Author: Emily Goodwin
Category: Vampires
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“I wish I could go with you,” he says gently.
“I do, too.” I look up into his dark blue eyes. “But that wouldn’t go over too well. I’ll bring Binx with me through the woods.”
He tenses at the thought of me walking in the woods. “Right. I almost forgot you have to walk over a mile to get to the Covenstead door.”
“I really need that pony,” I joke.
“I’ll get you a pony.” He steps in, closing the distance between us. “I’ll get you the moon and all the fucking stars.” He brings his lips to mine, kissing the breath out of me. “When do you have to go?”
“Soon. It takes a while to walk.” I rest my head against his chest. “Are you done with your work for the night?”
“I can be done. Nothing is urgent.”
“Good. After dinner, can we watch Star Wars again? I was too tense last time to enjoy any of it.”
“You want to watch Star Wars?” He smiles down at me.
“I’d like to give it another try. Thinking about aliens instead of demons will be a nice change.”
Lucas laughs. “Yeah, I suppose so. And you never have to ask twice to get me to watch Star Wars with you. But I will insist again you dress up.”
I look at the computer. “Fine. Order me something and I’ll wear it.”
“Fuck, I love you.” Lucas kisses me once more, and we break apart. I go upstairs and pull my sweater over my head, trading it for a black dress instead. It’s chilly again tonight, so I pull out my thickest cloak from the back of my closet. It’s navy blue with a light pink velvet lining. Kristy gave it to me for Christmas years ago, and she has a matching one. Our zodiac symbols are stitched on the inside along the hem.
I pull my hair out of the braid and run my fingers through it, satisfied enough not to bother with anything more.
“Binx,” I call as I go down the stairs. My familiar shadows in from the living room, where he and the others were lounging on the couch. Lucas kisses me goodbye, brows furrowing in worry.
“I’ll be fine,” I assure him. “Binx won’t let anything happen to me, and if we sense anything, I’ll call for the others.”
Scarlet jumps up at my leg, whimpering. I bend down and give her a pat. “No way,” I tell her. “Taking a hellhound might actually be worse than taking a vampire with me.” I shake my head. “Which is something I never thought I’d ever say.”
“She’s doing it again,” Eliza grumbles, looking up from the magazine she’s flipping through.
I turn my head up. “Speaking Enochian?”
“Yes.” Lucas holds out his hand and pulls me back up to my feet.
“That’s so fucking weird.” I look back at Scarlet, able to read her name plain as day on her collar. It’s nothing but weird symbols to everyone else. I plant my hands on Lucas’s chest.
“Don’t go getting cursed or anything while I’m gone, okay?”
“Too soon,” Eliza quips and then stands up. “Can you tell your Grand Coven or whoever about the necromancers? You did say that type of magic was illegal. Have them deal with it so you don’t have to save the day for once.”
“Tabatha knows about them. She’ll figure out a way to bring it to the council’s attention, who will then review it and pass it along the chain of command.” I blink and feel anger course through me…along with the image of my uncle’s face. Telling the Grand Coven means letting them handle the necromancers. They’re all about following rules and doing things according to Witch Law, and that takes time.
Wasted time.
Time where I could be out there myself, seeking my own revenge.
Because it’s only a matter of time before the necromancers realize their curse didn’t work. And they’ll come after us again. I want to be ready to strike before they do, to hit them with something harder and stronger.
“Love you,” I tell Lucas and then head out the door, with Binx trotting along next to me. I put up my hood once we get into the woods. “Light of the moon, dark of the night, cloak us from all, hide us from sight,” I whisper, putting a concealment enchantment on both myself and Binx.
You can’t be too careful when a group of homicidal necromancers are on your tail.
“Did you put any more thought into my idea about cat floaties?” I ask Binx, stepping over a fallen log. He looks up at me, fading sunlight reflecting in his eyes, and growls.
“You know you guys love sitting in the sun,” I press. “And if I posted photos of you on a blowup unicorn, floating around the pool with a little margarita glass filled with catnip online, it would go viral.”
