“One.”
Gabe glanced at the man, and I instantly understood he was Gabe’s father.
“Two.”
“Get her out of here,” Dorian said. “I’ll try to hold them off or distract them.”
“I will not leave,” I whispered fiercely. “If I do, they’ll kill someone. I refuse to be part of any more suffering.” Plus, I had to find Cindy.
Dorian shook his head. “Stubborn,” he growled. “They’re bluffing. Gabe said the chayot are like divine creatures. Intentionally hurting an innocent would be against their laws.”
“Three.”
I glanced around at Gabe’s father. “He doesn’t look like he cares about any laws.” Anger trickled along my spine and bloomed in my chest.
Gabe whispered something in his father’s ear. A flick of his wrist, and two chayot men came up behind Gabe and held him fast. Gabe fought against them. I saw the ugly fury in their expressions and my heart stopped at the sight of him fighting against his own people. They had better not hurt him or there would be hell to pay.
“Four!”
“I’ve got to show myself. I don’t have a choice.” Leaving the brothers, I pushed through the crowd. Before I reached him, Sharra appeared.
“You always were dramatic, Oberon.”
I slid to a stop at her appearance. The crowd gasped. Someone whispered the word magic. Others were looking around, searching for a way to escape.
The vampire queen had a dozen vampires with her.
“Oh crap,” Sebastian said, sliding next to me. All the brothers except Gabe circled me as if they could protect me better than I could protect myself.
Suddenly Professor Pops and Kenmei were there. “Boys. Snow. I want you to gather the kids. Keep them calm. Lie. Tell them this is part of the festivities, then lead them through the secret door.” His intense eyes found mine. “Use your powers of persuasion. Convince them. Can you do that?”
I nodded. I’d have to hold the gaze of every person. “What are you going to do?”
“Stall and then end this. Now go. Hurry.”
Chapter 22
The guys circulated, rounding up the students into six groups. I stopped at each one, using my newfound vampire gift to convince the students this interruption was a surprise portion of the party. I just hoped the chayot and the vampire queen allowed the students to leave.
“Sharra. Oberon. This isn’t the place for a dispute. It is a room full of human children. Let them leave. They are innocent.” Professor Pops’ voice rang through the room, loud and strong.
“I’ve given you an ultimatum, Adam.” Oberon waved his hands at the students. From behind him and along the borders of the room, the chayot pulled swords. “Either Snow White steps forward and accepts her destiny, or the accidental death of a human will be on your conscience.”
Destiny. The word Kenmei used to describe what I needed to do with the Seal of Gabriel. The same word the vampire queen used when she spoke about what I was to become. I was sick of hearing it. My life was my own, regardless of what Kenmei, the vampire queen, or Gabe’s father thought. I wasn’t a puppet on a string. My story hadn’t been written.
Chayot men and women continued to roam along the edges of the ballroom, spreading out. They kept their distance from the vampires. I did a quick mental run-through on how to kill worker and drone vampires. To slay a female required a stake through, or shredding of, the heart. Males had to lose their heads. My body inadvertently shuddered. I didn’t know if I could kill them. And I had no idea how a chayot could be destroyed.
Dorian grabbed my hand. “C’mon,” he mouthed.
I nodded, unsure what else to do. We needed to get every non-supernatural creature out of the ballroom. That was most important.
“Have you seen Cindy?” I asked Dorian, still searching for her. She hadn’t been with any of the six groups the brothers rounded up.
He shook his head. “I’m sure she’s fine. That girl can take care of herself.”
And I can’t, I thought, momentarily irritated. Did Kenmei, Professor Pops and the brothers believe I was too weak, or too much of a coward to face the chayot, the vampire queen, and her followers?
“Do you see her?” Oberon called out.
“Not yet.”
“No.”
“Negative.”
Oberon shook his head in exasperation, as though he felt sorry for what was about to happen. “Five,” he said softly.
One of the chayot grabbed Daniel by the arm.
Daniel fought back, using moves that looked like they belonged in an action film, but another chayot jumped in, pressing a short sword against Daniel’s neck.
