Moonglow: Blood Magic Book 2

by L.H. Cosway

  I felt like an intruder just being here in my cheap coat and scuffed boots.

  “Let me help you with that,” he purred as he removed my coat and placed it on the hanger. He removed his own and then led me through the long hallway. I glanced into one of the open doorways to find a study filled with bookshelves. I continued to follow Ethan as he brought me into a stylishly open plan kitchen, all polished metal and black marble surfaces. It was pristine, and I imagined mainly for show since Ethan didn’t have any real use for it.

  “Do you live here alone?” I asked, wondering how one person could need so much space.

  “Normally, yes, but Delilah is staying with me at the moment. She isn’t happy about it, but unfortunately, as a dhampir living among vampires, she is at risk. We’re going through uncertain times, and not everyone likes the idea of Delilah being allowed to remain on this side of the river. Especially now.”

  “Why especially now?”

  He shook his head. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

  I folded my arms and stared him down. “I don’t like being kept in the dark, Ethan.” Thanks to Finn, I knew there’d been a war, but I wanted to hear Ethan’s version of events.

  He appeared torn before walking over and opening a drinks cabinet. I wondered how often it was that he entertained humans. It probably wasn’t a common occurrence given the dust on the wine bottles. “If you really want to hear this, you might like a drink first.”

  He poured me a glass of red and led me into the living room. It was soft and comfortable where the kitchen was cold and sterile. We sat on the couch, and I took a sip of wine. It was delicious, but I didn’t expect to find cheap wine in a house like this, even if the owner never drank it.

  Ethan turned to face me, his expression serious. “When you departed, the animosity in this city grew substantially, resulting in a war.” He reached out, taking my free hand into his. “I won’t go into details, but just know it wasn’t pretty. My people were under attack, and I acted accordingly. I don’t enjoy killing but in this instance it was necessary.”

  “So, the north attacked the vampires first?” I questioned because this didn’t align with what Finn told me. He said the vampires had been furious and out for blood.

  Ethan frowned. “Does it matter?”

  “Well, you said you were attacked, so—”

  “If you must know, my people started the battles, but only out of anger over the north siding with Theodore, a man who murdered our governor in cold blood. The vengeance was justified.”

  “But you’re so much stronger than they are. It doesn’t seem fair.”

  “We’re stronger than the human slayers, but the witches and warlocks have magic as an advantage. They killed a lot of our people.”

  “And who won?”

  Ethan’s face hardened. “If you want to talk winners and losers, then I can tell you my people currently have the upper hand, but the conflict is still ongoing. Whitfield wants to take the territory on the north side of the river, and he’ll stop at nothing until he gets it.”

  “What about you? Will you stop at nothing?”

  A flash of remorse entered his gaze. “I’ll fight for the good of my people.”

  “There’s fighting for the good of your people and then there’s completely annihilating your enemy. If what you said is true, then you’ve already won. Why keep pushing to take over the north?”

  He shot me a curious look. “I should be concerned about you sympathising with my enemies, but then I forget you have friends in North Tribane.”

  “Yes, friends who saved your bacon against Theodore,” I reminded him.

  Some of the hardness left his face as he sat back, running a hand over his jaw. “I don’t want to fight with you, Tegan. This is why I avoided bringing up the subject. To be honest, I’ve been incredibly stressed lately, and I just wanted to spend some time with you and forget all the reasons why I should be worried.”

  Concern pinched at me. “What are you worried about?”

  “As I said, I’ve had to be extra vigilant and protective of my sister. There are a lot of angry vampires out there at the moment, and even though we’ve all but won the war, there is still hate deep inside of them as a result of what happened with Theodore. I’ve restricted Delilah from going anywhere at night other than the club and this house. She’s free to go where she pleases during the day, but still, she’s a headstrong woman and does not enjoy being told what to do.”

  “I can imagine,” I replied. “What about Governor Pamphrock though? Is he still in power or have the vampires overthrown him completely?” I already knew the answer, but I hoped this might lead him to mention Rebecca.

