I nodded, feeling the knot in my stomach. It wasn’t going to be easy. It was going to be messy, and the end result still might not bring us what we were looking for, which was an end to the prophecy.
“Oh, I forgot,” Christy said, pulling out Violet’s necklace from her pocket. “This is yours. I grabbed it off the table at the house. I just kept forgetting to give it to you.”
I’d totally forgotten about it.
Christy handed it to Violet, and she thanked her as Ivy touched her own.
“They were from our mom. She wore them until . . .” Ivy stopped, and Violet squeezed her hand.
“Until the accident, and then our grandma wore them,” Violet finished.
I nodded, wanting to hold Ivy and comfort her.
“Do you know what was inscribed on the backs of them?” Christy asked.
Violet held hers up, the locket dangling as she tried to read it. “It looks mostly worn off.”
Ivy pulled hers around and turned it over. “Same. I just assumed it was the manufacturer or something.”
Christy nodded and glanced at me, but I knew there was more to her question.
“I’m sure this sounds crazy, but do you mind if I trace over the inscription on both of yours really quickly? With everything going on, I’d like to research it a little.”
Violet handed it back. “Have at it.”
Ivy took hers off and handed it to Christy as well.
Christy walked over to the hostess stand and grabbed a kids’ menu and crayons and wandered back.
“That’s funny they have kids’ menus. I haven’t seen one child since I arrived in the Nightfall Realm,” Ivy pointed out.
I nodded. “Unless they have a permanent home here, they’re only allowed on the weekends.”
Ivy’s nose crinkled. “Oh. That’s strange. If I ever have kids, I’d want them to come with me everywhere.”
A knot formed deep in the pit of my abdomen as I thought about kids.
One more reason Ivy and I could never be. I couldn’t take that dream away from her, and the occasions were so rare that a baby was born between a vampire and a human that I was pretty certain it was more folklore or someone not being faithful more times than not. I glanced away and thought about a life without Ivy when this was all over.
She’d go her way, and I’d go mine.
Right?
Because what more could there be between us?
“What do you think, Carter?” Violet wiggled her brows, waiting for my answer.
“Sorry. I didn’t hear the question.”
“I was thinking that if we got Ivy all revved up, she could get the ground shaking and the rest of us could flank Lux.”
I smiled. “Simple as that.”
“Simple as that.” She leaned back in the booth.
Christy grinned. “You never know. It could be.”
“I’ve been thinking about how to approach Lux, and I think going in alone would be the best move.”
Soon.
Before he had a chance to assemble more followers.
“If Lux thinks that I want to turn myself over, and if I do it quickly . . .” I glanced at Ivy, who looked horrified. “I think that would be our best shot of taking him out. He might not expect it.”
Ivy’s eyes widened. “By yourself?”
I nodded.
“Isn’t he even more powerful than you?”
I steepled my hands and debated what all to say.
“Yes and no. In theory, he’s older and therefore stronger, faster.” I looked over at Christy. “But the prophecy has started. His illness has started to spread. He’s in pain.”
“Whoa.” Violet let out a low whistle. “I didn’t know that could happen.”
I nodded. “It’s unusual, which is why the prophecy looks to be accurate. If he infects a human, I think that’s when the real trouble will start.”
“Do you think he’s waiting until all the bad publicity goes away?” Violet asked.
“For now, but I don’t know if he has that kind of time. He might start to act irrationally.”
Ivy snickered. “An irrational vampire. What are the odds?”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I don’t think you should go in alone.” Ivy’s eyes steadied on mine. “We should be within striking distance at the very least.”
Christy nodded in agreement. “I completely agree. We don’t know how many other vampires have assembled.”
I looked around the table and realized I’d been outvoted. “Fine.”
“When are you thinking?” Christy asked.
“Tomorrow morning at the very latest.” I lowered my hands and watched Ivy.
Worry filled her gaze, and I knew regardless of what she’d said earlier, we were okay.
We’d be okay.
Which was why I couldn’t get ahead of myself.
One step at a time.
“Then how about tonight?” Ivy asked. “You might even beat that vampire back to the house.”
The suddenness of it made it real. Not that tomorrow was that far out, but it gave me time.
For what, I didn’t know.
I nodded. “Might as well.”
“So, you think you’ll destroy Lux, and all will be fine?” Violet didn’t look convinced.
“In a perfect world . . . but I think it’s the first step.”
Violet studied me. “Well, with Lux out of the way, would that make you number one?”
“It could, I suppose. It depends how much has gotten out about our predicament.”
“Interesting.”
I shook my head. “Not really. It’s nothing I want.”
“I don’t buy it.” Violet shook her head. “You’d have the vampire world eating out of your hands.”
Ivy laughed. “Saying it that way doesn’t sound any more appealing, Violet.”
“Exactly.”
I glanced at Christy as she studied the tracings she’d made from the lockets.
She looked up and drew a breath. “I don’t think this is the manufacturer’s mark.” Christy handed Ivy and Violet their necklaces back. “I think these are a lot older than you think.”
