by Kim Faulks
The fight was barely over, tension still strained the air. But I risked a glance to screen.
Three missed calls from Mom.
My fingers trembled as I pressed the screen, re-dialing the call and watched them for an attack.
“Mom?” I jerked the phone from my ear and stared at the screen. But the line was still connected...and counting in seconds. “Mom, I can’t hear you!”
“Mor-wenna.” Her voice was a hoarse whisper. “I’m sorry...it’s your dad. I think...I think he’s...”
“He’s what?” I murmured.
“Missing,” she murmured.
Ava tugged my arm, dragging me away from Brylee and the other bitches. Judas strode toward me, his brow furrowed. What is it? He mouthed the words.
“It’s my dad,” I answered. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
The diamonds jingled in the pocket of my onesie as I moved.
“He went to see Tagar Lutherian,” Mom cried into the phone. “But I haven’t seen him or Thorin for days.”
“What do you mean days?” I stumbled under her words, as the lights twinkled overhead and the slow dance music crammed my ears.
“Where Mom? Where did he go?”
But the phone was silent. The connection dead, the call ended. I yanked the phone away and stabbed the screen under the sheen of tears, punching the number for Mom and then listened.
“Come on,” I pleaded as the number started ringing.
But there was no answer, only a voicemail. I ended the call and tried Dad’s number. It was the same, the phone rang until the sound of his gruff snarl commanded me to leave a message.
“Mor,” Nero murmured and reached out to touch my hand.
I’d forgotten he was there.
I’d forgotten they all were there.
I lifted my head as a tear slipped down my cheek. Judas was gone, leaving Nero, Bond, and Ava by my side.
A scream cut through the dancing crowd. Someone stumbled backwards as the diamonds in my pocket vibrated and grew warm.
“Now what?” Bond growled and turned toward the scream.
But Nero never moved, only lifted his gaze to mine. “What is it Mor?”
“It’s my dad, he’s disappeared.” I shook my head, my whole body trembling.
“You said the name Tagar Lutherian, why?” Nero stepped closer and lowered his gaze.
Panic rushed through me at the sight of those blue eyes trained on me. “It’s who Dad’s gone to see.”
Nero stiffened, and then swallowed hard. “Tagar isn’t someone you want to mess with Mor. He’s cruel, and he’s the most powerful Warlock in the Blood Moon Coven.”
“Blood Moon Coven?” I muttered. “The same one who runs the…”
“The Witches Academy, yeah.” He cast a frantic gaze around us, searching for someone as another scream cut through the air.
“Why would my father see a Warlock?” I muttered.
“Demons!” Someone screamed.
“What the fuck,” Bond snarled and took a step forward.
The Demon was a blur of darkness, rushing forward, and about twenty others swarmed behind him. Dark like invading shadows. I caught sight of Ms. Lucas, snarling and savaging, pushing her way through the crowd.
But she wasn’t fighting against the others of her kind.
She was joining them.
I searched for Judas and fumbled for my phone, punching Chuck’s number. “Come on…come on, Chuck.”
“What is it?” The Vampire warrior snarled through the phone.
“Demons are attacking the ball,” I snapped.
There was silence for a second, before. “I’m coming Morwenna. Take cover, defend yourself. I’m coming.”
“Where is she?” Ms. Lucas snarled. “Where are the fucking diamonds?”
I swallowed hard, tearing my gaze back to the Demon leader as one of the horde behind him lunged forward and savaged a kid. His screams had me shuddering. My breath caught as Thorin stepped out from behind a group of students and lifted his gaze to me. “No...no this can’t be.”
He was with Dad. Wasn’t that what Mom said? He’d gone with Dad and….
It was the hallway attack all over again.
Only this time there weren’t just two Demons.
There were at least twenty.
“Get behind me.” Bond reached out, grasped my arm, and pushed. I stumbled sideway, using Bond as a shield as he snarled. “We’re getting you out of here.”
Nero scanned the students as the room erupted into chaos. One Demon was a blur, lunging through the air to savage the waiter. Ava screamed, stumbled, smacking into me with the top of her crescent moon outfit. I grabbed her, pulling her close against me. “Stay here, stay right here with me.”
Blood spurted from someone to my left, splashing the floor as they fought and struggled. The coppery scent flooding my nostrils. The Demons were everywhere, swarming over us like a damn tsunami.
“Step aside, Wolf,” Thorin growled. “Morwenna, you’re coming with me.”
I shook my head, staring into the blackest eyes I’d ever known as Ms. Lucas screamed out, “Demons will rule!”
My hand went to the pocket of my onesie, the diamonds clinked and rattled.
“I don’t think so,” Nero warned and moved to stand alongside Bond. “You’ll have to go through us, Demon.”
Thorin smirked, and it was the smile of a madman, or something foul and sickening and every bit the asshole I knew he’d always been. I grabbed Ava’s hand as Demons attacked the students one after another.
Something flew through the air to hit Thorin in the face. Something soft and fluffy, and very...very violent. A Demonic bunny hissed and clawed, sinking blood covered fangs into the side of Thorin’s neck.
