Chapter Nine: Stefanie Salvatore

Present day

Atlanta, GA

A man Stef instantly recognised took a step away from the group of witches surrounding him. She quickly scanned the numbers: there were eight, not their entire coven. The entire coven could be enough to stop her, but eight was manageable. It was just unfortunate Winifred was amongst them, since she was the most powerful. Though, for a reason she didn't know, Winifred was also the most considerate, particularly to her. She was the one who had pointed out that Cristian hadn't treated her well while they were dating. She was well aware of her step-son's flaws and had tried to protect her from him. Winifred wouldn't harm her if she could avoid it, but, at the same time, she knew Winifred would do anything to protect the coven, particularly her husband.

"Stefanie Salvatore," Dimitri declared, moving closer. "What a hold you must have over my own son to get him to lie to me."

The mall was emptying, news of the gunman had likely spread, the bodies of the two vampires falling had probably scared many others away. However, some shoppers were bold enough to stop at a distance and watch the new confrontation unfold, gasps arising as the two fallen vampires got to their feet, snapping their broken bones back into place.

Stef, arms stretched apart, protecting Raid and Adam, was suddenly flanked by Gabe and Zara.

Dimitri laughed. "Three vampires protecting these young boys, why could that be?" Dimitri paced, taunting them, scratching his nails into his scalp, his receding shoulder-length black hair, peppered with grey, falling in front of his face as he pretended to ponder this. His head shot up, his fingers splayed in the air, dramatizing an eureka moment. "Could it be that these are the ones who really took part in Stefanie's ritual?"

"They're Stefanie's friends, Dimitri, nothing more," Gabe replied, his voice tense.

"Good enough friends to take part in the spell, no doubt," Dimitri mused, "since they conveniently left the country around the same time."

"They're human, Dimitri, go speak to your son. They were his friends too." Stef gently nudged her palms at Raid and Adam's shoulders, urging them to slowly move. They side-stepped away from the stairs, Gabe and Zara advancing in front of them, ready in case of attack.

Dimitri followed their pace, increasing the volume of his voice, stopping them in their tracks. "It takes three in the ritual, Stefanie, as you well know: the vampire who turned you, a human to complete the transition, and a witch to power the cure that - until now - had been running dormant in your veins, courtesy of your father." Dimitri swished his finger around in a circle. "Round and round it goes. Your witch powers fuelling the cure that lives in your veins, which destroys the vampirism that's killing the magic that fuels the cure..." He pointed a finger towards Gabe. "That lives in the house that Salty Jack's built."

Zara narrowed her eyes at Dimitri. "Very cute," she uttered sarcastically.

Dimitri ignored her. "One of those boys is human, I have no doubt about that, but the other? Well, if the other were a vampire, my son wouldn't be protecting him. But a witch? Yes, that's very possible." He stepped closer, Gabe and Zara on alert, causing Dimitri to hold up his hands in peace. Stef stood firm behind Gabe's and Zara's shoulders as Dimitri smiled at her. "Tell me, Stefanie, are you protecting them because of the prophecy?"

She lurched forward in anger, Gabe and Zara holding her in place. "Keep the prophecy out of this!"

Dimitri backed away laughing, his hands clasped together in joy. "Oh, so they don't know that you're destined to fall in love with one of the ritual participants, like you haven't already destroyed their lives enough. Another reason to be glad it wasn't my son."

Stef charged between Gabe and Zara, pushing them aside, and throwing her powers into the air in front of her, the force hitting Dimitri off his feet. As he skidded to a stop, and onlookers fled, Winifred immediately retaliated with her own powers, sending Stefanie surging between Raid and Adam, through the shop window behind her, the glass shattering as Stef hit a display shelf and fell with a thump on the shop's floor.

Gabe and Zara resumed their places in front of Raid and Adam, but Stef didn't stay down for long. Gabe felt Stef speed towards Dimitri before he could even see her, managing to grab her arm to pull her back before she attacked.

"Let me at him!" she screamed at Gabe.

"Calm down, Scrappy-Doo," Dimitri mocked as Winifred helped him to his feet.

As Stef grappled against Gabe's grasp to get free, he suddenly spun her around to face him. "Phoenix is outside, get Raid and Adam out of here. I'll hold back the witches."

She laughed dubiously, shaking her head

Gabe resumed a tight grip on her arms. "Stef, remember, they're linked to you. You can't take on this battle with Dimitri, he's got no qualms about killing you now. You die, all those in the ritual die. You die, they die. You die..." Gabe's lips flattened.

