by Last, K. A.
“You know, thinking like that is not going to make me like you,” I said.
“What will make you like me?”
He brushed my cheek with his fingers. I really wished he’d stop doing that, it made my head go cloudy.
Archer cleared his throat loudly and brought me back to the present. “Are we going to sit here discussing your relationship, or are we going after this bi…”
“Archer!” I said.
He slid his chair back from the table and it made a horrible squealing sound on the concrete floor.
“I vote for the latter,” Seth grumbled, running his hands through his hair and standing.
“Do we have a plan?” Archer said.
“You could try to hide your sarcasm, you know.”
“I wouldn’t have to if you weren’t fraternising with the enemy, Grace.”
The tension hung in the air as the three of us stared each other down.
Slowly, and trying to hold his composure, Archer said, “I know you two have history, but come on, it’s Seth. He’s…”
“Standing right here ready to help us.”
The boys glared at one another, and I swear steam was coming from Archer’s ears. I threw my hands in the air in exasperation.
“Can you stop acting like boys and start behaving like men? Just try to like each other for the next few hours, please. We have two rings we need to figure out how to get.”
“One ring,” Seth said. He held a thin silver band between his thumb and forefinger. A tiger eye stone was set in the centre of diamond encrusted wings.
“Where did you get … how did you … Seth?”
My mouth dropped open. Archer was trying to hide his shock as he leant in for a closer look. Seth laid the ring in the palm of my hand and I tried to ask again how he’d managed to get Annie’s ring, but I couldn’t form the words.
“She was a piece of cake,” Seth said, shrugging. “All I had to do was push her buttons, so to speak, and it was mine for the taking.” He laughed at the expression on my face and it made me angry, or was I jealous?
“What do you mean push her buttons?”
“You’ve got so much to learn, Grace. I simply knocked her out.” Seth moved towards me until we were almost touching. “There’s a spot on our backs, right at the bottom of our wing lines.” I froze as he gently slipped his hand under my T-shirt and up my back. “Right about here, where they almost join,” he said. His touch was soft and surprisingly warm.
“Gracie, what’s he…?”
“Arch, it’s ok. Isn’t it, Seth?” I looked up into his dark, smouldering eyes.
He leant in and I felt his lips move against my forehead when he spoke. “One direct hit and you’d be unconscious,” he whispered, before taking his hand away and stepping back.
“Unconscious?” Archer asked.
“An angel’s only weakness,” Seth said. “Generally, Angels of the Light don’t know about it, why would they need to in their perfectly safe haven of Heaven? Only the Guardian, and a select few, know how to render an angel powerless.”
Angels could be knocked out. It had never happened to me and I didn’t think I wanted it to. I was usually the one doing the knocking out. My head was so full of new information I was having trouble putting it into coherent order. I turned Annie’s ring over a few times before putting it in my pocket.
Seth looked at me with a devilish crooked smile and I couldn’t help smiling back. For a moment I wanted to reach out and touch his lips, I wanted to know what they felt like. What was wrong with me? A few days ago, even a few hours ago, I would have been the last person thinking about how much I liked anything about Seth. But the more time I spent with him, the more I didn’t want him to leave.
“How do you know all these things?” My voice cracked as I spoke.
“I’ve been one of the fallen longer than you’ve been on earth, Grace. Sometimes you discover things as a matter of survival. Plus, we have access to more knowledge because we’ve seen both sides of the coin. Angels of the Light are very sheltered, to say the least.”
I had so many questions and no time for answers. Where was Annie now she had no wings? Did Angelica know Seth had stripped her?
“Annie is no longer a problem,” Seth said, reading my jumbled thoughts. “Angelica, on the other hand, is out there somewhere. She took off as soon as I had the ring in my hand.”
“What do you mean, no longer a problem?” Archer asked. “Angels can’t die.”
“Actually, we can, we just don’t publish it in the How to of Mystical Creatures handbook.”