Ivy shrugged. “Could be. Since everything else about my life has been kept in the dark, I wouldn’t know why this wouldn’t be too.”
Violet nodded in agreement and then turned her attention to me. “So, it’s set? We’re headed to Seattle tonight?”
I looked at Ivy, who nodded.
“I feel a storm coming.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ivy
Disbelief rippled through me.
Carter had gone inside already.
He was supposed to wait until midnight.
I looked over at Christy, who looked as baffled as me.
Lux’s Mediterranean-inspired mansion was nestled in the Broadmoor neighborhood in Seattle, one of the oldest and wealthiest in the area. It was a gated community surrounding a country club and bordered by the Washington Park Arboretum to the east.
On any other night, it would have been funny to think that some of Seattle’s richest were cozied up to the world’s oldest vampire.
Tonight, it just seemed like a disgusting trick of fate.
The very man whom they’d spent their lives trying to accept wanted to destroy them, control them.
In addition to the community gate, Lux’s mansion was also gated with a private entrance. Violet had gone around the back from the arboretum side, and Christy and I were hiding in a thicket of boxwood edging his long driveway.
The thought of Violet by herself on the backside of the property worried me to no end, but she insisted that it was best for her to be alone where she could just take off and run away if needed.
And since it didn’t seem like any magic was coming her way, I was all for her running as fast as she could through the arboretum if things went sideways.
Truthfully, I’d wanted her to stay back in the realm, but that wasn’t an option.
The soun
d of frogs waking up from the spring temperatures surrounded us as Christy and I waited impatiently for Carter’s signal.
We could hear everything going on inside the home through Carter’s cellphone, which wasn’t much. We’d downloaded an app that allowed us to patch into his cell’s speakerphone.
The problem was that he’d walked into Lux’s home early and nothing appeared to be happening.
Two vampires went to retrieve Lux, and Carter had just been waiting.
Which left us waiting.
I tried to clear my throat quietly, feeling like I desperately needed some water.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. Sorry. I’m just so thirsty. It feels like I’ve been stuck in the middle of the Mojave.”
“That’s weird.”
I nodded, watching Carter through the window of the sitting room with still no sign of Lux.
“How long do we give this little charade?” I whispered, and Christy shook her head.
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and whispered back, “I don’t know, but with every passing second, I’m getting more concerned.”
“Wait. I see movement.” I craned my neck to see Carter move to the side as three vampires brought someone into the room.
“Is that Lux?” Christy asked, squinting her eyes.
“I can’t tell.” I moved a branch away and horror spread through me.
“Violet.”
My body became numb as I watched my sister tossed to the ground next to Carter.
She looked up at him as if she were pleading for help, and my insides seized with a recklessness I’d never experienced before.
All rational thought left me as I watched Violet beg for her life.
The commotion came over the headphones, and Christy turned to me.
She scowled at me. “Why does it feel like we weren’t invited to the party?”
Anger pounded through me as I watched Lux being rolled into the room.
“He’s in a wheelchair. The ancient fool is in a wheelchair,” I whispered, fury rolling deep inside me. “There’s no way Carter couldn’t take him down.”
“Not sure about the others though,” Christy said softly.
I touched the leaves closest to me and felt death spread through the branches immediately.
One of the vampires reached for my sister’s hair and pulled her head back.
My throat clenched with emotion. “Oh, no.”
It didn’t matter that Carter hadn’t given the signal. I was going in.
I lunged forward, madness driving me toward the house, as the vampire attempted to drain my sister.
Carter said the code word, but it didn’t matter. I was already on my way.
Christy’s form changed instantly as I climbed up the steps to the mammoth front doors.
This was nothing like our plan, but things had obviously changed.
Christy was at the door before me, tearing it off the hinges as she flew inside.
My fingers itched with an urgency as I became lightheaded.
I needed a release.
An old man’s laughter filled the grand foyer, and I turned to face the ailing vampire.
A brick fireplace roared its flames on the back wall as my sister screamed in terror. A vampire pulled on her hair and exposed her flesh even more.
“Now!” Lux hollered.
The vampire bent toward my sister’s throat. His mouth opened, his tongue sliding along his lips.
The images of Carter doing the same flashed into my head.
My anger grew.
As the vampire’s mouth unhinged and his fangs set for my sister, Carter cracked the vampire’s neck from behind with his elbow. The vampire wheezed and crumpled to the ground as Violet skittered toward us. Another vampire jumped on Carter’s back as Christy flew into the room, producing an emerald aura around everyone.
A group of ten more vampires darted into the room from behind. Christy squealed with glass-shattering urgency as she began her work.
My fingers turned stiff and the world spun around me.
Lux turned toward me in his wheelchair and smiled, motioning for me to come closer.
I shook my head when his eyes closed. Lux looked like he was meditating.
“I want her now,” he hissed.
“Never.” I clenched my fists.
Christy beheaded two vampires to my left, their heads rolling by.
