by Kristie Cook
“Yes, and your skin won’t burn up or anything. You’ll be just like a human in that regard.”
“And you know this because . . .”
“Because we give these things out almost every week.”
My eyes widened. “There are that many vampires? Here?”
She shrugged. “Well, not all vampires. Other supernaturals, too. They all get marked when they come to town. Everyone gets a benefit from it, but that’s how you sign into the Registry so the Court knows who’s in town. If they’re only visiting, they get temporary ink.”
“What’s this Court? Madame Luiza kept talking about it.”
“I’ll explain, I promise. Just sit down already.”
After another moment, I dropped into the lumpy chair. “So why can’t I get temporary ink?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I guess you can if that’s what you want, but you’ll just have to get it redone in a couple of weeks.”
I considered for this moment, then nodded. “Okay, then, that’s what I want. Just in case.”
“In case of what?”
My turn to shrug. “In case you’re lying.” I frowned. “Or in case she doesn’t make it and I don’t have a job.”
“Pft. You have a job as long as you want one.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Trust me. I do.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t trust you.”
“You will. Now, can we do this?”
I gnawed on the inside of my cheek for a long moment as I stared out the picture window behind her. It was dark now, but how beautiful would that view be in the morning?
“Fine. Temporary ink only,” I said out of bull-headedness. “Give me a sun, since that’s what this is all about.” I paused. “No, wait. A moon. Because I’ve come to love it.”
“How about both?” She pulled a small pad out of her bag and a pencil and quickly sketched out a beautiful image of half a sun and half a moon with a swirly design around it.
“Wow. You’re very talented.”
“Thanks. I do a lot with suns and moons, because they’re such a big part of our lives, you know? With how they affect so many of us, especially here in Havenwood Falls.”
I didn’t miss her use of “us.” She wasn’t human, either. But what was she?
She traced over the image with a purple pen, then tore the page off the pad. “Where do you want it?”
I pulled my sweater off, revealing a tank top underneath, and tapped on the back of my right shoulder. “So I’m doing this. Now tell me more. How does this work?”
She sprayed the paper with what I presumed to be water before pressing it against my skin. “The ink is infused with magic.”
“Excuse me?” I twisted to stare at her, my mouth again partially open.
“Be still!” She pulled the paper off, wiped my skin, then tried again. I stayed still so it wouldn’t smudge this time. “Yes, I said magic. I’m a witch. That’s how I brought you to your knees.”
“Whoa,” I breathed out. “For real?”
“For real. I’m a Beaumont, one of the founding families of the Luna Coven, the main one here in Havenwood Falls.” She started setting up her tools and bottles. The black ink shimmered with silver streaks.
“There’s more than one coven?”
“Oh, yes. Not everyone wants to do what we have to do, considering our role with the town and the Court.” She pushed her sleeves up, revealing tattoos on both forearms, stretched and wiggled her fingers, and then picked up her tool and dipped it in the shimmery ink. “It can get so political. I hate that part, too, but I can’t really leave it.”
“Why not?”
“I’m being groomed for the High Council. Some day. In probably a few hundred years.”
I snickered, thinking she was joking.
“I’m not quite next in line, thank goddess. There’s a couple of generations to get through, and we live extremely long lives.”
Wow. My questions paused as I considered that. Were there really others, besides Sindi, whom I could possibly be friends with and not have to worry about them growing old when I didn’t? Speaking of Sindi, I couldn’t wait to call her! She was going to freak. And then be out here in a heartbeat. I knew she should have just come with me. Although, she’d be all over Xandru, and I couldn’t let that happen. Maybe I wouldn’t tell her right away. At least give myself a chance to be humiliated with rejection before she came out and dug her claws in. Of course, he seemed to be more her type anyway—kind of an asshole.
“So,” I continued as the needle worked the ink into my skin, “you’re a witch. And there are other supernaturals in this town? Such as . . . ?”
