by K. A. Poe
“She’s…nobody,” Hannah said as she regained her strength, “an enemy of mine, if you will. Alexis was trying to protect me.”
Malik eyed her for a moment and then looked back at Viola. “Why were the two of you causing a scene in my restaurant?”
“The woman in your arms killed someone that I love, I wanted revenge.”
There was no doubt in my mind that Malik could relate to Hannah’s story, because the one he loved was taken away from him. It may have been under completely different circumstances, but he knew how it felt to lose something precious and irreplaceable…
“Is this true?” his question was directed toward Viola.
“Excuse me, sir, but this is none of your concern.”
“Being as this is my restaurant, I would say that it is of my concern. Now, tell me, is this true?”
“What does it even matter? I Sired her father centuries ago.”
“Does this upset you, my Queen?”
I looked from Malik, to Viola, and then finally to Hannah. She looked ashamed and distraught. Considering who Malik was, I knew he could put this woman in her place—make a slave out of her, something to ‘make up’ for her bad deeds. “Yes, it does, my Lord. The woman she was fighting is my sister, after all.”
“So be it,” he turned from me and his eyes turned crimson with fury. Everything went so fast, I wasn’t sure if it was even real: he swiftly pulled Viola to her feet, his eyes piercing straight into hers, and with a sickening crunch blood spurted everywhere. It took a few seconds for my mind to register the fact that he had just beheaded the woman! She hadn’t even had a chance to react. Her head was detached from her body, rolling across the slick linoleum until it knocked into the foot of a table a few feet away.
Gawking at the decapitated corpse leaning limply by one of the chairs, Malik pulled me into what I assume he thought was a reassuring, comforting hug. Rather, it made me squeamish. This man was far more dangerous than I had ever given him credit for. I had seen the strength of vampires that were said to be ‘incredibly powerful’, yet nothing compared to this. Raziel didn’t have the ability to tear another vampire’s head off in one twist, not even Hannah possessed that fearsome power. The Vanatori had no idea what they were up against!
“You are safe now, my Queen,” he whispered into my ear and ran his hands through my silky hair. “Someone shall come clean up this mess, in the meantime, would you accompany me upstairs?”
“I can’t right now, Malik…I’d love to, but I have someone outside waiting for me.” I tried to clench my eyes shut and look away from the gruesome scene, but it was mirrored in my mind and my stomach began to churn.
“Welcome them inside,” he offered.
“He’s not comfortable here.” Could this man not take a hint?
“Then we shall make him comfortable! Whatever it takes, please, we have been apart too long…”
Hannah stepped in and tapped him on the shoulder. “Look, ‘my Lord’, I appreciate your gesture of…assisting me with my problem, but my sister and I need to leave for a little bit. Can’t you see that she is sick?”
He considered it for a moment, undoubtedly noting my sweat dotted, clammy face and my quivering stance. “Very well. I am sorry you had to see me like that, and this sort of scene is not one for a soon-to-be mother, but I could not allow such filth to remain here.” I wondered if he cared that Cassius possibly had ruined the love of another couple. “Don’t stay away for too long, my love.”
His lips brushed against mine softly and I flinched, pulling away slowly. Suddenly my sickness vanished and for a brief moment I wanted nothing more than to stay here. Luckily Hannah nudged me and I slipped out of whatever trance I was falling into. “I’ll be back before you know it…”
Hannah grasped onto my hand and quickly led me out of the restaurant as the guests continued dining, seemingly oblivious to all that had occurred.
20. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
I apologized repeatedly to Hannah for the incident—I hadn’t intended for anything to go wrong. All I wanted was for her to get the courage to see who this woman was, and it all went terribly from there. She blamed my emotions on the pregnancy and requested that I shut up, she was happy that the woman was dead, however.
Salem was panicking the moment she revealed the news to him. He summoned grilled cheese sandwiches for the two of us when I announced that I was hungry and he barely managed to eat any of it because he was worried about me. I could tell that he was browsing for bruises or scrapes, and he was relieved to discover I had not been harmed. I took half of his sandwich and downed it after drinking half a glass of milk.
“You need to discuss this with the Vanatori,” Salem said, pacing around the kitchen. “They must be warned about what they are up against. He is too strong.”
At least this was a point we could both agree on. The only way I could see us successfully slaying Malik was if I trained myself to transform again and got him alone. Without the risk of other vampires getting involved, I could hopefully kill him and fly out the window to escape. There was the strong possibility however that the raven wasn’t even strong enough to kill him, not to mention Malik was rarely ever alone. I would have to get the Vanatori’s input on the matter.
“Contact them as soon as possible, Alex.”
“I will, Salem, I will.”
First thing the following morning, I had Hannah take Salem, Ezra and me to the hunter’s hideout so that we could discuss what happened. Mikael was stunned, yet refused to back down.
“We’ve already put so much time and effort into our plans,” Sebastian said. “We can’t just give up. I know it isn’t to your liking, but we must use Alexis as a distraction…imagine what good this will do for everyone else, at the sacrifice of so few!”
