by K.N. Lee
“How am I supposed to know? I thought you and Halston had it all figured out.”
“Well then, I know what I want to do first.” Evina held up the cloth that covered her lower half. “What are those strange pants you’re wearing?” She pointed to Koa’s jeans. “I want some. I want to go find some human clothes so that I will blend better.”
Evina took a long fingernail and parted her red hair down the middle. She let the long layers cover the tattoos on the left side of her scalp. “How does it look?” She looked at Koa with innocent eyes.
Koa smiled in wonder. She put her hands on her hips and nodded. “Wow. You look… almost normal.”
“What about me, Koa?” Jax held out his arms, displaying his pristine black suit. “Do I look normal too?” He smoothed his tie. “I tried to look as human as possible.”
Koa laughed. “You look like a banker.”
Jax beamed. “Excellent.”
Koa shook her head. “I wouldn’t call that look normal. You want to blend in. You know? Look like just another ginger.”
They both frowned. “Ginger? What is that?”
Koa shook her head, giggling. I can have some fun with this, she thought mischievously. She tried to look serious.
No, mother’s life is at stake, and so is yours. Koa stopped giggling and sighed. “Nevermind. Just let me take you to the shops. I’ll help you blend in.”
Evina perked up. “Shopping? Let’s go now.”
They were like babies, new to the world, and both of them trusted her. She looked up at the sky.
“We’d better hurry. The sun rises in an hour.”
Jax and Evina looked up, worried.
“Oh yes,” Jax said.
Evina shielded her face as if the sun was already out. “Get us out of here.”
A big man stepped forward. Tristan. He was one of Halston’s oldest friends. He had scars over every inch of his dark caramel skin. He motioned. “Finally,” he said. “You guys decided to show up.”
“Oh great,” Evina said, rolling her eyes. “I forgot I’d have to deal with you.”
Tristan covered his heart with a large hand and mocked a lock of pain. “Vicious woman.” He grinned. “I like it. Go on. Tell me more.”
“You’re still annoying. Where’s that wife of yours? I’m sure she won’t like you flirting with a vamp.”
Tristan’s hands dropped then. His grin faded and he turned to walk to the black SUV that Halston had ridden there. There was a sudden sadness that made Koa wonder what changed his attitude.
“Wait,” Koa blurted. She looked back at the Gate. “What about Halston? You guys go ahead. I want to wait for him.”
Tristan leaned back against Halston’s black SUV. His expression was unreadable as he looked up at the stars and folded his arms across his broad chest. “We are talking about the same Halston, right? The Halston I know is indestructible. He will catch up with us.”
Evina stepped forward. She walked towards the car. “Well, what are we waiting for? I’m not going to sit here and get burnt to death. Come on, Koa. Golden boy will be fine.”
Jax followed his sister. He looked back and reached a hand out to Koa.
Koa shifted her weight to her other foot and hesitated as she looked down at Jax’s hand. She wished that it was Halston reaching out to her. She hoped that Tristan and Evina were right. Halston would be all right. He had to be.
She let out a breath and accepted Jax’s hand. She stepped into the car after Jax. Tristan closed the door behind them. Koa sat up in her seat and looked out the tinted window towards the Gate. Before long, it vanished into the mist and they drove into the human world.
9
Koa was trapped in her thoughts. She stared out the tinted window, watching the sky light up. Evina and Jax didn’t have long. She wondered where they were going. Where was this safe house that Halston had acquired?
Koa sat up in her seat and pressed her face to the glass when she saw Tristan veer off down a shallow dirt road. She had no clue where they were going.
“Hurry up,” Evina pleaded. She rubbed her knuckles raw.
Koa felt bad for her. She’d never had to fear the sun. She always wondered why she had been so lucky. She still wanted to find out what her mother really was. If she was never human before she was cursed, the possibilities were mind-wrecking. She couldn’t have been a vampire.
Koa thought deeply. Her brows furrowed.
Could she have been an angel? Koa wondered.
