Of Blood & Magic: Blood Descent Book 1

by T. L. McDonald

I brush my teeth and head down the hall toward Liv’s room. Coco comes barreling out of Jack’s room and yips at my feet. I swear the dog hates me. “Go lay down, Coco. I’m just walking down the hallway.” I step around her tiny growling form. “Seriously, Coco. What have I ever done to you… besides occasionally step on your tail? But those were all accidents.”

  “Guess she doesn’t think so. Here Coco.” Jack kneels down just inside his doorway. He snaps his fingers and whistles to get Coco’s attention. “Come on, girl.” She barks at me one last time then jumps into Jack’s arms.

  “Guess not.”

  I wring my hands then fidget with a loose string on my shirt until finally tucking them under my armpits to hold them still. Spilling all my secrets to my cousins about what’s going on with me is going to be harder than I thought. What if they become afraid of me after I tell them? Or look at me like I’m a freak? Or they treat me like I’m a freak?

  Jack sets Coco down at his feet. She darts into his room, curling up into a furry ball at the foot of his bed. He looks at me with concern. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” I nod my head and fidget with the string again. “Actually, no. Um, if you’ve got a minute there’s something I need to talk to you and Liv about.”

  “Yeah. Sure. Whatever it is, we’re there for you.” Jack wraps a comforting arm around my shoulder and we head across the hall to Liv’s room. “Hope you’re decent!” Jack yells before he barges inside.

  Sitting in the window seat, Liv hastily shoves something behind her back and schools her features into something unreadable. “Oh hey, guys. What’s up? I’m just chillin’ here admiring the nice day outside.”

  “Uh, Liv. It’s raining outside,” Jack says with a smirk.

  “Huh. So it is,” Liv says, her face still giving nothing away.

  “What were you really doing?” Jack asks with a light-hearted, suspicious tone to his voice. “And what did you hide behind your back, hmm? Curious minds want to know.” He reaches behind her faster than she can react. He pulls out a well-worn paperback with a half naked man embracing a barely clothed woman with a heaving bosom depicted on the cover. Jack makes a face then slides the book held in his hand down so it’s now pinched between his fingertips. “Ew.” He tosses it back at Liv and I stifle a laugh.

  Liv stuffs the book back into its previous hiding spot and smiles sweetly at her brother’s disgusted face. “Ever hear the saying curiosity killed the cat? If you’re going to look, you better be prepared for what you might see.”

  “I definitely wasn’t expecting to see that. That’s for sure.” He fake shivers then sits on the edge of her bed.

  “Is that one of Aunt Claudia’s romance novels?” I ask, hoping to delay what I have to say for a few more minutes. I need time to figure out exactly what it is I want to say and how to say it.

  “Yeah, so don’t tell her. You know how protective she is about her books.” Liv moves her feet to the floor and pats the seat beside her. “So what’s up? How did the convo go with the ‘rents?”

  I guess stall time is over. I close the door and take my seat. “So…” I begin and then tell them everything. Well, almost everything. I leave the parts about Sebastian and me out. How I healed him, our weird connection, and definitely the massively hot kiss we shared.

  Jack stares at me, slightly open-mouthed, but Liv, she’s got a look in her eye that says not all of this is a big surprise.

  I raise an eyebrow. “Liv?”

  “I changed your bandages when you were in your magically induced mini coma, so I uh… sort of… already know about that part.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” Jack asks before I can.

  “Yeah, what he said.” I turn to face her more.

  She shrugs her shoulders like it’s no big deal. “I don’t know. I guess I was waiting to talk to you about it first.”

  “You were waiting? Weren’t you concerned? I did technically die for a few minutes and when I came back suddenly all my wounds were nonexistent. Weren’t you afraid that I—”

  “Was becoming a vampire?” Liv finishes for me.

  “Well, yeah.”

  “Nope.” She says it so carelessly I can’t help but stare at her in stunned disbelief. If I were in her shoes, I would have been completely freaked out, especially given what happened.

  “Why not?” Jack and I both ask at the same time.

