I was knocked to the ground, losing my grip on Henry. But I was only down for a moment.
Springing to my feet, I flew at Jamie and dug my fingernails into his face. He let out a guttural scream, clawing at my hands in an attempt to pry them away. But I was a younger, stronger vampire and was able to keep my hold. My nails scratched bloody trails of torn skin down his cheeks.
Jamie let out a curse and then suddenly delivered a hard blow to my stomach. I bent in half, coughing and sputtering. Jamie took this opportunity to reach for Henry, but I wouldn’t let him have him. With everything I had in me, I barreled into Jamie, forcing him back—and didn’t stop until his back hit the fire.
My foot connected with something hard. Looking down, I spotted the shovel Edgar had used to dig the pit. In one swift move, I picked up the shovel and broke it in half over my leg. With bared teeth, I aimed the splintered end of the shovel handle at Jamie.
His eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
“I’m not letting you treat me like an inferior anymore,” I said.
He lowered his brows. “You don’t have the nerve.”
“Want to bet?” Clenching my teeth together, I thrust the jagged rod into his heart.
He gasped in horror, his hands grasping futilely for the blood that spurted out of his chest. With all the force I could muster, I kicked him into the fire pit. His scream echoed in the night air as he toppled into the heart of the flames. I watched as his writhing form caught ablaze. But there was no escape for Jamie, and soon his blackened form crumpled down among the embers and grew still.
My hands flew to my mouth. What was I going to do now? Mother and Delancey would be returning with Lord Kyran at any moment.
I swung around and ran to Henry, grabbing him by the shoulders. “We have to get out of here.”
He was still in a stupor, his eyes looking right through me.
I shook him, hoping I could glamour him out of Mother’s trance. “Henry!”
He blinked, finally roused. His brow furrowed as he looked around. “What—what’s going on?”
“We need to leave. Now.”
His jaw tensed, his eyes searching the crowd before they focused on me. “Not without my sister.”
Henry
It seemed like we’d been driving for days, but the sun hadn’t come up yet, so I knew it was just fear and exhaustion toying with me. I couldn’t seem to wrap my head around what exactly had happened. Just when I thought I was latching on to a thought, my head would swim and my mind would drift.
“It’s the candy,” Vivienne said.
I stared at her.
Her eyes stayed on the road. “The reason why you can’t concentrate. There’s something in the candy that suppresses your thoughts. As well as your fight-or-flight instinct.”
“Where are we going?”
“Far away from here. If you want to survive, if you don’t want my mother coming after us—or worse—then we need to get away.”
The hum of the road was a tempting lullaby, urging me to sleep. But I had to fight it off. I kept checking on Grace. Except for the occasional moan of pain, she lay still, sprawled out on the back seats, her eyes moving rapidly behind closed lids. Her arms were wrapped around her purse, which was still bulging with candy.
I wanted to ask Vivienne what had happened, but I doubted my mind could grasp the reality of it. I decided to wait until we found a place to stop. All that mattered was Grace was safe. I would deal with everything else later.
At long last, Vivienne pulled into a parking lot. A neon sign propped above it read, “The White Duck Motel.”
As Vivienne arranged getting us a room, I managed to pull Grace out of the car. Vivienne was back in a flash, and we quietly but swiftly got to the room. I placed Grace on one of the beds, noting how hot her skin was.
“We’ll have to stay here for the night,” Vivienne said. “Just to rest a bit. But we need to leave first thing in the morning.”
I watched her move about. She checked out the window, then started nibbling at her nails.
“What’s happening, Vivienne?” I rubbed at my neck. “I feel like we’d been kidnapped to join a cult. Or that you and your family…” I couldn’t even finish my thought.
She looked ashamed. “Henry, I’m so sorry. At first, I was just doing what I was told. But then, after a while, I started to have real feelings for you. I couldn’t do what they wanted me to do.”
