by Tricia Barr
Kenzie glanced at her smartwatch. “To the roof. Have you ever been to the roof before?”
Bouncing on his toes, Ty said, “It’s one of my favorite places in the citadel.”
“Well, we’re going to play a game up there,” Kenzie said, beaming. “Hide and seek.”
Ty’s eyes widened. “Ooh, that sounds fun.”
It was a partial-truth, and Leif wondered if maybe Kenzie was taking things a bit too far with the boy.
“Let’s go,” she said, taking Ty’s hand. They shut his door, then went back for the stairs, heading down to the level that would allow them roof access.
Leif looked down at his bound arms. The shackles had come in handy, but he probably wouldn’t need them anymore. Yanking his wrists away from each other, Leif snapped the metal he’d pretended had been enough to keep him subdued. The device embedded in it sparked, and Leif remembered that it contained a GPS unit. He wouldn’t be tracked any more. One by one, he crumpled the clasps and freed his wrists entirely. They clinked to the floor, and Leif reveled in his freedom.
Miraculously, as they bound down the stairs, Rainbow came into view. Leif looked past the cat, expecting to see the vampires hot on the cat’s tracks. But there wasn’t even a sound. Rainbow must’ve lost them somehow. The cat jumped up, and Leif caught him gently. Without his shackles, he didn’t look like a complete fool holding Rainbow. Then again, he was probably quite the sight. A Cat and His Vampire sounded like a great title for a book.
They pressed on, and Ty kept turning and looking at him with his big, blue eyes. At last, the boy asked, “Why do you have a cat?”
Leif chuckled. “I don’t know. Maybe Kenzie could help us out on that one?”
“It’s not story time,” Kenzie quipped. “Less talking, more running. We’re almost there.”
They came to a blank landing, and Leif’s brows crumpled. Kenzie stared at the wall, her hands on her hips.
“It’s locked,” a voice said from below said. “I think from the outside.”
Leif whirled about defensively. “Piper!” he exclaimed. She stepped up the stairs and approached him timidly, shoving her glasses higher on her nose.
“Hey Leif,” she said, a pitying look in her eyes. “I heard about what’s happened to you. I’m really sorry.”
Leif stepped the rest of the way to her and wrapped his free arm around her, bringing her into a side-hug while holding Rainbow in the other.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” he said. “I’m glad you’re coming with us.”
Off to the side, Kenzie looked up the stairs nervously. “I hate to break up the happy reunion, but we’ve got to get through this door.”
“It’s a special lock,” Ty said, stepping forward. He placed his hand on bits of the stone, and a grinding sound came from the faintly-outlined doorway, but it didn’t budge. Ty’s brows creased. “That’s never happened before.”
Leif ran a finger along the dark material and discovered the issue.
“The door is welded shut,” he said, glancing at Kenzie. He didn’t mean for it to be an accusatory gaze, but she took it that way.
“How was I supposed to know that? Who welds a door shut? Why even have a door at all?”
Several footsteps could be heard coming from around the black-walled corner.
“They’ve found us,” Leif hissed.
“We’re trapped,” Piper chirped, her voice barely audible. “Why, oh why did I ever get involved with vampires?”
“Get behind me,” Leif said, dropping the hissing Rainbow and reaching his arms out protectively. He felt Kenzie place her hands on his sides while placing her head against his shoulder to get a good look at their attackers.
But the guards and the woman who came into view didn’t even look at the group assembled there. They walked past as if in a daze. Piper whimpered, and Kenzie’s hand clung tighter to Leif’s shoulder.
Ty cocked his head. “Agnus?” he said, and everyone’s eyes widened.
But the group of five didn’t stop or respond, and the woman—Agnus—mumbled something about an elevator. Leif looked at the others, who looked as confused and incredulous as he felt. What was going on?
And then Myreen came into view, along with the Dracul boy and another young woman Leif didn’t recognize.
