by R. L. Perez
“Okay,” I said in a firm voice. “Let’s do it.”
40
Brielle
I WAS SO EXHAUSTED that I could’ve fallen asleep instantly—if I’d been alone.
But with Leo in the same room, sleep was far from my mind. I convinced him I needed to be alone to clear my head, so he left me in the library, though I knew he remained close by.
I sagged backward into the armchair and stared at the flames dancing in the lanterns on the wall. I focused on breathing and letting my thoughts roam freely. My instinct was to be on guard, to search inwardly for the phoenix or Lilith’s presence, but I fought the instinct and instead released the hold I had on my mind and body. Eventually, my vision clouded, and unconsciousness claimed me.
Let go. Let the phoenix take you. Those were the last coherent thoughts I remembered.
Fire scorched my skin. A piercing roar rumbled around me. I was consumed by the flames.
No. I was the flames.
My eyes opened. My arms were outstretched and covered in fire. Wind and mist streaked across my skin, sizzling against the flames around me.
I was flying. The midnight air surrounded me like a cloak, and my fire only burned brighter by contrast.
Hunger pulsed through me, but not for food. A scream built up inside me, desperate to be unleashed. I wanted to hold back, but my own words echoed in my mind: let go.
So, I sucked in a breath and released the scream. It tore through the air like a shrill screech. Flames poured from my mouth, burning against my throat. Satisfaction swelled within me, and I roared again. With each scream, the energy from inside me released, bringing with it a sweet relief that numbed my body.
I coasted through the air, the misty clouds tickling my wings. I wanted to fly lower, but something within me warned me not to.
Was the voice Lilith? Or myself?
I couldn’t tell. And I was too afraid to decide what to do.
A flash of memory, and then I knew the phoenix’s mind had taken over. Women and children screamed and sobbed. Fire consumed buildings. Concrete crumbled to the ground. A mighty roar filled the air.
The phoenix’s heart filled with sorrow. Anguish. And in that moment, I knew the euphoria, the strange bloodthirsty hunger for death and blood—it hadn’t been me or the phoenix.
It had been Lilith.
Clarity burst through my mind, and I could see as plainly as if I’d been wearing a mask my entire life. The phoenix was born of fire and magic. It needed a magical host to survive. Like Lilith, it was reborn—and it needed someone marked by time. Someone who could pass through portals. Like me.
But the phoenix couldn’t survive unless it was tethered to my soul. To the soul of a magical being.
Over the past several months, I’d fought its presence and tried to push it out, thinking it was Lilith.
But this only gave Lilith more opportunities to take over my body. She, too, was looking for a host. And if she could take over my soul, then she could bind herself to the phoenix and push me out entirely.
As I soared through the sky, I searched within myself, looking for the soul of the phoenix.
There it was. Like a second heart beating inside me.
I wasn’t the phoenix. We were separate beings. Separate souls. But we were fueled by the same source of magic. My magic had never manifested itself because it had been keeping the phoenix alive.
Leo had said I was called a Nightcaster because Lilith only took over when I slept. But now I realized that my unconsciousness allowed the phoenix to awaken as well. It was like by dreaming, I’d allowed another part of myself to wake up. To live. To survive. And then, when I’d woken up, that part of myself had gone to rest again.
I wanted to smile. To laugh. To close my eyes and bask in the relief of this knowledge, the answers I’d yearned for my entire life. But my body was not my own anymore. The phoenix was in control. And I gladly let her take over.
Her. Yes, the phoenix was a female. I knew it down to my bones. I could see her soul—her essence.
I’ll call you Nix, I decided. Another joyous sound poured from the phoenix’s mouth. She liked the name.
Where am I? I wondered vaguely.
You are still asleep in the caves, a soft voice said in my head. It sounded like a whisper or a murmur. I couldn’t tell if the voice was low or high. I felt it more than I heard it. Like a gentle rumbling in my mind.
And where are you? I asked Nix.
