Every time I exploded something, I would have a few restful moments from the sharp pains in my head, but as days turned into weeks, the pressure grew, and I wondered how much more my body could take. If I could, I would have removed the necklace, but that was impossible. The evil inside me was far stronger than any will of my own.
All the recent fires and explosions baffled people. Because they couldn’t come up with a logical explanation, they assumed it was terrorist attacks, and the country was on high alert. I laughed at them, at how the government tried to make the people feel safe. They would go to war if the attacks didn’t stop—the President had said so earlier this morning. I hoped he wasn’t bluffing. War would provide the perfect cover for my destruction.
Still without sleep, I paced the halls of the Segur estate at three in the morning with my hands clenched tight, nails digging into my palms. The pain was so intense that I couldn’t think of anything else, not even a place to send the dark magic to.
The trapped energy screamed inside me, chanted and begged to be released. The skin on my arms vibrated strangely as if someone was holding a struck tuning fork to it. Then, to my horror, the skin began to stretch outward by the evil within. Physically, I could no longer control it. The left wing of the mansion exploded into flames, releasing some of the pressure.
It didn’t take long for the old mansion to be consumed by the fire. The servants who had chosen to remain with me out of fear now fled. No attempt was made to save the home.
I walked out from within the fire; the flames did nothing but tease my skin. I drifted through the nearby blackened forest, no longer caring where I went. To prevent myself from feeling any more physical pain, I continued to expel the dark energy inside me, sending it whatever place I thought of first. Behind me, the morning sun touched the fading night sky and, if I could, I would’ve destroyed that, too.
“You’ve caused some major damage,” a voice said.
Surprised I’d been caught off guard, I turned around. Not far stood the vampire Eve had met in Paris.
“I know you,” I said.
It was his turn to be surprised. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”
He didn’t recognize me, and I wondered if I even looked human anymore.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“To stop you.”
“Is this a habit of yours? Stopping powerful women who just want to have some fun?”
“This may be fun for you, but innocent lives are being lost.”
“You sound like a broken record.”
His brow furrowed and his lips pursed together. Oh, come now, I couldn’t be that hard to remember.
Levitating, I circled around him in a great loop, my bare toes dragging against the early morning frost. “How did you find me?”
He kept his eyes on me, his muscles tense. “Evil of your magnitude can be felt from any distance, if one is looking for it.”
I liked him. He was brave when all others fled. I remembered how Eve had also been drawn to him, but for an entirely different reason, something to do with his eyes.
“Why do you seek out evil?” I asked.
“To stop it.”
“Why would you do this, especially knowing my power? I could destroy you with just a thought.”
“Then why haven’t you?”
I titled my head. “You want to die?”
“I want to stop you. It is of no consequence to me if I die trying.”
“You interest me, vampire.”
He didn’t respond, but his eyes flashed to my neck. “That’s quite a necklace,” he said. “Where did you get it?”
“It was a gift.” My eyes narrowed. “Did you come for a friendly chat? I thought you wanted to stop me. Don’t lose your focus.”
He took my advice and bolted toward me at lightning speed. I let him attack, anxious to see what he was capable of. He struck me hard, and I flew backward to the ground. I thought he’d wait for my reaction, but he didn’t stop. In an instant, he was upon me, fangs bared. His hands struggled to get at my neck or the necklace, I couldn’t be sure which.
Finally, I’d had enough. I shoved him away hard, feeling his bones break beneath my palms. His limp body crashed into a dead, blackened tree that snapped in two. He collapsed to the ground, moaning and balled up with a grimace on his face.
“That was impressive,” I said. “I thought you’d give a lady a chance to recover, but you couldn’t get enough. I admire your passion.”
The vampire hobbled first to his knees, then staggered to his feet, one hand clutching his side. His knees buckled, and his other hand reached out to steady himself against the broken tree trunk.
“I could use someone like you by my side,” I said. “What do you say?”
“I’d love to,” he said, breathing heavily. “But there’s only one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I hate witches.” He rushed me again, but this time he jumped high into the air to flip over me. When he was directly above my head, I stopped his motion. He remained frozen in the air, feet up, his head dangling just inches from mine. He fought against my mental grip, but it was useless.
“Think about what I’m offering,” I said. “I’m giving you life. I give this to no other.”