“Myreen!” Kenzie shouted—a little too loudly for Leif’s comfort. They weren’t away from the vampire school yet, and the zombie-like group that had just passed them had him unnerved. The selkie stepped away from him and waited to meet the others joining them. Ty went running to his sister with his arms extended. It warmed Leif’s heart to see their reunion. It was so odd to think that these loving, peaceable people were related to Draven Denholm, lord of all vampires.
“What’s going on?” Ty asked Myreen.
Kol met Leif’s eyes and nodded his head in acknowledgement. Leif reminded himself that this boy might be related to Aline Dracul, but he was not his ancestor. Nor did he bear her offenses.
Leif was about to say something, but a noise like fingernails on chalkboard—magnified by one hundred—sounded from the door.
“Rainbow!” Piper said. “Leif, your crazy cat is going to draw the attention of every vampire in Heritage Prep!”
Rainbow was crawling up the door, his claws poking into the thick metal. With one of his front paws, a single hooked claw was lodged into the welding. A line of sunlight spilled its way into the corridor. Right onto Leif.
“Watch out, Leif!” Kenzie yelled, jumping into him and tackling him to the ground. It was too late. The light had already struck him.
But no pain came.
The scorching of Draven’s sunroom was vividly on his mind, but he felt none of that same burning.
Kenzie was still on top of him, and their eyes met.
“Are you okay?” she asked, running a hand along his face, checking for fresh wounds.
He smiled up at her. “It didn’t burn me. You were right—it was just a temporary spell.” Gratitude for the girl flooded his soul, and he drew her in close for an embrace. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Kenzie.”
Kenzie’s eyes widened. “Wait, the cancelling spell...”
The loud scraping of Rainbow’s claws stopped, and then more sunlight poured in as the door teetered, then fell out, slamming on the roof of the citadel and revealing their exit.
Kenzie got to her feet and held out a hand to Leif. He didn’t necessarily need her help, but he gladly accepted it and stood up.
“The gate’s open,” he said, looking past the others to make sure a stream of vampires weren’t coming. Not a soul in sight. They’d lucked out. Kenzie’s plan worked. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 38: Kenzie
Kenzie slipped her bag to the floor and broke away from the group as they began preparing for flight.
“Where are you going?” Myreen asked as she attempted to help Ty climb onto Kol’s back.
“Where are we going?” Ty asked, stubbornly planting his feet. “When are we gonna get back?”
Leif and Piper were exchanging misgiving glances, and the dragons looked to be in about the same condition. Piper took a step away from Leif as she eyed Rainbow, sitting comfortably in the vampire’s arms.
Kenzie laughed at the odd scene. “A little magical cleanup. It should only take a moment. Nobody do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
“Okay, but if you’re not back in five minutes, I’m coming after you,” Myreen said, then turned back to Ty. “Don’t you want to fly on the back of a dragon?”
Ty had his hands on his hips. “They’re shifters! Shifters killed my mom, in case you forgot.”
Kenzie stopped, her hand on the empty doorframe. “If I’m not back in five minutes, go on without me.” She didn’t wait for a response, stepping over the door as she cast a barrier spell on the open space. The hunk of metal righted itself and sealed under the influence of her magic. Now the others couldn’t follow her in, and no one else could get out.
&nb
sp; Maybe it was stupid, coming back in, but they’d made a clean getaway. She wanted to make sure their luck held out. Hopefully Myreen would have everyone straightened out by the time Kenzie finished.
“Sweeph an bolladhá, sweeph an bolladhá, camdach, diúltidhá, sweeph an bolladhá.” Kenzie repeated the chant a few times, using her hands to direct her magic as far as she could manage. She wanted to make sure the vampires didn’t track them here. If the trail ended at the elevator, then they’d have to speculate what happened.
Every little bit helped.
Now for phase two. Kenzie rubbed her hands together, then crouched and placed her palms against the floor on either side of herself. She had no idea if this would work, but it was worth a shot.
“Ta’inthreachá,” she said, and the air seemed to charge with electricity around her. Kenzie channeled it through both her hands, then brought them together and back to the floor. She repeated the process again, and then a third time.