Somewhere high in the sky. I am not sure where.
How did you leave the caves? I wondered, thinking of Leo and how wild it would be if a phoenix exploded to life in front of him.
I was never there. I rest in the Astral Realm while you are awake. When you sleep, I appear in different places, usually somewhere close to you since we are connected.
Where is the Astral Realm? I thought, my head spinning with this information.
I do not know. It is neither here nor there. It is inaccessible to mortals.
But I’m not mortal—I’m a witch.
I felt Nix’s smile as she responded. Even a witch like you cannot reach this place.
Where have you been? I asked her. Why haven’t I felt you before I came here to Segovia?
Because Lilith was waiting for you here. Before you arrived, you and I were balanced, shifting power back and forth. I was careful and subtle enough to not draw attention when I took over. But when you fell through the portal, Lilith’s influence came between us.
Darkness crept into my mind at the mention of Lilith, but I pushed the thought away, not wanting to invite her into our conversation.
Nix flew on and on, stretching her wings and breathing fire when she was high enough to avoid detection. Each breath of flames was like stretching sore muscles. She’d been dormant for so long that she needed to release the magic built up within her. My magic.
I relinquished complete control, drifting off as my mind wandered in a dream state. Familiar faces swam before me: Mom, Dad, Angel, Leo, Izzy. The Count’s menacing glare drilled through me. I tried to escape, but he was there, waiting for me. Watching me.
Then, his face morphed into someone I’d never seen before. A woman with inky black hair that surrounded her like a curly mane. Her eyes were all black, and her skin was ashen and pale. She looked like a corpse.
Her mouth spread wide when she saw me, revealing rotten teeth stained with blood.
I tried to run from her, but her long fingers wrapped around my wrist. Jagged fingernails scraped against my skin, and I screamed.
“You are mine,” she hissed. Her voice sounded like hundreds of whispers blended into one. It made my skin crawl.
“Let go!” I shouted, but my voice was gone. All I saw was this woman. Her deranged face. Her lidless eyes. Her wide, sickening smile. And I knew exactly who this was.
Lilith.
41
Leo
BRIELLE SCOWLED EVEN in her sleep. It shouldn’t have surprised me.
As soon as I felt her heart rate decline and her breathing slow, I crept back into the room and sat across from her. She was huddled against the crook of the armchair, her head nestled against her shoulder. She looked extremely uncomfortable, and yet she slept soundly. Her eyelids shifted, and her head twitched slightly. A low murmur escaped her lips.
I stiffened, waiting for something to happen. When Lucia had her fits, she would speak in her sleep as if she were arguing with someone. But after a moment, Brielle went still again. I relaxed but kept my eyes on her. The features in her face were soft, and for a moment she looked like nothing more than a child. A fierce protectiveness came over me, and desperation pulsed through me. I wanted to save her. I needed to save her. The burning desire pounded through me until I thought it would burst from my chest. I didn’t know where this came from. I hardly knew the girl. But when I looked at her, I saw my sister. My brother.
If Ronaldo were here, he’d tell me God had given me a second chance. A chance to save a soul from Lilith when I�
�d failed with Lucia.
I rose from my chair and approached the cave wall with clenched teeth. Anger built up within me, and I pounded my fist against the wall. “Damn you, Ronaldo,” I growled. Even after all these years, his ridiculous pious nature still resonated in my brain.
I wanted to be rid of it—but I also clung to it because if it left, my brother would truly be gone.
I cannot be you, Brother, I thought, as if he could hear me. He had been devout and rigid with following rules, but he had also been reckless. Careless. He’d acted from the heart instead of from the head.
For years, I’d wondered how he could make such rash decisions based on what his heart told him. But here and now—watching Brielle sleep and vowing to do what I could to protect her—I finally understood.
Brielle twitched again, her head turning. “No,” she muttered.
In an instant, I was by her side, sweeping her blond hair away from her face. Her skin burned, and her forehead was sticky with sweat. Alarm raced through me. This is it. Lucia’s fits always began with a fever.
