by Jasmine Walt
“Can you walk?” he asked as my feet found the ground, and surprisingly, they held my weight. “I’m lending you some energy so you ought to be okay as long as you hold my hand.” He squeezed my fingers, and I felt a surge of power flow through me. How the hell was he doing that?
I nodded even though it was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. My vision swayed, and my teeth started chattering before I toppled uselessly against him. He was so warm, I never wanted to let go. That should have scared me. It didn’t. That should have scared me even more.
He gripped me tighter, pulling me toward the exit, and I found myself nuzzling into the warmth of his body. He smelled like pine trees and roses, and as I inhaled his scent, I felt strangely energized by it.
“You know, you don’t have to be tough all the time,” he whispered, his breath kissing my cheek as he spoke. “I’ll get us out of here. Just relax.”
I wanted to argue with him, to tell him I didn’t need his help, but instead, my eyelids started dropping shut. “Okay,” I whispered right before shrieking made my eyes snap open and my heart race.
A giant scarlet tentacle slapped into the side of the building with a wet sounding thwack, its bulbous suckers latching onto the glass and pulsating as it strained to hold something up. Another one smacked into the building, and the glass beneath it shattered, spraying inward across the carpet as the tentacles wrapped around the girders.
“Oh, I wouldn’t make any plans, Wardbreaker,” Ariel said as she stepped daintily through one of the shattered windows. Her octopus-like tentacles writhed around her as she strode toward us. “You’ll be sticking around for quite a while.” One of her blood red appendages lashed out at us, and Luc dropped me in time for it to sail over my head and smack him on the chest. He stumbled backward into the hallway, collapsing onto the ground next to the woman. Why was she still there? Why hadn’t she run? I sure as hell would have if I’d just seen people crash through my window.
I hit the ground, and my whole world swayed, shaking violently as two of her tentacles lashed out, wrapping around my wrists and hoisting me into the air like a broken puppet. They felt slimy and warm, like someone had covered my flesh in snot. Yes, it was that gross.
“But you can go,” she said, discarding me behind her like a piece of garbage. I careened through the broken window and found myself staring down at the ground as it came flying toward me. Fear ripped through me as I started to panic. I was going to die by smashing into the pavement after all. I had nothing left, no more strength.
“You can do it,” the voice of my soulbound ghost Mattoc whispered in my ears. I felt his ghostly hands on mine, guiding them into my trench coat. My fingers wrapped around the hilts of my swords, tightening on the weapons before I pulled them free in a surge of strength. Even that tiny effort made stars flash before my eyes, but it was quickly chased away by adrenaline racing through my body. “I believe in you.”
I stabbed outward, slicing into the glass walled building and praying the windows didn’t just shatter. They didn’t, thank God. The smell of burning plastic filled my nose as my swords sliced through them before driving themselves into the floor. The shock of my sudden stop jolted through my entire body, and it was all I could do to hang there and not let go.
A crash filled my ears, and I looked up to see a desk fly out the window above me with Ariel pinned to one side. She came careening down toward me with the huge antique wooden desk on top of her. Her tentacles lashed outward, slapping against the glass and pulling her out of the way just after she passed me. The desk kept going and slammed down into the parking lot below, crushing a red car flat and causing alarms to blare.
I stared down at the vampire. She didn’t seem like she had noticed me yet. This was my chance. I gritted my teeth, and even though it was officially the worst idea I’d ever had, kicked myself free of the building, spinning my body around until I was facing her. She looked up just as I smashed into her, driving the twin blades of Shirajirashii into her chest with all the force my gravity fueled drop could muster.
Her tentacles came free with a snap, and we plummeted downward like a bloody comet. She lashed out with her bloody appendages, trying to arrest her fall as I released my swords and slugged her in her stupid nose. The crunch beneath my fist was strangely satisfying. We jerked to a stop as her tentacles caught hold of the building once again, and I flopped forward on top of the hilts of my weapons.
