Chapter 20
Mark
The air in Salem is charged with electricity and something else.
Something wrong.
I breathe deeply, letting the scent permeate every cell of my being.
The smell of evil energy is not a common scent. It vibrates inside me, as if my skin were itching from the inside.
Sulphur, rot, and a metallic sensation that makes me tense.
"It's getting stronger," I murmur, both to Viklaus, who is behind me, his presence rigid and alert, and to Ted, who is listening. "We are at the centre of the explosion perimeter, crossing the Blackmoor neighbourhood and th[5] ."
My nostrils flare as a thicker scent beckons me, and we press on, entering a street of old houses. My eyes settle on the abandoned house in front of us. Time seems to have taken its toll on the structure, but something about it doesn't make sense.
"Illusion," I murmur, feeling the magic throb. "The facade is deteriorated, but the actual structure is still standing."
Viklaus stops beside me, his red eyes hidden behind his eyelids, and he tilts his head, straining his ears.
"I don't hear any heartbeat, it's empty," he says, but the tension in his posture remains.
I push the door, which creaks, and a whirlwind of smells assaults my senses.
My eyes burn, and before I can help it, a sneeze escapes, shaking my entire body.
It's a pandemonium of smells. Creatures, humans, monsters, blood, magic.
.. All mixed together. Deciphering a single trail is impossible.
Whoever is responsible for this knows how to hide.
"This isn't going to be easy," I murmur, stepping inside the house.
The living room is empty, but the kitchen.
.. My stomach churns. The smell of freshly cut meat mixes with rare spices.
The sink is a mess of coagulated blood. There is a ceramic cauldron, which still looks new from its shine, on a cooktop, and it has remnants of a dark liquid with a bitter aroma inside.
On the counter, a microwave makes me raise my eyebrows.
"Nutella wizard," Viklaus mutters, amused, but there is an undertone of discomfort in his voice.
I scan the shelves and feel my jaw lock. Lined-up jars contain pickled limbs — eyes that seem to follow us, hearts of different sizes, teeth too sharp to be human. Bottles of blood, scattered runes, and artefacts that vibrate with a dark, pulsing energy.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Something calls to us. A pulsing energy, like a dead heart still trying to beat.
The door at the back of the kitchen leads to the basement.
I exchange a glance with Viklaus before descending the stairs.
The putrid smell is so thick it makes me salivate with nausea.
In the centre of the room, an inverted pentagram is precisely engraved on the floor, its lines drawn in blood.
The pentagram is surrounded by black candles, now extinguished, their melted wax staining the concrete floor.
Inside the pentagram, resting on a round table, is a black grimoire, its cover marked with a strange symbol. I strain my eyes in the darkness, studying the design. It is an ouroboro, but the snake biting its tail is replaced by a raven's head, and inside it is a closed eye.
That is where the energy emanates from, a thick, viscous force that runs like a disease, spreading and growing, invading the air.
The last step creaks under my weight. As soon as I step on the floor, the eye of the grimoire opens with an ominous snap, the pupil dilating and sparkling in a silvery tone, moving in our direction, as if it were a living presence.
The candles light up instantly, their flames dancing with a life of their own, and then, from the eye, a light begins to emerge.
A flash explodes in the air, momentarily blinding my vision.
It is strong, sharp, like a thousand suns in fury.
Everything begins to burn with unbearable intensity.
Viklaus screams in pain.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" I roar, but it's too late.
The energy expands in a destructive wave. Something hits me in the chest, setting my shirt and skin on fire, the force of the impact throwing me backwards.
As I spin through the air, I let my beast emerge and fall on top of Viklaus, protecting him with my own body.
The house shakes.
The heat licks at my skin, burning faster than I can regenerate. The pain is intense, but I grab Viklaus and run, creating an invisible barrier around us, keeping the flames away, though the heat and light still manage to penetrate the dome.
The door explodes outward as I reach the street, and the morning breeze is a balm. My chest heaves up and down in heavy gasps as I look back.
