I still couldn’t believe it. “Are you… really Christopher?” I asked, knowing I wasn’t making sense, but too shocked to care.
Sharra pushed him away. “Show her,” she said.
Christopher walked over to the bound man he’d left standing next to the throne, and ripped the burlap sack from his head.
My breath sucked in and two black spots blurred my vision. I couldn’t believe who it was.
Chapter 9
“Dorian,” I whispered. My fingers covered my mouth, and they trembled. It couldn’t be.
He was barely recognizable. One eye was bruised shut. His bottom lip was split, and dried blood stained his mouth, and chin. His shirt was shredded down the front like a five-fingered lion ripped into him.
But. It. Was. Dorian.
He wasn’t dead. Beaten? Battered? Yes. But alive. My heart leaped with joy.
I said his name again, tucking my hands into fists at my sides. “Dorian.”
He grunted, as though I’d awakened him where he stood. His good eye peered at me, and a smile spread across his face. “Snow?”
An aching sob tore at my throat. “What are you doing with him,” I asked through gritted teeth. My gaze flipping from Christopher to Sharra. “Let me have him,” I added.
“With pleasure,” Christopher said, shoving Dorian toward me. I caught him.
“Missed you,” Dorian whispered, his voice hoarse.
I fought down the urge to cry. He needed a doctor.
He needs you, my inner voice quipped. And a light bulb flicked on in my head. Casually I poured some of the Seal’s healing power into Dorian. Under my hands I felt his ribs heal. His internal bleeding stopped. The bones on both wrists knitted back together.
Dorian took a deep breath. As though there had been an invisible weight pressed against his chest and it suddenly disappeared.
Sharra leaned forward, and snapped. “Retrieve the boy!”
Christopher punched Dorian in the face, grabbed him by the shirt collar and brought him to stand next to them.
“Here is my final offer, dear Snow.” Sharra stood, and grabbed Dorian under the chin. His nose was bleeding. “Give me your body. In return I will free the remaining Marked and allow this human to live.”
My heart pitched. So many emotions pummeled my mind. I felt betrayed by Christopher, relieved Dorian was alive, and terrified I wouldn’t be able to help anyone.
“Don’t agree to anything. She’s a—” Dorian began, but Sharra backhanded him so hard I heard his nose break.
“And his death won’t be quick. It’ll be painful.” She tossed Dorian to the floor near my feet. “This first thing I’ll do is rip out his tongue.”
“Fine,” I said. “You win.”
Sharra’s evil grin turned to glee. She clapped. “Yay. I love it when I get what I want.”
I knelt beside Dorian. “It’s going to be okay,” I whispered, but I didn’t believe it. Perhaps I was just being cowardly. If Sharra took my body first, I wouldn’t have to witness the evil I felt sure she would bestow on Dorian and the other Marked in this room. What else could I do though? Pretend I didn’t care? Watch hundreds die?
“Fight her,” Dorian said, his voice raspy, as though he knew the thoughts flying through my mind. “You’re stronger than her. You can win.”
Sharra squatted down on the other side of Dorian so our noses nearly touched. I could reach out and grab her. Make her suffer. As I thought it, my hand snaked out, and I wrapped my fingers around her neck. The power of the Seal pulsed from my hand, into her. With the power of the Seal, I sent out all the hate, and the fear bottled up inside.
She screamed.
But so did Dorian.
I looked down, and watched Sharra drag her nails across his chest. Blood lit the wounds, leaving a red trail.
“Do…” she took a ragged breath. “Do we have a deal,” she growled.
I swallowed, and nodded. “Yes.”
“Good.” Sharra stood, and moved over to Christopher.
He smiled, and my body swayed in agony, as though he’d struck me. Every word he’d spoken. Every kiss we shared. Every touch. Had all been lies.
The knowledge rocked me to my core.
Sharra stepped in front of Christopher. The smirk on his face grew. He was proud of himself. Confident in his deception, and in his place as Sharra’s second.
