Page 37 of Fanged Interest

A trickle of blood ebbed from the corner of the vampire’s mouth, his words ravaged with pain and anguish as he gasped, “I’ll kill you. Not here, not now. But soon. I’ll be coming for you, Sky Vincent.”

Before I could react further, he vanished into thin air. The rake hit the dirt with a thud, leaving behind a boiling pool of blood and the mangled gardening tool, the metal pole bent to the shape of the vampire’s fingers.

Breathless, and trembling, I climbed to my feet. To my utmost surprise, I had survived the encounter, albeit by a stroke of luck and quick thinking. The adrenaline gradually subsided, leaving my body feeling drained and my heart vulnerable. My gaze fell on the garden rake, the spikes stained with the vampire’s blood, a testament to my unexpected triumph over the supernatural threat.

But the danger was not completely eradicated. The encounter had shattered the illusion of safety I had once felt in the confines of the homestead. The intrusion of darkness had tainted this sanctuary, leaving an indelible mark on my psyche. None of us were safe, not me, not Jordan, and especially not the twins. Jeremy knew of their existence now, I was sure of it. I was unsure of the consequences of that fact, but I had no doubt they would be terrible.

I took a steadying breath and slowly backed away from the shed, eyes darting around wildly, searching for any sign of the vampire’s return. Shadows seemed to dance and whisper in the corners of my eyes, and every rustle of leaves made my heart skip a beat. Steeling myself with a deep breath, I calmed my nerves. I had escaped death for the time being.

But there was still much to be done. I would not let that monster hurt the twins. I would not let him hurt me to get to Jordan. And I’d be damned if I ever let him hurt a hair on her head. I decided then and there, when it came to monsters like that man I would never let my guard down again.

Summoning what was left of my strength, I turned away from the shed, leaving the scene of the battle behind me. Seeing the discarded straw hat near the building I felt a pang of sadness in my chest. Whatever Jeremy had done to the real Elijah, it couldn’t have been pleasant. We would have to track him down when we had the chance. Whatever was left of him, at least.

The echoes of the vampire’s screams still resonated in my mind, a chilling promise of death.

Stepping back into the dimly lit house, the once comfortable atmosphere seemed tainted. Danger had crept into our peaceful holding, and now the very walls felt unwelcoming and ominous. In the kitchen, the twins looked up from their dinner of scrambled eggs, erupting into giggles at the sight of my muddy appearance. My chest tightened at the sight of them. They were safe, for now.

Behind them, Sigrid straightened up, a flash of genuine concern in those dark eyes. “What happened? You carry a dangerous scent with you.”

“I ran into an old friend of yours,” I mumbled, too exhausted to bother with niceties. “Sit down, we need to talk.”

While I filled the older vampiress in on what had just happened, I was forming my own resolutions in the back of my mind.

I wanted to learn the ways of the supernatural, to arm myself with knowledge and resources, and fight for the ones I loved. The new family that had once been my solace would now become a fortress, and I would defend it with every ounce of my being.

Chapter 17

JORDAN

Iawoketotheclicking keys of Sky’s laptop, motoring at such a velocity I was surprised her fingers didn’t fly right off. Blinking in the lamplight, I sat upright in bed, the static causing my tousled hair to stand on end.

“Whatyoudoing?” Through bleary eyes I could just make out Sky’s hunched figure, poring over her laptop at the end of the bed.

“Tracking down a potential ally.” Sky readjusted her reading glasses, her eyes glued to the glowing screen. “We need all the help we can get if we want to stand a chance against Jeremy.”

It had been days since Sky had called me back to the estate, but she hadn’t let herself rest since.

I was horrified to learn that Sky was almost hurt, and furious with myself to have played right into Jeremy’s hands. It was alarming to know just how close he had gotten to us.

After all of that, however, I still couldn’t understand Jeremy’s scheme. He had multiple chances to attack Sky, me, or the twins. The wards prevented him from entering the house, but it would have been easy enough to catch someone in the garden. From what Sky told me, Jeremy only decided to attack her after she deduced who he was.

This shape-shifting ability of his was also news to me. Sky had relayed the story in chilling detail, describing it as some kind of mental misdirection on his part. This wasn’t an ability he had previously. The disappearing act was another unexplainable phenomenon.

Jeremy’s new powers might have meant that he was making deals with shadier beings, shadow creatures that not even the cruelest vampires would associate with. Which did not bode well for us.

Rubbing my eyes, I glanced at the alarm clock next to the bed. “It’s two o’clock in the morning. Why are you still awake?”

“Because I found a lead.” Sky turned the laptop screen my way. “Her name is Ursula Zippel.”

I squinted at the image on the screen. “Okay… Who is Ursula Zippel? Because she looks like a teenage influencer.”

Ursula was a small, dark-haired woman with a scowl on her face and far too many cats by the look of her Facebook page.

Sky nervously twisted the fabric of her pajamas. “She’s a witch.”

My eyes bulged in my head. “This is a bad idea and you know it. The witches of Manhattan hate vampires. I can’t exactly knock on her door and ask her to fight for us, she’d sooner kill me on the spot.”

“This one might be a little more inclined to help,” Sky insisted, scrolling through the woman’s Facebook page to point out another picture. The picture was posted three years ago. The caption revealed that this was Ursula’s older sister, paying a visit from her home in the country.

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