Bloodcraft

by Amalie Howard

  Victoria swallowed, her mind racing. She’d lost the only advantage she had if she couldn’t defeat him with magic. He had to have a weakness! What was it? If she couldn’t overcome him, she needed someone who could. She needed someone who could banish him to his own dimension. She needed the Vardlokkur.

  She turned and ran.

  †††

  “Is that Tori?”

  The incredulous voice belonged to Angie, but Christian didn’t care. His tortured gaze fell on the slim figure running at top speed across the landscaped lawns. His relief was cut short by the second figure not far behind her. It looked like a person, but he was too far away to be certain. He squinted, but his senses tingled like a livewire. That was no man.

  “Demon,” Freyja said at his side, her thoughts echoing his.

  Lucian cleared his throat and frowned. “It doesn’t look like the demon that attacked us. Is that its true form?”

  “It’s the form of choice in this dimension,” Freyja said.

  “Why doesn’t she use her magic and kill it?” Angie grabbed the crossbow at her side and raised it to look through the sights. “He’s gaining on her.”

  Christian frowned. The same thought had occurred to him. Unless … somehow the demon had found a way to inhibit her magic, or even worse, had taken it. A cold sensation unfurled at the base of his spine at the realization—that was how the demon had broken free of the curse tying him to the cat familiar. Victoria was running because she had nothing left to fight him with. But if it did have her full power, why would it hesitate to kill them all? Unless it needed her.

  His nostrils flared, adrenaline coursing through his body as he turned to give the signal. Supernatural creatures of every persuasion gathered behind him, with Freyja and her army at the fore. Every single Vampire Council member was there, along with Aliya and an enormous contingent of witches. All in all, they totaled nearly a hundred strong. Surely they could take down one rogue demon, or at least distract it enough to give Victoria a chance to escape its clutches.

  Christian’s gaze fell on his brother. He didn’t know what had caused his crisis of conscience or why Lucian was suddenly so solicitous of his wellbeing. His brother’s face was blank and so was that of the female at his side. Lena. He had released her as her maker and now her loyalties were tied to Lucian. She’d proven that earlier. Once he’d been able to count on her, but betrayal had a way of undermining centuries of trust. No, his brother had a secondary agenda—Lucian did nothing that did not serve his own interests in some way. He did not trust either of them where Victoria was concerned.

  He nodded to David and the other elders—their strength would be needed—and gave the sign. Half of the group melted into the surrounding forest. They would have a better chance of success if they attacked from the rear.

  Christian stared at Freyja. “The demon is the target. Get Victoria to safety if you can. Angie, I want you to stay here.”

  “No!” she argued. “She’s my friend and I’m not going to stand here like some useless human.”

  “You could get kill—”

  “You’re not the boss of me, Christian Devereux,” she said and Christian fought back a grin. “Why don’t you worry about what you have to do and let me worry about me? Stop staring at me like I’m nothing but a blood bag—go save my best friend from that lunatic.”

  Christian shook his head. Angie’s courage never failed to impress him. “As you wish, but stay with Lucian.” His brother’s gaze slammed into his before nodding tightly. Christian hoped that he wasn’t putting Angie in danger, but given that she’d arrived at Fontainebleau with Lucian and Lena, keeping them together meant that Angie would be safer and she could keep an eye on Lucian. Angie nodded after a long moment, and Christian sped down the steps as the first wave of the attack began.

  The witches’ spells bombarded the demon, but he deflected them easily. Some kind of barrier spell around them prevented any of the vampires or werewolves from getting too close. They touched the invisible line and howled in agony, which left the witches and the warlocks as their only line of offense—at least until they could take the demon out and bring down the barricade.

  Victoria’s arms were waving madly and she was shouting something that he couldn’t decipher. Aliya and the other high priestesses redoubled their efforts, their spells exploding like fireworks in the twilight sky, and Leto stumbled. Christian frowned as he noticed Victoria stumble and fall, too. He could feel her agony as if it were his own.

