Wizards Rule: The Rule Series, #4

By Kasi Blake

After two years, Jack returns home to keep Silver away from his homicidal grandfather, also known as the Dark Wizard. She thinks she can get the powerful wizard to save Jack. But what will he want in return?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kasi Blake
• Release date: May 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223032366

Kasi Blake

Kasi Blake learned that writing was her superpower when she was in the third grade. The teacher asked the students to write a short (one-page) story about a pet monster for Halloween. She heard the other kids all saying they were doing vampires and werewolves, so she chose to write about a pet mummy. Her story made the entire classroom erupt with laughter. That's when she realized words had power. Then when she was in high school, she had to write a short story for a class and put it off until the last minute. While talking to friends that morning, she scribbled it out and handed it in. The teacher thought she'd plagiarized it. It was that good.. Later in college, her writing ability saved her from failing history. Kasi currently lives on a farm in the Midwest with cows, chickens, ducks, a dog, and a few stray cats.

Book preview

Chapter One

TWO YEARS LATER

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Blood seeped through the cracks between Jack's tightly aligned fingers as he grasped his upper arm through torn denim. Burning pain tried to distract him from the immediate problem. Sitting on the floor behind the bar in a rundown tavern, he was wedged between Cowboy and Isobel with no perceivable way out of the mess. He stared at the shelves of alcohol and blamed it for their slow reaction time. Although vampires couldn't drink straight from the bottle, they got intoxicated second-hand by sampling the blood of drunk humans, and that's what they’d been doing when a hunter decided to shoot up the place.

Dead vampires littered the room like discarded toys in a giant child's bedroom, killed by silver bullets. At the moment he was breathing, but he wouldn't be for much longer if they didn't remove as many of the tiny metal fragments from his flesh as they could. The hunter was using special buckshot instead of an ordinary slug, so he knew what he was doing. Good for him; bad for the three vampires hiding behind the bar.

Jack felt the custom-made silver pellets making their way into his bloodstream. Not good. He gritted his teeth, part in agony and part in anger.

Let's go to the Vampire Festival, Jack said in a mocking voice under his breath. A week ago, Cowboy had spoken those innocent words followed by... It'll be a blast, and hunters never go there ‘cause they can't stand the cold temps.

Cowboy shot him a sideways glare. I was wrong. Get over it.

Jack continued to repeat Cowboy's speech. We'll have a week of mindless fun without any danger.

It's not my fault some hunter decided to risk frostbite.

Jack rested his head against the shoddy wooden bar behind them and lifted his bloody hand to show Cowboy. His vision blurred, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. Is this what you call fun?

Isobel was sitting on the opposite side of Jack and had to lean forward to see them both. Dark hair fell over half her face, concealing one eye. She whispered, We're going to get out of this alive.

Damn straight, Cowboy said. There isn't a hunter out there who can take me down. Then he paused and squinted at her. Just for the record, how are we getting out of this?

She grinned. I have a plan.

Outside, the hunter fired off several more rounds and glass exploded above their heads. A mixture of booze rained down on them. Jack seethed in silence. The deep gash on his arm throbbed as if it had a heartbeat of its own. Unfortunately, his healing powers didn't work when it came to silver. In the past, the metal had almost killed him... twice. Once when he was stabbed with a silver knife, and then again after he was shot in the chest with custom made bullets.

The hunter was at the door now, shooting as he worked his way closer.

Jack smelled him, an unpleasant mixture of chewing tobacco, wet dog, and cheap wine.

Isobel told Cowboy what he should do, but Jack blocked her words out. He didn't want her voice to be the last thing he heard before he died. Closing his eyes, he listened to the past instead. A bittersweet smile stretched his mouth.

We'll be together again. Silver's last words to him. Hardly a day went by that he didn't hear it in his head, crystal clear. His former girlfriend haunted him like his very own beautiful ghost. For two years, he had fought the urge to return home to Nebraska, knowing it would be the worst possible thing for her. She was better off if she forgot he existed and moved on with her life. After all, a hunter didn't belong with a vampire. The unholy match was bound to lead to heartache for them both.

Now! Isobel shouted.

Jack's eyes popped open.

Using vampire-speed, Cowboy and Isobel put their plan into action. One of them went left, and the other zoomed off to the right. Jack glanced at the empty space around him where his friends had been half a second ago. Was he supposed to be doing something?

