by L.H. Cosway
“Of course,” Whitfield replied, pulling my hand to his lips and kissing it. Ugh. “Until we meet again, my beauty.” Then he slipped away into a group of older male vampires.
Ethan slid both arms around my waist, pulling me dangerously close to his body. He swayed us to the music, and I rested my head against his chest.
“This party is exhausting,” I mumbled into his pristine black suit.
Ethan ducked down a little to whisper in my ear, “Don’t worry, you’ll be in bed soon enough.” Electricity spiked through me at his words. He had no idea just how much I wanted that. Sadly, no matter how this night went, I was pretty sure Ethan wouldn’t be welcoming me into his bed at the end of it.
I pulled back and looked up at him, taking a moment to admire his features. It might be the last time I had the chance. His gold eyes were framed by long, dark lashes. Strong jaw, olive skin, straight Roman nose, bottom lip fuller than the top. Gaze full of adoration. This was certainly the last time he’d look at me that way.
The thought had me acting impulsively. I gave him a soft kiss, grazing my lips across his. His breath caught a little like he hadn’t expected me to kiss him. I enjoyed surprising him. He held still, allowing me to take the lead before he leisurely slipped his tongue inside my mouth. It was a carnal invasion, much more intense than the tender kiss I’d initiated. My cheeks heated, and I pulled away.
“I, um, I need to use the bathroom,” I said, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. Ethan nodded, his eyes in full bedroom mode. That tongue thing he did just now was hot, and as much as I wanted to stand there all night kissing him, I had actions to set in motion. I glanced back at him one last time as I left the ballroom to find that he was watching me, his eyes full of heat.
Guilt threatened to swallow me whole as I located the willow branch, alongside the ribbon and the ring in my bag. My conflicting emotions were becoming too much to take. I felt awful for going behind Ethan’s back, but I knew I was doing the right thing by helping rescue all the people Whitfield held prisoner.
I wandered down a random hallway with no intention of actually using the bathroom. Finding an empty room, I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes, endeavouring to summon the magic within me.
Come on, don’t fail me now.
I concentrated on finding Rebecca first. I tried to envision the girl in my head from the picture I’d seen of her. It only took a minute for the branch to start buzzing in my grasp. It gently tugged me forward, leading me from the empty room and farther down the corridor.
I kept my body loose, just letting the branch pull me in the direction that I needed to go. I ended up at the bottom of a narrow staircase. Suddenly, my arm shot up with the force of the branch. I guessed that meant it wanted me to go up the stairs. The high heels I wore were starting to hurt my feet, so I shuffled out of them, slung them over my arm, and proceeded barefoot up the steps.
This part of the mansion was completely empty. Still, I glanced back to make sure no one was following me. My heart pounded, and the branch buzzed more strongly now. I hoped that meant I was getting closer to Rebecca.
I reached the top of the stairs and hid behind a corner, my gaze landing on a tall vampire who was most definitely standing guard. My breathing quickened as I prayed the vampire didn’t sense my presence, or God forbid smell me.
The willow branch buzzed like crazy. Rebecca was obviously being kept in that room. I should have asked Finn to let me bring a stake or something, although I wasn’t sure if I’d be brave enough to use it on an actual vampire.
I pulled my phone out and texted him. Rebecca’s being kept in a room on the top floor, but there’s a vamp standing guard.
His reply came fast.
Don’t worry, we’ll get her out of there, just go and find Pamphrock now.
I sighed in relief, putting Rebecca’s ribbon back in my bag before taking hold of Pamphrock’s gold ring. Just as I prepared to centre myself and visualise Pamphrock, something zoomed past my eyes. A split second later the vampire who’d been standing guard loomed over me. His eyes were dark brown pools, his nostrils flaring as he breathed me in.
“You smell good, blue eyes. What brings you all the way up here?” His smile indicated his pleasure at stumbling across a silly human who managed to wander away from the party and get lost.
I swiftly adopted the role, plastering on a dumb grin. “Oops, I was searching for the bathroom. I’ll just head back downstairs.” I turned on my heel, but the vampire grabbed me by the elbow, stopping me in my stride.
