Of Blood & Magic: Blood Descent Book 1

by T. L. McDonald

  His hazel eyes study my own for a moment. Seemingly reading something there, he nods his head, his own expression one of understanding. “Just be safe ok. The vamps usually prefer the city and mostly stay out of the suburbs, but it is after dark so…” he trails off, as he digs around in the pockets of his jeans. He pulls out something slim and black then grabs my hand, turning it over. “Take this. It’ll make me feel better.”

  I look down at what he placed in my hand and raise an eyebrow. “Your pocket knife? Shouldn’t I, you know, carry around a wooden stake or something?” Even though I know first hand vampires are real, it still feels really weird saying sentences containing the words ‘wooden stakes’ in seriousness.

  “The blade is pure silver. It won’t kill them, but it will hurt them.” He wraps my fingers around the folded knife then pushes it toward me.

  “Thanks.” I put the knife in my pocket. We stare at each other awkwardly before I take a step back toward the door. “I’ll be back soon okay. I’m just going to Evan’s game and then a movie.”

  “Okay.”

  I reach behind me for the knob, but before I can twist it, Jack pulls me into a quick hug with a pat on the back. Without another word he heads back into the family room and I go out the door.

  9

  I stand on the porch, the light at my back casting shadows down the stairs. The wind caresses my face and I clench my jacket closed. I wrap my hand around the knife Jack gave me, as I will my heart to slow down. Now that I’m standing outside… in the dark… in the cold… with menacing shadows all around me… going to Evan’s game seems like not such a great idea after all.

  Bark! Bark! Bark!

  I jump straight up into the air, dropping the knife in the process. With a loud thud, it skids across the porch and falls over the edge onto the top step. I trip over my own feet upon landing and end up leaning against the front door with my hand pressed to my chest to keep my heart from exploding through my ribcage. Hurried breaths wheeze in and out, enticing little pinpricks of light to dance around my vision. I take a few forced calming breaths to keep from dropping like a sack of potatoes. Once I’m good to go, I stomp over to the window to confront the little terror. Coco has her nose pressed against the glass, her doggy breath steaming up the pane. “Stupid dog. Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Get down.” I tap my knuckles against the window where her snout is. She barks once more then jumps off the back of the chair.

  I take a deep breath and face the darkness of the street. My fingers twitch, my breath gets stuck somewhere in my lungs, and every nerve ending in my feet and legs stands on end. I seriously want to run back inside and hide under my blankets forever now that I know what’s out there. I take a step back then force my feet to move forward. I’ve walked these streets in the dark a hundred times before and never thought twice about it. I don’t want to start now. And I definitely don’t want to spend the rest of my life too afraid to ever leave the house.

  I can do this. The school is only three blocks from my house. I can be there in no time on my bike. It doesn’t sound very convincing. Not even in my own head.

  I take a few more tiny steps forward until my toes hang over the edge of the porch where they then refuse to go any further. A breeze whispers through the leaves, sending a few fluttering to the ground to dance over the lawn with their other fallen leafy comrades. The chimes hanging above the banister create an eerie tune, inviting all the hairs on my body to stand at attention. All my senses become hyper aware as the hum of my blood rushes through my ears with every erratic beat of my heart, screaming for me to flee.

  On second thought, maybe staying in the house forever isn’t such a bad idea. I’ve got food, water, warmth, and most importantly there are no vampires hiding in the dark, waiting to rip my throat out. I take a step back.

  ♪Message. Message. You’ve got a message.♪

  A high-pitched, loud scream rips out of my mouth before I can stop it. Coco starts barking again, startling me into running down the steps and away from the house where I’d just decided I was okay with spending the rest of forever in. By the time I realize it, I’m already down the porch stairs, slipping on the leaves at the bottom. Arms flung out, I catch myself before I land on my face. Jack’s knife glints in the moonlight from the top step. I quickly grab it, stuff it into my jacket pocket, then dart around the bushes at the front of the porch. I should probably run back inside the house and not hide in the shrubs, but the thought of Jack seeing me freaking out and shrieking like a scared little girl is too embarrassing to even consider after I insisted on leaving, even if I am a scared little girl.

