by A. K. Koonce
Atticus steps closer, his long limbs eating up the rocky floor. Even in the darkness I can easily make out the clothes the vampire wears. They’re the proper and formal clothes of my camp. They hang loosely against his thin frame. His slender wrists and fingers are revealed from beneath the long sleeve shirt. The clothes are most definitely not his own.
“What about your friends?” I ask, walking closer to him as well, searching the shadows for the other two vampires. A prickling feeling scurries across my skin as I wait for what else might be hidden deep within this cave.
“They … didn’t make it, unfortunately.” His head tilts slightly, the blazing light of the Crimson Sword at my hip illuminates his skeletal-like features. Sharp cheek bones cut into his thin and creased skin, his sunken eyes trail across my flesh, and the points of his sharp and deadly teeth are stained red as he smiles warmly at me.
He and I assess each other, leaving Declan behind as we dissolve into the night together. The rest of the world is forgotten.
With fluid confidence he steps over two discarded, bloody remains of what I can only assume are the ones that didn’t make it. They lie in a heap of tattered flesh, their stench clinging to the damp cave walls. His thin cracked lips part, and his breath becomes ragged as he appears to control himself. With gentle restraint, his dry knuckles graze my cheek, trailing down to skim my jawline and neck. My eyes clench closed as I lean into his touch. Power radiates off of him. Beneath the frail exterior lies something ancient, wise and … dangerous.
“Why didn’t you take me with you?” I ask in a breath.
Another heavy exhale is his only reply for a few long moments. His breath cuts through the shadows; a sharp and rattling noise.
“If I’d had the strength, I would have never let you go, darling.” He leans into me, and I bring my palms up, caressing the smooth sides of his head while staring into his sparkling eyes. “When you changed into your true form and your thoughts became closed to me, it drove me mad.” His eyes slip closed as my thumbs begin to trail across his slick cheekbones. “The hybrid will be rewarded for bringing you home. We’ll rise together, you and I. We will conquer the lower races, and soon everything will be ours once more.”
No one has ever promised me the world before. It isn’t nearly as romantic as he makes it sound.
With all the strength I possess, I begin pressing my palms together. His fleshy skull makes a small cracking sound as his eyes flash open, wrath blazing in his pupils. Sharp and dirty nails sink into my shoulders like knives digging into an entrée. He slams me into the nearest wall, the severe rocks grinding over my flesh as he drags me across the room to Declan.
“What did you do to her!” he roars, flinging me at Declan’s feet. Rough pebbles embed into my forearm as my body lands against the cold, wet rock, my palms splitting open and then healing in an instant.
Too much anger rumbles through my body, begging to come to life. I remain against the cold hard ground. My limbs protest beneath me, strung tight with adrenaline. Still, I remain an image of weakness at his feet.
“She was perfect when I left her. What did you do?” Atticus roars into Declan’s impassive face. The hybrid lowers his eyes, the seamless appearance of obedience.
From just a few yards away, a shrill whine creeps toward us. I roll toward the noise, lying on my side as a lean and beautiful wolf steps into the entrance of the cave. Its heart shaped nose sniffs curiously into the darkness. A hesitant shift in its weight takes it a step away from us, uncertainty clinging to its every move as yet another low whine escapes its snout.
“Have you been followed?” Atticus asks, taking a single step closer to Declan, snaking a frail hand around the hybrids dirty white shirt, fisting it until Declan is standing on the toes of his boots.
“No. It probably smells the bodies.”
I swallow hard at the mention of the bodies that are beginning to smell better and better the longer I remain here with my fellow vampire. We’re a pair, he and I. A mismatched pair.
“I’ll get rid of the wolf,” Declan tells him, but Atticus flings the hybrid to the ground as well. My friend joins me at my side, my muddy arm brushing against his.
With the careful precision of a hunter, Atticus strides toward the animal, another knowing whine filling its slender body. Its bushy tail lowers as its ears perk up, listening for what might be lurking within the dark cave.
