I cursed and dug a hand through my tangled hair.
Think, Avah. Where would he go?
I glanced at wall-to-ceiling windows that enclosed the dining hall. The sky was still light, the sun having just set. I inhaled sharply and moved past the Hunters. I swung open the front doors.
A lone vampire sat on the railing, his long legs dangling over the side.
“You missed it, pudding pop,” Sebastian said without looking back. Our manor sat along the Pacific coast of Washington State, the perfect spot to watch a sunset.
“Sebastian! I’ve been losing my mind looking for you!” I screamed. I was sure I looked like an escaped mental patient, with my natty hair, pacing, and frantic tones, but I didn’t care.
He shifted to face me. “Why?”
“Because… Because!”
He arched an eyebrow. “You okay?”
“No! I thought… I thought you needed me.”
A sly smile formed. “Why’s that?”
I rolled my eyes. “I—I… don’t know. It’s not you.”
“Color me confused, pet. What are you talkin’ ‘bout?”
“Something woke her. She believes something is wrong,” Jasik replied.
“Yeah, but we’re all fine. Thankfully,” Lillie added. “We were really worried when we couldn’t find you.” She smiled softly, her cheeks turning rosy.
“We were?” Jeremiah asked, and Lillie rolled her eyes in response.
“Well, I’m fine. ‘Bout time the hospitality ‘round here changed.” He winked.
“No. Stop,” I said, frustrated. “Stop joking. Something is wrong.”
“How do you know?” Sebastian asked.
“I feel it.”
“I see.”
“Said the blind man to the deaf man,” Jeremiah said with a chuckle.
“Seriously? No jokes!” I needed them to understand the seriousness of the situation. I knew something was wrong—even if everyone seemed fine.
“Well, it could be your seer or reader instincts. Maybe you saw or heard something?”
“While sleeping?”
“Sure, though you’re not necessarily advanced enough for that yet.”
“Okay. Then what is it? That feeling… it’s still there. I know something is wrong. It’s like something is calling to me…”
Sebastian’s face paled.
“What? What is it?”
“Well, you’re a spirit user. You’re connected to the astral plane, to the Beyond.”
I shook my head. “Who could be contacting me from there? I don’t even know any mortals…”
My heart sank; my breath caught.
“Oh my goddess,” I whispered. “My mom.”
MY FEET POUNDED against the cold, hard-packed ground. Icy grass crunched beneath my feet as I headed south, toward Shasta, California, where my former witch coven resided. I ran through the mountains of northern California until I reached familiar grounds. Slowing my pace, I glanced around. The Hunters and Sebastian followed closely behind me. We hadn’t changed or strapped ourselves with weapons. We hadn’t even told Amicia where we were going. We just left.
I came to an abrupt stop as the wind picked up, blowing a sweet aroma directly toward us. Instinctively, my fangs lowered at the thickness in the air.
Blood.
I dashed through the trees, noticing the protective barrier around my former coven’s sleeping quarters hadn’t stopped me. The spelled barrier held a powerful magic that kept vampires from entering. It could be lifted to allow a vampire entrance, but this time, it simply wasn’t there.
When I reached the front yard, I found them. I staggered through the debris, my eyes flickering over each bloodied body. Torn limbs and drained carcasses mixed with broken glass and shingles. Whatever attacked here had destroyed everything in its path.
Tears formed as I dropped to my knees beside a young girl. She couldn’t be older than two or three.
“Oh, goddess... Who could do this?” I whispered.
I searched my memory for her name, but I came up blank. I brushed her hair from her eyes, tucking it neatly behind her ear. Her arms were bent awkwardly and rested against the ground, so I shifted her. Snapping her bones back into place, I folded her hands together and rested them across her stomach. Tears fell in steady streams, staining her white shirt a light gray.
I shook my head. “I don’t remember your name… I’m so sorry. Please forgive me,” I begged.
“Avah…” I snapped my head up at the sound of Jasik’s voice.
The Hunters and Sebastian stood over me, watching cautiously. Pain flared in their eyes.
