Silverthorn (17 page)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Darius entered the front room, followed by Nolan. However, a gang of five vampires tried to step through the doorway, but they bounced back into each other, glancing around at the threshold in confusion, probably wondering what had prevented them from stepping inside. They were obviously such new recruits that Darius hadn’t told them they would need an invitation from the owner of any given home before being allowed entrance.

Turning back to them, Darius said, “Stay!” as though speaking to a pack of dogs. He swung back to Alexis. “Now then, where were we? Oh, yes!
The Book of Souls
.”

I gestured toward Alexis. “She knows it’s not Delphine.” I hoped Darius acknowledged the truth. It might convince Alexis that our mother had truly departed.

“I see,” Darius said, nodding with a false sense of empathy. “My apologies. But life continues, does it not?”

“Except for them,” I said, regarding the vamps at the door. “You killed them, so I guess it doesn’t.”

Darius nodded. “Indeed. But let us not concern ourselves with my minions.”

Alexis turned her head aside, finding it difficult to comprehend the truth Darius had revealed about our mother. “Wait a minute. I still don’t know what Zephora plans to do.”

She didn’t look inconsolable, shocked, or even sad. It appeared that my sister still refused to believe our mother had died.

“She hasn’t discussed that with you?” asked Darius, puzzled. A second later, however, he said, “Yes, I forgot: the symptoms of withdrawal.” His face registered great concern. “How is she? Recovering, I hope?”

Alexis stared at him, suspicious.

Rather than allow Darius to fight his way to see Zephora, I approached him while keeping my guard up. Given that Darius had lived on Earth for over three centuries and had become more powerful with each passing year, I had to anticipate an attack.

He burst out laughing at my defensive measures, placing his weight on one foot, showing that he didn’t even expect me to attack him. Either that or he didn’t worry about any assault I might mount. “You are so naive, almost childlike.”

Nolan stood behind Darius, glancing from side-to-side as though determined not to meet my gaze out of shame. In fact, it appeared that he’d rather be anywhere else than here.

That told me that Darius had compelled him to follow his orders. I relieved some of my anxiety. At least, Nolan hadn’t turned evil! Otherwise, he’d have no problem glaring at me, eager to hurt me. After all, as the spawn of a demon, he could unknowingly trigger that aspect of his heritage at any moment.

It took some effort to disregard him before turning my attention to Darius, prepared to rely on my flame throwing skills if he attempted to attack me. It would be even more intimidating if I could launch my newfound power…and shoot Darius through the doorway, knocking down the vamps hanging out there like pins at a bowling alley. But since I didn’t really know how to call upon it, much less control it, I dared not reveal my ineptitude. Seeing him about to walk past me, I angled myself in his path, stopping him.

He narrowed his eyes. “You would be wise to step aside.”

“Don’t test me.”

“So, it’s come to that, has it?” Darius looked in my eyes and grinned. “Okay, prepare for your demise.”

“Not so fast,” said Celestina’s soft but determined voice behind me. “Leave this to me. I know how to handle him.” She didn’t even look my way, instead preferring to maintain eye contact with Darius.

Her neglect indicated that my abilities couldn’t compare to her powers…and that hurt me. As her aunt, I should have been the one to protect her, not the other way around. I felt ineffectual, insignificant. But it could’ve been worse. I could have been her mother. That made me turn to Alexis.

However, the possibility that Zephora had replaced our mother still weighed on her mind, rendering her useless. Alexis stood still, staring at the ground with a puzzled expression. She tilted the bottle of liquor up to her mouth, but not bothering to tilt her head back to consume the alcohol, she simply lowered the bottle again, which was probably for the best, since the liquid would dull her senses and reflexes…in the event that Darius attacked us.

Celestina stopped beside me. “Leave now…and I promise not to hurt you.”

Darius, far from someone who allowed pride to override common sense, cocked an eyebrow at my niece, weighing the likelihood that she could (and would) harm him. He presented a smile that showed he’d rather not resort to violence, but he would do precisely that if forced to.

