Dark Promise

by Danielle Rose

  I trip over brush, my ankle twisting awkwardly as I tumble forward. I yelp, landing in a heap of icy snow. Before I realize what’s happening, Will is at my side. He lifts me from the mound, and we both watch as the remaining witches surround us.

  Leaning against him, I attempt to cocoon us both within my magic, but I’m growing far too sluggish. I anticipate the other witches will combine their strength, and in my weakened state, I’m not confident I can withstand their fury.

  “We need to get out of here!” I shout.

  The witches lock hands, forming a half circle before us. Immediately, the elements are bared. The wind whips my hair feverishly around my face. The snowflakes falling become plump and moist, blurring my vision as clusters of ice collect around my eyes. Slowly, Will and I dip into the earth. The frozen ground at our feet turns to mush, and we sink deeper into the mud.

  Before we can escape, another witch approaches us, her dark gaze as black as night. Her cheeks are pink, her lips chapped as she shouts an incantation. Her hair whips around violently as her element is intensified by her allies.

  She stands before them, a leader before her coven. She’s floating, carried by air. Her ankles slack, the tips of her toes pointing directly to the ground as she’s lifted by her magic.

  With arms outstretched at her sides, she shouts several Latin incantations, and her magic rushes at us. Hardened bullets of beaded air, the wind assaults my magical barrier, tearing it down with little effort.

  Other witches stand beside their leader, lending their strength to intensify her magic. With each air shard working its way deeper into my magical shield, I begin to feel the effects of wielding a power far stronger than me.

  I slump beside Will, letting him carry my entire weight. My forehead is slick from sweat and snow, my nerves raw. My head aches, and my stomach growls.

  “I can’t hold on anymore,” I whisper, closing my eyes.

  The moment my magic dissipates, evaporating into the air and sinking back within my core, Will steps forward. He wraps one arm around my body to hold me upright and lashes forward with the other. A blast of swirling white light tears through his palm and shoots forward.

  The surprised witch screams and attempts to protect herself, but it’s too late. He mimicked her air blasts and sent his directly to her heart. She falls to the ground, her legs buckling awkwardly beneath her. Her head slams against the frozen ground, and her lifeless eyes stare at me. I loathe the accusations there, so I look away, instead finding comfort in the other witches’ disbelief.

  They stare at Will as if he too is floating. They expected magic from me, but now they know there is another half-breed. I’m not sure if I should be happy the witches fear us or if I should worry about the target etched into Will’s back. I fear he will regret coming to Darkhaven.

  I exhale sharply as the witches retreat, choosing to abandon their fallen. Though I’m not surprised by the witches’ actions, I feel sorrow for their dead. Why does abandonment come so naturally to them?

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” I whisper.

  With my magic now safely tucked inside my soul, I grow stronger. Still weakened by the attack, I push away from Will’s embrace and find comfort in the distance I put between us. I’m grateful for his help, but I’m still not sure if I can trust him. I want to believe I can, and after everything he’s done, he deserves my trust. But I’m living in a time of war, and trust is not easily given.

  “They made my decision for me,” Will says. “It was them or us.”

  I glance at him and notice the darkness in his eyes. I wonder if it’s hard for him to kill a witch—since he once was one. Or has time hardened him to the realities of this life as a hybrid creature?

  “They’ll never forgive you for this,” I warn.

  “I don’t expect their forgiveness.”

  I consider explaining what it means to have a target on your back in Darkhaven, where there are more witches than humans, but I don’t bother. I’m guessing Will has been alive a lot longer than me, and in that time, he’s probably made enemies. Still, he risked his life to save mine. That must mean something.

  “Thank you,” I say softly, sincerely.

  “You’re too young to be harnessing that much power, Ava,” Will warns.

  I nod. Holland warned me about this too. If I tap into too much too soon, I risk death.

  “I can’t control how much comes out,” I explain. “It just happens.”

  “I know, and it will get easier. Control comes with time.”

  I sigh, letting his words wash over me. The vampires, and even Holland, have said this very same thing to me many times before, but I never believed them. Not until Will, someone who truly understands, said them. Knowing I’m living through the hardest parts right now somehow makes this transition easier.

  “They’ll come back,” Will says, scanning the trees around us. “We need to leave.”

  I nod and stare into the distance. I can still see them running away from us and toward the village. They retreat, and the predator within me wants to follow, to hunt them down one by one.

  I look around at the massacre. The snow is stained crimson, and the euphoric scent of blood coats the air.

  The witches are dead, and I know I should fear the repercussions of what happened here tonight.

  But I don’t.

  Chapter Nine

  The silence of the night is unnerving. The forest has never been so calm, so quiet. The loneliness of walking these grounds after every sunset begins to mount.

  Is this what my life has become? An endless stream of days sleeping and nights fighting my enemies? A life of watching my back and praying I see the next day? Of watching my step and tracking the shadows? What kind of life is that? Am I even living?

  I glance over at Will, who’s become suspiciously silent himself. I find myself matching his stride as we venture closer to the manor, where my vampire allies await my return. Will they welcome Will as I have? Will they trust him? Should I trust him? The constant questions and second-guesses are making my head hurt. In a town full of enemies lurking around every corner, I really should know who to fear, who to trust.

