by R. A. Gates
her. Uh, oh.
“Look out!” Garren knocked her
sideways and covered her with his body.
His shield surrounded them. The hollow
thud of wood pieces landing on hard
ground echoed off the brick buildings on
either side of the lot.
Garren lifted himself to his
elbows but made no other move to get
off of her. “Are you insane or just
suicidal?”
She groaned as she pushed
herself up. Her whole body ached. “It
worked, didn’t it? Aren’t you always
nagging me to use my magic more?”
He scooted off and held out his
hand to help her up. “We better hurry.
I’m sure someone heard that.” He
dropped her hand as soon as she was
stable on her feet. Brushing the dirt from
her clothes, she ignored the twinge of
disappointment at the back of her throat.
She winced when her fingers grazed her
side; most likely bruised ribs. I wish
he’d stop tackling me like he was a
freakin’ linebacker.
Garren ducked through the new
hole in the wall and then disappeared
into the blackness. Thane followed.
She hesitated, taking a deep
breath. Nerves agitated her stomach like
a thousand wiggling spiders. She stared
at the opening, a dark maw waiting to eat
her up.
Don’t puke. Exhaling all her
tension and fear in a loud whoosh, she
stepped through the hole. Light from the
streetlamps slipped past the slats above
and lined the tunnel floor. At least she
didn’t have to worry about walking into
walls.
Scuffling shoes lead her in the
right direction, at least she hoped. Who
knew what lurked in these tunnels;
homeless men, drug dealers, zombies?
The magic that called to her grew louder
with each step. A few minutes later, she
walked into a corner. It was the end of
the block. Brick walls ran along the
street line on her left with the bricked-in
storefronts on the right.
“There you are,” Thane said,
flashing a bright light in her eyes.
She pushed the flashlight away
and blinked. White spots flitted across
her vision. “Yeah, thanks for waiting.
Have you found anything yet?”
“No, but we’re getting closer.”
“Will you two hurry up? I’d like
to find this guy before—“
“Ivy!” an angry voice yelled
from above.
Garren grabbed her hand and ran
down the tunnel where the magic
beckoned to them. “Hurry. He’ll find the
hole in the wall any minute now.”
The beam of light from Thane’s
flashlight bounced all over the walls and
floor as he ran. They tore around the next
corner and skid to a halt in front of a
heavy wooden door, the first they’d
seen.
“This is it,” Thane said as he ran
his hand lightly over the door. He
grasped the doorknob and stopped.
“Go ahead,” she said.
He twisted the knob and pushed.
The door swung open with a creak.
Cold, musty air spilled out and washed
over her. No one moved.
“What are you waiting for?”
Garren asked while nudging her in the
back.
“I’m waiting for you to take the
lead.”
“Ladies first.”
“But I insist.”
“Ivy, girl, you better not be down
here,” Darius yelled from down the
tunnel.
Without a word, Garren pushed
her through the doorway. Her entire
body tingled as she passed.
Thane stopped next to her. “It
must be a ward. Hopefully it’s there to
keep out Banes.”
Garren shut the door behind him
and twisted the lock. The windows on
either side of the door were boarded up,
keeping the light out. Using the
flashlight, Thane swept the room.
It resembled a lobby of some
sort, complete with a cash register and
keys hanging from a peg board. At least
an inch of dust coated every flat surface.
“It looks like a hotel,” Thane
said.
“I’m surprised this floor wasn’t
turned into a basement like the other
buildings,” she said. At the curious
glances of the others, she continued.
“They raised the streets an entire floor
because the Sacramento River kept
overflowing its banks and flooding the
town. Building owners either had to
raise their buildings to the new street
level or turn their second stories into the
new storefronts. I did a report on it in
the fourth grade.”
“That’s very interesting,” Garren
said. “But can we get moving before
your friend finds us?”
Since
they
only
had
one
flashlight and the rest of the room was
completely dark, Thane led the way
through the hallways. She held each of
their hands as they chugged along like a
train.
Flashbacks
of
kindergarten
fieldtrips scrolled through her mind.
Garren adjusted his grip to entwine his
fingers around hers. The intimate gesture
made her palms sweat in the chilly
room.
Yeah, that’s attractive.
Darius continued to yell up and
down the tunnel as they searched each
room. Did he not even see the door or
were the wards keeping him from
opening it?
