by Lainy Lane
To my right, Ember was laying on the ground. Her limbs were sprawled around her as she laid flat on her back. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was shallow and staggered. Her body was broken and bleeding in multiple places, and a blond vampire straddled over her limp frame, ready to drain her. My brain told my body to move, but it refused to listen. I couldn’t seem to make myself get up. I tensed my entire body, realizing I was about to watch a vampire kill one of my sisters and there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening. Just as the monster was closing the distance and about to bite into her flesh, Ember’s body began to glow. Her skin changed from a yellow to a red glow, and her arms began to quiver at her side. The vampire stopped dead in his stance, looking down at her, unsure of what to think or do regarding the change rising from her. Before he could decide what it all meant, a fireball shot out of Ember’s chest and straight into the vampire’s face. His entire body caught on fire, and his arms thrashed around in agony for a moment before his whole body melted away and disseminated. Ember was still sprawled on the floor, just as broken as she had been before the fire took control of her. At least she was out of immediate danger, and my breathing began to slow somewhat.
A crash to my left brought my attention out of the scene that had just unfolded before me from Ember. I turned to see bits of furniture flying around Ethereal as a bony brunette vampire headed toward her, in a football tackle stance. Before his head crashed into her chest as he planned, the chest of drawers against one of the walls lifted off of the ground surrounded by a strong gust of wind. It crashed into the ceiling and turned into numerous pieces of wood. One of the shards had a point at the end, and the wind carried it across the room and directly into the vampire’s chest from behind him before he even had a chance of knowing what was going on. His entire being turned to dust, and as it piled into a small hill of ashes on the ground, Ethereal passed out where she was.
My eyes threatened to roll into the back of my head, but in the process, they discovered why no one was messing with me in the midst of the fight. Vulcan was standing over me with a smile on his face. Phoenix now stood next to Vulcan, freed from the bed, and seemingly restored to his full health, and beauty. There was something in his eyes that I couldn’t quite place. Hurt, or possibly an apology, but I fought the urge to continue looking at him. The pain of discovering the truth behind the blood bond was far too intense, and it left me feeling raw and wide open, on full display. I refused to be some trophy placed on a shelf to remind them of their sick victories.
Vulcan called one of the broad, burly vampires over to him. Everyone had stopped fighting now that the three witches were down and out for the count which left the room eerily quiet. Despite the absence of noise, I had a ringing in my ear that made it hard to decipher the conversations that were going on around me.
Phoenix didn’t move or blink. He remained standing over me, staring down at me with the same look in his eyes. The look that I didn’t want to see because, despite all of the pain I was feeling, both physically and emotionally, that look pulled at my heartstrings. Stupid blood bond. I reminded myself that was the only reason he could get to me like that in a moment of pure chaos and war.
The new vampire Vulcan had called over sat on the floor next to me. Vulcan’s smile widened as the new man began to lean over me. He put an arm on either side of my head and started to lower his head to me. I closed my eyes, willing myself to just let them finish me off however they chose to. I was in no shape to fight, and it suddenly didn’t seem worth it anyhow. Maybe death was what I deserved for being naïve enough to fall for Phoenix’s deceptions.
“I personally would prefer that Phoenix be the one that finishes you off, but since he refuses, Damien here will have to do,” Vulcan answered the question that I had only asked in my mind.
“Why don’t you do it yourself?” The confidence of being in an about to die situation took over my sound senses again.
“Oh, I have my reasons. This is an— experiment of sorts.” He chuckled.
My body felt moist as Damien lowered over me further. His eyes were dark and surrounded by black shadows. His lips pursed to show off his fangs that he intended to use to finish me off. At least I would finally be free of my misery, which thanks to Phoenix, had increased tenfold just tonight as it was. I felt a pressure build up inside of me, and my entire body felt hot. Maybe I was about to die without allowing the vampires to have the pleasure of being the ones to make it happen. At least my blood would be useless to them if that were the case.
Just before Damien’s fangs penetrated into my neck, the pressure that had been building underneath my skin exploded. My entire body began to pulse, and hot boiling black water spewed from my hands. I moved my arm and held it against the back of Damien’s neck. His scream was blood-curdling as the water ran over his skin. His pores opened up visibly as the boils formed over his entire casing. They spread until they covered his whole body. All at once, they exploded, and his body exploded into a million pieces that scattered and settled around my room.
I didn’t know whether Vulcan and Phoenix would decide to stay and further my misery now that my affinity had killed one of their own. I didn’t have time to find out what their reaction was. As soon as Damien’s body splayed across my room, the entire world went black, and I felt everything slip away altogether.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I awakened to Ember’s eyes staring down at me. My body was searing with pain, and I heard someone scrambling on my right. I looked around to realize I was laying on the loveseat in the living room. The signs of the small war that had taken place were everywhere. Nothing had been left untouched. Destruction, useless destruction. Our home was in disarray, and my heart shattered. If the pain emitting through my left leg was any implication, At least one bone had been destroyed as well.
