Crimson Bite (Hillcrest Supernaturals Book 1)

by Ben Alderson

  Leave me alone, I warn it. I don’t need you.

  You did, and you will again, it replies, hissing and coiling tighter as if it wants to suck the life from me.

  I slap my hand to my stomach and still the moan of discomfort that wants to spill past my lips.

  From the dark, I hear Savi. “What you did back there… I was faced with a darkness, George, but it felt like you. I could hear your voice calling to me from the shadows. I thought witches could only call upon the elements?”

  Unsure of how to discuss this with her, I consider my words carefully before I respond. I’ve never told anyone about the power within me. My parents knew, but Mother hasn’t mentioned it in years, not after my failure when I attempted to save my father.

  “Most witches can conjure all four elements, but we have complete control over just one. It’s like a specialty. In extreme situations, witches can call the elements, but maintaining control for long would be impossible if it’s not their special element. This connection to the earth and the elements is what makes us witches. Rarely, we meet a witch who can access complete control over all of the elements. My father could, and so can I. Maybe I can do more? Maybe it has something to do with my Alcott bloodline?”

  “Whatever you did is not new to you. I sensed its clarity. You knew what you were doing. Since there’s clearly something very wrong here, we have to talk about it.”

  “I—”

  “George, listen. I killed a human. You killed a werewolf, and I killed a wolf that was trying to kill me. Whatever makes you hesitant to tell the truth is pointless. We are both in deep shit right now. You don’t need to lie to me, because we’re in this together.”

  “Blood magic,” I spit it out.

  “What is it?”

  “A forbidden power that was banned centuries before Hillcrest was even a town. Blood magic is a power reserved for those with the most potent of bloodlines.”

  “Blood magic, bloodlines… I guess the connection makes sense. So we add this forbidden power to the ever-growing list of things we shouldn’t have done?”

  I nod, knowing her heightened senses can see me in this darkness. “If I didn’t use blood magic, you would be dead right now.”

  “I know, and I appreciate what you did, but what does it mean? Power comes with a price. What have you paid to save me?”

  Silence falls between us as Savi waits for my answer, but I don’t have one.

  “My father had a book. Maybe it will have answers. We could go get it and—”

  “No!” Savi snaps. “I can’t go back yet. If the wolves sense that I’m alive, they will come for us. Or they might tell the council what we’ve done. We’ll pay for this with our lives, George. I need to stay here until we have answers.”

  “I can go back alone. This place is protected by my charms. No one would know you’re here. But how long are you planning on staying? You can’t live here for the rest of your life. People—Chad—will notice you’ve gone missing.”

  “Trust me, I have no plans to stay here for long. We just need answers before the wolves, the human boy, and the council all come knocking. They’ll want answers too, George. And right now, we don’t have anything to say.”

  She had a point. “Okay, I will go and get some supplies and my father’s book. It should contain answers. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  I reach out for Savi, but she jolts away. I can hear her feet scurry across the hard floors.

  “Please…” Her voice is strained. “It still hurts when you get too close. I can’t take the pain right now. I need to be strong. Will your father’s book explain this? Maybe it can be reversed?”

  “I hope so,” I say, fear coursing through my blood as I step outside, leaving Savi alone.

  Savi

  The loneliness creeps over me as I watch George leave for supplies. I send a silent prayer to whoever will listen that he finds his father’s book and that it has the answers we so desperately need.

  Without George here, my mind is clear, and the pain is completely gone. The darkness still speaks to me, but its muffled voice is easily ignored for more important matters, like why the hell we ever found this place peaceful.

  I kick the dirt at my feet and run my hands along the stone walls. The mortar between the aging stones is cracked. I chip away the rough edges, listening as the hardened paste falls to the floor. I run my fingertips along the grooves until I reach a window. The glass has long been shattered, if there was ever glass at all. We never decided when the stone retreat was built, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it were built long before glass was used for windows. We’re certain this cottage was home to one of the first settlers.

