by Amy Boyles
“Would you like some?” he said.
I shook my head.
Alex took the liberty to pour himself a large glass. “I’d like to wager you something.”
“Okay,” I said slowly.
“I’ll wager that we can’t finish our conversation before you take a drink.”
I rolled my eyes. “I have much more self-control than that.”
He quirked a brow. “Do you?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
He smiled. “Because all you have to do is take one drink and we’ll be finished here.”
“Is that all?”
He shook his head. “No. You can also have your children back.”
I squinted at him. “There’s a catch.”
Alex smiled at me. For once he didn’t appear the beautiful vampire. The expression made him seem sinister, treacherous.
“Only one very small thing,” he said.
“And that is?”
“Take one sip of that blood and you’ll be a vampire for the rest of your life. That’s all you have to do. Drink and live like me. And for that, I call off the demon and never bother your family again. But from now until eternity you’re mine.”
I took a chance and glanced down, brushing dust off the cuff of my pants. “Yeah. That’s never going to happen.”
Alex’s lips coiled. “Are you so certain?”
I nodded. “Yes. Absolutely positive.”
His gaze flickered to the glass in front of me as if to challenge my decision. His lip twitched. “There was a time when I was much like you.”
“I doubt that,” I murmured.
Heat flared in his eyes, but he said nothing. “I believed in the tribunal, in everything they stood for. I was their best hunter.”
I shrugged.
“You already knew that.”
“I’d heard,” I said as nonchalantly as possible. Truth be told, under the table I was flexing my fingers repeatedly, trying to focus my attention on something other than that goblet of red elixir within my reach. I could practically taste the life-giving substance. It permeated nearly every thought in my brain. Sort of like if you get a cut and the wound throbs and smarts so all you think about is your injury.
That’s exactly what that blood was like to me. Like a throbbing sore that wouldn’t go away.
The only thing I knew was that I absolutely could not drink it.
Alex the lord vampire of all the realm kept talking. “I used to hunt with my sister. We were incredibly close, nearly best friends. She was younger than me, so I guarded her closely. I never wanted anything to happen to her.
“In those days the supernatural community was sort of like the Wild West. The governing body was just building, trying to gather all the creatures together. Even now, years later, it’s still a learning curve, as I’m sure you know.”
I shrugged. “There were always bad vamps to hunt down.”
He flicked dirt out from under his clawlike fingernails. “And there always will be. That’s why hunters were created, to hunt down the rogues and stop them. Out of all the supernaturals, vampires are the most likely to rebel. Ultimately werewolves like to submit to authority and the fae, pixies, elves, gargoyles and other creatures like leadership as well. But vampires? We’re different, you and me.”
“But we’re not alike,” I said.
“Oh?” he purred. Alex snapped his fingers. A mirror shimmered to life in front of me. “Look at your reflection.”
I gasped at what I saw. Pale skin like his, bloodred lips, a haunted, gaunt look in my face. If reflections could speak, mine would’ve said that I was definitely undead, belonging to the class of species known as vamp.
Uh. This had not been a good day.
“Okay, so I look like you. What’s your point?” I said.
Alex snapped his fingers, and the mirror evaporated. “The tribunal sent my sister and me on a mission to flush out a pack of werewolves that were holding out in a cave. When we got there, the werewolves were waiting. Someone in the tribunal had ratted us out. My sister was killed. I barely escaped.”
Sadness filled his eyes. Oh, please. I was not about to be taken in by an undead pity party.
“I was losing a lot of blood by the time I reached the senior officer. I explained what happened. Do you know what he did?”
I shook my head.
“He pulled out a gun and tried to finish the job. I lived but was hospitalized. When I explained to the rest of the tribunal what happened, they turned a blind eye, unwilling to punish one of their own. So you know what I did?”
“No.”
“I found the current lord vampire and offered myself to him. But what he didn’t know was that I knew a thing or two about killing lord vampires and how to make the switch to the new lord vampire. If he’d just turned me, I would have been subject to him. But that’s not what I wanted. I needed the extra power, the life that being lord would give me.”
I cocked my head. This was the stuff I was looking for. How the heck did he kill the lord vampire without every vampire who preceded Alex turning back human? Or to dust if they were old enough?
Alex smiled. It was a sinister expression, one that sent a shiver up my spine. “The lord bit me, draining my life. At the same time I took his arm and bit into it, drinking from him. Before he realized what had happened, I sucked him dry and destroyed him.”
A shudder ran down my spine. “That’s pretty brutal.”
“But not nearly as brutal as what could happen to your family if you let it.”
Anger flared in me. “What are you talking about?”
He rose. “For so long I’ve been watching you, Andie.”
Um. What? “What are you talking about?”
“I almost had you years ago. This was well before your power came in. You know the story, I’m sure—your mother summoned something that attacked the women in your family. They splintered, and your grandmother hid you away, hoping your magic would never come in.” He trailed a finger over his cheek. “That’s the story, right?” He rotated his wrist several times. “I’m sure I’ve omitted important facts, but that’s the gist, correct?”
