by Sela Croft
He took a slow step forward, breaking the rhythmic dance we’d fallen into. His actions didn’t surprise me.
“You will be taken,” the hunter said. “And your gift will be used to serve our purposes. We’ll use your power against you…to eradicate you and all like you from existence. So now, I offer you a choice to come peacefully or fight. It won’t matter, though, as the end result will be the same.”
Chapter 26
Natasha
His words washed over me, and I let them sink in. Something inside of me reached forward, seeing the edges of the future—blurry, misshapen, and shifting. What if his prediction came to pass? What if he was right and the vampires would soon become extinct? Something in the shadowy world of the future told me it could happen.
“You’re trying to shake me,” I said. “And it won’t work.”
We continued to stand, faced-off in the center of my sitting room. The furniture separating us was sparse—as I preferred it. Normally, the room had an open, airy feel to it. But then, it felt closed-off and suffocating.
“Why would I do such a thing? I need you sharp, your abilities at their best. I merely intended to give you a more well-rounded understanding of the situation—your situation.”
Again, an intuition about the future passed through me. The future was not set in stone, I reminded myself. I would not accept his version of events. We were strong; I was strong.
I was stronger than him.
In a flash, I flew across the room. As I moved, I reached out and took hold of a lamp, then rushed in his direction. He stepped to the side fluidly. I came to a stop behind him, spinning around, my chosen weapon in my hand. He turned to face me, then reached for a wooden stake and rocked his weight forward onto the balls of his feet.
“I had hoped you would choose to fight,” he said, lunging at me.
I dove before he did, anticipating his move. Skirting past his reach, I spun around and let the lamp fly from my hands. To my amazement, he ducked just as the projectile left my hand. It went flying into the wall on the far side of the room and exploded upon impact. With a snarl, he lunged at me.
I leaned forward, grabbed onto his wrist, and twisted it. The stake fell to the ground, but before I could deliver the blow to his gut, he threw one of his own. It did little to hurt me, but it did surprise me. No human had ever dared attempt to injure a vampire without use of a weapon.
His fist flew in my direction. I pulled back just as it impacted my right cheek. In a flash, I was at the doorway leading to the gardens, a place that offered greater advantage. With more room to move around, I could outsmart him. I waited for a split second, ensuring that he would follow me. Then I took off. His steps echoed behind me, heavy yet quick.
I needed to hide—to gain the upper hand with the element of surprise.
As he barreled down the path behind me, I sat, perched high up in the trees, completely still. Overhead, I could hear the flutter of wings—a raven. I craned my head around to look up at it.
Another sound pulled my attention back to the path beneath me. He was moving quickly yet he didn’t appear to be winded or in a state of discomfort, as humans often did after an excessive burst of energy.
“Little princess,” he said. His words were laced with mockery. “Come out, come out, wherever you are. I don’t have time for a game of hide and seek.”
I rocked my weight forward slightly. Just as I prepared to throw myself down on top of him, he spun around and lifted the crossbow he carried. A wooden arrow zipped in my direction, aiming for my heart. I threw myself to the left and landed on the path directly in front of him. He shot me a grisly grin as he fired another shot in my direction.
I was able to dodge the shot. Rolling on the ground, I grabbed hold of a rock and tossed it back at him as I got to my feet. But he moved just as the object left my hands.
Our battle continued through the gardens, past the fountain terrace, and back into the heart of my dwelling. I needed a weapon. This human was good—too good. It was as if he could predict my movements as well as I could predict his. Every time I threw a blow, he moved just in time. Every time I planned an attack, he acted just seconds before I could put it into motion.
Running through the kitchen, I grabbed hold of a knife. Spinning around, I held it out in front of me, waiting for him to continue the pursuit. When he appeared in the doorway, there were signs of fatigue in his movements. His chest rose and fell with the fervor of his attack. His feet moved more slowly than they had before as he lunged at me, silver blade in hand.
I held my ground, waiting for him to get close. When he did, I side-stepped and wrapped my arms around his waist. Throwing him down to the ground, I saw victory in sight. But he wasn’t giving up yet.
As he fell, he held out his weapon-bearing arm, stabbing the blade in my direction. It grazed my arm. Pain surged through my right side. I leapt back quickly, giving him just enough space to regain his footing.
I lunged forward, thrusting my blade at his back. It pierced his skin, and a bright red stain began to seep through the material of his shirt. He took off running, making me the hunter again.
I preferred that role. Vampires were hunters. It was our way of life; it was our sport.
He raced back toward the sitting room. I could sense his destination. He intended on running for the couch, using it to hide behind as he re-loaded the crossbow he carried limply at his side.
The trail of blood he left behind only added to the excitement of the chase for me. The smell of human blood, even impure blood, had a way of getting my heart racing and making my body ache for sustenance.
When he fell to the ground behind the couch, I leaped into the air, flying over him with ease. Landing behind him, I wrapped my hands around his throat, pulling him to his feet with one swift motion.
“Drop it,” I said, referring to the un-loaded crossbow in his hands.
