Dhampyre Chronicles: Twisted Dreams Part 22

Russ and Mitch exchanged a glance and then turned their backs and ran off into the forest. I had to hold myself back from taking after them and hunting them down.

"Let them go," said Riley. "They don't have the brains to cause any more trouble."

Flynn approached us.

Without saying anything, I put my arms around him and squeezed him tight. He was warm, solid muscle beneath my touch, and I felt eternally grateful to have him here. I might not have the same feelings for him as he had for me, but without him, we wouldn't have won.

"Hi, Beth," he said, his face in my hair.

"Thank you," I told him, letting him go so I could stand back beside Riley.

He shrugged. "It wasn't just me. And anyway, it was his idea." He nodded toward Riley.

I looked between them, and frowned. "It was? But don't you hate him?"

"Just because I don't like him, doesn't mean I won't work with him. We're the same, remember?"

Riley gave a nonchalant shrug. "We knew Bulldog would need to believe everything was going to plan, and that he was winning. We couldn't make him think it was too easy. To be honest, though, we didn't think you'd be involved. We thought it was going to be Brooke."

Brooke heard her name. "Thought what was going to be me? What the h.e.l.l are we doing out here anyway?"

Inspiration hit me. "You're sleepwalking, Brooke."

She blinked in surprise. "I am?"

"Yeah, you're a terrible sleepwalker." She looked horrified. "Don't worry, we'll keep it between us," I said with a smile.

She breathed out a sigh. "Oh, thank you. I'd hate for everyone to know."

Melissa let out a groan and started to open her eyes. Dana, Laurel, and Kayla were already at her side, and they helped her to sit up.

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked.

Dana nodded. "Yeah, now the Convergence is over, everything will go back to how it was."

I remembered the alignment and glanced up. The stars had pa.s.sed across the back of the moon and had come out the other side. The moon itself was already smaller, and the blood red was only a tinge of color. I expected in another hour the moon would look almost normal.

"How did you guys know to be here?" I asked the circle. "Were you in on this plan Flynn and Riley had?"

Dana shook her head. "When you didn't come back, we went to the carnival, but the place was being broken down, and no one had seen you. Time was running out, and we figured that if what you'd told us about the Convergence was right, then this would be the place you'd be."

I smiled. "Thank you. It meant a lot to me seeing you all here. Sorry it might have gotten you killed."

"Well, you were right about the Convergence. Something bigger than a few spirits getting through was happening."

Suddenly, I remembered something. "Did any of them get out?" I asked in panic.

Dana frowned. "Any of what?"

"Those things! Those awful creatures with the claws and the long, skinny arms." I knew my description was barely brushing the surface of what they'd been. Something terrible, total darkness.

My friends exchanged worried glances. Dana put her hand on my arm. "I didn't see anything else, Beth."

"Maybe you weren't close enough. Could you even see into the hole from where you were?"

"Well, maybe not deep, but I could see some, yeah."

"But one of them was pulling itself out as the water came down. You must have seen it." They exchanged that glance again, and my shoulders sagged. "You didn't see it, did you? None of you did."

Riley shook his head. "Sorry, Icy."

Dammit.

"Look, we need to get Melissa home," said Dana. "Brooke, too. I guess we'll have to talk about the whole vampire' thing another time."

My cheeks colored. My secret was out. "Sure."

With their arms around each other for support, they walked away from the pools and back onto the trail.

Flynn looked between me and Riley. "Can I trust you to get her home safely?" he said to Riley.

Riley scowled. "Of course."

"Hey," I admonished. "What have I told you two about me not needing a babysitter?"

The corner of Flynn's mouth turned up. "Sorry. Well, as much as I enjoy playing gooseberry to the two of you, I think I'll make sure the other girls make it back to campus."

"Okay. And thanks, Flynn," I said again.

He shrugged. "No problem." And he turned his back and disappeared off after the girls.

Riley turned to me. "That all-"

I didn't give him a chance to finish. Instead, I shoved him in the chest, pushing him backward with my strength. He staggered back, his blue eyes wide with surprise.

"How could you do that?" I cried. "How could you betray me like that? You told Bulldog to kill me!"

"No, I didn't tell Bulldog to kill you because I wanted you dead. I was trying to buy time. If I hadn't given The Bull a reason to keep you alive, he would have killed you there and then."

A glimmer of light sparked my heart. Had Riley been planning on betraying Bulldog all along? But then I remembered something else. "But what about Brooke? You'd been preparing her for a sacrifice. You'd been doing magic on her." The idea that he might have seen Brooke naked, had touched her body in order to draw the runes on her skin, sent an absurd stab of jealousy racing through me.

"Bulldog told me no one would die. It was supposed to have been a little bloodletting spell to tie us to the magic in the pools at the right time. Bulldog wanted his own power. When I realized how far he planned on taking things, I turned to Flynn for help."

"It's still bad enough," I said, shaking my head, tears trembling in my vision. "That you would hurt anyone is bad enough."

