Blood Wars: Book 4 (The Talisman Series)

by Brenda Pandos

  “On what?” Phil asked without hesitation.

  “You come willingly.”

  Phil stepped forward. “Fine. I’ll go.”

  My gaze swung to his. “No, Phil.”

  “Both of you,” Alora clarified.

  I knew that gleam in her eye. She had no intentions of doing anything of the sort.

  “But don’t you need—” Katie started.

  “Enough. Leave us.” She swiped her hand in the air and the group scattered. Katie glared, but walked off toward the mansion between her handlers without a fuss.

  “I will need a favor in return,” Alora said after we were alone. “Do I have your word?”

  Phil stepped forward. “Yes.”

  When I didn’t say anything, Phil glared at me.

  “What favor?” I asked

  Alora smiled. “It’s one you’ll appreciate, believe me. You both must come though. Are you in?”

  My eyes drifted between the two of them, and I couldn’t bare Phil’s tortured stare. This was, after all, my fault.

  “Fine,” I agreed reluctantly.

  “Let’s go then.”

  She ascended into the air and drifted toward the mansion, but I didn’t believe she’d spare us. She wanted Phil for a reason, and once we were in captivity, we might never leave again. I didn’t care what she promised; I wouldn’t bargain with the she-devil. We’d have to find another way to bring back Sam, one that didn’t have so many strings attached.

  I swooped over, scooping up Phil and stuffed my hand over his mouth before I sped off into the opposite direction.

  After I was certain no one had followed, I landed.

  “What the hell, Parker?” Phil pushed me away.

  “She’s lying. I know her.”

  “I know her, too. She sired me once, remember? She doesn’t go back on her word.”

  I laughed. “Word? What’s that to that snake?”

  “It’s a promise we’ll get Sam out of hell, that’s what.”

  I clenched my fists and paced. “Not if we figure out the ritual ourselves. Who else could know?”

  Phil took off, limping toward the mansion. “We have to go back now!”

  I flew over and stood in his way. “No!”

  He stopped. “Then what about Scar? Do you know where she is?”

  “Yeah.” My mouth fell open, then shut. What could Alora want with her?

  Phil sucked in a huge breath. “Good. Alora was ruthless in her hunt to find her. Maybe she thought Sam knew. Whatever it is, we need to get to her first.”

  “Alora and Scarlett didn’t exactly get along,” I mumbled under my breath. “I don’t get either of them.”

  Hope filtered into his eyes. “Maybe it’s because Scar knows the ritual.”

  “Scarlett knows a lot of things.” I shook my head. “Even still, she’ll never tell you. Her mission is to exterminate us. Remember?”

  “Well, if you won’t help me, then maybe she will.” Phil stepped around me, his words stabbing me in the chest. “I have to do something.”

  I grabbed his arm. “I’m coming with you.”

  “Not unless you change me.”

  I looked away from him, conflicted, and dropped his arm. “I can’t do that.”

  He moved to my face. “I’m no good to you as a human. You know that.”

  My gut clenched. “I can’t, Phil. I’m sorry.”

  “You can’t or you won’t?”

  I hated the vitriol in his voice. “I can’t take the chance. If I die… I can’t send you to hell again. I won’t.”

  “Forget it then.” He let out a huff and limped off.

  “I can take you home.”

  “I said forget it!” he called over his shoulder.

  Knowing Alora might be nearby, I swooped over and picked him up anyway. He fought me the entire way to his house.

  “Stay inside!” I said, pointing to the door.

  “What are you, my mother?” He glared at me with a betrayed stare and my stomach clenched. I had to stand my ground. I couldn’t deal with any more tragedies. When I said nothing, he lifted his hands and dropped them to his sides. “I’m a big boy, Julia. I can handle myself.”

  “I know,” I mumbled.

  He shook his head, then walked inside and slammed the door.

  “You’re welcome,” I mumbled as I turned to leave, feeling awkward for standing there in my underwear.

