I stopped short upon seeing Nolan behind him.
“Well, hello, there,” Darius said with a smarmy grin. He turned back to Nolan. “What are you waiting for? You may enter of your own volition!”
Nolan didn’t look convinced. “That wouldn’t be neighborly. No, I’ll stand here until invited inside.” He set his eyes upon me. “Serena?” His eyes lit up.
My breath left me at the sight of the man whose appearance always extinguished the breath from my lungs. First, we fought against the vampires Darius had sent after us, and now Nolan had joined Darius to…what? End my life? Besides, this wasn’t my house. Only Alexis or Celestina had the right to invite anyone inside. “What are you doing with him?” I asked.
Nolan glanced at Darius with a dubious expression. “Helping him.”
“How did that come about?”
“He asked.” Nolan shrugged. “I said yes.”
“Why?”
“He said…” He almost glanced at Darius before turning his eyes on mine again. “He said he knew where to find you. And I was worried about you so—”
I recalled my conversation with Darius the other day, when he planned to murder Nolan, but upon further thought decided against it. Now I knew why he chose to compel him to do whatever he asked. It made me wonder if being part-demon, Nolan had a proclivity toward evil, meaning whenever confronted with darkness, he felt pulled toward that inclination. Having spent time with him, I hadn’t suspected he’d ordinarily lean in that direction. However, now that a powerful vampire had perhaps triggered a latent propensity to commit evil acts, I feared that he’d perpetuate any request that issued from Darius’s mouth.
“Oh,” Darius said, feigning a sweet-natured smile. “How sweet!” He set his gaze on mine. “Come on out, Serena. Let’s have a little chat.”
“About what? How you plan on killing us?” I glanced at Nolan. “What the matter with you? Don’t you remember killing that vamp last night? Well, you’re buddy sent them after you. How could you join him?”
“It’s not what it seems,” Nolan said with a noncommittal stare.
How could he respond so casually when he knew Darius’s intentions? How could he think I would be okay with him joining the man who wanted to kill me? Was he delusional? Then again, if Darius had compelled Nolan to follow whatever instructions he set out, I could understand why Nolan didn’t feel one way or the other about becoming Darius’s lackey.
“Darius is not your ally,” I said. “He’s evil.”
“Why start with the name-calling?” Darius asked, placing his hands at his sides as though in surrender. “I mean no harm. Yet, you seem intent on condemning me for—”
“Don’t treat me like an idiot, you goddamn jag-off.”
“So hostile. And yet…have I resorted to name-calling?”
I tried to overlook my concern for Nolan. “What do you want?” I asked Darius.
“The Book of Souls.”
“It’s not for sale.”
“I wasn’t planning to pay for it…I was just going to take it!”
“Not if you can’t get inside,” I said.
“What’s it worth to you?” asked Alexis, walking past me and moving into the front room toward him without a trace of fear or frustration.
“Invite me in your home so I can retrieve the book, and I’ll allow each of you to live. That’s quite a fair trade.” Darius’s grin hovered on his lips.
“More than fair,” Alexis said, stopping five feet from Darius. She looked at Nolan. “Hey!”
He nodded, but a second later, his gaze fell upon mine with more than a little concern for my well-being.
It told me that Nolan hadn’t completely given himself over to the dark side. Not only that, but I was surprised that he’d remained in the background as long as he had. Despite the influence that Darius held over others, I couldn’t imagine Nolan yielding to anyone, no matter the circumstance. He seemed too self-reliant, too full of pride to let anyone else speak for him, let alone control him.
“You’ll leave without killing me?” I asked Darius.
“I gave you my word, and I’ll stand by it.” A gentle smile touched his lips. “Did you expect anything less?”
“No,” I said, doing my best not to let him notice my throttling nerves, but with his heightened senses, he could probably hear my heart beating double-time. “It figures you’d want to bring Nolan along.” I shrugged, non-complacent. “You’ve always seemed like a coward. Why should I expect anything less?”
