Shadowshifter 
Witchlock Book 2
 
By
 
 
Cyrese Covelli
 
 
 
 
ISBN: 0-7443-1480-1
 
 
 
Copyright 2008 by Cyrese Covelli
All Rights Reserved
 
 
 
Published by SynergEbooks
http://www.synergebooks.com
 
 
 
 
 
 
PART ONE
 
 
WITCH WAY
 
 
 
 
Chapter One
 
ASCHER
                                               
 
I've got to be the only girl whose first date ends up being a vampire.
Petrel, vampire and all-around creep, greeted me with a pointy smile.
"Ascher, so nice to see you again," he was referring to the fact that we'd met last month when my sister Gemma and I were attacked by him and his suck-head friends. Wanting to tell him that he could go ahead and bite me, but not being able to do so safely, I did the next best thing. I kicked him.
"What's going on?" My best friend, Denise, wanted to know.
She had no idea that vampires were real or that my sister and I were both half-witch, half-warlock. I'd been calling us witch-locks because war-itch sounds like a fungal infection. My sister, Gemma could shape-shift into a panther and I could conjure and control fire with my hands. Ishy to say the least.
Finding out about our powers was really the only good thing that came out of the ordeal with Petrel. Well, that and meeting Elliot Ambrose, a time-shifting hottie and accidental vampire servant. He is also my pseudo-boyfriend of two weeks. I say pseudo because we hadn't been on an official date yet. As it happens, tonight was my first date- ever.
Grabbing Denise away from her boyfriend, Dax, I herded her to the sofas and gave the boys my best scary look. It was Dax’s fault that Gemma and I were attacked in the first place. I mean, he didn’t, like, sick the vamps on us or anything, but he did tell us to check out The Crimson, a.k.a. hangout for Chicago vampires. He’d kept bragging about how cool it was and when Denise had canceled our plans to go, my sister stepped in to make me feel better. I intended to question Dax about what he knew of all things fanged just as soon as we got some time alone.
"What was that all about?" Denise asked.
"That boy you set me up with, he's a jerk," I said. "I met him once and he was just…he was just way over-aggressive and there's no way I'm double-dating with you guys." Denise looked at me sadly and nodded.
"If you don't like him, you don't like him. That's fine, but you know my mom thinks this is a double-date and that's the only reason she's letting me stay out past curfew. You said you'd do this for me, Asch. Is this really about Petrel?" Denise regarded me with inquisitive puppy-dog eyes.      
"I was up for the double-date thing, but not with a guy like Petrel. I'm sorry. I just…I can't. It's a long story," I said. Her expression turned into that of a pit-bull.
"God! When isn't it a long story, Ascher. You're always making excuses for why you can't do one thing or the other. I mean, you really need to get over this whole shy wallflower thing. It's getting old." I blinked at the face of my best friend, contorted in a look of disgust and mulled over the fact that she'd just summed up my most embarrassing attribute in such a bitchy way.
"Is everything all right, ladies?" Petrel's voice made my heart seize. I'd let him get close to me without even realizing what I'd done and the surprise made my fire-magic surge to the surface. Squeezing my palm tight to keep the fire from pouring out, I ran towards the bathroom. If any one had the nerve to ask where the fire was, I was going to show them. There was a massive line, but I cut past the enraged cries of other girls, all but diving into the next open stall.
"Sorry. Gotta go," I said, ignoring the epithets hurled back at me. Then, I did the grossest, but most necessary thing I'd ever done. I stuck my hand in the toilet. Steam rose and I just managed to conceal the sizzling with a courtesy flush. When I was extinguished, I grabbed at the toilet paper roll, but it was out. Not willing to wipe the icky water on my jeans, I exited the stall and dripped my way past the glaring line of girls.
Hurrying to get back to Denise, I washed my hands with half the soap dispenser before making my way out of the bathroom.
When I found Denise, she was sitting on Dax's lap and he was grinning like some twisted Santa. Petrel was nowhere in sight.
"He's getting something to drink," Dax explained. I wondered if his response was a coincidence or if he had the power to read thoughts like the old witch, Rose Bruer who'd healed me after the vampire attack. "Petrel says he really likes you."
"I'm sure."
"If you're gonna be so snotty, why don't you just call your sister to come get you?" Denise said. And leave you alone with Bitey McFang?
"I don't think so," I said.
"Got the drinks," Petrel said. "Alright, Sprite for Denise and water for my man, Dax. That leaves cherry cola with extra red syrup for me. I'm sorry, Ascher- is it? You ran off in such a hurry, I didn't have a chance to ask you what you wanted to drink. You want something?"
"I'm fine," I bit the words through my clenched jaw. The bass of a new drumbeat echoed through the club and I smiled, forgetting myself. It was Rob Zombie's ‘Living Dead Girl.’
"I love this song!" I said.
"This is a great…" Petrel's words were cut off by the look I gave him. We stared at each other, my face hard and his brimming with happiness.
"Why don't you dance?" Denise asked.
"Why don't you?" In answer, Denise climbed out of Dax's lap and led him onto the dance floor. Petrel extended his hand to me and I reached forward, calling my fire and grabbing his hand. He snatched it back, dunking it in his drink.
"I didn't come here to fight with you. I just needed to see you," Petrel said.
"Are you crazy? What makes you think I'd want to see you?"
"I have a message from the Master." I rolled my eyes. Savian Radbourne was the Head Vampire of Chicago. He'd kidnapped and bitten my sister. Suffice it to say, we didn't send Christmas cards to each other.
"Savian's your master, not mine."
"He summons you."
"Oh, he does, does he? Well, you tell him I have an agreement with Daray Valerian that the warlocks and vampires stay away from me and my sister." I was referring to the fact that I'd forced the Prince of Warlocks to make a pact that neither he nor the vampires could harm me or Gemma. It's amazing what a guy will agree to when your feline-shifting sister has her panther-size jaws on his neck.
"This is why he sent me, to offer an olive branch."
"He offers the freak who bit me as a symbol of peace? Right."
"It is very important that you meet with us. We have…"
"I'm all out of favors for the fanged, I'm afraid," I said, flipping open my cell and punching in Gemma's number.
"If I were you, I would come as the Master has asked," Petrel said.
"Yeah, well. If I were you, I'd be on a liquid diet and addicted to sunscreen."
"You might not be that far off." Before I could respond, Petrel had disappeared. Quick exits, yet another annoying thing about vampires.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Two
 
GEMMA
 
 
"I had a really great time tonight, Matt." Now kiss me! I'd been out with Matt four times and he hadn't even tried to hold my hand. It was making me crazy.
"Yeah, me too," Matt said. A man of few words. I sighed as I reached for the door handle. Maybe I had kitten breath? Grabbing my backpack from the backseat, I popped the door and waved goodbye to Matt. I walked up the path leading to the front door of my family's townhouse, taking my time to wiggle enough to get back at Matt. He was the kind of sucker that waits until you're inside to drive away. Glancing up at the moon, I felt very much like howling at it, or at least meowing. It was such a beautiful night. A beautiful night for a first kiss. If Matt wanted to play Mr. Nice Guy, let him.       
"It's not like I don't have fifty other guys who would kill to be out with me," I muttered.
Caw. Caw .
I looked down and saw a large crow hopping towards me. My stomach growled and I felt the muscles in my back pull, a sign I was about to shift. Oh, shift! Disgusted at myself for not being able to control the beast enough to not gorge on the filthy bird, I unlocked my door and hurried inside.
When I slipped off my clothes, I was careful to stash them in my bedroom so Ascher wouldn't come home early and think I'd done some striptease or something. Climbing under my covers, I prepared for the change, bracing myself for the pain. My thoughts returned to Ascher.
The fact is, I love her, but my baby sister is a bit of a prude. She is gorgeous, funny and smart as hell and tonight she was going out on her first date. I mean, she's fifteen and she'd never been out with a boy before. That's just, like, sad or something.
Pain tore through my body as my muscles began to pull away from the tendons, causing them to snap back to my bones like pulled rubber-bands. I let the pain take me- it hurt worse if I fought it, and proceeded to swear and say every awful word I've ever heard. I don't know why, but it just made me feel better.
Ding Dong
Someone was at the front door. Did I leave something in Matt's car?
"Just go away, annoying person," I tried to say, but it came out sounding more like a growl. Yanking the blankets over my head, I attempted to ignore the sound of the doorbell ringing again.
Ding Dong .
Angrily shoving my down pillow away from my half-transformed body, I crawled towards the bathroom window to see just who it was whose butt I needed to kick. All I could see was the empty courtyard dividing our townhouse from our neighbor’s. A little disappointed that it wasn't a solicitor or a girl scout that I could scare the hell out of, I growled. I would have loved to see the look on the little kid's face. That'd teach her to forget my thin mints.
Pawing my way back to my bedroom, I saw Angel rubbing herself against the railing of the staircase and reached out to touch her. As usual, the cat I'd raised since she was eight weeks old hissed, sending kitty spit flying into my face and fur into the air as she hauled her kitty butt away from me. I rubbed my jaw over the place where she'd just marked her territory, covering it with my own scent. Give me a break- my feelings were hurt. I head-butted my door open wide and trotted to my bed, tensing my back legs to spring.
It would take longer to complete the shift, now. Whenever I put it off, it always took twice as long, like my panther-self was pissed with me or something. Yawning, I yanked one of my down pillows towards me, sending white feathers flying through the air. I had the thought that my claws looked silly with the remnants of my red nail polish on them and then the pain kicked in again and I was down for the count.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Three
 
ASCHER
 
 
Gemma and I were half-way through a pint of Ben and Jerry's and an American re-make of a Japanese horror flick when the doorbell rang. My fire came so suddenly, I had to press my hand into the remainder of the ice cream tub. I looked a question at Gemma who shrugged and pulled a red afghan around her shoulders, its color a sharp contrast against her pale skin and the dark brown waves of her hair.
Pausing the DVD, I made my way to the door and past the fleeing furry body of my cat Nicky. I moved the small white curtain over and peered outside at two faces I recognized, one of which belonged to Anise Curry.
Anise Curry was the maiden of the Bruer Coven of witches. That made her Queen Witch, and we all know what that rhymes with witch.  She'd thrown me out of the safety of her Grandmother Rose Bruer's house after she found out I was part warlock.  Her prejudice had left me in the hands of warlock, Rigel Whimbrel and Fawne, a teenage werewolf with a stake to grind.
"I don't believe it," I said.
"You don't believe what? Who is it?
"Remember that witch-girl Anise who turned me over to Daray?" Gemma nodded.
"She's here with her cousin Cyd."
"You're joking."
"I wish."
"Well, see what they want. Mommy's getting home in a half an hour and I don't want to have to explain them," Gemma said.
"We wouldn't have to explain anything if you'd just let me tell her about our powers."
 “How will that help when she doesn't even remember having powers of her own. You said that Rigel guy told you Grandma Thyra cast a mind-erase spell on the family. I don't think it's a good idea to say anything until we find out why Grandma did it," Gemma said.
"Whatever.” I opened the door and made a sweeping gesture with my hand, indicating they should step over the threshold. Cyd bounded through the door, looking like an over-excited kindergartner on field-trip. Gemma got up to greet Cyd, and I turned back to Anise who was still standing in the doorway. Squelching my urge to shut the door on her, I reminded myself that she had contacted Elliot to help me after having booted me out of her house. Leaving her to pout at the door, I stomped into the living room where Cyd was making herself comfortable with our gray tabby, Angel.
"She must smell the catnip from the garden. We were harvesting herbs all afternoon," Cyd said. Unable to say something equally witchy, I just nodded.
"You look all Seventeen Prom Edition."
"Ascher just got back from a date," Gemma said.
"Oh, how cool," Cyd gushed.
"Not particularly. It was a blind date, and the guy ended up being a vampire."
Anise stalked past the doorway and grabbed Cyd by the collar of her corduroy jacket.
"You see? I told you all warlocks are bad. Nana Bruer was wrong. I don't know what she was thinking. These girls go on dates with the undead!" Anise cried.
"Hey! I didn't know he was going to be a vampire, and it wasn't even a real date—it was a favor for a friend of mine. I'm already seeing someone.
"Oh and what is he?" Anise asked.
"The Hunchback of Notre Dame," I said. Anise and I stared at each other, both of us standing with our hands at our hips. Her purplish-blue eyes were narrowed and the overhead lights made the dark red highlights in her hair flash like rubies. I cast a glance over my shoulder at Gemma who looked confused and a little bit scared in her plush bunny slippers.
"Nana said if you were going to cause trouble I could bind you right out the door, Neese. Tell them why we've come." Anise rolled her eyes and if looks could hex, I'd be in deep trouble.
"Fine, cousin," Anise regarded me with a look of disgust. "Prince Daray Valerian had been shifting away the powers of both witches and warlocks and we have no idea why." I felt bile at the back of my throat. I'd seen Daray steal or "shift" the powers of his cousin, P.J. to Savian Radbourne. It had looked like sheer torture.
"What are you going to do?" I asked, not sure why they were telling me any of this.
"That's what we need to discuss," Cyd said.
 
***
 
The Bruer cousins left just minutes before mom came home. It was well past midnight by the time I headed upstairs for bed. After changing into my sky blue pajamas- the ones with sheep all over them, I padded barefoot into the bathroom to wash my make-up off and brush my teeth. When I was done, I patted my face dry with a towel smelling faintly of fabric softener and uncapped my tinted zit gel to help pulverize the little red dots that never bothered to visit my big sister. It was when I was busy dabbing zit gel on my face that my boyfriendish guy decided to visit.
"Good evening, Ascher," Elliot's crisp British accent startled me and he was suddenly in the mirror smiling wryly at me like he thought it was funny to catch me all de-void of decoration. I squealed, more in annoyance than fright. I had to break him of this mirror-traveling habit of his. "How was your date?" He asked, the low timber of jealousy coating his voice.
"Bad, it was with Petrel," I said, deciding it might be a little fun to bait him. Elliot's green-gold eyes lit with anger.
"Please tell me you’re jesting," he said. Elliot was over two hundred years old and talked funny like and an old English dude whenever he was upset. Point for me.
"Unfortunately, no. Denise's creepy boyfriend Dax is more filled with secrets than we knew." Elliot already knew that Dax was the person who’d led Gemma and I to the vampire club.
"Did he…he didn't hurt you did he?" Elliot's words were so filled with worry that I felt like a brat for baiting him.
"No, he just said Savian wanted to talk to me."
"Hmm…" Elliot hmmed.
"What does that mean?"
"Dionysia is preparing to visit soon." I frowned. Dionysia was like the boogey monster of the vampire community.
"What does that have to do with..?" Someone knocked on the bathroom door.
"Ascher, baby. It's really too late for you to be on the phone even if it is free nights and weekends," Mom said. I looked at Elliot.
"Sorry, Mommy. I'm hanging up."
"Good girl, 'night." When mom's footsteps faded, I turned back to Elliot who reached a hand to me, making the mirror surface ripple like water in a pond. I made sure the door was locked and took his hand, steadying myself as I climbed onto the sink. Elliot reached down and lifted me under the arms and through the mirror, my feet slipping through with an audible pop.
I stood in the darkness of Elliot's territory. It was a sort of time-tunnel that only he, and now I, had access to. He came here when he wanted to be away from his servitude with the vampires, which was often. I looked around and felt sad for him being all alone. There was just emptiness, a nothingness that filled my bones and made my heart ache.
"This is better than the cell phone," I said. I moved towards Elliot who cupped his hands around my face and kissed me lightly on the lips. When I stepped closer to him, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight embrace. He moved away first, a look of worry creasing his features. I smoothed his dark brown hair away from his face.
"What is it?"
"Dionysia is going to find out about you, if she doesn't already know, and she's going to want you." I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Well, she’ll just have to deal because I’m taken,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. He pushed me away and swallowed.
"I'm serious, Ascher. She collects people like you. She makes them vampires so they'll be loyal to her and then uses their powers as she sees fit."
"She can't touch me. When I kept Gemma from killing Daray I made him swear to stay away and told him the same goes for the vamps."
"That might work for the local vamps because when you made the pact he was working directly with them, but Dionysia is not local and I doubt that would stop her anyway," Elliot said.
"This is getting all crazy. We don't even know why the vampires want to see me. I mean, maybe they want to tell me something."
"What else would they have to say to you?" Elliot asked.
"I'm sorry for biting you and your sister. Our bad?"
"You were bitten," Elliot said, like he'd just figured something out.
"Yeah. You were there."
"I have something I have to do," Elliot said. "I want you to be on your guard and take some precaution with you when you leave the house, even when you go to visit the witches tomorrow." I was half-way through the mirror when I caught the meaning of his words.
"Wait a minute! How did you know I’m going to meet them?" I asked. Elliot's lip twitched in a small smile, but he wouldn't meet my eyes.
"I have my ways," he said. I started to ask exactly what these ways of his were, but the mirror was swirling around me and I had to get back to my house. When I was safely on my sink, Elliot gave me a brief kiss on the cheek and began to fade.
"Be careful, Ascher," he said. I opened my mouth to tell him to do the same, but he was already gone.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Four
 
GEMMA
 
 
It was dark where I was and the stench of mold was almost overpowering. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry. God, I was thirsty. I could drink a gallon of water, I bet. Better yet, I could crawl under a water dispenser and just flick the little blue switch sending chugs of bubbles to make those fun gulping noises as the air rose. Mostly, I wanted to get that gross metallic taste out of my mouth. What the heck had I been doing? Sucking on pennies?
The sounds of muffled conversation floated to my ears, but I couldn't quite make out what the people were saying. Whatever. It was time to haul myself up and get ready for-smack.
"Oh! Oh, man!" I'd banged my forehead on something hard. Reaching up to see what I'd hit, I felt something solid blocking me, closing me in- a coffin. "No, not again!"  
Kicking wildly and banging my fists on the lid, I began to scream. What I wanted to do was cry, but that and a nail file weren't going to get me the hell out of here. "Savian! I swear I'm going to kick your ass!" Or at least kick him in the shin and then run like hell, but he didn't have to know that.
The smell of burning overpowered the moldy stench and the lid above me disintegrated, making ash and pieces of smoldering wood fall on top of me. As my eyes adjusted to the light cast by a single flame, I saw Ascher standing over me, smiling and tossing a ball of fire in her palm like a softball.
"Holy crap! How long was I stuck in there?" I asked.
"I wouldn't know. I just got here," Ascher said. "Anyway, Savian said it was time."
"For me to kick the crap out of him? Yeah, I know."
"Well, my work here is done," Ascher said, like some kind of clichéd hero out of a western.
"Where are you…?" Ascher disappeared. "Asch? Oh, shi…"
"There's no need for that kind of language." I spun around so quickly, I almost fell. Savian smirked at me.
"What'd you do with Ascher?"
"Nothing. It's you I want." I snorted back laughter.
"Yeah. It's likely." I snapped. Savian waved his hand and an invisible force drew me to him until I was only inches away.
"Would you care to dance?"
"Hell no!"
"Well, then I suppose it's a good thing you don't have a choice because I would." I struggled to get away from Savian as he began to move to the strange music filtering in from who knows where, but he held me in a vice grip. Feeling very much like a mouse being suffocated by a snake, I dug my nails into his forearm. "Don't resist me, Gemma. I could offer you the world."
"I'd settle for some personal space." Savian laughed.
"Ah, always a quick word, but then, that's part of your charm. You deserve someone who's not afraid to take what he wants. This fellow you've been seeing isn't worthy of you, Gemma."
"Oh? And a bloodsucking fiend is?" Savian's eyes turned red and he gripped my arms more tightly.
"I've laid claim to you!"
"Well, good for you, Columbus. You think that vamp politics and all this stuff mean anything to me?"
"It will soon."
"Oh, why? Am I getting a lobotomy in the next few days?"
"You'll learn to see things my way. After all, we're family."
"Gemma?" Ascher stepped through the darkness, looking paler than usual. All the color and life seemed to have left her. "Promise you won't leave me alone. Promise," she said. I reached towards my sister and wrapped her in a hug.
"Of course not, Asch. I…"
"Then we'll be sisters for eternity." I frowned at her choice of words, but before I could ask what she meant, her teeth pierced my skin.
 
