The Compelled Read Online Free PDF Page A

End, near the lodging house where I work as a maid. I only noticed him because he’s not the usual type that we see in those parts. And then when everyone was talking about how the Ripper may have been a count or something…well, I paid attention. You can’t be too careful these days.”
    “Did you know the girls who were killed?”
    Mary Jane shook her head. “No, I didn’t. I just keep my head down and do my work.”
    “So why did Samuel attack you?” Cora asked.
    “How would I know?” Mary Jane asked in exasperation. “It wasn’t on my mind to ask him why when he was grabbing me right off the street.”
    “It’s fine, Mary Jane,” I interjected. “Just tell us what happened.”
    “I’d gotten off work early and was about to meet my friends for a pint,” she explained. “But as I walked by an alleyway, he came out of nowhere and snatched me up. I tried screaming and kicking, but we were going too fast for anyone to notice. At first, I thought I was being taken by Jack the Ripper. But he isn’t, is he? Because why would a vampire kill like that?”
    “You just asked the million-pound question,” Cora said, shrugging her shoulders.
    Before I could further explain, a rat came out of its hiding spot. I reached for a stone, ready to attack. But Mary Jane held up a hand.
    “I’ve got it,” she said, placing her fingers on the floor. “Shh! Come here, love,” she cooed at the animal. The rat halted and cocked its head at her. “Right here,” Mary Jane urged. Quickly, the rat ran into her palm and stood on its hind legs. She raised her eyebrows at us and smiled crookedly. “See, they’re not so bad.”
    “How did you learn to do that?” I asked.
    Mary Jane shrugged. “I didn’t learn. I was born like this,” she explained.
    “And your parents…?”
    “Are dead,” she said flatly.
    “I’m sorry,” Cora and I said in unison.
    A flicker of a smile crossed Mary Jane’s face. “Or they might as well be. They might be alive somewhere, but I don’t rightly know. I don’t know anything about my parents. I only know that I’ve always had a sense about people, and animals, and can sometimes have them do what I want.”
    “Do you think you can help us?” I asked eagerly. My stomach rumbled, and I had to turn away to avoid automatically reaching out and killing the rodent cupped in Mary Jane’s hands.
    “I could try. I’ve never really used my spells on vampires before,” Mary Jane said uncertainly. “I’ve never used them for anything important. Just for little things. To make the rent collector go away, or to get a rat to do tricks like this. But I don’t know if I’m strong enough to defeat a vampire. Unless…I have friends who could help,” she finished, letting the rat free. It squeaked, then skittered away into the shadows. “Only I’m not sure they’ll like you. We keep to ourselves, mainly. But I’ll tell them you saved me. I can’t say whether that’ll sway them, seeing as you kill our kind, but I can take you to them.”
    “That would be very kind,” I said. “Are your friends like you?”
    “You mean, are they witches?” Mary Jane asked matter-of-factly. “Why, I suppose so. Although I don’t know what makes a witch a witch. But I do know we all have magical powers,” Mary Jane said, giving me a lopsided smile. I smiled back encouragingly.
    “How many?” Cora breathed.
    “Not many. There’s just five of us. Me, Billy, Gus, and Vivian. And Jemima of course, but she’s…”
    “She’s what?” I asked.
    “She’s the one who might not like you,” Mary Jane said. “She doesn’t trust others. But when I tell her that you saved my life, she might reconsider.”
    “But the rest of them?” I asked.
    A fond smile crossed Mary Jane’s face. “They’re lovely. They’re my family, really. I never had a proper one. When I was twelve, I thought I’d be adopted. I used to dream about what it’d be like to have a mother, a home, and a bed with a feather