Dark Flames (Blood Bound Book 6)

Chapter 18

“Stay with me,” Zach ordered not wanting to see the vampire attack her. “It’s already tried to attack two of us… no sense in making you an easy target.” He jerked his gaze back to the tree hearing Jason groan. “He’s wearing the ring… remember?”

Tiara nodded but she wasn’t going to just stand there. She immediately released more of her necromancy out in an expanding circle around her. ‘I want to help you,’ she mentally whispered knowing the souls could hear her. She’d been telepathically talking to ghost ever since she realized her imaginary childhood friends weren’t so imaginary.

“Son of a,” Jason complained once he had air back in his lungs. He calmed realizing the pain from the impact was already gone but decided to stay where he was. At least if he was already down, then maybe the vampire would leave him the hell alone for a damn minute. He looked out beyond the group wanting to at least see it coming this time.

Storm watched Jason’s hand when he raised it to flick some of his long hair out of his eyes. Both times that Jason had been attacked … the ring had glowed with power.

Zachary lifted his hand and his palm ignited with a bright yellow and orange flame. The light seemed to highlight Zachary’s face in a way that made everyone there see the actual man behind the mask he usually wore… and it was nothing to play with.

Hearing a quick intake of breath, Zachary swung around to find the vampire now standing right in front of Tiara. He narrowed his eyes at the dangerous situation… it was within inches of her but not attacking like it had with Jason and Guy.

Storm tensed, teleporting closer with each breath but stopping far enough away not to startle the creature. Myra had been able to handle vampires and he hoped she’d trained Tiara to do so.

“No one move,” Tiara calmly told the group having already reached for the vampire with her necromancy. He had been going to attack her… she’d felt his rage coming toward her at an alarming rate of speed. But he had stopped… his fangs had vanished and his face had softened in confusion. The vampire was feeling the same for her as she was for him. To all dead, soulless or not, a necromancer felt like home.

Using her necromancy for the first time in such a way, Tiara tried to gain all the information she could about the creature… testing this new ability that had come with her mother’s passing. Surging her necromancy inside the vampire, she found the dull residue of life that was hidden there and caressed it. It was an odd feeling to touch something without a soul when up till now she’d only been able to interact with souls.

This man was newly dead, only a couple weeks old and still struggling with his memories of life… and the violent death that had ripped his soul from him. She caught a flash of the strange gothic looking man that had stolen his life and felt the instant fear… then the sadness that had followed at such a loss.

Most people thought vampires were only mindless monsters, but they could still remember being alive… they could still think about what they were doing if they lived long enough to learn how to control themselves. This vampire was still a child to the darkness he’d to which he’d been banished.

The vampire leaned in closer, inhaling deeply at her familiarity. She smelled like the master he was serving now… the one who had told him to get rid of anyone that showed up in the graveyard. He rose back up to his full height and locked dark eyes on the girl’s golden-green ones. But unlike the master, she smelled good, like the path that would lead his mind back to his soul.

Zach didn’t care if the vampire seemed transfixed with Tiara and wasn’t attacking her. If it changed its mind, she’d be dead before he could reach her… he wasn’t about to give it a chance.

“Hey, fang face,” Zach growled to get its attention.

The vampire turned, instinctively feeling the malevolence coming from the man standing there. This trespasser was a danger to his master and the girl… all trespassers needed to join him in death. He started toward the blond-haired man at top speed, becoming nothing more than a blur.

Zach stooped into a half crouch, barely missing the sharp fingernails coming at his neck with intent of ripping out his jugular. He struck, planting the small fireball firmly against the vampire’s stomach.

Everything seemed to slow down and the vampire’s eyes widened for a moment and then looked down. The flame had sunk into its body and he could feel the heat consuming him from the inside out. He stumbled back holding his stomach and looking toward Tiara as if she would help him before finally falling to his knees.

Tiara cried out softly and took a step forward but Storm was suddenly standing between her and the vampire.

“It’s too late,” Storm whispered in her ear blocking her vision of the vampire’s pain. “Zachary has done the same thing you were going to do… he has sent it home.” He sighed when she gripped the material of his shirt and leaned sideways to look around him. Necromancers never liked to see the undead hurt in such a way but he couldn’t fault Zach for making the move to protect her.

Smoke started drifting out of the vampire’s ears, nose, and mouth as holes appeared in his clothing. His mouth opened but no sound came out. Slowly the vampire became a smoldering statue of ash that began to blow away with the breeze.

Now that the danger was over, Storm teleported around the outskirts of the group to scout for any more surprises.

“I want that power,” Jason pouted looking between Zachary and the vampire that had slammed him into the tree.

