Meredith had always known about magic. Her family was magic, one of the most powerful mage lines out there. Having lost her parents to all the fighting though, she stayed far away from it, focusing on school and lading a primarily normal life.
Unti...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The mage poured light magic into her aunt, but it was not an instant process. If Vampires showed up, Mer would have to defend the healer, Damien, and her aunt while they waited for help. Could she really do that for long enough? This was every RPG game she'd ever played as a child, but horribly more real. Looking to her father for comfort, she found him watching Lia with intense care and frustration.
"You never started to hate her?" Mer asked, and he flicked his eyes quickly over.
"No, of course not. Natalie is my blood. Becoming what I am now stabilized the dark magic in my body, so I appear well enough to you. Natalie had to watch me go insane, and she did what she had to to protect the mages. I bear no ill will against her. Plus, she took care of my precious daughter, so I can't help but love her." Damien pulled Mer to him, and she squeaked as he placed his head on her hair. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I was unsure if you could bear knowing what I had become."
"It doesn't matter to me if you're a vampire," Mer assured him, and Damien chuckled.
"Only because you're in love with one," Damien argued, and she shoved him. "That bomb, how did you make it?"
"It was a change spe–" Before she could finish, overwhelming dark magic crushed her insides.
Vampires were approaching, though languidly. They could probably sense the light magic pouring off of the healer better than they could their existence. Shushing her, Damien pushed her against the wall and formed his scythe. Barely standing, what did he intend to do with it?
"I feel them." The familiar voice stilled her heart. When the man walked into the room, she met with a pair of blood-red eyes that locked with hers.
Neil Arc.
The smile plastered on Neil's face fell as he recognized her, and then it rained blood again. The two vampires that were standing behind Neil were decimated by Damien, and her father fell back against the wall, shaking too heavily to stand any longer. Mer prepared herself for a hostile response, but Neil instead let out a long-winded sigh.
"Damien, that was rude. They were just doing their job." Neil resumed his smile, and she backed away toward her father. Even though right now he couldn't help her, Neil terrified her. The last words he had uttered to her had been along the lines of breaking her. "You look like shit by the way," Neil said, crawling toward Damien, and Mer pressed into the wall, glaring protectively at Neil.
Neil wasn't some weak vampire and wouldn't let her cast any spells. She couldn't really blow Shiva up again. There were too many people in here, and they were too far to shield with her cage at once. Never before had she been so afraid of someone that was barely at a height with her. Tiny ass vampire was going to be the end of her.
Why did life always have to be so cruel?
"Meredith Aurion," Neil let out a light hiss that shook her as she leaned on Damien. How did he know her name too? "Remus mumbled your name in his delirium for hours." Neil cackled, inadvertently answering her question, but raising others. What delirium, and did he have Rush? Damien said he'd sent him to safety? Had the Arc's found him?
