Page 108 of Fang Fiction

“Portal magic,” Tess said, as if this meant literally anything to Joni. “Flora’s a portal witch.”

“Hi!” The goth woman waved. “I’m Flora.”

“Okay?” Joni wasn’t sure how to react to this, but then she took a closer look at Flora. “Hey, you look kind of like…”

“Fern?” Flora tilted her head. “She’s my sister.”

“I hope you don’t mind my saying she’s a real bitch.” Joni gritted her teeth.

“I don’t mind at all,” Flora said affably. “Fern’s the worst!”

“So obviously she’s not some agent’s assistant—she’s a witch?” Joni asked. “Is that who’s holding me? Witches?”

“Vampires,” Tess corrected. “Konstantin.”

“He’s not dead?” Joni’s eyes went wide—she was being held captive by one of the most powerful and dangerous vampires who’d ever lived?? “So, what’s the plan, we just gonna blue circle our way out of here?”

“Exactly.” Tess pulled at a particularly stubborn knot. “But first we have to rescue Callum and Octavia.”

“They’re here too?! Is Octavia okay?!”

Tess turned to Flora. “Are they?”

Flora nodded. She was moving her hands in a circle over the floor—Joni wondered if she was doing some kind of spell to get them all out of here.

“Finally.” Tess exhaled as she got the main knot binding Joni undone, and Joni’s arms were free. Joni stretched out her arms, then set about rubbing her wrists and shoulders.

“Fuck, that feels good.” Joni sighed.

“I’ll have your ankles in a second,” Tess promised.

Joni opened her mouth to say thank you but got completely distracted when the floor disappeared beneath Flora’s hands, opening a window to the room where Octavia was sitting at a table with two other vampires, drinking red wine. One was a man who looked strikingly like her—that must be Callum. The other was so large and terrifying, there was no question in Joni’s mind that he was Konstantin.

“Can they see us?” Joni whispered to Flora.

“No,” Flora explained. “It’s just a vision portal, like one-way glass.”

“If you were alive, why didn’t you tell me?” Callum demanded. “I searched Prague for days. You disappeared without a trace.”

“I had to.” Konstantin’s voice was cool and even—not a hint of remorse. “If anyone had known I was alive, I would have been sent to the Isle with the rest of you.”

“So you knew we were going to be sent to the Isle, and you just let it happen?!” Octavia’s voice was more vulnerable than Joni had ever heard it. “Why would you let them trap us in that terrible place?”

“You told me in Seoul that you wanted to be apart from me.” Konstantin shrugged. “I simply granted your wish. Do you see now that I was right? That your lives are better when you stay by my side?”

“I don’t understand.” Octavia shook her head, her voice faint. “How did you know about the Isle in the first place?”

“Fern told me,” Konstantin replied. “Useful witch. She wants to be the head of her coven—and she correctly gathered she could get there faster with my help than on her own. Witches and vampires working in tandem, coming out of the shadows, claiming our rightful place as dominant over all other creatures on Earth. An intriguing idea, no?”

“Fucking Fern,” Flora whispered.

“So you used me to fake your death in Prague?” Callum set his jaw. “To avoid being sent to the Isle?”

“Exactly.” Konstantin nodded. “After you were sent to the Isle, it took Fern and me nearly a decade to work out how to bring you back. My blood bond with Octavia was enough to bring her to New York. But I needed both of you—and two red diamonds—to open a portal strong enough for the others to walk through it. Once we realized your blood bond was the key, it was a simple matter of Fern using her telepathy to communicate with Felix. Felix was meant to bring you to his castle so we could open the portal together, but the arrival of the human complicated things. Fortunately, Felix was able to use her to lure you there.”

In the attic, Flora and Joni both looked at Tess. Tess was gripping one of the ropes binding Joni so tightly her hands were shaking.

“Hey,” Joni said. “Are you okay?”