My head spun and my heart wouldn’t slow down. I felt as if I were dreaming. I felt as if I were having an existential crisis. My girlfriend and her family were drugging people and throwing them into fire pits. But why?
I rubbed at my neck again. “You bit me.”
She let out a small breath, then slowly nodded.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing? Vivienne, that doesn’t make any sense. Are you…? I mean, it’s crazy to think that they even exist, but the only thing I can think of is something I thought only existed in books and movies.”
She rubbed her palms over her eyes and nodded. “I know.”
I waited until she could look me in the eye again. “Please, Vivienne. I feel like I’m grasping at straws here.”
She paced the room, wringing her hands together. And then she stopped and looked at me, letting out a heavy breath. “We do exist outside books and movies. And yes, I did drink some of your blood, but you won’t turn. You won’t turn from a bite unless you feed.”
I felt as if the floor had dropped out from underneath me. “Turn.” It wasn’t a question. I knew what she meant, but my mind hadn’t yet accepted it. “And by feeding, you mean blood.”
“Human blood, yes.”
My stomach churned. I stumbled backward and sat on the bed. Vampires? Was this actually happening?
Grace moaned. I turned my head to look at her. That’s when I noticed the red swelling mark on her neck.
“She’s been bit too,” I said, my panic doubling.
“It’s tradition to feed before offering souls to the vampire king.”
I shook my head and waved off her explanation. “This is too much for me to handle. Just—don’t tell me any more for now. I can’t.”
Grace shifted, whimpering.
“I’m going to go get some ice,” Vivienne said. “Heat keeps the drug in the candy alive in her body. We’ll need to cool her down.”
I nodded slowly. “What should I do?”
“You can start filling the tub. I’ll try to be fast.” She grabbed the ice bucket from the side table and rushed out the door.
I moved closer to Grace, moving her hair away from her face. Her eyes inched open, and she turned to look at me.
“Grace?”
“What happened?” she asked. “Where are we?”
“Don’t worry. We’re safe.”
“Safe?” She blinked, her voice still drowsy. “But the party. I was having fun.”
She tried to sit up but hissed as if in pain, her eyes squeezing shut.
“No, Grace, just lie still. We’re going to help you.”
She placed her hands on her temple and lay back down. “Okay.”
I got up and brushed my hands on my pants, then headed to the bathroom to fill up the tub.
Vivienne
I’d gone down the wrong walkway. Who designed this Godforsaken motel anyway?
Nerves pushed me forward. I needed to cool Grace down. She didn’t look good, and I wondered how much blood my siblings had taken.
I rounded the next corner, the glint of metal up ahead. Relief washed over me as I spotted the ice machine.
Picking up my pace, my eyes caught movement in the shadows. I slowed down, shifting my hair away from my face, and used my heightened hearing to pick out any sounds that might be out of the ordinary. Aside from the hum of the ice machine and an owl hooting from a nearby tree, there was only silence.
I rushed forward and started scooping ice into the bucket, the crunch of ice hitti
ng ice loud in my ears.
Would Henry forgive me for getting him into this mess? Would he ever accept me for what I am? Would he still love me?
A shadow moved over the ice machine.
With a gasp, I spun around, barely catching a glimpse of a figure before something hard and sharp caught me in the head.
Henry
The handle of the tap squeaked as I turned it off. I dipped the tips of my fingers into the water and retracted them immediately. It was chillingly cold. I wasn’t sure Grace would be able to stand it.
Vivienne had said the cool water would dull the effects of the candy, and only then did I realize that Grace hadn’t been the only one who’d consumed it. I’d also had a couple pieces. Just thinking about it made my mouth water, and I remembered that Grace had a purse full of the delicious treats. But I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. No. It was drugged. I had to resist it.
I stood and shifted to the sink, letting the water flow to a bearable temperature before splashing my face with it. I rubbed at my eyelids, letting the cool water bring me back to my senses. When I opened my eyes and gazed into the mirror, I noticed the red wound on my neck.