“Give me your sword.” Sharra commanded.
Christopher raised a brow in question, but did as she asked.
He slid the blade from the sheath strapped to his back. Christopher’s lips parted, as though he wanted to question her, but he remained silent.
Sharra planted a kiss on his lips.
Then she turned to me.
“Are you in love with your Hunter?” she asked, a knowing smile on her lips.
I stood, facing her. It was happening.
My body would belong to Sharra.
She knew the answer. I wanted to lie. Tell her I couldn’t stand the deceitful, arrogant man who’d pretended and tricked me. But saying the words wouldn’t change the truth.
“Yes,” I admitted quietly.
Christopher’s smirk changed into horror. Now he understood what came next.
The words,
Lips red as rubies
Hair dark as night
Drink your true love’s blood
Become the Vampire, Snow White… filled the room. A continuous chant. Each syllable seemed to dance in repetition on the heavy air.
“Why?” Christopher asked. “I did everything you asked.” His voice broke in desperation and for a moment I felt sorry for him. “Snow is here because of me. I did everything,” he repeated.
Sharra rolled her eyes. “I know, and that is why you must die. She loves you. In order for the ritual to work, she must consume your heart.”
One of the girls, Pocahontas, spoke. “I’ve already consumed my true love’s heart. I’m ready Sharra. Allow me to be your next vessel.”
The Vampire Queen paused, as though considering her words. “That’s true. And you were my second choice. But this one—” She pointed at me. “Snow White is the Seal. Her body contains a lot more power than yours does.”
Pocahontas glared. She should’ve been happy. Didn’t she get that once Sharra claimed my body, I wouldn’t exist anymore. Sheesh. If a look could kill, I’d already be dead.
Forcing myself not to shudder, I refocused on Sharra.
Using Pocahontas’s interruption to his advantage, Christopher had run to the door, and was halfway through before he was lifted into the air, and deposited directly in the spot where he was a moment before.
Sharra shifted the sword so that she held it like a dagger, the blade turned down, the sharp end facing me.
I gave her a curious look. She spun, and lifted the sword.
Her red dress flared out like a red tulip.
Christopher made a choking sound.
In less than a second, Sharra faced me again.
The chanting,
Lips red as rubies
Hair dark as night
Drink your true love’s blood
Become the Vampire, Snow White… continued.
I realized it was the Worker vampires. They were saying the words. Repeating them in a low, almost ghost-like voice.
Sharra grinned. “You must consume his heart. Do it while it’s still warm.”
Chapter 10
In that instant my brain comprehended what Sharra had done. A red line, like a tight choker, circled the Hunter’s neck. Christopher fell to his knees and his head toppled to the floor.
My stomach turned. Before I could utter a sound, she used his sword to open his chest. Like a bass drum, Christopher’s heart beat in my ears. My body twitched in fear. I wanted to run, escape before she did that to me. She’d been so quick. I was nothing against her.
Worst of all, the vampire in me wanted Christopher’s heart. My fangs grew. I opened my mouth, allowing them to extend. The scent caused my
mouth to water. Stepping over Dorian, I lowered myself next to Christopher’s body.
“That’s right,” Sharra cooed, encouraging.
I barely heard her. Every inch of my body longed for… craved the heart of my Hunter.
With a slight pop, I pulled the heart from Christopher’s body. It still beat. Fast. Erratic. Mine joined his. I turned away from his body, sickened at seeing him so broken. Whether he loved me or not, I’d loved him.
My body wanted one thing. To do what Sharra wanted. Consume his heart. The rational part of my brain kept telling me to stop. That I was falling into the Vampire Queen’s trap.
But the rest of me didn’t care. As in my vision, the heart was all I could see, all I wanted. Slowly, I moved the heart closer to my mouth. The warmth, and scent nearly pushed me into a frenzy.