“Not so fast.” His expression showed a hint of suspicion as his gaze wandered over me. I sensed some sneaky thought enter his head when his eyes flashed black and his voice came out in a weird monotone. “You want to stay here with me. Tilt your head to the side and present your neck.”
For a moment, I was confused as to why his voice sounded so strange, but then it hit me. He was trying to compel me! This wasn’t good. I couldn’t let him discover I was immune. God help me but I had to play along.
Slowly, I tilted my neck back, pretending his thrall was working. His eyes flared and his fangs extended. I sensed his hunger like it was a tangible thing. He was so focused on my neck that he didn’t see me take hold of one of the shoes that were currently dangling over my arm. It was a stroke of luck that I’d decided to take them off.
They were stilettos with pointy heels. Lethal if wielded correctly. At least, I hoped. I sucked in a breath for courage then drove the heel into his chest. It didn’t work as a stake. Hell, it barely even broke his skin. The vampire blinked in confusion. He clearly hadn’t expected me to try to kill him with my shoe.
“You little tramp!” he spat and lunged for me using his vampire speed. Milliseconds later his hand clasped my jaw, and I swallowed painfully. Then, my palms started to tingle in a sensation that was both foreign and familiar. My magic was finally waking up!
“Wait a minute,” the vampire said in confusion. “How come my compulsion didn’t work on you?” His gaze narrowed as he glanced down the corridor, making sure we were alone. Then he dragged me by the neck over to the door he’d been guarding. He pressed a few buttons on the keypad next to it, and the door slid open. The vampire hurled me inside, finally letting go of his death grip on me. I rubbed my jaw to ease the pain.
“I don’t know how you did that,” he gritted out harshly. “My best guess is that you’re some kind of witch, which means you’re not here to attend the party.”
My palms continued to tingle. The vampire whipped out a phone to place a call. “The governor’s going to have great fun with you,” he sneered as he waited for someone to answer. Instinct took over then, just like it had the last time. My hand shot out, sparks flying from my skin. They knocked the phone from his hand, and it fell to the floor, sizzling as though it’d just been burned.
“What the hell?!” he yelled, his hulking, muscular form advancing on me. My hand flew forward again, this time intentionally. Okay, those sparks were a great defence. If only I could figure out how to summon them on command. They trickled from my palm, spilling onto the floor where they sizzled into the carpet.
Just as the vampire was about to grab me, I threw a hail of sparks at him. They flitted through the air, hitting the vampire’s skin and causing great big welting red marks to rise on his face and arms. He fell back from the shock of it, landing flat on his backside. There were gaping burnt holes in his black T-shirt, where the sparks had melted through the material.
“Fuck!” he gasped and hissed at the pain. “What the hell kind of witch are you?”
“That’s a question I’d like to know the answer to myself,” I said as he grabbed my ankle, pulling me to him.
My hands flew out, mainly due to fear. This time threads of glittering sparks streamed from my palms, as though they’d bound to form something solid. They made contact with the vampire’s face and chest, and his eyes rolled back in his head before he passed out.
I stumbled to my feet and only now no
ticed that I wasn’t in a room, but a small atrium which led to another narrow set of stairs. The stairs went up to what looked like the attic. There was a dark wooden door at the top of them that was firmly shut.
I looked back at the vampire. He wasn’t dead, merely unconscious, but after what my magic did to him, he wouldn’t be waking up any time soon. I needed to find Pamphrock and the slayers, but I’d dropped the willow branch back out in the hallway.
I was about to go back for it when a powerful pull seized my body, propelling me up the narrow stairs. The pull told me that something familiar awaited me, which was perplexing, to say the least. My feet moved fast as I hurried up the stairs, eager to discover what lay beyond the closed door.
18.
I placed my palm on the door handle and turned, expecting it to be locked. It wasn’t. The handle turned easily, and I opened the door into a large attic room that was lit only by a small lamp. There were stacks of old boxes in one corner and in the other was a narrow single bed with pale sheets.
