I didn’t know how to do a lot, but what I did know, I planned to use to my advantage. An army of angry spirits was at my beck and call. My mind cleared as I concentrated on their presence lingering nearby. When I opened my eyes, multiple gray bodies formed around me. There were forty translucent figures in total, with their dark gazes pinned to me.

“Restrain them,” I ordered, pointing my finger at Holly and Ian. The spirits didn’t waste time. Rushing towards them like the wind, Holly and Ian were thrown to the ground by invisible attackers they couldn’t fend off.

Walking closer to Ian, I bent on one knee next to him. “This little game you’ve been playing is over. You lose.” I conjured a stake made out of silver and smiled when his sarcastic facial expression turned to fear. Kye was able to hear me when I was out of my body, I was sure Ian could too.

“Gwen, don’t do it. I’m trying to help you.” Ian’s eyes searched to find me. He thrashed on the ground, but the spirits did their job and held him down.

I laughed. “By turning me into a hybrid? How does that help me?”

I could see relief in his blue eyes, like he thought he could talk his way out of dying, but there would be no reprieve for him. I had the stake poised an inch above his chest and was just trying to squeeze a little more information out of him before I sent his ashes dancing in the wind.

“You’ll be more powerful than your council and mine. You won’t have to answer to anyone. Your life will be yours to live without the restrictions. Killing the La’rues is the only payment I ask for.” His tone said I was a fool if I didn’t accept, but power never interested me. If he had said I could live in peace and quiet for the rest of my life, I may have taken a moment to think about it.

“When is everyone going to get it through their thick skulls that I don’t want power? I don’t want to be coveted or used as a weapon. I just want to be left alone!”

My hand tightened around the stake until my knuckles turned white. Ian wasn’t going to tell me anything useful. I pumped myself up to drive the stake through his chest, when a white light exploded in front of my face and sent me and the spirits flying backwards.

Ian regained his footing and took off in a blur. Without thinking, I took off after him. I couldn’t see where he went, but I could sense him through the bond. He was nervous and angry, the feelings washed through me as if they were my own. Following the direction the emotions came from, I caught sight of him as he fled down a sidewalk. Before I could catch up, he turned and I lost him again.

My footsteps were light, like I was floating. Hell maybe I was. I didn’t know all the tricks that came with an out of body experience. Continuing to follow Ian’s emotions, I ran and ran, not needing to catch my breath.

Give it up, little witch you can’t kill me. Ian’s voice popped into my head. The intrusion was shocking, but not enough to falter my steps.

Then why are you running? I taunted and added a chuckle for good measure. The only thing bigger than Ian’s death count was his ego. I waited for his response, but only my own thoughts played in my mind. My eyes flicked back and forth as I ran. I kept a firm grip on the silver stake. Ian couldn’t ambush me because he couldn’t see me, but whatever magic he used to break free of the ghosts worked on me too. I wasn’t sure if the magic would kill me, but I wasn’t going to risk it.

A dog barked in the distance, the same area I felt a pull to Ian. “Gotcha!” I said to myself and took off in the direction.

My feet halted when I came to the end of a dark alley between two buildings. The scent of urine and garbage harassed my nostrils. A large dumpster sat along the brick wall, and a fire escape crawled up the exterior of the building. Looking up, I searched the shadows for any sign of Ian. Nothing. Closing my eyes, I tried to feel him. The feeling of amusement washed through me right before I was shoved from behind.

I whirled around. Ian stood stock still with his arms at his sides, head down and eyes closed. “Your little disappearing act has a flaw, little witch,” Ian said.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” I took a couple steps backwards, ready for whatever Ian planned to throw at me.

“I may not be able to see you, but I can sense you.”

I chided myself for being so stupid. Of course if I could sense him, he could sense me. My mind was too busy thinking about burying my stake in his heart than taking safety precautions.

“Can’t you see how flawless my plan is?” Ian lifted his head and looked in my direction. I took a step to the right to escape his gaze. His eyes didn’t follow the movement. “Can’t you see I want to make you something so unique? Others will worship you, little witch”

I thought for a moment. “How would I be any different than you? You’re a vampire who performs magic. Why do you need to create a hybrid?”

Ian tilted his head. His eyes trailed in my direction, and I moved away from the spot again. If he was going to blast me with magic, I sure as hell wasn’t going to be an easy target.

