I looked quickly around the yard one last time as I neared the back door. Nothing visible, nothing witchy hiding and yet, I felt the slow creep of eyes on me. Like someone was watching my every move. I glanced one last time over my shoulder. No one.
I’m going bonkers.
Turning back toward the door, I tested the knob. Locked.
I muttered a spell, another that I used quite regularly, heard the click of the lock and smiled. So easy. Reaching with my free hand, I turned the knob and pulled the door open.
“Can I help you, young lady?”
I spun, couching low, and maneuvered to block a potential attack. My spell jolted with the sudden adrenaline, sparking along my fingertips as I glared at the old man who stood before me.
“Is there something that I can help you with?” He repeated. He moved closer to me, hands raised cautiously.
I frowned. He didn’t look like a threat, but I’d been fooled before. I scanned him for magic. No trace emanated from him. Not a witch, not in disguise. His wrinkles and gray hair seemed genuine. I pulled in my magic and let some of my power ebb back into my body. I cautiously rose. “My name is Kali Richards.” I holstered my spike in my belt and pulled out my badge. “Certified Witch Hunter.”
The old man glanced at my badge and nodded. He lowered his own hands to his sides. “Well, you’ll not find any witches here. Only vampires.”
Liar. “You’re a Dhampir?”
The old man nodded, then rolled up his sleeve to show his clan tattoo. I didn’t recognize it, but that didn’t say much. There were so many Dhampir clans around that there was no way I could know all of the insignias.
“If you’re a Dhampir, then what’s with the blackened windows?” I nodded behind me at the house. Dhampirs didn’t need protection from the sun. They were immune.
The old man shrugged then nodded to his house. “It’s a safe house for vampires. There’s nothing criminal about that. I charge a fee. You get a room, like a hotel.”
I cocked my head to the side. “I’ve never heard of a Dhampir willingly helping a Strix.”
There were two types of vampires—the day-walkers known as the Dhampir and the night-stalkers known as the Strix. Each had their own groups, clans and gangs, and neither tolerated the other very well. The Dhampirs were law abiding, contributing members of society. The Strix were criminals. They were enemies within their own species. It was a political situation as well as a bloody one. The witches tried to stay out of it.
My beef was with the nasty Strix variety. It had been a Strix gang who had brutally killed my sisters.
The Dhampirs were tolerable. They’d done nothing to hurt me. Either way, though, I didn’t particularly trust any species that needed blood to survive. Call it instinctual discrimination, but I got the creepy-crawlies every time I thought of vampires in general. There was something about needing and using humans—and witches—for sustenance that had me squirming.
The old man shrugged again. “I make money however I can. When you make the choice to live as a human, you make the choice to live apart from your clan.”
An unturned Dhampir. Very interesting. No wonder he looks so old.
Not a vampire then. Dhampirs got to choose. Born with vampiric DNA, they would come into their fangs when they died. Each was given a choice at the age of thirty—die and be reborn, or live on as a human and die a natural death. If you chose life as a human, though, you went it alone. No clan affiliation. No family. No financial support.
“Who spelled your warnings at the front of the house?” I nodded toward the house.
The old guy’s bushy eyebrows shot up in uncontrolled surprise. “How did you…” He narrowed his eyes as his gaze swept my body. “You’re a tracker? A witch?”
“Who cast the spells?”
With a dismissive wave, he slowly began to move around me. “Some witch girl I know. Hires herself out for protection spells, warnings, things like that.”
“Is she registered?”
The old man cocked an eyebrow.
“It’s illegal to cast protection spells without clearance from the Council.”
“So arrest me.”
I flipped my badge closed and slid it into my pocket. Some nerve. For all he knew, I was working for the Council.
Even still, I’d tracked my bounty to his house. I needed to get inside and I knew it would go a lot more smoothly if I played nice.
“Listen, sir, I don’t want any trouble. How about you let me take a look inside and I won’t let the Council know that you’re buying illegal spells?” I bluffed.
The old man shrugged again. “I’ve got nothing to hide.” He moved to open the door wider. “But it’s your funeral.”
Chapter Four
“I’m not looking for trouble. I’m after a witch and I followed her trail here.” I pulled off my sunglasses and hung them from the neckline of my tank top. The house was dark and the old guy didn’t seem particularly concerned if I could see or not.
“I don’t harbor any witches, young lady.” He led me into the small kitchen and tossed his keys on the table. “You’re welcome to look around, but I wouldn’t recommend entering any of the rooms. The vampires don’t look kindly on the law.”
I snorted. “I’m not the law.” I yanked my stake from my belt and took a step into the darkened hallway. “I told you that I’m looking for a witch.” Once again, I re-enforced my tracking spell. The magic was stronger inside. The witch was still somewhere in the house. “And I know that she’s here.” I smiled, confident I’d have this wrapped up in an hour. Then it’d be home to eat and sleep, preferably for longer than a handful of time.
My power was waning. I’d been casting spells too freely over the past few days and with only five hours sleep the night before. I was definitely feeling the effects of over-exhaustion. Adrenaline alone pushed me forward. That and the overwhelming need to see justice done for the Curtis family.
