“Three witches to reverse a sevenfold curse?” I asked.
“This magic deals in multipliers,” Moll said. “Two witches alone, multiplied, would only be a power of four. But three witches…”
“That’s a power of nine,” I said. “Enough to counteract a sevenfold celestial curse.”
Moll nodded. “It will take all three of us working together.”
“Then Nyx can stake her once the wolf is removed,” I said. “Stake her and eat her.”
Nyx nodded.
“Alright, what ingredients do we need for the cauldron?” I asked.
“The blood of each of the three witches,” Moll said. “And the blood of one such witch infected with the wolf’s cursed bite.”
“And vampiric blood will work?” I asked.
“This is infernal magic, dear,” Moll said. “If anything, it prefers the blood of a vampire to that of a human.”
“I guess it’s good luck I was bitten,” I said. “Still, it stings like a bitch. Can the spell work to expel the wolf’s bite from me, too?”
“I’m afraid that since you are a vampire and the wolf’s curse has never been born within you fully, it must simply run its course.”
“Waiting a century or more before its effects are purged from my system?” I asked.
Moll nodded. “During which time, my dear, you must avoid sunlight at all costs.”
“I read that in the grimoire,” I said. “I suppose I’m not invulnerable after all.”
“You never were,” Moll said. “Formidable, but not invulnerable. You’ll still be immune to the stake. And if your brother’s soul who now possesses you is granted control, he will be steeped in infernal power.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It is what gives you the ability to reign over the demons, dear. It is the very reason why you are the only one who can ultimately defeat them.”
“By letting my brother take over my body again?”
Moll nodded.
“But the one time he did…”
Hailey laughed. “It was a slaughter.”
“Perhaps your time in the asylum has given you some insight into how you might… grow together… you and your brother.”
“Yeah, Cain was helpful in that regard,” I chuckled. “The thing is, I had entertained the idea of trying to resurrect you, Moll, in hopes that you might know how to expel him.”
“The answer is not in how you might expel him,” Moll said. “If you wish to be free from his torment, you must embrace him. Embrace the infernal power he grants you. The power he absorbed by dwelling in hell for more than a century.”
I shook my head. “This is what you planned from the beginning, isn’t it? You know what the Order would do with the celestial magic you gave my father. You knew they’d turn Alice into a nightwalker… that they’d try to liberate Edwin from hell.”
“I expected it would be your father, rather than Alice, who would assume that role. It was natural that he would seek to liberate your brother. But my plans did not pan out perfectly. Still, Alice proved a worthy vessel to accomplish such ends, did she not?”
“She’s been a royal pain in my ass is what’s she’s proven to be.”
Moll laughed. “But all that ends well…”
“You knew when I went to hell to claim Edwin that he’d end up possessing me… that I’d be the perfect fetish, the vessel to harness his infernal power.”
Moll grinned widely. “It is how you would not only defeat the Order of the Morning Dawn, my dear, but how you’d become the queen of demons. The devil who might defeat the devil himself.”
“The Antichrist…”
“The prophecy was written by a pope, Mercy. Do not let the religious fervor of his words color the glory of what you should become. The queen of demons. Yes, even the queen of hell.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Hailey bit her thumb, and a drop of her vampiric blood dripped into the cauldron. Moll used a knife to cut her palm, adding her blood to the potion. Together, their blood swirled in the carrier mixture, a combination of bone broth and a variety of herbs, all prescribed by the spell contained in the grimoire.
It was my turn. I bit my hand, adding a drop of my blood to the cauldron. My blood was what had been infected by a werewolf bite. The magic of the celestial curse, the curse originally inflicted upon Cain and continued in the infection that I’d acquired through the wolf’s bite, struck the potion and the entire mixture illuminated with a golden glow.
“Now we must dip our wands into the potion and speak together our chosen incantation,” Moll said.
“Please,” I said, “no cheesy rhymes this time.”
Moll smiled. “The blood of witches three, expel the cursed decree.”
I rolled my eyes. “Decree? You just needed something to rhyme with three.”
“The curse is a celestial decree, is it not?” Moll asked, smirking.
