by Lainy Lane
“Whose job was it to lock up?” Ethereal’s velvety voice shook me momentarily.
We stood inside of Ember’s building, my mind racing too quickly to actually take in the scene surrounding me.
“Acqua’s, as usual.” Ember hadn’t lost any of the edge to her voice.
“Why is it always mine?” I matched her attitude almost perfectly.
Ember glared at me, the fire burning just underneath her irises. I was literally playing with fire, and I didn’t mind. It seemed like a better option than seeing what had happened to Phoenix in my absence.
“If you two would quit bickering,” Ethereal chimed in once more. “You might realize that it would seem no one closed up properly.”
I continued my stare off with Ember, attempting to match her rage, though I was at a natural disadvantage. After several moments, what Ethereal was saying registered, and I surrendered the fight and turned to her.
“They’re inside?” I squealed. This would be even worse than I had initially anticipated. Because that’s the way my life worked lately. Why hadn’t I expected as much.
“Be my guest,” Ember pointed towards the opening, still not loosening her death glare on me. “It is, after all, your fault we’re in this position.”
“Enough!” Ethereal snapped, her eyes were serious yet her tone was still gentle. “Both of you stop, soon enough you’ll regret wasting the time with it!” She pursed her lips and looked between Ember and I, daring us to defy her. She might be the sweetest of us, yet she was the one neither of us wanted to cross if there was any way around it. “That’s what I thought,” her white teeth contrasted her dark skin as she smiled in her victory. “Now, we’re behind you when you’re ready Acqua.”
Just as Ethereal had promised, they stood behind me, waiting for me to make the first move. I was frozen in time, trying to decide if I wanted to enter our home and see whether or not my worst fears had become a reality. A part of me insisted that I already knew the answer. But as long as I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I could continue trying to deny the obvious. Ethereal pushed against my back, reminding me that I had to make myself move. I had to go in and face whatever reality awaited us under Ember’s resting place from her mortal life.
The thought crossed my mind, in the moments it took to move the casket and walk down the stairs that I shouldn’t even be in this position. I didn't do scenarios that involved feelings. I had told myself I’d never love at all. If I had, at some point, decided to allow myself to have a go at a relationship of some kind, it certainly shouldn’t have been with a vampire. I had spent more time than I could ever adequately account for trying to decide if I actually would have fallen for Phoenix if it hadn’t been for the blood bond that now tied us together. He kept saying I had to already have an attraction for him for the bond to form in the first place. He seemed convinced that we would have ended up together regardless of the bond. I think it made him feel better to believe that I had already let him in before I had been forced to allow him behind my walls despite my better judgment.
Maybe it was all the doubt I’d always felt that was determined to convince me that he was wrong. Whether destiny, as Phoenix referred to it, had our road already paved out or not, I was in a situation that I never prepared for, and I didn’t like the vulnerability that it opened up in me. I was raw. I was exposed. I felt torn. All things I hadn’t allowed myself to be since I’d left my mother’s house. All things I fought against with every fiber of my being. Now I was walking into a potential war zone in my house and hoping that with Nyx’s goodwill, Phoenix would somehow miraculously be unharmed.
I crept down the stairs, waiting for a noise to indicate what I should be prepared to see. Everything was quiet. Every light was turned on, and I could smell tea brewing. When the living room finally came into view, I noticed there were long scratch marks across two of the cushions on the couch. The coffee table lay smashed into oblivion across the room. I decided I didn’t want to know what, or who had been used to break it. I remained there, frozen, looking around, wondering where to turn next. None of it added up. As soon as I concluded they must have come and gone already, I felt Phoenix’s emotions spike inside of me again. I was relieved when I registered that meant he was alive, the relief only lasted a moment. Then I realized what I felt was terror and all color vanished from my skin. There was a crash from my bedroom, and the three of us spun on our heels and sprinted down my hallway.
