The female, raging with grief over the loss of what had obviously been her mate, came at Nikolas head on. It took him only seconds to bring both blades up and then down in crisscross strokes across her torso. She stumbled and he drove a sword straight through her heart. In a single motion, he turned and slashed out to behead the red haired male on the ground. He straightened and faced us again, looking like he was barely winded and not surrounded by bloody vampire parts.
Silence fell over everyone. Even the wind seemed to stall in anticipation of what would happen next. Eli’s confident smile faded and there was no mistaking the fear in his voice when he spoke. “All of you!” he ordered sharply. “Finish him.”
None of the other vampires looked eager to follow that order but they all turned to face Nikolas, preparing to rush him all at once.
Eli moved closer to me. “Coward!” I yelled at him for standing back out of harm’s way while his friends did the dirty work.
A few seconds later, my attention was drawn away from Eli by movement in the trees. I watched open-mouthed as Chris stepped into the open followed by two, four – five massive werewolves. After everything that had happened with Roland, the pack had come. My heart swelled till it hurt.
As one the vampires backed up a step.
“Let her go and we will let you live… for today.” Nikolas’s commanding voice rang across the short distance between us and sent tendrils of warmth through my frozen limbs. He was here, he’d asked me to trust him and swore to keep me safe and he had come for me. No matter what happened now, I knew my trust had not been misplaced and I felt a small flare of happiness in spite of my dire situation.
Eli pulled me back against his chest, his claws at my throat and memories of that night in the alley rose up like bile, threatening to choke me.
“I think not.” He took a step toward the cliff edge, pulling me with him. “We both know I could rip her throat out and jump before you reached us.”
Nikolas’s expression did not change. “But then nothing would prevent me from hunting you down, and this time I will not stop.”
Eli’s voice was steady, belying the tremble I felt go though him. “I think sweet little Sara is important to you and you won’t do anything to jeopardize her life.”
Nikolas’s eyes blazed.
“Nothing to say?” Emboldened by Nikolas’s silence, Eli let out an ugly laugh and his other hand touched my cheek, the claws skimming lightly over my skin. “Will you still have nothing to say when I taste her?”
This time there was no mistaking the rage seething beneath Nikolas’s calm exterior. I remembered how I had felt when I’d let the demon possess my body, the heady power and violence that had boiled through my veins, and I knew Nikolas was close to unleashing his own demon.
Eli saw it too. “Stay back, Mohiri,” he ordered, a note of desperation creeping into in his voice. “You
might
kill me but not before I end her.”
“Let her go and you’ll have a chance of getting out of this alive. Is she worth your life – all your lives?”
“Do it, Eli!” the black vampire named Juan whispered fervently, never taking his eyes off Nikolas. “Give him the bitch.” The other vampires murmured in agreement.
“She is mine and I will not give her up,” Eli hissed back. “You heard the Master. Kill her or take her but the girl is not to be left behind.”
Eli’s declaration was like a bucket of icy water thrown in my face. No matter what Nikolas did Eli would not let me live. My jaw clenched painfully. At least it would be quick and I’d die knowing my friends had come for me.
“Kill me then.” My words startled the vampires and I was proud of how calm I sounded despite the storm of emotions inside me. “All I ever wanted was to find the one who killed my father and here you are. Knowing that my friends will rip you to shreds – all of you – after I’m dead is enough for me.” My voice grew stronger as I spoke, powered by my conviction that Nikolas and the werewolves would do exactly that.
A wave of panic rippled through the vampires surrounding us. My life was the only thing between them and certain death, and my willingness to die had just drastically decreased their chances of survival. Some of them looked poised to flee. They weren’t stupid. The Mohiri and the wolves wanted me and my friends would follow whoever had me.
“Stand firm!” Eli growled. “You would dare disobey the Master’s orders?”
Apparently, the Master’s wrath was even more terrifying than dying because the vampires moved to take up defensive positions around me and Eli. With the cliff at our backs and the line of vampires between us and his enemy, Eli’s confidence lifted.
