I decided to go somewhere, too. To the city for a few days. Relax. I knew several supernaturals there I could party with, or I could likely get Liane to come again. And if by chance Boaz came home and I wasn’t there, then too bad. I wasn’t going to wait around. Besides, the dark power inside me was already festering again. I was afraid if I didn’t leave, I might hurt the mansion or those working inside it. Like Boaz, dark energy was incapable of holding still.
It was raining in New York; it dripped from the gray sky like a faucet that wouldn’t shut off, making the city smell like a wet dog. I left the Cardigan Hotel, my umbrella tight in my hand, and headed toward 5th Avenue. That was where I would find the most people. Complete strangers that meant absolutely nothing to me. I would use my magic against them, giving me the release I desperately needed. Already my insides were beginning to hurt. The dark power within me could only be satisfied by pain and suffering—whether mine or another’s, it didn’t care. I preferred it be another.
A cold wind swept up an abandoned newspaper. It swirled at my feet before it was carried away into the night. I pulled my coat tighter around me and mouthed the word “Caldor”. Invisible warmth blanketed my entire body.
I toured the city alone, walking from 5th Avenue to Central Park West. I’d never been alone like this, but I wasn’t worried. It was everyone else that should be worried. Too bad no one warned them of my arrival.
I destroyed and hurt whoever and whatever I could without causing too much attention. People tripped, glass shattered, dogs bit. All freak “accidents”. With every curse or incantation I uttered, dark magic left me, and I no longer felt like I was being stretched from the inside out.
As the hour grew late, I sat on a lone bench in Central Park to watch the full moon rise over the city. A few minutes later, a couple huddled together in quiet conversation walked by me. I was about to mentally shove the man into the woman, but something stopped me.
I rose from my seat and followed after them, frustrated by their obvious affection for each other. I was in love, too, but they looked different—they looked happy.
Why am I not happy?
The more I watched them, the angrier I became. They stopped just before 5th Avenue to stare into each other’s eyes. The tall man placed his hands on the woman’s face, paused, and then kissed her tenderly. I could almost taste the revulsion in my mouth.
With one word and a flick of my wrist, I exploded the tire of an approaching delivery van. It swerved and veered off the road and into the park. The driver’s eyes were wide as he gripped the steering wheel tightly, seemingly to try and gain control of the direction of his vehicle. But I wouldn’t let him.
The van hit the kissing couple head on. The woman flew up and over the car, while the man went under it. They didn’t scream. I didn’t give them time.
For a few minutes, I watched as others attended to the man and woman. Everyone was so concerned. Even a teenage girl, surely a complete stranger to the couple, was crying.
Ridiculous.
The injured woman’s leg moved, and she moaned. She would live. I wasn’t convinced the man would, though. A person was sitting over him, pressing their palms into his chest.
Because I felt nothing, I left.
Back at my park bench, I had barely sat down when a voice asked, “What are you doing?”
Startled, I turned around. In a clump of trees behind me, the dark silhouette of a man stood tall.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” he said. His voice was deep and smooth.
“I was minding my own business, which you should do too.”
“You’re going to stop hurting people, starting now. Do you understand?” His figure shifted a fraction of an inch.
“Why don’t you come over here so I can see you?” I dared him, wanting to know who or what would talk to me like this.
“You will stop,” he said.
If he wouldn’t come to me, then I would go to him. I stood up and rounded the bench. “Says who?”
“You will leave this city tonight.”
I was almost to him, but his face remained hidden in the shadows. He stood erect, with legs spaced evenly apart and lined directly beneath a thick trunk. From where I first saw him, he appeared massive, but after moving closer, I realized his size was a trick of the light. He looked to be only slightly taller than Boaz.
He stepped from the shadows to meet me, and the light from the full moon shimmered in his incandescent blue eyes. I sucked in a breath. Not because I recognized him as a vampire immediately, but because of a sudden and foreign emotion that washed over me. It felt like joy, but I couldn’t be sure.
Was it possible that I knew him?
The vampire had a square jaw line, a sharp crooked nose that looked like it had been broken a few times, full lips, and hooded, wolf-like eyes. It was his eyes that captivated me the most. They were filled with sorrow. What trauma could’ve filled him with so much pain that his eyes could do nothing else but bleed the strong emotion?
“I meant what I said. You will leave this city tonight,” he said.
“Now why would I do that?”
“You’re hurting innocent people.”
“They were hardly innocent. Did you see what they were doing?”
The vampire’s eyes looked in their direction. Lights from distant emergency vehicles turned the color of the trees red and blue.
“They looked happy,” he said, his voice no louder than the quiet breeze ruffling my hair.
“It was disgusting.”
His gaze turned on my sharply. “I want you gone.”
“I have a better idea. What do you say you and I go have some fun tonight? You look like you could use some loosening up.” I reached for his hand, but when my fingers brushed his, a jolt of what felt like light surged through my body. And, for a brief moment, I had a perfect vision of the innocent girl I used to be. I even heard my younger voice vowing never to become like them.
