Page 23 of Voyage of Magic and Malice (The Vampires of Charleston #3)

TWENTY-THREE

the aftermath of death

The cleanup is almost as bad as the fight. Connor sent nearly the entire pack to get rid of the bodies. When Serafina died, so did her illusion. The antebellum home that she kept hidden in the shadows is now visible for all to see. The grandeur that was evident when we arrived is replaced by the aged remnants of a once majestic home, now nothing more than a facade of bricks and pillars.

The pack burns what remains of the bodies, making sure to pay their respects to each victim, even the vampires.

I’ve spent the past two hours sitting on the dilapidated stairs. Brayden’s last minutes play through my mind on endless repeat. In the three centuries I’ve been alive, I’ve witnessed more death than I can count. Still, nothing prepared me to witness the immortal child’s death.

“What do you think they’re doing with his body?” I ask Fran, who’s joined me.

“Most likely, there’s nothing left at this point. He’s returned to the dust from which he came.”

“He was just a child.” My words are barely audible. “A sweet, innocent child.” Fran laces her fingers through mine. “Do you think there’s someplace other than this?” I look around at the carnage.

“Are you asking if I think there’s a heaven?” she asks.

“Aye. Maybe. Truthfully, I don’t know what I’m asking. I just don’t want it to be over for him.”

Fran makes eye contact. “If there is something beyond this world, I have no doubt that Brayden is there.”

“Do you think they allow vampires in?”

“Brayden was nothing but kind, even as a vampire. I grew to love him in the weeks he was with me. He’s there, probably smiling down on us, telling us to get over these tears.”

I laugh at the image she paints. “You’re right. He wouldn’t want us to cry over him.” I sniff. “I’m going to think of him being with his parents.”

“That’s the only way we can think of him.” She squeezes my fingers. “The pack wanted me to let you know they are finished and leaving.” Fran stands, moving back down the stairs.

“Fran?” She turns back toward me. “Thank you.”

She winks before leaving me alone. Cam and Nyssa come around the corner of the house. Both look exhausted and are covered in a mixture of everything. I’m curious where Cam found a pair of shorts that almost fit him but not enough to ask. “We’re ready,” Nyssa says.

“You and Cam go. We’ll meet you there.” Thorne appears out of nowhere, returning to his role as my protector. A role he’s played since becoming a vampire.

“I’m going to go, too,” Fran says, moving vampire speed next to the lycan. “Can I ride with you?”

“Of course,” Cam answers, placing a heavy arm over her shoulders. “You were awesome out there.” His encouragement to the older vampire is endearing.

Thorne sits beside me as we watch them leave the property. “Are you okay?” he asks once my friends are out of sight.

“I should be asking you that.”

“Aye, I’m okay.”

“What was it like?” I ask.

“What?”

“What was it like being under her control? Did you know what was happening?”

Thorne’s quiet for a moment. “It was like playing a video game without the ability to control the character. I was here. I was aware of what I was doing, but I had no choice in my behavior.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, but you don’t owe me an apology.”

“Eudora’s dead.”

His eyebrows raise high on his forehead. “How?”

“It’s a long story, but in a nutshell, she caught fire.”

“Nice. Phyllis?”

“She died saving the children.” I wipe a stray tear. “First Phyllis, now Brayden.”

“Hopefully, the killing is over for a while.” He pushes a lock of stray hair behind my ear. Why he chose just one out of all the hair that’s gone crazy on my head, I don’t know. “I hate to ask this, but what about Marnie?”

At the mention of Kragen and Eudora’s daughter, my stomach flips. “Autumn said she was sent to another realm.”

“What?” he asks, his forehead wrinkling with confusion.

I shrug. “I don’t know, but I trust Autumn.”

“Then the children will be safe.”

“Did you know what you were saying?” I look down as I speak.

Thorne sighs, rubbing my thumb mindlessly with his. “Nothing I can say now will make up for the horrible things I said while under the binding.” He closes his eyes. “I’m sorry, Elsie.”

I wipe a stray tear. “Is that what you think of me? Were your words true?”

“No. I loved you from the moment I caught you stealing food from my chambers. You were strong, beautiful, and even as a nineteen-year-old starving human, still had the qualities that make you the woman you are today.”