“Seth?” I asked. “You implied it wasn’t easy.”
“It’s not easy, but it’s also not impossible. All you need is the ring, and a drop of the angel’s blood, then poof, gone.”
Why did everything have to do with blood?
“Now you can add angel killer to your résumé,” Archer spat.
“Archer, Seth is trying to help us.”
“Yeah, remind me again why that is? Oh, that’s right. You want to get into my sister’s pants.”
“Archer!” I could have killed him. My cheeks felt hot and Seth’s grin widened.
“What?” Seth asked. “It’s true.”
Archer stormed out of the shed, and in an attempt to hide my embarrassment I went to follow him.
“She’s not dead,” Seth said. “You have Annie’s soul right there in your pocket.”
I stopped quickly and pulled the ring out, then held it up to the light. Her soul? When I looked closely I saw a white orb shimmer under the surface of the amber stone. I looked at Seth with wide questioning eyes.
“To kill her,” he said, “you need to break the ring.”
THRITY-THREE
JOSH
Sunday Morning
Everything was dark. The silence pushed down on me and all I could hear was a faint ringing in my head, like the sound you hear when you really strain your ears but there’s nothing. There had been pain, and I vaguely remembered trying to escape it, to get up and run, but I couldn’t. I remembered crying out. There had been muffled voices but now they were gone. Also, I felt different. Actually, I didn’t feel anything. Several attempts to move and open my eyes proved futile, I was paralysed.
I struggled to remember who I was. I certainly didn’t know where I was. The ground was hard, and being surrounded by darkness didn’t help. My memories of the past few hours didn’t leave me many clues, only a pain so blinding it blocked everything else.
“I have to get out of here,” a voice said. Then another argued with it. The melodic sound of the first triggered something. Grace? Grace, I’m here. Grace?
Nothing.
When I strained my ears I heard shallow breathing, and the more I was aware of it, the louder it became, until it was thundering inside my head. I tried again and again to scream, but I couldn’t move. This is what hell must feel like, I thought. If only I’d known things were about to get much worse.
Memories of Grace filtered into my mind, the softness of her skin, the sweet sound of her voice, her warmth, her smell. Happiness filled my heart. Then another memory, the one I wished I’d never witnessed, resurfaced burning itself into the undersides of my eyelids. Seth. Touching her, and I remembered how mad I was, storming off down the driveway only to be confronted by more trouble at the other end. I hoped Abby and Claudia were ok, then the pain took over again and all thought of them left my mind.
I tried to focus on how to get out of this situation, but my attention was pulled to a burning sensation in my throat. Still unable to move, it felt hot, then cold, then hot again. At first it was nice, to be able to feel something, and then it grew more intense, spreading to my chest. One second I was on fire, burning from the inside out, and then it was so cold I thought my body would freeze and shatter. The cold and burning slowly spread through the rest of me, and every centimetre it moved the more I tried to call out. What had I done to deserve this?
A shattering scream penetrated the
silence. I felt a strong pair of hands pin my shoulders to the hard ground. I was moving, and for a second I was elated, until I realised my body was thrashing and the screaming was coming from my own throat. The loud shallow breathing had turned to panting, and I could smell fear. It was a rancid sweaty smell that didn’t belong to whoever was holding me—that smell was like strawberries. Then there was something else, the smell of blood.
My eyes flew open and Charlotte was sitting on my chest. “Why are you sitting on me?” I calmed a little and gazed at her troubled face.
She jumped up and edged her way to the wall. That’s when I noticed Ryan standing in the shadows. I rolled over onto my hands and knees. The fire and ice inside me had subsided, but my throat was still burning. It took a second to collect myself before I jumped to my feet and scanned the room. It was dark, dank and dusty. Soft sunlight filtered through the small window slits, illuminating the dust. I stood beside a sandstone coffin and wasn’t sure exactly where I was, so I asked.