He stepped back. “I want nothing to do with your dark magic, Witch.”
I ignored the strange, electric moment that only I seemed to notice. “You know nothing about me. I’m the most powerful witch in the country, probably in the world.”
“Don’t forget most humble.”
“Don’t insult me. You have no idea who I am.”
In a calm, yet frightening voice, he said, “And if you knew who I was, you’d run away screaming.”
I looked him up and down. “I can see who you are. You’re a weak, confused, newbie vampire who—”
Before I could utter another word, his strong hand gripped my neck, and after moving himself and me at lightning speed, he smashed my back into a tree far away from the spot where we’d just been.
I pried at his fingers, trying desperately to get him to release his hold, but he was incredibly strong. I glanced at the limb above me and imagined it smashing down on his head. The limb snapped and fell, but he caught it with his free hand before it even came close to making contact. He was simply too fast.
With fangs barred, he growled, “This is your final warning. Leave now.”
I quickly nodded, awash in an emotion I hadn’t felt in a very long time. Fear. He released his grip, and I tumbled to the ground, sucking in air.
Once recovered, I straightened and smoothed my clothes. “I was about to leave anyway. This city is boring. No one knows how to have fun anymore.”
He looked back toward the city whose lights could be seen above the tops of the trees.
“But before I go, could you answer one question?” I asked. He said nothing so I continued. “Why do you care about them?” I nodded my head toward the people in the city.
“They’re innocent.”
“But you’re a vampire.”
“What’s your point?”
“You have incredible power. You’re greater than they are.”
“Power is a dangerous thing,” he said. He turned and walked away.
Something stirred in
my memory, as if I’d once thought the same thing.
“How is it dangerous?” I called after him.
“Be gone within the hour.” He picked up speed.
“Wait!” I tried to catch up, but he had already disappeared.
I stared after him, at the empty space that felt so big. Tears stung my eyes, and I gulped in air. What was wrong with me? The faint imprint of the girl I used to be lurked near the edges of my mind, a ghost risen from the grave.
The thought repulsed me. I hated to think how weak I used to be before I met Boaz.
Boaz.
I returned home right away, hoping I would find Boaz there, but he was still gone. I curled up in bed, but I couldn’t get my mind off the vampire I’d met. Over and over, his sorrow-filled gaze tortured me, and an unexplainable gnawing pinged in my gut. I felt pity for him, but it was more than that. It was as if the light from his touch still lingered inside me, and it made me question everything.
That night, when I finally fell asleep, I dreamed I was sitting with the vampire in a field of tall grass, the sun shining brightly. I thought it strange to see a vampire in full light, but he didn’t seem bothered by it in the least. He was curled up on his side, head resting in my lap.
Looking down on him, compassion followed by peace overwhelmed me. The moment seemed to last forever, but the dream didn’t. I woke to the howl of wind blowing outside. A winter storm was approaching. I rolled onto my back and stared at the high ceiling.
What had happened to me?
A flash of light filled my window, and I sat up. Boaz was home. I didn’t have to look. I felt it.
Replacing my recent regrets, excitement and longing took over, and I rushed to greet him. Before I reached the bedroom door, he was already there, grinning mischievously. His arms came around me, hugging me tightly.
“What took you so long?” I asked.
“I finished your present.” He pushed me away to look into my eyes, still the silly grin. Behind him, standing in the doorway, Hunwald, too, seemed to be grinning.
I laughed. “What have you done, Boaz?”
“I did it. I finally did it. I can’t wait to try it on you.”
“Try what?”
“Do you still want to be with me forever?”
I hesitated, but quickly shook it off. This was my life now. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“Then that is what you shall have. I think I’ll like you better now.”
Before I could react, he kissed me hard. I barely had the chance to catch my breath, before I saw a flash of the snake on his upper arm followed by a syringe in his hand. Boaz plunged it into my back. The pain was immediate and dropped me to my knees.
“Boaz?” I reached behind me to try and get at the needle. A fire-hot sensation was spreading quickly throughout my body. “What did you do?”
“It will only hurt for a minute, love.” He sat down in his usual red chair, petted Hunwald, and watched me expectantly.
I tried to speak again, but the pain became too great. It washed over me in great waves, rocking my entire frame. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists as my body unwilling twisted into a tight ball. I tried to stop it with magic, but the pain was too excruciating, preventing me from thinking about anything else.
A horrific sound exploded in my ears as if I were suddenly stuck beneath the belly of a great roaring beast. The screaming filled my head, creating an unbearable pressure inside my skull. Pressure built in my eyeballs, and I was afraid at any moment my eyes might burst from their sockets, but instead, the blood found other outlets. It poured from my nose, ears, and out my mouth.
Finally the pressure proved too great, and I lost consciousness.
20
When I came to, I was lying in bed with a fresh nightgown and the covers tucked to my chin. The lights were off and the curtains drawn. I moved my limbs, expecting them to feel stiff, but they felt remarkably good, considering what I’d just been through. I only wished the inside of me felt as good as the outside. Something had gone horribly wrong.
