Love with Fangs (The Witching Hour Series Book 1)

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  When I was in the lift, my legs were still weak. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and took a deep breath. My mind was intoxicated by his scent and the way he’d pleasured me. The past few times, he’d told me only what he wanted me to hear, but today, he’d pleased me.

  Roberto smiled when he saw me outside. On the way back to the office, I was calmer than usual, but the world around me had gone crazy. It was only the beginning of January and it would be a long time before I was going to see Nathaniel again. I gave the papers to my vampire colleagues and asked Roberto to drop me home after that.

  I dragged myself to Pilates after seven in the evening, then called Nicky and Ella to join me. It was time for them to hear what had happened today in Nathaniel’s office.

  "I have wine at home and I think we’ll need it after what I’m about to tell you both," I said when we got into Nicky’s car. Her husband was looking after her kids tonight.

  "Does this have something to do with Mr. La Caz?" Nicky asked, giggling.

  "Who is La Caz?" Ella asked.

  “I’ll fill you in at home,” I answered. “Please, I need a drink first."

  My apartment was nicely warm when we arrived and once I started explaining everything to Ella from the beginning, she looked angry. When I got to everything that went on in Kent and in his office, both my friends’ jaws dropped.

  Ella was staring at me like someone had just slapped her. Nicky was laughing so hard that she couldn’t breathe. I gulped down the first glass of wine.

  "After all this talk, he called you to his office and then went down on you?” she repeated. I wasn’t embarrassed, not in front of my friends I’d known for years.

  "Yes, he wasn’t trying anything else. He just did it and then I left."

  "I can’t believe you haven’t even said anything about him. What the hell?" Ella jumped up like she was ready to leave.

  "I didn’t tell you because after that dinner, I was never going to see him again. He told me he didn’t want a relationship," I said, getting irritated.

  "What are you going to do about him?” Nicky asked, arching her eyebrows. “There is obviously something going on between you two, and now you’re going to this posh dinner with him."

  "Nothing. I’m not going to contact him—he can call me if he wants anything more than a fuck buddy. If not, then I’ll go to this stupid dinner and that’s it." I shuddered, pouring more wine into my glass.

  Ella was marching up and down through my living room, then she stopped and knelt beside me. "This is it, Julia. He’s the one. Can’t you see the fates are putting both of you together? You have to call him."

  "Oh, please, Ella, he wants to have sex with her. He’s seducing her, giving all the right signals, and then he’s going to leave her." Nicky was saying what I was trying not to think: stay away from vampires; it had all gone too far.

  "Nicky’s right. He doesn’t want to date me; he wants to sleep with me. He always gets what he wants, Ella. He isn’t husband material."

  "Maybe you’re wrong. He took you out on a proper date, introduced you to his father, and then today, he gave you an orgasm. He’s into you."

  I was shaking my head, but the tiny voice in my head wanted to agree with Ella. Nathaniel mentioned he wouldn’t just leave me, but he couldn’t give me what I wanted.

  "So, how was it?" Nicky eyes were gleaming.

  "How was what?"

  "The bloody orgasm!" she shouted. I went scarlet. I knew she wanted to know the juicy details.

  "The best of my life,” I whispered. Ella was staring at me, shocked, and after a moment, they burst out laughing.

  “Well, then, you have to introduce him to your parents over dinner. I’m telling you, he’s the one for you.” Ella was certain Nathaniel was my Prince Charming come to life.

  I looked at Nicky; she wasn’t laughing anymore.

  They left me just after ten o’clock. I curled in my bed, thinking about this odd day. I fell asleep, not knowing whether I would ever be able to get away from Nathaniel La Caz.

  The next few days dragged by. Since the mind-blowing orgasm, Nathaniel didn’t try to contact me. This whole situation was confusing and still remained unresolved.

  This week, I was working late shifts with Monica and Adele, my vampire co-workers. Rufus was sorting out the office in Bristol and we hadn’t heard from him for about a week or so. Dad called me midday to find out whether I had noticed anything suspicious. There had been two more kidnappings in the city, and I was pulling my hair out with frustration when he said that he still didn’t have anything new on Claudia’s case. I was going to mention Ella’s mysterious bites, but he had to hang up because Mum came home. Sometimes, it was frustrating that he had to marry a human. It was hard not telling her about our magic and other paranormal creatures that were around. And there were times, I really wanted to confide in my mum.