  The motion lights kick on when I reach the garage and my hands shake so badly, I drop the keys three times before I get the side door unlocked. I slip in, slam it shut, and lock it all in one swift motion. Panting like I’d just ran a marathon, I rest my hands on my knees before searching the wall for the light switch. Sweat dampens the back of my neck and I pull my hair up into a messy bun, securing it with a hair tie around my wrist.

  I pace around for a few minutes, convincing myself to chill out and keep it together before I end up with gray streaks in my hair like that lady in Poltergeist. When my hands have only a minimal tremor, I take a deep breath and shove my non-irrational fear down as far as it’ll go. Bouncing on my feet, I shake it out for a minute then hit the button to open the garage door. Before I can change my mind, I take my bike down from the wall.

  “Nice bike.”

  “Gah!” I drop my bike and spin in a half circle, getting my foot caught up in a garden hose. Pain shoots through my hip as I hit the hard concrete floor. I glare at Sebastian smirking in the driveway and grab whatever’s close enough to throw at him, which happens to be a wrench. He leans to the side with ease like I had no shot at all at hitting him with it. He watches the wrench bounce over the driveway and I throw another random object. He catches it without even looking. What the hell? Who exactly is this guy?

  “Are you done throwing stuff? Or is this going to go on for a while?” He tosses the baseball I’d just thrown at him high into the air a few different times, catching it in various ways. Now he’s just showing off. “’Cause I can do this all night.”

  I grit my teeth and give him the stink eye as I untangle the hose from my foot.

  “You seem upset. But really, Indi, you shouldn’t take it out on a poor defenseless hose. It’s not its fault you tripped over it.”

  “No, it’s yours.” Tossing the hose to the side, I stand with as much grace as I can. I straighten my jacket then fold my arms over my chest. “Why are you here?”

  “Do you always take such a harsh tone when greeting friends?” He spins the baseball on the tip of his finger like someone might do with a basketball.

  “I don’t make friends with weird stalkers who stare at me all day in class.”

  “Ouch.” He drops the baseball as he stumbles back with his hands over his heart, feigning injury. “That’s no way to treat the person who saved your life now is it?”

  I’m not exactly sure how to respond since he actually did save my life, so instead, I just stand there like a moron. “What do you want, Sebastian?”

  He flashes me a mischievous smile. “I can think of some things, but for now, I’ll settle for The Salem Witch Trials.”

  “What?”

  “The assignment we’re supposed to be working on.”

  “Right.” Seriously? He’s here to work on a history assignment? Yeah, I don’t think so. “That’s not why you’re here.”

  He grins. “Then why am I here?”

  “I don’t know.” Because you’re following me around and I still don’t understand why, I think to myself. “To annoy me more because this morning wasn’t enough.” The weight of his gaze has me shifting uncomfortably. I wish he’d stop staring at me like that. “Look, I’ve got somewhere to be, so can we wrap this up? Why. Are. You. Here?” I know I’m being mean, but he is literally the embodiment of everything I’m trying to avoid.


  The teasing glint in his blue eyes becomes serious. “The vampire from last night is still out there. There’s a good chance he’ll come back to try again.”

  A cold chill slithers down my back before it reaches inside to freeze the breath held in my lungs. Come back? I’ve been so freaked out about everything I hadn’t stopped to seriously considered Seth might actually try to finish what he started. But of course he would. He said I had to die, and that he didn’t have a choice in the matter. And he did get away last night…

  I clench my jaw and straighten my back, pretending what Sebastian said doesn’t bother me one iota even though I’m teetering on the verge of a complete freak out. “So what, you’re here to be my bodyguard now?”

  “Maybe I am.”

  I narrow my eyes. “Or maybe you’re here for some other reason?” Might as well confront him now since he never really answered me the first time back at the motel. “Before Seth tried to rip my throat out, he said others were following me. I think he meant you. So tell me Sebastian, what’s your real agenda?”