“Ethereal is working on some tea to soothe you,” Ember reported quietly as she stroked my hair.
I attempted to force a smile, but tears were the only thing that came through. They spilled, unwillingly, over my eyes. I didn’t have time for these emotions. This was a prime example of why it was best not to allow yourself to feel. Who had time for this crap?
“What happened?” I quit fighting the tears and asked as they continued to flow down my face.
“Well,” Ember began as she began to brush her fingers on my arm, soothing my emotions a bit. “It’s kind of a long story and we’re honestly not clear on all of the details.”
“It was magnificent, though!” Ethereal’s always chipper voice sounded in on the discussion.
I turned to look at her, but my neck hated me for doing so, and I slowly reverted to my original position. I chuckled. No one could resist the way Ethereal always stayed so calm and collected regardless of what was going on in the real world around us. She lived in some Cloud Nine universe where everything was sunshine and rainbows.
“She’s right.” Ember smiled.
I returned the smile, knowing our previous argument would be forever forgotten. No matter what, we stood by each other, it was what made us a coven, what made us sisters. Life was hard, especially when you had powers and rage issues. Hormones didn’t even begin to describe it. It hadn’t been the first, and most likely wouldn’t be the last time we’d had choice words for one another. Such was life. Life had just become far more dramatic than some ludicrous argument. Now was the time to let it go, and figure out more important issues.
“How long have I been out?” I asked, suddenly realizing the fog in my head felt like I had been out for a good bit.
“Just a few hours,” Ethereal explained as she placed my tea on the floor next to me.
She and Ember helped to support my neck and back as they sat me up. Ethereal then took the teacup once more and handed it to me. I instantly took a sip, knowing it was what I needed to be able to pull out of the funk. Being that Ethereal’s affinity was for Earth, she had a knack for knowing which herbs and flowers to combine to fix practically any ailment. This batch
was a mixture of spearmint and hibiscus, and my brain instantly felt less clouded.
“Now, are you ready for the less fun part?” Ember asked nodding toward my leg.
I gulped down the remainder of the tea quickly, knowing I would need all of the help I could get. It wasn’t the first time they’d repaired a broken limb for me, and I knew it was going to be an agonizing experience that I needed to bolster every fiber of my strength toward ignoring.
“Alright,” I said, still mentally bracing myself for what was to come as I handed my teacup back to Ethereal. “Give me all the details you can to fill me in on what I've missed while you guys work. I need something to focus my mind on.”
They both nodded in agreement. Ember sat on the floor in front of me, and Ethereal sat next to her. Ember began rubbing her hands on my leg, using her fire to warm and soothe the ache before the real journey to healing began. I closed my eyes as the heat radiated away some of the pain from me and set myself to focus on nothing other than the explanation that was coming next. It would be the only chance I had of getting through this without blacking out again.
“Well, Vulcan was shocked, to say the least, when you blew up Damien.” Ethereal’s voice seemed soothing as she spoke despite the situation. I couldn’t help but snicker. I still had no idea how I’d managed to blow him up. At least, if nothing else, I would’ve gone out with a bang.
“I guess we’ve never really reigned in all of the powers that a Blue Moon can give us.” Ember’s eyes seemed sad, and I knew she was wondering what difference that knowledge could have made on the night her own mortal life had ended.
Which reminded me that I had some further questions to ask Ember and Ethereal about the happenings of that night. The short dramatic experience after the accidental time-travel made me realize there were several more pieces of the story they had never disclosed to me. It was apparent there were more parts left out than what I’d initially suspected. Those were questions that would have to wait, however, for now, I needed to stay focused on the here and now.
“I mean, we had an idea of its powers since I’m still here.” Ember smiled, but it was a blatant lie. “It worked in all of our advantages tonight. We all had our forces take control and handle this evening’s battle for us.”
Ethereal giggled and it almost sounded as if she was drunk. I knew it was merely a high from the experience of tonight. That kind of power coursing through your veins was an adrenaline rush. If I hadn’t been under the impression that I was going to die, I would have rather enjoyed relishing in the sensation as well. Awaking to needing my leg reset was worse than waking with a hangover. Given that Ethereal never allowed anything to pull her down, it made sense that she was the only one that seemed able to relish in the high from the experience.
“Your power was the strongest though, Acqua.” Ethereal laughed.
Ethereal took the hint our glares shot her and pulled her giddiness down a few notches before returning to the task at hand. She was mixing herbs and goddess knew what else into some sort of salve that I knew would be used on my leg after they reset it. The scent would give me a headache, but it would significantly decrease the healing time, and I would be thankful for that. A nauseous sensation spread through me as I remembered what was still to come. The heat radiating in my leg was Ember’s way of distracting me from the pain as much as possible. It wouldn’t keep it from being excruciating, but it might be able to prevent me from blacking out. I needed my thoughts to go back to the story. I couldn’t handle focusing on my pain at the moment.