With silent movements I stand, trailing behind the ancient vampire like a crawling shadow. They say only the Crimson Sword or the cursed land of the Red Hills can kill a vampire.
That isn’t true. All it takes is a vampire to kill another vampire.
“Stay,” Atticus whispers to the cowering wolf. Their eyes lock for an instant, and that’s all it takes. “Stay …” he whispers again with a gentle and dripping tone.
The beautiful wolf lowers itself unnaturally at the feet of its commanding master. Its spine almost circles as the animal curls itself warmly and safely into a mass of soft, chocolate-colored fur.
Gradually, Atticus’ skeletal hand lowers to the wolf, an image of love portrayed in his careful movements. When the wolf’s delicate ear flickers, when his master’s hand touches it for a mere second with jagged nails turning in, curling into a claw like form, that’s when it happens.
Atticus expected obedience; he expected a servant and a follower.
He didn’t expect me.
With all of my rage and rising emotion, I lunge toward the one responsible for it all. Atticus’ thin body plummets to the ground beneath me, a seething hiss is all that is heard. We tumble out of the cave and the warm wind whips at his loose clothes. He claws at me, scratching his torn nails down my face before finally gripping my throat just as my fingers wrap around his smooth scalp. With all the strength I possess, I fling his head into the concrete, a triumphant but sickening cracking sound echoes thought the night. His power weakens just slightly before his hands release entirely, and in the blink of an eye he’s pushing out of my grip and scuttling away from me.
He heaves a breath, his chest rising and falling in the moonlight, his fangs on full display. Steady fingers run along the back of his skull, flinging blood to the ground as he scowls at me. Rage and pity seem to shine in his eyes. I think he might loathe me and love me with the way he glares at me now.
“You don’t want me as an enemy, girl.”
“My name is Fallon,” I say as I raise my chin at him.
Shane uncurls from his spot on the ground as another hulking wolf stalks over to my side. A glimmering red light ignites the woods as Asher joins us. And to Atticus’ very apparent surprise, Declan steps up to my other side – the highest form of insubordination.
Assessing red eyes skim over each one of us. It’s as if he’s framing us in his ancient memory among the centuries of thoughts. He’s keeping us close in an important part of his malicious mind.
Atticus has fed on his friends and on at least one villager. But it isn’t enough to rejuvenate the strength he’s lost over the last decades.
His attention lingers on me as my nails bite into my palm, my fist clenching so tightly I feel blood trickle through my fingers. Fury shakes through my arms, my jaw strung tight as I watch him with an angry glare. A pleased smile tilts his lips as he leisurely walks closer to me, sending a hum of growls through the two wolves at my sides.
“You’ll never know what kind of presence we have on this beautiful, cursed world,” Atticus whispers to me. His strange words circle in my mind as his gaze trails over my skin. He leans in a breath closer, spiraling adrenaline through my limbs that settles in my fists. “You’ll never know, because you’ll never break your curse, darling.”
My hand strikes out to him, clamping through the air at nothingness as he leaps high into the night, landing atop the cliff hundreds of feet above the cave we’re standing inside.
My feet stumble as I scurry after him, leaping but missing, my body scraping along the side of the rocky ledge and my nails breaking off int
o the granite. An angry breath leaves my lips as I heave myself up over the ledge, jumping to my feet in an instant.
Nothing but a warm breeze greets me, toying with my hair, sending it across my face as I glare into the darkness. The shadows are heavier, hiding things from me. It’s as if he’s all around me but not at all.
“I’ll see you again ...” His whisper crawls through the wind.
My fists clench at my sides realizing how much I just lost. A scream rumbles through me, echoing into the wind.
He’s gone.
Chapter Thirteen
A Terrible Vampire
Asher
I’ve never wanted to murder something so much in my life. And I can’t. I can’t help her. Only she can help herself. It kills me to see her fail.