It would make sense. That would explain Koa’s ability to fly. But still, Koa had a feeling that her mother wasn’t an angel either. She had a feeling that she was something else. Something dark and mysterious.
Koa leaned back in her seat and chewed her nails. She remembered being a shy little girl in South Korea. She lived in a two room cottage with her mother where she spent her days studying books and dealing with the pain of the hunger. She could never escape the smell of human blood, even in their rural village.
While her mother tried her best to keep her safe, she resorted to giving Koa animal blood on occasion, just to keep the cravings at bay. But then, Koa remembered the visits.
They would always be found. Women would come from far and wide to consult with her mother. Koa would stand in the doorway with curious eyes and watch women sob and beg her mother for help. Her mother would console them, give them hot tea and tell Koa to close the door and go read.
Always obedient, Koa would listen and she would close the door and retreat to her little nook in the back of the house. She’d pull out a worn copy of The Prince and the Pauper, or Little Women, and try to forget her curiosity for what her mother did to help those poor women. It was how they survived, for there were always gifts. Gifts of money, food, and sometimes toys for Koa to play with.
Koa would play with the wooden dolls and never ask what it was payment for. She’d simply be pleased that she had something new.
Koa looked out the window of the car; her mother’s image looked back at her. Soft brown eyes and long black hair pulled back with a simple cloth headband. Koa was determined to bring that image back to life. Mother had been cursed to live as a cat for far too long.
But first, she must kill the demon, Bund.
Koa grimaced at her memory of him. His foul breath as he licked her face while slashing her side open with his sharp claws lingered in her mind.
She shivered and tried to forget that image. “Please, Tristan,” Koa said after clearing her throat. She glanced out the window to see the clouds lightening into a faded yellow. “Hurry.”
“Don’t worry. I know where I’m going. This used to be our old safe house, back in the early 1600’s, before we started reforming the Netherworld.” Tristan’s eyes met Evina’s. “Before your father was even born.”
Koa’s mouth parted when they drove out of the narrow road surrounded by ancient trees that provided a canopy of green. The road opened up to a large clearing. A church stood before them. She grabbed the seat cushion to settle herself.
Old but beautiful, a single tower stretched above the squat church, with its bell still intact at the top. It was clear that the church had been abandoned for decades. Weeds and grass overtook the walkway. Purple flowers littered the ground in huddled groups, making the land look enchanted somehow.
The sky above was a mixture of blue, orange, and yellow. Sunrise.
“See, looks just the way I remember it.”
Koa opened the door the instant Tristan stopped. She stepped out and felt daylight start to come over the back of the church. Tristan hopped out and motioned for them to follow.
“Hurry! Get inside.” He ran towards the large double doors set beneath four curved arches. He used an old key to open them. Jax and Evina didn’t hesitate. They shielded their faces and ran right on Tristan’s heels.
Koa stood in front of the SUV. The smoke was already coming from the back of Jax and Evina’s exposed necks. They winced from the pain as Tristan worked the lock. The instant the
door was opened enough for them to fit, they ran inside. They disappeared into the darkness and Koa breathed with relief.
She was finally alone. Koa tilted her head up and beheld the magic and purity of a sunrise. The orange clouds opened up to allow the sun its grand entrance. Once again the vampires were forced to flee to their hiding spots.
All except one.
Tears trailed down her face as she watched the sun’s light come over the church’s roof.
The light bathed her face with warmth. Her bottom lip trembled and she closed her eyes. Her head threatened to explode. Halston was gone. Her mother was being hunted by a demon. Greggan wanted her for some horrible purpose. And then, the memories. Koa had them back and she wanted nothing more than to forget once again.
Too much, Koa thought with a wince. “Too much!” Koa shouted.
She gasped when someone touched her shoulder. Her eyes popped open and she caught Tristan by the wrist.
Tristan towered over her like a giant, but his face showed a look of concern. “You all right?”
