Dead Magic: The Sanctuary Chronicles Page 2

  She should have killed him the first moment she’d laid eyes on him, but he’d proved to be trustworthy and useful, to the point where she’d even shared her blood with him.

  When she thought about it, Violet still couldn’t understand why she’d done that. Finn had helped her friends so many times, that when he needed saving, she wanted to be the one who shared that bond with him.

  When her mind circled around Finn’s image, something warmed in her belly. Even if he was a vampire, and she despised them all so greatly, she longed to have him by her side at this moment.

  Of all the people close to her, he was the only one she would let see her like this. What a strange thought, it almost made her smile.

  Her mind swirled some more until she could almost feel the vampire standing beside her. She reached out a hand to him, but there was only empty air.

  Violet!

  Her head fell to the left, listening as if someone had called her name, but the room was empty. It was a sure sign she was going insane. Her mind was turning against her, before her body shut down forever.

  Violet?

  This time, the male voice was softer, more tentative. And familiar. Her brain cells worked overtime until the voice resonated once more in her skull.

  Violet, darling witch, I feel you. Answer me.

  Finn. And she felt as if he was taunting her, that annoying smile in his voice that always made her want to punch him present in his words.

  Violet reached toward this unexpected lifeline.

  Finn… I’m dying.

  No, you are not, witchy witch. I’ll find you. All you have to do is stay alive. Shouldn’t be that difficult.

  Again, he used that irritating tone as if she were a stubborn child, but she ignored it as the sands of time slipped through her fingers.

  Finn, tell Valeria and Sera that I love them, that I’m so sorry…

  No! I won’t allow you to say something that stupid.

  That made her smile once more.

  As if you could ever order me around, vampire. I’m dying. And if you’re not a figment of my imagination, just relay that message. My last testament. Please.

  There was a pause, and she thought the tenuous link between them had broken.

  I won’t allow it.

  Again, through the connection, she could feel his determination, although Violet knew her body wouldn’t survive the next few hours.

  Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Finn. After all, I’m only an annoying witch. You won’t miss me that much.

  Another pause.

  You mean more to me than you think.

  It was cryptic, and before she could wrap her mind around it, footsteps announced the return of her tormentor. When the door opened, and light blinded her vision, Violet couldn’t do anything more than scream as fear pulled her into hell.

  Chapter 3

  Finn felt like he was being dragged down into the bowels of misery when all he heard was Violet’s scream, and once more he was in a world of agony and pain.

  And then it stopped. It was so sudden, Finn felt unsteady until he got his own emotions back under control. Only then did he open his eyes.

  Sanctuary’s forest was eerily silent and dark. Still sitting in the stream, ignoring the cold, Finn tried to reach Violet again, but it was as if that door had closed.

  Reaching deep down inside his dead soul, he managed to ignore the inner turmoil to stand and act. Leaving the cold stream, Finn headed toward Sanctuary.

  Soren stood at the edge of the forest with clothes in his hands. “I didn’t think you’d like your junk flinging around for everybody to see.”

  Finn didn’t speak and covered himself quickly, glad the clothes fitted so he was decent by human standards. With that bothersome task out of the way, Finn looked for his car before remembering Soren had taken it to Sanctuary.

  Soren caught his elbow. “Hey, stand still for a moment and talk to me. Do you know where Violet is?”

  That simple question halted his forward movement. “I talked to her a few minutes ago. She’s scared and in pain. An incredible amount of pain. Just before the link was shut down…” Finn closed his fist at the memory, taking a deep breath before answering his old friend. “She’s expecting to die today, Soren. I could feel it in her words. She even asked me to tell Valeria and Sera that she loved them. That she was sorry.”

  Soren growled deep in response. “Any clue where she is?”

  “No. No visual. I don’t think she knows herself.” As he said the words, Finn felt even more helpless. “Just before the contact was broken, Violet was screaming. I don’t know if we have time for me to try and reach her again.”

  With a nod, the weredragon headed for the big house. “I think we need a little more than time to find her.”

  Finn followed, even though everything in him wanted to get behind the wheel and start searching. It was a dumb move, but Violet hunted him. She was only a witch, albeit a likable and entertaining one, but why did he care so much about her? His reaction was incomprehensible. The only sensible thing to do would be to tell the people—her friends—inside what he knew, and for him to step away and leave them with the task of rescuing her.

  His logical mind was adamant, but his feet only brought him closer to the house.

  Violet’s friends were gathered in the kitchen. Valeria came to him first. Strong and powerful in her own right, the half-witch, half-weredragon, who’d saved his life a few years ago, appeared pale and anxious.

  “Finn! You said Violet has been taken, that she’s in danger! What’s going on?”

  Asher, the Alpha werewolf and Master of Sanctuary, stepped close behind his mate and wrapped an arm around Valeria. “We didn’t know Violet was missing, only that she’d gone on one of her research missions.”

  Blond and delicate, Sera stood at the end of the table. Ian, a werewolf and Asher’s second-in-command, stood next to her. He was head-over-heels in love with Sera and overprotective of his mate as usual. When Sera stepped toward him, the dark-haired werewolf followed.

