by Nadia Heaton
Rashid was standing at the door, and Ariana relaxed. She didn’t know all the vampires here, and trusted even less of them, but at least she knew that she was safe with Rashid. “Hey, what’s up?”
“I just wanted to check on Julio. There’s been a lot of talk about him among the other guests. You may be better off bringing him downstairs for a bit, just to sate their curiosity.”
“I’m not parading him around like some kind of show dog,” Ariana said firmly.
“It’s your choice, but if you don’t, they’ll likely find other ways to get a glimpse of him. Many of them have never interacted with humans, and they’re curious. They don’t intend him harm.”
“How many?”
“Most of my guests, I’m afraid. Those whose covens regularly interact with the human world have managed to find their own places to stay easily enough. It’s the isolated covens who only deal with vampires that need my help getting along in the modern world.”
Ariana growled in frustration. “You’d better give them fair warning. If any of them try to spy on Julio, let alone get near him, I’m going to rip their heads off.”
“Ariana!” Rashid looked shocked, and Ariana supposed she couldn’t blame him. She was seldom violent, except when her protective instincts were roused. Since she didn’t have much to be protective of, that seldom happened, but Julio changed everything.
“Don’t look at me like that, I’m serious.”
Rashid turned stern. “You will not kill a guest in my household, young lady. Just like you are and Julio guaranteed safety here, so are all of my guests. If you have a problem with one of them, you’ll take it off the property like everyone else.”
Ariana knew Rashid’s rules, and she knew that breaking them never went well for anyone. She made an effort to check herself. “Fine, I’ll take it off the property, then. They should still know that if they cross me or Julio, they’ll be stuck here forever, because the moment they step past your gates, they’re dead.”
“This man is a bad influence on you.” Rashid frowned at her, but Ariana didn’t care what he thought about Julio. She knew Julio better than Rashid did, and Rashid was wrong about this.
“We’re so focused on changing things between witches and vampires – perhaps we should be looking at changing things between vampires and humans. If we can co-exist with witches, I don’t see why we can’t co-exist with them too.”
“One world altering problem at a time, please. If we all survive this, then we can discuss revealing our secrets to the humans. The decision will ultimately belong to Lisette. As much as I don’t like her, she’s fair, and she listens to people. She’ll be a good queen.”
“I just hope she manages to find a cure for Julio. He can’t go around speaking in butterflies for the rest of his life.”
“If I know anything about the LeBlanc sisters, it’s that they’re persistent. Don’t worry, Julio will be fine. I’ll warn the others, but I can’t promise they’ll stay away from him.”
“I’ll kill them,” Ariana promised grimly.
Rashid lowered his voice. “You want to be careful. You know our laws. Lisette hasn’t changed them yet, and even if she does, those laws are place for a reason. If a vampire falls for a mortal, and that mortal dies…”
“I know,” Ariana snapped. “I’ve had those lessons enough times.”
“I’m only concerned for you.”
“Well, don’t be. I have it under control.”
Rashid gave her a disbelieving look, but didn’t press her further. “Come and talk to me if you need to.”
Ariana nodded, impatient to get back inside. She wanted a locked door between Julio and any curious vampires. They would obey the law, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t try to persuade Julio to let them feed off him. Feeding from a live human was something vampires seldom got to experience, and Ariana worried that Julio would be freaked out by such requests.
The shower was still running, and the door was still open. Julio probably hadn’t even heard the conversation over the noise of the water with his dull human hearing. Ariana wandered back to the balcony, staring out at the forest that surrounded most of Rashid’s property.
Of course, the chateau and grounds were extensively warded. Warding could be taken down, but at the very least they should have warning if the witches attacked. Ariana didn’t think it would go that way, though. The witches would be stupid to attack Rashid’s chateau, what with how heavily guarded it was, and especially with so many vampires staying here at the moment.
No, the attack would most probably be to their power source – the eternal flame in the north. Vampires couldn’t go there to defend it, which left them helpless. Ariana just hoped that Lisette was working on some way to prevent that inevitable attack. The only way she could see was to end the witches before they ended vampires, which was why it was so frustrating to sit around and do nothing.
Ariana blinked, unsure of what she was seeing. No, she wasn’t imagining it. There was a faint gleam of light coming from the woods. It looked like it was still quite a way off, but in this uncertain time, having anyone even remotely near Rashid’s place was a risk.
She knew she could call Rashid for backup, but the frustration of waiting and waiting with no word peaked an impulse within her. She turned her head slightly, calling over her shoulder. “Julio, I’ll be right back, I just need to check something.”
13
Ariana didn’t wait for a response from Julio, but quickly jumped off the edge of the balcony, landing on the one below. From there, leapt from landing to balcony to windowsill, making her way down the tower and finally to within easy reach of the ground. She swung on a tree branch to soften her landing, thumping down with her knees bent.
She could have made the jump all the way from the tower top and survived, thanks to her hardy vampire body, but she would have hurt herself and not been able to conduct a chase, should one become necessary. The whole time she moved, Ariana never took her eyes from the small gleam of light.