“Mmm . . . such as pretty much all kinds of species and sub-species. Shifters, vampires, mages, fae, sirens, gargoyles, various kinds of magically touched . . . Even hunters.”
“And they’re all here? In this little town? Are there any humans?”
She nodded. “About half the population. But we seem to be a magnet for the non-humans. We do everything we can to keep the town secret, but too many still find us all on their own. The town’s always been that way, according to legend.” She paused, and I sensed there was more, something she didn’t want to, or maybe couldn’t, say. “Hence, the reason for having to sign into the Registry. The Court wants to know who—and what—we have in town.”
“And everyone gets along? Even with hunters?”
“Ha! Now that’s funny.” She fell silent for a moment, and the hum of the tattoo needle filled the silence. “We’re supposed to. That’s what the Court of the Sun and the Moon is for—to make sure everyone plays nicely together. But, as you can imagine, that doesn’t always happen.”
“Sounds like the sun has become the least of my worries. Hunters? Really?”
She chuckled. “Unless you lose control of your thirst, you don’t need to worry about them. It really isn’t so bad here. In fact, it’s nice to be surrounded by some of your own. Maybe not everyone’s exactly like you, but we get you. You’ll see.”
“A whole town of supernaturals. Wow.” I shook my head as I tried to absorb it all. “This . . . this is kind of insane.”
“This is Havenwood Falls. Welcome home.”
Chapter 6
“So do the humans know?” I asked as Addie dabbed at my tattoo with a tissue.
“Not most of them, but some do. Keeping the secret is paramount to our existence and the town’s.”
I nodded. “Same number one rule I learned when I first turned: protect the secret.”
“Well, actually, around here, law number one is don’t kill the humans.” She stopped working and leaned over to look at me. “But that should have always been your number one rule.”
I grimaced. “Um . . . not that I have, I almost did but was able to stop myself and it’s most definitely a rule for myself, but, well, where I come from . . . some of the vampires just didn’t give a shit. Said it was their right as a superior race. Not that I agreed with them or anything,” I quickly added.
She rolled her eyes and snorted. “Damn vampires and their fucking arrogance.”
“Hey!”
“Sorry. Not you. I know you wouldn’t. Your kind can’t. But some types are just . . . ugh. Some I just can’t stand.” She inhaled a deep breath, then said, “Okay, I need a moment.”
She placed her palm against the fresh ink and closed her eyes as her lips moved. A warm tingling sensation entered my skin through the tattoo and spread into my blood and throughout my body.
She dropped her hand and opened her eyes. She smiled with an excited twinkle in her brown eyes. “It’s done. And just in time.”
She nodded toward the same set of French doors I’d come through at the back of the inn. The pitch black outside was no longer pitch black. I jumped up and rushed to the glass. The sky over the top of the eastern mountain was beginning to lighten.
“Oh, my god!” I threw open the doors and ran outside but barely stopped myself at the top of the porch steps, sti
ll under the cover of the roof, as I looked up.
Slowly the lighter blue bled into the darker hue of the night sky, and the few clouds glowed deep pinks and reds. It was beautiful, colorful, and full of promise of a fresh beginning. A second chance. A new day.
In a heartbeat, I was back inside.
How could I have been so stupid? So trusting? So naïve? I knew better! But I’d let my guard down, so eager to live in the daytime again.
“It’s okay. It really works,” Addie urged.
I spun and glared at her. “How stupid do you think I am? I don’t even know you, what kind of person you are, or how you get your shits and grins. How do I know you’re not trying to kill me?”
She flinched as though I’d slapped her, but watched me with steady eyes. “One day you will apologize for that. One day you’ll see that it’s like we’ve known each other forever. For now, you just have to trust me.”
“Like that’s gonna happen,” I muttered. “Look, I have no idea what games you’re playing and why, but I do know if there was a way for vamps to become day-walkers, they’d be all over this place. I don’t care what your laws are. Vampires aren’t exactly law-abiding citizens. There’s no way in hell this would stay a secret.”
