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EIGHTY-FOUR | FROST
“Dad? Paps?” I shrugged off Cyrus’s coat, holding it close to my chest for a moment before hanging it on the rack. It looked out of place beside mine and my Dads’ familiar coats, long and dark and sweeping, carrying his arrogance with it even though it had long since left his body.
“Callie? Oh – thank God.” Paps swarmed me, wrapping me tight in his arms before stepping back and patting me down, checking for any wounds. “You’re okay. Oh, you’re okay.”
I grinned, one side of my mouth tugging up further than the other. “I’m okay.”
“We were worried,” Dad said, his voice low and croaky. I wondered how much sleep either of them had got last night.
“It – it didn’t exactly go to plan,” I mused, toeing off my boots.
Paps raised an eyebrow. “You can say that again.&
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The Hunter and the Vampire EIGHTY-FIVE | RED
The smile froze on my face. I wobbled, and stuck out a hand towards the counter to catch myself. The work surface was cool, and it pooled beneath my palm, making me shiver.I had to get her out. The humans here weren’t safe. I looked around, my breath hitching, counting heads and recognising familiar faces. I could see Dal, his broad face broken in two by a grin; I could see the Town Trio, tucked into a corner and gossiping noisily; I could see Tony, and Bill, and –My heart stopped. Sat at the counter, next to Alice, was Harper.I held my breath. I had to focus, had to think. But fear and exhaustion were swirling in my head, clawing at my brain and making it impossible to do anything more than stand and stare at the two of them.“You alright?” Grace caught me by the elbow and towed me into the back room, her eyebrows raised at me the whole way. I sagged against her,
The Hunter and the Vampire EIGHTY-SIX | RUIN
I caught Grace by the elbow and steered her towards the back room. At the same time, I raised a theatrical hand to my forehead and puffed out my cheeks. It wasn’t hard to make myself feel woozy – the memories and lack of sleep from the night before did that for me.“I don’t feel well,” I said, careful not to ramp up the dramatics too much. Grace would sniff them out in a second. “Do you mind staying late for me today?”Her shoulders stiffened momentarily and then relaxed. “Is it – it’s because of Harper, isn’t it?”I sighed, looking longingly towards the shop floor. “Yes.”“I can’t believe he’d come in here with another woman,” Grace snapped, coaxing me closer. “Of course I’ll stay. I doubt I’ll even be needed – Sydney should be able to close on her own.” She peere
The Hunter and the Vampire EIGHTY-SEVEN | SACRIFICE
I tightened my hand around the makeshift stake. My blade felt utterly useless – a child’s toy – as she stroke a red-clawed hand down the side of Harper’s face. He cried out, the sound muffled, as he struggled futilely against his bonds.I steeled myself, refusing to give in to the haze of panic slithering through my veins. I’d had no chance against Alice; Harper had even less of one. I had to play this carefully. My mind raced through a hundred different ideas and plans, but none of them seemed good enough. None of them seemed like enough to save him.There was no bargain she would accept. The glint in her eyes told me that. There was only one way out of this, and in accepting what had to happen I was giving myself over to her power. For Harper, I would do it.I readied my stake and blade, pulling back into a defensive stance. I had to lull her into a false sense of security. Then again, I t
The Hunter and the Vampire EIGHTY-EIGHT | ASCELINA
She smiled. It was a truly wicked smile, slow and devious and made all the more gruesome by the blood dripping down her chin. Light headed as I was, I still felt a chill as those dark, otherworldly eyes met mine.“Didn’t quite go to plan, did it, little hunter?”I smiled right back at her. I had an idea. I couldn’t doubt myself – I didn’t have any other options.“Yes,” I said, falling to the ground and grabbing the makeshift stake, hoping with my whole heart that it would work, that it would kill her, “it did.”Propelled by my movement, Alice fell with me. In one smooth roll, I landed on top of her and drove the stake through her heart.The smile died on her lips, her eyes forever held wide with shock. I stared down at her face, at the ugly jut of her chin, at the curve of her large nose. The colour drained from her skin
The Hunter and the Vampire EIGHTY-NINE | ECHO
Firm hands hauled me up, dragging me from under my armpits and heaving me onto my feet. The world swirled around me, so I kept my eyes closed and allowed myself to be manhandled.“You can’t fall asleep on me again, Cals,” Harper muttered. “I have to get you home so I can take a proper look at that arm.”I winced at the word home. I hoped Harper thought it was related to the throbbing in my forearm, rather than his word choice.My body did not feel entirely my own as Harper slung one of my unresponsive arms across his shoulders, tucking me tightly against his side. My legs dragged across the uneven ground, dried leaves and broken twigs mounding at my toes.“You know,” he said, his tone attempting to sound casual, conversational, “I always thought you seemed… more. More than everyone else around you. Otherwordly, almost.”
The Hunter and the Vampire NINETY | ELIXIR
“Cyrus?” My heart grew whole at the sight of him. He looked utterly unruffled, despite the glint in his ocean eyes that spoke of his violent, furious panic. He held me close, his hands gentle as he settled me into a sitting position beside him.Sheer relief stopped me from pushing him away and seating myself. He winced at my bloody forearm, and took a step back, his pupils growing. The relief turned to acid in my stomach.“No,” Harper snapped, stepping between us. “You get the hell away from her.”I could have rolled my eyes. With a groan, I dragged myself to my feet, leaning heavily on a nearby tree trunk. “Both of you, stop it,” I said, before aligning my back with the trunk and sliding down it. “I can fight my own battles.”Cyrus’s eyes danced with mischief, and his lips twitched into a smirk. Even so, his ha
The Hunter and the Vampire NINETY-ONE | COBALT
The silence in the car was unnerving. After so much action, so much noise, to sit with no sounds save for the low rumble of the engine and our steady breaths was soothing, but uncomfortable. My head pounded, desperate to fill in the sounds that it expected to hear.I turned to face Harper, sat alone in the back. His gaze was fixed on the rolling trees and verges rushing past outside. I smiled at him, a tiny, grateful smile that said more than words could. He ignored it.He’d lied for me when my Dads had arrived at the woods. He’d lied for me, and it was clear on his face that he regretted it. I’d been spared the agony of continuing our barbed conversation by the arrival of my Dads, tyres screeching as they pulled up at the edge of the sparse trees. Cyrus had disappeared in a sudden flash of darkness. I hadn’t had time to wonder where he’d gone – or why he’d left.Dad and Paps had
The Hunter and the Vampire NINETY-TWO | BURNING BLOOD
The meeting took place in the underbelly of Torre’s house, in a room I’d never seen before. She claimed that it was more secure than where we normally met, and infinitely safer than the town hall. I entered with a sense of trepidation – what was decided here would come to fruition as soon as we left, so I trailed my fingers along the ornate banister as we wound down and down, down into the darkness. Gently, Paps lifted my hand from the smooth wood, shaking his head at me slightly.The tension had eased dramatically since Harper’s sudden departure. And, though I was concerned about him, I couldn’t deny that I was glad he’d gone. I doubted he’d tell anyone anything – who would believe him? He was a man scorned, turned vicious with jealousy over my new relationship. At least, that’s what I hoped people would think if Harper started spouting truths about the supernatural. A pang of guilt clenched my gut,
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