“Let me go!” he roared.
“So you can hit me?” Kate challenged. “I don’t think so.”
Other than calling the police and sending him to prison, or tying him to the radiator every time he got violent, there was only one way Kate could think of to stop him hitting them. She twisted his arms until she heard them both crack.
Her dad roared in pain.
“A temporary solution,” Kate said in his ear. “But mark my words, every time you raise your hand to one of us, I will break your bones. Over and over and over again until you learn your lesson.”
She stood up, panting. Her dad remained on the floor, his useless, broken arms lying in awkward angles beside him.
“What have you done?” her mom cried, running toward him. “You monster!”
But Kate stopped her in her tracks. She shoved her backwards by the shoulders, shoving and shoving until her mom’s back collided with the wall. Remembering what had happened with Holly at the amusement park, Kate decided it was time to give the same treatment to her bully of a mother.
“This is how it’s going to go,” she said. “You will give me the respect I deserve. You will let me choose my own breakfast. You won’t comment on my clothes or my hair or my weight ever again. Because if you do, I will pull your tongue from your mouth. Am I clear?”
Her mom managed to squeak, “Yes.”
“Good,” Kate said, backing up from her. “And one more thing, Mother. I am going to college.”
She gave her mom one last shove against the wall, then bounded from the house, leaving her parents to clean up the mess of the dysfunctional life they’d created together.
It was only when she was outside that she felt something strange in her mouth. She reached up and touched her lips. Fangs.
She and Elijah had never worked out what she truly was. But it seemed like she was more vampire than either of them realized.
More than ever, she wished Elijah was here.
I’ll just have to find him myself, Kate thought.
*
She couldn’t find him in the mountains, or at his house. But unlike before when she couldn’t find him, it didn’t feel like he was far away from her. He was still in California somewhere, she was certain of it. He’d gone to seek out somewhere to die, somewhere his coven wouldn’t be able to find him.
She wished he’d never sent her back to her home, that he had trusted her enough to let her stay with him in his final moments. If the only time they had together was a week, or a day, even, she wanted to spend it with him. At the very least, she wanted the chance to tell him goodbye.
But when the sun rose over Santa Barbara and Kate still had not found him, she started to realize that she may already have lost him forever.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
In the weeks that followed, Kate felt the absence of Elijah like a hole in her heart. She had fallen in love with him, completely and hopelessly. The only comfort was that she could sense, deep in her bones, that he was still nearby. He hadn’t left California, which meant he hadn’t been discovered yet by his coven. And he wasn’t dead, which was by far the main thing.
She couldn’t work out which would be best—for Elijah to be found and taken away to live a life he didn’t want but actually get to live one, or for him to keep his independence and die a free man. Neither seemed fair.
And what seemed most unfair was that he had left her. She’d been turned into something she didn’t fully understand and had no one to support her. He was the only person in the world who could understand what she was going through. As much as she wanted to speak to her friends about what was happening to her, she was worried about breaking any vampire rules or laws. The threat of eternal punishment hung over her every time she felt close to revealing her secret. And so the gulf between her, Amy, Dinah, and Nicole seemed to widen further and further with every day that passed.
The only peace Kate felt during those horrible weeks was when she went up to the mountains to hunt. Being there made her feel close to Elijah, and the techniques he’d taught her calmed her mind and soul. Feeding—properly and fully—always made her feel better. It was like the blood and flesh of the deer contained its life force, and that in consuming it, the energy passed into her. The frantic noises and bright lights would die down, her mind would settle, and life wouldn’t seem anywhere near as daunting. It was in these brief moments of calm that Kate felt able to take on the challenges of her home life, the difficulties of school and her estranged friendships, and the ever changing sensations in her body that seemed to suggest she was becoming more vampire and less human with every day that passed.
It was on the morning of the prom that Kate awoke to feel a difference in the air. Her heart clenched as her first thought was that Elijah was gone, that his soul had finally evacuated the earth. But when she calmed her mind, she realized she could still feel him. He was still there but weaker. She knew what that meant. This was the final day. He was approaching death. Some instinctive knowledge told her that by the time the night was over, he would be gone.
Aching with the sense of loss, she dressed. It was quicker to dress now that she couldn’t see her reflection. It was just a case of throwing on what was clean and closest to hand.
She went downstairs for breakfast. Dad’s arms were still in slings, the first outcome being that Mom had to feed him like a baby, the second being that he could neither drink nor hit, and over the last few weeks he’d transformed into the father Kate had vague memories of knowing in the past.
With her mom totally preoccupied with their dad, Madison had been left to fend for herself. She’d become the tiniest bit nicer to Kate without her mom interfering and pandering to her, but Kate knew this was partly because of guilt she felt about going to the prom with Tony.
Kate herself had no date. No one had asked. She didn’t care. There was only one person she wanted to be with and that was Elijah. But she was going to go anyway, in the vague hope that he’d get jealous of her going with someone else and turn up. It seemed stupid to think of Elijah behaving in that way—he had far more important things going on to even have time for petty jealousies—but then again he had stressed that he felt like an eighteen-year-old and Kate hoped he possessed the same overprotective streak that other eighteen-year-olds she knew did.
