Almost to Die For (9 page)

I shook out a match from the box. I struck the head, and the flame flared for a second, then blew out. I tried again. The next one went out a moment after it lit as well.

A dark chuckle echoed through the treetops.

Whatever was out there was mocking me. I tried again, and the light disappeared in a puff. My hands shook so hard, the matches spilled out of the box into the low grass, wet with dew. Now they’d never start!

I should probably just say the words and forget trying to get the candle going, but I knelt down and felt around until I found one. Everyone was watching me, even whatever hovered just outside the light of the circle in the trees.

“Welcome, east,” I croaked, my voice cracking with tension.

Just then, as though by my command, all the candles went out with a whoosh. The circle was plunged into darkness.

I
n the sudden darkness, someone let out a bloodcurdling scream. I flinched. The coven’s coherence began to disintegrate as people tried to figure out what was happening. No one left the circle, though. Instead, as if by silent cue, everyone turned to face the woods and locked hands. Diane started up the circle song: “We are a circle, within a circle, with no beginning and never ending.”

The coven picked up the words; the song grew louder, more confident.

Something in the woods hooted sarcastically.

I didn’t know what to do. I looked to Diane, but the high priestess was busily concentrating on keeping everyone focused on holding off the outside threat, whatever it was. Bea caught my eye and, with an uplifted chin, urged me to try calling the element again.

My fingers fumbled for a match.

“Forget that,” Nikolai said, shouting to be heard over the singing. “Let the moon be our light. Just say the words. Draw the wind. Kick a little magical ass.”

Diane nodded encouragingly.

Straightening, I stood and faced the east. It was almost impossible to find my calm center when I could see the others, the shadowy things, pacing through the woods and hiding among the branches of the thick trees. Their shape seemed human, but not much else about them did. Tall and powerful figures, they snarled and snapped like animals. Who were they? Some kind of weird gang? Or were they the enemy that Mom spoke of, the ones from the “other side” that the coven was at war with?

“Come on,” whined Shannon nervously. “We need to have a circle. Now.”

I let the familiarity of the repetitive circle song settle my nerves. “Welcome, east,” I said, as loudly as my trembling voice would allow. “Guardian of word, make our thoughts manifest.”

And here was where a little puff of wind would go very nicely. I tried to magically induce a little “oomph,” but, despite all the talk of destiny and my own fervent hope, absolutely nothing came.

Except a kind of creepy, happy growl.

Bea’s dad, the high priest, shook his head. I could see him glancing back at me. He motioned for me to come and take his place in the outer circle. I looked at Diane for guidance. Diane pursed her lips, and then glanced out at the woods where a kind of chortling snort could be heard. “They’ll attack us without a proper circle, child. I’m sorry.”

It was the “you failed” moment I’d been expecting.

“No!” Mom shouted. “Give her another chance.”

“Mom,” I said as I started toward the spot Bea’s dad had held in the outer circle. “It’s okay.”

“No. No! This must be done tonight. Look at them, Diane! They’ve come for her, and you’re giving her to them.”

The song began to falter as the other coveners strained to follow the argument.

I paused. What did Mom mean? Who or what were those things in the woods? And why did they come tonight? Did it really have something to do with me? Could these be the enemies my dad talked about? Or were they on his side?

“No time to argue. They’ll attack soon,” Bea’s dad said. He broke out of his spot in the circle. As he rushed past me, he all but shoved me into position. “Hold the line,” he yelled authoritatively. “
I’m
drawing the east now.”

“No, wait.” It was Mom again. “You can’t do this to her! What about the candles? Wasn’t that wind magic? She needs a second chance!”

“We don’t have time. Anyway, he has every right. He’s the high priest. It’s his call and I happen to agree with it,” Diane said.

“No,” Mom started up the argument again, but Bea’s dad had already begun. I could sense the swirl of the wind tug at my hair and I heard the rattling of the leaves. I quickly grasped the waiting hands and joined the outer circle.

The creatures in the woods quieted at the show of magic.

But one stepped forward, right in front of me.

It was hard to distinguish all the details in the darkness, but it—no, he—was definitely human, and, uh, quite naked. Dappled moonlight revealed a tall, lean, muscular form with pale, almost luminescent skin. Dark hair framed a hauntingly handsome face and yellow, catlike eyes.

Looking me directly in the face, he put a hand to his heart and bowed slightly. “Princess Anastasija,” he said. “My lady.”

The eyes caught mine and trapped them in his gaze. Unearthly as they were, I found myself wanting to lose myself in their golden pools. A calm swept over me, and I felt a sense of homecoming. What was this wonderful, enchanting being? And why shouldn’t I run wild and free into the woods with him—where I belonged?

Just as I was ready to break from the circle and take the creature by the hand, Bea’s dad spoke his own words of power. The coven repeated, “So mote it be,” and the wind pushed the handsome stranger back a step. He lifted an arm to ward it off, but stumbled into the shadows of the trees and disappeared completely from view.

“Wait,” I implored.

But the woman holding my hand squeezed it tightly and shook her head as if to say, “No, this is best.”

Although I couldn’t see any movement, I could feel the others retreating as well. Their presence faded as the magic swelled.

