Soul Choice: More than Magic, #3

By Elizabeth Kirke

Forget everything you know… about magic.

 

Taking classes to improve my spell-casting and learn more about the magical world has hit an unexpected snag: people keep mistaking me for someone else. And it's clear that my double is not a popular witch.

 

I try not to worry about it, until being mistaken for her gets me kidnapped by people who want revenge for what she did. But taking me hostage is only part of a larger plan and when Thomas and the others come to my rescue, we find ourselves caught right in the middle of a sinister experiment.

 

Turned into unwilling test subjects and given a dangerous potion, we have less than a week to get the antidote and the clock is ticking fast. But the casualty rate in the experiment is high and at least one of us is already dying. Our only chance rests with the kidnappers and my double. Trusting them might be a mistake, but we don't have another choice.

Soul Choice is the unputdownable third book in the Urban Fantasy series, More than Magic. Get swept away by vengeful witches, dangerous potions, and desperate vampires. If you like compelling characters, a little mystery, and a touch of romance, you'll love Soul Choice. Don't let this one slip away, snag it now!

 

Also available on audiobook.

 

More than Magic Series:

Semester Aboard

Snow Bound

Soul Choice

Magic Betrayed

Magic Vanished

Magic Awakened

Magic Conquered

Magic Unveiled

Magic Sacrificed

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth Kirke
• Release date: Apr 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201248918

Book preview

Soul Choice

More than Magic Series

Book Three

By Elizabeth Kirke

Copyright © 2015 Elizabeth Kirke

Cover Design by T.M. Franklin

Edited by Plot Ninja

Formatted by EK Formatting

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Epilogue

Dedication

To my son.

Here’s to hoping this book is one step closer to quitting my day job and staying home with you after you’re born.

Acknowledgements

Where do I begin?

My readers, you’re why I write. Thank you for your support, encouragement, and enthusiasm.

My husband, for letting me lock myself away for hours on end to write, especially during that last 17 hour writing marathon. And for all of his constant support and tolerance when I do those crazy things writers do.

My parents, for always encouraging my creativity and imagination.

Crystal, for her amazing work on this book. Not to mention just being a source of encouragement, a sounding-board, tech-guru, and friend.

Delphina, for having time to talk over plot and alpha-reading, even while in the middle of writing all of her own wonderful books.

Lynn, the best PA ever. I couldn’t have pulled off this release day without you. In fact, I couldn’t have survived this year without your amazing, enthusiastic support.

Cheree, you never cease to catch typos everyone else has missed. Thank you for always being around to alpha-read, pick my brain, and get me motivated.

Stacey, for taking a chance on me with Semester Aboard. I can’t believe how far Anchor Group has come. I’m so lucky to be along for the ride. Remind me to never give you a book this late again.

My unborn son, for giving me the perfect excuse to put up my feet and write whenever I want.

And everyone else who has ever taken the time to pick up one of my books.

Thank you.

Also available on audiobook

Chapter One

What had I gotten myself into? I wasn’t ready for this. My entire body ached, and I was so tired I was shaking. I leaned against the wall, panting for breath, staring hopelessly at the dark, boiling cauldron of water in front of me. I couldn’t go back the way I came, and the only way out lay hidden beneath the water. There were five doors but choosing the wrong one could mean the end. Casting had already taken its toll on me. How many more spells did I have the energy for?

You can do this, Jen, I thought. You can do this.

There was no choice. I knelt down, took a deep breath, and aimed my wand at the cauldron. It was too hot to touch and I already wasted a spell trying to cool it. My only hope was to empty it.

"Gul."

The water slowly began to churn and climb up the sides of the cauldron. A few drops splashed over, then it all sloshed back into place and resumed its rolling boil. I growled in frustration and wiped my hair back from my face; it was damp and sticky from the rising steam.

"Gul!" This time I clutched my wand with both hands, afraid to move before the spell was complete. It was probably the longest I ever maintained a spell. At last, the bottom of the cauldron was visible.

III

With another deep breath, I pushed myself up. I swayed on my feet and staggered to the door with the three carved in it. Wand ready, I pushed it open and found myself in a long hallway.

I started down, resisting the urge to stop and rest, knowing I’d probably never stand up again if I did. Instead, I cautiously followed the hallway to where it came to a T. Each end held a door and, this time, I couldn’t see anything that indicated which one. Hoping luck was on my side, I picked the one on the left and forced myself to jog toward it.