  “Because you still had a heartbeat, and you could go out in the sun,” Liv says matter-of-factly. “Besides, Sebastian tested you at the motel, so as far as I was concerned, all was well.”

  “We met Seth and Ben when the sun was still out and they didn’t burst into flames or whatever it is vampires do,” I counter. It’s something I meant to ask them about earlier, but never got around to. If movies, TV shows and books—except for the ones where they sparkle—are to be believed, sunlight should kill them. Yet, Seth and Ben seemed totally fine on the way to the concert. How’s that possible? And if it is possible—which it has to be because it happened—then maybe whatever weird anomaly allows them to walk in the light, allows me to do the same, if I am indeed changing. After all, it was Seth’s blood I ingested.

  “There are ways around the whole death by sunlight thing. Enchanted jewelry, for example, or enchanted tattoos,” Jack spews out before he sees the look of horror on my face.

  “Enchanted tattoos?” I shake my head in disbelief. “But if they heal so fast wouldn’t that make tattoos impossible?”

  “Ordinarily yes.” He glances at Liv as though he’s afraid to tell me and needs her support in doing so. It’s freaking me out. It would be better if he just came out and said it instead of leaving me to my own imaginings. “They use silver needles to slow down the healing process and ink infused with magic. Ergo enchanted tattoos that let them walk in the daylight.”

  “Magic, as in they get help from witches, or they’re able to do magic themselves?”

  “They get help from witches.” He hesitates. “Dark witches.”

  My breaths immediately pick up the pace. If vampires can walk around in the sun, then that means there’s no safe place and no safe time of day. They could be everywhere. They could be sitting at the lunch table next to mine in the school cafeteria, or at the public library, or the grocery store, or living in the house across the street. They could have me surrounded, all of them waiting for their next opportunity to attack because somebody wants me dead.

  I dig my nails into my palms, the room around me becoming more and more unfocused as all my fears take control. How am I supposed to handle all this? How am I supposed to defend myself against day walking vampires, angelic bounty hunters, and the group of dark witches Sebastian mentioned who are probably the same ones that gave the vampires their day walking abilities? I’m just a high school kid, and this is too much. Maybe compelling Uncle Caleb and Aunt Claudia was a bad idea. They know more than I do. They have a coven of powerful witches. They’d know what to do in this situation. Can you un-compel someone?

  “Indi.” I look up to see Jack’s face inches from my own. He grips onto my shoulders. “You need to breathe. I’m sorry I freaked you out. Enchanted tattoos are extremely hard to come by because there aren’t many witches powerful enough to perform the spell, so not many vamps have them. The jewelry is easier to get, but the price can be steep, and I don’t just mean in monetary terms. So again, not many vamps have those either.”

  What he says helps a little and I slow my breaths. “What about me? Will I need to get an enchanted tattoo or jewelry?”

  “You’re not turning into a vampire Indi,” Liv tells me with so much sureness in her voice I want to believe her, but I can’t just discount what’s happening to me.

  “I healed faster than I should, Liv. Hell, I don’t even have scars. And I compelled Aunt Claudia and Uncle Caleb. How do you explain that? Those are all vampire traits.” Panic seeps back in, quietly raging beneath the surface, as it picks away at any semblance of control I have. “Maybe my change is different
because I’m not a typical human, or a simple witch, or a regular nephilim. I’m a forbidden mix that even Heaven thinks should be taken out.”

  “Do you want to bite any of us? Do you have a hankering for blood? Have you seen any fangs sprouting from your gums? Has your heart stopped beating?” Liv asks rapidly. She looks at me pointedly with an air of assuredness at what my answer will be.

  “No,” I say. Which is true, I haven’t experienced any of that, but still, how do I explain the other parts? Vampirism is the only thing that makes sense.

  Liv pulls out a pocketknife then slices it across her palm. She grits her teeth, sucking in a breath as a swell of bright red blood puddles in her hand. She holds it out to me. “Are you tempted to drink it?”

