Chapter One
CHAPTER ONE
Madison Gallagher stared down at the object in her hands in horror. Her entire body shook as she opened it, not believing what she was seeing.
"Jury duty?" Maddie asked aloud. "How the heck did I not see this coming?" While nearly everyone was horrified at the idea of getting a jury duty notice, Maddie's was a special case. Jury duty was typically served during the day, and Maddie would burst into flames if she tried to show up. If that wasn't a valid reason to be excused, what was?
She nervously twirled a strand of her long red hair around her pale index finger as she tried to think of a way out of this mess. Maddie had died eighteen months earlier, but since she'd woken back up, that hardly seemed like a reason to stop living her life.
She'd been brand new to Manhattan, working nights at a bar while she pursued her dream of becoming a best-selling author. The fact that no one knew her made it easy to blend in even after she died. She went to work at night, hung out with whatever new friends she made until just before the sun rose, and slept all day. She'd wake up before the sun set and write in the safety of her tiny apartment. It worked. Everything worth doing in New York happened at night anyway. She hadn't anticipated being called for anything as mundane as mandated jury duty, though.
"I can't ditch it," she said. "I'll get arrested." She wasn't ready to give up her identity, so that wasn't an option. She sighed. It wasn't the first setback in her un-life. She'd had to learn how to control the urge to feed so she didn't eat the customers or random tourists. After her first kill turned out to be a teacher with two kids, she'd sworn she would never kill an innocent again. Now, she fed on rare steaks and bloody burgers. If she had to feed off of a living person, she fed off the willing, and never enough to kill. On the rare occasion that she had to drink enough to drain someone dry, she was careful to attack people she knew were a danger to society. Working in a bar, she knew a lot of secrets. There had been a solution to feeding, and there would be a solution to this.
Being tech-savy, Maddie did what anyone her age would do; she Googled it. First, she searched for ways to get out of jury duty, but that was a bust. The city had caught on to the excuses people gave and had declared none were good enough. Short of telling them she was a vampire and running off with the men in white coats, she had nothing.
Next, she searched for ways for people with sun allergies to go out in the sunlight. None of these remedies seemed strong enough to protect her.
Feeling hopeless, Maddie went for a walk. St. Mark's Place was only a couple of blocks away and she needed to feel normal. Since St. Mark's was the land of punks and weird people, she seemed extremely ordinary compared to everyone else.
A shop she'd never noticed before caught her eye. "Black Magick Boutique," Maddie read aloud. She generally stayed away from anything claiming to be black magick, but something about the place called to her. Cautiously, Maddie opened the door and stepped inside.
A few local punk kids were shopping inside, but a couple of more distinguished people were also browsing. Maddie looked around at the stones, crystals, candles, statues, and ritual tools surrounding her.
One of the punk kids slipped a knife into his pocket. His two female companions snickered.
"I saw that, you little shit!" A very angry, very powerful voice declared. Suddenly, the kid was thrown up against a glass display by a pissed off New Yorker with short blonde hair that was shaved on one side. She looked like she might kill the kid as she pulled the dagger out of his pocket with one hand while still holding him in place with her free arm across his throat. "You think it's smart to steal from a warlock? Run home to mommy and daddy before I hex your stupid ass." She shoved the kid away. He and his friends ran for their lives.
Maddie studied the angry young woman as she whispered a few words over the knife and carefully put it back on display. The blonde wore a black tanktop and matching jeans and had on a denim jacket. Her jewelry was ritualistic in nature. She caught Maddie staring at her.
"Can I help you, Princess?" She asked in an annoyed tone.
"Oh, um... Maybe. I sort of need something to protect me from the sun and... um..." Maddie stuttered.
"We don't sell it, but I hear SPF-50 does wonders." The blonde rolled her eyes at her. So much for good customer service.
"Yeah," Maddie said with an uneasy laugh, "but see... I need something a bit stronger."
The blonde paused. She studied her for a minute before proclaiming, "Everyone out! We're closed!" The few remaining customers seemed used to this behavior and left without question. Blondie locked the door behind them.
"Who sent you?" She demanded. She pinned Maddie against the same display she'd pushed the punk kid against and pressed a blade to her throat. Maddie could feel the power in that blade.
"What? No one!" Maddie cried in a panic. She had no idea what was going on.
The blonde let her go after a minute. "What are you, three weeks old?" She asked.
"I'm twenty-four, actually. Sort of." She was actually stuck at twenty-three for eternity, but what did that matter?
"No, Princess, I mean when were you turned?"
Maddie was only mildly surprised that she knew about that. A lot of New Yorkers knew about the supernatural. "Eight months ago," she replied.
"Great. They sent a toddler to harass me." She rolled her eyes again. "I have permission to run this shop out of Manhattan, so fuck off."
"I seriously have no idea what you're talking about," Maddie replied.
Blondie shook her head. "You're serious," she realized.
"Yes."
"Fuck. Okay, then how did you find this place?"
"I walked by it."
"It's warded against that. Only people who need it can find it. Well, them and idiot teenagers obsessed with the occult. They think they need it, and unfortunately, there are no wards against general stupidity. But I don't sell to kids unless they really do need it. So why are you here, Princess?"
"It's Madison, actually."
"Of course it is."
"My friends call me Maddie."
"Of course they do."
Maddie suspected that she was being insulted, but she let it go. "And your name is...?"
"Zanna."
"That's different."
"Get to your point, Princess."
"Has anyone ever told you that you might have some issues with anger?"
"Has anyone ever told you that you're annoying?"
"Not really, no."