“This from someone who ran away from me?”
“A smart person lives to fight another day.”
“Perhaps that day is today! Face it, Serena. You don’t have the nerve to confront your opponents. You lack the bravery your grandmother called upon at will.” He cracked a smile. “If you value your life, you’ll invite me inside.”
“It belongs to Celestina.”
“Oh, come on,” Alexis said, irritated. “Just come in.”
Darius’s eyes met mine as his smile went wide. “Why, thank you, Alexis. How very kind of you!”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Darius entered the front room, followed by Nolan. However, a gang of five vampires tried to step through the doorway, but they bounced back into each other, glancing around at the threshold in confusion, probably wondering what had prevented them from stepping inside. They were obviously such new recruits that Darius hadn’t told them they would need an invitation from the owner of any given home before being allowed entrance.
Turning back to them, Darius said, “Stay!” as though speaking to a pack of dogs. He swung back to Alexis. “Now then, where were we? Oh, yes! The Book of Souls.”
I gestured toward Alexis. “She knows it’s not Delphine.” I hoped Darius acknowledged the truth. It might convince Alexis that our mother had truly departed.
“I see,” Darius said, nodding with a false sense of empathy. “My apologies. But life continues, does it not?”
“Except for them,” I said, regarding the vamps at the door. “You killed them, so I guess it doesn’t.”
Darius nodded. “Indeed. But let us not concern ourselves with my minions.”
Alexis turned her head aside, finding it difficult to comprehend the truth Darius had revealed about our mother. “Wait a minute. I still don’t know what Zephora plans to do.”
She didn’t look inconsolable, shocked, or even sad. It appeared that my sister still refused to believe our mother had died.
“She hasn’t discussed that with you?” asked Darius, puzzled. A second later, however, he said, “Yes, I forgot: the symptoms of withdrawal.” His face registered great concern. “How is she? Recovering, I hope?”
Alexis stared at him, suspicious.
Rather than allow Darius to fight his way to see Zephora, I approached him while keeping my guard up. Given that Darius had lived on Earth for over three centuries and had become more powerful with each passing year, I had to anticipate an attack.
He burst out laughing at my defensive measures, placing his weight on one foot, showing that he didn’t even expect me to attack him. Either that or he didn’t worry about any assault I might mount. “You are so naive, almost childlike.”
Nolan stood behind Darius, glancing from side-to-side as though determined not to meet my gaze out of shame. In fact, it appeared that he’d rather be anywhere else than here.
That told me that Darius had compelled him to follow his orders. I relieved some of my anxiety. At least, Nolan hadn’t turned evil! Otherwise, he’d have no problem glaring at me, eager to hurt me. After all, as the spawn of a demon, he could unknowingly trigger that aspect of his heritage at any moment.
It took some effort to disregard him before turning my attention to Darius, prepared to rely on my flame throwing skills if he attempted to attack me. It would be even more intimidating if I could launch my newfound power…and shoot Darius through the doorway, knocking down the vamps hanging out there like pins at a bowling alley. But since I didn�
�t really know how to call upon it, much less control it, I dared not reveal my ineptitude. Seeing him about to walk past me, I angled myself in his path, stopping him.
He narrowed his eyes. “You would be wise to step aside.”
“Don’t test me.”
“So, it’s come to that, has it?” Darius looked in my eyes and grinned. “Okay, prepare for your demise.”
“Not so fast,” said Celestina’s soft but determined voice behind me. “Leave this to me. I know how to handle him.” She didn’t even look my way, instead preferring to maintain eye contact with Darius.
Her neglect indicated that my abilities couldn’t compare to her powers…and that hurt me. As her aunt, I should have been the one to protect her, not the other way around. I felt ineffectual, insignificant. But it could’ve been worse. I could have been her mother. That made me turn to Alexis.