  A coppery tanginess fills my nose and I push her hand away. I have no desire whatsoever to drink it. I run my tongue over my teeth. They feel like they always do. No fangs. A small amount of relief filters in. This is good. If I have somehow taken on some vampire traits at least bloodlust and fangs aren’t part of it—so far, anyway. “Definitely not.”

  “See, not a vampire.” She gets up, cradling her hand. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go wash my hands and get a bandage. Not all of us have super healing abilities.” She stops at the door. “You know, maybe what you’re experiencing isn’t related to vampires at all. Maybe these abilities come from your father. If he has control over life and death, then maybe you do too. Maybe that’s what’s allowing you to heal so quickly.”

  I consider her for a minute, but it doesn’t all add up. “What about the compelling part?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never met an angel before, maybe they can compel too.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Do you really think this will work?” I tuck my feet under my legs so they resemble a pretzel. Pulling the edge of my white dress down over my knees, I rest my hands in my lap.

  “It should. Though normally the spell would be performed in the nude. If you prefer, we could do it that way.” A teasing Cheshire grin spreads across Liv’s face, while a completely different expression crosses Jack’s. His expression looks like I imagine mine does—one of horror, some disgust, and a heaping amount of hell no. Liv bursts out laughing. “I’m only kidding. There is no nudity. But the look on both your faces is priceless.”

  “Ha ha.” I stick my tongue out at her.

  Jack adds something to a stone mortar then grinds it down with the pestle. “Liv and I haven’t performed this type of protection spell before, at least not to this magnitude. Are you sure you don’t want to involve Mom and Dad? Maybe the whole coven?”

  “No, at least not until it becomes absolutely necessary. My memories are what make me who I am and they’ve already threatened to take more away. I don’t want to be in the dark anymore. I need to face who I am and learn how to protect myself.” Secretly though, being in the dark doesn’t sound all that bad. I had a pretty great life, all things considered, before the night of the concert, but I can’t risk being caught off guard again like I was with Seth. I need to learn how to take care of myself so nobody else has to put themselves in danger for me. “Besides, I’ve already compelled them to do another protection spell on themselves, you two, and the house, so everything should be good.” I hope. “Plus, I have faith in you two.”

  Jack makes a face at my last comment and I know he’s thinking about the spell he and Liv attempted before this one and how it majorly failed. Apparently the binding spell Uncle Caleb and Aunt Claudia—and probably the whole coven—cast over me is impenetrable. A lesson we learned the hard way when the spell Liv and Jack cast to lift it ricocheted off of me and sent them both flying backward, crashing into the wall. My only option now is to stop drinking Aunt Claudia’s tea and wait it out. According to Liv, once I stop drinking it my magic should slowly come back on its own once the spell fades. I may even get some of my memories back from when I was younger. I hope so because a key part of my plan of self-preservation is reliant upon accessing my abilities.

  Jack rubs the back of his head then looks at his hand to make sure the bleeding there has stopped. He hit the wall hard when the spell backfired. “That makes one of us.” He sits down in front of me, placing the bowl between us.

  “We can always wait to do this if you’re still feeling a little… out of it.” It’s only been about a half an hour since the failed spell took place. Liv was lucky enough to only encounter a little unconsciousness without getting seriously injured. Jack, on the other hand, had his head get up close and personal with a now shattered picture frame.

  “I’m fine.” He pricks his finger then adds a drop of blood to the mixture in the bowl.

  Around us, Liv lights several candles then joins Jack and me in the protective circle. She folds her legs into a pretzel, pressing her knees up against Jack’s and mine. They’re both dressed in all white like me. Jack wears a white button up, slacks and no shoes or socks. Liv is barefoot and in a dress similar to mine although it’s a lot shorter at the hemline. She tucks it down, so it covers all private areas.

  “Ouch,” Liv whispers under her breath as she pricks her finger and adds a drop to the bowl centered between the three of us. “Now it’s your turn.”

  “Right.” I take the fresh needle held in her hand. Holding my breath, I stab the tip of my finger with it. A small bubble of blood sits on my fingertip. I hold it over the bowl, squeezing until it drips off. I stick my finger in my mouth and look at them expectantly. “Now what?”

