Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
Devine Country Estate, Sixteen Years Ago…
Pain makes it difficult to breathe, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to grunt for help. After twelve years on this Earth, I know what monsters are capable of, and I do not want to be caught helpless and broken in the middle of the night, lying in the driveway like a rag doll.
And yet, here I am.
I hear the stomp of demonic horses as the animals pull against their tethers. They smell my blood, and it stirs them. I imagine it reminds them of home, of the tortures of the netherworld.
Music comes from inside my family’s country house, muffled by stone and glass. It’s the soundtrack of my life—music from a party I’m not invited to attend. I see flashes of magical light, like warning shots from another universe.
I never asked for this life or to be born mortal and weak. I can’t fight monsters. I’m just a girl.
I don’t want to die.
The smell of my blood will awaken the worst in my parents’ friends. There is one rule I must always follow—don’t leave the protected wing of the house when the supernaturals are visiting. This driveway is not protected.
I look up the side of the estate to the upper balcony from where I fell. One of Anthony’s friends sold Conrad flying dust, but it didn’t work. I dropped like a stone.
Conrad was supposed to jump with me, but he’s gone. He’s left me alone to fend for myself.
I draw a ragged breath, trying to control the fear.
Who will find me first?
“Hello there, little castoff.” A shadow falls over me as the vampire Constantine leans to block the view of the empty balcony. He told me he likes to be called Costin.
Why do women think these pasty monsters are beautiful? I see it all the time in books and movies and on the internet. They’re drawn to the idea of darkness and power, of immortality, but I don’t think the reality would live up to the fantasies. Vampires are manipulative, savage killers. There is nothing beautiful about that.
Costin’s long black hair is caught up by a breeze, the color a stark contrast to his pale skin. He towers over me, looking down like I’m roadkill littering the lawn. I’m not na?ve. I know his eyes swirl with bloodlust. My bleeding has drawn him out for a snack. Dim light catches his fangs, and I can’t look away from them.
I try to draw a deep breath. It hurts. I can’t move. I don’t stand a chance against him and the hell his mouth offers.
Costin’s movements are a blur as he comes to kneel beside me. The chill of his fingers moves along the nape of my neck, scraping me with his fingernails. I wait for him to cut me. He doesn’t.
The vampire pulls his hand away, and I see my blood staining his fingers. His gaze shifts to his hand, and his eyes continue to swirl. He pulls the fingers into his mouth and makes a strange noise. His eyes close.
“So fresh and innocent,” he whispers.
I can’t stop shaking as tears stream down my temples. Everything hurts. I can’t move, can’t fight. He’s going to kill me. I just know it. Any second now.
Fear rushes through my veins, petrifying me. I start to shake. I manage to mouth a plea. “Please.”
I don’t expect anything I say will stop him .
“Constantine,” my grandfather George’s stern voice warns. Relief floods me as he comes to my rescue.
The vampire tenses at the command. His eyes continue to swirl with bloodlust. I’m not sure what he’ll do.
“Step away from her,” George insists. I strain my neck to look at him. He’s wearing one of his vintage suits. The man radiates a debonair calm, and his familiar presence is comforting. He’s one of the most powerful magics I know. And he loves me unconditionally. He might be the only one in my life who does. “She’s protected.”
Costin hisses and swipes his arms forward before his body becomes a blur. He disappears from the drive, leaving us alone.
My grandfather is instantly beside me as he checks my legs for injury. “What hurts?”
I moan as I cradle my arm.
“Your arm looks broken.” He feels along my neck before touching my scalp. “Your head is bleeding. How did this happen?”
I don’t want to tell on my brother, but I can’t help glancing up at the balcony. Conrad hasn’t returned.
He frowns and follows my gaze upward. “Why, little dove?”
I don’t want to tell, but there is something in the caring sound of his voice that forces me to answer. I try to hold back my sob. “They said we could fly.”
The demonic horse dances in agitation to the sound of my pain.
“Who?” George asks.
I shake my head and decline to answer. I press my lips together as if that might keep the words inside. There is no way I’m willingly ratting out Anthony or his supernatural friends.
My grandfather makes a slight noise as if coming to a decision. He lifts his hand and faces his palm toward me. “We need to get you to the hospital. I’m going to petrify you so you can’t feel it.”
I want to make him stop. The idea of being magically petrified into darkness terrifies me. But before I can utter a word, I feel the sting of his powers washing over me. Darkness closes in.
“It’s fine. The others think I’m feeding. What is so important you needed to see me tonight?”
Costin’s voice cuts through the dark fog in my brain, almost like a dream.
“You tasted my granddaughter,” Grandfather George says.
“You called me away for this? I would not hurt her. You know better. I respect our friendship too much, George. Other than food, I have little use for humans, let alone a child.”
I try to open my eyes, but my lids refuse to move.
“Then it is unfortunate for you that your fate is now bound to hers.”
Muffled sounds block the conversation, and I start to drift back into the haze.
“…will protect her,” my grandfather is saying.
“All right, let’s get this cast on, Miss, uh…” A woman’s voice trails off, and I feel someone tapping my cheek. “Miss Devine?”
“She was restless.” My grandfather sounds closer like he’s standing next to me. “They gave her a sedative. You may put on the cast.”
I’m too weak to follow what’s happening.
“Don’t wake up,” my grandfather whispers, his breath tickling my ear. The dream slips away.