My tears are red.
Demon tears are red.
I frantically wipe it on the leaves, disturbing Jinx so that he leaps up and hisses at me, returning to his lying position a few feet away. At least he has not left me, but it brings little comfort as I survey my skin, once with imperfections, but now a creamy porcelain, free of any flaws.
I should have known.
His enchanting eyes, his cloak, his laugh, the power I felt when I touched him…he must have been a demon.
A demon!
I didn’t think such a person would dare be in the midst of so many witches, likely many trained enough in hunting or whose parents are hunters who could at least hold him until help came. But I was so wrong, and all I want to do is kneel before my uncle and beg for his forgiveness.
But I can’t.
If I go back, he will be forced to turn me into the Magistrate or risk him being executed for hiding a forbidden species in his home. I can't do that to him, not after I have already defied him.
“I’m a Blood Witch,” I say out loud, hoping that if I do, I will magically come to terms with it and the fact that I will have to learn to survive on the run. That, or beg the tribe to take me in, though even they have a problem with my kind.
Witches turned immortal by demon blood have been illegal for decades now. The Magistrate doesn’t allow them to be made, and if they are found, they are promptly killed. Not only is anyone with demon blood capable of true evil and destruction, but the power a witch-demon hybrid can exude is often uncontrollable. Though we don’t have to have blood to survive, the scent of it is often too tantalizing, as we are sharks, and once we get a taste, bloodlust is imminent.
I look up at the canopy of trees covering me and curse the angels watching over us who were once our faithful allies who mostly abandoned us after our betrayal in creating non-godly beings; our familiars. This is the life we have been left to, and I can't help but feel there is something more than fate that has made my life come to this.
Two dead parents, weak powers despite my powerful lineage, and now I am an abomination and might not live to see my 19th birthday.
I don’t know how many hours I am sitting here, going through every possible emotion, crying until there are no more tears to cry. I know at some point I will have to get up and figure out a plan, whether I am going to the tribe or living off the land here, or hitchhiking somewhere else. But I figured I should get 24 hours to grieve.
Jinx stays by my side the whole time and does not take off even though I am sure he could easily find home even though it is at least a 2-hour ride in the car. He would be back in Vivi’s arms and safe and sound. Probably much more comfortable than he is in the wilderness with me. He’s probably hot.
As it’s getting dark, I know I need to move. I don’t want to be sitting here in the pitch black of the forest with a tasty cat for the coyotes to find. Sure, I would probably fight them off, but I might tear down the whole forest in the process. I don’t know what all my power can do now.
I think I will head towards the road and out of the reservation, hitch a ride west to Vegas or Los Angeles where there are all kinds of underground witch communities. I don’t have a clue how to find them, but I know those are the best places for me to survive, be accepted, and learn not to kill everyone. I would have sent Jinx back to Vivi, but he seems to be loyal to me now, no longer hissing. Maybe he would prefer me because he can feel the power I have. We may have never gotten along, but familiars are hard wired to respond to powerful witches, and I am nothing if not that now.
I pull my witch light from my bag, something most witches are never found without, and use it to guide me through the thick roots and night creatures that hop and slither along the forest floor. Jinx is in my bag again, his head peeking out as if he is going to help me find my way out to the road.
I stop when I hear something; something that doesn’t sound like it belongs here. A voice maybe?
I look at Jinx, and his ears are perked up. “What is it, what do you hear?” I whisper and then roll my eyes, knowing he is not going to answer me. This would not be a good time or place for him to shift into human form if he even wanted to.
I hear a man’s voice calling out and then hear the crunching of leaves. Who else is in these woods?
Not being that great with directions, I just keep heading for the street and hope that I don’t run into anyone that could get me in trouble here. I know I won't be able to find my way out if I get off course, so I will just have to take that risk.
But when I see flashlights blaring in my direction from a small crowd of people, I know for a fact that I have made a wrong judgment.
I throw my hands up as I am blinded by one of the lights and realize it is no flashlight, but a strong witch light. “Riley?”
The voice is one I would know anywhere, and I put my hands down from my face at the same time as he puts the witch light down so I can see his face illuminated in the darkness as well as some other familiar faces like Vivi and Joanna. Any other time I might be glad that they found me, but right now, I am frozen in fear for my life.
Jinx meows at the sight of the witch he is used to but doesn’t move out of my bag, pretty much confirming my earlier theory. Not that it will matter for much longer.
I don’t say a word, just follow his eyes to where I still have streaks of blood on me. “Are you hurt?” my uncle asks. The question is so loaded, I don’t even know how to answer.
“I’m so sorry,” I finally choke out, and he reaches for me, maybe to pull me into a hug or to force me out of there and to his waiting car, but I see his face change the minute our skin makes contact.
“Vivi, take everyone back to the cars. I’ll be right behind you.” He doesn’t look away from me as he says it, and Vivi doesn’t fight him, likely hearing the edge to his voice. She doesn't even try to call Jinx to her, probably thinking I need him for comfort. But no one can comfort me now as my uncle looks me in the eyes and asks me, “Riley, what have you done?”
