“No!” Elle gasped, then pressed a hand over her mouth. She knew protesting would only make things worse.
“You got involved with a vampire.” She raised both hands and shoved Sienna so hard she fell with a cry. “And then you led him right to our front door.” Faerie dust flashed on her fingers. She threw her hand out, and her magic coalesced into a glowing whip that lashed across Sienna’s arm.
“Stop, stop, stop,” Elle pleaded behind her hand.
“You were disobedient,” Salvia said. “And now Sienna has to pay.” She struck Sienna again, causing her to cry out as she tried to scramble away across the carpet.
“You know how this usually works, my dear Elle. Whoever disobeys causes the other one to be punished. But you hurt Meredith. You hurt my sweet, darling favorite. Which means this time, the usual rules don’t apply. This time, you have to pay too.” She raised her hand and pointed one glossy fingernail toward the kitchen. “The cellar. Now.”
“No, wait,” Sienna whimpered from the floor. “Please don’t take her down—”
“Shut it,” Salvia snapped, stepping over her daughter. She grabbed Elle’s arm and shoved her toward the doorway. Elle tripped and dropped her purse, but managed to catch herself against the doorframe. “What is that?” Salvia demanded. Elle looked around and realized her stepmother’s eyes were on the phone number written in magic gold on her arm. “Whoever he is,” Salvia said, “you won’t ever be contacting him.” Her hand swiped through the air. Magic flashed down, zapping across Elle’s skin. A hiss of pain escaped her as the numbers vanished and a long red welt took their place. “Now move!” Salvia said.
Elle stood her ground, giving herself just a few seconds of defiance. She sought out Sienna’s eyes but instead caught Meredith’s. Meredith The Favorite. Sitting there with a triumphant smirk, despite her red-rimmed eyes and the healing aid patch stuck to her cheek.
Elle whipped her head back around, pushed away from the doorframe, and walked out of the room. Meredith had been Salvia’s favorite ever since the day Sienna had stamped her tiny foot as tears streamed down her face and yelled, “I wish you were dead and he was still alive!” It would have been bad enough if it had been her own father she’d been shouting about, but it wasn’t. It was Elle’s dad, and that made it even worse. Sienna loved him more than she loved her own mother, and she wasn’t afraid to scream it at Salvia. Until later. Later, after Salvia’s heart had hardened and she’d come up with the most effective way to punish her disobedient daughter and stepdaughter, then Sienna’s fear became real.
“You’re despicable,” Elle said as she marched into the kitchen with Salvia right behind her. She was about to be punished anyway. May as well say what she wanted to say.
“You made me this way,” Salvia replied bitterly. “You and your father. Vile humans.”
“You loved him,” Elle said, whirling around to face Salvia. “And he loved you. He did not make you into this—”
Salvia’s hand cracked across Elle’s face. Hot, stinging pain flared in her cheek. “Yes, I loved him. And it was the biggest mistake of my life.” She stepped past Elle. “Now follow me. And if you dare disobey, it’ll be Sienna who ends up in the cellar.” She headed for the door in the opposite corner of the kitchen and opened it.
Elle followed, taking a deep, steadying breath. But her hands were already beginning to shake at the thought of what was coming. She tried to focus on other things. The uneven stone steps, smooth with age. The chilly, stale air. The dark cellar lit only by a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. The shadows cast by the boxes and old possessions stored down there.
The wall was cold beneath her palms as she bent forward and pressed her hands against it. There was that familiar crack between two bricks. The crack she stared at every time. Salvia had never bothered to ask anyone to fill it—
Burning, white-hot pain slashed across her back, tearing her focus from the wall. She sucked in a breath through her clenched teeth. Magic flashed a second time, striking her back and eliciting a whimper despite how hard she tried to clamp her lips together. She squeezed her eyes shut and silently repeated the same words she always focused on when Salvia punished her.
It’ll be over soon.
It’ll be over soon.
It’ll be over soon.
Later that night, Elle lay on her stomach on top of her quilted bedspread, her head twisted to the side and one hand clamped around the gold pocket watch. She still wore her sparkly dress, which had been torn to shreds across the back by Salvia’s magic. It would be too painful to try to remove. She would suffer in agony through the night, and early in the morning, Salvia would send Sienna up with some human-safe healing balm. Sienna would help Elle remove the dress, use the limited magic that was allowed on humans, and by the time Elle had to begin her chores for the day, the pain would be bearable. It would remain her companion throughout the day and night tomorrow, but by the next day, her back would be free of pain and scars. Until next time.
Elle squeezed the pocket watch tighter and stared at the sliver of the moon and a few tiny twinkling stars through her dusty window. Look to the stars, her mother had embroidered on the quilt, but both the moon and the stars faded out of focus as tears glazed Elle’s eyes. She always tried to be strong, to never despair, to live in hope. Her parents wouldn’t have wanted her to give up. But on nights like tonight, alone in the darkness with the searing pain almost too much to bear, she couldn’t help but break down. Tears trickled down her cheeks and wet the pillow.
Elle didn’t know how long they continued to fall, but eventually they slowed. Then they dried up. The outline of the window and the moon—in a different part of the sky now—came back into focus. She breathed in a shuddery breath and sought out the determination that lived deep inside her. The resolve that Salvia could never truly destroy, no matter what she did to Elle. “Freedom,” Elle whispered through shaky lips. She held onto that word like a promise. One day, it would be hers.
Carefully, she pushed herself up and turned around. Her purse sat on the end of the bed. Sienna must have brought it up here while Elle was in the cellar. Thank goodness. At least Salvia hadn’t got hold of it. In her fury, she seemed to have forgotten that Elle returned home with a purse in her hands.
She leaned forward, trying not to pull the skin on her back too much, and tugged the purse closer. She opened it and pulled her phone out. Salvia had wiped the numbers from her arm, but Elle’s gaze had traced them so many times while walking home that she could see them clearly in her mind’s eye. She lifted the phone, opened a new message, and entered the numbers. Then, after taking another deep breath, she started typing.
Elle: Three vials a day. If the offer still stands, I’m in.
NEXT …
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City of Wishes continues in The Vampire Trap!
Rachel Morgan spent a good deal of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making, crafting endless stories of make-believe and occasionally writing some of them down. After completing a degree in genetics and discovering she still wasn’t grown-up enough for a ‘real’ job, she decided to return to those story worlds still spinning around her imagination. These days she spends much of her time immersed in fantasy land once more, writing fiction for young adults and those young at heart.
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Rachel lives in Cape Town with her husband and three miniature dachshunds. She is the author of the bestselling Creepy Hollow series and the Ridley Kayne Chronicles. She also writes sweet contemporary romance under the name Rochelle Morgan.
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www.rachel-morgan.com
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Sign up for Rachel’s author newsletter to receive updates about her books.
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The Memory Thief Page 9
