Page 15 of Castings & Curses

The Verenimijä leaned into her, fresh tears running down her face. She stumbled along, not even flinching at the sight of Jan and his sword. Lucille doubted Hanne had even noticed him.

“Mikaela has been kidnapped?” she asked once she’d helped Hanne into a chair. While she rubbed Hanne’s back, Fabian came through with tissues.

Hanne grabbed a tissue and cleared her nose before dabbing her cheeks. “Last night, I searched him out and fought him. He fled, and now I can’t reach Mikaela. He won’t let me talk to her.”

“He?” Lucille asked. “Who’s he?”

“The Verenimijä the community sent to find us. I should’ve gone as soon as I saw the head, but Mika…” New sobs ravaged her throat. “I didn’t want to endanger her, but I also didn’t want to leave her. When you said, there was a chance…”

“So, this really wasn’t your head?” Jan asked, still sceptical about the whole thing.

Hanne shook her head, blinked, and took a few deep breaths. “I told you it was meant as a threat. It was likely the head of another traitor he’d found.” Her brief composure crumbled again. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t let him hurt Mika.”

“We’re going to save her, of course!” Fabian promised without hesitation.

Lucille could’ve kissed him. For all the cowardice he displayed when it came to facing monsters, he was always the first to save a friend.

“What if she just isn’t picking up the phone?” Jan asked, not nearly as enthusiastic. “Not everybody is happy to be a vampire’s girlfriend.”

“But Mika was happy with Hanne,” Lucille snapped, having reached the end of her rope with Jan’s attitude. “Sure, they have to clear up some things, but that’s not such an issue that Mikaela would simply break off all contact with her and us.” Unless Mikaela was truly done and no longer appreciated their meddling.

Hanne whimpered but pulled herself together for Mikaela’s sake. “It was her blood on the window. I know her smell.”

“How romantic,” Jan spat.

“We will find her,” Lucille promised, ignoring Jan.

Hanne burst into tears. “If he hurts her, she’ll never forgive me. I will never forgive myself.” She hid her face in her hands and let the sobs ravage her body.

Lucille exchanged a concerned glance with Fabian, feeling nothing but pity for the vampire. Even Jan had given up his aggressive stance and lowered the sword.

After five hundred years, it was all supposed to be over today? No, Lucille wasn’t going to allow it. This vampire hunter would have to answer to her.

Just then, a phone rang. Since neither Fabian nor Jan reached for theirs and it wasn’t Lucille’s phone, it must have been Hanne’s. Her eyes widened, and her skin paled. She reached for the phone and took a shaky breath. “It’s Mikaela.”

“Go, take it!” Lucille urged her.

With shaking hands, Hanne pressed the button. “Mika?”

Whatever reply she received made her swallow heavily, her eyes widening further. Then she whispered, “Aricin.” Unable to support the phone, Hanne let it fall on the table. With a shaking finger, she pushed the loudspeaker.

“Hello, dear,” the voice belonged to a male, the rasp in his voice causing goosebumps on Lucille’s skin. “You took me on quite the journey.”

“What are you planning to do with Mikaela?”

Lucille was proud of Hanne for asking the important questions.

The guy on the other side answered in a slow drawl, “Oh, Mika and I are becoming fast friends.” There was a break. “I think she wants to talk to you in person. Why don’t you come over and we can get it all done with?”

Hanne swallowed again. “Where are you?”

“I’ll text you the address.” And just as suddenly, the call broke off. Hanne shuddered, once more struggling with tears.

The phone buzzed with an incoming text. Jan raised his sword again. “Well, that saves us some time. Let’s chop off one vampire head, at least.”

FABIAN

As much asFabian hated having to fight monsters once more, he wasn’t attempting to get out of it. In his heart, he’d already known that summer was about to be over, and other than last year, he didn’t actually mind the monsters too much. Or rather, he minded a lot, which was why he would do everything in his power to defend his hometown and the people he cared for.

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