With a groan, he rolled over on his knees. His hands rested on the sawdust covered floor as he fought for strength. He grabbed the counter above his head and pulled himself up. The task weakened him further. He leaned on the bar to watch his friends take the hunter's weapons. They were going to kill him, but Jack had a feeling that was the worst thing they could do.

First, they needed to know who sent him. Hunters didn't come to Barrow, Alaska during the long stint of sunless days, not unless they were desperate. It was several degrees below freezing. Even the locals stayed inside unless they absolutely had to leave their homes. Then they wrapped themselves in layers of heavy clothing, not an inch of skin showing, and they got back inside as fast as humanly possible.

Isobel slammed the hunter against the paneled wall and held him there with a single hand. She and Cowboy snarled, flashing sharp fangs. If Jack didn't do something soon, the hunter's secrets were going to die with him.

Stop. The word was barely audible, even to Jack's ears. He tried again, pushing the air out of his lungs to make it louder. Stop!

His friends frowned at him.

He explained, We need to know who sent him.

Who cares? Cowboy gestured to the dead vampires on the floor. He likes to kill our kind, so he needs to die.

I'd like to know if he's the only one we have to worry about. Jack closed his eyes for a second and tried to catch his breath. If someone sent him here, there could be more. Maybe there's a whole army of them waiting to attack.

Cowboy puffed out his chest. Bring 'em on.

He turned his head, prepared to rip the hunter's throat out, but Isobel lifted a steady hand. Wait a second.

Cowboy groaned. Not you too.

Jack has a point. It would be nice to know if we need to come up with a second plan, an escape plan.

Fine. Cowboy addressed the man. Someone must have paid you big bucks to drop in on us here. There are at least a couple hundred vampires in the area, and you appear to be alone. I mean, if you have any friends, they sure aren't lifting a finger to help you now. He sniffed the cold air. And I don't smell anyone else. That means you're either stupid or crazy. Which is it?

I reckon I did what I came for. The hunter eyed Jack with contempt on his face. Maybe I only got you in the arm, but you'll still die.

Jack made his way around the bar on shaky legs and crossed the room to face his enemy. In a room full of vampires, Jack had been shot first, picked out by greedy eyes. The other vampires were just icing on this guy's cupcake.

A short list of people who hated him floated through his mind, but he dismissed them all. Every one of them had power of their own and would have come for him themselves.

Him? Cowboy jerked a thumb at Jack. You came all the way here to shoot Jackpot?

Isobel frowned. Why?

The hunter spit blood on the dirty floor. Got my reasons.

I can torture him until he talks, Isobel said with a pleased smile on her face.

Jack had a better idea. He was going to use his powers to spy on the man's past. A few years ago, he'd developed the ability to see out of another person's eyes and watch a memory from their point of view. Sometimes he could even control what he saw. He placed a hand flat against the man's chest while concentrating on finding out the name of the guy's employer. Who wanted Jack dead this time?

He expected the room to change like flipping channels to another station, but the dark tavern remained locked in place. His hand grew hot, hotter by the second, and his flesh turned an angry red. The hunter screamed. Burning orange embers spread from Jack's hand to the man's flesh, eating it. Charcoal black followed the orange, and the hunter turned to ashes. Everything, including his bones, fell into a large pile of dust at Jack's feet.

Cowboy gaped at him in open horror, and Isobel took a few steps back.

What in the hell? Cowboy shouted. What did you do?

Jack shook his head, freaking out on the inside even though his exterior seemed calm. I don't know.

What do you mean you don't know? You set him on fire!

It’s never happened before.

Isobel's eyes narrowed as she put the pieces together before anyone else. Ian can do it, and you're his son. Guess it was only a matter of time before you started showing signs. Fear left her eyes, and she patted Jack on the shoulder. Sarcasm dripped from her words. Congrats. You take after your daddy.

Jack remembered the first time he'd seen Ian burn a werewolf with a single touch of his hand. Scary. Because Ian hadn't raised him and they'd only just met, Jack had been afraid of the mysterious man. The paranoia and mistrust worked both ways. Ian didn't trust him either. Because Ian was a hunter and Jack was a vampire, he hoped to never see his father again, sure one of them would die if it happened.

He felt like he was going to puke.

You okay? Isobel asked. You look a little green.

Terrible cramps hit him dead center and took him down to his knees. A cry ripped from his throat. Whether the pain was a consequence of the new power or came from the silver bullet injury, it didn't matter. He was sure he was going to die this time, and his last thought was of Silver. Regrets piled on top of him. He should have told her how much she meant to him while he'd had the chance.

