The thudding of my feet thundered through my ears as I sprinted down the wooden boardwalk, past the turtle center and out across boggy marshland. An Egret flew up from underneath the planks, with a great thrashing of wings and splashing of water, causing me to shriek to high heaven.

I pressed on through the blinding darkness, one hand on the railing as my only guide. The purple sky seemed to have vanished into inky blackness in the minutes since I’d listened to that message. There was no neon lighting out on the reserve, nothing but the moon to guide me.

Zac was silent as he charged ahead. I was slowing him down, but he wouldn’t leave me. Wouldn’t go too far ahead despite my protests that he should. He drew me to a stop and put a finger to my lips. We listened. I couldn’t hear a thing other than my own heart. No familiar shouting and music out here. Just us and the birds of the marsh, making an occasional plop as they went to and from the water.

I moved forward but was blocked by a wooden rail. The end of the boardwalk.

“What now?” I asked. “I can’t see a damned thing out here.”

“There’s an outbuilding a little further along, the boardwalk doesn’t lead there any more, it’s not in use,” he said.

I swung a leg over the railing, ready to drop down.

“Jess, what the hell?!” Zac grabbed hold of my arm. “There’s alligators in these waters.”

“I’ll have to take my chances.” I tried in vain to shrug him off.

“We can’t go charging in there. I can’t even tell what the hell is there. Something’s off. I can’t sense Anna or anyone else, it’s all foggy.”

“We can’t just stand around here, can we?”

Dropping into the marsh with a squelch, he reached up and I climbed over so he could lift me into his arms. He looked confused, anxious. I wrapped myself around his neck.

He carried me through the marsh, stealthy and fast. Animals hurried away from us, birds taking off in noisy commotions. I thought I might have seen an alligator on the bank but I didn’t dwell on that. It would be a dumbass alligator if it attacked a vampire.

“This is fucked up,” he whispered as we drew close to a building. I could just make out the cracked windows and looming stone walls through the gloom. “Something isn’t right here. I should take you back to safety first. Fuck! I don’t understand where my Cell are. I called out to them, they should be here. I need to get you to them.”

“No way. Every minute could be a minute too late. It’s only Alex, you can deal with his shit,” I urged.

“It’s not him. It’s—” He suddenly let go of me and I fell into the cold marsh. I landed on my ass, a plume of water shooting up into my face, making me splutter. I clapped a hand over my mouth, but I’d already let out an alarmed cry.

Zac clutched his head, moaning in pain. I leapt to my feet, sodden clothes weighing me down.

“Zac, what’s happening?”

He shook his head from side to side, growling and shouting.

“Zac!” I screamed, pressing into his face, trying to get him to look at me.

He shoved me away hard, an instant reaction. I stumbled backwards onto hard ground and against the building. He was snarling now, his face twisted in rage and agony. He trained his eyes on me, wild and furious. His top lip curled upwards and his fangs descended.

With a ferocious snarl he pounced on me. My head cracked backwards, straight into the stone. Shooting barbs of pain shot through my skull, the blackness of the night engulfing me.

* * *

I was dimly aware of being dragged by my hair over hard stone, which bumped and bashed into my hips, but I couldn’t seem to snap myself awake. Chains rattled and chinked together.

Hazy darkness. The pain in the back of my skull stabbed right through to my eyes.

More scuffling sounds, something heavy being dragged. More clanking. My shoulders hurt, the muscle twisting, straining and biting. I wriggled to try and ease the ache, but it wouldn’t shift.

Then a different sharp and stinging pain whipped across my cheek.

“Wake up, fang-banger. Sleep time’s over,” came a deep voice.

Another slapping pain, and my chin rolled over my shoulder.

“I said wake the fuck up. You don’t want to miss the show.”

Loud, angry growling. Roaring and gnashing, more clanking of chains. A terrifying feral noise, full of demonic rage.

My eyes flew open to see Zac, stripped naked and bound, his hands chained up overhead. He was writhing around like a wild creature, thrashing and straining at the restraints, foaming at the mouth.

I had to help him. How could Alex do this?

I stepped forward and the pain in my shoulders made me scream. I couldn’t take another step. I looked up and found that I, too, was bound; strung up like a pig in an abattoir. My clothes lay discarded in a wet heap.

“There we go, that’s better. Everyone present and correct, ready to play.” A man swam into my vision. Muscles bulging through his tight, black t-shirt. Buzz cut hair, thick beard. He carried a long metal pole in one hand, tapping it in rhythm against his other.

Zac stopped thrashing and went completely still and silent, only his eyes moving as they tracked the man. Deadly eyes, watching their prey, analysing every movement. He was taut and focussed, calculating, suddenly far from wild and crazy.

The man looked familiar, but it was dark and my vision was blurred. I think my eye was swollen. This fucking lunatic man, who the hell was he to do this? He didn’t look like a vampire with the heavy way in which he moved.

Zac would kill him. Those chains couldn’t hold him.

Mr. Crazy stepped back towards me, smiling, banging the pole into the floor.

Clunk… clunk… clunk.

He stopped an inch from my face, Zac’s stare burning holes into his back; ready to pounce, ready to break free.

I knew this man. I definitely knew him. Why was my head so damn jumbled?

“Oh my God! William?!” I choked.

“You know him?” Zac growled, speaking for the first time. Why hadn’t he busted out of those chains yet?

“He’s one of Anna’s boyfriends.”

“One of?” William cocked an eyebrow at me.