However, the possibility that Zephora had replaced our mother still weighed on her mind, rendering her useless. Alexis stood still, staring at the ground with a puzzled expression. She tilted the bottle of liquor up to her mouth, but not bothering to tilt her head back to consume the alcohol, she simply lowered the bottle again, which was probably for the best, since the liquid would dull her senses and reflexes…in the event that Darius attacked us.
Celestina stopped beside me. “Leave now…and I promise not to hurt you.”
Darius, far from someone who allowed pride to override common sense, cocked an eyebrow at my niece, weighing the likelihood that she could (and would) harm him. He presented a smile that showed he’d rather not resort to violence, but he would do precisely that if forced to.
“I won’t ask you again.”
I moved back, shocked that such fury had built up inside her. Why had such anger sprung forth? Because Alexis was pretty much out of play, considering she had difficulty accepting that Delphine was gone? That was the only conclusion I came to, given how Delphine had mistreated Celestina, who all but celebrated her passing. But if her absence disturbed Alexis…
I didn’t remove my eyes from Darius as I said to my niece, “You should go. I’ll take care of this.”
“No. You won’t.” She stood tall, all four-feet-eight inches of her, although her confidence made her appear at least two feet taller. She held her right hand out, placed it against my hip, and pushed me a step back. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
She looked so in control that I allowed myself to fall back. Doing otherwise would insult her and convince her that I disrespected her. Never mind that I felt uncomfortable letting a teenage girl battle a three-hundred-year old vampire, I acknowledged that Celestina had much more power than me, not to mention better control of her abilities. So I disregarded my own discomfort and allowed her the benefit of the doubt. After all, if she needed me, I’d be right behind her.
After a long moment of consideration, Darius nodded. “May I have a word with your aunt in private? Would you allow Nolan to accompany you into the kitchen while we talked?”
The respect Darius granted my niece surprised me. He respected her, which in his mind meant, that he feared her. That, in turn, told me that he knew more about Celestina’s powers than Alexis or me.
A shrewd politician, Celestina gave Darius’s question some thought before nodding her approval.
Nolan stepped out from behind Darius and held out a hand toward Celestina, as though to guide her into the kitchen.
“Watch him,” I said to Celestina, as Nolan walked ahead of her and into the kitchen where Kendall and Brandon chatted.
My niece followed him until she disappeared around the corner.
“Now then,” said Darius with a partial grin. “Let’s move this along, shall we?” He rushed me in stealth mode.
Expecting an attack, I kept my guard up and blocked a right fist and a left-fist combination. The movement spun me around, giving me full view of Darius as he raced down the hallway before bursting through the doorway Zephora slept behind, leaving me little time to catch up to him.
I raced down the hallway and came upon Zephora’s bedroom, only to find it vacant. A gust of air pushed through the open window. With the ancient witch no longer inhabiting the room, I guessed her incantation must have worn off. I rushed into the room and looked out the window.
I didn’t see either of them anywhere.
I’d prepared for an attack, but I hadn’t expected a sly attempt to steal Zephora. That reminded me of his other purpose for visiting: The Book of Souls. “Celie,” I called out, heading into the hall toward the kitchen. A moment later, she appeared in the hallway. “Where did you put the book?”
“I left it in the family room.” Her eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open. She spun around, raced into the other room, and stopped beside an end table. “I left it right here.”
“In the open?” I asked. “Why?”
“We were the only ones here until Darius came, and no one but me could read it. So why would I need to hide it from anyone?”
“You didn’t think to hide it after your mom let him in?”
“I…” She stammered. Her face crinkled with guilt. “I…”
I should have noticed the book on the table. I should have known not to allow my niece to leave it lying around. Still, Celestina knew better. After all, why else would Alexis have kept it in the attic? She didn’t trust her own daughter. I should have done likewise. Nevertheless, my sister had also overlooked that Celestina had left the book in plain sight. How could all of us been so blind, so stupid?
