Blood Song: Division 7: The Berkano Vampire Collection

by Lindsey R. Loucks

  Everyone sat riveted while he explained last night’s events while occasionally turning to look at me as if for validation. I gave them nothing. Hendry was doing just fine without me, in all the ways it mattered.

  When he finished, several grief-stricken people recounted their favorite memories of Bast. Their sorrow weighed on my chest and grew heavier with each tear that tracked down their cheeks. When these people decided to love someone enough to let them into their inner circle, they did so with their whole hearts. I wouldn’t fool myself into thinking I could be one of them someday, but it would be nice to have that level of acceptance, non-church tongue, average face, and all.

  As the last person took their seat, Hendry once again spoke. “If you’re human, I need you to go to your rooms or leave the brothel. I need to talk with my fellow witches.”

  “You’re going to talk about us, aren’t you?” a man near the back called.

  Those around him chuckled.

  Hendry cracked a smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “Only about you, Bill.”

  The humans parted from their witch friends and lovers, some of them still drying their tears, and filed out. Hendry caught my eye and nodded.

  This was it. The bringing together of witches and a possible vampire. This could be the first step in a long road to understanding each other. Or it could be the start of a bloody massacre. Hendry had been right—this was reckless.

  My steps stuttered as I crossed the entryway to the office door. We didn’t have to do this. I could’ve put a stop to it right then. Instead, I knocked at the same time I pushed the door open. The only person who knew how this might shake out was Lucy.

  She sat behind the desk while her adopted parents sat in front, a delighted grin on her face as she patted the arms of the oversized-for-her chair. Her bright blue eyes, pocketed underneath with tired purple, widened when she saw me, and she dashed out of her seat in a blur.

  My gaze caught on her adorable dress, purple with tiny pink flowers and capped sleeves, before she leaped and clung to my neck, her silky blonde curls enveloping my senses in a clean floral scent. I held her tight as warmth blossomed in my chest. Her heart beat next to mine, slow but steady.

  She pulled away and slid from my grasp, her enormous grin revealing straight white teeth that had been near my neck seconds before, and I hadn’t spared a thought to that until now. Maybe I should’ve been afraid of this girl, but I wasn’t. The deadliest things in Tombstone often came in pretty packages—like Tessa and Allison—but Lucy was different. I would call it intuition if I was right and straight-up stupid if I was wrong, but I prayed I wasn’t.

  “I’m so excited.” She bent her knees and placed her hands on them in a cute little I-have-to-pee pose. “Are we going to sing right now?”

  I glanced at Ross and Sara, who rose out of their chairs and crossed the room to put their arms around Lucy’s shoulders. Ross wore a cowboy hat, pulled low over his kind, dark eyes, and his handlebar mustache held extra curl at the ends. Sara’s golden-stitched top was tucked into a pair of jeans bound with the largest belt buckle I’d ever seen.

  Sara smiled as bright as her luminous dark skin, her gaze on me. “It’s up to you.”

  “Uh, sure.” I touched one of Lucy’s delicate curls, unable to help myself, and grinned. “Do you know any happy songs? We could really use some cheering up around here.”

  “Hendry told us about Bast,” Ross said. “We’re really sorry.”

  I nodded. Conversation like this always threw me in these types of situations since I never knew how to respond. Say thank you? Thank you for being sorry? I settled on a change of subject instead. “You’re okay with everything else Hendry told you? About the…blood and everything? It’s a long shot, but it might help bring all of us closer together.”

  “We trust Hendry,” Ross said, scratching the salt-and-pepper hair under his cowboy hat. “We’ve taken her to several witches who’ve tried every healing spell they know, so if Hendry thinks this might work for her Rift Curse, I don’t think it’ll hurt to try.”

  “Enough boring talk.” Lucy took my hand and swung it between us, turning her head to hide a cough into her shoulder. “Let’s go sing.”

  Concern ripped through me, but I tried to laugh it off. “Let’s get to it, then.”