  “I tried a spell to contact her, but she’s not answering. I don’t understand as our bond is usually strong.”

  Finn opened his mouth to explain what he’d experienced but knew what he was about to reveal would not appease their fears. He took a deep breath before beginning. As he spoke, he saw the four of them grow restless and worried.

  “If she’s not responding to us reaching out to her, if none of our spells are working, what are we going to do to find her?”

  However, despite Valeria’s question, Finn had one of his own, one just as worrying. “Who was after her? Any ideas? That information might give us a lead.”

  Valeria and Sera looked at each other, obviously dumbfounded. “Violet never said anything about being in danger, but you know her, she isn’t afraid of much. If someone was after her, she might have tried to take care of it herself.”

  It sounded like the Violet he knew. He was proud of her and furious at the thought of anyone trying to hurt her.

  Time was passing, and he knew the witch’s life was slipping away. Just as he was about to turn and start searching by himself, a wave of suffering started at the ball of his stomach and expanded like a flash fire throughout his body.

  Blinded by pain, Finn fell to his knees, but this time, he fought it, allowing his consciousness to remain active. Dissociating himself from his body, Finn pushed to find that small link that connected him to Violet. If he could get any piece of information, it was worth it.

  He felt his body being transported, but inside, he was reaching out, calling Violet’s name repeatedly.

  Finn didn’t know exactly what was happening to her, but it felt like she was being skinned and dismembered. Rage exploded inside him, every cell in his body wanted to get to her, protect her. His body jerked and spasmed, he even felt blood pouring out of him, but still, he pushed.

  He could hear Soren’s voice through the fog, calling his name, but Finn ignored him. He knew h
e wouldn’t be able to keep the contact for long.

  Then he saw images for the first time. Distorted at first but becoming clearer. Finn realized he was seeing through Violet’s eyes, through her tears. He hadn’t thought it was possible to connect with anyone that strongly, shared blood or not, to the point where you could see through their eyes.

  Two shadows loomed over Violet, the lack of light not helping to discern any features or identifying marks. They felt male to him, but he could be wrong.

  Violet?

  Apart from sobbing, she didn’t speak.

  Violet, darling. I’m with you. Tell me where you are.

  Pain flashed again for a moment, and when it receded, Violet’s faint inner voice spoke one last time.

  Thank you for staying with me, Finn. I didn’t want to die alone. You’re a good man.

  For the first time in his life, Finn was seized with panic when after a final flash of light, he couldn’t feel Violet anymore.

  When he opened his eyes again, Finn felt like crying for the first time in centuries—since he’d been turned into a vampire. Was Violet dead? Was that what he’d felt when they disconnected? Her last words made him scream.

  “I guess he’s awake. Hold him down.”

  He didn’t recognize Valeria’s voice at first as two strong arms held him down on the cold floor.

  “Calm down, pal. You’re safe. You’re at Sanctuary.”

  Finn relaxed until the hands released him. He swiped at his eyes and wasn’t surprised to see blood again. Now sitting on the floor, he looked around and blinked. There were candles and white lines and symbols on the floor around him. In fact, he wasn’t in the kitchen anymore, but what looked like the basement.

  He didn’t seem to have lost much blood apart from what was on his face, at least not enough to make him need to feed again.

  “What’s happened?”

  Valeria and Sera crouched before him. The blond witch grabbed his hand. “Have you made contact?”

  Unexpectedly, words seized in his throat, and he had to force them out. “I did connect. I even saw through her eyes for a brief moment.” Finn braced himself and looked up at Violet’s two friends. “And she told me she was glad I was with her because she didn’t want to die alone.”

  Valeria lowered her head while Sera cried out and turned toward Ian, who took her in his arms. Asher crouched beside his mate and rubbed her back, looking at him.

  Finn shook his head. “I don’t know what’s happened. It was the last thing she said, and then there was a blinding flash of light.” With Soren’s help, he got to his feet. “What am I doing here?”

  Valeria rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. “When you suffered that bout of pain, Sera suggested we try and locate Violet through you, use the link between you to narrow the possibilities.”

  “Did it work?”

  Valeria sighed. “We only got a few random images, nothing concrete. A few crosses and stone spears.”

  Something stirred inside him. “Spears? Describe them to me.”

  When she did, Finn realized he knew the place. “It’s an abandoned vampire haunt outside of town. It seems that some of us are getting a kick out of old clichés and chose that cemetery. It’s a small one dating back to the colonies, overgrown and abandoned. Well, most of the time.”

  Bolstered, Valeria went for the door. “What are you waiting for, let’s go get her! Now!”

  Finn grimaced. “It’s a bad idea for you to go. If there are vampires there, they’ll sense you coming in a minute, and you’ll endanger her. Same for you two werewolves, and even you, Soren. I know you’re powerful, but vampires are sly, you know that.”

  Soren nodded. “I agree, but can’t you shield one of us? You have the ability to do that.”

  Finn shook his head. “If they’re expecting to be attacked, their guard will be up, and apart from bringing a human, the chances of remaining undetected are slim.”

  At that moment, Finn regretted not having a potential ally within the vampire community. His desire for freedom may have cost the witch her life.