“She won’t make it much longer without blood,” Kaino says to Shane, talking about her as if she isn’t right in front of us.
“That’s not true,” Declan adds. “Vampires are resilient by nature. She could make it another month at least.”
“Without having an accident?” Kaino shoots back, his jaw strung tight as he stares at the speechless hybrid.
Fallon sits against the cave wall, twirling something in her small hand. Long, dark lashes feather against her cheeks as her eyes close heavily. Her head tilts back against the rock. The appearance of defeat in her small frame crumbles my heart.
I lower myself to kneel at her side, the hard ground biting into my shin. Gently, I trail my fingers across the knuckles of her free hand, my eyes focused on her downturned lips.
“I’m sorry.”
She flinches from my soft spoken words, her lashes fluttering but not opening as she sucks in a shuddering breath. It’s like she’s gasping for all the air in the world but it still isn’t enough.
I run my palm up her arm, tracing the inky lines as I try to offer some form of comfort to her. “We can’t stay here, though.”
She nods, her eyes still tightly closed. The sight of her weak stature almost crumbles me.
Glistening eyes open to stare down at what she holds in her hand. In one swift movement, she shoves what appears to be a small bone from a finger or thumb into her mouth. My lip curls involuntarily as she closes her eyes once more, chewing slowly. A crunching sound fills the air as she savors the snack.
Nervously, her eyes flutter about before finally landing on me with a tense false smile. My lips struggle for a moment before smiling back at her. My smile doesn’t reflect the way I want to vomit right now, or the dejected feeling of what just happened to us – or the fear of what might come.
***
The Wanderer’s community is a disheveled mess in the following days. Mortals usher in by the hundreds. Luca guides them one by one to their new homes. Ayden stands supportively, shaking hands and offering reassuring nods to them as they flow in to what was once mystic territory.
“They aren’t safe out there. Atticus could build an army overnight,” Kaino says, his wide arms folding across his chest as we assess all of the newcomers.
“He doesn’t want an army.” Declan steps up to my side, tugging at my attention with his simple words. “He wants Fallon.”
My glare hardens on him more so than usual. His hair is too blonde, his features are too smooth, too carefree. Somehow everything about him sets me on edge.
“Why do you say that?” I ask, pushing the annoyance from my voice.
“All those years passed, and she was the one to free him. He could have killed her but changed her instead. She belongs to him.” I shift irritably until I’m facing the hybrid head on. “That’s what he thinks; I’m just telling you what he thinks.” His hands rise in surrender, but he tosses a cocky grin my way before pushing his hands into his pockets.
It’s like he wants to piss me off.
A heavy sigh falls from my lips. The sun sits high in the sky. It won’t be dark again for hours. Silently, I slip away from them, trailing through the camp to the only place I want to be.
I’m knocking on the door within minutes. My heart plummets as the image of my brother opens the door. I swallow down the dry feeling in my throat.
“Is Fallon home?” I ask almost shyly, my eyes shifting away from his.
The witch nods and disappears without warning before I can say another word.
The old door sways in the wind, the ocean breeze pulling at my hair as I stand awkwardly on the front steps. I take a single step closer, peeking into the house. My gaze drifts over the hundreds of artifacts strewn throughout the rooms. With impatience, I wait. Several minutes pass in silence. I shift on my feet once more before walking into the witch’s house.
Walking into an Infinity witch’s home has never felt like more of a trap. My heart pounds as I trail through the rooms, careful not to touch a single thing. An orange hue is cast through tattered curtains as the sun’s rays beam through the old cloth. Countless wind catchers stream through the rooms in brilliant but dusty colors. An assortment of metallic chimes and clocks rattle through the room, making me crazy the longer I linger here.
Finally, I come to a closed door. My palm rests against the worn knob. The witch married us because Fallon trusted her. Should I trust her?
I turn the knob and the door creaks open to darkness, setting me on edge with the crawling noise of the old hinges.
