by Martha Woods
Back in the living area, Kristian was crouched atop the marble counter. His eyes flashed between Tessa’s body and the lean witch standing before him. Fire burned in Calla’s hands, but the look on her face was apologetic. Behind her, Deidre stood over Tessa’s body. She jerked back her hand, a small, silver knife flashing. Tessa writhed on the floor, clutching the wound in her chest. Her mouth moved, but nothing came out.
Veronica moved first. She was faster than she’d ever been before. One moment she was beside Morgan, the next she had Deidre hoisted up by her neck. The witch no longer looked like someone’s happy grandmother. Veronica knew what she was.
Deidre was a Calder witch. She had led a Calder witch right into their home. She had been fooled by them again.
Her lips pulled back in a snarl as Veronica felt the air crackle around them. Heat singed her hair for a moment. She felt the impact, but no pain at first. The pain followed in a blinding rush. It radiated from her stomach and on through the rest of her body. Her fingers relaxed against her will. Strength left her body.
Deidre slipped from her grip. She heard the old woman cackle softly. She would not go down without the witch, Veronica thought. Gathering the last ounce of her will, she squeezed the velvet box in one hand and reached for a blade beneath her shirt with the other.
“The girl’s power will be mine and no one else’s,” Deidre growled.
The blade sung through the air towards the sound of the cackling. The edges of her blurred vision were turning black. She heard a soft thud before a gurgling sound filled the room. Veronica slumped to the floor, all of her strength sapped. There was a hole through her stomach, charred and burnt.
Dying had not felt like this before. The pain faded into cold numbness as the world turned dark.
“I swear I didn’t know!” Calla’s voice screamed. “I’m not like her. I’m not like her!”
“You’re going to die here,” she heard Kristian’s voice, low and ominous.
“No!” Calla sounded shrill, afraid. “Give me the chance to make this right!”
* * *
Veronica woke in her own room. The blankets were rumpled on the bed beside her. A cream colored faux fur blanket had been thrown over her. Was there an afterlife for vampires after all? If there was, then why did it look like her bedroom in the New York apartment? Why couldn’t it have been the beach house?
She turned her head and saw the velvet box sitting on her nightstand. The black box was stark against the cream painted wood. There was a promise of a life she could have had. She only hoped that Tessa had lived, for her brother’s sake.
Her phone vibrated on the same table, startling her. With one eyebrow raised in confusion, she reached for the cell phone. Charley’s face appeared next to a text message.
Get better soon, Vamp Leader One. It’s mission Rom Com when you’re back in shape. You and Ally need it.
So she wasn’t dead. While Charley was a demon, she doubted that one could send a text in the afterlife. Her eyes fell on the velvet box once again. It waited for her, patient and unmoving. Kind of like the man who had given it to her. Morgan had never really left her. She’d been the one to run from him. All along, all she had to do was follow him into the fray. She doubted that he’d be too happy about her doing it again after her brush with death, but he’d have to deal.
If that was what dying felt like, then she’d already faced it all. She could take on the world.
She could open the box.
For a long moment, she simply stared at it. Then, reaching with an arm that didn’t ache as much as she thought it would, she grabbed the box. It’s weight was familiar. She’d clutched it like a good luck charm as she killed Deidre.
Chewing on her lip, she flicked the box open. Nestled inside was a gold band with a coffin shaped diamond. She clamped a hand over her mouth, but she couldn’t suppress the laugh that bubbled up through her. On either side of the coffin shaped diamond was another diamond supported by gold skulls. It was beautiful in such a silly, macabre way.
She slipped it onto her finger, not thinking which finger she had chosen. Once she pulled it back to admire the ring, she realized that she had placed it on her left hand. She was startled by how right it felt.
The door cracked open and Morgan slipped inside. His hair was stuck up in every direction. And he looked like he hadn’t eaten anything in at least a day. His skin was nearly translucent. Those dark brown eyes lit up when he saw that she was awake. He crossed the room in an instant, gathering her into his arms. He jerked back, a grimace crossing his face.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he said, hands becoming gentle.
