by Helen Bell
When he opened his eyes, mine jerked up to his. Finally.
“It’s good progress, but you’re not ready yet.” His words squashed my excitement. With a smooth movement, he got out of bed. His nakedness didn’t seem to disturb him as he stood in front of me. Too close. I backed up a little, swallowing. Had the temperature in the room risen?
Resisting the need to fan myself, I said, “But I’ve done every mental exercise you gave me, and I managed to have zero thoughts in my head for more than two hours, so yeah, I—will you please put some clothes on? It’s … it’s inappropriate.”
An eyebrow lifted. “Like entering someone’s bedroom without knocking?”
“I already said I was sorry,” I told him.
He turned around and headed to his closet, pulling out a white towel and wrapping it around his waist.
“Thank you,” I said. “Anyway, if you ask me, I’m ready. I feel it. I know I’ll be able to protect my mind in the future, especially after all that training. I’ll just empty my head and push Ancients’ compulsion out.”
He glided back to where I was and, on its own accord, my gaze dropped to his bare chest and lingered for way too long before returning to his face. I wet my lips.
His blue eyes burned into mine while a tiny smile played on his lips. “You like what you see?”
Ugh! What an arrogant jerk. I opened my mouth to tell him he wasn’t nearly as hot as he clearly thought he was. “Yes, you have a gorgeous face and a body to die for.” My eyes widened as the filter between my head and mouth ceased to work, and words started to spill out. “Your body is a masterpiece, and your face … You look like a fallen angel. I want to touch, lick, and explore every inch of—” Horrified, I slapped my hand over my mouth to shut the hell up.
“Still convinced you can block the compulsion?” he asked, amusement lacing his voice. That he could do compulsion didn’t surprise me. It did, however, piss me off to no end.
“How dare you get into my head and put those … those words into my mouth.”
“Those words are all yours, not mine. I simply prevented you from lying. I said the compulsion in my head, so you didn’t hear it.” He passed by me and stopped at the doorway. “You have a lot of work ahead of you, but you’re ready for the next step. I’m going to take a shower. Go get dressed. We’re leaving in an hour to visit a friend of mine. Unless,” humor sparkled in his eyes, “you prefer to join me and do some … exploring.”
I scoffed. “When hell freezes over.”
He laughed and walked into the bathroom—alone.
Soon after, in jeans and a sweater, I came downstairs. His hair damp, Gideon was already there, a black leather jacket over a black shirt and dark jeans, leather boots on his feet.
“Time to go,” he said, and we headed out to see his friend.
The ride was short and before long, he parked in front of a bookstore. A woman met us at the door. She was stunning, dressed in a gray pencil skirt with a white silk button-down shirt tucked in at the waist, and black heels. We stepped inside the store, and a bell chimed. She flipped the sign on the door to “Closed.”
Wooden floorboards creaked beneath our feet as we followed her, passing pine bookshelves with old books that filled the room with a musty smell. She unlocked the door behind the vintage shop counter and flicked the light on.
We entered an office, and she moved to a desk in the corner, placing her keys on it, near a computer, then turned to face us. Her lilac hair was long and wavy, gathered at the nape, her eyes bright green, her mouth a cupid’s bow. The skin was smooth and perfect, though not vampiric perfect. Looking at Gideon, she grinned, and the vibe I got was that they were more than just friends.
“You forgot to mention she’s human,” she said. Her gaze flicked to the tattoo on my hand. “And infected with dark magic.”
Gideon stepped closer to her, an apologetic expression on his face. “I know, much more difficult. But I’ll be in your debt.”
The two dimples decorating her cheeks deepened. “Yes, you will be.” She neared him and stretched her body up to reach his face. Her plump lips touched his mouth for a brief kiss, and then she regarded him with narrowed eyes, as if he wasn’t reacting to her affection as usual. Her eyes moved to me and back to him. “Oh … I see,” she said and backed away from him, her mouth crooking up in a little smile.
See? See what? Did she think something was going on between Gideon and me?
Instead of correcting her very wrong assumption, he said, “Audrey, it’ll mean a lot to me if you do this.”
