“Él está por allá. He is with Liv,” Mamá says. She glances over my shoulder, her eyes guiding me to where I cannot see.
I frown and follow her gaze. He is sitting at the dining table, in the very seat he was ushered to hours ago.
“Has he been there this whole time?” I ask, confused.
Mamá nods.
My heart sinks, knowing how exhausted he must feel, and a small part of me is afraid his exhaustion will be his weakness. If we plan to escape a coven of witches, I need him at his full strength. The moment we get outdoors, we will have to run, and the woods will not be kind to us.
I stand to aid him, but Mamá’s hand at my shoulder stops me. When I look into her eyes, I see something there. I lose myself in her gaze, my mind swirling around this quiet void.
“You need to calm down, Ava,” she says.
Her voice is cool, quiet, and it entrances me. I nod, feeling suddenly at ease.
“Yes, Mamá,” I say.
I blink, and I am seated again, but the moment she looks away, breaking our gaze, that feeling is gone. Fear rises in my chest, settling in my heart. It pricks at me, puncturing flesh until I bubble with worry. I want to shriek, to get her essence out of my body, for now I understand the link and its purpose. Mamá will use her power over me to keep me in line, to do her bidding and follow her commands.
Before I can respond to this invasion of self-control, Liv rushes in, dashing to Abuela’s side quickly. She whispers something in her ear, and I watch as the color drains from her face and her eyes become fiery pits.
When Abuela catches my attention, she smiles at me. It does not meet her eyes. The sinister glare she is giving me forces me to look away. I hate that I am a descendant of her blood. I do not want to be privy to such innate evil.
“What is it?” Mamá asks, frowning. Her voice is laced with concern.
“It seems we have visitors,” Abuela says, her gaze fluttering from my mother to me. “Come. We shall greet them together.”
When we step outside, I am assaulted by the cold night air. Lip quivering, I shiver, wrapping my arms around my body. The others are wrapped in thick winter garments, but Will and I are dressed in the clothes we were wearing last night. The outfits offered plenty of protection for a vampire, but for witches, we are welcoming hypothermia.
Intentionally keeping Will and me back, the witches are blocking our sight. We cannot see our visitors, and the rush of wind blowing through the trees makes it hard to hear. My teeth clatter together as a gust works its way through my loose T-shirt.
I close my eyes, focusing intently on the conversation being had mere feet from me. Why is it so hard to hear, so hard to focus? I glance at Will, wondering if he is struggling with our transition as much as I am.
“Bring them forward,” Abuela shouts loud enough for everyone to hear. Someone grabs on to my arm, squeezing it tightly. I gasp in response as pain rushes down my limb as my attacker digs in her nails. I wince, grinding my teeth as I stumble away from Will.
I am shuffling forward, moving so quickly, I trip over my feet. When I reach the forefront of the witches who surrounded us, I understand why Abuela had such malicious intentions. This is her moment to shine, her pride in what she has done to me, her only grandchild. This is the moment she can watch the repercussions unfold, for I am no longer a vampire.
Even when I was sacrificing everything to aid the witches, I still chose my new allies over my former coven. And now, the vampires can witness the birth of something else. Will they accept me as I am now? Abuela must not believe so. She wants to witness their rejection.
I make eye contact with Jasik, and the world slows. All I hear is my heart in my head, and all I feel is the burning desire to be wrapped in his arms. I want his love, his devotion, his protection. I want him. I want the life I lost, the life I took for granted.
“Jasik,” I whisper.
He frowns, brow furrowing in his confusion. No doubt, he senses something is…off. I probably do not smell the same or sound the same or look the same. Not anymore. My irises are not crimson, my skin is not perfect and smooth, and I probably smell like heavenly meals on wheels.
He cocks his head, gaze scanning my frail frame like he does not quite recognize me, and I completely shatter. A pathetic screech escapes my lips as tears burn behind my eyes. In a desperate attempt to control my emotions, I bite my lip so hard, I break skin.
I smell nothing, taste nothing, but the immediate reaction from the vampires tells me they sense my change. Their eyes widen—from fear or wonder or curiosity, I will never know. But this is the moment they truly understand just how different I am now.
“Ava?” Jasik whispers, and I fear this is the last time I will ever hear my name grace his lips, so I cherish the moment. I close my eyes, playing the sound of his voice over and over again in my mind, imprinting the way he looked at me before I became…this.
“What have they done to you?” Hikari says, seething.
Her disgust is evident in her tone. I do not need to see it on her face, but I look anyway and see shock strewn across her face. The look she gives me is just plain…ugly.
I hiccup through my breaths, silently pleading with the vampires to accept me. I cannot stay here, and I beg them not to leave me with the witches, but words never escape my lips.
“She is one of us now,” Mamá says as she steps forward. “A witch, reborn.”
“As you can see, there is nothing for you here,” Abuela says.
Everything happens in slow motion. My vision is spinning as I fall to my knees. The impact of the frozen earth penetrating my jeans sends a rush of pain jolting through my legs. I slump forward, catching my fall with my palms. My flesh is numbed by the frosty ground.
I glance up, meeting Jasik’s confused gaze, and pretend the look he is giving me does not completely destroy my heart. I want him to see me as I was when I was his. He looked at me with devotion and longing, like he could not wait to unravel my layers, uncovering my personal quirks. But that look is gone, and I cannot bear what remains.
“Please, it is me. I am still me,” I whisper, but my voice is so soft and the wind is so strong, I fear no one hears me. I have to wonder if I ever even spoke at all. Maybe this is all in my mind. Maybe I am asleep and my imagination is overtaking my sanity.
But I know that is a fool’s wish.
I sit back, resting my bottom against my sloppy, wet heels. Jasik takes one cautionary step toward me, but Malik stops him. With a firm hand wrapped around his younger brother’s shoulder, he silently warns him of impending danger. He fears this could be a trap, and for all I know, it is.
Jasik nudges his brother’s hand off him and takes another step forward, never breaking my gaze as he closes in on me.
He reaches for me, moving far too quickly for my mortal eyes to bear. He flashes before me, and I close my eyes, welcoming the inevitable.
I know I should be scared. If I am a witch, then I am mortal. Vampires feed on the living. I am bleeding and scared and weak. I am the perfect prey.
But I do not fear for my life, because even a death at the hands of vampires is a fate far better than what the witches plan to bestow upon me.
Chapter Two
Jasik crouches beside me. I stare at the ground, hair shielding my vision from seeing the uncertainty in his eyes. I cannot bear to look at his crimson irises any longer. I hate that he must see me like this—so weak, so unlike the girl he saved all those months ago. I imagine I look nothing like her now.