Dead of Night (My Forbidden Vampire)

“You know,” I say as I turn my dagger over in my hands, looking out into the dark woods in front of me. “I’m starting to take this personally.” I wait, closing my eyes to get a better read on the energy around me. Something dark and demonic is lurking about, but they haven’t made their move yet.“It’s not like I smell.” I pick up a strand of my wavy brown hair. “I showered and everything. My socks even match.” The clouds that were covering the moon roll away, bathing the earth in a pale silver light. I cast my eyes up, feeling the power of the full moon. “Come on, I just want to talk.” I stand, needing to stretch my legs. I’ve been sitting on the cold stone steps of this historical farmhouse for an hour, waiting to make a kill. Shadows move across the porch and my heart skips a beat. There’s more than one demon out here and I’m all by myself.Hell yes.A small smile plays across my lips. Closing my eyes, I inhale and pull in energy from all around me. I’ve been tracking this demon for

I pull my arms in close to my body, chilled from the breeze blowing in from the lake. It’s late May, but we’re still far from the balmy nights of summer. I fall in step with Lucas on the way to his car. Part of my brain is screaming that this is a terrible idea while another just wants to get this over with and let him feel like he’s paid me back and we’re even-steven.Mostly, I’m just so damn curious. He’s ancient, how old exactly I can’t tell. I know just a few drops of his blood could seriously enhance some of my spells. Though I dare not ask—not yet, at least—because I know he’ll ask me for some in exchange. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say that there’s something alluring about him. Maybe it’s the danger. He could rip my throat out with his teeth in seconds. He could eviscerate the man walking several yards ahead of us before he even knew what was happening.Getting in the car with him is a bad idea. I have faith in my powers, but I’ve had several drinks tonight. He’s dangerous, a

“Tell them to go away,” I groan when someone knocks on the front door. I pull the sheet up over my head. Muted sunlight filters through my open window and the cheerful chirping of birds fills the room. Normally, I love this sound and the feeling of waking up to a fresh day.But right now, I’m still tired and still angry at Lucas. Pandora jumps from the bed to the window, looking down at the porch. She lets out a low growl, but it’s one of annoyance, not one to threaten.“I’m right there with you, Dors,” I grumble. Pandora is perpetually grumpy and doesn’t trust humans. Not that I blame her. Her last witch was killed in cold blood by a human she thought she could trust.A dark shadow moves through my open bedroom door, lunging at me. Freya lands softly on the bed, purring. She nuzzles her head against me for a few seconds before nipping at my chin.“I know, I know. You guys want food anyway.”Throwing the blankets back, I get out of bed and grimace at my reflection in the mirror. It’s

Witch hunter.A collective uproar works its way through the coven, with witches shouting out questions. Witch hunters are problematic in the obvious way of wanting to kill us, but also in the way they’re typically humans. Humans who’ve had some sort of run-in with witches before and know how we operate. They know the basics of spell casting and, more often than not, have amulets that block a witch’s power.Only a few other witches in the room have powers like mine, and all are twice my age at least. Manipulating energy came naturally for me, which is part of the reason I had a hard time fitting in back in my school days. Some witches study energy manipulation and conjuring for years and still can’t do it half as well I was able when I was just a teen. Those who can’t conjure and hold raw energy in their hands…who can’t telekinetically push attackers away…they’ll be the most vulnerable to a witch hunter’s attack.“I assure you,” High Priestess Greystone goes on after she addressed some

“Hi,” I say as soon I’m through the ER doors. “I’m here to see Betty Jones.” I blink and shake my head. “Elizabeth. Betty’s just a nickname.”The attendant types something into her computer. “And you are?”The only emergency contact you could fucking find. “Callie Martin.”“Are you family?”“No, I’m—”“I’m sorry,” the attendant says, not sounding sorry at all. She pushes her glasses down on her nose and peers over top. “Only family is allowed back into the ER.”“Yeah, but someone—”“Callie,” Lucas says, cutting me off. He steps in front of me, looking the attendant right in the eye. “You will let us back to see Elizabeth Jones. We are her family.”“Yes,” the attendant says, slowly nodding her head. Her eyes are completely glossed over. She turns back to her computer, types something, and then turns back to us. “She’s in room seven. You can go through that door.”Lucas blinks and takes my hand, leading me through the doors and back into the ER. I swallow my pounding heart and look at t