The door was locked.

No, I snarled silently. I wasn’t going to have enough energy to unlock it and face whatever was beyond. Somewhere nearby, a door slammed shut.

I whirled and raised my wand. I was exposed, vulnerable. Did I have the energy for a sprint to the other door, did I unlock this one and hope I wasn’t followed, or would I have to stand and fight?

My choice was made for me. A wizard appeared in the hallway. I held my breath, praying he’d turn right. No such luck. He swung his head left and his eyes widened when he saw me. His arm shot up, brandishing his wand.

"Ahn!"

I frantically raised my wand and tried to block it. "Dyn!" I wasn’t expecting it to work. I only recently learned the word for earth spells and could count the number of times I actually used it on one hand. Using earth magic as a shield was complex, far beyond my skills. Maybe my lack of confidence was why it failed. Or my fatigue. Either way, it was over.

No sooner had I realized that my shield hadn’t worked, when the blast of air from the wizard’s spell hit me and threw me off of my feet. By some miracle, I held onto my wand, but it didn’t matter. I was weak and I knew I had lost. His feet echoed in my ears as he walked toward me.

"Mar!" A wall of fire flared up around me, blistering heat closing in.

My head was spinning. Fire was my strongest magic and I couldn’t even think of a way to counter his attack.

With all of the energy I could muster, I pulled the flag from my pocket and held it up to him. The fire died down as he took it from my hand. I dropped my cheek down on the cool floor with a sigh as the sound of his footsteps faded.

They were quickly replaced by another set. Maddox? You alive?

Yeah, I groaned.

A pair of cool hands took mine and pulled me to my feet. The air elemental smiled at me, several different shades of sky-blue swirling merrily in his eyes. First scrimmage, right? You did great, he said, holding me steady.

He offered me a little cube of a potion and I forced up my hand to take it. The taste of mint exploded in my mouth, followed by a rush of energy. I weakly returned his smile. Thanks.

I followed him out of the maze and into the entry room. There were a lot more witches and wizards than I had expected, all sitting around recovering. An irritated looking witch was darting around, inspecting injuries.

The room was filled with familiars too; cats, jackals, ravens, and rabbits were tucked into every nook and cranny. I could sense my familiar nearby. I looked over, where I knew he was, and saw several black cats sitting together. Even though they were practically identical, I could pick out Rak instantly. He met my gaze, stretched, and trotted over toward me.

I told you you’d do well, he said smugly. He gathered himself and then jumped into the air toward me. He vanished in a small puff of black smoke and reappeared just as he landed on my shoulder. I reached up and scratched him behind the ear.

What place did I get? I asked the air elemental.

Fifth. He slapped me on the back and I nearly stumbled. Rak’s claws dug, just a bit, into my shoulder. Great job. With that, he headed back out into the fray.

I sank down into an empty bench and waited for a second dose of energy potion. Rak slid off of my shoulder and into my lap, purring. Neither of us spoke, we didn’t have to. I could sense his satisfaction at my performance. He was proud of me.

As I sat, I looked around at the other witches and wizards. Who knew how long they had been using magic? I should have started learning in my mid-teens, but I hadn’t even known magic existed until last summer, when I was just barely been twenty-one.

Everyone else in the room had at least five or six years of experience more than I did. And that was assuming they were my age. We magics were immortal. Just because they all looked like they were in their twenties, didn’t mean any of them actually were.

After my summer crash-course in magic, I hardly used it at all during the fall. A few months ago, when I had really needed it, I wasn’t good enough. My cousin – not to mention my boyfriend and our closest friends – were nearly killed. After spending several sleepless nights, replaying the events and wondering what could have gone differently if I had just known more spells, I decided I needed to find some sort of class.

Most witches and wizards, however, learned from their parents, which made spell-casting classes few and far between. I was lucky enough to live near one of the few cities in the entire country that offered them from time to time. Even then, it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. For one thing, it was once a week for only two hours. It took me that long just to get to Washington! I couldn’t complain though. Since it was one of the few classes being offered, people were commuting for more than double that, one way. Some people were even spending the weekend in the city, just to take the courses.