On the bed lay a small body, curled in on itself sleeping. The body belonged to a young girl with blonde hair that obscured her face. Rebecca! As soon I said laid eyes on her, I fell to my knees, my body humming in recognition. It was a sensation I’d never felt before. My blood sang in my veins, telling me this girl was like me. She was my kindred. Another rare female born from the True Power bloodline.
Was this why Pamphrock thought I’d reminded him of Rebecca even though we looked nothing alike? Did he know about her blood? Did Whitfield? Hell, I didn’t even understand how I knew it, but I could feel it with every fibre of my being. All I hoped was that someone had the forethought to cast a concealment spell on her the same way my mother did for me.
A sudden, unexplainable burst of joy hit me. I was no longer the only one of my kind. The magic inside of me had been urging me to find her all along. That was why I’d felt a pull to go up those stairs and find whatever lay beyond them.
Rebecca’s mother must have been a witch with the same blood as mine, the same blood that my mother was killed for. I needed to get her out of here. Now that I knew the truth about her, getting her away from the vampires was more important than ever.
Kneeling by the bed, I placed my hand on Rebecca’s shoulder and shook her softly to wake her up. Her eyes blinked a few times as she woke.
She gazed at me for a moment, then asked, “Are you the angel?”
“The angel?”
“I dreamt that an angel would come and save me from the monsters. She looked just like you.”
I’ve never considered myself particularly angelic looking, but I supposed the evening gown made me appear more striking than usual.
“I’m not an angel, but I am here to save you,” I said. “Come on, we need to go.” I urged her up from her sleeping position. She wore yellow pyjamas and her feet were bare. I looked around the room and found a pair of slippers for her to put on. Then I took her hand, and we made our way over to the door. I glanced down at Rebecca, making sure she was okay. When I lifted my eyes back to the door, I startled when I saw a figure standing there. I let out an involuntary gasp and stepped backward, instinctively placing Rebecca behind me.
Eliza crossed her arms, a grin on her face like the cat that got the cream. “I fucking knew it,” she declared, beaming from ear to ear. “I knew there was something off about you. You’ve been working for Pamphrock, haven’t you? We thought he had something up his sleeve, but nobody guessed that Ethan would fall for a honey trap.”
I winced because although I could argue that I had real feelings for Ethan, I’d still deceived him. I tried to ignore the pain that gripped my chest at the reminder.
“You kidnapped a little girl,” I said. My voice was jittery because now that Eliza knew what I’d been up to she’d be only too happy to tell Ethan all about it. “I’m taking her back to her father.”
Eliza shot me a dirty look. “Her father has dedicated his life to the killing of my species. I have no sympathy for that man. And you aren’t taking her anywhere.”
Eliza pulled out a phone. She dialled a number before lifting it to her ear. “Ethan, there’s been another infiltration. I need you to come to the attic and bring my father with you. Hurry.” She hung up and cast me a look of sheer satisfaction and triumph.
I felt Rebecca tugging on my arm. I glanced down at her. “Don’t fight with that lady,” she whispered. “She’s a bad person.”
“I know that,” I replied, stroking her hair away from her face, hoping it would soothe her fear, even though I was only just about holding it together myself.
Eliza gave a derisive snort. “You’re going to regret the day you ever stepped foot back in Crimson.” Her voice dripped with malice. “I’m really going to relish your torture and your death. Father might even allow me to kill you myself. My face will be the last you ever see.”
I rolled my eyes, all bluster as I made a fake retching noise. “Please, don’t make it worse. Having to look at you at all makes my skin crawl, Eliza.”
“And that’s what will make it even more enjoyable when I drain the life from your body. I’ll force you to look at me while I do it.”
“Eh, do you have a crush on me or something?”
“Shut your mouth! Speak again and I won’t wait for Ethan and my father to arrive. I’ll kill you right now.”
“Eye contact just sounds a little romantic is all I’m saying.”
