Sixteen Candles

Violet’s POV

I wasn’t exactly worried about the hand over my airway. Breathing wasn’t my main concern. I was more worried about Patrick. I knew when that bitch threw him.

No broken bones or anything, but then a smell familiar plagued the night. One the vampires were sure to recognise. Human blood.

I grabbed the hand of the vampire holding me and planted the heel of my stiletto into her heart. She shrieked and dropped me.

I landed on my back and quickly got to my feet to avoid the pipe that swing my way. I grabbed the end of the pipe and shoved it backwards into the heart of the vampire.

The night was torn with the sounds of gunshot and I felt a slight pain, like when someone pokes you.

I turned to the vampire holding the weapon and tossed the stake Patrick had dropped. He dusted. I quickly ripped the head off of another and then shoved my palm into the chest of another.

I got over to Patrick. He was leaning against a tree, a stab wound in his ribs. I found it insignificant, but for a human, he could die. I glanced over the ground and my heart sank as I saw my dagger, it was leant against the tall grass and had blood on its tip.

“Shit.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Patrick noted.

“Do you trust me?”

He gave me a vague look. Then nodded.

“Where’s your phone?”
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small flip phone. “911?”

“No. Not at this time of night, not with all this dust.” I opened the phone and found the number I was looking for. I quickly typed in an address and sent it to Pete.

“What good was that?” He asked me.

“You’ll see.” I reached over and set a hand on his shoulder, visualizing a place I had only been twice. “Hold on.”

A moment later, we were in woods. I reached an arm under his shoulders and helped him to his feet.

“Where are we?”

“Older part of town.”

“The vampire part?”
“No. Farther than that.” I heard tires screeching, to far for Patrick to hear. I moved us out of the woods and tried again, this time ending up a few feet away from a large house.

“How did you--” He was silenced by the door being opened.
I avoided meeting Jordan’s eyes as I used vampire speed to get to the den, placing the injured human on the couch before using my powers to turn on the lights.

“What happened?!” Pete yelled, coming into the room. Andy and Joe not far behind.
I walked over to the desk. “He fell on a knife.”
“You expect me to believe that?!”

Patrick decided to say something. “It’s true. Well actually I was thrown and then landed on the damn thing.”

“Ambushed.” I supplied, fishing through a drawer. “Jordan?”

He appeared a second later with a blood bag and a syringe.

“He should be in a hospital.” Joe noted.

“No, he shouldn’t. This town is under the thumb of a bunch of dangerous vampires. They won’t save him, they’ll just make him into blood bags.”

“Can he live?”
I rolled my eyes. Such drama. “Not without medical care. Who knows what could have been hit.” I pulled the cover off of the syringe needle.

“What is that?” Andy asked.

“Miracle cure. What’s it look like?”

They all swarmed.

“No, you are not giving him vampire blood.” Joe said.

“You can’t turn him.” Andy seconded.

I sighed. “It isn’t vampire blood. It’s my blood. As long as its injected into the bloodstream and not swallowed or anything like that, it should heal the wound and he should be fine.”

They were torn, Patrick was loosing strength fast, there was blood running down half of his body.

“You’re positive?” Pete asked.

“Yes.”

Pete turned to Patrick who nodded and then moved aside.

I moved his shirt and slid the needle into the rib below the one that was apparently broken. Once the syringe was empty, I pulled the needle out and tossed it to Jordan.

“You got shot.” Joe noticed.
“Yeah, some idiot.” I shrugged it off, but knew that Jordan was watching me. I had to get the bullets out.

Patrick’s breathing evened out and his wounds started to heal. Jordan tossed me the blood bag and I climbed into an arm chair and bit into it as he checked over my wounds.

“You’ve melted some of them.” He said. “Give it a week and your body will have gotten rid of them fully.”

I nodded. “Jordan, do me a favour.”

“Yeah.”

The doorbell rang through the house. “Deal with those assholes at the door.”

“Alright.” He ran a hand over my hair before leaving the room.

I got up from my chair and walked over to a large covered piece leaning against the wall. Pulling back the velvet curtains, I noticed the mirror shimmer.

“What is that?” Joe asked me.

