Blood and Snow 6: Masquerade's Moon Read online

  “I’m going to count to five. If you haven’t come forward, one of these children will die.” The man’s voice was low, but carried like he spoke into a microphone.

  The other chayot moved silently.

  I frantically searched the room for Cindy. Where was she? I’d lost her in the shuffle when the chayot showed.

  “One.”

  Gabe glanced at the man, and I instantly understood he was Gabe’s father.

  “Two.”

  “Get her out of here,” Dorian said.

  “I can’t leave. They’ll hurt someone.” I had to find Cindy.

  “No.” Dorian shook his head. “They’re bluffing. Gabe said the chayot are like divine creatures. Intentionally hurting an innocent would be against their laws.”

  “Three.”

  “I don’t think he cares about their laws.” Anger trickled along my spine and bloomed in my chest.

  Gabe whispered something in his father’s ear. With the flick of his wrist, two chayot men came up behind Gabe, and held him fast. Gabe fought against them. I saw the ugly fury in their expressions.

  “Four!”

  “I’ve got to go. I don’t have a choice.” Leaving the brothers, I pushed through the crowd.

  “You always were dramatic, Oberon.”

  I slid to a stop and spun in the direction of her voice. It was the Vampire Queen. How did she get in the ballroom? Behind her were dozens of vampires—males and females—Workers and Drones.

  “Oh crap,” Sebastian said, sliding next to me. All the brothers, except Gabe circled me.

  Suddenly Professor Pops and Kenmei were there. “Boys. Snow. I want you to gather the kids, tell them this is part of the festivities, and lead them through the secret door.” His intense eyes found mine. “Use your powers of persuasion. Convince them. Can you do that?”

  I nodded. I’d have to hold the gaze of every person. “What are you going to do?”

  “Stall and then end this. Now go. Hurry.”

  Chapter 12

  The guys circulated, rounding up the students into six groups. I stopped at each one, using my newfound vampire gift to convince the students this interruption was a surprise portion of the party. I just hoped the chayot and the Vampire Queen allowed the students to leave.

  “Sharra. Oberon. This isn’t the place for a dispute. There is a room full of human children. Let them leave. They are innocent.” His voice rang through the room, loud and strong.

  “I’ve given you my ultimatum, Adam.” Oberon waved his hands at the students. From behind him, and along the borders of the room, the chayot pulled swords. “Either Snow White steps forward and accepts her destiny, or the accidental death of a human will be on your conscience.”

  Destiny. The word Kenmei used to describe what I needed to do with the Seal of Gabriel. The same word the Vampire Queen used. I was sick of hearing it. My life was my own. Regardless of what Kenmei, the Vampire Queen, or Gabe’s father thought. I wasn’t a puppet on a string. My story hadn’t been written.

  Oberon expects you to die. The Vampire Queen believes you are to be her next body. And Kenmei imagines you to be the one who will restore balance to the Earth. That’s a lot of destiny for one person, my inner voice criticized.

  I snorted.

  Chayot men and women continued to roam along the edges of the ballroom. Spreading out. Though they kept their distance from the back wall, where the vampires stood. I did a quick run through on how to kill Workers and Drones.

  To slay a female required sunlight or a stake through the heart.

  Males had to lose their heads.

  My body inadvertently shuddered.

  I had no idea how a chayot could be destroyed.

  Dorian grabbed my hand. “C’mon,” he mouthed.

  I nodded unsure what else to do. We needed to get every non-supernatural creature out of the ballroom. That was most important.

  “Have you seen Cindy?” I asked Dorian, still searching for her. She hadn’t been with any of the six groups the brothers rounded up.

  He shook his head. “I’m sure she’s fine. That girl can take care of herself.”

  And I can’t, I thought, momentarily irritated. Did Kenmei, Professor Pops and the brothers believe I was too weak, or too much of a coward to face the chayot, the Vampire Queen, and her followers.

  Maybe it’s all of them at once, my inner voice quivered.

  “Do you see her?” Gabe’s father called out.

  “Not yet.”

  “No.”

  “Negative.”