The first class was an intro, no spells at all. It was immediately obvious I was the only one with no real training. Two students – one from Pennsylvania and one all the way from Kentucky – were adopted and their parents were a different type of magical being. Other than them, the rest of the class seemed to fall into three categories: people who worked around non-magics and wanted to get in some extra spell-casting time; witches and wizards looking for jobs and taking the class for their resume and extra practice; and a handful of D.C. locals who just wanted to hang out with other magics and do stuff.

The next four classes were spent practicing the four basic spells and exploring what could be done with them. The fire magic class, which was my strongest spell, left me feeling pretty confident, but the earth class was incredibly discouraging. I didn’t even know the word for an earth spell before walking into the classroom. Rak reminded me that improvement was the reason I was there in the first place, which made me feel better.

Last week we discussed spells for self-defense and offense. The instructors promised some sort of a scrimmage in Class Six. I hadn’t known what to expect until I arrived and they clipped a flag onto my pocket. With no more warning than that, I found myself running through a maze, using spells I hardly knew to defend myself, while trying to make it to the exit. It hadn’t sounded that difficult at first, but once I was in the thick of it, I knew I was in over my head.

Still... fifth. The thought made me smile. Only four people lasted longer than I did. Maybe I wasn’t so bad after all.

I bit back a yawn, hoping I’d have enough energy for the second half of my evening. My smile widened. After this, I was going with a group to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History for an after-hours tour all about the unsung contributions of magics.

Being a history major, it sounded like the greatest class I could think of. Ever since finding out I was a witch, there had been something missing in my non-magic history classes. I found my mind frequently drifting from the lessons as I wondered if any of the people we were studying were magics or what magics in the time period had been doing. Were they involved at all? Did our history tell a different story?

The fact that the stone elemental leading the course was over four hundred years old was just icing on the cake for me. The oldest magic I had really gotten a chance to talk to was my friend Dani, and he was only in his early eighties. The idea of someone being only eighty made me laugh. Our immortality was one of the many things I was still getting used to.

I was handed another energy potion, this one a liquid. Enjoying the odd sensation it caused, I sipped it slowly. It was like jumping into a hot shower after being outside in the cold. But, instead of warmth flooding my body, it was energy.

After giving the potion a few minutes to kick in, I got up and headed for the locker room to get my purse and change clothes. On the way, I passed a work-out room with a couple of magics using the machines. There was a girl, who couldn’t have been much bigger than me, lifting an insanely large stack of weights. Probably a vampire. She must have worked for MES; the facilities weren’t open to the public, with the exception of people taking classes like I was.

The classes were being given in the Washington D.C. MES office. It was a bit of a hike for me, but there were no classes in Baltimore anytime soon and I didn’t want to wait. The D.C. location had its perks, like the upcoming museum trip. It was also just neat to be inside a MES facility and to get a glimpse at how everything operated. My friends all worked for MES, although they were in a different location, and I wondered how similar the facilities were. Of course, it was nearly impossible to be a magic and not work for MES, or at least be affiliated with it.

The Magical Enforcement and Secrecy Agency was sort of like every non-magic government agency rolled into one, and then some. It had originally been established to enforce our most important law: keeping our existence a secret from non-magics. As time went on, MES took on an increasingly larger role. Now, nearly every job in the country fell under the MES umbrella somehow. If a magic didn’t work directly for MES, someone in their company probably did.

After I was changed, Rak and I left the locker room to meet the bus for the museum tour. I was pleased when at least a dozen people joined us. Other than when I was with my friends, these classes were my only opportunity to spend time around other magics.

We boarded the bus and started across the city. I looked out the window, half paying attention to the scenery. Growing up in Maryland, I visited D.C. all the time for school. Now, on the rare occasion when I found myself in the city, I always thought that I should do it more often. Before my classes, it had been almost a year since the last time I visited. Some friends and I went last spring for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.

"Sakura... what’s the word... I muttered, trying to think of the Japanese word for festival. I started taking Japanese this semester. My boyfriend, and some of his friends, all spoke it fluently and often used it almost like a code when non-magics were around. Oh, matsuri!" I smiled to myself, pleased I had remembered.

My sensei had been talking about it a lot recently and always took her spring classes to visit. Even though I only spoke very basic, limited Japanese, I was looking forward to going to the festival with a fresh perspective on the culture and some understanding of the language.