  Nicky called me during the week, asking whether I’d heard any more from my half vampire. She was equally disappointed when I told her that I hadn’t.

  "If he tastes your blood, then it will be over between you. If you want to avoid a broken heart, end this sooner rather than later." I took her advice to heart. He hadn’t called or texted me since our unexpected evening in his office.

  I tried to stay busy at work because I didn’t want to think about him.

  After placing an advert for the Wand Maker, I shortlisted two great candidates. The employer emailed me, expressing interest in seeing both of them. So, on Friday evening, I was making a few phone calls to try to stay on top of everything. I became restless thinking more and more about Nathaniel. I mean, was it that hard to pick up a damn phone? His mixed signals really threw me off and constantly made me second guess myself.

  Monica had started using the Lucrative Shot produced by La Caz Pharmaceutical and I was curious to know how she was feeling.

  "I no longer need blood. The shot helps me to control my thirst, but if a nice human were to come along and offer himself to me, I wouldn’t say no," she explained while we were finishing work. It was close to four in the morning and I was looking forward to the weekend. I wasn’t sure why, but I was angry that I let La Caz get to me so easily.

  "Yes, I get that. This is supposed to stop vampires from feeding on humans, but it’s all about personal taste," Adele said, licking her lower lips.

  "Can you guys close down? I’m going to leave now." I stood from my desk, grabbing my things. I didn’t want to listen to them. They were talking about him, not intentionally, but still, I was already in a bad mood today.

  "You’re going early?" Adele asked with disbelief, narrowing her eyes. "You never leave early. Do you have a date or something?"

  "No, I just need to go home. See you guys later." I gave her a faint smile. When I was outside, I took fresh air deep into my lungs. The streets were deserted and dark heavy clouds were hanging above me. I only had thin tights on and it was freezing cold. Roberto didn’t know that I’d finished early, so I knew he wouldn’t be waiting for me. I hated that I had to rely on a male to get home safely. I hated that these fairy and elf kidnappers were out there somewhere, and my father couldn’t catch them.

  I started walking towards town, hoping to get a taxi. My feet were heavy, and I wondered if I should just sleep at my parents’ house. Mum was probably cooking something delicious and I was fed up with beans on toast.

  "Julia, wait! I’ll walk with you."

  I turned around to face Jasper who was approaching me. He was wearing a suit with his best coat that I’d bought him for his birthday when we were still together. I felt myself shaking, staring at my stalker ex-boyfriend who wasn’t even supposed to be here.

  "What the fuck, Jasper! How many times have I told you I don’t want to see you? What are you, deaf?" I yelled, remembering what he’d done to that poor troll a few months ago. It felt like magic was creeping up my spine.

  “I’m still responsible for your safety, Julia, and this vampire that you’re dating now—"

&nb
sp; "Don’t you dare, Jasper. Don’t you even fucking dare go there. I’m a free woman and I can date whomever I want."

  A blue flame escaped through my hair. I didn’t see it, but I felt it. He laughed, not taking me seriously at all. He was holding his magic wand.

  “C’mon Julia, he isn’t for you. I’m the one who will make you happy. I’ve seen you with him, the way he looks at you; it’s like he’s imagining a big, fat juicy steak."

  This was enough to make me mad. I screamed, and then all my pores opened. A burst of energy shot through my body and knocked Jasper off his feet. He wasn’t ready for this, so he landed around a hundred metres away from me.

  I walked up to him while he sat there coughing and spitting. He was fine, though, maybe overwhelmed by my unexpected power. He’d always underestimated me, purely by the fact that I was just an elf who didn’t know how to control her magic. Tonight, I showed him that he should have never started up with me.

  “Stay away from me, Jasper. My father will be after you sooner or later," I said through gritted teeth. "And next time, you won’t be so lucky."

