by Rye Brewer
“Okay.” She seemed calmer than she had been since I walked through the door, which was a relief.
I could breathe without being afraid every breath was my last.
I took a moment to get my head together before I tried to stand up. My back ached, my ribs were sore from where I slammed into the wall. I didn’t dare try to swing my right arm back and forth since it was more than my skin that was burned. The burn went deeper than that, even though my skin barely looked harmed. My muscles burned and twitched. I could hardly stand it and had to grit my teeth to keep from crying out every time I moved it.
Only the thought of my sister losing control again kept me silent.
“All right,” I said. “Let’s figure out where we go from here.” I leaned against the wall for support, taking deep breaths to keep my head straight.
34
ANISSA
Raze pulled a chair out for me, and I sat in it, trying to think through our next steps. I couldn’t let Sara go on the way she was. There was no way she—or anybody around her—would survive with her shooting off lightning bolts every time she stubbed her toe or somebody was rude to her on the street.
“We can’t figure out how to stop this until we know how it started. So we have to pinpoint when it began and what could’ve happened to you.” I looked at her, and it was so clear she was struggling to control herself. I wished I could give her a hug, but I was too afraid to touch her.
Raze spoke up. “There’s something else I noticed around the mansion. Some of the guys who came in for the League meeting a few weeks back haven’t left.”
“No? Where are they from?”
“Europe.”
“Maybe that’s who the guys behind you were talking about. European vampires with elemental blood. They brought it over with them—I can’t imagine why, but maybe they did.”
“They do seem sort of shady. They’re always looking over their shoulders when they talk, like they don’t want anybody to overhear them. They have that slimy sort of look to them, too, and when they smile, it’s more like a snarl.” He shook his head with a shudder. “Like, if I were walking down the street and saw them coming, I’d cross to the other side.”
Raze was pretty well-built, too, and I had never seen him back down from a fight. If they made him feel that way, they had to be trouble.
“I trust your instincts,” I said. “So you think they might’ve had something to do with it?”
“I wouldn’t put it past them,” he said. “Everybody knows they’re bad news and wants to know why they haven’t left yet.”
I looked at my sister. “Where have you been getting the blood you’ve been consuming since we left the mansion?”
Her expression was surprised, stunned, offended. “From the Bourke blood bank,” she whispered.
“You’re sure about that?”
“I’m positive.” She nodded her head violently. “Only there.”
I decided to stop asking questions while she was still in control of herself.
“All right. If that’s the only blood Sara’s been consuming, it means the Bourke blood is contaminated. What if there are other vampires in their clan who are going through this? I mean, it’s possible, right? It’s not as if any of the bags are marked a special way, so anybody could get any blood at all.”
“True,” Sara said.
“Let’s follow this out to its logical conclusion,” I said. “If there are others—and there probably are, since I doubt only a single bag was contaminated—there are higher odds of there being a cure for this. If not now, soon enough. I mean, this could become an epidemic. It’s not the sort of thing that can be ignored.” My shoulder ached like I needed a reminder of how dangerous my sister had become.
“Besides,” I said in a softer voice, “there’s no way a hybrid witch-vampire would be accepted. They would never be allowed to live among other vampires. She’d be ostracized.”
She might even be put to death. I would never dare say it out loud, but it was the truth.
I shuddered to think about it.
“This is why she’s here,” he reminded me. “I knew she had to hide. Nobody can know about this until we know there’s a cure. I had to come and find you, of course, and Sara told me where I could find the Bourke building.”
“I’m glad you did.” I gave my sister what I hoped was a genuine, reassuring smile.
“What do we do now?” she asked, looking at the two of us.
“I think we should tell the Bourkes. They have to know their blood is contaminated.”
“Assuming they’re not the ones who did this,” Raze muttered.
“They would never do that,” I snapped. “You don’t know them.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“It’s true,” I insisted, and it was only for my sister’s sake that I managed to keep my voice at a reasonable volume. I really wanted to scream at him, maybe claw his eyes a little. With the one arm I could actually lift without crying out in pain, of course. “You don’t know how he feels about her—one of the Bourke brothers. Scott. He would never, ever let something like this happen. He wouldn’t even chance it.”
“I’m sorry if I don’t believe you,” Raze said. “I guess I’m not as well-acquainted with them as you are. You’ll have to introduce us sometime.”
“Okay, fine, whatever.” I shook my head—there was no way he would ever see things the way they really were, not while the Bourkes were our enemies. Or at least, the enemies of Marcus’s clan. A clan I didn’t plan to ever be a part of again. “It doesn’t matter right now. What matters now is getting Sara someplace safe. This isn’t a good enough spot. It’s secluded, but it’s not safe. I’m not saying it wasn’t good enough in an emergency, but she’s sitting in the middle of filth. And if anybody notices us coming and going, they’ll figure out that we’re hiding somebody or something here.”
“You’re right,” he agreed.
