Mrs Vines Dark Winds Novels & Stories

"The white pulse from the grove outside and the violet tide from the water table are meeting right here, inside their blood. We have to suture the frequency manually." The door to the Dark Room groaned under a sudden, massive weight from the outside. The heavy oak timbers bowed inward with the hand-forged iron hinges screaming as a fine mist of violet rain began to hiss through the seams. The Heiress wasn't waiting for the sunset. The moment the white pulse had cleared the sky, she had consolidated her remaining surface assets into a single, localized strike team.

I no longer had to consider him. That day, my manager asked again during the meeting. "Who's willing to go for the Northton project next week?" The meeting room went silent as everyone lowered their heads, avoiding his eyes. Next week was Valentine's Day, and no one wanted to travel for work then. In that room full of silence, I was the only one who raised my hand. "I'll go." My manager looked up at me surprised before nodding. "Alright, Janice. You and Harry Fisher from the neighboring department will be going together. Look out for each other out there."

Ava stood outside the small, desolate bungalow at the edge of the Sandbar, her silhouette barely visible in the sweeping darkness. The sandstorm raged around her like a living thing—howling, furious—grains of sand slashing at her skin and finding their way into her mouth each time she opened it to speak. She cupped her hand over her mouth, struggling to breathe as the wind threatened to knock her off balance. “Mr. Vanderbilt…” she rasped into the phone, her voice raw and wind-snatched.

Antonioni turned one last time, staring into the warehouse bathed in smoke and spilled blood. A few of his wounded boys were being lifted. The Vipers who stayed down… stayed down for good. No speeches. No mercy. Just the Shadows doing what they do best.

Just the thought of it made my chest thrum with restless excitement, like a secret I desperately wanted to scream into the cold December air. I couldn’t stop smiling. My nerves buzzed with anticipation to the point where my palms felt warm despite the winter chill that seeped in through the old window frames. “Ana! Get the door!” Mom’s voice cut through my haze, sharp from the kitchen. I blinked, startled, then hurried to the entryway. When I pulled it open, a rush of cold wind hit me, and there she was. Mrs Robins from down the street, smelling faintly of her favourite peppermint perfume.

No way was she going to him! After driving for hours, Lara stopped the car and got out. It was dark and cold and wet, just like that other day long ago, that day she couldn’t bear to remember. She straightened slight shoulders, tightened the sash on her raincoat, and lifted her head high as she crossed the parking lot.

It was only now that I noticed that I was being joined by either weird-looking or geeky students in my row. ‘Oh, I belong,’ I said, almost grinning. I pressed my lips to suppress a smile. ‘Ethan is really into you! He can’t stop glancing at you.’ She said, flipping her hair and then raising her hand. “Mrs. Benson, do you think there are werewolves here in Springville?” I cringed at two things. First, I was trying to ignore Ethan the whole day, yet she bothered to remind me about him, and second, why on earth would she raise a question like that. ‘Really, Amber?’ I almost hissed at her.

I wanted the dream to come true and Emily to be my woman, the one I woke up next to every day and overwhelmed with kisses every night, but for that I had to be patient. “Stop boiling me, get me a drink,” Olivia yelled. I grabbed a bottle of red wine, the first one I could find, and headed over to Olivia, who was burning with anticipation to get the party started. I uncorked the bottle and refilled the glasses, but my eyes were inadvertently darting to the doorway where Emily was about to make her appearance.

I followed her line of sight but saw nothing. Vines rose up from the floor and wrapped around the air. Violet’s arm pulled backwards, bringing the vines closer. A pained grunt was heard, making me realize that it was actually someone that we couldn’t see. “Pull your gift back or else these vines will turn into wolfsbane. Now, that’s some pretty painful shit from what I’ve heard. You have fifteen seconds to decided,” Violet told the invisible person. To make her point and psych out whoever the fuck it was, a new vine appeared as the seconds ticked by.

White skin, check. Face? Nah. Is that even a face? She approached us with two other women behind her. But how they walk towards us amazed me. The surroundings are like in slow-motion. Just like Catriona Gray did? Lava walk? But their walk is called differently. 'Whore walk' it should be called. They look like fools walking. It's still slowing down, you seem to be in slow motion, huh.