Silverthorn

by Sydney Bristow

  I waited until he passed four houses. Then I opened the door and rushed down the stairs, sensing Nolan at my heels, and unlocked the car doors for us, before we jumped in. I pulled away from the curb just in time to see Darius halt his vehicle at the sign.

  “Okay,” Nolan said, “I get that he has no problem killing you, but he stops at a stop sign? In the middle of the night?” He gave me a sidelong glance. “Yeah, he’s a real badass vampire!”

  “He has values, however misguided,” I said, knowing that Darius acted by a code that only he understood, which included killing people the moment they got in his way.

  “Like he might pet a dog in the afternoon…and munch on a toddler’s neck for dinner?”

  “Ruffle a dog’s ears? Maybe. Clench his teeth on a toddler? Doubtful. Darius considers himself a gentleman above reproach. Turning those musclebound humans we dealt with tonight into vampires doesn’t add up.”

  “He wants you dead, right? So why wouldn’t he turn every person he saw into a soldier to go after you?”

  I shook my head. “He wants to kill me. Darius hates my line because we forced him into indentured servitude…for over three centuries.”

  “But wasn’t Zephora the one who enforced that spell?”

  “Yes. But they’re soul mates. So he obviously has a soft spot for her.”

  “Vampires are evil though, right? So what makes Darius different?”

  “He’s the only vampire I’ve spoken with, so I don’t know. The difference is that once they turn, they maintain the frame of mind they had before they died…at least until their vampire blood rectifies that situation. After that, I’m guessing they’re just like you and me: happy, sad, angry, bad.”

  I looked through the windshield, following Darius at a distance, trying not to let on that I trailed him. But that would be hard to accomplish. How many cars were on the road in the middle of the night? Sure, we were on the outskirts of a metropolis, but if I clung to his bumper, it would be a dead giveaway.

  “A little while ago,” Nolan said in a soothing voice. “When I made that comment about being electrocuted?”

  My nerves tramped down on me, and I instinctively clenched the steering wheel. “Yeah,” I said nonchalantly, even though my breath caught in my throat.

  “It came out wrong.”

  My peripheral vision picked up his conflicted expression. I felt it best to remain quiet and let him speak.

  “When we touch…I feel alive. Truly alive.”

  My heartbeat pounded double-time at the idea. I almost broke out in a smile, but I didn’t want to jinx anything, so I clenched my lips together.

  “Until you, the only time I felt that way is when I’ve got my guitar against my hip. I feel that anything can happen. And when we touch…it’s like coming up with the perfect melody. Or what I imagine constructing the perfect melody sounds like, anyway.” He turned my way.

  I felt the heat of his stare, but as much as I wanted to acknowledge him, I knew that doing so would end his confession. But I couldn’t deny that his stare felt glorious, as though having been chained up in a dungeon for years, only to have someone remove the shackles around my wrists and ankles and unlock the jail cell door.

  He set his gaze through the windshield. “I guess you just know it when you feel it.”

  I let silence intrude for a few seconds in case he planned to continue speaking. He didn’t, so I looked at him. “I feel the same way.” Then I turned my sights on the road again.

  “Yellow light,” Nolan said. “Run it or we’ll lose him.”

  Even if he hadn’t spoken up, I would have done just that. “Where is he taking us?” I glanced at the clock, shocked that over fifteen minutes had passed since Darius had begun his journey. Time passed when you were having fun…or at least hanging out with a guy you had a major crush on, all the while tailing a vampire with a superiority complex. So far, he’d led us out of Streeterville and to the Northwest Side.

  Darius pulled to the curb of St. John Cantius Church, which was founded by Polish immigrants in the late nineteenth century. He killed the engine, got out of the Focus, and started up the steps toward the parish doors.

  “Isn’t that a vamp transgression?”

  Darius opened one of the three heavy wooden entrance doors and stepped inside.

  “Well,” I said, unsure what to think of this unexpected development. “Let’s see what’s what.” I got out of the car, popped the trunk, and removed the Soul Sword from its case.