***
 
I awoke with a start, my hands half-shifted into claws. When I saw I was in my own bedroom and not in a coffin, I kicked the covers away and made my way out of my bedroom. Ascher's door was partially open and my new night-vision allowed me to see her snuggled in her bed, clinging to the ratty teddy bear she'd had since she was three. She looked so innocent it made my stomach lurch to think that Savian might do something to her. Had it all just been a dream or was Savian trying to goad me into a meeting by threatening my sister.
"I'll claw his eyes out."
Taking the stairs two at a time, I made my way past the living room and down a steep flight of stairs to our basement where the computer was. I clicked the icon for the internet and waited until the search engine came up on the screen. After typing in what I wanted to search for, my eyes roamed over the words to make sure they were spelled correctly:
How to kill vampires.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Five
 
ASCHER
 
 
When my radio alarm woke me, it was to the jarring beat of a heavy-metal band. That'd teach me to leave the radio dial on random. It was six a.m. on a Saturday morning and Gemma and I had to leave the house in a half an hour if we were going to get to the Bruer's bookstore by eight.
Though Gemma and I didn't want to get involved more deeply in the Underworld than we already were, Anise was working on a restorative memory potion for our grandmother. The chance to know why Grandma had bound her memories and those of my mom and Aunt Jane was what was making me climb out of the seductive warmth of my cozy bed. That and the open tab they were giving us at the store.
Gemma had spent the remainder of last night searching web pages for all the magical supplies and ingredients known to man, or to witch for that matter. She was wary of Anise's blind hatred of warlocks and said we might as well "get something" out of our little arrangement.
After brushing my teeth, washing my face, and putting on some makeup, I made my way to the kitchen where mom was sitting with Gemma. My sister looked up at me with enviously perfect skin that didn't need the foundation I was addicted to.
"Hey, Asch. I was just telling Mommy about the extra credit report I'm helping you with for Dolan's Honors History course." I stared at Gemma, guilt biting at me as Mom smiled and clambered over to the counter to pour a cup of coffee for me.
"It's DECAF!" Gemma stage whispered.
"Oh, Mommy what's the point?" I asked. My mom was still under the impression that I was five, and thus not a candidate for coffee drinking. Not that she was all wrong about it, I once drank one of those canned energy drinks and spent the afternoon happily cleaning leaves out of the storm drains around our townhouse.
Gemma and I kissed Mom goodbye and headed out to my sister's light purple corolla whose windows were frosted with the breath of coming Winter. The drive out to the Bruer’s turned out to be a good one (we didn't use Mapquest this time,) and the CD player left us with little distraction as we sang along to The Phantom of the Opera. Gem has always had a thing for musicals.
When we arrived at Bruer Books we still had five minutes to spare. Gemma turned off the ignition and turned to me, face serious.
"I know it won't, but just in case anything happens, I just wanna make sure we both have our cell phones and these. Gemma pulled two cans of pepper spray from her oversized tote and handed one to me. I took one look at the little can of spray and burst out laughing.
"Gemmy, these people are witches for God's sake," I said. Gemma stuck her bottom lip out like a petulant child and cast me an evil look.
"Witches have eyes, don't they?" She fumbled for the spray and gave it an angry shove into her tote before loping out of the car in a freaky show of her supernatural agility. I got out of the car and slammed the door behind me, hurrying to catch up with Gemma who was making long strides to the front door.
"Anyway, if they go all Samantha Stevens on us, or their hair turns into snakes, or something, we'll have a better chance of getting out."
"That's Medusa," I said. Gemma raised an eyebrow." You were talking about snakes for hair. The Gorgon Medusa had them."
"How do you know such weird stuff, Asch?" I shrugged.
"Besides, they're supposed to be scared of us, after all we're the warlocks. We should be happy the witches even acknowledge us." Gemma elbowed me and I smirked at the thick sarcasm I was wading through.
"Looks like they're here," Gemma said. A dark black Porsche with tinted windows slowed and the engine revved. That was so not the Bruers'. The window rolled down a tiny bit and Gemma let out a little squeak.
"It's him, it's him!"
"It's who?" I asked.
"Savian!"
"How do you…are you sure?" Already, I was calling my magic, the fire coursing through my veins and chilling me to the bone. I put myself between Gemma and the car and hurled a fireball into the interior of the car. The shiny, sleek car disappeared.
"Uh-oh!"
"What did you do, Ascher? What did you do?"
"I'm, not sure, I…" The light tinkling of bells chimed and Gemma and I turned to see a stooped elderly woman, and two teenage girls.
"Mrs. Bruer," I said, my brain too muddled to think of a greeting. What had just happened?
"It was a phantom vision, sweetheart. My granddaughter here had the impression you were on the side of the vampires, so she distracted me while sending the vision to you. I'm so disappointed in you, Anise Pepper Curry!" I wasn't disappointed, I was pissed, but we had come in peace after all. I couldn't hurl fireballs at the snooty little witch, so I did the next best thing. I flipped on my oh-so seldom used Bitch-Switch.
"That's okay, Mrs. Bruer. I'm sure her name is punishment enough. Gemma sniffed back the giggles and slugged me in the arm.
"I could say the same to you," Anise said. I frowned. I loved my name. It was the one thing my father ever gave me. As for Gemma, her name was British as were we. Our dad grew up just outside of London .
"Yeah, well. They're family names, not ingredients for take-out,” I said.
"Now, now, girls," Mrs. Bruer warned. "Why don't you girls help the sisters pick out some things from the store. And take all you need, girls. After all, we're the first coven you've come across and you're Lost Witches."
"More like lost and found," Gemma said. Anise stomped inside after Mrs. Bruer, leaving Cyd to shepherd us inside the store. We were greeted by a black and white longhaired cat who looked like my cat Nicky on a bad hair day.
"That's Dandelion," Cyd said. "We call him that because he's my dandy little lion. Aren't you my dandy lion!" Dandelion's fur bristled and I could swear he was cursing in some subtle kitty way. I waggled my fingers at him until he came over and let me pet him.
Picking Dandelion up, I surveyed the store which was small, but overflowing with mystical merchandise. Signs reading: Altar Supplies, Circle Supplies, Divination, Gemstones, Herbs, Candles, and Gifts were painted a soft white with blue lettering. Books were stacked to five feet high and practically fell from the Spartan shelving. The sight of so many books, many of them old-looking and leather-bound set my heart to pitter patter and I felt a need to frolic through the store. Instead, Gemma and I stayed together while pawing through the displays of smooth, waxy candles and silky altar robes. We made several trips to the counter to dump our loads and when we'd finished, I looked at our selection.
One dark green altar robe $59.95. Assorted candles, $3-$22.00 each. Getting all the witch supplies you need and having Sabrina the Teenage Bitch foot the bill- priceless.
Gemma picked out a purple altar robe and, together, we chose a no-stick, titanium cauldron, two cat shaped tea-light holders, and two frog shaped taper holders. A pack of tarot cards, a box of cinnamon scented incense, and a glass incense-holder. We'd also nabbed a silver silk altar cloth, an extra large plastic storage bin, fireplace matches and the gemstones: bloodstone, tiger's eye, moonstone, green agate, amber, coral, lapis lazuli, and turquoise.       
"You girls still need a broom and some wands," Mrs. Bruer said. Gemma was sniffling again to stifle the giggles that we both had a bad case of. Even though we knew all of this stuff was real, it was still so unbelievable. I felt like Ashton Kutcher was going to pop out any moment to tell me that I'd been punk'd.
"You guys really ride brooms?" Gemma asked.
"No, dear. The broom is for sweeping away negative energy, but we'll get to all of that in time. Would you girls like some tea?" I was struck with the thought that my grandma was also a tea fanatic. I wondered if it was some remnant from her once-witchy ways.
Gemma and I sat at a small table with misshapen, but comfy cushions and made small talk with Cyd while the tea was brewing. Anise watched us from the small window in the front of the shop that still had its closed sign faced out towards the parking lot. Mrs. Bruer placed an old tea set on the table.
"Come join us, Anise," Mrs. Bruer said. Anise rolled her eyes, but complied with her grandmother's request even though her eyes remained wary when focused on us.
"As my granddaughters told you, Daray Valerian has been stealing powers from both factions of the magical community. Through scrying, I was able to see that his reasons for doing so center around you, Ascher."
"Me?" I asked, though I felt it to be true. Daray Valerian had been so obsessed with my fireshifting ability that he had offered to train me in magic. The guy had even proposed to me which was freaky to say the least. The news that his attention was refocusing on me made my stomach churn.
"How do you know for sure?" Gemma asked.
"I cast a spell to see what Daray's magical purpose was, what his final goal for stealing powers was and I saw Ascher's reflection in the water. That's when I told my granddaughters to pay you girls a visit. Though you're warlocks, you're also witches and we protect our own. Now, we can help you girls cast a protective circle around your house and draw some protective runes, but we'll still need to test how closely Daray's watching you."
"How can we do that?" I asked.
"We'll start by calling your mother. You girls are going to need to stay the night."
 
 
 
 
Chapter Six
 
GEMMA
 
 
I followed Nana Bruer to the kitchen, leaving Ascher to deal with the snotty little witch and her cousin. Did I feel bad leaving her with them? No. I had bigger fish to fry; fish with pointy fangs and an aversion to sunlight. After I made the call to mom to tell her that Asch and I were crashing at a friend's house, I turned to Nana who was eyeing me with curiosity.
"We have books on vampires in the family room. We'll take a drive over to the house when we've finished with the tea. Feel free to borrow whatever books you need, though I trust this is just research and not the beginnings of anything else?"
"Holy crap! Ascher told me you guys could read minds, but…man!"
"I try not to invade the thoughts of others, but it's more difficult with some. Your thoughts were practically hollering at me. Tell me, child. Have the vampires been trying to contact you?"
"Well, not exactly. I've just been having dreams. Scary ones. With lots of blood and less fluffy bunnies and rainbows." Nana Bruer nodded.
"Yes. Well, that's completely normal after all you went through my dear. I just wish we could have helped you like we helped Ascher." Right, like when you threw her out of the house?
"Anise acted without my knowledge and I bound her powers for two weeks, for a born witch that's almost like a magical suffocation."
"Forget it; it all worked out alright. Well, I mean, aside from Daray still stalking Ascher, and the night visions of vampires."
"You do that a lot. Don't you dear?"
"Do what?"
"Use humor during stressful situations. It's a coping mechanism for some."
Thank you, Dr. Phil.
"Yeah, well. Desperate times and all that. I'm going to go finish my tea." Not my most graceful exit, but hey, I was cornered and my fight or flee thingy had kicked in. All in all, having a cup of tea was way better than tussling with Nana. As I walked into their living room, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of books that covered the shelves.
"The vampire related books are over here dear," Nana Bruer said, pointing to a row of books that held books so old and rotted looking, I was worried they'd fall apart in my hands. We don't have any specific information on Savian Radbourne, but there is a history of the Master Vampires of the Midwest ." I snorted back a laugh.
"Master Vampires of the Midwest sounds like a lame B-movie." Nana Bruer smiled at me before hobbling out of the room. Dragging my index finger over the volumes, I noticed they hadn't been dusted in a while.
Meow .
I looked down to see three cats circling my legs as at least four more watched from nearby.
"Yes, you're very cute, but I'm in a battle against the forces of darkness and don't have time for belly rubs. Maybe later, kitties." The cats scattered leaving me to my work.
"What was that?" Ascher asked, holding out a can of pop to me.
"Just talking to the cats."
"Wow! I didn't know you could do that."
"Yes, Ascher I can talk. I'm also fully toilet trained and can tie my own shoes."
"That's not what I meant, Gemma. You were, like, actually talking to them. Like, mewling and growling and stuff."
"Oh, I was not," I said. Then, "Oh, crap, was I?!" Ascher shrugged. "Great, I'm turning into an even bigger freak of nature."
"Gem, we've been over this, we're not freaks- we're special."
"Says one freak to another." Ascher's face grew red as she thrust the pop into my hands.
"Thanks, very much," she said.
"Oh, Ascher, don't be such a baby." Ascher shook her head and high-tailed it out of the room.
"Like it's normal to make fire out of thin air," I muttered. I turned back to the books and scanned the titles. Some were so old that the print had worn of the sides, but I could make out some of them. Vampir, Ancient Vampires, The Alp, Dhamphir, Ghouls, Incubi, Vampires, The Master Vampire, Psychic Vampires, The Orders of the Vampire, The Royal House of Blackthorn, and Lamia. Pulling out one of the newer looking leather-bound books whose title I could pronounce, I scanned the index and found exactly what I was looking for- The Destruction of the Vampire.
 
 
 
Chapter Seven
 
ASCHER
 
 
"Before you girls enter the circle, I want you to be centered," Nana Bruer said.
"Centered?" Gemma prodded.
"Yes, dear. It simply means. 'in the right frame of mind.'" Cyd drew the circle with a piece of white chalk, using a thick string to make the five points of a pentacle, a symbol of witches. Anise sprinkled salt throughout the circle to purify it of negative energy, which Rose then swept away with a regular plastic-handled broom that you might buy in any grocery store.
 "Now, take deep breaths and close your eyes." Nana Bruer seemed to sense our discomfort with the idea because she puffed a patient breath through her pursed lips. "Or find something to concentrate on, a focal point."
As we continued to breathe, Anise lit five white candles with a long fireplace match. She touched the flame to a stick of incense, making a sweet scent fill the room. I found myself looking into the flame of the pillar candle nearest to me.
The flame reached upwards and built until it was a foot high. Anise shrieked and moved to snuff the candle, but Nana Bruer grabbed her by the wrist and held her. I could see their movements in my peripheral vision, but my eyes remained on the flame. There was an image I could almost make out, but no, it disappeared. I lowered my eyes and the fire died down until a single flame lapped at the candle wax.
"Are you relaxed?" Nana Bruer asked. I shrugged and looked at Gemma. I doubted that either of us would feel very relaxed when we were about to cast a spell, or stir a cauldron, or whatever else they had in store for us.
"I'm fine," I said, which no one who is really fine every says. Someone once told me that the words I'm fine really mean 'I don't want to talk about it so shut up.' Cyd wiped her palms against each other sending puffs of white chalk into the air like a gymnast about to do the pummel horse. She stepped inside the circle and stood at one of the five points. Nana Bruer followed her and motioned to Gemma to come inside. When I moved to follow Gemma, Anise stepped in front of me and took her place as far away from me as possible. Her anti-warlock kick was starting to get to me. I walked over to the empty spot between Nana Bruer and Cyd.
"Who’s going to close the circle?" Cyd asked.
"I think it might be wise to leave somewhere for any excess magic to go," Nana Bruer replied. Anise sniffed like she found this funny. "We usually draw a full circle to help deflect any negative energies that might happen by, but with so much raw, concentrated magic being called, it's safer to leave somewhere for it to dispel.”
"We also usually wear ceremonial robes like the ones you guys picked out at the store this morning, but I told Gran it would probably freak you guys out," Cyd said. I smiled at her. She'd been right.
"Now, I'll ask Anise to lead us in the invocation of the elements. We'll tell you girls when to join in, but for now just hold hands in the circle and concentrate on our words," Nana Bruer instructed. Anise straightened at the mention of her name.
"We call on the Goddess of light and goodness to bless this circle and aid us in this rite of protection that we are about to perform. With these words let our circle be protected against the dark and all things unexpected," Anise said.
"Chalcedony," Nana Bruer said. "Lead the girls in the calling."
Cyd nodded and turned to Gemma.
"We're gonna go around the circle and say what animal, plant, or element calls to us and why. Then we will ask the Goddess to charge these things with her power so that we can call on them to help protect us. I'll go first to show you. I ask the Goddess to bless the plant ivy to coil around the dark and contain its harm." Anise cleared her throat.
"I call on the Goddess to bless the element of water to help me drown all that is evil and bury it down deep in its waters," Anise said. Nana Bruer fished through her pockets and pulled out four circlets of silver, with smooth-cut blue stones on them.
"I call on the Goddess to bless these rings of the element of Earth- gemstones of Lapis. May the harm intended upon the heads of these four lasses return three-fold to those who might harm them." Nana Bruer winked at me, wrinkles creasing the corners of her slate-blue eyes. "Gemma, you go next, dear." Gemma gave me a wry look.
All eyes turned to me and I bit into my lip. I didn't really go to church all that often. When my dad left, some of the church members were cold to my mother, even interrupting her if she talked with one of their husbands to say hi like she was wrong to do so. Gemma and I had gone to church with our Grandma, but the lady who was meanest to Mommy was now a pastor there. It no longer felt like a place we belonged. Still, I believed in God even though I had my questions.
 "Can I, um, ask God to bless stuff?" I asked. Anise started to say something snippy, but Nana Bruer stopped her.
 "Do whatever it is you're comfortable with, lass." Then to Anise, "Don’t pester the girls about it." I noticed Cyd was smirking at Anise.
"I call on you…" I said, figuring He knew what I was trying to say. "To bless the element of fire and help it to burn all bad things and keep them far, far away." I looked at Gemma.
"I call on the Goddess to bless all cats and keep them safe and, uh, fill them with the magic to protect themselves and the ones they love," Gemma said.
"That was beautiful, dear," Nana Bruer said. "Thank you Mother for witnessing this rite. May these girls be with your blessing and safe this night. So mote it be"
"So mote it be," Anise and Cyd said together. Gemma and I looked at each other and grinned.
"So mote it be."
Cyd blew out the tall pillar candles within the circle and gave me a small smile.
"Not bad for your first circle," Cyd said.
"So what do we do now?" Gemma asked.
"We find out just how closely Daray is watching your sister."
"And how are we going to do that?" I asked.
"Easy," Cyd said. "We're going dancing."
                                     