  “Why do you think he meant me? He could have been talking about the two witches from the Coven Croí Dorcha.” He leans his shoulder against the doorjamb, hooking his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans.

  “Witches from the Coven what?” My head spins. “What are you talking about?”

  “The Coven Croí Dorcha or the Dark Heart Coven. They’re a group of witches who see no problem with dabbling in the dark arts. For whatever reason, they seem to be very interested in you.” He cocks his head to the side. “Why do you think that is?”

  “I… I don’t know.”

  “The vampire. Did he say anything to you before he tried to kill you?”

  Suddenly, Sebastian is standing right in front of me. I don’t even remember him moving. I take a step back and nearly trip over my bike. In one quick motion he takes hold of my jacket and pulls me straight into him. My heart races a million miles an hour as I stare up into his eyes. They’re not entirely a shade of deep blue like I originally thought. There’s a small section of brown in his left eye that would be easy to miss if you weren’t looking at them close up. Like an idiot I blurt out, “You have a speck of brown in your eye.”

  “Segmental heterochromia.”

  “What?”

  “It’s where one iris has two completely different colors in it.”

  “Oh.” His eyes lower a fraction and I finally come to my senses. I take a few steps back, minding the bike behind me. “Um, if we’re done here there’s someplace I need to be.”

  His mouth curves in a slight grin and my heart does a little half skip. A side effect of having just heard the stuff he said about dark witches taking an interest in me. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. It’s certainly not because he was holding me so close, or the fact that his eyes lowered to my mouth, or that his smile speaks of other things.

  “You didn’t answer my question.” He takes another step closer and I’m forced to move around to the other side of the bike. His grin grows bigger. Clearly he knows I’m flustered and is having a good old time messing with me.

  I pick my bike up off the floor, keeping it placed firmly between us. “What question?”

  “Did vampire boy tell you anything before he took a taste?”

  I narrow my eyes and clench my teeth. “Took a taste? Nice.” I swivel the bike around, forcing him to either get out of the way or get hit. Truthfully, I’m hoping he’ll get hit with it. What a jerk.

  He grabs a hold of my upper arm and I give him my best evil death glare. It must work because he lets go a second later. He raises his hands, palms out. “I’m sorry. That was out of line. I’m so used to having to be, for lack of a better word, an ass, in my line of work that sometimes I forget how to be nice. Let me rephrase my question. Did Seth say anything else to you before he attacked?”

  “Why should I tell you anything? I don’t trust you.”

  He subtly flinches at my words as though they sincerely hurt him. “I saved your life, Indiana. Shouldn’t that make me trustworthy?”

  “If you’d saved me to save me, sure. But I don’t think that’s why you did it. Or at least it’s not the only reason. I think you want something. I just don’t know what.” I study his face, but the dude is good. His expression gives nothing away whatsoever.

  “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t, but the point is I’m here to help you. And believe me, you need help. The vampire from last night will be back, and the witches will eventually get to you.”

  “Why are they after me?”

  “I don’t know. But figuring out what exactly you are is a good place to start.”

  “According to Liv, I’m a witch.”

  “No.” He circles around, checking me out from every angle. “You’re more than just a witch. I could feel it the moment I laid eyes on you. I was sent— ”

  ♪Message. Message. You’ve got a message.♪

  I jump and fumble for the phone in my pocket.

  ~Are you here yet? I could use a good luck kiss before the game starts.

  Heat rushes to my face and I do my best to avoid Sebastian’s gaze by staring intently at the floor. “It’s Evan. I’m supposed to meet him before the game. I really need to go. And so should you.” I send a quick text to let Evan know I’m on my way, then stuff my phone back into my pocket as I walk my bike out into the driveway.

  “I just told you you’re still in danger. Are you sure you want to ride your bike all alone in the dark? Did you at least do a protection spell on yourself?”

  I turn back to him. “A protection spell?”