  I scan the tiny space. A small, corner-standing woodburning fireplace is the cottage’s sole heat source. I consider lighting it for when George returns but nix the idea. No one knows I’m here because George’s charms have hidden this place, but I don’t want to press my luck. A smoke stream coming from a remote part of Wolfsbane Forest is likely to attract unwanted attention.

  I plant myself on the ground and lean against the doorframe. I stare into the abyss, and though night has fallen on Hillcrest, the moon’s light illuminates the forest. Vampires are friends of the night, and being blessed with the ability to see clearly is part of the reason I’m in this mess. If I couldn’t hunt, I wouldn’t kill. But now, I see so clearly, I have to wonder if my eyes are betraying me. Is that really the sun I see in the sky and not the moon?

  Sitting, I rest my feet on the decaying wooden porch and stare at my legs. My dark jeans are fitted beneath my combat boots. My legs, short and leanly muscled, look just like the legs I’ve seen for nearly two decades. But I know they’re not.

  I stretch out my arms before me, and the sleeves of my jacket pull up my arms, exposing my wrists. My veins are a deep blue against my pale skin. My nails, painted black, are short, and my hands are dirty. Save for the grubbiness, I look no differently now than I did before. But like my legs, my arms are lying; they aren’t mine.

  I look the same, but I feel different. My thoughts are my own, but there’s another voice there. It’s deeper and darker than anything I’ve ever felt. It is like the hunger, and I can feel its desire to take control.

  Time passes slowly as I wait for George to return with good news. I’d love nothing more than to go home, crawl into bed, and pretend these last few days never happened. But I’m no longer the child who used to play within these stone walls. We can’t lie to ourselves anymore.

  George and I are in real trouble.

  I consider waiting for him, but I know there’s no point. Either I can waste what little time we have left before getting caught, or I can take care of the problem for good.

  Before the thought enters my mind, I’m already running. I shouldn’t have waited, because now, I may not beat George back to our cottage retreat. But I have to take care of this. I have to do this… for him. He risked his life to save mine, and I’ll do the same for him.

  As my feet slap the ground, I listen to the sound resonate through the loose soil. Yellowed leaves crunch beneath the weight of me, and I smile. The air is crisp, cool, and clean. I can’t imagine living anywhere else, and if I want to stay, then I have to get rid of the wolf.

  The moonlight is hot on my skin. I close my eyes and listen as nearby animals slumber. In the distance, I can hear the rowdy wolves. They mourn their dead and celebrate their living. Anger boils in the pit of my gut as I think of their leader. It was he who made me this way. Sure, George’s magic lit the candle that engulfed me in flames, but he wouldn’t have called upon fire if that wolf just stayed away. If the wolves hadn’t come for revenge, I wouldn’t be… like this. A wave of hatred stronger than anything I’ve ever known rushes over me, and soon, I’m drowning.

  I skid to a stop as I reach the cliff, and I fight the urge to run to them and feed until there’s nothing left. I’ve never wanted to kill as badly as I do right now. This feeling is worse than any hunger I’ve ever felt. T
he darkness within me clings to it, even as I try to desperately cast it out. As I leap off the cliff’s edge, I hear the softest of chuckles coming from deep within me.

  I land effortlessly and silently on the small ledge beside the crashing waves of Raven Cry. The wolf I killed earlier is gone, washed away or in a watery grave at the bottom of the lake. Either way, he’s fish food now. And sadly, he isn’t my problem.

  I turn on my heel and close the space between us. I’d like nothing more than to forget about the dead wolf and instead worry about the side effects of George’s revival spell, but I know the traces of his magic is all over this wolf. The council would sense it. They’d sentence him to death, and I couldn’t let that happen. After all, he never would have been at that stupid bonfire if it weren’t for my infatuation with the human. Thankfully, the girl’s blood has worked its way through my system, and with the last drop digested, her love for him has dissipated.