She waved a hand in the air. “Don’t be silly, G. Of course I’ll do it. Leave her here”—she pointed a manicured finger at him—“but don’t expect miracles.”
“I knew I could count on you.” He leaned down to kiss her gently on the forehead, and then handed me a BFB pill. “Don’t forget to take it at seven a.m. I’ll come back tomorrow night to check in on you.”
“Tomorrow night? But …” My voice fizzled out when a whoosh of air brushed my face and he vanished from the room. I sighed and turned to her. “Um, just so you know, my relationship with Gideon is strictly professional.”
She chortled as if I’d said something funny. “Girl, the spike of jealousy in your eyes after I kissed him says otherwise.”
“Jealous? No, I was not.”
“It’s okay, I don’t mind. There wasn’t anything serious between us, just casual sex.” She leaned her backside against the desk, crossed her ankles, and clapped her hands. “All right, let’s begin with an introduction. I’m Audrey, an illusionist, and you are Sydney, right?”
“Right. Uh, clueless human over here.” I motioned at myself. “What’s an illusionist? Like a magician?”
“Close, but no,” she answered, and suddenly, green grass replaced the floor. Birds emerged out of thin air, flying around in the room, which was morphing gradually into an exotic forest. My mouth opened, and I gasped when a ray of sun touched my face. The sound of a waterfall filled the space, and colored butterflies moved between tall trees. Speechless, I spun in place, inhaling the scent of damp earth mixed with pine resins and wild jasmine.
“An illusionist is a witch who masters the art of creating magical illusions,” she explained. “We’re experts at mind rendering, as well.”
I stilled, and my eyes went to hers. “You can read my mind?”
“If I wish to, yes,” she said, and at once the forest disappeared, bringing back the office. Right then, the door behind me flew open. Gideon? I gulped air. He was naked!
“W-what’s going on? Why aren’t you dressed?” I asked, my eyes going large. He glided toward me, and his hand caressed my jawline. My skin tingled beneath his touch. Then, he started to fade away like smoke evaporating into the air.
“And your deepest desires too.” Audrey’s voice was playful.
My cheeks burned. “Get out of my head!”
“Technically, I’m inside your soul, not your head.”
Confusion wrinkled my brow. “What?”
“It’s not like compulsion. To manipulate or read someone’s mind, an illusionist witch uses the human’s soul. An Ancient, on the other hand, gets straight into the human’s mind,” she said and went to sit behind the desk. “The soul and the mind are connected, so if you want to learn how to resist compulsion, you must first know how to protect your soul from intruders like illusionist witches. That’s what Gideon’s asked me to teach you.”
I raised a hand. “Let me get this straight. Anyone who can protect their soul can resist compulsion?”
“No,” she answered. “Resisting compulsion requires full control over your mind and soul. The human mind is a powerful tool, not like supernatural beings’, but still. Your mind has the ability to create a strong force around itself and the soul. Gideon’s taught you concentration through deep meditation. It’s the first step before learning how to reach and feel your soul in order to protect it. This is where I come in. After you’ve learned that, Gideon will continue
his training. But I gotta warn you. As a human, you’ll have your work cut out for you, and it’s not a sure thing that in the end, you’ll know how to shield your soul.”
“It’s okay; Gideon already told me that I may fail despite the hard work,” I said, and then wondered, “Are vampires naturally immune to illusionists?”
She shook her head. “Those who are immune, mainly Ancients, have gone through hard training. It’s a skill: either you have it, or you don’t.”
Gideon was a powerful Adult, and her magic was probably useless against him, but maybe he’d shared some personal details about himself, like what kind of vampire he was.
I sat in the chair across from hers. “What’s the story with Gideon?”
She reached around for her handbag hanging on the chair’s back and pulled out her cell phone. “Gideon? Oh, he’s an enigma. Wish I knew. He’s not much of a talker, tends to keep to himself. Plus, he’s immune to my powers, so I can’t get into his soul.”
Gideon had used compulsion on me. It was an indication he was not like other Adult vampires, but I wanted to be sure, so I asked, “Is he really different from other Adult vampires?”
