Blood and Snow 12: Vampire Ever After? (6 page)

Using Pocahontas’s interruption to his ad
vantage, Christopher had run to the door, and was halfway through before he was lifted into the air, and deposited directly in the spot where he was a moment before.

Sharra shifted the sword so that she held it like a dagger, the blade turned down, the sharp end facing me.

I gave her a curious look. She spun, and lifted the sword.

Her red dress flared out like a red tulip.

Christopher made a choking sound.

In less than a second,
Sharra faced me again.

The chanting,

Lips red as rubies

H
air dark as night

Drink your true love’s blood

Become the Vampire, Snow White…
continued.

I realized it was the Worker vampires. They were
saying the words. Repeating them in a low, almost ghost-like voice.

Sharra grinned. “You must consume his heart. Do it while it’s still warm.”

Chapter 10

   In that instant my brain comprehended what Sharra had done. A red line, like a tight choker, circled the Hunter’s neck. Christopher fell to his knees and his head toppled to the floor.

My stomach turned.
Before I could utter a sound, she used his sword to open his chest. Like a bass drum, Christopher’s heart beat in my ears. My body twitched in fear. I wanted to run, escape before she did that to me. She’d been so quick. I was nothing against her.

Worst of all, the vampire in me wanted Christopher’s heart. My fangs grew.
I opened my mouth, allowing them to extend. The scent caused my mouth to water. Stepping over Dorian, I lowered myself next to Christopher’s body.

“That’s right,” Sharra cooed, encouraging.

I barely heard her. Every inch of my body longed for… craved the heart of my Hunter.

With a slight
pop
, I pulled the heart from Christopher’s body. It still beat. Fast. Erratic. Mine joined his. I turned away from his body, sickened at seeing him so broken. Whether he loved me or not, I’d loved him.

My body
wanted one thing. To do what Sharra wanted. Consume his heart. The rational part of my brain kept telling me to stop. That I was falling into the Vampire Queen’s trap.

But t
he rest of me didn’t care. As in my vision, the heart was all I could see, all I wanted. Slowly, I moved the heart closer to my mouth. The warmth, and scent nearly pushed me into a frenzy.

Suddenly, my
eyes caught hold of Dorian’s. Tears tinged his lashes. His mouth was twisted with words I couldn’t hear. His arms reached out to me. I felt my head tilt. And I paused, waiting. Christopher’s heart only millimeters from my mouth. 

Images of Dorian rushed through my mind.

His smile.

His
mischievous comments.

The way he always watched out for me.

He’d told me he loved me the last time I saw him.

And he’d kissed me.

Not the kiss of a friend, but one of pure love.

My heart lurched at the
pictures, at the way my soul burned with comprehension.

Dorian wasn’t dead.

And though I thought I loved Christopher, that love was nothing compared to what I felt for Dorian.

Where Christopher’s love had been pretend, fake, and superficial, Dorian’s was deep, real, and everlasting.

I realized I needed to ask Dorian why he never told me how he felt. Why he’d waited until we were both about to die to reveal his true feelings. Without a doubt I wanted to spend however long it took to deserve the kind of love he had for me.

“Dorian,” I whispered.

“That’s right, Snow. I love you. Forever, and alw…” His voice cut off as a needle and thread sewed his lips shut.

Fury I didn’t know I possessed rose inside, and without completely realizing what I was doing, I reached out a hand toward
Sharra. My only aspiration, in that moment, was to crush her. Destroy her. Make her disappear so she wouldn’t hurt those I loved ever again.

A red light shot into Sharra. Disbelief and pain crossed Sharra’s face, and she clutched her chest.

“What are you doing?” She fell back, tripping over dead bodies.

I quickly placed Christopher’s heart back in his chest. Prof
essor Pops said that to kill a Drone vampire, the head had to be severed, but Christopher wasn’t a Drone. He was a Hunter, and I’d already healed him once with the power of the Seal. Picking up Christopher’s head, I set it next to his body.

“Pocahontas, come to me child,” I heard Sharra say.

From the corner of my eye, I watched the Marked step over and around the dead girls, and kneel next to Sharra.

“
Nooooo,” I screamed, and a pulse of red shot from my hands, and into the girl. She tumbled back.

Sharra’s eyes were wide with shock. “Either do what I want, or I promise you this.” Her voice shook with fear, and rage. “I will spend every waking moment making your life a living Hell. I won’t rest until every last person, creature, and being you’ve ever loved or cared
about is destroyed.”

I stepped toward her.
The Vampire Queen’s threats were only that though—threats.

“The only way you can harm me is if I allow you to
continue to live as you are. And that isn’t going to happen.” I lifted both hands in front of me.

“Wait. Don’t,” she pleaded. “If you kill me, you’ll be no better than I am.”

One of the words Abernathy said,
rehabilitation
struck a chord, and found resonance. I hesitated, and allowed a triumphant smile to spread across my face.

“You’re right, Sharra.
I’m not going to kill you.” I shifted my feelings. Instead of thinking of hate, I thought of forgiveness, pity, and mercy. This time, the light that pulsed from my hands wasn’t red, as it had been in the past, when I was angry. This time it was black.

All colors combined.
The seven magics, I thought.

Sharra screamed
as the power of the Seal pulsed through her. Her body writhed on the floor.

