PROLOGUE
Three years ago
“I found you,” the stranger sing-songed in a low, lyrical voice that directly contradicted the menacing glow in his earth-brown eyes. Dark malice curled his lips.
“It would have been safer for you to just introduce yourself in public, instead of breaking into my home,” I told him, leveling the Sig 9mm at his chest.
His smile widened. “That wouldn’t do, Kara. What needs to be done requires privacy.”
“I feel at a disadvantage. You know who I am, but I have no idea who you are.” I took in the stranger’s dark hair, shorn close to the scalp. His tall, lean build displayed catlike agility with the most insignificant movements. Unconcerned by the firearm trained on him, he gazed steadily at my face, an off-putting look of familiarity lingering in his eyes.
His casual attire of black joggers and a light-blue long-sleeve tee was the only thing modern about him. A distinct, wizened aura surrounded him that reminded me of vampires. No matter how hard vampires tried, it was obvious that they belonged inanother era. But this man was breathing at a steady rate, the flush of his skin indicated a steady heartbeat, and humanity existed behind his mercilessly cold eyes.
I culled my mind for any hints of recognition.
My attention was quickly drawn to his slowly moving lips. The air in the room shifted, becoming oppressively thick as my gun’s grip heated into molten metal. Dropping the gun, the pain barely registered with me before he launched with a preternatural speed that signaled magic. Strong magic. Just as he devoured the distance between us, I threw up my left arm to block a strike aimed at my temple and drove my right fist into his jaw with everything I had. Bone jarred against bone. He staggered back a step, blinking hard, working his jaw from side to side.
With a feral snarl, in a burst of movement, he charged me. I twisted out of reach of his strike targeted at my nose. Taking advantage of his unprotected torso, I hammered a rapid series of punches into his ribs and gut. He sucked in a broken breath, pain flashing across his face. I was almost certain I’d cracked a rib.
Catching his hand before he could land a counterblow, I saw curved claws extending from his fingertips like ivory daggers. His thin lips curled into a triumphant smile as I shot an instinctive glance at his other hand—too late. Those hideous claws plunged into my side with the cold precision of surgical blades. He dragged them across my stomach. Warm blood turned my shirt crimson. His glacial stare held mine, and he tore from my hold. I pressed my hand to the wound; it pulsed with heat. Everything ached. Moving through the magically charged air was impossible. Planted in place, I willed my legs to move when the man’s lips moved fervently, words unfamiliar to me tumbling over each invocation. He pressed a torus-shaped object against my wound as the spell flared to life.
Our ragged breaths fell into sync, his eyes dimming from a fierce blaze to molten black before he stumbled back and crumpled to the floor. I collapsed. My body convulsed, and I struggled for every breath. His spell was wreaking havoc inside me. Paralyzed, I could feel the unfurling of the spell and its purpose. To claim a life.My life. I wondered how much longer the pain would tear through me before it succeeded in claiming it.
“Save her.” My best friend Amelia’s desperate plea was a distant echo as my world kept plunging into shadowy grays. “Please, Vina.”
“Vina?” Her mother’s blistering scoff broke through the silence.
My eyes fluttered open to look at Amelia. She leveled a rightfully deserved defiant glare at her mother. Vina had chosen the pursuit of power and stronger magic over Amelia and had left her child when Amelia was four. It had to be a desperate situation for Amelia to contact her. My stomach burned; my eyes fluttered. The effort to keep them open chipped away at the little energy I had.
I don’t want to die.I parted my lips to say it to Vina, but the words got lost in my ragged breaths.
“What happened?” Vina leaned over me but directed the question to Amelia. The scent of clay from her cloaking spell accompanied the warmth radiating from her skin. Her fingers gently brushed my cheek. They were cool over my skin, which had turned into an inferno. The cool towels Amelia had placed over me were now tepid.
Hope washed over me when Amelia found me before I lost consciousness, and the only thing I could manage to whisper was “spell.” I feared it was too late, but I was wrong. It wasn’t a spell, but a curse.
“I found her like this. None of my spells worked to help her.”
“Of course they wouldn’t, because this is the work of a draveth.” Vina’s voice was becoming more distant. “Our magic doesn’t compare to theirs. Well,yourmagic doesn’t.” It was a terrible time for Vina to gloat about the sacrifices she had made to elevate her magic.
“Where is the draveth?” Vina asked Amelia.
Through the fogginess, I reviewed everything I knew about magic and witches. I’d never heard of a draveth.
Amelia instructed Vina to follow her, and moments later, I heard their remote conversation but couldn’t make out whether they were far away or I was slipping out of consciousness again.
“He’s dead.”
“I know,” Amelia countered, irritated by the obvious statement.
“You know. Butyou don’t understand. They’re nearly as difficult to kill as vampires. Only a Merac blade through the heart or decapitation can do it. And their magical ability makes that nearly impossible. A blade hasn’t penetrated his heart and his head is intact. His death appears to be the result of magic. Very powerful magic.” Vina’s voice moved closer. “I believe this is the work of a protection spell. So, the real questions, my dear daughter, are these. Why does Kara have such a powerful protection spell on her, and what was done to trigger it?”
“I don’t know.” Amelia’s annoyance had been replaced by concern.
A shadow moved over me, and I forced my eyes open to meet Vina’s inquiring expression. I gasped for air, struggling to answer her.
“None of that matters. Just help her,” Amelia urged.
My labored breathing filled the heavy silence of the room.
