Silent and unbelieving, I do not respond, even when Malik releases me.
Torn between two worlds, I watch as Malik leads Jasik to safety. I turn and watch as my other friends desperately try to avoid the witches’ attacks. They maneuver effortlessly around their enemies as if they truly have been preparing for this very fight.
With an ache in my heart I just cannot shake, I look at Will, who smiles. He nods, understanding my pain and frustration. As I take a step forward, he shakes his head, stopping me in my tracks. With one final glance, he grips the handle of his weapon tightly and returns to the fight.
The last time I see Will, he is rushing toward the witches, disappearing into a cloud of magic and a waterfall of blood.
Chapter Three
The distance between us offers much-needed clarity. Finally free from Mamá’s clutches, I feel in control of my own thoughts. It is as though her power over me weakens with every step I take.
Everything about the witches feels icky. Ever since they performed their spell, something dark has settled in my soul. I assume it is Mamá and her essence mingling with my own. No longer can I tell where I end and she begins. We have become one. Her burdens are now mine to bear.
Queasy from the thought, my stomach churns. I cross my arms, holding my chest as I trudge through the snow. I ignore the vampires, who offer strategically timed side glances my way. I am certain there is never a moment when no one is looking at me. I understand their concern—and curiosity—but I can feel their gazes, and it is making my heart race, head spin, and gut ache.
I squeeze my eyes shut, momentarily blinded by darkness. The snow falling splatters against my cheeks, and I shiver. My lip trembles, and I kick something with my foot. The tip of my boot is nudged beneath something solid, and I am falling forward before I even have time to open my eyes.
Jasik catches me. He reaches out, and I grab on to him, nearly pulling him down with me. We stop walking, and I settle into his comfortable gaze. He smiles at me, and his eyes soften. But I see their pain. The agony that burns within him is not just because he nearly died. His body is already healing, even if he is still too weak to battle.
The turmoil coursing through his veins, turning him to ice, is because of everything I have done. Ever since the vampires welcomed me into their nest, I have made mistake after mistake. They have risked their lives for me, for my incessant need to end a pointless feud. And while I still do believe the war between the witches and vampires is absurd, never again will I risk our lives to save theirs.
From this moment on, the witches are on their own, and I will reserve my strength to protect my new family—the vampires.
My heart burns when I think about Will. He is still with them, fighting my cause. Even if I am no longer a hybrid and have no use for his knowledge, I still miss his friendship. In just over a day’s time, Will managed to worm his way into my heart. He was nice to me during a time I did not have many allies, and even though he did not know Liv or recognize her betrayal, he still tried to save her. He did it for me.
“Do you think the others…”
I trail off, not wanting to ask my question aloud. I do not want to think it in my head either. I scratch at my scalp, shaking as I try to work harmful images from my mind. It is times like these that I hate my overactive imagination.
“They will be fine,” Jasik says, answering my unasked question.
I nod, swallowing the knot in my burning throat, and exhale slowly. I try to clear my thoughts and focus instead on what is happening here, now, but my mind keeps wandering back to our comrades.
I do not know much about Will’s fighting style, but even as a mortal, he must be a threat to the witches. I assume he has hunted vampires before, and he clearly knows how to fight. He outmaneuvered the witches in the forest, and he will do it again tonight. I just have to have faith in him.
Jeremiah is resourceful. In the short amount of time I have known him, he always brings new and unique methods to each battle. It keeps his enemies on their toes, making him a real asset when we are hunting.
I know Hikari is an experienced fighter. Not considering Jasik or Malik, she is the strongest hunter Amicia sired. I often forget how powerful she is, because she is much shorter and a great deal smaller than even me. She has a petite frame, which often means her enemies misjudge her. I know I have. She uses her size and perceived threat level to her advantage often.
If Malik did not believe they could fend for themselves, he would not have abandoned them. He would have separated Jasik from the witches and gone back for the others. I am sure of this. Malik has strong bonds to his family, and he would never leave them behind if he thought they were in real danger.
We are close to the manor. We have a short hike remaining until we greet Amicia and the other vampires. Attempting to foresee her reaction to what has happened is more than enough to occupy my mind.
The last time I saw her, I spoke in anger. I was upset with the blood oath she forced upon me and what that meant for my freedom. She stole my ability to think for myself, to react in my natural ways. Now, I laugh at the anger I felt. I was quick to judge, not even considering my dark promise with Amicia would be the least of my problems. Come daybreak, I was severed from the very part of me that made me special, and now, I am linked to the spiteful, malicious woman who bore me.
Mamá gave me my life’s blood, and in just as quick and natural of a decision, she tried to take it away. I wonder if there was a time she ever truly loved me.
I limp over a mound of snow, sinking into its depths. Beneath its pearlescent sheen, it hides layers of deception. Something crunches beneath my weight, and I assume I am walking over many years of brush.
Using a nearby tree to pull my legs free, I trample over the hump, landing in a heap on the other side. My ankles burn when the soles of my boots land firmly on the ground, and I rub my hands together to remove the grit and dead bark. Chest heaving from overexertion, I wipe the sweat that dribbles at the peak of my forehead.
Only then do I notice the vampires. They are watching me, concerned, but I try not to absorb their worry. The last thing I need right now is to fear how weak I have become.
The rest of the way, I gnaw on my lip and think about what has happened in my life over the past several months. I was destined to lead my coven, becoming the next high priestess in a long line of witches devoted to the cause. Their mission: to rid the world of vampires.
Then I became one, and ever since, I have been trying to piece together my upbringing. The witches dislike what I became so much, they risked my life to sever the darkness from my soul.
I cannot help but wonder what would have happened if the spell failed. I would have died, I know that, but what would have happened to Mamá? Would she have perished beside me? We are linked now, but I still do not fully understand what that means. My puzzle is only half-finished, and though I strive to put it together, I only have some of the pieces. What irks me is that Mamá does not need the ones I have to see the picture clearly, because she has the image this jigsaw puzzle becomes. And that makes her far too great a threat.
I exhale sharply and replay the spell in my mind. Using an ancient curse, the witches risked dark magic to bind Mamá’s soul to mine. Based on their altar offerings, they used the power of the sun to harness enough energy to link us. In doing so, they have broken the sacred oath we follow to respect and cherish the earth.