The Demon howled, punched and beat the little thing, but the Wolves at my front weren’t wasting a second. Bond turned, glanced at Nero, then room and snarled, “move!”
We ran, skirting the savagery as Demons lunged at the students one after another, sidestepping punches and throwdowns. Black eyes stared at me from everywhere as Demons swarmed along the sides of the room, closing off the entrances.
Bond slowed, and then pivoted.
They were everywhere, biting, killing, tearing shimmering black gowns and bloodying perfect tuxedos. Bodies littered the dance floor, torn arms jerking, and shuddering. Dead. Demonic bunnies joined the fray, lunging between attacks, biting Demons and tearing with razor sharp claws as we stumbled, turning to protect each other’s backs.
“Stay together,” Bond growled as a Demon stalked closer.
“The diamonds, bitch,” the Demon sneered and lifted his hand. “Give us the power.”
I swallowed hard and jerked my gaze to Thorin as he beat and tore into the ferocious rabbit at his neck.
The diamonds weren’t just diamonds though, were they?
They were tears...Dragon tears.
A vessel for power. Power that seemed to be slipping from the Vampire line.
Behind the Demon the woman in the black shroud slipped through the crowd, like they weren’t there at all. Or maybe she wasn’t?
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the purple bag.
A bag that had haunted me all these weeks.
A bag that seemed to obey one master...and it wasn’t them.
“As soon as we heard you were coming here, we knew you were the one.”
I jerked my gaze toward Brylee as she slipped out from the others, clearly working with the Demons. “And when you were made Understudy we knew it was fate.”
“You?” Ava snarled at the Cheetah. “You really are a spiteful fucking bitch, aren’t you? You wanted to ruin this…”
“I told you once before. I’m a Cat!” She glanced to the bodies and the screams. “You wanted ‘a dance to remember’ wasn’t that what you said?”
Ms. Lucas stepped closer. “We had a plan. Didn’t take much convincing Principal Stone, or Thorin here, did it?”
“It d
idn’t take much to convince me.” Brylee smirked.
Thorin stumbled toward them, the side of this neck bloody and mangled. Still he swiped the back of his hand across his face and then turned to Brylee. She wrapped her arms around his neck, before kissing him...hard.
I almost gagged.
“You...you’re in love with Thorin?” I muttered, unable to comprehend what I was seeing.
Brylee pulled away with a sneer on her face. “Thorin’s been mine for the last four years. The only reason he put up with you and your pathetic family was because of this…” She threw out her hand, motioning to the horrific chaos.
The power, that dark ravenous power rippled along my spine once more. I took a step, meeting Thorin’s gaze and shoved my hand into the bag of diamonds and pulled them free. “All for this?”
Brylee’s gaze drifted to my palm and then narrowed, forehead creasing as she searched every obsidian filled stone. There were no clear sparkling stones now. They were consumed with darkness.
“They’re not supposed to be black,” she murmured.
Students screamed behind them.
Through the panic and the terror I found the woman surrounded by night.
“This isn’t what you expected, is it?” I murmured, never taking my gaze from the corner of the room.
Nero’s Mom’s words filled my mind. There’s a presence…dark and powerful...and very feminine. But it’s hiding itself from me.
As I stared into the shadows of the room I knew the presence wasn’t hiding herself from me.
“Nor is it something you can use,” the words slipped from my lips. “It’s something much darker, and much more powerful.”
“Fuck!” Thorin roared, staring at the shards of darkness in my hand.
It was all for nothing. All the killing and the pain. My family filled my mind.
Mr. Leathers.
Chuck.
My parents.
The Ancient.
All for greed. All for power. All because of hate.
My throat choked at all the agony those close to me suffered.
“Take them.” I lifted my hand as tears slipped down my cheeks.
“There’s no stopping the inevitable!” Ms. Lucas snarled before she lunged.
But the darkness was consuming me, tearing through my nerves like wild fire.
The floor shuddered, and the walls trembled. Sparkling lights swayed overhead, casting the light across their faces as I lifted my hand.
The boom of power tore through my palm and out into the room.
I was the eye in this storm.
I was the commander and the cause.
I was everything. Every gasp of breath.
Every terrified scream.
Ms. Lucas stumbled backwards as Bond lunged. Pushed by the momentum, he slammed into the Demon teacher, knocking her off course.
They hit the ground with a brutal thud. Fists and claws slashed the air as Ms. Lucas tried to tear right through him.
Another came from the other side to barrel into Nero, tearing him away.
Leaving us vulnerable.
Leaving us to die.
As Brylee and Thorin came for us, I reached out to grab my best friend’s hand. Ava was trembling, lifting her hand...her skin darkening to red markings as her eyes turned feral and strange.
I opened myself up to that darkness and swayed under the power. Those who were left in the ballroom fell to their knees once more.
“Mor,’ Nero growled in front of me.
He was shuddering and shaking, lashing out to punch Thorin as he tried to hold onto to his mortal form. Somewhere in the room a Wolf’s howl tore through the room.
