I pressed the book into his hand and flipped to the page with the Seek spell. “I think this one is for finding people, but I haven’t been able to use it because I have no idea what it says on the page. If it really can track down Vincent, then I can find him for us. Get his blood. Stop him from weakening the veil even more.”
His eyes grew even sadder as he scanned the words. “You’re right. That’s what this is for.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked. “Why do you look like you’ve just lost your dog?”
“Because, Zoe.” He reached out a hand and squeezed my shoulder, and his touch sent shivers of anticipation and excitement through my veins. The vampire blood clearly hadn’t left my system yet… “You’re strong, but I saw what that magic did to you. I don’t want you to have to do that again. I wish I could be the one to save the world for you. What fucking good am I with my immortality and strength if I can’t do anything other than watch on while you destroy your soul to stop this man? A man that I led to you, unknowingly.”
So, that was what this was about. He’d gone from anger to guilt while he’d been out grabbing breakfast, now blaming himself instead of me. He saw himself as some kind of white knight who could ride in to save the day. But I didn’t want a white knight. I just wanted a friend and a partner. Someone who wouldn’t judge me for being me.
“I want to do this,” I said, meeting his solemn eyes. “Will you help me?”
After a long and silent moment, Dorian gave a nod. “Of course.”
Long, slow claps snapped through the quiet moment. With a sharp intake of breath, I whirled toward the window. A cluster of vampires stood on the streets outside, the clouds overhead obscuring the morning sun. They stood in a sharp V formation, the man in front clapping his hands while forming his bloodied lips into a patronizing smile.
“What a lovely moment. An Unbound vampire and a Shadow. Who would have thought?” His expression suddenly darkened. “I’m here to offer you a trade.”
Dorian stood from the window ledge and fisted his hands, his muscles rippling with tense anger. “Christian. You are not welcome here.”
Laura bustled out from behind the curtain, stopping short when she saw the vampires lurking just outside. Her cheeks went pink, and her hand flew to her throat. “What’s happening? Can they get in?”
“Of course not,” I snapped, turning toward the leader of the vampires. “He can stand out there for as long as he fucking wants, but he can’t come inside unless we invite him. And that sure as hell is not happening.”
“Perhaps not.” Christian Dogaru twisted toward Anastasia and Georgina, the two women vampires who flanked his sides. “Girls, please hand me the young man.”
The young man? My breath caught in my throat. No. It couldn’t be.
From within the group of vampires, the shivering form of Nathan Whitman stumbled forward. Overhead, the sky split with lightning, casting an eerie light on his bruised face. He fell to his knees, and the sound of breaking bone crunched loud. My muscles went tight, and I swallowed down the moan that bubbled up in my throat. What the hell had they done to him?
I was halfway out the window before Dorian grabbed my waist and held me back. Tears burned my eyes, and my vision turned red. They couldn’t do this. He was just an innocent human, one who had done nothing but try to make the world a better place.
“Now that I have your attention.” Christian’s red lips spread wide. Had he been feeding on Nathan? Was that his blood on his teeth? “I would like to propose a trade. We want the girl. Give her to us, and this young man can go free.”
No. My mind reeled from his words. Exchange Laura for Nathan. There was no way in hell I would ever do such a thing. Laura was part of my family, even if not by blood. She’d always been by my side for as long as I could remember. She was my best friend, my soul sister. I would never give her up, not even for eternal life. But I couldn’t just stand here and watch them kill Nathan.
They’d created an impossible situation, and they knew it.
Tears burned my eyes, and I had to hiss my words to get them out. “Why are you doing this? The Magister is dead. You got your revenge.”
Christian clucked his tongue. “He was only part of the problem. Someone else in your coven was involved. Since we don’t know who, this is the solution we have determined. It’s more than fair. We lost four blood bags, and we’re only demanding one in exchange. We’ll even let your human friend here live. Just give us the unmarked witch.”
