If I ever got out of here.
“You will break into groups while I smuggle the Magister out the back gate and to the safe house. Six in one and five in the other,” the Summoner said. Obviously another shot at me. “Group one will take the west wing of the house while group two will take the east to alert the Enforcers of our situation. Daggers out, runes drawn. Best to have a mixture of offensive and defensive spells in each of your groups.” He turned to me once again. “You will come with the Magister and I.”
“I don’t think so.” I shook my head and took a step back. “I’m staying here to help out. Not running like a coward.”
His eyes narrowed, and the Magister flinched in the corner of my eye. Whatever. It was the truth. As the leader of the coven, he should be here with the rest of his crew instead of running off to a safe house before the fight even began.
“There’s no time to argue about this,” the Magister said. “Let her stay and fight if that's the fate she chooses.”
Dorian grabbed my arm as the twelve of us rushed into the quiet hallways. The vampires would reach the mansion doors at any moment, and each of us needed to be in place. Which meant I needed to draw my rune. I only knew a few defensive spells, something I hadn’t wanted to admit to the council. Shield would probably work best, though I’d never been particularly good with it.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Dorian asked in a low whisper, glancing around us. The council members flew down the hallways, their hands scribbling bone chalk onto their palms. “You can go to the safe house with the Magister.”
“I’m staying,” I said as the rough chalk slid between my fingers. With a sigh, I drew the defensive rune and grabbed my dagger from its sheath. Not optimal, but it was all I had. “I’m not going to run from a fight.”
“Shield, huh?” He drew his own rune on his palm, holding it up for me to see. Blast, which was at least ten times more powerful than the spell I had chosen, and it was an offensive one. “Watch those Daywalkers get through a few bolts of this bad boy.”
We slapped high-fives, and I grinned until I remembered that he’d been itching to get away from me only moments before. A burden, that was what I was. Not a partner. My smile faded from my face, and I took up residence behind a marble bust of a Magister from a hundred years before. It didn’t hide me, but at least it could act as a temporary shield.
Down the hallway, there was a loud chunk of cracking wood, and then the eerie sound of squeaking hinges echoing in the hushed silence of the mansion. The vampires had kicked the door in, but their footsteps were so quiet that it was impossible to tell whether they’d crossed the threshold of this place.
“Are they able to get in?” I whispered to Dorian.
He dropped his mouth to my ear, his lips whispering against my skin. I couldn’t help but shiver. “This is no one’s official home, so they don’t need to be invited inside.”
I nodded. It seemed like a terrible move in a security sense, but until now, it hadn’t really been needed. With the peace treaty firmly in place between the Bone Coven and the Daywalkers, there was no reason to develop further measures against them. Until now.
“Come out, come out!” A chilly voice called. “We need to speak to your Magister.”
Silence answered the vampire.
“If you don’t take us to him, then we’ll have to find him ourselves, and I don’t think you want us to do that.” The voice drifted a little closer. “You saw what happened to your friend at the gate. Don’t make us hurt anyone else.”
Before anyone could move, Dorian shifted from my side and strode down the hallway, his arms swinging casually by his sides. I wanted to cry out and stop him, but he was already halfway toward the lobby before my mind truly grasped what he was doing.
“Dorian, don’t,” I whispered. My voice echoed off the walls, and I froze. The warlocks around me shot me frowns, shaking their heads. I was an amateur to them. A nobody. They probably thought I’d just get in their way when it came time to sink or swim. Steeling my nerves, I held my runed palm tight against my chest and tightened my grip on my dagger. Even though all my magic had been child’s play up until this point, I could do this.
“Good afternoon,” Dorian said when he eased to a stop in the lobby, facing the vampires who were still out of my line of sight. “The Magister and Summoner are unavailable at this point in time. You won’t find them here. So, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
His words were pleasant enough, but his tone held dangerous hints of violence, all sharp along the edges. He crossed his arms over his chest and stood tall, not even bothering to go for a weapon. It was a show of power, of dominance, and it would have worked on a warlock or a witch.