I fall to my knees and cry, begging for my life like a little worm. If I was any self-respecting witch I would beg him to kill me right there so I don’t have to go through anything else. It isn't like the Magistrate will be concerned with whether they kill me slowly. In fact, they will probably interrogate me to try and get information I don’t have. Telling them my attacker was cute isn't going to put him on his trail.
At some point I end up being carried and placed in the back of his truck, and I curl up in the fetal position, praying my last moments will be quick.
Chapter 3
The silence has been deafening for too many hours now stretched out behind us, and now there is no time left stretched out before us for anything of use to be said.
In the night, we had driven back through Albuquerque and into the suburb I had called home ever since I came to live with my uncle. Jinx‘s inability to leave my side was soon used against me as I was allowed to enter the house but only for the purpose of cleaning up. I was being offered the courtesy of looking clean and good to go to my death, I suppose. But Jinx was to guard me to make sure I didn’t try to make a run for it or hurt myself. It was only Viviana and my uncle then, everyone else having gone home. I didn’t know if they knew what I was or not, but something told me my uncle was keeping it in the immediate family for now.
I don’t know why I bothered with makeup, but maybe it was the last of my pride as I climbed back into the car, alone in the backseat other than Jinx, in my favorite blue and black lace dress, my dyed grey and black hair pulled back with a matching headband. I had decided to face the Magistrate with my head held high. After all, I was still a Graywood. My father may not be looking down on me with a big smile on his face right now, but I am going to make him as proud in my death as I tried to in my life until the last night.
I found myself falling asleep against the window, my drool dripping onto the inside of the car door when I woke up to the sound of big city traffic. So much for looking good
. But it seems as the two in the front seat remain silent and facing forward, they haven’t noticed.
I take to looking out my window and see that we are in downtown Salt Lake City. I have only been here on two other occasions, and both were for death. My parents were honored and buried with the other hunters here as this is our capital of sorts in the United States. Just like it has become a religious mecca of sorts, it is our safe place as witches as well.
The capital building and the temple are the most dominant piece of the skyline, and I find the beauty of it, taking a mental picture. It’s the best I can do as I say goodbye to the world is soak up as much as I am allowed to. It’s funny how I am 18, technically an adult, and I have hardly lived. If by some miracle I get a second chance at this whole life thing, which I doubt, I swear that I will make it a better go round. I intend to not just be useful but to live to the fullest – but without being as dumb as I was less than 48 hours ago.
The drive through downtown goes to fast as we pull off the highway and to the building that houses the Magistrate. It simply looks like an office building on the outside, but on the inside, it is the most extravagant building I have ever stepped foot in. Most witches consider it an honor to walk those halls, but I have never been here under happy circumstances, so I feel nothing as I get out of the car and wrap myself up in a blanket that was sitting in the back. The sun still makes me ache even with the blanket on, but it's good enough to get me under the awning at the entrance while my uncle talks with the security guards.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait out here?” he asks Vivi, his sunken, dark eyes passing over mine for only a second. It's all I need to know I have disappointed him, possibly broken his heart all over again. The loss of my mother was so hard on him. She hadn't made it past a few months following my father's death even as much as she tried since she had been carrying my little brother that I will now never meet.
“I don’t want to leave you alone,” is Vivi’s response, and it aches in my chest a little to watch how they are with each other. There have been only a few times over the years I felt like the odd one out. It helps that she lives with her mother most of the time, but right now, I can see she is more worried for her father than she is for me. I get it, but shouldn't she care if I live or die? We grew up together. She slept in my bed for a week after my mother died to help me get used to the new place and being without my parents.
I have lost my family in the worst way, and it is hard to still walk into the building with my chin up. But I do it anyway, avoiding their eyes as I head in before them, flanked by one of the security guards from the front. He probably thinks I am going to do something insane. I am sure my uncle had to tell him what I am.
My shoes clack against the glittering marble that makes up the whole front room; a circulation desk that looks like it could be part of any large facility for business or maybe a museum. It is manned by several secretaries, and they stare at me as the guard goes up to them and begins whispering. Some of them look curious and others fearful.
I don’t know what's gotten into me, maybe it’s the demon blood, but I smirk at a red head that looks ready to run, and I swear she probably pees her pants.
We are kept in the dark, simply waiting to be seen by someone. The guard stays with us, and the secretaries that can stomach me are going about their daily business, whatever that is.
Finally, a woman in heels high enough that I would break my neck trying to walk on this floor with them, comes to us with a wide smile like we are just here on a cordial visit. “I am so sorry to keep you waiting, but the Magistrate was not expecting this kind of visit today. They have assembled in the hearing room now, if you want to come with me.”
She motions to me, and I step up, and so do both my family members. But the woman puts her hand up. “They will allow your uncle outside the door, but no one else should be present. I’m sorry.”