A shrill scream exploded from her lips as I wrapped my arms around her body and bear hugged her as hard as I could, pressing the blades deep into her with my own body. My hands were covered in her blood as I smiled at her.
“White sparrow,” I whispered, drawing on her magically infused vampire blood and letting loose the spell with all the power I could pull free of her. Fire exploded from my hands, rippling around us as we were encased in a tube of burning flame that severed the ends of her tentacles.
Flame licked up over my flesh and agony screamed through me as the vampire thrashed and burned beneath me. One of her fists caught my chin, snapping my head backward. I lost my grip on her, and she shoved me backward.
My back smacked against the back of the super-heated tube, and I was instantly glad to realize my spell wasn’t burning me to a crisp even though I was inside with her. Instead, it smoldered against the trench coat, the ward stitched onto the back flaring like a blue sun. Ariel was covered in fire, flames writhing over the entirety of her body as we fell. Even still, I reached in, grabbed the hilts of my swords, and tore them sideways out of her, spilling the contents of her belly as she tried to shove me through the wall of my spell.
The temperature leapt a million degrees as my spell absorbed the power of her blood just before we slammed into the ground. The force of our impact drove my swords through her body, pinning her to the ground as her arms shattered along with my enchantment. I landed on top of her hard enough to break everything inside me, but somehow I didn’t die. We laid there smoking, her broken form pancaked beneath me.
I couldn’t tell you how Ariel did it because I had a hard time believing she could still move at all, but one scorched tentacle wrapped around my throat and slowly pulled me toward her mouth. Her jaws gaped open, and from the look of it, her jawbone was broken along with pretty much all of her other bones. She’d heal from being thrown from a building, but she’d need blood to do it. Unfortunately, I was the only blood bag anywhere near her, and I could barely breathe, let alone escape.
“Oh hell no,” I gasped. My words came out like a dying whisper as I tried to move my arms. They screamed in pain. My vision went dark and hazy around the edges as I flopped uselessly on top of her like a broken fish.
“Yes,” she cooed, the wet sound of her voice washing over me and making my thoughts flee as she tugged me closer. Her lips wrapped around my throat, and the burn of her fangs hurt for a second before euphoria wrapped me up, banishing all of my pain and anger beneath a sea of pleasure. Her throat convulsed, sucking in my blood, and as she did so, her mouth reformed against my flesh. Her lips latched on tighter, and she sucked harder still, drawing my essence out of me one gulp at a time.
The shotgun blast obliterated my hearing, snapping me out of my happy place and filling me with agony. The top of Ariel’s head exploded into a wash of crimson, spraying out across the pavement as she twitched and writhed. Something pushed me off of her, and I flopped onto the pavement staring up at the sun. The sky throbbed, pulsating like a beating heart as crimson clouds gathered and began to swirl toward us like a tornado. Was she trying to absorb the power of the ritual she’d been using Luc’s warded body for? How was that possible given her state? Or had it gone on the entire time and I hadn’t noticed?
Another shotgun blast boomed next to me. The sky bucked as the tornado dissipated just a tiny bit. I tried to roll over, to look and see what was happening, but all I could do was make my head flop uselessly to the side. Still, it was enough for me to make out Logan’s shadowy, hazy form.
The w
ay he clutched the shotgun in his hands gave me the distinct impression he didn’t usually use guns. He blasted the founder of his caste one last time before tossing the gun away and reaching into his sport’s jacket. He pulled out a long wooden stake with symbols etched along its length. Though I couldn’t read them, I could sense the magic in them.
“Time for you to take a long nap, Ariel,” he said and drove the stake straight into her heart. The sky above us shattered, and the clouds ripped open. Bloody rain fell to earth, dousing the land like the tears of a baleful maiden. As they struck me, magic washed over me. My bones straightened, pulling back together, and my wounds closed up. My burns healed. It was amazing.
Ariel’s body lay there, a look of hatred etched onto what was left of her statuesque face. The stake had paralyzed her entirely. Logan reached down and jerked my swords from her body.
