by Emma Mills
Chapter One
I guess it’s easy to say in retrospect, but I probably shouldn’t have answered the door. Nevertheless the incessant banging was rudely interrupting my daydreaming.
The hammering on the door paused and my eyes flicked over to an old, leather-bound book sitting on the dresser, confirming that my dreams were actually based upon truth, and I wasn’t going quietly mad. The book had come from Eva, presented to me only minutes after returning to Daniel’s house, the night of my brief but terrifying adventures in Sebastian’s cells. I frowned remembering her words of caution…
‘What is it Eva?’ I’d whispered, as Eva had handed me a rather battered looking book, which was brown with age and had lost its slip-cover, if it ever had one. The embossed design was faded and flattened, and the spine was damaged beyond repair. Yet despite all this it was beautiful, and it drew me in as if calling to me. I held out my hands, a feeling of yearning welling up, and a look of frustration flickering in my eyes as she held it out of reach, a half-smile dancing about her face.
‘It’s a book of shadows,’ Eva had told me. ‘A very old one, and if you’re not hunted down for your half-witch, half-vamp status, you’ll be hunted down for owning this book. So don’t mention it or show it to anyone. This is possibly the only copy in the whole of the UK.’
‘You’re joking, right?’ I’d asked nervously, my hands still itching to get a hold of it.
‘When have you ever known me to joke, Jess? This book is worth a small fortune. Even Sebastian couldn’t afford it. Luckily I had a favour to call in.’
What kind of favour would buy that? I’d wondered.
‘It’s fine, sorted,’ she said. ‘Anyway, it’s yours now. Take it,’ she added, passing me the beautiful book.
The hammering on the door had started up again. It obviously wasn’t some sales rep, and whoever it was clearly had no intention of leaving without giving me a headache. But I’d been forbidden from opening the door or leaving the house…all the usual rules an untrained half-vampire, teen witch had to deal with.
I climbed off my bed and paused by the dresser, my hands drifting towards the book again. In an instant, all my questions were forgotten as my hands touched its leather cover. It felt heavy and somehow warm, and after glancing at the embossed pentagram I quickly opened the book to have a quick flick through. A gush of air lifted the hair away from my face, as if someone had opened a window on a breezy day. Or maybe a breezy day in Florida, as the air felt warm on my cheeks and stung my eyes.
After a couple of seconds the wind dropped until it felt like a comforting breeze, making single hairs lift up and tickle my cheeks. I felt calm and in control. I let my eyes delight in the intricate patterns drawn on the title page. My fingers traced a repetition of the same pentagram from the cover, but this one had entwined branches delicately drawn through its lines, and tiny leaves which seemed to dance in the very same breeze I was caught up in. I focused my eyes and stared at them and they immediately stilled, but if I let my eyes wander away from them, I could see them fluttering in the breeze. I loved this book!
Bang! Bang! Bang! The visitor’s knock made me jump. Shit! What was I going to do? It freaked me out a little. I mean, in the couple of months I’d been living here the door had only ever rung a handful of times. And now here I was on my own, a rare occurrence, as I was not often left unguarded. So my curiosity was aroused and suddenly I felt the need to prove to Daniel that I could do something normal, like answer a door. I closed the book, placed it back on the dresser and ran down the stairs at vampire speed.
In my head I had it all planned out, it would be easy. If it was a vamp, just say Daniel and Eva were at the club. No vamp would mess with me after recent rumours had got around about Aaron’s unlucky demotion. If it was a human I’d simply tell them to call by for Eva or Daniel later, and if it was the gas meter man I was going to say that I didn’t own the house and could he come another time. On no account was I going to let anyone in. Easy! Except it wasn’t a vampire, a human or the gas man. It was a witch.
I smelled her as soon as I opened the door, so forgive my confusion, but she smelled human and rather tasty at that. But of course, witches are the only supernatural kind with human DNA. However my questions on her identity were clarified as soon as she opened her mouth.
‘Hi, you must be the lovely Jess?’ she said, with a strong American accent. This confirmed her identity as the witch sent over to meet me, a representative of my newfound family clan in Boston.
‘Ehm, yes I am. Daniel and Eva have gone to meet you at the club. Didn’t you get the message?’ I asked, wondering what on earth to do with her and knowing Daniel would have a fit if I asked her in.
‘Oh silly me! I thought I was to meet you here and go and see the mighty Sebastian later?’ she said, her vivid green eyes sparkling with mischief. She opened her mouth in a wide smile and offered her hand to me. ‘I’m Susannah from the Malden coven. I guess I must be your cousin, as your mother was my father’s sister. It’s nice to meet you at last.’
I paused for a second, looking at this woman who seemed so ready to offer me a new family. She didn’t look at all as I expected. I thought they were sending an older woman and I’d imagined a greying spinster, but the woman opposite me was in her twenties, with beautiful green eyes and shiny black hair swinging down her slender back. She grinned at me again before cutting into my thoughts.
‘Well, are we going to stand here on the doorstep all day? I could really do with a drink, although maybe you don’t have anything suitable?’ she asked, her smile faltering a little.
‘Oh, I’m sorry. Maybe I should just give Daniel a quick ring and let them know you’re here. I don’t think they wanted me to meet you on my own,’ I answered, taking a step back.