Her science was a little spotty, but she hoped the lightning spell would create an electrostatic discharge that would work as an EMP, killing everything electronic within the citadel. Hopefully that would take care of all the vehicles parked in the hangar that might try to take them down.
Kenzie stood and jogged back to the door, but before she could reach it, a hand grabbed her arm, stopping her as it swung her around.
“Adam?” Kenzie’s jaw dropped, her heart taking a long pause before it attempted to gallop out of her chest. “What are you doing here?”
“I got a whiff of you before it disappeared.” He licked his lips and sucked them in, then let them go with a pop. “I should be asking you the same thing.” He leaned in, drawing a deep breath. “Man, you smell so good.”
Kenzie gave a nervous laugh, trying to edge closer to the door. If she could just get there and cast the unlock spell, she could have that door open in a jiffy—and Adam would be unable to follow her into the sunlight waiting on the other side.
But maybe Adam caught her movements, because his eyes narrowed. “Kenzie, what are you doing?”
She flashed a nervous smile. “Would you believe me if I told you I’ve been working on making you a daywalker, too?”
Adam shook his head. “You know I’d love that, but no, I don’t believe it.” His hand shot past her head and he leaned forward, boxing her in against the wall. “You’d need moonflowers for that spell. And Draven’s permission, I assume.”
“Maybe. Or maybe I embellished the spell to delay giving Draven his powers.”
Adam tsked. “You know, you’re kinda cute when you lie.”
Kenzie’s heart beat an erratic rhythm. “Who says I’m lying?”
Adam leered. “You do. The way your eyes cast to the side, the smoky scent of adrenaline mixing with the fruity brightness of your magic...” He leaned in, taking a deep breath by Kenzie’s neck.
Kenzie held still, digging in her mind for a spell that would help. But the ones that were the most effective would take too long to cast, and terror at what Adam might do to her locked her brain as well as her body.
“The way your heart beats faster, your blood singing a siren song.”
Kenzie gasped as his tongue licked the spot he’d last bit her, the fang holes fully healed again thanks to Myreen. Kenzie shivered, fear twisting with desire. He’d fed on her enough that she was coming to crave his bite, the surge of good feelings that accompanied a feeding were almost like a high.
“What I don’t understand, though, is why. With your magic and my intelligence and vampire powers, we could be unstoppable together. And when you grew old, I’d still be there, waiting for that final bite, waiting to take you with me through eternity. Isn’t that what every girl wants? Love that lasts forever?”
Kenzie looked at him with pleading eyes. “No, Adam. I’m not just any girl. And you don’t love me, not really.”
“I forgave you when you betrayed me the first time. And I took care of you when you came here. You wouldn’t have gotten this far at Heritage Prep without me. If that’s not love, then I don’t know what love is.”
“That’s the problem. You don’t know what love is. Not like—” Kenzie stopped herself, not wanting to give anything else away.
Adam’s brows furrowed as he stared deep into Kenzie’s eyes. “There’s someone else, isn’t there?”
Kenzie shook her head. “Adam, you have to let me go.”
“No,” he breathed.
The familiar sting of his teeth was on her neck, and her body pleaded with her to relent. It would be so easy. She’d done it so many times before.
The door jiggled, and then there was banging on it. Someone’s voice was shouting, but Kenzie couldn’t quite understand, between the muffling of the door and the haze grasping at her mind.
Kenzie wouldn’t relent to the venom this time. Not if she could help it.
Her body was beginning to cave to Adam’s will. She had to do something. Now “Chovlún sollaís,” she said, the first spell that came to mind. A bright light flashed, and Adam staggered back, shielding his face.
“What the—? Bitc—”
“Leich ín dhaermandah,” Kenzie threw at him next, though she had no intention of making him forget anything. It seemed no matter how many times she magically wiped his mind, his memories kept coming back. But the spell would stop him long enough to complete another.
Adam stood there, looking a little unsteady, his guylined eyes fogged over as he awaited her instructions. It was a pity his heart wasn’t as attractive as his face.
Kenzie shook her head to clear it, then walked slowly toward Adam, her hand outstretched. “Fiáscha na olch. Tóggo boggé na folía. Diúltódha darshada.”
