My sweet? That better be some endearing grandmother shit, because I’m not prepared to hear that Nanny and my vamp boy had a thing before I was born.
“Matilda,” Darius says, the strain in his voice more pronounced. “The Order is back. Or perhaps never left. We know they want the baby, but we don’t know their intention. Without your guidance, I fear they’re being misled.”
Tilly’s smile fades, replaced by a look of concern.
“I know nothing. Leadership came through my bloodline, protection spells from our family books. It… it must be a new--”
Before she can finish her sentence, the door to her room crashes open, shattering the fragile silence.
“Get away from the bed!” screams a male voice.
I look over to see a man dressed in black, his face covered by a hood just like Karl’s, only it’s not Karl’s voice. It’s obviously not medical staff, unless they’ve really changed their methods since last I was here.
“You! Get up. Let go of the woman’s hand!” he shouts, holding up a gun and pointing it at Darius.
The vampire raises his left hand, the one not locked with Tilly’s, to show he’s defenseless. Then he leans in and whispers to my grandma, just loud enough for me to hear.
“This will hurt, and I’m sorry. But you’re strong.”
With that, he releases her hand and she immediately starts to convulse violently. It’s worse than I’ve ever seen before, and I’m sure her neck is going to snap.
“What did you do?” the man at the door shouts, stealing my question. He makes a move toward Tilly’s bed, but as soon as he lifts his leg, Darius waves an arm and sends the man flying through the doorway, crashing against the wall on the opposite side of the hall.
“More will be here soon,” Darius says, his voice raspy and his eyes bloodshot. “Follow me through the window.”
“I can’t leave Nanny. What if they hurt her?”
“They won’t,” he says as he unlocks and opens the window frame. “If the Order of the Star wanted her dead, she’d be dead.”
“That’s not as comforting as you might think,” I hiss, but I know he’s right. We have to get out of here, and we can’t take Tilly. I glance once more at my Nanny, my heart breaking that I have to leave her like this. “I’m sorry, Nanny,” I whisper, but before I do as Darius says, I dart into the hall, needing whatever answers I can find.
The man he threw against the wall is barely conscious, definitely concussed. As he moans, I lift the ski mask that was covering his face.
It’s Alex.
Joe’s son.
What the hell?
The sound of footsteps running down the hall forces my hand, and I sprint back through Nanny’s room and Darius hoists me through the window. We run around the building, the sound of sirens in the distance and getting closer by the second, and finally reach the car.
There’s only one driveway leading away from the facility, and that road’s about to be filled with cop cars or Order members. The other option is to drive through the fence in front of me and down a hill. So that’s what I do.
I start the engine, leave the lights off, and slam on the gas. We crash through the chainlink and roll into the darkness, just as the lights from the squad cars blink in my rearview mirror.
As my Subaru rolls downhill, I realize I just drove us off a snow-covered slope in the dark. I pump the breaks to no avail, the car still rolling and picking up steam.
“Um, Darius? Think you could…?”
I don’t bother finishing the question, assuming his best solution will be better than whatever I could think up.
When he doesn’t answer I give a quick sideways glance, and don’t love what I see. He’s breathing hard and still looking haggard. The one time I decide to rely on his magic, and he’s got the flu or something.
“Darius! I know you can’t die, but I’ve still got bones and organs and shit that will not survive when we hit a tree. So WAKE. UP!”
As I yell the last part, I dig my nails into his leg and feel a jolt of electricity shoot through me. It’s strong enough to knock me against the car door, my head bumping hard against the window.
I try to shake it off, but my vision is blurred and it’s pitch black anyway. Instead of last-minute ideas for how to save us, I’ve just got pictures of Rain dancing in my head. Her tiny toes, her sweet little nose. Who’s going to take care of my baby?
And then my body lurches forward, my sternum slamming painfully against the steering wheel. My eyes are shut and I’m positive we just collided with a huge maple tree. The only reason I’m not feeling intense pain is because I’m already dead.
