by Wendi Wilson
“Oh shit,” I squealed, stumbling back a few steps.
“Piper, I don’t want to hurt you. But…” She paused to inhale deeply. “…you smell divine. And I’m so thirsty.”
I backed away as she floated forward, the two of us locked a cruel dance that belied years of friendship and love. Coco’s face twisted into something horrific and unrecognizable as my back bumped against the wall. My left hand inched out, reaching for the doorknob.
I needed to get out before Coco did something we’d both regret. Or, at least, I’d regret it. I had no idea if she would have any regrets as my blood filled her stomach and coursed through her veins. Would she be able to stop once she got a taste of my blood? Would she drain me dry and inject me with her venom so I would become a vampire like her? Like Levi?
Before I could even question the tiny streak of excitement that speared through me at the thought, the door flew open and Warren Thornberry charged through, his body ramming into Coco, pushing her away from me. Levi was right behind him, grabbing my wrist and pulling me out into the hall before slamming the door closed behind us.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his fingers roaming over my neck and arms like he was searching for injuries.
“That was Coco,” I muttered, still dazed by the massive shock of seeing her. “Coco is here, and she’s a… a vampire.”
“Piper, are you okay?” True asked breathlessly, pushing her way between me and Levi. “I’m sorry. I freaked out and ran back to the kitchen to get Levi. When Warren heard you were in his office, he went crazy. What was happening in there?”
“It’s Coco,” I breathed, tears stinging my eyes. “She’s here.”
“But—”
“She’s a vampire,” I said, cutting her off.
Then a light clicked on in my brain, and I realized why Coco was inside Warren’s office. He knew she’d turned, and was hiding her here at the estate. How long had she been here? And why was she so out of control, ready to bite me?
And what was Warren doing in there with her?
“Where are the others?” I asked Levi, keeping my eyes on the closed office door.
“Dean Purty took them outside to wait for us. He couldn’t get through to the council and wants to end this confrontation before something bad happens.”
“Too late,” I muttered.
“Can we please get out of here?” True asked, her whole body shaking.
“Not without Coco,” I said, tugging my hand out of Levi’s grasp.
I thought he might argue or tell me it wasn’t safe, but he just gave me a firm nod. I glanced at True, who still looked scared as hell. As she met my gaze, her expression changed from fearful to resigned, and finally, to determined. She straightened her spine and gave me a nod.
“Let’s do this.”
One corner of my mouth hitched up at her bravery. She’d been through so much bad stuff, and yet, she was rallying. She was ready to bust down the door of a powerful vampire leader to confront him and my newly discovered vampire best friend who might or might not have wanted to drink us both dry.
“You’re a good friend, you know that?” I whispered.
“Yeah, I know. Let’s not go all Kumbaya until we’re back at camp. If we live through this, you can shower me with compliments all you want.”
God, it’s good to have the old True back.
She threw me a quick smirk before turning serious again. I nodded at her, then to Levi, who returned the gesture and swung the office door open. He rushed in ahead of us, ready and willing to take the brunt of any attack that might happen.
What we found, instead, was Warren standing behind his desk holding Coco in front of him. He had one arm locked around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. His other hand grasped her jaw with strong, claw-like fingers.
There was a wildness in Coco’s eyes, a strange mix of hunger, excitement, fear, and revulsion.
I stepped up beside Levi, opening my mouth to demand that Warren let her go, but the Count cut me off before I could utter a word.
“Come over here, Piper,” he said, his voice firm and filled with a resonating vibrato.
Something tugged in my chest, and I took an involuntary step forward. Levi’s hand snapped out to grab my wrist, pulling me to a halt. A fog I hadn’t realized was there cleared from my mind as I stared at Levi’s pale hand cinched around my arm.
Several things occurred to me at once, making my head spin. Warren had just used compulsion on me, and I’d somehow broken free of it without trying. He had no idea I was free, if the expectant look on his face was any indication, either from this order or any other suggestion he’d given me in the past.
