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SIXTY-FIVE | STARLIGHT
We sat beneath a shaded grove of trees, leaning our backs against their rough bark. The cold blistered my skin, and I had to grit my teeth to keep from shuddering.
“Would you like my coat?” Veronica whispered, turning to face me with wild, petrified eyes.
I shook my head, confusion gnawing at my insides. She looked the same and sounded the same. I couldn’t theorise any longer. I had to know.
“Are you a vampire?” I whispered back. My eyes searched hers, blue-grey and brimming with tears. I’d never seen a vampire cry before. Her chest heaved, and she nodded.
“I – I think so? Oh, God,” she moaned, dropping her chin to her chest. “I don’t know what’s happening to me, Callie. I woke up, covered in blood and mud and soaked through with rain, up at that creepy old castle – Blackwood, I think it’s called, though I don’t
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The Hunter and the Vampire SIXTY-SIX | OWL
“Whoever turned you must know that I’m a hunter,” I murmured to myself. “But why would they send you to me? I mean, why turn you in the first place?”Veronica shrugged, her blue-grey eyes molten with sadness. “I don’t know. I thought you’d be able to help me, but you don’t know anything more than I do.”My heart ached for her. I wanted to smack myself. Was I really feeling sorry for a vampire?Without consciously deciding, my mind had been made up. I had to help her. Veronica was no more a monster than I, if what she said was true. As she dissolved into sobs once more, I felt certain that she was being honest.“Ver,” I said gently, shaking her. “Ver. I’m sorry, but you have to talk to me if I’m going to be able to help you.”“You will?” She blubbered, turning huge,
The Hunter and the Vampire SIXTY-SEVEN | ILLUMINATED
I stole back to my Dads’ house under a thin and wavering cover of clouds. Sharp rays of early morning sunlight pierced through easily. I blinked blearily, struggling to comprehend everything I’d learnt in the night.I wasn’t sure that Veronica could be trusted, but I had to hope my gut instinct was right. She didn’t seem like a monster. She seemed like a terrified child, dragged kicking and screaming into a world she didn’t understand.As a hunter, it was my duty to protect the innocent. We’d failed Veronica once. I wouldn’t make the same mistake again.I hugged the exterior of the house, wary of being seen by my Dads. Now that I had the information we needed from Veronica, I was worried that they’d see her as I had initially: as part of the darkness, not the light. I’d never heard of a way to make a vampire human again, but maybe there was some lore on it, tucked awa
The Hunter and the Vampire SIXTY-EIGHT | ILLUSION
I slammed the car door irritably behind me. My phone was ringing – again. With a sigh, I declined the call and shoved it into my pocket. Cyrus had started the day with a text, and my lack of reply seemed to have panicked him. Good. He deserved to feel as hurt as I did. I crossed the car park, stepping around puddles in potholes as I made my way towards the flickering neon sign. Ella’s was the last place I wanted to be tonight; I didn’t have the energy to pretend that the most stressful thing in my life was my breakup with Harper. In truth, I’d hardly thought about Harper since we’d last met – my focus had been on Veronica and her forgetful family, not the tragedy of my own collapsed relationship. I smoothed down my top, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door. It was fairly busy, with a smattering of people sat at the bar and most of the tables full across the floor. Smiling at
The Hunter and the Vampire SIXTY-NINE | AS DUSK FALLS
I ran my fingers over the note, tracing the creases and squinting down at the faded letters. With a tiny, quiet sigh, I pocketed it.Staring at myself in the mirror, I scraped my hair back behind my ears. My body was decorated with weaponry: a stake down each sleeve, a thigh holster holding a gun tight to my leg, a switchblade strapped to each ankle. Even so, I didn’t feel prepared.I took a deep breath, watching as my chest rose and fell. It was only Veronica. I didn’t have to face Cyrus; at least, not tonight. He’d called me only once more while I’d been at work, and I’d sent him a quick text to put him at ease. I needed to buy myself more time, and I feared that ignoring him would rouse suspicion rather than give me the space I needed.I shoved my feet into my boots and crouched down to lace them. It helped me to think in actions rather than thoughts, to focus on the mundane rather than t
The Hunter and the Vampire SEVENTY | FARYSAIG
I wanted to run to Cyrus, to confront him, eyes blazing and mouth shouting and fists pounding. Instead, I slowly unclenched my hands and smoothed out the fresh page of my notebook, focusing on the texture of the paper beneath the pads of my fingertips.After meeting Veronica last night, I’d woken my Dads – both of whom had fallen asleep on the sofa waiting for me to return – and told them everything I knew. Eager as we’d been to storm over to Seagull Road and take The Heath by storm, we’d learnt one major piece of information through Veronica’s misfortune: we didn’t know as much as we thought we did. As such, the three of us had taken the day off work once the morning had rolled around, and our plan was to spend the day researching.I’d felt awful calling in sick, but I’d decided that it was a necessary evil. If making Mae jiggle the rota around saved her life, then it was worth it. It wa
The Hunter and the Vampire SEVENTY-ONE | HEART
Once I’d added the new information about Bethan to my ever-growing list of mysteries, I returned to the book Cyrus had given me. Hope swelled in my chest, but I shoved it down every time it tried to resurface. I couldn’t afford to have misplaced hope – especially when the odds were stacked against him.Even if he had killed Bethan, that did not absolve him of his other possible crimes. The story of Lady Luna had built the bonfire, and the possibility that Cyrus – the only other person in Seafall that we knew of who had knowledge of the vampires – had staked a vampire had sparked the match.Face down on the far side of the desk, my phone vibrated. I ignored it for a while, intent on reading as much of the book as I could before night fell, and it was time to meet with Veronica again. Though she had to stay out of the sun, she had promised to try to see who was bringing her bags of blood. So far, she’d said,
The Hunter and the Vampire SEVENTY-TWO | CROW
“I wasn’t sure which text it was what you wanted to look at, exactly, so I thought it would be easier if you just came in,” Sierra said, holding the front door open for me.“Thanks,” I said, smiling as I passed her. She flicked her honey-toned hair over one shoulder before following me inside.“Sorry about the mess,” she said sheepishly. I hadn’t noticed it.“Oh. Don’t worry about that.” I paused before softening. “I kind of have tunnel vision today, anyway.”I nodded her head to one side, gesturing towards a towering stack of books beside a brimming bookcase. Behind, through the window, the sea shifted, shades of grey blurring as the sky met its shuddering surface.“Then you’ll want to have a look through these,” she said, crouching down beside the staggering pile. “I tried to r
The Hunter and the Vampire SEVENTY-THREE | NECKLACE
I took the stairs two at a time as I sprinted up to my bedroom. I’d returned home to gather the last of my evidence, as well as my weapons, and to fill my Dads in on my plan. It wasn’t fully formed yet, and it wouldn’t be until I’d spoken to two more people. I glanced outside; though the day was grey and clouded, it still looked bright. I swore under my breath as I slammed through my doorway.I slid out my phone and checked the time with one hand as I rifled through my weapons drawer with the other. I’d spent too long at Sierra’s flat, and I was running out of time. The hunters were primed to scout and attack tonight. Fortunately, the winter days drew the darkness in earlier. Even without any obsidian, Veronica could meet me in the afternoon – if I hurried up.The message I’d received earlier was from Cyrus. I’d forgotten about it. But I couldn’t ignore him – not today. I dump
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