“Such a pretty speech,” He rasped into my ear. “But you see I’m not ready for either of us to die yet.” His lips touched my earlobe and I suppressed a shudder. “I have such plans for us, sweet Sara. Before this night is out, I will own you body and soul.”
“I’ll die before I let you have me.”
His voice hitched as he fed on my terror and his own anticipation. “Fight me all you want, it only makes you more desirable.”
I tried to block out the images his words conjured. “You’re a monster.”
Eli chuckled. “I’ve had many, many women and all of them begged me for it… well up until I made them scream of course. Your daddy screamed too at the end, and so will you.”
Pain shot through my chest. “I’ll kill you!” I choked, struggling against him, making him laugh again.
I grunted as something sharp dug into my hip.
The knife.
An absurd urge to laugh flooded me as I remembered how I had tried to refuse the weapon when Nikolas gave it to me and how many times it had helped to save my life since that day. Through it all, the knife always seemed to find its way back to me as if it was daring me to deny my heritage.
My right hand snaked inside my coat and touched the handle. At the same time, my eyes sought Nikolas’s and I drew strength from his unwavering gaze. No matter how this ended, I was not leaving this place with Eli. It was obvious that one of us was going to die here, and if it had to be me, I would go like the warrior Nikolas believed me to be. I owed him that much.
“Father and daughter and someday I’ll have the mother too,” Eli gloated, oblivious to the resolve burning in my eyes. He pulled me against him again and if it weren’t for my newfound strength, I would have buckled under the vicious promise in his dark eyes. “Maybe I’ll keep you until I find dear Madeline. I’ve never had a mother and daughter at one time.”
“You sick bastard!” My fingers closed around the handle of the knife and slowly slid it free. “I’m going to enjoy watching you die, Eli.” My whole life I had fought to save the lives of others but today I would gladly try to take one, even if it meant my own death.
He smiled but there was no humor in it. “You’re brave enough to say that now, but soon you will beg to die. I will use you and drink from you over and over until I have had my fill. And when there is nothing left, I will send you to be with your dear father.”
A lifetime of grief, loneliness and fear powered the thrust that sent the knife into Eli’s chest, up between his ribs and into his demon heart. My eyes met his as they flew wide in disbelief while his hands clawed at the hilt protruding from his body. I watched impassively as realization dawned on his face, as his dark soulless eyes stared at the last person he would ever hurt. Inside me, the Mori reveled in the kill, but all I could think of in that moment was my dad. Killing his murderer did not ease the pain of losing him or bring me any joy, yet it felt right that I was the one to do it. I couldn’t save him but I could give him this.
Eli crumpled to the ground and all hell broke loose.
Nikolas sped toward us followed by Chris and they were met by six of the vampires. Swords and bodies flew so fast I could not follow the fight. Behind them the wolves began to race towards the rest of us on the cliff. Around me, the remaining three vampires quailed when they spotted the approaching threat and they turned to jump into the ocean.
It took me a moment to realize I was free. I ran toward the wolves only to be snatched off my feet and thrown over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “For the Master,” growled the vampire who’d grabbed me.
I screamed and struggled to break free as I was carried back toward the cliff. Behind me the wolves roared and over the din I heard Nikolas yell my name.
We went down in a tumbling heap and I rolled away to see a silver coated arrow sticking out of the vampire’s chest just before he toppled over the edge of the cliff. Scrambling to my feet, I spotted Chris fitting another arrow into his bow.
“Sara, run!” shouted Nikolas as he ran his sword through one of the vampires he was battling. I needed no more encouragement and I started forward.
I didn’t feel the pain at first, just a cold numbness in the center of my chest. When the throbbing pain came, I looked down in confusion at the patch of red blossoming across the front of my shirt. By the time my dulled mind recognized the hilt of my knife sticking from my chest, scalding pain began to shoot through me.
“No!” someone bellowed above the roaring in my ears. I tried to move toward the voice, but my feet would not obey me and I tripped backwards instead. My hands flailed as my feet tried to find purchase, but there was nothing but air as I toppled over the edge of the cliff.
I’m dying.
The thought hit me at the same moment I collided with the little tree clinging precariously to the face of the cliff. My hands grabbed the thin branches, barely feeling the needles that tore at them as I clung to the tree with my rapidly fading strength.