  Alone again, I touched my bra. Sam’s teeth were hiding in there, poking into my flesh. Then the powerlessness rolled through me. What good was winning the war if when it was over, I’d lost everyone I loved in the process?

  CHAPTER THREE

  I ran through the forest, wishing I could kill myself off and just start over. Whoever thought it a good idea to reincarnate me, clearly needed a head check.

  With one decision, I’d destroyed everyone I held dear: Phil, my best friend, my parents, not to mention my boyfriend. The fact he hadn’t hunted me down was evidence enough he’d heard all my dirty thoughts.

  And even though I despised Rachel and Cain for tricking me, their predicament wasn’t what they’d bargained for. They knew something Alora would kill for. Not to mention her continual protection of her sidekick Katie. And why was Scarlett so important? And if that wasn’t enough, somewhere a seer had been created to stop me, and I had no idea who it could be. No one was in my corner.

  Running as fast as I could, I fought the fleeting thought to impale myself on a tree limb. Would that work? Would the world start over like it had with Cain? At least the vampires would be gone.

  I stopped and snapped off a branch, pointing it at my chest. My hand shook. I’d do the brave thing—the selfless thing. The wood punctured my skin, sending fire everywhere. A shriek escaped from my lips. I clamped down on them, drawing blood. Maybe my sacrifice would spare me from hell.

  Hell.

  I’d send us all to hell.

  My hand fell to my side, the stick falling to the ground.

  Alora and Katie deserved hell, but not Sam. If I died, she’d never be rescued from where she suffered. No. There had to be another way. Maybe Phil was right and Scarlett would tell us. She’d warned the power rules were about to change, that a fledgling could be unattached from their sire. One thing was for sure, Dr. V.’s sterile venom had changed everything. Were all the vampires that were locked in the cages sterile?

  The way it stood now, once one vamp had been sired, the entire line shared the power. That also meant, when one died, the power returned. He’d explained it was a safeguard against vampires from siring a whole bunch of kin. I’d felt the shift many times since becoming a vamp, but not so much to account for all the new vamps in the cages. Sterilization changed that. They were now considered to be one vampire. Alora had broken the rule.

  Who was the mastermind if Dr. V. was dead and what were they working on now? I’d allowed them to recreate a monster. This would have been so much easier to solve if Alora didn’t have a talisman.

  I closed my eyes, remembering how it made me feel—the protection, the warmth against my skin. I wanted one now. I needed one now. On my own, I didn’t know how long I’d survive.

  Alora acquired one from a mistake—from my blood mixing with all the ex-vampire blood. Now that they had Phil’s blood, they could make more—lots more. Is that what Scarlett meant? That they’d overcome by having talismans? It was powerful, sure, but not so much that it kept everyone alive. Alora, who’d acquired the talisman in the past too, burst into ash after Cain died. No one survived after the source was exterminated.

  Morphing back into a cat, I cleared the forest bordering a downtown neighborhood, and slowed to a walk. My stomach bunched in hunger, but I was too anxious and scared to feed. My past feedings hadn’t turned out well for the victim.

  A bum groaned from the alley while rustling through the trash. I scrunched up my kitty nose. The residual alcohol wafting from his skin mixed with tobacco sickened my stomach. I needed someone clean, at least. Some
one young…

  A college student zipped by on a bike. Fear followed him like a kite. I stalked him before I could stop myself. When he turned the corner, I was there, morphed into a girl. I swiped him off the bike before he knew what had happened. In a clatter, it crashed into a bus stop bench.

  “Sleep,” I said while waving my hand.

  His eyes fluttered shut and he collapsed into me. I bit my lip, eyeing his jugular vein. I wanted to sink my teeth in so badly. I took his wrist, and sliced it with my nail instead. Delicately, I drank from his arm.

  He moaned and sat up.

  You fell and hurt your head, I mentally told him while shifting into a cat.

  He rubbed the back of his skull and looked around. Blood dripped off his arm and splashed on the ground. He cussed under his breath, but picked himself up and got back on his bike. Within moments he was gone.

