Jen Pretty

by Jen Pretty

face. "I’ve never hurt anyone in my life.”

  David's face was sincere, and we had no proof.

  “I believe you,” I said.

  Kai threw his hands up in the air in disgust.

  “Are there any other witches or warlocks in the

  building?” Nick asked.

  David shook his head. “We used to have a nice

  vampire couple, but they moved out last year. Now it's all

  humans, except Selena.” He smiled at me.

  I returned his smile.

  “Ok, well, let’s go, guys,” I said swinging my eyes

  around to the group. It was late afternoon, and I was tired

  from all the running around town.

  They followed me out and into the stairwell.

  “I’m just going to crash for a bit at my place. Maybe

  grab a snack,” I said when we reached my floor.

  Kai nodded, and Peran grumbled, but the two of them

  continued down the stairs. Nick and I padded down the

  carpeted hall.

  “Oh shit,” Nick said. I looked up and saw what he was

  talking about before I could ask him.

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  My apartment door was wide open.

  178

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  I stopped dead, but Nick pushed past me and stepped

  over the mess into the apartment. The futon mattress was

  shredded, stuffing everywhere. Someone had thrown my

  clothes around and my kitchen destroyed. The fridge was

  open. Food and broken dishes littered the floor.

  I picked up a few pieces of torn clothing. Someone

  ruined all of it. Everything.

  Nick was on his phone a heartbeat later and a few

  moments after that Kai and Peran sifted in.

  I was still frozen, standing among the rubble of the life

  I had built for myself. I didn't have much, but everything I

  had, I’d worked for.

  My suitcase lay discarded; it was empty. The book of

  magic animals had been in it. I scanned the room but didn’t

  see it anywhere.

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  Crow cawed and hopped across the floor, picking up

  things and turning them over. He hopped further and

  plucked at something that was wedged under the fridge.

  I stepped over the rubble and pulled out the book. At

  least that had somehow survived. I curled it and tucked it

  in my pocket. It didn’t fit comfortably, but I didn’t want to

  lose it. I turned back to survey the rest of the damage.

  “Selena.” Nick's face floated into my line of vision.

  My eyes focused on his, but I couldn’t find any words

  to say. Something glittery caught my eyes, and I turned to

  look at whatever it was. It was Georgia's dress, tossed

  among the rubble of my apartment.

  I huffed and shook my head, then turned and walked

  back out the door. The guys were discussing something,

  but I didn’t care anymore. Someone had destroyed my life,

  and it was probably the same person who was killing

  people in my city. I didn’t know where I wanted to go, but

  I had to go somewhere and do something. This was

  crossing a line.

  I heard footsteps behind me but kept walking not

  wanting to be there anymore.

  I walked down the street and crossed the road. Before

  I knew it, I found myself in the grave yard — the one I

  used to go to when I had to raise the dead. Now I didn’t

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  have to raise anyone here if I didn’t want to, but something

  was pulling me, anyway.

  I let my feet follow the gentle tug. It dragged me along

  the grass and towards the back corner. A tall statue stood,

  covered in moss, its sharp edges worn away by time. I

  stopped in front of it and fell to my knees. The marker said

  “Katherine.” The magic inside me swirled and poured

  forward as if it was practised and routine. It felt like coming

  home.

  The sun was just falling below the tops of the trees,

  leaving long shadows on the dry grass. My magic spilled

  and flowed to coat the ground in glittering blue. I felt the

  rush as my magic soaked into the earth and chased some

  unseen wraith to raise the long dead. A beautiful middle-

  aged woman knelt before me. Her features were delicate

  like a pixie, but her red hair reached her waist where her

  plain peasant top met her long flowing skirt.

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out the knife,

  slicing my arm without a second thought.

  “Hello,” she said, smiling wistfully.

  “Hi. How’s it going?” I asked.

  “You are struggling.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Yes, I'm struggling. I’ve lost everything.” I glanced

  behind me. Nick was leaning on a gravestone facing away

  from me about a hundred feet away.

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  “Selena, you have not lost what is important.”

  “How do you know my name?” No Wraith had ever

  known my name.

  Crow appeared at that moment and landed on the

  woman’s shoulder. She smiled softly and reached up to pet

  the bird. He preened under her attention, lifting his beak

  to the sky and closing his eyes. He didn’t snap at her like

  he did when I tried to touch him.

  “Hello, old friend,” she said.

  “You are the Black Crow?” I asked, stunned.

  She smiled at me. “I was once, now I sleep. I wanted

  to talk to you though. Being the Black Crow is more than

  being a necromancer. You have more magic than the

  others. The dead may not tell you the whole tale, but they

  can lead you to the guilty one - the source of their death.

  Just follow the thread.”

