Page 55 of Secrets of the Eternal Flame

I let myself take comfort in his arms then I continued. ‘She … she took control of the vampires. Their eyes went black and their movements were jerky, like they were puppets on a string. But that didn’t stop them attacking Chief Inspector Magill or Mrs Siracuse, the head of the Night Moon coven. They killed Jimmy Fells, a werewolf shifter who was barely eighteen. Mum used her wand, called on the Eternal Flame and sent fire towards my grandmother, but she countered it somehow with black flames of her own.’

Ernie’s jaw dropped. ‘Souls,’ he murmured, horrified. ‘Stolen souls used to fuel her spells.’

I didn’t need to ask how she’d collected the souls in the first place; I knew the answer.

‘And that’s when she summoned a demon.’ I shook my head, remembering my despair. ‘She—’

I broke off as another sob rose in my throat. This:thismoment was the one that haunted me most. ‘She didn’t bind the demon to anyone, she ripped it from the demon dimension and let it loose. Dad tried everything – binding spells, wards – but nothing held it back. All the while, Bleakman was still controlling the vampires, making them attack. If any of them wanted to survive, they had to kill one of us.’

‘Dad yelled at Mum, “We have to contain it. It needs a vessel then it can be killed!” My mum screamed at him, told him no, but he did it anyway. He summoned the demon into his own body and then begged Mum to kill it – and him.’

I had to stop then, had to stop speaking and cry my heart out. God, I’d tried so hard to forget the moment when Mum had used her athame on my dad’s throat.

‘It was quick. He told her to do it and that he loved her. He held the demon in check but the effort to restrain it was visible. And Mum … she killed Dad quickly.’

She’d cried so hard as she’d drawn the blade across his throat – and then fury had consumed her.

I scrubbed at my cheeks and tried to calm down enough to finish the story. ‘Mum faced down my grandmotherand used all her rage to slam her into the barrier. Mum poured the Eternal Flame into her but she’d drawn too much of the Flame, way more than she’d ever done before. It consumed her, burning her from the inside out.

‘When she finally lowered her hands, Bleakman had disappeared and the purple vines binding me had gone too. I ran over to Mum as she collapsed and she gripped my hand. She said, “Trust what it takes.” And then she died.’

I took some deep breaths. ‘Chief Inspector Magill, Mrs Siracuse, Jimmy Fells and the three vampires my grandmother had possessed all died. Eight people died to protect me. People who fought for their sects, for me. People who didn’t even know me died for me.’

‘I’m so sorry, Beatrix,’ Ernie said, unashamed of the tears pouring down his cheeks.

I nodded. ‘Me too.’

Silence fell, a silence full of pain and hurt, as we all tried to process the darkest moment of my life.

When I’d found a demon the day I’d met Eva, it had made me panic and I’d flung the strongest potion Maddie had ever made at it. The demon had been in a vessel so it was weaker, and thankfully it had been sent right back to another realm. If only Mum had had a potion like that. The thought haunted me.

‘Just one more question, Beatrix,’ Ernie said. ‘Your grandmother’s body wasn’t found but was there smoke when she disappeared?’

‘Yes, and scorched earth where she’d been standing.’

‘What colour was the smoke?’

‘It was a purpley-grey.’

‘Purpley-grey smoke? You’re sure? You’re sure it wasn’t red?’

‘No, not red,’ I said.

I could feel the tension rolling from Ernie’s body. He sighed. ‘Then your vampire friend was right. Dahlia is still very much alive.’

Chapter Thirty-Four

My legs were trembling so badly I could barely stand up, but I needed to. I couldn’t sit there doing nothing; I needed to act. ‘I have to tell Yanni,’ I said. ‘She can put out an alert, see if there’s any sign of her in the village.’

If my grandmother was alive and she was in the village, we were all in danger – especially with the Flame on the fritz. My God, what if it had disappeared because ofher?

I had no idea if Dahlia could get through the enhanced wards, but I would put nothing past her. Urgency gripped me and I moved towards the door, but Ernie was quick on his feet – way quicker than I would have expected.

‘You can’t go. Please, Beatrix, think this through. It’s not safe for you to leave.’

‘What do you expect me to do?’ I stared at him, bewildered. ‘Just sit here and do nothing?’

‘I would like that very much,’ Ernie said. ‘I would like you to sit here where I can protect you. I’ll strengthen all the wards so she can never get to you or me again.’

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