Hesitation flickered across Jack’s face. “But if these Nosferatu live another day, how many more innocent people will they kill? Not everyone they go after will be a mage with a dagger.”
“We’ll stay and fight,” Dorian said with a nod, surprising me. “But if even one of us falls, we agree to complete the rune and get the hell out of here.”
“Deal,” Ryker said. Quietly, he motioned to his team, and they drew together into a circular formation that Dorian and I joined as well. We each faced outward toward the night with our blades held at the ready, our backs tucked tight against each other so no one could approach us from behind. The rebels were well-organized and clearly trained, and I hoped it would be enough.
A blur of motion launched itself in our direction, and something hard slammed into my body. As I stumbled onto the hard dirt, I heard the cries of my allies as they were hit just as hard. The vampire grabbed me and hoisted me off the ground, throwing me away from the others.
My teeth knocked together when my body hit the earth, my ears ringing from the impact. The ache went deep into my bones as I struggled to stand, but I grit my teeth to block it out. The blur hurtled past me once again, and I followed the movement with my dagger, spinning quickly in my boots.
In the distance, I could see the battle raging on, Dorian whirling at an impossible speed. I’d been tossed out here all on my own, I realized, as my heart pounded against my ribcage. I was the prize. The meal they were all craving. And they’d separated me from everyone else as quickly as they could.
Luckily, I wasn’t a sweet innocent sheep being led to the slaughter. I was a fucking shadow mage.
My magic boiled inside me as the Nosferatu hurtled past once again. It was circling me, trying to confuse my eyes. If it could distract me long enough, then another vampire could move in for the kill. Bending my knees, I readied myself, calling upon my shadow magic.
Smoke curled inside my belly, whispers of darkness filling my mind. But for once, I embraced it and opened myself to every single part of those shadows. Darkness could answer darkness, I figured. If these Nosferatu wanted to come at me, they’d have to deal with my power.
Long black strands spilled from my fingers just when the Nosferatu finally made its move. It hurtled toward me, its wide red eyes zeroing in on my throat. Sharp nails were held high as it bared its lips to reveal two rows of teeth that were as sharp as knives. I tried to hold in my fear, knowing that it would only take a second for this creature to rip out my neck.
Taking a deep breath, I lifted my hands and hurled my magic at the creature. It let out a shriek as the darkness hit him hard, sending him spiralling into the night, far away from both me and the others. To my right, another figure flew past, and the tension in my body racketed up another notch. I’d been right. There’d been two circling me. And while I’d taken care of one, I didn’t know how long until he’d be back.
The second Nosferatu rushed toward me without a single sound, and once again, I threw out my hands. This time, my magic missed. The vampire’s lips twisted into a smile, its long and thin body bearing down on me. It reached me fast, faster than I’d expected. Its hand snaked out and grabbed my hair, pulling me close to its chest. I wriggled in its grasp, kicking and punching and throwing my entire weight into my squirms.
But the creature was far too strong. It was Dorian times ten, and there was no way in hell my measly muscle could get me out of this. Heart charging like a bull, I tried to summon my magic. If there was any time I needed it, it was now. I didn’t know what I wanted it to do, and I especially didn’t know the how of it.
I just knew I needed it. My life depended on my power.
The magic twisted and turned in my gut, screaming inside me. Voices whispered in my ears. Kill the vampire. Destroy the creature. Tear its body to shreds. Swallowing hard, I squeezed my eyes tight and gave my magic the slightest of nods, giving it permission to do whatever the fuck it wanted in order to ensure I survived.
That was all it took.
Dark magic blasted out of me like an exploding bomb. The vampire screamed and dropped its hands from my neck just as it shot up into the dark sky. The creature spun as shadows encircled its body, writhing and twisting as strand after strand of shadows closed in around its open mouth.
My magic was suffocating the creature, drawing out its demise like a demented form of torture. A limb popped off and hit the ground. And then another. Piece after piece until there was nothing left but a pile of blood and bones.