Veronica shook her head, her hands moving to cup his face. His eyes caught on the ring on her finger. A slow smile curved his lip. He caught her hand in his.
“Do you like it?” he asked hesitantly.
“Very much.” She smiled like an idiot. Her heart sang for the first time...maybe ever.
His rough thumb traced over her knuckles. “I know that you like the finer things in life, the prettier things, but I see now that there’s a dangerous streak in you. You aren’t a princess to be tucked away in a castle. You’re a vampire and life as a vampire suits you.”
“It does, doesn’t it?”
Morgan laughed. “Just don’t go pulling any stunts like you did the other night” His eyes darkened. Worry tightening his lips. “You killed Deidre, but I thought that she’d taken you with her. Kristian lost it when he saw both of you on the floor.”
Her brother. She hadn’t thought of him since she woke. To lose one’s sister and lover in one night? His head was just starting to come together.
“Tessa? Is she…?”
“Kristian was able to heal her with his own blood. She’s sleeping the rest of it off. The Calder witch missed her vital organs, thankfully..”
“What of Calla?” Veronica remembered the apologetic look on the witch’s face, her screams after Deidre breathed her last breath.
“It was her blood that healed you. She offered herself up to right her wrongs. Now, wherever Calla goes, we will know. If she escapes and leads their flock to us, we’ll know.”
Veronica rubbed her temples. There was no attic in the New York apartment. There was, instead, a room in the very center of the apartment with no windows. There was only a surgical table in the center of it. She knew that Calla would be strapped to the table while she cuddled Morgan in her bed. Calla would be there while she watched romantic comedies with Tessa, Charley, and Ally.
Calla hadn’t even wanted to attack them. Veronica had seen that in her eyes. She had seen the reluctance in Calla’s movements. Hell, she even offered her life blood to help heal Tessa. She’d only been a pawn in Deidre’s power play. That witch had lied to Calla. Deidre must have infiltrated the Firehaven flock under a false name. How long ago had she weaseled her way into their flock? How long had the Calder been searching for Tessa?
* * *
Jared leaned the wood chair back on two legs, one long leg stretch across the hall. On the other side of him was the door to the room. The walls were so thick that no one would hear Calla scream. The witch was in there, on the other side of that door.
Veronica knew what she was doing was stupid. She knew that her brother might hate her for it, but he would live. She would always know where Calla was. She would always be able to sense if Calla was coming for them.
“I need to talk to her,” Vanessa said, her voice flat as she spoke to Jared.
He turned his head up to look at her, interest swirling through his eyes. “Talk about what, exactly?”
She leveled her glare at him, trying to be so imposing that he would simply let her by. It didn’t phase Jared one bit. He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest lazily. Veronica couldn’t help but wonder who had told him to keep her out of the room. It felt like a knife in her chest. Had someone mistrusted her?
But, realization dawned on her. A slow smile touched the corners of her lips. She leane
d in close, planting a hand on either side of the chair back.
“Let me in or I’ll tell Ally that you’re protecting the witch,” Veronica whispered.
“I’m not scared of you, Ma’am. Tell them what you want.” It was the slight wrinkle in Jared’s forehead that gave him away. Veronica knew she was right.
“Then help me.” She smiled. She jumped over his raised leg and was in the room before he could stop her.
The witch had her eyes closed tight, hands fisted so that her knuckles were white. She wasn’t the sassy young woman that had stood on the doorstep of the safe house. There was a will of iron inside of her, but the veil of bravado was gone. She was simply prepared for pain. There was a bandage on the inside of her arm, proof that she had offered up her vein for Veronica’s life.
“It’s Veronica,” she whispered to the witch.
