Hexed

injuries. She sought refuge here to recover.”
    I draw a breath. Now comes the tricky part. “I followed her to this place. When I confronted her, she vowed to come after me, my family, her sister, all who had worked against her. I couldn’t let that happen. It was then I did what I knew I had to. I killed her.”

NINE
     

     
    SAMUAL IS ON HIS FEET THE MOMENT MY voice runs down.
    “You admit it. You killed both Belinda Burke and her bodyguard.”
    “I had to.”
    “But there’s more, isn’t there?” he asks. “How did you determine how to find Belinda Burke?”
    I turn to face him. “Her sister told me.”
    “What else did her sister tell you?”
    “Not that this place offered sanctuary, if that’s what you’re asking. I knew nothing of that.”
    “But she did tell you that her sister’s wounds were serious, didn’t she?”
    “Yes.”
    “In fact, didn’t she tell you her sister was no threat to you? That it would be months, maybe years, before she would be well enough to return to your dimension?” He raises his face to the Elder. “Belinda Burke spoke to me when she first arrived. Warned me to be on the lookout for a vampire out for revenge—a vampire who was in league with her own sister.”
    I’m tempted to ask why he didn’t take her warning seriously. The only reason I don’t is my reluctance to focus any more attention on the witches who got me here the first time. I have a feeling Samual will want to pursue that after he rids himself of me—or tries to.
    Instead, I look to see how this is affecting Stephen. He face reflects a little surprise, a little confusion. He’s been hit with a lot. The fact I’m a vampire, the fact I killed a grievously wounded witch. I can only hope he knows the damage a black-magic witch can inflict and why I felt I had to do it.
    But Samual isn’t through with me yet. My skin crawls at the smug look on his face. How could he know that Sophie had told me how serious Burke’s injuries were? Does he also know that she had begged me not to go after her sister?
    Samual barks out the question again. “Did she or did she not tell you it would be months, maybe years, before Burke would be strong enough to be a threat to you or anyone?”
    “Yes. She told me.”
    “And you came after her anyway. Why? Because you knew in her weakened state she would be an easy target? Do you always prey on the weak, Anna Strong? Oh. Wait. You are a vampire. Of course you do.”
    Anger ignites in my blood like flame in dry tinder. “I protect the weak. On Earth, I am called the Chosen One. If you have any knowledge at all of what that means, you know I’ve made it my mission to defend the mortal world from evil.”
    “So this was an anomaly? Just this once you plunged a blade into a defenseless old woman’s chest and held it there until the last beat of her heart?”
    I swallow down a quick, heated retort, knowing what I say next may make the difference in the outcome of this “trial.” When my blood has cooled a little, I reply.
    “Belinda Burke was capable of unimaginable evil. She killed indiscriminately. Even her sister feared her power. I knew when she recovered she would wreak her vengeance on all who crossed her. I have a family to protect and friends. She had already proven she could get to anyone close to me. I couldn’t take the chance she’d slip back without my knowing. I couldn’t risk losing anyone I loved.”
    I pause, sucking in a breath. “When I first arrived at this place, I battled her bodyguard. You know I have no vampiric powers here. I fought him mortal to mortal and won. Even then, Burke showed no remorse. Neither did she ask for mercy. Instead, she vowed to come after me and all I knew, including her sister, and to kill every one of us. She used the fact that she was bedridden to taunt me. She believed I wouldn’t harm her because I was weak and incapable of doing what I needed to. She was wrong.”
    I press fingers against my eyes. “I took no joy in killing her. But there was a greater good to consider. There is always a greater good. I think you may have forgotten that. Some creatures do not deserve sanctuary.”
    Samual is on his feet again, outraged. “And you are the one to make that determination? You, who have been on Earth a mere thirty years? What do you know of good and evil? Are the lines so clearly drawn in your world?”
    “Of course not.” I drop my hands and face him. “My existence is an example of how blurred the