“I won’t ask you again.”

I moved back, shocked that such fury had built up inside her. Why had such anger sprung forth? Because Alexis was pretty much out of play, considering she had difficulty accepting that Delphine was gone? That was the only conclusion I came to, given how Delphine had mistreated Celestina, who all but celebrated her passing. But if her absence disturbed Alexis…

I didn’t remove my eyes from Darius as I said to my niece, “You should go. I’ll take care of this.”

“No. You won’t.” She stood tall, all four-feet-eight inches of her, although her confidence made her appear at least two feet taller. She held her right hand out, placed it against my hip, and pushed me a step back. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She looked so in control that I allowed myself to fall back. Doing otherwise would insult her and convince her that I disrespected her. Never mind that I felt uncomfortable letting a teenage girl battle a three-hundred-year old vampire, I acknowledged that Celestina had much more power than me, not to mention better control of her abilities. So I disregarded my own discomfort and allowed her the benefit of the doubt. After all, if she needed me, I’d be right behind her.

After a long moment of consideration, Darius nodded. “May I have a word with your aunt in private? Would you allow Nolan to accompany you into the kitchen while we talked?”

The respect Darius granted my niece surprised me. He respected her, which in his mind meant, that he feared her. That, in turn, told me that he knew more about Celestina’s powers than Alexis or me.

A shrewd politician, Celestina gave Darius’s question some thought before nodding her approval.

Nolan stepped out from behind Darius and held out a hand toward Celestina, as though to guide her into the kitchen.

“Watch him,” I said to Celestina, as Nolan walked ahead of her and into the kitchen where Kendall and Brandon chatted.

My niece followed him until she disappeared around the corner.

“Now then,” said Darius with a partial grin. “Let’s move this along, shall we?” He rushed me in stealth mode.

Expecting an attack, I kept my guard up and blocked a right fist and a left-fist combination. The movement spun me around, giving me full view of Darius as he raced down the hallway before bursting through the doorway Zephora slept behind, leaving me little time to catch up to him.

I raced down the hallway and came upon Zephora’s bedroom, only to find it vacant. A gust of air pushed through the open window. With the ancient witch no longer inhabiting the room, I guessed her incantation must have worn off. I rushed into the room and looked out the window.

I didn’t see either of them anywhere.

I’d prepared for an attack, but I hadn’t expected a sly attempt to steal Zephora. That reminded me of his other purpose for visiting:
The Book of Souls
. “Celie,” I called out, heading into the hall toward the kitchen. A moment later, she appeared in the hallway. “Where did you put the book?”

“I left it in the family room.” Her eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open. She spun around, raced into the other room, and stopped beside an end table. “I left it right here.”

“In the open?” I asked. “Why?”

“We were the only ones here until Darius came, and no one but me could read it. So why would I need to hide it from anyone?”

“You didn’t think to hide it after your mom let him in?”

“I…” She stammered. Her face crinkled with guilt. “I…”

I should have noticed the book on the table. I should have known not to allow my niece to leave it lying around. Still, Celestina knew better. After all, why else would Alexis have kept it in the attic? She didn’t trust her own daughter. I should have done likewise. Nevertheless, my sister had also overlooked that Celestina had left the book in plain sight. How could all of us been so blind, so stupid?

I was so angry I wanted to unleash a furious shriek, but that might damage my vocal cords, so I clamped my mouth shut. Feeling my blood pressure rise, I worked on tempering my frustration. I couldn’t stop myself from curling my hands into fists, and I was helpless to prevent them from shaking with rage. I’d failed to keep
The Book of Souls
safe
and
allowed the most powerful vampire on the planet to leave with the most powerful witch on the planet.

Dammit! What else could I mess up today?

“What happened?” Kendall asked from the other room.

I walked through the bedroom and came upon her and Brandon. I had no idea how to reacquire
The Book of Souls
, and I had no idea where Darius might stash Zephora. I’d not only let myself down, but I’d failed everyone around me as well. Not exactly a great way to encourage others to believe in you. I just hoped they’d give me another chance.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“Kendall!” I called out.

