The Nightwalkers Saga: Books 1 - 7

by Candace Wondrak

  I smiled when he began nuzzling my neck.

  The smile masked my true thoughts. Michael lied to me. He lied and his performance was flawless. That laptop wasn’t his. It was Koath’s. I saw him take it from his room when we were at the house with Kass.

  What was Michael hiding?

  Chapter Twenty-Four – Kass

  “Why did you need me to come?” I paused after every other word, because I had to focus on walking in my four-inch heels. Going to a renowned club in combat boots? Apparently not a good way to pretend you’re on the list.

  It’s funny how I had to get all dolled up and the only thing Crixis did was unfasten the top two buttons of his black shirt. Society and it’s stupid double standards.

  We walked up to the bouncer who guarded the door. The bouncer was a short, stout man who was taller than his hair. Yeah, he wasn’t bald. No one’s bald. They’re all just taller than their hair.

  “And your names are?” He readied his clipboard, eyes prepared to search the list of names for our own.

  Crixis smiled a charismatic smile that would captivate almost anyone. Anyone but me. “Our names are right there.” His green eyes were locked on the overweight bouncer that reminded me of a bald Kevin James.

  “Where?” The Kevin James look alike scanned the first page over and over.

  “See that blank spot at the bottom? Our names are right there,” Crixis spoke slowly, over enunciating every syllable.

  A false recognition entered his eyes when he said, “Right. There they are. You’re both good to head in.” His chubby arm held the door open for us.

  I glimpsed at Crixis, who motioned inside and said, “Ladies first.”

  I could already tell this night was going to be torture.

  The club was dim, just as I expected. The music was loud, just as I expected. The strobe lights were annoying, just as I expected. This whole place was just a typical club, filled with alleged Witches.

  My hand grabbed his arm as I said, “Why did you need me here? And this time, don’t ignore me.” I soon became aware of the fact that I was still gripping his arm, so I quickly dropped it.

  Crixis led me to an empty place and looked around to make sure no one could overhear what he was about to say. “I need you here because I need to distinguish between the Witches and humans.”

  “What…” I trailed off when he continued.

  “The humans will act normal towards you, but the Witches will feel the energy that you possess. They’ll be curious, and,” he paused as he broke eye contact to stare at the people who were slowly coming closer, “do exactly what those Witches are doing.”

  My eyes followed his. There was a group of five men and women who gravitated near us, trying to be low-key in their staring. Too bad they were being completely obvious. “So,” I summed up what he was attempting to say, “you wanted me here because I’m a supernatural magnet?”

  “Disappointed?” Crixis smirked.

  “No,” I snapped. “Why would I be disappointed?”

  His broad shoulders shrugged. “Come on. Let’s dance.”

  “I don’t think so,” I muttered. “I’m not dancing with you.”

  Crixis snatched my hand and led me to the center of the dance floor. I swore, if his grip wasn’t iron strong, I would have run far away. I would have run so far away after I beat his face in with a broken chair leg.

  Using his rock-solid arms, he forced my back against his front. It wasn’t the first time I thought this wasn’t a good idea, but now I was really debating that this was a terrible idea. I wanted to throw up.

  Leaning his head over mine, he whispered loud enough that I could hear, “Dancing’s the perfect cover. It gives us reason to move all over the dance floor, which is exactly what I need to do to scope out these Witches without making it obvious.”

  I turned my head slightly to face him as our bodies were one with the music. Never thought I’d be grinding Crixis. Never. “Just in case you don’t already know,” I hissed, “I hate you.”

  “And I hate places like this” was his reply. “Too crowded, too hot, too loud.”

  “That’s the point.” The receiver of my nastiness deserved every bit of malice I gave him. Actually, he deserved more. Like a few hundred stakes in his heart.

  He took his lips to my ear, whispering, “I’d much rather be in this position alone…”

  “Okay, let’s stop talking.” If we continued with this, I could only imagine where it was going to go next. And I wasn’t about to let that happen. It was bad enough he invaded my personal bubble and practically humped my back. And let’s not forget about his hands on my sides/hips/stomach. They were all over the place.

