by Ruby Raine
“But you’ve heard of the Howards?” questioned Mack, still guarding the door.
“What witch hasn’t?” Courtney rebutted. “You guys don’t get off the Isle much, do you? I had hoped to do what I came to do, leave you guys to your own devices, and not interfere or get in the way, but our goals ended up aligning. I guess I should’ve just come out, joined you in your cause and gotten mine done at the same time. Instead, I was stubborn and did it my way, and now look.” She flashed her fangs again.
“Yeah, okay, so we get why you came here,” said Charlie. He pointed at her fangs. “How the hell did that happen?”
She shook her head in personal belittlement.
“I snuck into White Pines, in the middle of your war with the Feyk. I was hoping I could take out Stricker in the mix. During your battle, while I was alone in the woods, this woman flew out of nowhere. She looked a few breaths away from death’s door. Had been hurt. Claimed a monster had taken her and was trying to kill her. Then, that monster prowled out of the woods behind the woman... talk about death’s door! Most frightening thing I’d ever seen.”
Charlie’s stomach rolled, his heart sinking like he’d fallen a long distance and his organs hadn’t quite caught up to him. He avoided the gazes of everyone else in the room, swearing they’d all fallen alongside him.
“Wh-what did this woman look like?” he asked Courtney in an uneasy stutter.
“Um. Medium height, on the thin side, but fit. Long, super white hair. Striking really. I’d never seen anything like it.”
Charlie’s jaw ground together tightly, his gaze stuck to the floor. Lizzy reached over and grasped his hand but he barely noticed her soft touch.
“Son of a bitch,” Mack breathed out. She left her post and slumped back against the wall, her hand washing down over her face.
Michael tore out of the room without a word. For about one brief second that seemed to last ten years all emotion disappeared from everyone, sucked out of them all. And then as that ten-year-long second wound into the next a wave crashed into him he had to escape before it knocked him unconscious.
Melinda’s heart fluttered madly, the rhythm erratic. She didn’t want to hear the rest. It couldn’t be. William wouldn’t do this, not even if... he’d only been willing to turn her if she’d been near death. This outcome was not possible.
Courtney shrank into her chair a little. “Did I say something wrong?”
Lizzy spoke on their behalf. “No. Go ahead and continue.”
“Okay. Um. Well. I figured out almost instantly the monster was a vampire and this poor woman had no chance. So I took him on. Tried to fight him. But I was not prepared to fight a vampire, only Feyk. And this vamp was crazed. Severely injured. Smelled like burnt... vampire. It was a strange scene. But you know, vampire, bad. Human, innocent. I had to do what I could. I may have been out for revenge on the Feyk, but I am a good witch at the end of the day. At least I was. I’m not sure what I am now. I guess trying to be a good vampire,” she rambled uneasily. “Your vampire seems to have his shit together, that’s why I wanted his help.”
No one said anything. Or looked at Courtney. She sank more deeply into her chair. The tension thick, but she in the dark as to why.
Full body nausea. Melinda had it from head to toe. A cold sweat erupted on her brow.
Charlie’s body came back to life, muscles relaxing enough to climb to his feet. But his brain hadn’t caught up. Melinda’s gaze lifted and found his.
“William would never do this,” she whispered coarsely.
This was not happening.
No way. No how.
In Melinda’s prophetic dream, William refused to change her unless it was the only way to save her life. It wasn’t an option for him. He would not do it. Ever. Even upon death’s door, he had not wanted to change her.
And yet the irrefutable proof was sitting in front of them.
Courtney Jessup, William’s victim. His unwilling victim. Her life stripped away in the heat of the moment by a crazed vampire, their vampire. Melinda’s vampire.
He’d killed this woman. And turned her into a vampire. Courtney Jessup was sired by William Wakefield. She’d been in the wrong place at the worst possible moment in time.
The reporter hadn’t known Eva Jordan needed to die, and got in the way thinking she was saving an innocent woman being attacked by a savage monster who was high on human blood after hours of endless torture, with one task on his mind. One they’d asked him to do. Needed him to do.
