I ran back out into the hallway and handed her to one of the other students who seemed keen to help.
“Get her outside, into the fresh air.”
And I ran back into the flames.
A few people still remained in the hall, disoriented and confused, hacking and doubled over. My friends ran in, helping those in need and removing the burden fully from my shoulders. Through the thick smoke, bright red, orange, and yellow flames licked and sparked across the banners and posters that had been placed around the room for the election. The fire had spread onto the stage, flames climbing the curtains, devouring them inch by inch.
Through the smoke, I noticed a figure stood in the center of the stage. Fire surrounded them, and I couldn’t make out their features through the cloud of smoke, but something about their stance fired recognition through me. My gaze locked on the person, though my eyes streamed, and I took step after step toward the stage.
My heart stuttered in my chest.
Riley!
He lifted his arms in a sweep, and a gust of wind blew against my face and hair. The flames blew back and at first I was terrified they would spread, but the force of the wind increased and was now strong enough to snatch what little breath I had left, caused the flames to gutter and die.
The smoke blew out of the doors, diffusing into the hallway.
The fire was over.
Riley dropped to one knee and I ran up to him, leaping onto the stage to slide to my knees beside him.
“Riley? Baby, are you okay?”
He coughed and nodded. Then lifted his eyes to me. The distant expression that had been so worrying had vanished, though I still sensed a deep melancholy at his soul.
“Is it over?” he asked, his voice gravely.
“I think so.”
From outside, I could hear the wail of approaching sirens, the fire department here to put out the flames Riley had already dealt with. Numerous people would be in need of medical assistance, from smoke inhalation to those who had suffered injuries being trampled.
I didn’t want to be here when the authorities arrived.
I took Riley and got us the hell out of there.
Chapter
26
Several weeks had passed since the fire.
I sat on the couch in Riley’s trailer, looking out of the window, lost in thought while Riley was getting changed in the bedroom.
The police and fire department had done an investigation into the cause of the fire, but it had come back inconclusive. Lacking any proof, they made an educated guess at the cause being a faulty wire, or even a student sneaking in a cigarette and not extinguishing it properly. With all the fliers and banners that had been present in the Great Hall due to the election, any spark had been like a match to a tinder box and the place had gone up quickly. According to the police, the doors had never been locked—an impossibility due to the fact there were no locks on the doors—and instead the force of the crowds inside the hall had prevented people from escaping. When the police came to talk with us, I didn’t argue with them. Obviously, other students had reported me going into the fire to pull others out, but I made no mention of breaking the door down to get in. I simply told them I’d seen the smoke and wanted to help. Flynn, Dana, and Laurel backed up my explanation, as did John Spencer, which helped the credibility of my side of the story. The police had no reason to believe we were involved in any other way.
Things still weren’t quite right with Riley and me. Though he seemed to be living more in our world than in the afterlife, I often found him with his face contorted in fear, while his eyes locked on something distant I was unable to see. In those moments, I knew he was lost in the afterlife again, and that he hadn’t escaped death completely unharmed. He’d brought a part of it back within him somehow, and, despite my encouragement, I couldn’t get him to talk about it.
He wasn’t the only one struggling. Though I’d not seen Brooke yet—Dana was acting protectively of the other girl—Laurel had told me Brooke was still fraught with shock. Not only had Brooke lost her life through violence, she’d also had to come to terms with the existence of the paranormal. No excuse of sleepwalking would work this time.
I, too, was still coming to terms with what had happened. My loss of control was what scared me the most. If it wasn’t for Riley still not seeming himself, and me needing to watch out for him, I would have told him to leave me. I no longer trusted myself around him—if I ever truly had before—and I was terrified I’d lose control of myself again. The image of his dead face haunted my dreams, while the taste of his blood remained on my tongue. I’d never forgive myself for what I did, but the memory of the power surging through me after I’d fed never left my soul, and I yearned to experience it again. Any hope that I’d ever live like a normal person had fled my mind.
I wasn’t normal. I was a killer.
Riley came out of the bedroom and sat beside me. He slipped his arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek. I tensed at his touch. We’d not made love since before the fire, and the divide between us was growing, both physically and emotionally, with every passing day.
“Hey, you okay?”
I forced a smile. “Yeah, just thinking.”
“You’ve got to let it go, Icy.”
“It’s part of me. I can’t let go of what I am.”
“It wasn’t your fault. You’d sworn not to bite anyone because you knew exactly what was going to happen. You did everything you could to stop it from happening, but you had no choice. You can’t go on blaming yourself.”
“I killed you.” I was stating a fact.
“But I came back.”
“What if it happens again and Dana isn’t around that time? What then?”
He shrugged and his blue eyes met mine. “We just need to make sure she’s around any time you get thirsty.”
I saw that old twinkle in his eye. He was teasing me, but I wasn’t in the mood to be teased. “That’s not funny.”
He took my hand, and I tried not to flinch. “No, what’s not funny is us letting this break us. I love you, and that hasn’t changed.”
“You should be terrified of me.”
“Maybe, but I’ll always love you more. I know you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose.”
“But even if it’s an accident, I still would have hurt you. I can’t stand that possibility in our future.”
“And I can’t stand the thought of us not having a future at all.”
We sat, hands held, letting things sink in.
Riley was first to break the silence. “I’ve been wondering about something.”
I twisted to face him. “What?”
“When you asked that question about what we’d do if you were being attacked, why did you choose the other Riley?”
“I was stupid. I thought you’d give me the answer I wanted to hear.”