Nausea choked my throat, and I fell to my knees. My vision swam, and my eyes burned. How could I have done such a thing? How could I even be capable of it? It was so wrong. Twisted. Demented. As much as I’d wanted to save myself, I hadn’t wanted to do it like that.
Another scream reached my ears, but this time, it wasn’t a Nosferatu setting its sights on me. It was Gigi, calling out as a Nosferatu’s fangs sunk into her neck. Abandoning the gruesome pile of vampire flesh, I jumped to my feet and ran toward her, pumping my arms by my sides. Her head was tipped back, and her eyes were open wide as she stared up at the sky, almost unseeing.
She’d stopped fighting against the vampire, either out of fear or pain. And before I could reach her, the vampire pulled his fangs from her throat, snapped her neck, and tossed her body to the ground. Utter horror filled my gut, and I had to force my feet to keep moving.
Even though I’d only just met her, wave after wave of grief crashed into me. She’d been so young. All she’d wanted was to make the supernatural world a better place. Save the sun mages. Stop the covens from hurting anyone else.
And now, she was dead.
I stopped with my feet only inches from her body. A tear leaked out of my eye as I stared down at her blood-stained neck. Only moments before, she’d been so alive, her bright hair flaming down her back. How could someone with so much life be gone from this world with the single flick of a vampire’s wrist?
“Zoe!” Dorian cried out from behind me. “To me!”
I turned toward Dorian just as another Nosferatu rushed toward me. Its hands curled into sharp claws, and I ducked to the ground just in time. Dorian’s training kicked in, the moves I’d practiced so many times coming to life as if by instinct. I threw out my leg and rolled to the side, jumping up just as the vampire fell to the ground.
Taking a deep breath, I landed on top of the creature, yanking my blade from my belt. The vampire hissed into my face, its breath reeking of iron and dirt.
“You can kill as many of us as you want, Shadow,” it said in a low and eerily-lyrical voice, “but we’ll keep coming back. One by one for the rest of your days. Until we have your sweet, delicious blood.”
And with that, I slid my dagger into its skull until the breath stilled on its gruesome lips.
With sweat dripping into my eyes, I scanned the carnage around me. Dorian fought two more vampires at once, their bodies blurring as they moved at an impossible speed. Ryker was on his back, struggling to fend off a Nosferatu woman with impossibly long dark hair. Gigi was gone, and I didn’t see Jack anywhere in sight. My heart sunk when I shifted my eyes to the left and found his body on the ground. They’d snapped his neck as well.
Grief shook me. This was all my fault. All of it. If it weren’t for my terrible magic and my tempting blood, none of this would have happened. No one would be dead, and the rest of us wouldn’t be two seconds away from death ourselves.
With my magic still burning hot inside of me, I finally lifted my gaze and stared at the raging battle. My power’s whispers filled my head again, words speaking to the darkest parts of me. You are stronger than this, it said. Get on your feet and fight, shadow mage.
For the first time since I’d begun to battle with my magic all those months ago, its words brought me comfort instead of pain. Closing my eyes, I stood and curled my hands into fists, taking two deep breaths before I launched myself at the vampire who towered over Ryker.
Two rebels might have fallen this night, but I wouldn’t
let another die. I would defeat these Nosferatu if it was the last thing I did.
I threw myself forward and grabbed the vampire around the neck, yanking it away from Ryker’s trembling body. Hissing, she whirled toward me and smiled when her eyes landed on my face.
“Shadow,” she whispered, dancing a step left and then a step right. “Show me what you’ve got.”
“Okay,” I said, and then threw my dagger at her heart. Her eyes went wide when the blade found its mark, digging into the only part of her that was still alive. In an instant, she was dead on the ground.
“Zoe! Dorian!” Ryker called out, waving his arms from where he’d fled to the travel circle while I’d taken on the vampire. “I’ve finished the rune. We’ve got thirty seconds before this thing gets us the hell out of here. You need to run. Now!”
Dorian was by my side in an instant, only a single Nosferatu at his back. He grabbed my hand, and we sprinted across the wet grass. Rain continued to pelt down on our heads as the shriek of the vampire followed us close behind. We were going to make it. The three of us were going to get out of this hellhole alive.