My stomach knotted. He was right. That was exactly the story. “What’s it to you?”
“Haven’t you figured it out? Your mother never summoned a spirit. I showed up to your house, because I knew the power you possessed.”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t have any power.”
He smirked. “So they wanted you to believe. Your power came early. You don’t remember?”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t know any of this.”
He rolled his eyes. “They made you forget, didn’t they? Made you forget what a beacon your power was. It drew me in. I would have possessed it then, but I didn’t. The women in your life made you forget, which diminished your power. I searched you out for years, but you always eluded me.”
I hugged my arms. “What are you talking about?”
An expression of surprise filled his face. “Soon. Soon. I thought I’d lost you, but then one night you came to me. You and a sad little army of hunters. One pushed me over a cliff. I would have drained him dry, but when he started speaking about you, I knew what a treasure trove I had—your husband. So I offered him the choice of joining me, becoming like me. Well, you know what he said.”
I ground my teeth. I was beginning to feel like this whole thing was some sort of crazy setup. If I hadn’t been undead, I’m pretty sure my stomach would’ve been pretty upset.
“What’s your point, Alex? I don’t get any of this.”
He laughed. “You haven’t figured it out? I need your power. With your magic I could destroy the supernatural tribunal once and for all and create my own army of supernaturals—one without laws, without restraint. They’re corrupt, don’t you see? To the core. They manipulated me, and I’d wager that they’ve manipulated you as well.”
He pounded a fist on the table. “They must be destroyed, but until this mom
ent I’ve been limited in my scope. There’s much I can do, yes, but with you by my side, we can rule together.”
“What are you even talking about? I’m a regular witch. I can’t do anything cool.”
He raised his brows. “You couldn’t before because in some ways the book held you back. But you’ve destroyed your copy and can now summon the power on your own.” He paused. “Make it rain.”
I frowned. “What? Like a glamour?”
He shook his head. “No. Real rain.”
That was hard. It required things like clouds and stuff. To be able to control the weather took power, more power than I had.
“You have all the power you need. Make it rain.”
And then, just to prove him wrong, I thought about raindrops. Something splashed in my hand. Big, wet drops plopped onto my skin.
“See? The power you possess.”
This was all wrong. Way wrong. This vamp was supposed to be after the children, after Gabby. Not that I wanted him to be after the kids, but I was so confused.
“And the children?” I said.
“My second choice.”
None of this made sense. Gabby had more power than me, more raw ability. I didn’t understand what was going on.
But maybe I didn’t have to. Maybe all I needed to do was put all my strength into getting rid of this guy and everything would be okay.
I flexed my fingers.
“I need you to drink that blood,” he said.
I shook my head. “I’m not doing that. No way.” I paused. “Why? What’s the big deal about it?”
Alex lifted the glass, watching the wine in the dim light. The rain had stopped, and he stood in the dark, illuminated by a light that emanated from someplace I couldn’t pinpoint.
“This blood seals you to me.”
“Buster, I’m not about to be sealed to anyone.”
He grimaced. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
He snapped his fingers. Suddenly the demon appeared, and in it’s thick, disgusting claws lay my daughter.
Gabby screamed when she saw me.
I tried to reach for her, but Alex lifted his hand. An invisible force pushed me back.
“Gabby,” I screeched. “Let her go, you monster!”
Alex lifted a finger. The wineglass sailed in the sky to me. “We will. But first, you drink and swear your loyalty to me.”
TWENTY
The demon clutched my daughter, the one person we’d been trying to keep safe. How the heck had she gotten here? Dex, Stone and Dot were all guarding her. How could the demon have snuck her out?
An invisible hand squeezed my heart as I watched my daughter struggle to free herself from the demon’s grasp. “And if I don’t drink the blood?” I said.
Alex’s gaze flickered to Gabby. “I think you know the answer to that question. I’ll use all the children for my purposes except this one.” He grazed a finger down her cheek.
“Don’t you touch her,” I hissed. “Keep your hands off.”
Alex raised his palms in surrender. “Of course. I’m not trying to upset you. Only convince you of the way you need to go.”
I scoffed. “That isn’t a choice. It’s blackmail.”
He fluffed his bangs with the tips of his long, pointed fingernails. “It is what it is. Either drink or watch the inevitable.”
“I need a minute.”
“You have three.”
How kind of him, but I kept my mouth shut. What choice did I have in this? Either I drank the blood or Gabby died. There really wasn’t a good answer. I would not stand by and watch anything bad happen to my child, even if it meant the consequences were much worse.
I mean, it’s not like I was the captain of the Starship Enterprise or anything, the one with Jean-Luc Picard as captain and I had to let a few suffer so that the many could survive.
I was not about to do that. Not if it meant choosing between my daughter and the vampire. I bit down on my lip and studied the demon.
It winked at me.
What?
I shot Alex a look. He hadn’t seemed to notice. My gaze drifted back to the nameless demon, and the thing blinked at me again, this time more slowly and deliberately.
Surely I wasn’t imagining it.
Then I realized exactly what was going on.