I eyed my cottage through the glass doors and wondered if I could make it there without losing too many layers of skin. I had to get to safety and far away from this chick and her psychotic lies. Either she was delusional or she was a heartless bitch. But I was the fool, the dumbass who believed her childish stories of magic.
The back of my shoulder prickled and stung, a reminder of the tattoo, and heat coursed through my veins. A reminder of the magic? I shook my head. I couldn’t fall for it. Again. Maybe that was the true secret ingredient of the ink—hallucinogens. This was Colorado, after all. Could have been cannabis oil in that bottle.
“You’ll find out the truth soon enough,” she said. “So just get it done with. Test it with a hand. Or, hell, even a finger. Surely you can recuperate from that if I’m lying?”
Nope. Not gonna happen.
“Oh, for shit’s sake.” She grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the doors. When I tried to fight back, an electric charge traveled through my body. I had no choice but to stumble along her side. “This is really stupid of me, but you’ve always preferred showing over telling, haven’t you? Did you know there are only a few ways to kill a witch? And do you know what one of them is?”
“I’d sure like to find out,” I snarled.
“A pissed off vampire,” she said, and I tripped over my feet, startled that she’d tell me her weakness. Then I straightened, realizing what she meant, as we passed through the doors. “Of course, you have to be super fast, faster than I can cast off a spell, but it’s been known to happen.” She tugged me across the porch. “So, I’ve already provoked you and now I’m about to throw your ass out into the sun, which will hurt, and probably piss you off, right? But I know your specific type doesn’t explode into flames right away, so I know there’s time for you to do your worst on me. Yet, here I am. Trusting you. Because I know you won’t do anything but thank me.”
And with that, she shoved me down the stairs.
I stumbled a few steps onto the dormant lawn before catching myself. I was about to spin and attack—how the hell did she know so much and who did she think she was? But the light of dawn paralyzed me. As the realization that I wasn’t sizzling and smoking settled in, I slowly lifted my gaze to the sky. My breath caught, trapped in my lungs, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever breathe again. Is this really happening?
The bright hues over the mountains lightened, and my heart rate went from 0 to 180 in an instant. A lump formed in my throat as tears welled in my eyes. Then, there it was. A bright yellow ball climbing over the jagged peaks, spilling its light down the mountainside and over the town like liquid gold. I gasped. My whole body trembled. And the tears spilled over. This is really happening!
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen the sun rise. I’d rarely woken up early enough before, and by the time I knew what I was missing, it was too late. I clapped a hand over my mouth and the other over my still-racing heart as disbelief and awe for such beauty filled me.
When the orb finally made its full appearance over the ridge, I ran farther out on the lawn, threw my head back, and soaked in the sun as I spun in circles like a child. I thought I’d never again feel the kiss of the sun’s rays without immediately blistering. I thought I’d live forever, yet never again be able to see the various blue shades above and the fluffiness of the clouds except through a window, peeking from behind the security of a blackout curtain. My heart swelled. The tears fell relentlessly, but laughter bubbled up and out as I continued spinning. Then I fell to my back on the grass and laughed hysterically while never taking my gaze from the sky.
I knew I was being watched, but assumed it was Addie. After another long moment, I reluctantly pulled my eyes from the sky and turned my head to see a large male body in the shadows. He leaned on his forearms against the railing as though he’d been there for a while. Had he been watching me? Our gazes locked, and I swore I could see something appreciative in his. A shiver ran through me, although I couldn’t say if he caused it or the cold air did.
He cleared his throat. “She’s asking for you.”
Before I could respond, he turned and went back inside. Well, turned out he was just as cold as the air.