Once she was on the ground, she could no longer see it above the trees, so she hurried in the direction it had been coming from. Ariana was adept at moving silently in the woods, but she was aware that if it was witches, they would likely have cast a listening spell, which would allow them to hear all but the quietest movements.
Her instinct told her to throw caution to the wind and advance on the intruders as quickly as possible, but training and experience told Ariana that caution should not be easily abandoned. She therefore crept along at a frustratingly slow pace, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of light.
The sun had set completely now, and there shouldn’t be any light in the forest. If there was, it was either made by humans or witches. Given what was happening between their two species at the moment, Ariana had no doubt as to who it was.
She caught another glimpse of the light, and tiptoed forward, quieter than ever. Sure enough, there were two women standing between the trees. In front of them was a small yellow flame that looked completely ordinary except for the fact that it was hovering several feet above the ground.
Perhaps it would be smarter to go back and get backup – Ariana alone against two witches wouldn't be the greatest odds – but if she left now, they might have moved by the time she got back. She couldn’t let witches wander around this close to her home and the people she cared about.
It was the thought of Julio which spurred her into action. Unlike vampires he had no defense against witches, and he had already been hurt by them. She wasn’t going to let that happen again.
Putting on a burst of vampire speed, Ariana tore into the clearing, so fast that the witches didn’t have time to react. With her arms spread wide, she ran straight at them, catching them both in the chest and knocking them to the ground. Before either could recover, Ariana crouched down, clamping one hand over each witch’s throat.
“What are you doing here?” she growled.
Predictably, neither of them answered. Ariana
knew that she had to keep them from doing magic, or they would turn the tables on her in an instant. She squeezed their throats, pressing down on their carotid arteries. It worked like a charm, and within seconds, both witches had passed out.
The effect wouldn’t last long, but Ariana didn’t need it to. She pulled off the witches’ outer robes and tore them into makeshift rope, gagging them and tying their hands, making sure to tie their fingers as well, so that they had no movement at all.
Almost all witch spells needed either some verbal component, or a hand or finger movement. Most needed both, so binding witches like this was an almost certain way to ensure that they couldn’t use magic.
She finished just in time. The witches started stirring, making noises of alarm when they found themselves bound and gagged. Ariana didn’t wait for them to recover their senses. She grabbed the witch on the left by the throat again, squeezing just enough to make her splutter, but not enough to make her pass out.
Ariana turned her gaze to the second witch. “You’re going to cooperate with me, or I’ll crush your friend’s windpipe right here.”
The witch glanced at her companion, her eyes wide, before nodding. With her free hand, Ariana pulled the gag out, tightening her grip on the other witch.
“Names.”
The witch coughed a few times. “I’m Amanda, and this is Georgie.” Amanda glanced again at Georgie, whose face had gone red under Ariana’s grip, but she was still breathing.
“What are you doing here?”
Amanda hesitated, and Ariana banged Georgie’s head on the forest ground, not enough to kill her, but hard enough to give her a pounding headache later. Georgie cried out through the gag, the fabric muffling her voice.
“I said, what are you doing here?”
Amanda cast one more frightened look at Georgie before spilling. “We were sent here to do surveillance.”
“To what purpose?”
“I don’t know! We’re just doing what our coven leader tells us. She said we were to find out how many vampires were staying at the chateau and report back to her.”
“How far away is she waiting?”
“Not far, just a couple of hours further back into the woods.”
This was more dangerous than Ariana had thought. If witches were gathering a few hours from the chateau, they had to be dealt with. All thoughts of going back for help were gone, now. She had the witches in her sights. Going back to call for help and possibly lose their trail wasn’t an option.
Ariana tried not to think about how she was going to take on a whole coven of witches by herself. She’d just have to make a plan, that was all there was to it. She had two hostages, and the element of surprise. At the very least, she could cause a commotion that the other vampires from the chateau would see and come to investigate.
Of course, most of the other vampires were just getting up. They were probably washing up and eating breakfast, not staring out at the forest, but surely at least one or two would be. Ariana knew that her chances were slim if help didn’t arrive, but she’d never been one to shy away from doing what needed to be done just because it was dangerous.
“Take me to your coven leader.”
Amanda’s jaw hardened. “No.”
“I don’t think you understand me.” Ariana bashed Georgie’s head against the ground again, harder this time. She wasn’t a fan of torture, even with witches, but Ariana would do what she had to to keep Julio and the others safe. “You will take me to your leader, or I will rip Georgie’s throat out – but not before making her beg for death.”
It was a bluff. Ariana could kill Georgie, but she didn’t think she had it in her to enact extended torture. Fortunately, Amanda’s low opinion of vampires made it quite easy for her to believe Ariana’s claim.
“Alright, alright, I’ll take you! Just please, don’t hurt her.”
“As long as you cooperate, you’ll both be fine.” For now, Ariana thought to herself, but didn’t mention that part. Her primary mission was to take out the coven leader, then escape with her life. Without the leader, the coven would flounder, at least for a period of time, giving the vampires time to take the offensive.
