I twist the handle and yank open the door.
“Malik,” I whisper, voice betraying my relief. A small part of me worried he would never show.
He smiles at me, and I step aside to let him in.
“Hikari?” I say in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”
“Malik tells me you are one vampire short of a successful plan,” she says.
I frown and glance at Malik. He is silent, somber. Staring at my open window, with the curtains pulled to the side, offering a full view of what lies beyond these walls, Malik looks at the forest that surrounds the manor.
Feeling suddenly self-conscious, I walk over to him and cover the window, hiding what Malik already knows as my truth.
I am different.
Blood makes me queasy. I cannot access magic. I do not burn in sunlight.
Every hour that passes unearths a new piece, and I fear what will remain of the puzzle when we are finished putting it together. Will I like what I see? Or will I spend my final days growing old as my new family remains forever young? Will they remain by my side when I take my final breath? Or will they have long since left Darkhaven, cast out of their home by the witches who betrayed me?
“So we have a successful plan?” I say, turning back toward the others. I do not contain my excitement.
“I never said it will be successful,” Malik clarifies.
Hikari sighs. “Do you always have to be a killjoy?”
“Okay, but there is a plan?” I ask.
Malik’s eyes darken, his face growing somber with each passing second. He crosses his arms, and his jacket strains to cover his bulging muscles. Hikari stands beside him. The two are polar opposites, complete contradictions, yet she is just as strong. Vampires are delightfully deceiving creatures, and I ache to be one again.
“You are not going to like the plan, Ava,” Hikari says.
“But it will work?” I say.
“Yes—” Hikari says.
“It should work,” Malik interrupts.
Hikari groans and mumbles something under her breath as she rolls her eyes at Malik. Her spiky hair is shiny and black, and it glistens in the darkness. Malik ignores her protests, eyes focused solely on me.
“Are you prepared for this, Ava?” Malik asks.
I gnaw on my lip but nod. I will not deny that I am scared. I am weak, barely human. What can I offer them? How can I actually be useful? I cannot do much, but I refuse to abandon Will.
“Tell me what I need to do,” I say, feigning confidence.
Malik swallows, and the room falls silent.
Hikari glances up at him, nodding sharply.
“I spoke with Holland,” he says. “He told me about the link.”
“Oh…” I say, voice soft.
I am ashamed I did not tell him first, and honestly, I am not even sure why I did that. It is as if the witches have an invisible muzzle over my mouth. Even from afar, I keep their secrets when I do not want to.
“We are going to use your link against them,” Malik says.
“How?” I ask.
“You are going to be bait,” Hikari says, grinning.
“Bait?” I repeat, frowning, not liking the sound of that. Doesn’t the bait usually die?
Hikari nods, beaming, utterly confident in the plan these two vampires have developed while the others slumbered, while I was having my heart-to-heart with Holland.
“Bait,” Hikari confirms.
Sneaking out of a house full of vampires, all supposedly with the keen senses needed to best even the world’s greatest hunters, is far too easy.
I slip out the front door without a single hitch. I almost consider pursuing a life of crime after this, because clearly, I am an excellent silent ninja. I can sneak out of just about anywhere and not get caught. Even Mamá had been clueless.
While running down the front porch steps, my foot catches on a plank, and I tumble forward. I slide down the steps with expert ease—thanks in part to the ice storm that poured down on us last night. I break my fall but land ungracefully into a mound of snow. Flopping over, I lie on my back, staring up at the two vampires towering over me.
Hikari snorts while Malik sighs and helps me up.
Embarrassed, I keep my head down while I brush off the debris. Snow has coated my body, and I am desperate to remove the evidence.
“Are you sure this plan will work?” Hikari whispers to Malik.
My gaze darts to hers, and I narrow my eyes. One time. I fell one time. I can do this! I scream at her with my eyes, not daring to raise my voice. With my current luck, I will be loud enough to catch the attention of everyone inside. For our plan to work, we need to go alone.
Malik ignores her and focuses on me. His skin is pale, his irises a fiery red. He looks fierce yet indifferent, tired yet alert. Malik is most definitely a walking contradiction.
“Remember, Ava, stick to the plan,” he orders. “Nothing else.”
I nod sharply. His plan to use me as bait loops in my mind. As he explained, it is a last-case scenario. He and Hikari are going to attempt to lure out Will themselves, and with my help and a little luck, they just might be able to navigate Mamá’s house without ever encountering a witch.
“This is not about vengeance,” Malik reminds me.
“I know,” I say. “This is about saving Will.”
“And surviving,” Hikari chimes in.
“Yes, we all must survive,” Malik says.
I smile, suppressing a chuckle. “That would be important…per the plan.”
Before the other vampires catch us outside, we escape through the gate. We make the trek through the forest, ever conscious of the fact that we may not be the only ones hunting these woods tonight. We keep our eyes alert for motion, fearing the witches may be planning a counterstrike. The thought makes me cringe, but I know Mamá well enough to know she will not give up without a fight.
Malik and Hikari are risking everything to help me. When Amicia finds out they disobeyed her orders, there will be hell to pay. Their punishments will not be light.
I glance at them. They both lead the way while I struggle to walk in foot-deep snow, hoping they know just how much I appreciate their alliance. They might have only agreed because of my stubbornness and inability to leave an ally behind, but I am grateful nonetheless.
I jump into each imprint Malik’s large boots make in the snow, and soon, my legs ache from the activity. It feels like it has been years since I had a good workout, even though I know that is not true. My training sessions with Malik and Holland were both physically and mentally exhausting, but it seems those benefits did not follow me into this afterlife. Now, I feel like jelly. I feel wiggly and floppy, and I ache all over.
I swipe the sweat on my forehead with the back of my hand, breathing far too loudly for someone supposed to be sneaking around. With my eyes focused on the ground, desperately trying not to fall, I do not notice the vampires coming to a sudden halt.
I walk into Malik, the top of my head smashing against his back. He does not budge, but I yelp and grab on to him to keep myself steady. Digging my fingers into the fabric of his jacket, I maintain my hold, not releasing him even when I glance around to see what has caught his attention.
“What is it?” I whisper, breathless. My chest heaves, and I squint in the darkness. Without the vampires’ heightened senses, I cannot see what is worrying them.