Page 11 of Quintus

“Because they found me. They always do,” she said, her voice soft.

“Who?” His question was met by silence. “You can trust me. Look, I know we just met but when I give my word, I don’t break it. I swear to the Goddess. If there is anyone here in the city who can protect you it’s me.”

Her magick buzzed under his fingertips. What the hell? How is she doing that? The fortress of the wards in his home, especially his bed chambers, had been specifically designed to block any magick, except for his own. Although she trembled in his arms, her strength was apparent.

“I’ll keep you safe,” he promised.

“I’ve never been safe,” she admitted.

“You can trust me,” Quintus assured her, sending his calming energy to her.

“The daughters of Salem. Circe coven,” she whispered.

“Circe? As in Greek mythology? Helios’ daughter?”

“Yes. She was a witch. The coven is named for her. Bloodline and rituals are everything. In all they do, they are pure with intent,” she said in a low monotone voice as if repeating a mantra.

“And if you’re not pure?” He’d suspected she was hybrid. “I imagine that’s frowned upon.”

“Justifiable death,” she said, her voice without emotion.

“What are you?” He suspected wolf, but couldn’t be sure.

“It doesn’t matter what I am. What matters is that I’m not pure. I’m tainted.” She curled her fingers onto the fabric of his shirt. “The coven, they won’t stop until I’m dead. The impurity must be removed.”

“Circe? I haven’t heard of them. Tell me more about these witches.”

“They’re orthodox. There can be no mixing of the blood. My parents…” Her voice went silent. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve been on the run for as long as I can remember.”

“How long Gabby? How long have you been running?”

“I was thirteen when I first started so yeah, about fifteen years now I’ve been on the move. But it might as well be a thousand. And it won’t ever end. Not unless I do something about it.”

“Jesus. You were just a kid.” Quintus heard the hopelessness in her voice. “No one deserves to be hunted like an animal.”

“When someone tells you something’s wrong with you over and over…it’s hard to shake. Maybe I’m cursed.”

“Your blood is special. Far from cursed. These witches. Whatever antiquated rituals they follow, they’re wrong, not you.”

“Morality doesn’t matter. They’re powerful. And they always find me.”

“I’ve handled witches before. I’ll admit it’s tricky. Depends on the power of the coven. But whoever is after you, we’ll deal with them.”

“I met this creature in LA once. She said she was a mystic. She told me that I needed the help of an ancient vampire. And it’s funny because my mom, she’d told me about the existence of ancients too. That there’re only a handful of you on the earth.”

“Did she now?” Quintus kept the secrets of his kind close to the vest. They certainly didn’t control other species but they were powerful.

“You bend the rules of the universe. Atoms. Disappearing from one place and reappearing in another.”

“It’s true I can materialize. There’re a few witches I’ve met who can conjure the same sort of magick.”

“True, but this woman said…” she hesitated.

“Do tell.” He gave a small chuckle.

“You can make people believe what you say as truth. You can conjure the magick of Heaven and Hell.”

“My powers are as any other vampire, I assure you,” he lied. It was true that he could create an alternate truth, blinding the victim into believing something they otherwise knew as false.