Chapter 23
Rage boiled through my veins, giving me a sudden burst of power, which heavily fueled my adrenaline. I crossed the empty street and flung the bar door wide open, stepping inside only to see the bartender cleaning after he closed.
“We’re closed,” he said automatically, before looking up.
I was next to him in a flash. “Where are they?” I said, grabbing him around the neck with my hand and lifting him off the floor with a little push of power.
“I can’t,” he choked out, his face reddening under my grip. “They’ll kill me if I tell you.”
“And I’ll kill you if you don’t,” I snarled back at him, feeling angry enough to actually do it.
His eyes darted away from me, and I followed his quick glance toward the back of the bar. I butted his head against the shelves, and he sank to the floor. Quickly, I made my way toward the storage area and peeked around the corner.
I could see one of Shelly’s groupies leaning against a door, smoking a cigarette. He hadn’t heard me because of the ear buds he was wearing. I could hear the music from here. Since he was facing away from me, I snuck up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, I punched him right in the face with all the magical force I had. I felt bone crunch beneath my fist, and he sank to the floor.
Pushing him out of the way, I opened the door to reveal a wooden staircase, which descended into the black earth. I couldn’t see any kind of light, and I had no idea what was down there. Quietly, I tiptoed down the stairs, making as little noise as possible. I levitated over three stairs at a time and pushed off the fourth. Finally, I reached the bottom, finding myself in a dark, narrow hallway.
I walked toward a dim, glowing red light I could see coming from what looked like the crack at the bottom of a door. When I reached it, I stopped and listened, holding my breath.
I could hear nothing.
There were only two choices left for me now. I could go through the door or go back the way I’d come and call for help. Slowly, I turned the handle of the door, and silently swung it open. It took a second for my eyes to adjust, and then I gasped at the sight before me.
Vance was sitting in the middle of the dimly lit room under a small red light bulb hanging from a string. He was bound in irons and strapped to a chair. The manacles holding him in place were obviously magically reinforced, a slight greenish glow emanating from them. Stripped to the waist, his head drooped against his chest. Slashes and bite marks covered his arms, and his veins were pitch-black, running up his neck toward his face.
“Vance?” I called in a choked whisper, repulsed by the damage.
His head slowly lifted toward mine, and his glowing, blood-red eyes stared straight into my soul.
“Run!” was all he said, and I covered my mouth with my hands to stop the scream that threatened to escape.
I did run—toward him, throwing myself at his feet and trying to find a way to loosen his bonds. He slumped over in the chair again.
“Hang in there, Vance,” I said frantically, hoping no one could hear the noise I was making, but then I heard a sound behind me. I jumped up, swinging around and coming face to face with Shelly.
“He’s mine now!” she spat viciously.
“I don’t think so!” I flung my hand out with a burst of magic and sent her flying across the room.
She hit the wall hard and crumbled to the floor like a broken doll, not moving. I tried to still my rapid breathing as I watched her, making sure she was down before turning back to Vance. I needed to figure out a way to get him free from the irons. I grabbed and pulled, trying to think of a spell or something that would free him, but I couldn’t make it work. I placed my hand on his arm while I paused to rack my brain. He was so hot to the touch.
“Think, Portia, think!” I said aloud. I was about to cry in frustration when suddenly an idea popped into my head. I remembered our first outing together, when Vance had taken me to his secret place. He made a fireball in his hand, and I had frozen it.
I grabbed the manacles and thought of that moment. Right away a cold wave flowed from my hands and through the iron binding him. I kept pushing that power into the metal until I began to hear cracking sounds. I didn’t stop, continuing to force the magic into it, and soon the cuff fell apart into jagged pieces on the floor.
Giving a little exclamation of glee at my success, I quickly went to work on the cuff binding his other arm. When it was destroyed, I moved on to the ones at his feet until, finally, I set him free.
Clapping filled the air behind me, and I cast a glance toward the corner, finding Shelly still collapsed in a heap. Cautiously, I straightened, turning slowly to face the newcomer, and my muscles tensed. I could see someone—a demon judging from the red eyes—standing in the shadow of the doorway, but I was unable to make out anything else.
“Bravo, Portia! I didn’t think you had it in you,” an unfamiliar female voice said.
“Who are you?” I asked, standing my ground.
She stepped inside, but kept herself well hidden in the shadows around the perimeter. She didn’t answer me, choosing instead to work her way around the room until she stood behind Vance, with me in front of him.
All of a sudden, she leaned into the light and slapped Vance hard on the face twice.
“Wake up, son! We have company!” she rasped.
I took two involuntary steps backward.
Krista Mangum!
“Surprise!” she said, laughing at my expression. “You weren’t expecting to see me, were you?”
“It’s been you all this time?” I shook my head in denial. “Why? How?”
