Tainted Blood

by Sara Hubbard

  “Sure, I can. There’s nothing else to say,” Sebastian says plainly.

  “There’s a lot to say,” I snap back.

  “Well, they don’t talk about it, so I have no details to give. Get your ass out of bed.”

  “For the record, I think fighting either of you is a really bad idea.”

  “Noted.” He exits the room but leans back in, his hands on either side of the doorframe. “By the way, call my name in your sleep one more time, and I might have to make your dreams a reality.”

  I open my mouth in shock, and nothing comes out. My face and neck are on fire. Please tell me he’s joking?

  I spend breakfast asking him and Alexander a million questions about angels and vampires and get virtually no new information. In the end, I file away those facts for later. If they won’t give me answers, I’ll find out more myself, maybe while I’m fighting one of them.

  After breakfast, we head to a room at the back of the house I haven’t gone into yet. It’s as big as a gymnasium with weapons attached to the walls. A dozen skylights allow the sun to shine in rectangular shapes on the floor. It touches my face, warming me, and I look up and close my eyes, enjoying the feel of the heat and light. When I open my eyes, I notice the change in my aura. I hold my hands up and spin around like I’m wearing a new dress, but it’s just me, and I’m gold and silver with a touch of purple pixie dust.

  Sebastian stares at me with a ghost of a smile on his face. I grin from ear to ear.

  “What the fuck is she doing?” Alexander says, ruining my mood.

  He doesn’t yet know that I’m a seer, and that’s probably a good thing.

  I shrug. “Just enjoying the sunbeam.”

  “I detest humans,” he mutters.

  Sebastian stands to his brother’s right. He reaches out and grips Alexander’s shoulder, and his humor fades. “The stronger she is, the safer we are. We need her to be able to kill Markus dead the first time she tries.”

  Alexander scoffs. “I know very well what we need.”

  “Kill her, brother, and you’re a slave forever. So am I.”

  “I’d rather be a slave than dead.”

  Sebastian levels a stare at him.

  It occurs to me that I have no idea who Sebastian’s master is, and he’s not once asked me to seek him or her out. I would probably kill his master if he asked me. Why doesn’t he?

  “I gave my word I wouldn’t kill her.” Alexander shrugs off his brother’s hand. “I’ve never broken a promise to you. Not once in all the years we’ve lived.”

  “No, you haven’t.” He bows and takes a few steps back.

  I shift on my feet and nervously pick at my long sleeves. “What now?”

  Alexander’s eyes sparkle. “Now, I hurt you.”

  My eyes go wide as he rushes toward me like a bounding lion. His face contorts as his eyes blaze like red-hot magma. With two hands together, he pushes me as hard as he can. I fly through the air to collide with the back wall, inches above a set of spears with sharp metal tips, then fall to the ground with a thud that echoes through the high-ceilinged room. My body begs for air that won’t come. It takes almost a minute to finally force my lungs to fill again. Searing pain radiates from my back to my legs and hips. I force myself to roll onto my side and ignore the burning. I feel as if every bone in my body should be broken, but I don’t think a single one is. As I move to all fours, I’m struck with a surprising realization. When the vampire came at me, my adrenaline should have kicked in. My whole body should be super charged with energy and electricity, but I feel nothing of the kind. Where I should feel fear, all I feel is...anger. I’m angrier than I’ve ever been.

  I push myself to stand tall and stare at Alexander, who tips his head to the side to watch me with a menacing grin. He saunters forward, his eyes on fire and his fangs exposed. He lets out a growl, and his face morphs into harsh, protruding bones and bluish veins.

  I hold out my hands and concentrate, trying desperately to find magic that will help me get the better of him. I want to hurt him. I want it more than anything, but when he rushes me again, he picks me up over his head. Electricity sparks from my fingers, but it doesn’t come quickly enough. He tosses me into the air and springs to the side as I smash into the thin wood flooring which most definitely covers a slab of cement.