“Yes, he is. Don’t know why, though.” She tapped the screen of her cell then put it to her ear, looking at me. “I’m starving, and it’s gonna be a long night. I’m ordering a pizza. You okay with pepperoni?”
I nodded and waited until she finished the order, then asked, “How’d you meet him?”
She put down her phone and settled back in her chair. “Every witch at fifteen must go through a test that assesses his or her personal attributes. If the witch has a tendency for illusion powers, they can apply for the prestigious Magic Academy. I got in, and six years later, on the night of my graduation, I went out to a bar with my girlfriends to celebrate. After a few beers, I spotted a dark-haired hottie sitting alone in a booth across the room. He was too gorgeous to ignore, so I walked over to talk to him. Halfway to his booth, I realized he was a vampire. My mother always warned me to be careful around them. They’re dangerous creatures, but I was curious, especially about Euphoric Bites.”
“Euphoric Bites?”
A look of surprise covered her face. “He never gave you a Euphoric Bite?”
“Hell no. Why would I let a vampire bite me?”
“’Cause when they draw blood from you, it’s …” her voice died away as she searched for the right word to describe the feeling. “Intimate. A sensual, erotic experience. And a Euphoric Bite is …” she sighed dreamily, “wow. Orgasmic. Ecstatic. It’s in their fangs. They all have two kinds of substances. The vampire can use the first, called Erasure, in two ways: as a roofie, making you forget he or she has ever bitten you. Or as sexual pleasure—provided the vamp knows how to cancel the roofie effect and turn his liquid into an orgasm inducer while it’s in the mortal’s bloodstream.
“It’s a damn shame most of them don’t know how to do it. The process takes a lot of energy and concentration out of the vampire and requires special skills that, like I said before, you either got it or you don’t.” A lopsided smile tilted up a corner of her mouth. “Girl, if Gideon offers you a Euphoric Bite, don’t think twice—say yes.”
Her cell rang, and she picked it up. It was the pizza delivery guy. He was outside, so she went out to him. After a few minutes, she came back with a pizza box. The smell of cheese filled the room and watered my mouth. She returned to her seat.
When we started eating, I asked, “What happened next with Gideon at the bar?”
She chewed and answered, “I reached his booth and took a seat across from him, but before I uttered a single word, he blew me off, saying, ‘I’m waiting for someone. Perhaps another time.’ I stood up, and as I stepped away, I saw a woman walk up to his booth. She was a demon.”
My eyebrows shot up. “A demon? As in, evil spirits possessing humans?”
“Demons are an ancient race, not spirits,” she explained.
Another species? Great. As if vampires, fae, and witches were not enough.
“What do they look like?”
She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “They’re a humanoid species.”
“Are they dangerous?”
She nodded fast. “Very. Particularly when they need to feed. They eat the souls of humans and witches. If they’re not under a time crunch, they prefer to suck it over the course of a week or more. The unfortunate victim dies slowly and painfully. It’s an excruciating way to go.”
A chill slithered up my spine. “Why, aren’t they a ray of sunshine.” I let sarcasm roll out of my mouth and finished my slice then grabbed another one. “Why was Gideon meeting a demon?”
“Demons and vampires don’t exactly get along, to put it mildly,” she told me. “So I wondered the same thing. I went back to my girlfriends, but I watched Gideon and the demon, and eventually I formed a theory. Demon blood is addictive to vampires, just like heroin is to humans, so I thought maybe the demon lady was selling him her blood.
“I was fascinated, so when they stood up and moved together toward the exit, I followed them outside and into the alley. I hid behind a Dumpster, and then suddenly someone caught me by my throat and pulled me out. My mother always warned me that vampires were super fast, but damn, I wasn’t prepared for Gideon’s speed. I tried to use my powers against him but it was futile. He didn’t have a wall surrounding his soul; he had a fucking impenetrable fortress. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. As I clawed at his hand around my neck, he kept asking me who I was working for: Heather, Damon, or both. And why an illusionist was working for demons.”
“Who are Heather and Damon? How could Gideon tell you’re an illusionist?”