“Fine,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re hardly a poet and you truly know it.”
“That sort of rhymed, too,” Hailey said, chuckling.
“I know. I’ve been holding onto that joke for decades.”
“I can see why you’ve been holding onto it,” Moll said. “It isn’t that funny.”
I glared back at Moll. “Whatever. Let’s just do this.”
We each dipped our wands into the golden potion and spoke the nauseating poem together: “The blood of witches three, expel the cursed decree.”
Our wands all began to glow, matching the golden color of the potion. The glow faded from the cauldron as it consumed our wands.
“That’s it,” I said. “Time to go exorcise the wolf from Alice.”
Nyx lingered in the shadows as we followed the wolf’s howls. Nyx would have to take Alice by surprise after—and only after—we exorcised the wolf.
We passed a dozen or so mauled bodies as we pursued Alice. Annabelle would be pissed about that, but she’d get over it. What choice did she have?
We heard the howls. We tried to follow. But then everything went silent. I could see well enough in the dark. Even though Vilokan is shrouded in shadows, any one of which might have hidden Alice, I could see into most of the darkened nooks and crannies we passed. Most, but not all. While Vilokan was heavily shadowed, the buildings were also practically on top of each other. The road we walked through was just wide enough for pedestrians. This place was built before automobiles, and even if it had been made later they wouldn’t have had any way to bring them into the city. Narrow alleyways separating the buildings could easily hide a werewolf. My chest tightened every time we walked past one of the alleys. I expected Alice to jump out of one of them at any moment. If I had a heart, it would have skipped a beat with each one we passed.
Most of the city, it seemed, had evacuated. Only occasionally did we hear someone scurrying around as if they were still trying to gather some things or, perhaps, were hiding rather than leaving. No matter how many tragedies come, no matter how many disasters strike, it seems there are always a few idiots too foolish to evacuate their homes. We saw it in New Orleans during Katrina—some people just refused to leave their homes. Those who lived in Vilokan experienced a tragedy of their own when, not long ago, the entire place flooded. Some people stayed in their homes because they were that poor—they couldn’t afford to leave. I felt bad for them. But there were others who stayed for no good reason it all. There were still some who, no matter what recent history might suggest, believe they had some kind of sacred duty to stand guard over their homes. As if fleeing when a hurricane, a flood, or heaven forbid, a werewolf is afoot somehow makes you a pussy. People are weird that way. Truth be told, though, being a living and breathing pussy is better than being a courageous corpse. And the wolf… she could smell humans from a mile away. The only reason I’d been able to survive the wolves in Vilokan was because I was faster than they were, and because, as a vampire, I don’t give off the same scent. I was harder to track. But these humans in Vilok
an—they were like gift-wrapped meals for the wolf. She’d find them sooner or later, if we didn’t find her first.
Even with my acute sense of hearing I couldn’t pick up on anything—nothing that sounded like a wolf. Wherever Alice was, she was hiding, lurking, waiting to attack. There was no telling how much of her own consciousness remained. She was, after all, a vampire, too. No one really knows how werewolfism interacts with vampirism. I was bitten and the curse wouldn’t take. The infection had other undesirable side effects, but it wouldn’t turn me. But Alice turned both on account of her acquisition of Nyx’s ability and because she’d targeted Cain for death, thereby earning herself the sevenfold curse. Unless any other vampires had ever tried to kill Cain, Alice was the first vampire-werewolf ever to exist. That fact alone made facing her intimidating. We just didn’t know what to expect.
Known dangers can be frightening because you anticipate the worst. Unknown dangers can be even scarier precisely because you don’t know what to expect.
There wasn’t much that terrified me. But a vampire-werewolf, one with a track record of wanting me dead already, certainly made my short list.
None of us said a word. Moll and Hailey walked carefully on either side of me. Nyx lagged behind. We all took soft, deliberate steps. Chances were Alice knew where we were. She probably smelled Moll, at the very least—she was the only one of us who was still human, even if she was revived as such through necromancy. All things considered, we were being as quiet as possible on the smallest chance that the wolf might not know where we were. In truth, the wolf had probably gone silent precisely because it knew where we were and was waiting for its chance. We had to be ready.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Vilokan tended to be cool—the whole city was effectively a cave. But it wasn’t the temperature that had given me the chills. Were we hunting the wolf, or was she hunting us?
