by K. Webster
“You better have found the Shadowed Sanctum too,” I tell her. “You’re close. I can feel it.”
“We’ll see,” she mumbles in frustration. “Anyway, tell Merc I love her. I smuggled that bracelet from the provinceman I spoke with. As far as I know, this gemstone has never left their realm. It’s a very special trinket just like her.”
My eyes well with tears and I blink them back. Loey is good to Mercy and that makes her amazing in my book. Mercy deserves all the goodness in the world, even if it means stolen trinkets all over the planes of existence by an unlikely vampire friend.
“Don’t go soft on me, Casti,” Loey grumbles. “If you cry, I’ll cry. We know what happens when I cry.”
“Everyone dies.”
“Basically,” she sasses, making me laugh. “I better get going. I’ve been here too long. People will talk and you know how I hate when they talk.”
She slides off her barstool, but I stop her by grabbing her wrist. “Wait.”
Her eyebrow arches. “What’s wrong?”
“I need help…” I trail off, sighing.
“Who do I need to kill?” Her blue eyes glint with evil and her teeth nearly sparkle with her wide grin.
“If only it were that easy,” I grumble. “What do you know about bats?”
“They’re rats with wings.”
I shudder. “Mercy rescued one.”
“That, my dear, is way outside my scope of abilities. Call a shelter.”
“I did,” I groan. “They’re not taking in injured bats because they don’t have the capabilities to save them.”
“Maybe the bracelet will work on the bat,” Loey says with an unhelpful shrug.
“If this bat dies, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“If anyone can save a pitiful bat, it’ll be you and Mercy. I have faith in you.”
With those words, she drops a kiss on my cheek and disappears into the crowd. Who knew trying to save a bat would be the most difficult of my worries these days?
Castilla
It’s nearly three by the time I drag myself out of an Uber in front of my building. I’m tired, but my brain is wired. I can’t stop thinking about what Loey said. I’d even gone as far as to send Jude a text to get him on it for me. His old ass was probably already in bed, but I didn’t care. It’s too important to sit on.
Before I enter the aging building, I get a sense of being watched. My hairs stand on end and a chill races down my spine. Whoever—or whatever—is out there will have to wait until morning. I’ve had enough for one day.
Quickly, I let myself into my apartment building and take the stairs up to the top floor two at a time. Mercy will be next door at Edna’s. I have a key and come to get her whenever I get home, which is always late. When I reach her door, there’s a note tacked on it.
We’re at your place. – G
My blood boils as I snatch the note down and crumple it. I throw it to the floor as I stalk over to my apartment. Edna knows the only people allowed to pick Mercy up are me or Jude or Loey. Never Griffin. I’m going to have to set that old woman straight tomorrow morning.
My apartment is unlocked, which has me growing more furious by the second. I push inside and quietly close the door behind me. Straight across from the door, Griffin sits in the open window, staring out at the alley below. A quick sweep of my living room tells me Mercy is already in bed.
Good.
She won’t hear me bitch this bastard out.
My old foster brother. My nemesis. Her father.
“You were out late tonight. Does this happen often?” His deep voice rumbles through the air, vibrating my bones. “Had I known Mercy spends so much time with the neighbor, I would have come sooner for her.”
He turns his head, cutting his blue eyes my way. I try not to tremble under his stare. I may fight villains with sharp teeth every night, but Griffin unnerves me in a way no one else can.
“Leave, Griff.” I pull off my poncho and hang it on the hook just inside the front door.
He abandons his perch by the open window and prowls my way, a sinister grin curling his lips up. “You look good, Casti. I’ve missed you.”
His hand reaches up to touch my face and I recoil, shooting daggers at him with my eyes. He frowns and drops his hand. “Still mad,” he grumbles. “You have to get over it eventually, babe. I’m her dad. We made her together. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
“Time to go,” I hiss. “Now before I make you.”
His blue eyes flash with challenge, but then he steps back. He may have overpowered me once when I was only thirteen, but he is in no way as skilled as I am. I’ve been fighting off evil, including him, since I was a kid. I know he must sense it too.
“I’ll wear you down eventually,” he murmurs. “Like old times. This time, you won’t run me off.”
Disgust has me wanting to choke him with my bare hands. Griffin is delusional to think he’ll ever catch me at a weak point again. We grew up in the same foster home together. Since he’s six years my senior, I trusted him like a big brother. I remember crying my eyes out when he aged out of foster care and left me alone. Every visit after felt like a gift.
Until I was thirteen.
When he held me in bed while visiting me, comforting me and consoling me. The kiss felt all kinds of wrong. What came after was what nightmares are made of. He obliterated the trust and love I had for him by trying to force a different type of relationship with me. Back then, I’d been weak. No matter how much I fought, he won. The man I saw as a brother fucked me. A brutal invasion that physically injured me and caused me to pass out from the pain. And then, he left me.
I met Jude by accident. I’d been waddling home from school one day, pregnant with Mercy and about to give birth any day, when I heard moaning in an alley. I was curious and found him bleeding out. He was quiet about how he got in that predicament and I was in no position to ask. I simply brought him water and food and did my best to nurse his injuries. Once he could stand, he asked me about the baby and how I got pregnant at such a young age. It was my turn to be quiet. He handed me his business card and told me he owed me a favor.