  His eyes darted between the two fallen bodies, both struggling to stand, and the understanding was swift and cold. From his vantage point on the garden steps, he could see that they were attacking the demon, but somehow, Victoria seemed to be bearing the brunt of it. No, his eyes had to be deceiving him.

  Get up, he willed her. He knew she couldn’t hear him—he had tried to communicate mentally with her before and had been unsuccessful.

  As if she’d heard him, Victoria dragged herself up, crouching on her hands and knees. She must have gotten hit with a rogue spell and the timing was coincidental. Christian vowed to find the witch or warlock who had hit her and grind his fist into their face. He willed her to move, begging her to get out of the strike zone, but for some reason she wasn’t moving.

  “Christian!” Angie’s scream made his ears ring as she nearly tumbled down the steps in her haste to get to his side. “You have to do something.”

  He braced his palms against her shoulders, his heart tripping at her terrified expression. “What do you see, Angie?”

  “She’s dying,” she gasped as she tried to describe what she was seeing. “Tori’s dying. They’re connected. You have to stop them. Every attack on that thing is an attack on her. And the blood magic … it’s taking over. Soon there’ll be nothing left of her and then …” She trailed off, horror written all over her. She didn’t have to finish what she was saying. He knew only too well what would happen if the blood magic took over. Victoria would cease to exist and history would repeat itself.

  All the strength drained from his body as Angie’s words sank in—he’d guessed that Victoria and Leto were somehow joined, but he’d refused to consider the possibility. And Angie was never wrong, not with what she saw. Victoria crouched and faced them then, and what Christian saw in her face nearly rocked him to his knees. Rivers of black ran down her cheeks as she wept tears of blood. Her fingers clenched into fists at her sides as her body was wracked with assault after brutal assault.

  Without hesitating, he took to the air, flying toward them and shouting at the top of his lungs. “Stop!”

  But it was impossible to halt the attack now that the demon was down. The warlocks had started chanting and a portal was solidifying before his eyes. If he didn’t get to them first, Freyja would banish the demon and Victoria would be tethered to it. The closer he got, the more powerful the energy field around him became. There was no way he could reach her and stop the Vardlokkur’s portal. He opted for the portal, tackling Freyja to the ground mid-chant.

  She snarled and hurled a blast toward him as the other warlocks surrounded him, fear and mistrust on their faces. He dodged her attack, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the portal start to fade. “What are you doing, vampire?” Freyja growled.

  “She is tethered to the demon.”

  “Good,” Roan said. “Two for the price of one.”

  Christian gnashed his teeth together. “That was not what we agreed.”

  Freyja eyed him evenly. “We are not bound to you, vampire. We are bound to our oaths to protect the dimensions. If they are joined as you say, then your witch is as dangerous as he. We cannot take the chance that what happened centuries ago won’t happen again. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that that Cruentus witch decimated our kind without even brushing the full resources of her power. She took her own life, but it could have been a hundred times worse. We have a chance to banish the curse once and for all, and I will not let your
paltry feelings on the matter put millions of innocents at risk.”

  As if on cue, the ground quaked beneath their feet and all eyes converged on the creature that stood in the midst of a swirling storm of black energy. Victoria was standing, her hands wide and palms to the sky. Blackly red blood streaked her clothing and rimmed her eyes, and for a moment, Christian felt real uncertainty settle in his stomach. The tips of her toes dragged on the grass as the magic held her in thrall.

  Suddenly, everything went deadly silent and she eyed those surrounding and crooked a finger. “Come if you dare.”

  The voice wasn’t hers. It was guttural and harsh. Christian recognized it deep within his core, feeling the call of the blood magic. His eyes met Angie’s, standing with Lucian so far away, and the tears streaming down her face were her answer. She could see what he so clearly felt.

  The blood magic had won.