  Oberon shook his head in exasperation, as though he felt sorry for what was about to happen. “Five,” he said softly.

  One of the chayot grabbed a student that hadn’t made it through the secret door yet. She screamed as he took her by the neck and held her against his chest.

  Oberon nodded. The chayot turned the shaking girl and forced the sword through her stomach. A gurgling noise escaped her lips as he withdrew the blade, letting her body fall to the floor.

  “No. No. No. Stop. Stop it,” I screamed, kneeling next to her, ignoring my sudden and profound hunger for blood. My canines grew, cutting the outer edges of my lips. I snarled at the chayot. He winced, stepping back, but quickly recovered, turning his bloody sword my direction. Using my powers of persuasion, I said, “Leave now. Harm no one.” The chayot obeyed and took off toward the exit. When he reached the large double doors several chayot grabbed him and did something to release him from my hold. I growled, as an overwhelming frustration suffocated my insides, driving my desire for blood.

  “Snow.”

  It was Gabe’s voice, soft like a summer wind. I would know it anywhere. I found him. He was near the doors, but still being constrained by chayot guards.

  The look Gabe gave me, one of love and devotion, it was all I needed to center my thoughts. The anger within boiled brighter, and I recalled what Gabe once said while we trained, “During battle anger is good, necessary in fact, but it must be controlled.” I inhaled deeply.

  My fangs retracted, and I rose, my eyes zeroing in the Oberon’s. I could persuade him to do what I wanted. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? Moving slowly, deliberately, I stepped over the girl and spoke directly to Oberon. “You will let every human leave. You will let the wounded girl be treated and taken to the hospital, and you will get the hell out of Adam’s house.” I pointed toward the doors as I spoke.

  He stared blankly, and I thought it worked, until he laughed. A hearty, evil, irritating laugh.

  “Did you hear that? She’s trying to command me. Me,” he roared. The rest of his group laughed with him.

  My face flushed. Why hadn’t it worked?

  The Vampire Queen spoke respectfully, her voice gentle. “Do not do this, Oberon. This isn’t a battle you’ll win.”

  I’d momentarily forgotten about the Vampire Queen, and her followers. They’d been so quiet. That surprised me. They hadn’t harmed a human. The Queen wasn’t threatening to kill anyone. I tucked that knowledge in the back of my mind.

  Professor Pops came forward. “She’s just a girl, Oberon. You saw she was near blood and didn’t feed. She’s no more an animal than I am. Rethink this madness, my friend.”

  I fought back tears. Professor Pops truly was my Protector.

  Oberon directed his men with his eyes, and suddenly Professor Pops was being held back by several chayot. I wondered where Kenmei was. The chayot, Professor Pops, and Kenmei were supposed to be on the same side. Obviously Pops chose me over the chayot, and Oberon wasn’t happy. A burst of love for Pops fueled the anger burning in my heart. Oberon would pay if he harmed another soul.

  Gabe’s father moved into my personal space, towering over me. “Have you come to your senses? Are you willing to accept your fate? Or, are you too much of a monster to care if others are killed because of your cowardice?” One of the chayot holding Pops put a blade to his neck. A droplet of blood trickled from the newly opened wound.

  For some reason, see
ing Professor Pops’ blood brought questions to the forefront of my mind. Like, did he still drink blood? He was technically still a vampire. At one point he’d been the Vampire Queen’s Hunter. Did he still possess the powers of persuasion? And what about Kenmei?

  “Snow. Merryweather. White. Snap out of it!” Cindy’s voice sounded in my ear, as though she stood beside me. But she wasn’t there.

  Or was she? I wondered if she knew how to make herself invisible. Was that why I hadn’t been able to find her once the chayot and vampires showed? I’d have to ask her about it sometime. When Professor Pops wasn’t in dire trouble. I knew if he were beheaded, he would die. I couldn’t allow that to happen.

  I stepped forward, lifting my chin to meet Oberon’s glare. “You will not hurt him.”

  He laughed again, turning his gaze from left to right, encouraging his followers to join in.

