by RK Close
The vampires moved fast. Two of them went for my arms. Fortunately, one of them moved a second slower than the other. I grabbed his arm with my left hand and bit until a bitter taste filled my mouth.
The vampire pulled his arm from my grasp and screeched in a blood-curdling, inhuman sound, causing all the vampires to hesitate in their attack. The one I had bitten held his arm as black smoke poured from the wounds.
I was temporarily stunned as the vampire began to turn dark, beginning with his arm, until his entire body was the same dark gray color. His screams were silenced forever as he crumbled into a pile of decomposed ash.
The shocked vampires only paused long enough to watch the carnage unfold. This time there was no hesitation and they moved as one.
In seconds, they had immobilized my limbs. I tried to snap at their faces, but a thick collar was clamped down on my neck, preventing me from opening my jaws.
They struggled to hold me down, and I thrashed like a madman. My wolf wanted to burst free, but I knew I’d die if I let that happen now.
A moment later, one of the shorter vampires came over to where the others held me down, carrying what looked like a branding iron. The end was just a square but it was heated to a glowing red.
I fought harder, but it was no use. I squeezed my eyes shut as he pressed the hot iron into my stomach. There was nothing I could do but scream as the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
18
Olivia
I explained the situation to Zoey. She listened intently, nodding her head as I spoke. When I finished, she studied me.
“Can you help?” I asked.
She looked uncertain. “I can try. I can do a locator spell to narrow down Seth’s location.” She stared off at nothing as she concentrated. “I’ll need something personal of Seth’s.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Like what?”
“Hair, jewelry, clothing, but only if it’s a favorite piece that he wears often. Something along those lines. Any items with deep personal value can work.”
“I doubt he has a lock of hair sitting around, but what about hair from a brush or comb? How much would you need?” I asked.
“Not much. That should work.”
It looked like I would be invading Seth’s personal space once again. At least I knew how to get in and out. “I can get that for you.”
Zoey’s eyebrows raised as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You and Seth that close, are you?”
I ignored her question. “When can I meet you?”
“I don’t close tonight, so I’ll be off at midnight.” She gave me a sly look as if I’d somehow affirmed that there was something between Seth and me.
She turned to leave.
“Wait,” I said.
Zoey stopped and looked at me.
“I have one more favor to ask.” I held her gaze. “I need a way to kill a vampire.”
“And who are you planning to kill?”
“Xavier.”
Her eyes widened a bit. “Are you crazy? He’s, like, over two hundred years old.”
I looked down at the ground but wondered how Zoey knew of him. “If this should go badly, then I’ll either be dead, or he’ll take me back to Chicago, where I’ll wish for death.” Zoey’s gaze softened, maybe with understanding. “You obviously know his reputation.”
She looked uncomfortable with my observation. “Yes, I’ve heard of him and what he’s capable of.” She looked sympathetic now. I didn’t want her sympathy, only her help.
“Is there a way that I can kill him?”
She started pacing up and down the small hallway. After a couple of loops, she put her fingers to her temples as if rubbing away a headache. Then she stopped and looked at me.
“There is a spell. But it comes with a great cost.”
“I have nothing to lose. I’m willing to pay it,” I said, trying to convince myself.
Zoey looked at me with a level gaze. “The sacrifice isn’t yours.” She pulled the door open, and music and loud conversation replaced the silence. Over her shoulder, she said, “It’s mine.”
Simon and I went to Seth’s apartment. He gave me a disapproving look when I found the key above the light fixture and let myself in. I ignored him as I walked into the apartment and headed for the bathroom. It didn’t take long to find a small brush with Seth’s dark hair in between the bristles. I pulled out several of the short strands and headed for the kitchen. I dug around in the drawers until I found a small plastic sandwich bag to put them in.
Next, I entered Seth’s bedroom to look for anything that might serve as a backup personal item. Hanging from the bedpost was an old, well-worn hat that said Harley on it. It was obviously a favorite, so I grabbed that as well.
Zoey’s apartment was less than a block away, so I decided to give Liam an update. As it turned out, the brothers were not satisfied to wait for me to speak to Zoey. They were already hitting the streets, trying to pick up Seth’s or the vampires’ trail.
“It’s the best we’ve got,” I said.
There was silence on the line.
“Fine. We’ll keep searching. Let me know as soon as you have something,” he said.
“You do the same,” I said.
When he didn’t respond, I ended the call. Simon and I killed some time back at the hotel while we waited for Zoey to come off shift. There was no way to turn off my imagination as I worried about what was happening to Seth.
“Do you think he’s okay?” It was the question I’d been afraid to ask since finding the note.
Simon might have been playing a game on his phone, the way his thumbs were moving across the screen. He glanced at me briefly. “I doubt he’s comfortable, but they’ll keep him alive as long as he serves a purpose.” He stopped what he was doing to meet my gaze. “Not a moment longer.”
I suspected as much but needed to hear it from him to help me decide what I would do about it. As far as I could tell, there was only one way to save Seth’s life.
“What did you mean when you said we should fear witches?” I asked as I paced the small hotel room.
