Chapter Fourteen

The next weekend, Thorn knocked on my door bright and early. Early enough that the sun wasn’t even up yet. Neither was I, but that didn’t stop Thorn.

I staggered to the living room. I’d stayed up late, looking through reference books to see if I could find anything that mentioned witches hunting werewolves, but nothing came up.

Granny’s books did yield a mention of the Blood of Life Ruby, but it was just about how it had gone missing when the owner died. Nothing about what it could do or why someone would want it, besides the obvious monetary value, of course. The description matched the ruby in my possession, but it still didn’t explain the weird energy I got from it or even why it was called the Blood of Life.

“Why are you here?”

“Training,” she said.

“But it’s the long weekend,” I wailed, only halfway kidding. Labor Day weekend should mean barbecues and the beach, not bruises. “I want to sleep in.”

“Train now. Sleep later,” she said. She crossed her arms over her chest. “You need to get into shape. Unless you want to be a lazy ruler.”

Ouch. Thorn had no problem with honesty. Brutal, unnecessary honesty. “All right, what are we doing today?” I replied.

“Running.” Thorn started to weave her long black hair into a braid, and I noticed there was a hint of another color showing at the roots. I knew that the twins both dyed their hair, since Rose’s hair was a candy-color pink not found in nature and Thorn’s was midnight black.

“What’s your real hair color?” I asked curiously.

Her eyes flashed, and she bit her lip. For a second, I thought Thorn looked guilty, but that couldn’t be right. Her expression cleared, and she met my eyes. “My hair isn’t nearly as pretty as yours.”

I touched a strand. “Thank you.”

“Now, quit trying to change the subject. It’s time to run.”

I groaned. “I would never have agreed if I’d known what you had planned.”

“Put on a sports bra and some self-respect and let’s go,” she snapped. I felt like I should have saluted her or something.

Instead, I did what she ordered, grumbling the whole time.

She was waiting for me outside, with two water bottles in hand. The sun wasn’t even up, and there was a heavy fog coming in from the ocean.

“You need to learn to run,” she said.

“I know how to run,” I said. “I just don’t want to.”

It was starting to make sense why Thorn was here before the sun was even thinking of coming up. We had time for some exercise, which was sure to be long, painful, and grueling, before my unnatural allergy to the sun’s rays made it hard for me to be outside.

“You got lucky when you killed Jure Grando,” she said. “There are stronger, more vicious vampires still out there. If you come up against them, you will lose.”

“Your faith in me is heart-warming.”

She grunted. “You’re…not the worst vampire queen I’ve ever met.”

She waited impatiently as I stretched.

“Where’s Rose?” I asked.

“Still sleeping,” Thorn replied.

Which is what I should be doing.

Thorn and I had never spent much time alone together. I tried to make conversation. “It must be nice having a sister,” I said.

She widened her eyes and then laughed. “At least I wasn’t alone.”

“Do you get along with your parents?”

A strange expression crossed her face. “It’s just my father. My sister is his favorite.”

Her lip quivered. I’d never seen Thorn look so vulnerable.

She cleared her throat. “What about you? Did you want siblings?”

“I did,” I admitted.

“You can have mine,” she said. She bent down to stretch out her calves, and I couldn’t see her face, but it didn’t sound like she was joking.

“I thought you and Rose got along well,” I said.

Thorn twisted up to look at me. “We do. But my sister is everything my father values. She’s beautiful, quiet, obedient. I’m not.”

I frowned at her. “You’re both beautiful.” I didn’t want to point out the obvious, but they were identical twins, even though they had completely different style and hair color.

“It’s time to train,” Thorn said abruptly. Clearly, our moment of bonding was over.

“Why are we doing this anyway?” I asked. “It’s not like I can outrun a vampire.”

“There are other things to worry about besides vampires,” Thorn said.

I stopped moving. “Like what?”

“Werewolves, banshees, Medusas, Narcisi, and stupid people,” she said. “Just to name a few. All of whom can run faster than you can. Your granny can run faster.”

I wasn’t going to argue with her. Granny Mariotti was in shape, not just for someone her age, but for anybody. She and the other Old Crones took yoga, spin, and kickboxing classes at the senior center. And she’d survived a vampire attack this summer. I rubbed my cheek. I’d survived, too, but not without a few scars.