And this might be my last chance to get close enough to save us all.
I tried to tug my arm out of Levi’s grip, but his fingers were unrelenting. Before I could demand that he let me go, a shrieking noise sounded from outside. We all paused, listening to the grunts, growls, and thuds coming from the yard.
“Ah, that would be my crew,” Warren gloated. “Soon, everyone associated with Camp Shadow Lake will be dead, and I can put my own people in to run it as I see fit.”
“As a blood farm, you mean,” True spat.
Warren shrugged. “I’m tired of pretending. I’ve never survived on animal blood, and I never will. I only let Charles Purty come in and clean up the camp as a cover to enhance my image. I never realized how much I’d miss drinking from a fresh, untainted child.”
He licked his lips. I watched, inwardly gagging. He really was a monster.
“I said come here, Piper,” Warren ordered, that strange timbre lacing his voice again.
I snatched my hand out of Levi’s grasp and moved forward, ignoring his whispered hiss for me to come back. I rounded the desk, keeping my movements smooth and mechanical, not stopping until I stood next to Warren.
My fingers clenched the hilt of the vampire dagger, keeping it hidden behind my thigh and out of Warren’s line of sight. I might only get one chance to use it, so I needed to make sure I didn’t mess it up.
“Good girl,” he praised, looking into my eyes. “Now, come closer, and tell Levi how you really feel about me.”
Memories of his compelling words sailed through my mind as I stepped close to him and turned to face Levi.
“I trust Warren,” I said. “And I like it when he touches me. It feels… good.”
I made my voice breathy, like just the thought of him touching me was turning me on. It seemed to work, because an animalistic smile curved his lips as he stared at Levi, gloating.
The sounds of fighting from outside grew louder, but I forced myself to remain still and not look out the window behind me. We needed to get ourselves out of this office first, then we could worry about the other vampires.
Suddenly, Warren’s arm left Coco’s waist and shot out, grasping me by the back of the neck and jerking me forward. Then his lips were on mine, hard and demanding as his tongue pushed its way into my mouth without my consent. No matter how much I wanted to, I didn’t fight him.
I remained calm and pliable, letting him do his worst while I slowly lifted the dagger from my side. An image of the rogue vampire I’d killed flashed through my mind, how his body exploded into ash that I’d breathed in.
Stabbing Warren with the dagger and having his tongue burst into ash in my mouth made me shiver in revulsion, but he seemed to take it as one of pleasure because his kiss deepened further. I cracked open my eyes to look over at Levi. I had no idea why he hadn’t attacked as soon as Warren touched me.
But his gray-green eyes were locked on my hand that held the dagger. He obviously didn’t like what was happening, but he trusted me enough to handle it. Knowing that gave me the courage to finish this.
I sliced up with the dagger, aiming for his ribs, but the blade met with nothing but air. Warren had released Coco and me both in that instant, spinning away in the blink of an eye. We both stumbled before regaining our balance, and I came close to slicing her arm wi
th the knife. Too close.
I jerked the dagger back and turned in a circle, my eyes searching for Warren Thornberry. I found him in a corner near the window, shaking his head.
“I had such high hopes for us, Piper Williams,” he said.
“There will never be an us,” I shot back, dramatically spitting to get the taste of him from my mouth.
“You’re stronger than I thought,” he said, ignoring my insult. “Breaking my compulsion is no easy feat.”
Those words held a cryptic edge that I didn’t understand until he nodded at Coco. With that small movement, she leapt at me with a screech.
Not expecting the attack, I tumbled to the floor like a bag of bricks. Coco went down, too, growling and hissing as she landed on top of me. Her sharp teeth snapped at my face and neck, and it was all I could do to hold her off.
"Coco, no!" I screamed.
The sound of shattering glass met my ears just before Coco’s weight was snatched off of me. Her howls echoed around me as I climbed to my hands and knees. True rushed forward, helping me up as Levi held a screeching, clawing Coco at bay.
