Chapter Twenty
The wind bites through the night air as I drive alone toward the outskirts of the city, heading for a place I thought I”d never return to—Adrian”s family estate. The very place I watched his parents die. It”s where I swore to them that I”d look after their son after they became casualties of the last vampire clan war. Now, that vow is in shambles.
But there”s a purpose to my return now, a desperate need to stop Adrian before he unleashes untold chaos upon us all. This place carries memories of my past, of innocence lost and a family torn apart. Now, it”s tainted with the impending threat Adrian poses.
As I pull into the driveway, I notice a large number of cars parked outside the main building. This confirms my suspicion that Adrian is here. What I didn”t expect is that he”d have so many followers. Where did he even find these vampires? Most of them were probably turned by him in recent years. They can”t know about Adrian”s dark side, the cruelness he hides from those he”s closest to. Or maybe they do and that”s why they follow him. Vampires aren”t unlike people. There are good and bad, and everything in between. It seems he”s found his true clan, and they can have him.
But they can”t have Lola.
I park my car behind some trees to remain unseen and make my way through the grounds as quietly as I can manage. The crunch of gravel beneath my boots echoes as I creep toward the mansion”s rear entrance. The door is unlocked, so I slip inside and creep along the hallway, keeping to the shadows. I move through the overgrown garden, my senses heightened for any sign of danger.
When I pass under an opened window, voices reach my—Adrian”s voice. I press myself against the wall, straining to catch every word.
”—we have to go through with the ritual this Friday,” he says to someone else. ”My plan is perfect. There”s no reason to doubt me.”
”Are you sure this is wise?” a female voice questions. ”I mean, using the witch—”
”It”s the only way,” Adrian interrupts. ”If we sacrifice her blood to the full moon, we”ll be able to claim the power that was stolen from us. Our race will rise again. We won”t have to hide anymore. We”ll be free.”
There”s a pause before the woman speaks again. ”And you”re certain she”s the one we need? What if it”s not her?”
”The knife belonged to her ancestor,” Adrian replies confidently. ”The witch who cast the spell to hide the vial away. Our kind has been searching for it for centuries, but none of us could find it because we didn”t have the right witch. But now that we do, everything changes.”
His words send chills down my spine. None of this makes sense. To conduct the ritual, he needs Lola”s consent. It”s quite clear that it won”t work if he forces her, so what is he planning?
”Under the full moon,” Adrian starts, his voice dripping with confidence, ”the blood rites will transfer to me. Once Lola is sacrificed, the power of the mixture will be mine to command. Drake won”t stand a chance.”
A gasp escapes my lips as the reality of what he”s saying hits me. He”s going to kill her! Like some sacrificial pawn. He”s truly insane. I clench my fists, fighting back the surge of anger threatening to consume me. I can”t let that happen.
Peering around a corner, I catch sight of Adrian, surrounded by a group of vampires. Their faces are obscured by shadows, but their allegiance to Adrian is unmistakable. I strain to listen, hoping for more details that could aid my mission.
”The hiding place must be opened, and the vial retrieved. The power it contains is immense,” Adrian continues, his voice low but charged with anticipation. ”Once I have it, no one will be able to stop me. The world will bow before our clan, and humans will serve us as we see fit.”
Murmurs of approval fill the air as his followers cheer at the prospect of having unlimited access to human blood sources. I cringe at the thought of what they”d do with such a gift. They”d probably drain every single person until there”s nothing left, and then we would all starve.
I have to stop him.
As I step backward, ready to get home and collect my own clan to take this new family out, my foot collides with a small statue, sending it crashing to the ground with a resounding thud. The silence outside is shattered, replaced by the sharp intake of breath and the distinct shuffle of footsteps as Adrian and his followers turn toward the source of the disturbance.
I freeze, caught in the unforgiving spotlight of their attention. There”s nowhere to run or hide now. They”ve seen me.
”Well, well, well,” Adrian drawls as he steps forward into the light. ”Look who decided to show up uninvited.”
”Adrian,” I greet him coldly as I square my shoulders and meet his gaze head-on. ”I came to talk.”
”Talk?” Adrian scoffs as he waves a dismissive hand at me. ”What could you possibly have to say that I would care to hear?”
”You need to stop this madness,” I implore him, refusing to back down. ”You”re hurting innocent people.
”Innocent?” he taunts. ”You can”t stop what”s already set in motion. Lola”s fate is sealed, and because of this sick obsession you”ve formed for her, so is yours.”
Without warning, the group of vampires leap through the window one by one, lurching for me as they get close enough. The first one lunges at me, fangs bared. I dodge the strike, feeling the rush of air as he flies right by me. I deliver a swift kick to his chest, sending him stumbling backward. Another comes at me from behind, but I whirl around and slam my elbow into his face with enough force to break his nose. He crumples to the ground in pain, clutching his face.