  She was fading. I had a lot of questions. I didn’t want

  her to go, but I knew she couldn’t stay. Gripped the knife,

  I sliced my arm to let her rest again. The magic evaporated,

  and my head was dizzy. I sat for a moment longer and

  considered her words. She said I could follow the thread.

  Crow hopped across the grass and blinked at me. A

  soft breeze rustled his feathers. He looked serene and calm,

  maybe majestic. I reached out to touch him as Katherine

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  had. The sharp sting of his beak pecking my hand had me

  recoiling so fast I almost tipped over.

  Little shit.

  He cawed at me, his little neck elongated and his beak

  wide.

  “Fine, let's go,” I said, standing up and dusting my

  knees. The sun had fallen enough to cast the graveyard in

  a twilight. I could still make out Nick’s shape, but someone

  else was in the cemetery now too. Nick was watching my

  approach as the person further away disappeared and then

  reappeared behind Nick. The stranger's arm went around

  Nick's throat, and I called out, but the man quickly

  vanished.

  Nick fell limp to the ground, and the man disappeared. I

  burst into a run. Sliding on my knees the last few feet, I

  rolled Nick onto his back and froze as I watched the blood

  pour out of a giant gaping wound in Nick's neck.

  The grotesque gasping noises he made only added to

  my horror, but a loud caw broke my shock, and I wrapped

  my hands around the slice. Blood ooze
d through my

  fingers, making my grip slippery, but I held on.

  “Nick,” I said. His eyes were wide, his mouth gaping

  and blood bubbled from his lips. I looked around, but

  there was no one else around. My magic rose. I tried to

  hold his neck with one hand and rummaged through his

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  pockets till I found his phone. My hand on the phone was

  sticky, and I smeared the screen when I touched it, but I

  flicked it on and found his contacts.

  I clicked on a name that was under a smear of blood.

  It rang, and I thought I heard a phone ring in the trees

  behind me. I turned my head but there was no one there,

  and the phone just kept ringing. I hung up and tried a

  different number. My fingers smeared blood across the

  whole phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Peran!” I yelled. His voice was easy to recognize.

  “Nick is hurt!”

  “What? Where are you?”

  “The graveyard up from my apartment. Someone came

  in, a warlock, and slit Nick's neck. Please, hurry!” I threw

  the phone down and wrapped my hand back around the

  slice in Nick's neck. It was slowly closing up, but there

  couldn't be much blood left in his body.

  Kai and Peran appeared in the graveyard. Peran

  dropped to his knees beside me as Kai scanned the area

  holding his blade.

  “He was just standing there, and a guy popped up

  behind him, and then he fell, and there is so much blood.”

  My hands were shaking, but my grip on Nick’s ruined neck

  didn’t falter. Peran covered my hands with his.

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  “Selena.” His voice was firm and calm, my eyes caught

  on his and I stopped. “Let go,” he said.

  I looked down at Nick. Blood sunk into the ground

  making a muddy blood puddle all around him. I took a

  deep breath and took my hands away. A slow ooze of

  blood came out through the small center of the slit before

  it closed up and the blood stopped. My arms were red

  halfway to my elbows and still shook as I tried to wipe the

  hair from my face with the back of my forearm.

  Nick’s breathing smoothed out, and his chest rose and

  fell in a slow rhythm.

  “What do we do?” I asked Peran.

  “He just needs a meal.” Peran took his shirt off and

  handed it to me. I tried to grab it with my arms, so I don't

  get it covered in blood. “It’s for you to wipe your hands

  on, Selena,” he said with a grin. I wasn’t sure how he was

  grinning at a time like this, but I wiped my hands on it,

  anyway. The blood was sticky and the more it dried, the

  stickier it got.

  I was watching Peran as he went through his pockets.

  “Do you have a knife? I can feed him.”

  I huffed out a puff of air. “You want to feed him here?”

  I asked.

  “Kai is looking around. I can get Nick back on his feet.

  Unless you want to do it.” His tone didn't change. It wasn’t

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  a challenge. It was a simple question. Did I want to slice

  my skin for Nick?

  I sliced my skin all the time. Reaching into my pocket,

  my fingers found the knife, unfolding the blade.

  “You need to slit your wrist, this way,” He indicated

  with his finger a slice that ran up the inside of my wrist.

  “He needs more than a few drops.”

  I nodded and tried to stop the shake in my hands. One

  last deep breath and I made the cut. It stung more than on

  the back of my forearm and blood came out in a gush

  instead to a drip. I dropped the knife and leaned forward,

  resting my wrist on Nick's mouth.

  After a moment, a steely hand slammed up, grabbing

  onto my forearm. Nick’s eyes remained closed, but I felt a

  pull as his mouth latched on and he sucked the blood out.

  I let go of my magic too, pouring it all into Nick. I felt a

  pinch and heat ran from my wrist, up my arm and directly

  to my brain. Dizziness overtook me. I lost track of where

  I was or what I was doing, but, next thing I knew, I was in

  Peran’s arms, in a motel room.