  In my heart, I believe Will doesn’t intend to hurt me, but I never expected Mamá to forsake me either. I keep wondering who to trust without asking if I can even trust myself. Can I count on my gut, my senses? Or will they betray me too?

  “Have you given my request more thought?” Will asks, breaking our silence.

  “Hmm?” I say, pretending I have no idea which request he’s referring to. It’s a lie. I know exactly what he’s talking about, and I’m not ready for the truth of my words.

  No, I won’t leave the vampires, Jasik… I can’t. Not because I’m sired to him or because I’m beginning to feel things for him I’ve never felt for another being before. I feel safe with them. It’s something I’ve never felt before—not even with the witches. Being with the vampires feels…natural. I always felt out of place with the witches. The hierarchy and expectations were too much to handle. I didn’t want to lead my coven, but I am my father’s daughter. What I wanted didn’t matter. When Abuela stepped down, I was set to take her place. I found comfort in my patrols because the only expectation was to stay alive—and that’s one promise I made to myself long ago. I would survive even when others didn’t.

  With the vampires, I feel connected, loved. We protect each other. They don’t rely on me to do everything, and they don’t expect me to become something I’m not. And as long as Amicia keeps her weird dark promise ways to herself, I think I can live a long, happy life with them.

  “Leave with me,” Will says. He stops, and I nearly trip over my feet at the sudden halt.

  I turn to face him, crossing my arms over my chest as if I can shield his query with body language alone. I know I can’t.

  “Will…” I shake my head. Please don’t make me say the words aloud.

  “You don’t belong here, Ava. You don’t belong with them.”


  “What do you have against vampires?” I ask, arching a brow. Why is Will so adamant that I leave Darkhaven? Doesn’t he understand that my entire life is here, in this village? I can’t just pick up and leave.

  “It’s nothing personal,” he says. “I just don’t know them.”

  “And I don’t know you,” I say pointedly. “You’re asking a lot of someone you just met.”

  “But we’re the same. I can help you with things they will never understand.”

  “Like you said, you don’t know them. Give them a chance, Will.”

  He shakes his head, his decision clear. His eyes are hard, his mouth a sharp line, his brows furrowed. He’s disappointed, and I hate that it bothers me.

  For what is probably the first time in my life, I’m speechless. I don’t know how to answer. I won’t leave with Will, but I’m terrified of saying the wrong thing. Because even though I won’t leave Darkhaven, I also don’t want him to leave either. He’s right. He can teach me how to be a hybrid. I need him to stay, and he knows he’s holding all the cards.

  “Please…just—”

  “I won’t stay here, Ava. I don’t belong here.”

  “I’m not asking you to stay forever. Just stay for now,” I say, frowning.

  “Is this about the girl? The witch who’s missing? Is that why you won’t leave?”

  Liv. I’m overwhelmed by the fact that I’ve given her little thought since her disappearance. The guilt smothers me. If the roles were reversed, I doubt she’d care that a newborn hybrid is missing, even if said half-breed is me, her former best friend. But I can’t just shut off my emotions the way she apparently can.

  I’ve been so busy with my own drama, I’m barely giving my coven’s duress a second thought. I imagine they’re frantically trying to find her. Right about now, they would resort to invasive magic, attempting to track her whereabouts by any means necessary. But I can’t think about that now.

  I shake my head and sigh. “No, this isn’t about Liv.”

  “Because if it is, I can help you find her.”

  My breath catches. “You can?” I don’t hide my disbelief.

  Will nods. “I’ll help you track her. I doubt she’s far.”

  “But…how?” I ask, scratching at my head. My scalp is burning, a tingling sensation washing over me. My senses are warning me of the upcoming sunrise. This would be the time I would start heading back to the manor, especially if I was still a good hike away.

  The sun may be rising soon, but there is still plenty of time for answers. I have a couple of hours to work with Will.

  “Vampires are hunters, Ava. We’re naturally good trackers. Combine that with our magic, and we can be unstoppable if we set our sights on something.”

  “And you would help me? No questions asked? You would help find a witch?” I ask.

  “I would,” he says.

  His words are like a knife to the heart. The vampires, my friends, refused to help her, even when I begged them to reconsider. Will, a stranger, is willing to trust that Liv deserves my help based on my word alone. He doesn’t know me—or her—but to prove he’s an ally and to earn my trust, he’s willing to throw caution to the wind and face the witches…again. Considering how our last encounter ended, I’m not so sure they’ll want my help now. If Will and I are going to find Liv, we’ll have to do it alone—without the help of the coven.

  “How can our magic find her?” I ask.

  “The elements make up our world, Ava. We harness that magic. It’s as simple as that. Well…it won’t be simple, but you understand what I’m saying.”

  I nod. “I think so.”

  “With your connection to Liv and my strength, I think we could easily perform a locater spell to find her.”

  “But don’t you think the witches have done this already?” I ask.

  He shrugs. “Maybe they’re not strong enough?”