Oberon nodded and the chayot took the sword from Daniel’s neck and shoved the steel into his stomach. A gurgling noise escaped his lips as the chayot withdrew the blade, letting his body fall to the floor.
“No. No. No. Stop. Stop it!” I screamed, kneeling next to him, ignoring my sudden and profound hunger for blood. My fangs grew, cutting the outer edges of my lips. I snarled at the male chayot who’d done Oberon’s bidding. He winced, stepping back, but quickly recovered, turning his bloody sword in my direction. “Leave now. Harm no one,” I commanded, hoping my compulsion worked on him. The chayot obeyed and took off toward the exit. When he reached the large double doors several chayot grabbed him and did something to release him from my hold. I growled as an overwhelming frustration suffocated my insides, amplifying my desire for blood.
“Snow.” It was Gabe’s voice, soft like a summer wind. I would know it anywhere. I found him. He was near the doors, but still being restrained by two chayot guards.
The look Gabe gave me, one of love and devotion—it was all I needed to center my thoughts. The anger within boiled brighter and I recalled what he once said while we trained. “During battle, anger is good, necessary in fact, but it must be controlled.” I inhaled deeply.
My fangs retracted and I rose, my eyes zeroing in the Oberon’s. I could persuade him to do what I wanted. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? Moving slowly, deliberately, I stepped over the Daniel and spoke directly to Oberon. “You will let every human leave. You will let the Daniel be treated and taken to the hospital, and you will get the hell out of Adam’s house.” I pointed toward the doors as I spoke.
He stared blankly, and I thought it worked until he laughed. A hearty, vile, irritating laugh.
“Did you hear that? She’s trying to command me. Me!” he roared. The rest of his group laughed with him, though they seemed frightened too.
My face grew hot. Why hadn’t it worked?
The vampire queen spoke respectfully, her voice gentle. “Do not do this, Oberon. This isn’t a battle you’ll win.”
I’d momentarily forgotten about the vampire queen and her followers. They’d been so quiet. That surprised me. They hadn’t harmed a human either. The queen wasn’t threatening to kill anyone. I tucked that knowledge into the back of my mind.
Professor Pops came forward. “She’s just a girl, Oberon. You saw she was near blood and didn’t feed. She’s no more an animal than I am. Rethink this madness, my friend.”
I fought back tears. Professor Pops truly was my protector, more of a father even than my own.
Oberon directed his men with his eyes and suddenly Professor Pops was being held back by several chayot. I wondered where Kenmei was. The chayot, Professor Pops, and Kenmei were supposed to be on the same side. Obviously Pops chose me over the chayot, and Oberon wasn’t happy. A burst of love for Pops fueled the anger burning in my heart. Oberon would pay if he harmed him.
Gabe’s father moved into my personal space, towering over me. “Have you come to your senses? Are you willing to accept your fate? Or are you too much of a monster to care if others are killed because of your cowardice?” One of the chayot holding Pops put a blade to his neck. A droplet of blood trickled from the newly opened wound.
For some reason seeing Professor Pops’ blood brought questions to the forefront of my min
d. Like, did he still drink blood? He was technically still a vampire. At one point he’d been the vampire queen’s hunter, the same as Christopher. Did he still possess the powers of persuasion? And what about Kenmei?
“Snow. Merryweather. White. Snap out of it!” Cindy’s voice sounded in my ear, as though she stood beside me. But she wasn’t there.
Or was she? Did she know how to make herself invisible? Was that why I hadn’t been able to find her once the chayot and vampires showed up? I’d have to ask her about it sometime, when Professor Pops wasn’t in dire trouble. I knew if he was beheaded, he would die. I couldn’t allow that to happen.
I stepped forward, lifting my chin to meet Oberon’s glare. “You will not hurt him or anyone else.”
He laughed again, turning his gaze from left to right, encouraging his followers to join in. From the V in his black button-down shirt I saw the gleam of something red. It glittered in the subdued red lights.