“But we also can’t be seen with her on the streets—no offense,” I added, looking at Sara.
She actually gave me a little smile.
“What do we do, then?” he asked.
It was a mostly rhetorical question. I realized that. But I still felt the need to answer it right away. I wished somebody could answer for me, for once. I wished I didn’t feel like everything was on my shoulders.
Then, it came to me.
It was a long shot, but I had to try.
“Hang on a second. Just wait here.” I stood and went to the door.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“I’m not going far,” I said, trying to calm Sara. “I promise, I’ll be back shortly.”
“All right.” I glanced at Raze, who understood; he needed to sweet talk her into remaining calm while I was gone.
I hoped it wouldn’t be for long. I hurried back through the tunnel, tracing the steps I’d taken with Raze until I reached the door propped with the brick. It was heavy enough, and the hinges rusted enough that I had to throw my weight behind it, which only made my sore muscles and aching bones hurt more. I could say I had been struck by lightning and survived it, though, and how many people could say that?
By my own sister, no less.
I stepped over the garbage strewn through the warehouse and made it outside, where the air was much fresher than it had been in that little room full of electricity and anguish. It was cool on my overheated skin, too. I wished it could help my shoulder.
“Here goes nothing,” I whispered to myself. Then, only slightly louder, I whispered a single word. “Allonic?”
Nothing. I waited for a slow count of sixty with nothing to show for it.
“Allonic?” I whispered again, and again I counted.
Nothing.
I couldn’t lose hope, but it was started to drain out of me like water through a sieve.
“Come on,” I whispered through gritted teeth. How much more was I supposed to go through? Why couldn’t we get a break for once? “Allonic? Are you here s
omewhere? Can you hear me?”
After another minute, and then another, I wondered if I would have to course back to Sanctuary. I knew I could find it again if I had to, but I didn’t want to take the time. My sister needed help much more immediately, and I was in enough pain that I knew tracing would exhaust me.
Then, the answer to my prayers appeared.
It was like he materialized straight out of the shadows, out of pure, thin air.
A tall figure in a long cloak, the hood pulled over his head.
Relief flooded my body, relief I had never felt before.
“You took long enough,” I snarled when I really wanted to throw myself into his arms and weep from exhaustion and confusion. And gratitude.
He sighed. “You summoned me so you could give me a difficult time?” he asked in that low, gravelly voice of his.
“Sorry. I’m so glad you’re here. We have a situation—a very dangerous one.” I pulled at the collar of my tee and showed him my burned shoulder.
“That’s quite a burn,” he understated. He was very good at understatement, my brother.
“Our sister gave it to me.”
He lowered his hood so I could see the slight smile playing over his face. “You brought me here for what? To settle a sibling fight?”
“I wish it were that simple. Come. Follow me.”
As we walked through the warehouse, I explained the situation. His silence told me all I needed to know—he saw how grave the situation was. “I don’t know how much more of the blood was contaminated or if any more even was, but Sara is out of control. She has no idea how to handle this. She slammed me into a wall.”
“Is she often emotional?”
“She’s emotional, even fragile, but not violent. Not ever. She’s not doing this on purpose.”
We stopped at the door leading to the tunnels. “Here is what I don’t understand. I’ve never heard of a case where a vampire or any other creature has been turned into an elemental witch, and I don’t see how she could’ve gained these powers simply by consuming elemental blood.”
“Mom developed certain… traits… from the Shade who saved her, didn’t she? Your father? I saw her in your memories. She didn’t look like herself anymore.”
“Yes, but that was after many years of feeding, of healing. She was little more than dead when she came to our Sanctuary, so her body was… compromised, I suppose. We’re talking about one feeding, maybe two from the same bag in Sara’s case. And taking on the traits of a Shade is far different from gaining the powers of an Elemental witch. It simply isn’t the same situation.”
I groaned and punched the metal door with my good hand on my good arm. “I’m trying my best to figure this out. I don’t know where to start, all right?”
“I understand. I’m only trying to give you some of the insight you’re looking for.” His voice sounded gentler than usual, more understanding.
“I know you are,” I sighed, and wished I hadn’t punched the door. Having one arm that didn’t hurt was better than having two sore arms. It looked like my sister wasn’t the only one who needed to learn a little self-control. “At any rate, that’s not our biggest concern at the moment.”
“Oh, there’s more?” he asked. I guessed that passed for humor, coming from him.
“Yeah. We need to find a place to stash her while we figure this out. We need to hide her from other vampires. Imagine what would happen if even one of them got word of her existence. They would put out a call to have her dealt with. You know what that means.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” he said in an almost dangerous voice.
Yes, he probably knew how unforgiving vampires were when it came to half-bloods and hybrids. Yet another thing we had in common.
Except a half-fae or half-Shade wouldn’t be put to death just for the sheer fact that they existed. A half-witch, on the other hand? There were few creatures that vampires hated more than witches.
“Do you know of anywhere we can go?” I asked with my heart in my throat.