“He doubles as a fucking vampire hunter,” Zac groaned, white froth dropping from his chin.

Tendrils of fear crawled along my flesh, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.

“What the hell? What have you done to Anna? Where is she, you bastard?” I yelled.

“Why would I have done anything to my sweet Anna?” William said. “She’s not a vampire. Or a vampire whore.”

Zac let out an almighty growl. Surely those chains couldn’t hold much longer. He yanked and pulled. Blood appeared around his wrists where he was bound, along with angry, red burn marks.

William followed my gaze.

“Struggling with those chains, Zac? Do you know how hard it is to get hold of silver plated chains like that? Still, we best get on with the show before you start recovering some strength. It’s fucking draining keeping up these cloaking and disorientation spells. It’s a shame to start without Alex, but perhaps this will help draw his attention.”

I watched William advancing purposefully towards Zac, as if I were stuck in a horror movie. He lifted the metal stake and thrust it straight through Zac’s chest with a sickening crunch.

* * *

Zac howled as his head slumped forward, blood flowing freely down his chest, and a gargled scream escaped me.

“Silver stakes are easier to source, pretty damned effective, too,” William mused, giving it a sharp jiggle from side to side and causing Zac to cry out again. The smell of burning flesh stuffed itself up my nostrils. Red and black welts gathered at the edges of the wound where the stake sat.

“Did he ever tell you, Jess? The most humiliating and painful way for a vampire to die is through bleeding them dry. Let’s speed that up, shall we?” William took a knife from his pocket and dragged it deftly over Zac’s wrist. More blood spurted out and streamed down his arm.

“No! NO!” I screamed, agony surging through every part of my being. This couldn’t be happening. Vampires don’t get fucked like this.

“Now then, for the big, bad wolf. Tell me, Jess, what do you think will get Alex’s attention most?” He took a photo of me on his phone, then one of Zac. “The threat of losing you? Or his precious Legacy bond?”

He paused, waiting for me to answer.

“If in doubt go with both,” he said with a shrug, tapping the screen.

“William! Why is Jess tied up like that? Why is she half-naked? You promised you wouldn’t hurt her!” Another voice I knew came singing through the air to slap me around. A door had opened and there she stood, all agog.

But it couldn’t be her. She was in danger, she’d called me for help.

“For effect, Anna-doll. All part of the plan. Relax.” William moved over to a far wall and my surroundings suddenly swam into vision. A crude pentagram was painted in red on the damp brick wall, from floor to ceiling, as big as a man. Beneath it appeared to be a wooden altar, upon which a variety of tools, goblets and trinkets sat.

William removed one of the heavy silver chains from around his neck and placed it on the altar, whilst muttering chanted words.

“I’m so sorry, Jess. It’ll be over soon. This had to happen, to get them here. But soon it will be done and you’ll be safe,” Anna pleaded, stroking my cheek with the palm of her hand as if soothing a child.

My brain couldn’t compute… it just wouldn’t. It stuttered and locked itself down. The power of speech left me… fucked off somewhere along with my power of comprehension.

“Well, well, that was quick.” William ran to the other end of the room and grabbed a silver chain.

Alex careened into the room, his fingers pressed into his head, just as Zac had done. I tried to yell, to warn him, but I don’t think it would have done any good, even if the words had come.

William leapt onto Alex and they grappled in the shadows. William took a punch to the face and blood pooled on his lip. He chanted incantations, frenzied and loud, the words a messed-up jumble of nonsense to my own ears.

Alex’s movements slowed and moments later, with cursing and clanking, William had him trussed up like a tame kitty, not a raging monster. Alex’s head shook from side to side in confusion and pain as he allowed himself to be manhandled across the room and strung up like the rest of us.

“Fight, Alex! What are you doing? Alex!” I found my voice, but as predicted it fell on deaf ears. He was completely overcome with confusion and weakness.

“Fuck me, I’m getting too old for this shit,” William gasped, doubling over to catch his breath. He snapped his fingers in the air and muttered further foreign words.

Like a fog-inducing bubble had burst, Alex regained composure. He didn’t thrash, he didn’t yell, but he calmly eyed his surroundings.

“The hunter you killed was a novice rookie, huh? Pity the same can’t be said for this one,” Zac groaned and Alex growled.

Zac’s head was still flopped forward, blood steadily trickling and forming a slick puddle beneath him. His chest heaved, the pole stuck rigidly right through him.

“I’ve seen you before, on the island. How did I not sense what you are?” Alex asked, his eyes sizing up William, tracking his movements like the predator he was.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” William said, regaining an upright composure. “Especially when your men kicked the shit out of me one night that I pushed my luck at your club, and you still didn’t see me for what I was. It was risky staying in such close proximity for an extended period, but it takes a great deal of planning and energy to prepare wards that are strong enough to hold you two, whilst simultaneously masking our whereabouts from your clans. The spells to keep me hidden during preparation were nothing compared to this.”

William strolled over to Anna and put an arm over her shoulder. She flinched and darted yet another apologetic look my way. “The rookie that you took out served as a good distraction. Leaving those notes gave you his scent to chase around for a while,” he went on.

“You’re a Wiccan hunter,” Zac tried to lift his head in William’s direction, but it hardly moved.

“You never told me witches were an actual thing?” I shrieked.

William laughed, hearty and excited. “Oh, dirty little Jess, the irony of those words from your lips. How have you not figured out your lineage for yourself? I could feel it in you the moment we met. So could they,” he nodded to the Elwoods. “There’s ancient witchcraft in your blood, Jess.”