“I’m guessing you got the whole sob story from Vance about how I ran away with him,” she said, her red eyes never leaving my face. “Well, his daddy found me and showed me what I was really missing. All that power—who could resist it? Damien and I have been looking for him ever since.”
“But why?” I asked, unable to wrap my head around this. “You worked so hard to get him away!”
“I didn’t understand the truth back then. Power is everything. And my son has plenty to spare!”
My heart hurt for Vance, but I pushed the emotion aside and tried a different tactic.
“I can’t imagine Damien will be too happy with you. After all, you’ve been feasting on his prize.” Where is he?
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that!” She laughed. “Damien sent me for Vance, and I’ve bottled plenty of blood for him. I’m taking Vance to him later, after his conversion is finished. It will be much easier to travel with him that way.”
We were slowly moving around the room now, making a wide circle around Vance as we spoke.
“How’d you get Shelly involved in all this?” I asked, stalling while I desperately tried to create a plan.
“Who? That twit in the corner?” she said, barely glancing in Shelly’s direction. “She’s not even a witch—just my little puppet on a string. It was easy to place a spell on her and then channel my magic through her. She had no control over her own mind.”
While I was relieved to hear that Shelly hadn’t done any of this of her own free will, I didn’t have time to ponder its meaning. I had no idea how I was going to get out of this mess, let alone take Vance with me. Krista was like a hawk guarding her prey.
He started to move in his chair.
“Son! It’s time to wake up! There’s work to be done,” she called again loudly.
Vance slowly opened his red eyes and stared at me.
“Isn’t it fitting that you’ll be his first kill, the one that’ll help him complete his change?” She laughed, and I watched as her face transformed. Her brows furrowed, small horns popped from the top of her forehead, and her teeth sharpened into uneven rows. All the while, her glowing eyes continued to mock me.
“Time for dinner, son. Trust me, you don’t want to pass on a fresh-blooded witch. It will taste better than anything you’ve ever tasted.” She licked her own lips even as she enc
ouraged him to attack me.
Vance slowly stood from his chair, and I realized with horror I’d unwittingly set my own killer free. He began stalking toward me, and I unknowingly crept backward—one step for every step he took forward, until I abruptly found myself against the wall with nowhere to go.
Knowing I was being hunted, I easily saw the hunger in his eyes—eyes that never left mine. I couldn’t look away. He was magnificent, and I both loved and feared him at the same time.
He continued to move toward me until he was pressed completely against me, pinning me against the wall with his body. One of his hands ran slowly down my right arm and grasped my hand, raising it. He did the same with the other, lifting it too, until both of my small wrists were captured under his right hand above me. His left hand he placed behind my head, twisting his fingers into my hair, pulling my face closer to his.
I wasn’t expecting the kiss when it came, his mouth slanting over mine, kissing me hard and passionately. Even now I couldn’t resist him, knowing it would be our last time, so I kissed him back, then started to cry.
“Finish her!” his mom yelled.
He pulled away, and I saw his teeth lengthening into fangs.
“I love you,” I said, wanting it to be the last thing he heard from me.
He yanked hard on my hair, pulling my head to the side. Then he leaned in and bit into my neck like I’d seen in a dozen vampire movies. I wanted to scream when I felt the searing pain. I felt my blood bubble to the surface, rushing from my neck into his mouth. He sucked, drawing deeply from me for several moments and then, unexpectedly, he released me and turned toward his mom, who was still chortling across the room.
Shock overwhelmed me when he threw his left hand out, and a large arc of flame shot from it, completely engulfing her in fire, incinerating her on the spot while she screamed in horror. When there was nothing left but ashes, he turned and slumped against me, sliding roughly to the floor in a dead faint.
I raised a trembling hand to my neck, pressing hard to try to stop the bleeding, as I shakily ran through the door and upstairs to the bar above. I grabbed the phone from behind the counter and dialed the number to my grandma’s with my blood-slicked fingers.
“Hello?” her frantic voice answered on the first ring.
“Come quickly. I found him, but there isn’t much time,” I shouted into the receiver, giving her the location.
“We’re on our way!” she said and slammed down the phone.
I dropped the phone without bothering to hang up and ran back downstairs to where Vance was unconscious on the floor. I wanted to try and wake him, but was too afraid. I didn’t know how much control he really had, and I worried other demons were lurking close by.
I heard a soft moan in the opposite corner and rushed to check on Shelly.
“Portia?” she said, opening her eyes with a confused expression. “What’re you doing here?” She stopped to look around. “Where is here exactly?” she added, glancing at me and then down at herself. “And what am I wearing?” she moaned, and that’s when I knew she’d be okay.
“There’s no time to explain right now,” I said in a rush. “We’re in a terrible situation, and I need your help to move Vance.”
“Vance?” she asked blankly, her expression puzzled. “What’s the matter with Vance?”