  From the V in his black button-down shirt I saw the gleam of something red. It glittered in the subdued red lights.

  Chapter 13

  The Seal of Gabriel, my inner voice shouted. The red teardrop on the end of the silver chain swayed gently near his throat.

  If Oberon had it then that meant Gabe stole it. My barely contained fury raged. How dare he? How dare Gabe?

  Something in my features must’ve changed because Oberon stumbled back. Clasping his hands together, a flaming sword appeared.

  I stepped back, caught off guard by the heat. It permeated the air, bringing with it a unique scent—like burning metal and flowers.

  “It’s time to end you,” he sneered.

  Professor Pops fought against the chayot, hollering for Oberon to stop. I sensed the Vampire Queen and her followers stepping into the action.

  The clang of metal against metal—sword against sword—rocked the ballroom.

  Shouting.

  The sounds of death.

  Cries of pain.

  The destruction needed to stop.

  Oberon lunged, his fiery sword raised above his head, a look of hatred twisting his face. I could swear I saw large, black wings extending from his shoulder blades, the way they did from Gabe’s in my dream.

  With my newfound quickness I stepped inside Oberon’s space, so I was under the sword. With one hand I ripped the Seal of Gabriel from his neck, and spun out of his space, ending up to the left of him.

  Oberon brought down the sword, the fire scorching some of the ruffles on my dress. The singed material released a horrible smell, like burning plastic. I grasped the red teardrop in my hand, and whipped around so that we were face to face.

  “Where did you get this?” I asked, my heart pounding, not in fear, but excitement. I held the Seal of Gabriel in my hand. I could save Christopher.

  But you have to give the pendant to the Vampire Queen to save him. Not the best idea, my inner voice quipped.

  Oberon pinched his lips together, and raised one side in a sardonic smile. “I think you already know the answer.”

  My inner voice kept screaming, Gabe, but my mind wouldn’t believe. “No, I don’t.” My lips trembled as the words spilled out.

  “Then let me make it clear, vampire.” Spittle spewed from his mouth as he spoke. I wiped off my cheek with the back of my hand. “The magic in that pendant only exists because of Gabriel.”

  I knew that. I’d heard the stories. “I know.”

  We circled each other. The sounds of fighting around us became nothing but background noise. It was as though Oberon and I were in a bubble.

  “Gabriel is my son,” he continued.

  That I didn’t know. But if he were trying to imply that Gabe was the Gabriel who sealed the magic in the pendant, it wouldn’t work. What he didn’t know was that I’d tasted Gabe. And he was most definitely not a Hunter, or any kind of vampire. “So?” I shrugged. There was much more I should’ve said, but he lunged at me again with his fiery sword. I moved at the last second. He missed me by millimeters. The heat burned my skin, and I flinched at the stark pain. It evaporated seconds later.

  “You will lose. The vampire breed is dying. You’re nothing but an afterthought, and I am the first chayot. Bringer of justice. Supplier of righteousness. Harbinger of divinity.” As he spoke he pulled back his shoulders, an arrogant leer distorting his features.

  “You may be the first, but that doesn’t make you good, otherwise you wouldn’t be set on destroying me.” I dodged his sword again, and continued, “I think you’re an old demon that craves power, and nothing more.”

  He howled, and swung the sword. I spun out of the way, but this time he was prepared, and grabbed me by the neck, squeezing my windpipe.

  Not good, my inner voice gasped.

  Oberon pulled me close. “You’re a gnat, made to be crushed.” He squeezed harder, and my feet left the floor. With one hand I tried to pry his steel fingers from my neck. From the corner of my eye I saw his burning sword coming closer.

  The pendant began to glow bright red, and it shot into Oberon. The chayot released his grasp as he flew back, knocking over several other chayot and vampires in the heat of battle.

  The sword vanished.

  Oberon was mine.

  Chapter 14

  A fury blackened my veins. I once read that war was the world’s way of cleansing itself. At the time I thought the statement seemed brutal, without compassion. I was beginning to realize that was the point. With purpose I stalked the first chayot. He tried to stand, but the force of the blow from the pendant had him panting, and clutching his chest.

