Dark Secret

by Danielle Rose

  “Lies! I saw them. Admit it!” Hikari shouts, garnering the attention of nearby vampires. I’ve never seen these few before, and I’m fairly certain this is an awful way to make first introductions. Now they’re going to be suspicious of me too—even if Hikari’s accusations are unfounded. I mean, honestly, who will they believe? A vampire who’s fought to protect them from rogues, or me, a witch-turned-vampire who barged in last night and hasn’t left.

  “All I packed were clothes, bathroom stuff, a photo album, and…” I trail off as I consider the final two items in my bag.

  Huh. It never occurred to me that those two particular items could be blown out of proportion. This could be a bad situation for me.

  “And what?” Hikari urges. Her black pixie locks are wildly styled, matching her fiery temper. The gelled points of her short hair mirror the very thing she fears.

  I sigh. “And a cross and stake.”

  The vampires nearby gasp as they back away. They rush from the room, probably on their way to get Amicia. If I don’t clear this up quickly, I’m definitely a goner—and maybe in the permanent way.

  “It’s not what you think,” I say as I step forward. Hikari steps back, but Jasik remains still. He’s staring at me with disbelief. The betrayal strewn across his face guts me.

  “Admit it, Ava,” Hikari says. “You still have connections to those witches. How can we trust you? You knew you were coming to a vampire nest, and you chose to bring two items that can kill us!”

  “Hikari, you need to calm down,” I groan. “The cross is a necklace. That’s not doing much damage.”

  “What do you think happens when we touch that thing? We combust!” she argues.

  “Well then, don’t try it on, and you shouldn’t be touching my stuff anyway!” I snap back.

  “Why would you bring those things here?” Jasik asks, ignoring our all-out cat fight.

  “Because she’s still siding with the witches! She probably planned all of this. Now she knows where we live, Jasik. Bringing her here was a deadly mistake. This time, you’ve gone too far.”

  Jasik ignores her and says, “How do you expect us to trust you after you brought those things here? Didn’t you think we’d find out?”

  “I promise I didn’t mean any harm. I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I say as I side-eye Hikari. She just might be my exception, but I don’t admit to that aloud.

  “Then why bring them?” he asks.

  “I couldn’t leave them behind, especially not the cross necklace. It was a gift from Papá. It’s all I have left of him.”

  “And the stake?” he continues.

  I shake my head as I search for an explanation, but I can’t find one. “I don’t know. Habit, I guess. I bring that thing everywhere. It’s like my arm. I can’t go anywhere without that either.”

  Hikari snorts loudly, and I roll my eyes. She’s probably imagining ripping off my arm right now. Silently, I dare her. I’d use it to beat her to a bloody pulp.

  “You can’t seriously believe her, Jasik,” Hikari says.

  “I didn’t come here with any intention of hurting anyone. I only came to learn from you,” I say.

  “Then why not agree to training with Malik?” he counters.

  I curse internally. I knew my defiance would come back to bite me in the butt.

  “Because I don’t want to waste my time learning something I already know how to do. I just want to learn to control my blood lust so I won’t be a threat to them anymore,” I shout. I’m erratic and speaking so quickly I don’t even have time to consider my words before I say them.

  “A threat to whom?” Jasik asks.

  “To my coven!” I shout, flailing my arms around like a total psycho.

  “Aha!” Hikari shouts. “So you admit it! You were planning to return to them. It’s been your plan all along, hasn’t it? Did you plan to just use us and dump us? Were you going to make us trust you and then share our secrets with the witches?”

  I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. I glance between the growing number of onlooking vampires before my gaze finally rests on Jasik. Earlier today, Jasik promised me he’d never lie to me, so lying to get out of this mess just seems wrong.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper to him.

  “So am I,” he says before walking away and leaving me alone in a room with a half-dozen angry vampires.

  Chapter Eleven

  It doesn’t take much for Jasik to clear the room. The vampires here listen to him like their lives may depend on his orders. I suppose they’re used to him protecting them, but I hope he doesn’t expect me to be quite so submissive.

