Chapter 13
Kara
Iwatch Marcus, Soren, and Darick follow Dad out of the room, their heads bent close in conversation. Marcus’s shoulders are tense – I can feel his agitation humming even though I’m trying to block it out. That’s a skill I’m definitely going to work on.
“What do you think that’s about?” Rowan asks, fiddling with her glasses.
“No idea.” I cross my arms, resisting the urge to peek into Marcus’s thoughts. Bad enough having this unwanted connection without actively using it.
A crash from the hallway snaps my attention away from the departing group. Glass shatters somewhere near the entrance, followed by shouts and the distinctive sound of vampire speed – that weird whoosh of displaced air.
“What the—?” Mom starts to say.
More crashes. Running footsteps. Someone screams.
My magic surges as I spin toward the door. This is supposed to be a secure location. Marcus’s pride and joy of a safe house with its sophisticated security system and loyal guards. Yet the sounds of fighting are getting closer.
“Shit!” someone blurts.
The door bursts open. One of Marcus’s security team stumbles in, blood streaming from a gash on his forehead. “They’re inside! Marlowe’s people—”
He doesn’t finish. A stake erupts through his chest from behind. His eyes go wide before he crumbles to ash, revealing three vampires in tactical gear in the doorway.
I raise my hands, ready to attack, power bursting between my fingers. Beside me, Rowan grabs Mom’s arm and pulls her back. The rest of our group – the few trusted allies we’d gathered – move into defensive positions.
“Well,” the lead vampire says with a cruel smile. “What do we have here? The Blackwood witches, all wrapped up like a present.” He runs a look over the rest of the group. “And so many more little bonuses.”
Seraphina’s eyes flash with defiance.
The lead vampire lunges at me with inhuman speed. I throw up a magical barrier, the air shimmering as his body slams against it. The impact sends vibrations through my arms, but I hold firm.
“Mom, get back!” I shout as more attackers pour in.
Power explodes around us – ice from Marina, wind from Zephyra, raw power crackling through the air. The vampires dodge and weave with preternatural grace, but they can’t avoid everything. One catches a shard of ice in the shoulder and howls.
“How did they find us?” Rowan’s voice rises over the din. She gestures frantically, her magic going wild and turning one vampire’s hair bright purple instead of whatever she intended.
God, Ro…not now…
A blast of energy rips through my barrier, forcing me to roll aside. The marble floor cracks where I stood. These vampires aren’t just fast – they’re wielding magic. Witch magic. That shouldn’t be possible unless…
“They’ve been drinking witch blood!” I warn the others, throwing up another shield as dark energy shoots toward Mom.
The fighting intensifies. Furniture shatters. Windows crack. Blood sprays across expensive art as Marina’s water whip catches a vampire across the face. But for every attacker we push back, two more seem to appear.
“The wards!” Zephyra shouts suddenly. “They’re still intact – they had to have access!”
The realization hits like ice water. The sophisticated security system, the magical barriers, the vampire guards – none of it was breached. Someone let them in. Someone who knew exactly where we’d be and how to access Marcus’s supposedly secure penthouse.
We have a traitor.
Another blast of dark magic interrupts my thoughts, this one powerful enough to shake the entire floor. I dive behind an overturned table, mind racing. Who could have betrayed us? Who even knew we were meeting here?
Then, through the smoke and carnage, I see him – Marcus materializes out of thin air with his team of vampire warriors flanking him.
His eyes meet mine for a split second, a flash of urgency and concern flickering through their depths, then he lunges at a vampire aiming his weapon at Mom’s petrified figure.
The moment her area is clear, he moves again, appearing at my side faster than I can register.
“What—?” I begin, only to falter as the air crackles and Marcus rips out the throat of a vampire who’s charging toward me. I stare at him for a second; his presence hits like an electric current, our magic instantly harmonizing. Power rolls off him in waves as he tears through the attackers.
“Stay close.” His thought echoes in my mind, and I immediately resist it, although it’s probably not the best time to let pride get in the way.
“I can handle myself.”
Despite the resistance, I find myself moving in sync with him. We fall into a natural rhythm – my shields deflecting attacks, his speed complementing my offensive spells.
A vampire lunges at my blind spot. Before I can react, Marcus’s power merges with mine, creating a blast that reduces the attacker to ash.
“Impressive!”
I feel his thought like a wash of approval, and it warms me, even though it shouldn’t.
I spin to cover his flank, my fire spell connecting with another vampire.
“Focus on the fight,” I mutter, but can’t help noticing how smoothly he moves, all lethal power and fluid grace. His shoulder brushes mine as we circle, and despite the fight, my body hums with awareness.
“You’re magnificent when you fight,” his thought slips through, followed by a flash of desire that definitely wasn’t meant for me to sense.
I falter for a split second, heat rushing to my cheeks. A bolt of black magic nearly catches me, but Marcus pulls me against him, his body shielding mine as he deflects the attack. The solid warmth of his chest against my back sends my pulse racing for reasons that have nothing to do with battle.
“Pay attention,” he growls in my ear, but his hands linger longer than necessary before releasing me.
We move together like we’ve fought side by side for years.
His shadows weave through my fire spells, creating devastating combinations.
Each shared thought, each brush of contact, each moment of perfect synchronization builds something dangerous between us – something that feels increasingly difficult to deny.
Suddenly, a blast of magic separates Marcus and me, forcing us apart. His presence lingers in my mind, but the physical distance makes our connection feel stretched thin.