My door had, once again, been pulled off of its hinges and I couldn’t see it anywhere. The memory of the first time it had been taken off of the frame and turned into fragments as it flew across the room and into the back wall crossed my mind. I made myself push it back down to remain focused on what was going on around me now. The covers had been torn off of the bed, along with the canopy. The comforter had been used to strap Phoenix to one of the bedposts. Surely, he should be able to break the post in half and set himself free, yet for some reason he hadn’t. From what I could tell, there was nothing more than the comforter holding him there. So why was he allowing himself to remain a prisoner? He was bent over with his feet barely touching the ground and his face staring at the ground. I couldn’t tell for sure whether his eyes were open or not. Due to him being a vampire, he didn’t need to breathe, so I had no indicator of his well-being. I took the fact that he was standing, albeit slouched and slightly broken, as a sign that he was, at least, repairable. Without a thought of what I was doing, or even willing myself to do so, I ran over to his side and put my arm around his waist.
“Phoenix?” My voice was desperate as I prayed he would be able to respond in some form.
His right shoulder moved back slightly, and his head started to turn toward me, but before it made it more than a few centimeters, it returned to its original position. Despite the grim situation, my heart raced in knowing that the movement meant that he was ok.
“Well, well, well…” a dark and eerie voice came from the other side of the room, and I heard the footsteps of a group of people take several steps toward us. “It’s about time you showed up! We were beginning to think your blood had somehow managed to screw up the functionality of the blood bond.”
I turned to see at least ten full-grown male vampires standing around us. I forgot how to breathe when I realized just how outnumbered we were.
“What do you want?” I knew that I didn’t wish to know the answer to that question, but it was the only thing that came to mind to ask at that moment.
“Your blood, of course.” The man standing in front of the group was a good three inches taller than any of the others. His hair was long and black as night. His eyes were a contrasting, invigorating shade of radiant blue. He was hard chiseled and only wearing a ripped pair of blue jeans with a black studded belt.
Ember and Ethereal stepped in front of me protectively.
“Oh how cute, the little sister witches want to protect her.” The black haired vampire gave an evil grin to the rest of the clan.
Phoenix groaned behind me, and I turned to be sure he was ok. He hadn’t moved at all, but he was grunting slightly under his breath. I couldn’t tell if that was a good sign or not. I didn’t have time to focus on it as the massive vampire’s voice pulled me away from him again.
“As much as I’d love to add to our stash of witchy blood, I’m not really interested in either of you.” He took a few more steps toward us. “The blonde, on the other hand, we are ready to drain her dry, and you will not prevent us from doing so.”
“What makes her so special?” Ember spat the words out as if they tasted disgusting in her mouth.
He chuckled and closed the small distance that remained between our two groups. “Witch blood on a Blue Moon that has already bonded with one of our own? Dear, do you not realize the possibilities that her blood holds for us?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
In a few moments time, my entire life flashed before my eyes. I had always heard that it was the times that matter that would come to you in dire
moments lingering between life and death. I instantly realized that wasn't entirely accurate. A montage of events and people came to me, half of which were things I’d spent a lifetime trying to forget. They were the last things I wanted to think about in what could be the final few moments of my time on Earth. My mother screaming at the top of her lungs for me to get out of her sight as water from every single pipe in the house sprayed around her. The last time my father had abandoned us and left my heart open and pooling blood into my stomach. The few nights of cold loneliness that had brought on thoughts I swore I’d never consider before Ember and Ethereal found and saved me. Spells gone wrong. Every taunting memory that I worked so hard to forget, the things that had turned me into this cynical and spiteful person that I wasn’t even sure I liked anymore.
Luckily, the few good moments in my life ended the collection for me. Ember and Ethereal taking me into their coven. Times of forming great and powerful magic pyramids with them. Realizing I had an affinity for water and gaining the new name of Acqua, which had also been the point I’d decided none of the past should define me anymore – that was a goal I hadn't arrived at yet. Phoenix; almost every moment I’d had with Phoenix played out before me.