Running my fingers over it, I bit back a hiss, the skin tender and stinging. Could I really be at risk of becoming a vampire? I couldn’t even wrap my head around the fact that vampires existed, let alone the possibility of becoming one. The world as I knew it had completely turned on its head. How had this happened?
I went over the events of the night, suddenly remembering the bloody steaks we’d been served at dinner. Had it even crossed my mind to question how rare the steaks were? With the image of the bloody juices pooled around the steak, my mouth began to water again. No, this couldn’t be happening to me. I splashed my face again and twisted off the water. I had to get a hold of myself.
With a frustrated sigh, I left the bathroom and went to check on Grace.
The bed was empty.
Every nerve in my body went rigid. I scanned the room, making my way around the bed in case she had fallen off it, but there was no Grace.
The door was open a crack.
Time seemed to stop for a moment.
With my breath stuck in my throat, I charged through the motel room door. She couldn’t have gone far. But which way had she gone? I wiped off my clammy hands on my pants, begging my heart to stop racing. Then I turned right and ran.
The White Duck Motel wasn’t the biggest establishment, but in that moment, it felt colossal. My pace picked up as I ran down the walkway, my senses on high alert as I looked and listened for Grace. But there was nothing to be seen or heard.
As I rounded the corner, something shiny on the ground caught my eye. I skidded to a stop in front of it and crouched down to find a piece of Morsel candy. Lifting my eyes, I spotted another silver and copper candy wrapper a few feet ahead. A line of them caught the light of a street lamp, dropped every few feet along the walkway.
Grace had to have her purse on her. Were the candies falling out of her handbag as she stumbled along, out of sorts? Were they spilling out because someone had abducted her and she was struggling? Or could she have been leaving a trail for me to follow?
I rushed forward, determined to catch up with her no matter what the circumstances might have been.
As I darted from one candy to the next, my heart began to sink. They were becoming sparser and sparser, farther and farther apart, until I had to actually search for where the next one was.
When I came to what I thought must be the last piece of candy, I clenched it in my hand, desperation eating away at me. “Grace? Grace, are you there?”
I was answered by a soft moan.
My breath hitched, and I charged forward, seeking out the source of the voice. My eyes widened when—instead of finding Grace—I spotted Vivienne lying on the ground near the ice machine, blood pooling from a wound on her temple.
I practically fell on top of her as I reached down to prop her up. “Vivienne, what happened?”
Her cold hand grabbed my arm, her eyes blinking open slowly. “Henry, no.” Her voice was small and lacking power.
A sound like a whisper caught my attention. I glanced around but saw nothing. Grinding my teeth, I gently set Vivienne’s head down.
I squinted against the darkness, searching. Had her family followed us? Would they have done this to her? Whoever did this to Vivienne might have still been around.
My breath shuddered as I strained to listen for a sound of movement. Vivienne groaned softly, and I turned.
I gasped when I saw the hunger in my sister’s bloodshot eyes. Before I could think or speak, Grace grabbed me with shockingly strong hands and bared her fangs. There was a crunch as my skin was pierced, and the world turned to black around me as the sound of my scream filled the night air.
About the Author
Dorothy Dreyer is a Philippine-born American living in Germany with her family. She is an Amazon category bestselling author of young adult books that usually have some element of magic or the supernatural in them. Aside from reading, she enjoys movies, chocolate, take-out, traveling, and having fun with friends and family. She tends to sing sometimes, too, so keep her away from your Karaoke bars.
Books by Dorothy Dreyer:
Phoenix Descending (Curse of the Phoenix, Book 1)
Paragon Rising (Curse of the Phoenix, Book 2)
Wires and Blood
a retelling of Pinocchio
♛
MADEEHAH REZA
Pin refused to look back at the city. Her knees buckled and she fell on the dry, yellow grass beneath a large oak tree. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she panted and coughed, resting against the gnarled roots of the tree. The plain in front of her was scattered with a forest of tree stumps and not a single creature scurried about. The oak tree was a skeleton of its previous life, a hollow trunk with empty branches. Pin nestled herself in the dirt with aching muscles. Gen would find her here easily, but she couldn’t push herself to run any farther.