The memory of the girl’s body scorched my mind. So young. So innocent. Dead eyes staring into nowhere, a death spell lingering like rotten meat in the air. She had been hit hard, killed within seconds. No blood, no visible wounds, just pale, hollow looking, dead. At least she hadn’t suffered—probably hadn’t even known she was dying.
My hand shook as I moved cautiously toward the first door. My tracking spell vibrated ahead of me, giving me peaks of intensity as it moved from door to door.
“Is every room occupied?” I glanced over my shoulder.
The old man remained in the kitchen, watching me with indifference. He gave a slight nod then took a sip from a glass in front of him.
I moved forward once again, my legs feeling heavy, my spell bouncing around erratically, exhaustion working its way through me. The darkness of the place was lulling my body into believing it was time for a nap. I stifled a yawn with the back of my hand, silently cursing myself.
I counted five doors, five vampires, at least. My stomach clenched and my palms began to sweat. A chill ran down my spine and new adrenaline raced back up.
My tracking spell pulled me toward the last door on the left. I tensed as I laid my hand on the doorknob.
Are you ready for this?
I took a deep breath, sheathed my stake and pooled my power into my hand. Heavy duty stun spell, had to be a direct hit. I only had enough power for one.
I flung open the door and stepped into the room. “Wakey, wakey witch, you’ve got a date with a hunter.”
It wasn’t the witch that greeted me on the other side. It was the hulking mass of the vampire I’d seen the night before. Waiting with arms crossed and a nasty smirk.
Things moved downhill pretty quickly.
Glass shattered, doors opened, punches flew. Shouts and shrieks bellowed around me and I was forced in the confusion to move out of the hallway. Vampires streamed out of all rooms and they were pissed.
I found myself backed into a corner of what looked like a living room of sorts. I unleashed my stun spell on the closest vamp sending him flying into the kitchen to land with a thud on the table. The old man sat calmly in his chair, his drinking glass still in his hand as the legs of the table buckled under the weight of the body.
I was unleashing spells as fast as I could utter them, pooling my last reserves of power and relying on the chaos and disorder to hide the fact that my spells weren’t working as well as they should have. Panic and high emotion did nothing for the concentration I needed to cast. My spells were malfunctioning.
The windows on two sides of me blew out, something I hadn’t meant to do but which actually helped me somewhat. The broken windows allowed sunlight to stream into the room. The vampires were closing in, circling me like predators, avoiding the scorching rays of the sun and attempting to pin me down into a corner. But I wasn’t that easily bullied. I had them moving, trying to force them with my spells into one of the many beams of sunlight.
Who builds a vampire den with so many windows anyway?
“I’m not here for you,” I yelled as frustration rolled over me. “Where is the witch? I know she’s here.”
The vampires growled and tightened their semicircle. I pulled another stake from my belt and readied myself for the attack. Four vampires, all royally pissed to be up during the day. Even though it was midday, I was outnumbered. The vampires would get the better of me soon if I didn’t think of something.
I flinched and shifted my eyes to the window, my lingering tracking spell picking up a spike of power. A crack of lightning sounded in the distance and my heart thudded in response. The sun slowly faded from the floors and the room suddenly began to grow very dark.
Oh shit.
“Storm’s coming,” the old man said from the kitchen.
The rain had already begun and dread soaked through my body, crushing my adrenaline rush from a moment before. Rain brought artificial night. There was no escape now—no protective sunlight.
The room grew almost completely black and the vampires suddenly got the urge for a little blood.
I braced myself for the attack and frantically shifted my thoughts to some kind of Plan B.
Out the windows seemed like the easiest escape route. Hungry vampires between me and the exit… Problem?
Sensing my obvious plan, the vampires closed rank, shoulder to shoulder almost and effectively blocking any pathway to the windows, fangs coated with saliva, bodies tense and ready to strike.
Awww, shit!
Chapter Five
The hair on the back of my neck rose as the storm blew in.
That’s no ordinary storm, that’s a spell. Someone’s helping the vampires, someone with a great deal of power.
I slowly edged my way toward the passageway that would lead me to the bedrooms and the back door. I needed to get out of there fast. Things had just gone way out of my magic league.
I raised my stake in front of me and bared my teeth at the vampires. Pathetic really. Fang for fang, they definitely had better equipment.
For the Strix, darkness equaled mealtime, the impulse to drain me moving them on instinct more than anything.
There will be no reasoning with them now.
I concentrated on chanting another spell, carefully building it while I pooled another blast of power in my palm, intent on buying myself enough time to make it down the hall. I needed to get outside. Even if it was dark and raining, I was banking on the idea that the vampires wouldn’t venture too far away from safety given that it was the middle of the day.
I pulled my every last reserve of power, yanking it taut until I had enough for the spell. It wouldn’t be much—my power was waning—but it hopefully would be enough to get me out of there.
I launched it, illuminating the room in vivid yellow rays. With the darkness of the storm, my spell had more of an effect than I anticipated. The vampires screamed as they shielded their eyes, moving like ping pong balls erratically away from me.