Simon sat on a bed, with his back against the old metal headboard. “Witches are the top of the food chain, so to speak.”
“Are you telling me that tiny little Zoey has some serious mojo?”
Simon eyed me critically. “There is so much you don’t know. I’m surprised you’ve survived this long.”
I glared at him and threw a pillow his way. He caught it easily and stuffed it under his elbow. “When you’re done being condescending, can you answer the question?”
Simon’s mouth spread slightly in what was supposed to be a smile. “There are two types of witches. A white witch has power, through her bloodline but only to the first female born.”
“So no male witches?” I asked.
“Not in the truest sense of the word. Blood witches are born, but some males from witch families choose to practice black magic. They’re called warlocks,” he said, finally putting his phone away.
“How do they practice black magic if they have no power?”
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. A couple of his dreadlocks hung over his left eye. “They trade some of their essence, or what you’d call their soul, for power. The more power they gain, the more of their soul they’ve forfeited.” Simon looked toward the window as if lost in thought. “Eventually, you have a soulless monster with terrible power. The monsters of monsters.”
A chill ran over my skin. “What type of witch is Zoey?” I needed to know just how scared of her, I should be.
“Zoey is a white witch, as best I can tell. But that one holds many secrets, and I would not be surprised to learn that she has intimate knowledge of the dark side,” Simon said, pulling his eyes from the window.
He stood. “I’m going out for a bite.”
I held up my fist, and he tapped it with his own as he left the hotel room. Sure. Now that he had me totally freaked out, he leave
s me alone.
I went to the teeny fridge in the corner of the room and poured myself a mug of blood to heat in the equally small microwave. The lights in the room flickered the entire time the microwave did its thing.
The hotel was turn-of-the-century and had been updated several times over the years, but obviously, some things did not work well with the newer electrical appliances. I was surprised I didn’t throw the breaker each time I turned it on.
The tiny room made me feel caged and tenser than I already was. I decided to go to the bar for a drink. There were three different bars in the hotel, and luckily, there was one right down the hall from our room.
Since it was a weeknight, there were only a few people at the bar and even fewer sitting at tables. I stood at the far end of the bar with the least amount of humans and ordered three shots of whiskey. The bartender raised his eyebrows at me until I pulled out my driver’s license, along with a couple of twenty-dollar bills. He shook his head but poured my drinks.
“You’re staying at the hotel, I hope.”
I tossed back the first two whiskeys before answering. “Yes. I’m not driving and I don’t need to talk.”
He nodded and went back to cleaning glasses.
The last whiskey, I sipped. It did little for me, but if I drank enough of the hard stuff, it sometimes helped me relax. Simon said it was an illusion. I’d take it.
I sipped the gold liquid and thought about Seth. My guilt was a heavy weight resting on my shoulders, at times making it difficult to breathe.
The smell of another vampire caused my body to go rigid. He leaned on the bar, next to me. My skin crawled. I sipped my whiskey and stared straight ahead as if I didn’t care that the devil, himself, was standing next to me.
At the same time, I locked down every heightened sense that I possessed to determine if he was alone or not. I could only detect him, but I’d hate to be wrong. The blade in my boot did little to make me feel safe. It would only slow him down, if anything.
“You are as lovely as I remember,” a husky male voice said close to my ear.
I wanted to scream. I’d never met Xavier up close, but somehow, I knew it was him standing next to me. I turned slowly and looked at him, then wished I hadn’t. He wasn’t anything like I’d expected, and the fact that I found him attractive only frightened me more. It must have shown in my eyes.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” he asked, smiling like a male supermodel on the cover of a magazine.
All I could do was shake my head. I’d never met him as far as I knew.
“You. You were full of life, dressed in a long black gown. Do you remember now?” he asked, staring off as if recalling a fond memory.
The gala. Victor insisted that we go to a huge party thrown by some bigwigs in Chicago. He’d ordered new clothes for everyone and said that my attendance wasn’t optional. Ordinarily, he let me bow out of almost every social event. This one was different.
It was a masquerade, something I’d have been excited about before I became a vampire. I’d rebelled, as I always did, and refused to wear the stupid mask. It was the only battle I could win that night. I remembered thinking how the end of the night couldn’t come soon enough.
The sheer number of vampires mixed in with the humans was staggering. Everyone in attendance was a mover and shaker in high society, government, or in the vampire community. I could have sliced the evil intentions with a butter knife; the air was thick with it.
“What do you want?” I asked in a bored tone. It was an effort, and I could have received an Academy Award for the performance. Inside, I was a terrified mess, ready to bolt at any second.
Xavier watched me with a smile playing on his lips. His irises were rimmed in red. This was a tell-tale sign that his bloodlust was surfacing. Having those eyes on me made hiding my fear nearly impossible.
“You are everything I imagined you’d be. You, my dear, are a rebellious heart. I, too, am the rebellious sort. It was you who caught my interest that evening. You, out of a sea of lovelies I could have chosen. I would have introduced myself through your sire, but alas, you left the festivities early.” His lustful gaze seemed to undress me and strip me down to my bare soul, if I still had one.