Adam backed up until he hit the wall, his whole body pressed against the cool stone, bound by her magic.
“I’m done being your toy. I’m done giving you what you want.” She put two fingers to the bite on her neck, still seeping blood. “Leasheth’asa,” she said, and the wounds closed. Wiping the remaining blood off her skin, she put her fingers to Adam’s mouth. “Enjoy, because that’s the last taste of me you’ll ever get.” He was still too dazed to respond.
“Díghlisál,” Kenzie said as she neared the door to the roof, releasing the magic that held it in place. The banging stopped as Ty tumbled in.
Adam groaned from behind her, and she considered finishing off the forget spell. But to be honest, she wanted him to hurt. So she left it open, trusting fate to do what was right. Either Adam would be fine, or he’d have brain damage. Either way, he’d be hurting from what little bit of sunlight could reach him. She could already smell the sizzle of his flesh.
Ty regarded Kenzie with wide eyes.
Myreen stepped in behind him. “Ty, are you—? What the heck?” Myreen sent a worried glance past Kenzie to the vampire stuck to the wall.
Kenzie waved dismissively at him. “Don’t mind him.” She bent over so she was eye-level with Ty. “Ready to go?”
Ty shook his head. “You’re all monsters. Dad!” He took off running down the stairs, faster than Kenzie could even react.
“Ty!” Myreen called, starting after him, but Kenzie caught her around the waist.
There were more footsteps out there than Ty’s.
“Come on,” Kenzie said. “We have to go. Now!”
“But Ty...” Myreen looked so forlorn, but they didn’t have time to deal with it.
Kenzie pulled Myreen into the sunlight just as the first few pale faces came into view. With a flourish of her hand, she cast the sealing spell, and the door fitted itself back into the empty space. She jumped as loud bangs came from behind the door, the metal denting where the vampires attempted to ram it through.
“What happened in there?” Char asked, Piper seated on her back.
Kenzie shook her head. “Wait. Where did Kol go? And Leif?”
Kol swept back up at that moment. “The vampire wanted to run for it. Something about cats not being meant to fly or something.”
Another loud bang sounded, followed by screeching as the lead vampire felt the first fruits of his success—fresh burns from the midday sun.
“Hop on Kol,” Myreen urged Kenzie.
Kenzie complied, bringing her bag with her. She only took half a second to admire her friend in harpy form. Myreen’s wings were out, her feet talons. Kenzie hadn’t even seen her kick off her shoes, but there didn’t seem to be any tatters or shreds around. Myreen really was an angel, in her own way. And right now, she was a very sad angel.
“You’ll want to find some handholds between my scales,” Kol instructed Kenzie. Piper was already hanging on for dear life, her pale skin looking almost sickly—and the ride hadn’t even started yet.
“Ready?” Myreen asked, casting a worried glance at the battered door.
Kenzie started to nod when the door finally caved. Kol, Char, and Myreen shot into the air like a bullet, and Kenzie hung onto her dragon as best she could, squeezing her legs and gripping her chosen scales with all her might. Warmth seeped through his flesh and into her. Good. At least that would help with the freezing air, which seemed to get even colder as it whipped past her.
Looking back at the roof of the citadel, Kenzie saw the only other vampire who could followed them. He had his arms crossed and was shaking his head, Ty standing by his side looking angry and betrayed. Kenzie glanced at Myreen, who looked like she might swoop back down. But they all knew it was too dangerous.
A sound erupted from the west and stole their attention—a keening wail wrapped in a monstrous screech that rumbled through Kenzie’s body. Her eyes wide, she looked at Myreen. “What. The. Crap. Was. That?”
Myreen shook her head. “I don’t know, but I’m not sticking around to find out.”
Kenzie nodded.
Draven’s laughter floated behind them, sending chills down Kenzie’s spine.
She cast another worried glance at Myreen, but her face was forward, all her concentration on flying.
“Let’s fall into a line,” Char instructed. “I’ll lead.” Piper’s eyes widened, and Kenzie thought she detected a faint chatter.