  I celebrated on the inside. I’d had my first successful feeding without any carnage. Finally, I was getting the hang of this. I could survive ethically.

  Looking up into the starry sky, I knew morning was coming soon. If I wanted answers, I needed to get to the fortune teller’s house, and quickly.

  Padding up the walkway, I eyed the house. Two hearts fluttered inside, one slower than the other.

  I need to talk to you, I called out mentally.

  The faster heart picked up speed. She’d heard me. The curtains from the second story moved aside and Scarlett’s silhouette appeared behind the glass.

  “I have nothing to say to you,” she said just loud enough for my vamp ears to hear her.

  Really? This again? I shook my head.

  “You know what you need to do.”

  No, I don’t.

  “You must end this,” she said, in her normal frustrated tone. “Simple as that.”

  Yeah right, so simple. You expect me to just kill myself?

  “Yes, you are the enemy and yes, it’s my calling to see you dead.”

  I laughed. Let me guess. You’re going to find the seer.

  She remained motionless. “You could make my job easier.”

  Well, you and I both know that’s not going to happen.

  I wanted to add that Sam, who was innocent, had lost her life needlessly. Someone she cared about once. Instead, I thought of Alora and of how she’d torture Phil to find Scarlett’s location.

  Listening in on my thoughts, her eyes narrowed, then widened.

  She’s looking for you, and it won’t be long before she finds you, and you know it. You and your grandmother aren’t safe.

  Her chin lowered. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

  I laughed. Yeah, right. I can’t even fight her and I’m a vampire.

  “You’re inexperienced, and hopefully that will get you killed.” She cracked a smile. “Now go.”

  I huffed. Very funny.

  Her eyes lifted to the horizon. “Better yet, stay.”

  She has a talisman.

  Scarlett’s lips pulled into a thin line.

  I smirked. Now that’s going to be a problem for you and your seer, isn’t it?

  “Not really,” she said smugly. “You’re the one I’ll be after, actually.”

  Not if there’s a change in the rules.

  She frowned. “Then do us all a favor and end it now.”

  Like I said, I refuse to punish my friends in the process. There has to be another way.

  “There is no other way and you know it.”

  The heat of the rising sun prickled my skin. Then tell me how she’s going to change the rules?

  She gritted her teeth, and the curtains fell down over the window.

  Scarlett! I yelled internally. Tell me!

  Silence followed, and I’d run out of time.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Hiding under a nearby house, I waited in cat form with the black widows and mice that scurried away, as if they instinctually knew I was a predator. Would this be my life now? Lurking alone in the shadows?

  Within the hour, young Scarlett packed up her stuff and left wearing a girly dress and a pink backpack. Her grandmother walked her down the path, guarding her. Fear filled the air as they both scanned the surroundings.

  “Are you sure?” her grandmother asked.

  “I’ll be fine, Grandma.” She gave her a kiss on the cheek just as the bus arrived. “Don’t worry.”

  Dread filled me. Scarlett knew she wasn’t safe, especially not when Alora had a talisman.

  The bus pulled up and Scarlett got inside. Her grandmother waved and watched the bus drive off. The fear lingered, and I couldn’t stop the helpless feeling that this would be the last time I’d see Scarlett alive.

  I curled up in the dirt and wracked my brain. Besides the old Harry, I didn’t know who else to talk to, or how I’d fight back. I needed answers. I needed training. My only option was to return to the house and interrogate Cain. The thought of walking past the sterile vamps made my skin crawl. Maybe if I let them go free, they would devote their allegiance to me. They had to have told Alora of my escape. Had a trap been set? I couldn’t go back that way. Not after everything.

  Preston’s name popped into my head. When Nicholas mentioned his father earlier, Alora sounded like she despised him. Was he her weak spot? I closed my eyes to think harder. Maybe he’d help. Where would I find him? Texas?

  Then it clicked. Nicholas’ school records would list his old address when he transferred. Eureka!

