All just Gla.s.s.

by Amelia At.w.a.ter-Rhodes.

CHAPTER 1

SAt.u.r.dAY, 5:52 A.M.

THE RINGING IN her ears surely was the sound of the world shattering. It was louder than the November air whistling outside as it tore leaves the color of fire and blood from the trees, and louder than the hum of the Chevy's engine as Adianna Vida pressed the gas pedal down further, accelerating past sixty...seventy... her ears surely was the sound of the world shattering. It was louder than the November air whistling outside as it tore leaves the color of fire and blood from the trees, and louder than the hum of the Chevy's engine as Adianna Vida pressed the gas pedal down further, accelerating past sixty...seventy...

Pushing eighty miles per hour, she twisted the dial on her satellite radio, turning the music up in the hope that it would drown out every other sound and thought. She wasn't even sure what she was listening to. It didn't matter.

She wondered if this was why Sarah had always been drawn to fast, flashy cars. Adia went for vehicles that drew no particular attention, cars she could get on short lease terms and trade in frequently, and she had always thought it was a little silly when Sarah picked out something that turned heads whenever she drove up.

But that was the way Sarah was.

Adia glanced at her instrument panel and realized the needle had just pa.s.sed ninety. Where were the cops who were supposed to be patrolling this highway, anyway? Wasn't there anyone out here still serving and protecting?

She flexed her left hand, clenching her jaw to control a wince as she did so. Two of the fingers were broken. They wouldn't wrap around the steering wheel. The arm was still sore from a minor fracture she had received half a week earlier. She would have double-checked that the hastily tied bandage on her arm was still in place, but she didn't think it was a good idea to take her one good hand off the wheel, even to make sure she wasn't bleeding again.

At least the other guy looked worse...though that would have been more comforting if the "other guy" hadn't been a large bay window and some kind of ugly garden statue she had hit on her way down.

But it wasn't a complete loss. She had learned what she had needed to learn.

She had learned the last thing she had wanted wanted to learn. to learn.

Adianna Vida, now the only only child of Dominique Vida, matriarch of the ancient line of witches, wished she were still ignorant. It had taken a h.e.l.l of a fight, but she had finally, unfortunately, throttled the information out of someone. child of Dominique Vida, matriarch of the ancient line of witches, wished she were still ignorant. It had taken a h.e.l.l of a fight, but she had finally, unfortunately, throttled the information out of someone.

"Looks like she's decided to live, witch," a bloodbond had told her, the last word like a curse. "She's staying with Nikolas and Kristopher. Not that you'll find them. They've been hunted for more than a century. They know how to take care of themselves. Kristopher. Not that you'll find them. They've been hunted for more than a century. They know how to take care of themselves."

Sarah was still alive.

No, not Sarah. The creature who existed now looked looked like Adia's little sister, but she wasn't a witch anymore; she was a vampire. She had woken at sundown and had hunted. No one had been able to tell Adia who the victim had been, but Sarah's change had been traumatic, which meant the first hunt would have been fierce. She had probably killed. like Adia's little sister, but she wasn't a witch anymore; she was a vampire. She had woken at sundown and had hunted. No one had been able to tell Adia who the victim had been, but Sarah's change had been traumatic, which meant the first hunt would have been fierce. She had probably killed.

And then she had decided to live as a vampire.

To continue continue as a vampire, at least. as a vampire, at least.

Which proved it really wasn't Sarah, right? A daughter of Vida waking to find herself a monster should have ended it at that moment. She should have known that stopping herself then then, before the vampiric power twisted her too badly, was the only way she could protect the helpless victims she would inevitably end up hurting in the future. But she hadn't.

Before Adia could learn any more, another bloodbond had leapt forward and sent them both through the window. Adia had wanted to fight at that point but had already found the information she needed, and knew that Dominique would disapprove of her lingering.

Realizing she was approaching her exit, she slowed-probably more abruptly than she should have, but who cared? It was six in the morning on a Sat.u.r.day, and she hadn't seen another car in nearly half an hour. She was almost home, and when she pulled into the driveway, she would have to be fully under control.

She turned the radio down to barely a whisper, until she could hear the mournful wind again. In front of her mother's house, the trees were already nearly bare, except for a few golden leaves they still managed to cling desperately to. She sympathized; some part of her had been ripped away, as well, when she had let her sister die.

