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AFTER ANOTHER FEW MINUTES, that blinding confidence of mine started to wane.
My muscles were aching with fatigue, my hands were ripped and bleeding from pushing through miles of brambles, and I was painfully aware that I was still barefoot.
I wanted desperately to stop—to seek shelter somewhere, collect my wits, figure out what the hell I was going to do—but a strong instinct pushed me forward. They were still out there, still searching for me. Professional, trained killers. And from the crescendo of footfalls in the distance, they weren’t far behind.
I kept my head down, travelling as fast and silently as I could. About an hour ago I’d found a small stream and I was wading right down the middle of it—anything to throw the werewolf off my scent. But time was not on my side.
They were assassins. I was a nurse.
Something was going to have to give.
Panic rose in my throat as I heard the distinct sounds of splashing coming up behind me, but just as I was considering throwing caution to the wind and facing them head on, an ivy-covered drainage pipe caught my eye. Without a second thought, I pushed aside the plants and plunged headfirst through the rusted metal bars into the sewer.
A rotten-eggs-and-garbage smell assaulted my nostrils and filthy brown water lapped up the sides of my legs. Holding the side of my dress over my nose, I moved cautiously forward, dodging the drooping algae and cockroaches, pushing cobwebs from my hair. The walls were faded and nondescript, giving no clue as to where I was going or how to get back out. It was as if I’d been swallowed up into the bowels of hell.
Try to look on the bright side, I thought to myself as my immortal eyes adjusted to the dim light and I headed up to a junction where the tunnel leveled out. At least the stagnant water was sure to throw the werewolf off my track.
No sooner had I thought the words than two voices echoed through the stale air.
“I thought you said she was just some naïve little witch,” the werewolf whined. “You said the job in Salem would be no problem and we’d get back on the road by morning. We shoulda finished this hours ago.”
“Stop complaining,” the vampire snapped. “How was I supposed to know she was going to come into her powers the second we found her?”
The werewolf muttered, “You’d think he would have included that with the report...”
“Do you want to ask him about it?” There was a moment of silence. “I didn’t think so. Now let’s just finish the job so we can collect our money.”
I heard two of them run off. I bet they split up to try and find me. How many people did the vampire have with her? For all I knew, there could be a slew of them. I took off running again. I wasn’t sure how long I ran, but it felt like eternity. I rounded the corner and rested for a minute. A wave of chills shot down my spine and I put out my hands to steady myself on the slick tunnel wall. It’s okay, I told myself, easing backward into the dark, just stay calm and retrace your steps. You’ll be back in the forest before you—
The sound of shattering glass rang out in the careful quiet.
My breath caught in my chest as I looked slowly down at the broken beer bottle beneath my foot. It was over. I felt a presence before I even knew a person was there.
“Going somewhere?”
I rotated on the spot and stared into the vampire’s piercing blue eyes. She pointed a crossbow at me. My heart pounded.
“You just can’t catch a break, can you?”
“Apparently not,” I said.
She gave me a chiding smile, showing her sharp incisors. My eyes narrowed in disgust. I didn’t care how badass she was, a vampire who killed her own kind for money was a despicable thing. I squared my shoulders and stared her down. Well here was one vampire she wasn’t going to get so easily.
“You blasted me,” she said. “And that hurt like hell.”
“Want more? Because there’s more where that came from.”
She smiled. “I love a good challenge. So bring it on.”
Using every ounce of focus and concentration I had, I drew out every bit of emotion and rage left in me. My fingers flickered for a moment, but the longer I tried, the harder it became to breathe. After just a moment, I broke it off, gasping with strain as the world swayed around me.
“Oh no,” the vampire taunted, “did your magic run out of steam? And I was hoping for a challenge.”
Furious, I tried again, only to have the tiny, pathetic flames fizzle out completely.
She threw back her head and laughed openly, the sound filling up the little tunnel.
“Silly little witch. You have to pace yourself,” she explained. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. You can’t use up everything all at once.”
I tried to run, but the next second, she slammed me up against the stone. I gasped in pain and surprise as little shards of rock broke off and tangled in my hair.