Kill Eva, no matter what it took.
And the price of what it took: Courtney Jessup dead and turned into a vampire.
Melinda trembled all over. She wanted to flee, but her arms and legs refused to obey and move her body. If William had done this to Courtney...
No. Don’t even think it.
It was a heat of the moment thing.
He was not on a rampage, killing people.
He’d come to her, said he was leaving. Had already left.
Melinda saw in written in the silent gazes staring back at her. Charlie, Mack, Lizzy, probably even Michael wherever the hell he’d run off to.
William was crazed enough to turn Courtney, and if he was crazed enough to do that maybe he hadn’t left the Isle after all. Perhaps she’d only dreamed he’d said goodbye.
William, hostage to bloodlust, killing people.
Melinda refused to believe it.
“I’m obviously missing something,” said Courtney, her tone hopeful they’d explain.
Charlie paced the room. He needed to hear her confirm it. Even though she hadn’t fully, his mind was already unwillingly condemning his friend. He stopped, staring down Courtney with a gaze that begged for the truth.
“This crazed vampire chasing the white haired woman, this is the vampire that killed you? And turned you?”
“Yes. It was.”
Courtney kept talking but none of them heard the words clearly.
“On his part, unintentional I think. Not that it makes it okay by a long shot. But he was unstoppable in his quest to take out this woman. So I did the only thing that came to mind. I jumped on his back and bit him. He freaked, flung me like a ragdoll and I wrapped around a tree. But I’d gotten his blood in me so, you know. Here I am now. Me vampire.”
Silence.
Shaky breaths.
No one with any words to respond to this.
Melinda didn’t think it was possible for her heart to shatter into smaller pieces, or get cut any deeper. William was in control after he’d rescued her from the Feyk. And they’d shared that dream; that never-going-to-forget-it-totally-awesome dream, and he was okay right after that.
But Courtney’s death happened before the dream sharing, when he was wild trying to save Melinda from the Feyk. Which meant William had no idea this had happened. No idea he’d killed the reporter.
It was possible that bloodlust set in without them knowing, things were chaotic in that day following, and William did not come to the hospital like he’d said he would. Or normally would have. But her dream in the hospital was so real. Melinda would have bet her life on it being real... until this moment.
And if it wasn’t real, how the hell did she tell them apart? The fake, from the real, from the prophetic. She’d always been able to until recently.
Mack adjusted her gun belt, grabbed the crossbow she’d dropped, and made to leave.
“I’m sorry guys. You can’t imagine how damn sorry. But you know what this means.”
“Please don’t say it,” begged Melinda in strained response.
Lizzy and Charlie stared at each other. This was not the outcome they’d expected.
“It still might not be him,” Charlie muttered.
Mack heaved out a tense gushing of air.
“It’s my job to protect the non-supernaturals on this island. I can’t let the bodies start piling up, no matter who’s at fault. Never mind if it gets out, this island will be bursting at the seams with more tourists and
reporters than we’ll know what to do with. They’ll latch on to this story and won’t relent.”
Something they were always worried about in the back of their minds. It wasn’t any sort of rule for the world to stay in the dark. Or for magic to remain secret. But it was sure a heck of a lot easier with the majority in the dark, so it was considered an unwritten rule. Not enforced. But something the supernatural community kept to, whether on the side of good, or evil.
Anonymity was a plus in the supernatural world. There was no way of knowing how the public would react. The fantasy was better than the reality. And they’d always walked a fine line on The Demon Isle.
If it got out there was a series of deaths, it would be bad enough.
If it leaked out those deaths was a suspected vampire attack...
Even the rumors would do exactly what Mack warned. Attract, not detract. Put even more people in danger.
How the world was changing.
It used to be so much easier to hide or distort the truth. It wasn’t that non-supernaturals were naïve, weak-minded, or blindly ignorant. But the human mind thrived on proof.