It took her two tries to get the car door open with the damage to her arms. The frigid air that rushed in to replace the warmth in the car was bracing and helped her calm her thoughts. She managed not to limp as she approached the front door.

Her mother was waiting for her in the kitchen, at the antique oak table where Adia had spent countless hours as a child studying ancient Vida laws.

Forty years old, Dominique had been the only child of her father's second wife. She had survived the deaths of her parents, her sister, a niece and a nephew closer to her age than her sister had been, and Sarah and Adia's father, and all Adia had ever seen from her was stoicism and the grim acceptance that a hunter's life was dangerous. Her practical short blond hair had occasional bits of gray and her Vida-blue eyes were perhaps a little more tired, but she still stood as if carrying the weight of the world were simply a task she had to accept.

And at that moment, she wasn't alone.

Adia's cousin, Zachary, had a spread of weaponry in front of him and was in the process of cleaning and polishing the collection of knives as Adia walked in. His blond hair and immaculate appearance were a marked contrast with the slightly scruffy features and dark hair of Michael Arun, who was flipping through the heavy tome of pictures and notes on known vampires.

Michael was from another line, but he was still a witch. The Arun line wasn't known for self-control or following all the rules, and Adia had never quite been able to relax her guard around Michael because of the vampiric taint to his aura, but at least he was a hunter. The Vida and Arun lines had fought side by side for generations, so his presence wasn't surprising, despite the hour. Most vampire hunters were nearly as nocturnal as their prey.

Adia was startled, however, to see Hasana Smoke sitting stiffly across the table from Zachary and staring pale-faced at the weaponry as her daughter Caryn read a paperback romance novel in the corner. Smoke witches, though every bit as respected as Vidas, were healers. They wouldn't engage in a fight even to protect their own lives, and they usually showed up at the Vida household only if someone was hurt.

More unusual still was the presence of Evan Marinitch. Nearing fifty, Evan had a lean body that made him seem younger. He was at that moment perched on the counter, hazel eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with fatigue and disapproval. The Marinitch line sometimes included hunters, but that wasn't their primary vocation. They were mostly scholars. Though technically kin to the Vida, Arun and Smoke lines, the Marinitch line kept to itself most of the time.

All the surviving lines were represented. Had Dominique called them to witness Sarah's trial, only to have them arrive just to hear about her death?

How had everything happened so fast? Two weeks before, Sarah had been complaining-softly, when Dominique couldn't hear-about having to move from New York City to the small suburb of Acton, Ma.s.sachusetts. Ten days ago, Adia had discovered that Sarah was being socially polite with two of the vampires who attended her school. The relationship had grown dangerously close before Adia even realized it was happening.

Two days ago, Dominique had bound Sarah's powers in antic.i.p.ation of a trial for crimes against the line. Alone and without her magic, Sarah had gone up against one of the infamous vampires of the modern age in an attempt to clear her name.

And then...Adia looked at the clock on the mantel. Just twenty-four hours ago, Adia had walked away and let that creature change her little sister into a monster. He had claimed that it was the only way to save her life, and in that moment, Adia had let herself believe the lie that her sister could still be saved.

But twelve hours ago, that monster had awoken and fed, and now- Oh, G.o.d.

Adia had memorized pages and pages of Vida law, and now at last the one that mattered came to mind. The other lines weren't here to witness a trial.

"Adia, what have you learned?" Dominique asked.

Hasana looked over her shoulder at Adia and her eyes widened. She shot to her feet. "You're injured-"

Adia shook off the healer's concern and answered Dominique's question.

"According to numerous sources, Sarah has chosen to...live." She hesitated before the last word, knowing that it wasn't exactly what she meant. "She has fed, and is now staying with Nikolas and Kristopher, wherever they are."

Hasana sagged with relief. Evan closed his eyes with a wince, undoubtedly knowing what was coming. Zachary nodded, his expression remote, and Michael paled. Michael Arun had always been a mystery to Adia, but he and Sarah had been close. They had even dated for a while, before deciding they were good partners when hunting but weren't compatible romantically.

Dominique didn't even blink. Impeccably controlled as always, she simply said, "Well."

She stood, and her gaze swept the a.s.sembled witches.

"My daughter is dead," she announced. "I know her killers."