The rage within me grew to an intensity that made my body burn.
The flames became angrier.
Lux’s eyes flicked open. “She’s the one. Grab her. Now!”
Two vampires swooped toward me.
Each one grabbed an arm as they dragged me kicking and fighting toward Lux.
Carter ran backward toward the fire that was now raging fiercely. The vampire clung to Carter’s back. His arms had looped around Carter’s neck, trying to squeeze the life out of Carter.
As Carter pushed himself into the fire, I drew a breath and stared at the flames. The tongues of flames wrapped around the vampire, pulling him into the fireplace.
Carter jumped forward, his eyes connecting with mine in pure shock.
The flames wanted more.
And so did I.
Carter lunged at a vampire headed for Christy as I closed my eyes, the anger only beginning.
The flames grew taller, hungrier.
Violet’s cries turned to soft whimpers near the door.
Dear Lord, let her get out of here.
Both vampires pulled me down to Lux’s lap as his laughter turned maniacal.
“She will be the path to righteousness, our righteousness.” Lux’s harsh fingers moved my hair, exposing my flesh from behind.
My arms felt weightless as they broke free from the two vampires as I sprang to my feet.
Spinning around to see my two attackers, I couldn’t help but smile as I called the flames and watched the fire obey my command. Their faces charred to stone as their bodies turned to ash and crumbled to the ground. I kicked their heads away from their bodies before turning to face Lux.
“Oh, dear.” Lux shook his head. “I was hoping you wouldn’t put up much of a fight.”
Several more vampires charged into the room as Carter rolled the head off another.
I lunged at Lux, but he was deceptively fast.
He grabbed my wrists and pulled me into the chair.
I heard his fangs slice the air as his mouth opened wide. “You’re mine.”
Carter threw the chair over, and I rolled out, leaving Lux to defend himself from the floor.
Three vampires ran toward him, but a wall of flames cut them off. Carter and Christy charged at them while I focused on Lux. My fingers itched to stop this false prophet.
He struggled on his side and his hand revealed the illness Carter told us about.
“Give up.” I yelled as I stood over him.
“I’ve only just begun.” Lux’s grin widened, and I took a step forward just as a vampire flew toward me. I darted toward safety, rolling toward Violet, when I saw a vampire I recognized driving a stake through Lux as the electricity from Christy’s spells charged at him.
Carter stopped and watched in horror as Lux’s body grew to twice its size. It made no sense. Why had Christy's current strengthened him?
Lux flew up from the floor.
Somehow, Christy’s charge of electricity had helped him or was it the stake?
Carter shook his head, unwilling to believe Lux had an advantage. “Not this time, old friend.”
He pulled the stake out of Lux’s chest and tossed it to the side.
Lux’s smile only grew as he charged toward Carter.
Christy’s aura grew as I closed my eyes, feeling the heat of the flames rolling from my fingertips.
The rage boiled through me as I heard Christy’s screams.
Carter hollered Lux’s name as I opened my eyes to see him on Lux’s back, choking him with all his might. Lux’s hands dug into Carter�
�s arms.
I knew it hurt. I could see it in Carter’s gaze as he squeezed with everything in his power. I looked down at my fingertips, unable to understand what was happening as sparks ignited.
Carter shouted for us to leave, but I wouldn’t.
The vampire who’d tried to help kill Lux grabbed my sister and ran outside as Christy’s crimson eyes darkened.
“You should have listened to me, Carter.” Lux slid his arms around Carter’s neck as they both attempted to squeeze the life out of each other.
Christy’s fingers pointed at the two vampires, releasing a current of energy directly into Lux, but it only seemed to give him even more strength.
Christy’s eyes widened, and I looked down at my fingers as my terror turned to fury once more. I wound up as if I were throwing a baseball at Lux and let go of everything I had.
Carter inhaled as Lux stumbled backward, his body crumbling from the heat of my flames.
Carter climbed onto Lux’s shoulders and used his legs as a vice while he twisted his head with one last rip as Lux fell to the ground.
Carter climbed off the ruined vampire and walked slowly toward me with a look of horror and pure amazement running through his gaze. Christy stood behind him as the same look washed over her features.
“What?” I shook my head. “I didn’t think a storm cloud made much sense.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Carter
I looked over at Ivy who was rifling through Lux’s desk. Decker was next to me, searching the bookshelves for his hidden treasures. Violet was sitting in front of the television, still shaken by everything that had transpired.
I felt guilty for asking her to be the bait, but she’d eagerly accepted. I could see in her eyes that she’d desperately wanted to be part of something, but I knew Ivy would hear nothing of it.
So, we’d kept it from her.
I just hadn’t expected the vampires to unleash on her quite so quickly.
As I watched Violet, it made me wonder how badly she actually wanted to be turned.
Maybe not as much as everyone thought.
“What made you help?” I turned to Decker, who placed a book back on the shelf.
“I wanted to be on the right side of this battle.” He glanced at Ivy and over at Violet.
Blood Torn Page 16