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Chapter 1
The world was burning. Maddox Hendricks stood watching it from the moment it formed to the moment it consumed the land, licking its way through the grass and eventually spreading over the buildings. He didn’t do a thing when it buried itself into the soil and began to turn it black, then dried up the lake beside him until it was nothing but a massive, crack-filled hole.
When he glimpsed the woman running from one of the buildings, he wanted to move. But he didn’t…couldn’t, as an invisible force locked his legs in place and wouldn’t even allow his hands to rise. The fire consumed her, burning her beautiful form inside out. Her screams reverberated in the air, a gurgling sound that shifted as blood poured from her mouth and shadows with sharp, glinting teeth crowded her and bit—
“Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks! Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks!”
The alarm clock pierced the air like a siren, jarring him awake as he shot up from bed. Cold sweat trickled down his back, and his heart was galloping so hard it felt like it would burst any second. He covered his face, struggling to gather his bearings as the image of the woman remained. There was no fire this time and her face was a blur—except for the eyes, clear as day and blank as they stared into nothing.
“Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks! Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks!”
Maddox, I brought you some tea. It’s not as tasty as blood, but I’m determined to make you love it so much that you will forget about blood altogether.
Her smile had been shy, hopeful. He had carried on as usual, grunting his appreciation and not saying much else.
Maddox, please get some sleep. I know you are doing the honorable thing by helping the master out as much as you can, but I’m worried that you are overworking yourself. You need someone to look out for yourself, too.
Their first kiss had been gentle, her giddiness and surprise distinct on his lips before she melted into that moment.
Maddox, whatever happens, please know that I love you. That I’m in love with you. I never had the courage to say it before, but I’m saying it now.
“Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks! Rise and—”
He slammed his fist on the alarm clock, then winced when it splintered into pieces and scattered on the floor. Refusing to give in to the emotions swirling inside him, he marched to the bathroom and let the cold water rain down his form, willing it to drown out the world. It was too early in the morning. He should have gotten more sleep, not just an hour or two.
He should have said the words back, not waited until she was dead in his arms and there was nothing that he could do about it. He should have saved her. Out of all the memories of living in Ostrov Krov, home of the vampires who were generally not as warm to those they considered not like them—aka human servants like her and half-bloods like him—it was the one that stood out the most and continued haunting him even when he was no longer there. He had boarded a pirate ship, had explored a pirate town, and had settled elsewhere until the months passed and he could forget.
His sleepless nights and recurring nightmares had other ideas.
“Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks!”
With a sigh, Maddox soaped his body up and fell into a rhythm until the water was warm, then cold again. When he stepped out, the alarm clock was back in its original form, sitting on his bedside table and chirping its usual morning beat. It sparkled, too, an indication that magic was at work as it often was on this island.
“Rise and shine, Mr. Hendricks!”
“I’m up,” he replied, silencing the voice. James Magoo, assistant head of the island’s council, had given it to him on his first week as a token of welcome—and as a way to monitor his whereabouts, considering he was a half-vampire in a land full of witches and warlocks. “Quit your yapping, clock.”
Silence met his words. He got dressed and peeked out the window, where darkness encumbered the sky. Pretty soon, the sun would rise and the world would awaken, but for now…
He took a deep breath and set out to do his chores, along with erasing all memories and thoughts.
Broom’s Isle was just like Ostrov Krov in the sense that it was probably one of the prettier islands in the Otherworld. Whereas the former had a large castle, sandy beaches, and crystal blue waters, the latter was all about those rolling green hills and fields, sequestered in cliffs that made for a dramatic view of the waves crashing majestically against them. He took his time standing on one and eyeing the dark ocean, then went about his way doing the tasks he had for the day: milking cows, milking goats, feeding mutated breeds of farm animals, and disciplining those that tried to rear their violent heads in place.
When the sun finally rose, he braced himself against the light washing over his arms and didn’t take his eyes off the creature gazing back at him.
“Milos, we have been through this, haven’t we? You are going to put up a fight and wrestle your way out of this pen again, except it’s not a normal pen. Helga enchanted it to contain you, and it’s going to hurt you the moment you step out. So, please don’t—Milos!”
He grabbed the creature before it could flee and was rewarded with a spiky tail whacking him in the butt. Maddox was catapulted into the air and landed smoothly on the grass, then was dragged toward the pen. His hand fisted around the creature’s hide, hard as a rock and vibrating with pent-up energy.
“Milos, halt. HALT.”
The booming tone abruptly killed the creature’s momentum—which in turn sent Maddox sailing upward and toward the pen. Electricity crackled. He kicked his shoe off and let it hit the force field first, then used the magic’s reaction to push him and Milos away from that dangerous space. The creature budged this time, allowing itself to be dragged and raising its tail once more.
“Don’t you dare,” Maddox muttered, glowering. “You spike me now, and I’m going to be very angry at you.”
The tail paused, then dropped. The creature tilted its head, observing him before seemingly deciding that he wasn’t worthy of its time. He watched as Milos spun and scampered away, relieved when it was no longer in the direction of the pen. He then checked out the sole of his foot, pink and smarting from the magic’s near contact.
“It could have been worse,” he said to himself.