  Nolan met me a moment later. “You plan on chopping off his head…in a church?”

  “You think God would disapprove?”

  “No, I think he’d cheer you on.”

  “So let’s do this!”

  CHAPTER NINE

  I opened the parish door, and we slipped inside without a sound. Nolan went to the right, but I got his attention and cocked my head toward me, so he’d remain at my side. If Darius inhabited that side of the church, I didn’t want him catching Nolan by surprise. If he stood beside me, I’d be responsible for him, which would hopefully result in protecting him. We walked into the church.

  Soft, patronizing laughter filled the speakers throughout the church. The amplification sounded intimate and creepy.

  I hunched low, expecting some kind of attack…that didn’t come. Glancing around, expecting an assault, I crouched low in a defensive posture, waiting for Darius to mount an offensive.

  “Relax, Serena.” The chuckling continued. “I have no intention of harming you...yet. As I’ve stated previously, I only seek what you now clutch in your hands. Surrender it, and you shall leave this parish unharmed.”

  I glanced at the beautiful pillars, scanned the elegant marble floors, and disregarded the immaculate stone statues on either side of the church. “The house of God?” I asked, my voice echoing through the building. “Don’t you have someplace more appropriate to visit? Like hell!”

  “You address my vampirism, so I shall disregard your ignorance. Please recall that this condition was forced upon me by one of your ancestors.”

  “Yes, your lover. The woman you now work with. The woman who plans to disrupt everything the Lord created.”

  He tsked. “God did not create the human race, Ignorant One. We are children of those from outer space.”

  “You’re saying…aliens created humans?” I started walking down the center aisle. Nolan matched my every step.

  “Not necessarily, but perhaps.”

  I presumed he was trying to catch us off guard. “Okay, um…when are we going to fight?”

  “You believe in God, do you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where is your Lord when you need him most? Obviously, not in this building, even if it is dedicated to…His supposed magnificence. I feel nothing for Him. Yet, I used to laugh at His greatness for decades. And you?”

  “There was a lot of crying.” Taking his silence as confusion, I pointed to the confessional booths behind him. “Growing up, I practically lived in there. After school, some kids went to the library after school. But me? Always church.” I shrugged. “Straight to the penalty box. There was always something to atone for.”

  “You? A wild child? I think not.”

  Just like everyone else, I made mistakes. Errors in judgment cost me plenty. I presumed that wouldn’t stop anytime soon, although not from a lack of trying. I stopped, turned around, and faced the pews before me. “Are you afraid to face me? Is that why you’re hiding?”

  From the back of the church, footsteps marched toward us.

  Darius strolled in our direction, as though he walked down the aisle of a church every day, albeit probably now intent on turning everyone he approached. “I’ve made my intentions clear. I seek the sword. ‘Right Here, Right Now.’”

  A grin split my lips. “Never figured you for a Jesus Jones fan. Fitting though, considering our conversation…and our surroundings.”

  “Indeed.” He continued approaching, having cut the distance between us
in half. “But Jesus was a sham.”

  “Gotta disagree with you there. Even Kanye admitted that ‘Jesus Walks.’”

  “Yes, but if I am not mistaken, Mr. West wore a crown of thorns during a photo shoot for the cover of a magazine. He all but considered himself on equal ground with Jesus.”

  “He’s delusional,” I admitted, surprised that Darius paid attention to popular culture. Kanye thinks he’s the biggest rock star on the planet. I mean, hello! He’s a rapper! He doesn’t even play an instrument. Give me a break!”

  “On that, I must agree with you, Ignorant One. You see, while we discussed insignificant matters, a dozen vampires have entered this facility.” He glanced on either side of him, smirking as a half dozen vampires dashed into the pews on either side of the church. “It would be quite impressive if you extricated yourself from the challenge awaiting you. I must admit, I am curious to discover how you and your affiliate fare against the vampires who will soon attack.”

  The vamps licked their lips as though they sought an imminent feeding. I shook my head at Darius. “You’re afraid of me, is that it?”