  I scream as searing heat and sharp pain radiates from my leg. I roll to the side again, gripping it. “It’s broken.” I can’t catch my breath. My pulse pounds fiercely in my ears. There are cuts and scrapes along my arms, but I don’t feel anything but the break in my leg.

  Sebastian curses.

  “I thought you had more fight in you,” Alexander taunts.

  Sebastian whirs forward to crouch at my side. He sinks his fangs into his wrist and holds it up to me. “Drink it. You’ll heal quicker.”

  I don’t hesitate. The pain is excruciating, and I’m desperate to be rid of it. I take a long pull and feel his cool blood snake down my neck and into my belly. Drinking blood should repulse me, but the longer I drink, the sweeter it becomes. I grip his arm and take longer, deeper gulps, hungrier than a starved dog. I want more. All of it. He pushes me away, and I fight him for more, but he holds me firm with his other arm.

  His blood drips down my chin, and I lick the traces of him from around my tingling lips.

  “That’s enough,” he says quietly.

  I take a deep breath as my femur burns hotter. The pain recedes as the bone knits itself back together. Bruising magically fades, and my senses come alive. I hear his breathing and smell a hint of lavender on him that I haven’t noticed before.

  “Okay. That’s enough.” I assume we’re done for the day. Or maybe they’re going to rethink their strategy, but that doesn’t happen.

  “Let’s go, witch. I have other things to do today.”

  * * *

  That first day of fighting, I’m confident I broke twelve bones, the worst of which was part of my spine. How frantic I was when I could no longer feel my legs and arms. All of those breaks healed with no after effects. Now two weeks later, after fighting every single day, I’ve grown used to the pain. After the first drink of blood, the broken bones don’t hurt so much.

  Today is day twenty-four, and I have yet to find any magic other than a few sparks, and it’s seriously pissing off all three of us. I’m not sure who’s angrier. Probably Alexander. He’s hitting even harder these days. One of these days, he’s going to hit me so hard I won’t recover.

  “Enough!” Alexander says today after I’m in a pile on the floor, recovering from having my hand mangled so badly from his crushing fist that it hangs like jelly from my wrist.

  Sebastian approaches me to feed me blood for the first time today.

  Alexander stops him with a hand across his chest. “No, this isn’t working. Maybe it’s the blood. Maybe it won’t work with our blood.”

  “I can’t leave her like that.”

  I stand fifteen feet away, cradling my hand to my chest, desperately waiting for blood to make this pain stop.

  “You will stay where you are,” he says to Sebastian.

  “Don’t do this,” Sebastian says.

  “Stay.”

  Sebastian tries to move, but he can’t. I watch, confused. Then it hits me. The reason he’s never asked me to kill his master has been right in front of me all along, evident in the way Alexander took charge of this house and often of him. His master is his brother.

  The realization hits me harder than my mangled hand. He kept his promise because he chose to, but Alexander can do whatever he wants where his brother is concerned, and Sebastian can’t do a thing about it. He’ll kill me dead right here, and Sebastian can’t save me. I’m alone.

  Alexander stalks forward, his nails elongated to claws longer than my fingers. I’ve never seen them do this before. I gulp at the murderous look on his face and his fangs gleaming in the sunlight, expecting this to be the end.

  And then something shifts in me. He won’t beat
me, I decide. I won’t let him. And I won’t let him hurt his brother. I frown at him and scream, “Stop!” and he does. He jerks, his left leg flexing but not moving. Then he manages to pick up his leg, but his face contorts as he uses all of his strength to do it. Then he picks up the other, slower, and stomps down, the floor shaking from the force.

  My light builds, especially around my hand. I hold it out and watch the bones move under my skin as it mends. Alexander doesn’t stop trying to come closer. He’s only four feet away. I can reach him. With both hands in working order, I lay them on his shoulders, and I don’t even have to grip him as I use my power like a magnet to steel to pick him up off the ground and toss him through the skylight.

  Shards of glass spray the area around me, and I hold my hands up to protect myself. None of them reach me. Like I’m covered by an umbrella, they fall all around me. My hands and arms are intact. Not a speck of blood.

