The Immortal Vow

by Juliana Haygert

  Morda was nowhere to be seen, but what I didn’t expect was too see Ebby kneeling at Soraya’s feet, crying a river.

  Soraya turned her hand and Ebby shoulders twisted in an awkward, painful way. She screamed.

  What the hell was going on?

  I pushed through the circle, taking out the witches that came for me without even blinking.

  Soraya raised her hand. “Let him come.”

  The witches stopped attacking me, but hovered close, ready to blast me.

  I halted a good six feet from Soraya. “Where’s Morda?”

  A wicked smile stretched over Soraya’s lips. “Isn’t that an interesting question? Before I answer that, I have a little tale to tell you.”

  I growled. “I’m not interested in your tales.”

  “Oh, but you’ll love this one,” she said.

  The magic of the Blood Amulet rushed through me. I growled again, and this time, the windows shook. “To hell with your tales. Just tell me where Morda is!”

  “So impatient.” She tsked. “Where do you think she is?”

  What?

  No.

  I stared at Ebby, twisting and screaming on the floor. I had no idea if she had betrayed us or if she was being betrayed, but there was something she could have told Morda.

  “It can’t be,” I whispered.

  Soraya raised her chin, and sounding way too eager, she said, “Morda is on her way to Thea right now.”

  My blood turned to ice. I stared at Ebby, rage consuming my muscles. “I’ll kill you.”

  Soraya turned her hand. Ebby’s neck snapped. Her limp body fell to the ground. “Sorry, I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.” I just stared, confused. She went on, “Don’t worry. I’ll kill you and you’ll soon join your beloved, and your daughter, in the afterlife.”

  I faltered.

  They knew about my daughter.

  The power inside me built.

  Then, a hand clamped down my shoulder.

  “Go to Thea,” Keeran said, his eyes on Soraya. “I’ve got this.”

  Soraya’s smile widened. “Oh, hello, lover. I’ve missed you.”

  The repulsion in Keeran’s stare was enough to convince me he could do this. “Go,” he snarled.

  I didn’t waste another second. I ran out of the castle and through the forest like I had never run before.

  20

  Thea

  I jumped to my feet; my heart leaped out of my chest.

  “M-morda,” I muttered, not believing my eyes.

  “Hello, dear Thea.” Dragging her long, black gown across the floor, she walked closer and took a look around. “So this is where you’ve been hiding? Not too bad.”

  I stepped back, putting the coffee table between us. “How did you know where to find me?”

  “To be honest, it was a surprise, really. A very good one.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She offered me a wicked smile. “It was all because of that wretched Ebby.”

  “So she did betray us. Again,” I whispered.

  “Oh yes, dear, but not the way you think.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “After I tried to kill her, I thought I had seen the last of that girl. But to my surprise, when the Blackmarsh and the Bluemoon covens attacked a couple of hours ago, she was with them. And she came straight to me, begging for mercy. She said that if I allowed her back into the coven, she would tell me where you were.”

  I gasped. Morda hadn’t sent Ebby here. She really had escaped death, but she thought that if she offered something better, Morda would forgive her. Foolish girl.

  “Of course, I told her I would welcome her back, and she told me where to find you.”

  I took another step back. “Where is she now?”

  “Being tortured by Soraya.”

  “But … she told you where I am.”

  She brushed at her shoulder as if there had been a speck of dirt there. “She’s still a weak and incompetent witch who failed me several times. At least she told me one useful thing before her petty life came to an end.” She waved her hand and the coffee table flew away. It exploded against the wall; the glass shard and wood splinters flew across the room. “Now I shall end another life.” She looked at my midsection. “Or shall I say two lives?”

  The blood drained from my face. I took another step back. “Morda, you are a princess of the Silverblood—”

  “I’m a queen!” she yelled. “I’m the freaking Queen of All Witches!”