  I struggle to focus on what really matters, like eliminating evidence of our involvement in the broken treaty and learning just what George’s blood magic has done to me. Even as I stare at the decaying meat before me, my mind still wanders back to what George did. I’m grateful for his sacrifice, but what does it mean? I feel different, but so does every college graduate who returns to their childhood bedroom. I look at myself, and I see the girl I once knew. The darkness speaks to me, but after years of succumbing to the hunger, am I really any different?

  I crouch and assess the damage done. The wolf’s frame was crushed as it smashed into the ground. George’s magic pushed him over the edge with a force I’ve never seen him release. A jagged rock protrudes from the center of the wolf’s abdomen. I grasp the top of the rock and pull it toward me. It snaps from its base, and after tossing it aside, I brush off my hand to remove bits of the dried blood that caked on the stone.

  “Just what am I going to do with you?” I say.

  I don’t expect an answer, so when I hear something approach, everything within me sparks to life. I jolt upright and try to locate the daring soul. It can’t be George. He still expects me to be at the cottage. Even if someone were to find their way this far into Wolfsbane Forest, no one would propel down the cliff’s edge. This part of Raven Cry is known for its dangerous undertow. Only a fool with a death wish would swim here.

  Quickly, I consider my options: I leave in the same horrible situation George and I were in to begin with, making this trip back pointless, or I risk moving the body and disrupting George’s spell that ensures no one but he or I can sense the wolf’s remains. I have only seconds to make my choice.

  Groaning, I latch onto the matted fur of the beast and lift it into my arms. Putting all my energy into my legs, I leap off the ground until I land firmly at the top of the cliff. As I run, I hear them. The howls of dozens of wolves tell me George’s spell has been broken, and more wolves will be on my trail.

  The beast is stiff in my arms. I hold it close to my chest, cradling it like a child, as I breathe through my mouth. I can’t risk breathing in the smell of its decaying flesh. I fear I’d pass out. I hold too tightly and feel a small rupture burst inside its stomach. I gag as the smell permeates toward me.

  I can hear the rumbling of the many wolves charging me from behind, and I know there’s only one place I can go where they will not follow. Long ago, when George and I were young, we stumbled upon a small valley in the center of the forest, one that the wolves would die to protect. The day we found their secret, we learned the true meaning behind Wolfsbane Forest’s name.

  I crush the small purple plant that grows wild in this field. A perennial, the toxic plant returns, year after year, tempting the enemies of the wolves. When the treaty was enacted, the leader of the wolves ensured only they would have access to such a dangerous weapon. But though they protect the plant, they do not control it. Even now, it grows wild.

  I make my way to the center, listening as the wolves cease their attack. When I’m safely away, I turn toward them and smile as I drop the wolf’s body. I take several steps backward as the wolfsbane reacts to its presence. Seconds tick by as the wolf’s body is engulfed in flames.

  Even from afar, I see the anger erupting among the wolves. They part for their leader, who has given up his human form in favor of the more dangerous wolf. Our gazes meet, and I’d swear he is surprised to see it is I who uncovered his missing brother (after all, I’m supposed to be dead). I watch his recognition of me turn to anger, and the look in his eyes is one I know personally. I’ve felt that burning desire to take a life more times than I can count.

  The body sizzles and bursts into flames. The smell is rancid, the smoke as black as night. I look out, and the forest is speckled with glowing golden irises. The wolves have surrounded me, and I know I must fight my way back to the cottage, back to the life George has granted me.

  But the proof of what George and I have done will forever rest here. The traces of his magic will burn until there’s nothing but charred earth, dead plants, and ashes carried by the wind.

  George

  The moment I open the door, Mother is there.

  “I found the murderer,” she says, face alight with glee. “The one who killed the human girl.”

  “What? No…” I stumble over my words, shocked by Mother’s sudden excitement as she bombards me.

  “Since you disappeared and left me with no options but to do the job myself, it was I who found the vampire girl.”

  My heart races. Savi. I just left her. Had she been captured in such a short period of time?

