“She will have your cores!” the demon screeched at us as the body it had occupied continued to writhe. “She has the Neutralizer! She has the Harbinger! Now she searches for the Priestess!”
“The Priestess?” my mother demanded.
“Yes, the final acquisition in the Trinity, the being who can destroy the pureblood.” The Demon laughed through its pain.
I felt the need take over as it did before. I wanted the soul of the Demon. I wanted the soul of my teacher. The power consumed me. But before I felt any further change my teacher’s body crumpled to the ground. Nick knelt quickly in prayer over her.
“The demon is gone,” he said after a moment, pulling himself up to his feet. “Can someone help me get her to bed? She won’t remember any of this, but I don’t want her coming to and finding four people standing over her.”
My mother looked down at the stricken woman. “I know her from church,” she said slowly. “She quit coming about two months ago. That must have been when the possession began.”
“She will be returning this Sunday, I’m sure, when she realizes that her soul is unclean,” Nick said, picking Miss Masters up with ease and carrying her into the house.
He tucked her into her double bed and turned on the TV. Then he let her dogs out to go to the bathroom before ushering us out. My mother cleaned up the scorch marks on the front porch that had been made by my fire and fixed the ground where Helen had split it, without meaning to of course. We left the house as if we had never been there. If Miss Masters remembered anything, it would be nothing more than the memory of a messed-up dream.
I felt weak and lost. My mind was swimming, and my brain was mush. I couldn’t think a single thought that made sense. The power still circulating in me caused my body to retaliate against everything I was telling it to do. I was dimly aware of my mother helping me into the car. After that, I felt nothing but blackness, and I fell. I fell and fell until I thought I was never going to stop falling. I smiled at the darkness that surrounded me. I welcomed the silence and the peace, and just when I thought my life was over, I hit the ground with a thud.
****
It took me a few moments to figure out where I was. I knew this house. I had been there before. This was the house that I had been in when I took my adventure through Krista’s eyes. I remembered the red couch in the sitting room, but this was another room altogether. There was a massive fireplace on the right wall and two incredibly old, yet beautiful, chairs in the center of the room separated by a table upon which stood a gorgeous lamp with a stained-glass shade.
“Where am I?” I breathed.
This is what I got for knowing what I am. I was really getting tired of continually being abducted. Why couldn’t someone just ask me if I wanted to go somewhere to talk?
“You should know this place,” said a man sitting on one of the chairs. I did a double-take. I was sure he hadn’t been there a moment before.
“I remember it, yes, but where is it?” I asked, still trying to recall if this man had been there when I arrived.
“No need to worry about that. It’s really nothing more than empty space. However, it is quite beautiful; don’t you think?”
He stood slowly. He was tall, with mahogany brown hair and black eyes. He was wearing a well-tailored suit like the ones that my father wore, not a cheap imitation. Appearance-wise he looked young, maybe early twenties, but from my recent experiences I had learned that appearances weren’t everything.
“Yeah, I suppose. If you’re Dracula,” I joked dryly.
He didn’t look amused. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Dawn,” he said smoothly, coming toward me, and standing awfully close.
“I would say likewise, only I have no idea who you are,” I said slowly, feeling like my bubble had been invaded.
“Introductions are not important; just realize that I am someone rather essential in your little predicament.”
He reached up to my head and ran his fingers down a strand of loose hair. I felt a twinge of anger but stifled it.
“I find introductions to be rather important when it comes to the people I’m talking to,” I said curtly, pushing his hand away. “So, cut to the chase. What do you want?”
“I want your inner core,” he whispered. His eyes glowed red for a few seconds. I could see the fires of Hell wanting to escape his body.
I groaned. “Why?”
“Oh, sweet princess.” He shook his head at me. “You have no idea about the fire inside your heart, how easily you could end all existence.”
“I–I don’t understand,” I stammered.
His eyes were terrifying yet thrilling at the same time. I couldn’t look at them long without being drawn irresistibly to him.
“Of course not. Everyone kept you cooped up, trying to hide you from what you are. They’ve told you lie after lie to keep you from following your destiny.”
He smiled viciously and ran his fingers along the mantel over the fireplace. I looked around, confused. Just a second before he had been standing right in front of me, just inches from my face.
“You act like you know me better than they do,” I ventured, grimacing at the way he moved. It was too fluid too
