Page 82 of How to Stake a Vampire

My stomach lurched. I now understood the Alliance members’ reactions, especially Melody’s and Cornelius’s.

“The wraith Mindy mentioned yesterday.” I met Samuel’s stunned gaze. “It must be why Ludvik needs her at his side!”

He nodded grimly.

“The ritual transforms a vampire into something beyond traditional vampire classification—a hybrid creature withenhanced speed, strength, and abilities that transcend the normal limitations of our race,” Barney continued.

“It was banned by the vampire councils, and for good reason,” Gregory added in a hard voice. “The new breed of vampire it produced was too unstable and unpredictable, posing a threat not only to the established order of the vampire councils, but to the wider supernatural community.”

“Wait,” Ellie quavered in a small voice, Virgil looking really nervous beside her. “Someone actually succeeded in performing this ritual?!”

A chilling silence followed. Gregory and Constantia shot uneasy looks at Barney.

Realization dawned. I stared at Barney, my mouth dry.

Samuel and Victoria looked equally dumbfounded. Only Pearl looked unsurprised.

“My grandfather was the first vampire to acquire that despicable power,” Barney confirmed darkly.

A loud clunk made us all jump and Bo yelp.

Melvina had dropped the axe in her shock. The dwarf recovered the weapon sheepishly under Barney’s frown.

The vampire sighed and rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. “The transformation my grandfather underwent was irreversible. It drove him to madness and eventually led to his execution by the vampire councils. His associates were all similarly terminated, as were the fae and witches who assisted them.”

“Trying to contain multiple conflicting bloodline memories and powers would make anyone lose their mind,” Pearl observed steadily.

Barney’s expression darkened. “The way Ludvik fought yesterday tells me he may already have attempted the ritual. It’s the only thing that can explain his erratic behavior and the unnatural abilities he demonstrated.”

Bo poked his head out from under my chair.

“You mean the deranged humming?” he panted.

“I meant his speed and the way he was using the shadows to attack us.”

I frowned as I recalled the dark trails Ludvik’s presence had left in the air yesterday.

Pearl blinked lazily. “Capturing a wraith could certainly have given him that ability. A specter acts as a conduit to the other side and can bind otherworldly powers to a vampire’s essence.”

I clamped down on the urge to be sick.

Ellie asked the question at the top of everyone’s mind. “How do we stop him?”

Barney traded another guarded look with the Tremaines.

“We find the object he stole from the wraith. And we use one of the most fundamental weaknesses a vampire has in order to defeat him.”

Bo perked up. “You mean garlic?”

Barney blinked, nonplussed.

“No,” he said, a hint of menace creeping into his voice.

“Holy water?” Bo hazarded with growing enthusiasm, oblivious to his growing peril. “A tanning bed?” He jumped to his feet and wagged his tail excitedly. “I know! Ellie’s coffee.”

“Hey!” my best friend protested.

“Her coffee’s not that bad,” Virgil said weakly.