Page 36 of Twice Bitten

I blinked. Could he see through them? A spirit with X-ray vision? I’d seen weirder things.

“Regardless, we both know hedgewitches are underestimated.You have the ability to protect yourself. Don’t let him bully you.”

I added a little nutmeg and some more seasonings to the pan. “I’m not as powerful as a fae,” I muttered.

“Says you,” Edmund said ominously.

I frowned and glanced up at the ceiling. “Hedgewitches primarily practice defensive magic. We’re not aggressors. We prefer staying under the radar. You know this.”

“I do,” he agreed. “There are other creative avenues hedgewitches can take to protect themselves.” He fell silent for a moment.

I heard a thump come from the living room area.

“There’s a book you should take a look at. I’ve opened it to chapter twelve. You might find some interesting info inside.”

A smile tugged at my lips. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Edmund sighed. “I have to be. Do you have any idea how long it took to get a proper guardian for this house?”

“You do say the sweetest things.” Sarcasm dripped from my voice.

“I’m serious. Having an incompetent owner is worse than having a human running things.”

I added the pasta to the boiling water and set the timer. “Is there a reason you think humans are worse than someone magically incompetent?”

“Because human error usually means something breaks. Many magical faux pas can be corrected.”

I stirred in a little salt. “You can fix something broken too.”

“Yes, but the quality is never as good as the original. Not since that horrid little invention called planned obsolescence. Everything is plastic now and breaks within a year or two.”

The house shivered around me, Edmund’s version of a shudder.

“True. I promise I’ll do my best to replace your parts with originals if I ever need to.”

“Thank you, dear. Now, finish your dinner and take a look at that book. You have work to do before your dinner with the Prime.”

I sure did, but I didn’t think they made how-to guides on faking your own death and disappearing into the ether when a powerful vampire was after you and you were totally screwed.

THIRTEEN

Edmund proved more than helpful with the book he’d left open on the coffee table. After dinner, I’d changed into spelling clothes and taken the text with me downstairs.

The entire chapter he’d left open discussed vampires: their origins, their potential strengths and weaknesses (though this part was frustratingly vague), their history, including the first vampire and how others were later created, and how they had to cull their numbers due to lack of oversight on the creation of new vampires. Now, there were strict laws on siring progeny.

If there was ever a threat to our world, it was the vampires losing control and sparking a boom of bloodthirsty monsters that had the potential to wipe the humans off the face of the earth. A shiver rolled down my spine as I continued reading.

It seemed foolish to wipe out the only thing keeping them alive, but I’d argued with enough crazy people at the coffee shop before to understand the concern.

According to the books, the first vampire still existed, his location a well-kept secret. Legend was he only rose when his children misbehaved long enough to smack them down before going back to sleep. A sad existence, but one we were all gladfor. If the book was accurate, few could resist his allure. At least he had the ability to get his people under control and leave the rest of us alone.

I made notes as I went along, tracking strengths and weaknesses. As I read, I formulated a plan. Arriving unprepared wasn’t an option. Even if I was safe with him, and I didn’t expect I would be, it didn’t mean I’d be safe around the other vampires in his Hive. And I had no doubt there would be other vampires around the Prime. If it came down to a fight, most witches could tangle with a vampire long enough to get away. Some could match their strength and magic through spells or their genetic makeup. Hedgewitches had to be quick and clever to survive an encounter with one. I had to give myself the best chance possible, just in case things went sideways.

The odds of Alric being alone were low. He’d never been photographed without an entourage or beautiful women surrounding him, usually both. Part of being Prime was being seen, and Alric, based upon the sheer size of his online footprint, adored the publicity.

Any vampire could be harmed. The problem was catching them first. All possessed speed and strength far beyond an average human or witch. Garlic was out, as were crosses. I bet Alric could walk into a church and swim in the baptismal pool if he wanted to. Sunlight was known to be only a problem for younger vampires, though I couldn’t recall ever seeing any vampire out in bright sunlight.

The Prime had shown up at the shop in the afternoon, so he could obviously go wherever he wanted. I frowned as a memory tingled the back of my mind. The day had been overcast, the sun hidden behind a haze of clouds. I crossed out sunlight in the “no” category and moved it to “maybe”. Relying on knowledge from books when vampires were notoriously tight-lipped about everything concerning their history perhaps wasn’t the best key to survival.