I was so angry I wanted to unleash a furious shriek, but that might damage my vocal cords, so I clamped my mouth shut. Feeling my blood pressure rise, I worked on tempering my frustration. I couldn’t stop myself from curling my hands into fists, and I was helpless to prevent them from shaking with rage. I’d failed to keep The Book of Souls safe and allowed the most powerful vampire on the planet to leave with the most powerful witch on the planet.
Dammit! What else could I mess up today?
“What happened?” Kendall asked from the other room.
I walked through the bedroom and came upon her and Brandon. I had no idea how to reacquire The Book of Souls, and I had no idea where Darius might stash Zephora. I’d not only let myself down, but I’d failed everyone around me as well. Not exactly a great way to encourage others to believe in you. I just hoped they’d give me another chance.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Kendall!” I called out.
She raced over to me. “What’s wrong?” She glanced through the room, and the ominous expression on her face told me that she didn’t need an answer. “Where’d they go?”
“Can you trail Darius?”
She looked at me askew. “What do you mean?”
“My family can track one another by some kind of mystical energy. I can do it sometimes, but I don’t know how it works…can you do that with Darius?” I gestured to the window. “He took Zephora and left.”
Confused, Kendall stared at me before making her way to the window. She looked out, glancing to her left and right. “Yeah,” she said, startled by her answer. “I can sense him.” She removed her head from outside the window and swung back to me. “I know the direction he went. But that’s about it.”
Darius could certainly run faster than any human, but if he carried Zephora, a woman he’d loved for centuries, he’d do everything possible not to harm her, especially now considering that she didn’t have full access to her powers and resided in a near ineffectual body. All that meant he’d take his time while heading in whichever direction he went.
“Wait a minute,” I said, feeling my stomach drop. “Where’s Nolan?”
Kendall hustled toward the doorway.
I followed her into the hall, past Brandon, Alexis, and Celestina.
Kendall raced toward the front door, but seeing a trio of vampires appearing in the threshold with arrogant snarling expressions, she stopped short a few feet and turned back to me with a quizzical look. “What now?”
She cracked a grin, burst through the doorway, and pummeled one vampire in the chest with a fist, knocking him eight feet backwards. At that moment, another vamp attacked her from behind, strapping her arms behind her as another vampire kicked her in the gut, shoving her back towards the front door.
But since the vampire behind her hadn’t been granted access, he butted up against an invisible force field, preventing him from falling into Alexis’s home. The unexpected jolt disrupted his hold on Kendall, who tore her arms free from his grasp and rushed the vamp who’d rammed a boot into her stomach.
She deflected a left fist, which left the vamp’s chest exposed. Kendall fired off a right punch into his belly, tearing through his rib cage and extracting her hand to reveal a human heart slick with blood.
The oncoming vamp stared at the heart in her hands, shocked into inactivity before meeting her gaze and, unable to take another breath, tilted forward and crumpled at her feet. A second later, he burst into dust that filtered around her feet.
Kendall spun toward the vamp behind her, who had prepared to throw a left jab, but she flung the heart at his face, only to have it turn to dust in the air. Still, the motion disrupted the vamp’s intention to deflect the body part.
“Hey!” I shouted to get her attention. I snatched a pencil that was beside a notebook on the coffee table to my right.
She swiveled toward me, caught the pencil I flung toward her, and swept toward the vamp that regained his bearings and reared back a fist. Wasting no time, Kendall threw her right fist toward his heart, puncturing the skin as the pencil jabbed the vamp’s heart, killing him upon contact. Dust formed around her hand and slipped to the ground.
“Death by pencil,” said Alexis. “His vamp buddies must be so ashamed!” She glanced in either direction and, seeing no vampires nearby, stared off into the distance for a long moment.
“What?” I asked and hurried out beside her. That’s when I saw Darius almost one-hundred yards away, hunching beside the open back door of his Ford Focus, lying Zephora’s body along the seat with the utmost care.
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