  ~|~

  Once night hit, I snuck through an opened window on the second story of the school building and ran to the girl’s locker room. Though I’d hung onto my shirt between shape-shifts, I needed pants. And I wanted to wear something that wasn’t covered in dirt and didn’t reek of Sam’s remains. After sliding on a grey shirt and my leggings, I closed my locker door and rested my hand on it. For now, Sam would remain here until I could properly bury her.

  Busting the lock on the secretary’s door and opening the filing cabinet proved easy, only to find Nicholas had written down a post office box for the address in Texas. My breaking and entering days weren’t over yet. After a quick visit to the school library, I had a map. The Flower Mound Post Office and I had a date.

  The chilly air of California warmed as I headed southeast and crossed the border of Arizona, then into New Mexico. Below in the dark, the moonlight lit up the rolling patchwork landscape. Mountains blended into sandy brown deserts and sparse green forests, decorated with sprawling rivers and lakes, covering the ground like footprints. I’d never flown in an airplane to know such beauty before, and I marveled at the sparkling lights of the towns. So many people on such a small piece of the earth.

  Within moments, I spotted the lake bordering the town and landed. Everywhere I looked, huge parcels of grass surrounded the buildings, so completely opposite of the cramped way we built buildings right next to each other in California. Across from the Post Office was a high school. Had Nicholas attended there before his memories returned?

  Breaking and entering into the Post Office was trickier with an alarm system. The hole I’d made in the roof would be much more noticeable than the busted lock at school. After a few minutes of searching, I found the address. Nicholas’ parents lived in Highland Village. Scanning my map, I located their street right off the lake.

  Hovering over the front lawn, I stared down at the beautiful two- story home. Stone columns and a rod iron fence stretched the expanse in front of me as if to make strangers feel unwelcome. I snickered at the irony. As if that would stop me. Cigar smoke filled the air, wafting up from behind the house. Flying low over the roof, I touched down on the back patio.

  The man sitting there jumped up from his chair, dropping his cigar in the process. Red ash smoldered on the deck before he quickly stomped it out. He eyed me up and down.

  “What the–?”

  I studied him. He had the same dark hair, but he was skinny, frail almost, and his features looked nothing like the Preston that I knew. Nicholas had told me since his tru
e father had been a vampire and born a hundred years earlier, as a mortal, he couldn’t have been his real dad. Instead Preston’s great nephew, William Preston Kendrick III filled that spot, so if my assumptions were right, he would have received all of Preston’s old memories. I just didn’t expect him to look so different. Or did I not find the right house?

  Sadness puffed into the air, not fear as I’d expected. “How did you get here?”

  “Mr. Kendrick?”

  His shoulders stiffened before he pointed toward the gate. “Get out.”

  “It’s me, Mr. Kendrick. Julia.”

  “I don’t know you.” He darted for the door. “I’m calling the cops.”

  Instantaneously, I flew to the sliding door and blocked his escape with my hand. “You do know me. You’re lying.”

  He jumped backwards, tripping over an end table and falling into the chair. Everything fell to the deck in a loud clatter.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He held up his hands. The lie soured on my tongue.

  I reached forward, grabbing him by his collar, and pulled him to his feet. “You know who I am and you’re going to tell me what I want to know.”

  He shook his head and closed his eyes. “You’re not real. You’re not real.”

  I yanked his collar and he squealed. “I’m very real. Or should I just bite you instead?”

  “I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

  I pushed him away and crossed my arms. If I was looking for a hero, or even help, William Preston Kendrick III wasn’t going to fit the bill.

  He sank into the chair, eyeing me in terror. “I can’t believe this is happening. How?”

  I tried to smile to relieve his fears and stood there awkwardly, thankful I had pants on. Though I should have wanted to down his blood in an instant, this pathetic human version of Preston ruined my appetite.

  “It doesn’t matter how.” My voice hardened. “And I think you know why, so stop lying to me and tell me what Alora wants.”

  His eyes lost focus as he looked off toward the lake. “I knew she was up to something, but I never thought she’d figure it out.” He sighed in defeat, and my blood boiled.