They only wanted Laura because they didn’t know the identity of the person who made the hits. An idea sparked in my mind. A dangerous one. One that Dorian probably wouldn’t let me try. But I was done taking shit from vampires, and I’d do whatever I could to protect Laura, even if it meant putting my own life on the line.
Steeling myself, I raised my voice so that my words could not be misunderstood. “I need to show you something. I’m coming out there.”
“Zoe,” Dorian said sharply before grabbing my wrist. “What the hell are you doing?”
I took a deep breath and pulled my arm out of his grasp. The last time he’d held me like this, he hadn’t let go. This time, he actually backed down. “I have an idea. Just trust me, okay? I know you think I’m an untrained witch who needs your protection, and I kind of am. But this is something I can do on my own. I can handle it. Okay?”
With a deep sigh, he shook his head, but he made no move to stop me as I went around the room, grabbing documents. Proof that what I had to say was true. My dagger was at my back, strong and cool against my skin. If they attacked me, I wouldn’t be fast enough to use it, but it was comforting nonetheless.
Outside, I met the vampires in the street. Thunder rumbled overhead and lightning flashed. I met their eyes, keeping myself focused on what I needed to say. If I glanced at Nathan, I might not stay strong enough to get through this exchange.
“I have to say I’m intrigued,” Christian said, his teeth even more red up close. “What is it you want to say to me, Zoe Bennett?”
“I know the identity of your assassin.”
A murmur went through the vampires. Christian raised his eyebrows, lifting up his hand for the others to quieten down. “Now that certainly is interesting, my dear. Do continue.”
“Vincent, the Lead Enforcer of the coven. He’s been playing both sides,” I said, pushing the documents into the vampire leader’s hands. “He’s been using the humans you drink from as sacrifices to bind demons to himself. All the while it sounds like he’s been telling you to attack the council. Am I right?”
Christian’s face hardened, and he nodded. “Yes, that’s the warlock who told us your Magister had ordered the deaths. You’re telling me that he killed our blood bags?”
“I’m afraid so,” I said.
The murmurs of the vampires grew louder, their expressions turning harsh and angry. They began to shift around me, circling me like I was prey. But even though my heart trembled in my chest, I wasn’t going to stop now. I wasn’t the one who had angered them. Vincent was. If I could just make them see reason, we could all get out of this alive.
“This spell,” I continued as I pointed at the Latin on the page, “has a price though. It weakens the veil between realms. And I’m sure we can both agree that we don’t want that to happen.”
Christian Dogaru threw the documents down with disgust, his eyes turning a vicious shade of red. “What is it you’re after here, witch? What’s the point of all of this?”
“I propose a new trade.” My voice trembled, but I forced myself to continue. “Give us Nathan, and I’ll give you Vincent.”
Christian raised his eyebrows. “You have this warlock? The one who killed our food?”
“Not yet.”
“Forget this. Either it’s the unmarked witch or it’s nothing at all.” With a roll of his eyes, Christian turned to go, but I reached out a hand to stop him. From behind me, Dorian’s voice punctuated the air, full of fear and alarm. Touching a vampire? Pro
bably not a great idea. But I couldn’t let him walk away now.
“Wait,” I said. “I know a spell that can track him. Let Nathan go, and I’ll find him, bring him to you, and then this debt between us can be fully paid.”
Christian eyed me with doubt and suspicion, but I could tell that he was weighing my words with interest. “You would track him anyway. You would stop him from weakening the veil.”
“Wouldn’t you?” I asked. “You don’t want the demons here any more than we do.”
For a moment, I didn’t think he would agree. He seemed far too intent on causing the most damage he could, and that meant taking Laura from us instead of a warlock we had no feelings for but hate. Maybe things had changed over the years. Maybe the vampires weren’t opposed to demons as much as they had been in the past. Maybe they wanted the veil to weaken, for the dark creatures to storm into this world.
But after several long moments, Christian Dogaru nodded. “You have twenty-four hours. If you haven’t brought him to us by then, we’ll be back for the unmarked witch.”