“I need to refill my supply of magic. The more powerful I become, the more I need. It doesn’t last long. But with you, you have magic and spirit walker in you, a deadly combination. I’m a fraud; you’d be the real deal.”

With soft steps I inched closer to where Ian stood making sure I kept my emotions in check so not to tip him off. I tightened my grip on the stake and took a couple seconds to enjoy the moment. A month of murder and mayhem was about to end tonight. As I raised my arm, the hunger for Ian’s death gnawed at my heart. “Not interested,” I said as I threw my arm forward and plunged the stake into Ian’s chest. A sadistic smile crawled onto his lips, and he stared ahead, a gleam of amusement flashing through his eyes. I shoved the stake deeper hoping I hadn’t missed his heart.

Ian fell to his knees, dropped his head and stared at the stake protruding from his chest. Flakes of skin broke away from his body and drifted away in the breeze. I’d never seen a vampire die. It was eerie and fantastic. I actually killed Ian Despereaux. I wanted to jump for joy and sing Hallelujah. Cracks ran through Ian’s skin as pieces of flesh continued to break off and disappear. He stared straight ahead emotionless as his body disintegrated.

I devoured the happiness that snaked its way through my entire being. I didn’t think too hard on the many reasons why that was disturbing, and let myself have the moment. Watching a body crumble and wither before my eyes was grotesque, but when that someone was Ian Despereaux, it seemed right to smile rather than cringe.

It took ten minutes for his entire body to flake away and I watched, unblinking, until the end. When the last piece of him fell to the dirt covered concrete a shot of searing pain ricocheted through my body. I stumbled and grasped at my heart, sure it was burning through my ribcage.

“Gwen?” Dorian’s voice came over the high pitched buzzing in my eardrums.

“Just breathe,” Dorian instructed.

My jaw dropped as I sucked in the cool night air. Dorian bent over what ashes were left of Ian and made gestures with his hands. The ashes lifted into the air, hovered a moment, and then drifted away. Once they disappeared from the scene of the crime, the pain vanished along with them.

“W-what was that?” I stammered, catching my breath.

“The bond breaking,” Dorian stepped closer, his eyes appraising me. “If the bond doesn’t have something to connect to, it dies right along with its counterpart. Pretty painful?”

My head bobbed. “It felt like my bones were on fire and my heart was going to rip through my chest. How is that possible when I’m not even in my body?”

Dorian motioned for me to follow him out of the alley. “When a bond is formed, it’s formed with the soul, not the body. Long ago bonds were shared between lovers, hence the phrase ’soul mates‘. Over time the phrase was redefined to mean something a lot less supernatural and a lot cheesier. Humans are always looking for the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.”

I wondered how many other human terms were stolen from the supernatural.

“How are you feeling?”

I shrugged. “I’ve thought about killing him numerous times, but now that he’s dead, I’m not sure how to process it. I keep waiting for him to pop up for one last scare. How many times did they kill Jason in the movies, yet he still kept coming back for more. I’m not sure I believe he’s really out of my life for good, ya know?”

Dorian laughed. “He’s gone for good, Gwen. I sent his soul to the hereafter and his body is scattered across the state. There’s no coming back,” he paused. “I’m really proud of you. I didn’t think you had it in ya to finish him off.”

I couldn’t take offense from his admittance because I wasn’t sure I could either. I didn’t even hesitate to bury the stake in his heart and that worried me. Brushing off my unease, I smiled at Dorian. “I had a good teacher.”

21

If I thought my problems were over once Ian was dust in the wind, I was mistaken. Dorian and I made our way back to my body to find Holly and the council standing in a circle around it.

“Once I realized Gwen was in cahoots with Ian Despereaux, I cast a paralyzing spell,” Holly explained to the members of the NAWC. That was a lie; whatever spell she threw at me had been something a lot more deadly. The members were too busy observing my body and chatting with each other to notice the tightness of Holly’s lips or the slight twitch of eye.

“You did well. I can’t believe Ms. Sparks fooled us,” Charles said. The council members joined hands, forming a circle around my still body, and began to chant.

“Dorian, you have—“ I turned to face him, but he wasn’t beside me anymore.

“Excuse me,” Dorian said. The council members paused in the middle of their chant and turned towards him. He stepped through the crowd surrounding my body, his eyes locked on Holly.

“I believe the one who fooled you is standing right there,” he nodded in Holly’s direction. “I was witness to the entire thing. Holly and—“