“Coco, stop,” I yelled, but she continued to fight against Levi’s hold.
A spark of intuition pulsed through me, and I laced my fingers through True’s. “Help me,” I said. “Concentrate on breaking any compulsion she might be under.”
True squeezed my fingers in a tight grip as we both stared at Coco. She hissed and growled as she tried to jerk from Levi’s arms again and again to no avail. He would never let her hurt me.
A small seed of magic vibrated in my gut, and I focused on building it until my whole body shook with the power. True let out a little yelp, and I looked over to see her shaking with the same energy that affected me. She caught my eye and nodded, and together, we pushed the power out of our bodies toward Coco.
Her body went rigid in Levi’s arms, freezing there for a second before she slumped against him. He bent over, laying her gently on the floor before darting toward me.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his hands skimming over my shoulders and arms.
“Yeah,” I said, looking over at True. “Just a little lightheaded. You?”
She nodded as she took a few deep breaths before saying, “All good.”
“Coco? Are you okay?” I asked, hurrying forward to kneel beside her.
“Piper?” she mumbled, rubbing her forehead. “What happened?”
“You tried to eat her,” True said, dropping to her knees beside me. “True King. Nice to finally meet you.”
“Oh, God,” Coco moaned, ignoring True’s strange introduction. “Piper… I… I’m sorry.”
I shook my head as I stood and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. “We’ll work through all that later. Right now, we have to go.”
“Where’s Warren?” True asked, her black curls bouncing as her head whipped around, looking for the ancient vampire.
“He jumped through the window when Coco attacked Piper,” Levi answered.
That was the sound of breaking glass I’d heard. I ran to the window, careful of the shards of glass surrounding it. My eyes searched the grounds for Warren’s lithe form, but I didn’t see him. I didn’t see anyone.
Then, Amelia darted into my line of sight, a petite form chasing after her. Amelia dropped to the ground, but before the smaller girl could attack, Naveen burst from behind a hedge and tackled her.
Noises of battle and pain reached my ears, and I turned back to the others.
“They need our help,” I said.
“No, Piper, it’s too dangerous,” Levi started to argue, but cut himself off when he saw the look in my eyes. “Just stay behind me, okay? And if I tell you to run… run.”
“Fine,” I said, willing to agree to anything to get out there and help Dean Purty and the others.
“I want to help,” Coco said, her voice sounding stronger than it did before.
I stared at her, blinking the emotion from my eyes as she watched me with a hopeful expression. Changed though she may be, I had my friend back.
We hurried from the office and toward the front door, the mansion just as empty as it had been when we arrived. Levi reached the door first and swung it open. The rest of us skidded to a halt as a body stepped in front of the opening, blocking the path to our friends.
“Hey, babe,” he said, leaning against the door jamb.
I jerked True behind me, blocking her from sight. Levi moved to stand beside me, presenting a united front as Coco moved to my other side.
“Xander,” I said, frowning. “I thought you were dead. Seems like a problem we need to rectify.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
My heart pounded in my ears as I stared deep into Xander’s evil gaze.
He was alive. I should’ve guessed as much. Warren never would have dispatched a bootlicker as loyal and repulsive as Xander Banks. No, he wanted to keep him around to sow more mayhem.
I’d never been a violent person. I’d been more of a squeamish pacifist in my former life, but after what he’d done to True—the horrors of which I could only guess at—I wanted to do Xander harm. I wanted him to suffer. Did this make me a bad person? Maybe. But in that moment, I didn’t give a shit.
He was a monster. The world had too many of those already.
“Xander,” Levi snarled behind me. It seemed he wanted a piece of him, too.
True stepped around us. Somewhere, she’d picked up a kitchen knife, though I hadn’t seen her do it. She brandished it, a menacing sneer on her face. “Help the others. He’s mine.”
I shook my head, not willing to leave her with Xander. Things would get out of hand, but she had a point. A wild fight was raging on the lawn of the Thornberry Estate. The camp vamps were putting up a decent fight, but Warren’s vamps were savages, paid fighters to the core. As I watched, one jumped on Dean Purty and pinned him to the ground, tearing at his flesh savagely with clawed fingers.
