“Be patient,” he says. “You’ll get there.”
“Time seems to be all we have now,” I say, understanding his deeper meaning.
Will nods, his gaze becoming lost in another time, another place. I wonder where he is right now, what he’s thinking about. How long has he been a hybrid? How long has he been alone? Is that why he yearns for a partner? Is that why he so desperately wants me to join his nomad lifestyle?
“One day, you’ll be sitting alone, reflecting on your life and all the things that have unfolded since you became a vampire. You’ll stare into that abyss, and the unknown future with a vast amount of time will feel…suffocating,” Will says.
I’m silent as I consider his words. Will’s eyes brighten when he looks at me.
“Don’t let it stop you from loving this life. You were given a gift, Ava. You’re special. Never forget that.”
I hear them in the distance. The distinct smack of feet against the frozen ground grows louder with each passing second. I freeze, worried the witches have returned to avenge their fallen.
Will finally halted his interrogation, and we’ve been walking back to the manor in silence. Now that we’re close, I’m far too exhausted and hungry to properly protect myself, and I can’t count on Will to do all the work for me. At least, not again.
We glance at each other, and an uncertainty crosses his eyes. He’s not sure what to do either. He has no ties to Darkhaven, and I’m guessing if it comes down to it, he will choose his life over another. Unfortunately, that decision doesn’t come so easily to me. I have ties here, and they thread together like a noose around my neck.
“We’re not far from the manor,” I say as I stare into the distance. The woods are dark, and the snowfall is heavy. I squint, seeing nothing but endless flakes. I may not be able to see the manor from this distance, but I know it’s there. Somewhere, the Victorian manor is covered in snow, and beneath that roof, my allies await my return.
“Is it normal for witches to hunt so close to your nest?” Will asks, frowning.
I sigh. “Unfortunately, yes. These witches test boundaries and are far too brazen for their mortal coils. Yesterday they showed up unannounced to ask for help. I thought I made myself clear, but today’s attack is proof they are still patrolling close to home.”
My skin crawls at the thought. How long have they been in the woods? Were they watching me too? Have I not learned my lesson? Distraction leads to death. Plain and simple. I must be the better hunter.
Their footsteps are louder now. They radiate through the ground and up my legs. I grow weaker with each footfall. My throat is dry, my head spinning. What am I supposed to do? Kill more witches? That’s not who I am, even if they deserve death. I don’t want to be the final straw that breaks, erupting Darkhaven in an endless war. These grounds have seen far too much bloodshed as it is.
“Stay back,” Will says, pushing me behind him.
I stumble backward, trying not to fall as I’m forced out of the path of danger. Will steps forward as I voice my disapproval. I don’t need him to treat me like a child. I may be weak, but I don’t need his protection.
The flash of a fireball erupts within his palm. Will grunts as he flings it forward. The blazing sphere soars through the air, nearly making contact with the flesh of our intruder.
The flash of magic dashes before my eyes too quickly. Pictures of what lies before us dance across my vision, and I choke on my scream. Everything is moving so quickly, and I haven’t the time to call out.
The fiery blast was sent prematurely. It was a warning. Will threatened death to those who approach. And he almost incinerated my friends.
Seeing the fire magic’s approach, Malik is able to quickly evade the attack. In our many, many hours spent in the basement training quarters, he has never shown me the flip maneuver he just used to avoid certain death. He spins through the air, body soaring to new heights, before he lands firmly on the ground once again. The fireball slams into a snow mound several feet away, extinguishing itself and leaving a steaming pool of melted snow in its wake.
“Stop!” I shout, grabbing on to Will’s arms and shoving them down. He spins, releasing himself from my grip, and I nearly lose my footing. I stumble, teetering slightly until I regain my composure. My stomach burns from hunger, and I’m light-headed. I need to feed.
“Ava?” Jasik says. He stares in disbelief. His gaze narrows as he looks at Will.
“Are you okay?” Jeremiah asks. He holds his dagger in his hand, gripped firmly in a white-knuckle grasp. His skin is ashy, his eyes dark. He frowns at Will before looking at me.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“It’s almost sunrise, and you still hadn’t come home. We thought you might be in trouble,” Malik says. His face is calm, collected, but his eyes scream with anger. It floods my ears, making concentration almost impossible.
“We didn’t realize you had some rendezvous planned with…him,” Hikari says, seething. She crosses her arms over her chest.
They’re all rightfully upset with me. I have been gone far too long, and they find me in the dark of night with another vampire—someone they don’t recognize and someone I’ve never mentioned. This certainly does look bad.
“Who are you?” Jasik asks, his gaze on Will.
Will glances at me. He gives me a knowing gaze before answering my sire’s question. “I’m Will.”
“Are you…like Ava?” Malik asks. He eyes Will cautiously, curiously. His gaze drops the length of Will’s body, likely assessing the threat level this mystery vampire poses. Unfortunately, Will just might be the greatest opponent Malik has ever faced.
“I am,” Will says.
“And how long have you two known each other?” Hikari asks. She arches a brow, a pointed look in her eyes.
“We’ve only just met,” Will says.
“Seriously?” Hikari says. “You expect us to believe it’s entirely coincidental that you’ve just run into each other tonight? Do you really expect us to believe this wasn’t planned?”
“It’s true I came looking for her, but she was unaware of my existence until tonight,” Will admits. He doesn’t mention my dream intrusion or meeting me on the astral plane. I’m grateful, because the last thing I want is for Jasik to believe I truly was keeping secrets.
“Why?” Malik asks, cutting off Hikari.
“Because there aren’t many vampires like us,” Will says.
“How did you find her?” Jasik asks, frowning. He glances at me, a worried look in his eyes. “How long have you known?”
“There’s a lot you don’t understand about our powers, and honestly, I don’t care to explain them to you,” Will says plainly. “I know enough.”
Jasik steps forward, and I rush between them. We can’t fight about this. Not now. We have only a couple of hours until sunrise, and we need to get home. We don’t have time to talk logistics, even though I too am itching to know how Will was able to find me in the astral plane. Are we strong enough to find anyone? Is that how he plans to locate Liv? He mentioned a locater spell, but maybe we do that through the astral plane and that’s why the other witches haven’t found her yet.