I threw the covers back and jumped out of bed to turn on the lights. I had to find Boaz. I had to know what he’d done to me. I left the room and hurried down the stairs.
“Boaz?”
I called several times and searched every room. When I found no one, not even Lisa, my anxiety grew. The mansion had never been empty before.
I opened the front door to search outside, but stopped when I remembered Boaz’s private study, a room I was still forbidden to enter. Not anymore. I turned around and walked toward the entrance. The door was locked but that didn’t stop me. Using magic, I jerked it open.
The inside was not what I’d expected. Instead of a room, there was a long hallway. Its décor was completely different from the rest of the house. There were no pictures hanging on the walls, no elaborate decorations, and the temperature had to have been at least ten degrees cooler. There was very little light by the time I reached the end of the hall. Just enough to see a circular, stone staircase leading down into what looked like a black hole. I glanced back the way I came, trying to decide if I should go back to grab a flashlight or even an object with glass I could light up with magic.
Forget it. I refuse to waste any time.
“Boaz?” My voice echoed down the long flight of stairs.
When I didn’t receive an answer, I began the long climb down, feeling my way as I went. The rock walls were wet with moisture, and the air smelled stale and a little like rusty pipes. When there were no more stairs, I slid my hands along the wall searching for a light switch. Eventually, I found one and flipped it on. Dull fluorescent, low-hanging lights flickered overhead, barely illuminating a long and narrow hall. Six doors were on each side, all with a single glass window. There was one last door at the end of the hall, black and as wide as the walkway.
I took a few hesitant steps forward to peer into the first room. It was empty except for one object: a girl with short uneven brown hair and pale skin that looked more grey next to the stark white walls. Her lips were the same dark purple color as her fingertips. She sat on the floor, leaning into the corner of the room. Her head was tilted up, staring at the ceiling with mouth open. Each of her hand’s rested on the floor next to her legs, palms turned up.
I watched for a moment, wondering how I felt about her. Most of me felt nothing, but a small part of me knew I should try to help her. I hadn’t experienced this sort of caring, if that was even the right word, for a very long time.
The vampire in New York City.
He must have done something to me. Had this been yesterday, I might’ve walked right on by the girl to find Boaz, but this new feeling couldn’t be ignored.
I opened the door and rushed in, hoping she wasn’t dead. When I grabbed her by both shoulders, she slumped forward, her head dropping to her chest. I pushed her back up and checked for a pulse. It took me awhile to find one, but it was there.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
The girl didn’t move, not even blink.
I squeezed her shoulders tight and yelled, “Wake up!”
Still nothing, other than the slow and steady rise of her chest as she breathed in and out. Very gently, I carefully laid her on the floor and smoothed back her hair. That’s when I saw them: two red puncture wounds. I scurried away backwards, finally understanding.
No. Please, no.
All this time, Boaz had this girl trapped, slowly feeding off of her, slowly killing her, while I was upstairs having the time of my life. I glanced to the open door, remembering the other rooms. My throat filled with acid, and I turned to throw up but nothing came out.
I staggered out of the room and down the hallway. The remaining rooms contained more of the same: white enclosed areas filled only by empty human shells. The last room, however, imprisoned two girls sitting opposite of each other. I didn’t recognize the one, but the other was Muriel, the maid I’d met when I’d first come to Boaz’s home. She’d slit her wrists.
I stumbled into the black door at the end of the hallway and fell through to the other side, tears stinging my eyes.
“Eve?”
Boaz was standing in front of a fireplace, flipping through a book. He set it down and walked to me. Hunwald followed behind.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
I looked back to the open door and into the dimly lit hallway. “The girls …”
“What about them, love?”
“There’s something wrong with them,” was all I could say.
“Of course there is. They’ve been feeding a vampire. Come. Sit down. You look exhausted.”
He took my hand and guided me to a wooden stool. He sat across from me in a plush recliner.
“Boaz, we have to help those girls,” I said.
He frowned. “Help them? Why?”
“Because,” I stammered, searching for something in me that would tell me why it was wrong, but it was as if my conscience was lost. “It’s not right.”
“When did you start caring about what was right?” he asked. When I didn’t answer, he countered my logic. “Are you saying it’s right for me to starve?”
“No.”
“I’m a vampire. That’s what I do. Don’t be naïve.”
“I just didn’t realize—”
“Were you in your fairytale world again?”
My head jerked up. “What?”
“Never mind. How are you feeling?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
He let out an exaggerated sigh. “Would you please just answer the question?”
“Why are you talking to me like this?”
“I’ve invested a lot of time and money into you,” he said, “and I want to make sure it worked. Now answer the question. How are you feeling?”
I fought back more tears, but said, “I feel different, I guess. But what are you talking about, time and money?”
Boaz picked up a notebook from off of his desk. “What feels different?”
“Everything around me is sharper, more clear,” I said, my voice full of frustration. But then it dawned on me, all his questions. “You made me a vampire, didn’t you?”
The Devil's Fool (Devil Series Book One) Page 14