But when we were only seconds from joining Ryker, the vampire raced past us, slamming into the warlock before I could even so much as choke out a cry of alarm. The travel spell shimmered, filling up the darkness with an impossibly bright light.
And then they disappeared.
Chapter 15
Dorian slammed his fist on the soggy ground where Ryker and the Nosferatu had just disappeared. “Shit! Shit!”
Even though the danger had passed, my heart still beat wildly in my chest. “What just happened? Did the vampire get through? Do you think Ryker made it out alive?”
“I don’t know, Zoe.” Dorian’s fists met the earth again as he dropped his head toward the ground. “I should have just agreed to take my castle. No one would have died.”
I placed my hand on his shoulder, and he winced. “You can’t blame yourself for this, Dorian. We had no way of knowing they’d be out here waiting to attack. And someone still would have had to come outside to draw the perimeter. I don’t think taking the castle would have saved anyone at all.”
“But at least there’d be room to fight inside the castle,” Dorian said. “Now, Ryker is stuck in that tiny circle all the way back to their base. How the hell he’d survive that, I don’t know. That’s a long, long trip alone with a hungry vampire.”
My heart squeezed tight as I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Listen, if you want to play the blame game, then you better start pointing your fingers at me. Because I’m the whole reason they were out here on the hunt in the first place.”
“Because your blood is just so fucking sweet,” Dorian said in a low growl as he stood, his body angled toward mine. He pulled me close and weaved his fingers through my hair, pulling back my head so that I had to meet his eyes. “You’re impossible to resist, Zoe. I should have known that going into that cavern. I could have done more to keep you shielded from their desire.”
I swallowed hard, not sure desire was the right word to apply to the Nosferatu. Maybe more to a certain hybrid. One who was staring at me now like he wanted to eat up every last ounce of me. I shivered at the thought, the adrenaline of the fight turning into something much different than fear and bloodlust.
“You’re cold,” Dorian said when he felt me shiver. “We should get you back inside and get that fire going again. We don’t know when—or if—Ryker will be back.”
“I’m cold, but that’s not what I’m shivering about.” The words popped out of my mouth before I could stop them. We’d survived a Nosferatu attack, and Dorian had just spoken of desire. It was all I could do not to wrap my thighs around his waist right here and now in the dark storm of wind and rain.
His lips quirked as he lifted me into his arms. “Oh, is that so, Zoe Bennett? Perhaps I should warm you up some other way.”
But once inside, Dorian didn’t carry me up the stairs and deposit me into his bed as I’d hoped. Instead, he stoked the fire back to life and grabbed a shovel from beside the door. His face was grim, no sign of the desire that I’d been craving.
“I need to take care of the bodies.” He gave a heavy sigh. “They deserve a better end than being left out in the rain, and if they remain where they are, it’ll only draw more Nosferatu to the grounds. We’re safe inside this castle. They can’t get in here. But I don’t want them wailing outside all day and night. Because that will get the attention of the Blood Coven. And I think neither of us want that.”
Shivering still, I nodded. “Do you want me to help?”
“Stay inside where it’s warm and safe,” Dorian said. “More could come back.”
“But if they do, you’ll be out there all alone.” I shook my head and stood, but my knees almost collapsed underneath me. “I can’t agree to that.”
“Too damn bad, Zoe Bennett,” Dorian said with a slight smile. “You’re staying and resting. Remember, they don’t want me. My blood is useless to them. Hell, I practically don’t even have any for them to drink. Not the kind they want anyway.”
That was a strange thought, but I decided not to pry into the exact science of his vampiric nature. I had a feeling it would only open a can of worms that I wasn’t quite ready to handle. There’d been enough Dorian revelations for one day. And I was more than tired from the long night in the cells, the escape from the Blood Coven, and the fight with the Nosferatu.
I couldn’t let Dorian go out there alone though.
But before I could get my feet on the floor, I felt myself drift into darkness.