“I know just the place.”
I lowered my head and drew a deep breath. For once, something was going my way.
“All right. Let’s go get her.” I led him through the door—he opened it for me—and down through the tunnel to the door which concealed my sister.
No, I reminded myself, our sister.
I gave him the same warning Raze gave me when I first went in. It seemed pointless, like he already understood, but a warning couldn’t hurt. Lightning, on the other hand, could.
We stepped through the door—Allonic had to duck to make it through—and immediately, Raze and Anissa asked, “Who is this?” in almost perfect unison.
“He’s here to help. I called him.” I didn’t dare explain who he was or what our relationship to him was.
My instincts told me it would be a terrible idea to work her up—and Raze would need roughly an hour’s worth of backstory to explain the entire thing. I didn’t have that sort of time.
“I can throw a portal for you—but I can only take you and Sara,” Allonic said.
“Wait. What?” Raze’s eyes went narrow. “You’re just going to go through a portal with this guy? You don’t know what’ll happen on the other side. And I’m not allowed to go with you? When I know everything that’s been happening so far? I’m just supposed to forget everything and move on?”
“Yes. Please.” I went to him, taking one of his hands. “Please. You have to keep all of this to yourself.”
“What about you? What happens to you now?”
“I’ll be safe, and so will Sara. That’s what’s most important right now, isn’t it? Keeping her safe?”
“She’s not the only one I care about right now, and you know it.”
“Yes. I know.” I squeezed his hand. “I appreciate that, and I appreciate everything you’ve done. You’re my truest friend. I won’t forget that.”
He cleared his throat, almost like he was embarrassed. “And you know I would never tell anybody what’s happening with Sara. You don’t have to worry about it.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. I trusted him, which wasn’t something I could say for just anybody.
“We need to go,” Allonic said, still standing behind me.
“All right.” I gave Raze’s hand one more squeeze before going to Sara. She looked nervous.
“Are you sure this is okay?” she whispered.
“Sure. It’ll be fine, and it’s for the best. You won’t have to worry about anybody finding you.” I tucked a loose strand of her long, dark hair behind her ear. “It’ll be okay.”
She nodded firmly.
I turned to Allonic, who handed me his cloak.
“Here. Wrap this around the two of you.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I knew how important it was to follow his instructions when it came to going through a Shade portal.
I wrapped the cloak around us and held it tightly closed. Sara’s breath was coming in hard, short gasps. “Relax,” I whispered. “It’ll be over in a few seconds.”
“All right,” Allonic said. “It’s ready.” He pointed and we stepped through.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Retribution: Book 4 in the League of Vampires.
EXCERPT
1
ANISSA
As as I had promised my sister Sara, our trip through the Shade portal lasted almost no time. It was much less frightening than my first trip. There was no way Sara could know how lucky she was, of course, but she handled it well. She only crackled once before the air around us changed, became warmer and softer.
I could hear the twittering of birds, the rustling of leaves.
Where had he brought us?
“We’re here. You can take off the cloak.” I opened it and looked around, squinting a little at first. It was night there—of course, or else we would’ve burned up—but even the moonlight was brighter than the almost complete darkness I’d gotten used to in the tunnels.
&
nbsp; Sara’s reaction was even stronger, since she had been in the tunnels much longer than I had.
“Where are we?” she whispered. Her voice trembled dangerously.
“Calm down. Take a deep breath,” I whispered soothingly, stroking her hair.
Tiny little sparks jumped from her head to my palm, but I didn’t jerk my hand away.
She nodded and did her best. After a moment, the sparks stopped jumping from her to me.
Only then could I get a good look around me.
It was beautiful. That was what I noticed first.
We were in a forest—no, the countryside. There weren’t as many trees as in a forest. Much more open space. Rolling hills covered in lush, green grass, dotted here and there with trees and stone walls. What a charming place. Soothing. This was perfect for her. She needed a place like this, where she could look at beauty and feel safe.
There was a mountain range in the distance, and snow capped the peaks. They glowed in the silver moonlight. I could’ve stood there and stared at them all night. A few clouds floated past, and the moon painted them, too.
Sara’s eyes were wide as her mouth fell open. “It’s so gorgeous,” she whispered, awestruck. “So peaceful.”
Peaceful. “Are we the only ones here?” I asked Allonic.
He nodded, then corrected himself. “You’re the only ones out here,” he explained. “Don’t you recognize this place?”
I looked around again, more critically than before. Far off, toward the foot of one of the mountains, there was a small forest. I remembered a forest in the woods. “Are we where your Sanctuary is?”
He nodded. “This is ShadesRealm. This is what you stepped into when you first came to us.”
“How? We didn’t take a portal,” I said.
“There’s another portal which leads to the entrance of the cave that leads to Sanctuary from the outside world. That’s the portal you took with Jonah. You didn’t realize at the time what you were stepping through.” That made sense. There was so much I didn’t know back then.