by SARA FREITES
“Oh, um….”
“Come on. You can do it. Please? Autumn, come on.”
I held back a smile. He reminded me of a little boy begging his mother to let him go outside and play.
“I would, but I don’t have the spell book,” I informed him. “I’ll have to go back upstairs and…”
But then, I remembered the unlocking spell—the one I’d wanted to use on the back door. I had to think back on its exact wording…something about unlocking anything as long as I had a key. And that’s exactly what I had. My smile widened.
“Wait, I think I remember a spell!”
“Yes! Ha!” Blake’s sharp laugh echoed around us, and he gave me his hands.
I placed my palm on top of his bound wrists and set the tip of the key in the keyhole. He stared after me, waiting.
“Déverrouiller,” I whispered the spell.
And nothing. Nothing at all.
Blake's eyes narrowed. “You speak French?” he asked.
“Sometimes,” I said sarcastically.
“Are you sure that was the right spell?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Well, it didn’t work. Wait a minute. Did you just cast another evil spell on me?”
The key fell into the keyhole perfectly. I turned the lock. The handcuffs popped open. They fell to the floor along with the chains. Their clanging impact reverberated in the cell. We stood there while Blake rubbed his wrist, laughing softly.
“There,” was all I could say.
“You’ve become my new best friend,” he said with a devilish grin.
I stepped back with a hope that I hadn’t made too big of a mistake by setting him free. An image of the locked back door of the Sanctum flashed through my mind, and I jammed the key in the side pocket of my pants to join the small piece of mirror for later.
“Come on. Let’s get the hell out of here,” Blake said, his voice full of exhilaration as he walked by me.
He took hold of my sleeve and tugged me along. Guilt had me gazing over my back when the remaining prisoners ran to their cell doors and pleaded for us to release them.
“We need to go up to my room and get my spell book,” I told him. “I can use some spells to hide from the vampires later.”
“Good idea. Let’s hurry, though. I need to feed as soon as possible.”
I recoiled when he said this. I readied the mirror shard to use the invisibility spell one last time, but when we arrived at the prison exit, Blake put an arm out to stop me. He peered through the doors and scanned the area.
“Hold on,” he said quietly. “I have an idea. The vampires can’t sense me, and this way, they won’t be able to catch a whiff of you, either. Come here.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant, but without warning, Blake pulled me onto his back. He jumped in the air. I wrapped my legs tightly around his hips as we crawled across the highest points of the walls and pillars. We dodged some of the vampires lounging in the basement along the way. We made it through the stairwell leading to the first level basement area. From there, he spun me around his body against his chest and took us crawling upside down on the vaulted ceilings before we made it to the grand staircase.
Once we made it to the first floor, I asked him to stop just before we entered the kitchen. We couldn’t hide so well like this on the upper levels of the greystone. With one hand, I took the mirror shard from my pocket and with the other I gripped Blake’s wrist. His arm stiffened at my touch, and it made me feel repulsive. I whispered the invisibility spell and hoped it would work on Blake the way it did with the glass of blood. Sure enough, I watched Blake’s form meld into the shadows along with mine.
“That’s impressive,” Blake whispered.
Now with us both concealed, I led him by the arm up to my room where I released him. He reappeared in portions at first. I could see my arms while the incantation faded from me, too.
Here in the bright lights, I could finally see the man named Blake clearly. Peeking between strands of the dark hair that hung in his face, a mauve scar fell across the bridge of his nose, down past his cheekbone and into his stubble. Though they no longer glowed as brightly as they did in the murky prison, his eyes were insanely gorgeous in a weird kind of way. Strikingly familiar, they were each like their own sun against a night sky—a deep sunflower yellow—and around the outer edges of his irises, a thick ring of black encased them. His irises appeared to extend all the way inward with a slight darkening in the middle where his pupils should have been—the same way the vampires’ eyes were.
He was the guy Thade’s men had caught on the property and dragged through the back door a week and a half ago.
“What?” he asked me.
I tore my eyes from him, embarrassed I’d allowed myself to study him for so long. I grabbed the spell book off my nightstand.
“You might want to put on something a little warmer,” he suggested. “It’s a little cold outside for a human.”
“Good idea,” I agreed.
I went to my dresser and rifled through the drawers. I pulled out a long-sleeved shirt while Blake eyed the room.
“How did you get all those scars?” I asked to fill the silence as I stuffed the drawers closed.
He brought his gaze to me after I grabbed a pair of jeans and tennis shoes. “Long story,” he said coolly.
I went into the bathroom and left the door ajar so we could keep talking. “You got into a fight?” I urged him to tell me more.
“Yeah, something like that.” He left it at that.
“Too personal?” I changed out of my tank top and into the long sleeve.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“I brought that prison key to use on the back door. It’s locked on both sides.” I wiggled the key from my pants pocket. “I can just use the same spell I used on your handcuffs. That way, no one will hear us leave. You’re probably not strong enough right now to break the door down, anyway.”
He didn’t reply. I emerged from the bathroom and moved toward the bedroom door, ready to leave. I felt his eyes on me.
“You ready?” I asked, turning back to him.