  I started walking away when an unknown power tangled my feet and I crashed to the ground. I had the metallic taste of blood in my mouth and heard Jasper stomp towards me. He knelt beside me while I lay motionless on the ground.

  "You won’t get away with this. I use dark magic, and can crush your little leech boyfriend with one finger." I heard Jasper’s voice spinning in my head. But I wasn’t sure what happened, or how I wound up on the ground; the only thought going through my head was the extent of his power. I’d misjudged him because I was always convinced he would never hurt me.

  "You left me, but trust me; you will never get rid of me. I’m the only one for you."

  He stood up, and then he was gone. I was lying on the wet street. My lip was cut. When I managed to lift myself up, I started shaking.

  "Miss Taylor, are you all right?"

  It was Roberto; he rushed over and helped me to my feet. I looked around, but Jasper was nowhere to be seen. I sucked my bruised lip and cursed. I should have expected that. He’d seen me with Nathaniel, so I should’ve known it would only be a matter of time before he’d show up.

  “I’m okay, just a little bruised." I inhaled air that was still filled with dying magic. My clothes were damp. I told him where to take me and on the way to my parents’ house, I called my dad. I had to be careful because I didn’t want my mum to know what had happened to me. Jasper had years of experience with dark magic, and he was still stalking me.

  Roberto kept glancing at me in the mirror, but I sank down in my seat and wondered about my next step. It was nearly half past four in the morning when my dad got into Nathaniel’s car.

  "Julia, are you all right, hon? What are you doing in this car?" I didn’t let him finish because I hugged him tightly.

  "It was Jasper, Dad. He made me angry and I blew up," I said. "He’s been following me. We broke up ages ago, but I don’t think he’s ever moved on. You need to have a word with him to leave me alone."

  In the darkness, my dad’s blue eyes contracted with anger, and the air around me thickened with his energy. I didn’t want to get my father involved, but Jasper was powerful, and he was still obsessed with me.

  "How long has this been going on?" He asked. His eyes were fixated on Roberto, who was sitting in front.

  "I don’t know. He’s been following me for months, but I didn’t want to worry you."

  "There was another case like this that was brought to my attention a short while ago, but I dismissed it. I will take care of this, Julia. By the way, why are you in this limo?"

  I exhaled and looked away. I couldn’t tell him about Nathaniel. He wouldn’t understand, and officially we weren’t in a relationship. I didn’t even know what we were doing together.

  "A friend is doing me a favour, that’s all. He just wants to be sure that I get home safely."

  That was a lame excuse and we both knew it, but Nathaniel La Caz was a man who wanted me and couldn’t commit.

  "Whatever, Julia. I guess you’ll tell me when you’re ready. Just be careful because creatures who can afford cars like this are more dangerous than you can imagine."

  "I know, Dad, I know."

  When I got home, I went straight to the shower. My lips were swollen, but I just applied some cream and went to bed. I wasn’t upset because of what happened between me and Jasper. I was upset because I hadn’t heard from Nathaniel. He obviously cared about me, so I didn’t understand why he wasn’t here with me.

  Chapter twenty-two

  Penny for your thoughts.

  My alarm woke me up around three o’clock in the afternoon and when I rolled out of bed to shower, I felt even more exhausted than yesterday. I had a text message from Rufus asking me how things were going with La Caz Pharmaceutical. I decided to reply to him later. I wasted some time watching crap TV and browsing the Internet. I went to the office later on in a cranky mood.

  As it turned out, my two candidates for the Wand Maker position were unsuccessful. One turned up for an interview in jeans and a T-shirt; the other one had so many issues, the employer wouldn’t even consider him. Finally, at half past ten in the evening, I was able to make myself a cup of tea and relax. Then my private phone rang.

  "Hello?" I knew I shouldn’t answer a private number.

  "Julia," said the smooth voice on the other end of the line. I recognised him straight away. Joy filled me.

  "Nathaniel, what a surprise," I said, my voice uneasy. Jennifer glanced at me with confusion.

  "Are you all right? Were you hurt yesterday?" There was a little tension in his voice.

  Like he cares whether I’m fine or not.