“I promise I’ll explain everything if you’ll just help me first,” I pleaded, trying to show her the desperateness of the situation.
“All right.” She grabbed my outstretched hand, climbing to her feet. We went to where Vance was lying on the floor.
“Wrap his arm around your neck,” I instructed, showing her what I meant as I wrapped his other arm around mine.
We got him into a sitting position, and I reached back to grab his belt loop, using some levitation magic to pull him to his feet. Shelly’s eyes widened, but to her credit, she didn’t say a word. The two of us maneuvered Vance into the ground floor bar area, where I directed her to help me slump him into a nearby booth.
“Someone’s here,” Shelly said, her head jerking up when we heard a car outside.
“It’s okay. It’s my family,” I explained, as my dad came running into the bar.
“He’s here,” I called, motioning to him.
“I’ve got him. Go get in the car!” he replied, moving to grab Vance.
“Go ahead,” I told Shelly. “I have one more thing I’ve got to do first.”
I ran back into the storeroom and glanced around. The refrigerator was in the corner, and I ran to it, pulled the door open, and found what I was looking for. Pint after pint of blood filled every shelf in the whole icebox.
Flinging my hand, I sent a burst of magic at the contents, shattering the glass jars in every direction, spraying blood all over the fridge and myself. I slammed the door shut, turned, and raced to the car.
“Are you okay?” Grandma called from behind the wheel, seeing the blood on my clothing.
“I’m fine!” I jumped into the backseat next to my dad and Vance. “Let’s move it!”
The tires squealed as we peeled from the parking lot. We sped through town, thankfully not passing a soul, and soon we were back at Grandma’s. Several members of the coven were there waiting for us when we arrived. They helped get Vance into the house and downstairs where they’d prepared a containment area in the ritual room. He was gently placed on a cot behind a magically charged glass wall before the coven members stepped out and sealed it behind them.
“Is it necessary to move him from one prison to another?” I asked, feeling like a traitor for doing such a thing.
“Yes it is, honey,” Grandma said seriously. “If we can save him, and that’s a big if, he’s going to go through some serious withdrawals. He’ll be a danger to all of us now, even you,” she warned.
I didn’t care. He was back with me. He was still my Vance.
“Let’s have a look at that neck,” my dad said, lifting his hand cautiously toward my wound. “Did he bite you?”
“Yes. But he did it to save me. His powers were drained, and he needed my strength to help defeat his mother,” I replied, silently adding to myself that I hoped it really was the reason he’d done it.
“His mother?” Dad and Grandma said at the same time, their confusion written on their faces.
“Sit down and tell us what happened,” my dad said.
I sat on a cot outside the cell and explained everything that had happened since I left the house this evening until I made the phone call.
“That was very risky, Portia!” Grandma chastened me. “You shouldn’t have done this without the rest of us! You could’ve been killed!”
“It would be better than living without him.” I sighed, rubbing my hands at my temples. My poor mind didn’t need this lecture right now. “I need to talk to Shelly. I promised her an explanation.” I stood and left the room, going upstairs to find her.
“What happened to my hair?” she asked when I walked into the room, from where she was huddled under a blanket on the couch. “It’s black! Tell me, please, how I ended up with black hair!”
I plopped down next to her. “Shelly. I have something to tell you, and you probably won’t believe it,” I began, wondering how to tell her exactly what was going on. About an hour later, and a few magical examples to boot, she finally believed me, and I thought she actually comprehended the things I was telling her.
She didn’t remember any of it. Her mind was a complete blank void when it came to her life over the past few weeks. She cried and cried when I told her about the explosion at the school. I assured her it wasn’t her fault, she had been used.
“What about Brad?” she asked finally. “Is he okay?”
“As far as I know.” I gave an exhausted sigh. “I’m going to have to explain all this to him too, I guess. He’s been coming by for days asking to see me, Grandma says. He’s going to wonder what’s going on.”
“I’d better call my parents,” Shelly said with a dejected sig
h. “I wonder if they were under a spell too. They would never let me get away with all this stuff.”
“That actually makes sense. Vance commented at one time they seemed to be acting strangely.”
My dad came up the stairs and offered to take Shelly home.
“You should go change. You’re covered in blood,” Dad reminded me, stopping to look at me on his way through the door with Shelly.
Bruce, from the coven, went with them to make sure everything was all right with the Fontanes.
Heading down the hall into the guest bedroom, I pulled a pair of boxers and an old tank top from the dresser and headed into the bathroom for a shower. The hot water sluiced over my body, washing the dried blood down the drain with it. Lathering myself in bubbles, I shampooed my hair and shaved my legs, before I finally lost it. My muscles trembled as the dam inside me broke, and I slid down the wall, huddling in the corner, and cried my eyes out.
Of Witches and Warlocks: The Trouble with Spells Page 24