Bea was speaking now, conjuring fire. A warm pulse filled the circle, like a sudden flare from a bonfire. The other witches sensed their departure as well, and one by one, they turned and faced the inner circle again. I was the last to turn, still hoping to see a final glimpse of the alluring otherworldly creature who called me
his
lady.

Nikolai’s water was like a soft mist, and by the time Shannon solidified the circle with earth, there was no trace of the haunting presence in the woods. The coven now stood, in fact, somewhere else, a place between the real and the magical worlds.

I watched the ritual as an outsider. I saw Diane bestow the gift of prophecy on her niece, Bea. Nikolai would be a shaman, and Shannon a bard. The last bit brought a tiny tear to my eye, but I was outside them all now. This would be the last Inner Circle ritual I’d ever witness.

It all seemed removed somehow, like I’d had a heavy dose of cold medicine and my brain had gone all foggy and distant. I followed along as the four elements were thanked and released, the ritual unwinding to a close.

When the circle opened with the familiar words, “The circle is open, but unbroken. Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again,” I breathed a small sigh of relief. It hadn’t been nearly as horrible as I expected. Thanks to the weird people in the woods, everyone was more focused on repelling them than on my failure.

Well, everyone except Mom.

Someone relit the circle of candles. People were crowding around Bea, Nikolai, and Shannon to congratulate them on their successful Initiation. Not moving from my spot near the circle’s edge, I accepted the bug spray Grandmother Storm offered, along with the soft, understanding smile and gentle pat on the shoulder. After dosing myself with the spray, I passed it on to the next covener, who also gave me that sad, pitying look.

I didn’t really want sympathy. I wanted answers. Turning, I stared out into the woods. The large, gnarled oaks stood tall and mute. Who had been out there? What were they? Had one of them really spoken to me, called me “my lady”?

Someone put an arm gently across my shoulders. I expected to see Mom, but it was Bea’s dad. “I’m sorry,” he said, pushing his glasses up on his nose with his finger. “I didn’t mean to be so abrupt. I thought they might attack. They seemed determined, don’t you think? Much worse than before. We’ve got to rein them in. They’re our responsibility, you know.”

“Who are they?”

Bea’s dad looked shocked. “Why, they’re your father’s people. . . .” He paused and watched my face intently in the candlelight. “Hasn’t your mother ever told you?”

Dad’s people? Did he mean Ramses? Was I one of whatever those things were in the woods? How was that even possible? Were they even entirely human?

Watching the expression on my face, Bea’s dad paled. He removed his arm and awkwardly stepped away. “Oh. I shouldn’t have said anything. You don’t know about them, do you?”

“No, Mom’s never said a word,” I admitted. “Please tell me about them. What are they?”

“I’ve already said too much,” Bea’s dad said, anger creeping into his voice. “Your mother has been very irresponsible. You should have known about this before tonight of all nights.”

I couldn’t agree more. Speaking of my mother, I was about to confront her about all of this when I heard Mom’s voice shrilly rising above all the happy chatter. “You will allow it. I demand a second chance for Ana.”

Mom was up in Diane’s face, her own red and blotchy with rage.

“You saw them,” Mom continued. Voices hushed as everyone’s attention shifted. “They came for her. Are you just going to let her slip into their grasp? I won’t allow it. She is my daughter. Not theirs!”

As fascinated by this conversation as I was, I felt myself wanting to shrink into the dark shadows of the forest just like the others had—especially when everyone turned to look at me.

“She has none of our magic,” Diane said with surprising calm. “There’s nothing more to be done, Amelia. The coven will continue to protect her, but she can’t be in the Inner Circle.”

“No, no,” Mom began her usual denial. “You saw the candles go out. That was definitely wind.”

But it hadn’t come from me, I thought silently.

Mom continued. “Something went wrong tonight. They were waiting. It was some kind of ambush. Maybe their presence affected her abilities. You know she has potential.”

“No, I don’t,” I found myself screaming, despite the embarrassment. “Just stop! I can’t do it. I never could. I told you that a hundred times, but you wouldn’t listen.”

Mom’s eyes were wild with rage when she swung around to look at me. Everyone in the coven was absolutely silent, riveted to the argument. “Listen to me, young lady. This is very important. You must complete the Initiation. It is essential to your survival. You don’t want to be one of them, do you?”

What was so wrong with them, anyway? “I don’t know, maybe I do,” I said impulsively.

A shock wave rippled through the coven.

“She doesn’t know what she’s saying,” Mom said. Then to me, her voice quivering with anger, “You don’t know what that means.”

“That’s because you never told her,” Bea’s dad’s voice cut across the circle. “Amelia, you did your daughter a huge disservice. She doesn’t even know what she is.”

The coven exploded in a fury of “What? How can that be?”

Mom looked ready to cry. She took a few hesitating steps toward me, her arms outstretched. “Honey, I couldn’t. It’s . . . You don’t have to be like them. You just have to find the magic inside you. I know it’s there.”

Mom started sobbing, because we both—no, everyone—knew the truth. If I had magic, it wasn’t this kind.

“You should tell her,” Bea’s dad insisted.

“I can’t,” Mom whispered.

“Then I will,” he said, and, before Mom could protest, added, “Anastasija Parker, you’re a dhampyr. You’re half vampire.”