Page 15 of Dark Flame

As you command.

I toss the device away, knowing by the time the sun sets later today, the message will be in the hands of some hundreds of vampires, all hungry and eager to get a look at the youngest Sinclair. After all, before selling a product, my customers need to view her.

After preparing to rest, I drop into the centre of my bed—a habit from my human life. Vampires may not require sleep the way we used to, but we do need occasional rest every week or so to regenerate. Where that rest happens could be anywhere as long as it’s sunless, but I’ve kept to the habit of sleeping in a bed.

My final thoughts before sleep consumes me are for two separate women. One being the redhead in my dungeon, probably inventing every escape plan possible. The other, long gone but still ever so present.

For you, Cora. Sister. All for you.

Six

HARLOW

I’m sorry,Mom and Dad. I failed. I suck. I killed you and now I’m about to die in a vampire’s lair as some blood bag–slash-cure.

Goddess, how my life has changed in twenty-four hours.

After the vampire, whose name I still don’t know and at this point almost don’t care to, leaves, I sit with my back to the door, bringing my legs up beneath me and slipping off the flip-flops to tug the edge of my pyjama pants down over my toes. After hours of being here, the chill is starting to penetrate my body. I rub my arms and legs, willing friction combined with my clothing to be enough before lowering my head. If he’s going to be gone for the day, no amount of yanking on the bars will help, so I may as well preserve my energy to fight later.

Hecate, give me strength. What do I do? How do I get out of this? Please give me a sign.

My silent prayer is useless. She can’t hear me. I doubt She’s even paying attention. Without my magick, I’m nothing more than a human. It’s been a fact plaguing me for weeks, but regardless, I’ve tried not to allow it to bother me. Lighting candles and practicing incantations that did nothing were activities that allowed me to feel closer to Her. Enough that I still felt like one of Her daughters.

But now…now I’m further away than ever. By allowing me to be taken by the witches’ enemies, it’s like She’s forsaken me. Again.

“Goddess, don’t leave me behind. Please. I’m so lost without my fire. Like I’m partially dead already. I can’t handle losing you as well.”

Silence. Or so I think. This cell isn’t equipped with windows, which means the sky isn’t available to me. Just another form of the distance between me and the deity.

Minutes pass with more silence until my prayer is answered. Answered in a way that proves she is indeed punishing me.

The slither along my neck causes me to shiver as the cell grows so black, I can’t see a thing. The accompanying chill is different from the dungeon’s air, similar to being abandoned in the Arctic, and is unmistakably the very thing harassing me for months.

“Stop. Just stop. Go away. Leave me alone.”

Maybe if I begin screaming, the vampire will return. And then what? Beg him to get me out of here? Admit shadows are stalking me? He’ll think it’s a lie to get free, and then he might leave me here longer out of annoyance.

My mind has to stay sharp and not focus on too much, so with a defeated sigh, I unfold my body and shift away from the door, turning to face it instead. I scrape as much of the nearby dirt in front of the door, giving me more to trace through. My powers may be gone, but activating runes is something else entirely. The blood in my veins designating me a witch might be enough to trigger them, and if not, then at least drawing them is a distraction.

I start with the Algiz rune, designed for protection and warding off harm; a straight line down with a V, like two arms, coming from either of the upper sides of my line. Beside it, I draw Thurisaz, another straight line with a V coming out from the right side. Another protection rune.

I spend the rest of the day tracing the runes while ignoring the weight of the shadows, the proximity of the walls closing in, my body going numb with the cold, and my hunger increasing until my stomach twists uncomfortably.

* * *

The walls are closing in.

They’re too close.

It’s too dark.

It’s suffocating.

The walls are coming closer.

So close.

Too close.