“We’ll walk to your friend’s house,” Thorn said. “She can come with us.”

I thought about trying to get Skyler out of it, but my best friend might have to fight, too. Training would be good for the both of us, and if not, at least misery loved company and all that.

I sent Skyler a text, and then we headed to her house. The marine layer was thick, and I could barely see two feet in front of me. Or maybe that was because my eyes weren’t all the way open yet.

I was surprised when Skyler bounded out of her house as soon as we got there.

I raised an eyebrow. “You’re up awfully early.”

“My stepmother was throwing up this morning,” Skyler said. “It woke me.”

“Is she okay?” I asked.

“She said it was too many margaritas,” Skyler said, then paused. “But I haven’t seen her drink in months.”

“What else could it be?” I asked.

“Maybe she’s pregnant,” Thorn said. “Dad told us my stepmother barfed…” Her voice trailed off, and she frowned.

“Eww, gross,” Skyler said. “My dad’s old.” She wrinkled her nose at the thought. “But Gertie isn’t.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little brother or sister?” I asked. Then I realized what Thorn had revealed. “Thorn, you have a half sibling?”

She gave a curt nod and then shifted on her feet. “Why are we still talking about this? Let’s go before the sun comes out,” Thorn said.

I complained the entire time about how out of shape I was, but I had to admit it did feel good to be outside.

Skyler was full of pep when we started, but after a while, she and I lagged.

“She just keeps running,” Sky marveled at Thorn between gulps of breath. “She’s not even sweating.”

“What did I do to deserve this?” I panted.

Thorn whipped her head around. “You are the queen now, and you have to be ready to take on those who would harm you and the ones you love.”

Okay, then.

Since it was (barely) morning, there weren’t very many cars on the street, but Thorn veered off and headed for the bike trail. The trees shut out most of the light. When I stumbled, Thorn made an exasperated sound.

“You don’t have vampire vision,” she said. She sounded disappointed.

“That’s because I’m not a full vampire,” I said. “Just some weird hybrid. And Skyler is fully human.”

Because that’s the way my life went. Sky had spent the whole summer acting as a vampire musician’s personal blood bank, and I was the one who went vamp. And when the vampire thing combined with the witch thing, I became a vampire-witch, and I had no idea how to balance the two sides. The sight of blood used to make me woozy, but now it just made me hungry.

“Quit feeling sorry for yourself,” Thorn said. “Lots of people have it worse than you.”

I stopped running. “Who? Who has it worse than me? I can’t even go to the beach during the day.”

Skyler murmured something consoling, but I was sick of acting like everything was just peachy.

Before Thorn could answer, a sound I’d never heard before, a low growl that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, came from somewhere behind me.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Probably a coyote,” Skyler said.

The sound came again. “It doesn’t sound like a coyote.”

Thorn stopped running. “Quickly now,” she said. “Skyler, you take the lead. My queen, I will follow you.”

“What is it?” Skyler asked.

Thorn didn’t answer her. “If you plan to eat breakfast, my queen, we must end our training for the day.” Now her breath came in short gasps, like she was finally winded.

Or she was scared.

We left the trail and ended the run where we’d started, at my house. I was doubled over and wheezing, but Skyler was barely breathing hard. Thorn looked shaken, either by the animal we’d heard or by my lack of athletic prowess.

“Let’s go to Janey’s Diner,” Skyler suggested. We both studied the sky as if it would give us the answer. “It’s still early,” she added. “We could get those breakfast burritos you like.”

I made a face. “It’s supposed to be sunny today. I don’t want to chance it.”

“It’s foggy right now,” she said. She looked so hopeful that I couldn’t bear to say no. “They’ll be open. Bring a hat.”

I was sweaty but didn’t want to take the time to shower, so I wiped off the sweat and sprayed on a little perfume before I grabbed my hat.

Thorn drove, and Skyler took shotgun so she could give directions to our favorite Saturday morning hangout, although we’d never gone quite this early. Thorn’s car was a nondescript sedan, spotless, but there was something rattling around in the trunk. I hoped it was just her spare dagger.