  “Don’t!” he yelled, turning to those at his back, but his warning was lost in the shouts as the vampires rushed forward once they realized that the barrier preventing their approach was down. She let the first wave get within inches before a gratified smile stretched across her lips. Flashes of electricity burst around her like exploding light bulbs and Christian felt the energy being sucked out of the air, creating a strange kind of vortex. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

  “Get down!” he shouted, just as a giant blast spread outward from her body, making the ground split apart and the leaves piston off nearby trees. To his horror, those closest to her disintegrated to ash as the magical flare incinerated their bodies. The witches and the warlocks screamed protection spells, but even so, the potency of Victoria’s magic forced them to their knees. Christian, too, was thrown to the ground, waves of acid fire raking across his face. He healed in seconds, but others were not so lucky. They screamed in agony as their skin peeled in sheets from their bones.

  Black flames surrounded Victoria’s body as the electrical storm intensified. The demon at her side stood, feeding off the stolen energy. He smiled, his eyes glittering as his progeny became the thing of legends.

  “Do you see?” Freyja hissed. “We have no choice.”

  Christian shook his head, refusing to believe that Victoria was lost. She was still in there somewhere. “No. Let me try.”

  “You won’t survive,” Aliya said, her hand on his arm.

  “Maybe,” he said. “But I have to try. I promised her that much. I can’t give up on her now.”

  “That’s not Victoria, Your Grace. That is a monster.”

  His smile was bittersweet. “We are all monsters.”

  Freyja stared at him, compassion flickering in her eyes for a brief second. “You have as long as it takes for us to generate the portal.”

  Christian nodded, his gaze flicking to his brother standing atop the balustrade with Lena and Angie at his side. He had his arm around Angie as if holding her back from running down onto the field, and for that, Christian was grateful.

  Take care of yourself, brother, he said.

  Anger threaded Lucian’s words. What are you doing, Christian?

  What I have to do.

  Is her life truly worth yours?

  Her life is mine. Christian paused. Je’taime, Luce. Until we meet again. He hadn’t used the childhood nickname in over a century, and something within him cracked as he said his goodbyes to his little brother.

  Christian—

  But Christian had already started walking forward, cutting off the mental conversation. He needed to be strong and sorrow was something he couldn’t afford to let in. He took a deep breath and faced his fate.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  The Mind of the Monster

  As he faced the Cruentus Curse witch in all her dreadful and terrible glory, Christian had no doubt that these could be his last moments on this earth. His faith faltered that Victoria was even in there. There was no recognition on her face, no love in her eyes, nothing of the girl he knew.

  The demon at her side eyed his approach, but made no move to stop him. And for a half-beat, Christian hesitated. If Leto believed that Victoria would spare Christian out of whatever residual feelings she had for him, he would have surely intervened. His lack of action meant that he wasn’t concerned, which didn’t bode well for Christian.

  Heat buffeted his face as he approached. It felt like he was walking into a fiery sandstorm, the edges of each sand grain whipping into his exposed skin. Black trails of blood coiled like snakes on her body, and her eyes glittered like chips of onyx.

  “What do you want, vampire?” she asked.

  “Tori, I know you’re in there.”

  “The girl you seek is gone.”

  He inched closer as the black flames scorched him. “You have to stop this. I know you can stop this. You are not like him. There’s love and grace and beauty inside of you. You are not this killer.”

  The witch threw back her head and laughed. “Your sentiments amuse me.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “You are familiar to me, which is the only reason I allowed you to approach. I have tasted the inside of your mind and swept through the limbs of your body. But something is different now.” She leaned forward, as if scenting him. “You are far more powerful than you were last time we … met.”

  “Tori—”

  “I told you—she is gone.” A hot rush of anger made her flames shoot outward, searing his face with its force. Christian fought through the pain and drew from his well of inner strength. His burned skin healed instantly.

  He ignored her warning. “I know you’re in there, Tori. Please.”