“Okay,” I said to Alex. “I’ll do it. I’ll drink the blood, but you have release all the children. Every single one of them.”
Alex dragged a fingernail over his shirt. “Of course. It’s done.”
The blood rose in the air and floated over to me. My fingers brushed over the glass, and I curled my hand around the vessel.
“So,” I said, stalling. “What exactly does this do, again?”
Alex flashed his fangs as if he were getting impatient. “It ties you to me, forces you to keep your promise.”
“I see. So it’s magical. What happens if I break my promise?”
“You can’t,” he sneered. “Not after you drink that.”
“Wow, must be pretty potent stuff.”
Alex narrowed his eyes. “It is. Why all the questions?”
I shrugged. “I just like to know what I drink before I drink it. I’m kind of OCD that way. It’s like eating mystery food—I’m definitely not going to do that. If I don’t like the way something looks, you can bet your bottom dollar I’m not putting it into my mouth.”
“Enough,” he hissed. “Drink.”
“Bottom’s up,” I said. I tipped my head back to drink and instead dropped the glass. The blood toppled from the cup, sailing to the ground.
The lord vampire stared at the goblet. “What?” he said.
“No deal,” I replied.
The lord shot a look to the demon. “Patsy, destroy the child.”
Patsy? That was the demon’s name? Not something more sinister or even more noteworthy. Nope. Apparently it was Patsy.
Mental note.
Patsy stood blinking at the vampire.
“What are you waiting for?” he screeched. Alex’s face reddened. He clutched his hands in anger.
“I don’t take orders from anyone,” Patsy said.
“You take orders from me,” Alex said.
“Nope,” I said. “That’s not Patsy. That’s Vordrid, my mentor. For years he’s been trapped into serving us hunters, but now he’s free and now he’s going to help me destroy you.”
Alex’s lips curled into a sinister smile. “Just try.”
The halo of power still surrounded me. I felt like a much more in control version of Carrie. One who wasn’t going to go destroy her high school and her town. Just one vampire.
Alex lunged for me. I was charged up, ready to go. I released a bolt of energy into him, expecting the vampire to explode into a thousand pieces of dust, but the bolt hit him and bounced off.
“You think I’m so easy to destroy?” he said.
With all my new raw power I had hoped as much. Even though I should’ve known better.
I dodged as he threw himself at me. I shot more magic at him, and it all had the same outcome—it managed to bounce right off the vampire.
This was bad. I would eventually run out of magic, but more than that, I couldn’t be a vampire for the rest of my life. That was not going to happen.
“Vordrid, help,” I said.
Vordrid in the form of Patsy released Gabby. I edged over to my daughter, keeping an eye on the vampire. He sent sprays of magic at me, making it difficult for me to reach her. I deflected them, but he was fast, super fast.
Vordrid shot power at him, but it bounced right off the lord. He was quick. We pushed hard, and he pushed back even harder. He was so fast I didn’t realize the exact moment he decided to lunge for Gabby.
I rushed to her, but I wasn’t quick enough. Alex held her to his chest. My daughter screamed.
“Let her go,” I sneered. Panic filled me. Blood pounded through my veins. This was the worst thing that could happen. The absolute worst.
“No,
” he said. “You had your chance. I was going to give you the world in exchange for her safety, but you rejected my offer. Like all of life, now you have to deal with the consequences.”
Tears sprang to my eyes.
Alex peeled back his lips, revealing his fangs. “If you make one move toward me, I’ll turn her into one of us.”
My blood froze. That was even worse than anything I ever could’ve come up with myself. “No,” I whimpered.
Gabby cried. She wailed in his arms. “Mommy!”
“Please let her go,” I said.
“Do anything for me now, wouldn’t you?” Alex said. “Now that her life is really in danger? But you should’ve done the right thing the first time. Now you have to pay the consequences.”
Gabby continued screaming. Her face twisted in anger, she pounded her little fists on him.
Then something started to happen.
Gabby’s entire body started to shimmer. She looked like fuzz on a television set. It was like what she’d done to that sheet of paper, except it now crept over her entire body.
“What are you doing?” Alex said to her.
Her body began vibrating, humming.
“What are you doing?” he repeated. “Stop it!”
But Gabby didn’t stop. She beat on him while her body hummed.
“Quit,” Alex said. He threw me a panicked look. “Stop her,” he said.
She pounded her little fists on him. The fuzz that enveloped her crept over the lord vampire like a plague. Alex dropped her to the ground.
Gabby landed on the dirt, her skin slowly returning to normal.
I couldn’t say the same thing for the lord vampire, however.
The static climbed up his body like a vine. He shouted, screaming for it to stop. I watched in awe as the gray fuzz wrapped around him.
I snatched Gabby, scooping her into my arms right as Alex exploded into a thousand pieces of dust.
The lord vampire was dead.
TWENTY-ONE
I dropped to the floor. My body shifted, morphing. I felt my bones shrink, my body lose its power. I inhaled several shots of air as I curled into a ball. My body contracted, and I felt a drain as if I was losing part of myself.
