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She nodded, then quickly grabbed my wrist, and placed her lips around the puncture wounds before they healed. Adrenaline coursed through me as my blood left my body and she drank.
The trees came into sight, the low-hanging branches appearing like contorted bones as the moon covered the forest in a condemning glow—a blood moon. Perfect for a ritual.
I led her into the forest, my fingers shaking as I wanted nothing more than to get her out of here. Before we could enter, I forced everything I had left in me to turn and face her. My fangs elongated, but the compulsion tugged me to keep walking.
“No!” I shouted at myself. I clamped my eyes shut, then sunk my fangs into her neck, relief pouring through my chest as the venom left my fangs and entered her bloodstream. Her blood coated my tongue, dribbling down my chin and mixing with my tears.
Elizabeth’s brown eyes widened, and I committed every part of her to memory, her scent, the way she looked at me, her gentle touch even now, as I led her to her death.
My heart pounded and my hands trembled as I clung to an ancient tree, its jagged bark digging into my skin. I tried to hold on for as long as I could before the compulsion forced me to lead her out to the altar. “It’s okay,” she said shakily, her body shivering against the icy night.
“It’s not,” I growled in response, looking around for Salenia.
Six other mortals cowered in a circle beneath the eerily illuminated sky, their hoods pulled low over their faces. Two of them openly wept, while another appeared almost catatonic, unaware of their impending death.
The atmosphere shifted as Salenia stepped into the clearing with seven vampires by her side, restrained by shackles that dug mercilessly into their flesh.
A circle of sorcerers stood side by side, their white robes flapping in the chilly night air, illuminated by a raging bonfire. Its hot orange flames licked the heap of wood, crackling embers shotting into the sky. The sorcerers' voices rose as they whispered ancient incantations.
Two aniccipere crept silently behind them; their silhouettes cast boldly against the flickering orange flames. Their faces were drawn and serious as they studied the sorcerers, their eyes rimmed red.
Salenia smiled as we came into view. “Good, you’re here.”
“Fuck you!” I spat.
She merely laughed in response. The chant filled the area, intensifying with each passing second as more sorcerers joined in a circle.
The sorcerers clasped their hands together, their eyes closed. My body tensed, my heart pounding. Elizabeth clung to my arm, and I didn’t care that Salenia saw my tears. She knew all along.
I loved Elizabeth.
Maybe she knew before me.
Another vision threatened to break through, but the fear I held for Elizabeth kept them at bay.
A female sorceress emerged from the shadows. Her long blonde braid was woven with tiny wildflowers, and she wore a hooded crimson robe that swept the ground. Seven silver rings adorned her fingers as she waved them in the air, white sparks crackled off her fingertips as she whispered something under her breath.
“Avyanna,” I spat, feeling more aggravated by the second. Finally, the bitch had come out from hiding after I’d looked for her throughout the day. I needed to kill her, but Azia’s spell on the teas were forcing throbbing aches in my skull, the compulsion not helping as I remained rooted to the spot.
She glanced in our direction, then averted her gaze. As she stepped forward, the bonfire roared with renewed life and a tall column of flames shot into the night sky. The other sorcerers stopped their chanting and swayed from side to side. Salenia slowly led one vampire to the altar, then pulled off their hood.
“Carla!” Elizabeth screamed.
She wrestled against Salenia, her expression warped with fear as she was bound to the sacrificial altar. I wanted to stop it, but I couldn’t move.
“No!” Elizabeth gasped. “Please don’t do this.”
Salenia grinned sadistically as Elizabeth tried to fight her way to them. She looked at me. “Stop her.”
I growled loudly, then against my will, held Elizabeth to my side.
“Please, no!” she screamed, her cries lost to the chanting.
Salenia bared her sharp teeth, looming over Carla as she clawed at her chest. The sound of tearing skin filled the air and dripped warm blood onto the ground below them. Salenia’s eyes glowed in the moonlight, and she relished the feeling of power as her fingers gripped around Carla’s beating heart and, with a sickening rip, tore it from her chest.
“No.” Elizabeth let out a defeated cry, dropping to her knees. I wanted to comfort her, but stood rooted to the spot, murder in my heart when I looked at Salenia. I woulddestroyher for this.
A piercing howl echoed from Elizabeth, and the crows in the nearby trees flapped their wings wildly, cawing as they rose from their branches. The other vampire's screams filled the air as they watched Salenia throw Carla's heart into the fire, which hissed in response. Blood pooled around her as she was pulled off the altar, staining the dirt below a deep red.
