Page 28 of Fallen Angel

Callan sat at the table and looked straight at Hannah. “Yes,” he said without hesitation. “Without feeding, he shan’t survive.”

“So, I guess there is a fourth way to kill a Vampire.”

“Had I a wooden stake or such strength to rip his head from his body, I would have. ’Twould have been hastier than sentencing him to starve to death.” Hannah could feel him observing her defeated demeanor. “Had I not, he would have killed many people, Hannah. I pray you understand that.”

“I do,” she whispered.

“Condemning the boy to death was not something I took joy in.”

“I know.” A heavy silence grew between them. Callan appeared on-edge, waiting for Hannah to say something. When Hannah finally opened her mouth, he sat up straight, ready to listen.

“How did I knock him off the cliff?” she asked. “I’ve felt that kind of spark before, but nothing like that.”

“You may never have been in such danger before. Your magic is loyal to you. You do not yet know how to wield it, therefore it instinctively protected you.”

“I was in danger like that before. I was supposed to drown with my parents the night of my sixteenth birthday. I’m guessing I survived because of my magic?”

Callan nodded.

She stood up and paced through the enclosed space below deck. “If I had it my way, I would have died with them that night.”

“Do not speak such things,” Callan interjected.

Hannah raised her hand for him to stop. “Obviously, that wasn’t what was meant to be,” she said.

Despite Hannah’s previous exploration into the supernatural, she had never been one to believe in destiny or fate. Now that she knew what she knew, however, who was she to claim that it didn’t exist? “Even though this magic is a part of me, it’s still a complete stranger. I’m a part of an entire story that I haven’t read.” She bit down on her lip and continued pacing as she gathered her thoughts.

Callan watched her pace back and forth with concern, anxiously tapping his foot. “Maybe I should not have dragged you into this endeavor,” he said.

Hannah stopped and looked at him with disbelief.

“You released me from the cave, I know,” he said, “but that should have been the end of it. I was treating you as I would have treated Raven. I was simply happy to have you—her—back. She was raised to understand magic—had knowledge of this world.”

Callan shook his head back and forth before rising to his feet. He stood only inches from Hannah. “Even then, I failed to protect her. In truth, she protected me.” He paused and looked as though he was reminiscing on a fond memory that turned sour. “You cannot be here with me, Hannah.” His brows furrowed and his eyes filled with anguish. He turned away. “I shall destroy the grimoire. I beg you to flee far away from here—from me.”

“Don’t do that,” Hannah said. She put her hand against his firm jaw and gently guided his face back toward hers. “You made me a promise,” she said.

“That was before I knew the danger I had put you in.”

“I’ve made my choice,” Hannah said and kept her gaze tight on Callan’s bright green eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. And it’s time you follow through with your promise to answer my questions.”

Callan hesitated. “Fine. However, you must make me a promise in turn.” Hannah waited, considering his proposal, then nodded for him to continue. “If anything should go awry, you must promise that you shan’t try and save me.”

Hannah knew that she couldn’t make that promise. Everything about Callan was comforting and alarming and soothing and invigorating. He was not compelling her to feel this way. She was choosing to be here with him, and that included sticking together if anything went wrong. So, if making a false promise got her closer to the truth, then so be it.

“Fine,” she said, crossing her arms, never pulling her eyes away from his.

“Say the words.”

“I promise.”

Callan took a deep breath and then sighed with relief. He sat back down and weakly smiled at Hannah. “Prithee,” he said. “Ask your questions.”

“I think there is a better way to get my answers than simply asking,” she said.

Hannah unzipped her bag and pulled out Mara’s grimoire. She placed it on the table in front of Callan, careful to not leave her hands connected with it for too long.

“I want to use the memory spell.”

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