“Yay... even more things to worry about,” mumbled Michael, exhausted sarcasm rattling his tone. He’d come back, leaning against the doorframe, close to quick escape in case it was needed again. “The modern age catching up on The Demon Isle.” He frowned at Courtney. “You are responsible for some of that. Possibly set off a chain reaction we can’t stop now.”
“Sorry?” she responded uncertainly.
“Hell, it was bound to happen,” argued Charlie. “We’ll add it to our never ending list of things to deal with. Modern tech and how to keep people from getting proof.”
In the past, they’d often relied on William’s assistance in this matter. He could use his persuasion to make sure the memories were changed. Or evidence, destroyed. Now they were possibly looking to rid the proof it was William on a murderous rampage. There was no using William against himself.
Mack went to leave, her decision made for the moment. “Keep her locked up,” she aimed a nod at Courtney. “If there’s another attack...” Then we will know it’s William, her sentence finished in painful silence.
“And then what?” whispered Melinda. “Arrest him? Kill him?”
Mack grunted, her jaw grinding together. “You know I don’t want that. Any more than any of you. But I... God damn it.” She left in a flurry of vexation, a slew of obscenities spewing out of her mouth.
Charlie sighed, face stoic. He pulled a chair over in front of Courtney and took a seat to explain that the vampire she’d sought out for help was the one who had taken her life. He took a minute to gather his thoughts, rubbing his hands together hesitantly. To her credit, she didn’t push, although obviously confused as hell.
“Um. The um...” Charlie took an even breath. He sat up a little, catching Courtney’s puzzled profile. He had to get through this before he could figure out what to do about it. “The woman you were trying to save, her name is, her name was, Eva Jordan. And the vampire was trying to kill her because she needed to die. Because we asked him to kill her. Eva murdered our friend’s father, kidnaped my sister,” and killed Nina, he kept to himself. He looked straight into the reporter’s focused gaze. “And Eva tortured our vampire. Viciously. William, the one you came seeking out for help, he is the one who...”
“Oh...” Courtney’s eyes popped wide, the truth an unexpected bombshell. “Oh. Wow. I um. He looked nothing like, oh...” She swallowed hard. Wondering if she hadn’t just thrown herself in the lion’s den. She had threatened to kill the vampire who turned her. Their vampire.
Charlie had an urge to explain further. To make Courtney understand what exactly had happened. Why her life had ended. To show her that William wasn’t really a monster.
“William is a good person. A good friend. More than a friend. He’s protected and guided our family for many generations. Like your coven, he’s family to some of us, and,” he glanced at Melinda, unable to reach her eyes, and decided not to finish. “This Eva Jordan, and the Feyk, Stricker, tortured William in a way I can’t even describe with any justice, and they tied my sister to a stake in front of him. They threatened to burn her alive if he asked for death. He did not, to keep her alive.” Charlie’s voice was giving out. “What happened to him doesn’t make up for... you fought to save a life for a woman who didn’t deserve...” there were no more words. He got up and left.
This couldn’t be happening. Not after everything they’d already gone through. What William had gone through; the hell he’d suffered to save Melinda. He was crazed out of sheer need to live, so he could end Eva Jordan. For them.
Melinda gave a start, a delicate touch on her arm. She looked up to see Lizzy. They needed to leave the room. It took every bit of strength she had to get to her feet and stay on her feet. The room swayed, but she batted away Lizzy’s attempt to help her and fled out of the room.
Lizzy stayed behind for a minute.
“They love him very much. This is difficult to accept and I think they’re all in shock. We all are,” she clamored.
Even with her new vampire brain working full speed, this was a lot for Courtney to take in. She was a mix of denial and acceptance, loathing and sympathy, but most of all, self-perseverance.
“I was only half-serious when I claimed I would kill the one who turned me.”
“No. You meant it,” Lizzy stated, though not unkindly. “It’s understandable. I can sympathize with a life suddenly stripped away from you.” She did not expand on the subject. She pointed with her head to another door in the far corner of the room. “There’s a shower so you can get cleaned up. I’ll make sure you get some clean clothes. And more blood.”