  Jack stares intently at the bowl and snaps his finger. “Ignis.” A flame ignites within the stone confines then just as fast as it came it goes out. A thin trail of smoke wafts between us.

  “Now we join hands.” Liv reaches out for Jack and me, and we each take a hold of each other. “Now close your eyes and imagine a bright white light surrounding you. Nothing can get inside. You’re completely surrounded and protected from anything that wants to do you harm. You’re safe.”

  I close my eyes and do what she says with the hopes it’ll work.

  13

  The wind whips through my hair, blowing it over my face as I get out of the car. I look across the parking lot at the school before me. My hands are sweating, my bottom lip sore from chewing on it. It’s my first day back since the world changed and I have no idea what to expect. Will everything be the same? Will it all be different? Will I be going to school with the same group of people I’ve known most of my life? Or will there be new people posing as students who are really witches sent from some dark coven on a mission to take me out, or whatever it is they have planned for me? Or even better, vampires with enchanted jewelry or tattoos, so they can pass as ordinary humans with an uncanny thirst for blood—specifically mine. Maybe Seth will be among them. Or better yet, maybe I’ll have a new substitute teacher who’s really a bounty hunter sent from heaven to smite me where I stand.

  And then there’s Evan. I haven’t spoken to him since I texted I’d meet him before his game, which I didn’t go to, since vampires attacked me. Again. Not to mention the three-day magic coma, and the one seriously hot spontaneous make out session with Sebastian, who I’ve been avoiding since. Liv told Evan some story about me having a bad case of the flu, which he seemed to accept at face value, according to her at least. But still, I’m nervous I won’t know how to act around him. I’m different now. Things have happened that have changed everything, and I can’t tell him anything. How am I going to lie to his face every day? It’s going to eat away at my insides. But what choice do I have? I either lie to him—for his own protection. Or I break up with him—for his own protection.

  Too bad I can just keep myself holed up in my room until I get a handle on everything, but with Uncle Caleb and Aunt Claudia under the impression everything is copasetic, they’ll wonder why I’m not in school. So here I am, standing in the parking lot, facing who knows what when I walk inside, and completely unprepared for it.

  “Earth to Indiana. You coming or what? We’re going to be late for class.�
�� A row over from where I stand, Jack adjusts the strap of his backpack, an impatient expression on his face. Liv is already across the lot and heading inside. Typically Liv is the reason we’re late for school on most days, but today that honor goes to me and Jack is none too happy about it. He’s got a big test first period and if he doesn’t pass it and bring up his grade in Calculus, Aunt Claudia promised to take his car away.

  “Yep. Go on ahead. I’ll be right behind you.” I wave him on and he goes, but I don’t. My feet are still firmly planted in the same spot. I look over my shoulder at the line of trees on the far end of the parking lot. It would be so easy to run over there and hide myself away. But then the school would call my aunt and uncle and I would have to explain why I ditched classes. And I’ve got no excuses to give them since everything is supposed to be cool now. With a grunt, I hook my thumbs around the straps of my backpack and trudge inside.

  The halls are mostly empty with only a few minutes left before the first bell rings. I speed walk to my locker and find Evan waiting for me. I take a hard swallow, slow my pace, and plaster on a big smile. I offer him a wave while I try to come up with what to say.

  He pulls out a Stargaze Lily hidden behind his back. “The perks of being a florist’s son is I can bring you flowers every day.” He plants a kiss on my cheek. “I hope you’re feeling better. When you weren’t returning any of my calls or texts, I stopped by your house, but Liv wouldn’t let me in. She said you were really sick and insisted you needed your rest. I was really worried about you.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. You wouldn’t have wanted to see me, anyway. There was snot and puke and all the other nasty stuff that comes with the flu,” I lie. My stomach does a flip with the horrible taste of deceit settling over my tongue. “But thankfully I’m feeling much better now.” That’s a lie too. I feel horrible, but not because of a fake flu, though there may be some very real puke making its way up my throat. I hate lying to him. “Thanks for the flower.” I take it and give it a sniff. “It’s beautiful.” At least that part’s not a lie.