  Coming up beside me, he lays his arms over mine and grabs a hold of the bike’s handlebars. “Why don’t you let me put this back and give you a ride? If you must go to the game, I’ll go with you. You’ll be safer that way.”

  “Because you’re a chaser who hunts down the big bad supernaturals?” I ask, remembering what he’d called himself in the motel. I also remember it scared Liv.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you chasing me?”

  “Should I be?” His voice is teasing, but it doesn’t completely hide the undercurrent of seriousness mixed in. After all, he’s been following me around and staring at me the way he has for a reason.

  After the first block, I can’t take the awkward silence anymore. “Why do you think I’m more than a witch? What made you think I was a witch in the first place when even I didn’t know? Why was Liv afraid of you when you said you were a chaser? What exactly is a chaser? What do you do with the supernaturals you catch? Did you kill someone at your last school?” That last one gets me a weird look, and a raised eyebrow. “Sorry, but did you?”

  “That’s a lot of questions for a five-minute drive.” He turns a little in his seat so he’s facing me more than he is the road. “Why do you think I killed someone at my last school?”

  “I heard a rumor about it from Paige, and well, did you?” He stops at a red light and I scoot a little closer to the door just in case his answer isn’t one I like. Maybe getting in the car with him was a bad idea. I barely know him and his intentions are anything but clear. Maybe I should’ve just taken my chances on my bike with Seth—the bloodsucking vampire who wants me dead—potentially hiding out in the shadows, waiting for his next chance to pounce.

  “You don’t have to jump out of the car, Indi. The answer to your question is no. I never killed anyone at my last school. At least no one that was human.”

  “What exactly does that mean? Who do you consider human and not human? Do you consider me to not be human, for example?” My fingers creep up the side of the panel, seeking the handle.

  “I’m not going to kill you, Indi. Why do you keep thinking I’m out to harm you? If I wanted you dead, I would have let vampire boy finish the job back at the club.”

  “Then what do you want from me?”

  He looks at me with a mix of confusion and knowing, like the answer is right there, but yet also completely out of r
each. “I don’t know. Answers maybe. To questions I don’t even know to ask yet.”

  Now I’m the one giving him the weird look. “That… makes absolutely no sense.”

  “I know. It doesn’t make sense to me either, but for now it’s all I got. When I’m around you, I don’t know, I feel,” he glances at me from the corner of his eye, “connected to you somehow. Like we’ve met before and I owe you… everything.”

  “Is that why you stare at me all the time? Because you think we’ve met somewhere before and you’re trying to figure out where?” A series of chills run up and down my arms. I won’t admit it to him, but a part of me feels the same way when I’m around him. It’s unnerving.

  “Among other reasons.” He studies me with that incessant, assessing stare he has before the look in his eyes turns more flirtatious. A small mischievous grin tugs at the corner of his mouth.

  Choosing to ignore what I’m assuming is some kind of innuendo, I say, “Well, we haven’t. Believe me, I would’ve remembered you.”

  “That’s probably true. I am unforgettable.” He winks. I roll my eyes.

  “More like insufferable,” I mumble under my breath. “So why are you here, really?” I ask.

  “The Venari sent me for two reasons. One: find out why the vampires and the not so friendly sects of witches have been flocking to this location. And two: find the source of the fluctuating bursts of intense power the Venari seers have been picking up on.” He watches me from the corner of his eye as though he’s contemplating whether he should say any more. “I think part of the answer to both might be you.”

  “Me? What do I have to do with any of that? Who are the Venari? And seers?” I shake my head, tearing my gaze away from his long enough to suck in a sharp breath when I glance out the windshield. “Look out!”

  A group of shirtless guys, covered in green body paint with a black letter outlined in gold displayed across their chests, dart out in front of the car. Sebastian slams the brakes, his knuckles white over the steering wheel. The seatbelt locks in place as I’m flung forward, my hands pressed against the dash. One of the guys slams down a giant foam finger onto the hood before waving it around with an excited “Woo-Hoo!” as he’s ushered away by the rest of his group.