“Thank you,” Courtney replied, voice reserved.
Lizzy made to leave but stopped. “The Howard’s are good people. They always do what’s right, even if it’s the hard thing.”
Courtney nodded, gloomily. “I know they do. I’ve heard the stories. I really made a mess coming here. This whole thing could have been avoided if I’d just...”
Lizzy stopped her.
“It’s too late for what if’s. What’s done is done. There is only moving forward.” She left and locked the cell. Courtney’s vampire heart cringed at that sound. Uncertain whether this was her salvation or her doom.
She’d come seeking help.
Instead, she’d unknowingly revealed that their lifelong friend had killed her and turned her into a vampire. And was potentially on some bloodlust rampage killing innocent people.
“Smart move, Jackass.” She crossed her arms and sighed. She’d been stupid to think she could track and take out Stricker on her own. Her one-track revenge kick had gotten in the way of her common sense. She reached up to her eyes expecting wet tears. But laughed darkly, having forgot. “I can’t even cry anymore.” Vampires couldn’t make tears. Her body could still act out the motions of crying. But it felt empty and wrong minus the tears.
Her coven was gone.
Her powers were gone. She was no longer a witch.
She was a vampire.
Currently imprisoned, by her own design in seeking out help, in the cell of the vampire who killed her.
And Stricker was still alive.
The bastard seriously needed to get dead.
LIZZY MADE HER WAY up from the basement, each step harder to climb, her limbs lumbering like weights had been tied around her ankles. She found Charlie leaning against the hallway wall, staring at a closed door.
“I’ve been trying to open this door and go inside for days.”
Lizzy recalled it was the Howard’s parent’s bedroom. “I’m thinking tonight is not the right time.”
She was right.
Her fingers found his jaw and turned his head so they were face to face. A storm raged in his eyes, the bright blue darkened. Saddened. Angry.
“I can’t do it. I can’t kill William. I don’t care what he’s done. It’s asking too much.”
“Even if it is, doesn’t he deserve another chance? After so many years... this is how it ends for him?”
Lizzy had no response. She wanted to say yes. Desperately. Yes, give William another chance. But Courtney didn’t deserve what happened to her. And those tourists that had been killed... they were walking a dangerous precipice of right and wrong. Fair and unfair. Carving out a canyon of no return.
Charlie shifted, facing the bedroom door again.
“I was standing here, wishing I could knock and my dad would answer and tell me what to do.”
“If he did, what would he tell you?”
“To do the right thing. Even if it killed me to do it.” He stormed into William’s study.
Lizzy made it only a few feet into the room when there was a growl that lit into an enraged wail, followed by a thunderous crash. She gasped, wood and oak splintering across the other side of the study, thrown by a mass of furiously wild and beastlike muscle in the form of Charlie Howard.
He’d hurled William’s sturdy oak desk across the backside of the study as if the thing was weightless. It smashed against a wall of books, breaking apart. The aftermath, a tangle of paper and wood. The wolf had a pent up temper he kept buried too deep. He should have gotten angry a lot sooner. Instead, it was coming out in one violent burst.
A thought which should have frightened Lizzy as he was clearly capable of breaking her in two when the wolf surfaced. However, rather than fear, the act struck at her heart like a thousand needles piercing her all at once.
Charlie was drowning in a level of pain no lifejacket could save him from.
No words could mend it. No actions could take it away.
A rush of footsteps pounded down the stairs and around the corner to the hallway leading into the study. It was Michael. Lizzy motioned to him that it was okay, and just let it go. He nodded weakly and returned to Emily.
“It can’t be like this all the time,” Charlie rambled, the edge of his rage dulled. “What is the point? Protecting a power source I know nothing about, and yet I’m supposed to protect it with my life. Losing friends. And family. So much sacrifice, and for what?” He was sounding more like Michael. Ready to leave the Isle. Let it be someone else’s problem.