 
 
 
 
PART TWO
 
 
 
 
TWILIGHT
 
 
 
 
Chapter Eight
 
GEMMA
 
 
A car horn beeped, and we hurried towards the front door. Nana Bruer stood in the entryway, worry creasing her face. I still thought we were out of our element and should maybe leave Daray's capture to the adults, but Anise was the maiden for Ceres Circle , Nana Bruer's coven and several of the witches targeted had been from sister circles in and around Chicago .
"Now these rings should protect you girls by providing you with a magical barrier if anyone tries to hurt you. They'll give off a small vibration if any danger comes near you, but you should still be vigilant in protecting yourselves."
Cyd wore a sapphire colored turtleneck and light jeans with a star pattern frosted with glitter. I had used black eyeliner to draw a star on her cheekbone and filled it in with silver eye shadow. Her long coppery-red hair hung down her back in tousled waves and she'd used a glitter hairspray that caught the light and made her look like an enchanted fairy.
"We'll be fine, Nan ," Cyd said. Anise nodded and played with the material of her purple sweater with thumbholes. A black pleated skirt topped off with fishnets and black army boots made her look both pretty and kick-butt, like both Charlie's and Hell’s Angels started up a club and Anise was their star member. Her hair was down and pulled back by her temples with thick braids.
I wore my own black, bell-sleeved top and borrowed Ascher's jeans and black boots.  Ascher had on a black and white top that tied with a ribbon over one shoulder and white dressy pants with white stiletto-sandals. They said the strobe lights would reflect off her clothes and help make it easier to keep any eye on her. Ascher had griped about the sandals, noting her previous encounter with running in them, but they were the only dressy shoes at the Bruers’ that could fit her.
I followed Cyd and Anise outside, my arm protectively wrapped around Ascher’s shoulders. We climbed into a big SUV with the license place "MOMMY" and I noticed a middle-aged red-head behind the wheel.
"Ascher, nice to see you again," red said. I forced a smile and glanced at Ascher who looked tense.
“Hi. This is my sister, Gemma. Gemma, this is Cyd’s mom, Mrs. Bergamot.” I nodded a greeting and bit my lip.
"I still don't know about this," I said. "I mean, don't you think it's kind of stupid using Ascher for bait. What if Daray really is following her?"
"Then it'd be better to find out now and take some precautions," Anise said. "Besides, Ascher doesn't need to be worried. The Warlock Prince is, like, in love with her. He's not going to hurt her or you for that matter," Anise nodded her head to me.
"Well, what about you?" Ascher asked. Anise regarded her for a long time before she answered.
"Cyd and I are trained in judo and I have battle experience with vampires," Anise replied.
"Have you ever killed a vampire?" I asked. Anise cocked her head, her fingers playing with her braid.
"No, not a vampire," Anise said. Ascher and I looked at each other. It was going to be a long night.
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter Nine
 
ASCHER
 
 
The "MOMMY" SUV pulled up right in front of Twilight, a club for young witches. I could see the crowd pointing and laughing at the license plate. I bit my lip. Anise hopped out from the front seat and slid open the door. As Cyd emerged, followed by Gemma, hoots and hollers came from the crowd. I frowned and debated whether lightly toasting the boys would be considered an abuse of my powers.
I shut the door behind me and the SUV pulled away, though Jacinth had said she'd be nearby and gave Cyd a cell phone to call her with when we were ready to leave. The line to get in wrapped around the building and I wondered at the number of people. Were there really this many witches?
"More," came Anise's reply. I'd forgotten for the moment that her family was telepathic.
"Geez, that is so creepy. Can you please not invade my thoughts?" I asked. Anise actually looked sheepish for once.
"Sorry, it always gets stronger when I'm nervous. I didn't mean to," she said.
"Come on, Iridian can get us inside."
"Iridian, like, P.J.'s boyfriend, Iridian?" I asked. Cyd frowned. Before rescuing Gemma, I'd learned that P.J., or Persephone Jasmine, as Daray insisted on calling her, was sharing a college apartment with her witch-boyfriend and that Daray was not happy about the arrangement. Walking after Anise in my clumsy stilettos, I cast my gaze around the crowd to make sure Daray wasn't there. As we approached the entrance, I saw a beautiful man with silvery eyes and jet-black hair done up in spikes. He saw Anise and smiled, though he looked surprised.
"Hey, Kiddo. What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Going inside, hopefully," Cyd said.
"I don't know, kid," Iridian said. "It's a seventeen and older crowd."
"We're here about Daray," Anise said. Iridian's happy face turned dark.
"Is he here?"
"We think he might be following Ascher." Iridian's eyes turned to me and his face paled.
"You're Ascher?" he asked. I nodded, feeling like a freak on display as he regarded me with curiosity. "Alright, you're in, but if there's any trouble, you come to me first, do you understand?" We all bobbed our heads like obedient little witches and Iridian moved the black velvet rope aside to let us through. Cries of annoyance came from the crowd as Gemma and Cyd did a little happy-dance, but I was in no mood to celebrate.
"Is P.J. alright?" I asked. Iridian swallowed and balled his fists.
"She's getting stronger. She even insisted on going back to class last week, but… she still wakes up at night screaming. She's had nightmares since then," Iridian said. I felt a tear slide down my cheek before I realized I was crying.
"I'm so sorry it happened…I should have tried to help her, but I had to get my sister and…" Iridian wrapped me in a hug.
"Don't worry about it," he said. He released me and I started after Gemma and the others. "Hey, kid?" I spun on my heel to face him.
"Yeah?"
"Do me a favor?" He asked.
"Anything," I said.
"Stay away from Daray Valerian. I don't know what the Bruer granddaughters have in mind, but the Prince is someone you don't mess with, okay?" I nodded again and caught up with my sister who gave me a questioning look.
"Ask me later," I said, grabbing her wrist and steering her through the entrance.
"We have a warlock to roast."
 
 
 
 
Chapter Ten
 
GEMMA
 
 
Twilight was larger than Asylum, but not nearly as emo. It was set up with a bar straight ahead and a large section of booths and tables to the right with a staircase leading up to the second floor. Upstairs, there was another bar and area for sitting, with plush velvet couches intermixed with bar stools. To the left of this bar, was a balcony that wrapped around the entire downstairs dance area including a platform where girls writhed and moved to the deep boom of the bass.
A deejay booth lay to the left of the dance floor under a series of screens that hid the shadowed forms of three dancing girls whose movements were like liquid silver. You could sit right next to the shadow screens, but you had to be invited because this private part of the balcony was reserved for parties. I had no trouble getting us into the VIP section. All I did was smile and it was ours.
When we tired of watching the crowd, we decided to go back downstairs and descended the winding staircase from the upstairs level to the entrance area, pushing our way past the groups of people littering the third largest seating area. We made our way onto the packed dance floor.
As we moved to the music, the song abruptly changed and was replaced by the twang of country music. I grimaced and held my hands to my ears. I was not a huge fan of country music. The deejay's voice came pouring over the crowd.
"If there are any requests, please make them and refrain from using telekinesis to change the track." Ascher and I squealed with laughter. It was so cool to be around open magic. It made me feel like I was somewhat normal for the first time in months.
I started moving to the beat of the music, my arms reaching over my head and then forward to grab Ascher and Cyd's hands. We danced together to a pop-princess song that I actually liked. The girl who sang it got a  lot of flack for the video being too sexy, but the song was amazing.
Ascher and I turned our backs to each other and laughed at the lyric about sisters. Cyd was keeping up with us and even Anise seemed to be enjoying herself. As I spun on my heel and took a step towards Cyd, I noticed that Ascher had a strange, far away look on her face.
"You okay?" I shouted. She smiled and nodded, but I could tell something was wrong, I knew my sister.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Eleven
 
ASCHER 

 
I was acting as if Daray were watching me. Though I was having fun, I laughed and smiled more like I was trying to prove to him that I was having fun and that his possible presence wouldn't keep me from enjoying myself.
You don't scare me, Daray .
Despite my stubborn thinking, I kept checking the mirrors around us for his reflection and felt my heart stop when I caught the sight of any boy with chin-length dark blonde hair, which was far more common than I thought. Well, better safe than blasted.
While I danced, I kept calling fire to my hand and then practiced pulling it back. Nana Bruer had said I should imagine I was pulling on a rope like in tug-o-war and that I was on the winning team. A new song came on by that bad-boy rapper with every other word bleeped out, but you could still move to it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of blonde hair. I stopped moving and took a closer look, but it wasn't Daray.
It was a very cute guy with short blonde hair and startlingly beautiful eyes that flashed purple under the strobe lights. I'm not sure what came over me, but I felt like I knew him and that I wanted to dance with him. Keeping in mind that my boldness may be the side-effect of some spell, I gestured to him and curled my finger for him to come over. The cutie actually looked behind him like he thought I was trying to get the attention of someone else. His assumption reminded me so much of my usual shyness.
I smacked Gemma on the back of the arm to tell her I was going to move away from our spot. My sister looked a question at me, but I was already moving towards the shy stranger. He was dressed all in black so he could be a club employee, but I didn't know. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him towards the dance floor. His face reddened until the tips of his ears were pink, but he followed me and when I started to move, his body followed mine. His hands moved to my waist and pulled me close and I looked into his eyes that were the pale lavender of lilacs. A wave of dizziness swept over me and my thoughts turned to Elliot.
You sort of have a boyfriend . Why are you dancing with some random hottie?       The dizzy feeling was replaced by guilt and embarrassment.
"I have…someone I'm seeing," I said. He narrowed his eyes and nodded.
"A boyfriend?"
"Um, yeah. Well, sort of," I replied. He smiled, flashing perfect white teeth at me.
"And you don't want to even dance with anyone but this sort of someone you're seeing."
"I'm sorry. I don't know why I grabbed you like that. It's really not like me. I'm the shyest person you'll ever meet," I said. He released me.
"Can I ask your name?" He asked,
"Ascher. Ascher Rafferty," I said.
"Well, Ascher. I'm Chase.”
“Chase what?”
“Just Chase."
"Like Madonna and Cher and Beyoncé?" I asked. His lip quirked, his eyes shining at me.
"Yes, exactly like them. We're actually supposed to go on tour together." I smiled and lightly smacked the back of my hand to his chest. He caught my wrist and held my palm over his chest so that I felt his heart beating through his shirt. "Ascher, do you think this sort of boyfriend of yours would really mind if we just danced?" Again I was struck by the beauty of his eyes. I swallowed.
"Oh, no. I guess not," I whispered. Chase smiled and pulled me closer as a new track began to play.  We moved together to the beat of the drums of a slower song and as I turned my back to Chase and felt his arms move around me, I felt more relaxed than I had since seeing Petrel at Asylum. I could see Gemma and the others watching us from about ten feet away.
See, Daray. You can't keep me from having fun, from enjoying myself .
 
***
 
When we'd danced for a few more songs, I introduced Chase to everyone before he had to go back to work as a bouncer for the club. Cyd waved him goodbye and went to the bar with Gemma to order us some iced tea. Anise and I stood awkwardly next to one another, our eyes looking anywhere but each other.
"Still no sign of Daray," Anise said. I smiled and took a deep breath.
"Yeah, I know. It might just be a non-creepy night of dancing," I said. Anise gave me a strange look.
"You really don't like Daray," she said. It wasn't a question.
"I really don't." Gemma came dancing through the crowd, an iced tea in either hand. Cyd followed her, imitating Gemma's movements. My sister tended to have that effect on people. The boys wanted to date her and the girls wanted to be her. As if on cue, a college-age boy danced up to Gemma. Gemma politely waved him off and handed me my iced tea, her eyes widening at something behind me.
"What?" I turned around and saw what Gemma was looking at. Immediately, my ring began to vibrate with a jarring movement and I reached for Gemma.
"What the hell is that?" Gemma asked. A pink ball of energy was floating over the crowd and coming towards us. Anise and Cyd pushed us aside and began moving their lips and motioning with their hands. The pink ball looked eerily like it could belong to Glenda the Good-witch, but that was just wishful thinking on my part. I knew who could conjure that type of energy. Daray.
Several people hurried over and joined Anise in what I assumed was some sort of counter-spell. I felt my magic rush through my body, but I pushed it back. I couldn't use it here; too many people could be hurt.
The ball of energy shot higher in the air and then came straight at me. I tried to back up, but found my back pressed against the platform. Tripping over a set of velvet ropes, I fell backwards. I opened my mouth to scream and saw Chase running towards me.
He caught me around the waist with one arm and then used his momentum to spin us away from the pink sphere, just as is hit the wall. When we landed, I was lying on top of him, my right hand pressed against his chest. I could feel the throbbing of his heart through the black tee-shirt he wore. Looking into his eyes when we were so close made me flush and I averted my eyes to the spot where the pink sphere had struck. There was a huge scorch mark on the wall and plaster littered the ground where it had been blasted. My breath was ragged as I pushed away from him. There was a hand-shaped burn mark where my hand had been.
The deejay started directing people to leave the club and in a few minutes, Gemma, Cyd and I were among the few left. We huddled together on the squeaky leather of a booth. Anise was talking to Iridian who was turning chairs over onto tabletops. His eyes kept darting from her to me as if I were the topic of conversation. My singed savior was making his way back to us, a smirk on his face.
"Are you okay?" I asked. He gave me one of those "I'm a tough guy, I feel no pain" looks and smoothed his hands over the hole in his shirt.
"I'll live."
"Thanks for…what you did," I said, feeling ridiculous.
"Can I ask you something?"  I nodded.
"Do you know who would want to send that thing?"
"Daray Valerian," Cyd said.
"The Warlock Prince?" Chase ran his hands through his hair. "Does your boyfriend usually send you air-mail like that?"
"He's not my boyfriend!" I almost shouted. Chase's eyes widened.
"Okay, okay. So he's not your boyfriend." Jacinth appeared through the door and came running at us. Cyd groaned and grabbed Gemma's hand.
"Will you help me keep my mom from roughing up the management?" Cyd asked.
"You okay, Asch?" Gemma asked.
"Fine," I said, turning back to Chase. "I'm really sorry to get you involved with all this craziness."
"What's the Prince's problem with you?" Chase asked.
"It's a long story. Let's just say he has issues with rejection."
"You rejected the Prince?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, not a lot of girls would do that. I mean, the guy's royalty."
"If you mean a royal pain in the butt, then, yeah he is. I don't care about that stuff. I don't like him. He lied to me and manipulated me. You can't just ignore that." Chase watched me with his strange, purple eyes.
"Understood. Listen, Ascher, would you mind if I called you sometime. You know, just as friends?" I smiled.
"I'd like that." He pulled out his cell phone and fiddled with it before handing it to me to punch in my number. We said goodbye and I had turned to leave when I felt his hand on my arm. His lips brush my cheek, his breath warm against my face.
"What's your boyfriend's name?"
"Why?"
"I just want to know the name of the luckiest guy in the Midwest ," he said.  Elliot had said we should be secretive about our relationship because he'd be punished if the vampires found out, but it seemed safe enough to tell Chase.
"His name's Elliot," I said. Chase's lilac eyes seemed riveted to my face and I felt dizzy for a moment. He seemed to sense my discomfort because he hugged me to him.
"Ascher, we're leaving," Jacinth called. I gently pushed away and Chase regarded me with a sad expression. There was something so pained in his eyes that I forgot myself  for a moment and gently kissed his lips.
"Thanks again for saving me," I said. Chase raised startled eyes to mine and nodded.
"Anytime, Ascher. Anytime."
 
 
 
 
Chapter Twelve
 
GEMMA
 
 
"I still don't get why the barrier on our rings didn't work. I mean, if it weren't for that blonde guy, Ascher would be deep-fried right now," I said. Jacinth looked at me through the rear-view mirror as we pulled past the sign that read "Welcome to Lake Parrish ." We were almost home.
"The rings are only supposed to cast a barrier if there is a sense of immediate danger or harm intended for the wearer. Obviously, whoever sent the hexing sphere her way just meant it to scare her. They meant to intimidate Ascher, that’s all.”
"Well, it worked. And it was Daray who sent the hex-o-gram. I know it."
Silence descended over the SUV as we made our way past Honey Lane onto South Pleasant Lake Drive . The small lake to the right of our sub-division looked foreboding and large in the early morning hours of Sunday.
"Make a right up here on Hunters Road ," I instructed, but Jacinth was already turning. I'd forgotten they knew the way to our house. Too tired to ask how they'd magically Googled us, I grabbed my purse and snapped open my seat belt just as the SUV pulled to a stop in our driveway. "Hey, Jacinth? What are we going to do about this whole Daray thing?" Jacinth sucked in a breath.
"It's late, sweetie and I really don't know. Why don't you give us a call later today so we can schedule another circle casting.”
"Shouldn't we be learning, like, how to turn Daray into a frog or bind him or something?"
"We don't do that. Remember girls, 'An' it harm none, do what thou wilt.'"
"I know, it's just that…Look, I'm all for this peace first thing, but I don't want to get my butt kicked in the mean time. I need something I can do to protect myself, now."
"After you girls go in, I'll cast an invisibility spell on the three of us so that we can check the grounds around your house and put up some protection charms and warding spells. That's the best we can do right now. In the mean time, you girls should light a few candles and practice meditating so that you can get yourselves centered more quickly. We'll pack your supplies in the trunk of your car when we drop it off later today."
I hadn't even remembered the car and mentally scolded myself while I removed the car key from the ring and handed it to Anise.
"Thanks, I know it's out of the way," Ascher said.
"I'd rather drive out of the way than have you girls drive off the road. If the Prince sent an energy ball at you in the club, he could just as easily conjure one to come at you while driving. Our car has special protective charms." Jacinth palmed an assortment of glittering gems dangling from the rearview mirror.
"Could you put some of those on our car, too?" I asked.
"Sure thing," Jacinth said.
Ascher and I climbed out of the SUV and waved goodbye to the cousins. They pulled out of the driveway, parking on the curb. I poked my head into the kitchen and looked at the clock on the microwave. 4:53 am .
"Shouldn’t we help them, or something?" Ascher asked.
"We still don't know what we're doing, Asch. Unless protection charms require fire-power or clawing ability, we're pretty much useless. I'm going to bed."
Ascher shrugged and followed me up the stairs. We parted ways when I reached my bedroom.
"'Night bubbay sister," I said.
"'Night." Ascher closed her door behind her. Taking one look at my made bed, I flopped onto the mattress. Rubbing my face into the zebra-print pillowcase, not caring that I was getting makeup all over it, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, slipping into blessed unconsciousness.
 