Stef calmed, looking up at him. "I die, you die, right?"

Gabe hesitantly nodded, the guilt causing him to look away. "Right."

Stef shook her head. "But you can't take on witches without me."

"We can, we've had Splits, but it won't last long."

Stef was shocked. Very few witches could share their powers with non-witches. None of them, that she could think of, would have been willing to split their powers with vampires. "With who?"

"Gideon."

"Gideon?!" That was the last name she suspected, but it was a powerful one, and she didn't have time for further questions as she heard Dimitri resume his taunts in the background. They were turning more threatening. "By all means, the floor is yours." She swept her arms invitingly towards the witches, then pushed at Raid and Adam, yelling, "Run!"

A pillar was the first place they took cover as a chaos of magic ensued behind them - windows shattering, light fixtures and potted plants falling, people screaming - before they ran towards the next one, Stef deflecting any magic that came in their direction.

Adam and Raid ducked for cover, as a glass panel came loose from the railings above and shattered inches away from them.

"Where are you taking us?!" Adam exclaimed.

"What the hell was that about you falling in love with someone?!" Raid fumed, following Stef to the next pillar.

"To safety, Adam, isn't that obvious?" she replied. "Raid, this isn't the time! Isn't that even more obvious? Keep your head in the game, I'll explain everything."

"This isn't a game!" Raid snapped. "Isn't that obvious?"

The three vampires that she had defeated earlier ran past them on the opposite side, either escaping or looking to attack them from the front. Either way, they were the least powerful opponent now. When the three of them finally turned a corner towards the entrance to the mall, Stef flung her arms out, and Raid and Adam halted behind her, stopping in front of a familiar face.

"Cristian," she scowled. "Whose side are you on now?"

Stef hadn't seen Cristian for years. He was leaner, his cheekbones sharper, his brown hair longer, swept back in a short ponytail, but his ice-blue eyes were just as calculating as she remembered. He stepped just far enough away from the mall entrance for her to easily make her escape if it weren't for Raid and Adam needing to follow her.

"I haven't made up my mind about that yet, Stefanie," he responded. "I never wanted them dead." He swept a finger between Raid and Adam. "The witch dies, you become a vampire. The human dies, you lose your humanity. As much as I love you, an emotionless vampire is kind of a turn-off for me. It's the vampire who turned you that I always wanted dead, not them. Of course, the vampire and the witch dying would also do - I'm not against dating you as a human, as I'm sure you remember - but as a witch? Part of our coven? That was always my plan."

"I'm not your plan, Cristian," Stef seethed.

"But then I heard something I never knew before," he continued, ignoring her. "The prophecy." He stilled, facing her. "I can't have you falling for one of them, Stef. So, either tell me the name of the vampire who turned you, or I'll have to eliminate them."

Stef was more than prepared to fight him. "You'll have to take me first."

"Take you? Oh, sweetheart," Cristian chuckled, his arms raising, powers forming, preparing to fight back. "I've been wanting that for a long time."

Stef's face transitioned, her fangs bared, lights above them flickered, a breeze flowed between them, growing stronger. She met Cristian's eyes, knowing that her form as a vampire startled and repulsed him. She would make sure he saw this every day of her life if he hurt Raid or Adam. She studied him carefully, preparing to pounce with both her magic and her fangs the moment he made the first move. He studied her back, a sadistic gleam in his eye.

Suddenly Cristian was punched across the face, falling to the ground.

Phoenix stood beside him.

Stef's transition melted away, surprise and pride replacing it. "Phoenix!" She ran up to him, hugging him, while he stood wide-eyed, looking more shocked than she was.

"I actually punched him!" Phoenix declared in realisation. "Finally, I actually punched him!"

Stef beamed, bringing him back towards Raid and Adam. "I think you remember who this is," she said to them, patting Phoenix on the chest and smiling up at him.

Amazement spreading across his face, Raid pulled Phoenix into a hug. "Fuck me, it's been too long, you piece of shit."

"Your greetings could do with some improvement," Phoenix replied, hugging him back.

As Phoenix then went to hug Adam, Adam stepped back, confused and alarmed.

"He doesn't remember," Stef explained to Phoenix. "You organized a safe house?"

"Of course," Phoenix replied.

"And have the getaway car?"

"Naturally."

"Great, then let's get away, shall we?"