Chapter 23
Instantly, I knew what it was. The Seal of Gabriel on the end of the silver chain swayed gently near his throat. If Oberon had it then that meant Gabe had stolen it. My barely contained fury exploded. How dare he? How dare Gabe? Something in my features must’ve changed because Oberon stumbled back. Clasping his hands together, a flaming sword appeared.
Caught off guard, I put a hand in front of my face, to shield myself from the heat. Flames licked the air, bringing with them a unique scent—like burning metal and flowers.
“It’s time to end you,” he sneered.
Professor Pops still fought against the chayot, hollering for Oberon to stop.
The clang of metal against metal—sword against sword—rocked the ballroom. The vampire queen and her followers had joined the action.
Shouting.
Sounds of death.
Cries of pain.
The destruction needed to stop.
Oberon lunged at me, his fiery sword raised above his head, a look of hatred twisting his face. I could swear I saw large white wings extending from his shoulder blades, the way they had from Gabe’s in my dream.
With my newfound speed I stepped inside Oberon’s space so I was under the sword. With one hand I ripped the Seal of Gabriel from his neck and spun away, ending up to the left of him.
Oberon brought down the sword, the fire scorching some of the ruffles on my dress. The singed material released a horrible smell, like burning plastic. I grasped the red teardrop in my hand and whipped around so that we were face to face.
“Where did you get this?” I asked, my heart pounding not in fear, but excitement. I held the Seal of Gabriel in my hand. I could save Christopher and end Sharra’s tyrannical rule. It wouldn’t exactly be that easy, but in that moment, I felt like it should be.
Oberon pinched his lips together and gave me a sardonic smile. “I think you already know the answer.”
“No, I don’t.” My lips trembled as the words spilled out. “Tell the truth.”
“Let me make it clear, vampire.” Spittle spewed from his mouth, striking me in the cheek as he spoke. I wiped at it with the back of my hand. “The magic in that pendant only exists because of Gabriel.”
I knew that. I’d heard the stories. “I know.”
We circled each other. The sounds of fighting around us became nothing but background noise. It was as though Oberon and I were in a bubble.
“Gabriel is my son,” he continued.
I knew he was trying to mess with my head. That the Gabriel who’d been a hunter and had killed Silindra and created the Seal of Gabriel was one of Oberon’s sons was news to me. But if he thought he could convince me that my Gabe was the same as Gabriel, he was mistaken. I’d tasted Gabe, and I knew he most definitely wasn’t a hunter or any kind of vampire. “You’re lying.” I shrugged. There was much more I should’ve said, but he lunged at me again with his fiery sword. I moved at the last second. He missed me by millimeters. The heat burned my skin and I flinched at the stark pain. It evaporated seconds later.
He tried another tactic. “You will lose. The vampire breed is dying. You’re nothing but an afterthought, and I am the first chayot, bringer of justice, supplier of righteousness, and harbinger of divinity.” As he spoke, he pushed back his shoulders, an arrogant leer distorting his features.
“You may be the first, but that doesn’t make you better or even good, otherwise you wouldn’t be set on destroying me.” I dodged his sword again. “I think you’re an old demon that craves power and nothing more.”
He howled and swung the sword. I spun out of the way, but this time he was prepared and grabbed me by the neck, squeezing my windpipe. Oberon pulled me close. “You’re a gnat, made to be crushed.” He squeezed harder and my feet left the floor. With one hand I tried to pry his steel fingers from my neck. From the corner of my eye I saw his burning sword coming closer.
I still held the Seal of Gabriel in on hand. It began to glow bright red. When it became so bright I was about to close my eyes, the light show shot into Oberon. The chayot’s grasp on me released as he flew back, knocking over several other chayot and vampires in the heat of battle.
His sword vanished as he sprawled on the floor. Oberon was mine.
Chapter 24
Cold wrath blackened my veins. I once read that war was the world’s way of cleansing itself. At the time I thought the statement seemed brutal, without compassion. I was beginning to realize that was the point. With purpose I stalked the first chayot. He tried to stand, but the force of the blow from the pendant had him panting and clutching his chest. He was wounded.