The thought made me laugh. I couldn’t believe how much my life changed over the past few months. A year ago I would never have expected taking Japanese classes to be anywhere on my to-do list. Of course, a year ago I hadn’t known anything about magic either. In fact, right around this time last year, I was filling out an application to spend my summer studying on a cruise ship.

The idea of a sixty-day cruise to several new countries, with college credits as an added bonus, seemed like a wonderful dream. How could I ever have imagined that I’d learn magic along the way? It was there, on the ship, that I met other magics who realized I was a witch with no knowledge of our world. I had become close friends with all five of them. Even though I had only seen them once since the cruise, I spoke to at least one of them every day. Of course, it helped that I was dating one too.

The bus pulled up around the back of the museum. We gathered on some low, stone steps around a fountain while our instructor gave a brief introduction about himself and an outline of our evening in the museum.

I pulled out my phone and checked to make sure I hadn’t missed a call from my boyfriend. He usually called after work and, according to his schedule, had been off for half an hour already. Nothing. I shot him a quick text to let him know the tour was about to start and that I’d let him know when it was over.

Texting Thomas? Rak guessed.

I nodded as I typed. I hope he’s not still at work.

Even though I wasn’t looking at Rak, I could sense his agreement. Thomas was the Resident Magic Coordinator for the Upstate New York branch of MES. According to him, he spent most of his time in the office making phone calls and doing paperwork. But, like many MES employees, he doubled as a Special Agent. If there was any trouble, Thomas was one of the people who went to take care of it.

A woman came out of the museum and exchanged a few quiet words with our guide. The non-magics were all cleared out of the museum and it was time for us to enter. We went through a large set of glass doors and into the lower level of the museum.

It was surreal to be wandering around inside of a public building with Rak trotting by my side. I could sense how much he was enjoying the experience. He would never complain about actually being a cat, but I knew he sometimes wished he had more freedom to explore. Even though we had only been bonded for seven months, I could hardly remember what it was like to not have his feelings and emotions in the back of my mind. In spite of that, I was glad we hadn’t been bonded during my cruise. He could never have joined me on the ship and two months away from him would have been hard.

The museum tour was just as amazing as I expected. Our guide had incredible first-hand accounts of life in America over the centuries. Even though magics did their best to not interfere with outcomes of non-magic events, it seemed we still played an important part in history. There were even a few famous historical figures that had been magics, much to my surprise. We were encouraged to keep a low profile and out of the public eye.

Time flew by and all too soon we were in the main lobby, wrapping up. The lobby had been renovated since the last time I was here. I had fond memories of watching a giant pendulum knocking down pegs, while waiting for a huge panel in the wall to slide open to reveal the Star-Spangled Banner. The pendulum was gone and, where I remembered the cloth flag, was a giant fake metal one. I spotted a doorway that looked like it led to an exhibit. I was fairly sure that the renovation involved the flag. I was on my own to get home and it didn’t look like they were kicking us out yet, so I went over to poke my head in.

I found myself in a dim, almost narrow hallway and walked in, Rak trotting behind me.

Whoa, I gasped, as I caught sight of the flag.

It was in a huge glass case, taking up the entire left side of the hall. Nose to the glass, I walked slowly along the display. Rak jumped up onto my shoulder for a better view. When we reached the far end, I looked at the wall to my right, which was full of artifacts and information.

As I was trying to decide if I wanted to double back and read the wall, a man came in. I recognized him from the tour. He looked my age, but of course, could have been much, much older.

Enjoying the tour? he said.

His voice was soft, almost menacing. We were in one of those places where the atmosphere just made you want to speak quietly. I tried to tell myself that he just had a rough voice and was whispering because of the exhibit, but that didn’t explain why he was glaring.

Yeah, it’s great. I edged back and sensed Rak’s concern. Something wasn’t right.

He took a step closer to me. I hope you paid close attention to the contributions that non-humans have made to history.

The wording caught me off guard. I was used to differentiating between magics and non-magics, but hadn’t heard non-humans. For a moment I wasn’t sure if he was referring to familiars or other magics who weren’t human, like werewolves or elementals. Not sure how to respond, I nodded.

Good, he sneered. Keep it in mind.

Swallowing hard, I nodded again. I will.

And watch yourself. If I see you again... He paused and glanced toward the door, leaving the threat unsaid. MES may think you’re innocent, but I know better. I know what you’ve done. He closed the distance between us in an instant. I hardly had the time to think vampire before he was a fraction of an inch from my face. I know what you’ve done, he repeated, "Cassandra." The name was a hiss; a soul-chilling, heart-stopping hiss.