I didn’t have to ask who “she” was. Addie sat on the porch steps, and there was only one other “she” who’d want to see me. I glanced up at the sky one more time and pinched myself. I’d spent years indoors or out only in the dark. I didn’t want to go in yet. What if the spell broke? What if this temporary ink was really, really temporary? What if I’d been a fool treating Addie like I had and she rescinded her magic? What if this was my last chance to feel the sun caressing my skin? I didn’t know it last time. This time I wanted to make the most of it.
“You can come outside any time you like,” Addie said. “Now, do you have something to tell me?”
I sat up and looked at her, giving her a sheepish grin. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
She nodded and grinned back. “And?”
“I’m sorry.”
She shrugged and waved her ring-covered fingers, as though she hadn’t practically demanded the apology. “Don’t worry about it. You’re not the first to call me a liar when it comes to this. In fact, I’d wondered what kind of stupid you were when you almost charged right out into the sun the moment you saw it. Now, come inside and take care of business, and I promise we can go to the park later as long as you wear a coat.”
“I can’t wait to tell Sindi,” I nearly squealed as I sprang to my feet, partially out of excitement and partially in response to the way she’d spoken that last phrase, as though I was a small child with a new toy. That’s exactly how I felt.
Addie’s tone immediately flipped, becoming dark and harsh. “You have to wait.”
I stopped at the bottom of the steps. “But—”
“Number two rule, remember?”
“But she’s my best friend!” I didn’t even mean to sound like a child now, but I heard the whine in my own voice.
Addie didn’t respond at first, and I looked up at her expectantly. Sadness filled her expression. Her lips pressed together.
“She’ll keep the secret,” I promised. “I trust her more than anyone. She helped me when I needed her most. I can’t possibly not tell her!”
Addie’s throat worked as she swallowed. “Just . . . we have to follow certain protocol when we invite people to town. Even the tourists are handled a certain way. Otherwise . . . could you imagine all the supernaturals who’d swarm our town? And all the human lookie-loos? And then the carnage that would follow?”
The visions came clearly. I hadn’t been making shit up before—every vampire in the world would be here if it meant seeing the sun again. And she’d said every supe gets inked, so they all gai
ned something from it. I couldn’t imagine how the others benefitted that could be as good as being a day-walking vampire, but it must have been just as life-changing.
I suddenly understood all of the secrecy and strangeness of the job offer, the scarce information available on the internet about Havenwood Falls, and the inconvenience of traveling here. They purposely made the town difficult to find.
“So why can’t they all come, get the tattoo and leave? Or why don’t you tell other witches about the spell or potion or whatever it is you use? There are other witches outside this town, right? Do you know how valuable this is?”
“Of course we do! And the reasons are nearly endless for not sharing, starting with the survival of humanity. There are wards on the town. Precautions in place. Limitations,” Addie said as we headed inside.
“Such as?”
“Such as, the protection from the sun is only good while you’re within the town’s wards. If you go outside of town more than twenty-five miles, the tattoo vanishes and so does the magic.”
“Well, that’s good to know. No leaving town in the day or I fry.”
“You can leave town. Just not the immediate area.”
“Okay. 25 miles. Got it.” We reached the lobby and began climbing the steps. “What else?”
My name came softly from Madame Luiza’s room, and whatever else there was would have to wait.
“Michaela, dear,” Madame Luiza whispered when I entered her room. My jaw ticked at hearing the wrong name again, but this time it was laced with a heavy accent, sounding more like Me-HAY-la. As I chose to not make a big deal of it as this elderly woman lay on her deathbed, it occurred to me that I must have reminded them all of someone named Michaela and having a similar name didn’t help matters. Maybe she’d even worked here before, making it easy to slip up. Regardless, I sat on the bed next to her and took her outreached hand. “Listen to me, dear.”
I nodded. “Of course. What can I do for you?”
“Just that. You can listen. Listen and not react. Because . . . I have much . . . to tell you.” Her words paused as she struggled to simply breathe. I reached for her glass of water, but she shook her head. “Water won’t help me now.”