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JULIE WAS STILL ASLEEP upstairs, but I couldn’t possibly sleep with everything weighing so heavily on my mind. I walked out to sit on the porch, hoping the waves and stars might calm me down and lullaby me to sleep. It was so pretty out there, beneath that black velvet sparkling with a million twinkling stars. A cool breeze wafted through my hair, and for just a moment, I almost forgot my troubles.
When I saw a figure walking toward me, I assumed it was Jesse coming back. When I realized it wasn’t, I hurriedly rushed back inside and locked the door. I was so jumpy, and my nerves were frazzled. I peeked out the window. It was just one woman. She knocked on the door and I debated whether I should answer it or not. She seemed harmless enough. And I was supposed to be playing the role of a fearless vampire anyway. So hiding didn’t seem like the right thing to do.
I opened the door. “May I help you?”
“Taylor?” the visitor said, a slightly older woman with long, flowing hair. She was dressed in jeans and a tank-top and didn’t look threatening in the least. So instead of slamming the door in her face, I decided to find out what she wanted.
“How do you know who I am?” I asked.
“I’m an acquaintance of Jesse’s,” she said. “My name is Jenny. I’m not here to cause trouble, just to talk. Besides, if you’re a vampire, you could snap me like a twig. If anyone is going to be afraid, it should be me.”
The fact that she thought I was a vampire gave me the upper hand. I knew I had to play the part well, and that included being brave. “I won’t hurt you,” I said. “That’s not who I am.”
“You might not want to, but that doesn’t mean your vampire beast won’t. Tabby said she gave Jesse enough for all of you, so it’s somewhat of a relief to know you’ve already fed.”
“Yes, and we were very thankful,” I said. “You have no idea how thirsty we were.”
We talked on the porch, then stepped onto the beach.
“I’m afraid my boyfriend took your supply out of your fridge.”
“What? Why would he do that?” I asked.
“The three of you are still quite...unstable, young. You and your friend were just recently turned, from what Jesse told us, and he’s still fighting his own demons. My boyfriend thought if he took your stockpile, the three of you would go on a killing spree, create a lot of attention, and be forced to flee.”
“He wanted us to murder people?” I asked in disbelief. “That’s just sick!”
Her gaze grew cold. “We’re disgusted by you, Taylor.”
“So you did all this because of me? What did I do?”
She shook her head as the wind whipped through her hair.
“I don’t get it,” I said. “Why won’t you tell me?”
Her eyes widened. “Why? So you can then kill me and drain every ounce of my blood?”
I sighed. “Listen, I promise not to hurt you, no matter how bad the words sting.”
She sneered. “As if I should ever believe a bloodsucking vampire.”
“In that case, I guess we’re done here,” I said, turning to leave.
“Wait!” she yelled over the sound of crashing waves belting the shore. “I suppose I have to trust you. After all, you used to be one of my kind.”
I raised a brow. “You’re a witch?”
“Yes,” she proclaimed.
I cocked a brow. “Have you always known? Because I just recently found out myself.”
“My mother told me as soon as I was old enough to understand.”
“It was hidden from me, and I think a lot of that had to do with me being chosen as a petal.” I let out a long breath. “I’m just glad I have Jesse to help me through all this. It’s been such a shock.”
She crossed her arms impatiently, as if my words meant nothing to her. “Jesse should be rehabilitating with his mother, not out here with you on some wild goose chase.”
“I’m helping him adjust to the change,” I insisted.
“Helping him?” She laughed. “You’re just a baby yourself!”
I sighed. “We are trying our hardest to adjust without hurting anyone.”
“Well, it’s just a good thing you’re a vampire, or he would have killed you in a heartbeat.”
I shivered, thinking about my earlier close call. She was right, but I met her gaze straight on. “Well, I don’t have to worry about that anymore, do I?”
“Taking Jesse away like this is just...it’s so selfish. You’re hauling him off from where he needs to be just so he can hold your hand. He should be with his family during this very delicate time.”
“I didn’t force him to come with me, and I am not forcing him to stay,” I said emphatically. “It’s his decision, and he won’t leave me.”
