Dark Magic

by Cali Mann

  I woke, rubbing my sore head, and looked around the dark room. A window set high in the wall let in the moonlight. It was still night. A cool breeze slid over me, and I shivered. How did I get here? I didn’t even have my coat.

  Around me were stacked boxes that smelled rooty and earthy, like vegetables, and a tall shelving unit along the wall had full jars. My hands and feet weren’t bound. I wasn’t restrained in any way. How did I end up here? I tried to remember what I’d been doing. Studying at the library? No, I’d gone to the union for a bitter coffee. But that was all I could remember.

  Who would take me? I twisted my hands in my lap. The only one I could think of was Fiona. Had she brought me to be vampire food? I stood on shaky feet, inspecting my limbs for bite marks. If vampires had taken me, surely they’d have feasted. But I didn’t see any signs of it. A lightheaded feeling came over me, and I dropped back down to the floor.

  Searching around me, I looked for my bag. I had to get out of here before they came back to do whatever they planned to do to me. My bag wasn’t anywhere near me. I snapped my fingers and called for my cell phone. Nothing happened. I swiped my hand over my skirt and it stayed the same. I couldn’t even feel my magic in my veins. What was going on? A trickle of fear ran down my spine. I was trapped and powerless.

  The door creaked open, and Fiona stepped inside. I swallowed.

  “Hey, little witchy,” she said with a toothy grin. She wore a similar black dress and high heels as the other night.

  The metallic smell of blood followed her in, but her clothes seemed clean. Had she already eaten someone? Was I next? My stomach heaved, but nothing came up.

  She tilted her head. “Seem to have lost your magic? Again?”

  I needed to fight back. I lunged up but she pushed me back down with one hand. My leg scraped along the rough ground and I winced.

  “No need to get all excited,” she said. “It’s hardly worth hurting you. You’re just the bait, after all.”

  “The bait?” Would she kill the bait? Or would she need me alive to get him to come? I didn’t know which was worse. I tried to pull on my power, but nothing came.

  “For darling Bash. He has been avoiding me and ignoring all my thoughtful presents.” She smiled. “And dear Master would so like to meet him.”

  I’d hoped to find a cure for the curse before Bash had to confront Fiona and her master. He’d been strong enough so far to resist, but that couldn’t last. “What happened to my magic?”

  “Just a little potion.” Fiona flashed her fangs at me. “The Master has so many resources.”

  Another witch then. Vampires were magic. They didn’t have the skills to do it, even something as simple as making a potion. But a potion would wear off, hopefully before Bash ever got here, and before they thought about killing me. I’d be able to escape. How far was I from Seb and Bash? Would I be able to get to them in time? “Where am I?”

  She leaned down and drew a nail along my cheek, raising blood. “There’s no rescue for you, little witch. Once we have Bash in hand, well,”—she licked the blood off her finger— “you’ll be a tasty snack for our new vampire.”

  “Not a chance,” I muttered, trying to call up my magic. It was sluggish, but there was a spark. It’d come back before Bash got here.

  Fiona laughed and left the room, shutting the door behind her. The lock clicked, sealing my fate.

  I was torn between trying to rest and get as much of my strength back as I could and trying to see where I was. The window was too high for me to see out of even if I could get over there. The floor was cold and hard, like a basement. There wasn’t any furniture other than the boxes and the shelves. A root cellar maybe? But why would vampires need a root cellar?

  I worried at my lip. Would Fiona have brought me back to her master’s place? I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. I didn’t want to hang out in vampire’s nest, especially with my powers dampened. Although it would have been stupid of her to bring a witch to the master’s house. What if the potion wore off sooner than she expected? At full power, I could easily burn it to the ground. I shook myself. I needed to concentrate. I reached for my powers again and nothing.

  I couldn’t even send the help me beacon on the family line. Not that I wanted to bring Dad or Papa into this unless absolutely necessary. No one I cared about needed to get hurt. In fact, I hoped that Bash didn’t come. That he somehow didn’t get her message or didn’t think I was worth it. As much as it would hurt my feelings, at least he’d be safe. He didn’t need the temptation.

