by M. J. Caan
The vampire didn’t flinch, just locked those dark eyes on me while he spoke. “I need your help because I am being hunted. I want no part of what Mallis has planned for your community. And this town is only the beginning. When Mallis brings eternal darkness here, do you think he plans to stop? No, it will spread, engulfing everything in its path. It will be like a plague of locusts, locusts with sharp claws and hungry fangs that will devour everything in their path.”
“The Leveling? I know what he has planned for us. It will require big magic. Magic that he doesn’t have.”
“You are wrong. Why do you think he has not come after you in the past few days?” He looked around and gestured at the ward separating us. “Do you think this would stop him?”
He caught me off guard with that one. I didn’t have an answer, but I certainly wasn’t about to let him know that. “Yeah. I do.”
“False bravado, little witch. But whatever helps you sleep through the night.”
Annoyance began to dance around in the back of my mind, and I decided it was time to move this along. “Tick tock little vamp,” I said. To drive the point home I summoned a flare of magical fire into my hand and held it out in the bloodsucker’s direction.
“Fine,” he said holding up one hand as if in surrender. “As I said, I’m not here to fight. I couldn’t even if I wanted to…Mallis believes he no longer needs you to bring about the Leveling. That is why he has not atacked.”
“There haven’t been any reports of kidnappings or disappearances lately. He doesn’t have enough witches to power the spell.”
“He doesn’t need them. He has taken a mate. A witch, and from what I’ve seen, she is powerful enough on her own.”
My stomach churned at his words. Since I don’t have balls, I can’t really say what it would feel like to be kicked in them, but I think this was probably close. “That’s a lie. No witch would betray her kind by doing this.”
“Well, one of your type doesn’t see that way. I have never met her; only Mallis is allowed to interact with her. Well, he and that Warlock of his. They are always locked away, practicing their magics. From what I have gleaned she is teaching the Warlock and improving his skills in the mystic arts. She is helping him prepare for the Leveling.”
I took a slight step forward, not bothering to hide the anger in my eyes. “And how do you know all of this?”
“I was Mallis’s…lieutenant at one point. Many years ago, before all of this. He sent for me a few weeks ago, and asked me to resume my position in his new movement.”
“So then why are you here? Isn’t there supposed to be some type of honor among thieving bloodsuckers?”
He winced visibly at that one, but continued on without missing a beat. “I am not the vampire I once was , said Elion, “the vampire Mallis remembers. When I was a newborn, I was dark and savage. I was a product of my times; easily molded into Mallis’s image. But that was long ago, before Mallis left our home for these shores. In the ensuing centuries I have changed. I am not what he remembers, and when I refused to revisit such black memories, he turned on me. Or, more precisely, she turned on me, and convinced him I was a threat to his plans.”
Something about the way he stood, the way he moved, made me take a closer look at him. He wasn’t standing up completely straight, and though he was visible in pockets of shadow created by my magical flare, I could see that he held one arm across his midsection.
“What’s wrong with you?” I was practically right up against the ward and didn’t dare cross through it to where he was standing for a closer look.
“After awhile, when Mallis couldn’t convince me to join him, and his witch whispered in his ear that I was a threat, he tried to have me taken out. He threw me to his pack of wolves. I had to fight my way clear, and headed to the one place I hoped I could find help: here.”
I cocked my head to one side, still eyeing him suspiciously. He responded to my distrust with a nod, then lifted his shirt to reveal long, jagged slashes across his torso. Cuts that were so deep I could see the white flesh beneath the muscle that was torn away. He then turned his back to me, showing deep puncture wounds in a semi-circular pattern around his waist and lower back. Wolf bites.
With a wince, he faced me and lowered his top. He started to undo his belt but I stopped him. “No need to show me whatever happened down there. Why aren’t you dead?”
“I’m not that easy to kill. But the wounds are very bad; I need to heal. The wolves will be out looking for me once the sun comes up. They know I will have to go to ground somewhere during daylight, I’ll be defenseless and weak. That’s when they will finish me off.”
“So what, they follow you here and take all of us out in the process?”
“You are off-limits to attacks. At least for now,” he replied.
“Why? I thought you said Mallis didn’t need me anymore.”
“I have no idea,” said Elion, “ but I do know that was an order that was given to the shifters. Perhaps he has back-end plans for you after the Leveling? Who knows. But that is why I came here. The wolves will not try to attack me at night…even wounded, I am still stronger than them. But the daylight is a different matter. No matter where I go, their senses will allow them to track me.”
“Why aren’t you healing? I thought that was what vampires do.”
“I will. In time. But I can’t take another mauling from the shifters. Mallis saw what happened to me. He knows I’m not dead.”
“Then if he doesn’t know where you are now, he will once the shifters track you tomorrow. They will track you right to my doorstep.”
“Perhaps. Unless…a witch were to magically cover my trail. Or another type of shifter were to move through the woods in this area, masking my scent with his own very…unique one.” He eyed Jhamal once again and received a warning growl in response.
