Two down. Four to go.
I blink through the mist, finding it harder and harder to hunt my prey in this fog. I can’t see the witches, but I hear them chanting. No doubt they have all linked arms, forming a circle to summon their elements, leaving me to eliminate the threat on my own. I wish I could be surprised, but I’m used to this. No one helped when I was part of their coven, so why would they help now?
The rash change in temperature is making my skin crawl. The air is hot, moist, and it coats my face. I wipe away the sweat that drips from temple to chin and push back loose strands of frizzy hair.
No longer frozen, the earth is softening. The familiar crunch beneath my feet is gone, and I squish into the wet grass and mushy soil with each step I take. The spongy splash of each step mashes around my brain, and I squirm.
The elements are distracting me from tracking my next victim, and I need to focus. I inhale deeply. The torrid air is sticky in my lungs. I resist the urge to hack. Instead, I clear my throat, and a rogue finds me.
He pounces from beyond the haze. I don’t see him until he’s already upon me. We tumble to the ground and land in a loud smack. I sink into the earth and feel the mud mash into the crevices of my body.
I’m holding him away from me with one arm and frantically searching for my lost stake with the other. Like a feral hound, the rogue’s jaws are snapping at me. Only an inch from my skin, the rogue’s saliva seeps from his mouth and slops onto my cheek.
His breath is wretched, his teeth decaying, his lips bloodstained. I feel bile rising in my chest, and I force it down.
My fingers tease something hard, cool. I groan loudly as I stretch my arm too far, but I brush against the metal with enough force to roll it toward me. I sink my fingers into the ground, dirt caking beneath my fingernails, as I wrap the weapon in my palm.
I smack my forehead against the rogue’s nose, and he falters. I push him backward, jabbing the heel of my hand forward to strike him in the chest. Angered, he crushes down on me in a huff, but I’ve already moved my stake to intercept his attack. He combusts atop me, and I stand quickly. His remains blow off my chest with the help of a quick burst of air.
Three down. Three to go.
I’m beginning to appreciate my odds, but I try not to be overjoyed. When I get cocky, things go horribly wrong, and I don’t have any allies to rely on. I need to be smart and utilize the elements in my attacks.
I try to trudge softly through the yard, but I can barely see even a few feet in front of me.
I stop abruptly, eying something in the distance. It’s a shadow figure that makes my heart melt. I flash to my dream world. Something about being here, in this exact place, makes me queasy. This is too familiar, especially with the witches here.
Slowly, I walk toward the figure. Several feet away, I spot a rogue. She’s spinning in circles, turning around so quickly, she doesn’t even see me rushing toward her.
I leap into the air, jumping onto her back. I cling to her, wrapping my legs around her waist and arms around her chest. I drive my stake into her chest with a loud grunt. She screams as it makes impact, and we fall to the ground. By the time my knees touch grass, she’s gone.
Four down. Two to go.
Still on all fours, I grab my stake. I glance up in time to see someone running at me. She reaches me at the same time I try to stand. Her foot makes impact with my chest, and I fall onto my bottom. She kicks again, and I tumble backward. With one final grunt, she whips her fist at me, and I’m flying through the air.
I crash against the fence, taking part of it down with me. A section spears upright and slices into my back. I cry out as it punctures through the front of my shirt.
The rogue vampire is upon me now, smiling down as she towers over me. I can’t move. Even if I try to wiggle free, she will just force me down again. The predator has become the prey, and I’ve never been so angry in my life. I refuse to believe this is how my life ends.
She walks closer, stepping between my legs. She’s confident that I’ve lost, that she’s won. She believes she will be my end, and I take full advantage of this opportunity.
I slap my legs together, hitting her ankles, and she yelps as she falls forward. She tries to break her fall, but her hand lands on another pointed picket. It slices through her hand, and she cries out for help. Somewhere out here, there is another rogue vampire. I need to move quickly before he finds us.
I reach for a picket, snap it free, and thrust my newfound weapon into her spine, completely missing her heart. She gasps as I withdraw it and aim better. She’s dead by the time the final rogue vampire reaches us.
