His eyes never strayed from Theodore, who stood paralyzed. “You tried to kill her,” Andre’s voice boomed.
The whole building shuddered at his words. Above me the giant chandelier rocked violently side to side. Dozens of candles toppled from their precarious perch, dropping from the chandelier and lighting the ancient rugs on fire. I took note that the fire was equally Andre’s fault.
Theodore managed to stand his ground, although his hands quivered. “She’s seen him, the devil. She’s cursed.”
I swallowed down my nausea. The devil? Was that who the man in the suit was? I couldn’t imagine how Theodore knew this. Andre, however, didn’t so much as pause at this revelation.
“She will lead to the death of us all.” Theodore’s words became rushed. “You could not protect your people, so I had to.”
Poor Theodore misunderstood the situation. Even I could tell that Andre was beyond listening.
Andre’s hair began to lift, as if caught by a breeze. “How dare you question my leadership!” he yelled. A violent tremor began at Andre’s feet. The building’s foundations groaned as it swept through the mansion, upending priceless sculptures and vases.
The enormous wrought iron chandelier shrieked, and with a awful snap, it began to fall.
“Gabrielle!” My head whipped around. Caleb ran towards me, cutting across the entrance hall. Dear God, the chandelier and he were on a collision course. He wasn’t going to be able to clear the distance.
Time slowed. I began to move as the chandelier plunged towards him. My shoulder screamed as I forced myself up and my feet to move. But I wasn’t fast enough.
“Caleb!”
He registered my alarm, his face changing from concern to confusion. And then the edge of the chandelier connected with his head. There was a sickening thump and Caleb’s eyes rolled back as he fell limp.
The entire event happened in seconds, but it seemed to stretch on in my mind. Then time righted itself.
The chandelier hit the floor; its massive iron frame crumpled side tables and pulverized the wooden floorboards beneath. It sounded like hell had broken loose, and maybe it had. Debris rained over me from the fallout.
Above me Andre’s anger still raged. “You took an oath to protect her, and instead you tried to kill her.” The fire bloomed and spread in time to Andre’s voice, licking up the thick drapery. “You betrayed the coven. You betrayed me!” Everywhere glass shattered.
Theodore started to back up, the whites of his eyes visible. Remembering the gun, he aimed it at me. Before his finger so much as caressed the trigger, the gun flew from his hand.
Horror bloomed on Theodore’s usually confident face as he looked at his empty hand. Apparently he hadn’t fully realized the extent of Andre’s power either. Theodore turned to run.
“No,” Andre ordered. The doors along the hallway slammed shut. Andre wrapped his hand around one of the banister rails and ripped it away from the staircase.
Theodore staggered. “No, not that.” He began to beg. “Please Andre, have mercy.”
Andre grabbed Theodore’s hair and pulled his head backward, exposing his neck.
“Please, please, please,” Theodore said, over and over again.
“There is no mercy for traitors.” Andre lifted the stake and, in one clean stroke, thrust it through Theodore’s heart. Above the roaring of the fire, I heard screams coming from outside.
My stomach roiled. Andre dropped Theodore’s body and walked back down the stairs. His rage had not subsided. With every step he took the fire expanded, until I was uncomfortably hot.
He approached me, and I tried to move away from him. Uncaring, he scooped me up, and I screamed as he jostled my shoulder. I was pressed against Andre’s bloody tux, soaked with my blood and now Theodore’s.
Andre didn’t so much as pause as we passed Caleb. We were leaving without him. “Wait, we have to get Caleb.” Andre ignored me. “Andre, did you hear me? Put me down.”
“No.” We crossed the mansion’s threshold then were outside. I breathed in the crisp evening air. People gathered in clusters, some whispering to each other as they watched us, others crying.
Here and there I noticed strange piles of singed clothing. And then an unsettling thought crept up on me. If Andre’s death would kill everyone he’d ever changed, could Theodore’s death kill the vampires he’d created too?
“Oh God …” But Andre must’ve known this. He must have known that killing Theodore would indirectly kill so many others. But if he knew … My stomach churned. If he knew, then his actions were horrific.
“Put me down!”
“No,” he said. His voice had lost its otherworldly anger. “You may hate me, but I will not let you go back inside.” Andre finally met my gaze, and he looked normal again. A droplet of blood snaked from his eye. It took me a moment to realize it was a tear. “I cannot let you die.”