“It’s a mirror. Like the one in Snow White, only more efficient. I don’t ask it questions, and I rarely ever talks back.” It shimmered again and showed the foyer. Jordan was talking to a few other guys. One of the smaller men looked up at the mirror and disappeared out of view. “Shit.”

I turned around and was thrown back before I could even get out the door. I was stopped in my tracks, by a weapon being thrown at me. It barely missed me and looking back, I saw it was my own dagger.

The one that had stabbed Patrick. Still bloody.

The man was standing in the doorway. He was relatively tall, about five, seven. Young, maybe fifteen. Yet, everything about him screamed dark. His hair, his suit, his skin, only his eyes were light. An older shade of vampire white.

“That was a sly trick you pulled.”

I looked at the guy. “You shouldn’t have had me attacked.

“My men said ---”

“With all due respect, your men are normal vampires. Even if the would have gotten close enough, they can’t be sure without running tests.”

“They have been trained. But if you think you’re better equipped . . .”

“I’ll handle this. You don’t even need to be here.”

“Your cousin is proving to be unhelpful.”

“Always. I warned you.”

“So is you’re benefactor.”

I rolled my eyes. “It was expected. I’m surprised you haven’t killed him yet.”

“He’s older than myself, why would I do that?”

“It is, within your interests, believe me.”

He waved his hand before moving.

Before I could react, he had shoved me into the mirror and broken it, slicing my back through the t-shirt. He grinned, showing me his fangs.

“You are here on assignment for me. Find any compatible humans, and get them to me. It’s us or them now. Wee need an army. You’re here to do that and move on. You aren’t getting out. At least not before you kill everyone in my coven. And you aren’t going to do that, are you?”

I couldn’t breathe to answer him.

“Understand?”

I nodded.

He moved back and let me hit the ground. He dropped something on the ground before looking over.

Jordan was in the doorway. He looked mad and I knew how bad this could get and how fast.

I shook my head at my guard to stand down. He reluctantly stepped aside for the man to leave.

Straightening his coat, the man was gone at vampire speed. Checking the reflection in the shards of mirror, I watched them all leave.

I sighed and took the hand Jordan offered me.

“Who was that?”

Glancing over, I saw that Patrick was already sitting up. The blood on his shirt the only sign he had been hurt.

Jordan went to extract my dagger from the wall but I caught him and he left it.

“He’s in charge of the people in the park. The ones who attacked us. As far as I know, his name is Kyle. He’s dangerous. And old.”

“Why is he here?”

“That, I can’t explain to you, even if I wanted to.”

“Why not?”

“Do you ever stop asking questions?” Jordan snapped.

I elbowed him and then winced as my back bled more. “In case you haven’t noticed, that guy wants me dead.”

“No he doesn’t.” Jordan reasoned.
“No, he just wants me to help him kill.”

“Exactly.”

I glared at him as I checked the clock.

“Pete, it’s almost dawn. You won’t get back across town before the sun hits.”

“So?”

“You’re all welcome to stay here. Everything is set up. I think I have eight bedrooms already decked out. I only ask that you steer clear of the top floor.”

“After everything,” Andy asked. “Why should we trust you?”
“Because, in helping Kyle, I discovered the exact origin of vampirism in humans. And I have found an cure. Temporary mind you, but it does work.”

“You’d be willing to just give it to me?” Pete asked.
“Yes, actually. It would be perfect revenge against William. Besides that, you aren’t helping anyone with that stuff you drink.”

“How temporary?”

“I’ll explain everything tomorrow night. There’s a cellar underground, not comfortable, but it keeps out the sun. I have no affliction myself, but if it should be needed. Every room in the house has extremely thick curtains that should keep the sun out and there’s animal blood in the fridge. Don’t ask. Then cabinets and fridge are stocked with human food and everything. Make yourselves at home, and besides the third floor, you’re welcome to every room in the house.”

I pulled my dagger from the wall, grabbed the box on the floor, and left the room, Jordan in tow.

“You think it’s smart, having them all here? You say they can’t go, they will get curious.”

I nodded to him. “It is necessary. Kyle was sadly correct. Patrick is compatible with the change.”

“You lied to him. Why?”

“I find this human intriguing. I don’t want him to become a minion.”

“Not for anyone but you.”

“Exactly.”