Dangling over the boiling surf, I could barely hear the shouts and roars from the battle raging above me. I tried to call out to them, to let them know I was here, but when I opened my mouth, warm frothy blood was all that came out, running down my chin to drip into the sea.
Strange. I always thought I’d feel scared when death came for me – not this peace that slowly spread through my body. There was sadness too: for Nate who would be alone now, for never seeing Roland’s playful smirk again, and for Nikolas whose handsome face swam before my eyes, his eyes sad instead of their usual stormy grey. He had tried so hard to save me and I knew he would blame himself. I wished I could tell him that it was not his fault. More than that, I wished I could let him know that somehow through all of this, he had become an important part of my life.
My hands opened.
The last time I’d fallen, Nikolas had caught me in his arms, though I had no memory of it. This time it was the ocean that wrapped me in her cold embrace. I sighed as the pain vanished and the world went dark and the waves closed over my head.
“Look Daddy! I
can go all the way around without falling now.”
“That’s great honey!” Daddy watched as I skated in a wide circle around him. I made my way over to him on wobbly legs and he caught me just before I fell. “Whoa, slow down there Gretzky.”
“I’m cold. Can we go get hot chocolate now?” I asked him hopefully and he grinned down at me.
“Of course! When have we ever not gotten our hot chocolate?”
We sat on the bench and Daddy blew on my drink for me. “There you go honey.” I took a long sip and he smiled at me. “Be careful, or you’ll burn your tongue.”
But the chocolate did not burn me and I drained the cup. I held the empty cup out to him. “Can I have some more?”
“More? Don’t you want to skate again?”
I shook my head, shivering in spite of my warm coat and mittens. “Please, Daddy, I’m so cold.”
“How does she fare?”
“She is alive and she is a fighter. That is all I can say.”
“She looks so human, so fragile.”
“Aye but she is stronger than she looks.” A cool touch to the forehead. “Rest now and get well, little one.”
“I don’t feel so good.”
Daddy’s hand felt cool against my face. “Hmmm, you are a bit warm. Where does it hurt?”
I coughed and winced. “My throat hurts and it hurts here,” I rasped, touching my chest.
He tucked the blankets around me and left my room, returning with a glass of water and some pills. I took the pills obediently and greedily drank the glass of water. “More,” I gasped. I was thirsty, so thirsty.
“Why does her body resist the healing?”
“It is the demon blood, it is poisoning her.”
“But the demon is part of her. How can it harm her?”
“No, it is the other demon’s blood that was on the weapon. Her body must choose to accept it or reject it.”
“What will it do to her if it does not kill her?”
“I cannot say. She is not like any other we have healed.”
“Can we do something to help her?”
A sigh. “It is up to her now.”
“Am I dead?”
“What an odd thing to ask, honey.” The corners of my dad’s warm green eyes crinkled when he smiled. He patted the sofa beside him and I curled up happily in the crook of his arm. “I can’t believe it. My little girl is all grown up.”
My brow furrowed. “I don’t understand. Where have you been all this time?”
He sighed and gave my shoulders a squeeze. “I never left. I’ve been with you every day.”
“But I couldn’t find you. I was alone and scared and you were gone.”
“You were never alone, Sara. You had Nate, and your friends. You still do.”
Tears burned my eyes. “I messed up so bad, Daddy. I lied to everyone and I hurt Nate and my friends. They probably all hate me now. Everything I do hurts someone. Even Nikolas. He tried to help me and I let him down too. It’s no wonder I died.”
“No one hates you, honey, and you’re not dead.”
I shook my head. “You died and the only way I can be talking to you is if I died too.”
He kissed the top of my head. “My sweet girl, you can talk to me anytime you want to.”
I closed my eyes and laid my head against his shoulder. “I miss you, Dad.”
Soft tinkling sounds like glass wind chimes pulled me up from the warm cocoon of darkness wrapped around me. My eyes felt heavy as if I’d slept for a long time and when I opened them, it took them a minute to focus. When I could finally see my surroundings, I knew I must still be dreaming.