“Grace’s family cemetery,” Ryan said. His eyes were bright with fear and he was trembling slightly. He looked like he was afraid of me.
“Where is Grace?” Neither of them answered. We stood in silence; Ryan’s breathing the only sound in the room. Why could I hear him breathing? “She’s with him, isn’t she?”
“She left with Archer,” Charlotte said. “We don’t know where they’ve gone.”
Anger rose inside me and I wanted to break something, or someone. Right then I hated Grace; she’d not only betrayed me, but abandoned me when I needed her. If she’d been the one hurt I would never have left her side. Everything was different now. I felt different, not myself, like I was partially removed from my own body, but I felt stronger. Charlotte took a tentative step towards me, and I couldn’t read her expression. My throat still burned, I rubbed it in an attempt to relieve the pain.
“It won’t go away,” Charlotte said, softly. “It never goes away.”
“What happened to me?”
“The thirst is the hardest part,” she continued. “But you’ll learn to live with it.”
“Learn to live with it? What do you mean? Tell me what happened!”
Before I could stop myself I was on her, surprised at how quickly I crossed the room. My hand was around her neck as I shoved her against the wall. She didn’t whimper or cringe; she simply brought her arms up and knocked my hand away, then punched me in the face, sending me reeling backwards.
“That hurt,” I said, rubbing my jaw.
“Not as much as it would’ve if you were still human.” Charlotte raised her fists ready to fight. I couldn’t help laughing.
“So, what, I’m one of you now, a vampire? Maybe that’s why you smell so good,” I said, turning to Ryan. He took a step away and swallowed, the sound echoed in my ears.
“You want to eat me?” His voice was barely a whisper but I heard him from across the room. It sounded like a novel idea; the thought of tasting his blood made my mouth water.
“Josh, look at me.” Charlotte stepped slowly towards me. “You don’t want to hurt him, he’s your best friend, remember?”
She was right, I didn’t want to hurt him, but I knew I would. To get at Ryan, I needed to get through Charlotte. She was a girl so I hoped I was stronger; then before I could make my decision her voice resonated around the stone room.
“Ryan, run.”
With Ryan’s blood in my sights, I lunged towards him, and I would have made it if I hadn’t been knocked off my feet. My back hit the floor and I flipped myself up again, coming face to face with Charlotte. She snarled and bared her fangs, a deep growl rising from her throat. Ryan was nowhere in sight.
“Get out of my way.” I tried to push her, but she stood her ground.
“Don’t make me hit you again, Joshua Chase.”
My fangs extend for the first time, taking me by surprise, and they throbbed like a toothache. I ran my tongue over my teeth, feeling their sharp points, and smiled. Then I took a swing at Charlotte. I was taught never to hit a girl, but she was no ordinary girl, and she could take care of herself. She ducked then spun around behind me, but I spun with her. We fought, punch for punch and kick for kick, until I felt my legs go out from under me again. My butt hit the floor, wounding my pride, and I wasn’t very happy.
“You’re good,” I said.
“You have to get past the anger, Josh, and just deal. You’re a Blaze now.”
“Then let me deal in my own way,” I said, getting to my feet.
“By killing your friends? No. I will kill you first if I have to.”
“There’s only one person I want to kill,” I said, “and he is definitely not my friend.”
“I’m your friend.” Charlotte lowered her fists, and another drop of blood splashed onto her already smeared cheeks. “I’m sorry for doing this to you, but you were dying. And Grace…”
“Grace what?” I yelled. “Cheated on me, left me here on a hard stone floor to writhe in pain while she flitted off with the enemy?”
“No, she’s doing what has to be done. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing you. Grace begged me to change you. She didn’t want you to die, and Seth helped save you.”
“Save me? Is that what you call it, turning me into a monster is saving me?”
Charlotte tensed. “Is that what you think you are? We’re not monsters, Josh,” she whispered. I shouldered past her towards the door. “Please don’t go. If they find out you’re like me, they’ll be after you, too.”