They moved through the forest at a frustratingly slow pace.
“You know, I could speed this up,” Amanda suggested hopefully. “If you’d let me, I could teleport us there.”
Ariana snorted, but didn’t bother to reply. The moment she gave Amanda access to magic was the moment that Amanda killed her. Amanda sighed, shrugging in an ‘I had to try’ sort of way. Ariana paused to gag her too. She didn’t need to hear anything more from the witches.
The two of them stumbled a number of times as they led Ariana through the forest. She knew that they would usually have a light to guide them, but she wasn’t going to let anything give away her approach. She kept a tight grip on both Amanda and Georgie, holding them tightly when they overbalanced, stopping them from falling and making a noise.
Together, they went deeper into the forest and were swallowed by the night.
14
Julio was just getting out of the shower when he heard Ariana’s voice. “Julio, I’ll be right back, I just need to check something.”
He poked his head out of the bathroom door in time to see her leap off the balcony. Alarmed, Julio wrapped a towel around his waist and hurried outside. By the time he’d reached the edge of the balcony, Ariana was already on the ground, moving quickly toward the forest.
Julio tried to call after instinctively, only to have yet more butterflies come from his mouth. Clenching his teeth in frustration, he examined the balcony railing, peering down to the levels below. Nope, there was no way he’d be able to climb that. He’d most likely fall and break his neck.
He watched as Ariana disappeared into the trees. Julio waited. She’d said she would be right back. Surely, she would return soon. Tension mounted inside him as he watched, but saw no further sign of movement. A dim light caught his eye. It wasn’t bright at all, barely bright enough for him to see against the darkening sky.
Julio was sure it was there, though. That was probably what Ariana had gone to investigate. There was no reason for a light in the forest, it was too close to Rashid’s chateau. Vampires didn’t need light to travel at night.
Witches did, though.
Panicking, Julio hurried back inside and started pulling his clothes on. He had to get help. The thought of going into the rest of the house with all those vampires, let alone without Ariana’s protection, was terrifying, but he had to do it. No one else knew where she was, and she could be in trouble. Who knew how many witches she might run into?
It didn’t take him long to find the other vampires. Most of them seemed to be congregated in a large room with a bar and multi-colored lights, like at a disco. Some were drinking – both alcohol and blood – while others lay on the couches, or made out lazily with each other.
When Julio entered the room, everything stopped. Everyone was staring at him. He suddenly realized that he hadn’t brought the notepad down with him. How was he going to communicate with them?
He pointed urgently at the woods, mouthing the name ‘Ariana’. Unfortunately, his lips were obscured by butterflies. The vampires laughed, watching him as though he was a vaguely interesting pet.
One of them came over, poking Julio in the shoulder. It didn’t hurt, but he still flinched and backed up a step.
“Look who’s come out to play. Your keeper getting bored of you? Not to worry, we’ll keep you entertained.”
Julio shook his head frantically, pointing again to the woods. He tried to shout at them to listen, to save Ariana, but only butterflies came out. He’d become accustomed to Ariana, who paid attention to him and learned to read his expression and gestures.
These vampires had no interest in reading him and figuring out what he was trying to say. One of them tried to push a glass of bright blue alcohol into his hand, while another walked around him, occasionally poking his muscles.
&nb
sp; He should have been terrified, and to some extent he was, but mostly, Julio’s mind was too focused on getting help for Ariana to take in much else. Anger and frustration at not being able to speak warred with his fear of the vampires that were looking at him like he was a particularly succulent piece of fruit.
Julio briefly considered going back up to Ariana’s room to get the notepad, but even if he could communicate, he doubted these vampires would help him. They seemed utterly uninterested in anything he had to say.
There was only one thing for it. Julio would have to go after Ariana himself. He tore free of the hands that seemed to be all over his body, running through the chateau. He burst out of the front doors, staring helplessly into the trees. He had no idea how to track Ariana in the dark – or even in the daytime, for that matter. He’d quickly noticed how lightly vampires tread, and doubted that even a skilled human tracker would be able to follow any path they left.
For a few moments, he stood paralyzed, unsure of what to do.
Then Julio shook off his fear and started jogging toward the forest. Janet had gotten lost in the woods before, and he’d been able to find her. He’d find Ariana too. Of course, he had no idea how to deal with a coven of witches, but perhaps he could sneak her out when no one was watching.
He hadn’t gone far when a rustling to his left had Julio spinning around. It was Rashid, and Julio had never been so glad to see him.
“Julio, what are you doing out here? It’s not safe for you, you know that.”
More butterflies streamed from his mouth as Julio pointed frantically into the depths of the forest. Rashid frowned, his head tilted to the side. “I don’t understand you. I can see you’re upset about something. Where’s Ariana?”
Julio practically hopped on the spot as he pointed emphatically into the forest. Rashid’s look of puzzlement immediately turned to one of concern. “Come with me.”
