Page 28 of Vampire's Hearth

The pull of the pendulum led me through the parlor and into what looked like an office. Books lined the shelves, and an old globe sat in the corner, its surface worn from years of use. An oversized desk filled the middle of the room. The lineage lay in the open on the top. I tried to ignore that Mac hadn’t hidden it because I had implied we would find the Cure together.

The leather felt right as I picked it up, tucking it into my hand so I could return to my bag. Clenching my jaw, I ignored the tears threatening to come to my eyes. It didn’t matter how perfect I felt being next to Mac or that I promised to work together. As the future High Priestess, I had a duty to my coven.

I slid the lineage into the outer mesh pocket before I lifted my bag to my shoulders. I would make my way out to the road before finding a ride. Getting away from here was the most important thing. As I exited the front door, I studied the multistory portico that stretched the length of the front of the house. I could imagine the women in their ball gowns before theCivil War coming out for air in a beautiful ball. Stories I had imagined but would never hear from Mac haunted me.

I hopped down the steps to the circular drive, glancing at the manicured shrubs lining the blacktop. In the center of the drive, a fountain stood empty in the grass. Off to the left was the singular lane winding through the trees to the road. The once-grand home was so beautiful I was almost sad to leave. But I knew I had to go. I concentrated on not falling as I navigated the last steps away from the house. I hobbled toward the route through the trees, my arms feeling like they were moving faster than possible as I swung my uninjured leg in front of me. Looking over my shoulder one last time, I said a silent goodbye to Mac in my heart.

I set my sights ahead of me and gasped. There he stood between the towering trees, blocking my way, his pants slung low against his hips, water beading on his perfect sinewy chest.

He took a step forward. “I thought we were working together, but it appears you would rather do this alone.”

My mouth dropped open, my words betraying me. One thing was sure: I wouldn’t be able to leave. And I couldn’t admit it, but my heart soared.

Cormac

Istepped toward Aurora, anger flaring in my veins as I saw the unmistakable leather covering of the lineage stashed in the side of her bag. How dare she leave when she promised we would do this as one?

A low growl rumbled in my throat, filling the air between us. My heart felt like it was going to tear in two, rendering me immobile. Something had felt off on our trip here, but I had trusted her word. Faith in someone’s word was all I had after my family had left. But to get them back, I needed the Cure, and she threatened to run off with my only clue. I gestured toward her. “Is this how it is to be? Have you decided that you will proceed on your own?”

She gasped. “Mac, I’m so sorry. There’s no way.”

I dropped my hands to my side. “What do you mean, there’s no way? You gave your word, and that means we must find a way. I brought you out of the cave to face this challenge together. And here you are, betraying me.”

She shifted uneasily on her crutches. “You must have known—witches and vampires—we can’t.” Her eyes pleaded for an understanding I refused to give her.

“And why not, Rory? Who declared that we cannot work united?” I gestured toward the sky. “What higher power will descend from the heavens and prevent us from becoming who we choose to be?”

Her eyes followed my hand to the clear azure sky before she dropped them to the ground. Finally, she looked at me. “You know the goddess doesn’t work that way, but this is how it has always been. We’ve never been on the same side.”

I took a step toward her, the ground crunching under my foot. My eyes narrowed as I looked at her. “Are you certain of that?” I asked, knowing she was mistaken. Her coven and I had once worked shoulder to shoulder. “Isn’t the coven supposed to remain neutral? Aren’t the hunters the ones who counterbalance vampiric evil?”

“One hunter for every vampire,” she muttered. The oft-repeated phrase wasn’t quite right, but it sounded convincing. Yes, my uncles were all hunters, but only some of their descendants. At this point, I wasn’t even sure who anymore. No one understood the exact magic that created a hunter, but there were far fewer of them than us.

“And are you prepared to fully commit to aiding them?”

She swayed, struggling under the weight of her bag and the injury, her voice pleading. “How am I aiding them?”

“Quite easily. If you take that lineage, the vampires will never find the Cure. And what if we wish to find him to find a way away from this cursed life and not to destroy him?”

She looked at me from the corner of her eyes. “That would never happen.”

“Are you sure about that? Some of us have lived for nearly a thousand years. Such an existence can become tiresome.”

“You could have allowed yourself to die,” she countered.

“Perhaps,” I said, taking half a step back and glancing around before resting my gaze on her again. “But it would have been a painful, gruesome end. And what of the vampire you seek? What if our intent is to contain him as well? Aren’t you hindering your own cause then?”

Confusion clouded her eyes as she slumped forward even more onto the crutches.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Evangeline wants me to come home, and she wants the lineage when I do.”

I stood my ground—with caution—not wanting my blood to boil in my veins again. “And I’m telling you, you’re not leaving here. You promised we would find the Cure together. Besides, how do you know you can learn enough to locate this person?”

She bit her lip before she shrugged. “I don’t. I can only hope the coven’s magic is sufficient.”

Lifting my hands in front of my chest with my palms facing her, I took a few steps toward her. The muscles in her leg trembled as she struggled to remain standing. I crossed the space between us with vampiric speed and grasped her bag by the top loop, steadying it so she could shrug it off. She looked into my eyes before accepting my silent offer, although her look screamed she did not want to. “At least we can go to the steps, can we not?”

She nodded.

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