‘Well it’s a bit late for that now, isn’t it? You’ve met me already and I’m hardly a threat. It’s not like you’re a feeble little human, is it Jess? I heard all about Aaron. We all have.’
I realise this little speech was entirely conceived in order to big up my ego, but after all, what could I do? I could hardly leave her standing on the doorstep for an hour, could I? She was right - after all I am a vampire. I am strong and fast enough to throw a human twelve feet down a dirty alleyway, I can self-heal and I’ve levitated a powerful vamp in the air when he tried to attack me. It would be fine, apart from Daniel being pissed at me when he found out.
‘Ok, come on in. I think we’ve got some coffee somewhere,’ I said, as I led the way into the hallway, and down towards the kitchen.
‘Great, I’m gasping. I hate the airline coffee you get. It really sucks. I don’t suppose you’ve got any real coffee have you?’ she asked.
‘It’s unlikely, but hell, who knows? Daniel keeps the kitchen stocked up for appearances mainly. We had one of the students from next door drop in yesterday. I think she fancies him,’ I said, rummaging around the kitchen cupboards until I found one with an unopened pack of fresh coffee in it. I spent the next five minutes looking for a caffetière, which was still in its box, and on finding the milk was five days old, Susannah wisely decided to take it black.
‘Right. I’ll just go and give Daniel a ring. They must be wondering where you are,’ I said, as I placed the mug in front of her and got a delicious whiff of human. Maybe they didn’t want me to be on my own with her because I was the threat, not her. They still didn’t trust me around humans, even though I’d so far resisted even a taste of human blood - well, apart from the processed gloop that came in neat refrigerated packs.
‘Sure. Can you direct me to the bathroom? I could do with freshening up after my trip,’ she said, following me out of the room.
I took her upstairs to the immaculate bathroom and returned downstairs, to make the call. As I held the handset I desperately tried to recall Daniel’s mobile number – why was it I’d completely lost the ability to remember phone numbers since I owned a mobile? Eventually I started tapping it in and I realised something was wron
g. I brought the receiver to my ear and it was silent. No ringtone. I replaced the handset and checked the power cord. It all seemed to be plugged in fine, so I picked it up and listened again. Nothing. Damn! I’d been complaining to Eva only that week about the shaky broadband connection. It was always timing out on me and now it seemed the landline had died as well.
As I was wondering what to do, I heard the shrill peel of the old pay-as-you-go mobile Daniel had given me a couple of months earlier. Of course! I raced up the stairs, silent and effortlessly, and came to a sudden halt in the doorway to my room. Susannah was standing by my dressing table and as I entered the room a grim expression flitted across her face, as she quickly picked up the mobile and switched it off. A second later she turned around, her surprise at seeing me quickly masked with a wide smile.
‘Oooh hi! You gave me a fright there,’ she said.
‘Ehm, sorry. Is that my phone you just switched off?’ I asked.
‘Yes, but I knew you were using the downstairs phone and I guessed you wouldn’t be able to get through to him, if he was calling you on this. I didn’t want to answer it because I thought it best coming from you. I’m sorry. Have I done the wrong thing?’ she asked, looking confused.
‘No, no that’s fine,’ I said, walking towards her for the phone.
Before I could take the phone, she swivelled round to face my dresser again and I froze as I watched her finger tips gently trace the outline of the pentagram on my book, Eva’s words filling my head for the second time that afternoon.
‘if you’re not hunted down for your half-witch, half-vamp status, you’ll be hunted down for owning this book.’
Too late, I thought miserably as I saw wonder and desire glint in her eyes ever so briefly, before she looked up at me and smiled again.
‘So, you have the family book already. That will please the elders. Do the leaves blow in an imaginary breeze for you? She asked.
‘Yes, they do. I thought I was seeing things at first. Is it a family book then?’ I asked, relief washing over me, that finally someone understood me and didn’t think I was hallucinating. Eva and Daniel never saw the leaves move, not the slightest bit.
‘Oh yes, it goes back to the very first coven leader in New England. We have another copy of this at home. We thought this one was lost. How did you get it?’ she asked, and again I thought I noticed a hard cold rush of emotion clouding her eyes, but it was gone instantly.
‘I was given it as a gift,’ I said, not wanting to get Eva in any trouble with the coven.
I walked the last couple of steps towards the dresser and went to pick the book up. It felt dangerous and exposed lying within her reach, and I felt a need to hold it close. Protect it. My hands went out, but she got there at the same time.
Simultaneously she started muttering something quickly and quietly under her breath and immediately my bedroom ceiling turned into a black thunderous vortex, spinning and swirling its snake-like tail down towards us.
‘What the hell?’ I shouted, trying to pull the book from her grasp as she hung on.
‘I’m sorry Jess, but the white witches of Malden cannot claim you, especially now you have this. We’ve sought this book for hundreds of years and now we have one who can engage with it. Only direct family members can make the leaves dance. You will join us. It’s your destiny.’
And all at once several things happened. The black vortex hovered over our heads as Susannah shouted out a final command. I used all my vampire strength available, and yanking the book from her grasp, turned to the door, when I heard the front door bang. Mere seconds later Daniel and Eva shot into the room, but it was too late. Susannah’s hand hooked around my neck, her long purple painted nails breaking my skin. Her other arm wrapped around me from behind and with our bodies glued together the vortex descended and sucked us up into a vast dark nothingness.