☼

Blistering heat.

Freezing cold.

One second, Jack was shivering, and the next he was kicking the blankets off his sweating body. His eyes felt glued shut. He couldn't force them open, not even when he heard voices from above. Every time he climbed to the surface, they were talking about him. Cowboy sounded worried, but Isobel seemed more annoyed than anything. She repeated the same sentence over and over. He isn't dying.

Jack was of a different opinion. If he wasn't dying, why did it feel like it? White hot searing pain cut through him from arm to legs, using his stomach as the quickest route. His only relief came when he passed out, a momentary reprieve from constant torture, and during those brief minutes, he endured terrible nightmares.

They always started the same way...

He was back at school, good old Jefferson Memorial, standing in the parking lot next to his blue Mustang when he spotted Silver. Big smile on her face, she dashed out to meet him. She tossed her schoolbooks on the ground to give him a proper greeting. Her arm crooked around his neck, pulling him down, and her mouth crushed against his in a passionate kiss. He had to admit the kiss was incredible.

His hands molded her back, and he deepened the kiss.

Her skin was soft and smooth, but it changed in an instant.

She turned to ashes in his hands, burned by his new power. It happened so fast there wasn't time for him to do anything to stop it. He watched in horror as she became dust and blew away with the wind.

Even in his delirium, he knew the truth. He had to stay away from her. He couldn't take the risk with her life, the risk that he might lose control and burn her to death. In fact, maybe he should leave Cowboy and Isobel until he learned to control himself.

Voices from the past blurred together, and his life flashed before his mind’s eye.

I come from a long line of hunters, Silver said. It's in my blood.

That first night he'd spent in her room after he was attacked by a werewolf, she’d explained about Lovely's journal. The faerie had created the first vampire and first werewolf over two thousand years ago. Because of her, Silver was born with the ability to suck the souls out of monsters. He'd known Silver wasn't the average girl or the average hunter when she threatened him before falling asleep next to him in her bed.

"You touch me and I'll rip your soul out through your nostrils."

The next morning, when he woke up, she told him he wasn't a vampire anymore. Somehow, the werewolf attack had cured him.

He crawled to the edge of the mattress in wonder and stared at the beauty known as dawn. Tears blurred his vision for a moment. Incredible. It had been too long since he'd seen golden sunlight. He'd forgotten how breathtaking a sunrise could be. Logic argued with his physical senses. He pushed his fingers beneath his upper lip, felt the gums. No telltale bumps beneath the skin. He jumped off the bed and grabbed Silver, pressing his face against her throat as he tried to smell her blood. Nothing.

She giggled.

After releasing her, he went to the window. Before he had the chance to change his mind, he thrust the glass pane up and stuck his hand outside. The most amazing warmth caressed his skin. A cool breeze wafted in, disturbing the hair on his forehead. His eyes closed as he savored the sensation. He ducked his head and leaned out the window. It didn't hurt. It didn't burn.

The road to true love was filled with potholes and traps, but his feelings never wavered, not for a second. They'd been through a lot together, including a battle with a werewolf army and their leader, Jersey Clifford.

They were warned ahead of time that Jack might not survive the fight, but it was shocking to everyone when Billy killed him, his own brother. It wasn't Billy's fault, though. He'd been a werewolf at the time. Seconds before Billy returned to his original mortal state, he ran Jack through with a sword.

Jack was supposed to die that day. He’d been ready to welcome death like an old friend and finally find the peace he desperately craved, but... he woke up in his bedroom, still alive.

Truth hit him like a speeding truck. His body didn't hurt anymore. In fact, he couldn't remember feeling this good in almost a year. His eyes drifted closed again, and he inhaled deeply. Body straight, chest out, he sucked in the air. Silver's scent filled his nostrils. He pushed his fingers beneath his upper lip and felt the swollen pockets in his gums. Fangs.

What did you do to me?

I'm sorry. I couldn't let you die.

So, you made me into a monster?

Silver and Billy explained it was the only thing they could think of at the time that would save his life. They had Cowboy turn him. They'd sealed his fate. He couldn't be with Silver anymore because he was not human, so he'd said goodbye to her and to his brother, expecting to never see them again.

For a while, he'd visited her in her dreams.

Now he just wished he could hold her as he took his final breath.

☼

My name is Silver, and I am your grandson's girlfriend. She tucked stray strands of warm blond hair behind her ear and mumbled, Please don't kill me.

