Page 54 of Before We Burn

We continue down until red, warm light filters through the darkness. The sounds of soft jazz music and light chatter let us know we’re about to enter the lounge area.

I’m nervous. Not for me—or anyone with me, because I know I can protect them—but the idea of being around Nadiya. She’s something I’ve never encountered before. Would she fight the same as a regular vampire? Would she be able to say spells and cast as she fought?

Witches pull their power from their elders—their source. If she truly is a hybrid and has living relatives, they would be very strong witches—some of the strongest the world has ever seen.

A small, blonde woman stands in front of a velvet black curtain with a tiny desk in front of her supporting an old phone I haven’t seen in years. It was from the early 1990’s—the thing is older than me. The woman looks at us, her eyes a shade of blue closer to purple, and her voice chimes when she greets us. I instantly know she’s a singer.

Singers are vampires who can put others in trance-like states to garner their obedience. It’s a risky gift to have—most singers don’t use their gifts unless in battles or situations that would warrant them being found out. They’re too vulnerable and very easy to kill. I’ve heard their songs before, and even with my mental shield, they were hard to resist.

I haven’t paid much attention to what was said between the singer and Connie—I just follow once we start moving into the venue.

The inside of the lounge is beautiful. The walls are white with lighting that shines on them to make it appear like an ombre of red bleeding into the white. Black leather couches are arranged in booth-like styles with a table in the middle for drinks and food. In the center there’s a stage where acrobats perform. There’s magic in the air, but it feels…different.

The blonde woman leads us to the center table in front of the stage. A man with dark black hair and deep brown eyes is sitting there watching me. His attention shifts from my face to my hand holding Everett’s tightly. I can’t let go; instead, I move closer and position myself in front of him. I want everyone to know he’s not to be touched.

A beautiful woman walks up to Connie, her brown skin glittering and gleaming in the low light. She lets out a squeal and hugs her so tight I’m surprised Con doesn’t get mad.

“Constantine! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you! What brings you here?”

Constantine tells the woman—Gray, I assume—everything that’s happened. She tells her about the attack on the school, the temporary gifts due to vampire venom extracted from stolen fangs, and that humans are attempting to create their own vampire-witch hybrids.

My attention wanders throughout the entire interaction. I don’t see another woman here and assume Bunny got it wrong. Nadiya won’t show, and my curiosity will never be answered.

Just when I’m about to focus back on the conversation between Gray and Connie, a woman in a silver dress that sparkles in the low lighting—like stars in a night sky free from pollution—appears. Her brownish-red hair is untamed in spiralled curls, and her honey-colored eyes focus solely on me. I feel an unsettling familiarity with her, like I’ve seen her somewhere, even though I know I haven’t.

She enters the booth, sitting next to the man who looked at me earlier, and kisses him gently. That must be Nadiya and Ciro.

“I can try to get you a meeting with the council. They’re not up for a lot these days, so I won’t guarantee anything, but I will try.” Gray holds Connie’s hands as she speaks, a gentle smile on her face.

“I can offer shelter and protection,” Ciro says, sounding bored—very similar to how Connie sounds in situations she doesn’t want to be in. “The military won’t move in the city if I don’t will it. Besides, the safe house you’re staying in is going to have a witch family hiding there in a few days. I can get you something more permanent.”

I heard what Ciro said, but I can’t pull my eyes away from Nadiya. She stares at me like she’s about to make a move. Her thoughts are protected, which I expected. You don’t live to be as old as they are without learning a few tricks to protect yourself.

Everyone must’ve noticed, because their thoughts begin circulating loudly. Especially Constantine’s.

“Is there something wrong, my sweet melody?” Ciro asks, kissing Nadiya’s cheek.

Nadiya leans back, her long legs on display, her eyes never leaving me as she sighs. “We have another Popov here.” Her voice is just as Ciro described—melodic. “We have another hybrid,” she continues, and all eyes shift to me.

I take a step backward, Everett moving with me as I shake my head. “Are you talking to me? I don’t even know what a Popov is—it was just on a piece of paper when I woke up.”

My mental wellbeing is about to be tested. I search her face for any hint she could be lying or playing a terrible prank, but there’s nothing. She is serious. She’s sitting there patiently, waiting for me to come to the realization myself.

“You’re a Popov. Your blood is mine, your power stems from mine, and we are the same in so many ways but one.” Nadiya sips her drink, her eyes finding mine to continue.

“Thousands of years ago at this point, a treaty was created between vampires and witches. Vampires wouldn’t kill or attack witches as long as the eldest daughter from the original family is sacrificed every two-hundred years. A small price to most, but for the child sacrificed, it was their entire life. Memories being erased caused them to lose their identities, wandering the earth alone and confused. Most of them died not long after being turned, as hiding as a hybrid was nearly impossible back then.”

Nadiya stands, moving closer to me, but Everett steps in front of her. I move slightly to the side to see her face, finding no threat there. She found it humorous.

“When the council asked for the eldest daughter, they didn’t account for the fact we are born from witch’s blood. It’s in us—it doesn’t die. When we change, our memories are gone, but not me. The elders were able to grant me my memories, and the one about the treaty stuck out the most. I was able to research it, to unlock the part of my mind which had been trapped by vampirism, and unleashed my full potential.

“You see, just like me, you were the eldest daughter, chosen and sent to the wolves for slaughter. It just seems that someone was kind enough to leave you with the memory of your name.”

I don’t know what comes over me. One moment Everett is standing in front of me, and the next I have a knife to Nadiya’s throat, her head pressed harshly into the cushion of the leather sofa while people around me panic as they move to pull me off.

“Leave her!” Nadiya shouts, and everyone slowly backs off.

“You’re lying,” I say through my teeth. “I was loved!” I’m practically in hysterics. My fangs have grown, my eyes changed, and adrenaline courses through my body. I want to kill her.