Suddenly, my eyes caught hold of Dorian’s. Tears tinged his lashes. His mouth was twisted with words I couldn’t hear. His arms reached out to me. I felt my head tilt. And I paused, waiting. Christopher’s heart only millimeters from my mouth.
Images of Dorian rushed through my mind.
His smile.
His mischievous comments.
The way he always watched out for me.
He’d told me he loved me the last time I saw him.
And he’d kissed me.
Not the kiss of a friend, but one of pure love.
My heart lurched at the pictures, at the way my soul burned with comprehension.
Dorian wasn’t dead.
And though I thought I loved Christopher, that love was nothing compared to what I felt for Dorian.
Where Christopher’s love had been pretend, fake, and superficial, Dorian’s was deep, real, and everlasting.
I realized I needed to ask Dorian why he never told me how he felt. Why he’d waited until we were both about to die to reveal his true feelings. Without a doubt I wanted to spend however long it took to deserve the kind of love he had for me.
“Dorian,” I whispered.
“That’s right, Snow. I love you. Forever, and alw…” His voice cut off as a needle and thread sewed his lips shut.
Fury I didn’t know I possessed rose inside, and without completely realizing what I was doing, I reached out a hand toward Sharra. My only aspiration, in that moment, was to crush her. Destroy her. Make her disappear so she wouldn’t hurt those I loved ever again.
A red light shot into Sharra. Disbelief and pain crossed Sharra’s face, and she clutched her chest.
“What are you doing?” She fell back, tripping over dead bodies.
I quickly placed Christopher’s heart back in his chest. Professor Pops said that to kill a Drone vampire, the head had to be severed, but Christopher wasn’t a Drone. He was a Hunter, and I’d already healed him once with the power of the Seal. Picking up Christopher’s head, I set it next to his body.
“Pocahontas, come to me child,” I heard Sharra say.
From the corner of my eye, I watched the Marked step over and around the dead girls, and kneel next to Sharra.
“Nooooo,” I screamed, and a pulse of red shot from my hands, and into the girl. She tumbled back.
Sharra’s eyes were wide with shock. “Either do what I want, or I promise you this.” Her voice shook with fear, and rage. “I will spend every waking moment making your life a living Hell. I won’t rest until every last person, creature, and being you’ve ever loved or cared about is destroyed.”
I stepped toward her. The Vampire Queen’s threats were only that though—threats.
“The only way you can harm me is if I allow you to continue to live as you are. And that isn’t going to happen.” I lifted both hands in front of me.
“Wait. Don’t,” she pleaded. “If you kill me, you’ll be no better than I am.”
One of the words Abernathy said, rehabilitation struck a chord, and found resonance. I hesitated, and allowed a triumphant smile to spread across my face.
“You’re right, Sharra. I’m not going to kill you.” I shifted my feelings. Instead of thinking of hate, I thought of forgiveness, pity, and mercy. This time, the light that pulsed from my hands wasn’t red, as it had been in the past, when I was angry. This time it was black.
All colors combined. The seven magics, I thought.
Sharra screamed as the power of the Seal pulsed through her. Her body writhed on the floor.
A black smoke surrounded her, consumed her…
The smoke dissipated. My breathing came rapidly, as though I’d been running.
The Vampire Queen was gone.
Not a body.
Not a speck of dust.
Nothing.
Where her body had been, there was only emptiness.
Had I killed her, after all?
Chapter 11
A collective sigh of relief came from the Worker vampires, and the Marked. The magical bonds, which held the girls, dissipated. They scrambled from their prison, stepping over the dead girls. Some hugged each other, like they were friends. And I wondered how long Sharra had them.
Several of the girls came forward.
“Thank you.”
“You saved us.”
“How can we ever repay you?”
They patted me on the shoulder, grabbed my hands, and pulled me into hugs.
I let them, unable to respond. Their words didn’t register.
Was it over, I thought struggling to believe Sharra was gone. Like gone, gone.
I turned toward the Worker vampires. Some were hugging, seemingly excited. Others weren’t sure what to do. And others appeared angry.