  “Maybe…”

  I exhale slowly, considering Will’s offer. He’s willing to help me find Liv, but to do that, I’ll have to use my magic again. I have such an emotional relationship with my power. One minute, I love being a hybrid, and the next, I’m cursing this life. Can I be trusted to perform such a powerful spell? What if it goes awry?

  “Sometimes this power feels like an extension of myself, but then it seems dark, evil,” I admit.

  Will is silent for a moment. He frowns, his forehead creasing from his concern.

  “I suppose, in a way, it’s both. We’re unnatural, Ava, and this magic is a physical representation of that. It is all parts of us—the good, the bad, and the evil. It’s what you do with that power, how you wield it. That’s what determines if it will be used for good or for evil.”

  “When you put it that way, it’s similar to the problems every witch faces,” I say, thinking about my past. Sure, I fought to protect the humans of Darkhaven, but I didn’t have to. I could have succumbed to the desire to use my magic for personal gain. I had pure, raw energy at my fingertips. I could have used that any way I wished to.

  “And every vampire. Any witch or vampire can choose to use his or her power for evil. That doesn’t make the source of her magic inherently bad.”

  I shrug, considering his words. It’s not easy being this powerful and having little discipline. When is it going to be easier? Or will being a hybrid creature always be this hard? Like Will said, we’re unnatural. With one foot planted in both worlds, we experience everything. We have the same desires, the same fears, yet we wield the strength to strive for what we crave and abolish what we don’t.

  “I envy your control,” I admit.

  Will glances at me and smiles, but it never reaches his eyes. Hidden beneath his happy exterior is a darkness, a longing, an emptiness. Briefly, I see myself in his gaze, and the sight terrifies me.

  “Be patient,” he says. “You’ll get there.”

  “Time seems to be all we have now,” I say, understanding his deeper meaning.

  Will nods, his gaze becoming lost in another time, another place. I wonder where he is right now, what he’s thinking about. How long has he been a hybrid? How long has he been alone? Is that why he yearns for a partner? Is that why he so desperately wants me to join his nomad lifestyle?

  “One day, you’ll be sitting alone, reflecting on your life and all the things that have unfolded since you became a vampire. You’ll stare into that abyss, and the unknown future with a vast amount of time will feel…suffocating,” Will says.

  I’m silent as I consider his words. Will’s eyes brighten when he looks at me.

  “Don’t let it stop you from loving this life. You were given a gift, Ava. You’re special. Never forget that.”

  I hear them in the distance. The distinct smack of feet against the frozen ground grows louder with each passing second. I freeze, worried the witches have returned to avenge their fallen.

  Will finally halted his interrogation, and we’ve been walking back to the manor in silence. Now that we’re close, I’m far too exhausted and hungry to properly protect myself, and I can’t count on Will to do all the work for me. At least, not again.

  We glance at each other, and an uncertainty crosses his eyes. He’s not sure what to do either. He has no ties to Darkhaven, and I’m guessing if it comes down to it, he will choose his life over another. Unfortunately, that decision doesn’t come so easily to me. I have ties here, and they thread together like a noose around my neck.

  “We’re not far from the manor,” I say as I stare into the distance. The woods are dark, and the snowfall is heavy. I squint, seeing nothing but endless flakes. I may not be able to see the manor from this distance, but I know it’s there. Somewhere, the Victorian manor is covered in snow, and beneath that roof, my allies await my return.

  “Is it normal for witches to hunt so close to your nest?” Will asks, frowning.

  I sigh. “Unfortunately, yes. These witches test boundaries and are far too brazen for their mortal coils. Yesterday they showed up unannounced to
ask for help. I thought I made myself clear, but today’s attack is proof they are still patrolling close to home.”

  My skin crawls at the thought. How long have they been in the woods? Were they watching me too? Have I not learned my lesson? Distraction leads to death. Plain and simple. I must be the better hunter.

  Their footsteps are louder now. They radiate through the ground and up my legs. I grow weaker with each footfall. My throat is dry, my head spinning. What am I supposed to do? Kill more witches? That’s not who I am, even if they deserve death. I don’t want to be the final straw that breaks, erupting Darkhaven in an endless war. These grounds have seen far too much bloodshed as it is.

  “Stay back,” Will says, pushing me behind him.

  I stumble backward, trying not to fall as I’m forced out of the path of danger. Will steps forward as I voice my disapproval. I don’t need him to treat me like a child. I may be weak, but I don’t need his protection.

  The flash of a fireball erupts within his palm. Will grunts as he flings it forward. The blazing sphere soars through the air, nearly making contact with the flesh of our intruder.

  The flash of magic dashes before my eyes too quickly. Pictures of what lies before us dance across my vision, and I choke on my scream. Everything is moving so quickly, and I haven’t the time to call out.

  The fiery blast was sent prematurely. It was a warning. Will threatened death to those who approach. And he almost incinerated my friends.

  Seeing the fire magic’s approach, Malik is able to quickly evade the attack. In our many, many hours spent in the basement training quarters, he has never shown me the flip maneuver he just used to avoid certain death. He spins through the air, body soaring to new heights, before he lands firmly on the ground once again. The fireball slams into a snow mound several feet away, extinguishing itself and leaving a steaming pool of melted snow in its wake.