Chapter 114: Once Bitten
Suddenly and completely wide awake, I scrambled to climb out of bed, gathering my power while my demon roared to full awareness and slammed the blonde vampire so hard she impacted the wall with a thud shaking the entire upstairs.
My demon kept her pinned while I trembled with alternating bouts of fear and fury and tried to decide what to do with her.
She didn't struggle, but the hurt in her eyes was its own form of attack.
"Syd," she whispered. "Please, you have to listen to me."
My demon barked a laugh and hit Sunny again, rattling the windows and making all of my pictures fall off the walls. My alarm clock skittered across the polished wood of my bed table and hit the floor with a crash.
"I can't believe you came here after what you did." And I kicked myself for not thinking to ward the house against her. She lived here for so long I never considered the new wards wouldn't do the job. Mom didn't know Sunny was a traitor at the time she rebuilt the protective net and I clearly had my head on straight.
Yeah, that was sarcasm.
"We have to go right now." She started to fight me a little, panic all over her beautiful face. Wow. Great performance. I'd give her an Oscar if my demon didn't tear her unbeating heart out first.
"I'm not going anywhere with you." All my bitterness poured out on her, fed into my power. She flinched from it, tears welling in her eyes.
"Syd," her voice had no force behind it. "Please. There's so little time."
Sassy came tearing into my room, Meira peeking around the corner.
"Protect her," I snapped at him.
He snarled at Sunny before chasing Meira out, hopefully back to her room where he was weaving wards to keep the vampire out. I could hear her screaming at him, at me, the sound and content muffled but the tone pretty clear. I'd be in trouble for making her stay put. She'd probably torture me for it. But I couldn't risk her, brave or not.
And, knowing Sassy, he'd never let anyone near Meira again as long as there was breath and demon magic in his fat cat body.
"Miriam," Sunny said, voice cracking. I realized she wasn't whispering on purpose. She might not need to breath to stay alive but she did need air to talk. And saying my mother's name was the magic word.
My demon eased off enough Sunny was able to go on.
"If you want to save your mother," she said, "we have to leave right now."
Yeah, right. "There is no way I'm trusting you ever again." It actually hurt to say that. It hurt her too. Clearly.
"I know," she said. "Syd, I know. But you don't know everything. And this is all my fault." She shook in the confines of my demon power. "I have to make it right."
My demon let her go suddenly, shocking me.
What the hell?
I believe her. My demon's anger waned.
Good for you, I said. I don't. I tried to pin Sunny again but my demon refused to help.
"We have to hurry." Sunny was already moving toward my door. "I have no idea how long I have before he misses me."
I was not going with her, no way, no how. Until I felt something inside me wrench sideways. Suddenly I was walking forward, following her down the stairs and to the kitchen. I struggled and fought, trapped inside myself, but unable to control my body.
No way. This never happened when I was awake. How did my demon do it?
Let me go. I tried to stay calm, but my panic rose with every step.
Shut up, she snarled at me. If you won't listen to sense, I'm driving.
Sense. Blindly following the vampire who betrayed my family to the bad guys.
Yeah, made total sense.
She snarled at the sarcasm I shot at her and kept moving.
Why were we going to the basement? Sunny didn't hesitate, but whipped open the door and glided down the stairs, my demon pounding along behind her. It wasn't until we were standing in front of Dad's statue that my demon let me go and I had control again.
Don't you ever-
I said, shut up, my demon snarled. And listen.
Whatever she sensed that I missed, she trusted Sunny again. Okay, fine. I'd bite. But I wasn't giving in that easily.
Sunny's explanation better be damned impressive.
"We have to call your father." Sunny looked even more desperate if that was possible. "He's the only one who can save Miriam."
I hesitated. There wasn't much damage she could do to Dad in his statue, but still. Besides, I'd tried earlier to reach him with no luck. Whatever he was working on seemed to be taking forever. Still, even knowing I'd probably not raise him, this felt like the beginning of a very bad idea.