I lay in the middle of a large canopy bed, covered by white sheets made of soft linen and a comforter of the lightest down. The walls of the room were entirely covered in sweet smelling flowering vines and the domed ceiling was made of stained glass depicting the night sky. There was no window and no door that I could see and when I leaned over to look at the floor I saw what looked like hard pressed earth. On a glass-topped table beside the bed, a small oil lamp flickered softly.
I fell back onto the soft pillows.
I am so not in Kansas anymore.
The vines parted and a pretty red-haired girl appeared. She wore a pale green shift with a fine silver gauze overlay and her delicate face had an almost ethereal quality to it. At first glance I guessed her to be around ten years old, but as she approached the bed I saw that she was closer to my age, maybe a little older.
“Welcome back, little sister,” she said in a soft musical voice that was oddly familiar.
“Where am I?” My throat was dry and my voice raspy.
She moved her hand and out of nowhere she seemed to pull a glass of what looked like water. Pressing the glass into my hands she said, “Drink.”
I took the glass and put it to my lips, too parched to question what it was or how it had appeared from thin air. When I took my first drink I discovered the clearest, most refreshing water I had ever tasted. With my second drink, flavors exploded across my tongue like the smell of grass and flowers and rain and sunshine. It reminded me of standing in a meadow after a spring shower. I drank it all then looked forlornly at the glass, wishing for more. Like magic, the glass filled again and I drank that down too before my thirst was quenched.
“Am I sick?”
She smiled sweetly and her emerald green eyes sparkled. “You were very ill. I am delighted to see you have recovered.”
I studied her face. I’d never seen her before, that much I knew. So why did I feel like we’d met before? “Do I know you?”
Her laugh was airy, musical and something stirred at the edge of my memory. “We have met once but I have been watching you for many years now.”
“Who are you?”
The air around her began to shimmer and a small breeze tossed the leaves covering the walls. Before my eyes the girl faded and morphed into a small spinning column of air. “I told you we would meet again,” said a whispery voice I would know anywhere.
My hand flew to my mouth. “Aine?”
The air shifted and the smiling girl stood before me again. “It is good to see you again, Sara.”
“I don’t understand. Why are you here and why have you been watching me?”
She laid her pale slender hand over mine where it lay on the comforter. “We always watch over our own.”
Their own? I shook my head, thinking I knew exactly how Alice had felt down in the rabbit hole. “I’m not a sylph. I’m Mohiri.”
“You are correct. You are not of the air and you did inherit your mother’s demon side.” Aine nimbly hopped up to sit cross-legged on the bed beside me. “But you inherited something from your father as well. I know you have always wanted to know where you got your power to heal. That comes from your great, great, great, great grandmother.”
“Are you saying that my dad wasn’t human?” I refused to believe that. Nate was very human and my dad had been too.
“Oh, he was human. Your ancestor’s gifts can pass only to females of her line.” Aine’s eyes danced. “Do you know you are her first female descendant? As you can imagine, we were very excited when you were born.”
I struggled to keep up with her. “What are you saying?”
“Forgive me. In my eagerness I have confused you. Let me explain.” She took one of my hands in her smaller one and I felt a peaceful calm flow into me. My power surged in response and a soft gasp escaped me when I sensed energy coming from Aine that was so similar to my own. It was like finding a piece of myself that I did not know was missing.
“Your great, great, great, great grandmother was named Sahine and she was of the water and one of my dearest sisters. One day Sahine fell in love with a human male and she chose to leave this life for a mortal one. It happens sometimes.” Aine smiled wistfully. “We were sad when she left us but she was so happy for the rest of her days. I was glad for her.”
I rubbed my eyes and felt my forehead to see if I was feverish. But my face was cool to the touch.
Maybe I’m drugged.
What else could explain the things I was hearing?
“So I’m like a mermaid or something? Because if you tell me I’m going to start growing a tail, I am going to freaking lose it.” I moved my feet under the covers to make sure they were still there.
Aine gave another tinkling laugh. “You are undine. And I don’t think our cousins would appreciate your sentiment.”
