“Right, so when I found out he eliminated the only hunter who could ever kill him, I was livid. Not just because it meant Leon would never die, but it also pissed me off that he thought it was his right to take the life of an innocent teenager,” Jet said.
“And that made you want to bring me back?” I asked.
“I wish I could claim it was solely because of my moral opposition,” Jet said with a grin. “But, truthfully, I was mad at myself. Why hadn’t I been on top of things? If I’d found out about your powers before Leon, I could have turned you, had a loyal vampire capable of killing demons. That wasn’t an option after the fact, obviously, but at least I could get revenge on Leon, make him pay for what he did.”
I gulped. “I could have been a vampire…?”
“Sorry,” Jet replied. “I didn’t mean to alarm you. I told you I was an open book. Ask me a question and I’ll tell you the answer. Anyway,” he continued, “when I heard what Leon had done, I immediately tried to find a way to reverse it.”
“Did you consult a warlock?” I asked. “Please don’t tell me it was David Matthews!”
“Ha! Matthews – although talented – isn’t loyal. He goes where the grass is greener, so to speak. No,” Jet said, “I’ve got my own warlock – a vampire who’s a warlock, to be precise. Maybe not as powerful as Matthews, but he’s unconditionally loyal to me. And that’s what I’m looking for. That’s how I plan to continue to build my empire.” Jet’s piercing eyes held my gaze for so long that I finally had to look away.
“Your warlock said the spell to bring me back?” I asked.
“Yes, but it wasn’t as simple as that,” Jet answered. “It came down to the wire. You were almost dead – for good.”
“What do you mean?
“It took my warlock nearly six months to determine how to resurrect you. The spell was a bitch to get a hold of, but that was only the first piece. He had to obtain something personal of yours – he stole a stuffed elephant that your parents left on your bed. We didn’t even know if it would work,” Jet said.
“Max,” I whispered.
“Cute name.” Jet flashed me a flirty smile.
Don’t be fooled by him. I forced my face to remain expressionless.
“Carl – my warlock/vampire combo – had to perform the ceremony at midnight on the one-year anniversary of your death. Your parents had decided to bury you instead of cremate you, despite the, um, condition of your dead body,” Jet said.
“I know Richard burned my body after I died,” I told him.
“You know more than I thought,” Jet said.
“But not as much as you,” I replied. “Please, tell me the rest of it.”
“Carl dug up your grave and placed Max inside. At the stroke of midnight, Carl performed the spell, and you were brought back to life.”
“Did he see me crawl out of my grave?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes,” Jet answered. “He had to stick around – to see if the spell worked.”
“Why didn’t he help me? Guide me? Take me to you?” I questioned.
“Because you had to find your own way. You needed to become the new version of you, without our interference. I refused to do anything to influence your fate,” Jet replied.
He stood up and walked to the other side of the room. Jet was even taller than I had originally realized. He turned again to face me. “This spell,” he said. “It can only be performed once every thousand years.”
“What do you mean?” I asked in confusion.
“There’s not the option to bring back every dead person,” Jet said, his voice serious. “You fuck up and bring back someone who should have remained dead – well, now you have a thousand years to wait for your next chance.”
“It’s special,” Jet continued. “And it should have never been used on Tobias. He was a colossal mistake. But you…you’re the real deal.”
“How can you know that?” I asked.
Jet just smiled. “You doubt yourself too much,” he commented. “Now, I have a question for you.”
Here it comes. The real reason he’s captured me. The ultimatum he’s about to demand.
“Did you kill Thomas and Bartholomew?”
The question took me by surprise. It was the last thing I had expected Jet to ask. “I don’t know who you mean,” I lied, only hesitating for a moment.
“Still not sure if you can trust me, Aurora? Wow, Lucas must really think I’m a monster. It’s a pity he never took the time to get to know me,” Jet said. “He just assumed anyone in power must be a complete asshole.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Why did Lucas and Nicholas stay away from Jet?
