A Witch Called Red: A New Adult Urban Fantasy (Red Witch Chronicles 1)

by Sami Valentine

  Red tilted her head, eyeing him. “You’re right. It’s your fault.” A hysterical giggle bubbled up in her throat. “Oh God, I wish I was the praying type. Vic was. He’d go to church and I’d watch TV in the van.” She wiped her eyes, feeling his blood even on her clean hands. “He’s like the brother I’ll never know if I had. I’ll can’t tell him that now.”

  Quinn looked away while composed herself, then asked, “Why did you stay?”

  “Because I had a clue about where I came from. I thought I might find out who my family was, but instead I just damned the only one who felt like family.” She lifted her head and sighed, swiping the running makeup under her eyes, staring at the smears of mascara and foundation on her fingertips. “I guess it’ll stop hurting once I’m dead, and I dunno, maybe my life will flash before my eyes, and I’ll get some answers. At least Vic has a chance.” She shrugged. “Unless Michel finds him. Hell, even if Cora wins, she might just kill us all too.”

  “No. Cora is angry, but despite all the torture, she is better for the city. She won’t do anything to Vic.”

  “The phrase snowball’s chance in hell comes to mind.”

  “We have one, if Cora can hold on long enough to stop Michel.”

  “Yay, go Team Vampire!” Red raised her fist and sneered. “Y'all are just a bunch of tools.”

  “Michel hasn’t won yet. Cora has allies.” Quinn reached through the bars to put his hand on her shoulder. “This isn’t the beginning of the end.”

  Red looked at Quinn as his words sunk in. They jolted her memory. Over his shoulder, she noticed something in the corner of the room: a camera. The shadows almost hid it, but her eyes had finally adjusted enough to see it. She bit her lip. Cora wasn’t the only one with allies. “It’s the end of the beginning.”

  She stood and walked to the edge of her cell to look at the other corners of the room. Cameras. Where there were cameras, there were microphones. Cora’s playlist might not be playing in the elevators, but she still had some loyal followers. Someone with a soul had to have been listening.

  She started waving her arms at the camera and yelled out, “Chang, I know you can hear me! Get Novak!”

  “What are you doing?” Quinn hissed at her. “Michel has more than enough reason to hate Kristoff. He was beside Lucas every step of the way, taking Paris. He did enough damage that Alaric brought him into the Order. I doubt Michel has forgotten.”

  “Lucas is probably dodging Michel’s men right now, if he hasn’t already been captured.” Red planted her hands on her hips. “Do you have any other vampires to call on?”

  “If Kristoff can get you out, can you get away from him?”

  “One problem at a time.” Red looked back at him. “Goonies never say die.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Let’s conjure up some allies.” Red waved her arms again to speak to the camera. She played her last card again. Hoping the third time was a charm. “I’m a claimed human of the ambassador of Portland. You heard what he did to Lucas Crawford- his sire. If you want to keep Cora happy, you know you have to keep Novak happy!”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  November 1st, Morning, Moon Enterprises, Inglewood near UCLA, Los Angeles, California

  Staring at the ceiling of her cell with her arms behind her head, Red counted to ten as she breathed in and held the deep breath before letting it out. Turned out that playing a bad hand over and didn’t magically make it a good hand. Some tool, Kristoff. Red guessed that the vampire was less important than his stock portfolio made him out to be. She had been awake for hours, mulling over her decisions like montage of bloopers and pratfalls.

  Quinn had let her know it was daybreak before he fell into a slumber. She tried not to look at either him or Delilah.

  They had the stillness of corpses. It only made her feel more alone.

  Red had let herself cry, rage, and even fought through a panic attack. Now, there was nothing but silence and stillness. And the uncomfortable press of her bladder.

  Red peeked her head up when the door opened.

  Chang walked in with a single look at Quinn and Delilah before he padded to Red’s cell. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at her but didn’t meet her eyes. “Get up. Bathroom break.”

  Standing, Red raised her hands and stepped forward. She waited until the cell door opened and followed him to the bathroom in the hallway. With the door cracked, she used the toilet before splashing water on her face. Staring at her reflection, she wondered when she would see it again. She wiped the old foundation and blush off her cheeks and forehead. She pulled off the dirty bandage. Delilah’s nail marks on her neck had darkened even more, giving her a grisly looking necklace of bruises and scabs. Her stomach rumbled. She brought a handful of water to her dry mouth.

  Chang opened the bathroom door, gun barrel raised at her face. “You’re done. Come.”

  Even after having guns pulled on her all night, goosebumps rose on her skin. She nodded, mouth dry again. “What time is it?”

  “What part of piping down confused you, hunter?” Chang took her back into the cell room. He frowned and paused, shoulders slumped.

  “Working early then? Or late?”

  Chang grunted, shoving her back in the cell. He looked over his shoulder at the camera.

  “You’re looking tired. Have you been on guard duty this whole time, listening in?”

  “It’s a job.”

  “The part where Cora was supposed to see me. When is that happening?” Red watched the subtle play of emotion on the undead cop’s face.