For a moment, there’s nothing but silence. Finally I pry open my eyes, for no other reason than to see what heaven looks like. Or hell, I guess. No point in being presumptuous.
Instead, I see the inside of my car. I look to the side and see Darius, his hands pressed against the dashboard in front of him. He looks at me, his face less pained than before, the beginning of a smile at the corners of his mouth.
When I turn my head again, I can see faintly out the windshield. No more than ten feet in front of us is a crumbling stone wall, one of those old property lines people made with huge boulders in the 1700s. If we had stopped a second later, I’d be dead.
I look back at Darius. “Why’d you wait?!” I yell, the emotion from the near-death experience boiling over. “We… I, almost died!”
He puts his hand on my knee, trying to calm me as he speaks.
“When I clasped hands with your grandmother, I took on the burden of her powers. She has a tremendous amount of magic inside her, that’s the reason she’s been… the way she’s been.”
He takes a moment, clearly still recovering from whatever he’s trying to describe.
“The longer I held her hand, the stronger it became. Had we stayed in contact a moment longer I might have been knocked unconscious. It took everything I had to disable that man. I barely made it to the car.”
“And then…?”
“And then you grabbed me. I’m not sure what you felt, but I felt whatever power that had been constricting me release.”
I raise my hand to my head, feeling the knot forming where I bounced off the window.
“I felt something, all right. Guess Nanny’s powers almost took us both out.”
I smile at Darius, glad he’s okay, even more glad I’m alive.
“So I timed it out perfectly, then,” I say with a slightly unhinged chuckle. “I screamed and pinched your leg just in time for you to stop the car.”
Darius returns the smile, though he also shakes his head--there’s still something I’m missing.
“No, Bernie. I didn’t stop the car.” He looks out at the line of rocks that would have instantly killed me, then returns his focus to my eyes, a new and exciting energy brewing there.
“You did.”
Chapter Seventeen
"I'm sorry, I must have hit my head harder than I thought, because it sounded like you said I magically stopped our car from killing me and--I don't know--wrinkling your outfit?" My voice carries in it all the disbelief I feel, mixed with an unhealthy dose of adrenaline and raw nerves.
"That is correct," he says, tugging on his jacket. "My clothing is not wrinkled."
I raise an eyebrow. "That's your takeaway from this?"
"My takeaway is that a small thread of your grandmother's powers traveled through me and into you, though I do not know how such a thing would be possible." He tightens his lips in annoyance.
"Oh, is that hard for you?” I say, laying the sarcasm on real thick. “Something’s out of the ordinary and confusing? Poor little vampire."
He ignores my comment, so I ignore him, and instead I look down at my hands like I just grew them from scratch and they might start spitting out lightning or magic balls any moment. When nothing extraordinary happens, I sigh, a little disappointed. I've never understood in books and movies why the heroine or hero resists when they find out th
ey're special or have magic. Music was what made me special, and I was--and am--grateful for it. Otherwise, I would have been just another small-town girl who ended up married to her high school sweetheart and popping out kids while stealing away every week for a night at the pub.
I close my eyes, letting the painful truth wash over me. If it weren't for the Sexies showing up, that's exactly where my life was headed even with this musical gift I’ve been cultivating for years. Well, maybe except the part about being married to my high school sweetheart.
How did I end up here? I was on the right path, the path that led out of Rowley and into the great wide world where all my dreams lived, when I self-sabotaged and ended up right back where I started.
I wouldn't trade Rain for anything, but I wish I could have had her under...smarter circumstances. But then again, aren’t these the circumstances that brought these men into my life? Things might be difficult and complicated, but I’m not particularly eager to see them leave, if I’m being honest with myself. Even though that’s what will ultimately happen, with or without my baby.
Okay, enough self-loathing. Jesus, a fleeting moment of thinking I was magical and now I want to throw a huge pity party. Buck up, Bernie.