“Or what? You’ll kill me? How will you get your information then?”
I tightened my hold on him, blocking his airways. He coughed and tried to fight back, but one forceful shake and he gave up. Dropping the weapon to the ground, he held his hands up to indicate defeat.
I reached down, loosening the weapon’s belt he wore around his waist. The remaining silver blade fell to the ground with a clatter. Next, I removed the wooden stakes from the bandolier across his chest one by one.
When he was fully disarmed, I threw him against the couch and stood over him. Now I was the one with the grin. Crossing my arms over my chest, I leaned in and my eyes locked with his.
“You have failed your mission,” I said. “Now, you will tell me all that I want to know.”
To my surprise, he returned my grin with one of his own.
“That may have been the case, had I come alone,” he said.
Someone else was in my home. I could feel another presence growing nearer. I let myself explore the new arrival, all the while keeping a close watch on my captive. There was something familiar about the sensation that the recent intruder sent rippling through me.
Something familiar, yet I couldn’t place it. The closer I got to discovering it, the farther it seemed to pull away. It was recognizable, yet foreign at the same time. The state of mind that came with the presence that was unfamiliar and terrifying.
Balling up my fist, I sent it flying in the vampire hunter’s face. I didn’t need to check if he had been knocked out by my blow. The slowing in his breathing told me that he was unconscious—just how I wanted him.
I turned in the direction of the presence. I could feel him getting closer. Still his face remained in the shadows of my mind. I then tried to predict his movements, see his immediate future. I could not.
All this presence brought was darkness.
“Who are you?” I called out.
My words echoed off the walls around me.
“I demand that you show yourself. How did you get into this realm? What are you doing here?”
No reply came. I wait
ed, staring into the shadows stretching out around me. Then he was on me. I hadn’t seen him coming; I hadn’t felt him coming. I scrambled, throwing him off and leaping to my feet. I flew forward, but it didn’t matter.
He took hold of me and tackled me to the ground.
Then it went dark.
Chapter 27
Logan
Taking Callie to my private quarters was not what I’d wanted. Or maybe it was. I held her in my arms as I took to the sky. The breeze whipping past us caused her scent to stir into the air, magnifying the unexplainable effect it had on me.
Part of me still wondered what would happen if I allowed myself one taste, just one drop of the intoxicating elixir pulsing through her veins. I wanted to be alone with her yet feared it.
And there was something else. There was something more to this human girl that drew me to her. It was both infuriating and enticing. No human had made me feel the way that she did. She elicited a strength of emotion that I hadn’t known was possible. My anger surged, while insecurities surfaced.
Yet she was a key to the future. It seemed to revolve around her somehow.
I stole a glance at her. Her head rested on my shoulder, and her violet eyes stared up at me. I was flustered, because I wanted to communicate with her. I needed to know more about her, but I wanted her to know me too.
When she looked at me, myriad emotions stirred behind her eyes. Fear, curiosity, even passion?
It couldn’t be. I rejected the thought the instant it popped into my mind. Turning my face toward the sky again, I steered our course toward the shimmering glass building floating in the distance.
“You’ll be safe here,” I said and set her feet on the cool marble floor.
Her eyes went wide as she took in her surroundings. My private quarters were far from humble. While not overly opulent in their elegance, there was a refined quality about them. The ceilings soared above our heads; the ornate marble floors stretched out under our feet.
The furniture was all in pristine condition, barely used. I hadn’t had much time or use for most of the items around us. Although the room we were in, the sitting room, was large and inviting, it was rarely utilized.
I didn’t invite outsiders into my home. It was my safe place—my refuge. Here, I could escape the pressures of daily life as ruler of Crystal City.
“No one can access this place without my permission,” I said, then walked deeper into the room.
The windows behind us were similar, to those in my office. The glass only went up partway, letting the soft night breeze in. The breeze picked up and glided softly through the room, taking Callie’s scent with it. When it assaulted my senses, it nearly knocked me over.
I reached out and took hold of the mantelpiece hanging over the large fireplace. Regaining my composure, I turned to face her again. She hadn’t spoken since we left the bistro, something I didn’t think was very common for her.
“Your grace,” one of my servants said as he rushed into the sitting room. “I didn’t know you would be returning so…”
His words drifted off as his eyes landed on Callie. She lit up at the sight of another human.
“I’m Callie,” she said with a kind smile. “What’s your name?”
“Callie,” my servant repeated, rushing across the room and extending his hand to her. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Henry.”
I hadn’t thought to familiarize myself with my servant’s names. But seeing the smile on the middle-aged man’s face at being acknowledged made me realize that perhaps I should have.
Henry continued to beam, his light green eyes glowing, as he scratched his balding head and turned his attention back to me. “Would you like anything, your grace?”
“I’ll attend to it,” I said, crossing the room and pulling open the personal blood bank I kept there.
Pulling out a bag of blood, I ripped the top off with my teeth and took a moment to quench my thirst—a thirst made almost unbearable by the breeze that wafted Callie’s alluring scent around the room.