  I shook my head. “Please, Morda, listen to reason. You did everything for our coven. You were a great leader, and you can still be one, but you have to recognize that my daughter is the queen. If you let me, I can show you her power, and you too will believe—”

  “She’ll never be queen, because she won’t be born.”

  The murderous gleam in her eyes sent a chill up my spine. I shut my mouth and ran. Despite the pain coursing through every one of my muscles, despite the tiredness overcoming my senses, I ran. The bolt Morda had conjured hit the shelf on the wall instead, burning a hole into it.

  There was no talking to her. Morda was incapable of hearing, of understanding anything right now. Even if I tied her down and showed her my daughter’s power, she would still deny it. She would still fight against it.

  But I had no power of my own to fight her, either.

  My only option was to run.

  So I ran.

  I pushed past the pain, past the aches. I bumped into furniture. I tripped over rugs and steps. No matter what I did, I was neither faster nor more powerful than Morda, not now. Not at this stage of my pregnancy.

  Trying to get away, I went up the stairs and entered the small library. Morda followed me, always shooting spells at me. I didn’t know if it was dumb luck or if there was something else going on, but none hit me. I felt them zooming past my shoulder, my ear, my hair, but other than a scare, the spells didn’t get me.

  I crossed the library and ran into the adjacent office, then I exited through the main door and locked it. Again, I knew it wouldn’t hold Morda, but it would give me the one or two seconds I needed to save my life, to save my daughter’s life.

  Out in the hallway, I threw my shoe down the hallway, as if I had gone into one of the bedrooms but had tripped on the way, and ran down the stairs again. Three seconds later, the office’s door exploded and Morda charged out.

  “Where are you, little witch? Don’t you know I’ll kill you no matter what?”

  As long as I still had breath in me, I wouldn’t stop trying.

  Careful with my movements, I tiptoed across the kitchen and left through the broken door. The shards of glass dug into my bare feet, but I gritted my teeth and endured.

  Out on the porch, I ran again.

  I dashed down the front steps and—

  Morda jumped in front of me.

  I fell on my butt and hit my back on the steps. Tears of pain and desperation filled my eyes.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” She threw a bolt at me.

  I raised my hand and closed my eyes, praying that it was quick.

  A sound like sparks made me open my eyes and I gasped. A shield of blue light was between Morda and me.

  “By all that is sacred,” I whispered, amazed at my daughter’s powers. And she hadn’t even been born yet.

  Morda let out a scream and a stream of magic. The shield trembled, but held. And I pushed the stairs to help me stand up. Pain ricocheted through my back, down my legs, but I gritted my teeth and blinked back tears. I could die of pain later. Right now, I had to ignore it as much as I could and run away.

  I dragged myself up the porch steps.

  Morda threw a wave of magic.

  The shield broke.

  In a flash, she was on me, pushing me against the wall, one hand on my throat, the other over my belly.

  “I will kill you,” she said in a snarl.

  She pulled a red mass from inside her gown’s pocket—the hear
t of the first witch of the Silverblood coven.

  My eyes widened.

  Using the heart’s magic, she pushed against my stomach. I extended my arms and tried pushing her away, but she didn’t budge. I was too weak and drained of magic.

  A current jolted through me and a faint shield pushed Morda back.

  “That won’t cut it this time.” She threw a big spell against the shield and it broke instantly.

  Another shield blinked into existence, but it faded away by itself.

  I was tired. My daughter was tired.

  We were no match for Morda and the heart.

  My legs gave out, and I fell to my knees.

  “Oh no, not yet.” Morda’s magic wrapped against my arms and pulled me up. Her eyes glinting with madness, Morda leaned over me. “Now, I shall kill your daughter. Then, I’ll kill you. Very slowly.”

  She pressed her hand against my belly.

  I cried out.

  A wind like a hurricane pushed us to the side. When I blinked, Morda was down on the other side of the porch.

  And Drake stood between us. “No, Morda. I’m the one who’s gonna kill you.”