He leaps atop me, scrunches my jacket in his hands, and yanks me toward him. It takes but a second to pull my limp body free from the picket that impaled my gut only moments ago, but pain radiates down my legs in rushing waves with no hint of stopping. I cringe, grinding my teeth together, as the rogue vampire pulls me so close to his face, our noses touch.
He spins in a circle and tosses me into the yard. I collide with the witches, who have formed a mini circle near the sliding glass doors. The moment I crash into them, they break their circle, and the elements are freed. The haze dissipates, the air cools, and the ground slowly begins to harden once again.
The air is clear, and the rogue vampire smiles as he makes his way toward me.
“You guys can chip in any time now,” I grumble as I struggle to stand. My legs ache, and my knees buckle when I put weight on them.
With the picket withdrawn, I’m beginning to heal, but I still feel the pain. With each step, the gaping wound in my gut screams at me to stop, to rest, to feed, but I cannot.
I run toward the rogue, fumbling forward clumsily. Immediately, I know something is wrong. My legs feel heavy, the weight of them cumbersome.
We’re both playing a desperate game of chicken that really no one can win. When we reach each other, I lash out at him, but I miss. He doesn’t. He makes contact with me not once, not twice, but three times. He slams his fist into my chest, and ribs snap.
I inhale sharply, and my lungs protest. I want to scream at the witches, but I don’t. It’s no use. They don’t care that I’m here, and they have no intention of aiding me. As far as they’re concerned, if I die, there will be one less vampire in Darkhaven.
Tonight, I must fight alone.
“I’m really getting tired of you,” the rogue hisses into my ear. He grabs me by the neck and slams my body to the ground. The earth craters around my frame. Already weakened by my earlier assault, my spine snaps, and I can’t feel my legs. I try to move them to no avail. Panic sets in, but I push it down.
The vampire smiles. He releases my neck and straddles my torso.
“This really doesn’t look good, Ava,” he taunts.
He grabs my chin with his cold, bony fingers.
I can still move my arms, so I scratch at his hands. He laughs at me and forces my head to the side. He whips my neck too quickly and pushes too hard, stretching my muscles farther than they can go. I hear the distinct tear of flesh giving way, and it echoes in the air. I cry out and stop struggling.
“Look at them,” he says, seething. “It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. They were supposed to be the present for you.”
My vision is cloudy, and I blink to clear it. The rogue’s breath is hot on my cheek. He licks my tears, starting at my chin and making his way to my eye. I choke on my breath, gagging at being so close to such a disgusting creature.
“You weren’t supposed to be here,” he says in a singsong voice. He tsks me playfully. “This was your surprise and my reckoning.” He smiles, and his eyes are lifeless, soulless, showcasing the true monster within him.
Jasik was right. Someone did step forward to lead the rogues, and that very vampire is atop me now.
I consider stalling him. With each passing second, my bones harden, my flesh tethers together, and I am revitalized. I succeed in wiggling my toes, but it takes all my effort to move them. I need more time.
“Where are your friends?” the rogue asks. He sits back, resting his butt on my pelvis. I groan as he applies too much pressure to my spine, but he is unaffected by my protest.
He scans the vacant woods, searching for the vampires. Of course, I know they are not there, but he doesn’t. If he looks long enough, I’ll be healed enough to move again.
My mind wanders to the magic Holland and I used the other day. It was powerful, and it’s always nestled inside me. In battle, I rely too much on my vampire abilities. Perhaps it’s time the witch within me saves the day.
I search for it, finding it growing stronger. It’s bubbling over, revitalizing my wounds and strengthening each break, each tear, each weakness. It takes only seconds, but already, I feel better, healthier, and even stronger than before.
I roll my ankles while the vampire is still staring into the distance. He continues to taunt me.
“I don’t see them,” he sings. He’s overjoyed, believing to be witnessing both my abandonment and downfall.