Okay, riling her probably wasn’t a wise idea. Fury consumed Eliza’s features and Rebecca gave a squeal when the vampire dove for me. I let go of Rebecca’s hand and pushed her out of the way just as Eliza gripped my neck. I struggled for air, but she was intent on suffocating me. I didn’t have the strength to break free.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Ethan’s voice demanded. Eliza’s hold loosened as I fell to the floor, inhaling deep breaths into my burning lungs.
“Your human whore has been playing you this whole time,” Eliza sneered, turning to face Ethan.
Ethan’s eyes found mine, confusion in their gold depths. Every part of me drowned in remorse for betraying him. It was only then that I realised Whitfield stood in the doorway, too. “What in the world is going on here?” he questioned angrily.
“Father!” Eliza exclaimed. “I caught her trying to take the girl. She’s been working for Pamphrock.”
“Pardon me?” I’d never heard two words uttered with such cold, unreserved rage.
Ethan’s incredulous gaze locked on mine, disbelief colouring his expression. “Tegan?”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, and a solitary tear ran down my cheek. My apology confirmed the truth. There was no sense denying it. I didn’t have a single viable excuse for being up here. As soon as I uttered the words, Ethan’s face inexplicably hardened. He’d never looked at me that way before. A crack shattered through my heart.
“Did you know about this?” Whitfield snapped, focusing on Ethan, who just about managed to tear his furious eyes away from me.
“Of course not, Jeremy. Don’t be so ridiculous.” His hard gaze returned to me. “I had no idea what she was up to.”
“I don’t know,” Whitfield went on ponderously. “I have always held my doubts about you, Ethan. You’re a strong and fierce warrior, yet you coddle that abomination of a sister as though she were truly one of us.”
“What has Delilah got to do with any of this?” Ethan questioned, that hard expression now levelled on Whitfield.
“She has everything to do with it,” Whitfield replied. “She is a sign of your weakness, a weakness that allowed you to be fooled by your attraction to a human. Your sister also represents the fact that you do not share my vision for the future. If you did, then you’d cast her out just like the rest of the half-breeds are cast out.”
“I’ve fought by your side in countless wars,” Ethan retorted. “I’ve even saved your life a time or two, yet you talk to me like this? You question my strength? My loyalty?”
Whitfield l
eaned back against the wall, observing Ethan. “Show me that you are loyal, then.” His eyes cut to me. “Kill the human. She betrayed you. Punish her for it.”
Eliza rubbed her hands together in glee. I really wanted to slap her. Ethan’s face was blank. I couldn’t read him at all. I prayed that even though I’d deceived him he still couldn’t bring himself to kill me. Punish me? Sure. But end my life? If he was half the man I thought he was, then he wouldn’t do it.
“Is there something wrong?” Whitfield challenged. “She’s a blood donor who went behind your back. Kill her. I’ll get you another one just like her.”
The only outward sign of Ethan’s struggle was how he clenched his fists at his sides. Something brushed my hand softly. It was Rebecca. She took my fingers into hers, perhaps to comfort me. Wait a minute, my hands. The sparks. Maybe I could still get us out of here.
Ethan’s voice was strained. “Jeremy, you don’t understand—”
“What don’t I understand?” Whitfield hissed. “She might have taken the girl if Eliza hadn’t caught her. You have no idea just how incredibly important the girl is to me.” The emphasis he put on that last sentence made me tense. Whitfield knew. He knew about Rebecca’s blood. I saw it in the stark look of possession in his eyes. Which begged the question, why hadn’t he bitten her yet?
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Eliza complained. “If Ethan won’t kill the bitch, then I will.” She advanced on me, and I let go of Rebecca’s hand, summoning my magic. I waited for Eliza to get close before I opened my palm and slammed it into her face. The sparks flew right out with the contact and sizzled into her skin. She wailed and leapt away from me. The side of her perfect face was melting.
“Witch!” she screamed hysterically.
Both Ethan and Whitfield stared at me in horror, trying to comprehend what I just did.
Finally, Whitfield spoke, “She can’t be a witch. We would have smelled it. She smells abnormally desirable, but still, in essence, her scent is human.”