  “How did we get here?” I slurred; my voice didn't

  sound like my own.

  “Kai brought us back. He is just grabbing Nick.”

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  Kai appeared in the room a second later, Nick's arm

  was over his shoulder, but the vampire was standing

  upright, mostly.

  “I’m sorry, Nick,” I said.

  “It's not your fault,” he said with a crooked grin as he

  eased down to sit on the bed. He peeled his sticky shirt off

  and tossed it in the small garbage can beside the bed and

  then stood, a bit wobbly.

  “I’m just going to have a shower.” Nick Chuckled as

  he made slow steps towards the bathroom. When the door

  snicked shut behind him, I turned my eyes to Peran and

  raised an eyebrow.

  “What is wrong with him?” I whispered.

  “I heard that!” Nick called from beyond the door.

  “He is drunk on blood and magic. He’ll probably have

  a hangover tomorrow.” Peran smiled, and Kai chuckled.

  God, I just watched him bleed out, and now he was

  drunk. I was getting whiplash from the drama.

  “Is this your motel room?” I asked.

  “Hold on, I’ll get you one,” Kai said, disappearing. I

  wanted to sit down, but I was disgusting and didn’t want

  to put more blood on the bed. There was already a smear

  from Nick.

  “Do you want to borrow some clothes?” Peran asked.

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  “Yeah, that would be good. I have none left.”

  Remembering my ruined apartment was the icing on the

  cake.

  Kai appeared as Peran was rummaging through his bag,

  holding a keycard in his hand.

  “They don’t have adjoining rooms, but this is for the

  one next door,” Kai said handing me the card.

  “Thanks.” Peran handed me a bundle of clothes which

  I tucked under my arm and then stumbled into the next

  hotel room. I dropped the clothes on the soft blue covered

  bed and turned on the shower in the small bathroom. The

  motel room wasn’t as nice as the hotel in Canada, but it

  was clean and tidy. A queen-size bed, tv and tiny glass-top

  table with two wicker chairs and a minibar. The mini bar

  was looking good right about now, so I popped it open and

  grabbed two tiny bottles.

  The alcohol burned down my throat as the hot water

  burned my skin. When both tiny bottles were empty, I

  stepped out of the shower and stumbled forcing a small

  giggle out. I got dressed in Peran’s t-shirt and jogging

  pants. Pulling the drawstring as tight as it would go, it was

  still a fight with gravity to keep the pants on as I stumbled

  out of the bathroom and fell face first on the bed. A

  chuckle from behind me made me roll over and look to see

  who was laughing at me.

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  “Hey, Nick. Are you still drunk? Cause I'm getting

  there,” I said, holding up the two tiny empty bottles in my

  hand.

&
nbsp; “Nah, I’m not drunk,” he said as he swayed before

  joining me on the bed. He collapsed on his back and rested

  his hands beneath his head. The long lines of his body were

  on display through a t-shirt he must have put on before

  drying himself after his shower. It was damp and clinging

  to him.

  “How do vampires get fit?” I asked. “Aren’t you dead?

  You shouldn't be able to get nice muscles.” I rolled onto

  my back, matching his position on the bed.

  “You think I have nice muscles?” he asked with a snort.

  “You know you do.” I could see his silly smile out of

  the corner of my eye. I realized my hair was still wet and

  soaking into the blanket on the bed, but was too numb get

  the towel.

  “Well, you see. Vampires stay as they were when they

  became vampires. Since I was a smoking hot dude, I will

  stay that way forever.”

  “Smokin’ hot dude?” He was so old. I got a case of the

  giggles. I got them under control, just to lose it again and

  laugh till I had to curl up on the bed because my stomach

  hurt.

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  “How many of those tiny bottles did you drink?” he

  asked, looking at me with one eyebrow raised.

  “How do you do that?” I reached out and touched his

  eyebrow, feeling the muscles underneath relax as his face

  when back to normal.

  When I moved my finger, he raised it again. I tried to

  do it but just ended up closing one eye and opening the

  other. I probably looked like a crazy person, but it made

  him laugh. His laughter was deep and ridiculous. A big bad

  vampire, drunk and laughing at a necromancer. What a

  strange pair we were.

  When we finally settled into a comfortable silence. I lay

  on my back, staring at the plain white ceiling and twisting

  my hair around my finger. It was still damp and cool. I

  thought back to the graveyard, and a chill ran up my spine.

  I envisioned Nick laying there in a puddle of blood. And

  the way the blood smeared across Nick's phone from my

  bloody hands. That was the moment I remembered the

  ring I heard in the trees after the first call I made.

  I sat up on the bed. “Where is your phone?” I asked.

  “My phone? I don't know. It wasn't in my pocket.”

  “We have to go get it! I called someone before I got a