Shy as usual, sweet Sera tapped his arm to get him to look at her. “Think about where you want to go, and we’ll open a portal for you. Preferably not in the middle of the cemetery as the surge of energy may bring too much attention to you.”
Finn agreed. Without knowing the lay of the land by heart, or how many vampires or other enemies were there, he had to be careful.
On the opposite side of the basement, he felt magic stir, and Hunter appeared, brought through a portal manifested by Valeria.
The man looked pale for a second but quickly shook his head. “I hate those jumps. Makes me want to heave.” Blinking a few times, the cop looked around. “So, Violet is in trouble.”
Tame words in Finn’s opinion. “We’re probably going up against vampires. If I have to fight them off, you’ll need to carry Violet to safety.”
Hunter arched an eyebrow and hunched a little. “Great. The helpless human is at your bidding, Master.”
Finn had heard those lines in that creepy accented voice before, probably from some movie, and ignored it. Humans had weird ideas about his race, and there was no time to set Hunter right.
Sera and Valeria came together and started chanting. Sera gave him a look, and Finn closed his eyes to visualize a small clearing not far from the cemetery. That should be the best landing point to start looking for Violet.
When he opened his eyes again, the swirl had turned into an opening showing trees. Hunter looked at him and nodded.
With a fierce prayer that all was not lost, Finn jumped.
Chapter 4
As night slowly crept over the land, Finn knew it wasn’t an advantage if he was dealing with a bunch of vampires. More vulnerable during the day, his kind rose to full force after sunset. As he covered Hunter, both of them advanced until the spears of the small decrepit chapel came into view. They crouched behind trees.
Finn scanned the area and couldn’t feel a presence nearby. Nothing, apart from a faint odor of blood but diluted from the air and he couldn’t determine if it was Violet’s or not.
As they approached, there was no heartbeat, no feeling of magic. That evidence made his heart sink. If there was no heartbeat and traces of blood, the chances of finding the witch alive were slim.
“I don’t see anything. Is there anybody there?”
Finn shook his head before getting to his feet, and Hunter followed suit.
Still careful, they entered the cemetery. Hunter looked around, a hand remaining on his service weapon.
“There’s been movement recently. You can see it through the unkempt lawn. And there are a few broken branches too.”
Finn advanced, less and less stealthy as it was clear the place was empty of anyone living or undead at least.
As they approached the chapel, he immediately noticed the acrid smell of smoke mixed with blood. This time he had no doubt Violet had been there.
Ignoring Hunter’s yell, Finn pushed him at supernatural speed until he barged into the chapel. His nose guided him to a side door leading to the basement. When he stepped down, his body reacted. If he had been human, he would have wretched on the spot. The walls and floor were painted black, but blood was everywhere, glistening in the dim light coming from behind him. In the middle of the room chains were attached to hooks on the floor.
The room was still vibrating with pain and something else. There was an energy that troubled him. What had happened there?
Hunter thundered in behind him, breathing heavily and skidded to a stop, curses pouring out of him.
Finn didn’t know what to say and was unable to move. Hunter grabbed his cell phone and turned the flashlight on. The bright light revealed even more than what his vampire eyes could see. There were only a few puddles of blood on the floor, most of it was on the black walls. It glistened into forms and symbols he’d never seen before.
Carefully, both men examined the small space. Hunter took lots of pictures. “I’m sending everything to the girls. Maybe they will recognize something.”
Finn wasn’t interested in their meaning. His only goal was to get to Violet wherever she was.
He went outside, cleansing his lungs from the putrid smell and looked around. Nature looked still, as if waiting for something. The wind shifted as the light decreased, and with desperation seizing his gut, Finn closed his eyes and tried to reach for Violet, for any part of her.
His mind swirled, trying to grab at any thread. Hunter came to his side without a word and waited.
Violet? Darling?
He tried his most seductive tone, one he often dreamed of using with her in very different circumstances.
It took a moment, but when he heard a sob that sounded almost like a whisper, it showed him the way.
Without speaking to Hunter, Finn started running, leaving the human cop behind.
He didn’t know much about his surroundings apart from how to get there from the road and the cemetery itself. The direction he was following now led him toward a patch of forest. He stopped in his tracks as a familiar smell reached his nostrils. Violet. His entire body reacted to her, longed for her, wanted to save her.
The forest thinned as he ran until he reached an old quarry. There were broken piles of stones everywhere, and in the distance, an immense hole.
He finally spotted her, that familiar silhouette against the dimming gray sky, and so close to the edge of the hole, Finn stopped thinking and reacted.
Approaching, he could distinguish her wonderful curly hair knotted and matted with blood in the fading light. Her body was barely covered with shreds of what had been her clothes.
She stood immobile, her beautiful eyes lost in the vastness before her. Where was all the fire that had attracted his soulless heart like a moth to a flame?
Finn slowed as he approached, now unsure.