I took the cue, spun and ran.
I moved quickly down the hall and turned around the corner that would take me outside. I made it to the door, but my momentary relief evaporated as a heavy hand landed on my arm and yanked me back in.
I yelped when sharp nails dug into the tender flesh of my shoulder. Another hand landed roughly on my mouth, stifling the scream that bubbled in my throat. I screeched with fury, my head yanked to the side while a bastard vampire that I couldn’t see sank its fangs into my neck.
As the vampire locked its jaws on my throat, it twisted my arm so violently that I was certain it would break, sending stabbing pain to my shoulder. The stake I still held fell useless to the ground. My neck throbbed with a burning sensation. The vampire slurped and suckled, the sound enough to make me want to vomit.
I thought this was supposed to be sexy.
The storm outside seemed to magnify. My eyes shot wide as the vampire gave my arm another twist, intensifying the sensation of my bone nearly breaking in two. With the pain came new resolve.
Enough.
Rage propelled me into action. There was no way I was going to die at the hands of a blood-sucking fiend. I reached across my chest with my free hand and jabbed my thumb deeply into my attacker’s eye. Luckily, my aim was true. The vampire screeched and released me with such sudden force that I stumbled forward.
I looked down at my thumb in disgust. It was coated in blood. I wiped it across my pants as I jolted into motion, jumping forward and out of the house. I clasped my other hand to my neck, then I bolted from the backyard and down the side pathway. My adrenaline rush finally waned, my legs stopped working the way they were supposed to and I stumbled against the wall of the house.
I was drenched already, the pouring rain cascading over me in waves, the intensity of the storm terrifying considering I knew it was manufactured. That kind of power was something I was not prepared to face, especially in my current power-depleted state.
I leaned against the side of the house. The vampire had taken a lot of my blood and brutalized my neck. Panting, I pulled my hand away from my wound. The rain washed the blood away almost immediately but I’d seen what I needed to see. My blood was pouring out with or without a vampire there to suck it up. I felt the deadening effect of the bite as more blood gushed, my remaining powers disappearing like a candle being snuffed. Even if I tried, there’d be nothing, no power, no magic available for me to use. I was tapped out. Done.
I heaved myself off of the wall and stumbled to the edge of the house. My SUV was in the distance. Fear spiked through me as I glanced toward the front lawn. The vampires were all coming out of the window. While the storm raged, they had no fear of sunlight. They were still rubbing their eyes but definitely recovering from the initial effects of my spell.
Fuck. I’m dead.
A wave of nausea rolled over me and I slid down the wall, my hand trailing as I tried desperately to remain upright. I’d been stupid. Damn stupid. I should never have gone in there alone. I should have just waited her out, tracked her when she left.
My vision wavered. I pulled myself to my hands and knees. If I could get to my SUV and stay conscious, I could get out of there.
I reached deep within myself searching for any power, but there was nothing left. Shit.
With one last bit of strength, I pushed myself forward, clearing the side of the house. I forced myself to stand on wobbly legs. My SUV suddenly looked a million miles away. I swiveled my eyes to my right. The vampires had finally caught my scent and now had me in their sights. They were on their way and I was lunch.
And then, out of nowhere came this screeching sound. I crumpled back to my knees as a huge pickup truck flew over the curb and smashed into the group of vamps, the sound of twisting metal somehow heartwarming when its front grill battered them down.
I felt like I was witnessing some crazy action movie scene. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Whoever this person was, he or she had just saved my life.
Through the haze of blood loss and the waves of rain, I saw the person jump from the truck and quickly dispatch two of the closest vamps, twisting a stake in each of their chests before standing to face me. It was definitely a he, and a hugely muscular he at that. Within seconds, he was crouched at my side. With his strong arm encircling my waist, he heaved me up to my shaky legs.
“Can you walk?” He was yelling over the rumble of his truck’s engine and the drone of the rain.
I nodded then tested my strength. “Just get me to my SUV.”
He grunted as we quickly closed the distance to my vehicle. My head was spinning with the movement and my eyesight was fuzzy at best. How I was going to drive, I didn’t exactly know, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to let myself pass out there.
I dug my keys from my pocket and fumbled with the lock for mere seconds before he snatched them out of my hand and unlocked the door for me.
“I could have done it.” I grumbled when he opened the door and slid me into the driver’s seat. Leaning over me, he jammed the key in the ignition and started the SUV.
I laid my head back against the headrest as he started to pull away. My vision faded to black for a moment, then flared red when I felt him yank my head to the side.
“You’ve been bitten,” he hissed.
Before I could answer, or open my eyes completely, I felt the strangest cooling sensation tingling through my tattered flesh and the pain from my neck wound suddenly disappeared. I popped my eyelids open as my brain kicked into lucid clarity once again. Reaching up to my neck, I felt that my wounds were no longer gaping. “What the…”
He leaned into the car, his violet eyes blazing with intensity. “Kali, go home. I’ll follow you.”
The Dark War: The Dark War, Book 1 Page 3