         
 
 
Chapter Thirteen
 
ASCHER
 
 
I knew I was dreaming because Orlando Bloom had just asked me to go to the prom with him before flying away on a winged horse. It was dark where I was and I moved closer to a flicker of light far off in the darkness. Before me, a girl lay on the ground. Blood covered her neck and her pale skin was almost translucent.
Oh, God. Is she dead? No…there was the slightest movement of her chest as it rose and fell with breath. What happened to you?
Others were approaching fast and I looked around in the blackness for a weapon to use against her possible assailants. I could see now that she had blood on her mouth that dribbled down her cheeks to coagulate in her blonde curls. Dropping to my knees beside her, I brushed the clotted strands from her face and rested my hand against her cheek. She looked vaguely familiar. As I had this thought, the girl's eyes flew open and she grabbed my forearm, pulling herself as I strained to get her off of my arm. She bit into my wrist and I screamed, beating at her head with my free hand.
"I was just trying to help you!" I cried. The girl released me and I cradled my savaged wrist against me. A light poured over us and across the girl's face.
Oh, my…she look just like me!
"Please help me, Ascher!"
"I don't know what to do. Who are you?” The question brought a smile to her lips.
"You will know soon enough, but I need you to help me right now."
"How?"
"Feed me!" She lunged forward and as she bit me, we became one person and I felt her unyielding hunger. I cringed as my body fused into hers, startling as my grandma materialized and came forward with a bejeweled goblet in her hands.
"Drink this, sweetie. You'll feel better," she said. I took the goblet from her and drank the thick liquid in three gulps.
"Thanks, Grandma," I said. Suddenly Dionysia, an ancient and powerful woman, born as a vampire, replaced the figure of my grandma.
"You'll get used to the metallic aftertaste," Dionysia said.
"Of what?" I asked, my dream-mind muddled in imagery.
"Of blood, Ascher. Of blood." The dream fell away and I was left cold and shivering. I reached for the lamp and that was when I felt the cold hand on my wrist.
 
 
 
PART THREE
 
 
VAMPED UP
 
 
 
 
Chapter Fourteen
 
ASCHER
 
 
The star lamp on my night-table was switched on and I blinked into the suddenly banished darkness.
"It's just me." Gemma's voice came to me a moment before my vision was restored.
"What the he…why are you sitting in the dark?" I asked. Gemma picked up a small cross that was hanging by a thin silver chain around my neck.
"We're both wearing these from now on," Gemma said. She dropped the cross and it fell lightly on my chest.
"You came in my bedroom to style my wardrobe?" I asked. Gemma smacked me in the arm and shook her head.
"When I fell asleep this morning I had a very real, very scary nightmare and it'd just make me feel better if you'd wear the cross, okay? I've been doing research and shopping all day."
"Doing research on what?" I asked, but Gemma waved my words away with her hand.
"Just listen. The cross is silver which should keep vampires from taking it from you. And I also got this and these." She produced a handful of garlic and a bottle of Evian from somewhere on the floor.
"Is this some twisted new diet?" I asked, baiting her in hopes that she'd just tell me what was really going on.
"No. It's holy water and garlic. Put the garlic on your windowsill and over your bedroom door and it should keep them out. I also got essence of garlic tablets at the health food store which we're both taking like a vitamin everyday from now on." I kicked the covers off me and stomped into my furry pink slippers.
"Gemma, look who you're talking to for God's sake," I said. I shoved her over to my bookshelves where boxed Buffy DVDs and my collection of scary books were kept. "You're obviously wigging out about the vampires, but cut it out. We've both had nightmares since that night and your turning into Gemma Van Helsing isn't going to help the situation so just calm down, okay?"
Gemma shoved the Holy Water and garlic into my hands and then wrapped me in a suffocating hug.
"I can't help it. You're my baby sister and I had a bad dream about you." I hugged her back, my thoughts turning to my own nightmare. "Now just do what I say." I pushed away from her and rolled my eyes. I was so not going to tell her that she wasn't the boss of me. Gemma turned her back to me and began to look through my collection.
"Geez, Gemma. You're a real pain in the butt, do you know that? And what makes you so concerned with the vampires all of a sudden. They haven't bothered us since I got you back. We should be worrying about Daray right now." She ignored me and continued to look through the books.
"Can I borrow some of these?" She asked. I shrugged and then, remembering she couldn't see me, blew my breath out and sighed.
"Sure. Whatever. Now can I go back to bed or did you want me to help you carve stakes out of the furniture? Gemma looked as though she were considering this before she grabbed several books from the shelves.
"If you want to borrow those, you have to answer one question," I said. Gemma put a hand to her hip and fixed me with her green eyes.
"What?"
"What was your dream about?" Gemma bit into her lower lip.
"Short version, you turned into a vampire."
 
***
 
Though I tried to fall asleep, I couldn't get Gemma's words out of my mind.
I couldn't turn into a vampire. I was only bitten once and I sure as heck didn't drink any vampire blood. Depending on which sources you consult, you need to be bitten by a vamp anywhere from one to three times, and there must be an exchange of blood, it was one sucky situation.
I lifted the cross in my fingers and squeezed it gently. Daray had told me that crosses and other religious representation wouldn't work on vampires, but I'd leave it on if it gave Gemma peace of mind. Shutting my eyes in the darkness of my bedroom, I pulled my teddy bear closer to me, breathing in his comfortingly familiar smell.
I was just drifting into sleep when I heard my name being called. It was coming from the mirror.
Switching my light on, I climbed out of bed and wrapped my robe around the white tee-shirt I had changed into following Gemma's vampire-slaying episode. I looked at the clock on my alarm- 11:53 p.m.
"Elliot?" I tightened the belt around my waist and flipped down my full-length swivel mirror. I'd made it a habit to flip it over when I wasn't using it after Elliot had "surprised" me one morning by kissing my forehead to wake me. One black eye and an elbow to the throat later, I'd decided to curb Elliot’s romantic ideas and thus save him any more bodily harm.
Two strong hands reached out and pulled me into the mirror.
"Hey! Wait, Ell…," but I was already in his mirror realm.
"I can't believe you would be so naïve as to use yourself as bait for the Warlock Prince! Do you have a death wish, or are you just that stupid?" Elliot shouted. Stung by his words, I could do little more than stare at him as my lower lip began to tremble. I hated being yelled at like that. It always made me feel like I was six years old and about to be punished by my grandfather. I hated that feeling.
You will not cry…you will not cry! I told myself, but then the anger came.
"Who do you think you are to talk to me like that? For your information, I was helping the Bruer Coven and I was never in any real danger. Daray is out there stealing powers again and I sure as hell am not going to let him do to anyone else what he did to his cousin!" Elliot came towards me and grabbed my forearms, shaking me twice before I kneed him where the sun don't shine and the vampires frolic.
"Don't you ever, ever grab me like that!" Elliot disappeared into the swirling mists always surrounding us in this place. I looked around me, only to feel hot breath against my neck.
"If you hadn't been rescued by that blonde boy you were dancing with you would've been killed." I twisted away from Elliot, my breath coming out in huffs.
"What? Are you following me, now?" I asked. Elliot's eyes lowered before he drew himself up, the picture of righteous indignation.
"I've taken measures to keep the night-creatures who would otherwise contact  you at bay."
"Which means you’ve been doing what, exactly?"
"I've been protecting you."
“You didn’t answer my question.” Elliot looked annoyed as he held me in a grip so tight that I could scarcely breathe.
"When I first saw that you were being followed. I had to ensure your safety."
“And so you put a mystical lo-jack on me?” He tilted his head, confused.
“I acquired a bodyguard to protect you.”
“And?”
“And he is not doing his job, I see.” I wanted to be mad at him for being so secretive, but that pink bow, lacy dress, girly part of me felt like hugging him for being so caring. That and the fact that I was sleep deprived told me to not think about it, that I had enough to worry about.
"If you're not going to give me details, then I need to go home. I want to get some sleep. I have an Algebra test tomorrow that I haven't even begun to study for, and I'm too tired for this conversation.  As for the vampires, I’ve got Gemma shoving garlic pills at me and filling my purse with holy water. Not to mention my fire-shifting ability, so stop worrying." Elliot held me to him and sighed.
"I don't think that's a possibility," he said. "I care about you too much."
His words cut off any I could think to say. I cared about him too, in fact, I was shocked with the knowledge that I actually loved him. I looked into his eyes, the color of pine needles.
I love you I love you I love you my heart sang, and though every fiber of my being wanted to tell him so all I said was, "Goodnight, Elliot."
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter Fifteen
 
GEMMA
 
 
Sneaking out of my house had been no trouble, not that I recommend it or anything. On second thought, if you and yours are being stalked by vampires you should definitely sneak out in search of holy water and other vamp combustibles. I felt better having talked to Ascher about my dream even if I didn't tell her everything. Just knowing that she had something to protect herself with made me feel better. I'd also talked mom into wearing her gold cross that she always kept in her jewelry box. I’m pretty sure she thought I was born-again or something.
As I approached the doors of the church, silent in my chunky black boots due to my new stealth-cat mode, I took a deep breath and pulled on the handle. My leather gloves squeaked as the door creaked open and I broke into a jubilant, yet respectful, happy dance of joy. No breaking and entering for me! It was still a little warm for the gloves, but they completed my look. I was wearing black leggings, a black turtleneck sweater and a black skull cap.
Patting my knapsack with the two empty liter bottles of Evian inside, I stepped inside the church and felt better almost immediately. My family had never been particularly religious. I mean, we'd been baptized and had first communion and stuff, but we'd never been all gung-ho about it. Still, something about the somber atmosphere radiating from the walls calmed me. Taking a moment to shove some communion wafers into the front pocket of my jeans, my eyes caught the sight of burning candles.
I lit a candle for Ascher and my mom, asking for their protection from all the supernatural bad guys before moving on to the large bowls of water next to the entryway. The bottles made glug-glug noises as they filled, sending some water splashing over the sides.  I was busy thinking of excuses in case a priest asked just what it was I was doing.
When I'd filled the last bottle, I pulled my hand out of the water and felt the ring Nana Bruer had given me shiver against my skin.
"Thirsty?" I jumped, but didn't scream. Yay for me. I spun and threw the uncapped bottle of holy water straight at Savian's chest.
"Oh, oh the pain," Savian said in a complete deadpan. He reached forward and grabbed me by the wrist, using my momentum to spin me into him in a dance move straight out of my nightmares. I felt his cheek brush against mine, making his blonde hair fall over my face as he nuzzled by neck. He smelled like chocolate, don't ask me why.
"It's a school night. Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"Shouldn't you be, like, bursting into flames or something?"
"Nonsense. All you've done, is ruin a perfectly fine suede jacket.”
"Well, good." He spun me out again and then grabbed me by the waist so we were facing each other. I was dancing with him. I couldn't stop myself. Trying not to look into his eyes was harder than it sounds. They were a dark blue like nothing I’d ever seen before and something inside me wished I could look into them forever.
"So, what brought about this stint in suede assault?" Savian asked.
"Oh, I don’t know. Because you are a bloodsucking scumbag who haunts my dreams and threatens my sister?"
"Gemma, you've been dreaming about me, I'm flattered." He smiled, showing the tips of his fangs. "Is it possible you're attracted to me?"
Oh, Gawd, yes!
"Sure, in a strictly homicidal sort of way."
"Witty little witch. That's what I like about you Gemma, you'll never get boring. I can imagine spending hundreds of years with you and still never quite knowing what it is you're going to say." The tips of his fangs grazed my neck and I shivered.
Wake up, Gemma. He's using some sort of vampire mind control on you!
I slammed the heel of my boot into his ankle before spinning to knee him in the groin. Not bothering to pick up the, apparently useless holy water, I ran outside.
 I'm pretty sure the distance I ran in such a small amount of time should qualify me for some kind of medal. Keys in hand, I tried to open the car door, but I was shaking too violently. Something snatched the keys away, but I already knew who it was. I turned around, swinging, but Savian used his forearm to pin me against the car like a bug. Like a damn bug.
Like a damn, stupid, brunette bug who went out alone at night even though she's being chased by vampires.
"That wasn't very nice," Savian said, all cordial and calm.
"Uh, I’m sorry?" He released me, but didn't step away.
"You'll come to me sooner or later, Gemma. I am Master Vampire of Chicago and you'll need someone like me on you're side."
"Yeah, like that'll happen…"
"You consider me evil because of what I am, but, as you saw, holy water has no effect on me. Can I be truly evil then?"
"I'm gonna say, yeah."
"You're always invited into my protection, you need but to ask."
"I'd rather take my chances with the beasties that go bump in the night."
"There is such a thing as the lesser of two evils, Gemma." I opened my mouth to ask what he was talking about, but he just, sort of, faded into the shadows of the night.
"Last word vamp."
 
 
 
 
Chapter Sixteen
 
ASCHER
 
 
"Can you girls meet us up at the bookstore tomorrow afternoon?" Nana Bruer asked.
"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem," I said.
"Wonderful, I want to prepare you for Wednesday night's Circle and… oh, Heck! I've got to go, honey, I've got a potion foaming on the stove." I flipped my cell phone closed and looked at Gemma who was staring pensively at the red light in front of us. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the steering wheel.
"Mrs. Bruer said that…"
"I heard. Enhanced hearing, remember?" I tucked my cell phone into my messenger bag and untangled my blonde curls from the sterling cross Gemma had made me wear.
"Do you have your stakes and athame?" She asked. I bit my lip.
"If we're being followed I'll be chock full of garlic and ready with, what is this?”
“I scraped the powder out of an old make-up compact and filled it with pieces of communion wafers,” Gemma said. I rolled my eyes.
“Where did you get stakes anyway?"
"I borrowed some scrap pieces of wood from the shop class at school."
"You mean you stole them," I said. Gemma balked and rolled her eyes at me.
"Um, hello, two teenage girls being chased by vampires. I think our fight against evil outweighs my scrap snatching. So just use what I give you and keep your questions to yourself." Grimacing, I fingered my seatbelt wanting to get away from the argument I felt brewing.
"Geez, Gemma. I was just teasing you," I said. Gemma pulled the car into the school parking lot and drove until we found one of the few empty spaces left. I saw Denise was waiting for me in our regular spot and that, for once, Dax wasn't hanging all over her. I waved goodbye to Gemma and jogged over to Denise, taking a moment to adjust my messenger bag and keep it from banging into my hip. My brown boot heels clacked against the pavement as I approached Denise who handed me a Styrofoam cup.
"Regular coffee. Extra milk, no sugar," she said. Grateful, I took the cup and tested the temperature of the liquid against my lips before taking two gulps.
"Bless you. That'll keep me from passing out during first period," I said. Denise and I started walking towards the entrance and I saw Gemma meet up with her boyfriend Matt O'Shaunessy. Matt was a cool enough guy, but I still didn't know him well enough to decide if I liked him.
"Ascher, hell-o-o," Denise said.
"I'm sorry. Did you say something?"
"Yeah. I asked if you got much sleep last night, but I think you just answered my question." I shrugged.
"Listen, Ascher. I just wanted to apologize for Friday night. So you didn't like Petrel, so what? I shouldn't have been so bitchy about it."
"Your peace offering of coffee pleases me, so I’ll forgive you,” I said in a wacky voice.
"I've got to go pick something out for my mom's birthday after school today. Do you want to come with me to the mall? We could shop and then have dinner and stuff."
"Sure, that sounds like fun."
"I know, right? And we need some girl-time too."
Yeah, like without your vamp butt-kissing boyfriend .
Someone grabbed Denise from behind and lifted her off her feet. It was Dax.  Speak of the devil.
"Hey babe. Did you miss me?" Dax asked. Denise giggled and I gagged.
"I'll see you later, Denise," I said.
"Oh, Ascher. Leaving so soon?" Dax crooned.
Only if you’re staying so long .
"Yeah, I'll meet you at the parking lot after school, Denise. Thanks for the coffee."
"We'll miss you, Ascher," Dax called after me. I sneered and looked around me.
Where was a bodyguard when you needed one?
                                                 
 
 
 
Chapter Seventeen
 
GEMMA
 
 
After my encounter with Savian last night, I'd been anxious to read the vampire books Nana Bruer had leant me. I took a library pass from my harried-looking study hall teacher and found a private area in the library to sit down. Skimming through the contents of the book, “The Master Vampire,” I thumbed my way to the chapter entitled, “Powers of the Master Vampire.” I jotted notes in my chemistry notebook as I read:
 
The preternatural powers of the Master Vampire include the ability to withstand indirect sunlight for limited periods of time, shadowshifting or turning into mist, and the making of other         vampires. Other powers include the tying of servants, hypnosis, extreme strength, and enhanced senses. In rare cases, Master Vampires possess the ability to shapeshift into the form of an animal, sometimes even taking on the visage of a human. Some Master Vampires can also dreamshift, or enter the dream realm and manipulate the dream patterns of the sleeping.
 
“How right you are,” I whispered. The next chapter was entitled, “Protecting Oneself From a Master Vampire.”
The best way to protect yourself from Master Vampires is to avoid them .
I felt like writing 'no, duh' in the margin of the book.
If you find that the Master Vampire is hunting you, the best thing to do is avoid facing him in combat other than the use of defensive maneuvering.
Hmmm…apparently kicking Savian wasn't such a good idea. Enjoyable and wickedly fun, yes, but not a good idea. I went on to the next entry, “Destroying the Master Vampire.”
 
Virtually unkillable, the destruction of a Master Vampire should only be attempted by a level three Vampire Hunter due to the    difficulty of the task. Destruction of the Master Vampire can be achieved by cutting off the head, driving a wooden stake through the hear, or fully incinerating. Any combination of the aforementioned methods will also work. Silver, garlic, sunlight, holy water and other religious paraphernalia will only work on     lesser vampires.
 
"Found that out," I said.
"Hey, Gemma," Matt leaned over me to see what I was writing, but I covered it up with my hands. "Ooh, top secret stuff, huh? Listen, I was thinking of catching a movie after school and I thought that…"
"Yes!"
"…you'd wanna go…"
"Yes!" Matt gave me a strange look.
"You okay, Gemma?"
"Yeah, I'm just… I have a lot of homework and I think I'm a little over-caffeinated."
"I know how that is. Well, I'll pick you up in front of the quad after school, okay?"
"Yeah, okay. See you then." I watched as Matt walked away, made sure no one else was around and then turned my attention to my reading.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Eighteen
 
ASCHER
 
 
I'd spent much of the morning mulling over the fact that my best friend was dating a vampire servant, I was being followed by some unknown mystical beings, and I couldn't do anything to stop either problem. Not to mention the fact that the Homecoming Dance was fast approaching and I was, yet again, the dateless freak.
My thoughts kept returning to Elliot and our fight the night before. Thinking of Elliot had made me uncomfortably numb like the possibility of an actual break-up on top of everything else was too much for me. What I needed was a distraction, something fun to occupy my thoughts, and Honors biology and the anatomy of the grasshopper was so not it. 
It was all I could do to keep from leaping out of my chair an into an impromptu jig when I heard the last bell of the day ring. I caught up with Denise in front of the school and we headed to the mall.
 