Binx growls again and dashes forward, chasing a mouse.
“Fine, don’t enjoy the pool this summer.”
I pull my cloak tighter around myself and pick up the pace. The sunlight is fading fast, and it’s dark inside the woods. The leaves are getting a hint of color, and the forest will be red and orange before I know it.
I hold out my hand, conjuring a ball of light, and toss it up. It bobs above us as we walk. It’s peaceful to be out in the woods, well, as long as I don’t think about why I’m going to the Covenstead.
I undo my concealment enchantment when I’m a few yards away from the door, not wanting to startle whoever is there. I can see fire flickering on torches through the trees, and Binx can sense a witch standing guard.
The forest floor around the door has been worn down from the many feet of witches and warlocks passing through. Once a week someone comes out and uses magic to regrow the trampled underbrush to help keep this location hidden, though the whole woods has heavy warding put on it to keep humans away.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I grumble when I see Ruby Darrows standing next to the door, torch in hand. We’ve never really seen eye-to-eye, though it’s all due to her own insecurities. She vouched for me when I was on trial for exposing the door to Lucas, and she didn’t turn me in when she saw me rip the molars out of Dr. Howard’s mouth.
Though if you ask me, that bastard deserved worse. I should have ripped his testicles from his body and let him bleed out on the pavement.
“Ruby,” I say, putting on a pleasant smile. She turns, greeting me with a sharp expression.
“Callie.”
I stop just a few feet from her, waiting for her to open the door and let me through. A few seconds tick by and she looks at me, slowly shaking her head.
“Are we going in?” I ask as Binx winds around my feet. “Or are we going to stand here so you can stare at me all night?”
“I just…” She trails off shaking her head again. Then she lets out a laugh. “I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“By what?”
“You being selfish enough to leave the coven. To abandon those who raised you.”
I curl my fingers into fists. “I’m not abandoning anyone.”
Ruby raises her eyebrows. “You’re not? Because from where I’m standing—from where the whole coven is standing—you chose a vampire over your own family.”
“That isn’t fair,” I say slowly. “I shouldn’t have to choose, but the rules forced me to.”
“The rules are in place for a reason.” Ruby throws up one hand, looking exasperated. “Vampires and witches are mortal enemies. And you married one.”
“Lucas isn’t like that.”
“Please,” she huffs. “Spare me the sob story of how he’s so different blah, blah, blah. He’s still a vampire, Callie. And I can see by the bite marks on your neck he’s just like the others.”
My hand flies to my neck. Shit. I forgot about that. “Everything between us is consensual and very enjoyable,” I rush out, though I know I’m not helping my case. “Look…you wouldn’t get it. You wouldn’t get anything about love.”
Ruby takes a step closer. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
If she wasn’t pissing me off so much right now, I’d compliment her for having a backbone. I respect her for putting the coven first. “I’m not going to insult you,” I say, letting out a breath.
“Now let’s go. The Grand Coven is waiting for me.”
“Insult me? You think I don’t know what it’s like to be in love?”
I’m fairly certain she’s single at the moment, but that doesn’t mean she’s never been in love…or isn’t right now. “I don’t know. I don’t know you, Ruby. You don’t approve of my lifestyle…get in line. I’ve lived my whole life being told how wrong everything about me is.” Blue light starts to sizzle around my fingers. “I’m not out for anyone’s approval, let alone yours. Now step aside and let me in so I can get back home to my vampire husband. I can’t wait for him to get on top of me and sink his fangs into my neck.”
“I see you’re still as mature as ever.” She holds my gaze.
“Yep. On a scale of one to ten, I’m a sixty-nine.” I lower my hood and push my shoulders back. “I thought we had an understanding,” I say, letting go of some of my anger. “You vouched for me when I was on trial.”
Ruby’s brows furrow. “I stand by what I said and don’t believe you intended to harm the coven then. There’s no denying that vampire helped kill the demons, which allowed the others to pass through the door. But that should have been it. You couldn’t leave well enough alone, and now look where you are.”