  He glances at me, his eyes unreadable, before walking into the foyer and out the front door. I assume I’m supposed to follow him, so I practically run from the room in case the other vampires decide to double back and have a not-so-nice chat with me. The last thing I need is to fight for my life when I’m already fighting for my life.

  The night sky is dark, and the stars are bright. They’re more than enough to light my path. The air is cool against my skin. It sweeps across the lawn and brushes against my cheeks, bringing the many scents of the earth with it. I remember a time when I could tap into the earth’s power and wield it as my own. That kind of strength would help right about now.

  Sometimes, I really miss being a witch.

  Jasik is sitting on the stairs. The wraparound front porch is vacant except for the two of us, and I’m thankful Jasik’s demeanor scared the other vampires away. I’d like the fewest number of eyes on us as possible.

  Of course, there’s nothing stopping the other vampires from eavesdropping, and if they really want to, they can probably hear us from the basement or third-floor attic. If I didn’t think it’ll one day help me in battle, I’d curse the vampire super-hearing.

  The breeze brushes through Jasik’s hair, blowing the brown locks toward me. I inhale deeply when his natural musk reaches my nose. Even his hair smells like cinnamon and summertime.

  Slowly, I approach him from behind. I slide the strap from my luggage around my torso and push the bag behind me so it rests against my back. Missing only my outfit from last night, it’s packed full and weighed down heavily.

  If Jasik asks me to leave, I could. I have everything I need in my bag. I left that pile of clothes on the bathroom floor, but the only two things that matter are here with me. I’m not too worried about missing one outfit. I’m more worried about surviving without a mentor.

  I need to do whatever I can to stay here, even if that means groveling. I just hope Amicia doesn’t find out about my indiscretion. This could be the one mistake that costs me my life.

  I watch Jasik carefully as I sit down beside him. He rests his long legs against the front porch stairs, his feet against the very bottom step. On the other hand, my short legs don’t need quite as much room. I sit and rest my elbows on my knees.

  Staring out into the distance, I can feel Jasik’s gaze on me, but I don’t move or speak. I wait until he’s ready to talk about it—or simply listen to what I have to say.

  “How long were you planning to stay with us?” he asks.

  “Until I don’t have to worry about the safety of my coven whenever I get hungry,” I admit.

  “So…forever?” he asks.

  I look at him, our gazes locking, and see no sign of mischief or humor in his crimson eyes.

  “What do you mean?” I ask when I realize he’s not joking.

  “You’re never going to feel that confident around humans. Even I sometimes worry my hunger will get the best of me.”

  “Really?”

  He nods. “I told you I’ll never lie to you. Lying does us both a disservice, and even though I’m immortal, I haven’t the time to waste on remembering pointless lies.”

  “You have no faith in me, do you?” I ask.

  “This has nothing to do with faith, Ava. I have the experience you require. I know how much vampires yearn for the kill. You’re a predator now. Mortals a
re your natural prey. There will never be a time when you won’t fancy ripping out their hearts and sucking them dry.”

  I shudder at the thought. “Thanks for that detailed image.” I’m not sure I’ll be able to get that picture out of my head.

  “I won’t apologize. You need to understand how dangerous you are now.”

  I exhale slowly, loudly. The distant hum of wildlife echoes through the forest. I can hear the birds in the trees and the bugs in the ground. Who would have thought vampirism is truly a wonderful way to appreciate Mother Nature?

  “I suppose that’s why Malik is so insistent on training me,” I say.

  “It is,” Jasik responds.

  “Even though I’m not sure I need combat training,” I argue. Eventually, if I say this enough, they might believe me and forget the idea of training with Malik. A girl can dream…

  “You do.”

  “There you go again, having no faith. I’m pretty good at what I do,” I say. I don’t need to remind him that I was my coven’s hunter. I went on nightly patrols, and I only lost the one time. Granted, it was a pretty epic failure, but even weakened, I was a damn good warrior for the cause.