“Because he feels like he needs to protect you.”
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” I snapped, tired of the guilt trip.
“Good, then let’s talk about another selfish thing you’ve done.”
“And what’s that?” I inquired.
She stared at me hard, as if I’d broken some code of honor I wasn’t aware of. “You became a vampire when you were especially chosen to be a petal. How could you do something so vile, turn your back on your destiny, your heritage?”
I wondered if the girl would have understood better if she had been chosen instead of me to face such a horrible fate. “I did what I had to do to save my life.”
“It was an honor to be chosen,” she said.
“It didn’t feel like such an honor when a bunch of vampires strapped me down to an altar and tried to sacrifice me at midnight. But luckily, the werewolves saved my lives. If that was only a glimpse of what was to come in January, I wanted no part of it.”
“But you were chosen. It was your destiny, and—”
“You’ve been told about this stuff all your life. I haven’t. The witches in Big Bear Lake kept it from me and my family, kept us in the dark on purpose. I only stumbled upon the information by accident or coincidence, and I was horrified when I learned what was expected of me. Am I supposed to hold out my hands and say, ‘Sure, tie me up and slash my throat or pierce my heart’? Am I not supposed to mind, just because it was my fate, since I was chosen for a so-called honor that I want no part of?”
“You took the coward’s way out,” she said.
“I don’t want to die,” I declared. “I couldn’t care what the stars or some ancient books say. It’s my life, and I want to live it on my terms.”
“If Jesse insists on helping you two, he is no longer welcome in this town. Witches-turned-vampires are despised here. We are embarrassed to be linked to you in any way. You don’t deserve the honor.”
“You act as if I’m some kind of sellout, but I knew nothing about witches in the first place. The others hid my heritage from me so they could keep me in check and kill me when the time came. How is there any honor in that? You say I’m a coward, but that is far more cowardly than anything I have done.”
“We’ve waited for so many long generations to get our powers back, and we’re supposed to see that through to fruition the first full moon of the new year. Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for this? How long our people have waited?”
“What about all the innocent people who’ve been killed in the process?” I retorted.
“They sacrificed their lives for the greater good.”
“No. A sacrifice is given by choice. Their lives weren’t given but taken. My grandmother’s sister was viciously murdered. She did not choose that, and it left a gaping hole in everyone’s heart. She was mourned by everyone who loved her, including my grandmother, my mother, and me.”
“You don’t get it,” she said.
“Actually, I get it loud and clear. You desperately want your powers back, and you’ll go to any lengths to get them, even murder. You try to rationalize it, but what about the aftermath of all those senseless murders? You leave people brokenhearted and suffering. And why? So you can whip up a batch of thunder and wind when you feel like it?”
“Some of us don’t agree with the methods, but we’re so close, and—”
“And what? Six more deaths won’t make much of a difference?” I asked.
“Well, what about all the others who already gave up their lives? If we don’t see this through, those lives truly will have been wasted. At least now, they can go in the history books as heroes and we’ll recognize their sacrifices.”
I looked at her, dumbfounded. “You are the coldest woman I’ve ever met. I can’t believe you honestly believe it’s okay to kill, that you think that will make the heinous murders somehow justified.”
“The others died for a cause. Can you even imagine what it will be like to have powers again? We don’t intend to hurt anyone after this, but these six must be sacrificed for the greater good and for the previous sacrifices to have any meaning. This is our only chance.”
“No one wants to die for your so-called cause. No one cares about going down in history as witch heroes. I can’t condone murder, and I’ll never agree with this. It’s sick and twisted.”
She scowled at me. “You took the easy way out, and for that, I consider you scum.”
“Well, I frankly don’t care what you consider me. Not only do I get to live for the rest of this century, but I’ll also be immortal. You tried to end my life after just seventeen years, but I beat you all at your own game. Not only will I outlive each and every one of you, but I’ll outlive your grandchildren and their grandchildren after them.”
“Perhaps, but only as a vile, murderous creature of the night. You gave up your special, unique blood for tainted filth. If the ceremony doesn’t go according to plan, you’ll be hunted the rest of your existence.”