The flames consume the house. The walls cave in, the roof collapses.
Every piece of evidence, destroyed.
Viklaus groans as he breaks free from my arms, falling to his knees on the floor and covering his eyes with his hands.
That explosion was cruel to him. His eyes and skin are sensitive to ultraviolet rays. Having been a vampire for several centuries, he has developed resistance. He can tolerate the morning light, but he needs sunscreen and must wear special lenses or sunglasses with an adequate filter.
But that...
That was different. The magical incidence of light was terrifying, comparable to that of multiple suns, each beam charged with raw and devastating power.
I run my tongue over my teeth and clench my fists.
"The bastard knew we were here." My eyes narrow at the ravenous flames. "We need to call Balthazar, maybe he'll recognise that grimoire and..."
"Mark..." Viklaus murmurs, and I turn my attention to him. Still on his knees, his hands slide tremulously from his eyes before he lifts his face.
His irises, once red, are now milky.
My stomach churns.
"I'm blind."
I gasp for air, but something catches in my throat, a lump the size of my fucking heart.
"Why aren't you recovering? When was the last time you fed, for fuck's sake?"
"A week ago."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I growl, clenching my jaw in frustration.
"I can usually go longer than that."
Viklaus is one of my best, he's been with me since the company started, he's loyal and has always been on my side...
Without thinking twice, I reach out, forcing my wrist against her lips.
"Drink."
He quickly turns his face away, but his nostrils flare and his canines lengthen, sharpening with primitive desire. Instinctively, he runs his tongue over his lower lip, salivating, tempted by the need to feed.
"I can't, I haven't drunk human blood in decades, you know I'll lose control..."
"Fuck you!" I growl, anger exploding. "None of your lambs are around. So drink now, before it's too late and your blindness becomes permanent, for fuck's sake!"
For a second, Viklaus hesitates, his jaw muscles locking as he fights against his own nature.
But then instinct wins out. His teeth pierce my skin, and the shock of the vampire venom shoots like electricity through my body.
I hiss, not in pain, but from the strange pleasure that runs through my veins, burning and numbing at the same time.
At first, he restrains himself, sucking gently. But when red fills his eyes again, something changes. The colour doesn't just stay in his irises, it devours his entire eyeball. Veins like spider webs spread around his eyes, pulsing beneath his pale skin.
The grip on my arm intensifies. His teeth dig deeper. The suction becomes voracious, brutal.
My vision darkens for a second, and the ringing in my ears seems to intensify. But then I realise that the ringing is coming from the earpiece in my ear, now with interference. Gradually, Ted's voice becomes clearer, breaking through the noise.
Shit.
The signal is terrible. The explosion must have damaged the communication device.
I tap the device with my fingertip, and the interference finally disappears, and Ted's voice cuts through the air, laden with urgency.
"Mark, what the hell is going on?! Where are you guys?!"
I hold my breath for a second, letting the words slip through clenched teeth:
"Bring reinforcements and the vampire tranquilliser. Viklaus has lost control."
I give him the coordinates, with no time to lose.
"That's enough, Vi," I growl. With a sharp tug, I pull my arm out of his teeth.
Part of my flesh remains in his mouth, but I quickly regenerate.
Viklaus lets out an animalistic sound, lunging at me, but I'm already waiting for his attack.
I dodge it with precision. Before he can turn around, I trap him inside an invisible barrier.
He attacks the barrier with fury, without a shred of humanity, hissing, throwing himself against the dome I've erected around him.
The sentries arrive, and I can finally breathe more easily.
I lower the barrier just enough for the dart to strike Viklaus in the chest, sending him into a forced sleep.
He will have to remain imprisoned, medicated, until he can regain control over his uncontrolled hunger.
The tension still tightens my chest, and the beast inside me remains unleashed, latent, furious.
I failed Viklaus.
I have failed them all.
Hatred forms into a hot ball in my stomach.
When I find the son of a bitch behind all this, I'm going to make him suffer before I kill him.