Bound to the Vampire Chapter 18

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CHAPTER 18

Kayla

Bile rose in Kayla’s throat. She’d never seen so many bodies clamoring to get through a barrier before.

Each of them, with their fangs bared and a wild look in their eyes, ran toward them at top speed. They were slower than she’d seen Garrick move, but not by much. But they all had a deadly precision to the way they flooded the streets.

Carissa’s magic needed to hurry. The vampires were feet from them, and her magic had just reached their chests.

Foremages, they were going to die. Kayla’s magic started to peel away from Garrick, but Theo’s green mist held it in place.

“You can’t break the circle,” he said.

In case he hadn’t realized an army of vampires were steps away. Her heart lodged in her throat as she flinched back into Garrick’s solid frame. His hands tightened around her as he too prepared to be overrun.

However, with barely seconds to spare, Carissa’s magic made it to the top of their heads and whisked them away.

Teleporting with Carissa was different than with her father. Her father’s magic felt assured as they moved from one place to the other in a blink. Carissa’s felt like riding a roller coaster on a full stomach before slamming into the concrete so hard her teeth rattled.

Everything went dark. A second later, someone groaned near her head.

“My god.” It was Theo.

“I’m so sorry.” Carissa heaved, her breath coming out in shallow spurts. “I’ve never moved so many people before. Is everyone okay?”

Kayla sat up and blinked through the blurriness of her vision. Where the hell were they?

Soaring concrete archways connected a long tunnel into a stretch of darkness on either end. A drop of water fell on her head. No, not water. She wiped her forehead. A trickle of her own blood came from a cut just beneath her hairline. They had indeed slammed into concrete. The magic inside of her rallied around the cut, making it itch like a dozen ants were charging it as it healed over.

Beside her, Garrick let out a strangled cry. His arm looked like it had been splintered. Dark red-black blood oozed from blackened, charred to the bone, skin. A deep cut raced across his forearm down to his fingertips. He clutched it to his ribs.

“Oh shit,” Carissa blurted out. She scrambled to her feet, then moved toward Garrick. “I’m sorry, I-I can try to fix it.”

Garrick flipped onto his feet in a blur, hunched over in a defensive crouch as a growl ripped through his throat.

“Carissa, stop.” Theo caught her arm and yanked her backward.

Garrick hissed, holding his arm, and completely feral. His fangs were down, and he was poised to strike, like he’d fight them to his last breath.

“Garrick,” Kayla said softly. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

Her magic slithered around his body as if caressing him before wrapping around his wound. His defensive posture relaxed as he watched it wrap protectively around his arm to stop the bleeding.

“Well, I’ll be. Rissa, do you see this?” Theo whistled in disbelief as he watched her magic coil around Garrick’s arm. Theo raked a hand through his sandy hair and stared at them with genuine surprise. Then he looked back at Carissa.

Carissa had moved down the hall, then shot her magic up to the ceiling. Meanwhile, Theo’s attention turned back to them, awestruck.

“How is this possible? I unbound you, breaking whatever had been trying to form. Yet, here it is, reforming itself as if your magic is choosing him.”

“Protecting him, you mean.”

A flash of disapproval shown on Theo’s face as if the idea of a mage protecting a vampire was sacrilegious.

“Our magic doesn’t form bonds with outsiders easily,” his pensive eyes raked across her magic rippling across Garrick.

“What do you mean?” Kayla asked despite herself. Theo had proven he couldn’t be trusted, but he knew things about magic that she didn’t. Things she ought to know.

“It’s what you’re doing right now. I’ve seen your magic in that cathedral. Untamed, it’s an unstoppable force. But this… it’s calmed—controlled and potent. Rissa, do you think… do you think she can…”

He stopped with a sudden flash of light burst through the tunnel.

Can she what? A question she was curious to ask but didn’t as another flash of light pulsed through the tunnel.

“Hate to cut your gawking short, brother, but we need to go,” Carissa said, staring off in the distance.

Theo’s gaze followed Carissa’s and he was no longer interested in Garrick’s arm. Instead, her head was cocked up to the ceiling thirty feet above them. He shot his magic up to join hers. Several sprinkles of light darted across the archways with the same fervency that they had outside the cathedral, all coming in a stream toward them.

“Carissa’s right. We have to go,” he said. “It’s still not safe. The vampires are above us in droves.”

Kayla stared at the ceiling as they followed the duo at a safe distance. She almost dug her heels in but didn’t. They were still outmatched above ground. “Where are you taking us?”

“Our home is just head,” Carissa said, leading the way. “It’s a mage safehouse. Like the one Marnie has, but much larger. We also have a medic that can help him heal.”

“Home? We’re strangers and you plan to take us to your house? Even after you tried to kill us?” It wasn’t as if she had much of a fight, but the questions were still valid.

“We didn’t want to kill anyone,” Carissa said fiercely, her angry gaze cutting to Theo. “We needed to test him to make sure he had no other magic when you were separated. We were taken aback by his presence in our council. All mage houses are protected against his kind. We were alarmed that he could easily walk through our wards. Now, I see why. Your magic has been protecting him. And so will we. We are protectors of magic. That is why your father has come to us to seek asylum.”

“You didn’t seem keen on granting it,” Garrick spat, his mistrust matched hers. He grabbed her hand. They needed to distract her so they could run.

“Of course, we were. We are bound to protect all magical beings. We extended our protection to you.”

“You can ask your father for himself when we arrive.”

“You know where my dad is?”

“Yes, when we fled the cathedral together. I went back to look for you.”

“And I’m supposed to trust you?”

“We could have left you to the vampires but didn’t,” Theo stepped in annoyed.

“He’s right,” Garrick murmured. She could have also left them to fend off the shifters alone. Yeah, he was. Carissa said they’d all get in trouble if she was caught using her magic outdoors at night, but honestly. They could have left them out to dry on an island by themselves by telling the vampires they had no idea who she was.

Taking in Carissa’s words, she shared a look with Garrick. Going above ground was out of the question and with Garrick’s state the way it was, they had to take their chances.

She nodded and they followed behind them, but Garrick’s stride slowed. She turned to face him. He limped on his injured leg. Instantly, she raced to his side then cuffed her body under his, so he didn’t have to put too much weight on his injured leg.

“Are you okay?” she whispered. He nodded, watching her magical essence coat his skin like a glove. The bleeding had stopped, but the gash had just begun to close.

“I will heal,” he promised, tucking his arm close to his side so she couldn’t see it.

At the end of the hall, Carissa stopped in front of a dark void. Her magic whirled around it, then sunk into it. The shadows vanished, revealing a large circular door with intricate carvings all around it. Her magic seeped into its cracks. Several locks clicked in rapid succession before it opened on creaky hinges. On the other side, several figures waited.

“Carissa. Theo.” Pellan pulled her into a hug first, tucking his chin over her shoulder, then pulled at the sandy haired kid. “Carissa. Did you find her? I told her father you would find her. We’ve been worried sick.”

“I did. She’s here and safe.”

Pellan sighed in relief. “Her father will be relieved.”

“We also found the vampire too,” Carissa said quickly.

Pellan’s muscles locked when he noticed Garrick standing next to her. Theo quickly caught his attention.

“They are bound by her magic.”

Again, the same look Carissa had in the alley appeared on Pellan’s face, one that was filled with both hope and sorrow. The emotion was gone in the blink of an eye.

“Are you certain?” Pellan asked.

Theo and Carissa wordlessly nodded. He looked from the duo and onto her and Garrick.

“Then come in, we have a lot to explain.”

Kayla and Garrick’s story continues in Bound by Magic.
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