“I’m not explaining myself to you,” I say firmly. “I love Lucas and wish more than anything I could remain in the coven and be with him. But I can’t, and this is my only choice.” The emotion I’ve been holding back comes crashing down on me.
I’m leaving my coven.
This might be the very last time I ever set foot through the door.
I’ll never see the long, stone hallways of Grim Gate Academy ever again. I’ll never smell the comforting scent of lavender and sage. Never sit in the back row of a Gathering, grumbling to Kristy about how I want the meeting to be over. Never walk through the library…
The Covenstead shaped who I am today. It was my safe place.
It was home.
I turn my head down, blinking rapidly to keep any tears from forming.
“It’s your choice,” she spits and holds up the torch. “And it still is your choice. Renounce your ties with the vampire and we’ll welcome you back into the coven. On probation, of course.”
“I’m not divorcing my husband.” Binx growls, tail swishing angrily back and forth.
“Husband,” she huffs under her breath. “Vampire-human marriage isn’t legal, you know.”
“It is in Michigan, and that’s where we got married.” I cross my arms over my chest and tip my head to the side. “You’re questioning this like you want answers. Do you have a secret vampire lover? I’d be happy to sit down and chat with you about it. I’ll tell you Lucas’s favorite veins to drink from and you can tell me where your boyfriend likes to bite you.”
“I’d rather be burned at the stake than betray our kind.”
“That’s a bit dramatic.” I raise my eyebrows. “Hate my lifestyle, curse my name—not literally, though. I’ve dealt with enough of that lately—do whatever, Ruby. You’ll lose sleep over it by hating me.” The wind blows through the forest, making the flame on the torch flicker like mad in the night. “But I’ll sleep like, well, the dead, next to my undead lover. Who likes to sleep naked, by the way.” I smile and step forward, digging my nails into my palms so hard it’s starting to hurt.
I’m used to my powers surging along with my emotions, but I’m feeling something else right now, and it’s similar to the buzz I got using hellfire to push the curse back last night. I can’t explain it, and the more I try to understand it, the more confused I get.
It’s like a caffeine buzz after a good night’s sleep. Yet it’s all around me, as if I’m taking in extra energy from the universe without trying. When I concentrate on it, really concentrate, I swear I can feel my body humming on a molecular level.
The wind dies down, and the fire on the torch turns red.
“They’re ready for you,” Ruby says and waves a hand over the torch, putting out the flames. “Let’s go.” She turns, holding up her hand, and whispers an incantation. “After you.” She steps to the side and motions for me to go through the door.
I suck in a breath, push my shoulders back, and scoop up Binx, needing to feel his soft fur against me. He rubs his head on my chin and starts purring as soon as he’s in my arms.
“I love you, too,” I tell him and kiss the top of his head. I step through the door and emerge into the entrance to the Gathering Hall.
The large doors are open, and I look out at the courtyard. A group of young witches and warlocks run around on the cobblestone path, playing some sort of game while their parents talk. Students sit at a cast-iron table beyond the courtyard, and the setting sun reflects brightly off the Academy’s greenhouse.
It’s business as usual for most of the coven, which leads me to believe this meeting is going to be much more low-key than the last time I stood in front of the Grand Coven. Practically everyone from the coven came to watch, and I’m sure a handful were hoping I’d be found guilty.
Ruby sticks the torch in a metal holder on the wall and flicks her eyes to mine. “Follow me.”
“I know where to go,” I snap.
She stops. “Then lead the way.”
“Fine. Where are we going?”
“The High Priestess’s study.”
“Not the Gathering Hall?”
“It’s in use.” Ruby walks quickly down the hall, heeled boots clicking on the stone floor. The fall semester started after the Equinox, and students mill about, still getting acquainted with their new schedules. I’ve walked these halls many times after graduating, but now I’m aware this could very well be my last time here—ever—all the memories come rushing back, and suddenly I’m a scared ten-year-old girl all over again, clutching a stuffed black cat in one hand and clinging onto Tabatha for dear life with the other.
