Dead of Night のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 21 - チャプター 30

“By a witch hunter?” I ask, already knowing the answer. “When? And where?”“It appears so. And a few days ago in a coven just over the state line in Michigan. Another young woman, just about your age, Callie.” She looks at me, imagining it was me found dead and shakes her head.“Was she killed the same way?” Evander takes his mother’s shaking hands.“Yes. Throat ripped out, right down to the trachea. And then the body strung up and burned. We were able to tell from this poor girl that she was murdered first from losing so much blood. She was dead before she was burned.”“That doesn’t sound like a witch hunter,” Evander says slowly, shifting his gaze to me. “Witch hunters typically get off from watching us burn.”“Exactly,” Tabatha says, voice strained. “Which leads us to believe whoever we’re dealing with might not be as we thought.”My stomach flip-flops. All signs are pointing to a vampire being the killer right now, and after hearing Lucas tell me that the best way to kill a human

“What?” I ask, even though I heard him clearly. My breath leaves me as the words sink in. “If something came from Hell that means…that means the Gates of Hell have been opened.”“The Gatekeeper,” we say at the same time.“You were right,” I gasp. “The Gatekeeper is literally keeping the Gates of Hell. They either open or close them and it seems like they opened them.”“Yes. Now, let’s go.”This time, he doesn’t have to tell me twice. Keeping my hand in his, Lucas rushes through the forest, not stopping or slowing down until we’re on the back porch. Binx and Pandora stay in the yard, protectively watching the house.“How do you know?” I ask, trying to catch my breath. Though I’m winded from shock, not from running. “How do you know it’s a demon from Hell or whatever?”Lucas looks over his shoulder at the woods, not trusting that we weren’t followed. I squeeze my eyes shut, find my grounding, and go to the steps of the porch. I hold up my hands and whisper an incantation.The invisible

“Do you know them?” I ask Lucas, not sure if I should be on the defense just yet or not.“No, nor do I know why they are here. Stay inside and let me handle it.”“But there’s three of them.” I grab the hem of his shirt, not wanting him to go outside with unfair odds.“They are young,” he tells me, not needing to explain how he’s at the advantage. The older a vampire is, the stronger and more powerful they become.“I’m still coming with you. There are vampires who live in Throne Hill. Maybe they came to me for magical help or something.”Lucas frowns. “Or something sounds about right.” He puts his hands on my shoulders and takes a step back. “Stay in the house.”I let out a breath as he speeds away, and turn to Binx and Pandora. “Shadow around them. I’m getting my favorite wooden stake.” I go to dash up the stairs and stop, hearing one of the vampires talking.“Lucas King,” he snarls. “We’ve been looking for you.”Shit. This doesn’t sound good. I take two stairs at a time, running into

I freeze, too horrified to look around the room. I don’t want to see Lucas’s remains charred and oozing all over the floor.“Callie,” It’s his voice. He’s not dead. But…but…how? I look in and see him standing by the window.“Lucas?” I whisper. “What…what….”He turns away from the window. “The smoke went away, but whatever you did…you made it so the sun doesn’t hurt me.” He turns back around, putting his hand on the glass. “I haven’t felt the sun in centuries.”“Holy shit,” I breathe, still rooted to the spot. The door swings open and light from the hall spills in. Lucas winces, dodging out of the way. Shaking myself, I go into the room and shut the door. “You’re not dead?”“Technically, I’ve been dead for a long time.”Suddenly, tears fill my eyes. “When I saw the sunlight, I thought…I thought…” I can’t finish the sentence. I inhale and shake my head. Lucas rushes over, taking me in his arms.“I’m fine. Better than fine.” Holding me against his chest, he turns back to the window. “You

I stretch my legs out in front of me and lean back, closing my eyes and tipping my head up to the sun. I’m on the rooftop patio, soaking up the warmth of the day. Pandora is walking along the railing and Binx is stretched out on the chair next to me, enjoying sunbathing as much as I am.I’m waiting for my lunch to arrive, and then will probably go back inside and take a nap. Lucas looked through the Book of the Beast and didn’t see anything about how to kill demons. There was, however, a chapter that alluded to sending a demon back to Hell. Which would be great if I were able to summon up enough power to crack open the earth and shove the fucker inside.Pandora softly meows, letting me know the delivery guy is here. I go back inside, hurrying through the large house and meeting the delivery guy at the gate. Opening the front door and revealing that the house is blacked out is a dead giveaway that a vampire lives here. I take my food and go back to the rooftop, watching people walk up