Brielle’s breaths came heavy and fast. Her head turned this way and that, her brows furrowing in her distress. “No!” she shouted.
I shook her shoulders. “Wake up, Brielle!”
She wouldn’t wake. Her body continued to thrash. I shook her again so violently her hair flopped over her face. But still she wouldn’t wake.
I stared at her, wracking my brain. My blood pulsed hungrily within me, as if it realized before I did what I had to do.
Resistance tugged at me, freezing me in place. I couldn’t—not when she was defenseless. Not when she hadn’t consented.
Brielle began to buck with such intensity she almost fell off the chair. I had to do this. Even if she despised me for it afterward.
I almost laughed. She already despises me.
I leaned in, peeling her sweaty hair off of her neck before plunging my fangs into her throat.
The sweet, tangy blood filled my mouth. I’d forgotten how delicious she tasted. Then came the sharp bitterness laced within, marking her as someone different. Someone I’d never tasted before that first day in the armory.
A Nightcaster.
My blood called out to her, drawing her into me. I felt her stiffen against my grasp and then relax, succumbing to my venom. Her body sagged, and I caught her in my arms to keep her upright. I drank, gulping down the savory blood that beckoned me further.
Stop.
I knew I had to stop before I killed her. I broke contact so suddenly my mouth burned and my stomach heaved. Brielle made a gagging sound, but her eyes were still closed. She was most likely too weak to wake.
But she was no longer fighting. And her skin had cooled slightly.
I swallowed down the last few drops of her blood and then raised my wrist. Using my fangs, I pierced two holes into my skin and lifted my wrist to her lips.
“Drink,” I urged her. A few drops of blood wept from my wound and onto her mouth. She wet her lips with her tongue, and something rumbled in my stomach at the sight. She swallowed and smacked her lips, tilting her head up for more.
I pressed my wrist against her lips, trying to ignore the softness of her mouth or the delicious way she gulped down my blood. A low moan escaped her lips, and I closed my eyes. She leaned into me, and a fearsome roar swept through me as our blood bonded together. Though the energy within me faded from the loss of blood, I thrived on the power of that bond. The need. The hunger. The seductive desire.
I leaned against her, pressing my hips to hers. We were cramped together on the armchair, but I needed to be closer. I needed to be one with her.
Brielle’s eyes flew open and met mine. Her face paled, and she shoved my arm away from her.
“Get the hell off me!” she shouted, struggling to extricate herself from my grip.
I drew away, my head feeling fuzzy, and rose from the armchair. Brielle staggered to her feet and then swayed, blinking rapidly. I tried approaching, but she raised a hand, her eyes blazing.
“I—” She stopped and straightened. Clarity burned in her eyes, and I knew what she was feeling. That strange energy. That euphoric thrill.
Her gaze hardened as she stepped toward me. “What the hell did you do to me?”
I backed away from her, despite the way her blood pulsed through me, calling to me. I desperately wanted to taste her again. To feel her again.
But I buried that desire deep down, knowing I’d crossed a line. Knowing we couldn’t have the same connection I had with Estrella.
“I had no choice,” I said quietly, raising my hands in surrender. “You were burning up. I recognized the signs. Lilith was trying to claim you.”
Brielle’s face slackened in shock, and then the blood drained from her face. “Lilith.” She shivered, rubbing her arms. “I . . . I saw her. She was there, in my mind. I—” She looked around as if she’d dropped something. “Where’s Nix?”
I frowned at her. “Nix?”
“My phoenix. Where did she go?”
“She’s tethered to you.” I cocked my head, still confused.
“But Lilith,” Brielle said breathlessly, her eyes wide. “Did Lilith take her?”
I drew closer to her. “She can’t take her when you’re awake. Not without your permission. Lucia only had her fits after a feeding—when she was most vulnerable. As a vampire, she never slept, but Lilith still tried to strike when her blood was fresh and she was open to a connection with another. Like a bond shared between vampire and Donor.”
