Chapter 28 #2
I unleashed everything I had at the two vampires, an unholy scream rising from my chest as black magic poured out from a seemingly never-ending well inside me.
Alric’s eyes widened with alarm. He reached for Vesper, and that was the last thing I saw.
The room plunged into the color of a starless night, and all I knew was endless magic, power the likes of which I’d never known. This… whatever this was felt natural, like it had known me my entire life.
A sharp scream of pain rang out, but empathy had gotten me exactly nowhere with Alric and his Hive. I couldn’t afford to stop now. They were too dangerous to trust, and I had to get the fuck out of here.
I turned and hauled ass to the door, flinging it open with strength I didn’t know I possessed. I hurtled through the lab and ran toward the other door they’d left open. The black and violet magic followed me, coating everything in darkness.
I couldn’t hear anything, but vampires could move silently when they wished. Stopping might sign my death warrant.
It was only after I burst out of the lab and into the heart of the main Hive house and skidded around the corner, I realized I didn’t have a vehicle.
“Fuck!”
His property was enormous, acres upon acres, and the driveway was at least half a mile long.
I flew past Leo, knocking the wide-eyed vampire to the side.
A quick glance back revealed only darkness as that strange power followed me, protecting me from danger.
I kept running, faster than I ever had before, not knowing what I was going to do once I got outside, only knowing I couldn’t stop, no matter what.
I burst through the front doors, pounded down the stairs, and skidded to a stop just as an old F-250 truck screeched to a halt. The driver’s side door opened to reveal Silas.
He took in the scene—me, sweaty and breathless, my palms still streaming magic, the roiling darkness behind me—and swore.
“Get in the truck,” he growled.
I didn’t say a word. He wrenched open the passenger door, picked me up, and tossed me unceremoniously inside. A second later, he was back behind the wheel, his handsome mask a face of concentration as he stomped on the gas pedal.
The truck jerked forward and the tires squealed, white smoke rising in the mirrors. A moment later, we were peeling out of the Vampire Prime’s Hive, both of us breathing heavily.
I released the power, shaking my fingers free of the strange magic. The cloud of black and violet followed us all the way to the gate, stopping at the border as if it knew what to do.
Silas didn’t speak for a while. A sob bubbled from my lips. Tears streamed down my face. I dashed them away with trembling fingers.
“Are they dead?” he finally asked.
“I—” My voice came out in a harsh rasp. “I don’t know.”
Silas let out a deep exhale. “That’s better than yes.” He glanced at me, concern brimming in his hazel eyes. Then he reached into the back seat and came back with a water bottle. After twisting it open, he tossed the lid away and handed the bottle to me. “What happened?”
I took a large gulp and tried to organize my thoughts. “He tried to kill me.” I paused. “I think. Or scare me. I’m not sure which. He wants to know why I’m not showing any signs of the infection.”
Silas’s jaw clenched. “Bastard,” he spat. “Are you alright?”
I let out a hysterical laugh. “I think they’re much worse off than I am.”
Silas snorted. “Probably accurate.” He glanced down at my palms. “What did you do?”
I shook my hands out. “No idea. I seem to have developed some new abilities.”
My sheepish smile made him chuckle. “Seems to have saved your ass.”
Yes, yes, it had. “Gods,” I breathed. “I just attacked the Prime… again.”
Silas nodded. “If he makes it out of this, he’s going to be furious.” An odd expression crossed his face. “Or you’re going to be his new favorite thing.”
I grimaced. “Shit.”
“Yep,” Silas agreed. “So. No idea what you did, huh?”
I shook my head. “Everything went dark and Vesper screamed. That’s all I know.”
“They didn’t chase you out?”
“No idea. I couldn’t see anything behind me.”
The Shifter King ran his hand through his hair. “He has cameras all over that place. He’ll know I helped you.”
I winced. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to get you into trouble. But thank you for getting me out of there. He said he wanted to show me something, and I let him drive.”
Silas’s lips twitched. “Rookie mistake.”
I laughed. “No kidding.” My hands still shook. I interlaced my fingers and tried to calm myself. “Silas, dozens of vampires are infected. Alric has them all in stasis.”
His face went dark. “That sonofabitch. I knew he was hiding something.” He shook his head in disgust. “Sometimes Alric shows flashes of being a decent vampire, then he does something like this. He’s known about the virus all along, hasn’t he?”
I nodded. “Seems that way.”
“Asshole,” Silas spat. He took a long breath in. “Dozens of vampires,” he mused, “all in comas?”
I shrugged. “Stasis. Coma. They all looked dead to me.”
“If any of my people are infected, I’d know. Right now, I believe it’s only me, although I think my people are beginning to sense something isn’t quite right.” He grimaced. “Our link goes both ways, though I can do a lot to block what my shifters sense.”
This was turning into such a nightmare. “I’m sorry.”
Silas didn’t respond right away. We drove in silence for a while. “He is right about one thing, though.”
I went still and waited for Silas’s inevitable attack, but the shifter kept his hands on the steering wheel. “What’s that?”
“Why aren’t you affected? Beckett definitely cut you. We smelled his blood all over when you ran into us. It’s been long enough for you to start showing at least small signs of infection.” He glanced at me. “There’s nothing? No black veins or anger?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Other than these.” I wiggled my fingers.
“But this seems to belong wholly to me. I don’t sense Beckett in this magic.
Maybe it’s a result of what happened to me, when my blood mixed with yours and Alric’s.
” I lifted my shoulder in a shrug. “I have no idea. This is brand new to me. I’m a hedgewitch and part natural witch.
I get down with plants and occasionally seek out information about the future.
I don’t cause clouds of black smoke to rise and kill vampires. ”
Silas chuckled. “That might cause some gossip around the supernatural water cooler.” He made a left turn. “Where do you want me to take you? Home? A friend’s house?”
Cat swam into my thoughts, but I had no idea where she lived. “Umm. Would you mind taking me by the house first and waiting while I gather some clothes? I think I’d like to stay at a hotel tonight.”
Silas glanced at me. “I can do you one better if you trust me.”
My lips twisted.
The Shifter King nodded slowly. “I can see how trust might be the last thing you feel capable of doing after Alric, but you may not be safe at a hotel. I can offer you a space at the Hollow. You have my word, you’ll be safe. Alric would not dare try to breach my territory.”
I thought about it. Silas’s Hollow could certainly be the safest place to retreat to, but I’d trusted Alric and look where that had gotten me. “Thanks,” I said, “but I think it’s best if I take care of myself.”
Silas didn’t look happy about it, but he nodded. “Alright. Your house first, and then I’ll drop you wherever you like.”
“Thank you.”
He smiled, but it held a tinge of regret. “This is the least I can do for a woman who managed to get one over on the Vampire Prime. I would have paid good money to see his face when you whipped that magic out.”
My smile wobbled. When would all this stop? I wanted my life back. I wanted to be me again.
Silas reached out and touched my shoulder. “Hey. Alex. I was kidding. I can’t imagine how terrifying that must have been for you.”
I swallowed hard. “Thank you. I think I’m coming down from all the adrenaline.”
Silas nodded and we passed the rest of the drive in silence.