I sit upright, startling him. He tries to fall back, to put some space between us, but sitting on his own legs, he’s trapped himself. This time, I smile, offering a wicked grin that hopefully resembles something sinister.
I grab him by the throat, squeezing as hard as I can. He chokes, gasping for air.
“That’s because I don’t need them to save me,” I say behind a clenched jaw.
I see myself in his eyes, and something flashes there. It’s a bright light, and it engulfs him completely. He screams as he’s lit aflame, consumed by the fire in my soul. After only a few blinks, he’s gone. His ashes are blowing away in the breeze, and I’m standing, dusting off my chest. My legs are still weak, but I’m growing stronger with each breath I take. The more I succumb to the magic inside me, the better I feel.
With the rogue vampires gone, I stare at the witches. I wait for someone to speak. Maybe they’ll thank me. Maybe they’ll finally see that I have no intention of hurting them so long as they don’t come after me. The seconds tick by as we stare at each other in silence.
“Te dijeron que nunca volvieras,” Mamá says. “Why did you come back? ¿Para mí?”
I shake my head, sadly unsurprised by my mother’s lack of emotion. “No, I didn’t come back for you. I came to stop them.”
“And you did, so just go,” Liv says. She’s standing beside Mamá, where I would be if the situation were different. I know I’ll never stand there again, and I’m starting to be okay with that. I used to believe vampires were the monsters under my bed, but now I see the truth. Witches tell their youth stories about evil and darkness and beasts that look like humans, but in reality, they are the monsters.
Without another word, I leave. I don’t look back. I don’t cry. I don’t even care that they’re too stubborn to realize I would have been a real asset, a true guardian of Darkhaven.
Aiding the witches to eliminate a shared enemy was the right thing to do, so I don’t regret coming here, even if that means I’ve lost my new family.
I limp into the forest when I sense them. They’re rushing toward me and at my side before I even realize what’s happening. I lean against a tree and sigh. Smiling, my heart explodes in my chest. A sob escapes my lips, and I push myself from the tree to walk toward them.
“You came,” I whisper.
My vampires, my allies, my friends, my family… All four stand before me now. Jasik is at my side and pulls me into his arms. He hugs me, squeezing his arms so tightly, I screech. I can feel his concern, his love, and his pain for letting me go without him.
He holds my head in his hands and stares into my eyes. He doesn’t speak because he doesn’t need to. I can read his emotions in his eyes. He’s happy I’m alive, annoyed that I left, and grateful it’s finally over.
I hope he can read mine too. He needs to know I don’t harbor resentment toward him or any of the others. Fighting alone is something I needed to do. I learned something invaluable tonight. I discovered I rely too much on the vampires, and I don’t need to. There’s a ruthless magic inside me, and I can use it to protect myself.
“Everything okay?” Hikari asks.
I pull away from my sire to face the others. Nodding, I say, “It’s finally over.”
“You’re sure no one escaped?” Jeremiah asks. He scans the woods, finding nothing but dead brush and the subtle shimmer of frost coating the earth.
I shrug. “I don’t know, but it’s over for me.”
I lean against Jasik, and Malik walks over.
“I’m surprised you came,” I say to my trainer.
He smiles at me. “You were pretty convincing tonight.”
I nod. “I was right, you know, even if it didn’t work out as I planned.”
Malik arches a brow. “What do you mean?”
“I was hoping they would finally see that we’re not evil, but they didn’t care that I came. They even left me to fight the rogues by myself.”
Jasik tenses beside me. I know he’s angry with them, but he doesn’t want to fight with me about this. Not again. Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow we’ll have a long talk about what this means for us, for Darkhaven. This town has always been my home, but I wonder if it’s becoming too dangerous to stay. Everywhere we go, we’ll have to watch ourselves. The witches can attack at any moment, and now I truly believe they will. That dream was a warning, and I won’t forfeit this advantage.
“I know you want peace, but we’ve been vampires a lot longer than you, Ava. This isn’t the first time someone with such a pure heart has turned and wanted to create a better future,” Jasik says.