"What, like you've never hurt anyone?" he challenged me.

I didn't know what to say. He was right. "I only hurt people who were asking for it."

"And you get to make that decision? Brooke and her family are far from innocent. They plunder the earth, tear nature to pieces in order to make their money. It's partly the mining that's caused the instability of the pools. She's tied to the land, she's part of it. She isn't so innocent, you know."

"Brooke's not responsible for her parents."

"No, you're right, she isn't." His voice grew softer. "So what about me, Icy? Bulldog and the others practically raised me. I did what I did because they asked me to, and I wanted to help them. It was only when you came on the scene that I started to ask myself if what they were doing was right. And then that night Jordy attacked you, I realized I cared about more than just the other carnies now." He looked at me, his eyes so deep, my tears mirrored in his own, pool-like depths. "I would never hurt you. I love you, Elizabeth. I've loved you from the very first moment you stepped onto the midway, when you caught my eye right before the accident. It was like you reached inside my chest and claimed my heart for your own."

"You love me?" My voice was a nervous stutter.

He nodded, his face utterly serious. "With every inch of my being."

I could hold back no longer. I threw myself in his arms.

"I love you, too," I managed, a m.u.f.fled cry. He lifted my face and kissed me, ignoring the wet and the salt, kissing my pain away.

But then I remembered he was still leaving.

"What about the carnival?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Now Bulldog's not running things, people may disband. Join other carnivals, I'm not sure."

"What about you?"

He reached out and stroked my hair from my face. "I'm not going anywhere. My home's right here with you."

My heart sung. Here we were, neither of us normal, neither perfect, but we'd found each other in this imperfect world.

Like what you've read? Book two in the Dhampyre Chronicles, Twisted Magic, will be released in 2015. Did you know The Dhampyre Chronicles is a spinoff of Marissa Farrar's dark vampire series, The Serenity Series? Why not check it out as the first book, Alone, is free across most book retailers!

Make sure you sign up to Marissa Farrar's new release list to stay updated about new releases, exclusives, and special offers! www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com Acknowledgements.

I had some extra special help from some people during the writing of Twisted Dreams. As I have never been to an American college, I drew on the experiences of some of my wonderful online friends who were kind enough to answer my numerous questions! Those friends were Trina JamesKnerr, Ashley Dora, and Dyamone Gabrielle Rockmore. Thank you so much, ladies. Your insight and help was invaluable.

As always, I also want to thank my editor Lori Whitwam, who worked with her usual lightning fast accuracy, and spotted so many of my errors before I hung them out in public for all to see.

I would also like to thank Karri, who designed my cover art. It wasn't an intentional design, as I spotted this artwork when it won a compet.i.tion and immediately knew I wanted it for Elizabeth's book. I can't wait to see what you come up with for book two!

Thank you, as well, to my little team of fantastic proofreaders, Glynis Elliott, AJ Wilc.o.x, and Kim Hayes. I know Lori's excellent work doesn't often give you much to do, but your sharp eyes are need and appreciated nonetheless.

And finally, thank you to all my readers. Without you, all of these books would never get written.

Marissa.

About the Author.

Marissa Farrar is a multi-published fantasy and horror author. She was born in Devon, England, has travelled all over the world, and has lived in both Australia and Spain. She now resides in the countryside with her husband, three young children, a crazy Spanish dog, and two rescue cats. Despite returning to England, she daydreams of one day being able to split her time between her home country and the balmy, white sandy beaches of Spain.

Even though she's been writing stories since she was small and held dreams of being a writer, her initial life plan went a different way.

In her youth, inspired by James Herriot, she decided to become a vet, and would regularly bring home new pets to her weary parents. Upon discovering her exams were never going to get her into a veterinary degree, she ended up studying Zoology. Once she completed her degree and realised she'd spent the majority trying to find time to write, she decided to follow her dream of being an author. Seven years later, she was published and two years after that she was able to say goodbye to the day job.

However, she's continued to collect animals!

Marissa is the author of twelve novels, including the dark vampire Serenity' series. Her short stories have been accepted for a number of anthologies including, Their Dark Masters, Red Skies Press, Masters of Horror: d.a.m.ned If You Don't, Triskaideka Books; and 2013: The Aftermath, Pill Hill Press.

If you want to know more about Marissa, then please visit her website at www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com. You can also find her at her facebook page, www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author or follow her on twitter @marissafarrar.

She loves to hear from readers and can be emailed at

Also by Marissa Farrar.

The Serenity Series:.

The Vengeful Vampire (free short story).

Alone (free first novel of the series!).

Buried.

Captured.

Dominion.

Endless.

The Spirit Shifters Series:.

Autumn's Blood (free novel).

Saving Autumn.

Autumn Rising.

Autumn's War (out December 2014).

UNDERLIFE.

(Please note, the prequel to Underlife, Go Back, is now free to download from Amazon).

THE DARK ROAD.

WHERE THE DEAD LIVE.

IN THE COMPANY OF THE DEAD.

THE BODY FARM.