The midnight diamonds in my grip burned. I opened my hand and lowered my other palm. Tiny fissures splintered the fragments, and the more power that filled me the more they cracked.
Ava let out a shriek and the unmerciful sound swept through the room. Cracks raced along the ceiling overhead. Debris and dust fell to the floor. I inhaled the power, the sound, and felt the diamonds in my hand turn to dust.
Dust that fell through the cracks of my fingers.
Dust that fell to the ground.
The sound from Ava ended. She stumbled, and then dropped to one knee, her crescent moon outfit cushioning her as she fell.
Movement came from the edge of the room, and I lifted my gaze to Chuck as he stumbled toward me.
He was alive.
He was alive and very...very drunk in his movement.
He scanned the room, finding me first and then Ava before he stumbled forward, stepping over bodies in his path.
One Demon reached for him, lashing out with wicked claws to grab his ankle as he strode by. But the Vampire was all warrior. He reached up, grasped a blade at his waist and plunged it into the Demon’s chest.
The creature screamed and thrashed, but the fight was over in an instant. Chuck left only silence behind as the warrior came for us. He turned his head, took one look at Thorin and Brylee and curled his lips.
Thorin was ready, watching the warrior stride closer. “I don’t want to fight you, Chuck.”
The Vampire warrior just shook his head and moved the dagger from one hand to another. “That’s because you’ll lose, and if you think you’re getting out of this alive, then you’re as delusional as you are fucking ugly.”
Ava shoved against the floor and rose to stand. Her body trembled as she took a step forward. “You’re fucking ugly,” she snarled. “I can see now why Mor preferred the Wolves.”
Thorin growled, swung his dark eyes toward her and then rushed forward. Chuck moved fast, stepping in his path and with one savage jerk of his hand, drove the pure silver blade through his belly and then wrenched upwards.
Thorin paled, reached out, dark eyes finding not the Vampire who killed him.
But me.
“I...never...loved you,” he murmured, and already black wisps floated from his body, as I’d seen happen to Ms. Stone.
I couldn’t believe they were his last words, as though somehow he thought they would be my demise. Brylee stumbled backwards as her lover fell to the ground at Chuck’s feet.
She turned, lunged, and sprinted away. Leaving the mess behind, like the coward she was. From the pack of survivors Nesrin stumbled forward. “Brylee!” she screamed. “Brylee get back here!”
But there was no coming back.
Not for her.
Not for any of us.
Bond shoved against the ground, and stumbled to his feet, but as weak as he was…he still turned to me. “You okay?”
I swallowed hard and nodded. “I think so.” I took a step, stumbling forward to throw my arms around him. Nero neared, cautious at first. I didn’t need to look into those blue eyes to see their fear and pain.
I hurt them.
And more than that…I scared them.
“What the Hell happened to you, hunky?” Ava stumbled toward Chuck.
He glanced around the room, surveying the damage, or maybe any threats, before he turned to the young Kraken. “Power…power like I’ve never felt before.”
He turned toward me, careful, wary.
I lowered my gaze to remnants of midnight dust at my feet.
Power of the Vampires had now returned.
Returned to my line.
Returned to the Ancient.
Darkness filled the doorway to the dance hall as Mr. Leathers stumbled inside and looked around at the carnage, before he settled on me.
“Mom said you were powerful?” Nero’s warm breath tickled my ear as he murmured.
I pulled away, staring into those deep blue eyes.
“You were powerful enough to stop this.” He glanced to Ava and Chuck, and then Mr. Leathers and then searched the room. “Where the Hell is Judas?”
The phone buzzed in my pocket. I glanced down to find the caller ID...Mom.
As I hit the button and Mom’s terrified words washed over me. “The Witches have him now, and I don’t think they’ll let him
go.”
The woman dressed in black only I saw held up her hand, palm extended toward me.
Carved into the center of her palm was a pentagram.
As I lowered the phone the woman in black turned to mist and floated away.
“Morwenna?” Mom’s voice carried through the phone as the last of the apparition swept away. “Morwenna can you hear me? They have your father…”
The woman in black wasn’t any woman.
She was power.
She was darkness.
She was a Witch.
I turned to Ava and the others at my side. “We have to get him back. We have to save my dad.”
The End
You’re still here…well done. At this point we’re not above bribery to keep you here….lol.
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Lots of love,
Kim Faulks and Mila Young.
Hexes and Hounds
Love is complicated.
But then so is a stake through the heart.
There’s a curse that runs through the Blackthorne Wolves.
Gnarled and Ancient. Unbreakable, they say.
It started with the Witches and now it’s spread like a disease, infecting Wolves…
And now Vampires.
Livingstone Vampires.
Mom’s frantic calls led me to the Blood Moon Academy, a dangerous place for any Immortal. I found dad there, chained like a beast, filled with rage.
And as everything changes around me, I’m sent a command from the Ancient...it’s time to step up. Time to be the Vampire my kind needs to me be.
Understudy. Vampire. Daughter.
I don’t know who I am anymore.
But I’ll search for answers.