  "Why are you calling, Nathaniel? You didn’t seem too interested in the past few days, so why now?" I repeated my question, aware Jennifer was listening.

  He sighed. "Answer me, Julia. Is everything all right with you?"

  “I’m fine."

  "What exactly happened?"

  "Jasper and I had a little chat on the street. He didn’t like that I didn’t want him back. I got a little ahead of myself with my magic, so then he decided to give me a taste of one of his spells," I explained, wondering if he really was worried about me.

  "I see. Your ex-boyfriend has a reputation among creatures I know," he said. "Just make sure you’re careful. As you probably know, there have been more kidnappings in the city. Roberto will be at your disposal. I will take care of your ex-boyfriend."

  "What are you doing, Nathaniel? I think you need to end this, before I get hurt. You’re calling me after all this time because you heard from your chauffeur that I was attacked? What about our little arrangement, and my poor cousin?"

  This time, I didn’t care that the whole office stopped working and everyone was staring at me, listening in on my conversation. I needed to establish what was going on. This couldn’t just continue forever, plus, he promised to find the person who was snatching fairies and elves off the streets. He didn’t respond straightaway; maybe he was hesitating over what he wanted to say next, or maybe he just couldn’t answer. I was holding my breath, waiting; so were Jennifer and Alexandra.

  "I told you, Julia. I’m not good with what you call relationships, but I was worried about you. I’m sorry I didn’t call. I was preoccupied."

  "Preoccupied?" I hissed, parting my lips with anger. "Well, then, I need to go, because I’m also preoccupied. Goodbye, Nathaniel.”

  I switched my phone off and slammed it on the table, covering my face in my hands.

  You knew exactly what would happen and you still let him play with you.

  "Julia, look at me," Jennifer said with an unusually serious voice. I lifted my head and looked at my work colleagues who were staring at me, frozen. "Why are you talking to Nathaniel La Caz?"

  "Because we’re sort of dating," I breathed out.

  "Shut up, you cow!" she shouted, standing. "How is that even possible?"

  "It’s co
mplicated, Jennifer. You don’t want to know."

  "Of course, I want to know. Has he been stalking you since that meeting?" she asked, not letting go of the subject. I sighed and tossed my hair behind my back.

  "We went out a few times, and he keeps saying he wants to make this work, but I’m not sure. He’s a vampire, so I can’t expect that he’s going to change for me."

  Jennifer stood and walked up to me. I saw pity in her eyes. "I don’t know how to tell you this, Julia," she began, biting her lip, “but I saw Nathaniel on Sunday and trust me, he wasn’t alone."

  "What do you mean?" I asked, swallowing hard. She hesitated but didn’t have to finish because I knew what she was going to say next.

  "I was in Delux, a nightclub for paranormals, and I spotted him almost immediately. He was with a woman, and they weren’t hiding. They were practising French kissing; I don’t know what kind of creature she was, because they were sitting too far from me."

  My brain registered only part of what she said, but this news hurt me more than I expected. I shouldn’t have expected anything from him. He was the hottest vampire I’d ever known, and he was also rich. I pushed away the magic that started boiling inside me and rubbed my sweaty palms.

  "Anything else?"

  "They left together after an hour or so," she added quietly. "Oh, Julia, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. There were rumours going around that he changes women often. He was even seen with a fairy, but he goes out with vampires most of the time."

  "It’s not your fault, Jen." I said, barely opening my mouth. The warm feeling of disappointment spread throughout my stomach.

  "Julia, he is an arse, a player who fucks anything that moves. Please just leave the sinking ship before it’s too late."

  "I won’t be seeing Nathaniel La Caz anymore." I rose and straightened my trousers, feeling like the biggest idiot on the planet. I had to finish this. Jennifer was watching me, worried. Alexandra was still confused, and she made a few attempts to get back to her filing.

  "I don’t think we’ll be busy today," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. The energy inside me was building up dangerously. “I’m going to take a taxi to La Caz Pharmaceutical and tell him to go fuck himself." I picked up my bag and my mobile. Jennifer’s jaw was hanging open. My fingertips inflamed, and I burned the door handle. "And if Rufus calls just make something up. I won’t be long."