28th July

I finally convinced Bristlecast to talk. She has agreed to teach me the ways of necromancy. I may finally be able to see my mother once more and keep her alive until I can get answers.

I need that necklace. She has hidden it and conveniently forgotten where it is. It is the key to everything.

I am meeting Bristlecast over the next few days. I hope Isobelle can forgive me.

-Nicholas

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Hospital

Sticking to the doctor's orders, a nurse entered the room to take the patient's vitals. She paused when she saw the sleeping visitor. They had both been through a rough night; the bruised eyes on his face proved it.

He lay against her legs, hunched over. Taking care not to startle him, she wheeled the machine over to the other side and took her measurements. She also took three vials of blood from the tap in the patient's arm.

She wrote all her observations down and stuck labels on the vials, noting that the numbers stayed the same. A soft sigh escaped her while the patient, Lexandria, was stable, but she was not improving as they predicted. Gently shaking her head, she replaced the clipboard and took the blood to phlebotomy.

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Coven

Quinn watched the candle reach the end of its wick. All they could do for now was wish Lexi good health and a speedy recovery.

A knock at the door made her snap away from the hypnotic flame. Answering it, she was taken aback to see Lexi’s uncle… with a duffle bag.

“Hello?” she questioned.

“Hope you don’t mind; Isobelle told me to watch you four. Something about vampires?”

“Isobelle? Lexi’s Mum?” Quinn stepped to the side, letting him in.

“The very same. She is on her way down.”

“Goddess,” Quinn whispered.

“So, tell me what happened. From the beginning and how you ended up nearly dying.”

At his words, the waterworks started. Coming out of the kitchen, Devan heard the conversation and placed an arm around Quinn.

“We will do our best, but Quinn won’t be able to remember everything. Lathen will also be able to add some missing bits.”

Keiron nodded and settled into the living room; this was a complicated conversation for Quinn.

Sniffling, she stated, “It all happened so quickly… We were out having a good time, drinking at Club Zorro…”

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Quinn looked at her phone, seeing the same message as Devan in the group chat. ‘I feel sick’ was a trick they used often.

After another two hours of dancing and drinking, they called it a night. Especially when they nearly ‘lost’ Seri, who was smoking with the guy she took a fancy to, she was a little upset she couldn’t stay with him longer.

When they reached the bridge, Megan entered.

“Hello again,” she greeted bubbly.

They were ambushed. Vampires split them apart. Using water from the sea, Lathen tackled them back and aided Seri.

“Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast, Lathen. Put your toy down,” Megan's voice taunted over the commotion.

Turning all at once, Quinn was being held at knifepoint by Megan.

“Don’t do anything silly now. We need to borrow this one for a while.”

Megan walked backwards, pulling Quinn with her away from the group. Helpless, Devan watched on.

Then, as quickly as it happened, they were gone, and Quinn was with them.

Lathen and Devan quickly marched to the house to keep Seri safe; no doubt they would come for her or any of them.

Then, together, they scoured the whole town from the edge of the Yorkshire moors to the coast. Halfway through, Leo joined them. There was no scent, no trail. They vanished. She could be anywhere in the world.

Devan clung to hope; he could still feel her in his chest. But where she was and if she was hurt was another question. He and Quinn did not share dreams. As far as they knew, they did not have past lives, at least, ones together.

Returning to the shared house, he began to feel defeated, lost, and anxious; dread and anxiety filled him. The thoughts turned dark, and his mind was against him, coming up with scenarios and images of Quinn.

He hardly listened to the conversation going on in front of him. Yet he strung a few sentences together.

Lexi held his cheeks, bringing him back to the earth.

“You are not going to help like this; get some rest. We will call you.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Lexi pulled him to the sofa and, like a mother, settled him down. He suddenly felt tired, so tired. He was sure Lexi spelled him.

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It was a blink for Quinn, and she was in the Abbey. She dared now look around, still feeling the cold metal biting her skin.

She heard clapping; it was low but loud. Being turned around, she faced the same pale man she recognised from the security cameras at Jack’s.

“Well, hello there. We meet again, Quinn? Was it?”

She said nothing and took a slow breath.

“Hm, not feeling talkative? That’s fine; we won’t need you to talk. It’s a shame you and Seri left our party early last time. Did you have fun at Star Gazers?”

Quinn's face turned to one of confusion.

“Ah, of course, you don’t remember…We had a private affair at Star Gazers. You and Seri were the honoured guests! But our hungry new hires didn’t get a bite. Shame they died.”

That’s why she remembered walking away from the nightclub. She took Seri and escaped; flagging down a cab, they returned to Jack’s… Why did she go to Jack’s again? Why not go straight home?

“Earth to Quinn.” The man waved his hands before her eyes, snapping her out of her memories.

“Enough of this. Blackspit. Concealment.”

Quinn watched the hooded figure cast ancient magic and cover the abbey in an invisible cloak. Then, they were returned to a cage.

Quinn knew what would happen next. She was bound with Iron and gagged like the first time. But now she was alone until Megan brought in Lexi.

Quinn was already experiencing pain from two previous feeders. She tried to shout, forgetting the gag. Run! Lexi, no! go! Go!

To no avail. There, she learned his name, Cornelius, and taunted them both.

She felt tired. So tired. She felt sickly, with no energy. How long was she here for? How long had they been feeding from her? She did not know.

“Devan…”

She could no longer think and concentrate. The world around her blurred. She heard shouting…screaming… Shh, I am trying to sleep!

The next moment, Quinn was encircled in crimson red and a circle of flames. Lexi.