  Chang tried to hide it, but the worry was back.

  “You can’t get ahold of her.” Red guessed.

  He tensed. “She is a busy woman.”

  “You floated this up the hierarchy and got radio silence.” Red shrugged, then looked slyly at her captor. “I guess she needs to prepare for the presentation on her catch and release policy, huh?”

  Chang frowned.

  “Is that where your partner is? Guarding the Blood Summit? Or is he watching?” Red had a feeling Chang wouldn’t have been so chatty if Fuchs was listening in.

  “We aren’t joined at the hip.”

  “No, but you’re supposed to stick together. One souled and one unsouled, another symbol of that vampire unity. How’s that going?”

  “You’re talking about things you don’t understand. I don’t care what Quinn has told you.”

  “Oh for Fuchs’ sake, He doesn’t need to tell me anything. Your partner is off the reservation. He’s working with Michel.” Red pointed at Delilah. “You two saw what they did to Delilah and Quinn, but their story isn’t changing. She’s a patsy. Cora has a mutiny on her hands, but it’s not Delilah. I can prove it.”

  “You have no evidence. Just whispers from her childe. Byrnes would do anything to save her.” Chang raised his voice at the end and turned on his heel. “Just as I would do for my sire.”

  “Your gut isn’t lying to you. Neither am I.”

  “She acted against Cora. Face it before they drag you down, hunter.” He paused in the doorway, then slammed it as he left.

  Sighing, Red tipped her head back and rubbed her cheeks with both hands. Perfect.

  She went back to her bench and put her head in her hands. Her breath hitched as she tried to think about what Vic would do. He was a Bard; duty was his second nature. What was hers?

  She put her hand on her heart to feel the beat and reminded herself she was still alive. Looking up at the camera, she said, “You know something isn’t right, Chang. You’re loyal to Cora. You know at the very least that she needs Kristoff and the Portland vampires to support her. Kristoff was willing to fight his sire for me. Then the deal with the Bards. Do you really think either agreement will survive if I end up moldering in this cell?”

  Only silence answered her.

  She cursed herself, wondering why she bothered. Chang might not have been on Michel’s payroll but how much would he put himself on the
line for a supreme master who was going to fall?

  Red folded her arms and let her eyes fall closed. She still had most of the energy drink left, but she knew she was a long way from the Pandora Hotel. There was no room service in a cell, and who knew when her next potty break would be.

  Hours passed between sips of the energy drink. Nervousness kept hunger at bay, but thirst wasn’t so easy to settle. The sticky warm beverage had lost its carbonation, but it might as well have been a fine wine to her parched mouth. It didn’t sit well on her empty stomach—or maybe it was just nerves making her stomach churn. Finally, the sugar rush forced her to pace in the cell.

  “It’s past sunset.” Quinn sat up, chained cuffs rattling.

  She jumped. The transition of dead to awake startled her as much as his words. “Damn. You need a bell.”

  “I’ll work on that.” He looked at the door.

  “They’re coming.” Delilah stood up with a hobble, even if her expression was haughty as ever. The bruises had partially healed on her face.

  Red straightened her shoulders and took a step back.

  Fuchs walked in with Chang and two other vampires in ripped denim and leather biker jackets behind them. He bared his fangs at her before he pointed to Quinn and Delilah. “Take them.”

  The vampires raised guns and shot metal darts into Quinn and Delilah’s torsos.

  “Fucking hell,” Delilah rasped and staggered forward. Her body dropped on the floor in time with Quinn’s.

  The rough-looking vampires unlocked the cell to pull the Byrneses out. One threw Delilah over his shoulder while the other dragged Quinn out by his feet.

  Chang nodded to Red and unhooked the keyring from his belt. “Are we handing this one over to Novak?”

  “All those Portland vamps fled already.” Fuchs stepped closer to the cell, mindful of the blessed silver. “Did you hear that, bitch? Novak left you behind. I guess you’re not that special.”

  Red stood her ground.

  “You put a hole in me. I can make a few in you.” Fuchs cracked his knuckles.

  Chang stepped forward. “Novak wants his human back. We can’t keep her here.”

  “Who the fuck cares what Novak wants?” Fuchs’s hand drifted toward the black police baton on his hip.

  “Cora does.” Chang glared at Fuchs. “She wanted the hunter safe too.”

  “Cora doesn’t always get what she wants.” Fuchs smirked. “Just like that stupid catch and release policy of hers.”

  “How long, Fuchs?” Chang asked quietly as he raised his police baton and shook it to release a stake from the tip.

  “Want to try me, soul boy?” Fuchs raised his own baton stake. He rushed Chang and pressed his partner against the silver bars to wrestle the baton out of Chang’s hand.

  “Don’t make me do this, Fuchs!” The back of Chang’s neck sizzled. Elbowing his partner with one arm, he reached down with the other and unclipped the key ring from his belt. It fell inside the cell.

  Fuchs laughed. ”I was hoping you’d resist arrest. Finally give me a reason to shut that sanctimonious mouth.”