"They were being nice. Just tell me what you want."
"I need to walk in the sun," Maddie said.
Zanna laughed. "And I need to stop ending up in the middle of supernatural drama, but that's not going to happen either."
"Please... If I can't do this, I'll get arrested."
"Arrested? For what, excessive perkiness?"
"I have jury duty," Maddie explained.
Zanna laughed so hard, she actually shed a tear. Then she asked, "Okay, who's punking me right now?"
"I'm serious! Please help me."
"You do realize that you're dead, right? That's a legal excuse to miss jury duty."
"Except that, legally, I sort of never died..."
Zanna turned serious. "You kept your identity? You're nuts. The elder vamps would never allow this."
"Elder vamps?"
"Jesus, Princess, hasn't anyone taught you anything?"
"I've sort of been dealing with this on my own..."
"Where's your sire?"
"My sire?" Maddie repeated in confusion.
"Oh sweet fuck, read a damn vampire novel sometime. Your sire. The one who turned you into a vampire."
"Those books are too bloody and dark for me."
"Too dark? Gods, you're totally fucked. They'll eat you alive. Your sire is supposed to protect you."
"I don't know who turned me... I was walking home from work and I got jumped..." Maddie shuddered. "He was so strong... I remember he dragged me into an alley and he tried to..." She paused, not wanting to remember that part. "It doesn't matter. He didn't get anywhere. I pepper sprayed him. That pissed him off, and he bit me, and then the next thing I remember is waking up. I was alone, bloody, and cold... I was really cold... And then, the hunger hit, and I tried eating real food, but it wasn't enough... I k..." She paused and took a deep breath before trying again. "I killed someone, and then I understood what I'd become. I try not to kill now, and if I have to, I only kill people that hurt innocents." She sighed. "I still feel so guilty about the first person I killed. I'll never forgive myself for that. As for the one who turned me... Well, I guess he's still out there."
Zanna looked surprisingly gentler now. "Jesus... No wonder you're so clueless." She shook her head. "Look, I'd help you, but there's no way for you to walk during the day, at least not anything I can do. Only the Master vampire and her people can grant you that ability."
"How do I find her?"
"You don't."
"Please, Zanna, I'm desperate!"
A book flew off of its shelf and landed at Zanna's feet. "Not now, Mother!" Zanna snapped.
Suzy-Beth, don't you dare ignore me! You are going to help this girl. That's final, a southern voice drawled in Maddie's head. It was an odd sensation.
"Don't tell me what to do," Zanna said. She picked up the book and frowned at the open page. "The Huntress Spell? I don't get it."
The voice let out an exaggerated sigh. Honestly, Suzanna Beth, must I break everything down for you?
"Please just go away."
You could at least introduce me to our new friend. Hello, dear. My name is Emerald Blackrain. You may call me Emmy, or Her Lady of Blackrain, Mistress Emerald. Either is acceptable. And you are...?
Maddie politely replied, "I'm Maddie. It's nice to meet you, Emmy."
You see? What a pleasant girl! Why can't you be more like Maddie, Suzy-Beth?
"Because I don't vomit rainbows," Zanna replied. "This is a private conversation, Mother. Leave!" She said this firmly and Emmy's voice was silenced. Zanna shook her head. "Sorry. My mother likes to stick her nose into everything. Ignore her."
"I'm confused..."
"I noticed."
"Where was she?"
"She's dead, Princess. Has been since I was little."
"I'm so sorry..."
"It's fine. She never leaves me alone, so it's not like I can miss her."
"How did it happen?"
"My dad slaughtered her and stole me from her family." She said this so casually that Maddie assumed she was kidding. Zanna's face made it clear that she wasn't.
"Wait... For real?" Maddie asked.
"Yeah. The Blackrains are the strongest warlock family in the South. My dad's from the strongest family on the East coast, the Saunders. He realized how strong I am and took me back to Massachusetts to use my power for himself, but the Blackrains hunted for me, so Daddy Dearest gave me to his cousin in New York. His cousin hid me with one of his many baby mamas and she raised me as the perfect little warlock child. Warlocks are banned from the city, but I needed sanctuary from my family, so the Master vamp allows me to run my store and stay here."
"That's so awful... Why is a vampire helping you, though?"
"She's a relative. It's a long story, and no one really knows. Anyway, my mother's been haunting me ever since her death. I was four when she died. As you can probably imagine, it gets old fast."
"Why would she want you to help me?"
"Her magick drove her insane. I have no idea why she does anything that she does."
"Insane?"
"Yeah, that's the other reason my father took me away. My mother was batshit crazy. Of course, with Helena for a mother, I'd go nuts, too. My grandmother makes Charles Manson look like a kitten."
Maddie was starting to see why Zanna was so aggressive and angry. "You said you're related to the Master... Can she help me?"
"She has people for outreach..." Maddie's face fell. Zanna looked torn. "Look, I can ask, but I can't promise anything."
Maddie perked back up. "Thank you!" She tried to hug her, but Zanna pulled away.
"I don't do hugs," Zanna informed her.
"That's okay," Maddie replied.
Zanna reluctantly pulled out a business card. "Call me, but only in an absolute emergency, alright? Otherwise, forget that you have this."
"Great," Maddie replied cheerfully. She pulled out a piece of paper and wrote her number down. "Call me when you know something, or just to check in if you want to."
"I won't be calling you just for kicks, trust me. Now get out of here so I can open my shop back up."
"Right... Of course. Thanks again!"
Maddie walked toward the exit. As she left, she heard Zanna mumble, "For fuck's sake, what am I getting myself into this time?"
