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  “You’re vampires, aren’t you?” Were these vampires who had been threatened by my mother’s ancestors? Her family was full of successful vampire hunters, so there was always the possibility one of them might have a bone to pick. They lived so damn long. You could usually tell vampire clans at ten clicks by the fact that all vampires tended to be attractive and in the prime of their lives. It was smart for vampires to build their clans with people who could lure in prey with youth and charm.

  “That’s right,” one of the other guys said. “Vampires.” He was more rugged and tanned with some kind of slow-talking accent. Texan maybe? I don’t know, I was about as east coast as you can get.

  “Wait, are you the lasso guy?” I narrowed my eyes. A cowboy vampire? Great. I’d been kidnapped by a vampire superhero team.

  “I’m glad you are amused,” the first guy said, with a voice so cold and vicious that it actually made me a smidge nervous. “Maybe you can get us what we want quickly and we’ll be done with you.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Your friend Montague. He’s one of us now.”

  Montague’s sire. Of course.

  I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this. It hadn’t really sunk in yet that Monty was an honest-to-god vampire. I’d been worrying that we were probably going to lose him to the ancient traditions and enchantments of vampires. But it didn’t seem real. Monty was still Monty.

  “He’s not one of you,” I said. “He’s a warlock first.”

  “I was also a warlock when Rayner turned me,” said the man who had been speaking spells. He had a faint British accent and dark hair. “That doesn’t matter.”

  “I chose him because he is a warlock,” said the first guy, who I knew had to be Rayner. He had a soft, careful way of speaking that made you pay attention. “Every century or so, I choose a new member of our brotherhood. I always choose someone with talents. Charm. In this case, I also liked that he was comfortable with technology. At this point, we are all well past our first century, so we need…young blood. Montague is a part of our brotherhood now. He knows it. He feels the call, but he resists. I don’t have time to fuck around with him. So…maybe we’ll fuck around with one of his friends until he succumbs to the inevitable.”

  I would certainly be lying if I said a part of me wasn’t terrified. I had spent my life training for moments like this, and hearing my parents and their friends tell stories about terrifying encounters with sinistrals. But I was all too aware that my life had also been protected thus far. I never had to come face to face with century-old beings with well-honed powers of speed, strength, persuasion and god knows what else.

  “You think you can just kidnap one of Montague’s friends and he’ll give up his whole life to join your ‘brotherhood’? He already has a brotherhood. Do you want someone to join you under duress?”

  “I gave him the gift of immortality,” Rayner said. “Right now, I can just imagine that he’s reluctant. He’s afraid of giving up the life he’s known. But…I am very persuasive.”

  “This is a hell of a life,” said the third guy, who mostly seemed preoccupied sailing the boat and looking out at the water. He was an Asian guy, as tanned and rugged as the cowboy vampire. “But, you know, the more time that goes by, the more he will be drawn to join us.”

  “When I turned Silvus, here, he was a very reluctant warlock. But when he realized what a life was in his grasp…not the tedious, rigid life of an Ethereal warlock, but a life of travel…excitement…freedom… Has Montague told you about his memories?”

  “A little,” I said. But that was mostly a lie, because Monty didn’t talk to me much these days. I’d been pulling back, too.

  “Every century or so, it’s time to find my lady Lisbeth, once again. She dies, and Silvus finds her with his magic, and we love her until she dies again. We will travel the world to find her, and when we do, I get to take her virginity and taste her blood for the first time, all over again. We will love her until she’s spent, and when she dies, it begins all over again. It’s a very good life. Montague will be seduced by it, and you will envy him, but maybe he’ll write you letters.” Rayner laughed in an arrogant way.

  My blood ran cold. “You’ve been finding the girl you love through reincarnations? That is…very much against the rules,” I said. “For good reason.”

  “What good reason?” Rayner picked a speck of dirt out of his fingernails and flicked it away, making it clear that he didn’t expect me to say anything of worth. “I love her.”

  “She might not love you. It isn’t right to find someone and force them to go back to being someone they used to be. Monty will never help you with that.”

  “What you think is right and wrong, young Nicolescu, is of absolutely no interest to me,” Rayner said. “I am five hundred years old. To me, you’re a baby trying to grasp a toy out of my hand. I swat you away and I laugh. You don’t know anything of love and devotion. What you will soon know is how much you care about protecting your friend from what you think is right and wrong. Silvus, put him in ‘the brig’.”

  Chapter Nine

  Charlotte

  I managed to shake off the awkwardness of the interruption from Harris as we got to the beach on Anastasia Island, and proceeded to have a completely awesome evening.

  We’re talking beach, bonfire, hot dogs and ‘Smores, the moon and stars, Firian’s arms around me, and Alec wearing tight swim trunks.

  “Why?” I asked him, pointing at his bulging groin. “Why are you showing that off when we can’t touch?”

  “Who do you mean we?” Montague asked dryly.

  “I don’t mind you thinking about it, that’s for sure,” Alec said, with a little grin.

  “Whyyy though.”

  Behind me, Firian growled. “Was I not good enough? You’re not even ready for that thing.”