Dorian was still on the ground, his breathing laborious, but his lips were no longer sewn shut.
He was my first priority. I placed my hands on his chest, near his heart.
“Hi,” he said, gently.
Even after all I’d been through, all I’d done, I felt suddenly shy.
“Hi, yourself,” I responded.
He lay down, giving me easier access to his wounds.
“Hold still.”
He swallowed. “Alright. But go easy on me.” He tried to smirk, but it looked more like a grimace.
If he weren’t so broken I would’ve slapped him. Instead I sent the power of the Seal into him, healing him.
After several long moments, he looked better. His eyes were both bright, the wounds on his face and chest gone.
Dorian’s hands slid up my arms. My body shivered. Tingled. His fingers wound their way through my hair, and he pulled me forward so my face was above his. “You’re awesome.”
I smiled, and was about to say something smart, when I really looked at his eyes. They were no longer hazel, but black, except around the edges, which were flecked with all the colors of the magics. His eyes reminded me of the gem still in my pocket. At the thought, the gem heated.
“Your eyes. They’ve changed,” I whispered. We were so close I could smell his blood, and I yearned to taste, to suck, to drink him in.
“So have yours,” he whispered, touching my cheek.
“What? No way. What color?” I asked, surprised.
“They are black, and the edges flecked…” He pulled me closer, so we were nose to nose. “Gold, green, red, vio—”
A mournful scream interrupted him.
Back to reality, I thought, and stood. Dorian stuck out his hand. I grabbed it, and yanked him up. He bounced to his feet.
“What’s wrong with that guy?” One of the girls cried.
I glanced from the group of girls to the spot they were pointing, which was at Christopher. His body and head were trying to reattach themselves. It was a gruesome sight.
Dorian placed a hand on my arm. “Maybe you could help him?”
My first thought was to tell him no. If I helped him, he’d just try to kill me again. But then I thought about what happened to Sharra. Perhaps I could heal him, and use the Seal to give Christopher a change of heart. Maybe. If he disappeared, the way Sharra did, then all the better.
I knelt beside
my Hunter. His eyes found mine. They were filled with pain and fear. “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”
He blinked.
I touched his chest, in the spot where his heart should’ve been beating. But it no longer did. Sharra no longer had any power here. That meant Christopher could no longer be in the sun. Nor would he ever have a heartbeat. I wondered about the Marked, but knew their hearts no longer beat either, which meant mine didn’t either.
Sighing, I placed my hands on Christopher, and pressed the power of the Seal into his body. My thoughts swirled with healing, mercy, and kindness. There was regret, and anger too. But I pushed them down. For now.
His head and body reattached, the insides reassembled. When it was done, I stood.
Christopher gave me a wary look.
“You’re free to go, on one condition.”
“What is it?” he asked, his voice hard.
Dorian stood next to me, and I was grateful for his support. More than anything else, he was a friend.
“I don’t ever want to see your face again.”
“Deal,” he said, and ran.
I turned toward the Worker vampires. “You’re free. Go. Do good. Don’t kill. Don’t hurt others. Be kind.” I felt like I was speaking to children.
“Will you lead us?” One vampire asked.
“It is your right,” another said.
“We’ll see,” I answered.
Chapter 12
With the power of the Seal I reversed the magic placed on the girls that’d been Marked. Then I sent them back to their homes. Pocahontas wasn’t dead, but wounded. It turned out her Hunter convinced her that if Sharra claimed her body, she wouldn’t disappear, but would rule in Sharra’s stead.
Once I explained that wasn’t the case, she changed her tune. But she was a vampire, and one who’d consumed the heart of her true love. He’d been a human. She wouldn’t be welcomed back home. So I gave her a room in the castle.
Then I returned to Professor Pops’ mansion. When Dorian and I got there, no one was home.
Except Gatsby. He yowled like he hadn’t been fed in days. Dorian got him his food and water.
Blood and Snow 12: Vampire Ever After? Page 4