Salem slammed his fist angrily against the table. “Are you saying that you are willing to risk Alexis’ life? And the life of our unborn child? That we can all just waltz in there and get ourselves killed for that matter, so long as Malik also dies?”
“Not exactly, you’re taking it the wrong way,” Nicolai remarked. “We are willing to put our lives at risk, but we will do all that we can to ensure her safety—she will make it out alive, regardless what happens to the rest of us.”
“How do you plan on pulling that off?” Hannah scoffed.
“He won’t hurt her,” Remus pointed out. “In fact, he will do whatever he can to protect her. He won’t expect her to be involved.”
“You’re right,” I muttered. “I don’t think Cassius told him that I am the raven. Maybe Cassius doesn’t even know that I’m the one that’s meant to kill him.”
“No, you can’t have any involvement in the attack if we are to keep you safe.”
I shook my head glumly. “The Seer saw a raven kill him—I am the raven, it’s my destiny.”
“Do you even possess the ability still?” Camellia asked. She had been quiet up until now.
“I honestly don’t know…I haven’t even tried to use it since becoming mortal again.”
“It may not be safe for her to attempt it while pregnant,” Salem argued.
“We will observe her progress and ensure her safety, I swear,” Mikael said. “It is our intent to keep her alive and well.”
“Alex said that he has a link with her and can see where she is, I don’t think some surprise attack is going to work. He probably even knows of this hide-out already.” Salem continued to use anything he could think of to protest.
“If he had seen her here we would all already be dead. Evil does not bide time, Remus suddenly spoke up, clenching the rosary which hung from his neck.
“I have made the decision myself!” I butted in, sick of people arguing over a decision that was ultimately my own. “I’m going to attempt to transform. It may take a few tries to maintain shape, and I’ll need someplace safe to land if I fall out of form.”
“Lucky for you, we have training pads downstairs that we use when practice fighting,” Sebastia
n grinned.
“Great.”
“The ceiling is high enough down there that you should have room. You didn’t think the headquarters was just this little shack up here, did you?” Luca said, grinning.
The basement was fairly plain, although expansive. The visible room was covered in thick, well-used padding aside from a locked steel door on the far end by a furnace. Knives, swords, daggers, maces, crossbows and a few handguns hung on the wall by the stairs– all weapons they trained to use over the years against their undead enemies. Technically, any weapon could work to slay a vampire—assuming you could hit the target. Somehow, crossbows became the ideal weapon, however. Knives, swords, daggers and the like required close combat, and it was seldom safe to get that close to a vampire. Guns probably produced too much noise and suspicion as far as police and normal citizens went—so the silent, swift and deadly crossbow was the best choice.
I thought back to the last time I transformed, back before I became mortal again. It seemed like years ago, like a distant memory that I’d held onto from a dream. Had I ever truly been a bird? It seemed so unreal, yet deep down I knew that it had happened.
I scanned the room for Salem who I found kneeling down in one of the corners. His eyes were permanently locked on me, and his face was a mask of sorrow and anticipation for the worst. I prayed I was making the right decision. I couldn’t bear the thought of the transformation hurting my child, but it was the only way. If I did not do this, then what would happen when the baby was born? Would Malik kill them? Would he turn me against my will and try to raise the child as Raziel raised Hannah? I didn’t know, and none of my choices were clear or easy. I told myself that this was the lesser of the two evils.
The Vanatori gathered in the room, slightly keeping their distance from me. Their presence made me increasingly nervous but provided me with a momentary lapse in my previous thoughts. I had changed in front of people before, but never had so much been riding on this ability…an ability that I didn’t even know if I had retained.
My eyes fell shut and I focused solely on the bird—the delicate violet and blue tinted feathers, the beady black eyes, the long, sharp talons. I pictured the raven soaring through the night sky, the wind ruffling its feathers. When my eyes opened, I found myself still standing in the center of the basement.
“It’s not working,” I mumbled to myself.
“Keep concentrating,” Mikael urged, making it very clear how eager he was to witness this.
This should have been simple. Muscle memory. I had done it often enough that it should be as easy as taking a step! Avoiding getting too frustrated, I sat cross-legged in the middle of the room, once more shutting my eyes. I pictured the very first time I transformed—Salem and I by the lake behind the old Victorian, him pulling me into the chilly water to calm my sudden fever, and then myself hovering over the lake bed.
I recalled the sound of my bones twisting and snapping upon transformation and gasped. My body would literally be taking a whole different form, and I once again took into consideration the baby in my belly…would it be affected by the change? Was Salem right to be so concerned? Or would I become a floating impregnated bird and everything be fine upon reformation? Turning into the raven had never resulted in anything permanently harmful toward my body, and once again I remembered the alternative to not doing this—the alternative to not putting an end to Malik.
“Concentrate, Alexis.” I was shocked when I heard Salem’s voice and my eyes popped open. “If this is so important to you, then you have my support…just so long as you are careful.”
I smiled fondly at the handsome ebony-haired boy I had devoted my life to. “Thank you,” I mouthed and resumed my focus.
