James and Olivia were a team. Immortal twins were unheard of, and as such, they had a telepathic bond that made them exceptionally lethal. Having never participated before, I hadn’t actually seen them in action, but their hunting skills were legendary. So was their ability to levitate and their mastery of mind over matter, gifts usually attributed to the rare witch born to the clan, such as myself. I could only hope to discover a fraction of those same talents in myself someday.
Before continuing, Cabot looked at me. “Let’s get the formalities out of the way.” He handed me a necklace. The chain was made of silver and had a brilliant green stone in the center of the pendant that hung from it. “By wearing this seal, you accept an oath to hunt the Night Walkers and serve as a clan guard while wearing it. It bonds you to the Circle and is to be worn only during the hunt.”
The others around the table pulled their seals out from under their shirts. I was surprised to see that the others were blue. “I thought they were all the same?”
“All but one,” Ramsey said. “This was Katherine’s seal. As head of the clan, her seal goes to you.”
I almost choked up when I ran my fingers over it, and I swear I felt her when I put it around my neck.
Something came sliding across the table at me when I looked back up. A dagger. It stopped an inch away from the edge. “What’s this for?”
Cabot grinned. “How did you think you were going to kill them? With your bare hands?”
A burst of laughter filled the room but abruptly stopped when I looked around the table. “I don’t know. Poison or banshee blood.”
“Last night was a performance,” he said. “To make sure you understood the brutal reality of what the Winterbornes do.” He put it to me in a simpler way. “Here’s a scenario. Let’s say a vampire is gunning for you. Then a few more show up. Will you take a moment to think of a way to slip poison apples down their throats? Or will you slice their heads clean off their necks before they have a chance to rip your throat out?” He glanced around the table. “We’d all be dead by now if we ignored the most efficient method of execution.”
“Take it,” Ethan said as I stared at the knife. “You’re of no use to us if we have to worry about protecting you all night. You might as well relinquish your seal right now.”
I reluctantly picked it up. It felt heavy, and I knew the blade was lethal by the way the edges tapered to razor-thin steel. “Do you have something I can carry it in so I don’t amputate my hand before we even get there?”
Cabot handed me a leather scabbard. “The knife was also your mother’s.”
I stood up and secured it to my belt and slid the knife into it. “Let’s go.”
“A few ground rules first,” Cabot said. “Number one—don’t kill your team. It’s going to get crowded in that warehouse tonight, so take a good look at the uniforms. You see a ninja, back off. And if the black clothing is too much for you to remember, look for the seals around our necks.”
I looked around the table and noticed that the stones in all the necklaces were glowing like neon signs. All but mine. “How do you get them to do that?”
“We don’t get them to do anything. They light up on their own.”
“Mine hasn’t.”
“That’s because the seal doesn’t know you yet.” I must have looked a little scared, because he tried to put me at ease. “Don’t worry. We know you, so we probably won’t kill you tonight while that seal gets familiar with its new master.”
“What’s rule number two?” I asked.
“If you cut a vampire’s throat, you better make sure its head rolls. Clean off, Morgan. Understood?”
I nodded, a queasy feeling in my stomach.
“I have an ominous feeling about this night,” Ramsey said as he stood up and walked toward the back of the room with the other Elders in tow. “Be safe, my friends.” They disappeared through the wall, signaling that it was time for us to leave.
As we headed for the elevator, Cabot muttered to me, “Just stay out of the way tonight. Stay close to me but keep back. Watch and learn.”
We exited the building using the service entrance that led to the back alley. When we were almost to the side street, Cabot took me by the arm and pulled me straight through the wall of another building. The six of us stepped out the other side and found ourselves in a different neighborhood, eerily quiet and abandoned, with row houses full of broken windows and only the moonlight to guide our way. Across the street was the warehouse.
James grinned at me when he saw the look on my face. “First time traveling?”
The Winterbornes were supposed to blend in and live in the mundane world, so traveling was discouraged. It was too easy to become lazy and rely on it, which was the reason it wasn’t taught. It was my first time, although I had memories of my mother getting us from point A to point B in unusual ways on a few occasions when my siblings and I were children.
“It was interesting,” I said. “I could get used to it.”
Cabot jogged across the street with Rebecca and Olivia behind him. He signaled, and James lost his grin.
“See you on the other side, cousin. And remember, don’t try to be a hero tonight. You can do that next time.” He flashed his spectacular blue eyes at me before heading across the street.
“Nervous?” Ethan asked. He was standing behind me, jittery and clearly suffering from a case of his own nerves.
“Would you believe me if I said no?” Of course I was nervous. I’d been thinking about this moment for years, but nothing could truly prepare you like being thrown into the fire.
He put his arm around my shoulders and took a deep breath. “I remember my first hunt not too long ago. Nearly got myself skewered by a wooden table leg when a Walker tore it off and threw it at me. But you know what was interesting? I knew exactly what to do. I snatched it a second before it speared my chest and sent it right back at the fucker.”
“You never told me that story.”