Through the battle, I spot High Priestess Seraphina backed against a wall, her hair wild around her face as she fends off two vampires. Their movements are too coordinated, too precise. They’re up to something.
“Get away from her!” I launch myself forward, channeling my power into a concentrated burst of energy. One vampire stumbles back, but the other dodges with mind-boggling speed.
Seraphina’s magic ripples out, elegant and deadly. “They’re moving in patterns,” she calls to me as I reach her side. “Watch their formations!”
She’s right. Now that I’m paying attention, I can see it. The vampires aren’t just attacking – they’re systematically pushing us into smaller groups, cutting off escape routes. Each time we try to break their line, they force us back with precisely aimed charges.
“They’re herding us,” I realize, throwing up a shield as a burst of foul magic tears toward Seraphina. “This isn’t random – they’re splitting us up on purpose.”
Through it all, I catch fragments of Marcus’s thoughts – similar realizations, mounting concern. He’s too far away, blocked by a wall of attackers that seems to thicken whenever he tries to reach us.
Seraphina’s eyes meet mine, sharp with understanding. “A coordinated attack,” she says, her voice grim. “They knew exactly where we’d be, exactly how to breach the defenses.” She’s echoing the thoughts I’d had when the attack began.
Another wave of vampires pushes between us and the others, forcing our group further into a corner. I catch glimpses of Marina and Zephyra being driven in the opposite direction. Mia and Rowan have been backed up against a wall nearby.
They’re not just separating us – they’re isolating specific targets.
They want us…my sisters and me. It shouldn’t surprise me. We’ve been targets all along. But still, knowing what they have in mind, my blood runs cold.
A flash of movement catches my eye – Astra is cowering near the doorway under attack. The High Priestess launches herself forward before I can stop her, a blur of movement as she races to protect her sibling.
“Wait!” I shout, but she’s already halfway across the room. But something’s wrong. The vampires’ formation shifts too smoothly, like they expected this exact move.
I surge after her, sparks flying from my fingertips. The attackers part like water, letting us through too easily. My stomach drops as we reach Astra, who now stands calmly among the vampires, no sign of distress on her face.
“Sister,” Astra says, her voice cold and unfamiliar. “So predictable.”
“Astra?” Seraphina freezes, her head whipping around as she takes in the group of leering bloodsuckers. “What’s going on?”
“I think that should be obvious,” Astra sneers.
She’s trapped us. Her own sister.
“God, Astra. What have you done?” Seraphina looks stricken.
“What I should have done years ago.” Astra’s violet eyes gleam with triumph. “Always the perfect one, weren’t you? The chosen one. The High Priestess.” She spits the title like poison. “While I stood in your shadow.”
“You…” Horror dawns on Seraphina’s face. “You let them in.”
“Heath and I have a vision for our kind.” Astra’s chin lifts. “Under Lucien’s guidance, we’ll build a new order. No more hiding, no more playing nice with humans. Real power, at last.”
“But…but I defended you. I assured everyone you weren’t involved in what happened. I told them you were innocent.” Seraphina’s voice cracks and her eyes well with tears. I’ve never seen our leader like this, her usually serene features twisted with pain.
“Of course you did. I knew you would.” Astra rolls her eyes. “Always doing the right thing. Always the protective big sister. So fucking blind.”
“You’ve betrayed everything we stand for,” Seraphina whispers.
Vampires close in around us. I extend my hands, ready to fight, but there are too many. Black magic crackles through the air – illegal witch magic wielded by vampire hands.
“Take her,” Astra commands.
They move like lightning. I throw up a shield, but a blast of combined vampire and witch magic shatters it. Seraphina struggles as they grab her, her power flaring desperately.
“No!” I leap forward, knowing I can’t let them take her. If I can just buy enough time-
A vampire flies toward me, fangs bared, death in his eyes.
This is it. The moment that changes everything…
Thick arms suddenly lock around my waist, yanking me backward. I struggle, magic flaring around me, but the iron grip doesn’t budge.
“Let me go!” I thrash against the solid chest behind me. “They’re taking her!”
“You can’t help her if you’re captured too,” Marcus’s voice growls in my ear. His power wraps around us like a dark cloak as he pulls me into the shadows.
The world blurs and stretches, reality bending as Marcus’s shadow power engulfs us.
Through the distortion, I catch one last glimpse of Seraphina as the vampires drag her toward a swirling portal of darkness.
Her eyes meet mine for a split second, filled with such profound sadness that my chest aches.
Then Astra raises her hand, toxic magic spiraling from her fingers, and everything vanishes in a flash of purple light.
The shadows swallow us completely. Marcus’s arms tighten as we move through whatever space exists between reality and darkness.
His chest rises and falls against my back, his breath warm on my neck.
Despite my fury at being pulled away, our magic resonates, creating a cocoon of power around us as we travel through the void.
“I could have saved her,” I say through gritted teeth, even as the rational part of my mind knows he’s right. We were outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and caught completely off guard by Astra’s betrayal.
“They wanted you too,” Marcus murmurs. “You and your sisters. We can’t let that happen.”
“We”? What does he mean “we”?
The shadows begin to thin, reality seeping back in around us. But I can’t shake the image of Seraphina’s eyes in that final moment – the weight of betrayal, the crushing realization that her own sister had orchestrated her capture.
My feet touch solid ground, and Marcus reluctantly releases me. I look around us.
Where the hell are we?