  My heart pounded with the beat, as did his. There was something about this scene that made me want to overlook everything that was occurring and the situation, too. If I was dancing with literally anyone else, I’d be fine. I’d be relaxed.

  It was the small fact that Crixis could snap my neck at any given moment that made me a little anxious. Plus the fact that he’d killed my family. Yeah. That, too.

  Dancing was hard work. I was sweaty within minutes, and to my surprise, Crixis was only a few sweaty minutes behind me. I never thought Daywalkers could sweat. I was wrong, apparently. It turned out I’d been wrong more than I’d like to admit.

  To say I didn’t enjoy the next hour of intimate dancing would be the biggest understatement of the year. While we grinded against each other, I couldn’t stop thinking about a certain blonde boy. Did I sort of, kind of, in a weird way, have a tiny thing for Gabriel?

  …Maybe.

  Like, the tiniest thing.

  It was a terrible realization, one that I could never share with my Gabriel. Surely, it had to stem from that make-out session with the other Gabriel.

  Crixis nonchalantly moved us to the side of the crowd of people getting down on the dance floor, whispering, “There’s a Witch I’d like to get a better feel of.”

  Finding that I was losing myself in the moment once more, I snapped out of it and said, “Do you think she’s the one who’s trying to bring your maker back?”

  “I don’t know, but she’s been acting very strange this entire time.”

  “What do you mean?” My neck was beginning to hurt from twisting it to look at Crixis. He must have sensed my pain, because before he answered, he spun me around, landing my front heavily on his.

  Not exactly what I wanted. Not at all what I wanted, actually. Having the feeling of his…

  Yeah, let’s stop that thought right now before it fully materialized.

  “I mean—” His nose brushed my ear. “—that she’s been the only Witch who hasn’t gotten within a foot of us. But she stared at you as if…as if she knew you.” Crixis moved his hands to my shoulders. “Yellowish hair and a leather dress. I’m going to get closer.” His rough hands relocated on my face, forcing me to meet his eyes. “Stay here. Don’t move until I get back.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but he was gone.

  Not knowing what else to do, I decided to lean on a pole that was a few feet away. That way, I could watch them without being too creepy.

  It took me a mere five seconds to spot the woman Crixis was walking to. The back of her head was turned in my direction, but I was able to see her rose-gold hair nonetheless. She was bone thin, her thinness heightened with her tall heels.

  How was Crixis going to know that she was the Witch he was looking for? And if this woman was the Witch who was bringing Sephira back, how were we going to deal with her to make sure she failed? We couldn’t kill her, because that’d be murder…

  It was then that I remembered Crixis didn’t follow Council rules. He’d be fine with killing her. He’d do it in a blink of an eye.

  He neared her, so I focused all of my attention on the two.

  A gasp escaped me when I saw her turn his way after he purposefully bumped into her.

  It was settled. I couldn’t let Crixis kill her. If she was truly the one he
was after, I had to tell Michael. I had to tell Liz. I had to tell someone, because she was a Councilmember, and the school’s secretary.

  Cleo.

  Chapter Twenty-Five – Crixis

  “My bad,” I said, simulating a smile that had deceived more than its fair share. This Witch was smaller than I thought, and while I sought to bump her lightly, I ended up nearly knocking her over.

  She caught herself ungracefully, muttering, “It’s fine.”

  I sized her up. She was a tiny Witch that could double as Sephira’s doppelganger, minus the light hair. She was undeniably the one I was searching for. It was unquestionable. This Witch reeked of ancient magic; I could sense it from a mile away. Plus, she smelled like her. Beautiful sweat and decay.

  It was all thanks to that other Witch I met in this place, the one who gave their scheme away. The one who was found dead in her apartment a few days later. Poisoned from an unknown substance. My bite.