Nothing broke the silence. For once, Pin missed Lisa’s calm voice and the quiet, gentle hum of her wheels. Lisa had always made sure that Pin was occupied with books because ‘knowledge was the way forward for humanity,’ and she thought Pin should be a pioneer in that. And so Pin had read during every waking moment. She almost yearned for a book to read now beneath the oak tree, to flip through its pages and to feel the paper graze her fingers. To forget everything that had happened. To lose herself, away from the outside world.
Although there wasn’t much of a world to be lost from.
The sun hung low in the rusty sky and the tree stumps stood like an army, lifeless yet foreboding. They promised her a hopeless fate. She turned away but only saw the city left behind, where the sounds of life had been quelled to silence.
Pain echoed through her body, pulsating around the knife pressed into her side. She stifled a groan, knowing that Gen might be nearby. She didn’t want him to find her just yet. The solitude that had once bored her became precious, essential to calm a chaotic mind.
Maybe it’s supposed to be like this, thought Pin. It seemed easier, somehow, to let the agony overtake her. Her fingers closed around the knife and she started to edge it out, but that only made it worse. Warm blood oozed from the wound, but Pin couldn’t look at it. With a deep breath she let the knife remain and lay down, her head resting against the bumpy roots of the tree.
Pin snapped off the golden locket that hung around her neck. She clicked it open and saw her mother’s face smiling at her. She had the same caramel skin, brown eyes, and crop of dark hair as Pin. A throb of energy pulsed through her arm and she threw the locket away into the brush.
It was humid and Pin always felt sleepy at this time of day. She closed her eyes and thought about Lisa, untangling her thoughts to free her memories.
♛
“You haven’t finished these ones, Pinterry,” Lisa had said the previous morning.
Pin had looked up from her new book an
d noticed the unfinished stack piled high next to her. She pulled a face from behind the pages while Lisa sorted through the stack alphabetically. Her joints moved slowly and carefully, each motion punctuated by the squeaking of metal.
“Look here,” Pin had said. She pored over a large physiology textbook. The cover was torn off, but the pages remained pristine. They sat inside the Atrium, the largest room in the library with the tallest windows. Light poured into the room from the morning sun, small specks of dust dancing in its rays. Lisa put down the pile of books in her hands and wheeled around to see Pin’s new interest.
“It says: ‘A deficiency of vitamin D can lead to bone def… def-orm…’”
“Deformities,” said Lisa. “Plural of deformity. A state of being misshapen, distorted, disproportionate, or crooked.”
Pin nodded absently and traced her finger beneath the sentence.
“‘A deficiency of vitamin D can lead to bone… deformities, such as os… os-tee-oh…’” Her eyes flicked up at Lisa, whose green light began to flash on her silver forehead. It signaled the gathering of information. To avoid another dictionary session, Pin continued reading. “‘Sunlight is required for vitamin D to form in your body.’ See, Lisa, I need the sun. So you need to let me go outside!”
Lisa wheeled herself away and picked up the books that she had set aside.
“Pinterry, it’s too dangerous to leave the library. You know that. You have no bone irregularities, so you do not need the sunlight.”
Lisa’s mouth, a circular hole covered with wire mesh, lit up orange whenever she spoke. Sometimes, when she was really adamant about something, the orange would turn to red. This time it was somewhere in between. Pin shrank into her chair and hunched her shoulders into a sulk.
“You never let me go out,” she said, just loud enough for Lisa to hear. The robot faced her and spoke with orange softness.
“Pinterry. It is too dangerous to leave the library,” she repeated. “The monster—”
Magic at Midnight Page 41