“Supernatural beings can sense one another. Damon is the demon king. A seriously powerful demon. Unadulterated evil, cruel, and sadistic. The gorgeous princess Heather is his daughter. Her nickname? The bitch from hell. Some say she’s worse than her father and even more powerful. She’s ruthless. The stories I’ve heard about her …” She shuddered. “You really don’t want to get on her bad side.
“Anyway, Gideon assumed I was working for them, and he was ready to kill me. I was so scared.” There was a glimmer of fear in her eyes as if she was reliving the moment. “Come to think of it, you don’t want to get on Gideon’s bad side either. I don’t know how, but somehow as he tightened his grip on my neck, I managed to explain that I was not a spy. I told him that I was just a twenty-one-year-old illusionist witch celebrating her graduation. A mortal. I asked him to confirm my story with my classmates at the bar. Thank God he believed me, or else I wouldn’t be alive.”
“But why would he assume you were working for the demon king and his daughter?” I asked.
“The demon in the alley was Heather’s minion. She was there with Gideon to provide him with valuable information about her masters, Heather and Damon. Since I suspiciously had followed them, Gideon was afraid they were on to her and that they’d sent me to spy on the demon,” she answered.
“Why did the demon betray them?” Weren’t vampires supposed to be her enemy or something?
“Because she loathed Heather even more than she hated vampires. The demon king, by the way, badly wants Gideon dead, but I’ve no idea why. Gideon never talks about his past or himself. Anyway, after that night, we actually became friends. He even taught me how to tail someone properly.” She chuckled, a warm expression spreading across her beautiful features.
“You care about him,” I said.
“I do care about him, a lot, but not romantically. I’ve known him for four years now, and we both preferred to keep it casual between us. He had his own reasons, and I had mine. I like my men less complicated, and Gideon is … well, a complicated, Outsider vampire with too many secrets.”
“Outsider?” I repeated.
“Oh, I forgot you’re a newbie to the Hidden World. In vampire society, ten days after the Change, Newborns are given two choices: be part of them or be an Outsider. If you choose the first option, you have
obligations like paying taxes, following the vampires’ laws, et cetera, but in return, you get the protection of your Ruler and the vampire police. If you pick the second option, you’re on your own. It’s the Wild West out there for you. All crimes committed against an Outsider are unpunishable, at least by the Ruler. The culprit won’t be brought in front of a Ruler to be judged. He or she won’t be killed, forced to compensate the victim, or thrown into prison,” she replied.
“And Gideon chose to be an Outsider.” Why?
“He did, but I wouldn’t lose any sleep over him; he can take care of himself. Believe me,” she said as she leaned forward to close the empty pizza box on the desk. A necklace with a carved dragon pendant swung forward.
I nodded at it. “It’s beautiful.”
She touched the pendant. “What, this?”
“Yeah, I like it.”
“Thanks. My aunt gave it to me for my sixth birthday. She’s so superstitious. I assume you’ve never heard about the seven dragons, right?” I shook my head, and she went on, “Dragons are magnificent beasts. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot we know about them. One of the few things we do know is that they maintain an unchangeable ratio between good and evil on Earth. They make sure our planet will never be populated with only bad people or good people. There’s a certain balance the dragons keep.”
My mouth drifted open, my face slack with shock. “Whoa, hold on a sec. Dragons? You mean like the big beast spitting fire? Dragons are real too?”
“Yes. According to the textbooks I read at school, there are seven of them in different colors: red, blue, gray, gold, purple, black, and white. Whoever tells you they have seen a dragon, they’re probably lying to your face. Dragons can take a human male appearance, and they will never be in their true forms near us.”
“How do they keep the balance between good and evil?” I asked, still stunned.
“Whenever it’s disturbed by having more people do good deeds than bad or vice versa, a dragon will receive a magical list. It contains random names of good and bad people, including supernatural beings. Then the dragon shifts into a human form to reap their souls. That’s why the seven dragons are called the Soul Reapers.” She fingered her pendant. “It is said that if you wear a necklace with a carved dragon, your name will never be on their list, but it’s just a superstition. There is only one thing that can keep you off their death list: consuming five drops of the red dragon’s blood.”