The image dissipated before my eyes, leaving me more confused than before his appearance. Maddox stood before me in an apparent state of confusion. Tawana continued with her orders. My mind geared up and went into overdrive. I replayed the words spoken to me over and over. Nothing made sense. Only one person held the answers I needed; however, I had no way to get to her. Braelynn hated me for what happened to Brock.
“Maddox, now is not the time to talk about why I cut off communications. Let me finish up with T.”
“Why not? I don’t get you.”
“I am fucking dangerous to you.”
“Allow me in. Tell me why you feel like that,” Maddox begged while he closed in on me. His hands touched my body. Tingles swept over my body. I wanted him, but I was scared to be with him.
“Not now.”
Maddox darted away.
“Maddox,” I yelled.
He never stopped.
My heart ached, for I wanted to be with him, but my brain screamed of the dangers.
“Di, what the hell is wrong with you?” Tawana asked breaking my concentration.
“Nothing, sorry.”
“Divana Gail, do not lie to me. I have known you since we were babies. Believe me when I say I know when you are fibbing.”
“Just worried about getting you home before Huck has a shit fit. That’s all.”
“Bullshit. You are madly in love with that vampire back there and not because he saved your life. It is true love. Holy cow. Now you know what I feel for Huck.”
“No. What you feel for Huck is nothing…I mean, he beats you in order to keep you at home. That’s not love.”
“You don’t understand. We like kink. This potion doesn’t keep him from hitting me, it just reins in the angry from crossing that little grey line. He goes too far without this sweet juice. It helps with his erection problems.”
“What? You like being beat?”
“Yes. The feeling you get from being bitten is the feeling I get from being punished.”
“Holy smokes you are into BDSM?”
“That is right, now you know my secret.”
“What about the mistress?”
“That is an issue I am pissed over. He broke the contract when he cheated on me by fucking her. You know she’s a teenage stripper from Bottoms Up?”
“No. That problem will be solved shortly.”
“Good, now back to your feelings.” Tawana knew I had changed the subject. “It’s time to let go and fall again.”
“I must do something first. It will help me let go.”
“Di, don’t go alone. The witch hunter is still after you. How ’bout you and I go tomorrow?”
“Okay. Tawana, the first witch hunter was killed so I wonder who this new one is and who he works for.”
“Killed? I thought the authorities said it was a suicide,” she pondered.
“Yeah. I think you are right. Either way he’s dead,” I added to keep her from sniffing out my secret.
A week after Brock’s funeral, I gathered intel to hunt down the man hunting me. Upon arrival, the man who attacked me answered his penthouse door drunk off his ass. I pretended to be the escort he hired to make him feel better. He made my mission so easy. While he stumbled around the apartment, I conjured up an energy ball. “Let’s shower together. It allows me to clean your puss. Eases my mind on cleanliness,” he muttered out. We walked into the bathroom.
He stumbled into the shower, hitting his head on the tile. I watched him turn the water on and wash himself. When he turned to offer me a hand, I hit him with the electric ball. His body shook while it fried. In order to keep my prints off anything in his house, I slipped on some gloves. The muscular man’s body slumped down into a pile of dead weight. I added a radio to the shower. On the dresser in the other room I left a magically written suicide note.
“You know I haven’t figured out why another hunter is after you. I mean, someone else must be behind all of this if after all this time another hunter’s been hired to take you out.”
“T, I will take you tomorrow to the mausoleum for Brock. End of that topic. Now, I want to finish this block to help you with your situation,” I talked while glancing back toward the cooler to check on Maddox. I prayed his abilities were still too weak from being a newbie and that he wasn’t able to be eavesdropping on my conversations. “I need you to add a pinch of this to the water in front.”
“What is this called?”
“A witch cannot tell all her secrets,” I zinged back. She laughed and followed directions. Once the boiling liquid popped with a color change, I instructed Tawana what to do next. “Pour this onto the baking sheet.”