“We should keep looking. There could be survivors.”
I nodded, sniffling. I placed a shaky kiss to the girl’s forehead and whispered, “I’ll come back for you.”
I stood, wiping away my tears. My eyes lingered on my former coven members as I swallowed down a slop of bile. I stalked into the house, finding broken pictures and smashed windows. The furniture was tossed around, the kitchen ransacked. What had happened here?
“Hello? It’s Avah. Mom? Anyone?” I called as I walked into the backyard.
I screamed as I took in the scene before me. The magical witches of my coven lay in a circle, their lifeless bodies staring blankly. My aunt and twin cousins lay beside each other, Everly’s hand reaching for Nina’s, but she was just out of reach. The grass surrounding them was charred, as if they had sought safety behind Everly’s fire.
“I did this,” I whispered.
“Avah, this isn’t your doing,” Jasik said.
“I did this…” I said again as I swallowed the knot in my throat. “They needed me. This is my fault.”
Tears blurred my vision as I tried to blink away the pain. I sank to the ground in a thump, and Jasik sat beside me. He pulled me toward him, holding me as I sobbed and screamed when the pain became too unbearable. He whispered in my ear, holding me closely. He promised that it would be okay, that I would make it through this. He kissed me softly and rubbed his hand up and down the length of my back.
But it didn’t lessen the pain. It didn’t change reality.
I pulled away, pushing myself off the ground. I stumbled toward the circle, knowing she would be there. I needed to find her. On my hands and knees, I made my way past the blood-stained grass until I found what I’d been searching for. I crawled to her side, my chest heaving as I tried to slow my breathing.
Wiping the tears away, I sat on my heels beside my mother’s lifeless body, the shell of her mortal existence battered and bruised. I hardly recognized her. I grasped the handle of her athame dagger, which was nestled in her chest, and drew it out. I cringed as the wet squish of her flesh echoed around me, the sound bringing a rush of bile with it. Unable to swallow it down, I emptied my stomach beside her and heaved until there was nothing left to expel. I glanced back, finding Jasik’s dark gaze. He held my hair until I sat back. Ripping part of his shirt, he dabbed the cotton at my mouth. Tears blurred my vision, and I sank against him.
One by one, the Hunters and Sebastian surrounded me, each taking a place by my side, encircling me. Jasik pulled me onto his lap, cradling me in his arms, and the vampires shifted closer. Surrounding me in a protective circle of powerful immortals, the Hunters and Sebastian leaned against me, squeezing me in a hug so tight I had to remind myself it was okay if I didn’t breathe. Vampires didn’t have human weaknesses, and when I saw my mother’s lifeless body, I wished witches didn’t, either.
We sat there, motionless, until I couldn’t smell them anymore, until I couldn’t hear their nonexistent pleas, until I couldn’t blame myself again. I blinked away the pain and silently wished I could just turn off my emotions. If only it could be as simple as a switch…
Slowly, I shifted, and the vampires pulled away, understanding my silent admission. I wiped away the tears one final time and pushed myself off Jasik’s lap. I faced the vampires, and one by one, they approached me again. The wall I was trying to build to pro
tect myself was weakening.
“I’m so sorry, my love,” Jasik said as he placed a kiss on my lips. “I’m here. Always.” He pulled me into a tight embrace. “In every way you need me to be.” He pulled away, and Sebastian stepped forward.
His fingers found my chin and brought my gaze to meet his. After placing a shaky kiss to my forehead, he joined Jasik. Sebastian had a difficult relationship with witches. He had never forgiven his former witch coven for their betrayal, so he directed that hatred toward all witches. I knew the death of my family meant little to him, but even so, he cared for me almost as much as Jasik did. In a time of death and despair, in a time when I could’ve used Sebastian’s typical banter, he remained silent, breaking my heart just a little more.
Malik stepped forward and brought his closed fist against his chest, resting it over his heart. “Family.”
Tears swarmed and spilled over as I nodded. “Family,” I whispered. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek before he stepped aside.
