Where A Witch Goeth

Chapter Eleven: Where Fate Begins

Three things happened all at once.

My hands were jerked from Evander's neck—and my arms were nearly jerked free from their sockets--by Ace and a vampire that could only be Ace Junior.

A slight, older, wiry vampire forced himself between Evander and me. There was no need for his intervention because of the third thing—or rather, the first thing—that had happened:

Before any of the three vampires had stepped in, Evander had already changed his mind about killing me. The instant he bit down, he'd gasped, stilled, and released me—much more delicately than he'd attacked.

Now he was completely ignoring the slight vampire holding him off as he smeared a drop of blood on his lips. He looked shocked, in the same way, Abraham had looked shocked when he had tasted my blood. All the color he had gained by feeding on the goblin drained from his face, and I didn't think it had anything to do with his vampiric curse.

"What in the name of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are ya, woman?" he exclaimed.

"I'm your worse fucking nightmare because you bit me, you evil, bloody bastard! I will curse you to hell and back!" I yelled, struggling against the two vampires that were very nearly pulling me apart. "Get off me!" I yelled at them, digging my venomous nails into their wrists and stinging them.

"Ow," Ace Junior dead-panned. He sneered at me and then changed to a falsely cheerful tone. "I'll break your fucking hand for that, and then I'll break your fucking neck for Orla."

He ripped my fingers from his wrist and squeezed. I screamed as bones ground against one another.

The speed at which Evander put twenty feet between me and Ace Junior wasn't movement my eyes couldn't follow. I was still screaming in pain when Evander threw Junior into a tree and let loose a full-throated, multi-syllable panther roar of dominance.

That noise stopped my bellowing, but not my struggling. Ace looked down at my hand, cursed, and released me. Very low in my ear, he said, "Stay still, be quiet, and try not to confuse Evander any more than you have. If my brother kills my son over you, it's going to be a very bad night for us all."

In fact, Evander and Ace's son were tussling now. Junior was clearly the bad boy of the vampires. Vigorous and muscular and lively in a way that vampires just weren't, he had a spirit of rebellious youth that the others lacked. He succeeded in shoving Evander off as he growled back. "Have you been at the shine, or are you losing your damn mysterious mind, Father Time?"

"Maybe," was all Evander said. He didn't attack the younger vampire again, but he kept a hand grasping Junior's shirt front. He looked at me, his eyes burning, his fangs tipped in my blood. He shook his head, rattled Junior a bit more, then looked at me again. Wild and confused, as if he felt compelled to stand between us and had no idea why.

He focused his attention on the poor dead girl. After some long moments of silence, he released Ace's son and moved to stand over her body.

"Orla, darling of two tribes. There's no prayer I can say for you that will be heard from the lips of a vampire. I'll leave it your father's people to give your their pagan rites, and to your mother to pray for your soul."

Despite what he said, I think he did pray in some way, for he bowed his head for a long moment. When he raised his face, it was impossibly composed, considering that his bloody fangs still showed when he spoke.

"Did anyone know that the child was here in Sanguine Springs?"

When no one answered, Evander said, "Thacker, go back to the resort and tell your father what has happened, but tell no one else. The two of you will discreetly find out why Orla happens to be here. If her mother is also here, take Eloise to my cabin, but say nothing of why. Say only that I want to speak with her. Troy, go to the cabin now. Tavish is there. He's himself again, but he should not be left alone. Play cards with him, but do not speak of this."