***
 
"I could get her a beaded curtain for the doorway to her office," Denise said. We stood in the center of Hippie Chick, an alternative clothing store.
"That's an idea.” I lifted a small white Goddess-figure candle, pressing my thumb into the waxy belly of the full-figured icon. A small section of the store was dedicated to candles, incense and the like.
"I think I'm gonna get one of those," Denise said. I startled and looked away from the tiny figure to the ocean blue eyes of my best friend.
"Uh, a Goddess candle?" I asked. Denise grabbed the candle from me and shoved it into the woven shopping bag supplied by the store.
"Yeah, whatever. I mean, if it burns, it burns, you know?" Denise reached past me and snatched a pair of red taper candles, a thick black pillar candle, and a white knobbed candle with wax swirls decorating the outside. "I am a witch after all."
"What?” Denise laughed and slid her hand over my shoulder.
"Chill, Ascher. I'm kidding. Geez, you should have seen your face. Like I really think I'm a witch. C'mon. I'm not one of those freaky Emo kids that, like, embrace the dark or whatever." Denise reached for a cream-colored, ruffled skirt and pulled it against her waist to measure its length.
"That was so not funny," I said, biting back the less diplomatic words that wanted to wedge their way into the conversation.
"I know, I know. You like all that hoodoo-voodoo stuff. I didn't mean anything by it, Asch. Will you watch my stuff while I try this on?" Denise hurried away before I could give a response and I stared after her, feeling my face flush in annoyance.
  She has no way of knowing about you—it's not as if she were trying to hurt you feelings.
Picking up a green, glass-encased candle with the zodiac sign Virgo—my sign, I turned the candle to read the inscription.
"Marked by intelligence, beauty and a nurturing quality," I read. "The sign of Virgo is an Earth sign which derives…"
"Huh. I would have pegged you as more of a fire sign." I recognized Daray's voice as it whispered in my ear, his arms encircling me, his hands grasping my wrists to keep me from using my power on him. I could feel his breath on my neck as he spoke. "You seem surprised to see me Ascher. Your probably wondering where your bodyguards are- it's after dark and they've gone back to their masters."
"Daray, I…"
"Shhh. Just listen." Daray transferred both of my wrists into one of his hands and reached for something. Light glinted from a flat surface and I cried out as I recognized a white-handled knife in his grasp. "I'm sorry, Ascher, but it's necessary.”
Before I could form the words to ask what he was going to do, Daray poked the end of my thumb with the knife. I hissed as the pain flared from the cut, but recovered myself just in time to see Denise twirl out of the dressing room.
"Hey Ascher, whose the…oh my God!" To her credit, she didn't turn and run, but slammed the heel of her shoe into Daray's shin, her arms slapping at his hands.
"Let go of her!"
"Let this time be thought nought," Daray said. I felt his lips touch my cheek as a warm sensation tickled over my wounded thumb, and then he was gone. Denise stared blankly at me, her eyes glassy. She shook her head.
"I totally spaced. Were you just saying something, Asch?"        
"You…didn't see that?" I asked, though I was pretty sure of her answer.
"See what? Oh, that hottie you were talking to. Hey, where did he go anyway?" I brought my thumb to my mouth and sucked the blood from my skin. My tongue flicked over the padding of my thumb, but I couldn't feel a wound. Glancing down, I saw that my thumb was healed.
"We should check out now, Asch. Dax is meeting us over at the Burger Bin."
"Since when?" I asked.
"Oh, he called when I was in the dressing room. You don't mind do you?"
Yes!
"Well, no. I mean, I guess not," I said, a smile spreading across my lips. "I have a few things I'd like to discuss with him."
 
         
 
 
PART FOUR
 
 
WITCH TRIALS
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter Nineteen
 
GEMMA
 
 
I watched as the vampire bit some blonde-bimbo-type on the neck. My fingers went to my neck where I'd been bitten, and I winced. Looking at the screen in front of me where yet another victim was being slaughtered, I felt like I was going to hurl. Matt laughed, shrinking into his seat.
"Oh, oh, man!" He cried out as the vampire was impaled by an umbrella. I rolled my eyes. After twenty more agonizing minutes, the credits began to roll, and the lights came on in the theater. "What'd you think?" Matt asked, eyes shining.
"Uh. It was kind of messed up," I said.
"Yeah, I guess. I gotta go to the bathroom. Do you want to meet me in the arcade?"
"Sure, but…" Matt ran off before I could tell him I had to get home soon. I still had a physics paper to write and I hadn't even started it. As he sprinted past a corner and out of sight, I smiled. Even though he wasn't much for conversation, he was really sweet, not to mention super-cute. The Homecoming Dance was coming up, and he'd already asked me to the dance.
But what if I start to shift?
It seemed like whenever I got over-emotional, the change would start and then it was hello kitty. I made my way through the dispersing crowds and into the small arcade across from the concessions. I fed a dollar into the token machine and headed to the bozo-buckets game, which I dominated. It was one of the perks of being freakishly tall. That, and being able to see over your boyfriends head to check out random hotties. Bending down, I retrieved a ball from the feeder and aimed.
"It is of great importance that I speak with Ascher."
  I jumped and threw the ball at an empty drag-racing game. Pivoting on the ball of my foot I spun and saw Petrel leaning against a zombie shooting game. I kicked out with my right foot, slamming it into his shin, and then ankle.
"Sure, how does never sound?"
"I assure you…"
"It's not gonna happen. And if you come anywhere near my family, I'll use you as a scratching post.”
"As I tried to explain to Ascher," Petrel continued, like I hadn't interrupted. "It's in her best interest to come with me tonight, to Chicago , to see the Master." His eyes scanned over me and he smiled. "Of course, you're more than welcome to accompany us."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're like a very annoying, very pale broken rec…" Petrel grabbed me by the arm and jerked me forward. I scratched at his face with my nails and watched as thin trails of beaded blood began to dot his cheeks. Shoving him away from me, I heard my breath catch in horror as the blood soaked into his skin and then disappeared, leaving not even the shadow of a scar.
"Is everything okay, Gemma?"
Matt. Petrel watched Matt like a snake watches a small bird.
"Uh, yeah. Let's just go," I said. I grabbed Matt and tried to pull him after me, but he stood his ground.
"Was this guy bothering you?" Matt asked.
You stupid, sweet jerk.
"No, he…" I wasn't sure how much Matt had seen, and I didn't want to out and out lie about it.
"Would you like to introduce us, Gemma?" Petrel asked. I gritted my teeth to keep from biting him.
"Matt this is Petrel, annoying stalker of my little sister. Petrel this is Matt…"
"Matt, your…" Petrel said.
"Matt, none of your business. Let's go, Matt."
"Wait a minute," Matt said. "I just want to…hey! Where did he go?" Peeking my head over the corner and into the arcade, I saw that Petrel was gone.
"It's fine, Matt. Can you please just take me home?" Matt's face grew sad. "I know it sucks, but I have so much homework." Matt curled his arm around my waist and sort of hugged me to his side.
"Sure, Gemma." Matt leaned forward and kissed me, right on the lips.
Whoo-hoo ! What took you so long ?
But then I remembered Petrel. This must be some kind of weird male-territory thing.
"Great," I said. Just great.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Twenty
 
ASCHER
 
 
"Tell me. Did you tell Denise about the vampire club hoping she'd be killed, or did you think she'd make it out alive?" I asked. Dax paled and inhaled his ginger ale. After a coughing fit he looked at me with frightened brown eyes and ran shaky fingers through his chin-length hair, still wet from the shower. Our waitress hurried over, setting a pitcher of iced tea down on the table.
"Are you okay, hon?" She asked, her plump hands thumping Dax on the back. He nodded and the waitress retrieved her pitcher and left me to my interrogation.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Dax said. Smiling at him, I rubbed my hands together to warm my palms. I'd known he'd claim ignorance. This was going to take awhile.
"The Crimson, Dax. It's a club for vampires. After Denise bailed on me last month, my sister and I drove to Chicago to check it out. And do you know what happened? We were attacked by vampires.”  Dax let out a whooping noise and laughed.
"It was you! Petrel and the guys are still talking about that. So, are you the feline-shifter or is it Gemma?"
To answer his question I reached under the table and grabbed his knee. Concentrating to call my power, I closed my eyes for a moment until I felt my palm grow icy as my fire magic burned through the material of Dax's jeans. He cried out, but quieted as I raised my finger to my lips to shush him, sending more fire into his skin.
"Answer the question, Dax. What were you doing when you told Neese and I to go to The Crimson? Dax gritted his teeth and fixed hate-filled eyes on my face.
"Denise will be back from the bathroom any second. I suggest you end this if you don’t want her to know your dirty little secret," Dax said. He pushed back from the table and pulled his legs onto the booth. Catching his sleeve, I singed it and used my other hand to yank him to his seat.
"I melted the door lock. She'll be in there for awhile." Dax looked around the restaurant, his upper-lip beading with sweat.
"Someone will see what you're doing, witch.”
"You know, you're right, Dax. I didn't know what I was thinking. Here." I let go of him and moved to sit next to him on the other side of the table. "Much better."
I gripped his wrist and felt his skin sizzle, my stomach twisted. I was going to hurl.
 "Please, Dax. I don't want to do this. Just tell me what I want to know so we can all get out of here." I let go of him and sat back against the booth.
"It was stupid of me. When I told Denise about the club, I never expected she'd go there. I didn't…" I cut Dax off. He was lying. I caught him by the wrist and choked back the bile that rose to my throat.
"Neese told me you said it was a great club to go to. That the cover was cheap and they let underage people in, no problem. You even gave her directions, Dax.”
"Okay, alright. I'll tell you! Just stop, stop!" I pulled away, grateful for his words. "I work for Savian, okay? I run errands for him and stuff. He lets me bring people to the club sometimes. No one gets hurt because we're guests of Savian's. He heard me talking to Petrel about her and said he wanted to meet her," Dax said. I bit my lip.
"Why didn't you say no? Make an excuse for why you couldn't bring her?" Dax laughed, his smile twisting his face to an ugly grimace.   
"Say no to Savian Radbourne. Right. That's not too much of a death wish. You met the guy, Ascher. Is he someone you'd say no to?"
"If it meant protecting Denise, yeah. She's your girlfriend, Dax. She could've been killed or bitten just like Gemma and I were.”
"Look, I am truly sorry for what happened to your sister and you. Denise would have never been in any danger and neither would you if you'd gone with Denise because I would've been there with you. I wish Denise and I would've stopped by the club that night, we could have…”
"What are you talking about? Denise was babysitting. That's why she couldn't go."
"No. I had second thoughts about bringing you guys because it was so close to the full moon and I knew Savian would be in a bad mood because he'd have to cover up for the werewolves. Denise and I made other plans. I never thought you'd go if Denise didn't because, well, no offense, but you hardly ever go anywhere without her," Dax said.
I swallowed, feeling my eyes mist over. I didn't know what bothered me more. The fact that my best friend of eight years had lied to me to spend time with her boyfriend of five months, or the fact that he knew so much about how shy I was.
"Did you tell her to make up an excuse?" I asked. Dax seemed confused by the turn our conversation was taking.
"Uh, no. Not really. She just thought you'd be pissed the whole night about not going to The Crimson, so she made the thing up about babysitting for Rory."
Great.
"If I find out you're lying about anything I've asked you…" I let the sentence trail off into scary possibilities. Dax nodded and combed his hands through his stick-straight, slick hair. His arms showed where the sleeves were rolled up, making my heart skip a beat. I seized his arm and pushed the sleeve up to get a better look at his burns.
"I get it. I'm not lying!" Dax tried to pull away, but I’d already seen what I needed to.
"You're arm, it's not burnt anymore," I said. "What are you?"
"Rapid healing. It's a perk to being a vampire's servant, but I'm human just like, well, just like…" Dax gestured to me before giving me a sneer. "Just like Denise, anyway. Hi, Sweetie."
"You're so lucky, Asch. Like, two seconds after you left the door broke and they couldn't get it open for the longest time," Denise said. She stomped over to us in my three-inch platform boots which I suddenly wanted back. "So, what're you two chatting about?" Denise blinked blue eyes at me, her almost waist-long wavy brown hair framing her silver crop-top, making her look like an animated fashion doll. I picked up my lime-green leather purse and fished out my cell phone.
"Oh, not much. You know, just about you blowing me off last month to go with Dax to Asylum instead of The Crimson." I watched as Denise gave Dax and evil look and turned back to me, her face a mask of guilt. Scrolling down to my sister's name, I ignored Denise's pleas to listen to her and hit the send button.
The phone rang five times before Gemma's message kicked in. I listened to the familiar message and waited for the beep.
"Hey, Gem. It's me. Just wanted to let you know I'm gonna walk home so you don't have to pick me up from Denise's. And don't worry about me, if anyone bugs me, I'll go crouching tiger, hidden dragon on them. Love you, bye."
"I'm sorry, Asch. I just wanted to spend some time with Dax and…" I put my hand up to stop her.
"If you want to spend 24/7 with your boyfriend then that's your business, but I'd appreciate it if you would just tell me so instead of making plans with me and then making up lame excuses at the last minute," I said. I dug some cash out of my purse and put it on the table.
"I said I'm sorry, Ascher. You don't have to be so bitchy." My eyes snapped shut as I struggled to keep my magic from overpowering me. When I opened them, Dax was watching me with knowing eyes. I frowned at him and turned to Denise.
"Well, I'm sorry if my hurt feelings come across as bitchiness, but you might feel crabby, too if I treated you this way. Friends are supposed to be there for each other all the time, not just when you're bored because your boyfriend has something better to do. I'm your best friend, Denise, not your 'in case of emergency' distraction from boredom."
I didn't wait for her reply. This confrontation was long overdue. She'd been calling to cancel plans at least three out of every four times since she'd started dating Dax. Pushing my way through the revolving door, I tried my mom’s number to ask for a ride. When she didn't answer, I tightened the waist of my sweater-duster and headed out into the night.
                                                                                               
 
 
Chapter Twenty One
 
GEMMA
 
 
"I think you may have a vitamin deficiency," Mom said.
"Huh?" I looked up from the salmon I'd been devouring to give her my best 'what the hell?' face.
"You never used to like fish and now you ask me to make it at least twice a week. Not to mention the fact that you're on your third piece of fish and haven't even touched the mashed potatoes, and they're your favorite."
"I'm hungry. Do you have to analyze everything. I mean, God. Can't I just eat!" Mom looked at me like I'd just grown a second head. "I'm sorry, it's just. I've been really overwhelmed with school and cheer practice and stuff and I don't want to worry about anything new, okay?" Mom put her paper towel napkin on the table and began to clean up the dishes. Feeling mean, but too tired to care, I let my forehead hit the table with an audible thunk.
 
***
 
I'd been reading for almost an hour when I found what I wanted. In the Master Vampires book under the heading, “Master Vampires in the North America .” There was a part about Savian Radbourne in the “Historical Vampires of Pennsylvania” section.
         
A vampire known by the name Savian Radbourne was said to control much of the state of Pennsylvania from the time of its first settlements up to the turn of the nineteenth century. He was said to have gold colored hair with strange silver eyes, a tall man of medium build who would be seen only at night.
It was during one of his nightly sojourns through the town when he met Cadence Hawthorne , (daughter of John     Hawthorne, and Maiden Witch of the Hawthorne Coven of witches, known for their elemental gifts. Cadence herself, was able to call wind. Having stopped by the cemetery to leave flowers at the graves of her mother and recently deceased twin sister, her grief over their deaths and yearning to join them led to Savian's fascination with the girl. He wooed her, eventually being promised her hand in marriage, but was found to be a vampire and turned away       from the Hawthorne homestead.
Furious at young Cadence's refusals, Savian turned her older brother Matthew, his wife and their two young sons into vampires before threatening the lives of her remaining family members less she join him in his life of darkness. Cadence eventually gave in and was said to be at his side at of the turn of the nineteenth century. (See Cadence Hawthorne page 392.)
 
I shut the book and set it on my bed table. Cadence Hawthorne was still alive, or undead I guess you would say. She'd used her power to shift the wind to help Ascher and I escape from the Crimson. I wondered if Savian knew she was working against him? A pounding headache was starting and I needed to lie down. Savian was an even bigger jerk than I'd known and he'd threatened Cadence's family just like he'd threatened mine, but I wouldn't let him do to Ascher and Mom what he’d done to them.
"Over my dead body," I said, but I really hoped if wouldn't come to that.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Twenty Two
 
ASCHER
 
 
The stars above looked as if they were splatter-painted against the night sky. My argument with Denise had given me a headache and I was grateful that it was silent outside. The crickets had long since flown south or done whatever it is crickets do when the weather gets chilly. Stopping to tie a loose bootlace, I took the opportunity to look around me for bad guys. I had a stake in my messenger bag, another in my sweater pocket and my firepower pulsing just beneath my palm. I wasn't being paranoid, just highly cautious.
Not ready to go home yet, and have another argument with Gemma, I took a detour to the park. My neighbor's dog Booger barked at me from her yard that doubled as a habitat for plastic pink flamingos. Just as I was turning the corner, she bounded from the weak part of the fence, further snapping the wood. One excited yip at me and she ran towards the wooded area.
“Boog, come back. Booger!” She yipped in response, I’d just taken a step towards the woods when I heard her yelp.
Running forward, I began to call my fire. A shadow descended on me, knocking me back and breaking my concentration. I kicked my right foot out and felt my fire surge through my fingers as I aimed it blindly into the dark. When I found that I was pinned, I dug my fingers into the soil, clawing backwards and away from the heavy weight on my legs. Fire kindled the surrounding woods and helped me see what was at my feet.
"Oh, my God," I whispered. It was the body of a young man, and it was on fire. I heard Booger’s yips turn to whimpers as my eyes met the man’s. It was Petrel. His neck was torn out, blood seeping out of him and onto the moist forest floor.  I slapped a hand over my mouth to muffle my screams, the other hand scrambling for Booger’s collar. The little terrier gave Petrel an offended bark, but let me scoop her into my arms.
Kicking away from the body, I clawed for my messenger bag, and hurried away from the woods where a small fire was burning.
"Uh, bodyguard, or whatever? I need Elliot, now!” A shadowy mist formed around me and then Elliot was in front of me. I pointed at the woods, then, remembering Booger, began walking towards her yard
"Are you all right?" He held me out at arms length, his gaze sweeping over me to make sure I was okay. Wrapping me and Booger both in his arms, he kissed the top of my head. "What happened?" I opened my mouth and burst into tears feeling ridiculous, but not able to stop.
"Booger escaped…body…fell…on me. Petrel…dead," I gasped, pointing in the direction where I'd left Petrel. Elliot's eyes widened and he frowned.
“Deep breath,” he said. I took, a long, shaky breath, holding it for a moment to calm myself.
“My neighbor’s dog got loose. I followed her and Petrel’s…body…fell on top of me. He’s dead, and I…might’ve set him on fire, the woods, too.” Booger growled nervously and licked at the tears staining my face.
"Where does the dog live?” Elliot said, like I hadn’t just confessed to lighting someone on fire. I jerked my head towards the fence and Elliot took Booger from me. He placed her in the yard.
“She’ll get out again,” I said.  Elliot flicked his fingers at the fence.
“Not with that spell,” he said. “Damn it! They were supposed to be watching you!" Elliot said. He took off towards the woods in a blur of movement, but before I'd taken four steps he was beside me again.
"Someone told you I needed you, right?" I asked.
"No, I heard you call my name. We can discuss that later, somewhere safe. Can you stay away from home tonight?" I felt my cheeks flush.
"What do you mean?"
"Petrel is Savian's fledgling. Something like this could cause a major retaliation."
"I didn't kill him! He just…fell on me. He was already dead when I used my fire magic on him.”
"We're going to have to sort this out before you can go home. Unless you think your mother would be helpful in hiding a body, we can't discuss it in front of her. We'll contact Gemma and then decide what to do from there."
"What if whoever killed Petrel comes after my mom or Gemma?"
"I don't think that's going to be a problem," Elliot said.
"Why?"
"Because whoever left Petrel wasn't after you. From his appearance, I'd say he was left as a gift," Elliot said.
"A gift?!" I cried. "What the heck kind of gift is a dead vampire?" Elliot pursed his lips and crossed his arms over his black sweater covered chest.
"The perfect gift for a girl who he's bitten. That, or an easy way to get rid of the vampire who marked you. Thus, eliminating the vampire who has claimed you and freeing you up to be claimed by another vampire."
"Claimed? As in, taken by?"
"No," Elliot said. "As in turned. Whoever did this wants to make you a vampire and by what they did to Petrel. They're thinking sooner is better than later."
“My life sucks.”   
 
