[book two]
Sophie Brooks is cursed. The spirit of a very ancient, very angry vampire dwells within her and is fighting to break free. As she and her friends struggle to re-open Redstone Academy and allow entry to all of the supernatural creatures, b...
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PANIC SURGED THROUGH Sophie as Finn lifted his hands toward her.
A bright flash of light exploded from the center of his palms. It shot outward and expanded around them, enveloping them both in blindingly bright light.
"What the hell?" Sophie heard herself ask. Her eyes widened as she looked around. The glowing light dimmed, revealing a thin wall of transparent ink that had formed around them, creating a thin barrier. The Revenants that surrounded them lunged. Bony, claw-like fingers scratched at the barrier, unable to penetrate the shadowy wall.
"It's an ancient technique," Finn told her. "I learned it from an old, blood thirsty priest from the Dark Ages. I won't bother explaining it — it would be too much for your incompetent mind to comprehend."
Sophie reached out, her fingertips brushing the barrier. Despite the swirling shadow-like appearance, it felt solid to her touch. A frown tugged at her features. The barrier confused her. It seemed to almost be made of magic, like from a fantasy show. Though part of her wasn't that surprised at the possibility. She did have a night-light for a scar wrapped around her throat.
Behind her, Finn started to move around. He snatched a thin, leather-bound notebook from atop one of the barrels.
She ignored Finn and focused on the barrier for a moment. For a split-second, her fingertips almost appeared to ghost through the barrier. Her eyes widened and she retracted her hand. Her gaze returned to Finn.
Finn seemed oblivious.
His gaze remained focused on the pages open in front of him. "This should be relatively quick and painless for you," he told her. He paused for a moment, a small crease forming between his brows. "Once you're dead, Caius's blood will take over."
Behind the barrier, the Revenants clawed desperately at Sophie. A symphony of ear-splitting shrieks and angry hisses echoed around her. Her lips pressed together into a firm line as she watched Finn take a step forward. He balanced the book in one palm. His free hand lifted toward her.
He hesitated.
It was time to switch tactics again.
"Do you really want me dead?" she asked him. Her voice was gentle. Her gaze refocused on the Revenants around them. From their crazed movements, it was obvious that Finn had no control over them — at least not while the barrier was in place.
Finn's entire body froze. His eyes snapped upward, narrowing at her with suspicion. "Of course, I do," he snapped. "You're nothing more than an insignificant vessel. Soon I'll have my best friend back and we'll take over this stupid planet."
Sophie stared at him for a moment, a cheeky smile tugging at her lips. "That's simply not true," she said. "I can tell that you've fallen for me. Are you sure that you want me dead?"
He grunted in annoyance. "You're an interesting specimen, I'll admit."
She watched warily as he took another step toward her. The book in his hands snapped shut and he tossed it aside. "Somehow, you are able to destroy everything that Caius had created in a matter of weeks. Centuries of work and experimentation obliterated," he said. "You're also a direct descendant of one of the original vampires. Few others will your prowess exist in this world. It is indeed a shame that you'll have to be killed."
His expression darkened. He smiled at her kindly. "Make no mistake. I may find you fascinating," he concluded, "but I'm confident that I will be able to kill you."
"I'm not so sure about that," she laughed.
Her eyes met his. A stoic mask hid his emotions, but his eyes revealed everything.
"These last few weeks have been fun, haven't they?" Her fingertips brushed along the barrier again. Hungry-eyed Revenants followed her motions. "Working so hard to remain undetected, to experiment on the students and create these poor creatures. It was a challenge for you. Living a double life like that. You stayed so close to me, always having to think one step ahead."
Another gentle laugh escaped her.
"Do you really think that you'll be happy without me?" she asked him. Her voice was icy cold. "Because I think you'll be bored out of your mind."
"Shut up," he barked at her.
Her wicked smile grew tenfold. "The next step is to kill me, right?" she questioned. Her fingers danced across the barrier, toying with the Revenants. Outraged shrieks filled the air. "Then why did you create this barrier? The Revenants would kill me quickly."
He didn't respond.
"You can't really control them. Can you? At least not for long periods of time."
"The Revenants won't kill me," Finn warned her. "They are drawn to you because of that curse mark. The moment that this barrier is dissolved, they are going to rip you to shreds."
She shifted her gaze back to him, basking in the blatant confusion and suspicion that swam within his irises. Her eyebrow arched. "Do it then," she challenged him.
A sliver of surprise flitted through his expression — followed swiftly by a hard mask of skepticism.
Another mischievous smile slowly crept across her face. She tilted her head at him. "Go on," she coaxed. "Dissolve the barrier. Once I'm dead, you can use what's left of my body to resurrect my uncle, right?"
"Right," Finn responded. Uncertainty dripped heavily from the word, creating a tangible tension between them. He seemed frozen in place, making no moves to break the barrier.
"I'm waiting." Her voice was soft.
Minutes of silence passed between them — only broken by the incessant scratching sounds and frustrated shrieks that came from the Revenants. Sophie's smile grew larger and a low laugh bristled past her lips. Anger twisted Finn's face, contorting his expression and staining his skin bright red.
"Admit it," Sophie taunted. "You wouldn't know what to do with yourself if I died. Nor do you really want my uncle to return."
His eyes widened. She crossed her arms over her chest and laughed at him. "I mean, really. If he returned, you'd just go back to being second best. A mere shadow of my uncle," she told him.
"Shut up!" Finn shouted. His hands clenched into tight fists, glowing brightly. He started walking toward her, glaring intently. "You have no idea what you're saying, you stupid wench."
Anxiety swelled within her stomach. It took all of her strength to keep the emotions from playing across her face. Her fingertips brushed the barrier again. This time, her nails pierced through.
Sophie sucked in a deep breath.
There were only two things that could potentially happen once she stepped outside the barrier. One, Finn would rush to save her and unintentionally confirm everything that she'd said. Or two, the Revenants would tear her limb from limb, resulting in a painful grisly death.
Either way, she had to do something. She refused to just stand there and let Finn kill her.
A thought briefly came to the forefront of her mind. It caused her heart to ache. Someone would eventually find her body — if it wasn't being controlled by Finn or her crazy uncle. Tears swelled at the corners of her eyes as she thought of Eli seeing her like that. It would utterly destroy him.
"I'm so sorry, Eli," she said softly, the words a breathless whisper. She could only hope that the words reached her cellphone — that someone was even listening on the other end.
Finn was now only a few steps away from her and moving faster. Time was up.
Sophie cleared her mind and concentrated. Her hand pressed flat against the barrier. In front of her, the Revenants scratched harder. Their shrieks echoed throughout the mineshaft.
"What are you doing?" Finn cried out.
She pushed. The scarred skin around the base of her throat burned, glowing brightly. Her hand slipped through the barrier, followed by her arm and her right foot. Claws lunged at her.