Maddox reentered the kitchen with a pan full of cut-up bear meat perfect for bear stew. My heart sank while he offered it up as a truce. “Meat for my lady. I am sorry for earlier. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to push. Apparently there is more to you than you’re ready to tell me at this point in our relationship. I am finished with the bear for now. While I was here talking to Tawana, I noticed you are low on firewood. In order to allow you and her ‘girl time’, I am going cut some wood for us.” He kissed me on the forehead.
“Wait, you need to be careful. There is a search party out looking for the human Maddox. Stay close. You have super senses, use them.” I knew I didn’t want to come across as any more of a bitch than I already had.
“Honey, I am going to cut nearby. I will be right out there chopping the downed trees into blocks,” he stated while pointing out the window. “You will see me. Please allow me to get fresh air.”
“Fine. I will have a special supper for you when you come in.”
“Thank you. If I don’t see you again before you leave, it was nice meeting you.” He offered Tawana a hand shake. She just nodded. Maddox nodded and walked out. I observed the muscles in his ass while he exited the door.
Tawana screamed out, and I pivoted around. A white fog rose up from the liquid when it hit the pan. The greenish liquid formed a huge block before me. Perfect. “The color will change as the block forms. I promise.”
“Good thing. I don’t want to eat anything that looks like pea-green shitballs.”
I dropped most of the pan of bear meat; luckily it went into the boiling water.
“Sorry.”
“That was funny, shitballs? Pea-soupy shitballs?”
“Stop it, Di, or I will spill this liquid all over the floor.”
I turned my attention back to the third pan. A sleeping spell I needed to conjure up. After placing in the items needed, Tawana and I had a drink. Ten minutes of gossip about everything other than Maddox and the feelings brewing between us.
Once I finished my glass of tea, I went over to check on the huge block. It was ready. I cut into it and scooped up a piece to give to T. She took it when her cellphone dinged.
“Got to run, thanks for all the stuff. I will use this per instructions.” Tawana blew me a kiss and waltzed out the door.
Chapter Six
Divana
In order to stick to my plan of retrieving the cases of Blood-O-Ritas by myself, I had to get Maddox asleep and with night approaching, I was afraid it might be nearly impossible. I added another dash of sleeping powder to the mixture. Before Maddox returned from the woods, I fixed him a meal fit for a vampire king. A bowl of steamy bear stew sat in front of me and a bowl of bloody soup for him. The clear block was placed alongside the soup.
Maddox entered the house. Once he noticed the food, a smile appeared on his face. “A woman after my own heart.”
“Really? Vampires have a heart?”
“I don’t know about others, but this one does.” He walked up to me, planted a kiss on my lips, and whispered, “it only belongs to you.”
“I didn’t own it before we…”
“Don’t. You are the only person that has ever owned it. Aaryn and I were a couple, engaged to be married, but with you it’s different. I’m not sure how to explain it. Yes, I loved Aaryn,” he said wh
ile fidgeting his feet. His head was bowed. “There is a huge difference in how I feel about you. I’d die for you. Not sure I’d do that for her.”
“Stop. I understand. For me, it is a feeling I’ve never felt before, but you have to realize the last man who caused my heart to skip a beat died protecting me.” I placed my head on his chest, and he hugged me tight. “I don’t want to lose you like I did him. I just can’t put you or my heart in that position again.” Tears raced down my face.
His hand rubbed up and down my back in his way of trying to console me. “Let’s eat while the food is hot. We can discuss all this later. You know, pillow talk.” He escorted me to my seat, pulled it out for me, and pushed it under once I sat down.
“Okay,” I responded. I placed my napkin on my lap while he sat down. “I made a special soup for you. Brock told me about it when he lived with me. Shit, there I went again. I didn’t mean to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Mention his name.”
“Listen, Di, I understand. He was a part of your life. It’s okay to speak about him, just not dirty bedroom secrets.” He looked up at me with a Cheshire cat-style grin plastered on his face. “What is in it?”