She raced over to me. “What’s wrong?” She glanced through the room, and the ominous expression on her face told me that she didn’t need an answer. “Where’d they go?”

“Can you trail Darius?”

She looked at me askew. “What do you mean?”

“My family can track one another by some kind of mystical energy. I can do it sometimes, but I don’t know how it works…can you do that with Darius?” I gestured to the window. “He took Zephora and left.”

Confused, Kendall stared at me before making her way to the window. She looked out, glancing to her left and right. “Yeah,” she said, startled by her answer. “I can sense him.” She removed her head from outside the window and swung back to me. “I know the direction he went. But that’s about it.”

Darius could certainly run faster than any human, but if he carried Zephora, a woman he’d loved for centuries, he’d do everything possible not to harm her, especially now considering that she didn’t have full access to her powers and resided in a near ineffectual body. All that meant he’d take his time while heading in whichever direction he went.

“Wait a minute,” I said, feeling my stomach drop. “Where’s Nolan?”

Kendall hustled toward the doorway.

I followed her into the hall, past Brandon, Alexis, and Celestina.

Kendall raced toward the front door, but seeing a trio of vampires appearing in the threshold with arrogant snarling expressions, she stopped short a few feet and turned back to me with a quizzical look. “What now?”

“Dust them.”

She cracked a grin, burst through the doorway, and pummeled one vampire in the chest with a fist, knocking him eight feet backwards. At that moment, another vamp attacked her from behind, strapping her arms behind her as another vampire kicked her in the gut, shoving her back towards the front door.

But since the vampire behind her hadn’t been granted access, he butted up against an invisible force field, preventing him from falling into Alexis’s home. The unexpected jolt disrupted his hold on Kendall, who tore her arms free from his grasp and rushed the vamp who’d rammed a boot into her stomach.

She deflected a left fist, which left the vamp’s chest exposed. Kendall fired off a right punch into his belly, tearing through his rib cage and extracting her hand to reveal a human heart slick with blood.

The oncoming vamp stared at the heart in her hands, shocked into inactivity before meeting her gaze and, unable to take another breath, tilted forward and crumpled at her feet. A second later, he burst into dust that filtered around her feet.

Kendall spun toward the vamp behind her, who had prepared to throw a left jab, but she flung the heart at his face, only to have it turn to dust in the air. Still, the motion disrupted the vamp’s intention to deflect the body part.

“Hey!” I shouted to get her attention. I snatched a pencil that was beside a notebook on the coffee table to my right.

She swiveled toward me, caught the pencil I flung toward her, and swept toward the vamp that regained his bearings and reared back a fist. Wasting no time, Kendall threw her right fist toward his heart, puncturing the skin as the pencil jabbed the vamp’s heart, killing him upon contact. Dust formed around her hand and slipped to the ground.

“Death by pencil,” said Alexis. “His vamp buddies must be so ashamed!” She glanced in either direction and, seeing no vampires nearby, stared off into the distance for a long moment.

“What?” I asked and hurried out beside her. That’s when I saw Darius almost one-hundred yards away, hunching beside the open back door of his Ford Focus, lying Zephora’s body along the seat with the utmost care.

“What happened?” Alexis asked behind me.

A moment later, I felt her, Celestina, and Brandon at my heels. “We’re going after him.” I ran toward my car, but seeing two vamps leaning against the passenger side, while a third stood by the driver’s side cradling his giant chin in his palms, I almost stopped but didn’t allow their presence to startle me. I hadn’t expected the others hanging around the house to retreat to my car in hopes of preventing me from following Darius.

Kendall grunted at the sight of them, but once we stopped ten feet short of them, I glanced off to my right and watched Darius hop into his Ford Focus. If I had any hope of catching up to him, I had to dispatch these vamps ASAP.

“What’re you waiting for?” Alexis asked from behind me as she came to a stop. “Torch these bitches!”