  21

  Drake

  The house wasn’t close to the castle, but running across the forest while counting the seconds until I could see Thea with my own eyes and make sure she was okay, the distance seemed infinite.

  I was thankful for the power the Blood Amulet gave me. It made me faster than I had ever been before. And I was able to arrive at the house in time to see Morda cornering Thea.

  Rage filled my chest and I rushed Morda, sending her flying down the length of the porch—but not before snatching the coven’s heart from her hand.

  Beside me, Thea slid to the floor. I wrapped my arms around her and kept her up. “Are you okay?” I looked at her, as best as I could, to make sure she wasn’t hurt. “Is our daughter okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she whispered. She was lying. She might not be hurt, but her heartbeat was erratic and she was having trouble breathing.

  In no time, Morda was back on her feet and flinging a spell at us. With my speed, I picked up Thea and carried her to the dining room. I placed a chair in a hidden corner and sat her down. I handed her coven’s heart to her.

  Thea cradled it like it could break at the slightest contact.

  “Stay here,” I told her, before going back to the porch.

  Morda’s spell faded in her hand. She blinked. “Where’s—?”

  I had been so fast, she hadn’t seen anything. “I took the heart to the real owner.” I smiled. “Your fight is with me now.”

  She clenched her hands, a black flame enveloping them. “So be it.”

  When Morda flung the flames at me, I was ready. With my speed, I could deflect all of the bolts she threw at me with ease. My only strategy now was to let her waste her magic and get tired. Then, it would be easy to finish her.

  But that could take hours, and I wanted to end this fast.

  Dodging her spells, I ran toward her. Before she could realize I was standing right in front of her, I punched her square in the face. A little remorse snaked into my core—I didn’t like hitting women, but I tried remembering Morda wasn’t a normal woman. She was evil and would do worse to anyone if she had the chance.

  With the force of my punch, she flew off the porch. She hit a big tree several feet away from the house and fell to her knees. A blow like that would have killed a human, but Morda, being a powerful princess witch, wiped the blood from her nose, rolled her shoulders, and stood. Her feet were wobbly for two seconds, but then she channeled her magic again.

  I ran toward her—the farther we were from the house, the safer Thea would be. As I expected, Morda raised her arms, bringing up a shield between us. Then, she let out her magic—a wave of black light that rippled in all directions. I had nowhere to run, but away.

  It took me a second to react and it cost me. The wave of magic hit me in the back, and I fell face-first on the dirty ground. Morda sent out another wave, lower this time, so it wouldn’t miss me even if I was lying down. Using my speed, I jumped and ran to the nearest tree. I hid behind it as the magic washed by. The tree groaned in protest as the magic burned its trunk.

  Trying to distract her, I broke off some branches, ripped the ends so they were pointy, and threw them at her with precision. But her shield was so damn powerful, my improvised weapons burned to a crisp the moment they touched her magic.

  I didn’t know what else to do.

  My concern only increased when Morda started sending the magic waves farther and farther, trying to hit me. Soon, she would reach the house and hurt Thea. I had to stop her now.

  In the second between waves of magic, I sneaked a peek at Morda.

  Right then, a white shadow appeared in front of her. Startled, Morda screamed and fell back, losing the hold on her magic. The white shadow took form and Thomas appeared.

  I wasted a precious moment gawking at him, but soon ran toward Morda.

  Still on the ground, she saw me coming and lifted the shield again. I bumped into it and groaned as little shocks rushed through my body. She sent the magic wave again, and I ran back to the tree.

  Thomas blinked into existence in front of me.

  “I thought that would help more,” he said.

  “It’s okay.” An idea came to me. “Thea is inside the house. Go to her and get her out of here before the magic reaches the house and she gets hurt.”

  Thomas frowned. “Thea isn’t one to take orders from anyone.”

  “Tell her I’m begging. She’ll know I mean it.”

  After one sharp nod of his head, Thomas disappeared.

