13. Chapter 13
13
Chapter 13
Bronwen
The woods seemed darker tonight, the dense canopy of leaves swallowing what little moonlight tried to break through. Each step I took stirred the forest floor, the soft crunch of twigs and leaves underfoot a reminder of how exposed I was.
The silence was oppressive, broken only by the occasional hoot of an owl or the rustle of unseen creatures in the underbrush. Shadows danced in the corners of my vision, shapeless and fleeting, keeping my nerves on edge.
I had walked at least a mile tonight in search of a vampire—not August, honestly anyone but August. After losing that magic, I wanted to find another one before him so I could be prepared. I felt like I was running out of time. The longer I let this go on, the deeper I’d be in this mess. Because of the hanging, I didn’t go out last night. Or the night before.
Everyone was on edge. Mama checked in on me constantly, though she never said anything, and Papa—
“Oh, now where is Winnie off to tonight?”
He flew past me in nothing but a blur. I stopped walking. I gritted my teeth at the sound of the voice I didn’t want to hear just yet.
“You made it easy for me tonight.” If I had wanted to see him, he wouldn’t have come. It was almost as if he knew I didn’t want him here, which was why he chose to appear. Other nights I could try my hardest to lure him out to no avail.
“Did I?” I asked.
This time he came in quickly from behind, not giving me a chance to grab him before he was gone again. I looked around, but the night had grown cloudy, leaving no bit of light to help. The trees I knew I had walked past only moments ago were nowhere to be seen.
“Is it just you, or do you have another waiting to save you when a woman brings you to your knees?”
“You wouldn’t be the first to have me on my knees, Winnie.” His voice was close and far all at the same time.
My cheeks reddened, and I started walking again. “You didn’t answer my question.”
The incident in Bodaira had me worried. August was with another vampire the first time we met, but I thought it might have been a one-time occurrence. But he also came out during the day somehow and was more controlled than I had ever seen a vampire before. He was different, or extremely old, or vampires really were evolving. And I was just assuming it was him again in Bodaira. But it could be another. They could all be changing faster than we could stop them.
“You killed that other vampire, remember?”
“Was he your friend?” I asked, trying to make sense of it all.
“He was a nuisance, and you ended the problem. So I should be thanking you, actually.”
“Pity, I’d love to break your heart,” I mumbled, my frustration boiling beneath the surface.
“In due time, Winnie.”
I stopped walking again as I squinted my eyes, trying to get a glimpse of where he could be, though I knew it was no use.
“Do you not know a spell to make it easier to see me?” His voice was behind me, and I whipped my head around, met with nothing but darkness again.
I kept silent, not wanting to admit the truth.
“Oh, Winnie, you’re taking all of the fun out of it.”
“Bronwen!” I yelled, turning around once more to the direction he spoke from. Hearing that name from his lips ignited something deep inside of me. “My name is Bronwen. Stop calling me Winnie.”
I waited a moment, but he didn’t say a word. It was a nice change, and for a moment, I thought he had left. I began to walk again, the tension easing from my shoulders slightly.
“Did you dream of me last night?”
I threw my hands into the air. The sweet peace I was given ripped away from me, leaving me more irritated than before.
“Do you ever say anything of value?” I yelled into the darkness, glancing around to find an idea as to where he could be. I just wanted it to end. He had turned my dreams into nightmares, leaving me restless and on the brink of insanity from the lack of sleep. And now, now he had ruined the one part of my life that I enjoyed.
“Witches are tools and tools are for power, and when the tool is useless, the witch is the world’s to devour.” The words blew like wind around me. Some from my left while others came from my right .
What the fuck did he say?
I rubbed my fingers on my temples, the cryptic words ringing in my ears. “That is not what I meant.”
“Did you know the one that was hung the other day?”
His question caught me off guard. “Yes,” I said carefully. “She tripped me when we were young, causing me to fall into a mud puddle. It ruined the new dress my mother had just made for me, so I took some of her magic and made her believe she was a dog. The coven spent a week trying to find a spell to reverse what I had done but to no avail.”
I tried to bite back a smile. I shouldn’t think of such a memory and feel . . . proud of what I had done.
She’s dead .
“Did they make you fix her?” he asked.
“You can’t make me do anything.”
“Well? It didn’t end there. She wasn’t barking when she was begging for her life.”
I kept silent as I continued walking, trying to block out his taunts, but the memory hung heavy in the air.