  In a few days she’d awaken as a lesser Vampire and dig herself out of her grave.

  I didn’t take pleasure in creating more lesser Vampires, but something had to be done. The Witch begged for it, just as this one now did.

  The Witch coughed and hustled away, moving for perhaps the first time all night. It was clear that I made her on edge; I had that effect on virtually everyone. If only she knew that I was the one who was going to end her pathetic life.

  Making my way back, I found Kass supporting herself on a metal column. A thin film of sweat glistened on her forehead and her chest. I stared at her chest for perhaps a bit too long. She saw where my eyes were and immediately crossed her arms, seeking to cover them.

  “Well?” Kass prodded, scowling at me. “Was she the one?”

  Snubbing the urge I felt to flash us somewhere private, I replied, “Yes.”

  “Are you sure?” There was a hint of worry in her eyes that I could not place.

  “I’m positive. When she leaves, I’ll follow her and—” She held up her hand, and involuntary curiosity swept over me, causing me to freeze in mid-sentence. Not many were as bold as her. Even less so, when they found out that I was a killer.

  Kass stepped closer, surprising me, and stated, “You can’t kill her, Crixis.”

  Who did she think she was? She did not reign over me, she couldn’t tell me what to do and what not to do. “And why,” I kept my voice as gentle as possible, “is that?” I had to take care of the Witch now. I couldn’t wait for Kass and her friends to think up a nonviolent plan.

  “Because she’s part of the Council.” Kass’s answer was a bit of a shock.

  “Let me get this straight.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. This was a roadblock that I did not see coming. I couldn’t kill a member of the Council without having some serious consequences, as in more Council Agents after me.

  It wasn’t as if they could purify me; it’s just they were simply a bother I’d rather avoid.

  “The bitch is a Council member?”

  She was sluggish to nod. “The witch is.”

  “Trust me,” I said, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the club, “I meant what I said.” The night air hit us the same moment she wriggled her hand out of mine. I glanced back at her defiant expression. “Come on. We have to go.”

  “I know. I’m not two.” Her hands were set on her hips defensively. “I just don’t want you touching my hand, or any part of me, actually,” she added the last part as an afterthought.

  A curt laugh easily flowed from me as we entered my car that a dealership had been so kind as to give to me for nothing at all. Usually I kept compelling to a minimum, but a car was necessary in today’s day and age. If one had no car, one would go nowhere.

  Though I was capable of travelling vast distances in no time at all, due to my Vampiric speed and the added effect of Vexillion. I wanted a car, so I got one. Everyone’s allowed some narcissism.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, smiling at the thoughts that were probably running through her head.

  Kass grunted a response, took off her heels and set her feet on the dashboard, causing her already short dress to become even shorter. The blood red cloth was scarcely covering her upper thighs.

  I gripped the steering wheel tighter, hating it.

  I told myself I wasn’t going to get this way, at least not until Sephira was taken care of. Why did I think I could hold myself back? Why did I think Vexillion made me invulnerable to this girl’s Demonic allure?

  I’d like to think of myself as different from the other Demons she knew, the greater Vampires, the Morphers, the Witch, but deep down I was the same. Though I had Vexillion, I was a Demon long before I was more.

  “We need to tell Michael and Liz.” Kass intertwined her toes, turning her ankles ever so slightly. Her olive eyes locked gazes with mine. Luckily, we were at a red light. “They’ll know what to do.”

  “Will they know where she lives?” Although I didn’t want to, I had to break eye contact so my concentration was now on the pitch-black road. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her twirl a lock of hair with her finger.

  She was so very much like her mother.

  “They should,” she said.

  I grinned.

  Perhaps they could give me the Witch’s address and I could scope out her dwelling and investigate every square inch of that place. If I found her, then I’d kill her and get rid of her body better than I did before. If there was no trace of her in her home, then I’d sneak out and leave the Witch alive.

  All of these years, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone tried to resurrect her. I wished they could have waited about fifty years, though, because I was having far too much fun with Kass.