  Imagine if you actually tried to use the power in the pendant, my inner voice cheered.

  Kneeling next to Oberon, I said, “Never again will your filthy paws touch me, or someone I love.” I pressed the pendant into his chest.

  He gasped, his body shaking. Like old paper, his skin around the pendant flaked and fell away.

  “Don’t. Stop, Snow. Please, don’t,” Gabe called.

  I paused, lifting the pendant, catching and holding Gabe’s sad stare. If I killed Oberon it would change the way Gabe treated me, the way he saw me. No longer an innocent bystander, but as a calculating killer.

  I couldn’t do that. No matter how much I wanted to destroy Oberon, I wouldn’t, because Gabe didn’t want me to.

  The fighting stopped. Vampire and chayot parted to let me pass. All around was silence. I focused on Gabe’s heartbeat, concentrated on the distinct thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump coming from his chest.

  “Gabe.” I floated toward him, my feet hardly touching the ground.

  The chayot that held Gabe released him. He held out his arms, a slight smile lighting his gloomy face.

  I moved faster, allowing myself a moment of hope.

  The features on Gabe’s face changed.

  “No,” he shouted.

  I sensed Oberon behind me, felt the heat of his sword.

  In a blinding flash, I faced him, his blade slicing my shoulder. Immense pain ripped through my body.

  From the hand that held the Seal of Gabriel shot a red flash of light.

  As I fell to the ground I grabbed my shoulder.

  Someone screamed. Cindy, maybe.

  The sound of many voices talking at once, like chirping doves, filled my ears.

  I tried to hold on, but the pain was excruciating. It seemed to pulse into every crevice, pounding out everything else.

  The Seal of Gabriel embedded itself into my hand.

  Pieces of conversation filtered through the agony.

  … “He’s dead.”…

  …“What will we do now?”…

  …“You must lead us.”…

  A loud laugh. The Vampire Queen.

  …“I knew she could do it.”…

  …“Give me the necklace, Snow. Let go. It’s over. You’re safe.”…

  Even if I wanted to let go, I couldn’t. The pendant seemed to be inside me. Winding. Twisting. Filling me. Changing me.

  I was becoming the Seal of Gabriel. It stitched me up into something more, something scar
y.

  My eyes opened, and I blinked.

  The eyes I looked through weren’t my own.

  They were the eyes of the first vampire.

  The eyes of Silindra.

  Afterword

  Thank you so much for reading “Masquerade’s Moon,” volume 6 in the Blood and Snow series. Snow is an exceptional character, and writing her story is one of the favorite’s parts of my life.

  Volume 7, “Seal of Gabriel,” and volume 8, “Telltale Kisses,” will be out later in December, 2012. I hope you’ll continue Snow’s journey with me.

  If you enjoyed “Masquerade’s Moon,” please do me a big favor. Go back to Amazon and leave an honest review. It only takes a couple of minutes, but will help me out immensely.

  Thank you!

  Sincerely,

  RaShelle Workman

  Additional Works by RaShelle Workman

  YA Series

  Blood and Snow volumes 1-4 (Blood and Snow, Revenant in Training, The Vampire Christopher, Blood Soaked Promises)

  “Lips red as rubies, hair dark as night. Drink your true love’s blood, become the Vampire, Snow White.” Every thousand years the Vampire Queen selects a new body, always the fairest in the land, and this time she’s chosen Snow White. To purchase the Blood and Snow 4 pack, click Blood and Snow volumes 1-4 (Blood and Snow, Revenant in Training, The Vampire Christopher, Blood Soaked Promises)

  Prey and Magic

  Volume 5 in the Blood and Snow series. To purchase “Prey and Magic,” click Prey and Magic (Blood and Snow #5).

  Aligned: An Immortal Essence Short Story

  A half-Eternal boy and an Eternal girl must free millions of tortured souls from a creature who’s been feasting on their pain and suffering. If you’d like to purchase “Aligned,” click Aligned: An Immortal Essence Short Story.

  Exiled