  Hand in hand, we strode through the saloon doors and into the dining room, Ross and Sara following close behind. Quiet murmurs cut off at our entrance, and everyone simultaneously melted and lit up like beacons at the sight of Lucy. She was a natural at making people fall in love with her as she aimed her contagious smile at everyone we passed.

  When Tessa saw her, she crossed her arms over the middle of her black dress while tears glittered like sapphires in her eyes. “Well, hello there, little miss,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Don’t you look beautiful.”

  A pang of empathy went off in my chest. There was a story there, but I didn’t know what.

  Lucy hiked up one shoulder, then flicked out the end of her dress with a little skip, and it made my heart puddle into a smitten mess. This girl could make even the most poisonous of hearts fall at her feet. Some, like mine, over and over again.

  When she saw Hendry at the front of the room, she raced toward him, dragging me along with her. He beamed an all-out grin at her and swept her into a hug, his whole face etched with warmth that matched her giggle. I could watch the two of them together for days as a spectator and be perfectly content.

  Over Lucy’s shoulder, he caught my eye and aimed his grin at me. I claimed it as my own, pretending it was meant for me, even if it wasn’t.

  “Will you sing with us?” Lucy asked as he set her down.

  “Or you could go get your guitar,” I suggested, a hard edge to my voice that had no right to be there. We had too many other things that required focus other than where I stood with him.

  Lucy gasped and looked up at him. “Guitar?”

  His gaze flickered to mine. “How did you know about that?”

  “People talk,” I said, shrugging.

  He shook his head. “Not tonight.”

  The sharp way he said it hollowed out my chest because it appeared as if we were talking about two things at once. I swallowed down at the floor. “Another time, then.”

  After a long moment in which I could feel the weight of his gaze, he turned toward the rest of the dining room. “Everyone meet Lucy. Lucy, meet everyone.”

  “Howdy hallelujah.” She smiled out at the sea of enchanted faces and then looked up at me, her blue eyes twinkling with excitement. “Ready?”

  “You bet I am.” I forced a grin for her benefit. “Take it away, and I’ll see if I can keep up.”

  She started in on an upbeat folksy song about a girl with sunset hair done up in two braids that swatted at her arms and owned a dingo named Caleo who lived in the outback. Her soprano voice rang like silver chimes, clear, weightless as it floated toward the heavens. I didn’t know this song, but when I started to weave an alto melody through it, Lucy took my hand in apparent approval.

  Hendry had moved to the side wall nearby, and now leaned against it with his arms crossed and his gaze seemingly pointed inward. I tried to stay focused on the song, but my mind kept straying to our kiss that never was. The resulting embarrassed blood rush to my head nearly made me miss hearing the final note.

  The crowd erupted into applause with whistles and demands for more. Lucy curtsied, and I did what I did best—stood there like an awkward ass.

  “Anoth—” Lucy doubled over in a coughing fit, her hands flying to her mouth and her whole body shaking. A bright red color flamed her cheeks with the effort.

  The dining room went quiet. Ross and Sara hurried across the dining room to her side.

  Tessa jumped to her feet, concern digging into her forehead. “Get some water!” she yelled to a lady from the kitchen.

  Hendry rushed forward, fishing in his pockets until he pulled out a blood vial, and knelt in front of her. He glanced up a
t Ross and Sara, who nodded. “Here, Little. Drink this. But just a sip.”

  “What—?” Lucy squeaked before another cough hit her.

  “It’s blood,” Hendry said as he uncorked it. “Human blood. I think it might help you. Are you brave enough to try?”

  Gasps erupted through the dining room. “Blood?” some of them cried.

  Lucy looked to Ross and Sara, her eyebrows drawn together in a pained frown.

  Worry lines waved across Sara’s forehead as she glided her hand down Lucy’s back. “It’s okay, baby. You can try it if you want to.”

  Lucy nodded and took the vial, the blood inside coating the glass crimson. The room seemed to narrow in on it, blurring everything else out, as she tipped it over her mouth.

  My muscles wound tight, I stepped slightly in front of her in case the blood sent her into a rage, but also to block the other witches from her in case their silent shock morphed into barbarity at her drinking blood. Hendry had tensed, too, his eyes glued to Lucy.

