Chapter 11: Ring of Fire

EVE

My wings burst out of my back as I jumped out of the window and glided down to the scorched lawn below.

I flapped my wings against the flames until all that was left was the smoldering embers.

I was furious, my whole body shaking, my vision red.

I didn’t give a fuck about the property damage or the smoky smell…

It was what was written, burnt into the ground, that made me so irate.

^F I L T H Y H Y B R I D^

Whoever wrote this was talking about Snow.

She was one of a kind—vampire, werewolf, and sorceress all in one package.

But that made her ~special~, not some kind of freak. Seeing this personal attack on my own daughter shook me in a way that I didn’t think was possible.

Raphael joined me at my side and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“We’ll find who did this,” he growled. “And they’ll fucking pay.”

“This was a threat,” I said in a low voice. “Plain and simple.”

“You think it was someone who hates the intermixing of supernatural species?” Raphael asked. “What kind of ignorant fuck would be that hateful?”

“There’s more out there than you think,” I replied stoically.

I was a hybrid myself. It was always difficult for me to assimilate with any one group. I’d always been treated with suspicion and distrust.

I didn’t want my daughter to have to experience that same closed-mindedness.

“I’m going to find the asshole who did this,” I said angrily. “And I’m going to snuff him the fuck out.”

REYNA

When I arrived at Cafe Savante, Derek and his band were still setting up their equipment.

I found an empty table in the back.

~God, I probably look like such a loser for getting here early.~

I actually liked this venue. People over twenty-one could order alcohol, which unfortunately didn’t include me, but people my age could at least have lattes or iced coffees.

It was crazy that I could be a vampire and drink ~blood~ at twenty but couldn’t even have a beer.

Human rules. ~Whatever.~

I felt a hand on my arm and jumped. As I turned around, I found myself staring into Derek’s warm, green eyes.

“Hey!” he said excitedly. “You made it! Did you come solo?”

“Yeah, hope that’s cool. This was so last minute, you know. Just thought I’d stop by,” I said hurriedly, feeling like an idiot.

~Dammit, I knew he only asked me here to fill out the room.~

“No, that’s great!” he said, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me up. “Here, come meet the guys.”

Derek led me to the stage and introduced me to his bandmates. “This is Mason, James, and Crimson,” he said, pointing to each one. “Together, we’re the ~Hell Howlers.~”

It was adorable how proud he was of his band. I was already feeling more comfortable now that he’d introduced me. It seemed like he really wanted me there.

I turned to the guy named Crimson, who was attaching cymbals to his drums. “Crimson. That’s your real name?” I asked.

He nodded silently. ~Not a man of many words, apparently.~

I sat down on the side of the stage and Derek brought me over a soda. “Sorry, couldn’t swing a beer,” he said, winking.

“I’ve already gotten into enough trouble from underage drinking,” I said, laughing. “I can’t get stuck on another planning committee. My social life is already lame enough.”

“At least we’re stuck in it together,” Derek said, squeezing my shoulder.

Crimson rolled his eyes.

I narrowed my eyes at him. ~Oh, now you have something to say, little drummer boy?~

I wasn’t trying to ~Yoko Ono~ the band. But I had to admit…

Maybe it would be nice to spend some more time with Derek outside of school?

***

After Derek’s set, I was absolutely buzzing. Partially because it was so loud that my ears were still ringing, but also because ~he was so damn good.~

Derek held up his leather jacket for me, and I slid my arms inside. It was perfectly oversized.

“You guys were so good! Seriously, I can’t get over it,” I said admiringly.

“Yeah, we’re a work in progress,” he replied modestly.

“Spoken like a true artist,” I said, giving him a smile.

“Hey, can I…can I walk you to your car?” he asked nervously.

“Yeah, for sure,” I replied as he awkwardly put his arm around my shoulder.

~Oh God, this is the end…the goodbye.~

~Where all dates either end on a high note or die a slow, painful death.~

~What if he doesn’t kiss me?~

~Or worse…what if he DOES?~

~I’m so not prepared for this.~

Derek walked me to my jeep. We stopped next to it, neither of us making a move.

I started to remove his jacket. “You probably want this back…”

“No!” he blurted out. “Keep it! I mean…that way you can give it back to me next time.”

“Next time?” I asked skeptically. “There’s going to be a—”

Before I could even finish my sentence, Derek’s lips were pressed against mine, soft and sweet.

My back was against the jeep, and I surrendered to his kiss, melting into his arms.

He finally pulled away, and we stared into each other’s eyes.

“Wow,” he said, breathing heavily.

“Wow,” I repeated.

A split second later we were kissing again—more urgently, passionately.

My hand gripped his muscular back as his hand ran through my hair.

He kissed my neck, his other hand wandering around my body, but careful not to get too familiar too fast.

After several minutes of heaven, we finally pulled ourselves apart.

“Uh, I’d better get home,” I said, not even remotely able to hide the huge smile on my face.

“Same,” he said, grinning ear to ear in return. “Uh, this has been…fucking perfect actually.”

“I think so too,” I said as I got into my car and Derek closed the door after me.

~Nothing could ruin this night.~

***

When I pulled into my driveway, still on a high from my date with Derek, I was rudely reminded of the one thing that actually could ruin my night.

~Blaire.~

She was walking around the perimeter of the house in a skimpy, silk bathrobe, muttering something under her breath.

~What the hell is she doing?~

I shut off my jeep and walked around the side of the house to investigate.

She had her back to me, and I couldn’t quite make out what she was saying.

It almost sounded like…another language?

She was speaking faster than normal, and her arms were raised to the sky.

“Take a few too many ~Ambien?~” I asked, only half joking.

Blaire practically jumped out of her robe as she whipped around, though her breast implants stayed stationary.

“Oh my goodness, Reyna! You scared me,” she said with a nervous laugh. “What are you doing out here?”

“What are ~you~ doing out here?” I shot back. “You’re walking around the house in your nightie talking to yourself.”

“Oh, I must look like such a kook,” she said, straightening her robe. “You caught me…”

“Caught you doing what?” I asked defensively.

“Praying!” she said enthusiastically. “I like to bless a new house when I move in. You know, like Marie Kondo?”

~Oh God, she’s even weirder than I thought.~

“Okay, carry on,” I said, still eyeing her suspiciously.

Something about Blaire still felt off to me…

But if she wanted to prance around the house praying, she was more than welcome.

She’d need a little help from heaven…

Because I was going to give that gold digger hell.

EVE

I wasn’t well versed on hybrid hate groups in Lumen, but I figured if anyone could dig something up for me, it would be Kimbringe.

When I called him up, he told me he’d pull out any material he could find. There wasn’t exactly a phone book for bigots, although that would’ve been useful in this instance.

As I made my way to Kimbringe’s library, I tried to push down the rage I was still feeling from those words on my lawn.

~Filthy Hybrid.~

I was glad that Snow hadn’t learned to read yet, because the thought of those words seeping into her innocent mind made me sick.

I would ~never~ let Snow feel like she was less than anyone else just because she was different.

And when I found whoever wrote that, they’d be sorry they messed with ~this~ hybrid.

~There were so many ways to make them suffer.~

As I continued walking, I felt a smoldering heat.

Smoke billowed out of the clearing in the woods where Kimbringe’s library was.

~Oh no.~

I bounded toward the library, my feet barely touching the ground, but I was too late.

It was already a blazing inferno.

A lifeless hand hung out of the upstairs window, clutching a book. Flames spat out of the window next to it.

Kimbringe was still inside.

And he was about to be burned alive.