Page 62 of Stalked

Everything went black after that, and my eyes popped back open.

I started coughing as if the noose was still around my neck. Caleb held on to me, comforting me as I trembled. I looked up, and his face was painted in horror and sadness. “Mercy, are you okay?”

“You … you weren’t my last kiss,” I whispered, feeling Caleb’s arms slip from my body, pulling back until we no longer touched.

He remained silent.

“Dorian,” I said, watching Caleb’s eyes dim. “Where is he?”

Caleb now sighed heavily because he knew. He knew I saw the last secret he wanted to keep from me.

“He’s a vampire, Mercy,” he said. “You fell in love with the very thing you were sent here to kill.”

“Where. Is. He?!”

Caleb swallowed; his lips set in a hard line. He wasn’t angry; he almost appeared defeated.

“He attacked the coven the night you were hanged. Simon was forced to kill him.”

My heart hammered in my chest.No!

“That can’t be true.” A lone tear fell down my face. “Dorian was kind. He loved me. In that vision—the last moments before I died—I didn’t just see things; I felt them, including how I felt about Dorian. I knew what kind of man he was.”

“He was a vampire, Mercy. He wasn’t aman.”

I recoiled at his comment because I knew in my heart that it wasn’t true. “There are good vampires out there, Caleb. I never felt threatened by Dorian. But you, you made me believe that you and I loved each other until I died. No. I had moved on and found true love. Fromhim.”

“As I said, he attacked us,” Caleb said bitterly. “Dorian was angry at himself for letting you go, and he wanted to die to punish himself. He provoked Simon so he would end his life. Our mission is to kill vampires, Mercy. We didn’t have a choice.”

Caleb lifted the dagger he held, and I winced as he slit the center of my hand. “Does any of this change your mind?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No.” Another tear ran down my cheek, but I wiped it quickly with the sleeve of my sweater.

“The Awakening will happen in thirty seconds. The blood needs to be drawn at that very moment to link your powers with the covens. It’s going to bind you to us.”

I had to push back the pain from the betrayal and the knowledge I now had that the man from my dreams would never be mine again. He was gone.

Caleb wrapped his fingers delicately around my palm. “Sorry, this will sting just a tad.” He squeezed the skin around the wound, and blood dripped down to the center of the circle.

My ascension was happening, and it was happening now.

He squeezed my hand, urging the blood to flow freely as he chanted again. My blood dripped to the floor, and we both looked down as he released my hand. Blood swirled around like a vortex forming from the pentagram and wrapped around my body. I felt warm, and then increasingly hot. It was like my body was melting, but at the same time, the heat was comforting and pleasurable. I closed my eyes as the red mist wrapped around and swarmed my body. A massive burst of energy flooded through my chest, and I fell to the floor. The moment was brief, but my body felt like it had been running for hours. The blood dissipated all around me, and I felt like my entire body was about to explode. It wasn’t painful, just overwhelming. Every inch of my body burned as the magic settled itself into me.

I flinched as Caleb laid his hand on my overheated skin. His touch was icy, and I could barely focus on the string of words coming out of his mouth. Every part of my body felt like it was being ripped apart. I screamed in sudden agony as I dropped to the floor, digging my nails into the wood to take away some of the pain from my mind. The energy was like a wave, crashing hard over and over against the rocks on a shore. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed my stomach. The cold metal under my skin made me nauseous. I forced my eyes open, seeing Caleb’s hand on the dagger as it pierced right into my gut. I knew he wasn’t trying to kill me?—it was part of the immortal ritual?—but it still hurt like hell. I refused to scream again, absorbing the pain shooting through every cell of my body. As soon as the dagger was removed, I felt my skin knit back together.

It’s over.

My eyes rolled back into my head, darkness blanketing the pain. I felt myself go limp and land on the ground. Slowly, the pain subsided, and I opened my eyes and sat up. I rubbed the area where the stab wound should have been and looked at Caleb.

“Is that it?” I asked nervously, not wanting to endure that level of pain again. “Is it done now?”

“That’s it,” he said, gently helping me to stand. We both stood up from the circle. I felt a little disoriented, but overall, I still felt like the same person.

No, I feel better than before. I feel strong.

“What now?” I asked.

But before he could answer, we heard the elevator ping. We quickly turned around as Abigail emerged from the shadows. “Thank you, little nephew.” Her grin was sinister, and it made my skin crawl.

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