It wasn’t the first time a vampire had hissed at me. I thought I was fairly good at resisting the effects, but it caught me off guard. I couldn’t move, felt like I couldn’t breathe. Then, he was gone.

The moment I recovered, I sucked in a deep breath and pulled out my wand. The vampire was nowhere to be seen. Rak’s alarm mirrored mine. He darted around the corner, tail straight up and every hair standing on end.

I don’t see him, he said softly.

Warily, I tip-toed out of the exhibit. Most of the others had left the lobby. I cast my night vision spell, just in case, before hurrying out of the museum after them. The closest entrance to the Metro was across a wide, open field. There were enough other magics heading that way, and more than enough non-magics, that I felt safe. The vampire had waited until I was alone to make his strange threat. I doubted he’d do anything else with so many people around.

Rak reluctantly climbed into my large bag, out of sight of the non-magics. Instead of meandering, while looking at the Washington Monument, I set off across the National Mall at a brisk pace. I trotted down the escalator and into the station. Without slowing, I reached into my bag for my Metro card. Rak passed my wallet to me.

Thanks, I whispered.

The three minutes before my train arrived felt like some of the longest of my life. I waited, heart still pounding, on the platform. If the vampire was still following me, there was no sign of him. I practically leapt onto the train and sat down at the back of a car, where I could easily see all the doors. I swallowed nervously and sensed Rak’s tension.

It was going to be a long ride home.

Chapter Two

I felt a little more relaxed after changing trains, but still couldn’t shake the paranoia that the vampire was out there. If what I felt from Rak was anything to go on, he was worried too.

Almost worse was the nagging sense of guilt eating at me. I knew that if the strange man had been any other kind of magic, I probably wouldn’t have been as afraid. Vampires were literally created to be killers. They were stronger, and faster, and deadlier than any other magics. The fact that he was a vampire terrified me.

Vampires were feared and misunderstood by a lot of magics. It was true that many vampires were bad. But the good ones, in spite of being few and far between, didn’t deserve to share the reputation. It made life as a good vampire difficult, something that Thomas dealt with every day. Even though I was trying to convince myself I wasn’t afraid just because the threatening man was a vampire, I knew that it was a large part of the reason. And that, considering I was dating one, made me feel like all of the times I told him I didn’t care he was a vampire were meaningless.

As the train slowly emptied out, I couldn’t stop watching the door warily, half expecting the vampire to come in. By the time we neared my stop, Rak and I were practically alone. He stuck his head out of the top of my bag and stretched.

You okay? he asked, even though he could sense I was still nervous. I knew he was too.

I guess, I whispered back. That was...

Unsettling.

I nodded in agreement. The vampire’s words kept replaying in my head. I know what you’ve done. You don’t think he meant... he knows about Shannon? Do you?

No. Rak’s certainty eased the knot in my stomach. If someone knew about Shannon and what we did to her ... He spoke again, just after I felt curiosity. I’m pretty sure he thought you were someone else. Do you know anyone named Cassandra?

Hearing the name made me shiver, remembering the hiss that accompanied it. No... I chewed my lip as I tried to think if I knew anyone by that name. No, I said again after a moment. I think I went to high school with a non-magic named Cassandra.

Rak shook his head dismissively. The train pulled away from the stop before mine and I started to worry about the long walk back to my car. I hadn’t been concerned making the hike in past weeks. Something about having a magic wand made non-magic threats seem a lot more mundane. Of course, a non-magic with a gun would still be frightening, but I wasn’t the easy target a non-magic girl would be.

This time though... this time I was still worried that, somehow, the vampire was still out there. Deciding it was as good a time as any to call Thomas, I pulled out my phone. My step-mother had a thing about talking on the phone while you were walking alone somewhere. She was convinced it made you a less appealing target to thieves and the like. I wasn’t sure how effective it was, but it did make me feel a little better sometimes.

Hello, you’ve reached Thomas Clark. I’m unable to answer the pho— I hung up with a sigh.

Voicemail? asked Rak.

Yeah. Guess he’s still at work. I exchanged a nervous look with my familiar. Thomas could take care of himself, but I still worried when he was doing agent work. In the three months since we started dating he had done everything from chasing down a pride of rogue werelions to breaking up a black-market potions smuggling ring. I never knew what MES was having him do next, but it was sure to be dangerous.