A black smoke surrounded her, consumed her…

The smoke dissipated. My breathing came rapidly, as though I’d been running.

The Vampire Queen was gone.

Not a body.

Not a speck of dust.

Nothing.

Where her body had been, there was only emptiness.

Had I killed her, after all?

Chapter 11

A collective sigh of relief came from the Worker vampires, and the Marked.
The magical bonds, which held the girls, dissipated. They scrambled from their prison, stepping over the dead girls. Some hugged each other, like they were friends. And I wondered how long Sharra had them.

Several of the girls came forward.

“Thank you.”

“You saved us.”

“How can we ever repay you?”

They patted me on the shoulder, grabbed my hands, and pulled me into hugs.

I let them, unable to respond. Their words didn’t register.

Was it over, I thought struggling to believe Sharra was
gone. Like gone, gone.

I turned
toward the Worker vampires. Some were hugging, seemingly excited. Others weren’t sure what to do. And others appeared angry.

Dorian was still on the
ground, his breathing laborious, but his lips were no longer sewn shut.

He was my first priority. I placed my hands on his chest, near his heart.

“Hi,” he said, gently.

Even after all I’d been through, all I’d done, I felt suddenly shy.

“Hi, yourself,” I responded.

He lay down, giving me easier access to his wounds. 

“Hold still.”

He swallowed. “Alright. But go easy on me.” He
tried to smirk, but it looked more like a grimace.

If he weren’t so broken I would’ve slapped him. Instead I sent the power of the Seal into him, healing him.

After several long moments, he looked better. His eyes were both bright, the wounds on his face and chest gone.

Dorian’s hands slid
up my arms. My body shivered. Tingled. His fingers wound their way through my hair, and he pulled me forward so my face was above his. “You’re awesome.”

I
smiled, and was about to say something smart, when I really looked at his eyes. They were no longer hazel, but black, except around the edges, which were flecked with all the colors of the magics. His eyes reminded me of the gem still in my pocket. At the thought, the gem heated.

“Your eyes. They’ve changed,” I whispered. We were so close I could smell his blood, and I yearned to taste, to suck, to drink him in
.

“So have yours,” he whispered, touching my cheek.

“What? No way. What color?” I asked, surprised.

“They are black, and
the edges flecked…” He pulled me closer, so we were nose to nose. “Gold, green, red, vio—”

A mournful scream interrupted him.

Back to reality, I thought, and stood. Dorian stuck out his hand. I grabbed it, and yanked him up. He bounced to his feet.

“What’s wrong with that guy?” One of the girls cried.

I glanced from the group of girls to the spot they were pointing, which was at Christopher. His body and head were trying to reattach themselves. It was a gruesome sight.

Dorian placed a hand on my arm. “Maybe you could help him?”

My first thought was to tell him no. If I helped him, he’d just try to kill me again. But then I thought about what happened to Sharra. Perhaps I could heal him, and use the Seal to give Christopher a change of heart. Maybe. If he disappeared, the way Sharra did, then all the better.

I knelt beside my Hunter. His eyes found mine. They were filled with pain and fear. “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

He blinked.

I touched his chest, in the spot where his heart should’ve been beating. But it no longer did. Sharra no longer had any power here
. That meant Christopher could no longer be in the sun. Nor would he ever have a heartbeat. I wondered about the Marked, but knew their hearts no longer beat either, which meant mine didn’t either.

Sighing, I placed my hands on Christopher, and pressed the power of the Seal into his body. My thoughts swirled with healing, mercy,
and kindness. There was regret, and anger too. But I pushed them down. For now.

His head and body reattached
, the insides reassembled. When it was done, I stood.

Christopher gave me a wary look.

“You’re free to go, on one condition.”

“What is it?” he asked, his voice hard.

Dorian stood next to me, and I was grateful for his support. More than anything else, he was a friend.

“I don’t ever want to see your face again.”

“Deal,” he said, and ran.

I turned toward the Worker vampires. “You’re free. Go
. Do good. Don’t kill. Don’t hurt others. Be kind.” I felt like I was speaking to children.

“Will you lead us?” One vampire asked.

“It is your right,” another said.

“We’ll see,” I answered.

Chapter 12

With the power of the Seal I reversed the magic placed on the girls that’d been Marked. Then I sent them back to their homes. Pocahontas wasn’t dead, but wounded. It turned out her Hunter convinced her that if Sharra claimed her body, she wouldn’t disappear, but would rule in Sharra’s stead.

Once I explained that wasn’t the case, she changed her tune. But
she was a vampire, and one who’d consumed the heart of her true love. He’d been a human. She wouldn’t be welcomed back home. So I gave her a room in the castle.

Then I returned
to Professor Pops’ mansion. When Dorian and I got there, no one was home.

Except Gatsby.
He yowled like he hadn’t been fed in days. Dorian got him his food and water.

But I was antsy, and worried.

“Where could they be?” I asked, pacing.

“Hey,” he said, and pulled me to him. “I’m sure they’re fine. Relax.”

He kissed my nose. “I’m going to take a shower.” He pushed me back and wrinkled his nose. “You outta clean up too. You’re a mess.”

I laughed. It felt good.

“Okay.”

We climbed the stairs together. When we reached my door, he pulled me into a hug. “See you in a few.”

I hugged him back, desperate to talk to him, but I definitely wanted a shower first. “K,” I said into his chest.