“I never had a reason to until now.” He let go of me and pulled on a pair of gloves. “Ever wonder why they throw us into the fire without any actual training and we always manage to come back in one piece?”
I laughed nervously. “The thought has crossed my mind.”
“Because we’re Winterbornes, Morgan. Killing is in our blood. I recommend you lie low tonight, but if you find yourself at the business end of a broken table leg, you’d be wise to remember that.”
Cabot whistled to us. By the time we made it across the street, James and Olivia were already heading inside. He pointed to an alley on the left side of the building and nodded to Ethan. When I tried to go with my brother, he grabbed my arm and shook his head. Rebecca followed Ethan down the dark and narrow space while I went with Cabot toward the alley on the other side.
The streets were empty, but on a Sunday night in a neighborhood filled with derelict and abandoned buildings, that didn’t surprise me. I doubted anyone would last very long in a place like this, after dark and with a cell of vampires living in the neighborhood.
Cabot hopped on top of a dumpster and looked through one of the windows. He jumped back down and leaned against the building, placing a cigarette between his lips without lighting it. He gripped it with his teeth and spoke around it in a whisper. “Now we wait.”
“For what?” I whispered back.
Before he could answer, a painful sound pierced my ears.
“That,” he said, yanking me by the arm as he took off toward the back, dragging me along until I got my legs and could keep up with him.
We rounded the warehouse and came to a back door. Before reaching for the handle, he grabbed my jaw roughly and turned my face to his. “Do not leave my side.” He glanced at the dagger secured to my waist. “Use it if you have to, but you better have a Walker breathing down your neck before you engage. Do you understand?”
I nodded.
“Say it!” he hissed.
“I understand.”
Something flew over
head. The silhouette of a large bird sailed over the building, blocking out the light for a few seconds as its wings passed between us and the moon.
We entered the warehouse and crept along the wall, the light from the sky streaming through the windows and casting eerie shadows over the abandoned space. My heartbeat was out of control, and I thought I’d pass out from the pounding. But as quickly as the panic had set in, it started to fade. My nerves were still out of control, but I suddenly felt energized.
With his head flattened against the wall, Cabot turned to look at me, a smile edging up one side of his face as he seemed to sense my fear evaporating.
We are Winterborne, a voice whispered in my head.
Something moved at the front of the warehouse, and Cabot clamped his hand over my mouth before I could gasp. The sound came again, but this time it was closer. It sounded like someone was deliberately leaving a trail of noise to get our attention.
A distraction.
Cabot shoved me, and I flew sideways and hit the floor. A dark figure dropped from the ceiling, landing in the spot where I’d just been standing. I backpedaled as the figure turned to look at me. It walked toward me, but its boots made no sound as they hit the wooden planks. It stopped and hovered, bending down to get a closer look at my face, its eyes lighting up like red flares as it got a whiff of me.
A whooshing sound filled my ears as a glint of steel flashed above me. A machete slashed through the air and came within inches of my face, sending something black and oily spraying all over me as the Walker’s head tipped sideways and hit the floor with a dull thud.
I nearly screamed when the head rolled and came to a stop beside me, but Cabot had already muffled me and yanked me out of the way before the body crashed down on top of me.
My fear returned, and adrenaline raced through me. Then I started to panic when I realized I was covered in the vampire’s blood. Cabot spun me around and put his index finger to his lips. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me, giving me a moment to wipe the sticky substance from my face and eyes.
I followed him when he picked up the machete, stepped over the body, and headed for the light coming from a doorway on the other side of the room. As we silently moved along the wall, my eyes darted around, looking for the others.
The light grew brighter as we approached. Cabot put his hand up to stop me from following him any further. With his finger, he pushed the door open a few inches. Through the gap I could see Ethan backed against a wall. I breathed a sigh of relief that he was alive. But then all hell broke loose.
Cabot shoved the door open the moment a vampire lunged at Ethan. They rolled on the floor like two cats engaged in a blur of fur and claws, moving so fast I could barely make out who was who.
“Do something!” I growled at Cabot, who was transfixed by something else. I tried to run inside, but he stopped me. On the other side of the room was Rebecca, caught in the grip of a Night Walker, its fangs poised to pierce the skin between her neck and shoulder. A few other vampires were plastered against the wall by James and Olivia, who were mentally holding them in place.
Rebecca managed to shove the Walker away, and Cabot refocused on Ethan. He headed for the scuffle and shoved his machete in the center of it. My lungs filled painfully when I saw blood spray everywhere. The vampire flew back against the wall, a deep cut oozing from his abdomen. Ethan was in no better shape with a large gash over his shoulder and rib cage.
Cabot dragged Ethan out of the room and dropped him just outside the door. “Stay with him,” he ordered before stalking back inside and heading for the wall. With a swift blow, the vampire’s head was sliced down the center and began to split apart. The two halves toppled to the floor as the machete sliced across its neck a second later.
I dropped to my knees and propped Ethan up. “What can I do?”
He let out a weak laugh. “I was going to ask you to kill the fucker for me, but it looks like Cabot took care of that.” Wincing, he looked at the deep gash on his rib cage. “I’ve suffered worse, but fuck that hurts!”