I cashed in on that favor not two weeks later in the hospital. When the State of New York was telling me my kid would also go into the system. Not with me. I’d called Jude bawling and begging for help. He stepped in, found me a group home for mothers, and paid for the legal representation to keep Mercy as mine.
“Go, Griffin,” I snap, leveling my glare on him.
All those year ago, I said the same thing to him when he showed up out of nowhere at the group home and demanded visitation for his daughter. I lied to him then and I’ll lie to him a million more times.
She’s not his.
Sure, maybe their DNA is the same, but she will never belong to that rapist sonofabitch.
“Don’t be cruel, Casti,” he gripes back. “I’m trying to right my wrongs so we can be a family. I’m older. I’m not a selfish bastard anymore. I just want there to be an us.”
“What did you tell Mercy?” I demand.
“That’s our little secret.” He grins, his handsome, All-American boyish face hiding the predator beneath the surface.
“Get out.” I’m no longer playing games with him. “Now.”
He steps closer, his nostrils flaring. “What private security firm did you say you work for again?”
“Leave.”
“Whatever, Casti,” he growls. “I’m trying to be a nice guy here, trying to get to know you and our daughter, and you’re being a total bitch.”
“You’re not to pick up my daughter ever again. Don’t speak to her. Don’t look at her. Don’t touch her. Understood?”
“This conversation isn’t over,” he warns. “I’m going to be in Mercy’s life no matter what because I’m her father. You’re going to have to get the hell over it.”
He storms out of the apartment and I snap the lock closed as soon as he leaves. Tears threaten and I feel l
ike I might suffocate. I rush over to the window, gasping for air. The rain has softened. I’m teased with the musical sound it makes, but that reminds me of when my family was murdered, so I ignore it. I sit down on the window seat and stare down at the dark shadows in the alley.
Someone’s watching me.
I feel it again.
Eyes on me. Probing me. Penetrating me. It’s almost as unnerving as finding Griffin in my living room. Quickly, I shut the window, lock it, and then go to Mercy’s room to check in on her.
All terror and unease and stress melt away the moment I lay eyes on Mercy. Tiny, pale, dark-haired. She’s my little angel. So sweet and perfect despite the monstrous blood running in her veins. I hate Griffin with every fiber of my being, but I will always be grateful on some level for him giving me her.
She’s my everything.
My reason.
I still remember walking into E.V.I.E. when I was fourteen, not long after Griff showed up at the group home. My body was weak from giving birth and I had a baby to look after. I told Jude I’d help him in any way I could if he would just teach me how to defend myself. When I eventually learned he was involved in a group that slays vampires, my desire to help increased tenfold because I knew I could also get vengeance on the pale-haired twins.
A noise from a box near her bed has me pausing. The bat is still alive. Slowly, I walk over to it and peek inside. It’s moving, which is more than it did last night. She’s made the bat a nice home with fruit and veggies and water. I’m not sure if it can eat those things or if it has, but the fact she’s trying warms my heart.
Mercy is good to the marrow of her bones.
I sit down on the edge of her bed and run my fingers through her dark hair that matches mine exactly. Everything about her is just like me. I’m thankful Griffin didn’t give her anything of his.
“I love you, Mercy Rye.”
I pull out the bracelet Loey gave me and slide it on Mercy’s dainty wrist. I hope like hell the bracelet works. Mercy has transfusion dependent thalassemia. The genetic blood disorder was passed down from me, which I feel immensely guilty for. She requires monthly transfusions and we’re in a continual war to keep the excess iron from the transfusions from overloading her organs. This disorder leaves my baby girl in a constant weak state and always out of breath. Her internal organs need to be watched over and monitored because they could fail at any time.
Again, if it weren’t for Jude and his resources, I would’ve lost my baby girl a long time ago.
I leave her room to take a much needed shower. After I’ve changed into my white gown, I make my way back over to the window. I’m exhausted from the evening’s activities, but my mind won’t shut off. I crack open the window and breathe in the rainy air.
The rain patters in a way that is soothing to my soul. It makes me think of Laurent and my purpose with E.V.I.E. One day, I will find him and end it once and for all. I start to nod off, but snap awake when my phone buzzes with a text from Jude.
Jude: That’s solid info, kid.
Me: Don’t be coy. What do you have for me?
Jude: There’s been word on an illness plaguing vampires in the city. Just like you described that one you killed this evening. White, murky eyes. Madness. I only heard reports here and there, but I didn’t have much to go on yet.
Me: This connects to the pale-haired twins?
Jude: With what you got from Loey, I think it must. There was intel of a duo wreaking havoc. They called themselves the princess, the prince, and the dog.
Me: The dog? You think it could be Laurent?
Jude: It’s the most information we’ve had in years. I sifted through all the reports with any mention of mad vampires and compiled an analysis. They’re all condensed to a certain area. West side of The Bronx near Claremont Park.