Chapter 28
“Step one,” Dorian said as he paced back and forth with the ancient grimoire open to the Seek spell’s page, the weathered papers fluttering as he moved. “We need to turn out all the lights.”
“Easy enough.” I rolled back my shoulders and bounced on my feet, shaking off the last remnants of nerves. The vampires were gone, Laura was patching Nathan up in the bathroom, and we were about to track down the shittiest warlock in all of America.
I flicked off the lights and motioned for Dorian to proceed.
“Step two,” he said. “Sit in the shadows, close your eyes, and speak his name.”
I nodded. “Got it. Is that it?”
Dorian lifted his eyes from the book and stared across the room. It was difficult to read his expression in the darkness, but it was impossible to miss the way his hands trembled as he closed the book. “Step three. Be careful. This spell somehow leads you straight to him, and anything that happens to you in this form is permanent.”
My heart thumped hard. “In this form?”
“Your mind separates from your physical body,” he said in a strained voice. “So, you’ll be here, but you’ll also be there, wherever he is.”
Well, that sounded suitably disturbing for a shadow spell. And dangerous. Unfortunately, we had no other choice at this point. It was do or die time, and I wasn’t about to let anyone do the latter.
I settled onto the floor and closed my eyes, centering my mind as best I could. Since I’d never done a spell like this before, I didn’t quite know what to expect. When my shadow magic had taken control against the demons, it had ripped from my hands without any thought needed from me. This was different. Intentional. And a hell of a lot calmer.
“Vincent,” I whispered the name into the shadows.
A storm of shivers shook through my body, spreading across every inch of my skin. The floor underneath me trembled, and the sound of wind whipped around my ears. Slowly, I opened my eyes and blinked at the swirling reds, greens, yellows, and blues rolling across my vision. The desk, the walls, and the window looked smudged and distant.
In the middle of it all, a dark cord shimmered, stretched out, and disappeared beyond my line of sight. Before I could lose my nerve, I reached out and tugged.
The world spun around me, my body tossing and turning like I was caught in a blender. Sights whipped by me faster than I could register. I was out on the street outside of Dorian’s apartment. And then I was outside of Blue Moon Tavern. And then I was streaming past the crumbling remains of Vincent’s house.
My senses ramped up into overdrive as my strange, new form throttled closer and closer to a shadowy shimmering cloud on the horizon. It was the size of a jet plane and fluttering like a curtain in the wind. And it was like nothing I had ever seen in my life.
I hurtled straight into it, and electricity sparked all around me. Up no longer felt up, and down no longer felt down. I felt as if I’d fallen into a black hole with nothing surrounding me but black upon black.
Until suddenly, my boots hit the hard ground and a dim light shot through the haze surrounding me. A light wind whistled through the empty expanse, and a chill sunk deep into my bones. It stank of staleness here, like the waiting room of a hospital. Like something was dying.
What the hell was this place? Some kind of cavern underneath the ground? Swallowing hard, I gazed around me, my eyes catching on a form shifting through the shadows. And it was coming straight for me.
“Zoe Bennett,” the cool voice said, sending a new storm of goosebumps across my skin. The shadows parted, revealing Enforcer Vincent, dressed in a suit and tie. “I have to admit, I’m impressed you were able to follow me here.”
“Where the hell is here?” I flinched when the shadows began to shift around us, pushing in close before pulling away again.
“How did you get here if you don’t know what it is?” He gave me a quizzical look. “You’re in the demon realm.”
The demon realm. Dread twisted in my gut, and I took several steps back, sudden realization crashing over me like wave after wave after wave. The shadows around us weren’t shadows. They were creatures of darkness, waiting for the right moment to pounce. I’d walked straight into their world without even the slightest bit of defense. Would my magic even work here? And in my astral form?
“Right. Of course. And these demons here, they’re bound to you?” I asked, forcing myself to focus on the plan and not on my fear. With my heart thrumming in my neck, I stepped forward, erasing the distance between us. Just keep him talking, long enough to get close, I reminded myself. I could do that. I’d done it a million times before in my cons.