  Mother is already pulling my arm toward the door to the basement. I try and pull back, but her grip tightens.

  I can’t speak, not with the panic I feel for Savi. Will she be strapped to the chair in the basement, waiting for me?

  I stumble down the wooden stairs that spill into the basement and see a small frame of a figure, hooded and strapped to the chair. My palms dampen and eyes dry. I can’t blink, not as Mother lets go of me and rushes for the figure.

  “You have failed me, son,” she says. “And I would still be cross if I hadn’t found the killer myself. Your task was simple, yet I waited and waited, and you told me nothing of your time after seeing Elder Jane.”

  “You shouldn’t have,” I spat, unable to hide my panic. “If Elder Jane finds out you have—”

  “That hag can bury her head deep in the dirt for all I care. I should be Elder. I should be the one making decisions. The fact that you question me on this only boils my blood more, boy.”

  Mother’s hand grips the hood of the girl and crushes the material in her fist. A vein on her head protrudes, matching the strain of her muscles as she fights her anger.

  “I didn’t mean to disappoint you. I just—”

  “Just what, boy? What is it that you have been doing while I have been forced to search for the killer?”

  I can’t tell her, nor can I lie. She would sense it. The hooded figure gargles, trying to break free, which saves me from having to answer. Mother’s attention is snapped back to the prisoner, forgetting she was even waiting for my response.

  The chair rocks, legs clattering on the ground as it jumps in her attempt to break free.

  Mother yanks off the hood, causing midnight-colored hair to fall to the girl’s shoulders in a messy heap. The girl flashes her pointed canines and hisses.

  “Silence.” Mother slaps a hand down on the girl’s face, making me cringe. The girl is not Savi. That, at least, is a blessing. I recognize Mother’s victim, but my mind is so mashed I cannot even recollect where I know her from. Regardless, this vampire is innocent. She didn’t kill the human. The real murderer is waiting for me at the cottage deep in Bane’s forest.

  “Now, George, do what I need of you and rectify your tardiness.”

  “How do you know she is the one who did it?” I question Mother, holding my ground. I cannot hurt another. I won’t.

  “She told me so…”

  Mother’s response shocks me, but the vampire do
es not deny it. Instead, she tries snapping her teeth at Mother’s hand the moment it gets too close.

  I’m lost for words, left in the corner of the basement to watch as Mother calls forth the flame in the palm of her hand.

  “You know what needs to happen. We destroy her, rid the world of her evil and protect those who need it. Just like your father and his father before him, this is your birthright, George.”

  “I can’t…”

  Every time I blink, I see Savi’s face in the place of the snarling vampire girl. I can’t hurt another, not one who is innocent. I’ve seen enough death today for a lifetime.

  “What did you say?” Mother’s face warps with confusion, her eyes widening and lips tightening. “Do my ears play tricks on me?”

  “I can’t,” I repeat louder. Even the vampire girl looks up in shock at me.

  Mother laughs, a high trill sound that goes straight through me. “Of course you will. It is what you were born to do. You must follow in the footsteps of your ancestors.”

  I shake my head. “I will not do it, Mother, and you cannot make me.”

  “Oh, I think I can.”

  She leaves the girl’s side and strolls toward me, flame extinguishing in her fist as she clenches it. Her own teeth are bared. I feel the pain across my cheek before Mother even raises a hand to me.

  Let me help.

  The dark snake within me twists and rears up its head.

  You know I can stop this. I can protect you. Let me help you.

  I pinch my eyes and cower.

  No, I tell the darkness, forcing it back down.

  With my eyes closed, I don’t see Mother’s hand until it leaves its mark on my cheek. I stumble back, eyes pooling with tears as I regard the deranged woman before me.

  “You made me do this, boy. If only you would listen, it would have been fine. But you choose to ignore me, over and over again. You defy me, just like you did when you let your father die.”

  Please.

  I want to slap my own hands over my ears to block out her comments.