The others advance on me as well, surrounding me like a pack of hungry wolves closing in on their prey. They move fast, attacking me from all sides in a coordinated effort to overwhelm me with sheer numbers. I struggle to fend them off as they rain blows down on me, but they”re relentless, showing no mercy as they continue their assault.
I manage to block most of their strikes, but a few connect hard enough to knock me off balance. I fall to the ground, landing on my knees with a grunt of pain. As I struggle to regain my footing, one of them grabs me from behind, pinning me to the ground as another brings his boot down onto my back, pressing it hard into my spine.
Adrian watches the scene unfold with a smug grin on his face. ”What”s the matter, Drake?” he sneers. ”You seem a little out of practice, old man.”
”Let me go!” I growl as I fight against the hold.
”That”s not going to happen,” Adrian replies coolly as he steps closer to me, stopping just inches away from my face. ”You”ve lost, my old friend.”
”I haven”t lost yet,” I spit out, glaring daggers at him.
When the man holding my hands loosens just enough to adjust his grip, I seize the opportunity and throw my body weight forward, breaking free from his grasp. I roll across the grass before springing to my feet and make a break for my car. The vampires follow after me, but they”re younger and slower, and I”m able to outrun them. I slide into the driver”s seat and start the engine, tires screeching as I pull away from the estate with Adrian”s angry shouts echoing in my ears.
”Run, Drake. But know this—there”s no escaping your fate.”
Ignoring his taunts, I make a strategic retreat. I need to regroup, tell my clan what”s going on, and find a way to keep Lola safe. Adrian wants her dead, and if he succeeds in opening that hiding place, we”ll all be doomed. I have to stop him before it”s too late.
The battle may be lost, but the war is far from over.
I drive home in silence, lost in thought as I replay Adrian”s words over and over again in my mind. I try to make sense of it all, but nothing seems to fit. How did he manage to find out about blood rites? And why would he think that sacrificing her under a full moon would transfer them to him? None of it makes sense, and I”m not sure he even has the correct information, but I know one thing for certain—if Adrian gets his hands on that vial, we”re all doomed.
When I pull into the driveway of my house, I notice a strange car parked in front of it. I furrow my brow in confusion and park behind it, making my way toward the front door. When I step inside, Sage is sitting on the couch next to Lola, holding her hand and talking in hushed tones. She looks up at me with concern etched upon her face as I enter.
”What happened?” I ask, panic rising in my chest. ”Is Lola okay?”
”She”s fine,” Sage assures me quickly, placing a gentle hand on Lola”s shoulder. When Lola nods at her giving her silent permission to fill me in, she continues, ”It seems Lola has had some sort of magical breakthrough and she asked me to come help. Of course, I transported here as fast as I could. We witches need to stick together, yes?”
I look at Lola, still trying to process this new development. ”You have magic?” I inquire.
Lola smiles sheepishly. ”It seems so.”
I can”t contain my excitement as I stride over and wrap her in my arms, lifting her off the floor. ”That”s amazing!” I exclaim, spinning her around. ”This changes everything!”
Lola giggles as she clings to me for dear life. ”Put me down before you drop me,” she laughs.
I set her back on the ground and look deep into her eyes. ”Do you understand what this means?” I ask eagerly.
”Um, I have magic?” Lola replies uncertainly.
”Yes, but it”s more than that,” I explain excitedly. ”Your bloodline is strong. Despite having no training whatsoever, you were able manifest something. And that”s going to come in handy for what I”ve just learned. Adrian is planning on performing some type of ritual involving you and the knife under the full moon this Friday night.”
Sage gasps, putting a hand over her mouth as she listens. ”He wants to transfer ownership.”
So, it”s true. It can be done. ”I don”t know how much longer you have before he comes for you,” I say. ”But if you have magical abilities, we can use that to our advantage. We could lure him here with it. We”d have the home field advantage, so to speak.”
She looks to Sage. ”Can we do that?”
The witch nods. ”Of course. There are spells that allow you to infiltrate ones dreams. We could project you into his dreamscape, and then you could manipulate his subconscious. Make him think he”s dreaming of you. Fill him with the need to see you and bring him here.”
”Would that work?” Lola asks hesitantly.
”Yes,” Sage replies. ”It will work. I”ll teach you everything I know.”
I watch them discuss their plan as hope blossoms within my chest. With Lola”s magic, we stand a real chance against Adrian. She could save us all. Her magic is so powerful it came through with zero training or knowledge. From the way she tells it, she wasn”t even trying. If only she”d let me turn her, she”d be unstoppable.
There hasn”t been a witch-vampire hybrid in ages, but I know it”s possible. I”ve seen it before, but I promised myself I would never even suggest it to her, and I intend to keep that promise. If she ever came to me wanting it, I wouldn”t deny her. But it has to be her decision.