I look back at Darius, who's watching me carefully.
"What? Did I grow horns or something?"
He shakes his head. "But you are exhibiting signs of a serious concussion."
"Pft. I'm fine." But even as I say it, I realize I've been slurring my words this whole time, and everything is a bit fuzzy around the edges. The fact that I didn't even notice scares me more than the actual symptoms. "Let's just get back to the bar."
But as I try to start the car, it sputters and dies. "Shit."
"You are in no position to drive. Nor is your vehicle, it would appear."
"Ha, very funny mister. What do you recommend?"
"First, we must heal you. Then, I will carry you home."
My head begins to pound, like the pain was on a temporary leave of absence and is back in full form. I slump against my seat and close my eyes. Just for a moment.
I start awake at the sound of Darius calling my name.
"Shhh... " I hiss, not opening my eyes. "You're making it worse."
"Bernie, you need to look at me."
I really want vamp boy to back the hell off and let me sleep, but then I remember where we are and what just happened and my heart starts thumping aggressively against my rib cage, jolting me back to reality. "Shit. Okay, I'm here. You mentioned healing? Yes, let's do that before I lose it again. Do you have something like Rune's magic elixirs?"
Darius smirks. "Something like that. But it's more... direct from the source."
"Right, well, lay it on me. I'm ready to go home."
I expect the vampire to pull a vial of some glowing shit out of his pocket, like a normal magical dude. Instead, his eye teeth elongate and he brings his wrist up to his mouth and... bites!
"What are you doing?"
He offers me his blood, pulsing out of his vein, like it’s a delicacy.
"What am I supposed to do with that?" I ask, my stomach roiling in displeasure.
"Drink. It will heal you."
"Um, no thanks, I'm good. Plan B."
"There is no Plan B, Bernie. This is the plan. The only plan. We need to get you home, but not in your current condition." He stares at me, his dark eyes wide and pleading. "Now, drink."
I feel the compulsion and I smack him without thinking. "Don't you dare mind control me," I hiss. "That is against the rules."
"What rules?" he asks with all the arrogance of an eternal being of beauty and power who’s used to getting whatever he wants.
"The rules I put in place. I'm the queen of this castle, and what I say goes."
He narrows his eyes at me. "Fine, then drink before you pass out, you foolish, stubborn woman. Or do you want to leave Rain without her milk source and mother?"
"That's a low blow," I say, but I can't argue with him. Not about that. I would do anything for that little girl. Including, it would seem, sucking on some vampire blood.
Just as I lean in, I pause. “Wait, this won’t make me a vampire will it?”
“No. Our transformation ceremony is much more complicated.”
“Good,” I say. “I’m rather fond of the sun.”
Bracing myself for the grossest shit ever, I move my mouth apprehensively toward his bleeding arm, nervous about how his blood will taste, what it will make me feel… and how I’ll react to having my lips on his skin.
My mouth reaches the wound and I feel a drop of blood on my tongue. There’s not a strong taste to it, maybe a little bitter, but it’s thin like water and doesn’t have me gagging.
As soon as I swallow, I feel a surge ripple through my body. It’s like the feeling of getting goosebumps, but the bumps are in my veins. The rush flows to every part of my body, and as it reaches my head I feel the ache start to fade. Add this to the list of things to sell at the bar: Tylenol capsules filled with vampire blood.
“Do you feel better?” Darius asks, but the tone of his voice shows that he already knows the answer. I realize I must be sucking pretty hard on his wrist, but I can’t make myself stop. Every drop makes me feel better and gives me more energy.
Finally, the sexy vampire takes his arm away from my hungry mouth. “Enough,” he says with a playful smile. “I need to keep at least a little in my veins.”
He starts to pull his sleeve back down, but I notice a drop of blood trickling down his wrist. Before I can stop myself, I lunge at his arm, my tongue flicking out for that last drop of powerful blood.