  Sebastian smiles, and I return it. I have the urge to run to him and wrap my arms around his neck, excited that I found the magic inside me. But I don’t do that. I quietly whisper, “I did it.”

  He flashes me a wink. “Now come here, and let me give you some blood.”

  I hold up my hand and wiggle my fingers then turn it over to see my palm and the back.

  His smile fades. In its place sits a frown, as if he’s upset that I don’t need him to help me. Is it because he enjoys me drinking his blood, enjoys me needing him? Or is it the connection it builds between us? I don’t know, and I feel like that’s a conversation for another day.

  Now that the fight is over, he’s able to move again. He wordlessly asks for my hand, and I give it to him without hesitation.

  “Amazing.” He traces his finger along my palm with a stroke lighter than the dusting of a feather. His touch tickles me, and the tingle travels down my arm and spreads to settle somewhere deep in my core. My hunger for him returns. Each day I spend with him, I come dangerously closer to giving in. I don’t know how much more willpower I have left. This body craves him, and I’m starting to think I do, too.

  I pull away, the door flies open, and Alexander stalks in. His expression isn’t wild like I thought it’d be.

  “She could have killed you,” Sebastian says, though he doesn’t sound upset.

  He shrugs. “And I could have killed her. All she needed was to believe the threat.”

  I scoff at him. “Don’t pretend you wouldn’t have finished me off if I didn’t come through. You were as frustrated with these sessions as I was.”

  “I made a promise,” he says. “Where I come from, that means something.”

  I stand up tall and look him straight in the eyes. “It means something to me, too.”

  “Good. Then kill Markus.”

  “Tell me when and where.”

  “Easy children,” Sebastian says. “We need to plan this and leave no room for error because we all know what’s at stake. We take him out, or we all go down in flames.”

  “I already have a plan.” Alexander takes two steps back. He motions with a hand for us to follow him as he heads for the hallway. I step forward to follow, but Sebastian lays a hand on my arm. His grip is firm, but it softens until he lets go, and he brushes the back of his hand down the length of my arm.

  “It won’t happen unless you’re sure you’re ready. You can say no… For now.”

  “I thought my life was on the line, and my magic didn’t let me down. I have to believe it’ll be there if Markus tries to kill me too.”

  He nods, but his aura quickly dulls, and I feel his concern. It warms my heart to know he cares, though he’s never said as much. I pull him into a hug, startling him, and I pucker my lips to kiss him tenderly on his cheek. We still as nervous energy fills the air. He seems as uncertain of our embrace as I am, but I don’t want to let go. Slowly, his arms wrap around me, and I hold him tighter, letting my head fall to his shoulder. I release a sigh and let myself enjoy the moment, unsure if it will happen again. Though I can’t be certain, I feel slight pressure on the top of my head, like the soft brush of his lips against my hair. It happens so quickly I wonder if I’m imagining it. When I look up at him for confirmation, his smile is slight, and his head is bent.

  “We should go,” he says softly.

  I nod in agreement, but I’m comfortable here in his arms, and in this moment, I’m not sure if I’d rather be anywhere else.

  16

  I find myself in another room I haven’t visited before: a den or office. There are a couple of bookcases against the back wall and a big wooden desk in front of it. Behind the desk, Alexander sits like a king on a throne. He nods to the seats in front of him, and Sebastian and I sit. Alexander tosses a file onto the desk and slides it over to the edge, near where I sit.

  I pick it up. “What’s this?” I open it.

  “This is Markus King. The elder. My master and also Sebastian’s...indirectly.”

  Sebastian shifts in his seat. We haven’t yet talked about his brother being his master, and I’m not sure how eager I am to discuss it. Why didn’t he tell me before?

  I run my fingers over the photo of Markus. He isn’t what I had imagined. In my mind, I pictured someone like Dracula on screen: tall, pale, and villainous. Instead, he’s a guy in his mid-thirties with dark hair, pale skin, bright blue eyes, and a flawless face with high cheekbones and hooded eyebrows that hang low enough to shield the tops of his eyes.