“I’m not mad that they’re dead – just more curious as to how. Don’t worry; I’m not going to punish you for it. Typically, I’d do almost anything to save one of the vampires, but those two…well, let’s just put it this way: it’s no real loss.”
“I killed them,” I said flatly. “How did you know?”
“Lucky guess,” Jet admitted. “Well, more like I put two and two together,” he amended. “They’ve been missing for a week, and those guys aren’t the type to lie low.”
“Anyway,” Jet continued, “after Carl’s spell brought you back, Leon tried again to kill you. I intervened, made sure Lucas got the order. I knew he would never go through with it. His morals are too high. He has to know precisely why everything he’s ordered to kill deserves to die before he’ll do it.”
“You saved my life…again?” I asked quietly.
“No one knows how to kill you,” Jet said. “So I wouldn’t say I saved your life. But I did spare you from the torture any other hunter would have inflicted.”
I shuddered.
“I had Carl keep tabs on you. Make sure Leon didn’t go to someone else after Lucas failed to deliver. But of course, he did. And this time, he circumvented the hunting agency. Went directly to Thomas and Bartholomew. I didn’t know, at first,” Jet said.
“When did you find out?” I questioned.
“When Thomas was staked – the first time,” Jet said. “Were you responsible for that, too?”
I shook my head. “That was…someone else.”
Jet didn’t press me to say who. He just nodded. “They came back here after the attack; my medical team saved Thomas. I interviewed him personally after he was better, and he let it slip that he was trying to re-kill you.”
“When I found out, I was furious. I wished I had let Thomas die. None of my vampires are allowed to take on any outside jobs without express permission from Carl or me,” Jet continued.
“Did you punish him?” I asked.
“No,” Jet said. “I wanted to keep my interest in you a secret.”
“Why?”
“Because I do not plan to be at the forefront of this war. I’d like for it not to happen at all,” Jet replied. “But I’m not stopping it, either. I won’t get involved. Did Lucas tell you I’m even older than him?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“I like power. I’m not going to lie. But head vampire, all of this –” Jet paused and motioned across the massive room, “is enough for me. I want things to stay in balance.”
“Back to Thomas and Bartholomew,” Jet continued. “I was going to put out an order to protect your life, but Tobias beat me to it. So I put out the order to protect your family instead.”
“Really?” I asked in surprise. “Why?”
“It wasn’t out of the goodness of my heart, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Jet laughed. “I did it in the anticipation of this day. I knew you’d find me eventually, and I wanted to prove that you could trust me.”
“So Magnus can’t really kill them? He threatened to,” I said.
“You’re even more popular than I knew!” Jet exclaimed. “I had no idea Magnus was after you as well. Makes sense though. Let me guess – he wants you to kill Leon?”
“Right,” I said.
“Magnus can technically kil
l whoever he wants,” Jet said slowly. “Anyone can go against my order. But if someone chooses to do that, there will be a bounty on his head. I wouldn’t concern yourself with Magnus, if I were you. He won’t risk killing them and drawing a target on himself.”
Jet had put the last piece of the puzzle into place. I now knew every aspect of my death and resurrection. But what was in it for him? I wasn’t naïve enough to believe he’d given me all of this information with the expectation of nothing in return.
“You’ve told me everything,” I said. “And I can’t thank you enough for it – ” I started.
“But what’s my motive?” Jet interrupted.
I nodded.
“As I said earlier, I would have been your maker, if I’d found out about you before Leon. You’d have been loyal to a fault. Obviously, that ship has sailed. So now I’m proposing an alliance – a partnership, if you will,” Jet said.
I looked at him suspiciously. “What’s in it for me and what do you want me to do?” I asked.
“Let me answer your second question first. I’d like for you to kill Leon. I can’t imagine you’re opposed to that, after learning that he’s tried to off you not once, but twice.”
Jet did have a point. But he didn’t know that we already had a plan in place to deal with Leon – trap him in Hell, forever.