  Ethan exhaled heavily, like what he was about to say vexed him. “We’re at something of a stand-off with Pamphrock. He’s lost a lot of men, and he’s greatly weakened, but he continues to stubbornly hold onto the small amount of control he still has.”

  “And how do you plan to get him to surrender that control?”

  Ethan’s eyes flicked swiftly to mine, a grain of suspicion in them. “Why do you want to know?”

  I sat back and took a sip of wine, aiming for casual. “I’m just curious. Not that it really concerns me. I’ll be leaving soon anyway.”

  He didn’t look happy about that, but he refrained from commenting. A silence fell, and I continued sipping my wine. It really was too good to be owned by someone who was never going to drink it.

  Then Ethan spoke, breaking the quiet, “Jeremy has something of Pamphrock’s that he wants back very badly. I didn’t agree with him taking this … thing, but he is governor so I couldn’t command him not to do it. In any case, it is done now, and Jeremy has informed Pamphrock that if he surrenders his territory, he’ll return his possession unharmed.”

  My stomach twisted. When he said ‘possession’, Ethan was clearly referring to Rebecca. It was a comfort to know he didn’t agree with the kidnapping, but perhaps he could’ve tried harder to prevent Whitfield from taking her. The part of me that still had feelings for him wished he was completely uninvolved.

  “Do you disagree with Whitfield’s actions often?” I asked curiously.

  Ethan blew out a long breath. “My governor is over six-hundred years old. Yes, I am almost three-hundred, but the age gap is still vast. It means we view the world very differently sometimes. Still, Jeremy saved my life once when I was young, and I owe him greatly for it.”

  “How did he save your life?”

  Ethan’s expression clouded, like he was casting his mind far, far back and not exactly enjoying the memory. “I was less than a hundred and I was grieving for someone close to me. It was a very dark time in my life, and I wandered alone through the Letea forest in Romania. It wasn’t a forest I was very familiar with, so I was unaware that a magical family dwelled there. One of the witches caught and trapped me in a mangrove. She used earth magic to twist the tree roots around my limbs, pulling me under the water to drown. I was lucky that Jeremy had been stalking the family and managed to rescue me from the mangrove. I will always be grateful that he did.”

  I wanted to ask him who he’d been grieving for, but I sensed it wasn’t a topic I should prod him on.

  “I guess I’m grateful he saved you, too. Otherwise, we never would’ve met.”

  Ethan gazed down at me, his eyes trailing to my mouth. “We’re doing far too much talking tonight. Let’s try something else.” I stiffened when he took the wine glass from me and placed it down on a side table. I was about to protest when he lifted me like I weighed nothing and positioned me astride his lap. Just like that, all rational thought fled my mind.

  His large hands spanned the expanse of my thighs, and I hated myself for not stopping him. I was such an awful excuse for a human being. I was supposed to be getting information about a little girl, one I was now certain Ethan knew the whereabouts of, yet here I was letting my libido take the reins.

  “You have far too many clothes on,” Ethan murmured, his mouth b
arely an inch from mine. Our breaths mingled, and he closed the distance between us, placing a soft, barely-there kiss on my lips. I sighed, and his grip on my thighs tightened. His tongue slid into my mouth, and I gasped. A deep, masculine groan escaped him as he did away with my shirt and began unbuttoning the top of my jeans.

  I yelped when a cold, disgruntled female voice questioned, “What do we have here?”

  I practically leapt off Ethan, while Delilah, Lucas, and Eliza stood in the doorway. Delilah appeared dismayed, while Lucas looked highly amused, and Eliza, well, I got the sense that she wanted to rip my head clean off. Being almost two hundred years old and a vampire, I was certain she could do it. I reminded myself to avoid ever being alone with her as I quickly put on my shirt.

  “What are you all doing here?” Ethan asked, an edge to his voice. He clearly didn’t like being interrupted in his own home.

  “Delilah asked me to drive her back from the club,” Lucas replied. “And Eliza insisted on coming to see you.”