Kneeling next to Oberon, I pressed the Seal into his chest. He gasped, his body shaking. Like old paper, his skin began to flake and fall away. “You will never again place your filthy chayot hands on me or someone I love.”
He gritted his teeth, his eyes wide in fear. “You’re nothing,” he gritted out.
“Don’t! Stop, Snow. Please don’t,” Gabe called.
I paused, lifting the pendant, catching and holding Gabe’s sad stare. If I killed Oberon it would change the way Gabe treated me, the way he saw me, and I couldn’t do that. No matter how much I wanted to destroy Oberon, I wouldn’t, because Gabe didn’t want me to.
I stood, moving away from the chayot leader before I changed my mind.
In the same instant, the fighting stopped. Vampire and chayot parted to let me pass as I made my way to Gabe. All was silent. I focused on Gabe’s heartbeat, concentrated on the distinct thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump coming from his chest.
“Gabe.” I seemed to float toward him, my feet hardly touching the ground.
The chayot that held Gabe released him. He held out his arms, a slight smile lighting his gloomy face.
I moved faster, allowing myself a moment of hope that Gabe and I could be together.
His smile disappeared. “No!” he shouted.
I sensed Oberon behind me, felt the heat of his sword. In a blinding flash, I faced him, his blade slicing my shoulder. Immense pain ripped through my body. As I fell to the ground, a glorious red light shot from the Seal of Gabriel and into Oberon.
Someone screamed—Cindy, maybe? I couldn’t be sure and the pain from where the fiery blade had cut into me seared so strong I couldn’t concentrate. I closed my eyes, hoping my body would heal the wound quickly, but the pain only intensified.
Voices filled my head, like chirping doves. I tried to understand what they were saying, but I was in agony. It seemed to pulse into every crevice, pounding out everything else.
At one point, it felt like the Seal crawled inside of my hand, taking up residence there, as though we’d become one. A tiny portion of the pain dissipated enough that I caught pieces of conversations.
… “He’s dead.”…
…“What will we do now?”…
…“You must lead us.”…
A loud laugh that could only be the vampire queen.
…“I knew she could do it.”…
…“Give me the necklace, Sno
w. Let go. It’s over. You’re safe.”…
I worked to open my hand, but when I heard several gasps, I knew the Seal would never part from me again. Its magic seemed to be twisting inside of me, filling me, changing me in ways I couldn’t understand. It stitched me up into something more, something scary and powerful.
After what seemed like days, the pain dissipated. I opened my eyes and blinked.
The eyes I looked through weren’t my own. They were the eyes of the first vampire. The eyes of Sharra’s twin. Somehow, the Seal of Gabriel had taken me back to the beginning.
I was no longer just Snow White but had become Silindra as well.
Chapter 25
Coming in and out of consciousness, I recognized a part of me—my body—was still in the human realm and that Professor Pops and the brothers watched over me. Occasionally, I would catch bits of their conversations.
… “What did you tell the doctors and her dad about what happened at her birthday party?” Heathcliff asked.
“I told them she fell,” Professor Pops answered.
“Did they buy it? I mean, look at her. It’s like she’s sleeping, except for the red, glittery aura on her skin. That’s not something you see every day.” That was Gabe. For the briefest moment, I longed to see him, but it didn’t last.
“No, Gabe, it isn’t. I think the red aura, as you put it, has something to do with the Seal of Gabriel. It’s changing her somehow. Kenmei has gone in search of answers from the dragon, Abernathy.”
“Her dad’s freaking out. I’ve never seen the dude so distraught.” Gabe again.
“It serves him right. He’s been an absentee parent for far too long… and Snow is fine.” That was Professor Pops.
I did feel fine, but then I also felt disconnected from my body and the human realm. Like a shadow on the wall, I was only there until the sun went down.
“She is not fine. She’s red and glowy. If she were alright, she’d be awake, coherent, and tripping up the stairs. She’d still be the girl I fell in love with.”
Fate and Magic: Snow White Reimagined with Vampires and Werewolves (Seven Magics Academy Book 2) Page 8