My visions turned to the incident when Hannah came to Willowshire with the intent to kill Salem—the fury I had felt, the fear, the strength the raven had provided me with. If it hadn’t been for that ability, he would very well have been dead. My stomach churned at the thought and I knew I was making progress.
I forced the memory of Janet lying on the floor of Mark’s place, limp and dead. I saw my mother again, Destiny, an undead husk of the beautiful woman from Paul’s pictures. I saw Paul, falling…I heard the crack and crunch of my father’s body hitting the cave floor below as I looked on, helpless…only the sounds were coming from my body, not the memory.
My eyes flew open to an incredible burst of radiant feathers. The floor beneath me became further away and I was weightless. Faint gasps of awe and applause echoed through the basement.
I was the raven again.
Just as the fountain’s waters had washed away Salem’s curse while maintaining his magic, so too had I been left with my gift. Salem was gaping at me with almost as much surprise as the first time I transformed in front of him. Hannah wasn’t very affected by my appearance, and in fact looked bored. Ezra and the hunters on the other hand, looked amazed.
“This is…breathtaking,” Remus muttered and kissed the rosary around his neck. “You are a Godsend, Alexis.”
Before having the opportunity to put my wings to use, I plummeted to the ground. My form was lost. Fortunately, Ezra was below me in seconds to catch me. I relaxed in his arms and released a sigh of relief.
“Thank you,” I whispered and he let me down. My feet wobbled slightly beneath my weight. “As I said, this may take a few tries…but I’m just glad to know I still have the ability.”
Salem rushed to my side to ensure I was okay, and I smiled at him fondly. “I think it was your belief in me that made this possible.”
“I’ve always believed in you.”
“Have another go,” Mikael suggested eagerly.
“Wait!” Salem said, sounding more intense than I think he realized. “The baby, Alexis…is the baby okay?”
Salem and I both places I hand on my abdomen and waited. As the minutes passed I grew more and more nervous. The entire room seemed to hold their breath and the look of fear on Salem’s face grew. Then we felt it—a kick. Just the tiniest of prods with an unseen foot and we knew everything was fine. Salem jumped in the air, a huge smile framing his face. My worst fear about transforming had been defeated.
Attempt after attempt, I managed to maintain my form for longer intervals per try—five minutes, fifteen, twenty. My body began to grow tired, as did my mind. I began to once again struggle to even transform at all, yet I was determined…perhaps even a little stubborn. I continued trying until my entire body collapsed on the floor and I couldn’t take it anymore. Salem refused to let me try one last time, despite my effortless begging. Reluctantly, I agreed to rest a while before resuming. Besides, it gave us all a chance to eat, relax and continue plotting our attack on Malik…not to mention use the restroom. That was one of the many things I would not miss about being pregnant—the increasing need to go more often.
There weren’t many comfortable places to relax in the upper floor of their hideout, and after being in the large training basement it felt even more cramped. I decided I would head back down there and was unsurprised to see Salem immediately follow—probably to make sure I wasn’t attempting to transform again.
The padding was surprisingly satisfying to my aching back and legs. My bones had contorted shape so many times this evening and I could feel the strain it had on my entire body. Salem lay beside me with one hand rested against my stomach and we both smiled as the baby kicked again, ensuring us it was still okay.
“There are only three more months,” he commented.
“Assuming I go full term.”
“Do you think it wise that we have avoided hospitals this entire time?”
It was something we had discussed several times—I didn’t want to get any doctors involved, I didn’t want any ultrasounds done and I knew I was plenty healthy. Malik made sure of that—he hired a nurse to check on me every so often.
“Everything’s going to be fine with the baby…and me,” I added the last part to ease his mind. “I’m afraid to see a doctor. What if the vampi
rism had an unusual effect on my blood, or my body and the doctor’s discovered that I was some sort of weird mutant!”
“That is nonsense,” Salem said with a chuckle. “Although, I have never really considered what sort of effect going from undead to living could have on our bodies.”
“It’s a scary thought at times,” I mumbled and curled up beside him, my head burrowed in the pit of his arm.
“As you yourself have assured me before—if anything was wrong, you would know.”
“Do you think that it could do anything to the baby? What if there is still like…a strain of vampire DNA in my body and it gets transferred to it or something?”
Salem laughed again and rubbed my back soothingly. “You’re thinking too much.”
“Maybe you’re right…I hope you’re right.”
I let my eyes droop as I fell into a light slumber.
21. CONFESSION
I was awoken by the scent of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of Salem gagging. He loathed the bitter smell and when I opened my eyes I found him covering his face with his hand and looking glumly at the stairs.
“It smells good,” I said. “And it reminds me of Janet…she always made a pot of coffee before leaving for work.”
He hugged me gently, knowing that the mere idea of Janet made me upset. “Similarly to how blackberries remind me of my mother.”
“Right…and you don’t see my scrunching my nose at that smell!” I said jokingly, scrunched my nose and nudged him.
When we emerged from the basement, I was immediately immersed in the heavy scent of coffee and pipe smoke. I coughed and turned to glare in Mikael’s direction.
“I apologize, let me put this out,” he said and removed the pipe from his mouth.