Every room they entered was
completely destroyed; broken wood
dressers, moth eaten mattresses on rusty
cots, and rotting wood floors. Every
surface was covered in about a century’s
worth of dust and cobwebs.
They reached the end of the hall,
the last room. She let go of Thane’s hand
to touch the door. Magic raced up her
arm and enveloped her, raising all the
hairs on her body as if she were standing
in the middle of a lightning storm. “This
is it,” she whispered in awe.
Garren gasped next to her. He
tightened his grip on her hand as the
magic ran through her body to his.
“Cool.”
Thane grabbed the doorknob.
“Let’s do this.” He opened the door and
swung the beam of light around the
room. Just like the others, time and
neglect left their marks on the remains of
the furniture that once stood proud. Cold,
stale air flowed out of the space, raising
goosebumps over her arms as it escaped.
Thane continued shining his
flashlight over the water damaged walls
to the other side of the room. He stopped
/> when the light shone on a man lying on a
bed.
“We found him.”
Chapter 20
“Can you believe we’re actually
in the same room with Prince Sebastian?
This is so cool,” Thane said, a grin
plastered on his face. He hovered over
the body, practically drooling. “I have
so many questions to ask him. What
inspired him to mix dragon bile with
unicorn tears to enhance the Dearborn
Elixer? Or why—“
“Will you shut up already?” Ivy
grumbled. Floorboards creaked as she
paced along the wall as far away from
the old, brass bed where the prince lay.
Second thoughts ran rampant through her
mind now that she was literally in the
same room with him.
“Will you do it already?” Garren
hissed while guarding the door. He
leaned against the frame, glancing back
toward
the
lobby
whenever
the
Eradicators’ voices grew louder. They
still hadn’t figured out how to get in, but
that hadn’t stopped them from making a
racket as they searched for Ivy.
“If you're in such a hurry, why
don't you come over here and kiss the
old, dead dude,” Ivy barked back. I
can’t believe I’m actually going to do
this.
The oil lamp hanging on the wall
illuminated the neglected room in a
warm, orange glow. Eerie shadows
crossed Prince Sebastian's face, giving
him an even more haunting presence.
This did nothing to calm her nerves.
He’s not dead, he’s sleeping.
One quick peck and my job is done. I
can do this. So why wouldn’t her feet
move? “Are we sure this is Prince
Sebastian? Maybe he’s a homeless guy
who—”
“Quit your stalling,” Garren said.
“Ivy, the sooner we wake him
up, the sooner we can leave, get him to
reset the wards around town and collect
our reward,” Thane said as he nudged
her closer to the body.
“We? I'm the one who has to get
to first base with a dead guy.” How the
hell did I get roped into this? The stale
air and stench of rotting wood and mold
wreaked havoc on her stomach, not to
mention the idea of touching lifeless
lips.
“Ivy!” Both guys yelled at her.
“Okay, okay.” She somehow
managed to make her way across the
room to stand next to the bed. She
expected to find evidence of his
centuries-long
slumber,
like
time
ravaged clothing or dusty cobwebs
clinging to him. Whoever hid him must
have cast one heck of a preservation
spell because he appeared exactly as he
did in the drawing.
She took him all in; tall,
muscular and a shadow of stubble on his
jaw. Prince Sebastian wasn't a boy; he
was a man— a thought that left her
mouth as dry as the Mojave Desert.
What would he think about a seventeen-
year-old girl rescuing him? Would he be
embarrassed, or disappointed Leviena
wasn't the one breaking the curse?
Would he be disgusted that she kissed
him? Why was she doing this again?
“Any day now,” Garren said.
She scooted closer. With her
finger, she poked Prince Sebastian in the
arm a couple times, even shouted in his
ear, “Wake up!”
He didn’t budge.
Damn it.
“Will you quit fooling around?”
Garren said.
Resigned to her fate, she aligned
her lips with the prince’s and slowly
inched closer. Please don’t turn all
gross on me.
After what seemed an eternity,
her tightly puckered lips connected with
his cold, rigid mouth. She held her
breath and counted to three. Not even
realizing she had shut her eyes, she pried
one open as she backed away a bit,
searching for signs of consciousness.
Nothing.