  “Not in the least,” he said in a condescending tone. “You are a skilled opponent, I give you that. But why expend energy when others can do so in my stead?”

  On either side of me, the vamps closed in, as though guaranteed a fresh body to drain of blood. I saw Nolan’s muscles tense, neither surprised nor fearful of those who approached him. That sent a jolt of confidence through me.

  When a vampire leapt onto a bench and pushed off, flying through the air towards me, I waited until the exact moment he nearly collided with me before plunging the sword into his chest. A second later, he burst into dust, since the sword could slay any supernatural being.

  Another vampire rushed me with raised hands. As a human, he’d obviously been a wrestling fan who had no experience with fisticuffs because no one attacked another so haphazardly.

  I swung my sword across the back of his neck, severing his head.

  The onslaught turned my attention towards Nolan and those who attacked him. Concerned that he might not be able to protect himself, I hurried over to him.

  A vamp charged Nolan and punched him in the gut, the force knocking them both to the ground. Pinned, Nolan squirmed under the vamp until he grabbed onto his bicep and clung to him.

  A few seconds later, the vamp pushed free. He reared back his fist and let it fly, but Nolan caught the vampire’s fist and squeezed it with so much pressure that the bloodsucker’s knuckles popped, breaking the bones in his hand.

  Horrified, the vamp stared at his hand in disbelief.

  Nolan let him go and bashed a fist of his own into the vampire’s face, sending him backwards. Yet, Nolan didn’t release the vampire. He held on, crouched on top of him, and pounded his head against the ground until blood sprayed onto the concrete.

  Then he pulled out a lighter and set flame to the vamp, which made him shriek and get to his feet, bumping into pews, trying to find his way out of the church. Within a few seconds, however, just as he reached the exit, he collapsed and turned into dust.

  Another vampire launched himself off the top of a pew toward Nolan, who got to his feet, lifted his arms, and clasped the vamp’s vest for a moment before tossing him into the wooden pew three aisles up.

  Shocked how easily he’d handled himself against seemingly stronger and quicker opponents, I figured that Nolan had stripped a tremendous amount of physical power from them. Turning away from him, I barely evaded a deadly blow to the nose from the next vampire who attacked me.

  I plunged my right elbow into the back of his head, sending his face into a pew. Blood spurted onto the pew. Before he had a chance to turn towards me, I swung the Soul Sword down, clipping off his head. Then I spun around and immediately punctured another vampire in the chest, but since he grabbed at me, I kicked him in the head, sending him sprawling backwards. Since I’d speared him with the sword, he blasted into dust.

  Another vampire sprang toward me. Unable to catch my breath without enough time to sidestep him, I once more arched my sword, slinging it across the vamp’s neck, ending his life. With my body angled toward Nolan, I noticed him punching a vampire in the face numerous times, until one final fist popped the vamp’s head off.

  Shock registered inside me. Having battled my share of vampires over the past week, I knew that a human without battle skills would have a difficult time against a supernatural creature, but Nolan ended a bloodsucker’s life with just his fist. How much power had he stolen from them? Could he take even more? And if so, was there a limit? These questions pelted my mind with worry because the more strength he commanded, the greater his potential for misusing or misdirecting it.

  As much as I didn’t want to consider the possibility that he might one day entertain the notion of taking the easy way out of a situation by using his powers, I had to do just that. Although I knew Nolan would never set out to hurt another, he craved the attention he commanded on stage. I hoped he’d put situations into proper perspective before acting impulsively. Other potentialities entered my thoughts: did he have an unlimited ability to continue stealing powers from every supernatural being he touched? How long would the power surge last? Unfortunately, I don’t even think Nolan knew answers to these questions.

  Startled by how easily he had removed the vampire’s head, Nolan stared in awe as its body disintegrated. He swung to the left before the next vampire attacked him and then grabbed the vamp’s leg. He shoved it to the side and hammered down a fist on the vampire’s leg. It severed the vampire’s limb from his body.