“Smart girl,” he said, flashing me a smile. “I’m impressed you were able to figure out what I’m doing. But from the judgement flashing on your face, I’m guessing you didn’t bother to understand why.”
Cocking my head, I took another step forward. “Can’t say that I did.”
“I understand how strange this might sound to you, but I’m not doing it for myself. Binding them means I control them. It prevents them from feeding on their own free will. Whenever they want to. This is the only way to keep humans safe.”
Wow, this guy was delusional. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Plus, he totally believed every word he said. He really thought this was the best way to help humans, that he was doing what he had to in order to save the world.
“But you’re killing people in order to bind demons,” I said. “How does that make it any different?”
He waved his hand in the air to dismiss my words. “Blood bags. Vampire food. Their days are limited as it is, and they’re providing the Daywalkers with power they shouldn’t have. Time to get rid of them all in my opinion.”
“Is that why you told the vampires to attack the council?” With a quick breath, I slid my hands into my pockets as if in nonchalance, dancing just a step closer. One more move, and I’d be close enough to do the damage I needed to do. Grab him, tug on the cord, and hurtle back to where Dorian waited with his sword.
Vincent made a face. “No, that was for the Magister and the Magister only. He was a coward, the kind of leader that only drove our coven further into the ground. I plan to replace him once I finish the four binding spells, but I couldn’t very well kill him myself, could I? Luckily, the vampires took care of that for me, and I only have two binding spells left. I have the rising sun grimoire now, but the shadow book has escaped my hunt, despite my repeated attempts to trap the owner.”
I swallowed hard. “I’m guessing you mean me.”
“Your grandmother.” His voice went harsh, and his eyes flashed. “I knew there was a shadow witch hiding in the coven, but I didn’t know who. That was when I landed on you and your cons. Thought I could get you locked up, you know, until Dorian butted in and talked the council into giving you a chance.” He shook his head, sneering. “Idiots. I couldn’t be sure about you, though, not unti
l that flash of shadow magic you showed me in the alley. That’s when I figured out she’d been hiding the grimoire. Fortunately for her, she’d given it to you by the time I paid her a little visit. Otherwise, she’d be dead. So. I’ll be needing that book now, Zoe.”
In a flash, Vincent darted out, and he dug his fingernails into my arm. “Attack!” His voice boomed as he shouted the order to his demon.
I gritted my teeth and tried to turn toward the black shimmering cord to take me home, but everything was a blur of light and sound. I couldn’t tell what was happening. The ground seemed to tip underneath my feet. My stomach dropped, and the world went dark at the edges. I moved instinctively, my body going through the motions I was far too scared to do.
I spun away and whipped the dagger out from behind my back. Vincent’s eyes flew wide, and his grip loosened on my arm just long enough for me to raise my blade. The sharp, glinting end stopped only inches from his chest, and his hands flew up in surrender.
Vincent shook his head with a laugh.
“You won’t use that.” He gave me a patronizing smile. “You might have hints of shadow within you, but you don’t have the guts that those witches do.”
My shadow magic rose up inside me with a roar and forced my arm to move, shoving the blade right into Vincent’s chest. His eyes flew wide, and my heart clenched tight, fearing and hating what I’d done while relishing it all the same. The slurping, crunching sound under the blade made me gag, and I let go like it was a rattlesnake.
The world spun around me, and suddenly I was back on the floor of Dorian’s apartment. My stomach heaved, and my eyes burned, but I was back. Safe and sound, though I couldn’t say the same about the warlock I’d gone to find. Vincent’s body splayed out on the ground beside me, my dagger coated in his blood.
Epilogue
Magic swirled through me while Laura and I held hands over the blood, chanting the words to save Grams. While we worked on the spell, Dorian had taken Vincent’s body to the vampires. I tried not to feel guilt at what I’d let my shadow magic do, but it was hard not to wonder if I’d let things go too far.
Witch's Curse (The Bone Coven Chronicles Book 1) Page 21