  I twisted my hands in my lap, inspecting every inch of the room. There had to be a way out. But even if I climbed the shelves, I didn’t think I could fit through the window. Damn. This hadn’t been the way I’d wanted my evening to go. I’d been working so hard to find a way to lift the curse. I’d spent the last week looking up everything I could find on it. I felt like the answer was so close, but it was just out of reach.

  If I could break the curse, Seb and Bash could merge again, and they’d be stronger as one. Then they wouldn’t need to worry about Fiona or her master.

  But a corner of my heart wondered if I would like them as well as one. Would I lose some part of what I loved about Seb and Bash as individuals? What if the merge didn’t go so well? They had been living separate lives for so long. No. I shook myself. The right thing was to break the curse and recombine the split halves. My romantic fantasies didn’t matter if they could be whole and strong and capable.

  But it didn’t matter if I couldn’t find how to break the curse.

  I glanced at the moon through the window. If I died here, then none of it would matter anyway. Or if Bash turned evil. All my worries filled my head, and I was a mess. I needed to try something, anything to get out of here. Even if it didn’t work, it’d be better than sitting here feeling sorry for myself.

  Bash

  Seb and I struggled for control of our body as we raced out to look for Greer. She wasn’t in any of her usual haunts, not her dorm, the library, the coffee cart. Seb called her cell but there was no answer. We had to get to her before Fiona. I had never wished so badly that I had bitten her on the night we made love. Her blood in my system would have tied us, and made it easier for me to find her.

  Our cell phone rang and Seb pulled it from our pocket and clicked accept.

  “I win,” Fiona said in our ear.

  “Where is she?” I growled.

  “Oh, Bash, if I’d known taking the girl would bring you out to play, I’d have done it much sooner.” She laughed.

  “Stop it,” Seb muttered. “Where is she?”

  “Did you take her to your master?” I asked, gaining control of our body. We needed my strength to save her. As long as we could keep from letting the darkness drown us.

  “No, darling,” Fiona said. “You remember that little bed and breakfast your mom stayed in? Out by the highway?”

  “Yes,” Seb gritted.

  “Come and play, boys.” The phone clicked as she hung up.

  Seb dialed the cab company. There was only one in town. And I tried to think what we could do to defend ourselves and Greer. Should we gather weapons? If they’d hurt her then I’d tear them limb from limb with my bare hands anyway.

  Hanging up with the cab company, Seb ran back into the bedroom and pulled half a dozen books from the shelf.

  “What are you doing, you idiot? We have to go,” I muttered.

  “How do we fight them?” he asked, flipping through the pages. “How do we fight vampires?”

  I blinked. He was talking to me? “Fire is always good.”

  “Okay,” he said, hurrying to the kitchen and throwing a handful of matchbooks in his backpack. “What else? Stakes?”

  He could hear me? I couldn’t believe it. After all these years of not even knowing I existed, he knew and he wanted to work together. I was in shock. “Yes. A stake to the heart works.”

  Grabbing the bar stool, he tried to snap off the leg and it didn’t budge. �
��A little help here?”

  “Sure,” I said, taking control of our arms and using my vampiric strength to break the stool’s legs off. The rough edges of the legs were sharp enough.

  “Thanks,” Seb muttered. “Okay, anything else? Holy water? Crosses?”

  “Not from us. We don’t have the belief.”

  He ran into the bedroom and grabbed the Celtic cross necklace from his dresser. Mom had given it to him when he’d decided on his major. He threw it over our head. “Just in case.”

  I snorted.

  The cab beeped outside, and we turned to go.

  “Leather jacket,” I said. “Harder to rip through.”

  “Where?” he asked.

  “In the back of the closet.”

  He ran in and grabbed it, and we were off. Seb rattled off the directions to the cabbie and we sat back in the seat. The moon was full in the sky.

  Morning soon? Seb asked quietly.

  No, I answered. It’s going to be a long time until dawn.