I freeze as I consider his words. West Bronx. Those monsters ravaged my area fourteen years ago. I lived just miles away in a government housing apartment building in the south side of The Bronx.
Me: I know the area. I should check it out.
Jude: For sanity’s sake, don’t do this tonight.
Me: Fine, Dad. I’ll go tomorrow night.
Jude: Don’t call me that again, brat. I’ll forward on any other info I find in the morning. Get some rest.
I reply back that I will and then stare out the window, a satisfied grin on my face. It’s happening. I’ll finally put Laurent to rest like I’ve always dreamed of doing. When that day finally happens, I’ll hang up my vampire slaying hat—or poncho in my case—and move my daughter out to the country. Give her a slower-paced life where I can spend more time with her. As much as I love Jude, I need out of this city. I need away from Griffin. I need to begin my life without fear and vengeance guiding my every move.
Something moves out of my peripheral. I glance down into the shadows in the alley, watching for any movement. I’d been sure the shadow moved, but I could be dreaming it. For the longest time, I watch, waiting for yet another monster to reveal itself. When no one steps out, I let out a heavy sigh of relief before closing the window.
Tomorrow, I’ll find those bastards who killed my family and turned Laurent into one of them.
In the meantime, I’ll get some much needed rest.
Castilla
“Dracula.”
I wake to the sweet voice and crack an eye open. “Do what now?”
“I want to name my bat Dracula. Like the vampire.” Mercy pets my hair and smiles at me. “Do you think Dracula can turn into a vampire?”
“I don’t think that’s how it works,” I mumble. “Besides, Dracula is just a book and movie character. He’s not real.”
“I think he is,” she sasses.
I take a moment to admire my beautiful little girl. The sun shines in through the window, making her look like an angel. “You’re feeling better this morning?”
“Aunt Loey got me a magic bracelet,” she tells me, grinning. “See?”
She thrusts her little arm at me.
“How do you know Aunt Loey got you this?”
“She always gives me presents,” she says, her voice matter-of-fact. “And they’re all magical.”
I want to remind her that magic isn’t real, but I hate lying to her. She’s just five. If she wants to believe in magic, I’ll let her.
“Was the man nice to you last night?” I ask, growing serious.
She makes a sour face. “He said he’s my daddy.”
“Do you want him to be your daddy?”
Just because I hate Griffin with my entire being doesn’t mean I want to deny Mercy anything.
“No.” She frowns. “He thinks Dracula is going to die.”
Dracula probably will die, but I would never tell her that.
“Not daddy material, huh?” I pull her to me and kiss her adorable face. “Who needs a daddy when you have me?”
“My mommy is a real superhero,” she says, giggling. “I want to be brave like you one day and fight bad guys.”
I tell everyone I’m in private security because it’s easier to explain my strange schedule. Another lie in my life, but a necessary one.
“You’re already brave,” I remind her. “You fight an invisible illness and save bats. That’s superhero material right there, baby.”
“I want a cape,” she sasses. “So everyone can see how brave I am.”
“I’m sure we can arrange that,” I say with a smile. “Why don’t you get dressed in normal human clothes for now and I’ll make us some pancakes?”
“Pancakes!” she yells.
As soon as she runs off, I burst into tears. I could kiss Loey for this small glimpse of health for my daughter. Like any other healing trinket Loey has gifted her, I know the power won’t last when removed from its home realm. But to have her behaving like a normal, healthy five-year-old, even for one morning, is enough to have me overcome with gratitude.
Vampires suck. Literally.
Loey doesn’t suck at all.
I hate that she wants me to end her one day if necessary.
Life just isn’t fair to the ones who are deserving of so much more than the hand they’re dealt.
After a long moment of feeling sorry for myself, I swipe away my tears and face the day like the brave woman my daughter claims me to be.
I avoid The Bronx for one reason only.
Horrible memories.
Even taking my Uber to the west side, I was careful to direct my driver down roads that avoided my old building. The terror that overwhelms me when I remember being locked in that trunk for so long and witnessing the murder of my mother and brother is overwhelming.
I can’t be weak.
Not when I’m following up on the only lead that’s amounted to anything I’ve had since that fateful day.
The driver pulls up to Claremont Park and stops. I’ve already paid on my app, so I grunt out my thanks, escaping the safe haven of his vehicle. It’s not raining tonight, so my poncho isn’t needed. My stakes are carefully hidden in my leather vest, and outwardly, I probably look like I’m ready for a biker bar or something.
No one suspects I’m here to kill vampires.
For a split second, I wish for some backup, but then I remember how distracting James had been. No, this is something I need to do alone. Jude knows this too, or he would’ve forced someone to come with me. The fact that Jude trusts me to handle this invigorates me.
The park is quiet this evening, which has me on full alert. I’ve learned over the years when the bloodsuckers are lurking, the birds and crickets quiet. As though they’re afraid of being seen and eaten.
Like those small creatures, I remain absolutely quiet. I’m not looking to get eaten. Especially by a horde of infected, crazed vampires.
Because it’s so quiet, my ears overhear everything. A rustle of leaves. A whistle of wind. A car honking from far away.
“Music is in everything. You just have to listen, Castilla.”