One of the windows shattered in the room where the battle was taking place. I got up and looked inside to see what was happening. A set of large wings careened across the room, getting everyone’s attention, including the Walker’s. Cabot took advantage of the distraction and started swinging. Rebecca ducked and her attacker’s head went sailing through the air. With the twin’s concentration disrupted, the vampires trapped against the wall managed to escape and fly out the broken window. James and Olivia headed out the side door after them.
When I looked back down at Ethan, his eyes grew wide and his mouth opened. But before he could get out a warning, I lifted into the air and started to fly backward. Ethan struggled to climb to his feet as the vampire dropped me on the other side of the room, next to the one Cabot had killed earlier.
It straddled me and pressed its face to mine, taking in my scent with a deep sniff. “I think I’ll keep you, little sister.” With the exception of its ghostly color, its face looked shockingly human, but the icy feel of its skin and its descending fangs said otherwise.
I tried to shove it off me, but it was too strong.
Use your light, Morgan!
I swung my head from left to right, trying to find the source of the voice, but Ethan was still stumbling around halfway across the room and Cabot was nowhere in sight. It was just me and the Walker. I raised my power hand and screamed, smashing a ball of energy into the vampire’s face. It howled and fell backward, rolling on its side before shaking off the blast and climbing to its feet. I jumped up and conjured the light again, but the vampire anticipated my move and easily dodged it.
It lunged forward and slammed me against the wall, pinning my hand in a tight grip as its fangs grazed my shoulder and traveled toward my neck. I looked at Ethan’s horrified face as he continued to struggle, losing his balance every time he stood up. Then I spotted Rebecca standing in the doorway behind him, her eyes fixed on mine.
Do it now, Morgan! Now! The familiar voice kept screaming in my head.
A few seconds passed, and the tips of the Walker’s fangs pulled away from my skin. It reared back slightly, but its eyes were fixed on something to my right when I looked at its face. I followed its blank stare and thought I caught a glimpse of golden eyes disappearing into the darkness just beyond the open door where we’d entered the warehouse.
Cabot rushed from the back room and reached me seconds after the vampire’s head fell to the floor, his gaze taking in the dagger gripped tightly between my fingers. “Give it to me,” he said, holding out his hand.
I looked down at the bloody blade and felt a current of electricity run through me. There was no fear, just a feeling of surprise—and satisfaction. I’d actually done it. I’d made my first kill.
“Give me the knife,” Cabot repeated.
I glanced at the door again and shook my head, wiping the blade against my pants before sticking it back in the scabbard. “No. I’ve earned it.”
Ethan finally lumbered his way across the room and looked down at the body. “Well, fuck me,” he said with a wide grin. “Welcome to the Circle, little sister.”
Chapter 15
I was exhausted but exhilarated by the time I got home. Something had happened to me back in that warehouse, and I knew in my bones that I’d been changed. I also knew I’d had help, and not from Rebecca, but at least I knew who my enemies were now.
After sitting in the dark for a few minutes to let the memory of that head rolling at my feet sink in, I walked out on the terrace and scanned the stars. I’d seen those golden eyes peering back at me in the warehouse, but I’d also seen that bird crash through the window.
“Where are you, crow!” I yelled at the sky, gripping the alchemy pendant tucked under my shirt. “You answer to me, so show yourself!”
The sound of footsteps came from behind me, and I knew without turning around who it was.
“Don’t call him yet,” Hawk said. “
He doesn’t trust me.”
“Should I?” I asked, still staring at the sky. “And how do you know the crow is a he?” I’d recognized Hawk’s voice in my head back at the warehouse, right before I made my kill. Thanks to him, I’d had the sense to use that knife before I ended up dead. But why was he here again? Hawk had not hidden the fact that he was a vampire. In fact, he’d been very willing to show me. So why would he keep coming back here, knowing we killed his kind? The bigger question was why had he helped me tonight?
His breath brushed the back of my neck. “I told you the night we met I wouldn’t hurt you, and I never lie.”
I finally turned around and looked up at his face, my heart beating so fast I wondered if he could sense it. “I saw you tonight. You’re one of them.”
“Do I look like a Night Walker?”
Hawk didn’t look anything like them. The vampires I’d seen tonight had seemed dead and shallow with their cold, pale skin and eyes so evil there was no mistaking what they were. Hawk was different. His eyes were alive and his skin was warm. He was nothing like the Walkers in that warehouse.
“Then tell me what you were doing there.”
He looked away, a hard edge to his face I hadn’t noticed before. He took a steady breath through his nose, something else that distinguished him from the creatures we’d hunted tonight. He was alive. “I followed you.”
“You did what?”
He laughed quietly. “I almost lost you when you disappeared into the travel portal, but I managed to find you on the other side with the help of a few friends.”
I walked away and shook my head, confused and a little angry that he’d invaded my privacy. And what did he mean with the help of a few friends? “Help me understand what’s going on here,” I said, turning back around to face him. “Why would you follow me?”
Dark Legacy (House of Winterborne Book 1) Page 11