He gave a crooked smile, and my heart clenched. “I’ll always try to save you, Icy. I don’t care how capable you are, or indestructible, or whatever the fuck. If I see you in trouble, I will always sacrifice myself to save you.”
“And who is going to save you from me?”
“I don’t want saving, Icy. If you take me down with you, it’ll be the best way I can think of going.”
I shoved him in the shoulder with mine. “Don’t say things like that.”
“I can’t help it. I’m yours, Icy, whether you want me or not.”
“I want you.” I gave a sad smile. “I want you too much. I guess that’s the problem.”
“So show me. If you still want me, show me.”
Shaking my head, I glanced down at our hands. “I’m frightened of hurting you.”
“You’re hurting me more by being so distant with me.”
I lifted my eyes back up to his. “You’re distant with me, too.”
“I know, I’m sorry.” His teeth found his full lower lip. “I’m working on that.”
I paused, and then asked, “What happened, when you died? What d
id you see?”
His face grew dark. “Please, Icy. I’m not ready for that yet.”
He wanted me to get over my issues, but he wasn’t prepared to talk himself. Yet I didn’t have the right to force his hand. I had put him in that position. I’d been the one who made him experience what he had. All I could do was be there for him when he needed me.
Riley reached out and his fingers laced in my hair, his palm cupping my cheek. I leaned into him. I’d missed him so badly, despite us practically living together. Tears filled my eyes and I blinked them away. I had no right to cry. I wasn’t the one who’d been wronged in this situation.
But he noticed my tears, and he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine, a gentle, tentative kiss. My first instinct was to pull away and increase the distance between us, but my heart wouldn’t let me. He broke away, though his hand still touched my face. “We can make this right again, Icy. I know we can. We just need to help each other, okay? I know you’re thinking my life would be safer if you weren’t in it, but it wouldn’t be worth living. We have to try. There’s no other way.”
I sniffed and nodded. I couldn’t stand the idea of living without him either.
A small smile touched his lips, and he leaned in to kiss me again. This time I didn’t resist him.
We would heal each other, kiss by kiss, however long that took.
Like what you’ve read? Look out for book three! Did you know The Dhampyre Chronicles is a spinoff of Marissa Farrar’s dark vampire series, The Serenity Series? Why not check it out, as the first book, Alone, is free across most book retailers!
Make sure you sign up to Marissa Farrar’s new release list to stay updated about new releases, exclusives, and special offers! www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com
Acknowledgements
Thank Lori Whitwam who has been my editor for the last couple of years now. I wouldn’t be able to publish my books with the speed that I do without your reliable, fast, and efficient editing. You are my strongest cog in this book producing machine!
I would also like to thank Karri, who designed my cover art. I loved the cover art for the first book, Twisted Dreams, and I didn’t think you’d be able to come up with a second book cover that matched its beauty, but you surpassed my expectations. Thank you. I can’t wait to get my hands on it in print.
Thank you, as well, to my little team of fantastic proofreaders, Glynis Elliott and Kim Hayes. Lori’s thorough work doesn’t often give you much to do, but your sharp eyes are needed and appreciated nonetheless.
And finally, thank you, once again to all my readers, especially those who reach out to me via facebook. You always make give me the boost to work harder, and create even better characters and storylines. Without you, all of these books would never get written.
Marissa
About the Author
Marissa Farrar is a multi-published paranormal romance, fantasy, and horror author. She was born in Devon, England, has travelled all over the world, and has lived in both Australia and Spain. She now resides in the countryside with her husband, three young children, a crazy Spanish dog, and two rescue cats. Despite returning to England, she daydreams of one day being able to split her time between her home country and the balmy, white sandy beaches of Spain.
Even though she’s been writing stories since she was small and held dreams of being a writer, her initial life plan went a different way.
In her youth, inspired by James Herriot, she decided to become a vet, and would regularly bring home new pets to her weary parents. Upon discovering her exams were never going to get her into a veterinary degree, she ended up studying Zoology. Once she completed her degree and realised she’d spent the majority trying to find time to write, she decided to follow her dream of being an author. Seven years later, she was published and two years after that she was able to say goodbye to the day job.
However, she’s continued to collect animals!
Marissa is the author of fifteen novels, including the dark vampire ‘Serenity’ series. Her short stories have been accepted for a number of anthologies including, Their Dark Masters, Red Skies Press, Masters of Horror: Damned If You Don’t, Triskaideka Books; and 2013: The Aftermath, Pill Hill Press.
If you want to know more about Marissa, then please visit her website at www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com. You can also find her at her facebook page, www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author or follow her on twitter @marissafarrar.
She loves to hear from readers and can be emailed at [email protected].
Also by Marissa Farrar
The Serenity Series:
The Vengeful Vampire (free short story)
Alone (free first novel of the series!)
Buried
Captured
Dominion
Endless
The Spirit Shifters Series:
Autumn’s Blood (free novel)
Saving Autumn
Autumn Rising
Autumn’s War
UNDERLIFE
(Please note, the prequel to Underlife, Go Back, is now free to download from Amazon)
THE DARK ROAD
WHERE THE DEAD LIVE
IN THE COMPANY OF THE DEAD
THE BODY FARM
Contemporary Fiction:
CUT TOO DEEP
THE SOUND OF CRICKETS
TWISTED MAGIC
The Dhampyre Chronicles: Book Two
Copyright © 2015 Marissa Farrar
Warwick House Press
Edited by Lori Whitwam
Cover art by Art by Karri
License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.
Publisher’s Note
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Twisted Magic (The Dhampyre Chronicles Book 2) Page 20