School passed in a blur. The bracelet Elijah had given Kate had gotten her through some tricky days by making answers materialize in her mind. It was useful for getting teachers off her back, though none seemed to understand how she could spend forty minutes staring out the window and still ace all her tests.
With each hour that passed, Kate felt Elijah’s essence grow weaker and her heart grow heavier. He was almost gone for good.
Finally the evening drew round and it was time for prom. Kate was in low spirits as she dressed in a long black dress. She’d gone out and bought the same one as the one Nicole had lent her because it reminded her of Elijah.
She was just smoothing it over her hips when she heard a knock at the door. She turned, startled. Madison was standing there, looking like a goddess, with her shoulder wedged against the frame.
“Want help with your makeup?” she said.
“Okay,” Kate said, a little cautiously. She still didn’t fully trust Madison after her backstabbing her over Tony. She wouldn’t put it past her to mess her makeup up deliberately.
Kate sat on her desk stool and Madison got to work with her eye makeup. As she leaned forward, Kate smelled her delicate fragrance and saw that she’d put sparkly stuff all over her bare arms, shoulders, and collarbones. She was positively radiant.
“You have pretty eyes,” Madison said as she delicately ran the kohl eyeliner over Kate’s lid.
Kate had become lost in the moment—she couldn’t even remember the last time Madison had touched her—and was taken aback when she realized what Madison had actually said.
“You … you really think so?” she stammered.
“Yes, moron,” Madison said as
though it were so obvious it didn’t even need to be mentioned. “Don’t you ever look in a mirror?”
Her words made Kate’s stomach drop at the thought that she’d never be able to look in one again. In that moment, she desperately wished she could spill her secret to Madison but the threat of eternal torture kept her mouth zipped shut.
Madison straightened up. “All done. Oh wait, I have something that would look totally great with that dress.”
She bounded away then returned a moment later holding some white lace gloves. Kate gasped as she looked at them. They were the same ones she’d worn in her first dream with Elijah.
“Shall we do a selfie?” Madison asked.
“You want one with me?” Kate said. “Like, on social media where everyone can see it?”
Madison rolled her eyes. “Yes. Now hurry up before I change my mind.” She held her phone up and pressed her head against Kate’s. “One, two, three, pout!”
She moved away and showed the picture to Kate. Kate could hardly believe it. For the first time ever they looked like sisters. Madison was clearly beautiful, in a sort of womanly seductive way, but Kate herself was beautiful too, if not in a more classic, girl-next-door kind of way. And seeing that she was dressed exactly like she had been with Elijah that night in her dream made her stomach swirl even more at the thought that he may yet appear to her.
Kate heard the sound of a car horn honking outside.
“That will be Tony,” Madison said. “I’d better go. You have a ride, right?”
“Yeah,” Kate lied. She didn’t want to put Madison in a position where she’d inevitably let her down. She wanted to keep this moment between them pure and positive.
“Cool,” Madison said. “I’ll see you there.”
She disappeared out of the room. Kate went to the window and watched her get into Tony’s car, a pang of unhappiness in her gut.
As Tony’s car pulled away, she noticed another pull up outside the house. It was Nicole’s dad’s car. Then she saw Nicole get out of the back seat, followed by Dinah and Amy.
Kate felt a surge of happiness. Were they here for her? Despite everything she’d put them through?
She bounded down the stairs and pulled the front door open before Dinah even had time to knock.
“Girl,” Dinah said looking her up and down. “You look hot.”
She herself was wearing a dark crimson satin dress that accentuated all her curves.
Kate grinned. “So do you.” She reached out and hugged her friend as a sense of relief flooded over her. “I can’t believe you came to pick me up.”
“Of course,” Dinah said. “We agreed, didn’t we? And it’s not like any of us got dates.”
Kate was beyond touched.
Just then, Nicole shuffled forward. The ends of her hair had been dyed electric blue to match her bright dress and shoes.
“Hey, you’re wearing my earrings,” she said, grinning at the skull and crossbones in Kate’s ears.
She hugged Kate too. Just then, Amy moved into the porchlight. Of all her friends, she’d taken Kate’s behavior the hardest. She seemed reluctant to reconcile.
“I wasn’t sure you’d still want to come with us,” Amy said.
“I do,” Kate replied, sounding as heartfelt as she could. “I really do. I’ve missed you.”
The two hugged. For a moment, Kate felt as happy and at peace as she did in the forests while hunting.
Just then Max appeared behind them. He looked shyly at Amy.
“I like your outfit,” he said, looking at the demure knee-length skirt her mom had clearly forced her to wear and the matching flat pumps.
“You do?” Amy said, laughing. “Thanks. I was feeling like a frumpy old woman. I guess Max saves the day again.”
Just then, Nicole’s dad honked the car horn, hurrying them along. The girls said goodbye to Max then bundled inside the car.