  “I was hoping we could spend some time together,” Eliza put in. “I hadn’t realised you were scheduled for a feeding tonight.” Her voice cut right through me, as did her honey-coloured eyes. They reminded me too much of her father’s.

  “As you can see, I’ve not fed yet, so if you all don’t mind—”

  “Go ahead,” Eliza replied, eyes flickering between the two of us. “I don’t mind waiting.”

  I glanced at Ethan, panic swirling in my gut, when he responded, “Tegan and I prefer privacy. Don’t we, Sunshine?” Words died on my tongue at the heated look he gave me. Ethan rose from the couch and stalked toward me. His eyes held mine as he stepped close and reached down, his knuckles brushing my stomach as he rebuttoned the top of my jeans. I flushed, having forgotten the button was still open. His eyes were hooded, never leaving mine as he seemed to communicate a silent message.

  We’re not done here, not by a long shot.

  “Well, as enjoyably awkward as this is, I’d better be getting back to the club,” Lucas said.

  “I’ll be in my room,” Delilah added.

  Oh, no way. I had no intention of being left alone with Ethan and Eliza.

  I glanced at Lucas. “If you’re going back to the club, then you can give me a lift.” I turned to Ethan, placing a hand on his chest. “I promised my friend Nicki I’d meet her there,” I lied. “But I can come back tomorrow, and you can, uh, feed from me then,” I said this last part for Eliza’s benefit.

  Ethan didn’t look happy about me leaving, but he clearly saw the danger of me sticking around now that Eliza was here. She’d expect him to bite me and no way was that happening.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he replied, placing a kiss on my cheek. Eliza sat, making herself comfortable on the couch, and I couldn’t help being annoyed by that. Ethan walked us out, and I climbed into Lucas’s car, strapping on my seatbelt. Ethan stood by his door, watching us as we drove away. Even though I didn’t enjoy leaving him with Eliza, I was glad to have a word with Lucas.

  “So,” I began, my voice brooking no argument. “Would you like to fill me in on what’s going on with Amanda?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t play the innocent. Her neck is covered in bite marks, way too many to be healthy. You’ve been feeding from her too often.”

  Lucas’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “That’s none of your business.”

  “Of course it’s my business. I’ve known Amanda for years, and she’s a sweet girl. She doesn’t deserve to be turned into some junkie.”

  “It’s clear that you think very little of me, but in this matter your assumptions are wrong. I’m not the one who’s been feeding from her. I’ve been trying to help her. I actually care for her a great deal, which is why I stopped using my compulsion on her early on. I told her what I am.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “You did?”

  “I wanted her to know the truth. She was scared at first but eventually came around. But then she became a little too enamoured with the whole thing. She wanted me to feed from her more often. When I refused, she threw a fit and went out to find someone else who would.”

  My stomach turned listening to him, and I started to see Lucas in a whole new light.

  “I promised I wouldn’t compel her again, and I couldn’t stop her from finding other vampires who’d do what I refused to. She went missing, but I found her a few weeks ago living in a blood den.”

  “What’s a blood den?”

  “Imagine a crack house for humans who are addicted to getting bitten. Anyway, I got her out of there, and despite my promise I had to compel her. I made her forget her addiction to being bitten and nursed her back to health in my apartment. So now she’s completely unaware that vampires exist, and it needs to stay that way.”

  He pulled to a stop outside Crimson, and silence filled the car.

  “I owe you an apology.”

  Lucas’s eyes met mine. “Yes, you do.”

  “Thanks for taking care of her.”

  “You don’t need to thank me. I introduced her to this world. It’s only right that I fixed the mess she ended up getting herself into.”

  I glanced out, noticing the long queue outside the club. “Right, well, I’d better get going.”

  “See you around, Tegan,” Lucas said as I climbed from the car and pretended to join the queue. The car pulled away, going around the corner to park behind the building. Once Lucas was gone, I left the queue and headed down the street toward a taxi rank. On the journey to Finn’s place, I thought of Ethan and who exactly he got his blood from. Was it a clinical affair, or was there intimacy involved? Judging from how Eliza didn’t seem too shocked by our compromising position on his couch, I suspected the latter, and a bolt of jealousy shot through me.