"Why?" I wanted more answers before I did anything else.
"Syd, there's no time to explain it twice." She wrung her hands, as though trying to still the shaking. "Please, Syd."
My demon didn't give me an option. She reached out without asking and called Dad.
Who, naturally, was there in an instant. Why wasn't he there when I called him earlier? He had to be sitting around waiting when the vampire who betrayed us wanted to talk to him. Typical.
Dad's spirit flooded the granite. His amber eyes fixed on me then Sunny. Before he could act, attack or say a word, she spoke.
"Please hear me out," she said. "And if you still want to kill me when I'm done, I won't fight you."
Dad met my eyes. I gritted my teeth against my demon and shrugged.
"Speak," he said, his deep voice full of power.
"It wasn't supposed to happen like this." Tears trickled down her face. I fought off my empathy as she dashed them aside with impatience. "I was trying to help."
"Betraying my family isn't helping, Sunny." Dad's tone was gentle, but still full of power.
"I know." She hugged herself. "I thought I could control it. Get close to him. Find Meira and rescue her myself."
"But the call was too strong," Dad said.
She nodded, misery pouring out of her. "I made a mistake. I forgot how truly strong he is and I let him touch me. When he did, my fate was sealed again." She hung her head a moment, chin vibrating, before meeting his eyes. "It wasn't for long, but it was long enough. He learned everything he needed to know about you. Your family. The coven. And our alliance."
"Sebastian," I said.
She nodded.
"You claim to be free now?" Dad shook his head. "Sunny, you know we can't take your word for it."
I sighed. "You don't have to." My demon prodded me. "She's telling the truth. At least, my demon seems to think so." Poke. "Okay, knows so."
Sunny didn't smile, but she did look at me and I was able to return her gaze.
Small victories.
"He has to be destroyed." Her arms dropped to her sides. "I should never have allowed Sebastian to talk me out of killing Nicholas the last time. That is a mistake I plan to rectify."
"How?" Dad's concern was clear. "Without putting Miriam at risk?"
"Demon power," she said. "And a lot of it."
What was she saying? Me?
"I won't let you put Syd in harm's way," he said.
"I know." She glanced at me again. "I don't want that either. That's why I needed to talk to you."
This was close enough to what Dad was supposedly working on I jumped in. "What did Theridialis say?"
Sunny looked confused. Good for her.
Just like Dad to fill her in. "Syd told me about Miriam. I've been looking for a way to cross in my demon form." He grimaced, the expression almost scary demonic. "I've been unable to raise the support I'd hoped for."
Demonicon politics. Great. I felt terrible for him, though. Even through the granite façade I could see the strain on his face.
Sunny brushed his despair off. "There may be another way," she said. "From what I understand, you are able to take mortal form."
Okay, clearly she was nuts. "We're not risking Dad's life, Sunny."
But Dad nodded, ignoring me. "I can. There are times when it's necessary."
I flushed bright red. Meira and I came from somewhere, right?
"It's the only way," Sunny said. "You can't leave the basement, not in your present form. Not without a family pentagram to sustain you."
This was nuts. And way too dangerous. Hadn't we already crossed this off the list of possible solutions?
"Dad," I said, stepping up to him, keeping my voice low so he wouldn't hear the shaking in it. "You can't. You'll be mortal. If this is a trick, they could kill you."
Even my demon seemed shocked by the suggestion. So shocked she kept quiet.
Dad stood there and stared at Sunny for a long moment, one hand sliding over my shoulder and giving a gentle squeeze. He drew a great breath and nodded once, sharply.
No, this was wrong, so wrong. "Dad, please, don't listen to her."
He smiled at me, a sad thing, and squeezed my shoulder again.
"I have to do something," he said.
All of his frustration and feelings of uselessness were naked on his face.
I held his hand as his power swelled, keeping one eye on Sunny while my father gathered his demon magic and used it to propel himself into our plane.
***