“Your words came from somewhere,” I retort.

“I never meant any of it. The words were there. It was nothing I thought.” He kisses the back of my hand. “I’ll never stop trying to make it up to you.”

I don’t respond. He’s right. Even though the words weren’t his, the echoes replay through my mind. I stand, pulling him along with me. “I want to leave this place.” I look at the dilapidated building. “Even with barely anything standing, and Serafina’s illusion gone, it doesn’t feel right. The energy is bad here.”

“Aye.” He looks into my eyes. “Burn it, acushla.”

“It won’t get rid of the energy.”

“No, but it’s a good start.”

I close my eyes, allowing the energy to flow quickly. Without hesitation, I face the monstrosity. “Burn,” I whisper. The remains burst into flames immediately. The ancient wood burns quickly as the fire makes its way throughout the what’s left of the facade.

The air smells of ash and charred wood as Thorne and I stand in the blackened ruins of the mansion or what’s left of it. The once-grand antebellum home is now nothing more than a graveyard of memories and secrets.

The four white pillars still stand, rising into the perfect summer sky. They’re scorched, paint blistered and peeling, but they didn’t fall. Instead, they stand like silent sentinels, guarding the empty space where walls and windows once stood.

“It’s done,” I whisper.

“Aye.” Thorne laces his fingers through mine. “Now, we can go.”

Moving away from the house, a stray beam of light catches my eye. Straight from what remains of the clouds, it shines in the middle of the remains. “Look,” I point the anomaly out to Thorne.

“There’s something in the light,” he says, pulling away from my grip.

I follow him to the beam just as it disappears. Laying on the charred remains of the house is Aaron’s grimoire. The edges are burned, and the rune that covers the front is impossible to recognize, but there’s no doubt it’s his grimoire.

“I watched most of it burn. How is that possible?”

“Magic,” Thorne answers. I squat in front of the book, not sure if I should keep it or leave it to rot with the remains. A gust of wind from nowhere lifts the cover slightly as if someone is moving it on purpose. “I think he wants you to take it.”

“Aaron?” I ask, looking around, half expecting him to appear out of thin air. Pulling the grimoire to my chest, I fight tears. Dammit, that’s all I’ve done lately.

As soon as the book makes contact with the exposed skin on my chest, a burst of energy flows into me and back to the book again. The energy feels familiar–like family–like home.

“He’s here,” I whisper to Thorne. I shake the book for effect. “He’s inside.”

Instead of moving at the speed we’re capable of, we walk at human pace back to where the truck was parked earlier. The only thing remaining are tire tracks, which means Nyssa, Cam, and Fran should be at her home by now.

……

By the time we arrive back at Fran’s Charleston home, the three of them are clean and wearing what I would classify as “comfy” clothes. “Any sign of the kids?” I ask the trio as we enter.

“Nothing,” Fran answers. “Elsie, you need to be prepared. They may not return. They have their freedom and deserve their peace.”

“I refuse to accept that. They’ll return.”

“Is that the grimoire?” Nyssa asks, changing the subject. “How? I watched it burn. We all watched it burn.”

“Aye, it did. I think Aaron saved it.”

“Aaron, your brother?” Fran asks.

“He was there. In the illusion that Brayden created—he was there.” I fight the emotion filling my body.

“Without him, we wouldn’t have been as strong,” Nyssa adds.

“What happened outside the illusion,” I ask.

Cam leans forward, running a hand through his still-wet hair. “The children. I’ve never seen anything like it. They worked as a team, a terrifying team, killing everything in their path.”

“It’s the reason immortal children are not allowed,” Fran says with a far-off look on her face.

“Understandable,” Cam answers.

“What’s next?” I ask the small group.

“We go back to life as normal. Or at least as normal as it can be for people like us.” Fran’s words feel wise.

“I don’t know what normal is,” I add. “My life has been filled with running, hiding, death, and destruction.” Thorne laces his fingers through mine, sending waves of strength through our connection.

“How did you come back so quickly?” Fran asks the man at my side. “It can take days for a vampire to come back from death. You should still be a charred body.” Her words are harsh but true.

Thorne shrugs. “That’s a good question, and one I don’t have an answer for.”