I nod and turn around, giving Jinx a little kiss on the head before practically throwing him into Vivi’s arms. Who knew it would be this cat to break my emotional barrier today?
The tears runs free, and instead of wipe at them and get the blood all over my hands again, I let them fall on the floor like a mark that I existed. I was here. Though, I am sure they have people coming right behind me to clean it up.
We follow the woman into an elevator, and she presses the button for the 30th floor; the top floor of the building. This is a part of it I have not seen as I was here for funeral services and not to be punished. And had someone asked me if I thought I would ever see the top floor, I would have told them no way in hell.
My body is shaking, and I don’t dare reach for my uncle’s hand, but I have to say something. I can't leave things like this. “I really didn’t think anything bad would happen. Not like this,” I whisper, hating that I can't have this conversation with him in private.
“Part of me wishes I hadn't found you.” It doesn't hurt because I know exactly what he means. There would still be hope if he hadn't found me. I would be alive, and my reputation wouldn't be so tattered in the eyes of my family. I am probably tarnishing my father’s name by being this unspeakable thing too, but it can't be helped now. So, I decide to accept it.
The elevator dings, and I feel like a turkey in an oven about to be consumed.
We stand outside a set of double doors. They are large with ancient etchings. I think they are made or iron or something else strong and nearly impenetrable. “Goodbye,” is the last thing I say to my uncle as they swing open, inviting me into death’s arms. This is all for show anyway, so it looks like they are giving me a fair chance. Which I am sure I can attribute to my last name and the fact that my uncle works for them. They are showing a rare kindness that I do not deserve.
I don’t hide my surprise when I look up at the Magistrate themselves, only half their seats full. Three sit empty, and I wonder if this could play to my advantage or not.
Reyes, the one I know the most about, sits in the middle. The Magistrate technically has no member with more power than another, but if there was a leader, it would be Reyes. He has known my family for centuries; one of the few vampires to ever be allowed on the Magistrate. He got turned in battle and was already a member so was allowed to live. He and my father were supposedly friends, and he was kind to me and my mom when he died.
The one to his right is a tiny woman with strawberry blonde hair and intimidating eyes. I think the name is Bianca, and I have heard rumors that she has a rare form of magic that makes others fear her.
The other is a member I do not know with long, greasy black hair and broad shoulders. He looks straight ahead in silence, his posture stiff.
“Riley Graywood, it has to have been almost a decade since I last saw you,” Reyes says as if he is welcoming a friend home. I nod at him in affirmation, trying to keep my wits about me. I know that no matter how much I want to get on my knees and beg for my life, it will do me no good. The law is clear, and if there is any loophole to save me, it will have nothing to do with my desire to remain on the planet.
“It seems you have gotten yourself into a lot of trouble. Turned into a Blood Witch from what I understand.” When Reyes says it, Bianca’s eyes flash at me, burning with hatred. This is one of those ‘if looks could kill’ moments people talk about. “Can you explain to us what happened? We take these things very seriously and will need to pursue the demon that dared to do this to one of our own.” Now, I hear the anger in his tone, and I doubt I have a chance. But I cooperate because I want what they want in this instance; the bastard that did this to me caught and sent packing back to where he came from.
“I went to a party on the Apache Reservation for my 18th birthday. I got separated from my friend and then Jinx, my family’s familiar, wanted to get free. He was acting erratically, so I took him over to the woods to let him run free for a moment and was approached by a young man who was wearing a cloak so I could not make out his features. When I tried to get away from him, he grabbed my wrist. I
could see that his skin was pale, and I felt a strong power coming from him but couldn't place it.”
I take a breath and look up at those that hold my fate in their hands. I wonder if I make myself sound more innocent if they will let me live. I’ll probably be little more than a prisoner, but it might be better than dead.
“He got me a drink and lead me to the dance floor, making me dance with him. I could tell he was strong, and I couldn't have possibly fought him off. I did catch a small glimpse of some of his features when we were dancing, and he knew my name, but I never got his. I started to feel sick and in pain all of a sudden. He dragged me back over to the edge of the woods when the pain got worse, making me pass out. I woke up near dawn with Jinx upset by my presence and pieced it together. I ran into the darkest part of the forest for safety and confirmed what I suspected. My uncle found me that night and brought me here.”
I adjust my posture as I finish, trying to look confident as Reyes purses his lips and then turns to deliberate with the other two. My stomach growls with hunger, and I wrap my hand around my abdomen. Of all the things to be concerned with right now…
I don’t think I will be getting a last meal.
“Miss Graywood,” Reyes says soon after. Of course, that didn’t take long; already knew when they were told why I was here what they were going to do. They just wanted to respect my late father, I am sure, by putting on a false pretense, “it does seem a shame to lose such a powerful witch from such a good family over something that was merely an accident on your part. I don’t know that we could have expected you to act any differently, and your uncle did the right thing by bringing you straight to us. You don’t seem to be running from your fate either. So, we would like to offer you an unconventional choice.”
Blood Witch (Paranormal Hunter Academy Book 1) Page 2