I decided to give my friend Charlie a try. Not only was I positive he’d be able to cheer me up, but he’d probably have some good advice. As a bonus, he worked with Thomas, so he might have been able to tell me what my boyfriend was doing. I pulled up his number and hit call. The phone rang a few times before I heard his voice.

Hello. You’ve reached Char Smith. I’m afraid I can’t—

Groaning, I hung up before it started recording. Charlie was a MES agent too. If Charlie wasn’t answering either, it almost proved that Thomas was doing more than some late-night paperwork. I considered calling one of my other friends, but didn’t want to make it seem like I was desperately trying to get in touch with them. Thomas didn’t need to be worried that I was trying to call when he needed to focus on work.

Instead, I called my cousin, Shannon. She answered, just as the train driver announced my stop.

Hey Jen – what was that? Are you on the Metro?

I laughed. Yeah, I was in D.C.

Oh right, for class! How’s it going?

It’s good. As I spoke, I kept an eye out for the vampire. I’ll tell you all about it when I get to the car.

Doing the old parking-lot phone call? You have your wand, don’t you?

The problem with Shannon was that she was too observant for her own good. She knew exactly why I was calling. Even though I intended to tell her about my encounter, I suddenly didn’t want to worry her. I was probably just blowing it out of proportion.

Yeah, I have it. It’s just... well, muggers can have guns you know.

My words were followed by a somber silence. Shannon was been hit by a stray bullet back in January. It should have killed her. The combination of her curiosity and tendency to jump right into things had landed Shannon right in the middle of a mess involving magics. Even though we all tried to keep her from getting involved, it hadn’t worked. The whole ‘being too observant’ thing nearly killed her.

TS, my werewolf friend, formed a rare connection, called a soul-pack bond, with Shannon. He could sense her emotions, just like I could with Rak. The bond also meant that if Shannon died, it was possible TS would too. When the bullet hit Shannon, they were both in danger. Just to make things worse, Thomas and TS had some sort of freak soul-pack bond. If TS died, he could take Thomas with him.

The only way to save both of them, and himself, had been for Thomas to turn Shannon. It worked, but at the price of committing one of the worst crimes in the magic world. Turning someone was punishable by death.

Everyone who witnessed it was guilty too, for not reporting it or staking Thomas on the spot. Thankfully, Thomas chose his friends well. None of us would breathe a word of it. And Shannon, for all of her quirks, knew how to keep a secret.

Yeah, she said softly, breaking into my thoughts. She laughed, but I could tell it was forced. And bullets hurt.

There was nothing I could say to that. Instead, I changed the subject after a moment. Have you had dinner? She knew I was really asking about drinking blood.

I did yesterday.

Still unable to shake the vampire’s words, I asked, Everything go okay? It wasn’t an unreasonable question. Even though I had even more reason to worry tonight, I asked her about feeding all the time.

Keeping the fact she was turned a secret was impossible; vampires and dhampirs had to drink fresh blood on a regular basis. The only way to legally do it was to register for blood drives with MES. The registration was to ensure that there would be enough blood for all the vampires and dhampirs who attended. Although, it also struck me as a convenient, unobtrusive way to keep tabs on their movements. Shannon had no choice but to register. In addition to just being morally wrong, feeding illegally was a surefire way catch the attention of MES... and lead them back to Thomas.

Even though she was doing it legally, every time she went to feed I worried that someone would become curious about her and start asking questions. If that happened...

Yeah, everything went fine. Shannon paused and then added, I’m starting to think we’re really going to pull this off.

God, I hope so.

It had been almost three months since she was turned. The more time that went by, the better off we would be. All things considered, we were lucky. First, Shannon had been a non-magic. That meant that there was no record of her being a witch and vanishing or an investigation into how she had been turned. MES only kept data on non-magics who were direct family members, and those records were spotty at best. Since she was only my step-cousin, there was nothing in their database that connected us. Being a non-magic also meant that she had been turned into a dhampir, not a vampire. Dhampirs were significantly more powerful than humans, but nowhere on the same level as vampires. More importantly, they couldn’t turn people. Even though MES kept an eye on them, it wasn’t nearly the intense scrutiny that vampires got. Once she had a magic