Brielle leveled a steely gaze at me. “Like what you forced on me.”
I shook my head. “Brielle, I wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t thought your life was in danger.”
“But you gave me your blood,” she said angrily. “You took blood from an unwilling Donor, and then you solidified a bond between us! I didn’t give you permission to do that!”
“If I’d left you there after drinking your blood, you could have died after your fight with Lilith,” I said, my own anger rising. “You told me to do whatever it took to keep you from killing, to keep your family safe. Would you prefer I’d killed you?”
“Yes!” she cried, spreading her arms. “I would rather die than be bound to a vampire against my will!”
I stilled, my insides chilling at her words. She would rather die than be bound to me.
My chest hardened, closing off my emotions before I could examine them. I forced the easy smile to my face and raised my eyebrows. “It’s in my nature, Brielle. There was a problem, and I trusted my instincts.” I shrugged, trying to brush off her hatred and resentment. “I won’t apologize for my decision. I stand by what I did. If it’s so offensive to you, you are welcome to ask someone else to end your life. I’m sure Jorge would be more than willing.” My mouth stretched wide into a grin.
Brielle balled her hands into fists, her jaw rigid. She stepped toward me. “You bastard.”
I laughed, remembering our first encounter when she’d called me that. “Perhaps I am. But you’re alive, and Lilith is gone . . . for now. I consider that a victory.”
Brielle glared at me, her nostrils flaring. She opened her mouth to argue with me when I raised a hand, recognizing Miguel’s presence. He shifted forms, appearing in front of us as a vampire. His eyes were wide and wild, and my body tensed at once.
“What is it?” I asked.
He gestured behind him, panting. “We’re under attack.”
42
Brielle
LEO IMMEDIATELY SNAPPED into action, forgetting our argument entirely. Though anger still burned through me, my heart stilled at the words: We’re under attack.
I wanted to ask who, but I already knew. It was the Count.
“How many?” Leo asked, striding out of the library with Miguel. I quickly followed, my ears straining to hear Miguel’s response.
“At least a hundred. All armed.”
“What kinds of weapons?” Leo asked. I hurried to match his urgent strides.
“Mostly swords and daggers. Some of them have rifles.”
Leo swore. “Are the wards intact?”
“For now. But the Count and his casters are hitting it with their magic as we speak.”
I stopped short. “Casters?” I repeated numbly.
Leo and Miguel stopped to look at me in surprise as if just realizing I was there.
Merciful Lilith, I thought in horror. The Count had brought the casters with him. Izzy, Riker, Armin, and all the others were out there now, ready to fight us.
Ready to fight me.
“With half his mages dead, he needs all the magical help he can get,” Leo said softly, though his eyes were blazing.
I swallowed and looked at him, gritting my teeth and finding my resolve again. “What can I do?”
Leo stared at me for a long moment, contemplating. “Return to the library. Start crafting a countercurse.”
I blinked. “What?”
“I need to get my people out of the city,” Leo said sharply. “My Donors, the people under my protection—they can’t all fight. I have to find a way out, and breaking the Count’s curse is the only way to do that.”
“Leo, I’m a fighter! Let me help!”
“You can.” He stepped toward me. “But write the spell first. We need you, Brielle. This is the most important thing.” He shook his head, his brows knitted in frustration. “I put it off for too long. I should’ve worked on the spell with you from the beginning.”
But that had been my fault. First, I’d insisted on searching for a cure for myself. Then, I’d thrown a fit over trying to rescue Izzy. Then, my parents had shown up.
There’d been no time. It was now or never.
Reluctantly, I nodded. “All right. When I finish, where can I find your weapons?”
“We’re headed to the armory now,” Leo said. “Follow us to grab what you need in case anyone breaks through our defenses.”
Without waiting for my response, he turned and continued down the tunnel with Miguel. I took a breath and hurried after them.