As soon as the scenes dissolved, the group of vampires and the danger of the moment became clear to me again. My heart stammered against my ribcage, and I wondered if it would explode straight out of my chest. The increase in blood coursing through my veins only seemed to heighten the danger we were in judging by the look on the vampire’s faces. If I’d known a way to make it all stop, I would have performed any number of spells to make it happen. A way to stop time so that I could get Phoenix and my sisters out would have been a handy thing to figure out at that moment. Too bad Nyx and magic didn’t quite work that way.
“So, what do you say little blonde witch girl?” The snarled voice of the vampire pack leader pulled me from my just before death daydream. “Are we going to do this the hard way or are you going to be smart and just hand yourself over to us?”
“I think it’s only polite for you to at least tell me your name, and address me by mine, before you ask me to surrender my life to your sick pleasures.” One thing I knew for sure at that moment was that when you are sure you are about to die, a strange new confidence overtakes your better judgment. I assumed it was because it didn’t matter what you said or did if your life was ending momentarily.
He chuckled, it was pure evil and his eyes gleamed through the darkness at me. “Vulcan is my name. For mannerisms, I need to know your name before you can expect me to use it.”
“Acqua,” I responded as if he hadn’t just threatened my life once again with a simple look.
“Well, Acqua, the question remains the same, despite the names.”
“I’ll make you a deal.” I was unsure of what deal I had in mind even as the words left my lips. “If you promise to let my sisters go and not to harm Phoenix, then I will hand myself over to whatever you have in mind.” The words brought bile into my mouth as I spoke them. I swallowed hard against the desire to take them back immediately.
Phoenix stirred next to me. “No.” The word was barely audible as it stumbled out of his lips.
I would never admit to Ember and Ethereal the hurt that coursed through me that he was the first to speak up against me sacrificing myself for them. The three of us had been together much longer than Phoenix had been in the picture. The three of us had walked through so many things, and we'd always stood next to each other. I’d always assumed the two of them would always have my back, but at that moment, I felt as if they had completely abandoned me.
“Well, isn’t that sweet?” Vulcan looked as though the words left a bitter taste in his mouth as he spoke them. “Too bad he couldn’t fight for you at the moment even if he really did want to.”
“Obviously, he would if he could,” I countered.
“Doubt it.” Vulcan smiled and leaned into me. “He hasn’t fully explained the blood bond to you has he?”
My heart dropped to the floor. Here was the reality I had feared for the last several weeks. There was something about this bond he had been hiding from me. I was hoping for a way to skip over the explanation. I didn't want to know. I'd finally opened my heart, knowing I would regret that decision eventually. That time seemed to be now.
“The funny thing about a blood bond between a vampire and any other species,” the smile on his face as he spoke informed me that he was getting some sick pleasure out of crushing my heart with his words, “is that the sole purpose of it is to strengthen the relationship between the hunter and his prey.”
Due to the overload of everything that had happened that night, it took me several moments to realize who he was referring to as the hunter versus the prey. I gulped down a lump of rage at the realization I was the prey being hunted by someone who was supposed to love me.
“The trust and emotions formed during the blood bond increase the power that is received from the blood when the bond finally breaks.”
I knew, somewhere deep down, that I didn’t want to know the answer to the question that escaped my mouth next. “How is it broken?” My voice cracked under my nerves as I said it.
“By the hunt ending, which of course means you dying at his hand—or mouth technically speaking.” Vulcan smiled and moved his tongue over his fangs at me to reiterate his point.
My world crashed around me. I had known better than this. I had known to keep my walls up and not let anyone in, but somehow Phoenix had convinced me to take down the wall of Acqua and here I stood, injured beyond repair due to it. I had no one to blame for my downfall but me, which made me hate myself even more than I already did.