  She forced a swallow and squished her nose into a sour face. A violent tremor rippled across her shoulders, and she squeezed her eyes closed. Several seconds passed as the entire room seemed to hold its breath. Then her eyes snapped open, doused bright red even over the whites.

  I jerked back. Hendry coiled tight, frozen. Sara gasped and clutched Ross’s arm. The rest of the crowd cried out.

  “It tickles my tummy.” Lucy laughed, two elongated, sharpened teeth curving over her bottom lip.

  Vampire. A living, breathing vampire.

  She touched her tongue to her fangs. Soon, the red in her eyes faded, and with it, the blue half-moons underneath her eyes. Her fangs retracted, and her sunken cheeks filled out and blossomed into a healthy pink. Her blonde curls, already like satin, gleamed in the overhead light. She appeared to feel a lot better instantly, just with a drink of human blood. Had it cured her Rift Curse? Could it cure everyone’s Rift Curse?

  A collective murmur rippled throughout the dining room.

  “How do you feel?” I whispered, my body too shocked to draw in enough air.

  “Like I want to sing again,” she said simply. “Ready?”

  Ross and Sara, both with tears in their eyes, touched her face, her hair, as if to be sure she was real.

  It wasn’t just me who could talk to the Berkano without driving them into a frenzy. It was all of us, and maybe I could’ve attributed it to just Lucy, but I’d talked to the leader in the hospital, too. The no-talking rule had just been debunked as myth.

  Their hunger for blood likely triggered them to bite, not the sounds of voices. Maybe they were so hungry, they didn’t care who they bit, even witches, though they couldn’t stand our blood for some reason. But Hendry had given Lucy human blood without any problems.

  Pieces of a risky plan clicked into place, one I doubted anyone would go along with, but a witch could dream.

  I turned to Hendry. “How much more human blood do you have?”

  “Not much.” He must’ve read Bad Plan written on my forehead in bright, flashing letters because he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

  “You’ll see.” I turned my back on him to address the room.

  Their faces were stunned, their wide eyes stuck to Lucy. Worried murmurs rolled from some of their tongues, but not one of them waved a pitchfork or demanded she leave. This was progress. Either that or they were saving their pitchforks for me.

  “That was human blood she just drank,” I said, talking over them. “You heard Hendry say—”

  A shrill whistle behind me quieted the room in an instant. I didn’t have to look to know it was Hendry.

  “You heard Hendry say what happened when vampires try to drink witch blood when he told you about Bast’s last moments,” I continued. “They can’t, for some reason. But we have human blood, and…I would like to offer the Berkano some in exchange for information.”

  “What?” someone at the nearest table hissed.

  Others rumbled their disagreement.

  “Absolutely not,” Hendry snapped, coming up next to me. “Fin, you got bit. Bast was killed by them, and now you want to give them blood? You can’t just go out there and expect to have a conversation with them.”

  “It’s reckless, I know, but—”

  “It’s suicide.” He took my arm, his hazel eyes flashing.

  Lucy wedged her way between us, smiling up at our faces. “What if I went?”

  “I would never send you out there alone, Little,” Hendry said, shaking his head.

  “Not alone.” She took my hand. “We could sing for them, too.”

  I gazed down at her, her bravery shocking a smile over my face. “She’s right, Hendry. We could stand outside the door. If there’s trouble, we duck back in again.”

  “It’s night out,” he snapped. “Of course there’s trouble.”

  “Now wait a minute, Luce.” Ross settled his hands on her shoulders. “This isn’t your best idea ever.”

  She scrunched her nose. “I think it’s a bravo idea.”

  I did, too, thought I knew it wasn’t without risks. I stepped closer to Hendry, his nearness staggering my breaths no matter how much I didn’t want it to, and lowered my voice so only he could hear. “You wanted me to lead to end vampire rule, so this is me leading.”

  “You’re not leading anyone by doing this.” He feathered his ragged exhales against my cheek. “You’re doing this yourself.”