It seemed my sister finally accepted that Zephora had entered our mother’s body, and that she couldn’t trust Darius. I couldn’t have asked for better timing to take on an additional ally…even if it meant that I couldn’t completely trust her. Still, for the moment, I appreciated the extra help.

I skidded to a stop at the same moment Kendall and Alexis did likewise on either side of me. I raised a hand, calling upon the anger that I’d so far denied from taking over my emotions, and aimed for the vamp at my driver’s side door. A jet of fire surged from my palm the same moment a streak of ice propelled from Alexis’s hand and slammed into the arrogant vamps standing alongside the passenger side.

Since Alexis had complete control over her powers, she froze a pair of vamps in place with no trouble. She had so much power (and control) over her ability that they had no chance to dash away. My feeble attempt to burn the vamp beside the driver’s side, however, hadn’t worked out as I’d planned. Because I couldn’t call upon the same authority like my sister, the vampire hurried around the hood and headed toward me, as my three-foot wide swath of flames set the grass on fire across the street.

Although perturbed that I couldn’t match my sister’s skill-set, I still felt more than capable of handling the vamp once we squared off. Unlike Darius, who had no doubt picked up innumerable fighting techniques over the past few centuries, this vampire had just been turned and had no time to perfect the sleekness of a master vampire. Unable to control his movements, he slinked around like he raced toward me on a Slip ’N Slide while unable to maintain his balance. His approach seemed almost comical: all flailing arms and bent legs.

But a second before he came upon me, Brandon called out to me, so I swung back toward him, only to find a drumstick flying toward me. I snared the stick and spun back around just as the vamp lifted both arms above his head, no doubt expecting to land on top of me.

Shocked by his quick ascent, I veered to the side, called upon the heat raging through my body until it lit the stick in my palm, and plunged the wood deep into the vampire’s chest.

The vampire arched his back, throwing his arms back and over his head as though struck from behind rather than from the front. He wind milled his arms but couldn’t regain his balance and tipped backwards until he hit the ground with a thump. A second later, his body erupted in a cloud of dust.

“Huh,” Kendall said, glancing at the two frozen vamps standing beside the car before setting her sights on the pile of granules on the ground. She glanced at Alexis and me. “You both score points for originality. Sorry, Serena. Unfortunately, lots of people die in fires.” She jerked a thumb at my sister. “But how often do you see someone suspended in chunks of ice.”

I ignored her sarcasm just in time to see Darius’s Ford Focus swing a left around the corner, and disappear. “Get in.” I rushed into the driver’s seat at the same moment Alexis called shotgun, while Kendall and Brandon hurried into the back seat. I had no intention of allowing my niece to accompany us.

“Hey, what about me?” my niece said as my friends shut the passenger doors, barring her entrance.

“You’re staying put,” said Alexis.

The bright lights of Darius’s Focus shined a block around the corner, so I stomped on the accelerator, swung in that direction, and continued down the street.

“Wait!” said Alexis. She motioned toward the frozen vamps.” We can’t leave them like that.”

I could try defrosting them, only to stake them in the heart, but that would take too long. Instead, I decided to try out my newfound ability. I got out, hurried over to them, placed my hands on both chunks of ice, and called upon the energy around me until I felt tremendous power mounting inside me. When the pressure felt like it would cave in and flatten me to the ground, I pushed the energy outward with as much force as possible.

A second later, both frozen bodies exploded. Chunks of ice surrounded by dust filtered through the air.

“Cool!” Celestina said.

Alexis didn’t look impressed. “Now get back in the house, lock the doors, and don’t let anyone inside.”

“But I should be able to come,” said Celestina. “It’s my birthright. I’ve heard you say that enough to Granny, so it has to be the same with me, right? Now that she’s dead?”

“What are you…saying?” asked Alexis, scrutinizing her daughter to see if she’d tried to manipulate her.

“Hello!” Celestina rolled her eyes. “Aunt Serena was dead, too. You killed her, remember?”