  “One day, you’ll understand that we speak of experience, not faith. We don’t want you to make the mistakes we’ve made, and you don’t have to—as long as you stop being so bloody stubborn and just trust us.”

  I chuckle. Only after Jasik told me about his past did I start to notice the subtle English accent that’s been muffled by his many years in America. He’s been in Darkhaven a lot longer than he was in England.

  “Promise me something?” he says.

  “What?” I ask.

  The breeze picks up, blowing against the branches of a nearby tree. The leaves protest, and a rattling sound pierces my ears. If I close my eyes, the wind blowing through the forest sounds an awful lot like the waves of the sea. If there’s one thing I’m beginning to appreciate, it’s my enhanced hearing, even if eavesdroppers are annoying.

  “Promise me you won’t return to them unless you’re absolutely positive you can control your hunger.”

  “But you have no faith in that ever happening.”

  Jasik smiles, and I tear my gaze away from him. I’m not sure why he’s not as upset as the others. I thought Hikari was going to have an aneurysm. It’s good to know Jasik will give me the benefit of the doubt, even when things look really bad.

  “Well, you are incredibly stubborn. You just might be the one exception,” he says.

  I snort at his accusation. “You know, I just might. And yes, I promise. I have no intention of doing that anyway. It was hard for me to leave my coven and even harder for me to leave with vampires. It’s not easy being a witch-turned-vampire.”

  “No, I imagine it’s not. But you’re doing a pretty good job,” he says, comforting me.

  “Really? I feel like I kind of suck at being a vampire.”

  “Well, if there’s one thing vampires need to be good at, it’s sucking.”

  I scoff and playfully smack his shoulder. “Did you just tell me a joke? I didn’t think you were capable of real humor.”

  “No one understands my British humor, so I usually don’t even try.” He smiles, and my heart nearly melts.

  “All kidding aside, I won’t keep any more secrets from you,” I say. “I never meant to lie to you. To be honest, I didn’t feel like I was really hiding anything, and I figured you guys wanted me to leave as much as I wanted to go, so…” I shrug.

  “It’ll take time, but they’ll get used to you. You’re a vampire now. Your past doesn’t matter.”

  “It seems to matter to Hikari. She doesn’t trust me.”

  “Can you blame her? You brought a cross and stake into her home. She’s protective of her family. I’m sure you’d feel the same if this were your home.”

  “Yeah, I guess. But she went at this all wrong.”

  “She did, but can you forgive her?”

  I don’t answer right away. I think about the situation. Yes, what she did was wrong, but Jasik is right. She was suspicious because she wants to protect her family. I can’t blame her for that. I’ve done some pretty awful things in the name of loyalty to my coven.

  “She shouldn’t be judged by this one mistake,” Jasik presses.

  “I know. I guess I forgive her, but she needs to back off,” I say.

  He nods. “I’ll talk to her.”

  “It’s hard enough being the newbie here. I don’t need her on my case.”

  “You speak like you care what the others think. I thought you didn’t plan on being here long, so why does this even bother you?” Jasik asks.

  “Well, according to you, I’ll be here for at least a few hundred years.”

  “If we’re lucky,” he whispers. He smiles before looking away.

  We’re silent for a moment as I build the courage to tell him about my dream with Mamá. I’m about to break the lighthearted mood we have right now, but I agreed not to keep secrets. Besides, I’m a little shaken and a lot confused by the experience, and Jasik just might know what the heck is going on. I’m sure a witch-turned-vampire is a rare creature, but he’s been around almost seven hundred years. If he hasn’t encountered another vampire like me, then no one has.

  “Jasik,” I say. I wait for him to look at me before I continue. “There’s something else you should know.”

  He frowns. “What is it?”

  “Last night, something happened.”

  He sits upright, bringing his long legs to mirror my own. He rests his forearms on his thighs. “What happened? Did you leave your room?”