  We have to save her, he said.

  I know, man. I love her too.

  We were silent for the rest of the journey until we pulled up in front of the bed and breakfast. Seb paid the cabbie and sent him on his way.

  We’ll need him again, I said.

  That’s the plan, Seb said. But he doesn’t need to see what happens next.

  We marched toward the front door, eyes on all fronts, but the yard was silent. The moonlight picked up the pale-colored flowers in the garden and a bench that leaned against the fence, but no movement—nothing human or inhuman.

  Holding a stake in his hand, Seb knocked on the door.

  So much for the element of surprise, I said.

  He shook our head. They know we are coming.

  A woman opened the door. Her neck was a mass of bites and she was swaying on her feet. Seb remembered her as the owner when Mom stayed here.

  “Hello, young man,” she said, her voice stilted. “Your friends have been waiting.”

  “The girl?” Seb asked. “Where is she?”

  I pushed through the door, and Seb let me take the wheel. There wasn’t any point in asking. She’d been compelled beyond sense, and she’d soon be dead. I stopped in the entryway, listening to the sounds of vampires partying in the rooms surrounding me. Two bodies were propped up against the wall in front of me. Guests? Or workers? I hoped that the place had been deserted before Fiona decided to take it over as her personal playground.

  “Bash darling,” Fiona from the doorway, licking a bloody finger. “So lovely of you to join us.”

  “Where is she?” I growled, the metallic scent of blood filled my nose and my fangs descended.

  “Oh, don’t worry about dear Greer. We’ll get to her eventually,” she said, turning back to the dining room. “In the meantime, we have some dinner guests.”

  I followed after as if pulled on a string. The table was set, laden with food, and the guests sitting around it were half-eaten. Vampires chewed on arms and legs and shoulders and butts. One man at the end of the table stared at me, his eyes wild as a dainty young woman sipped from his arm.

  “Want a taste?” Fiona asked, lifting a woman’s arm toward me.

  “No,” I said through gritted teeth. Blood lust rose and I forced it back. I would not become that kind of vampire. “I’m only here for Greer.”

  Fiona rolled her eyes. “That witch? She’s so boring. You can’t tell me you are really satisfied with her.”

  Seb poked me. Let me play this.

  No, I can do it, man, I said, my fangs aching.

  He snorted. Mine.

  Seb took back the reins and strutted over to Fiona. Her lackeys half-rose from their seats and she waved them down.

  What are we going to do?

  I’ve got this, he said, shoving me back.

  All the blood lust wanted to do was fight him, but he had a plan which was more than I could say.

  “Satisfied? How could I be?” Seb asked, leaning in closer to Fiona.

  She watched him warily.

  Not too close, I said. She’ll see your eyes.

  Seb slid an arm around her and pulled her to him. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I knew it,” she said with a toothy grin.

  He leaned in and kissed her bloody lips. Even as I shoved down my hunger, I could feel his revulsion. But he didn’t stop, he made it seem good, and Fiona kissed him back. She relaxed into our arms. As soon as she let down her guard, he shoved the stake in her chest. He missed her heart, though, and she flung him away from her, swearing like a sailor.

  The others converged on us, and I took control. Licking our lips, I let the blood frenzy take me and went to work. Slamming the stake into the nearest vampire, I grinned as he dusted. Then punched another and kicked out at a third. Seb sank back in my consciousness, letting me do the fighting since I was best at it.

  But I could feel him mulling over our options. How much of the layout of this place did we remember from visiting Mom? Not very big, just a few rooms and the living spaces and the root cellar. The owner had asked him to grab something off a high shelf down there. An out-of-the-way place to keep the bait. I glanced toward the kitchen, and one of the vampires slammed me in the back of the head.

  The crack sang through my head and I growled. I grabbed the vampire behind me and flipped him over into the group in the front. They fell to the ground like a gaggle of clowns.

  They’re weak, Seb said, an almost academic interest in his mental tone.