I knew she was right and I needed her help, but I was angry. There were things I had to sort through, a certain someone I needed to confront. And how could I know for sure I was a Blaze? What if I was just your average everyday vampire? Grace would know just by looking at me, but thinking about her hurt too much.
When I walked out into the morning sunshine its rays made me tingle. It felt like tiny needles dancing on my skin. The sensation wasn’t overly pleasant, but one I could get used to. Ok, not an ordinary vampire then. I kicked myself for being so dumb. But, if I was one of the Blaze, why did I feel so bad? I certainly didn’t feel good. All I could think about was revenge and bringing down the one person who’d taken my reason for existing, taken Grace.
My decision to walk away from Charlotte, and turn my back on the only person that understood, changed everything. Passion and hate blinded me. I ran through the forest, following the sickly scent of fear and the sweet smell of blood. The shadows hid me as I watched my mark, and waited.
From that point on, I would spend the rest of my existence washing the blood from my hands.
THIRTY-FOUR
JOSH
The scent of Ryan’s blood consumed me, and it was all I could think about as I quietly followed him through the forest. He was just up ahead; the sound of his heart thumped loudly inside my ears.
Becoming a vampire wasn’t exactly on my list of New Year’s resolutions, and I wasn’t sure if I liked being one yet, but I thought I could get used to it. I felt like I was outside my own body, looking down on someone else controlling it. Deep inside I knew wanting Ryan’s blood was wrong, and I had the power to overcome the urge, but I was having too much fun.
“A little lost, are we?” I called out to him.
He turned, his face plastered with fear. Charlotte was right, I didn’t want to hurt him, and if I didn’t have her blood running through my veins, Ryan would have already been dead. For the entire half hour I’d been a Blaze, I finally understood the meaning of inner turmoil. He was my best friend, but the smell of his blood was making my mouth water.
“Were you in on it, too, the idea to make me one of them?” I spat.
“You were dying.” Ryan took a step away.
“You should have let me die!”
“I didn’t make the call, Grace did.”
The mere mention of her name made me angry. Who did she think she was, making a decision like that? It wasn’t hers to make. She should’ve known better.
“What do you think of the new look?” I smiled, showing off my nice pointy fangs. Ryan didn’t respond. “Let me guess; now you’re scared of me?”
“Something like that.”
“I bet you’re trying to figure out how to get away,” I said, moving closer.
“You’re not yourself, Josh.”
“Really, I would never have guessed that.”
The trees rustled with a faint breeze and a magpie cawed. Ryan waited for me to make my move. I got the impression he was giving up, which annoyed me immensely. Where was the fun in a fight if you were the only one fighting? But then again, Ryan had always been soft. He was never a fighter. Ryan was your typical all round nice guy. So nice sometimes it made me sick. I’d never have said it to his face, but things change. I’d changed.
“Are you going to man up and fight me, or what?”
“The last thing I want to do is fight you, you’re my best friend,” he said.
“Things are different now.”
“Yes, they are, but I know you’re still in there. I’ve always been here for you, why are you taking this out on me?”
My laughter echoed through the trees and the magpie took flight. That was a good question; because he was there, because he was friends with Grace, because I could, because I needed to take it out on someone, because all of the above.
“How would you feel after you hurt me?” Ryan asked. “You know I’m not strong enough to fight you.”
“I’m guessing I might feel a little better, releasing some anger.”
Ryan shook his head. “Who are you? I don’t know you anymore.” He turned away, taking only one step before I raced around in front of him. I grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him against the nearest tallowwood. Ryan flinched at the menacing growl coming from my throat.
“You know what, fine,” he said. “Go on, beat me up, eat me, kill me, I don’t care. You’re a coward, you weren’t even brave enough to face the problem, and beating on me doesn’t change the fact Grace is probably with Seth right now.”