The answer came with a thud. Was it the sound of Alice colliding with me, or was it the sound of my body hitting the pavement? I wasn’t sure. But it was an offensive bang—like the kind that rattles one’s senses when someone strikes your car from behind. I’d only been in one car accident in my long life—not that it hurt me, but the sound. You never forget that sound. And that’s what I heard as Alice took me out. My wand must’ve flown out of my hand.
All I could do was kick the massive body that had landed on top of me. I might be small, but I can really pack a powerful punch or, in this case, a kick.
Especially when I’m pissed. When I go into a rage, it’s like my strength is amplified. I’m not sure if it’s adrenaline or something magical. It’s a vampire thing, not unique to me. But being blindsided like that was enough to bring out my rage. With my kick, Alice went flying back into a building behind me. Bricks fell from the building as her massive wolfish body struck the wall.
I didn’t know if my rage was enough to handle a werewolf—particularly if Alice could go into the same kind of vampiric rage even while in wolf form. But I wasn’t about to be denied or dissuaded. I followed up my kick with a charge after Alice’s body.
I needed my wand… I needed to stick to the plan… but how was I supposed to go wand-hunting while a wolf was on my ass? And while I had an opening, I had to take it. I dove after Alice just as she was getting back to her feet. A massive paw swiped me aside before I could strike her.
Gravel greeted my face. I quickly sprang back to my feet just in time to see my wand flying through the air—Nyx had found it and was throwing it over the wolf back toward me. It was a high throw.
I leapt and snatched it out of the air and quickly exchanged glances with Hailey and Moll.
“The blood of witches three, expel the cursed decree!”
All three of our wands illuminated with gold power as we spoke the incantation in unison. Three beams of magic struck Alice in the chest.
Alice screeched in agony. She wasn’t shifting back—not the way you’d think one would. It was like the vampire was being ripped out of the wolf’s form, two cohering bodies violently ripped apart. As the two forms separated, the wolf became something of a specter—and it charged directly at me.
“Hell no,” I said as I dodged out of the way. I had enough shit going on inside me—not just vampirism, but whatever my brother brought with him—and the last thing I needed was to allow Alice’s sevenfold curse to fall on me.
As I dodged the wolf form, it took off after Nyx, who was already chasing Alice with a spiked stiletto in hand.
The apparition struck Nyx, knocking her off her feet. It didn’t enter Nyx, but it gave Alice enough time to gather her sense and take off.
“Go after her!” I shouted toward Nyx.
Nyx shook her head. “She’s gone.”
I nodded and looked back at the apparition of the wolf as Annabelle Mulledy—the Voodoo Queen—appeared from one of the alleyways. She threw something my direction. I couldn’t see what it was.
I reached out and caught it in midair. “A fetish?” I asked as I stared at the strange totem in my hand.
Annabelle nodded.
She didn’t need to tell me what to do. I didn’t know how the fetish had been prepared. Was it imbued with Cain’s essence? It must’ve been. As I raised it toward the wolf’s apparition, its spirit concentrated on the fetish, enveloping the totem’s form until it disappeared inside.
The fetish felt warm to the touch.
“You got her,” Nyx said.
I nodded.
“But you didn’t get Alice…”
Nyx nodded. “She’s still out there. I’ll find her.”
“She’s only getting farther away by the moment,” I said.
Nyx nodded and took off—leaving Vilokan. I didn’t know if she’d catch Alice, but I knew she’d try. And I suspected that so long as Nyx was on her trail, Alice wouldn’t be bothering me. She’d have more than her hands full.
I stared at the fetish in my hand. The warmth hadn’t faded. There was a power in it. Something now contained, but something that might be useful. Eventually.
“Nice call,” I said, nodding at Annabelle. “But why’d you have me do it? Couldn’t you capture the wolf yourself?”