  Just turned, I said, flicking the match against the packet and dropping the flame on them. I stepped over their bodies toward Fiona who was still nursing a wound in her side. The vampires combusted behind me. Fodder for Fiona’s show.

  She laughed and ripped off the man’s arm at the end of the table. He screamed, but he didn’t move. She’d compelled him to stay put. Poor guy.

  “Must be developing quite the appetite, eh, Bash?” she asked, slurping the blood from the arm.

  My teeth ached. As disgusting as it was, I could feel the compulsion rising in me. I was hungry, and it had been so long since I’d tasted human blood. I didn’t need to feed as often as a full vampire and every time I’d gone after my usual blood suppliers, I’d only wanted Greer, so I hadn’t eaten as much as I should have.

  That’s an awful rational explanation for the way you’re looking at that arm now, Seb said.

  I hissed at him.

  Fiona grinned. “Having a little argument with old Seb? Don’t worry about him, lover. He’s a loser.”

  I marched over and yanked the arm from her hands, bringing it to my lips. It smelled so good, and it would be so easy to just give in.

  Greer, Seb whispered urgently. She’s in the root cellar. Right over there.

  I snarled, dropping the arm, and glanced toward the kitchen.

  Fiona shook her head. “What kind of hold does this witch have on you? I should have killed her when I first took her.”

  My hand closed around the wooden stake, and I didn’t question where it came from, I shoved it into Fiona’s heart with all of my vampiric strength.

  Her eyes widened, and disbelief crossed her classic features. She’d really thought she could lure me here and put a feast before me and I’d forget ever being human.

  I smirked. “You’re an idiot, Fiona.” I watched the light go out in her eyes, and she turned to dust. Then I turned back to the bleeding arm on the floor. I licked my lips.

  The door to the kitchen exploded and we were tossed across the room. Greer stood there, hair flowing back and a fierce glare in her gray eyes. She surveyed the scene. “Bash? Seb?”

  I dropped the arm and ran to her, pulling her into my arms, and inhaling her fresh apple scent. “You’re okay.”

  “I am. What happened? Fiona?”

  I pointed to the pile of dust on the floor.

  “Good,” she said. “Anyone still alive?”

  I let her go and ran to the table, checking the man at the end of t
he table. His eyes were unseeing and I closed them. He must have died from blood loss when she took his arm. “No,” I said. “All gone.”

  “Good,” she said. “Come on.”

  We followed her out into the moonlit yard, and she reached for her power.

  Seb touched her arm and shook his head. “I got this.”

  Greer blinked at him. “Seb?”

  “We’re working together,” he said, pulling the matches from the backpack. He set it on the ground, and then we went inside. We set each room on fire, from the back to the front, destroying all evidence of the vampires and their victims. There was plenty of kindling in the old-fashioned bed and breakfast.

  When we came out, Greer sat on a log looking up at the stars. I looked down at her, inspecting her for injuries. If Fiona had harmed her . . . well, we’d kill her again.

  “You didn’t have to come for me,” she said. “I would have gotten out eventually.”

  “We couldn’t let Fiona hurt you,” I said, and Seb agreed.

  Greer frowned. “But you risked everything. You could have gone dark, and I wouldn’t have been able to bring you back.”

  Seb reached out and took her hands in ours. “As long as you were safe, it wouldn’t have mattered. We love you, Greer.”

  She leaned forward, resting her head on our chest. “I love you too. Both of you.”

  Warmth hummed through me, and I wanted to kiss her, but I doubted she wanted a mouth full of blood.

  Leaning back, she gazed up at us. “You know about each other now.”

  “Yes,” I said.

  “And I know how to break the curse,” she said. “If you want to.”

  A shiver of fear ran through me. “What would that mean for who we are?” I asked.

  “Would we be different or the same?” Seb asked.

  “I don’t know,” she said, standing and stretching.

  We glanced back at the building still burning behind us, lighting up the sky. “Well,” Seb said, “that’s a question for another day.”

  I nodded. “Yes, we best get as far away from here as we can.”

  We grabbed our backpack in one hand and her hand in the other, and headed down the lane.