Thorn ignored the sound as she pulled into the parking lot. Her eyes swept the area, searching for any potential threats.

All I spotted was the diner’s mustard-yellow building. Even from the outside, I could smell butter and maple syrup. My stomach growled.

The diner was almost empty, except for a couple of older men who were drinking coffee and reading the paper. Later, it would be packed with people, but not even the early birds had rolled out of bed yet, which was the one plus of Thorn making me train at a time when I’d normally still be burrowed under the blankets.

Janey’s seventies decor needed an update, but the beige walls, the orange upholstered booths, and Janey’s collection of vintage neon signs were comforting in their familiarity. People came for the food, not the atmosphere.

The only server was Dave, the owner’s grumpy college-aged son, who looked like he hadn’t bothered going to sleep the night before.

He was stocking the pie display on the counter, holding three pies along one arm while he opened the case with the other. The middle pie, which looked like blackberry, teetered, and then plopped on the floor. He swore and then noticed us watching him.

“Sit anywhere,” he said, then disappeared through a door leading to the back, probably to get a mop to clean up his mess.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Skyler said. “I sweated off all my makeup. If Dave comes back, order me an orange juice.”

The two guys at the counter left as we headed toward a booth. Then the bell above the door jangled, and on reflex, I looked over…and a monster walked in.

The thing was nearly seven feet tall, with black fur, enormous teeth, and a flat, catlike snout. But it was bigger than any cat I’d ever seen. Something had bitten off a good chunk of its left ear.

“Do. Not. Move,” Thorn said, but I’d already started for the door.

Someone tackled me and threw me over the counter and onto the floor. A hand sealed tight over my mouth before I could scream.

I almost bit it off at the wrist before I realized it was Thorn. Her eerie lavender-blue eyes were full of something I’d never seen there before—fear. Thorn was afraid, which sent a shiver of dread down my spine.

“Hellcat,” she mouthed. “It was tracking us on our run.”

I had so many questions, like what the ever-loving frack was a hellcat, but I knew it wasn’t the time.

When I nodded, she took her hand away and drew her blade.

I wasn’t sure which smelled worse, vampires or hellcat, but this hellcat carried a distinct smell of brimstone and burned marshmallow.

“Don’t hurt it,” I said. She gave me a disbelieving look.

“It’s starving,” she said. “It’ll rip us to shreds.”

“Okay, try not to hurt it,” I said.

“I may not have a choice,” she said. Thorn handed me a fork.

“What do you want me to do with this?” I asked. “Have a snack?”

“A fork is a perfectly adequate weapon,” she replied. Her voice was shaking.

I took the weapon slash eating utensil. “I won’t let it hurt you.”

Then it found us. The hellcat lunged at me, snarling and snapping, and Thorn smacked it hard on the muzzle. The hellcat swung its enormous bushy tail and sent her sailing.

“I thought cats liked witches,” I said.

The cat knocked me over, its paws the size of my head. It kept one paw on my chest as it held me down, saliva dripping along its snout into my face. I held up my fork, but weakly, because the animal weighed a lot and was pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

I tried to tell myself I was a badass striga vie and either the witch side or the vampire side could kick this kitty’s ass. But when its sharp teeth narrowly missed piercing my skin, I just tried not to pee myself.

There wasn’t much time before Skyler was going to return. What would Granny do? I dropped the fork, put one hand to my charm necklace, and tried to think of a spell, any spell, that would help.

I rolled away, but the cat followed. We’d landed near the exploded blackberry pie. I didn’t want to hurt the big cat, so I needed a plan. Why did they hunt?

Hunger. I whispered a quick amplification spell and then added, “You know what might taste good? Pie. Would you like a slice?”

There was a huge chunk of it still in the plate. Time to play Hungry Hungry Hellcats. I scooped it up and threw it into the animal’s maw.

It gave out what I thought passed for a happy purr and then licked the rest of the pie from the floor.

While the hellcat was occupied, I reached a hand up, opened the case, and fumbled around until my fingers touched a pie plate. I knocked it to the ground, and the animal lapped up the blackberry pie before trotting away.

I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.

Thorn and I stayed where we were. “See? Everyone likes pie,” I told her.

I totally deserved the dirty look she gave me.