Didn’t seem to have much effect on the vampires though.
A long, low sniff echoed down the hallway. “Interesting. I wouldn’t have pegged someone like you working for these weaklings. Now, step aside. I don’t want to start a fight, but I will if that’s how it’s going to be.”
Dorian flinched. Someone like you. What did that mean?
“As I said, the Magister isn’t here, and I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Dorian said. “If you insist on having a word with him, I can take your name and your number, and he’ll return your call.”
A laugh bubbled up in my throat. I pressed my lips together to keep it from spilling out. It seemed utterly ridiculous, the way he was speaking to these creatures, as if they’d stopped by for a meeting or a chat. Instead, they’d killed the guard out front and left his body oozing blood.
“He’s flown the coop, hasn’t he?” A bitter laugh was joined by a chorus of others. “I should have known. When the going gets tough, your beloved Magister flees and hides. He doesn’t stand by his men, like our leader does. Did you ever wonder why?”
“Your attempts to bait me aren’t going to work,” Dorian answered in a cool voice. “Now, I’ve asked you to leave twice. I’m going to ask you again. After that, we’re going to have to forcefully remove you from the property.”
“Well, consider us warned.” The voice turned vicious and dark. “But we’re not leaving until we get what we came for.”
“And that is?” Dorian asked, raising his eyebrows. Everything about the way he spoke suggested a man who was very much at ease and in control. But his fists were clenched by his sides, and his legs twitched, like he was preparing to launch into a fight at any given moment.
“Your Magister,” the voice slithered out the words in a hiss, making my skin crawl with unease. Dorian frowned and turned toward me, meeting my gaze from across the distance. The look in his eyes was hooded and dark and full of confusion. He didn’t know what to do any more than the rest of us did. With a quick flick of his fingers, he motioned for us to move. But not toward him. Away from him.
He was trying to get us to leave.
No, my mind shouted as the others turned their backs on Dorian, rushing quickly down the hallway toward the back exit. They were going to follow the Magister and the Summoner, leaving the other half of the council to battle with the vampires.
Cowards, I thought. Just a bunch of cowards.
All this time I had imagined the coven leaders as these larger-than-life mages. They were strength and power and courage. Sure, they sucked when it came to taking care of the daily operations of the members scattered across the city and state, but I had told myself that was simply because they were small in number, just like the rest of the covens.
But being here had opened my eyes to a different reality, one I was certain I didn’t like. They weren’t special. They were just regular warlocks who had gotten sucked into positions they probably didn’t even want. And they ran at the first sign of conflict.
The only leader I saw was the Enforcer down the hallway, trying his best to save all of them. All of us.
And now I was very much alone in this wing of the house with only the marble statue to keep me company. My heart ramped up speed, and my mouth went dry. If a group
of vampires stormed this way, then…well, I’d probably end up dead.
Another long sharp sniff punctuated the padding footsteps falling away. I froze, hoping they couldn’t smell that I was suddenly the only witch in this wing. I was an easy target. Dorian might be able to stop one or two, but he couldn’t take on all twenty of them by himself.
“They’re running.” A vampire stepped beyond the edges of the wall and suddenly came into focus. He was a thin, pale man who stood at a dizzying seven feet tall. He swayed, almost as if he was being blown about in a light breeze, his lips curling to reveal two very pointed teeth. “Your beloved council is fleeing just like your Magister. Now, get out of my damn way.”
The vampire sliced his long fingernails through the air, cutting the thin material of Dorian’s black shirt. With a scowl, Dorian jumped back and threw up a hand to block the next advance. Throw after throw at an impossible speed. It was like a dance, their swift movements almost syncing in time. My breath shuddered in my lungs, and I took another step back. I didn’t want to run, but I also knew I couldn’t fight like that.
Dorian finally landed a blow, and the vampire flew out of my sight, slamming hard into a wall. A chorus of rage rang loud, and the pounding of footsteps shook the floor under my feet.
