Of Witches and Warlocks: The Complete Series

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Vance Mangum-

I've lost her completely, I thought, staring at the crumpled form of the girl at my feet. Nothing about this creature resembled the angel I loved so deeply. Her beautiful features were twisted and contorted with demon deformities, marring the flawlessness that had always been there before. Sinking to my knees next to her, I gathered her limp form against me, rocking back and forth, unable to contain the tears that ran down my face.

I was responsible. I had done this to her—led her down a path to her own destruction. She was rabid with thirst, and there was the wildness of a killer in her eyes. I'd taken the person I loved more than anything else in the world and turned her into a raving monster.

Watching as all of my hopes and dreams for our future slipped away in front of me, I knew this was the end. There could be no children in this relationship, not with her like this. I'd always known she would protect them before, but now that was gone. We wouldn't have that feeling of normal—coming home from work to greet each other, spending the evening wrapped up in each other's arms. There would be no happy life for her, just one like mine had become—plotting and planning over where she was going to find the next drink, get her next fix.

Even if my conscience would let me, I couldn't run away with her and lead a demon lifestyle of bloodlust. I knew the madness I saw in her eyes, and I had little hope she would come back from it.

It was then I realized one very important thing had been overlooked when I decided to change her. That was the fact Portia's magic had always overreacted to everything, not to mention she'd absorbed some of the darkness from my father's spell. I'd created a demon that probably had no hope of learning to control herself—ever.

Digging my cell phone out of my pocket, I dialed Milly's number. She answered on the second ring.

"How's it going?" she asked without even saying hello.

"Awful." I saw no reason to hold back the truth. "I need fresh blood—lots of it. Mine isn't going to be enough for her anymore. Can you get some?"

"I already have. I anticipated you would need it. We've donated what we could spare, and we're in the process of trying to get more. Is she going to be okay?"

"I really won't know for sure until I see how she reacts to the fresh blood. She's bad, Milly, completely raging out of control. I had to knock her out to stop her. We didn't take into account how her magic overreacts."

She sighed deeply. "We'll get this to you right away. How are you holding up?"

Releasing a rough, exasperated grunt, I hung up on her.

I lay Portia gently on the ground and got up. Pacing, I didn't know what to do. I felt completely helpless and all my frustration was building to a heated peak. Spinning around, I cursed loudly into the air, throwing a fireball into the wall of the vast cavern.

Rocks crumbled into flying bits of shrapnel, some of them bouncing across my skin, slicing me with their sharpened points as the walls shuddered. The release felt good, and I did it over and over, until there was a giant hole in the rock several feet deep.

"You better be careful, or you're going to bring this whole place down on top of your head," Brad said, and I whipped around, finding him holding a canvas tote bag. "Blood delivery." He extended it toward me.

Taking it, I walked back over to where I left Portia, setting it down.

"Is she alright?" Brad asked, staring at her. "That's one heck of a shiner she's got on the side of her face there."