She placed on the table a pencil drawing of the twin vampires Nikolas and Kristopher, provided by the fiends themselves. The one called Kristopher had courted Sarah with drawings. He had befriended her, and Sarah had let him, despite Adia's begging her to be careful. She had always been headstrong.

"As a child of Macht, I am invoking the Rights of Kin," Dominique said. Adia had known that it was coming, but she still consciously had to keep her expression controlled so she wouldn't flinch. "Please witness."

Now Hasana paled visibly. Apparently, she had finally caught up to the rest of them. A Smoke witch's training was not as intensive as a Vida's. They were taught to heal and tended to be less aware of the laws that governed all their lines, but Hasana's reaction made it clear that she recognized the name.

"Dominique, don't do this," Hasana said. "Or at least give yourself some time to reconsider. Sarah isn't-"

"Sarah is is dead," Dominique said flatly. "There is a vampire out there wearing her shape, her skin, but that creature is no witch, no Vida." dead," Dominique said flatly. "There is a vampire out there wearing her shape, her skin, but that creature is no witch, no Vida."

Zachary spoke first, as the eldest of the Vida line after Dominique. He said simply, "Witnessed."

"Is this truly necessary?" Evan asked.

"Yes," Zachary replied.

Evan Marinitch drew a breath and said, "Witnessed." He swallowed thickly. "We have only one hunter in our line this generation. My son. I will see that he joins you."

"Dominique, please, please," Hasana begged. All eyes turned toward her, the witches waiting. "Think about-"

"No," Dominique interrupted, her blue gaze cold as ice. "My line has been savaged this generation." She swept the room with her eyes, catching each gaze in turn. "Rose was bled dry as part of a sick game after she walked into a trap, after her husband was stabbed with his own knife by a bloodbond who claimed claimed she was allied with SingleEarth, and their daughter Jacqueline was slaughtered despite having tried to give up our ways. Her son Richard, who was only a she was allied with SingleEarth, and their daughter Jacqueline was slaughtered despite having tried to give up our ways. Her son Richard, who was only a child child, was taken-and G.o.d only knows what happened to him-and never seen again." Zachary was one of the few who held Dominique's gaze as she referred to the events that had brought him, an orphan, into their household when Adia had been a baby. "And then the father of my children was tortured to death and dropped on our front steps."

Hasana looked away. Caryn seemed about to argue, but her mother put a hand on her shoulder; the young witch shook off the touch and stormed out of the room.

Still, Dominique was not done.

"Through the generations we have played it safe, and not sought personal vengeance-and now we who stand in this room are the last of the Vida line. The least we can do for our fallen kin is destroy the creature inhabiting Sarah's skin before it can use her sh.e.l.l to commit crimes no Vida could ever condone. So I call on the ancient laws now to help me, so I can bury my daughter and let her rest in peace."

No one said another word; there was no point in arguing. This was a formality, not a choice to be debated.

At last, Hasana choked out the word: "Witnessed."

They turned to Michael next. Like the Vidas, the Arun line had faced hardships recently. They had never been prolific, and in the past century many had been born completely human, with no power to speak of. Michael was the last witch of his line. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.

"Witnessed."

The Rights of Kin were one of the oldest of the Macht witches' laws, spoken by the very first Vida after her mother was brutally slain before her eyes, and pa.s.sed down orally for centuries before written language was developed. They applied to every living line descended from that ancient tribe but had not been called upon in more than a thousand years.

When witch-kin is slain, there shall be no safe haven, no higher law to protect the guilty. Every hunter shall turn her blade to the task, and there shall be no rest until those responsible have been slain. These are the Rights of Kin.

"Adianna." She wasn't being asked to witness; Zachary had already spoken for their line. A tremor of nervousness pa.s.sed through her as Dominique gave her orders. "I am putting you in charge of this hunt. Nikolas and Kristopher are necessary targets, but your highest goal is the creature wearing Sarah's form. I want you to find her, and put a knife in her heart. Is that clear?"

Adia glanced toward Zachary, but he had dropped his gaze back to the blades before him, accepting Dominique's delegation of power without question.

Zachary was older, twenty-six years to Adia's nineteen, but he had been a child when his mother and his two siblings had been lost. Dominique had become matriarch of their line, and Adia would inherit that t.i.tle from her, so it was natural that she would want to put Adia in charge of this mission.