“What? Because I blew that guy up?” I scoffed. “It was just boiling water. I wasn’t in control of my emotions, seeing as he was about to kill me. You know how those things go.”
“No,” Ember stated. “It wasn’t just that. After you blacked out, your powers continued defending you. You’re the only reason any of us are still here.”
My upper body shot up, and my leg despised the sudden movement. None of the soothing radiation Ember had been working on made a difference anymore, the pain was unbearable, and I instantly lost my momentum. The shock overwhelmed me quickly, and I gave in and collapsed back on the couch.
“You know, we’re not doing this for our good!” Ember scoffed.
“Sorry,” I grimaced. “Emotions got the best of me. Just get it over with and finish the story.”
“Acqua,” Ember’s voice was drastically more severe than it had been. “I don’t know how to explain what happened, but—” she broke off and looked to Ethereal.
Ethereal shrugged her shoulder as she sat the salve she had been working on aside.
“What!” I asked, tired of the delay in explanation and desperate to know the rest of the story.
“Well, you took away Vulcan’s Vampirism.” Ember settled on the words to explain what she had been stalling to say.
My eyes closed as my head contorted in confusion. In the midst of it, I hadn’t noticed Ember and Ethereal readying themselves to reset my leg without telling me. I had no warning. The pain seared through my leg and then seeped throughout my entire body. Every nerve ending lit on fire and my body convulsed in response to the oblivion of the ache that radiated through me. I bit my lips as hard as I could to keep from screaming, I vaguely felt the blood as it seeped down my chin. My fists grabbed onto the couch cushions. I felt Ethereal’s salve hit my leg and it instantly cooled most of the discomforts away. I relaxed slightly and forced my eyes to open.
Ember and Ethereal were both smiling innocently at me. The expression on their faces conveyed their apology for the pain they had caused me. I knew it was necessary and having no warning was better than working myself up for the experience would have been. I was grateful for the salve that Ethereal had concocted for me as the pain had dulled to a minor ache already and I felt confident I would be walking with no more than a limp in a few short hours. Which was important when you had just worsened a civil war that had already been waging between two supernatural beings for almost a decade.
“Wait,” I said as the statement Ember had spoken just before the pain took over my body registered. “What do you mean I took away his Vampirism?”
“I mean,” Ember rejoined me on the couch as Ethereal fixed herself on working to clean the mortar and pestle she’d used to make my salve, “Vulcan is no longer a vampire.”
“How is that even possible?” I asked as I repositioned myself to a more comfortable position.
Ethereal sighed, “Who knows?”
She was so much better at accepting the impossible than Ember and I were. We all balanced each other out so well, I guess that was a large part of why we worked so well as a coven.
“Well then, problem solved, right? Can I get some sleep now? Which reminds me, where are my cigarettes?” It had been quite the night. I needed to ease my nerves, even if only slightly.
As if she knew what I was going to ask before I did so, Ethereal was instantly handing me my pack and lighter. That fact alone put me on edge. She was usually the one to take any opportunity to tell me how horrible of a habit it was. To be fair, she had an affinity for Earth, and the smoke wasn’t exactly healthy for Earth. She had never willingly obliged to my habit of smoking so quickly, and I knew there had to be a reason she had chosen that moment to do so. I asked the question with my gaze. There were no words necessary.
“I think you’re going to need it,” she offered easily.
“She’s right,” Ember agreed, “go ahead.”
Great, this couldn’t be good. I sighed and accepted their instructions. I lit a cigarette and breathed in several long drags before nodding for them to continue.
“It’s not a problem solved, Acqua,” Ember began, “it’s an even bigger problem created.”
I looked at her questioningly. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, the stress, the heartbreak, or the pain still throbbing in my just reset leg, but I wasn’t piecing together the issue with the situation. If Vulcan wasn’t a vampire, he couldn’t finish what he had started. My body was
craving sleep, and my heart was craving some time alone to sort through the information I’d learned about Phoenix and the blood bond during the ordeal. I was ready for this conversation to be over so I could get to my room. I was qualified to have a drink or two in my opinion, though that would require getting up, which wasn’t an option at the moment.
“Vulcan was the leader of his pack,” Ethereal took over the explanation. “He was the first out of his pack. You taking away his Vampirism will have repercussions for everyone that was part of his pack. Which, need I remind you, was a lot. That wasn’t even his entire clan here tonight, Acqua. There are more of them, many more. They’re all pissed. Vulcan is angry. You took away everything that made him powerful and turned him into a mere human. He wants revenge, and his pack is still loyal to him, for now at least. They will be coming for us, for you.”
Oh. Well, that complicated things a bit. I took several more drags off of my cigarette.
“One other thing,” Ethereal said, her voice softened.
I cut my eyes at her. What else could there be?
“There’s someone still in your room.”
“Someone in—” I finished my cigarette instantly and lit another one as I pieced together the only person they would have allowed to remain in my room.
Phoenix.