  “Alec’s such a fucking showoff,” Montague said, poking him with a hot dog on a stick.

  “I can’t help it,” Alec said. “It’s just there and I like to keep it secure.”

  “My boys need a house!” I said, in my best Kramer impression, which was a terrible Kramer impression, and they all looked at me like, Charlotte is doing that weird quoting thing again. None of them had a dad who defaulted to Seinfeld reruns as background noise? Okay, fine.

  It was a magical night, either way. Having stuffed ourselves with food that tasted like a campfire, with the sea air blowing through our hair, we were there pretty late. Firian, enabler that he was, found some beer in a cooler on the boat, and we sat around getting buzzed.

  “I wish we could just stay here forever,” I said. “This is what college should be like.”

  “Very educational,” Firian said.

  “Confession time,” I said. “What’s your biggest fear about sophomore year?”

  “Fear isn’t my style,” Alec said.

  Montague scoffed. “Yeah, right. I know what your biggest fear is and you must really be feeling it now. You’re afraid you’re going to take after your mom and lose control when you finally have sex with someone.”

  “I’ve had sex with my familiar, like I just confessed.”

  “That doesn’t count.”

  “You want to say that again?” Firian said coolly.

  “Uh, I mean…it doesn’t count for Alec because he grew up with his familiar. You two are a special exception.”

  “What do you mean, lose control?” I asked.

  “It’s just that…you know…incubi and succubi…once they have sex they’re already thinking about the next time they can get some. It’s their whole reason for existing. I just want to be more than that. My dad blames himself for the fact I exist. Why are we even talking about this?”

  “The spell that keeps you from touching me…it’s not just something they forced on you, is it?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I need to stay controlled. I didn’t want to be near…any women.” He leveled his smoldering reddish eyes at me and he looked like he wanted to tear my biki
ni to shreds right then and there. “This is my decision.”

  “Fine by me,” Firian said, giving me a naughty glance. “I’m still wondering how this one girl is going to keep all of us busy.”

  I wasn’t wondering. My body was already ready to experiment further and maybe without interruptions this time. “Is that your biggest fear?” I asked him.

  “My biggest fear is that something will take me away from you,” he said.

  “Why did you bring up such a depressing topic?” Montague asked. He looked toward the ocean. “I think mine goes without saying.”

  “I didn’t mean to be depressing. It actually makes me feel better to be reminded that you’re all afraid of things,” I said. “I’m extremely excited to go back to Merlin College except…sometimes…I’m not. Like, my favorite part is just being with you three. If we could just hang out on the beach instead, I’d be okay with that. I just don’t want to admit that I’m scared. I want to be a badass witch and save my mom, but then it’s like…can I just hide under a blanket? I feel bad to admit it. I owe it to my dad to help her, and I also owe it to him not to die.”

  “Damn, Char. You have too much on your shoulders,” Alec said. “You had a hell of a year. Badass witches still get scared.”

  “Master Blair is scared,” Montague said. “He got you into this mess and then he freaked out and tried to ban you from it. But you’re still going for it. Being scared is just smart. Self-preservation.”

  “Yeah…” I sniffed. “You guys are so sweet. I don’t know why I’m getting so sentimental. I guess it’s the beer talking.”

  “I guess it’s a good time to mention that I conjured the beer and it’s non-alcoholic,” Firian said.

  “What?” I stared at my empty bottle. “But I feel so…”

  “I’m kidding,” he said. “You think of all the things I could conjure I would give you Corona?”

  “Right,” I said. “You hang out with my dad.”

  “Craft beer or bust.”

  In the morning, I woke up vowing to tackle the witch college. I pondered my wardrobe a second but my hand kept moving back to the Versace jumpsuit.

  Dare I? This is so not me.

  But witches are always so much more polished than I am. Maybe Daisy was right that I need to know I can pull this off.

  I pulled the legs on and slipped the straps over my shoulders, then cinched the belt tight enough to contain my bit of stomach flab. Ooh. The cut was actually surprisingly flattering. Like, if glamoured up my hair a bit I looked like someone else. Someone who could confidently stroll the sidewalks of a big city and go from an office meeting to a cocktail party with ease, a mythical concern I had heard tell of in Project Runway episodes.

  Daisy! Girl, you are so right. That finishing school can’t finish me because I am already DONE.

  I sauntered out onto the balcony and spread my arms across it, trying to look awesome, with the private hope that Harris would be out there spying and look up and see me and like, lower his sunglasses.

  The courtyard between houses was completely empty.

  Hmph. Damn.

  I was surprised, actually. I mean, last night the guy was so nosy that he had to bust in on the tail end of my first boy induced orgasm, and this morning he couldn’t even be arsed to be present to see me looking composed and awesome?

  Where was he, anyway?

  Oh, well. I wasn’t going to keep thinking about it. I had places to be.

  Chapter Ten

  Harris

  The vampires tied me to a chair and then they all went above deck to discuss what to do with me, or so I assumed. I wasn’t too worried. They wouldn’t hurt me, obviously. I was just a bargaining chip, so this was more humiliating than dangerous.

  Or so I assumed.