Calla cracked an eye open, grimacing. She probably only remembered Veronica killing her elder after her elder tried to put a hole through her. Veronica didn’t blame her if she was afraid, if she thought Veronica had come to finish the job.
“I’m here to cut a deal,” Veronica whispered. “I think we both know what happened was a mistake. You never wanted to see that happen. You know that Tessa is your true High Priestess.”
Calla’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. Veronica had her attention.
“Make a blood oath to your High Priestess and I will get you off this table for good. Refuse and I don’t know what my brother will do to you. See, you tried to kill his lover. Our kind don’t take that very well. It’s, well, it’s infuriating.”
“If I take that blood oath I’ll never go home again,” Calla said through gritted teeth.
“You’re not going home as it is,” Veronica reminded her. “You’re going to die here on this table. I don’t know what will kill you. Will you bleed out? Or will it be shock from the pain?”
“Veronica,” Jared’s voice warned. She cast a glare in his direction. He looked away.
She turned back to the witch on the table. Her life was in her own hands at this point, but until Veronica walked into the room she’d had no future. Calla could have one. She could choose to live her life in service to Tessa, right here where they could keep an eye on her. She hoped that the witch didn’t have a husband or children waiting for her back home. She hoped that she wasn’t ruining lives other than her own.
The witch stared at the ceiling for what felt like forever when she finally let loose a long sigh. She closed her eyes and nodded.
“What’s that?” Veronica needed her to say, to make the girl keep her word.
“I will take the blood oath,” she whispered.
“Good girl,” Veronica patted her hand. She wasn’t trying to be condescending. She was proud of the witch for wanting to live, for wanting to make amends. “But first, you need to share what you know.”
“Giving my life to you guys isn’t good enough for you?” the witch’s voice was bitter.
“You’re getting to live, Calla. But I need to know the truth. Did you know that Deidre was a Calder witch when you escorted her into our home?”
Calla shook her head. “She’s been a part of our Clan for as long as I can remember. It never once occurred to me that she might be one of them. She was a strong woman, commanding. That’s all we thought of her. I swear.”
Veronica wanted to believe her, but there was no real way to know if the witch was telling the truth. She was laying on what could be her literal deathbed. What did Calla have left to lose?
“I have a better question for you,” Veronica said. “I’ll allow you to take the blood oath if you can tell me why the Calder are hunting Tessa.”
Calla closed her eyes. “Deidre talked about an old story. She said that when the clans reunited that the blood would be strong. It is her blood that the Calder want. With it, with her death, they can set the world on fire.”
“That sounds a little vague,” Veronica said.
Calla sighed, clearly frustrated. “Why am I supposed to know what the Calder plan to do with Tessa? All I know is that we were not to let her fall into their hands. My parents tried to keep her safe as a normal child in a normal family, to keep her away from the world of witches.”
Veronica pondered her words. There had to be a truth in them somewhere. She wondered why Deidre had tried to kill Tessa. Had the Calder witch spent so much time in the Firehaven’s presence that she wished to see Tessa kept out of Calder hands at all costs?
“I’ll be right back. Until then, Jared will be right outside that door so don’t get any ideas while I’m gone.”
“There’s iron in the table,” Calla growled. “Can’t do much of anything.”
Veronica ducked out of the room and went in search of her brother’s lover. She hoped that they two love birds wouldn’t be together. It would be so much easier to make Tessa understand her. Tessa would know what it was like to be held against her will, to have no home.
Kristian, on the other hand, was probably still out for blood. Veronica had taken the kill from him, dropping Deidre before he could move. She felt like a dangerous woman. Like someone finally in charge of her own life.
Tessa was sitting at the kitchen island, eyeing the donor bag that Kristian was pouring into a mug. There was a queasy look on the human’s face, but it was something that she was going to have to become used to. She would be surrounded by vampires for the rest of her human life. Hell, she might even become a vampire eventually.