  “No, but apparently that wouldn’t matter anyway. The vampires here have personal boundary issues.”

  He groans and ignores my pointed remark. “What happened?”

  “I was a spirit witch. My powers were rooted in my psyche, not the elements. One of the reasons spirit users are coveted is because we’re considered psychic. One thing spirit witches can do that others cannot is enter the dreams of another spirit witch.”

  “Okay,” he says slowly.

  “Well, those powers should have been severed when I transitioned, right?” I ask.

  He nods. “Yes, I suppose that makes sense. You’re not a witch anymore. You’re a vampire.”

  “It happened last night. I’m not sure if I entered hers or if she entered mine, but it was definitely a dream, and we were definitely both there.”

  “Who? Who is she?” he asks.

  “Mamá,” I say.

  “Your mother? You’re sure this was…that spirit thing and not an actual dream?” His voice is frantic, and his pulse escalates slightly. I understand he’s concerned, but I’m not sure why. Is it because I accessed witch powers, or is it because the dream was with Mamá? What is he really afraid of?

  “I’m positive. I can’t explain it. A witch just knows when you’re using spirit instead of having a real dream.”

  “Ava, you’re not a witch.”

  “I—I know. I just mean… I used to do this all the time. I can tell the difference.”

  He nods but doesn’t speak. His eyes seem vacant as he’s lost in his thoughts. Maybe he’s thinking back to his many years as a vampire and he’s about to tell me exactly what’s going on. I knew there was nothing to worry about.

  “I don’t understand what happened, but I don’t want you to think I’m keeping secrets. I’m not even sure how it’s possible,” I say.

  “This is something we need to look into. Perhaps Amicia has experience.”

  I’m certain my eyes are bulging from their sockets. “Amicia? You heard her last night. Any sign of trouble, and she’ll kill us both for what you did. Maybe we shouldn’t tell her about this. Or anyone. Let’s just keep it between you and me. I mean, I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  “Ava—” Jasik’s tone is calm and soothing, but that doesn’t last long.

  “Jasik!” someone yells from behind us.

  We both turn to find Malik running
toward us. He runs through the sitting room and into the foyer. The front doors fling open, smacking against the house. I’m shocked the stained glass doesn’t shatter on impact.

  Jasik bolts upright, and I struggle to keep up. My bag is heavy against my chest. I claw at the strap to reposition it. The weight of it is more of a nuisance than anything else.

  “What is it?” Jasik asks.

  “Something’s happened,” Malik responds. His usual cool-and-collected demeanor is gone, and even I’m beginning to freak out. I’m not sure what’s going on, but clearly, something is amiss. Malik is panicking, and the little time we’ve spent together has taught me that’s a rare occurrence.

  “What is it?” Jasik says, more forcefully this time.

  “Humans have been attacked.”

  The next several minutes pass by in a blur.

  The vampires are getting ready so quickly I can’t keep up with them. Hikari rushes past me, her shoulder jabbing into mine as she passes. Malik disappears in the blink of an eye, and I hear the distant rush of footsteps upstairs. I don’t see Jeremiah. The last time I saw him was earlier at breakfast time. Hours have passed since then. Where is he? Is he involved?

  Jasik grabs my hand and pulls me through the manor. No longer standing in the foyer, we rush through the open-layout sitting room and take the stairs two at a time until we reach the second-floor landing. Our bedrooms are just down the hallway. We run past a few lingering vampires who press against the wall as we pass. I’m not sure if they were trying to avoid me or if they were used to the hunters running through the house like madmen.

  There seems to be order in this house. Everyone has a role. Amicia is their leader, and there are the vampires who simply live here, and then there are the hunters who protect them. Jasik is part of the latter, as are Malik, Hikari, and Jeremiah.

  We reach Jasik’s bedroom door in record time. He pulls me inside his room, and I bump into the jutting doorframe. A surge of pain rushes through me, but I ignore the sensation.