Fallon’s chest rises and falls as she sleeps in a large four-poster bed. The glossy frame and mattress appear new and out of place among the other rusting and antique items. A diluted hue of sunlight streams through the heavy black curtains. My hand drops from the door, my anxiety slipping away at the sight of her beautiful face.
On silent steps I cross the large room, kicking off my boots and slipping into bed with her. My knee barely touches the luxurious mattress when Fallon pushes me off the bed in one quick move. The old floorboards protest loudly as my back slams into the floor.
“Asher, you can’t be here,” she mumbles into her overstuffed pillow, as if she might just fall right back to sleep.
Gaping at her from my low position on the floor, a smirk threatens my lips. I stand and consider joining her once more, but decide better of it. Reluctantly, I lean against the farthest edge of her bed, a polished mahogany beam from the footboard supports my weight as I stare at her for a few seconds. Her hair is a tousled mess, curls wound tightly around one another in a thick tangle of softness against the white sheets.
“You’re a terrible vampire,” I whisper with a smile.
“Why do you say that?”
“You’ve slept almost the entire time you’ve been a vampire, for one.”
She laughs. She actually laughs. It’s the most beautiful sound I might ever hear.
“It’s just exhausting, I guess. It’s easier to sleep. To avoid … all of the issues.”
All of the happiness dissolves from the room with her statement. I swallow hard, my hands sneaking into my pockets to stop myself from crawling closer to her.
“The mortals are here. Right here in this camp.” My voice reaches to find a sound of achievement. A sound of astonishment that the statement deserves. With every breath I want to raise her falling morale. “Can you believe it? I never thought I’d see the day when a mortal would willingly stand side-by-side with a mystic …” I pause, but she doesn’t move from beneath her tangle of blankets. “They didn’t even look twice at me.”
I sigh, the breath making my smile falter just slightly.
“What do you think will happen to us?” she finally asks, her voice dipping with more sadness than I remember it ever holding.
The mortals would never accept her. She brought them all together, and they don’t even realize it. Not even Lord Raske has had the nerve to seek her out. But … he hasn’t pushed her out, either.
More than anything I wish I could lie to her and tell her we’ll live happily ever after once again, promise her we’ll grow old together, say we have the rest of our lives to figure it out …
But we won’t.
“I
don’t know.”
Her body heaves with a shaky breath that makes me bite my cheek so hard I taste blood. If I could fix all of this for her, I would. But I can’t.
My chest tightens as I speak again. “Whatever happens, it’ll happen to us though.” My heart crumbles, breaking apart like an offering to her. “You’ll never have to do this alone, Fallon.”
A beat passes through the quiet, slipping between the cracks of the old floor boards and settling into the dirt. The silence makes me crazy, making me want to pour my heart out to her.
“I love you, Asher.” Her voice wavers just enough to make my pulse soar to life.
“I love you, too.”
My feet shift beneath me, but I manage to keep the space between us. I find myself almost calculating the minimal space between us.
“What you said earlier, was that the only thing that makes me a poor vampire?”
I try to think of something, anything to make her laugh again. “Well, I can’t even count the number of times I’ve snuck up on you.”
“If I recall, the last time you snuck up on me didn’t end too well for you.”
My chest warms as I smirk down at her. She hasn’t bothered to look at me once, and I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of her.
“My back does kind of hurt.”
A hum of laughter rumbles through her, her slender body shaking as she laughs into her pillow.
“You didn’t drink my blood the last time we were alone and you had the chance, either.”
The insinuating comment lingers around us, and she finally moves a little, twisting beneath the sheet but never turning to me. I wonder if she’s thinking the same thing I am. My heartbeat roars through my chest, reminding me that she can hear more than the average mystic.
“Good night, Asher,” she says with finality, a hint of a smile in her voice. I roll my eyes at her dismissal before turning on my heels and closing the door softly behind me.
My mood soars now when it was drowning just moments ago. The feeling swirls through me, warming me intensely.