Dorian whirled to me, his mouth wide and his pupils almost swallowing his entire eye. “Get out of here, Zoe. Now!”
My feet felt stuck to the floor, encased in an immovable liquid anchoring me to this very spot. Dorian said go and my brain said go, but everything inside my soul wanted to run straight toward him and do whatever I could to help. The vampires were charging him, half the council had disappeared out the rear gates, and the other half was searching for a back-up crew that might not make it here in time.
He was alone. As tough as he was, I couldn’t leave him.
Without waiting even a second longer, I jumped up from my crouch and charged down the hall, waving my dagger desperately before me. My eyes burned with unshed tears, and my throat felt raw from the scream I held inside. Dorian stared at me, his mouth open in shock, but a flicker of admiration sparked in his eyes. A slight smile crossed his face, and then he turned toward the vampires and roared.
The other half of the council must have seen me run because they quickly followed suit, sprinting out from behind closed doors and joining me as I raced down the hall. They’d found the Enforcers, and there were at least twenty of us now. From that point, things moved fast. Almost too fast for me to comprehend. The lobby came into view, and my heart almost rocketed out of my chest.
The vampires were everywhere.
At least twenty of them, quietly surrounding us with carefully-controlled anger churning in their eyes. The overhead lights went out, plunging us into darkness. Electricity skittered through my veins as my power began to hum, building in intensity as my eyes adjusted to the sudden shadows. With shallow breaths, I scanned the room. The vampires were smart. I’d give them that. There were enough statues and warlocks in the eerie space that it was difficult to tell what was what and who was who.
“Zoe.” Dorian snapped his fingers. “By me.”
He stood to my left, his voice low. Even if he hadn’t spoken, I would have known it was him. It would be impossible to miss his body, the way his thick muscles carved a sharp V to his narrow waist. And I could smell him as he shifted closer, his musky aroma shot through with leather and pine.
“What’s the plan?” I whispered back, hoping the vamps couldn’t hear me.
He turned to face me. “Stay alive.”
Shouts punctuated the air like shots, coming from every direction. I crouched and whirled, raking my eyes across the shifting shadows. Everywhere I turned, bodies collided with bodies. And then, in between the fray, I spotted the tall, thin vampire who had spoken to Dorian. He ran straight toward me. I gripped my runed hand into a fist and threw out my arm, crying out as loud as I could. My fingers trembled as a surge of magic swam through my arm like tiny eels. I clenched my teeth in pain, but opened my hand regardless, letting the magic consume my hand.
Come on, I thought to myself. Shield up!
But the bone magic flickered, its orange flame dying out before it even came alive.
The vampire slammed into me, and I crashed to the floor. My knees hit the hardwood, and my teeth knocked together, crunching my tongue. The bitter tang of blood filled my mouth, and I scrambled back when the looming form of the vampire slid into view. He smiled, his teeth stained with the blood of my coven. Anger and pain ripped through me. The warlocks were falling all around me, the men who had stayed on to fight the battle. And here I was, down on my back about to die myself.
The vampire shot closer, bringing his mouth only inches from my lips. I sucked in a sharp breath and pulled back. A drop of blood slid down his chin and plopped onto my neck. Tears filled my eyes. My ears roared with the blood rushing through my skull. He stared at me with such an intensity that it felt as though he could see into my soul.
I tried to scoot back, but my hand hit something sharp. My dagger. Even though it felt impossible, I forced my face into a blank expression.
“What is a witch like you doing here with the council?” he asked, his voice slithering over my skin like a snake. “They don’t let women in here.”
“Maybe you’ve been misinformed,” I said in an icy voice as I slowly wrapped my hand around the dagger’s handle. As soon as the weapon touched my skin, my entire body sighed with relief, more so from the magic than anything else. This dagger belonged to me, and I belonged to the dagger. The only time I felt truly like myself was when I had it in my grip.
