H Is For Human (Garlic Is For Vampires, Book 3)

Chapter 4: The Book and The Spell

Matt was standing outside Skylark's apartment building. I looked up to the window but the lights were off. Matt was alone, so that must've meant...

"Is Skylark not home?" I asked.

"He's in the Bronx right now," Matt replied, walking towards me from the front door. The streetlights highlighted his cheekbones. "He said he had to take care of some business."

That business could only be vampire related. I considered what Matt said. He could've been lying to me about Skylark not being home to avoid a confrontation. I didn't know what my mentor thought about me now, and whether or not he trusted me to begin with. Was he going to be siding with Brendon now? Brendon was already against me, and angry. It wouldn't surprise me if Skylark decided to change his alliance and feed me to the vampires since that's basically what I did. Even if I did poison a whole bunch of them.

"He's not here," Matt said. "And I want to show you something he didn't tell us about. I don't want him to know I showed you this. I would've called earlier but he hears everything."

So Matt was siding with me, or was this a trap? Either way, he had valuable information and I wanted it. I nodded and then walked up to the front of the apartment building. I opened the door and stepped inside, already making my way up the stairs to Skylark's apartment.

Matt left the door unlocked so he easily opened it. Skylark's apartment was surprisingly clean since the last time I was here. I stepped inside and looked around. Matt strode towards the sofa and picked up an old leather-bound book. He turned on the lamplight next to him and I moved closer to look at the book. He was flipping to a page written in an entirely different language. I couldn't make out anything-there weren't even any pictures. Whoever wrote this in this fancy scrawl was either foreign or on drugs. I couldn't recognize it at all...well...maybe I could...

"It's Latvian," Matt explained, sensing my confusion. "My grandpa spoke it to me when I visited Latvia. I recognize some words. Skylark clearly left it out because he didn't think I would recognize this, but he was reading it yesterday."

"What does this say?" I asked.

"It's a spell," Matt replied, pursing his lips. "At least I think it is." He skimmed over the page before finally reading. "'To poison the blood, you need to drink the blood of a werewolf to repel vampires should there be a sudden crowd surrounding the person repelling. Taking on a single vampire, however, you must allow them to drink. Their bodies will burn from the inside-out, and they will ultimately die. However, for this spell to work correctly, you must get a werewolf who has given its consent. Fail to do so and stealing the blood will poison you'."

I raised my eyes from the page and thought, Why would Skylark be reading this?

"This must be for you," Matt said, closing the book and putting it where it was. "It has to be. Brendon can't kill the vampires himself because if they drink the blood directly from him, they'll immediately turn into hybrids."

"Skylark could do this as well," I informed. "He's a vampire hunter. An actual vampire hunter. I'm just a human blood bag."

"That's not true," Matt said. "You've been killing vampires since a vampire tried to kill you. You're tough. You could do this. I just don't get why Skylark hasn't said anything."

"He either didn't believe it, he's doing it himself, or he didn't want to tell me for the sole reason that I betrayed his trust. And Brendon's."

Matt leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you still milking that? You did what you had to do, Bree. Why can't they see that sometimes you have to make sacrifices?"

"I'm sure they would say there were different ways to handle the situation," I muttered, rubbing my temple. "But you know what? I can't do anything because it's already happened. Even if there were other options, I was pressured into giving my blood. Dylan was going to kill my friends, and who knows if Skylark would've been able to save them from a group of bloodthirsty vampires. I don't regret it. I can't-I did it to protect my friends."

Matt shook his head, scowling. "I can't believe you're going to let them believe you betrayed them."

"Isn't that what I technically did?"

He scoffed. "But for a good reason! There must be something they did as well without telling you. Skylark didn't tell you this!"

"Just after I didn't tell him about Dylan," I replied with an eye-roll. "You know what? I'm glad I know this. But think about it-I need a consenting werewolf. I only know one, and he wouldn't consent even if he was tortured. There aren't many werewolves left."

"What about California?" Matt pushed. "The Bronx? I've been killing them. I can find more."

"No," I said. "We're not risking your life either. You're the only friend I have in this situation. God forbid my friends ever find out what I've been up to. What if you killed all of them anyways?"

"Stop saying 'what if'," Matt growled. "You can go ahead and let this situation get out of hand, or we can do something about it. I'm on your side, Bree. Don't you see it? I'm willing to make sacrifices just like you. For you. Please."

I read the sincerity in his voice, his eyes. But I couldn't do this to him. Whatever I did, I did it to myself. Then I sighed and simply walked away. I left the apartment and he didn't come after me.

I was walking the streets of Brooklyn when I found myself walking towards my old apartment. I still had my key with me, so I unlocked the front door and stepped inside. I glanced at the old sofa space and remembered when Dylan threw me down onto the coffee table. I glanced at the kitchen, Brendon's voice in my head still ringing when I called him for help. And then when he brought down my door and shot Dylan who knows how many times until he let me go. My worst memories happened here, when I was still new to this. Still scared of what could happen.

As much as I wanted to pursue the idea that we could kill vampires if I drank the blood of a werewolf, I couldn't allow Matt to put himself in danger. If a werewolf heard we killed one of their own-if he were part of a pack-word could spread that a girl who can cure vampires is killing werewolves. That would give me a bad image. It wouldn't do Brendon any favors if they found out I was living in the same apartment as him. Then werewolves would be after me. Vampires would go after them and it-it would be a total disaster.

I ran my hands over my face, wishing I had Mason with me to give his advice. I had to look for him somehow. I got an idea and walked over to the kitchen. I searched the drawers for any sharp object when I found an X-Acto knife. I locked the apartment door behind me and walked up to the roof. When I reached it, I went over to the ledge and looked out at the city. Then I raised the knife and my hand. I pricked my thumb and raised it to the sky. A breeze gently licked my thumb, and the blood running down my skin. This was probably a dangerous idea. But I had to try.

"Please come soon," I whispered to the wind.

A/N:

It's taken me FOREVER to get this chapter up. In all honesty, I've been too lazy. And busy with school. I really hate Chemistry and Geometry is going pretty good. I suck at math but my teacher is somehow making me better at it. Idk how.

Alex Roe as Matt in that picture up there ☝🏼️

But anywho, here's a chapter! I'll try writing more this weekend.

I don't go to school Monday 😈

-Redbird