?"
"Everything. My past. My plans. The source of my knowledge about Viktor, about Kraven, about the war. Things I haven't told anyone."
"Things that could be used against you."
"Yes."
Her hand found mine—cold, strong, trembling slightly with the weight of what I was offering.
"Why do you trust me with this?"
"Because you're the only person in this world who's earned it."
She brought my wrist to her lips. Her fangs extended—elegant, deadly, familiar from weeks of watching her fight. The bite was gentle, almost tender, a stark contrast to the violence those fangs usually delivered.
[ MEMORY SIPHON LV.2 ACTIVATING ]
[ MODE: FULL DISCLOSURE ]
[ WARNING: RECIPIENT WILL ACCESS ALL STORED MEMORIES ]
I let the floodgates open.
She saw my death first—the operating room, the thirty-six-hour shift, the heart attack that ended my human life. She saw the void, the darkness, the strange sensation of consciousness without body. She saw the awakening in the alley, the dead sire, the first terrifying moments of understanding what I'd become.
She saw my knowledge of the Underworld films—every plot point, every character, every death and betrayal that the original timeline contained. Viktor's execution of Selene. Marcus's hybrid transformation. William's prison and the chaos its opening unleashed. The Purge. Eve. The endless cycle of violence that my foreknowledge might help break.
She saw my calculations—the cold logic of BP acquisition, the manipulation of blood dolls, the murder of Jonas for the final threshold. She saw the moments of mercy too—sparing Rigel when killing him would have been easier, choosing non-lethal force against Nathaniel, burying the blood doll who reminded me of a sister I'd never see again.
She saw my genuine respect for her, earned through weeks of observation. Not the manufactured interest of a predator identifying useful prey, but real admiration for someone who'd survived six centuries of manipulation and emerged with honor intact.
She saw everything.
The drinking lasted longer than any feeding I'd experienced—minutes stretching into what felt like hours as memories transferred through blood. When she finally released my wrist, her expression had transformed into something I couldn't read.
"You're not from this world."
Statement, not question. She'd seen the truth.
"No."
"You've been playing all of us. Manipulating events toward outcomes you already knew."
"Yes."
"You could have used me as a tool. Another weapon, like Viktor did."
"I considered it." The honesty felt strange, almost liberating. "In the beginning, you were a tactical asset. Alliance value, combat capability, influence within the coven structure."
"What changed?"
"You did." I found myself smiling—genuine, unplanned. "Or maybe I did. Watching you fight, seeing how you handled betrayal, understanding what Viktor had done to you... somewhere along the way, you became more than a calculation."
Selene was silent. Her hand still held mine, grip tightening slightly.
"The future you saw. In those... memories from your world. I die."
"In that timeline. But timelines can change. We've already changed this one—Michael's transformation happened differently, Kraven's conspiracy is exposed early, Viktor doesn't wake to find you already in love with the hybrid."
"In love?"
"In the original story. You and Michael."
She looked toward the bedroom where Michael slept, expression contemplative.
"He's kind. Confused and terrified, but kind underneath." Her gaze returned to me. "But I've known him for days. I've known you for weeks. Watched you fight, seen you sacrifice, felt your memories in my blood."
She stepped closer. Close enough that I could feel her breath, cold and unnecessary, a habit from centuries of pretending to be human.
"Whatever you were before," she said softly, "whoever you are now—thank you. For the truth. For treating me as partner instead of puppet."
Her lips found mine.
The kiss was everything I hadn't expected—cold fire, ancient passion, six centuries of suppressed emotion finding outlet. Her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer, and I responded with a hunger that had nothing to do with blood.
[ SELENE RELATIONSHIP: ABSOLUTE TRUST (100/100) ]
[ BOND STATUS: SOULBOUND ]
[ NOTE: RELATIONSHIP CANNOT BE DAMAGED BY NORMAL MEANS ]
When we finally separated, her eyes were brighter than I'd ever seen them. Not vampire luminescence—something warmer, more human.
"When this is over," she said, "when Viktor is dead and Kraven is exposed... what happens then?"
"I don't know." The admission was strange. I'd planned everything else—every manipulation, every alliance, every kill. But this? This was uncharted territory. "The script I came with is already broken. We're writing new story now."
"Good." She kissed me again, briefly. "I'm tired of following someone else's script."
Michael emerged from the bedroom, freezing when he saw our proximity. His hybrid eyes flickered between us, processing the obvious intimacy.
"I'm... interrupting something."
"You're witnessing something," I corrected. "Alliance becoming partnership becoming something else. You're part of this team, Michael. No secrets between us."
He approached cautiously, surgeon's instincts evaluating the changed dynamic.
"I saw... some of what happened. Through the hybrid connection." His expression was complicated—understanding mixed with wariness. "You're not what you pretend to be."
"No one is." I gestured for him to sit, included him in the circle we'd formed. "I'm a transmigrator from another world, carrying knowledge of futures that may never happen now. Selene is a six-century weapon learning to choose her own targets. And you're a surgeon who became a monster and is learning that monster isn't the same as evil."
"That's... a lot to process."
"We have three days until Viktor wakes. Process fast."
The humor was dark, but Michael managed a weak smile. We were all monsters here—different varieties, different origins, but monsters nonetheless. Understanding that was the first step toward controlling what we'd become.
Dawn broke outside the shuttered windows. Selene curled against me, exhaustion finally claiming her after the emotional upheaval of truth-sharing. Michael meditated in the corner, practicing the control that might save his life in the coming battles.
[ PHASE 1: 94% COMPLETE ]
[ REMAINING OBJECTIVE: KILL VIKTOR ]
[ TIME: 72 HOURS ]
Three days. Seventy-two hours to prepare for the confrontation that would determine everything.
I held Selene closer, feeling her breathe against my chest, and let myself rest.
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