  I nodded. “As a leader tends to do sometimes. It’s the first step in a lot of steps. And it starts with me and Lucy. A witch and a vampire, together, coexisting without fear.” I squeezed her hand. “And singing.”

  “Two witches and a vampire.” Hendry took a deep breath and dipped his gaze to my collar and then at Lucy. “Right outside the door?”

  “Right outside,” I agreed.

  “I can’t believe I’m even considering this,” he muttered, then turned to Ross and Sara. “If you two have any doubts, we won’t do it. End of story.”

  “As long as you and Fin are with her…” Ross sighed and adjusted the cowboy hat on his head. “We love our daughter with all our hearts. Other vampires could be just as deserving, but we might not ever know if we’re terrified of them.”

  “It all boils down to communication,” I said with a meaningful look to Hendry. “If we help them, maybe they’ll be willing to share why this false talking rule exists.”

  Hendry rubbed the bridge of his nose, his mouth pressed into a firm line. “Meet me by the front door. I’ll go get the rest of the blood.”

  Tessa lurched to her feet in front of him. “You’re not going to ask what the rest of us think about your girlfriend’s insane plan?”

  Girlfriend? When had I been elevated to that status, and why hadn’t anyone told Hendry?

  He leaned in and muttered something I couldn’t make out to her, something that leached the color from her face and flared her nostrils.

  The rest of the crowd looked from him to me and back again as he stalked from the room. They seemed as conflicted as he did as they asked each other, “Is this a good idea?” and “Do you think witches and vampires can work together?”

  Both great questions, and I hoped to find out the answers. Lucy and I filed out with Ross and Sara close behind, and we stopped in front of the boarded-up front door. Night pressed behind it, a thick veil I hoped to shake the danger from so we could all step outside to see the moon and twinkling stars. So we could be free.

  The rest of the brothel guests and employees, minus the humans, gathered in the entryway as much as they could fit without getting too close to the door. Nervous curiosity buzzed through their low chatter.

  Hendry came back with a clear glass halfway filled with blood and almost ran it into Tessa, who appeared like an angry brick wall. He skirted around her without a second glance, and I smiled down at my boots. His belief in me, even though I was sure I didn’t always deserve it, warmed my soul. It didn’t have to matter that he didn’t
want me. This—what we were about to do—and saving both of us from our collars seemed much more important.

  He started to hand the glass to me, but seemed to catch himself. Instead, he gave it to Lucy with a smile. “Try not to drink it, Little,” he said.

  “Oh, I won’t,” she said. “My tummy still tickles.”

  He turned to me, his teeth sawing across his bottom lip. “You can change your mind.”

  “I won’t,” I said. But he could, about this and us, I supposed, though his rejection still burned. I plucked a wooden stake from my pocket, ready as I’d ever be for what came next.

  He gave a reluctant nod and unbolted the door, and with a backward glance toward me, he swung it open on quiet hinges.

  With Lucy’s hand tucked tightly in mine and a stake in the other, I stepped into the night.

  Chapter 10

  108 Hours Left

  Hendry followed us out and quickly shut the door behind him. I zipped my gaze over the dark shadows on the street, searching for anything that might be barreling toward us, but the night held still, as if waiting for us to breathe life into it. Silence crowded us, thickening the air so much it solidified in my lungs.

  Hendry scoured the street in every direction, his jaw set tight as he plucked two stakes from his pockets, one for each hand.

  I gestured for Lucy to put the glass of blood down in front of us, hoping any nearby Berkano would target that before they did us. The sounds of Bast’s death echoed from my memory, dragging all hope into the cement at my feet. Bile splashed over my back teeth. My palms itched to tear open the door and run inside the brothel to safety. But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t, not when part of my fear was built on lies.

  She set the glass down with the slightest clink, then came back to me, a low hum vibrating in her throat. Her voice sloped lower, hitting every note on the way. She once again hit the top note and dived, then started in on a haunting seafaring song I’d never heard before. I took a steadying breath, opened my mouth, and wound my voice through hers.