“Going forward, we’d be partners. Share information. I can get you the names and locations of demons possessing humans, so that you can hunt them. I’d also provide Intel on the other monsters roaming free, off the grid, that need to be eliminated,” Jet said.
“You’d do all of that, just because I killed Leon for you?” I asked. I was still skeptical.
Jet laughed. “You’re a hard sell. What, scared to go to bed with the enemy?” Jet asked, flashing another flirtatious grin. “I don’t bite.”
I looked away.
“But I’m only your perceived enemy. I have no doubt you can take care of yourself, but I would watch your back,” Jet said. “And continue to protect your family.”
I didn’t say anything. It all sounded too good to be true. But Jet could give me a million reasons why I should align with him; if he couldn’t tell me more than one reason why it was beneficial to him, then I was out. No deal.
“I’d also like for you to be my…recruiter,” Jet said, as though reading my mind.
“Meaning?”
“I assume after this war is over, you’ll travel around, hunting, fulfilling your destiny,” Jet said.
I didn’t answer.
“I want to build the vampire race. I have no intention of trying to overtake humans,” Jet said quickly. “But right now, the rules in place are downright ridiculous. We’re only allowed to turn a human if a vampire is wrongfully killed.”
“Of course, I bend the rules on occasion. Don’t tell Lucas,” he said playfully. “But getting back to this lottery system…it’s a joke. I’m not sure how many vampires you’ve come across, but you may have noticed that we all have one thing in common.”
You’re all drop dead gorgeous?
“Strength,” Jet said. “When a human is turned, their strength is magnified. But I want to start with the cream of the crop. The most physically strong men and women. The lottery doesn’t allow me to do that. Any old Joe Blow can have the privilege of becoming a vampire.”
Privilege. To Lucas, it was a curse.
“How can I help you? I can’t change the system,” I said.
“No, but you can recruit humans who want this lifestyle. It would be voluntary, nothing shady. I have too much going on here. I don’t have time to vet the human race for potential vampires,” Jet replied.
“What about Carl?” I argued. “Or the others?”
Jet sighed. “Carl already has his place. And not every vampire is loyal to me, Aurora. Most of them covet my position in our society, are looking for any opportunity to take over as head vampire. But the more humans I turn, the more loyalty I will build.”
“You’ve still not told me why it has to be me,” I said.
“You’re right.” Jet grinned. “It doesn’t have to be you. I just want it to be you. You’ve got no stake – no pun intended – in the vampire community. You’re never going to try and de-throne me.”
“And besides,” Jet continued. “Who wouldn’t want to partner with the most powerful, immortal hunter in the world? I’d prefer to be on the same side of the fence as you. Believe me, the relationship would be mutually beneficial.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to think.
“I don’t expect an answer right now,” Jet assured me. “Go home. Think about it.”
“But what if I say no?” I asked suspiciously.
Jet shrugged. “Then I lick my wounds and go on my way.”
“You wouldn’t try to harm me or my family?” I asked in surprise.
“Why would I do that? Whether you partner with me or not, you’ll still help eliminate the world of true evil. And I already told you, I’m not an enemy and I don’t ever want to become one. There would be no reason for me to kill your family. I’d just have to figure out another way to recruit,” Jet replied.
“I just have one more question,” I said. “Did you know I was coming tonight?”
“No,” Jet admitted. “I knew you would find your way to me eventually, but I was trying to be patient, not force the issue. I just happened to come home early from my trip. I was walking the grounds, planning to feed my dog, when I ran across Lucas.”
“You overtook him? But you swear he’s not hurt?” I demanded.
“Yes, you’ll see for yourself in a minute. I would never hurt Lucas – he’s one of the good guys, like me,” Jet said pointedly. “He was so intently staring forward, waiting on something, that it was easy to capture him. And now, before I reunite the two of you, I have one last question for you.”
“Yes?”
“What are you doing here? I know you didn’t come to tour the grounds, pet my sweet little puppy,” Jet said with a smile.