  I didn’t enjoy the idea of Ethan drinking blood from other women.

  When I arrived at the house I sensed that something was wrong before I even stepped through the door. Then I looked down and saw a puddle of blood covering the doorstep. Hurrying inside, I heard Wolf emit a high pitched whine as I entered the kitchen. Finn was sitting on top of the counter, his leg gushing blood while a young man bent over him, frantically trying to slow the bleeding. I dropped my bag to the floor and rushed over to them.

  “What happened?” I asked shakily.

  Finn glanced at me, his features pained.

  “I was tailing you and Cristescu when I was called in. Some of our men got into a fight with a gang of vampires and were outnumbered. Most of the slayers involved were new recruits with little experience, so I had to go help them.” He glanced at the young man who was holding a bunched up towel to Finn’s lower leg. The wound was just below his calf muscle. “Fucking bastards didn’t even bother using their fangs. They shot me,” Finn continued, letting out a sharp gush of breath.

  “The DOH has a doctor on retainer. He’s on his way now,” the young man said, addressing me.

  “How much longer will he be?” I asked just as a knock sounded at the front door.

  I went to answer it, letting in a grey-haired man in a tracksuit.

  “Where is he?” he asked, not bothering with niceties. I pointed toward the kitchen, and he hurried in. I followed and saw him quickly assessing the injury. Then he pointed to me and Wolf.

  “You two, out. This room is too small, and I need the space to operate.” Next, he glanced at the young guy whose name I still hadn’t gotten. “You stay. I’ll need an assistant.”

  Wolf padded behind me as I went into the living room and listened as the doctor worked on Finn. At first, there was nothing much to hear, then Finn let out a pained groan before it went quiet again. A few minutes later the young guy came into the living room and plonked down into an armchair, looking exhausted.

  “Are you a slayer, too?” I asked, and he nodded silently. He couldn’t have been more than eighteen, way too young to be putting his life on the line to fight vampires. Looking at him now, I had a feeling he was regr
etting his decision to join the DOH. He looked in shock, as though he was still processing what happened to Finn.

  He surprised me when he started talking, his eyes trained on his lap. “It puts it all into perspective. One minute you’re laughing and joking, and the next you’re being attacked and killed by vampires. Watching your friends die, seeing the life leave their faces.”

  He reminded me of how I’d been after I’d first seen Ethan kill those slayers, completely stunned by the unexpectedness of it all.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “That sounds horrific.”

  “I’m Danny, by the way.”

  “Tegan.”

  The doctor appeared in the doorway then, his manner all business. “Right, I removed the bullet and he’s bandaged up. I have to get going.”

  The young slayer went to check on Finn while I stayed in the living room, giving them a moment to talk. Wolf sat beside me. I petted his head, and he nuzzled his snout into my hand as though he needed the affection. I guessed he was a little traumatised after seeing his owner with a bullet in his leg. When I heard Danny leaving, I finally went in to see Finn. He sat on a chair now, his leg bandaged as he swallowed some pills.

  “Antibiotics,” he explained, and I nodded, taking the chair next to his. He grabbed the open bottle of whiskey that was sitting on the table and took a swig.

  “You can’t drink that when you’re on antibiotics, Finn.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “You want to play nurse, do you? Because I think I need a sponge bath.”

  “You should have become a comedian instead of a vampire slayer,” I said, rolling my eyes. “That way there’d be less of a chance of you getting shot.” I had a hard time admitting that seeing him bleeding like that had scared me. Finn might be annoying, but he’d somehow weaselled his way into my affections. When I glanced at him, his eyes were somewhere else. I had a feeling he was replaying the blood bath.

  “How many vampires were there?” I asked softly.

  “Five. We got two of them though; the other three scampered.”

  “I’m really sorry, Finn,” I told him, though I doubted my sympathy was going to make him feel any better about being shot.