“Not bad for Dioscuri craftsmanship.” He smirked, eyeing them casually before offering them to me, bloody rain running down their edges. “But when you want a real weapon, come see me. I’ve been working on something out of this world.” He grinned, and something about the way he said it sent a chill scampering down my spine. Had he really found something stronger than a sword inhabited by an Egyptian deity? I sure as hell hoped not.
“Thanks.” I took my swords, amazed that not only could I move, but I felt freaking fantastic.
“No problem,” Logan replied, bending down and picking up his founder and tossing her broken body over his shoulder. “Do you need a ride?” he asked, glancing back at me as he flung Ariel’s frozen form into the back of a blue pickup truck that looked like it had never been driven before. “I’m going to lock her in a safe and drop her in the ocean.” He glanced at his wrist watch and shrugged. “But I can spare a few moments for the Dioscuri who just made me King of the Owls.”
“What?” I asked, my mouth dropping open as he moved to the driver’s side and grinned at me, revealing his fangs.
“What? You didn’t know I was second in command? I told you succession was my goal.” Logan the vampire shook his head and made a tsking sound as he got inside the pickup. “You Dioscuri always amaze me. Always knowing about the founder but never moving even one step down the line.” His words made me shiver. I’d just participated in a coup, and I didn’t even realize it. Now that I thought about how he’d helped me earlier, it certainly made his actions make sense. He had wanted me to take out Ariel so he could assume control of the clan. The bastard. “Don’t worry though, Lillim. I’ll move all the newbie vampires out of the state. You know, as a good faith gesture.”
“I should kill you where you stand!” I growled, taking a step toward him. “You know for being a devious slime bucket.”
“I do not think slime buckets would enjoy your comparison,” Logan replied, and without another word, slammed his door shut and took off in a squeal of rubber, giving me the distinct impression he wasn’t going to drive me anywhere. The jerk.
Then again, where would I ask Logan to take me? The Dioscuri would be here soon. Even if they hadn’t been watching the area closely, blood rain falling from the sky would merit an investigation, if not more. Once they got down here, there would be no way I’d be able to hide from them. They’d begin sniffing out magic and would zero in on me immediately. Even if they bought that I’d come down here to investigate, the best case scenario was that they’d drag me back home… at worst, well, I didn’t want to think about that.
I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, trying to figure out what to do, when Jean Luc clapped me on the shoulder. I spun, staring at him, somewhat surprised he was standing there, and I had half a mind to yell at him for tricking me and lying to me to get me to help him save his city. Still, Logan had used me to usurp his caste and defeat his founder. Jean Luc, by comparison, was downright noble. He’d only been trying to stop the vampires.
“Do you need a place to stay? Or a meal?” he asked, smiling at me in his puppy dog way. It told me he didn’t even realize why I was mad at him. Luc had guilted me into helping save the town from the vampires, and I’d wound up participating in a coup. For all I knew, he was in league with Logan.
Still, as I stared at him, I somehow doubted it. Something about Luc told me he was, at his core, a good guy and everything he had done was for the right reasons. Even still, I was about to refuse his invitation, partially because I wasn’t sure I could trust him and partially because I needed to get the hell out of here when my stomach grumbled loud enough for us to both hear it. He smirked.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Come on. Let’s get something to eat. You know before we get arrested again.” He grabbed my hand, squeezing my fingers and leading me off toward the street as the sounds of sirens filled the air. We made it about two steps when I looked at him and because I couldn’t help myself, gazed upon him with my magical sight. His body was outlined in gold, and he shimmered with light so bright, I could barely make out his features. My heart hammered in my chest and my breath caught in my throat. I wasn’t sure what he was, but whatever it was… was good.
The sirens shrieked, definitely close now as I shutdown my sight, the vision of Luc burned into my mind for all eternity. Luc grinned, his dark eyes shining mischievously as he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me against the warmth of his body, and I couldn’t stop myself from letting him. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Besides,” he added, still smiling at me like a fool. “I’m much too pretty to go to jail.”
