To Kill a Vampire - A.K. Koonce Page 0,27
myself to kneel at her side, the hard ground biting into my shin. Gently, I trail my fingers across the knuckles of her free hand, my eyes focused on her downturned lips.
“I’m sorry.”
She flinches from my soft spoken words, her lashes fluttering but not opening as she sucks in a shuddering breath. It’s like she’s gasping for all the air in the world but it still isn’t enough.
I run my palm up her arm, tracing the inky lines as I try to offer some form of comfort to her. “We can’t stay here, though.”
She nods, her eyes still tightly closed. The sight of her weak stature almost crumbles me.
Glistening eyes open to stare down at what she holds in her hand. In one swift movement, she shoves what appears to be a small bone from a finger or thumb into her mouth. My lip curls involuntarily as she closes her eyes once more, chewing slowly. A crunching sound fills the air as she savors the snack.
Nervously, her eyes flutter about before finally landing on me with a tense false smile. My lips struggle for a moment before smiling back at her. My smile doesn’t reflect the way I want to vomit right now, or the dejected feeling of what just happened to us – or the fear of what might come.
The Wanderer’s community is a disheveled mess in the following days. Mortals usher in by the hundreds. Luca guides them one by one to their new homes. Ayden stands supportively, shaking hands and offering reassuring nods to them as they flow in to what was once mystic territory.
“They aren’t safe out there. Atticus could build an army overnight,” Kaino says, his wide arms folding across his chest as we assess all of the newcomers.
“He doesn’t want an army.” Declan steps up to my side, tugging at my attention with his simple words. “He wants Fallon.”
My glare hardens on him more so than usual. His hair is too blonde, his features are too smooth, too carefree. Somehow everything about him sets me on edge.
“Why do you say that?” I ask, pushing the annoyance from my voice.
“All those years passed, and she was the one to free him. He could have killed her but changed her instead. She belongs to him.” I shift irritably until I’m facing the hybrid head on. “That’s what he thinks; I’m just telling you what he thinks.” His hands rise in surrender, but he tosses a cocky grin my way before pushing his hands into his pockets.
It’s like he wants to piss me off.
A heavy sigh falls from my lips. The sun sits high in the sky. It won’t be dark again for hours. Silently, I slip away from them, trailing through the camp to the only place I want to be.
I’m knocking on the door within minutes. My heart plummets as the image of my brother opens the door. I swallow down the dry feeling in my throat.
“Is Fallon home?” I ask almost shyly, my eyes shifting away from his.
The witch nods and disappears without warning before I can say another word.
The old door sways in the wind, the ocean breeze pulling at my hair as I stand awkwardly on the front steps. I take a single step closer, peeking into the house. My gaze drifts over the hundreds of artifacts strewn throughout the rooms. With impatience, I wait. Several minutes pass in silence. I shift on my feet once more before walking into the witch’s house.
Walking into an Infinity witch’s home has never felt like more of a trap. My heart pounds as I trail through the rooms, careful not to touch a single thing. An orange hue is cast through tattered curtains as the sun’s rays beam through the old cloth. Countless wind catchers stream through the rooms in brilliant but dusty colors. An assortment of metallic chimes and clocks rattle through the room, making me crazy the longer I linger here.
Finally, I come to a closed door. My palm rests against the worn knob. The witch married us because Fallon trusted her. Should I trust her?
I turn the knob and the door creaks open to darkness, setting me on edge with the crawling noise of the old hinges.
Fallon’s chest rises and falls as she sleeps in a large four-poster bed. The glossy frame and mattress appear new and out of place among the other rusting and antique items. A diluted hue of sunlight streams through the heavy black curtains. My hand drops from