“Blood-O-Ritas mixed with a few spices to make it tasty without losing the blood you need. I used cornstarch to thicken it up. The block beside the bowl is to help with much-needed nutrients.” A lump formed in the top of my throat. I swallowed it down in order to continue. “The drink is missing some vitamins and minerals which was lost in the making process.”
“Makes sense. One reason I’ve fallen in love with you is because you’re a loving person. Being a witch is extra.” Maddox scooped up a spoonful and slurped it up.
After finishing up with our warm soups, we cleaned up the kitchen. I washed the dishes while he dried them.
Maddox walked out to fetch a few arm loads of freshly chopped wood, and then stacked the wood up nice and neat. “I am feeling a bit sleeping. Your food has me wanting to take a nap.”
“Think I will join you,” I added.
The two of us finished up and walked hand in hand to the bedroom. Maddox lost his pants, I crawled in bed, and we got comfortable. His arms wrapped around my body. Heat radiated off his body so I felt nice and toasty without having to find covers.
“Divana, I love you. For you are my witch,” he whispered.
A snore exited his mouth within seconds of his confession. I contemplated on telling him I loved him while he slept, but thought better of it. Uncertain on how deep his sleep was, I chose to lay there and enjoy the snuggles. My mind raced back to Brock, the witch hunters, and that awful night.
Maddox rolled over and released me from the bear hug. I checked on him and confident he was asleep, I slipped out of bed. His body remained still. Several minutes passed while I stared at the sexy vampire in my bed. My heart broke when I remembered feeding him the memory block. Maybe it was for the best. Racing out the door, I stubbed my toe on the door jamb. I cursed under my breath like a drunken sailor leaving a bar after returning stateside. No movement from Maddox had me going on with my plan. I needed to get the cases of Blood-O-Ritas.
On my way down the hall I grabbed a spell book off the shelf. With the witch hunter on the prowl, I decided to cast a face-changing spell. I knew I had all the ingredients needed. After flipping through the book in haste, I decided to find another book which contained more spells than the small one I first snatched up. The first face-changing spell had me worried. It only lasted for an hour; I feared it would take me longer than an hour.
The pages turned on their own to another spell which was called ‘Another face for a new place’. At the bottom of the page in small print a note read, *This spell will not change your scent, you may want to use this with another spell. This had me thinking.
A flash of red in my vision gave me a great idea. My red cloak covered in wolf’s bane would keep me from being tracked. I prayed and hoped the wolves were sleeping during the late afternoon hours. Instead of casting the spell right away, I raced back to my bedroom to find the red cloak hanging in the back of the closet. Snatching it up, I turned to see Maddox. His muscles were so pronounced. My first instinct was to crawl onto him, but I chose to get leave him peacefully sleeping.
I walked out and down the hallway. Noises of animals working hard outside delighted me. If I played my cards right, I’d be alone in this cabin without fear until springtime. Winter was on its way. I proceeded to the pantry. On the top shelf sat a spray bottle. The contents within was what I needed; wolf’s urine. After removing it from the shelf, I sprayed the contents on the cloak.
The smell gagged me, for wolves were nasty smelling creatures. Not to mention the fact the liquid came from a female wolf in heat. Trying to get my focus off the grossness of nasty wolves, I focused on the spell to change my looks.
With this special piece of lace
I paint on a new face
To go to another place
Only to return when in my space.
The skin on my face twisted and pulled all over the place. Minimal pain radiated out to places I didn’t realize could hurt. I tried to wiggle my nose, but everything felt different and funny. Out of fear, I ran my hand over my face and found nothing unusual. Against my better judgment, I waltzed to the bathroom to glance at myself.
A beautiful woman with a small tear drop tattoo placed under her eye stared back at me. I smiled. She smiled. Perfect white teeth glowed.