21
I’d been living with him for a week. It seemed like forever and only a moment at the same time. I stared at the steam covered mirror and wiped my hand over it one last time so I could see the reflection of my eyes staring back at me. I was clean and freshly showered after a long night’s rest. Luc had lived up to his word and taken me in. I shut my eyes, remembering the conversation we’d had as we left the fast food restaurant following Ariel’s defeat, greasy bags of cheeseburgery goodness clutched in our hands.
“You know, you can stay with me for as long as you’d like,” he said as we approached his truck, a beat up black Nissan pickup. It was worn and torn enough to make me think he used it for more than driving around town. He set his bag on the roof of the cab and opened the passenger door for me before gesturing for me to enter.
“That’s a great offer,” I said, slipping by him onto the seat and biting my lip as he shut the door. He was being so nice to me, and I didn’t know why. Did he want something from me? But if so, what? I had nothing to give him.
I watched him walk around the front of the vehicle as thunder boomed in the heavens above. Thick drops of rain spattered against the roof as Jean Luc opened the driver’s door and got inside. Fortunately, this was normal rain and not magical rain. It wasn’t that surprising. Rain had a way of coming to wash away magical spells, though I wasn’t sure why.
“It’s a great offer, but?” he asked, putting his key into the ignition and turning. The engine roared to life before he shoved the truck into gear and turned toward me, his dark eyes full of thoughts but spilling none of them.
“But the Dioscuri will find me if I stay here.” I gestured outside to where the smoke was still rising from the downed helicopter. “Someone will come to check on that.”
“They won’t find you with me,” he said, a smile peeling back his lips to reveal his perfect teeth and something inside my chest thawed just a touch.
“You’re wrong—” I started to protest as he cut me off by pressing his finger to my lips.
“My apartment is warded. Even the Dioscuri won’t be able to find you there. You could stay as long as you like and no one will find you.” He pulled his finger away and still smiling, placed his hands at ten and two on the steering wheel. He began driving as I stared at him. He seemed so confident about it, I was almost willing to believe him. It made me hope he was right, but I couldn’t, could I? That would just make it hurt more when he was wrong.
I supposed I could spare a peek, you know, just to see if
he was telling the truth. But if he was wrong? I wouldn’t have much time… and if he was right, what was I supposed to do? Play house? With him? And as I had the thought, I realized it didn’t sound as bad as I’d thought it would.
How had that only been a week ago?
I shook my head. Luc had been right about being able to hide me, at least as far as I could tell. The wards lining every inch of his apartment were more than enough to keep even the most ambitious Dioscuri from finding me. So I hadn’t left. For a week. It made me cringe as I stared at myself in the mirror and finger brushed my lavender hair out so it fell around my shoulders. It was longer than it had ever been.
Still, I wasn’t sure why he had been so nice to me. Maybe it was because he felt guilty about tricking me in the beginning? Then again, I still wasn’t sure why he was so special. Every time I’d asked him about why Ariel had needed him specifically or why she called him the Wardbreaker, he’d countered my questions, evading effortlessly.
Staying with him was starting to make me feel uncomfortable. I was starting to, well, to actually like him. I shook the thought away the moment it popped into my head. I mean, I didn’t like him that way. I was more getting used to having him there. I’d even learned to cook, granted I’d burned everything, set off a smoke alarm, and forced us to order Chinese food more than once, but I still counted it as cooking.
No, I was getting too close, too used to him being around. I adjusted my towel and bit my lip, remembering the night before when an old movie made me realize my problem. We’d been sitting on the couch, going through yet another movie marathon because Luc had wanted to show me all the cinematic genius the human world had to offer.
“How can you protect something you don’t understand?” he’d asked me when he’d learned I hadn’t even seen a movie before. The words still reverberated in my ears as the scene from last night’s movie replayed itself in my mind.