  Chang punched Fuchs in the side of his head and pulled a stake from his utility belt. “You prick! Cora is going to have your hide.”

  Fuchs fell back and shook his head. “Michel will take care of her and her beatnik bullshit soon enough.” He slapped the stake from Chang’s hand. It clattered noisily to the floor.

  Chang roared and tackled Fuchs. The two vampires rolled on the ground, cursing and growling at each other.

  “I fucking hate House music!” Fuchs yelled.

  “Journey sucks!” Chang answered as years of grievances over the radio bubbled up.

  Red picked up the key ring and began jamming keys into the cell’s keyhole, fumbling until she found the right one. She unlocked the door and pushed it open, then dipped down to pick up the dropped stake.

  Fuchs rolled Chang over to straddle him. “You’re weak. That soul taints you.”

  Red ran forward and jumped on Fuchs, burying the stake in his back. She didn’t miss this time.

  Fuchs hissed and reared back before his flesh decayed rapidly and his bones tumbled onto the floor, covering Chang in his dusty remains.

  “Get Club Vltava on the line.” Red panted as she pulled the stake back.

  Chang climbed to his feet and dusted himself off. “Already tried. I got a voicemail. We need to get Cora. I lost track of her.”

  Red cursed. If Cora had already fallened, if Michel had already made his last chess move, they were better off fleeing town. She tried to tell herself that Cora was cunning, Michel would strike until he was sure. Making Quinn and Delilah disappear could be hidden, staking the supreme master brought his plan into the open. Cora had to still be here somewhere. “You need to even the odds. Those bikers weren’t riding for Cora. They were Michel’s.”

  “What about you?”

  Red swallowed. “I can warn Cora.”

  Chang’s head jerked back. “That’s suicide.”

  “Michel won’t kill me yet. He has other plans for me. Somehow, I don’t think he cares that much about one of Cora’s pet cops either.” Red gestured to him.

  Chang nodded. “He wants to hurt Lucas Crawford, huh?”

  “You were listening.” Red looked up at the camera. “Who else was?”

  “The security room is empty.” Chang punched his palm. “Turncoats. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. It wasn’t until I saw that it was only unsouled vampires guarding the building that I realized you were onto something. Then to see the presentations on catch and release moved to before sunset and the last committees cancelled… I knew Cora wasn’t running the show anymore.”

  “It’s okay. When did you last see her?”

  “I tried to talk to her after she finished her proposal on catch and release, but Fuchs kept calling me back to watch the cell camera feeds.” Chang’s fangs popped out as he gritted his teeth. “I’ll round up the other souled vampires. I can at least warn them before they’re turned on.”

  “Get a hold of Detective Callaway too, Chang. She has Delilah’s real bite mold and already has her feelers out on the morgues, keeping an eye out for new minions. That’s proof Michel is ready to strike, and he’s not going to stop.” Red nodded to the door. “Where can I find Cora?”

  “If Michel is holding her, she’ll be in her penthouse on the top floor. You can take the elevator, or you'll see the stairwell on the left to get to her quarters.”

  Red nodded before twirling the stake in her hands. “Well, let’s get to work.”

  Chang led her out of the cell room. “You’re on your own until I get back. Wherever the Byrneses are… they aren’t coming back.”

  “Every hunter is alone in the end.” Red shrugged. It was something Vic told her, but it wasn’t until now that she felt the truth in her bones.

  Chang nodded, then ran down the hallway too fast for her human eyes to track. Only the slamming door of the stairwell showed where he went.

  Red steeled herself. This was it. Vic had given her a year and enough training to go out with a bang.

  They said that everyone in LA had their ten seconds of fame. If she did her job right, she’d give these vampires something to talk about for a century.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  November 1st, Past Sunset, Moon Enterprises, Inglewood near UCLA

  She stared at the open elevator but even without the sensor stopping her, she hesitated. There had been a conference in this building, but it felt like she was the last person left on Earth. No music played in the elevator. She noticed the telltale red pinpoint light on the ceiling camera was dark.

  The revolution would not be televised.

  Red took the stairs. She didn’t want to risk being trapped without an escape route in case of attack, yet the building felt as still as a vampire’s chest. The stairwell up to the top floor seemed endless, even though Red knew it was only four stories up. Each step, she wondered where the guards were.

>   Red knew that she was taking a lot on faith. Faith that Cora would be better for LA, faith that Michel could be stopped, and faith that she could make any kind of impact. It was better than the alternative. She had no doubts about what would happen if Michel won.

  Stepping out of the stairwell, she entered a hallway decorated in teal and gold paint with macramé wall hangings and a creamy white marble floor. Something told her it hadn’t been redecorated since the Manson Family roamed LA.

  Barking orders into a cell phone, Cora paced down the hallway with her bodyguards lining the walls. “The sensors tell me the guest rooms are empty. Get the last of these ingrates out of the lobby for the party at Club Vltava now. The Blood Alliance might want to bump up my agenda, but we can roll with it. Act like everything is normal. Put on my playlist. You have the key to the liquor stocks even if the Novak Boys are gone.”