A Vial of Life (A Shade of Vampire #21)(38)

I glared at the fire, even as its heat dried out my eyeballs. I hadn’t been able to observe the witches closely when they had put out the previous fire, because low-hanging branches had obscured many of the details of the scene. But here, out in the open, I was stunned by just how stubborn these flames were. Even as the witches flooded the cabin with torrents of water, more fire sprang up in its place. It wasn’t like I had much, or even any, experience in putting out fires—although before turning into a vampire, I’d sure had the ability to start them—but these flames just didn’t seem normal. They had wrecked my parents’ penthouse so thoroughly, and they fought so steadfastly, even against the witches’ magic.

And how did they even spark up in the first place?

I didn’t understand what my father was talking about when he mentioned that his and my mother’s chairs were missing, and I hadn’t had time to ask, but I didn’t need to be a genius to conclude that someone on this island was behind this. And as Corrine called to Ibrahim over the blaze, “There’s magic behind these fires,” my suspicions were confirmed.

Finally, they put out the fire enough for Aiden to race up the patio steps and kick open the door. We followed him in, gazing around at the devastation. Everything was scorched coal-black, and I could hardly spot a single recognizable piece of furniture. I couldn’t imagine how anyone could survive this—vampire, werewolf, or heck, even a dragon shifter in his humanoid form.

“Kailyn!” Aiden boomed as he ripped through the cabin, barging through doors and turning over crumbling furniture.

The cabin was small and, with all of us inside, it took us less than a minute to search it in its entirety. I found Kailyn first. I spotted her beneath the bed in the second bedroom. In her wolf form, she was curled up in a ball. Her beautiful glossy, honey-brown fur had turned as black as the rest of this place. And she was still. Too still.

I tried to find my voice to call out to the others, but it caught in my throat. I stood up and grabbed hold of my mother, who stood nearest to me, by the arm. I pulled her down to the floor and pointed under the bed. She cursed beneath her breath—one of the rare times I’d ever heard my mother curse—and yelled for the witches.

Everyone flooded into the room, Aiden at the lead. He lurched toward the bed and attempted to duck down and look beneath it, but I threw myself against his chest and forced him backward. I couldn’t bear for him to see Kailyn like that. I didn’t know what it would do to him.

He gripped my shoulders and tried to push me away, but I held on tight, and my mother soon hurried over to assist me in restraining him. With the witches gathering around the bed, even as they hauled the wolf out from beneath it, Aiden’s view was blocked.

“Let go of me!” he growled.

“We’re taking her to the Sanctuary,” Corrine said, even as her voice cracked.

“I need to see her!” Aiden demanded.

Corrine turned on him with anguished eyes. She swallowed hard. “Please, Aiden. Just give us some time to treat her. I promise you can see her after that.”

* * *

After the witches vanished with Kailyn, my mother and I let go of Aiden. He bolted immediately for the exit and ran out of the cabin. Of course, he would head for the Sanctuary.

Tears blurred my vision as the rest of us hurried after him. I wasn’t sure what the witches were planning to attempt, but I couldn’t imagine how they’d be able to resuscitate her.

We whipped through the woods and arrived in the courtyard outside the Sanctuary. Aiden was already at the door, banging his fists against it.

“Open up!” he demanded in a shaking voice.

My mother and I tried to offer comfort, but he shook us aside. He just stood there, yelling for the witches and glaring at the locked door.

Corrine opened the door after five minutes, by which time Aiden was on the verge of breaking the door down. He barged past her and sprinted along the corridor. We followed him. My breathing was restricted, my palms sweaty as we neared Corrine’s treatment room. Ibrahim stood outside the closed door, one hand on the handle. His face was ashen. As his eyes traveled slowly from Aiden to us, I already sensed that all hope was lost.

Swallowing hard, Ibrahim opened the door, allowing Aiden to burst inside. My grandfather froze at the foot of the treatment bed. As the rest of us piled in after him, we laid eyes on the large form of Kailyn, covered with a white sheet. Aiden staggered to the side of the bed. His hands shook as he reached for the corner of the sheet. He lifted it up slowly, and as he laid eyes on the werewolf, he stopped breathing. His body became rigid, as if a witch had just cast a spell of paralysis over him, and a deathly silence filled the room. It took some time for his shock to turn into grief, but when it did, he staggered backward, his legs hitting the edge of a chair, which he slumped down into.

I hurried over to him as he buried his head in his hands, his chest and back heaving with silent sobs. I couldn’t hold back my own tears anymore. I draped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, holding him tight, while my mother did the same.

“I’m so sorry, Aiden,” Corrine croaked. “I’d hoped there was a chance that we could resuscitate her, but… we were just too late.”

Chapter 12: Ben

Despite the sheer size of the ogres, they were surprisingly adept at climbing down mountains. Their hands and feet were wide and tough, their skin so thick that it was almost like padding, allowing them to fearlessly gain a grip on even the sharpest rocks.