Lillie pulled me into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Avah,” she whispered into my ear. The last time she spoke to members of my former coven, she was defending my honor, which caught me off guard since she and I had a rocky start. Her unreturned feelings for Jasik made joining Amicia’s coven almost unbearable. A single tear slid down her cheek as she stepped aside and stood next to Sebastian.
Jeremiah grasped my arm and yanked me toward him. His bear hug was suffocating, but I welcomed it. He didn’t speak. Instead, he just held me, rocking from side to side and placing kisses at the crown of my head. It had been a long time since the Hunters had experienced the loss of blood relatives. Jasik and Malik were nearly seven hundred. Lillie was over a hundred, but Jeremiah was barely ninety. If anyone understood my pain, it would be him.
“It gets easier,” he said.
I shook my head, welcoming more tears. I knew he was right. Time would ease the pain, and luckily, I had an abundance of time. But the hurt, the raw pain scratching at my soul, wasn’t because they died. It was because they died too soon. It wasn’t their time. Their lives were stolen from them. This wasn’t the same thing he had experienced. The typical vampire watched their loved ones grow old and die, knowing they had a full, good life. But I’d never experience that. What I experienced was nothing like Jeremiah’s experience.
But I couldn’t tell him that.
So I said nothing, and after what seemed like an eternity, he released me, and my gaze flickered to the other vampires.
They didn’t know my coven—not personally, not in the way I had known them. They were but strangers in the night. But my pain of losing them reflected in their eyes.
I swallowed the knot in my throat and made my way toward my mother, crumbling to the ground beside her. I pulled her close to me, resting her head on my lap. My tears streamed down my face and splattered on her blood-stained forehead. I rocked from side to side, wiping away the dirt from her skin, tucking her hair behind her ears.
The last time I spoke to my mom, we fought. I hated her for what she’d done. Growing up, I was led to believe it was an honor to be a chosen one. I was told that being chosen was a gift from the gods. In reality, the gods were never involved. Instead, witches chose a spirit user—one who could tap into all five elements—and infected the witch, giving him or her more power than a mortal shell could control. This led to the eventual death of every chosen one, which just started the chosen one cycle over again. My coven members—my family—chose me, knowing The Power would kill me.
But now, I would willingly give my life to restore hers. I would give anything to have just five more minutes with her.
“I need you to know,” I said, hiccupping through my tears. “I—I need you to know that I forgive you.” I leaned down and placed a kiss atop her forehead.
“Love, we should bury the bodies,” Jasik said.
I nodded but didn’t move. “We—we need to do the burial ritual.”
“Yes, we should assume they’ll go through the transition. Just in case.” Sebastian added.
My heart sank. I hadn’t thought about them turning. As much as I wanted them to come back to me, I knew of their wishes. Even though their hatred was based on lies, they’d never want an immortal life. They’d despise me if I allowed them to turn.
“My—my mother, she’s gone. Her spirit came to me.” Tears blurred my vision, and I tried to blink them away.
“And what of the others?” Jasik asked quietly.
I shook my head. They hadn’t come to me, but the transition was quick when your mortal coil was already on the brink of death. Surely, they would have risen by now.
“We should be safe, Avah. Their souls are at risk,” Sebastian said.
I swallowed the knot in my throat and felt it travel down into my stomach. It stayed there, a sinking pit of despair.
“We have to burn them,” I said, closing my eyes, letting the words echo in the darkness.
“We should,” Sebastian said.
“We’ll burn the bodies and bury the ashes after the ritual,” I said, opening my eyes. Though I hadn’t stopped crying since I arrived, my eyes felt dry, scratchy. I blinked several times in a sad attempt at lubrication.
I didn’t watch, but I knew the Hunters were working tirelessly behind me. I knew what they were doing. I knew of the exact steps. Because this hadn’t been my first vampire attack. They were gathering the bodies, ensuring there was no life. They were piling them together, stacking my former coven like they were nothing but a deck of cards. They’d raise their shield or control the element air to ensure the fire, once lit, didn’t spread. Then, with nothing more than the snap of fingertips, the spark would flare, and their bodies would burn. To control the smell, my mother would’ve spelled the ceremony. But now, there was no one left.