Guy smirked and kicked the body shaped pile of ash, “Stop whining, Superman… I bet it hurt the tree more than it hurt you when you put a dent in it.”

Jason glowered at him and discretely looked at the tree trunk to make sure Guy wasn’t exaggerating... he wasn’t.

Zachary’s gaze went to Tiara. She wasn’t looking at him, she was looking at what was left of the vampire who had stared at her so strangely. He could swear he saw sympathy in her eyes for the way he had killed it.

Tiara stared at what was left of the vampire. He had been human once… a victim of a more vicious vampire than he would have ever been. The vampire had only been protecting her when it had turned on Zachary. She frowned wondering if it wouldn't be more useful to come into the graveyards alone, instead of with warriors. They were supposed to be protecting her from demons… not the dead. Demons were living creatures.

“The vampire would not have hurt me,” Tiara whispered then turned back in the direction she’d been heading not able to look at Zachary. Her insides twisted as she tried to look at it from the PIT team’s point of view. The vampire was a killer… but so was Zachary.

Jason c****d an eyebrow and threw his thumb over his shoulder toward the tree, “Did she miss the fact the tree was hurt?”

Zach didn’t bother answering Jason. Instead, he narrowed his eyes on Tiara’s back as she walked away. So she was mad at him for protecting her was she? That was something the little princess was going to have to get over because he didn’t give a damn whether she liked it or not. His lips hinted at a twisted smile as he took off after her.

Tiara jerked her gaze away from the mausoleum not wanting to attract attention to the zombie she could feel inside the structure eating the remains of a body it had d**g from one of the coffins. She refused to say anything to the others… they’d kill it before she had a chance to gently send it back to where it could find peace.

Zach saw the way Tiara turned her head slightly to look at the mausoleum and narrowed his eyes. He should have known this would happen… Tiara was being sympathetic to the monsters scurrying around. If she expected them to protect her, then she would have to let them do their job instead of ignoring the reason they were there.

“Guy,” Zach nodded toward the mausoleum. “Go check out the crypts and make sure they’re clear of anything unsavory.”

Tiara stopped and turned her head to stop Guy from following that order. They didn’t need to bother the creature because it wasn’t hurting anyone. Feeling something grab hold of her upper arm, she turned her angry gaze up at Zach.

“Call him back,” she insisted.

Zach shook his head, “We’re doing our job… the one you knew we signed on for. It’s time for you to do yours before someone gets hurt.”

Giving him a stubborn look, Tiara jerked her arm out of his grasp and stepped back. Wanting to save as many as she could from the pain a violent death would cause, Tiara continued to back away from Zachary.

She mentally whispered to the dead in soothing words to gain their trust. She felt her necromancy spread out from her in waves, splashing up against souls before going around them to reach for more. That’s when she realized her power differed from her mother’s more than Myra had feared it would.

Necromancy wasn’t magic… it wasn’t a spell at all. It was a deep-seated link she’d been born with… no doubt another gift from her father that was only enhanced by her recent inheritance of Myra’s gift. She felt the ends of her long hair tickle her bare skin as it lifted in the updraft of the link’s feedback when it connected to more souls.

Zachary frowned knowing she was using her power but she’d done nothing or said nothing to indicate it. He paused remembering Myra speaking some kind of spell in hushed tones when he’d been part of her team. Myra had once told him only the dead could understand the words. He watched Tiara’s lips looking for movement but they were as still as his.

“Back up, let’s give her room,” Storm said as he followed his own advice.

“I’d back all the way up to the vehicle if you guys would let me.” Jason commented but his eyes were focused on Tiara and he felt a surge of protectiveness rush through him. There was no way he was leaving her alone out here.

Hearing Jason’s comment, Storm looked over at him and saw the faint glow of the ring light up as if its true power had just been activated. He wondered briefly just how far the ring’s protection would go and if Jason would be able to handle it. His hair flew back from his face and Storm turned his attention back to Tiara.

As Tiara continued to reach for the dead, the wind picked up around her, carrying her necromancy across the small area. The darkness started moving around them and things began to emerge from it… half formed bodies crawling back to their graves along with unseen spirits flittering among the tombstones.

However, what the team wasn’t completely aware of were the other creatures that did not belong there. Those creatures paused as they felt the pull on their bodies and minds, telling them to return to the afterlife. They did not answer the call… their astral forms already linked to a much stronger master.

It was their job to keep trespassers out of the cemetery and they had failed to notice the visitors. Moving in on the tempting feeling, they surrounded the trespassers… ready to kill them for the sake of their master.