“The druid blood.” Nyssa fills in the blank. “You are powerful, Thorne. That power will draw people to you, people who don’t have good intentions. The ritual we performed was the catalyst for the druid to come to power.”

“I’ll be prepared,” he answers.

“You need to be.” Nyssa rubs her temples. “I will teach you everything I know, however, something tells me you’ll teach me more.” She stands. “If you’ll excuse me. I need some sleep. My energy is drained.”

“Mine, too.” Cam joins her as they head upstairs together. I’m watching them ascend when what can only be described as an anomaly catches my attention. The top landing of the stairs glitches, turning into the familiar blackness of the void.

“Did you see that?” I ask, moving behind them in the blink of an eye.

“What?” Cam asks, turning toward me.

“The stairs. They…they disappeared.”

“No,” he answers. “Are they back?”

I laugh, not sure what just happened. “Yeah. I think it’s safe. Sorry. My mind is a jumbled mess after today.”

“Goodnight,” Nyssa says as the two of them continue their trek, disappearing into the shadows of the home.

“I’m going up to take a shower.” I stand, following the lycan.

Ten minutes later, the glory of the water scorches my skin, pulling some of the dread and sadness from the day away. Turning to wash the third batch of shampoo from my hair, the dark ornate tile that surrounds the open shower disappears, turning into the same void as the landing. “What the hell?” I ask out loud to no one.

The void disappears as quickly as it appeared, leaving me more confused than before. Am I losing it? Can vampires go insane? My laugh echoes off the tile that has returned to line the walls. This is my cue to exit the shower.

I throw on a pair of oversized sweatpants I find in the wardrobe and the matching sweatshirt. My hair has stopped dripping but is still soaking wet as I make my way out toward the plush bed and Aaron’s awaiting grimoire. The door to my room creaks open, catching me by surprise.

“Are you okay?” Thorne asks the question he’s asked at least ten times since our trip back to Fran’s.

I open my mouth to answer the same way I have each time when the reality of what I witnessed hits me. “No,” I whisper.

He climbs on top of the bed, wrapping his arms around me. “I’m sorry, acushla.”

“You know it’s not your job to keep me happy or safe?” I ask, pulling back slightly. “I appreciate your attempt, but it’s not your job. I love you for everything you do. That will never change.” I wipe a silent tear streaming down my cheek. “But I’m capable, Thorne. I always have been.”

“I know. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be under Serafina’s influence.”

“It wasn’t me. It was Brayden, and now he’s gone.” My silent tears have gone to full fledge tears, streaming down my cheek. “I failed him. I should’ve been able to save him.”

“You can’t take that on yourself, Elsie. You can’t save everyone.”

“I have to try!” Thorne doesn’t respond. Instead, the look on his face mirrors mine as the realization of my trauma slaps us both in the face. I sacrificed my humanity to save everyone on Thorne’s ship. I sacrificed my life on the run from Kragen. Holy shit…he’s right. I don’t have to save everyone.

I lean into his arms, burying my head into his chest. He gives me time to cry, keeping his arms around me the entire time. I pull away just as the entire room disappears, turning into the blackness of the void.

“What is this?” Thorne whispers, pulling away slightly.

“It’s the void. The world Brayden created.”

“Acushla, if Brayden created it, why are we here?”

A deep voice echoes from behind. “Because I brought you here.” I turn, finding the now familiar face of Aaron. He’s dressed in black and holding the grimoire. He steps in front of Thorne, holding his hand toward his former captain.

“Hawthorne Rex,” Thorne introduces himself.

“We’ve met,” Aaron answers with a smile.

“Not that I’m not happy to see you, brother, but how are you here?” I ask.

“I’m here because the void is cracking.”

I stare at the image of my father. “What?”

He motions to the darkness around us. “This world is cracking.”

“Brayden died. His illusion would die with him.”

“It’s not an illusion, sister. It’s an endless world, blacker than night, with no ground, no sky, nothing to hold onto. You don’t float or fall—you simply exist. It’s not a place you see or touch—it’s something you feel, something that feels you . It’s the kind of nothing that tries to pull everything out of you, and if you stay too long, you might forget how to leave.”

“What are you saying?”

“If it cracks, the world will be no more.”