What Dominique could never know was that Adia had already failed once, when she had turned around and let one of them them give Sarah his blood. Adia had been there. She could have ended this travesty before it began. But she hadn't been strong enough. give Sarah his blood. Adia had been there. She could have ended this travesty before it began. But she hadn't been strong enough.

Now the command had been given and there was only one possible response.

"Yes, and I will obey," she replied, her words formal despite her silent dread. She had to make herself strong enough. Anything else would be a betrayal of her line.

Michael turned his face away as if he couldn't stand to look at her anymore. Evan stood and said flatly, "I will send my son to you," before walking out the door.

Dominique stepped back and glanced at the clock before saying to her daughter, "If there is a next generation, you will be its matriarch, but I've held you in my shadow longer than I should have. The hunters you will be working with are your peers, so it is right that you lead them now. I will get out of the way unless you call me in." Then, in as close to an admission of weakness as Adia had ever heard her mother utter, she added, "For now, I need to rest."

Adia did not think Dominique had truly slept slept since she had bound Sarah's powers two days before. She had given good reasons for Adia's leading this hunt, but Adia suspected there was one more: Dominique was tired, in body and heart. since she had bound Sarah's powers two days before. She had given good reasons for Adia's leading this hunt, but Adia suspected there was one more: Dominique was tired, in body and heart.

Adia nodded, though it felt odd to have her mother looking to her for permission. "You rest. We need you strong. Once you're up, you can start calling your contacts." Dominique's network of hunters and informants was impressive. Adia knew only some of them.

Only once Dominique left did Hasana approach Adia to say, "I should set those fingers before they start to heal that way. It looks like you need st.i.tches in your arm, too."

"Where's Caryn?" Adia asked, wondering why Hasana hadn't gone to check on her daughter.

"She brought her own car," Hasana said, moving to examine the wounds while she spoke. "She thought we were being called for Sarah's trial, and insisted on coming to speak on her behalf."

Caryn herself had nearly been brought to trial not long before for far more severe crimes than Sarah had ever committed; if she had been a hunter, and not a healer, she never could have justified her actions. But maybe she had thought she could justify Sarah's.

Adia sat while Hasana set and splinted her broken fingers, then put six st.i.tches in her upper arm. The healer's power numbed the pain from the injury and the needle going into and out of damaged flesh, leaving Adia with a disconnected sensation. In some ways she would rather have the pain than this sense that the skin the healer was st.i.tching wasn't really hers, but instead belonged to a stranger.

After a few minutes, Michael came to the table. Zachary looked up. The three hunters exchanged wary glances.

"Where do we begin?" Zachary asked.

Adia shook her head, just barely. She had some ideas, but they couldn't be spoken in front of Hasana. Once the healer was gone, the hunters would begin to make their plans.

CHAPTER 2

SAt.u.r.dAY, 5:54 A.M. A.M.

SARAH SAT ON her feet so she could look across the scarred old oak table at her sister. The year between them might as well have been a century, if one judged by the awe with which Sarah regarded Adia-or the childlike haughtiness the eight-year-old demonstrated in response her feet so she could look across the scarred old oak table at her sister. The year between them might as well have been a century, if one judged by the awe with which Sarah regarded Adia-or the childlike haughtiness the eight-year-old demonstrated in response.

"It's 'make no deals, barter no honor,'" Adia corrected her gently.

Sarah ran the words through her head, whispering them under her breath before repeating them out loud, and then asking, "What does 'barter' mean?"

Adia glanced up through the doorway, to where their mother was demonstrating a new fighting form to Zachary, before she answered, "Like if I agree to do the dishes if you'll do my homework."

"Then...I should stop doing that."

"It's only with them. Not us," Adia explained. "We can be trusted, so it's okay."

Sarah frowned, trying to make sense of the pa.s.sage Dominique had a.s.signed her to memorize. Why did it all have to be written with big words and fancy sentences?

Her gaze drifted from the book to a streak of color on the table. The kitchen window had a panel of decorative cut gla.s.s, and at that moment, the rising sun was. .h.i.tting it just right to make tiny rainbows all around the room. The spring day was windy, and the new leaves on the trees outside rustled, making the light move and the rainbows dance on the table.