“How are we supposed to trust you? What if I let you onto our property and you decide to go all uber-predator on us and take us all out?”
“I can only give you my word that I have no interest in being that person. As I said, I have changed. Besides, in my current condition I don’t think I could survive an attack from your friend there. If it makes you feel better you could simply tether me.”
“Tether?”
Now it was the vampire’s turn to cock his head in my direction, raising one eyebrow. “You have a lot to learn. And I will be happy to help you.” He could tell I wasn’t convinced. “Mallis fears you. I know that much. I can help you to learn about your magic and how to use it against the supernatural creatures that he is calling on, the creatures he is using to lead his charge into the new dark age he longs for. I have lived for over a thousand years, and in that time I have learned a thing or two about magic.”
I looked him over again, and he really did look like he was at un-death’s door. “How many wolves attacked you?”
“Six,” he replied. “They were fast and vicious. Well-trained, they worked as a unit. They were all littermates.” He raised his head and sniffed the air. “One has already been here, I see. His scent is all over you.”
“What?”
“Whoever you have been with recently is a wolf. And from his scent, I can tell that he is a littermate to the band that serves Mallis now.”
2
“No. I will not sleep under the same room as…that!” Hope was beside herself, eyes wide and filled with terror at the sight of Elion.
Her reaction was appropriate given the circumstances and everything she had gone through. Honestly, it had been a miracle that my aunts hadn’t tried to vaporize Elion on sight when I allowed him through the ward and escorted him to the house.
“Allie, are you mad?” Aunt Vivian had asked, meeting us at the front door. The top deck from which everyone had been watching us had no stair access, so I’d had to march the vampire around the house and to the main entrance.
“He’s hurt,” I’d said. “And he’s not a part of the whole Mallis movement. He says he can help us.�
�
That was when Hope had her freakout moment. “Allie, are you crazy? That thing could be one of the monsters that killed my parents!”
“I assure you I did not,” said Elion, calmly taking in the scene he had just created.
Hope marched forward and put a finger in the vampire’s face. “Don’t you fucking speak to me!”
“Hope, please, let me explain—” I started.
“Nope. Not a chance. I’m outta here.” She turned and stormed to the stairs that led to the downstairs guest room that she was using. “I would rather sleep in the park than share a space with…that. I’d have the same chance of making it through the night!”
I followed her, catching up before she reached the stairs. “Hope, listen. You know what we are up against. We were just talking about next steps, right? Well, this just might be part of taking that next step.”
“Allie, we were talking about ways to kill that thing and end this nightmare once and for all. And before you can say it, don’t tell me ‘we weren’t trying to figure out how to kill that particular monster.’ To me, they are all the same.”
“Oh yeah? What about Cody? And Jhamal? Do you lump them in with ‘all the monsters’?” She swallowed hard and I could see the wheels turning. “Both Cody and Jhamal have risked their lives to save others. Mine included.”
“That’s different, Allie. They are different, I guess…but you just can’t expect me—”
“Hope.” I reached out and placed my hand behind her neck, forcing her to meet my eyes. “I made you a promise. I told you I would never let anything happen to you, and I intend to keep that promise. I also said that I wanted you here, where I felt it was safest, and I still mean that. I want you here with my family…the thing that means more to me right now than anything.” She smiled and sniffed, rubbing at her eyes. “I know I’ve said this to you before and maybe you felt like I didn’t always live up to it, but you have to trust me. My gut is telling me this is the right thing to do…but I need you onboard and staying under this roof. Okay?”
She hugged me and I could feel her nodding her head. “Fine. But I swear to God, Allie, if I see one fang come my way, it’s going to be on!”
I laughed and agreed, but then her countenance turned dark and serious. “What is it?”
“Allie, does he need a coffin to sleep in? Cause that might be pushing it for me.”
My face must have registered my confusion. “Honestly, I have no idea. I’m pretty sure that’s all just Hollywood nonsense. But why don’t we ask?” I hooked my arm through hers and led her back to the main living room.
“Yeah…you can ask. Imma stand over here in the kitchen. Near the garlic.”
Aunt Vivian and Aunt Lena were standing together, not taking their eyes off Elion. I could practically hear the hum of magic in the air as they held it at the ready. Jhamal was in human form, standing next to Gar protectively. Both of them looked at me apprehensively.
Taking a deep breath, I did what I do best. I blabbered.
“Okay, let’s get it all out. We’re witches,” I indicated my aunts and myself with a circular sweep of one arm. “Cody and Jhamal are shifters, and Elion is a vampire. By all rights, none of us should be hanging out together. As a matter of fact, we should probably each be working on a way to take out the others. But we aren’t. You know why? Because there’s another big bad out there that looking to take us all out!” I paused, hoping that what I was saying was sinking in. “Mallis is looking to reshape everything that we know, to undo the natural order of life. And we humans are about to slip a couple of rungs down the food chain.”
That definitely got everyone’s attention. “We need a plan, and I think he” —I pointed at Elion— “might be able to help us with that.”
“And if he is tricking us?” said Aunt Lena.