“Oh no,” I gasped, but a scream tore my attention away as True rushed toward Xander.
She raised the knife blade up and brought it down in a menacing arc, aiming right for Xander’s neck, as her battle cry continued.
She looked so badass in that moment, I almost thought she could defeat him.
Xander’s hand shot out faster than the eye could see as he grabbed her wrist, stopping the downward trajectory of the knife. For a split second, he stared into her eyes, a vicious smile plastered on his face, before spinning her around, grabbing her around the waist, and hurling her to the side.
She fell in the grass with an awful thud and didn’t get up.
“No!” I shouted.
Levi streaked around me, just a blur as he passed. He hit Xander with the force of a freight train. Their bodies collided with an awful crunch, and Xander flew backward with the momentum. I watched, anxiety locking my knees, as the pair rolled in the grass while they continued to thrash one another with wild punches, their teeth snapping violently.
I stood there, momentarily frozen. True, Levi, and my friends, all in peril at once. And Coco was standing there staring like she had no idea what was going on. I was only one person. What could I do? What should I do?
I needed to move, and I needed to do it now.
I ran to True, pressing my fingers to her neck. It took me a second, but I found her pulse thudding steadily. I didn’t see any blood or broken bones. She was okay.
“Coco, stay by True,” I said, gesturing her over.
My frightened friend did as I asked, running to me and hovering over True’s body like a worried vampire babysitter.
“Don’t let anyone touch her, okay?”
Coco nodded, her dark eyes watchful. It was so good to have her back it hurt, but there was no time for that now.
As soon as I knew True was safe, I tore over to where Levi and Xander were fighting in the grass. They fought like savage animals, snarling, clawing, and thrashing each other, rolling around and tearing up chunks of sod. I drew the vampire blade, bu
t they were moving so fast there was no way I could strike Xander without the risk of hitting Levi.
Claws flashed. Black blood sprayed in an arc, hitting the ground. Someone roared.
Shit. I had to do something. Fast.
Without the blade, I was helpless.
But was I, really?
Without a thought, I closed my eyes and tried to find the strange witchy force field I’d used to block Warren’s compulsion spell.
At first, all I could focus on was the sound of fighting, but I remembered what Zelda had said about finding and using the eyes of my spirit. Soon, I discovered an invisible thread, one that looked like I’d stared at a thin slice of light too long and then closed my eyes, but it was there. It led right to Xander.
My eyes were closed, but I could see his aura somehow, writhing in the grass. I followed it with my mind, over his body and into his skull.
Stop fighting, I thought. Then I pushed that thought into his head.
The world trembled for a moment, almost as if I was experiencing a small earthquake. Then it stopped.
The sounds of struggle stopped, too. When I opened my eyes, Xander lay motionless on the ground. Levi stood over him, shocked and confused. When I took a step toward him, he whirled in my direction.
“Piper, he just… stopped. What’s going on?” Levi stared down at Xander’s still form. His eyes were open, but he didn’t move a muscle.
“I think I… compelled him.” My mouth was dry as I said the words, but they felt true.
Levi shook his head in wonder. He was a bit battered, but looked no worse for wear. “How?”
I opened my mouth to tell him, but a figure rushing toward us made us whirl.
True broke between us and plunged her kitchen knife straight into Xander’s heart.
Her aim was true and her passion fierce. The blade sunk into his chest as she pushed harder. Xander didn’t even twitch as dark blood began to stain his shirt. His body went still as the life drained out of him.
I stared at my friend as she stood up, chest heaving and eyes wild. “You killed him.”
“I did.” Her eyes were vacant and dark. She wiped black blood absentmindedly onto her jeans. I wondered, fleetingly how this would affect her, now and forever. An image of Dr. Whitley’s face flashed through my mind… True was going to need some serious therapy after this.