stick with Ari and get to her mom come hell or high water. Use all the moves I taught you to protect yourself if the guards try to stop you. As soon as Ari’s in range, she’ll contact Josh to let him know you guys are there.”
Tracing the curve of my jaw with his thumb, he seared me with a slow, wet kiss and returned my hand to his with a soft squeeze.
We moved forward again and the resistance followed, twigs, leaves, and damp muck crunching beneath our feet as we approached the familiar oak tree with the magic branch, the one that opened the bayou portal. Coming to a full stop in the swampy clearing, Gavin and I turned around to face everyone, Audrey, Gabe, and Arianna moving to stand next to us.
With a subtle nod to the resistance, Gavin threaded his fingers through my hair, his breath hot on my face as he leaned down to press his lips to mine. “See you on the other side, baby.”
“See you,” I whispered against his mouth, steeling myself when he broke our connection. I eyed the impending darkness looming above us, the faint trace of the sunset’s glow dressing the twilight. Gavin disappeared amongst the mass of frozen souls, positioning himself in its center as they formed a protective bubble around him toward the outer layer of our group, while another handful of vampires joined Audrey and Gabe to barricade Arianna and me against the bayou’s bank. I was nestled against the edge, ready to take the leap the instant the water began to churn. More formations of frozen souls lined the other sides of the bayou, some nestled in the surrounding trees, all working together to bury us from sight and to keep us as close to the opening as possible.
An eerie cracking sound echoed in the distance, the wind beginning to build. The temperature dropping, Audrey and Gabe at once zipped up their sweatshirts to warm their human skin. We had no idea from which direction Gérard would come at us, and for all we knew, he could swoop in from overhead and throw us awry. Something about being low and flat to the ground made me feel massively vulnerable, and I gripped my dagger tight in my palm at the thought.
One of the vampires I’d seen practicing combat moves back at the house was stationed next to the magical oak tree, one hand planted firmly on the door-key branch, ready to snap it the moment the crescent moon became fully visible.
The branches and leaves rustling around us, the swamp came to life with movement, the wind quickening by the second, the sunset nearly gone. Low murmurs began to spread throughout the sea of vampires, their stances visibly shifting when a clearing appeared amidst the trees. I kept my head down, peeking desperately through the bodies to catch a glimpse of Gérard. No luck, but though my view was completely blocked, I could make out his chilling voice. It became clearer, and judging by the body language of the frozen souls in front of me, they were already terrified. Knees were crouched, some of their legs shifting with quivering shakes. Others grasped the backs of the ones next to them for support.
“He’s not alone,” Arianna whispered, gripping my arm so tight I could feel her fingernails draw blood.
“What do you mean, he’s not alone?” Glancing up toward the horizon again, I could make out the trees with their dressings of swaying moss, their leaves shaking and bristling against some kind of force. Crouching next to Arianna, I followed her gaze as she worked to peek through the crowd.
“Witches!” she whispered. “Witches everywhere, there must be at least twenty … wait. More than that, oh my God …”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Frantic, I glanced around. “Their magic doesn’t work on us, what good will that do—?”
Gérard’s voice was clear, and loud enough to address the entire crowd.
“My dear children, some friends have accompanied me to ensure this whole process runs as quickly and efficiently as possible. I’ve linked our powers together, you see. So
Tracing the curve of my jaw with his thumb, he seared me with a slow, wet kiss and returned my hand to his with a soft squeeze.
We moved forward again and the resistance followed, twigs, leaves, and damp muck crunching beneath our feet as we approached the familiar oak tree with the magic branch, the one that opened the bayou portal. Coming to a full stop in the swampy clearing, Gavin and I turned around to face everyone, Audrey, Gabe, and Arianna moving to stand next to us.
With a subtle nod to the resistance, Gavin threaded his fingers through my hair, his breath hot on my face as he leaned down to press his lips to mine. “See you on the other side, baby.”
“See you,” I whispered against his mouth, steeling myself when he broke our connection. I eyed the impending darkness looming above us, the faint trace of the sunset’s glow dressing the twilight. Gavin disappeared amongst the mass of frozen souls, positioning himself in its center as they formed a protective bubble around him toward the outer layer of our group, while another handful of vampires joined Audrey and Gabe to barricade Arianna and me against the bayou’s bank. I was nestled against the edge, ready to take the leap the instant the water began to churn. More formations of frozen souls lined the other sides of the bayou, some nestled in the surrounding trees, all working together to bury us from sight and to keep us as close to the opening as possible.
An eerie cracking sound echoed in the distance, the wind beginning to build. The temperature dropping, Audrey and Gabe at once zipped up their sweatshirts to warm their human skin. We had no idea from which direction Gérard would come at us, and for all we knew, he could swoop in from overhead and throw us awry. Something about being low and flat to the ground made me feel massively vulnerable, and I gripped my dagger tight in my palm at the thought.
One of the vampires I’d seen practicing combat moves back at the house was stationed next to the magical oak tree, one hand planted firmly on the door-key branch, ready to snap it the moment the crescent moon became fully visible.
The branches and leaves rustling around us, the swamp came to life with movement, the wind quickening by the second, the sunset nearly gone. Low murmurs began to spread throughout the sea of vampires, their stances visibly shifting when a clearing appeared amidst the trees. I kept my head down, peeking desperately through the bodies to catch a glimpse of Gérard. No luck, but though my view was completely blocked, I could make out his chilling voice. It became clearer, and judging by the body language of the frozen souls in front of me, they were already terrified. Knees were crouched, some of their legs shifting with quivering shakes. Others grasped the backs of the ones next to them for support.
“He’s not alone,” Arianna whispered, gripping my arm so tight I could feel her fingernails draw blood.
“What do you mean, he’s not alone?” Glancing up toward the horizon again, I could make out the trees with their dressings of swaying moss, their leaves shaking and bristling against some kind of force. Crouching next to Arianna, I followed her gaze as she worked to peek through the crowd.
“Witches!” she whispered. “Witches everywhere, there must be at least twenty … wait. More than that, oh my God …”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Frantic, I glanced around. “Their magic doesn’t work on us, what good will that do—?”
Gérard’s voice was clear, and loud enough to address the entire crowd.
“My dear children, some friends have accompanied me to ensure this whole process runs as quickly and efficiently as possible. I’ve linked our powers together, you see. So
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