  Incredulous, I shook my head, unable to believe what I’d seen. Nolan had more strength than the vampires who attacked him.

  The last vampire in the church attacked Nolan, who rushed forward to meet him, grasped his shirt, and threw him into a pew ten feet away. Nolan, wasting no time to follow up, raced over, pulled the vamp to his feet, slammed his head against the wooden pew, and tossed him into the aisle.

  I hurried over, swung the Soul Sword down, and removed the possibility that the vamp would live another day. Then I turned my attention toward Nolan.

  Wide-eyed, Nolan looked in every direction in anticipation of another opponent. A guttural sound rumbled deep in his throat as he set a faraway gaze on me, as though looking through me.

  His eyes flashed black.

  I backed away in fear and prayed that his eyes didn’t darken again. I knew he was part-demon, but until now, I hadn’t seen that frightening mark of the damned reveal itself in my presence. Before that, he had only been…Nolan. He hadn’t given me any reason to regard him as dangerous. But once darkness entered his eyes, he no longer appeared familiar, trustworthy. He looked like a complete stranger who didn’t even recognize me.

  A second eye flicker meant that he’d momentarily become more demon than human. A third consecutive glimmer indicated that he’d become a full-fledged demon.

  Uncertain if the power surge had killed his rational thought process, I raised my hands in surrender and remained in place, hoping he’d recognize me. “Hey, it’s me, Serena.” I took a tentative step toward him. “Remember me?”

  Nolan titled his head to the side, barred his teeth, and tensed for an assault.

  I stopped, almost expecting that he’d turn green now that he’d Hulked-out. “The vampires…they’re gone. We dusted every one of them.”

  Nolan scanned the premises again, but finding that I’d spoken the truth, his muscles relaxed, and his face returned to a more subdued expression. The faraway look in his eyes vanished, and thankfully, his eyes hadn’t momentarily turned black again. He returned to the mild-mannered gentleman I’d become enamored with.

  Breathing easy now that Nolan no longer appeared intent to kill every person he encountered, I lowered my hands to my sides.

  “Where’s Darius?” he asked.

  “He must have left.”

  If Darius had knowingly led us to the church, whereupon he sent nearly a
dozen vampires after us, why hadn’t he (and his crew from vamp camp) stuck around to ensure we died during the attack? Similarly, why hadn’t the vamps attacked us at the same time, rather than individually?

  I spun through possibilities before hitting a prospect that made my heart pound: Darius led us into a den of vampires to distract us. So he could throw us off his trail.

  “You look worried,” Nolan said. “What’s wrong?”

  Darius used this as a smokescreen to attack Brandon and Kendall. He wants me to bring him the Soul Sword. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do!”

  * * *

  We visited Nolan’s place, but neither Kendall nor Brandon were around, so we stopped by their apartment, and when I knocked on the door, Brandon opened it with haunted eyes and a morose expression. Then he stepped aside, opened the door wide, and motioned us to enter.

  Standing ten feet away in front of the sofa, Darius held Kendall in a headlock. Blood slicked her lips, marking quite a contrast to her pale face, as her hands trembled at her sides.

  My breath caught in my throat, making it difficult to breathe, much less speak. My nerves jutted under my skin, anxious to rectify the situation by tearing off Darius’s head. I prepared to spring into the apartment, but at the last moment, I stopped myself from following through. Doing so would prove I’d lost my cool, and Darius would take advantage of my hasty response.

  “Hello, Serena,” Darius said with a pleasant smile, eyeing the Soul Sword at my side. “You bested the vampires at the church? Well done! Please come in. You’re closer with Kendall and Brandon than I am, and since they invited me in, I feel obliged to do likewise.”

  “It’s more like you compelled them to invite you in,” I finally managed to say through clenched teeth. My muscles quivered, not from fear, but from rage. Once again, my life as a witch had endangered my friends. That would never change, and I had to accept that fact. I just hoped I could get past the guilt that consumed me every time a predicament like this occurred.