Around us, the fight continued on, though the sounds became dimmer and dimmer as time went on. I didn’t dare glance around. If I took my eyes off the vampire for even a split second, there was no telling what he might do. His fingernails were long and pointy, a weapon of their own. And his fangs. One good bite, and I’d be long gone, though I had a feeling this one wanted to snack on my witch blood much more than he wanted to rip out my throat.
His grin widened, which only enhanced the sharp glint off his teeth. Each one had been filed to a sharp point, whether by magic or by his own doing, I didn’t know. “Such a pretty little thing. I think I’ll take you home.”
He reached out, his long sharp fingernails inching closer to my throat. It was now or never. Sucking in a quick breath, I yanked my arm out from behind my back and shoved the dagger into the side of his neck. With a howl, he stumbled back, clutching at the wound. Blood poured down the blade, staining the black handle a crimson red.
The vampire fell onto his back, twitching and flailing on the hardwood floor. Blood continued to pour from his wound, and I scrabbled back with horror seizing my body. I’d only meant to protect myself. Not this, whatever was happening to him. All the blood in his body rushed out like a river of death, twisting my stomach into knots.
“What have you done?” someone roared. My head jerked up to see a vampire storming through the front door, glaring right at…me. Shit. I glanced around me, at the fight still raging strong. Bodies littered the floor, but I didn’t dare look too hard. My dagger was in a vampire’s neck, my hands were shaking too much from the fight, and another one was heading straight for me.
Two seconds later, the whole world went black.
Chapter 13
Blood roared in my ears as my vision began to clear. My head throbbed, and my throat ached. Footsteps clicked toward me, and I rolled onto my side, desperately grasping for my dagger that was no longer there. Jumping up, I bent my knees and threw out my hand, fisting my fingers around the rune on my palm. I hadn’t been able to cast it before, but maybe I could get the shield up now, just long enough for me to get away.
But just as I braced myself for the attack, Dorian shifted out of the shadows and held out a steady hand. In the other, he gripped my bloodied dagger. Relief whooshed out of me, my runed palm dropping heavily to my side.
“What happened?” Everything was such a blur.
One minute, I’d been stabbing a vampire in the neck, and the next I’d been flat on the floor.
“One of them charged at you. I got in a Blast before he could do much worse than knock you out,” he said. “Now, come on. More bloodsuckers are on the way, and what’s left of the council is running. There aren’t enough of us to fight against this many Daywalkers at once. I’ll take you somewhere safe, but we need to go now. They’re coming back this way.”
I turned to stare at the bodies on the floor, agony pulsing through my veins. Even though I didn’t know these warlocks, their deaths felt like a punch in the gut. “We can’t just leave them here like this.”
“We don’t have much of a choice, Zoe.” Dorian stared straight into my eyes, avoiding the carnage behind me. He swallowed hard as his body tensed tight, his hands twitching by his sides. I could understand why. We were surrounded by death and blood, and it killed me to think how much of this was my fault.
If we hadn’t poked around at Slayerville, the vampires never would have known we’d put the pieces of the puzzle together. They must have followed us, realizing we were going to tell the council what we’d found.
“They’ll take the bodies,” I whispered, blinking back the tears. “They’ll feed on them until there’s nothing left.”
Dorian nodded. “But if we stay, they’ll feed on you, too. And I’m not going to allow that to happen. Now, come on.”
With a deep breath, I placed my hand in his. It was as hard as steel and as cold as ice, but it was more comforting than I wanted to admit. Dorian squeezed tight, pulling me in close to his body. Together, we ran down the hallway with our feet pounding hard against the floor. I didn’t dare look behind me. All I could do was focus on what was ahead. The front double doors, blasted open from the vampires’ earlier arrival. Outside, the moon sliced through the thin clouds, casting shadows around the lawn.
I focused on those shadows. They twisted and turned and seemed to urge us on. They were my escape. My safety.
Witch's Curse (The Bone Coven Chronicles Book 1) Page 10