Alone in the elevator, Silver practiced what she would say to Samuel Carver if she made it through security to meet him. A lump clogged her throat as she watched the numbered buttons light in order. Jack's grandfather was the CEO of a mammoth company, and his offices were on the top floor. She stared at the currently lit 15 as it went dark. Only ninety-five levels to go. It was hard to believe that someone in Jack's family owned this entire building, the helicopter waiting on the roof, a string of limos, and a private jet.

After taking a deep breath, she asked, Are you the dark wizard, the one Ian said would murder me before I got the chance to ask for a favor?

No, that was not a good way to start the conversation.

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

The number 20 on the elevator panel blazed to life before dying.

Speaking of death, if Ian was right about his father, her life was about to be extinguished. There was still time to change her mind. She wound her purse strap around her hand twice and pulled tight with the other, momentarily cutting off circulation. Her fingers went numb. She couldn't turn back now. Samuel was her last hope to save Jack from life as a vampire, and she was willing to do anything to get him to agree. Her mind flew in dizzying circles. How was she going to get him to do something good if he was evil?

According to Ian, the wizard only cared about money and power. She couldn't offer the man either one. What could she say to get him to help her?

Button 47 lit.

She was almost halfway there. Her pulse began to race. She pulled tighter on her purse strap while discarding a multitude of ideas about what to say. A few things seemed okay in her mind, but when she said them out loud, they sounded stupid. If she was going to convince an evil wizard to save Jack, she was going to have to be clever about it.

Number 64 lit up.

Your grandson is a vampire, and he needs your help.

Number 72.

Do you believe in true love?

Number 87.

I helped save the world two years ago, so you sort of owe me.

Number 93.

Did you hate werewolves as much as I did? Jack and I got rid of them. You're welcome.

Number 100.

I'll do anything you want. Save Jack's life and I'll do whatever you ask in return.

Number 110.

The elevator stopped, and a disturbing Ding! broke the silence. She swallowed convulsively. No turning back now. She'd made it to the top floor. Another wave of dizziness hit her, but she stood her ground because Jack was worth the risk. She needed to keep that in mind when she met the wizard. Everything was going to be okay. Ian hadn't seen his father in years. Maybe the man wasn't pure evil anymore. People changed.

The metal doors slid open to reveal the biggest interior space she'd ever seen. Empty space. No furniture. Her whole house could fit into this one room and probably still have leftover square footage. The floor, smooth as glass, reflected moonlight in every shade of blue imaginable. She took a tentative step forward, holding the elevator door open with one hand to keep an escape route clear. There didn't appear to be anyone around. She expected a security team to pounce once she stepped out of the elevator, demanding answers and patting her down for weapons—or at the very least, an over-zealous personal assistant.

But she was alone in the huge penthouse lobby.

Something strange caught her attention, and she stared across the room at the nearest window. When she'd entered the building, it had been daylight. How long had she been in that blasted elevator?

Perhaps this was a wizard trick, something to throw a person off and intimidate them before they got the chance to meet the powerful man face to face. If that was the idea, she had to admit it was working.

Her gaze slid along the far wall, a long stretch of floor to ceiling windows, too many to count at a glance. They provided an awesome view of the city. Her feet itched to travel in that direction, get a better look, but her gut warned her to flee before it was too late. An icy fist settled in her stomach, and she considered jumping back into the elevator. She probably should have listened to Ian. If this powerful wizard was half as dangerous as he made him out to be, this could be a fatal mistake.

But she was doing this for Jack. She was convinced his grandfather was their last hope. For the past two years, she and Billy had searched for a way to return Jack's mortality. Unfortunately, every turn they'd taken had hit a dead end, and time was running out. Jack had given up hope. He didn't visit her in her dreams anymore. As far as he was concerned, it was over. Two years wasn't long, unless you were a vampire and the girl you loved was aging while you were frozen, forever eighteen.

The shadow of a man appeared in a dimly lit doorway at the end of the large office space. She told herself he didn't look that intimidating. So why were her insides turning to jelly? She took a hesitant step forward, allowing the elevator doors to slide shut behind her.

M-my— She cleared her throat and tried again. My name is—

The shadowy figured lifted a gloved hand and the sound of her own recorded voice filled the air.

My name is Silver, and I am your grandson's girlfriend. Please don't kill me.

Do you believe in true love?

Your grandson is a vampire, and he needs your help.

The sentences ran over each other and repeated at regular intervals, every word she'd said on her way up to the penthouse floor. The unseen speakers blasted her voice. It spoke from every direction, making her dizzy.