  “I tire of his whining,” Leto interjected, and something clicked within Christian based on his earlier theory of Leto’s disinterest.

  He stepped forward, bracing for more pain as he settled his hands on her arms. It was like holding burning cinders. “Tori, I love you. I always will. And if need be, I will die at your hands, but you have to stop this. Angie’s out there, and Aliya, and many others who continue to stand by you.”

  “Cease!” the witch screamed, clutching her head as if she were being attacked by an unseen force from within.

  “I believe in you, Tori. You control the blood magic, not the other way around. You control it.”

  “Shut up!” she screamed, ripping his hands from her arms and propelling him to the ground. “Excrucio.”

  The pain spell connected squarely in his chest, robbing him of breath and thought before agony erupted like wildfire along his limbs. He fought against it, subduing it, and lurched toward her only to find Leto blocking his way. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the portal beginning to take shape. It wouldn’t be long, he knew, before it solidified, which meant he had minutes. Or less.

  A blast of magic whirred his way and he rolled to the side with inhuman speed. Leto was playing a clever game. He knew that Christian would not attack and risk hurting Victoria, which left him at a distinct disadvantage. Christian dodged a few more attacks, his heart starting to race as the purple of the portal glowed more brightly. He was running out of time and he knew that Freyja would not grace him with any more.

  Suddenly, the energy in the air shifted.

  “Confuto,” a voice shouted. The spell was joined by another and another until Leto could not move. Christian spared a glance over his shoulder and saw Aliya deep in concentration. She held hands with each of her high priestesses as they united behind the spell. One by one, all the other remaining witches joined in, focused on the effort of binding the demon. Even the warlocks lent them their strength.

  Grateful for their effort, Christian rushed in, uncaring of anything but getting to Victoria. Because of the spell on Leto, she was immobile too. She eyed him, fury flashing in those black eyes as the blood magic fought the restraints. “You think they can hold me?” she snarled. “They are no match for the Cruentus Curse.”

  “Maybe not, but Victoria is.”

  “She is dead.”

  “I don’t believe th
at,” Christian said raggedly. Please, Tori, come back to me. He chanted the mantra in his head as he pressed his lips to the witch’s burning ones. Holding on to her was torture. The pain ripped through his mouth, tearing apart his throat with bladed fire, but still he kept his mouth on hers.

  It was a losing battle.

  She turned the tables on him, the blood magic sucking his strength like a ravenous beast. He felt himself failing, growing weaker by the breath in her arms. She was too strong and he had miscalculated the power of the bond between them. He had gambled his life and he knew in no uncertain terms that he would lose.

  Tori, please, come back to me.

  The chant grew feebler and feebler, but he couldn’t stop himself. Victoria had stopped when she had taken his power before, but this witch would not be so inclined. She would drain him to the last drop, until he was nothing but a husk.

  Come back to me.

  Please.

  The plea was shuddering. Soul destroying.

  But no response came—Victoria was lost to the blood magic that consumed her.

  Christian felt the life force within him ebb. This was it. This was the end. He focused on every memory he had of Victoria and let them fill his head. He wanted to die thinking of her. His eyes shifted to Freyja, who stood on the edge of the circle. He blinked once and she bowed her head in response, deep melancholy in her gaze. She’d wanted to believe in him, but she couldn’t take the chance that love wouldn’t win out in the end. And it hadn’t. The portal flared brightly. Connected to Victoria, he felt its compulsion through her body.

  Leto screamed his frustration, struggling against the magical bonds constraining him, and Victoria wrenched her head away. Bright red light surrounded her in a haze as she fought the collective spell. She would break it, he knew. Christian closed his eyes, watching as all three of them were drawn closer to the portal.

  “No!” someone shouted. Dully, Christian recognized the scream as Lucian charged in, ripping him from the witch with wild strength. Dazed, Christian staggered backward, his legs like jelly. He flopped like a ragdoll onto the earth as Lucian thrust himself between them.