“Who the hell are you, anyway?” I hissed through my teeth.
“Victoria. But you can call me, Tori,” she grinned, “and you’re Blair Griffin. Pleasure to meet you, not that you’ll be alive much longer.”
Shivers rippled through my body, and she held me tighter against the wall.
“But before we get on to business, I have to ask...” Her eyes narrowed and she leaned in closer. “Who activated your powers?”
I blinked back at her, completely thrown by the seemingly insignificant question.
“Your powers,” she insisted. “You see, there was nothing about you being a practicing witch in your case file, and that’s the kind of thing I like to know before walking into a situation blind. So who did it?”
My voice wavered. “If I tell you, you’ll kill me.”
“Blair, please keep up. I’m going to kill you anyway. That’s literally the only reason I’m here.” She smiled in what she obviously thought to be a friendly way. “But if you tell me, I promise I’ll make it as quick and painless as possible.
“You’re the second person to promise me that tonight.”
Her eyes flashed silver-blue in the beam of the moonlight shining through the sewer lid above us.
“If you know one thing about me, know this—I always keep my promises.”
I struggled uselessly against her iron fist. “I know you’re a vampire who hunts her own kind. I know that you’d kill a stranger on the street for money.”
“A girl’s gotta pay the rent, you know? And they’re not strangers. No more than you’re a stranger. I spend countless hours talking to friends and families. I research and stake out all kinds of locations. It’s tedious work.”
“You’re nothing but a glorified mercenary,” I growled.
“Sometimes,” she shrugged, “sometimes I actually get to do a bit of good. Take last week—I brought in a murderous vampire who killed a pregnant woman who’d spent the last five years trying to conceive. Her husband had the time of his life tearing the sicko apart...literally.”
My eyes widened in horror. “And you just stood there and watched?”
“Hell, I helped.” She pulled a switchblade from her pocket and held it to my neck. “Now answer my question.”
“The witches activated me.”
“Your own coven?”
I nodded, and much to my embarrassment, I began to silently cry.
Tori paused a moment. “That’s some fucked-up family you got there.”
“You have no idea.”
“Well you seem like a sweet kid, but there’s a lot of people after you so time is sorta of the essence, you know what I’m saying? I’m guessing you don’t want to send any last words to the witches then...anybody on your dad’s side?”
I smiled grimly, tears still rolling down my face. “No, judging by his abandonment, I’m willing to bet that Mr. Montour doesn’t really care what happens to me.”
It’s just as well, I thought as I closed my eyes. Better than spending the rest of eternity betrayed and alone.
I waited for the flick of the knife, or perhaps the thud of the crossbow. Whatever tool it was Tori was going to use to snuff out my life down in this sewer. But nothing happened. After a moment, I opened my eyes, annoyed that she would draw it out like this. What I saw in the dim light didn’t make any sense.
Tori was staring back at me. Her mouth wide opened. Her face shock white.
“What did you say?” she asked in a voice as hushed as a grave.
I glanced at her in bewilderment. A sharp pain at my neck brought my focus back to where Tori was leaning in with her knife, an absolutely murderous look in her face.
“What did you say?” she demanded again.
“What are you talking about?” I whispered frantically.
“Your father,” she said each word slowly. “What was his name?”
As if it could have mattered less.
“Vlad. Vlad Montour.”
The knife fell with a clatter on the ground between us. She kept her eyes fixed on me.
“Vlad Montour,” Tori repeated. Even her dark hair seemed to wilt as she took a step backward and let me off the wall. “Well, kiddo, it looks like we have more in common than just prowling around sewers on a Friday night. That’s the name of my father, too.”
My hands flew up to my mouth. “You don’t mean...”
“Son-of-a-bitch,” she whispered. “He sent me to kill my own fucking half-sister.”
“Who?” My head was spinning, unable to keep up. “Who sent you?”
Despite all the terrible things that had happened to me that night, she looked at me for the first time with genuine sympathy. “Well that’s the rub...it was dear old dad.”
I gasped.