“I tried, but my blood magic can’t stop this,” Ivy said. “Damn, Mad Dog’s got a good hold on him. I’ve never met a compulsion I couldn’t break.”
“Oh, gods,” Kallie said in horror. “Mad Dog… he’s…”
An icy chill swept through my veins as all of us realized the terrible truth. Mad Dog wasn’t just a strong vampire. I’d seen him fight guards with noxite pulsing through his veins, which failed to do anything to him until he’d been shot with far more than the average dose. Ivy was a talented vampire, yet his abilities did nothing to stop Mad Dog’s magic, which only meant one thing.
Mad Dog was a demigod. The Warden had one more ally to fight alongside Esther against us. Hemlock and Takahashi must’ve figured it out before we had, and were trying to figure out a way to minimize the damage. That’s why they hadn’t been at our lesson today.
Ivy hadn’t realized what we had, and was still examining Thaddeus. “You should heal the cut on his head,” Ivy stated. “Mad Dog won’t be able to—Thad, stop!”
Ivy used his vampire speed to try and catch him, but it was too late. Under the power of Mad Dog’s compulsion, Thaddeus reached up into the air, grabbed his hawk Familiar, and snapped its neck.
The bird gave a sharp cry, then went limp. Death instantly filled its eyes as it dropped from Thaddeus’ grasp and landed on the floor.
I reached down and plucked the bird off the ground. “Come on, come on,” I whimpered, tears beginning to fall from my eyes. They landed on the bird as I attempted to use my healing magic, forcing my magic into the hawk’s body as it glowed with white Spirit power.
It didn’t work. The hawk’s wing twitched once, but that was all that happened. The bird had died, and I couldn’t reverse death. The hawk dropped out of my hands, lying limply on the floor.
Ivy had yanked Thaddeus to the other side of the room with such speed, none of us had been able to catch it. Ivy’s grip on Thaddeus slowly released as the fog began to clear from his gaze. Mad Dog’s compulsion upon Thaddeus had ended, and why not? Thaddeus was already dead.
Thad staggered forward before he landed on all fours beside his Familiar, reaching out to clutch the hawk to his chest. Under the effects of the compulsion, he hadn’t realized what he’d done until just that moment.
“No,” Thaddeus whimpered. “No.”
Thaddeus began to sob. His shoulders wracked with sorrow, and he let out a bereaved scream that made guards and students come running. Everyone, even the guards, came to a halt in a circle around Thaddeus as they watched the heart wrenching scene.
Mad Dog was certainly a demigod, because only a demigod vampire could have such strong compulsion abilities as to force an Elementai to murder their own Familiar, their living soul.
“I tried,” Ivy rasped. “I wasn’t fast enough, I—”
“It’s not your fault, Ivy,” I whispered. This wasn’t anyone’s fault but Mad Dog’s.
Thaddeus’ sobs began to turn into gasps of pain. He fell onto his side, still clutching the hawk to his chest.
“Thad.” Charlie fell to his knees. He crawled toward Thaddeus and dragged him onto his lap. “Stay with us. Ava, please, do something.”
Charlie called for me, but there was nothing I could do. My healing magic couldn’t prevent this, either. No Elementai could live without their Familiar.
All I could do— all any of us could do— was watch as Thaddeus’ grip on his Familiar slowly eased as he finally breathed his last.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
CHARLIE
The world spun around me when I felt the air leave Thaddeus’ chest. I had the thought that this couldn’t be real. I didn’t trust my own senses— my own magic.
“Breathe!” I yelled. I forced air in and out of his lungs, but it wasn’t the same as him breathing.
“Thad!” Marcus cried. He placed his hands on Thaddeus, and his whole body twitched. For a moment, I thought he was back… but it was only Marcus’ necromancy magic trying to revive him.
Thaddeus was gone. Even Marcus couldn’t bring back the dead.
Ivy sobbed. “I tried to stop it. Please forgive me.”
“It’s not your fault,” Ava insisted.
“You don’t understand, precious,” Ivy pressed. “Long-term nightshade use slows vampires down. If I’d gotten off it sooner, I might’ve stopped Thad in time.”
“Ivy…” Ava started, but they weren’t hearing any of it.