I glance over my shoulder. I can see light at Mamá’s house through the trees, but I don’t see the witches. And I don’t care to. I tried. For far too long, I protected them, defended them, and in return, I’ve only suffered from their abuse. Not anymore. My conscience is clear, and I can walk away from my past with no regrets.
As we slowly trudge home, I think about the last thing Mamá said to me. She asked why I was there, and she reminded me I wasn’t supposed to come back.
This time, I’ll listen.
Next time, I won’t return.
Chapter Twelve
When I wake, I’m stiff. My eyes are tired. I look around the room, my gaze landing on the vampire sleeping beside me.
I’m back in my bedroom at Amicia’s manor. Fully clothed, Jasik snores softly. He’s lying on his back, chiseled features hard as the ceiling fan swooshes his tousled hair. He frowns, his brow furrowing, and I wonder what he’s dreaming about. Where does he go when he closes his eyes?
I reach for him but stop short of brushing my fingers against his skin. I don’t want to wake him.
I sit up and try to shimmy off the bed. The floor is scattered with empty blood bags. My stomach grumbles when I see them. I remember feeding last night, but Jasik must have stayed to help me. The night is a bit of a blur.
By the time we made it home, I was exhausted, starving, and losing strength far too quickly. My body was healing, but I needed to refuel. I remember Jasik carrying me upstairs, and later, I remember him waking me to drink. Everything else is foggy.
I scratch my head, and my fingers get tangled in my hair. Tiptoeing into the bathroom, I assess the damage in the mirror. Aside from a wicked case of bedhead and the layer of dried mud coating most of my body, no one would ever know I left the manor last night. My wounds have healed, and I’m actually feeling pretty good.
After I shower, I dress quickly, leaving my discarded dirty clothes in a heap on the tile floor. Quietly, I open the door, hoping not to wake Jasik. I have every intention of finding Amicia, thanking her for agreeing to send the vampires, and apologizing for my behavior. They were right: I was blinded by the witches, and even though I had every intention of stopping the rogues, I wasn’t completely honest about my motivations. I did want to protect my coven. It’s all I’ve ever known.
“Sneaking out?”
Jasik’s voice is husky with sleep, a s
low rasp that is strangely arousing. I’ve never seen him the exact moment he wakes. I’ve never been the first person he’s seen either. Thankfully, I don’t look like the hot mess I woke up as. I’m clean, dressed in fresh clothes, and my hair is braided in one long thread down my back.
I face him, feeling my cheeks heat at the sight of him. He’s sitting up in bed, back resting against the headboard. He’d changed since last night. He’s wearing a loose-fitting T-shirt that hangs raggedly off one shoulder, and I can see the top of his defined torso. His jogger pants emphasize his solid legs, which are perched atop my bed, feet linked at his ankles.
He smiles at me, eyes tired, hair ruffled, and I realize just how deep into this budding relationship I truly am. There’s something breathtaking about this man, and there’s something inside me that wants him to discover the untouched curves of my body. I crave him in ways I’ve never experienced.
I swallow hard and walk toward him. My legs are heavy, the space between us intimate.
“Good morning,” I say softly. My voice squeaks, and I curse internally. How is Jasik so much better at controlling his emotions, his desires?
He chuckles. “Good morning, Ava.”
When he says my name, I just about die on the inside. There’s something about my name on his lips with his accent that sets me on fire. I bite my lower lip, and he watches me. His jaw clenches shut, and his heart races.
A hard knock at my bedroom door reminds me we’re not alone. I glance at Jasik curiously, but he shrugs. Apparently he wasn’t expecting a visitor either.
“Come in,” I say loudly, and the door opens.
Malik enters, face unreadable. My heart sinks when I see him. This look means one of two things: either he’s still upset with me or he’s about to ruin what was the start of a wicked good day. I cross my arms over my chest, as if I can shield myself from the damage about to occur. Can I just go back in time and lock the door?
Dark Magic (Darkhaven Saga Book 2) Page 14