  Sephira.

  Sephira was the Original who made me into the thing I am today, and I wasn’t about to let her come back into this world to make more monsters like me.

  One was more than enough.

  Chapter Twenty-Six – Kass

  Taiton and Raphael were the only ones who waited up for us. Go figure. Apparently Steven and Claire went home; Rain, John and Alyssa went to a hotel; and Max was in Gabriel’s room, sleeping.

  Gabriel, I assumed, was in either his room with Max or in mine, waiting for me to come home and he didn’t want anyone to know it.

  Liz…was with Michael, and I’m not sure if Taiton meant with Michael, or with with him. If it was the second one, then I thanked God I slept on a different floor, otherwise it would be kind of disturbing.

  After my inquiry about the location of everyone, it was the dark giant’s turn to talk. “Was your mission successful?” Taiton directed the question at me, completely disregarding Crixis. Not that I blamed him at all. If I could, I’d disregard him too. Sadly, though, that didn’t seem to be a possibility any time soon.

  “We found the Witch—” Crixis spoke the word that rhymed with it the same moment I said it, which reminded me of something Gabriel would do. We were always finishing each other’s sentences. “—and she’s part of the Council.”

  “What?” Taiton was taken aback, just like I was when I saw it was Cleo, the school’s preppy new secretary.

  Raphael was the one who spoke more words, “Are you positive she’s in the Council?”

  “She was one of the people who came to the house after—” My nodding slowly stopped when the memories of Koath’s last, bloody minutes alive flooded my mind. “She’s part of the Council. I’m sure of it.” I didn’t know why I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Maybe it’s because I didn’t want to think about it.

  Or maybe it’s because the man who killed Koath stood less than two feet from me.

  “Then we must tell Michael and Elizabeth.” Taiton had his foot set on the first stair when he had second thoughts. “Or…perhaps it can wait a bit, unless one of you wish to enter his room—”

  It was a dire situation, but that didn’t change the fact that no one wanted to walk in on him and Liz getting down.

  “I have a book to read” wa
s Raphael’s response.

  “No freaking way” was mine.

  “I wouldn’t; they’re still up” was what Crixis chose to say.

  Oh, God. Could Raphael and Crixis hear them? Did that mean they were still in the process of…you know, doing it? Sick.

  “I am showering,” I stated to anyone who was still listening, “and then I am going to bed.” With a heavy sigh, I headed up the stairs and feared for that dreadful moment when I had to pass the second floor.

  Michael’s floor.

  Yuck. I did not need that image in my head.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven – Gabriel

  Dashing out of thick underbrush and out of the forest, I landed outside our house, in the backyard. The traditional grill was sticking out more than it usually did. Why? Oh, no specific reason, besides the bloodied limbs that were laying on it.

  Other than that, everything was normal.

  Whisperings came from the grill, so I guardedly walked closer to see the root of the disturbance. For some strange reason, I reached out my hand and touched the maroon blood. Rubbing it between my thumb and index fingers, I watched in horror as it grew in size.

  After a few, tense seconds, the blood had hardened and enveloped my entire hand. My arm followed suit. In less than a minute, my entire body was encased in a shell of solidified blood.

  What was going on? Blood didn’t normally do this.

  A familiar voice emanated from nowhere in particular, “He chose you.”

  “Who?” I spoke to the air. An intense, concentrated pain erupted from my mouth and my forehead. A low moan rose from my throat as I lifted my hands to my teeth. I ran two fingers along the canines. The sharp canines.

  “He chose you for a reason.” There was that voice again.

  My trembling hands moved to my forehead, where two, large horns had protruded.

  “What’s happening to me?” I managed to say between throbs of agony on my back.

  “Your destiny is unlike any that lived before you.”

  A light shined in front of me, and I tried covering my eyes, but the pain on my upper back was too great. I fell to the grassy ground, writhing as something jutted out. When I felt the extra muscles that were never there before, I knew they were wings.