Koa nodded. She let go of the iron gauntlet around his wrist and quickly turned her back on him. She rubbed her eyes dry. She’d had enough of feeling helpless. She was emotionally drained, tired, and hungry. Hunger always came first.
She held her hand out behind her. “Keys.”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Koa turned on him with intense eyes. “I need to feed. Is that a problem?”
Tristan held his hands up to calm her. “Calm down. I was just curious.” He fished the car keys out of his pocket and dropped them into the palm of her hand.
Koa closed her fingers over them and stepped through knee-high grass to the driver’s door. She needed Lindley. Her pet had the one thing that could soothe her pain and give her a moment of peace and clarity.
Blood.
Koa opened the door and hopped inside. She turned the ignition and rolled the window down. She gave Tristan a look and forced a half-smile. “Thank you for everything, Tristan. I know I am a handful, but now I remember what you all did for me years ago.”
Tristan folded his arms and nodded. “It was nothing. Don’t mention it.” He smiled back.
“Modest,” Koa teased and he shrugged.
“I’ve been called many things, but never modest.”
Koa laughed lightly, too tired to do more than that. “Let them sleep, will you? I’ll be back by nightfall.”
Tristan nodded. Koa backed out and sped down the dirt road. Her heart thumped. Her fingers curled around the steering wheel. She looked up at the rearview mirror. Tristan stood there with his arms crossed, watching her.
Koa shrieked when something dark flew from the church and opened the passenger door. Koa covered her mouth as she saw Jax sit in the seat beside her. His speed was incredible. Her heart still raced, even though she knew it was him. Smoke came from his sun-damaged skin as he sat there. Once he closed the door, he was safe from the sun’s rays.
The smoke faded and he gave her a lopsided grin.
Jax put a hand on her thigh and gave it a tender squeeze. “I waited for you in that prison for years. I dreamt of your beautiful face every night.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I finally have you back and I’m not going to let anything happen to you again. You’re not leaving my sight.”
Koa didn’t say anything. She pictured the day they’d met and felt that same excitement she’d felt as a child. She nodded her head as their eyes locked on one another.
Jax fastened his seatbelt and looked at her with a mischievous smirk. “Show me this Wryn Castle.”
Koa returned the smirk. Despite her worries and fears, she felt a little excited to show Jax her world. There was so much for him to see and experience. Now they could do things together. She nodded and drove them from the abandoned church.
Koa needed to feed, and apparently, so did Jax.
10
Blood dripped from the ceilings. The floor was flooded with it. Greggan’s boots sloshed as he stepped from the last stone step and onto the slick concrete floor. He had to resist the urge to slide his finger through the delicious smelling nectar of human blood. He was more dignified than that, but it was a rare thing to taste real human blood back in the Netherworld—though he was no longer a prisoner of the Netherworld.
No, the human world was finally open to him, and he had grand plans to make a few… changes.
Greggan’s blue eyes gazed up at the hanging bodies. He grimaced at what he saw.
Children. Little girls.
Greggan looked over at Bund and gave him a look that made the skinny demon lower his eyes.
“Why so many? Do you really need this many?” His hand pointed to the cluster of little girls. There were fourteen.
Bund shrugged. “Ya said I could have as many as I want. I was hungry.”
Greggan stroked his long, crimson, red beard and narrowed his eyes. He saw one of girls start to stir. She bucked against her shackles and tried to pull herself up. Her mouth was sewn closed.
“Ey,” Bund called to the little girl. Her blonde hair was slick with blood. The blood turned it into an odd brownish color. “Stop ya fussin. I’ll pull ya down when I’m ready for ya.”
The girl whimpered. She looked to be about twelve. Greggan stared at her. She was the same age that Koa had been when he’d married her. His fingers curled into a fist.
The girl was tall for her age and slim, like an athlete. She was the oldest in the group. Her large brown eyes went wide. She flickered them to Greggan, looking at him pleadingly. A strange sound came from her throat. It was a muffled scream.