“You are home, my darling girl.” Tabatha pulls her hand out of mine and crouches down. Her eyes meet mine, and it’s then I see the flecks of gold in them, sparkling from the candles in the lanterns hanging on the wall. “You are safe here, Callie. I promise you, no one will ever lay a finger on you again.” Her lips curve into a smile. “And if they do, this is where you will learn to defend yourself.”
She smooths back my hair and pulls the sweater up around my shoulders. It’s hers, and she took it off and draped it around me as soon as we were out of that awful place. I’m still barefoot, but the cold stone beneath my feet doesn’t bother me. I’ve been cold since the day I was sold like a lamb to slaughter, yet I can sense the warmth of this place.
The safety it offers.
The power it will teach me.
I’ve been here all of a minute and already, this place is home.
Tabatha straightens up and extends her hand. “Come along, Callie. I’ll take you to your room and will draw you a nice warm bath that will cleanse that negative energy from you.”
“Will I be alone?” I ask, bringing my stuffed animal to my chest, cuddling it against me. I’ve been alone for so long. I don’t want to be alone any longer.
“No, you will have roommates, other girls your age. But don’t worry about any of that now, darling. Let’s get you settled, cleaned, and get a good meal in your belly.”
“Okay,” I say meekly. We go down a long corridor, up a flight of stairs, and down another hall, where the sound of a choir singing echoes through.
“That’s the Academy’s choir,” Tabatha tells me when she sees me looking in the direction of the voices. “They’re quite good this year, aren’t they?”
I just nod and hurry along after Tabatha, squeezing her hand. We walk through another long corridor, up a spiral staircase, through a common room, and finally get to the dormitory. Tabatha shows me my bed and tells me to sit while she gets me clothes and fills the tub with warm water.
I set the stuffed cat on my pillow and apprehensively sit on the bed, expecting it to be hard and cold like the cot I had back in the lab.
&nbs
p; “Wow,” I whisper and fall back. This is the most comfortable bed in the whole world. I lie back and stare up at the crown molding around the ceiling for a minute, blinking quickly.
Kids run past, talking and giggling, and go into a room down the hall. The door slams shut, and I blink, suddenly feeling like I’m back in the experiment room, huddled on the floor. The door opens, and a man, strung out on mind-altering drugs, is shoved in. And then the door is slammed shut.
My entire body starts to tremble, and I sit up, balling the thick comforter in my hands. My heart races and sweat breaks out along my brow. Pain radiates from the inside of my elbow, where I’ve been poked and prodded by needles and injections so much both of my arms are bruised. I don’t inhale. Don’t exhale. My chest starts to hurt and my ears begin to ring.
And then a dark shadow passes through the open window, landing on the foot of my bed. Dark red eyes glow against the black, billowing shadow, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I should be afraid.
But I’m not, because I’ve seen him before. It was he who alerted Tabatha of my situation. It was he who saved me.
My lips part and I let out a breath. “Hello,” I say and hold out my hand. “I’m Callie.”
The shadow circles around me, and I can feel its power coming off in waves. It stops, floating in the air at my eye level for a moment before lurching forward, shifting from a shadow to a black cat.
The cat meows and jumps onto the bed. Tears sting my eyes, and I reach forward, running my hand over the cat’s sleek fur. We’re instantly bonded, and I know, without a doubt in my mind, this thing—this cat—would lay down its life for me.
And I’d do the same for him.
The cat steps into my lap, purring as he rubs his face against me. I laugh and hug him, letting his soft fur absorb my tears.
The door to my room opens, and I whirl around.
“Oh, sorry,” a girl with big blue eyes and a blonde ponytail says. “You’re the new girl, right? I’m Kristy and—you’ve got a familiar?” She gasps and rushes forward. “I cannot wait until I get mine, but my mom said I need to pass my sixth year first. Seven devils, he’s pretty!” She stops a few feet from the bed, staring at the cat in my lap. “What his name?”