“You mean, if I go warn the other petals and the two backups who took me and Julie’s place?”
She blinked, stunned by my bluntness. “Yes.”
“I already would have if I knew who they were,” I said, “but don’t worry. I’ll find them. They have every right to know so they can protect themselves any way they see fit. Maybe I’ll just turn them all into vampires, or I could just join the vampires who are already stalking them.” I tapped my chin. “Hmm. Yes, I think I could convince them not to murder the petals but to turn them instead.”
She let out a long huff, obviously pissed off. “If you stop the ceremony from taking place, every witch on this planet will be stalking you.”
I tapped my chin again. “Yes, I suppose they could stake me in the heart, but at least I’ll have saved lives.”
“You’re actually willing to let us lose our powers over the lives of six people?”
“I’ll have avenged all those people who were murdered over the last nine generations. I have had enough of this whole witch thing to last me a lifetime, and I want no more part of it. Trust me when I say your ceremony ain’t gonna happen. The witches will remain powerless, so let’s just leave them where they belong.”
“And where’s that?”
“In fairytales and nightmares,” I snapped with a grin.
“Had we had our powers here, back when all those witch trials took place, nobody would’ve been drowned or burned,” she said, “but our people couldn’t fight back because they were merely human, with no special abilities. Do you care nothing for your people, your heritage, your bloodline? How can you be so callous and cruel?”
“Me? None of that means anything to me, in the face of the horrible things you’ve done and plan to do.”
She gasped.
“It’s true,” I said. “You are devious and heartless and planned my murder. Why would I want anything to do with you? I hate that witch blood flows through my veins and that—”
“Witch blood? But you’re a vampire now.”
I swallowed hard, knowing I’d slipped up.
Jesse had walked in at precisely that moment, and I was sure he’d heard my mistake. When he shot me a look, I knew he had.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
He went up to Jenny and gazed deeply into her eyes. “This conversation never happened. You walked on the beach and decided not to confront three dangerous vampires by yourself. You pondered this for an hour before turning around to go home.”
She nodded, then turned and started walking away.
“Jesse,” I said apologetically, “I just...it just slipped out, and—”
“She won’t remember any of it. She’s a mere human, because I had no trouble compelling her.”
“You’re gonna have a lot of enemies because of protecting me and helping me stop that ceremony.”
“Yeah, we’ll be knee deep in crap, but at least I’ll have the most important thing in my life next to me.”
“We’ve gotta pack up and leave Salem,” I said. “They hate me here. I’m sure word will spread, and before we know it, Drake will be knocking at the door.”
“We’ll leave tomorrow.”
“They think I ratted them out, that I gave up and was scared to face my fate, so I became a vampire.”
“Don’t listen to them,” he said. “Choose life, Taylor. Choose us...and fight for us. That’s what I’m doing.”
“You can count on it. I’ll never give in, never give up and let them kill me.”
“Nobody should have to volunteer for her own death.”
“I know, right?” I blew out a long breath as I sat down on the porch swing. “How’d I get involved with all this anyway? Witches and vampires. It seems so impossible.”
He smiled. “Well, you were kind of born into it.”
“I was so normal before I moved here. Now I’m a witch, pretending to be a vampire, on the run so the other witches from my very own bloodline don’t sacrifice me. I never asked to be chosen.” I looked up at him. “Are you sure you wanna jump into this fire? Because running from my fate is going to burn both of us.”
“Not unless we get caught.”
“Why are you doing all of this for me?”
He cupped my cheek. “Because you are worth fighting for.”
I thought I was going to burst out into tears right there. It was the most powerful thing anyone had ever said to me, and I was absolutely mesmerized by his words.
“I promise that things will get better, love,” he said.
I smiled. “With you at my side, how could they not?”
He took my face in his hands again and kissed me on the lips ever so softly. I sweetly ran a hand through his dark tangle of hair and deepened the kiss.
I leaned into him, cuddled up against his warm body, and he let me ramble on for the next hour. He just listened, then gave me what advice he could and again assured me that everything was going to be all right, that we’d make it no matter what.
And I wholeheartedly believed him.