I froze. He stood there, strangely unmoving. The veins in his arms and neck bulged iron in color now.
“Blake? Are you…” I asked but my voice trailed off unintentionally.
His eyes appeared to glaze over, and he’d stopped blinking. Adrenaline spewed through my system. My neck and face grew hot and tingly.
This feeling was all too familiar. I was eight years old the first time I ran into my neighbor’s full-grown German Shepherd. A dog twice my size sat between me and my front yard one afternoon while Jericho, Jacoby and I were outside playing. The dog waited there with his head hanging by his legs, a low rumble reverberating in his chest.
My stomach caught fire. My heart either completely stopped beating or went into overdrive, which, I can’t remember. But I do remember wanting to run, only fear kept me in place. My neighbor had appeared in the yard just a few seconds later, easing my worries. She took the dog by his collar, calling out, “It’s okay! I’ve got him!” as she lugged him back inside.
It was all how I felt now, but this feeling would not be eased this time. No one was there to hide me away from Blake.
I reached behind me for the door. Blake’s lips drew back, revealing his fangs. I turned the doorknob.
He lunged.
Part 2
A New Ally
I didn’t even have time to scream. When his body hit mine, we crashed into the door behind me. In an instant, it flew open and sent us through the frame and into the hallway. The cell door key flew from my hand across the hall and slid between the railing. It dropped over the edge. Blake landed on his back beside me. He grabbed the back of my shirt as I made it to my feet. I ripped myself from his suddenly cold grasp. Before I could make it to the staircase, he rammed into me. I lost my balance. I swung around on reflex and snatched his shirt by a handful.
We fell.
We tumbled d
own the steps to the landing where he hit the wood hard on his chest. I ended up directly on top of him. I got up to run, but Blake moved fast. He stood, took me by the wrist and yanked me back, causing me to spin in place. Facing him, I shoved him, but it was like trying to move a well-rooted tree. Instead, I ended up pushing myself away from him. My lower back hit the railing, and it snapped under my weight. This sent me over the edge.
I screamed and landed amongst the empty cardboard boxes in the foyer. They crushed under my weight while effortlessly breaking my fall. At first, I lay there with my arms and legs spread out across the crushed boxes in a state of absolute panic. Aimlessly, I looked to the railing, expecting to catch sight of Blake. But he was nowhere to be found. I listened motionlessly while my eyes darted in all directions. They searched on their own for any sign of movement. The only thing I heard was my heavy breathing and my heart beating in my ears.
What the hell was wrong with him? Had he lost his mind or had this been his plan all along? Then, without another thought, I knew exactly what was wrong with him. He’d fallen into a blood-rage. He wanted—needed my soul. He’d lived off old refrigerated blood for days, and it wasn’t enough.
Though they paid no attention to me, I knew one of those vamps there would help me if my life were in danger. But the problem was making it downstairs before Blake made it to me. I sprang from the smashed boxes and darted into the kitchen. I could hear him following. I wasn’t fast enough. Fighting was inevitable now. I snatched a steak knife off the counter as I passed and spun, ready to run the blade into him.
But the room fell quiet again, empty. Seemingly alone, I tightened my hold on the knife. The narrow door leading to the basement sat only feet away. Making a run for it was my only chance. I turned for it but plowed into a solid form. I bounced off it and took a few steps back. Blake glared down at me with fiercely lit eyes. He grabbed my hand that held the knife so hard I was forced to drop it.
He threw me. I shot through the air and skidded over the surface of the table. I knocked unlit candles and a flower vase onto the ground with a loud crash. I landed on the hardwood floor with so much force that it knocked the air out of me. Blake sprang like a cat over the table and braced himself on his hands and knees over me. His icy lips and fangs brushed against my neck.
Blake vanished. He reappeared against the wall and then hit the floor. Standing over me, Thade beamed a shade of red.
“Damned half-breed!” he shouted at Blake before throwing his head back like a howling wolf. “How the hell did he get out of his cell?”
Like looming pillars, two men concealed under black hooded trench coats appeared behind Blake who gathered himself to his hands and knees. He scowled up at Thade from under his brow.
“Hold him,” Thade ordered the two men.
Thade leaned down, took me by my collar and set me on my feet. He placed himself between Blake and me with one swift movement. I peered around Thade’s broad frame.
“He’s coming down off of a blood-rage,” one vampire said to the other while reaching for Blake.
Blake motioned aggressively, and the two men struck him until Thade spoke up. “That isn’t necessary!”
The two backed away. They left Blake on the floor, gasping for air. I noticed his darkened veins slowly shrinking and lightening in color.
“How did he get out, Autumn?” Thade snapped as he spun to face me. Blake rolled over to sit up, but Thade heard his movement. “Keep him down!” the vampire leader shouted.
As his voice rang in my ears, one vampire moved in fast. He kicked Blake in the stomach, this time harder than before. Blake collapsed again. The other vampire kicked him again.
“Stop hurting him!” I ordered.
Thade gawked at me as if I’d called him a name. Eden surfaced from the basement with several others.
“What’s going on?” she asked Thade.
One in the group paused to do a double-take into the foyer. The woman's eyes narrowed. She passed us and went to the entryway to pick something off the ground there.