I could’ve helped, but instead, I sat idly, rocking back and forth, caressing my mother’s cool, paled skin. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t leave her… again.
“Avah, love,” Jasik said, and he kneeled beside me. “It’s time. I’ll need to take your mother.”
I shook my head, strengthening my hold on her. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
“I know this is difficult, but it’s time.” He placed a soft kiss to my cheek and rubbed his hand up and down the length of my back.
“I can’t,” I whispered, meeting his gaze.
He swallowed hard, his jaw clenching. The pain reflected in his eyes made my own swim with tears.
“I should have been here,” I said.
“No, you shouldn’t have,” Malik said.
Jasik stiffened beside me, giving his brother a cautioning glance.
“You’re not one of them anymore, Avah. You’re one of us. You belong with us. Don’t make yourself believe these lies, because they will be your end. You weren’t supposed to be here. This wasn’t part of your destiny. This was not your fault,” Malik said.
I swallowed hard and nodded. If anyone understood destiny, it would be Malik, our seer. But still, it was hard to release the pain, the guilt. Only a few days had passed since I thought I lost both Jasik and Sebastian, and now, I’d lost my entire family. My world was crashing, and I didn’t know how to stop it.
The slick blade glistened in the moonlight, drawing my eyes to it. I had dropped the athame after pulling it from my mom’s chest.
I may not have been destined to be here, to stop this, but nothing would prevent me from discovering the truth.
I gently placed my mom’s head on the ground as I grasped the handle and rested the blade against the smooth skin of my palm. Kneeling beside her, I curled my fingers in a tight grip. I closed my eyes and bowed my head.
“With all that I am, I will avenge your death, Mother.” I thrust the dagger downward, leaving a steady crimson stream in its wake. I squeezed my fist tighter, relishing in the tingling sensation of her blood mixing with mine, and listened as droplets splattered to the ground. “Blood to blood, I swear it.”
Openi
ng my palm, I stared at the crimson line and said, “Et non vindictam donec cicatrix manet.” My skin sizzled, and I winced as the spell’s magic burned into my flesh. My blood-stained hand was clean, with nothing but a faint, white line revealing my promise. My spell had worked.
The scar on my hand would remain until I avenged my mother’s death.
WE MADE IT back to the manor just as the sun began to rise. We had spent the evening burying my coven and honoring them with a ceremony. No one had survived. The vampires who had attacked my former coven were ruthless, killing those without the defense of magic, targeting anyone who had the misfortune of being there. Sebastian led the ceremony, honoring my fallen coven as if they were his own. Only a couple weeks ago, he had cursed witches, but I was thankful that he set aside his hatred for me, for them. I wasn’t there to protect them, and this was all I could offer them now. Their souls would safely reach Summerland.
Before I left, the Hunters scavenged for witch supplies while I gathered mementos. Now, we wore over-stuffed bags on our backs. While they gathered crystals, herbs, and potions, I packed pictures, documents, anything I could find that I’d one day need. We left the house in its disarray. One day soon, we’d return, and I’d sell the land. Because there was no going back. The thought made my heart sting, but I pushed it aside. I couldn’t focus on the pain. Not now. Not when I needed to focus on who, when, and why. Now, I needed to put on a brave face and hide the emotions that erupted within me.
The double doors to our Gothic Victorian manor slammed shut behind us. Only a few vampires lingered in the foyer.
“Where have you been?” Amicia said. Her thin frame stood at the top of the grand staircase.
“Milady, we had to take care of an issue. There was a Rogue attack. We didn’t have enough time to warn you,” Jasik said.
Unable to deal with Amicia right now, I rubbed my hands over my arms and walked toward the dining hall. With the sun rising, my vampire housemates would sleep. But I couldn’t sleep. Not now. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted, but physically, I was wired.
Blood Promise Page 2