Veronica hung around the corner, out of her brother’s range of vision. Over and over, in her mind she screamed Tessa’s name. She begged her to come around the corner without her brother. She hoped that the fledgeling vampire got the hint.
“What the hell?” Tessa stage whispered when she rounded the corner.
Veronica didn’t waste any time, she gripped Tessa’s arm and forced her to move with preternatural speed. Tessa didn’t know what was going on until they were in the windowless room. Calla was laid out before her and she saw anger flicker across Tessa’s face. Only, it was aimed at Veronica.
She held her hands up to ward off any oncoming argument. “Hear me out.”
“No.” Tessa’s spine straightened. “You listen to me. I’d seen that woman before. She came to my apartment once and after that she haunted my dreams. She terrified me, but I trusted you. I trusted you to not bring a Calder witch into our home.”
Jared peered into the room and slowly closed the door. Veronica felt a familiar shift in the air right before Charley appeared. She popped into existence on the end of Calla’s table, one leg thrown over the other. Her combat boot bounced in the air.
“Did I fucking invite you?” Veronica growled. “This is not a free for all meeting.”
Charley looked down at Calla. “I’ve been in your shoes, pretty lady. I’ve only been eaves dropping for a little bit here, but it looks like you’ve got an okay deal. I won’t say it’s the best in the world, but they aren’t complete assholes here. You won’t regret your decision.”
Charley flashed Veronica a wide smile before popping out of the room again.
“You offered her a deal?” Tessa snapped.
“I did,” she stood to her full height. She easily had six inches over Tessa. “Calla was forced to do what she did. Hell, she didn’t even hurt anyone! She healed me.”
Tessa closed her eyes, appearing as if she were trying to steady her emotions. But, when she opened them again her eyes were on Calla. She had been reading the witch’s thoughts. Veronica wondered how deep Tessa could delve if she really tried.
“You’re right,” she breathed. She pursed her lips, thinking for a long moment. “What did you offer her?”
“A blood oath. It’s an old tradition between a witch and her High Priestess. Calla could offer you her blood oath and she would serve you for the rest of her life. She could return to her family from time to time if she wished, but the oath would compel her to come back, to never harm you or us again.”
&nb
sp; Tessa’s eyes flashed with anger as she turned back to Veronica. “You’re asking me to make a slave out of her?”
Veronica shrugged. “Do you want Kristian to carve her up right here on this table? Or do you want her to live out a decent life here with us? We aren’t exactly living in squalor. She can have my room for all I fucking care.”
“Where would you go?”
Good question. Veronica hadn’t thought before she spoke, but right then she realized that she was ready to leave her brother’s immediate circle. She knew where she wanted to be. It wasn’t a place, but a person. Tessa probably gleaned it from her thoughts because she saw the girl’s eyes flash before a wry smile turned her lips upward.
“Fine,” Tessa said. “How does this work?”
“Calla has to cut herself open for you. It’s supposed to show the great lengths she’s willing to go for you. She then swears over her open wound that her life is now bound to yours and that she’ll forever be in your service.”
“I know how this works,” Calla snapped. “I’m still right here.”
“The better question is how do you know this?” Tessa asked Veronica.
Leticia. They had been close, or at least Veronica had thought they were. It was starting to feel like Charley, the insufferable demon, was a closer friend than Leticia had ever been. It begged to question what kind of friends Veronica attracted, but that was a question to be answered later.
Tessa watched Veronica carefully. She tried hard to put a damper on her thoughts of Leticia. This moment was not about bad memories. It was about saving Calla’s life whatever way they could. Veronica moved around the medical table, gripping the restraints.
“I’m going to unstrap you now. If you think you’re going to try anything, please remember that you’re in a room with two vampires and a hybrid witch. I killed your matron and I will not hesitate to kill you if you think to hurt either of us.”
Calla only glared at her. Fine. She could be the angry and silent type. As long as she did what they asked of her tonight, then all would end fine. She hoped.