 
 
 
Chapter Twenty-Three
 
GEMMA
 
 
"Wait, wait…hold on a second. So, someone dropped a dead vampire on you when you were walking through the woods, alone?" I asked.
"Yeah," Ascher said.
"Are you purposely trying to audition for the blonde girl who loves to die in every horror movie? What the hell were you doing walking through the woods alone?"
"Gem—"
"I'm coming to get you. I can't believe you’re walking alone…"
"You don't need to come. I'm with someone," Ascher said.
"Who?"
"I've, sort of, been seeing someone."
"Who?!"
"Elliot Ambrose. The time-shifter that helped me get out of Savian's club."
"The vampire servant? Oh, my gawd, Asch. What the hell do you think you're doing? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Oh, I don't know. Probably because I knew you'd react like this. And you're one to talk. Why didn't you tell me that you saw Savian Radbourne last night."
How the hell did she know that?
"I don't…how did you know about that?"
"Uh, take a wild guess. I'm dating his servant, duh," Ascher said sounding very much like herself at age eight.
"Don't be a brat, Asch. I didn't tell you about him because I didn't want to worry you and, besides, I've been doing research on him and vampires in general. I'm taking care of it."
"Well, I'm taking care of this. God, someone throws dead-Petrel at me and I get yelled at? Nice," Ascher said.
"Petrel?"
"Yeah."
"I saw him this afternoon. He was at the movie theater when I went with Matt. He was all, 'We need to see Ascher' and stuff.”
"Well, what did you say?"
"I told him where he could stake it. What do you think?"
"Oh, well. You have to tell Mommy that I'm spending the night at Denise's because Elliot and I have to take care of this."
"Not gonna happen. I'm coming with, Ascher." She was silent on the line so long I'd thought she'd hung up. "Hello…Asch?"
"We're taking care of it, Gemma. Besides, someone was trying to send some sort of message and I think it would be a good idea if someone were to stay with Mommy, just to be on the safe side.”
"You think someone's going to come after Mommy?"
"No, it's just…good if you stay with her tonight. Listen, I've got to go, but will you cover for me with Mommy?" I chewed the inside of my cheek and frowned.
"It looks like I don't have much of a choice, but you'd better call me if you need anything. Call me every hour or I'm coming after you, okay?"
"Alright. I gotta go. Love you, Gemma. Bye."
"Bye, Asch. I love you, too. Be careful or I'll claw your butt." Ascher's laughter sounded through the phone and then she hung up. I leapt backwards onto my bed and grimaced.
"My baby sister has a boyfriend?" I asked no one in particular. She'd said his name was Elliot Ambrose. "Let's see if these books have anything to say about you, Elliot."
 
 
 
PART FIVE
 
 
PACK MENTALITY
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter Twenty Four
 
ASCHER
 
 
Elliot held me close to him, his leather trench coat wrapped tightly around us to help protect me from the bite of the cool night air rushing past my skin. Because he was only a vampire's servant, his shadow-shifting abilities were limited. He couldn't teleport through the shadows as much as he could levitate and propel himself where he wanted to go.
We'd been moving fast for awhile now and I felt myself smiling at how close I was to Elliot. The left side of my face pressed against his chest, I could feel the steady drum beat of his heart. He smelled faintly of cologne and I found myself taking deep breaths as if to memorize the scent.
Oh, Elliot, I love you so…
Elliot jerked us sharply to the side and I felt his feet hit something hard as his grip tightened around me. I peeked out from behind the flapping leather of his lapel and saw we were at least ten stories up, on the platform of a balcony leading, through glass doors, into a brightly lit room. I felt Elliot's hand press against my mouth. I arched my eyebrows in question and then frowned when I saw he wasn't looking at me. He was leaning towards the closed double doors of the balcony, a pensive look on his face. I heard the crisp shattering of glass sound from somewhere inside and Elliot moved me away from the curtained window just as a large chair came crashing through the glass.
We were suddenly air-born, Elliot's arm encircling my waist as we soared away from the building. I could just make out the faint light of stars in the sky when I gazed down to the glittering lights of Chicago . My stomach flip-flopped and rose like I was at the apex of a rollercoaster and I shrieked, turning into the warmth of Elliot's body for protection.
When we landed again, it was next to a dumpster beside a brick building, facing the busy lines of traffic. I could hear the faint murmur of music, but didn't know which direction it came from.
"What was that?" I asked.
"I thought we could stay at Cadence's for the night, but it seems someone is already there."
"Well, do you think she's okay?" I asked. Elliot brushed the dark brown curls off of his forehead and shrugged.
"I'm fairly certain she's out of town until early tomorrow morning, that's why I thought the apartment would be empty.  I just need a moment to rest before we continue. We'll need to find somewhere else to stay."
"Can't we just use a mirror and stay in the time-realm thingy?"
"I need to speak with Cadence about what happened. She's Savian's second so she should know how to handle this."
"But I didn't do anything wrong…"
"It doesn't matter. I don't think the vampires will believe that you could destroy a vampire as old as Petrel even if you wanted to, but it would be the perfect excuse to tangle you and your sister up in their world." I heaved a sigh and dug the heel of my boot against the brick.
"You know. This stuff always seemed so exciting and cool in books and movies, but this just sucks," I said. Elliot's body tensed and he spun to face the opposite side of the alleyway. I heard a low rumble as if from an engine followed by the bark of laughter and the clickety-clack of heels on the pavement. He motioned for me to move behind the dumpster.
Frenzied laughter floated towards us, causing the hair on my arms to stand on end. It wasn't a joyous sound I heard, but a cruel, almost cackling noise that made my stomach turn.
"Stay here. I'm going to see who's coming," Elliot said. He moved away from me with one last look, pressing his finger to his lips to make sure I knew to stay quiet. Like I was going to leap out from the shadows of a deserted alley and start introducing myself, or something.
My nervousness made my palms itch with the need to let my magic out. I swayed as my vision blurred and I grew dizzy. Bracing myself with one hand against the dumpster, I doubled over and waited for the dizzy spell to end.
"Did you see the looks on their faces when you said who we were? I swear, they were this close to wetting their pants," a female voice said.
"God, you could smell the fear all over them."
"I could taste it on my tongue," came the low grumble of a male voice.
"I still want to go home, you guys. I'll take a cab so you can stay out with the Benz."
"No dice, Rube. Dad'll … shhh. Someone's here. Hey, you lost, trenchcoat?" Grumbly voice guy had spotted Elliot.
"Just trolling for a midnight snack," Elliot replied. I grimaced.
"He's not alone. I smell someone else, a girl."
"Ah. That would be the scent of my snack. I must've said something wrong because she turned into fast food and ran away." Torrents of laughter sounded from the others.
"You do know you're in pack territory?" Grumbly said.
"And who are you?" Elliot asked. More laughter, then.
"Quillan Wolcott, firstborn son of the Alpha of Chicago. This is my twin sister Ruby and little sisters Luna and Diana."
Uh, oh. He'd said Alpha and his little sisters had moon names. Werewolves.
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter Twenty-Five
 
GEMMA
 
 
If my little sister thought I would just sit on my butt while she was in danger then she needs her head checked. I'd just finished locking all the windows and double-checking the locks on the patio and front doors. Not that those flimsy little locks would truly keep out the things that go bump in the night, but it made me feel better anyway. I still didn't know if it was true that vampires couldn't come in unless you invite them.
Note to self: ask the Bruers
After an non-fruitful hour of trying to find Elliot in the vampire books, I'd decided to read up on my spells and see if I couldn't work my mojo on Chicago 's supernatural ickies. Glancing at the heading of the page, I paused: Invoking Your Spirit Animal. Hmmm…that sounded promising. Let's see- I needed a Tiger's Eye (it’s a gemstone, chill,) some cinnamon, dried rose petals, powdered vervain and an essence of your spirit animal.
I had everything, but the essence so I decided to wing it and grabbed a pinch of cat hair out of Angel's brush and a scoop of clean litter from the cat box and the insides of one of Angel's catnip mice. Nothing says essence quite like kitty litter, fur and catnip. At least, that's what I hoped. It's not like I could call the Bruers and ask, and I certainly wasn't going to make one of the cats sit in the cauldron.
Gathering my supplies, I tiptoed into Ascher's room, switched on the light, and starting setting up for the spell. The spell required moonlight and Ascher had the biggest window, so I figured it would work better. I opened her floral curtains, feeling creeped-out by the empty dark below me.
 
***
 
Breathing deeply, I smelled the strange fragrance that the combination of ingredients had created. I was sitting on the floor, in the middle of a circle I'd made out of salt. The curtains billowed inwards, brushing dangerously close to the candle that provided my only light. Leaning over to reach the top of the circle, I struck a match and lit the first candle, which represented North.
"Spirit animal, I call you. Come, come to me now, fast and true." I lit the second candle. "And when the moonlight marks your path, I will possess all that you hath." I touched the match to the third candle. "What you are this night, shall I be. What you discover, I will see." The flame touched the tips of my fingers as I lit the final candle." And what I seek, under moon's glow. You will lead me to, you will show." I pinched some of the mixture, sprinkling it over the flames of each candle. "By witches' crede, I do agree. Come, come to me…so mote it be." A breeze seemed to enter the room from nowhere and the candles blew out, leaving me cradled in darkness.
I reached for Ascher's lamp, but I couldn't find it. Suddenly, voices came to me and I saw three girls and two boys talking.  At first the image seemed to be projected, like you might watch a movie screen, in front of your eyes, but then, my surroundings began to shift and change until I could feel concrete under my feet and smelled garbage on the air. It looked as though we were in an alleyway. Turning to my right, I saw Ascher cowering behind a dumpster, a look of pure fright on her face. I made my way towards her.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Twenty Six
 
ASCHER
 
 
"If I'm in your territory, then I offer my sincerest apologies on behalf of my master, Savian Radbourne, but, be assured, I brought my own food."
"All the same…you should get going…"
"You know, he doesn't smell like a vampire," a girl said.
"I'm not. I'm the first servant to Savian Radbourne, Master vampire of the city of Chicago ,"
"Uh, duh," a girl said.
"Um, yeah. We know who he is," said another.
"You don't want to go over there, I assure you. I'm still cleaning up after my dinner," Elliot said.
"I thought you said she ran away," Quillan said. "Ruby, check it out." I flinched as a girl, my age, peeked her head around the corner. She had straight, jet-black hair and silvery-blue eyes so light they looked like they belonged to a husky.
Or a wolf.
The scent of burning trash and rotting food flared into the night. Gazing to the right, I saw the dumpster was on fire. I must've ignited the fire through the metal of the dumpster. Trying very hard not to look as scared as I felt, I called my fire, but before I could aim, the girl disappeared.
"It's nothing, Quill. Let's go. I want to get to Crave before all the poseurs show," the girl said.
"The dumpster's on fire," Quillan of the grumbly voice said.
"Yes. I, uh, tossed my cigarette in there," Elliot said. Even I thought it sounded like a lie. The loud snap of something breaking sounded and I heard Elliot cry out in pain.
"Ascher, run!" He cried. Starting to move, I knew I was already too late. Freezing in mid-step, I found myself staring into the hungry faces of a teenage boy and two girls who looked thirteen or fourteen.
"Mmmm," one said. I didn't waste any time. I launched a fireball at her. She moved out of the way, but it caught her on the shoulder and she let out a sound very like the whimper of a puppy. The other girl seized me by the arms and pulled them behind my back, slamming me into the brick of the building. Ruby, the girl Quillan had sent to look behind the dumpster appeared, looking both bored and sad.
"God, Quillan. Just leave them alone. The last thing Daddy needs this close to the full moon is a problem with the vampires," Ruby said.
"It's a warlock, not a vampire," Quillan said. The girl standing next to me fixed me with her husky eyes. She and the other girl, who looked to be her identical twin, both had hair as pale as Quillan and Ruby's were dark.
"I dunno, Quillan. She smells like witch."
"Yes, I know, but her powers are…wait a minute. You're that half-breed fireshifter!" Quillan said. I frowned, not liking him or his choice of words.
"Yeah? Well, at least I'm not some flea bag werewo…" Quillan dismissed the sister who held me with a gesture and wrapped an arm around my back. He pressed a long-nailed finger to my lips in a quick movement, and I must've jumped because he smiled and his sisters laughed. All except Ruby who looked like she might be sick.
"Shh. Play nice, witch," Quillan said.
"Some witch. She's more like a bitch," the sister I'd burned said.
"Hey, you're the werewolf-girl," I said. Quillan turned, his finger still on my lips. I shoved him away from me. He pushed me to the wall with one hand, using the other to cover my mouth. If it was anyone else, I probably would've bitten him, but I didn't really want to piss off the Alpha's son.
"Luna, do you want me to tell mom you're talking like that?" Quillan asked. The younger girl paled, clutching her shoulder and glaring at me.
 "She started it," Luna said.
"We'd better get out of here before that guy wakes up," Ruby said.
"Ooh yeah, 'cause he was scary," one of the blond sisters said.
"Yeah.” Quillan smiled at his sisters, then turned his silver eyes back to me.
"Your boyfriend isn't much of a fighter, but you seem like the type of girl who can take care of herself." I just stared at him. As if remembering he had his hand over my mouth, Quillan let go and grabbed me by the hand, intertwining our fingers like we were old friends.
"Luna, Diana, put Romeo here in the trunk of the Benz,"
"What?" I gasped. Quillan winked at me.
"Consider him your motivation for behaving yourself." I kicked him in the shin.
His silver eyes grew darker as his pupils dilated.
Uh, oh. "Do that again and I test if that stake through the heart deal works on a vampire's servant," Quillan said.
He steered me from behind the dumpster, leading me with a hand on my back, the other still laced with my fingers. Luna and Diana were carrying Elliot like he weighed nothing at all. Must be that super-strength thing. Ruby followed us, her stilettos hardly making a sound as she moved through the night.
"Where are we going?" I asked. Quillan was chewing the inside of his mouth.
"To a rave. It's being hosted by Crave, a club in the city.”
All three sisters hopped into the backseat, Luna and Diana chattering excitedly while Ruby studied her claws. "Do you still want to go home, Rube?"
"I'd rather not be here when you do whatever it is you're going to do with them," Ruby said.
"Aw. Come on, sis. What's the worst thing I could do?"
"I don't want to find out," Ruby snapped. Well, neither do I,  I thought. Quillan leaned in close to me, his breath tickling my ear.
"No worries, little witch. We're going to have some fun," Quillan said.
That was what I was worried about.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Twenty-Seven
 
GEMMA
 
 
Astral projection; that had to be what was happening. Several times, I had tried to intervene, tried to protect Ascher from the boy, Quillan, and his demented siblings, but not one of them noticed my attempts. It was as if I wasn't there, or at least, as though I were immaterial. I saw something like this in a movie once, where the good-guy was trapped, helpless, watching the people he loved die, though he couldn't do a thing to stop it. I watched, helpless as my little sister was taken away by predators.
I could smell what they were on the air, wolves. Werewolves to be exact. Trying to stick close to the car was difficult. Traffic kept running through me and though it couldn't really hurt me, it made me dizzy.
When I finally lost track of the car, I was left alone, in my ghostly form on the streets of Chicago . A few minutes of standing around, panting, and hissing didn't help the situation, but I didn't know how the hell I was supposed to get back to my house.
  I want to go home!
My stomach churned.
Opening my eyes, I saw that I was in Ascher's bedroom, curled on the floor.  I climbed to my feet, took a step, and felt myself sway. Doubling over to let the blood rush to my head only made me feel dizzier. I straightened myself, took two quick steps and slammed into an invisible wall.
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter Twenty Eight
 
