WitchLove (28 page)

‘Doofus!’

His lips pressed against mine and everything fell into place. I had a new family and friends I would risk Voodoo hexes for. They’d never replace the ones I’d lost, but they made me happy and that counted for a lot. I’d learned to forgive. I’d learned to trust, and I’d become a pretty awesome witch, even if I said so myself. Cole’s psychopathic sister was still on the run and I wanted to be the one to track her down. I knew Brittany was in our bedroom, waiting for me to tell her all about the evening’s events, and Susannah wanted to joke about Saffy’s sullen face. But for now I was going to lose myself in Daniel’s kiss.

Epilogue

The girl opened her dark eyes wide, pulling herself up into a crouch and looking about her. She appeared to be in some sort of cave system. The walls were cool and damp to the touch, with deep gouges sliced into the bare rock. If it hadn’t been for a single white candle in the corner, she would be entombed in utter blackness, yet even with the single weak flicker from the candle, she caught every tiny movement.

A scurry of tiny feet in the corner drew her attention and she snapped her head to the side to follow its sound, sniffing loudly as she caught the scent of the mouse’s blood. It didn’t entice her but it did make her throat burn, awakening a raw, terrible hunger deep in her belly. Disorientated and confused, the world around her was silent and dark, but then the lonely hum of a car engine tugged at her hearing, getting louder.

She jumped to her feet in one agile move and didn’t stop to wonder what felt so new. None of it mattered anymore. There were faint, horrific memories; of death, and terrible supernatural beings, but she gave her head a shake and they disappeared. All that mattered now was food. Instinct told her she would find what she needed if she followed the sound of the car engine, which had now stopped somewhere overhead.

With excitement burning within and a newfound energy surging through her limbs, she ignored the candle and leapt the short distance to her cave entrance. Except it wasn’t a cave. Finding herself in a tunnel system, the girl quickly found herself running through man-made passageways. The oppressive air tasted stale in her mouth so she closed it and darted forward, guided by a tiny draft of fresh air that flowed towards her, carrying with it the promise of something new. Her eyes didn’t need light. They focused sharply through the dark and sought out every rock, every pothole, each new pathway. Her ears picked up the tiniest sounds, and every echo that bounced down the tunnels, her sense of smell driving her on.

After a while the track veered upwards sharply, the fresh air getting stronger, and the sound of a car door slamming and footsteps urging her on. Her gaze darted to the vast bottomless pit that suddenly fell away at her feet and she leapt the couple of metres across it effortlessly, continuing up the now narrow passageway, until she came to an old wooden barrier of sorts. The planks of wood had obviously been loosened and then nailed back in place, so she gave it a nudge, followed by a swift kick. As the rusty nails creaked ominously, the new nails easily flew from their resting place as several timbers shattered, falling to the floor to leave the remains of the barrier hanging dangerously from a couple of stubborn nails. The girl stared out at the dark night.

‘Ah, you’ve woken I see. Well, you’ll be pleased to see I’ve brought your dinner.’

The beautiful woman facing her with bright violet eyes and a light brown ponytail jolted a memory somewhere deep inside and the girl crouched into a defensive position, even though everything inside told her this was her master, her keeper, her protector. She watched as the woman turned back to the car, and as she opened the door the air was filled with an intoxicating, bloody scent that filled her senses and overtook all reason. She lunged toward the car and its occupant.

‘Alex, back!’ the woman ordered.

Against her will, Alex found herself stepping back, cowering as she watched the violet-eyed woman turn back to the car to drag the unconscious body of an overweight, middle-aged man from inside. His pulse was slow, and his ragged breath reeked of alcohol, but Alex didn’t care. Her throat burned and she snarled like a caged tiger, impatient and hungry. Oh, so very hungry…