Waking up, she turned to Lexi. She was horrified to see her in this state. Lexi’s eyes were sunken; her flesh slacked against her bones, her hair a rat's nest. She looked like Death warmed up, her head lulled, no strength to hold it up.

“The lock broke. I am sorry.”

“What?”

The lock. The one her father had placed. It was a death sentence to break it. Tears rolled down her cheeks. No, it couldn’t be. She wouldn’t allow it.

“No! Lexi, Stay with me.”

“LEXI!”

She heard a shout, turning, it was Leo running desperately.

“Over here! Leo is here; you’ll be fine, do you hear me?”

Leo skidded down next to Quinn and cradled Lexi’s head up.

“Lexi, don’t you dare. Don’t you dare prove my mother right.”

A smile came to her lips, her eyes dulled, “I’ll meet you…”

Her body went slack, eyes open wide, dull and lifeless.

A harrowing cry came from all three of them, Leo the loudest. They quietened for second, silent tears at what just happened.

A few seconds later, lights blinded their vision. Security.

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“I think… that’s all the details.”

Keiron, listening intently, leaned his elbows on his knees and sighed.

“And here I thought no one dared to break the treaty. His name is Cornelius?”

Quinn nodded.

“I will make a few phone calls. Have you extended the time you have this place?”

“I will call them later to see if it is possible.”

“Great. I will pay. I am sure Isobelle will want her moved if she is stable.”

The four teens nodded and allowed him to go.

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Hospital

Eyes thick with sleep, Leo awoke from his nap. He stretched out the cracks and aches in his spine. Rubbing his eyes, he took in the bare room around him before examining the wonderful human in the bed.

She had not moved a muscle; the wires and mask were still hooked up to her. The numbers on the monitor mainly stayed the same.

The door opened, and the same man from before, the witch, came into the room. This time, he was not in scrubs and scrutinised a file, not looking up as he entered.

Leo cleared his throat, “Afternoon.”

“Afternoon,” he muttered, reaching the bed.

His badge was evident on his uniform; Dr. Rupert Clears

“Hmm,” Rupert hummed, “We might have to give another transfusion and more scans. To make sure the bleeding is gone, her blood levels are improving though.”

Rupert noted the monitor and turned to his patient. Opening each eye, he checked them with light.

“Any movement?” he asked.

“I’ve been asleep. I don’t think so,” Leo replied.

Rupert placed a stethoscope on her shoulder to listen to her breathing. Instead, his hand had a slight yellow glow.

“The venom is still repressing her magic.”

He moved back into the hallway, and Leo took her hand. She still felt cold to the touch but was warmer than last night. He thumbed the bruises on her hand; they were much darker, some yellowing.

Rupert came back in after a few moments with a vial and needle. Setting up the shot, he injected it into her IV.

“This should be enough,” he noted in her charts, “That’s the third dose. We cannot give any more.”

“She is still cold,” Leo remarked without noticing.

“Hm, it seems the blood isn’t doing much to her internal temperature.”

Leo’s phone started to ring. Excusing himself from the room, he missed the call. Ringing back, he reached Devan.

“Yo. How’s it going?” Devan asked gently.

“She still has venom in her system; it’s stopping her healing, but she’s not improved much,” Leo mumbled.

“Damn… Isobelle is on her way, and Her Uncle is here trying to get more information on this vampire.”

“Do we have a name?” Leo asked curiously.

“Cornelius.”

Leo tasted bitterness in his mouth, “Let me know if he finds anything out.”

“Of course. Make sure you get some food, yeah?”

Leo had no appetite, but Devan’s voice of reason was right.

“Yeah, I will,” Leo said slowly, “I will check in later once Isobelle is here.”

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When Leo returned to the room, the privacy curtain was pulled around. He stood back and waited in the hall. A small surge of magic could be felt; it wasn’t Lexi’s.

Rupert exited the room moments later, making notes on the chart, “We will continue to monitor. She has another pint linked up, which should yield some improvements. My shift is over, but she is in capable hands. I will be back later tonight.”

He left departing words as Leo entered the room once more. The curtain was still pulled closed. He opened it up, she was moved onto a heating pad, and her hair was around her like a halo.

He held a breath, feeling the pain in his chest. His heart hurt. He swallowed, a lump forming, and his eyes were watering as he watched her breathing.

His musing was cut short with the door opening. He turned to a tearful Mother.

“Leo, thank the gods.”

Isobelle came closer with open arms, which he gratefully accepted. Looking over her shoulder, Alex stood with slightly pink eyes and cheeks. Leo extended an arm out to the younger boy, and he joined in the hug.

“Have you eaten?” Isobelle pulled back, wiping her eye a little.

Leo nodded in response and cleared his throat, “Yes. Dr Clears has just given her something to get rid of the last of the venom and has aided her recovery.” He stressed the word, looking back over at Lexi on the bed.

Isobelle gasped at the sight of her daughter. She could not help but see Nick, her husband, in the same position.

She shook her head lightly, and her eyes became glassy. She sat beside her daughter and took in her appearance. She silently cried; she could admit Lexi did look far worse than her late husband. The additional bites, stitches and bruises made her look fragile.

“Keiron told me the lock broke?” she whispered.

“I… don’t know,” he winced, “I wasn’t paying much attention to what Quinn was saying then.”

Leo glanced at Lexi’s Mother.

“So, you don’t know the details?”

“Not much. No.”

“Sit,” she said, gesturing to the spare chairs stacked in the corner.

“I will tell you what I know,” she stated softly.