Annabelle shook her head. “The werewolf curse had fallen on Alice. And she is your progeny, is she not? That part of her, her vampiric nature, came from you. If the wolf’s spirit was something of a curse on the soul, I imagined it might work similarly to the way a soul might be bound to a fetish.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How did you know about that? That Alice was my progeny?”
“I told her, ma chérie.”
I turned and saw Ramon standing there smiling wide. I practically leapt into his arms. “I thought you were staked!”
“I was,” Ramon said. “Probably for the best. But Annabelle brought me back just in time.”
I wanted to kiss him—I don’t know why, but I just had that urge. Seeing him after all I’d been through in the asylum, it felt like I’d just come home again. “But how did you know we’d need a fetish to capture the wolf? We knew the spell would exorcise the wolf from Alice. But we didn’t know that the werewolf curse would try to settle on another host.”
“That is not exactly true,” Hailey said. “I knew the spell we were casting. I’d studied it. I warned Annabelle in advance what might happen.”
I smirked. “Thank you, Hailey. You too, Annabelle.”
Annabelle smirked. “Did you just express… gratitude? That’s not you, Mercy!”
I smiled. “Don’t get used to it.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
I never saw Nyx again. I hoped she’d found her way. I hoped she’d found Alice. I had to believe she had, because I hadn’t heard anything from Alice, either. Still, sans any evidence suggesting that Nyx had finally done the bitch in, I couldn’t let my guard down. She could show up at any time. Someone else from the Order might show up in her stead. Still, there were bigger fish to fry. Larger problems were afoot.
The demons were still at lar
ge. They were still infecting humans. They were still coming after vampires, hoping to use our bodies to take corporeal form, to take over the Earth.
I didn’t know what it meant that I was supposed to be some kind of queen of demons. I had the fetish with the wolf’s curse inside it. Could I use it, somehow? I wasn’t sure. But I wasn’t about to cast the thing aside. At the very least, it made for a nice paperweight. Or hand-warmer. The thing was a steady hundred degrees Fahrenheit.
“In the mood for a feed?” Ramon asked. “I bet you’re starving after all that bottled blood they gave you.”
“I fed from a nurse before I left. And we can’t risk a feed right now.”
“We can’t go without forever, Mercy.”
I nodded. “I know. I’m immune to it. At the very least, if you’re going to feed I need to sample it first.”
Ramon laughed. “Like the emperor’s cup bearer?”
“Please,” I said. “I’m your queen. You’re no emperor.”
“But I do have the voice of Napoleon!”
“You have a French accent. That doesn’t make you Napoleon.”
Ramon shrugged. Stood up straight and put his hand halfway inside his vest. “How about this, ma chérie?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, you look just like him.”
“Really?”
“No,” I said. “You look like Ramon doing a bad Napoleon impression.”
“That’s because I am Ramon doing a bad Napoleon impression.”
I laughed out loud. It felt good to laugh with Ramon again. We were facing some heavy shit. Somehow I’d have to figure out how to defeat the demons. But I was back with Ramon now. Things felt normal again. Almost… He was right: we did need to feed. But if Ramon was infected, could I trust myself to heal him? Hailey had done it to herself. She healed me, too. But my wand wasn’t imbued with that spell. If we were going to feed, we’d have to bring Hailey along. We’d have to be prepared. We couldn’t just go hunting on a whim.
Hailey had resurrected Moll as her guide in the Craft years ago—and she’d only shown up and appeared to me just recently. She had her reasons. I clearly hadn’t been all that interested in the Craft for most of my vampiric existence. And Hailey was the one who brought her back. It made sense that she was the one whom Moll had now taken under her wing. Still, I suspected we’d be working closely together again. I was, after all, the one who was supposed to become the queen of demons, a devil in the flesh, even—cue the dramatic music—the Antichrist! If any of that was going to come to pass, I’d need Moll’s help. And from what I could tell, she was more than a little eager to give it.
Bloody Mad: A Dark Urban Fantasy Story (The Legacy of a Vampire Witch Book 2) Page 14