“But Henry,” I said, “you will inform the others that they are to look after Ms. Mayfair while she is here. She is my guest and meant to be treated as such. Whatever she needs, you will see to it.”
I couldn’t help but notice the way that Henry’s eyebrows went up, when I used his name.
“It’s okay,” Callie said. “I don’t need anything, really. I’ll be fine.”
“You’ll need to eat,” Henry said. “And you’ll want new clothes. Oh, and…”
“That will be all for now,” I said, tossing the empty blood bag to the side and crossing the room.
Henry excused himself, leaving us alone again. A look of fear crossed Callie’s face. She walked around the couch, as if not sure what to do.
“I’ll show you around,” I said. “You’ll be here for a while, after all.”
Her face changed into an expression of anger. “No,” she said. “I can’t stay here. I don’t want to stay here.”
“You’re not safe out there.”
“And you’re saying I’m safe here?”
“Precisely.”
“I don’t feel safe.”
“That’s because you’re naïve.”
I hadn’t meant my words to come out as sharp as they had. Clearly, I’d offended her.
“You’re naïve to the ways of this land,” I said. “Please allow me to show you around.”
She agreed, although apprehensively. The tour through my private quarters led us through the sitting room and down the long hall toward my study. We went through the kitchen, which was noticeably empty—something I would need to remedy. And finally, we ended in the dining room.
We sat across from each other. The table was wide, but not wide enough. Her eyes still pierced into me, and the smell of her continued to taunt me from across the wooden barrier that separated us.
I had one of the servants bring out what food they could find in the kitchen, informing them that they would need to stock the cabinets, as our guest would be with us for some time.
“I won’t,” Callie said. “I won’t stay here.”
“And how do you intend to leave?”
She wrinkled her nose and looked around. It was clear that there was no way she could escape, if the thought had occurred to her. We were too high up—a jump from here would result in her death.
“I have things I need to do,” she said. “They’re very important. You don’t understand.”
“No, Callie. You don’t understand. You must stay here. It’s not safe out there.”
She leaned back in her chair, pushed her food away then crossed her arms over her chest. “And what’s not safe about it? I don’t know what’s going on, Logan.”
She said my name with force, mimicking the way I had scolded her.
“Shadowland is… It’s in turmoil.”
“I noticed that much.”
I needed to gain her trust. It was clear that she wasn’t going to tell me anything about who she was unless I took the first step. Swallowing my pride, I continued.
“We are at war here. There are other beings who wish us harm.”
“Imagine that.”
“Will you please let me explain?”
She didn’t try to hide the shock on her face at my reasonable request. I wasn’t one to make requests. I made the rules in Crystal City. I made demands. But with her, things were different.
“Fine,” she said.
“As you know, I’m the ruler of this realm. I have been for a time now. While those under my direct rule are happy, there are many who are not. There are others who wish to overthrow my reign. More than that, they wish to wipe out my people.”
“So, you’re the ruler of a land that’s locked in an epic war involving dragons and vampires and a whole mess of other crazy stuff. Interesting. How old are you?”
Her question surprised me. She reached for the meager plate of food again and recommenced eating. Her eyes fixed on mine as she waited for my
answer. A feeling of confusion washed over me.
“What does that have to do with—?”
“If I’m going to be staying here with you, letting you keep me safe, even though I just saw you decapitate a man, I’m going to need to get to know you a little better.”
“Oh. You want to get to know me?”
She nodded, a trail of soup running down her chin. She wiped it away, then looked back at me, a tiny smile forming at the corners of her lips.
“I don’t know, exactly,” I said. “I’ve stopped counting, I suppose. When you have an endless amount of days and years spread out in front of you, measuring them becomes pointless.”
“That’s sad.”
“Sad?”
“Well, if you don’t measure time, then you don’t appreciate it. You don’t enjoy it.”
“Believe me, I enjoy my life.”
“Do you really?”
Her eyes burned into me again, and I felt completely exposed. Another wave of thirst built up in my gut, but I couldn’t pull myself away to quench it.
“I was eighteen,” I said. “When I changed, I mean. I was eighteen.”
“You changed? So, you weren’t always a vampire?”
Her question once again displayed her ignorance of our world and my people. She continued to look at me, and became flustered. She had done it again; she had turned the conversation around.
Even when I wasn’t attempting to get information from her, she had somehow taken over the conversation and directed it toward a topic I had no desire to discuss.
“Did you make the decision?” she asked, noting my hesitation to answer her previous question. “You chose to become a vampire?”
“I did.”
“Did you ever consider the alternative?”
“No.”
“Because you wouldn’t want to live as a human in this world, right? You know how they are treated.”
“You’re very bold to speak to me this way.”
“You said I was safe.”
She tried to stifle a yawn but failed. I often forgot that humans grew tired after a long day. Without hesitation, I summoned another servant to escort her to her room. She appeared to not want to go at first, but after a bit of arguing—which she was prone to—she gave in.