  I move the photograph aside and see a stapled stack of pages. I feel like an assassin given a target’s file, like Adrian Clark in The Slayer’s Art. There’s one badass lady with a purpose. I suppose I’m not so dissimilar from her right now. The thought both frightens and excites me. Who’d have thought? Certainly not me.

  The excitement dies quickly.

  I’m going to kill this man. It makes my stomach ache to finally put a human face to the vampire.

  “Does he hurt people?”

  Alexander laughs. “He has no regard for human life. Don’t develop a conscience on me. Isn’t this what hunters live for? The kill?”

  I know this is true. I’ve felt it on occasion like a repressed emotion lingering inside of me, somewhere near the surface, waiting to break free when my guard is down. That desire hit me when I fought Alexander in the hall. It surprised me, but given the situation, I was grateful because it made me fight harder. I also felt this urge when I killed the young vampire, even though I still feel conflicted about taking his life. I don’t think he was all bad, and I don’t believe he was a killer. Now, he’s dead because I wanted to...what? Test myself? Force my magic out of hiding? I’m ashamed when I think about him. I need Alexander to confirm Markus is awful in order to feel better about plotting to take his life.

  I slump in my seat and read through his details.

  Human age: 31

  Vampire age: Unknown

  Born: Unknown

  Birth Place: Unknown

  Children: At last count, twenty-six.

  “That seems low. Twenty-six?” I look up for confirmation.

  Sebastian shakes his head. “Not at all. Some elders have only turned a handful. They don’t like humans. They have to really take a shine to one to give them the gift of immortality.”

  They don’t like humans. How could that be? “But they were angels.”

  They both look at me as if to say, ‘what’s your point?’

  I keep reading.

  Occupation: Art Dealer

  Residence (known): 412 Chester Street, Stratford, Ontario

  “Why do you have ‘known’ by his residence in brackets?” It’s as if he has many. Why put it in at all?

  “Vampires don’t disclose their…resting place, only their home for appearances’ sake,” Sebastian explains.

  “Do you both live here?” I glance back and forth between them.

  “No. When we rest, it’s in a location no one else knows about—not even family.” Sebastian glances at his brother. “We’re vulnerable when we finally sleep, so we can
’t risk getting staked.”

  “I assumed you didn’t sleep.” Because you watch me.

  “Not much. When we do, it’s deep and restful,” Sebastian says.

  I file that away for later. Telling each other where they rest seems like the ultimate confirmation of trust, and they haven’t told one another. That speaks volumes. I keep reading the file. It covers what Markus does on a daily basis, where he eats, where he buys his clothing and groceries and alcohol. It also lists a number of human women he keeps regular company with, then his staff, all seven of them, all women, likely all young and beautiful. And a list of over a dozen security guards.

  They sit quietly while I absorb it all, going over each detail more than once. There is so much information in here, and I’m not sure what to do with it.

  “What now?” I ask.

  Sebastian and I look at Alexander.

  “There’s an art exhibit in Ottawa in three days. All signs indicate he’ll be there to purchase a piece of art from an up-and-coming artist.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “He’s my master. He keeps in touch.”

  “Oh.”

  “You’ll go to the exhibit, and you’ll flirt with him. Not too hard. He doesn’t like easy women. He likes them demure, innocent. You need to convince him to spend more time with you. Perhaps, tell him you took a cab and wait for him to offer you a ride home. You’ll accept, and then he’ll suggest he take the long way because he wants to spend more time with you.” Alexander rolls his eyes. “He’ll end up either convincing you to go home with him or taking you if you want to go or not. His routine is always the same. The only time it differs is when women are brought to him and, of course, the prostitutes he regularly employs to donate fresh blood. That’s the plan. But I suggest you find a way to get him to bite you before he takes you back to his home. There could be other vampires there, and it’ll make it harder to get you out.”

  I gulp. He seems so sure of his plan, but he gets to sit here safely while I risk my life. One vampire would be hard enough, but now he tells me there could be others. My chances of surviving are getting less and less. “You want to do this three days from now?”