“Did your brother fix her? Funny . . . a witch in the Legion. Capturing and killing his own kind.”
I stopped and turned around, looking everywhere for him. He may have met Mama at Market and possibly seen Papa somewhere in the crowd, but there was no way he would have known the man in armor on the stage was my brother. Or that I even had a brother.
Yes, my father made Adar fix her, but August shouldn’t know about him.
My breathing grew quick as the thoughts raced through my head with Adar possibly being out in the woods at night with the Legion. He was perfectly capable of protecting himself, but if August had even tried to hurt him . . .
“Come out. You want to drag this out? Well, I want to turn your insides into liquid and have you beg me to kill you.” I yelled, pulling my hood down to tempt him more. Anger filled me from the thoughts of how he could know of my brother.
“Come out!” I screamed.
I had to put an end to this.
“Come out!”
I pulled the blade from my arm and raised it with my other hand, ready to draw blood to force him to me.
His arm wrapped around my neck, taking away my ability to breathe. I dropped my blade, dug my nails into his skin, and grabbed a hold of his magic, forcing him to release me. I spun around, ready to finally end this when I locked eyes with those familiar red eyes, only they were on a different face, a more delicate face. A woman’s face framed with wild blonde curls.
The magic pulsated through me, intoxicating and dangerous, a steady thrum that seemed to sync with my heartbeat. I could feel it, raw and potent, ready to consume.
But Papa’s voice echoed in my head, louder than the magic’s whispers. Darkness will consume you. His warning was a tether, pulling me back from the edge. I took a sharp breath, forcing myself to focus. This wasn’t the time to lose control—not with August lurking nearby, waiting for a moment of weakness.
Forcing myself to breathe, I grabbed the stake from my leg and plunged it into her chest.
Her lifeless body crumpled to the ground as I pulled the stake out. I didn’t pull much magic, but I could feel it running through my body, begging to be used.
And I knew just who I wanted to use it on.
I scanned the woods, my vision sharpening with the faint pulse of the stolen magic. A flicker of movement caught my eye—leaves trembling on a high branch. My gaze snapped up, locking on him. August stood on the branch, staring down at me with a look of fascination on his face. As I kept my eyes on him, he tilted his head as if he was trying to figure out if I could see him or not.
I smiled faintly and raised my hand. With a flick of my wrist, a branch shot toward him, impaling the tree inches from his head. His grin faltered.
Before he could move, I froze him in place. Invisible ropes of magic wrapped around him, pinning him to the trunk of the tree. His eyes widened, the amusement draining from his face.
“How do you know about my brother?” I demanded, my voice low and sharp.
He squirmed against the bonds, his struggles sending sparks of satisfaction through me.
“How!” I shouted, tightening the magic around him.
August’s laugh rang out, defiant and maddening.
I let the invisible ropes grow hotter until they burned into his skin.
“Dreams!” he gasped, his voice strained. “The dreams!”
“What dreams?” I hissed, loosening the hold just enough to let him speak.
“You dream of me, and I dream of you. Every night. A new year, a new birthday, and you kill me every time. He is there some nights.”
Relief washed over me as his words sank in. He was suffering too—haunted by the same torment. A twisted smile spread across my face as I realized he couldn’t escape this any more than I could. But the satisfaction was fleeting. My chance was here, now, and I wouldn’t waste it.
I reached for the magic again, summoning another branch to strike. But nothing happened. The stolen power drained from me, leaving an empty ache in its place. My vision blurred, the last remnants of the magic fading as darkness took over.
I stumbled, cursing under my breath. I was so close. It was almost over, and I had failed. I let him get under my skin.
I turned around and started walking back to the direction I came from, not even attempting to see where he was now.
“Where are you going?” he called from behind me, his voice taunting as it echoed through the trees.
I didn’t stop. “Home,” I said, my voice steady. I reached for my hood but hesitated, letting my hand drop to my side. He knew of my family, and if he was foolish enough to follow me, he’d face a far worse fate than I could offer tonight.
“But the night is so young,” he said, his tone dripping with mockery. “And you almost had me. It was quite thrilling.”
I glanced over my shoulder, not to see him but to let him know I wasn’t afraid. “I’m over your games for now. Unless you plan to fight me, I have better things to do.”
The woods fell silent, and for a moment, I thought he was gone. Then a soft breeze whispered past me, carrying his voice. “Goodnight, Winnie.”