Our faces are now inches apart. I hold his gaze as I lick my lips, savoring every molecule of his lifeforce. What started as an unappealing proposal has turned into an arousing endeavor, and I’m quite sure Darius feels the same way. Perhaps this was his plan from the beginning.
I’m already so close. I already tasted him.
What’s the harm in a little kiss?
No harm at all, he whispers into my mind, and before I can think another thought, our lips are touching, our tongues swirling around each other’s. It seems Darius has regained all of his strength since being overwhelmed by witch power, as he reaches around me and pulls our bodies tighter together.
His kisses are forceful but soft, firm but sweet. I run my hands through his pitch-black hair and over his neck, his smooth skin so intoxicating that I just want to touch him everywhere. I bite his earlobe as he moves a hand slowly down my side and then slips it under the waist of the back of my jeans. The feeling of his touch on my bare skin makes me nibble his ear almost too hard, so I move my mouth back to his.
He continues to rub and caress in all the right ways, and I find my hands undoing his pants and dancing my fingers along the top of his silk boxers. I break the kiss so I can look into his eyes as my hand starts to move under the waistband. He returns my stare with a fiery passion, and I know exactly where this “little kiss” is headed. If we weren’t in a car, our clothes would be scattered about the room and we’d already be under the sheets.
But we are in my car. My car that won’t start. Miles and miles from my home… and my baby.
As much as my body is screaming for this, it’s not right. My mind is elsewhere, and that’s where my body should be, too. Even if it means I have to stop touching the beautiful man in my arms.
Darius senses my hesitation, and it seems he understands the timing is all wrong. He also probably snuck in and listened to my thoughts.
“You’re right,” he says, his lips still brushing against mine, my fingertips still inches from their prize. “When we finish this--and make no mistake, we will finish this,” he says, his voice deep and hypnotic against my ear, “it will not be under such limiting circumstances. I will take my time memorizing every inch of you, playing your body like you play that piano, making you sing for my touch until you are begging uncontrollably.”
His words, the thrill of them, the feel of
him still pressed against me, does nothing to deescalate the growing need in my body.
And then, as if he knows just how aroused he’s made me, he pulls away with a smirk. “In the meantime, I will carry you back.”
He starts to retreat, but no way am I letting him get the last word. I pull him back for one last kiss, and as I claim his mouth with mine, I grab his hand and slide it up to my breast until he is arching against me, as full of desire as I am. Then I force myself away and try to put myself back together.
“Now your clothes are wrinkled,” I say with a wink.
When I emerge from my car, everything feels different. Not only are all my injuries healed, but it’s like I’ve gained extra senses. I can hear a night owl in the distance, its wings ruffling as it hunts its dinner. The sound of snow falling. The breathing of a small critter hiding in a log fifty feet away. It’s all overwhelming and I don’t know where to focus.
I look to Darius, wide-eyed. “Is this your blood or more of my grandmother’s power?”
“My blood,” he says, his gaze taking in my disheveled clothing.
Despite the cold, my cheeks heat as I think about how close we got to… everything. How close we will get again if either of us have our way.
Traditionally, it would be a bit too soon to explore these urges after giving birth. But I’m pretty sure the fae magic, vampire blood and… I cringe at the thought, but werewolf hair… have all done their part in getting my body to a better place than it was even before I got pregnant.
“You might notice… other side effects as well,” he says, and before I can reply or ask what he means, he literally sweeps me off my feet and into his arms.
There is no chance to talk as Darius begins to run. I would have expected it to be uncomfortable, bouncing around in his arms, but he’s so fluid, so graceful, it’s like we’re flying. The wind blows through my hair, snow collecting in it, but I don’t even notice the cold. My body is still hot from within, and with my face tucked in his shoulders and his arms gripping me firmly, it’s so very easy to get lost in the fantasies of what we almost did.
A Werewolf, a Vampire, and a Fae Walk Into a Bar Page 16