“How did this get up here?” the woman vampire asked everyone, the prison key held between her slender fingers.
“Shit,” I whispered through my teeth.
Thade glowered at the key and then at me. His gaze fell upon the two vampires who lifted Blake to his knees. Probably confused, Blake breathed heavily while his eyes darted around the room. He tried pulling away from the two vampires, but they held him in place.
“Listen to me,” Thade said, turning back to me. His brow line creased and left his forehead as wrinkled as a strip of worn leather. “I’ll refrain from yelling because I don’t think you quite realize the impossibly stupid mistake you made tonight,” he continued slowly through his fangs. “Do you realize what he could have done to you?” he abruptly shouted.
“He wasn’t going to hurt me until he fell into a blood-rage,” I replied defensively. “He didn’t do anything wrong before that.”
“You silly little human!” Thade erupted. “Can you hear yourself?”
“You keep the poor guy locked up two stories underground in a cold, dark cell,” I shot back. “Not to mention, he’s starving to death. If you’d let him live a normal life like the rest of you bloodsuckers, he might be a little easier to get along with.”
“Autumn, he is dangerous!” Thade hollered.
“That ridiculous! He’s harmless! Look at him! He doesn’t even remember what happened!”
“You’re either arguing with me for the sake of arguing or you’re incredibly dense. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and go with the latter of the two. Forget the blood-rage, let me spell this out for you. We don’t know what he is. That alone makes him dangerous!” he shouted, causing my ears to ring.
“He’s a little grumpy and rude, but aside from that one blood-rage, he’s been fine. Look, I’ve been spending time with him, and he’s—"
Thade’s expression hardened as I spoke. His brown eyes widened. “You’ve been what?”
I watched his arms tighten around his chest like the coils of a snake. Perfect! I hoped he was about to lose it. Maybe he would kick me out for good.
“Yep,” I confirmed. “Every night you hunt.” The attitude spiked in my voice while I paused after every word.
Thade bit into his lip. “I should throw you in a cell of your own.”
“You should just let me go home!”
He stared at me in awe. “Ah! That’s what this is about? You want to drive me to get rid of you? This or anything like it will not happen again. Do you understand me?” He started in on the vampires. “Take that man back to his cell. I want at least four guards watching over the prison tonight.” His cell phone rang in his jacket. He answered it on speakerphone. “What is it, Harper?”
“Thade! We have intruders on B level!” the voice on the other line shouted.
“I’ll meet you there,” Thade said and flew into defense mode, barking orders. “Eden? You all—take the human to the rooftops until we handle the situation downstairs. I’ll send others to you.” He looked to the vampires and Blake and said, “Hold on to him for now. I’ll meet you on B level. I need men on the lowest level! Now!” With that, he went down the kitchen stairwell.
The surrounding vampires rushed Eden and me onto the back porch. Several others appeared, trailing us.
“We have intruders?” Eden asked them frantically.
“It looks like a few havidens followed us in from B level,” one of the arriving vampires answered.
We briskly walked through the backyard where I was taken by the waist and placed into someone’s arms. We all shot through the air. We landed on the Sanctum’s roof and made our way across it.
“We’ve never had anything like this happen before,” Eden worried.
“Makes you wonder. Doesn’t it?” another vampire asked her.
“What, that Arlos might have something to do with this?” the vampire carrying me asked. “That he might know she’s here?”
; “Exactly,” the other replied.
We moved to a taller greystone across the street. My stomach rolled from the height and speed we moved. We darted across that roof when one of the vampires following just behind shouted. Six havidens with distorted faces crawled up the side of an adjacent skyscraper. Four vampires from our group instantly jumped on them. Eden ran to the vampire who effortlessly carried me in his arms.
“I don’t think my father realized it when he sent us out, but the sun is about to rise,” she warned him.
“What?” the vampire asked over his shoulder to see for himself. “Damnit. Take her. I’ll warn the others. We’ll lure the havidens back to the Sanctum. I’ll send Garrett out to you and call you when it’s safe to come back.”
He set me down and left us there. Eden took me by the wrist. Without hesitation, she dashed toward the building’s edge, practically dragging me along behind her. I panicked after catching a glimpse of the large space between this roof and the next—maybe four or five yards long, too far for me to jump across.
“Eden, wait!” I called when I realized her intentions were for us to jump the gap.
“You’ll make it! I’ll pull you through,” she assured me.
And then, she leapt. The force of her pull yanked me along behind her. We sailed through the air. When we made it to the other side, my knees buckled from the harsh impact. I tumbled, but Eden helped me to my feet. Before we could go any farther, a man dropped from the sky nearly right on top of us. Eden threw me aside just before she and the man toppled backward over the roof’s ledge. I shrieked and watched over the edge after them. Several stories below, Eden screamed as they hit the ground together. The man bounced away, ready to attack again. I knew then that he was a haviden.
“Help!” I shouted over my back, but the vampires were no longer in sight.
I helplessly watched the haviden began tearing into Eden with his fangs. Another one appeared in the alleyway. She circled Eden as I watched in horror. My friend was about to be eaten alive by her own kind.