  “Bring Hunter with you.”

  Asher’s suggestion made him frown. He’d known the human cop for a little while now. The man was open-minded and had been useful so far.

  He may have hesitated if Asher hadn’t taken out his phone to call him before Finn could find an excuse not to. Apart from the obvious risk to his life, he didn’t doubt he could shield the man from vampires until it was too late, but if he had to fight off a full-fledged attack and try to rescue Violet, Hunter would be on his own.

  Shy as usual, sweet Sera tapped his arm to get him to look at her. “Think about where you want to go, and we’ll open a portal for you. Preferably not in the middle of the cemetery as the surge of energy may bring too much attention to you.”

  Finn agreed. Without knowing the lay of the land by heart, or how many vampires or other enemies were there, he had to be careful.

  On the opposite side of the basement, he felt magic stir, and Hunter appeared, brought through a portal manifested by Valeria.

  The man looked pale for a second but quickly shook his head. “I hate those jumps. Makes me want to heave.” Blinking a few times, the cop looked around. “So, Violet is in trouble.”

  Tame words in Finn’s opinion. “We’re probably going up against vampires. If I have to fight them off, you’ll need to carry Violet to safety.”

  Hunter arched an eyebrow and hunched a little. “Great. The helpless human is at your bidding, Master.”

  Finn had heard those lines in that creepy accented voice before, probably from some movie, and ignored it. Humans had weird ideas about his race, and there was no time to set Hunter right.

  Sera and Valeria came together and started chanting. Sera gave him a look, and Finn closed his eyes to visualize a small clearing not far from the cemetery. That should be the best landing point to start looking for Violet.

  When he opened his eyes again, the swirl had turned into an opening showing trees. Hunter looked at him and nodded.

  With a fierce prayer that all was not lost, Finn jumped.

  Chapter 4

  As night slowly crept over the land, Finn knew it wasn’t an advantage if he was dealing with a bunch of vampires. More vulnerable during the day, his kind rose to full force after sunset. As he covered Hunter, both of them advanced until the spears of the small decrepit chapel came into view. They crouched behind trees.

  Finn scanned the area and couldn’t feel a presence nearby. Nothing, apart from a faint odor of blood but diluted from the air and he couldn’t determine if it was Violet’s or not.

  As they approached, there was no heartbeat, no feeling of magic. That evidence made his heart sink. If there was no heartbeat and traces of blood, the chances of finding the witch alive were slim.

  “I don’t see anything. Is there anybody there?”

  Finn shook his head before getting to his feet, and Hunter followed suit.

  Still careful, they entered the cemetery. Hunter looked around, a hand remaining on his service weapon.

  “There’s been movement recently. You can see it through the unkempt lawn. And there are a few broken branches too.”

  Finn advanced, less and less stealthy as it was clear the place was empty of anyone living or undead at least.

  As they approached the chapel, he immediately noticed the acrid smell of smoke mixed with blood. This time he had no doubt Violet had been there.

  Ignoring Hunter’s yell, Finn pushed him at supernatural speed until he barged into the chapel. His nose guided him to a side door leading to the basement. When he stepped down, his body reacted. If he had been human, he would have wretched on the spot. The walls and floor were painted black, but blood was everywhere, glistening in the dim light coming from behind him. In the middle of the room chains were attached to hooks on the floor.

  The room was still vibrating with pain and something else. There was an energy that troubled him. What had happened ther
e?

  Hunter thundered in behind him, breathing heavily and skidded to a stop, curses pouring out of him.

  Finn didn’t know what to say and was unable to move. Hunter grabbed his cell phone and turned the flashlight on. The bright light revealed even more than what his vampire eyes could see. There were only a few puddles of blood on the floor, most of it was on the black walls. It glistened into forms and symbols he’d never seen before.

  Carefully, both men examined the small space. Hunter took lots of pictures. “I’m sending everything to the girls. Maybe they will recognize something.”

  Finn wasn’t interested in their meaning. His only goal was to get to Violet wherever she was.

  He went outside, cleansing his lungs from the putrid smell and looked around. Nature looked still, as if waiting for something. The wind shifted as the light decreased, and with desperation seizing his gut, Finn closed his eyes and tried to reach for Violet, for any part of her.

  His mind swirled, trying to grab at any thread. Hunter came to his side without a word and waited.

  Violet? Darling?

  He tried his most seductive tone, one he often dreamed of using with her in very different circumstances.

  It took a moment, but when he heard a sob that sounded almost like a whisper, it showed him the way.

  Without speaking to Hunter, Finn started running, leaving the human cop behind.

  He didn’t know much about his surroundings apart from how to get there from the road and the cemetery itself. The direction he was following now led him toward a patch of forest. He stopped in his tracks as a familiar smell reached his nostrils. Violet. His entire body reacted to her, longed for her, wanted to save her.

  The forest thinned as he ran until he reached an old quarry. There were broken piles of stones everywhere, and in the distance, an immense hole.

  He finally spotted her, that familiar silhouette against the dimming gray sky, and so close to the edge of the hole, Finn stopped thinking and reacted.