“Then we toss him out into the light of day and fry his ass,” said Gar before I could answer.
“Exactly,” I replied, smiling at my little brother. I turned my full attention to Elion. “Tonight, you give us a lot of answers as to what is going on with your ex-master, or else in the morning you kiss the sun hello. Got it?”
He didn’t answer, but instead focused those dark eyes on me.
“I’m going to need you to acknowledge that in the affirmative,” I said, undaunted by the intensity of his glare.
“I understand,” he said, “and I agree to your terms. I will help you, if you will help me.”
“You mentioned something about tethering you,” I said. “What is that?”
“Allie, no…” said Aunt Lena.
“Why? What is it?” I asked.
“It’s simple,” said Elion. “You bind me to a spell of your choosing, one that will most likely result in my destruction, and tether the spell to your life-force. That way, the spell becomes a failsafe. If I attack you, the spell still…detonates It also assures that I do no harm to any of your family or friends, as you can remotely trigger the spell at will.”
“Allie, don’t even think about it,” repeated Aunt Lena. “Those spells are far more dangerous than they appear. Dangerous for the witch that casts them.”
I thought about what she was saying. “But it also ensures he can't hurt any of you, right?”
“Yes, but there is a reason why this is called ‘tethering,’” said Aunt Vivian. “This is a death spell. In order for it to work post-mortem, you have to link your life-force to this creature. It is a form of black magic that can tarnish a witch forever.”
“Well,” said Elion, “it is more gray than black.”
My aunt gave him a look that would have dropped a charging rhino in its tracks.
“But I have given you my word that I will harm no one under this roof,” said Elion. “If you prefer to leave our arrangement at the gentleman's handshake level, you have nothing to worry about.”
Something about the way he said “under this roof” bothered me. I wasn’t sure why, but it made me think of the old cautionary tale of the spider inviting the spy into its web.
I took out my phone and fired off a quick text to Cody. If a vampire was sleeping under my roof, I'd feel a lot more comfortable having a werewolf here as well. Hopefully a wolf and a totem shifter would provide as much a deterrent as a tethering spell.
“There's one thing we haven't addressed,” said Aunt Vivian.
“What's that?” I said.
“He's hurt. Badly. I can feel it when I get close to him.”
Elion cocked his head to one side and regarded my aunt with a cool detachment.
“I have already given you my word,” he said.
“What are we talking about here?” I asked.
“She is concerned that need to heal,” Elion said, “and the quickest way for a vampire to heal is an infusion of new blood.”
All heads turned towards the vampire at that statement, and then swiveled back to me.
“Ah, hell no,” said Hope, holding one hand protectively against her throat and backing away from the group. “Allie, for a family of witches, why do y’all not have any crosses in this place!” She was looking frantically around at all the knick-knacks that decorated the mantle and end tables in the room.
“Oh, that wouldn’t work anyway,” said Elion. “That’s an old wives' tale made up by desperate old women to make them feel safer in God’s hands while their husbands were away.”
The matter-of-fact way in which he made the statement caused me to focus my attention on him. “Alright then. Other than magic, what will kill a vampire? I mean, if you want us to trust you, show us your underbelly.”
He regarded for the slightest of moments. I could practically hear him deliberating how to answer the question.
“Well, sunlight will do the trick for almost all of us. I say ‘almost’ because there are some of us that are so old that rumor has it they are now immune. Beheading can also work, though I will warn you that we are very fast and capable of dodging most blows. Bleeding us out and then entombing us in solid earth w
ith no way of escaping can do the trick. Though, that takes a very long time, because even without blood in our systems, a part of us can still be alive, even after decades. But again, a word of caution: if that emaciated corpse does rise, it will forever be a different kind of vampire, a rabid beast with hungers that you cannot begin to imagine. Severe wounds…like the ones I possess…can weaken us to the point that we are susceptible to death from brute force. In my weakened state I would not survive another encounter with those werewolves. Or a…lion,” he glanced at Jhamal. “May I ask…what are you?”
“You may not,” said Gar moving to stand between his boyfriend and those piercing black eyes.
Elion arched a single eyebrow and nodded. “I see. Other than that, magic is our greatest enemy. Witches have the power to un-make us.”
My ears pricked up at this. “How? What do you mean ‘un-make’ you?”
“I don’t know how they do it, if that’s what you’re asking. It’s very old magic. Personally, I have only seen it done once before, and to be honest, I have no desire to ever see something like that again.”
“What about a stake to the heart?” asked Hope, calling from the comfort of the kitchen.
“That would probably only piss us off. I myself have never been staked, but I can only imagine it would do little to truly harm me. My heart doesn’t beat, after all, so there is very little that will damage it further.”
“So…if your heart doesn’t beat, what do you need to drink blood for? How does it circulate?” I asked.
“Blood acts as an internal lubricant, for lack of a better phrase,” Elion replied. “Our hearts do not beat, but the blood is still always being absorbed into the tissues and muscles of our bodies. Without it, we will eventually cease to move, becoming living statues. Although, that takes centuries to happen.”