“What the hell?” she asked
Thane before wiping her mouth with the
back of her hand. “I thought you said all
I had to do was kiss him and he'd wake
up.”
He rubbed the back of his neck
as he stared at the still motionless man.
“Well, I thought it would work.”
“Maybe you just didn't kiss him
right,” Garren said with an obnoxious
smile creeping over his face. “Try it
again, but with a little tongue this time.”
Ignoring him as best she could,
she pressed her fingers to her temples in
an attempt to stop the migraine before it
started. Of course it wouldn't be so
simple. There had to be more to
breaking the curse than one stupid kiss.
“He's right, in a way,” Thane
said. “Try again, but put more passion
into it. Kiss him like he's your true love,
not your grandpa.” He stood next to her,
anxiously chewing on his thumbnail as
he watched.
“You can imagine kissing me.
You know you want to,” Garren said
with a wink.
“I think I'm going to be sick.”
Clutching her stomach, she shuffled up to
the sleeping form again. Tilting her head
up to the heavens, she prayed to
whatever gods could hear her that this
next kiss did the trick.
This time, when she pressed her
warm, full lips to his cold, dead ones,
she imagined herself as the woman that
loved this man with all her heart—a
love so strong that it survived through
generations and lived on inside her
blood.
Just as she was about to pull
away, his lips trembled against hers.
“Holy crap!” She stepped back
and stared as his lips quivered ever so
slightly. “Should we try CPR?”
Thane shoved her closer. “No,
kiss him again.”
Excited that their plan was
actually working, she leaned in to kiss
him a third time. As soon as her lips
brushed against his, he opened his mouth
wide.
Then pain. Two sharp points
pierced her bottom lip. Terror jolted her
heart and rushed from her lungs in an
ear-splitting scream. Warm, thick liquid
ran down her chin and coated her tongue.
“Ivy!”
Garren
grabbed
her
shoulders and tugged her back but
Sebastian wouldn’t ease up on his bite,
even as he sucked the blood from her
lip. She remained as still as possible,
afraid he’d tear her face off.
No, no, no, no! She beat on his
chest, pulled his hair, anything to make
; him let go. Tears of terror streamed
down her cheeks.
Thane clubbed Sebastian’s legs
with the flashlight but the prince didn’t
flinch.
“Get off her,” Garren yelled right
before punching the prince in the throat.
Finally, he opened his mouth and
released her.
She stumbled back into Garren
and almost knocked him over. “He's a
freakin' vampire!” Her hand trembled as
she wiped blood from her swollen lip.
“How is this even possible?”
“I... I... I...” Thane stammered.
Wide eyed, he gazed down at Prince
Sebastian who was slowly coming back
to life.
Sebastian’s eyes were still shut
as he inhaled small gulps of air into his
lungs. “Mmm... mo... more.” A bit of her
blood trickled down his chin.
“We
are not waking up a
vampire,” she said, stopping herself
before stomping her foot like a two-year
old. At that moment, any thought of
reward money, saving a town full of
people, or karmic redemption was
buried beneath rising panic. There were
enough bloodsuckers in the world
without adding one more.
Before anyone could answer, the
vampire's hand snapped up and grabbed
her left arm, forcing her wrist into his
mouth. He bit down.
She screamed.
Blood oozed out the side of his
mouth as he slurped at her veins. His
tongued slithered along her skin, eagerly
lapping up every drop. He gripped her
arm tighter as she struggled to pull free.
“Let me go!” She pushed against
his forehead with her free hand while
trying to tug out of his clutches. For
someone who hadn’t moved a muscle in
200 years, he sure was strong.
“Look out,” Garren said as he
raised his hand as if to strike the
vampire with a shield, but stalled when
the door slammed open.
Zoo marched in and headed
straight for them. An older woman
dressed in her nightclothes shuffled in
behind him.
Help had arrived. If anyone
could get this guy off her, another
vampire surely could.
“Sebastian, release the girl,” Zoo
demanded.
Slowly, the prince extracted his
teeth from her bloody wrist. His eyes
fluttered open, looking exactly like they
did in the picture. The way they settled
on her felt familiar, like buried dreams
never remembered. A mixture of peace
and apprehension saturated her heart.
This is totally creepy. Blood
dripped off her fingertips and splattered
on the hardwood floor by her feet. The
puncture wounds stung in the cool air.