I tossed back the last of my whiskey. “You still haven’t told me what you want from me, and I’m growing bored with this walk down memory lane. What do you want in exchange for Seth?” Surely, there was something more valuable than me.
He looked surprised, then laughed out loud. “Is it not obvious? Was my note not clear? I want you, Olivia. If you agree to come with me, I’ll forgive Victor’s sins and will lift your clan’s death sentence. And, of course, I’ll release your pet wolf.” He leaned in so close that our noses were almost touching. “Cross me, and they all die—for you.”
Xavier pulled back and smiled down at me. “You have until tomorrow at midnight to come to me,” he said, reaching into his coat pocket and handing me a business card with the same number he’d left on the note. “In case you misplaced the last one.” He leaned forward as if he’d whisper something to me, but instead, he brushed a kiss across my cheek before leaving without looking back.
I rubbed hard at the place where his lips touched me. My body released all the fear I’d been holding back, and I began to shake. Xavier was playing a game. He could have forced me to come with him, but he didn’t. Spiders preferred their prey come to them.
Leaving a tip on the bar, I made my way back to the room with a heavy heart.
19
By the time Simon returned, I managed to get my emotions under control. I knew that he sensed something was wrong by the way he kept glancing at me. It was a relief when he didn’t ask. Maybe he assumed that the stress was finally getting to me. It was, and the suicide mission that I was planning didn’t help my nerves.
It was finally time to meet Zoey. Simon and I walked silently down the street, passing dark storefronts along the way to her apartment. At half past midnight, we knocked at her door. Even though she was expecting us, she still peeked out from behind the curtains before unlocking several bolts and opening the door.
“I’ve never had vampires in my home. You will be the first,” she said, waving us inside. “Please sit.” She motioned toward two mismatched chairs. The strong smell of lavender was comforting.
“We are honored,” Simon said with what appeared to be complete sincerity. He appeared to grant Zoey a wide berth. Whatever he knew of witches he obviously took them seriously. I didn’t know whether to be confident or wary of Zoey’s skills.
There was a small two-person table next to the kitchen with a colorful shawl draped over it. On the table sat two bowls, one copper and the other ceramic. There were other objects scattered on the table as well. A small bunch of dried herbs was tied together with a leather string, and a white crystal attached to a long chain lay next to the bowls.
We’d just sat down when there was a knock at the door. Simon and I were both on our feet in a matter of seconds. Zoey went to the door and moved the curtain aside to look out the window.
Her demeanor relaxed, and a soft smile touched her lips as she turned toward us. “Relax, I asked Cole to help me with the spell.”
Even though I was a vampire, this whole magic thing gave me the creeps. She unlocked the all the bolts on the door and let Cole inside. Why did Zoey feel she needed so much added protection?
Seth’s younger brother was a handsome guy with blond hair, blue eyes, and a youthful, and normally, happy expression. Not tonight. His concern for his brother was written all over his face.
When he greeted Zoey, his eyes naturally came to life, if only a little. He tried to give her a warm smile. His gaze grew apprehensive when he glanced over at Simon and me. Understandably, we reminded him of why his brother was in danger.
“Cole, pull up that chair and sit as close to the table as you can. You are important for this spell to work. Your shifter blood and your connection to Seth help to bind the spell,” Zoey said,
motioning toward a chair in the corner.
He moved the chair between Simon and me, and we all sat down, looking awkward, like kids getting ready to play spin the bottle.
“Liam gave me a rough idea of what to expect. Just tell me where to bleed, Zoey. I want to find my brother and end this,” Cole said, glancing between Simon and me before turning his focus back to Zoey.
“This is because of me, Cole. Don’t blame Simon. None of his actions have caused any of this. If you want to hate someone, then here I am. He’s only here to help,” I said as gently as I could.
Cole took a deep breath and let it out. “I’m sorry. I know it’s not your fault. You saved a kid. I could never wish that away.” He gave me an apologetic half smile.
I wished it was just saving the kid. But the truth was my actions brought me to the attention of a psychopath, and now others were paying the price. A twinge of guilt knotted my gut when I thought of the way I’d treated Victor all this time, blaming him for making us move. It was all my fault.
He still held the responsibility of turning me against my will. Even that argument was beginning to lose its strength because of the still, small voice inside my head that was growing louder and louder since we’d arrived in Flagstaff. If I’d died, the way I was supposed to, I’d never have met Seth.
Maybe that would have been better for him.
Technically, I’m only righting all the wrongs of my existence. I wasn’t meant to live. I wasn’t meant to experience love and joy or a normal life. I wasn’t supposed to be here.
Simon and I watched the fascinating process by which Zoey performed her locator spell. I wondered about the small amount of extra blood that she set aside but didn’t use. Did anyone else notice, or were they focused on the purple smoke and flames that flared before turning to ash in the ceramic bowl?
Zoey sprinkled the ash onto a map that she spread out onto the table. It was December, and all the windows were closed, but a breeze that shouldn’t have been there blew my hair and rustled the curtains.