“How long?” I didn’t look at Vulcan as I asked. I looked at Phoenix’s slouched over body. He didn’t move, didn’t attempt to speak or try to look up at me. He appeared utterly lifeless. I found a part of me hoping that he was. When I turned away from Phoenix, I was met by Vulcan being inches away from me.
“Three months,” Vulcan whispered, “it’s of course up to the vampire to decide when to end it exactly, that’s just a general number.” I felt his breath on my skin as he talked and it shot more emotions through me. “Now,” he continued as he swept my hair off of my neck and placed it to one side, exposing my neckline entirely. “Wouldn’t it be less heartbreaking to let me end it for you now rather than wait for him to decide when the bond is powerful enough for him to get his fill and kill you?” A fingertip lightly ran across my vein.
I could see Ethereal in my peripheral vision; she had a look of hurt on her face mixed with anger. Her eyes were searching for mine in an attempt to have a wordless conversation. I didn’t want to give away our silent plan we were making, so I didn’t allow my head to move, but I focused my eyes on the side she stood on. The benefit of having another witch you were close to and knew like the back of your hand was being able to speak to each other without words. I could feel Vulcan’s glare on my neck, watching my veins as they pulsed blood through me. His desire for my blood became tangible, and I could feel his need surround me as Ethereal and I discussed our next move with our eyes. Dawn was nearing, and we would only have the power of the Blue Moon for a short time longer. Ethereal turned her focus to Ember to clue her in on our plan.
“Can I still change the details of our deal?” I asked breathlessly.
“You can try, but I won’t promise to agree to the new terms until I hear it out.” His finger pulsed harder into my neck, his control was wearing thin. I could feel the temperature rising in the room as his desires increased.
“I remove Phoenix from my previous stipulations. Promise me you will leave my sisters alone, and I am yours.” I refused to look anywhere other than Ethereal. I couldn’t handle the resulting emotions of doing so.
Vulcan’s quick release of breath touched my skin as he chuckled slightly. “Deal.” He took a sideways glance at Phoenix and looked satisfied with himself. “I didn’t want to kill him anyways. But, if it makes you feel
any better, I will be sure to make him suffer— for a time at least.”
That was the second promise I’d made without the intention of keeping that night. I was going to have to remember to have a detailed conversation with Nyx about the happenings of the evening to ensure forgiveness for my words. I might be a malicious and somewhat hateful person, but breaking promises was usually where I drew the line between right and wrong. I had been the victim of too many broken promises, and the pain from it was something I didn’t wish on anyone.
I turned to face Vulcan. His eyes had darkened in color, and he had dark circles around them. His pupils were dilated and somewhat of a scarlet tone as he stared at me.
“Then we have a deal.” I smiled innocently. “Shake on it?” My eyes gleamed, turning the question into a dare.
He challenged me with his eyes for a moment, but he was too filled with the hunger for my blood to question my intentions too much. He reached his hand out toward me, and I quickly called the power of my element to me. I felt it fill me immediately as a response to my command and my skin felt as if it had soft dew on it. I felt the power of Ember’s fire and Ethereal’s air fill the room as they surrounded themselves with their respective elements. They may not have spoken up for me when I initially sacrificed myself to save their lives, but they were with me in the plan to overtake this vampire pack and get revenge over the harm they intended to bring us when they entered our house.
Just as Vulcan’s hand met mine, the look in his eyes changed color and the entire scene around us turned to chaos. Vulcan swung his arm up over his head and took me along with it. My back crashed down into the ground and sent a vibration through my entire body in response. The ground gave way underneath my body and threw cracks through the room. The group of remaining vampires that had been standing behind us and keeping quiet and to themselves suddenly sprang into action and became blurs as they surrounded our entire group to join in the strangling of body forms. There were growls, biting noises, crashes, and the sounds of bodies hitting the ground, the walls, and the furniture surrounding the entire area we were in was flying through the air in too many pieces to count. My vision was blurred from the impact of my own meeting with the floor, but I didn’t think I would have been able to completely decipher what was going on around me regardless.