The school gymnasium had been decorated beautifully for the prom, with shimmery helium-filled balloons, pick and white uplights, and gorgeous white lace material draped around the windows and doors.
“Who wants a drink?” Nicole said, sneaking a bottle of vodka from her pocket. “Dad Cab’s on duty tonight.”
“Yes, girl!” Dinah cried.
“Why not?” Amy said with a shrug.
But Kate shook her head. She didn’t feel much like celebrating or letting loose tonight. Plus, she had no idea what alcohol could do to the non-human part of her. Perhaps it would unleash the vampire in her. It just wasn’t worth the risk.
While her friends went off to find the punch bowl, Kate looked around for somewhere on the outskirts to stand. She went over to one of the big windows, surrounded by lace fabric. As she approached, she caught sight of her strange reflection in the glass. But there wasn’t just one gray blob moving toward the window, there were two.
Her breath stopped in her lungs. Kate spun on the spot. There he was. Elijah.
He looked pale and thin. There were dark circles around his eyes, which contained a mournful, troubled look.
“May I have this dance?” he said, holding out his hand.
Kate felt her tears threatening to choke her. “You came back,” she whispered, taking hold of his outstretched hand and letting him guide her into his body.
They stayed like that, together, close, breathing in unison, just enjoying the moment, enjoying being together. Kate didn’t need to ask why he’d come back. It was obvious. He was dying.
As she slumped her head against his shoulder, she let her eyes close. Then Elijah began to twirl on the spot, slowly, softly, and they went round and round and round.
When Kate opened her eyes, she was no longer at her school prom. Instead, she was standing by a large window looking down at the New York skyline.
“Where are we?” she gasped, pulling out of his embrace.
“A house belonging to my coven. I wanted to take you to the East Coast,” he said. “I know how much you wanted to go here.”
He scooped his arms around her middle.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
They stayed like that for a long while, looking at the view and the dark, black sky.
“I have one more thing to show you,” Elijah said, taking her hand in his.
He led her to a large mirror in the corner of the room. For the first time since the accident, Kate could see her reflection.
“But how?” she gasped.
“It’s a special mirror,” he said. “The only type that can show a vampire their reflection.”
She looked at his mirror image and smiled. They looked beautiful together, like they were always supposed to be.
“Wait,” Kate said, swirling to face him. “You said ‘vampire.’ Isn’t it forbidden to say that word to humans?”
Elijah took her hands in his. “But you’re not human, are you, Kate? You’re something else entirely. Something special.”
Kate blushed. “I don’t know about that.”
“But I do,” he said.
She frowned. He was being elusive again, keeping things hidden from her.
“Elijah,” she whispered, looking into his pained eyes. “Please tell me whatever you know. You owe me that much at least.”
He looked at her sadly, then nodded. Together they went over to the large couch and sat down.
“There is a prophecy amongst my people,” Elijah began. “About a turned human. The practice of turning humans has been forbidden for centuries, but the prophecy said that one would come, by accident, and that she would become special, a creature with unparalleled powers, a creature who was neither vampire nor human. A creature who was turned exactly at the moment between life and death. That was you, Kate. You were turned exactly while you were dying. This has never happened before, not in the entire history of humans and vampires. You are a very special vampire—and a very special human.”
Kate sat back, stunned, breathing heavily. “What does the prophecy say about me?”
“It sa
ys that you will need to make a choice.”
“What choice?”
“Whether or not to save the life of the person you love.” His voice disappeared to nothing.
She grabbed his hand. “That’s you, Elijah! You mean there’s a way I can save you?”
He nodded, painfully.
“Kate, if you make a choice to save me—you could lose everything; your powers, your future, your life...”
“I don’t care,” she cried. “I’ll risk it all for you, Elijah. Just tell me what I have to do!” She was growing frantic, her fingers like talons in his flesh.
“You have to turn,” he said. “Fully. Completely. You have to renounce your powers and become a full vampire. Then once you are, we kiss, and my life will be restored.”
“Easy,” she said, pulling the collar of her dress down to expose her neck. “Do it, Elijah. I’ll be a vampire for you. Bite me. Finish what you started the day of the accident.”
But Elijah was hesitating. She could see his fangs protruding, but there was indecision in his eyes.
“Please,” she whispered.
But before he got the chance, an almighty crash sounded from below them. Elijah gasped and let go of Kate. She swirled round to face the door.
“Someone’s here,” she cried.
“My coven,” Elijah said. “They’ve found us.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
All at once, Elijah’s legs buckled beneath him. Kate stretched her arms forward and managed to grab hold of him before he hit the floor. She fell to her knees, laying Elijah’s weak body gently down. He’d passed out cold, and his breath had become shallow.
Suddenly, the door burst open, sending splintered wood flying through the room. Kate ducked, covering her head from the dagger-like shards as three black-clad people entered. Kate could tell instantly by their features that the man and woman were Elijah’s parents. She didn’t know who the other girl standing behind them was, but noted that she was stunningly beautiful.