  Another wave of magic washed past me and the tree shook. Soon, it would snap and fall over my head.

  The amulet warmed against my chest. I glanced down at the silver cross hiding it. The heat increased, almost burning me.

  A tug cut through me.

  The amulet was telling me something.

  Following the amulet’s call, I walked toward Morda. She grinned at me, probably thinking I was stupid, and sent another wave of magic. I gritted my teeth, expecting it to burn or to send me flying.

  But right before the magic reached me, the amulet’s power filled my veins. As the magic brushed my skin, little jolts prickled my body. It hurt, but it was bearable. Morda’s eyes widened in shock. This time, I grinned at her. I rushed forward and she sent more magic at me. Again, the pain was nothing I couldn’t take.

  Although, I paused before the shield. I clenched my hands and stepped through. The pain prickling my skin was ten times stronger, but the amulet worked, filling me with more of its power.

  “Impossible,” Morda whispered, her eyes wider and wider.

  “Improbable, not impossible,” I said, repeating what Bagatha had told us before. After all I had seen in my five hundred years, I really believed nothing was impossible.

  I bared my fangs and lunged at her.

  Morda stepped back and pulled out a dagger from the side of her gown. I had expected her to react with magic, not with a weapon. With the momentum I had invested in my attack, I couldn’t pull back fast enough. I was able to stop myself before she pierced my heart, but she swiped the dagger to the side, cutting my chest.

  Cutting the necklace’s chain.

  The amulet fell to the ground.

  Its power faded in a second.

  With a wicked gleam in her eyes, Morda extended her hand. An invisible force wrapped around my neck and pulled me up and up, until I was hovering a foot from the ground. The force intensified and I gagged.

  “Poor little vampire,” Morda teased. “Did you really think you could defeat me?”

  Power crackled through the air.

  “Maybe he can’t, but I can.”

  I fell to the ground on my knees. Blinking and gasping for air, I looked up and found Thea standing by my side—holding her coven’s heart in her hand.

  Morda’s face paled as she jerked her shoulders,
trying to get rid of whatever spell Thea had over her.

  Her eyes on Morda, Thea extended her hand to me. I took it and stood beside her. She squeezed my hand and I felt it. More power—new power. It came from my core, from my dead heart.

  The Immortal Vow.

  Thea channeled the power of the Immortal Vow, and together, we immobilized Morda.

  I wasn’t sure how it worked, but the Immortal Vow guided me. I bent down and grabbed the Blood Amulet, then I stepped forward and pressed it against Morda’s chest.

  Her eyes widened and a scream ripped from her throat. From underneath the amulet, a black mark appeared. It slowly spread, killing her inch by inch.

  Her entire body turned black.

  Morda erupted into ashes.

  A breeze rolled by, carrying her away.

  I squeezed Thea’s hand. “We made it.” I smiled at her.

  Thea blinked, as if waking from a daze, then she collapsed into my arms.

  22

  Thea

  Drake’s face was terribly pale as he carried me inside the house and laid me on the couch.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice trembling. He ran a hand over my forehead, down my messy hair. “Thea, talk to me.”

  Thomas appeared behind Drake. “I think she’s too weak to talk.”

  Drake snapped his head to Thomas. “I thought I told you to take her away.”

  “I tried, but she wasn’t having it.” He looked down at his hands. “It isn’t like I can grab her and drag her off.”

  Drake ran a hand through his hair, then leaned over me. “I know you’re not okay. Tell me what it is so I can help you.”

  “I’m f-fine,” I lied, my voice barely a whisper. The last bit of magic had drained me completely. I knew most of the power had been borrowed from our daughter, but it had still coursed through me and taken my energy. Pain pinched every inch of my body, but I was too numb and tired to cry. “I’ll be fine.”

  “The hell you will,” Drake barked. Tears filled his eyes. “There has to be something I can do.” He rested his hand on my belly. A second later, our daughter kicked, right at his hand. His eyes widened. “Did you feel that?”