Free The Vampire's Curse by Mandy Rosko

together it is."
    Jackie drummed her fingers against the counter. "You know, the ironic thing is that this time it's not entirely them that's bothering me."
    Evey had the bottle midway to her lips, and she set it back on the counter to give Jackie her full attention. "Oh?"
    "You heard about the ferals right?"
    "How could I not? I'm thinking of leaving the city for a while because of it. The last thing I need is to be attacked by a group of them."
    "Yeah, uh, anyway, you used to be a witch, right?"
    Evey took another swig of her blood. "I still like to think I am. It is how I get around without the thickest glasses you’ve ever seen."
    "Anyway, have you ever heard of a curse that could turn a man into a vampire by night, but then turn him back into a normal guy again by day? That's not possible, is it?"
    "Technically, Jacklyn, nothing that we do is possible."
    Jackie grumbled and flicked an imaginary piece of dirt from the counter. "Well, I can't really do much of anything."
    "You're referring to that man they picked up last night, aren't you? You were the woman the newspaper wouldn't name."
    Jackie sighed, no point in hiding it. "Yeah."
    "Do you need to hide from this man? If you need a place to stay you’re more than welcome to stay with me."
    Jackie shook her head. "No, no I don't think I do. I don't believe he's dangerous. I mean, if I didn't believe before then I do now, and the only reason I called Mike on him was because I thought he could help him. I didn't think Mike would bring every cop in the city with him and charge Kyle with murder."
    Evey blinked. "You didn't hear?"
    Jackie's heart fluttered at the tone in Evey's voice. Oh no, what if she told her that Kyle really did do it. That she’d been fantasizing about a murderer all night. She swallowed hard. "Hear what?"
    "They let him go this morning. And if you're the one who turned him in then he's probably out looking for you now if he really is dangerous."
    As if on cue, the power blacked out.
     
     
     

SIX
     
    Jackie fumbled through junk drawers in the dark for the candles, trying to ease her breathing and not panic. She told herself it was only a blackout when she found them, nothing more. It was winter and the snow fell heavily outside, a blackout was possible.
    When she couldn't find so much as a lighter to go along with them she concentrated to the best of her ability, snapped her fingers to produce a flame, and lit the candles herself.
    She couldn’t even be proud of herself for not managing to blow up the wicks since the sight she was met with wasn't much better. Shadows hung long over the shelves and various items and jars sold in the store. Her legs itched to run outside just to get away from it all, but her feet refused to move.
    Instead she handed a candle to Evey, forgetting that her vampirism allowed her to see in the dark.
    Evey took the candle anyway but didn't move another muscle on her body. She stared up and ahead as though searching, her head cocked slightly to one side, and Jackie realized Evey was listening.
    "What do you hear?” She whispered. “Is he outside?"
    Evey shook her head, her red eyes glowing in the dark. It was creepy and yet comforting. "I don't think it's your man."
    Jackie didn't understand, and her fear grew more and more with every passing second without an answer. "What do you mean? How can you know that?"
    "Because there's more than one person outside, and they're crawling along your walls."
    Vampires. Ferals .
    Jackie wished her mother and sister stayed another fifteen minutes. They were talented witches who could take care of themselves and help Evey. Jackie would only get in the way. She wished she were a better witch. Garlic spray wouldn't save her tonight, and neither would healing kisses.
    As if reading her thoughts, Evey grabbed Jackie by the scruff of her grey sweater and dragged her into the back room. "We need to hide you. Do you have any boxes big enough to fit you inside?"
    There were plenty of boxes,