“Undine?” I tried to remember what I knew about undines. Water elementals, always female with beautiful singing voices. Obviously not all of their talents were passed on. All elementals could heal, which explained my power. Undines were supposedly born without souls and marrying a human was one way to get a soul. I felt a moment of fear. I was already half demon. Did this mean I had no soul either?
Aine’s brow furrowed. “I thought you would be happy but you look troubled.”
“Do I… do I have a soul?”
“Only those born in the water are full undine and have no soul. You were not born to the water are so you are not full undine.”
I had a soul – that was something at least. But what did this make me? God, a month ago I was just another human, or so I thought. Now I was what – one third human?
An ache started behind my eyes. This was too much to process. One minute I’m falling off a cliff and the next I’m in a strange room with a sylph telling me I’m part elemental. If this was someone’s idea of the afterlife, it was pretty messed up.
Aine slid off the bed. “I am sorry. You are weak from your illness and I am upsetting you.” She touched my forehead with her cool palm. “Go to sleep. I will be here when you wake up.”
My eyes immediately began to droop and I fought to keep them open. “Wait, I have more questions and you didn’t tell me where I am.”
“You are in Seelie. Your injuries were grave and this was the only place that could heal you.”
Seelie!
I thought before sleep claimed me.
When I woke again, I felt well rested and surprisingly serene considering everything Aine had told me. True to her word, the sylph reappeared as soon as I opened my eyes. She brought me a pale yellow dress similar to her green one and I marveled at the fine fabric as I slipped it over my head. Barefoot, I followed her through an archway behind the vines to a courtyard overlooking a glassy lake. We sat at a small glass table set with food and drink that made my stomach growl and I reached for a pastry, wondering how long it had been since I last ate.
My hand stopped halfway to the plate when I remembered where I was. Rule number one in Faerie: don’t eat or drink.
“You are not mortal, little sister. The food is safe for you.”
That was all I needed to hear. My appetite had always been good but I’d never tasted food like this: pastries that melted on my tongue, fruit so sweet I licked the juice from my fingers and cold frothy milk flavored with mint. It was like pure bliss and I sampled it all – twice – before I finally leaned back in my chair sated.
After my meal, Aine took me for a stroll around the lake. Everything here was incredibly lush and vibrant, from the thick green grass to the sky so blue it almost hurt my eyes to look at it. The air was the sweetest I had ever smelled and brightly colored birds sang to us from the trees. A few times I spotted tiny faces peering out from the underbrush and heard what sounded like giggles. When I asked Aine about them, she smiled and said the sprites were curious about their new cousin but they were too shy to come forward. I shook my head in wonder. The more I saw of this place the more unreal it seemed and the harder it was for me to believe that part of me belonged to this world. I still was not entirely sure that I wasn’t dreaming.
We reached the far side of the lake and I looked back expecting to see a building, but all I saw was the small courtyard nestled among the trees. I didn’t need Aine to explain that it was Faerie magic at work.
We made our way back to the courtyard and walked through the hanging vines into a sunny room with comfortable couches and a low table set with a pitcher of juice and two glasses. Aine poured me a glass of juice and I took a sip, savoring sweetness the likes of which could never be found in the human world. I leaned back on the soft cushions with a contented sigh. There was something about this place, a sense of tranquility that seemed to soak into every pore and lifted every worry and fear from my mind. For the first time since my world had shattered ten years ago, I felt no fear and no loneliness, just a deep sense of belonging.
I wasn’t sure how long we sat there talking. Aine told me how a pair of selkies had rescued me from the ocean and called for her when they recognized me as one of their cousins. I told her I vaguely remembered hearing voices while I was unconscious and she said the faeries had tended me because nothing but their magic could have saved me. I had been stabbed with the same knife I used to kill Eli. To a Mohiri, vampire blood is just blood but to a Fae, demon blood can be lethal. Aine said the faeries believed it was my own demon side that allowed me to finally absorb Eli’s blood harmlessly into my body.
I asked many questions and she answered them all. She told me about undines and how rare it was to find a female descendent of an undine/human mating. Because undines are female, only their female descendents inherit any of their powers. I
was
relieved to learn I would not get the sudden urge to take up residence in the nearest pond.