  I suppose I didn’t hang out with enough real vampires, and so I had failed to realize the extent to which they were hungry assholes.

  At some point, just as I was getting very tired of captivity and pondering what spell would be best to get out of it, all four of them came downstairs into the gloomy cabin where they had put me.

  “I will untie your hands now,” Rayner said, with one arched brow. “But if you try to fight us, please note the ratio you are dealing with. One of you, four of us. You’re a mere boy and we are men.”

  I wondered how to argue with that. I could have spouted some threats about the wrath of my family, but I wanted to stand on my own two feet. There was no denying that I wasn’t a hundred plus years old.

  “Here is what I want you to do,” Rayner continued, handing me a piece of paper as I rubbed the numbness out of my hands. “I have written a letter outlining what I want from him. Copy the letter into your own hand and style. Bear in mind, Montague will join us either way, but I just need to expedite the process.”

  Dear Montague,

  While staying here in St. Augustine, I encountered your sire and his brotherhood. They are desperately seeking you to join them. You were chosen. Rather than trying to run, as your friend, I encourage you to embrace your destiny. While the world of warlocks is deeply oppressive, the life of a vampire is quite pleasurable. Your talents with using a cell phone and wi-fi and driving an automobile would be appreciated instead of frowned upon, and your natural charm will lead you to a welcome place in this brotherhood.

  Indeed, you should use these skills to help your sire, Rayner, to locate his beloved maiden Lisbeth. In exchange for doing so, you will be rewarded with a place in this brotherhood alongside the loyal Jie, Thom and Silvus. These four men will protect you no matter what trials you may face, and stand by you as your new brothers, and you will share in the love of our most precious thrall, Lisbeth, protecting her and tasting her across all her many lives as you travel the world.

  You might be tempted to resist such a dramatic change to your course, but I urge you to embrace it. There is nothing in the warlock world that can offer such a life.

  I looked up incredulously. “I can’t write him a letter that says anything like this. Monty is not going to join your brotherhood.”

  “There’s no use in clinging to him,” Rayner said. “Once Thom bit him, he became one of us. You’re postponing the inevitable. Before long, you will be getting older, and he’ll still be young—and increasingly hungry for a different life.”

  “I’m not selling out my friend to vampires.” I met his eyes—but only briefly, since I knew he could try to compel me. The room grew tense and I knew I might have to fight.

  Still, I didn’t think they would hurt me.

  Rayner grabbed my arm. “I’ll bet your young blood is quite tasty.”

  “If you hurt me—”

  “What will happen?” Rayner asked. “Are you going to tell your mama and papa? The big bad council?” His eyes hooded. “Let me tell you something…I’ve had many dealings with the council. They know who I am and what I want, and all I want is Lisbeth—something they are more than willing to look the other way on, because I help them with some other problems now and then and they don’t give two shits if I want to find some random human girl. Your council doesn’t want Montague around anyway. They don’t want vampires in warlock society. If he joins us, it will come as a relief.”

  This hit me hard. Damn it. That’s probably true.

  “You can’t just threaten me for my loyalty,” I said. “Some of my ancestors have died rather than giving in to a Sinistral’s demands.”

  “If you’re prepared to do the same, I’ll be impressed,” Rayner said.

  “Montague is my best friend,” I said, my voice tight, even as something inside me knew that I had turned my back on my friends. Montague wasn’t really my best friend anymore. I really had nothing to gain from protecting him. In fact, I had this bad feeling that if my parents could see me now, they would tell me to just give him up.

  But I still felt like I could never write that letter.

  “Let’s see how you feel after you’ve been awakened to the real danger you’re in.” Rayner shot a look
at the other three and they all moved closer.

  I had one shot to cast a spell. It would have to be something fast acting. Fire would be the most potent but it could also burn the ship with me trapped inside it if it went wrong, so I went for one of the family spells: holy light.

  The dim cabin suddenly filled with a soft, gentle glow, with vague human forms floating around the room. It looked like women kissing the vampires’ brows but they were actually a type of Ethereal. To the vampires it was like a blast of pure sunshine that whatever protective spells they had couldn’t repel. Rayner was forced back, squinting and trying to wave the holy beings away from his face, and the rest of them cursed at their similar state. I bolted for the door, shooting off another wave of holy light to keep them off my back before I grabbed the handle.

  I tore up the narrow, steep stairs to the deck of the boat. Anastasia Island was off in the distance now. What realm am I in? I wasn’t even sure if I was in the parallel, or regular old America.

  Deep down, I knew I was pretty screwed. Now I had four angry vampires and no easy way to escape.

  Still, I had to try. I dove into the water and started swimming for the island. The result was predictable. The vampires, who were all faster and stronger than me by nature, dove in after me.

  Breathing hard, I stroked toward the island, attempting some water spells to turn the currents against them.

  Jie managed to get his arms around me. Rayner helped him wrestle me back onto the boat. I struggled all the way until I accidentally inhaled sea water and came up choking.

  Jie patted my back. “You’re all right.”

  “I’m all right?” I caught my breath. “Do what you’re gonna do, then. I’m not throwing Monty under the bus.”