ASCHER
 
 
If I had to describe a rave to you in one sentence it would be: lots of glow-sticks, kids dressed in white, and loud techno music. Oh, yeah and illicit drug use. As Quillan, Luna, Diana, and I moved through the heavily crowded rooms of a deserted warehouse, I found myself clinging to him despite the fact that I was his hostage. Ruby had split off from the group just as we left the car saying she was hungry and wanted to get a bite to eat.
Ugh.
When we finally sat down on a comforter covering wooden crates, I had to disentangle my hands from his. He gave me a strange look with his silver, husky eyes and I blushed feeling like a naïve little child clinging to someone for safety. Embarrased, I turned my attention to the dancers.
In my peripheral vision, I saw Quillan talking to Luna and Diana who nodded and disappeared into the crowd. People were dancing with abandon, pacifiers pressed between their  lips making them resemble obscene babies.
"What's with the pacifiers?" I mumbled.
"It keeps the people who are tweaking from grinding their teeth."
It keeps the who from the what now?
"The kids who are high- the pacifiers help them from breaking their teeth because the drugs make their jaws clench."
"Sounds like fun," I said.
"Do I detect sarcasm?" Quillan asked.
"Oh, no. I love getting smashed out of my mind until who I'm with and what I'm doing don't matter anymore.”
My thoughts turned to my Godmother Elena who'd overdosed when I was just a baby. She was my father's little sister and she left behind my cousin Graham whom I hadn't seen since I was five.
"Hey, relax. No one's going to make you do anything you don't want to do. C'mon, I'm not even going to take anything. I can't. A werewolf’s metabolism is too fast, the drugs just burn out in our systems."
"Too bad."
"Not really. It's not a good thing for a werewolf to be out of control. Bad stuff can happen," Quillan said. He draped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close until I was practically sitting in his lap.
"I don't really like grabby guys," I said. Quillan grinned at me, showing the points of four of his teeth. His eyes reflected the strobe lights, which were making me nauseous.
"Good. I don't really like girls who really like grabby guys," he said.
Was he serious?
"Just what do you think is going on here, a date? Because, in case you forgot, I didn't exactly come here voluntarily and I'm already up to my ears in over-aggressive supernatural stalkers." Quillan's grip tightened as he tensed at my words.
"Hey, you're with me whether you like it or not so you might as well play nice until I get bored and let you go.” I thought about frying him with my powers, but decided I'd rather have the protection of a werewolf, even an over-aggressive one, than to be alone with a bunch of stoner strangers. We were quiet for a blessed moment until Quillan opened his mouth again. "So, who are these supernatural stalkers of yours?"
"I don't really want to talk about it.”
"Elliot doesn't seem like the stalking type."
"It's not him, I mean…he's not who I'm talking about."
"Tell me who and I'll let Elliot out of the trunk," Quillan said.
"How nice of you. Why do you care anyway?"
"Maybe I can do something about it, put a stop to it," he said.
"I doubt it and since when do you care about…"
"Dance with me," Quillan said.
"What?"
"Just dance with me. It's this song- it's just. It's perfect. Just give me this one dance and answer my question about who's following you, and then you can go, okay? I'll pop the trunk, and give you Elliot," he said. I reluctantly took his hand and followed him.
A guitar riff was followed by the banging of drums. Quillan leaned into me, yelling over the loudness of the music.
"Just listen to the lyrics." I blanched as I recognized Limp Bizkit’s song, Eat You Alive.
  I'm drawn to you, something's magnetic here…if I could approach you or even get close to the scent that you'd left behind, I'd be fine
I wondered if the song was written by a werewolf. It seemed very…well, wolfish. Quillan pressed his thumbs into my back, his hands sliding down to rest on my hips. The last time, and first time, I'd danced with a boy had been Elliot just moments before Gemma shapeshifted, I freaked, and my world changed forever.
My eyes watered at the memory. I was tired, too tired to deal with all of this. I'm only fifteen, I thought angrily. The lyrics of the song cut into my memories.
I'd eat you allliiive…I'd eat you alive.
My heart skipped a beat and I tried to pull away from him.
"Don't take it literally," he said, his voice a deep rumbling sound. I balked, turning my attention back to the music and dancing.  I was sure that my face was bright red by now and I felt my heart speed up as I realized why Quillan wanted me to listen to the song, were the lyrics how he felt about me?
Oh, God. First Daray and now Quillan. What, did fire-shifting let out some kind of preternatural pheromones or something?
Turning my head so Quillan couldn't see the horrified expression I knew I was wearing, I saw Luna and Diana wave at us from the bar, big smiles on their faces. I frowned. I would so not be having werewolves for sisters-in-law!
Quillan held me closer to him and, before I could react, dipped me in a graceful, fluid movement, balancing my weight on one arm. I felt my hair sweep over the ground and, gazing into Quillan's handsome face all painted in shadow, his eyes glinting at me in silver, I had to remind myself that I was his hostage. He leaned down and I thought, for a moment, that he was going to kiss me. I closed my eyes and felt his lips at my ear. He was whispering the lyrics. After a moment, he pulled back and smiled at me. I don't know if it was all the blood rushing to my head or if I was truly losing my mind, but when his lips met mine, I kissed him back.
 After several lingering moments, Elliot's face flashed in my mind and my magic, startled out of its slumber, flowed upwards and spilled out, into his mouth.
Quillan pulled away from me, coughing. Smoke poured out of his mouth as he choked on ash.
"Oh, my God. I'm so sorry. I just, sort of, freaked and…" Something hit me from behind and I fell forward, and onto Quillan. When we hit the ground, he smiled up at me, his eyes glowing a golden yellow. He twisted in one movement, putting me behind him and lifting us to our feet in a purely otherworldly way.
I thought a stoner had bumped into us, or one of the twins had thought I was trying to hurt Quillan. I even thought a wooden beam had fallen from the ceiling- the warehouse was so trashed and all, but what I didn't think was that I’d see the werewolf who stood in front of us- Fawne. 
"Quillan what the hell do you think you're doing?" Fawne asked.
"Making out with my soon-to-be girlfriend," Quillan said. Fawne barred her teeth at us. "Fawne, allow me to introduce Ascher. Ascher this is my ex- girlfriend, Fawne."
"We've met," I said.
Oh, this was so not good.
 
 
 
 
 
PART SIX
 
 
ALPHA DOG
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter Twenty Nine
 
ASCHER
 
 
"So, having the warlock Prince at your beck and call isn't enough for you? You have to go after another girl’s boyfriend, too?" Fawne asked.
"Hey, I'm not here by choice," I said.
"Oh, what? He made you come here? What did he do, tie you up and throw you in the trunk?"
"No, I sat up front.” Fawne gritted her teeth and looked from Quillan to me.
"Quillan, just tell her what happened so I can get Elliot and go home," I said. Quillan's lip lifted in an Elvis-style curl as he faced Fawne.
"She's dating Prince Valerian?" Quillan asked.
"No!" Fawne snorted.
"Practically, she's been playing hard to get, but it's obvious. I mean, who wouldn't date royalty?" I felt Quillan's arm snake around my waist and his breath on my neck as he inhaled deeply.
"Not everyone has your obsession with climbing the ladder of the supernatural hierarchy, Fawne. And don't bother with the lies. I can smell the truth of Ascher’s words, or did you forget?" The coffee color of Fawne's skin seemed to pale as though it was splashed with milk. She narrowed her brilliant yellow-green eyes, running her fingers through caramel colored curls. "Why don't you just go somewhere else, Fawne? Nobody is going to miss you here. Ascher and I still have some unfinished business to take care of."
"I'm sure," Fawne said, fixing me with a look that made me feel dirty. "But, I'd rather stick around, maybe call Prince Daray, and let him know what's going on."
"You call that whacked warlock to come here and harass Ascher and I'll have you turned over to the Alpha for disobeying a direct order from his Beta."
"Still calling Daddy to fix our problems, Quilly?"  Quillan's face grew red and he clenched his fists at his sides.
"I know what you're doing, Fawne and it's not going to work," Quillan said.  "You think you can make me so mad that I'll shift in front of Ascher and do something… regrettable."
"Um, my sister shifts into a panther. I've seen the whole tendon splitting, muscle tearing transformation. I don't get freaked out very easily, anymore." Quillan smiled at me and I leaned closer, purposely flaunting that I was with him. Fawne was getting on my nerves which made me want to have a little fun with her. "Can we please go to your car now. I really want to do what we were talking about before.”
Though I knew he'd know I meant our conversation about letting Elliot out of the trunk, Fawne would probably think I meant something completely different. If she was going to stick around and eavesdrop on our conversation, she might as well hear something good. I don't know what had gotten into me. I guess Fawne just really made my claws come out. Fawne and Daray Valerian befriended me under the guise that they were going to help me get my sister back from Savian Radbourne, but they betrayed me. Daray used his own cousin as a bargaining chip, and Fawne had gone right along with his plan. She went as far as to shift into her werewolf form to hunt Gemma and I through the streets of Chicago.
"I knew that whole innocent thing was an act. You're just a skanky little…"
"Careful," Quillan warned. A shrill scream came from the makeshift bar. I turned to see one of the twins slapping at some random guy's hands while the other tried pushing him away from her sister. Quillan moved with speed and grace and almost before I could blink, the man was thrown about twenty feet away to land against the soft rotting wood of discarded crates.
"Bitch!" Fawne said. I had forgotten about her for the moment. "Quillan is only interested in you because of your power. Why else would the Alpha's son go for a flat little loser like you?" 
Now, I was really mad.
"Yeah? Well, at least I'm not Daray's little lap dog!" Fawne shoved me and I fell backwards. Someone caught me from behind and helped me right myself.
"That's enough, Fawne," Quillan said. Fawne slashed her nails at my face, but Quillan used the arm that wasn't supporting me to catch her wrist. She followed up with her other hand, scratching a sharp nail across the front of my throat. Warmth trickled down over my fingers and I held my hand up to see red rivulets coating the fingertips.
"We'll see who’s the lap dog now.” Fawne took off through the crowd, Luna and Diana chasing after her. I felt my neck to make sure the cut wasn't on my jugular and when I felt the slash a safe distance from any important veins, I took a deep breath to steady myself.
Feeling woozy and very, very yucky, I stumbled. It felt like I was floating, with the rave dancers taking on a weird, dreamlike quality. Quillan lifted me into his arms, his eyes wide and wild.
"I need some gauze. I need a Band-aid or sssomethin,'" I slurred.
"I'll take care of it.”
A few moments later, we were outside, the crisp night air biting through my thin sweater. He jostled me a bit while pushing on his car keys to open the door, placing me gently on the back seat. Closing my eyes, I heard the door shut as I settled against the leather interior. Something heavy pressed against my legs and I opened my eyes to see Quillan leaning over me, his eyes now completely black, his pupils fully dilated. He opened his mouth and I saw the sharp points of his four canines.
"Wh..what're you doing?"
"I told you I'd take care of it," Quillan said, and then he lunged at me.
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter Thirty
 
GEMMA
 
 
Air surged all around me, whipping my hair around my head and stealing the breath from my lungs. I’d knocked over the candles when I fell, leaving deep burn marks on the carpet. Something warm and wet trailed down my chin. I touched my fingers to my nose and they came away red with blood.
“Great,” I said. Muscles straining as I climbed to my feet, I reached towards the outer-rim of the circle to smear the line of salt that was keeping the magical energy trapped inside. The air around me grew still and I sighed. Cupping my hands around my nose and mouth, I hurried to find some tissue. Tiny red droplets already dotted the ground. Ascher was so going to kill me.
Ascher .
“Oh, shit.”
It took five minutes to get my nose to stop bleeding and less than two minutes to get dressed, grab my keys, purse, and a couple of wooden stakes. I didn’t know what I could use on a werewolf so I grabbed my bolline- a ceremonial dagger witches use, and Ascher’s athame. Grabbing my keys with the “big sis” keychain from the table by the front door, I choked back a sob. These werewolves were going to regret messing with the Rafferty sisters.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Thirty One
 
ASCHER
 
 
"What are you doing?" I asked, using my fire magic to keep Quillan as far away from me as was possible with both of us in the backseat.
"A werewolf scratch releases toxins that paralyze prey. It's eventually deadly," Quillan said. "That's why you're so dizzy right now. I don't want to scare you, Ascher, but I need to give you a sort of anti-venom."
"How?" I asked. Quillan sat back on his heels in a posture that resembled a dog at bay.
"I have to bite you."
"What?!"
"Just a little nip, not even a real bite. Just enough so that the saliva can mix with the wound.”
"Can't you just lick the scratch or spit on it or something?" Quillan furrowed his brow as if thinking on it.
"That could work," he said. "But, I've never had to counteract another werewolf's scratch before. I think I should bite you just to be sure.
Werewolves were always wanting to bite.
"You're not biting me.” Quillan's normally silver eyes were now totally eclipsed by his pupils.
"I'm trying to make this easier for you by explaining the situation, but the fact is, you don't really have a choice. I'm the Alpha's son, one of my werewolves has hurt you, and it's up to me how I'm going to deal with it." I strained to do a quick sit up and shoved him away.
"I don't care if you're the frickin' King of the Universe. I'm the one who was scratched and I…" a dizzy spell stole my words and I cried out as a stabbing sensation throbbed at the base of my skull. "Oh, my God!" I felt Quillan's arms around me as he eased me back onto the seat. Closing my eyes against the pain, I sucked in a ragged breath through my teeth and dug my nails into the palms of my hands.
I felt the car move and flinched, my eyes opening to see Quillan leaning over the length of me, his weight supported on his arms. A loud banging from the trunk reminded me of Elliot's presence.
"Elli…" A flash of movement caught me off guard as Quillan ripped through my sweater and the right shoulder of my t-shirt. Before I could call out again, four sharp teeth grazed my neck. I shivered for some insane reason and had a crazy moment of the tickling sensation of teeth and then he tore into my shoulder in one rough jerk.
Something liquid warmed my neck and flowed through my body. It felt as though I were easing into a hot bubble bath and let my mind fell away. I was floating. I was going away somewhere. And…hey! The fuzziness was all melting away. A weight lifted from me and the pain came rushing back. The sound of metal tearing and glass shattering startled me and my eyes focused just in time to see Quillan being ripped out of the backseat by Elliot.
Elliot punched Quillan and spun himself around, using his momentum to throw the werewolf somewhere in the distance. It was so bizarre it looked almost fake like I was watching a movie or something. It grew dark in front of my eyes and I knew that I was fainting. Yep, I was definitely fainting, in the middle of the night, in the middle of Chicago, in the middle of a series of bloody encounters. I had one lucid moment where it occurred to me that my life really sucked and then I drifted away.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Thirty Two
 
GEMMA
 
 
I first noticed that I was being followed about a four blocks from my house. The car trailed me at a close distance, brazen, like whoever was driving it knew I could see that it was after me and didn’t care. My arms began to twitch as the panther fought to take control of my body.
Fight or flee. It told me. Fight or flee.
It decided to turn tail and run and so did I, through two stop signs. It was dark and I could tell no one was coming because the creep behind me now had his brights on like he was trying to blind me.
Flipping my rearview mirror up so his lights would blind him too, I saw something that made me stop breathing. Red and blue lights twirled silently on top of his car.
A cop.
“Shit-aki mushrooms,” I said. Pulling over to the side of the road, I turned down the radio and pushed the power button to let the window down. He took his time getting out of the car, all the better to freak me out, I guess.
“License and registration,” he said. I bobbed my head up and down, too scared to respond. I handed him my license and opened the glove compartment to get the registration my mom had shown me. “Do you know why I pulled you over?” He asked.
“Uh, I’m sorry I ran the stoplights, but I’m just in such a hurry, my little sister…” My voice trailed off. What the heck was I going to say?
“Stay put. I’ll be right back,” he said, taking my paperwork with him. My right hand convulsed and began to shift, the pain of it brief but intense as a long, clawed paw took the place of my hand, popping the rings off my fingers.
Oh, shit. Oh, shit. The cop was coming back, now.
“Everything checks out, but I’m gonna give you a ticket for failing to stop at the proper signs.” He handed me the ticket. “Now, young lady, I really don’t think it’s safe for you to be out alone at this hour. There are a lot of weirdos out there.” His voice droned on in a lecture as my canines grew longer, my teeth sharpening.
“My little thister jusst got her firsst period.” My words slurred as my fangs caught against my tongue. “She’s at a friend’s house and is totally freaking out, and I didn’t want to wake up my mom ‘cause she geths up really early.” The officer blinked at me, his face growing white.
“Right, then. You go ahead, miss,” he said. I turned the key in the ignition and headed back towards my house, my new ticket worth a month’s grounding on the seat next to me. I had worse things to worry about, though. Like making it back to my house before fully shifting. There was no way I could get to Chicago and no one I could call for help. I didn’t think the Bruers would get involved with the werewolves and even if they did, they’d try talking to their inner wolf-cub instead of kicking butt. Ascher was on her own.
 
 
 
 
PART SEVEN
 
 
SUCKS TO BE ME
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter Thirty Three
 
ASCHER
 
 
Though my dreams fought to keep me prisoner, I was waking up. My hearing went in and out, but I heard bits and pieces of a conversation between a man with an Australian accent and a woman. I was aware that I lay on a soft surface, snuggled in layers of cloth.
"…now that we have this to sort out…"
"…and it seems she was bitten by the eldest son of Roberto Wolcott…
"…the servant says he was bringing her to Savian…"
"…unreliable account given the fact that he obviously…
"…it's apparent that the servant is in love with the girl…
"…then the rumor that he helped her escape…"
"…tried to take her away from here after her sister shifted…"
"…should really check on her again…"
"…lost a significant amount of blood…"
I strained to open my left eye, fearful that whoever was talking would see I was awake, increasing the danger I was sure I was already in. Whoever had me knew about what happened with Quillan and suspected that Elliot had been helping me. From what they'd said, they also suspected that Elliot was in love with me and I felt butterflies mixing with the fear-related nausea.
When I tried to stretch my legs, I found that they were somehow enclosed. Being careful to move slowly, I glanced down and saw that the lower half of my body was covered by a smooth, shiny surface that looked a heck of a lot like the bottom half of a… coffin! I was already screaming by the time it took me to realize that it'd be a bad idea to do so.
"Bloody hell, girly. You'll wake the dead if you keep carrying on like that," a familiar looking man said. Clive. That was his name. Though we'd never met, I knew what he looked like because of Daray. When Daray, Fawne and I went to rescue Gemma, Daray's cousin P.J., had used her glamour magic to make Daray look like the famous companion of Dionysia. Dionysia, who was also standing in the room and regarding me with amusement.
"Clive, sweetie. Do be a dear and go wait outside while Miss Rafferty and I have a little chat," she said. I was glad she had suggested it. Though I didn't exactly look forward to being alone in a room with her, I had to admit that one vampire was easier to escape from than a pair. Clive blew a kiss, I'm not sure at who, and then glided out of the room while I used my arms to lift myself up from the coffin, kicking away the down comforter that I had been wrapped in.
When I was successfully standing without passing out, I raised my hands to my shoulder which had been dressed with gauze and medical tape and, strangely enough, only hurt a little. I stared at the black-clad figure of Dionysia. She looked about twenty-five, though I knew she was far older than that. She had large, brown eyes with dark eyelashes and skin so light you could see the lines of green-blue veins through her arms. She wore a short black, sleeveless dress, an old-fashioned hat with black lace coming off of the front of it and a huge silver cross held tight to a black, beaded chain.
"You have a very unusual aura," Dionysia said. I blinked at her like, well like she'd just told me I had a very unusual aura. "You can just make out the witch and warlock in it, though it appears to be mostly human. Your Grandmother must be a very powerful witch to perform such an involved power-stripping spell that it affects even that. Of course, our auras are also created by our self-perception, and, until last month, we thought we were human. Didn't we, Miss Rafferty?"
"Yes. We did," I replied. Dionysia's eyebrows drew together as if she were aware I was making fun of her.
"Savian tells me you had quite a time of it. What with being bitten by Petrel, meeting the Bruer witches, and the whole situation with Daray. Tell me, Ascher. You don't mind if I call you Ascher, do you?" I shook my head.
"What do we think of our young Prince Valerian?" Dionysia asked.
"Honestly, he gives me the creeps," I said. Dionysia laughed, a deep throaty sound and pointed a black-gloved finger at me.
"You're really quite charming for a witch," she said. "I suppose that werewolf Quillan is more to your liking, then?"
"Uh, no. Not really."
"But you did kiss the boy, did you not? Hence the female werewolf scratching you, and the need for Quillan's bite." Okay. So, Vampira had her facts straight.
"I didn't, uh. I mean…"
"You're going to need to be more careful whose flames of passion you ignite. Supernatural creatures are drawn to power and you, my dear, have quite a lot of power."
"I start fires," I said, feeling stupid.
"No. You are a Fireshifter, a shifter of the very element of fire. You move fire. You conjure fire. You create fire. You do not start fires.”
"Okay."
"You're probably wondering what it is I want with you. You have been causing an awful lot of trouble, my dear." The thought of Petrel falling on me flashed through my mind.
"I didn't kill Petrel," I said. "I was just walking and he fell on me. He was already dead."
"I know you didn't kill him," Dionysia said. "I did. He made a bad impression on you of my brethren. An impression I am hoping, of course, to change."
So, to change a bad impression I had of vamps as scary killers, you killed one and air-delivered him to me?
"Savian's known that you were involved with the servant, Elliot, for some time now. When I arrived he told me of his concerns so we set up a test to see who you would reach out for when you were scared. You answered our questions and the servant will be dealt with for betraying his master.
"What are you going to do with Elliot?"
"Well, that depends on several factors, namely your decision,"
"He didn't do anything. I want you to let him go," I said. Dionysia laughed.
"No, Ascher. Not your yes or no decision based on personal opinion. Another decision, one that will change your life.”
"What's that?"
"You were bitten by a werewolf tonight and there are eight days until the next full moon. You can take your leave of me and of the other vampires, go home and wait to see if you change into a wolf with the Full Moon. Of course, you'd be essentially sending Elliot to his death for endangering you as he did and getting you further involved with the werewolves.
"Or?"
"Or you can choose to take my blood and become my servant, possibly sparing yourself from becoming a werewolf and most definitely saving Elliot from death."
"You want me to become your servant like Elliot is for Savian?"
"Not exactly. You would stay with your family, go to school. You could even continue your magical training with the Bruer Coven, but you would serve as my representative in Chicago and you would owe your alliance to me in any situations that may arise. I'll give you a few minutes to think it over, but then I need your answer. Savian and the others are looking forward to dealing with Elliot. For the sake of your beloved servant, I suggest you think quickly." I nodded, barely able to grasp what it was that she was implying.
Either I tie myself to her as her servant and save Elliot or I become a werewolf and Elliot dies. The butterflies in my stomach from earlier were now completely gone, obliterated by nausea. I closed my eyes and felt a sweet feeling come to my mouth. I was going to be sick.
Geez ! Not in front of this psycho vamp when I was so vulnerable.
What I needed to do was talk with Elliot. I needed a mirror. I pressed my hand against my mouth as if struggling to keep from getting sick.
"I need to use the bathroom."
 