In the distance, a howl split the night. With clouds in my mind, I cracked open my eyes to see a roaring fire in front of me. I glanced out the window to find nothing but darkness, clouds obscuring a full moon. The room was silent other than the crackle of the flames, and as I pushed up from the couch, I found that Dorian still wasn’t back from burying the bodies.
I tried not to panic. There could be a million reasons why he was still out there, though hours must have passed for the night to have deepened this much. He may have taken them someplace else, worried the scent of fresh blood would tempt the Nosferatu to come onto the grounds, even if the bodies were buried in the earth. Or perhaps some more vampires had shown up, and he’d had to fight them off. Or maybe he’d drawn them away from the castle.
That thought gave me little comfort. If he’d had to fight them alone, had he gotten badly hurt? Was he out there, somewhere in the dark night? Stuck in the pounding rain and whistling wind? Hoping and waiting for me to finally wake?
My heart pulsed as I padded into the hallway, but as it turned out, I didn’t have to go very far. A door was ajar halfway down the hallway, light spilling out onto the hardwood floor. Slowly, I approached the room and peeked inside to find Dorian perched on an armchair, his dirt-caked hands hanging limply by his sides. He stared at a collection of framed photos on the wall.
“Feeling any better?” Dorian asked without turning my way. He had better hearing than mortals, and he would have heard me approach long before I even reached the door.
“Physically, yes. Mentally…I don’t know,” I said, sliding into the room. “Did you take care of…?”
He nodded, shadows and lines etching his ancient face. “There’s so much blood on my hands.”
“Then, let’s get them clean,” I said as I reached him. I placed my hands on his shoulders and lowered myself to crouch in front of him. “I’ll help.”
He shook his head. “That’s not what I mean, Zoe. So many people have died because of me, some by my own hands. This curse, sometimes it feels like a gift. Enhanced speed and agility. Strength. I can hear things I shouldn’t be able to hear. And I get so many more years on this planet. But the truth is, those abilities only add to the curse. They don’t help my life at all. They hinder it.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, staring up into his deep charcoal eyes. He’d rarely ever talked about his curse, and he’d never told me why he�
�d gotten it in the first place. Whatever had driven those warlocks to turn him into an Unbound, it had been terrible enough that he didn’t want me to know.
“Because it only leads to more blood on my hands,” he said sadly. “My strength can kill people. Each extra year only leads to more deaths. And nothing I can do, no matter how hard I try, changes that.”
“But your strength didn’t kill Jack and Gigi,” I said. “The Nosferatu did that.”
“This happened on my property. Jack and Gigi came here to get us back home,” Dorian said. “They were my responsibility, and I agreed to stay behind and fight the vampires, thinking my strength was enough. After all this time, I should know better, but I don’t.”
Tears pricked Dorian’s eyes as he stared hard at the photos on the wall, and suddenly I realized that this was about far more than the rebels. Dorian was speaking of something else, something that happened long ago, something that made him into the man he was today. Quietly, I took his hands in mine. His cold steel hands that sent waves of warmth through my body.
“What happened, Dorian?” I asked in a whisper. “Who are those people in the photos?”
Dorian clenched his jaw and glanced away. “My family. Mother, father, sister, brother. All bone mages who died because of me.”
My lips pressed together into a straight line, and my heart throbbed painfully in my chest at the sight of such an open wound inside his mind. I had a feeling I knew how his family had died, and while a part of me was desperate to know, I didn’t want to make him relive his painful past.
“I’m sure it wasn’t your fault, Dorian. You’d never—”
“But it was my fault.” Angrily, he stood and began to pace the floor. The soft glow of the light illuminated his pained expression and the tight fists by his sides. “There’s something you don’t know about me, Zoe, and it’s something I never wanted you to learn.” Slowly, he glanced up and met my eyes. They churned with fear and pain and something else. Regret. “But with the way I feel about you, it’s only right for you to know. It’s going to change how you see me, but being back here, seeing these photos, remembering their faces…it’s reminded me that I’m not the man you think I am.”
The Bone Coven Chronicles: The Complete Series Page 51