“The glow is from you, not her,” a voice rang out from behind me. He stepped to the side. Brock stood in a grim reaper outfit; clearer than before. “That man makes you happy. Return the favor. I heard you were thinking about erasing his memory of you. Don’t.”
“Too late. Already done. I cannot put him in the same place I did you.” His head lifted, allowing me to stare into his gorgeously warm seafoam-green eyes. “Don’t give me your puppy dog look. You know it makes me melt.”
He blinked. When he opened his eyes, nothing but pure dark chocolate stared back at me. “I hide the true color of my eyes so I don’t look so sinister. Build his trust up again. Make him fall in love with you again. If not, your fate will be one of darkness. I saved you once, I cannot save you again.” He disappeared.
What the hell does that even mean? Damn it, Brock. Why are you pushing me to be with Maddox so much? What am I fucking missing?
I glanced through the open doors to see Maddox sleeping. My heart skipped a beat for a moment. A tug at my heart strings came when I remembered his last words to me. Deep down, I knew I felt love for the man before me, and I had fucked up by feeding him the block. Emotions of rage overcame me. I slammed my fist down on the marble counter top shattering it into pieces.
Divana, you must go get his food supply. Move on. You are capable of changing the outcome. All you have to do is make him fall in love all over again. Use your diagnosis as a tool. That, along with your blood, will lure him in. Your very own love potion.
The words Brock spoke hurt but rang true. I wanted the love to be real and not because my blood sparked a chemical agent which triggered a vampire’s sexual drive into overboard. To hell with it. I raced out of the bathroom to the kitchen. Once there, I wrapped the red cloak covered with the scent of wolf around me. This better work. Without looking back, I headed off in the direction of the safe house.
The woods contained more than a normal amount of shadows for the time of day it was. An eerie feeling fell upon me. My nervousness caused my body to shake and my mind to wonder about doing this. To save his life, I had to do this. Pushing back my fears, I pulled the hood over my head and began my journey.
Crackling noises from squirrels gathering nuts off to my right eased my mind. As long as they gathered food, no danger lurked in the shadows.
Out of nowhere, Huck approached me. “Why I have never seen you around these parts? Are you lost?”
Why is he wandering in this area of the forest? T is always suspecting things. I wonder if he is on the hunt
again. These parts? Who does he think he is? King of the forest?
“No, just on a hike in the forest. Watching animal love. You? What’s a half-dressed man doing in the woods alone?”
“I live here, honey.”
“Oh, so you’re like some kind of lumberjack, then?” I prayed he didn’t pick up on who I was.
“You smell like a horny wolf. Where is your den? I’d love to see what your hole is all about.”
“Go fuck off, creep,” I screamed out knowing Tawana was close.
“Huck! What the fuck are you doing?” Right on cue, she rounded the corner with a sourpuss look on her face. “We, as a family, are gathering up supplies for the winter.”
“Excuse me, now. I shall be on my way. Alone!” I pushed my way past them.
Crack. Knowing my best friend like I did, I knew she had slapped him across the face for making a move on me. Not looking back, I continued my journey to Ambrose’s cabin.
I looked around the cabin for anything to be out of place. Once or twice I glanced back over my shoulder. The intuition bug crawled inside me and alerted me to something being off, but I couldn’t zoom in on the reason. Pushing back all the bad feelings, I unlocked the door with my personal key.
The living area remained the same with the exception of the wagon full of cases of Ambrose’s specialty drinks. Brock’s cologne still lingered in the air. I untied the cloak, pulled it off, and draped it across the back of his chair. Images of the past peaked out from the dark, back corner of my mind, one in particular. Brock helped me out of this very cloak. He tossed it onto the same chair as I did. My hair was moved to the side while his lips ignited a fiery path down my neck. Clothes were ripped off. A smile crept on my face until I found an envelope on the coffee table. I made my way over to the couch and plopped down with the item in my hand.
Sweet Nectar Page 7