My sister flinched at the reminder, which proved that she felt at least some remorse for her actions. But she still didn’t appear convinced that our mother had died.

With each passing second, Darius put more distance between us. Granted, he wouldn’t get far because the street he’d turned onto contained a few speed bumps, which would slow his passage. While that might allow me a few moments to keep his vehicle within eyesight, I’d still need to follow him…and I’d have to pass over those same speed bumps. All told, as much as I wanted to think we still had time to catch up to Darius, with each passing second, he put more distance between us.

“And I made the dead come back to life,” my niece continued. “Last I heard, kids my age sign up for track or soccer…not awakening the dead. Face it: I’m a freak. You’re a freak. Aunt Serena’s a freak, and…” she glanced at Kendall, “she’s a freak. Her boyfriend’s a freak. We’re all freaks!”

“Boyfriend?” Brandon shifted in his seat, unable to find a comfortable position. “Wait a sec. Who said anything about…”

“Aren’t you?” asked Celestina, nodding at Kendall. “The way she looks at you…well, you sure seem to like it.”

“Huh?” Kendall piped in, incredulous. “No one said anything about boyfriend-girlfriend?”

Alexis grinned. “We all presume you’re ready to be his
awfully
wedded wife.”

“That’s crazy talk!” Brandon said, breathing so heavy he might soon hyperventilate. “You can’t read minds like your mom.” A frightened expression took hold of him as he remained silent for a few seconds. “Can you?”

Emotionless, Celestina held his gaze for a beat. “I don’t know…can I?”

Brandon pushed back against the seat. “Okay, I’m gonna say it since no one else will. You are definitely up for Creepy Girl of the Year status.”

“Just like Mom.” A cheery grin appeared on Celestina’s face.

“Facing the truth is half the…
bottle
,” said Kendall, given my sister’s predilection for drinking.

“You mean battle?” Celestina asked. “I’ll never be an exotic dancer. You have to be really pretty to do that.” That remark clarified that, no matter how mentally unbalanced Alexis might be, Celestina regarded her mother as nothing short of beautiful. “Besides, I only dance in the shower.” She shrugged. “I sing in there too, sometimes.”

That statement removed some of my uneasiness. I’d done the same thing on occasion. But a moment later, my nerves strained my patience. “Celie, your mom’s right. It’s best this way. I’m sorry, but we’ve gotta go.” After making sure she stood clear of my car, I shot away from the curb, heading in the direction Darius had gone. Just as I swung a left, I glanced back at my niece.

With a nearby lamppost shining light down on her, Celestina stood in the middle of the street, head down, hands at her sides. From this vantage point, her brooding posture looked disjointed, angry and…spooky.

That image sent goosebumps up my arms, partially because of the way she’d pinned me to the wall, but also at the possibility that she might resort to an even more heinous punishment the next time we saw each other.

Shivering at the possibility, I redirected my thoughts. Otherwise, I’d lose sight of my objective: getting close enough to remain only a few car lengths behind Darius. I went over the speed bumps a little too quickly, jarring the car, making it wobble in every direction.

“Wow, thanks” Kendall said, cringing. “I just lost my dinner out the window.”

I ignored her sarcasm, thankful that I’d managed to keep sight of Darius’s vehicle in time to see him take an entrance ramp onto I-90 West, heading toward Rockford. “Where is he going?”

“Monster truck rally at the All State Arena?” Brandon asked. “Or maybe just a…monster rally? Hey, do you think they have those? Rent out a convention center, invite a bunch of werewolves, vamps, demons, and evil ghosts, and then have a few seminars in the morning before breaking for lunch: animal arms and legs for the werewolves, a couple pints of human blood for the vamps. Demons can suck down a soul or two.”

Not missing a beat, Kendall said, “No, they probably stand around and play beer pong. Sort of like a group of college kids trying to one-up each other with talk of ‘hey, I can climb walls like Spider-Man.’ ‘Oh, yeah, well, I can intercept and bend radio waves!’”