 
 
 
 
Chapter Thirty Four
 
GEMMA
 
 
After fighting for control of my body, the panther finally let me shift back into human form. I found a spell in one of the magic books that allows magic to be passed between family members in times of great need. Standing in front of Ascher’s bed, in the re-assembled circle, I began the chant.
“All my magic, I lend she.
Who is a very part of me.
May it be used in pure intent.
For that is how this pow’r is sent.”
A wave of cool air washed over me and I felt very sleepy suddenly. Yawning, I sat on the edge of Ascher’s bed.
“All my magic, I lend she.
Who is a very part of me.
May it be used in pure intent.
For that is how this pow’r is…is… sent.”
I collapsed onto the bed, both my body and mind exhausted.


 
 
Chapter Thirty Five
 
ASCHER
 
 
I'd been whispering Elliot's name for what seemed like five minutes when I saw the bathroom mirror ripple.
"Elliot?" I reached forward, dipping my fingertips into the liquid-like surface to test if the portal, or whatever it was that opened the mirrors to Elliot, was now open to me. When I was armpit deep in the mirror, something seized me by the wrist and one hard yank later, I was sitting on my butt in the middle of a sea of swirling smoke. Gray vapors licked along the dark shadows of Elliot's land, making me feel cold even though the temperature hadn't changed. "Elliot?"
I had never been in this place without Elliot by my side so I had never truly seen how creepy it was.
Ascher. Ascher. I rose to my feet and glanced around me. To my left, the hazy form of Elliot floated through the fog.
"Oh my God! You're not…dead?" I asked.
"This is merely an astral projection. I've allowed my spirit to leave my body to give you this message. You must not become Dionysia's servant…you must…home…use the mirrors…" Elliot's smoky image began to flicker and then he was gone, leaving me alone again in the wasteland of time.
"Elliot, how? How do I use the mirrors?" I called, but no answer came.
 
***
 
I wasn't sure how long I'd been sitting in the shadows, but it seemed like hours. Having sent frustrated surges of fire through the swirling smoke for the past few minutes, there was at least enough light to see things better. Not that there was much to see. Just a lot of fog and hazy clouds and…rippling air.
"Ripples!" I jumped to my feet, clapping my hands like a madwoman on a winning streak on a game show. When I came to the first place where there was a water-like quality to the air, I found I could see into a bathroom at my school. There was a mural of the Lake Parrish Pirahnas on the far right wall and a janitor swabbing the floors with a worn looking mop.
Moving on to the next spot, I could see into my bedroom where Gemma was fast asleep on my bed. Her cat, Angel, was kneading her leg with frantic paws. I was half-way through the mirror when I heard Dionysia calling my name.
"Oh, shi…damn it!" I said. Elliot was still in trouble and no matter how warm and safe my bedroom looked, I just couldn't forget that.
"Ascher, are you quite finished?" Dionysia's voice floated towards me followed by a banging sound.
"Just a second. I was…I'm sort of…sick." Dionysia harrumphed, but I heard her heels clacking away. I had no time to decide, so I chucked a stuffed animal at my sister's sleeping form. She didn't budge so I threw an Encyclopedia of Mythical Creatures at her.
"Oww!" She groaned. "What the…Ascher? Where are you?"
"In the wonderful land of Oz. I'm in the mirror, Gem. And I need a stake. Now." Gemma pulled a stake out from under the pillows and brought it over to me.
"This is…too weird, Ascher." I gave her a wry smile and blew a curl away from my forehead.
"What is? Me hanging out of a mirror, or my need for a wooden stake?"
"All of the above. I'm coming with you." She reached forward as if to grab me.
"You can't!" I pulled my torso backwards and landed in the smoke. "I'll be fine." I added before jogging over to the rippled spots. In a minute, I'd found the mirror that led into the bathroom I’d left, leaping through the ripples of the portal. I made a grab for the sink to keep from slamming into the floor, tucking the stake in the waist of my jeans. I took a moment to straighten my hair and steady my breathing. I was shaking all over. I don't know whether it was the adrenaline or the terror or what, but my fire raged upwards and poured out through my palms, igniting the doorframe into flames and blowing the door outwards and into the hall.
Dionysia regarded me with wide eyes, her porcelain skin smudged with soot. She raised an eyebrow at me in question.
"Oops."
 
 
 
 
Chapter Thirty Six
 
GEMMA
 
 
I was so pissed at Ascher, I just didn’t know what to do; I started by chucking a pillow at the mirror. Luckily, for me, the pillow went through.
“It’s still opened,” I said, smiling at my path to save my sister. Not wanting to lose track of her, I stepped through the mirror and began to jog through these weird, gray smoke clouds. Within minutes I didn’t know which end was up and I felt a lot like Alice falling down the rabbit’s hole.
I’m lost. I’m lost in this freaky, cloudy haze and I don’t know how to get out of here. As soon as I had the thought, I knew I was in trouble.
“Oh, frick!” I said and then my body jerked forward and I began to shapeshift.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Thirty Seven
 
ASCHER
 
 
“I want to see Elliot or I’m not going through with this,” I said. Dionysia grinned at me, her canines looking like two deadly exclamation points.
“Of course.”
“And I want to talk to him in private.”
“I don’t see any reason why your requests should be denied. After all, Elliot is in no condition to cause me worry.” I swallowed and bit the inside of my cheek to keep from saying something she’d make me regret.
Dionysia curled her finger in a come here motion and led me down a hall. The cranberry wallpaper was alight with the flames of at least a dozen candelabra. She made no attempt at small chat and for that I was grateful. I had to think.
How the hell am I going to get out of here?
The bite on my neck throbbed with each step I took and the claw marks Fawne had left on my throat were getting itchy. If I turned into a werewolf I was going to roast and toast her. My attention returned to the vampire in front of me and the impossible situation I was in made me want to release all my built up frustration. If I could just use my magic on Dionysia, but the hallway twisted and turned until I didn’t know which way I’d come.
I’ve got to be the best girlfriend of all time.
“Mr. Ambrose is inside being…entertained by and old friend.”
Not wanting her to elaborate on just what kind of entertainment vamps would go for, I turned the knob. I walked right into a six vampires. Any uncertainty that they could be something else disappeared when the three closest to the doorway smiled. All eyes were riveted to my face, but whether they looked with hunger, amusement, or annoyance, I couldn’t tell.
“Uh, hi,” I said.
The brunette girl closest to me tilted her head like a curious cat. I guess that made me the canary.
“Hello. I’m Gretchen” she said, breaking up her little meeting when she took a step towards me, her hand extended. The very human gesture lost its effect when I saw Elliot sprawled at her feet.
The suit jacket he always wore was gone, his dress shirt torn open to reveal deep cuts and burn marks on his chest. His lip was bloodied and split, his eyes swollen and violet purple.
“I thought the burns were apropos,” Gretchen said. “After all, he fell for a fireshifter.” I dug my nails into my palms that were itching to fry her.
“If you like burns so much, I could give you some,” I said.
“Don’t get snotty with me, little girl. He only likes you because he thinks you can free him from his servitude to his master. He has girls coming after him for centuries, but ignores them all. Then the most powerful witch to come along in an era shows up and he’s, all of the sudden, Mr. Romantic.” Something about her struck me, she sounded awfully bitter.
“Jealous?” I asked. She made a move for me, but Dionysia grabbed her by the neck and threw her through the doorway.
“Out, all of you,” Dionysia ordered. The five remaining vampires filed out of the room one of them winking at me on his way out the door. “Ascher you have three minutes. Savian will come to get you for the ceremony when it’s time.” I didn’t ask what ceremony she was talking about because I didn’t plan to be here when Savian showed.
I waited until Dionysia closed the door and Elliot and I were alone. When I was sure we were, I slipped the powder compact out of my back pocket and flipped it open, revealing a small mirror.
“Elliot?” He strained to sit up, his eyes squinted shut with the blood. Gently slapping the sides of his face made him focus on me and he tried to smile.
“ Elizabeth ?” I smoothed his hair back from his forehead, running my fingers through his curls.
“No, it’s Ascher. Elliot, I’m going to get us out of here.” Pulling the small compact mirror out of my back pocket, I dumped communion wafers on a small side table and held the mirror so that Elliot could see it.
“I wouldn’t recommend angering Dionysia. She can be quite a bloodsucker.” I crouched in front of Elliot, putting as much of him behind me as I could. Savian smiled at me, a beast and his prey.
“ Elizabeth , I’ve always loved you. Always,” Elliot said.
“Shhh, Elliot. Shhh.”
“He’s not talking to you,” Savian said. “He’s talking to Elizabeth , his long-lost love. You’re the very image of her. If you were born in a different time, you could have been twin sisters.” When I didn’t reply Savian continued. “And since we’re on the topic of sisters, tell me…is Gemma very serious with this Matthew?” Savian said his name like it was something distasteful.
“Yes. They’re getting married in June.” I turned my back to Savian. “Elliot, wake up. We have to go.”
“Because I really believe she could do much better, be with a much more powerful being.”
“What? Like you?” Savian held his arms out in an elegant shrug.
“Perhaps.”
“ Elizabeth ?” I clenched my jaw.
“Fine, whatever, Elliot. I’m Elizabeth . We have to get out of here, quick.” I showed him the mirror and he touched it, creating a portal that spun out of the small circle and formed a swirling mist in front of us. Savian made a move towards us and I held my hand up, ready to launch a fireball. He held his hands in surrender.
“Calm yourself. I’ve decided to allow for your escape as long as you promise to give Gemma something for me.” He held out a small velvet-wrapped package.
“Fine, whatever. Throw it here.” Savian tossed it to me.
“It’s an enchanted necklace. It will allow her to better control when she shape-shifts and do so more quickly when need be.”
“And you’re just going to let us go?” I asked. Savian shrugged again. Elliot was grasping the table, pulling himself to his feet on wobbly legs. He wrapped his arms around me and moved towards the portal.
“Send Gemma my regards.”
“She sends hers,” I said, giving him a one-fingered salute. The door behind him banged open and I had just enough time to see Dionysia back-hand him across the room when the portal began to close. “Faster, Elliot. Close it! She’s coming!” Dionysia leapt towards the portal as Elliot and I began to spin away, being carried wherever it was it would take us.
         
 
 
 
Chapter Thirty Eight
 
GEMMA
 
 
I scented the air, my tongue curling as I yawned at my lack of things to chase. I could almost taste Ascher’s scent on the air and someone else’s, a boy’s. Stretching my back, I lay down in the haze. I would only sleep for a moment. I just needed one good hour of…
“Oh my God! Elliot,” Ascher’s voice was faint, but the panic in it was unmistakable. And then I scented something that had me running at a lope, fresh blood.
 
 
 
 
Chapter Thirty Nine
 
ASCHER
 
 
“Foolish servant!” Dionysia had somehow followed us into Daray’s time realm and she was super-pissed. Elliot dove away from me, coming up twenty feet away, and waving his arms in the air like one of those goofy things you see at car dealerships.
“She already went home, Di. I suggest you do the same,” Elliot said.
“I should have had Savian kill you with the others, but I convinced him of the novelty of your little trick. Too bad your time-shifter capabilities can’t help you now.” I didn’t see Dionysia move, the only thing I saw was a blur of movement and then Elliot was gone, having fallen. I twisted my position until I was flat on my belly and felt something sharp dig into my hip. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the wooden stake Gemma had given me and promised myself I’d give her a big kiss if I got out of here.      Rising from the fog, I gripped the stake in my hand like that white-faced guy from Halloween who never talks, but always stabs, and crossed my fingers that all that time I’d spent watching Buffy reruns was about to pay off. Elliot had Dionysia by the neck and was shaking her like a rag-doll. She kicked him in the chest in a nice roundhouse move and barred her fangs at him.
“You’ll die…” Dionysia said. I ran at her, the stake held tightly in my grip. She spun around to ward off my attack which gave me better access to her chest. I managed to stab her in the chest, but the stake buried itself only halfway into her heart. I wished I could’ve said something cool or quippy, but I only managed a tiny whimper. Elliot kicked the stake farther into her torso before wrapping his arm around me. He lifted up his right hand, his forehead creasing in concentration.
“What are you doing?” A spiral appeared before us, black and sprinkled with silver specks. It was as if he’d opened up a portal into outer space.
“Sending her somewhere far away. It won’t hold her forever, but it’ll keep her imprisoned for awhile. I have to go with…”
“What!”
“I need to keep her there for as long as possible. She’s a member of the House of the Blackthorne. You can’t kill them as easily as the others.”
“But…how long will you be gone?”
“I don’t know for certain. I…I love you so much, Ascher.” The tears that had been on the verge of falling were now leaving warm, salty trails down my cheeks.
I tried to speak, but I was crying so hard I could barely breathe.
Why? Why did he have to leave?
Why did one of the few good things in my life have to go away. It had always been like this, whether it was with friends, pets, whatever. They all eventually went away.
Elliot tilted my chin and kissed me on the lips. When I opened my eyes, he was gone. I fell to my knees, sobbing and covered my face with my hands. I’d only been alone for a moment when I felt something spiky and rough wipe across my cheeks. Gasping for air, I recoiled and let out a little scream, but it was only Gemma. She rubbed herself along my side, stopping in front of me to put her big paws on my knees before head-butting me again. The absurdity of it made the tears stop and then I was smiling, only the small tremors and shudders any indication that the boy I was in love with had just left me and might never come back.
 
***
 
It took a long time to find the filmy portal that led to my bedroom. When we finally found it, Gemma shifted back into human form and was in dire need of some pajamas. She stepped through the mirror first, plucking my robe from the peg on the back of my bedroom door and tying it in a hurry. She helped me step out of the mirror, because I was tipsy for some reason. I’d been feeling weird. Well, weird for a girl who could shoot fire out of her palms.
“Promise you won’t freak if I tell you something?” The expression on her face gave me pause.
“Oh God, Gemma. What’d you do?”
“Nothing, I just performed a little spell to increase your powers and…”
“You what!” Flames shot out of my palms and towards the mirror, blasting it into pieces. My attention went to the huge scorch marks on the carpet. “What’d you do to my room?” My bedroom door was thrown open and mom stood in the doorway, breathing hard and clutching a baseball bat in her hands.
“Are you okay? What was that noise?”
“Yeah, we’re fine,” Gemma said.
“Oh no! Your Grandma’s mirror! What happened to it?”
“It broke.” Mom sniffed the air and looked at us, her eyes narrowing.
“Wait a minute. I think I know what’s going on here. You girls haven’t been smoking in here, have you?” Gemma coughed back a laugh.
“No, Mom. It’s just Ascher. Her fingers must still be smoking.  She’s a fireshifter you know?”
“Gemma!”
“Yep, she just got back from the Mirror-zone where she’s been secretly visiting her boyfriend. And I’ve been moonlighting as a vampire slayer…”
“And I got bit by a werewolf tonight and I have to call up the witches and let them know I still have no idea what the Prince of the Warlocks is up to,” I added. Mom took a deep breath.
“Ask a silly question…” she said. “Don’t touch the glass. I’ll go get the kitchen gloves and the vacuum. When we were sure she was out of hearing range, we fell back on my bed, laughing hard.
“What was that part about being bit by a werewolf?”
“Yeah, about that. We may need to invest in a silver muzzle before the next full moon.”
 
 
 
 
EPILOGUE
 
 
“Prince Valerian, the girl has been bitten by a werewolf. Our sources tell us it was the Alpha’s son.”
“Will she turn?” Daray asked, the amethyst color of his irises flaming with reigned in rage.
“I’m not certain.”
“And what of the Elliot and Dionysia?”
“They haven’t been seen since the girl’s escape.”
“I see.”
“What’ll you have me do, sire?”
“Stay close to girl, guard her, but don’t interfere unless she’s in trouble. It’s very important you remain hidden. We can’t afford another incident like that at the club.”
“Yes, sire.” The boy turned to leave.
“Chase?”
“Yes sire?”
“If you ever kiss my future bride again, I will shift every power you’ve ever collected from you, and use them to destroy you.”
“Yes sire.” Chase smiled as he stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him. What the prince didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.