Bund growled. Before Greggan could say anything, Bund snatched her throat out with one clawed hand.
Greggan watched as Bund ate the girl’s bloody larynx. Good thing the other girls were still knocked out. There would have been quite a panic if they’d seen what just happened.
Greggan clenched his jaw and shook his head at Bund. The demon could be so sloppy and impulsive, two things that Greggan had never been accused of being. But Bund was a necessary evil. He needed this demon to keep Halston out of his affairs. He closed his eyes and tried to forget about the overwhelming smell of blood that surrounded him.
Greggan opened his eyes and the entire basement filled with the screams of the little girls as he made the room fill with fire. Bund stood in the flames and growled at Greggan.
“Why’d ya do that? They was mine!”
Greggan felt the flames heat his face as he stepped into the fire and approached Bund. His eyes narrowed as he looked into Bund’s dark blue eyes.
“We came to frighten the humans,” Greggan explained. He began walking up the cellar stairs. “This will get their attention.”
“What do ya think I was doin?” Bund snarled at Greggan, his fangs sharp and covered in blood. “I’ll kill ya if ya do that again. Lemme do things my way, or I’ll eat your black heart while ya watch.”
Greggan paused. He felt a shiver run through his body at the demon’s tone. Bund could kill Greggan, but Greggan had something the demon wanted. Something he needed. He must be reminded of that fact.
“I think we both know that would be unwise.” Greggan exited the cellar then, but he could feel Bund’s eyes following him.
Outside, Lera, his second wife waited for him. Her pale face seemed to glow under the moonlight. He loved seeing her hair free from her usual braid. Her long black hair seemed to float around her face with the breeze. Lera looked more like a witch from folklore than a vampire. She was pale and beautiful, but there was no mistaking the coldness in her eyes.
Greggan loved her for that. Lera stepped forward and bowed to him.
Greggan reached beneath her chin and pulled her face up to his. He kissed her forehead and she smiled. Second wife was his favorite. There was no mistaking that. This vampire queen would do anything for him. She would die for him, without question.
Greggan ran his hands through her hair and she rested her face in the
palm of his hand.
“Lera, my sweet,” he called.
She looked up with eerie violet eyes. “Yes, my king?”
“Are you ready for some fun?”
Lera’s eyes brightened. Her fangs curled into a grin. Out of two small scabbards, she pulled out dual daggers. “I am. I’m ready to destroy that little half-blood.”
Greggan kissed her forehead and nodded. “Good girl. Me too.”
Lera clinked her daggers’ silver metal together and the sound vibrated along the earth. “That little bitch cut off my legs. I want to cut off her head.” Her hair curled into one long braid while she clinked the daggers together, preparing their Netherworld blades.
Greggan folded his hands before him. She stood there in her light armor. Black pants with silver gaiters. A black corset and silver breastplate. It was all slim, and light, so that she could move with grace and agility. Lera was one that he could count on. Vicious and almost as cold as he was, she would get the job done right.
Lera tilted her head. She licked the blade of each dagger, slicing her tongue so that a small drop of blood would spill onto their blade, making them let out a slight screeching sound that fully woke them up.
“What would you have me do, my king?”
Greggan looked up at the sky. The moon was bright. The night was young.
“There’s someone I want you to visit tonight.”
Lera’s eyes darkened with mischief. “Who, my love? Koa?”
Greggan looked off into the horizon, listening to the screams of the burning children in the distance. “No, not yet. In time. Tonight, I have another target for you. An angel,” he said and Lera grimaced.
“Name it and I will kill it.”
Greggan grinned. “Good girl. Find the angel named Alice. Kill her, and bring me the black cat.”
11
Wryn Castle looked like a castle out of a gothic tale. Black and eerie. Towers reached into the dark gray clouds and the moon shimmered along the stone. This was the castle from every horror movie. There were rumors of ghosts and witches. No one came anywhere near this place. No one except the few enlightened humans that were willing to sell their blood, and the registered “reformed” vampires that were willing to pay for it.