I had to make a decision. Lie, or tell Jet the truth. I couldn’t help it; he was winning me over.
“I needed fur from a hellhound,” I admitted, hoping I hadn’t just made a huge mistake. “For a spell,” I added.
“That’s one serious spell,” Jet commented. “What’s it for, might I ask?”
“To close the Gates of Hell for good,” I whispered.
Jet’s face registered surprise. I had decided to trust him – no going back now. I told Jet about the plan. When I had finished, he started laughing.
“That’s ingenious!” he exclaimed. “It’s exactly what those demon bastards and Tobias deserve. How can I help? Do you need me to loan you Carl for the spell? I’ll give you the hellhound’s fur; is there anything else I can get for you?”
“Wow, Jet, that’s so nice of you,” I said sincerely. “We don’t need Carl – there’s a, um, special warlock who has to close the gates.”
“Really? Who?”
“Matthews’ son,” I said, refusing to say Henry’s name.
“Ah, you mean Henry. I wondered if he would become a warlock. Surprising, though, that he’s already more powerful than his father,” Jet replied.
“I have to check with him on the other ingredients. We may need your help. This is supposed to go down next Saturday, one week from today,” I said.
“Just let me know.” Jet walked towards the door. I hesitated. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll take you to Lucas, get you the hellhound fur and then you can leave.”
I got up and followed Jet back into the hallway of the spooky mansion. “Like the décor?” he asked. “I tried to make the place look as sinister as possible; you know, like one of those old horror movies.”
I laughed. Jet led me to a closed door down another hallway. He unlocked the door and we walked inside. There was Lucas, pacing. He turned when the door swung open. I rushed forward and threw myself into his arms.
“You’re okay!” I said in relief.
&nbs
p; “I was so worried I would never see you again,” Lucas said, hugging me tighter than he ever had before.
“Ah-hem,” came an amused voice.
We turned to Jet. “I’m Jet,” he told Lucas. “It’s nice to officially meet you. Sorry for locking you up here. I wanted to talk to Aurora alone; she can fill you in on the details. If you two could wait here, I’ll get you some fur from my pet, Lassie.”
I stifled a laugh. “I didn’t name him,” Jet added. “The vampire who bit him did; bad joke, if you ask me.”
Lucas looked confused. “I told him why we were here,” I said, before he could ask anything. “Jet is going to help us.”
“Yes, I’ll be right back.” Jet turned to leave.
“Wait,” Lucas said. “What’s stopping you from tricking us? Not giving us real hellhound fur?”
“I had hoped you would know you could trust me, Lucas. But I see I’ll have to earn your trust. Very well. Come with me.”
We followed Jet out of the room, through the winding hallways, out the front door. As soon as we stepped into the yard, Jet gave a low whistle. A blurry blob flashed past my eyes. And then Lassie was sitting next to Jet, looking up at him expectantly.
Apart from being huge, the hellhound had dark, coarse fur and a long snout. He wasn’t growling, but his fangs still protruded past his jowls. Other than the werewolf, he was the scariest thing I had ever seen. I grasped Lucas’ arm, even though Lassie’s red laser eyes were obediently trained on Jet.
“He won’t do anything without an order from me,” Jet told us. He leaned down and patted the hellhound’s head. “Such a good boy,” he said, as though he were talking to a normal, domesticated dog.
While he was petting him with one hand, Jet took the other and plucked a handful of hair from Lassie’s coat. The hellhound didn’t flinch. Jet held up the fur for us to see. “Want me to put this in a bag for you?” he asked nonchalantly.
“I have one,” Lucas replied. He stepped forward and took the hair from Jet, then pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket and sealed it inside.
Jet started walking towards the gate. “Stay,” he told Lassie. Lucas and I followed him. Before opening the gate, Jet turned to us. “I meant it, Aurora, if I can help with the spell, please don’t hesitate to contact me.” I could see Lucas out of the corner of my eye, trying to stare a hole through my head. He couldn’t understand why I’d told Jet.
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