***
Be still my soul.
Be still...
Be still my racing heart. I wished I could at least cast some spell on myself to calm me down.
What was the good of being a witch if I couldn’t do anything like that to calm myself right the hell down.
Then again the type of shock I’d just received warranted something a little stronger than a spell.
Maybe a bottle of vodka and rum. A bottle of each, all of it.
It didn’t help me any that Abram had taken his seat next to me and Mr. Everything sat next to him along with the other two guys Abram introduced as his brothers from the Order of Raphael.
I didn’t hear anything else. Not a damn thing because Mr. Everything –I really needed to stop calling him that – was right in my line of sight and he’d made it his duty to look right at me and didn’t take his eyes off me.
Him staring at me, practically staring me down was so obvious that everyone around us would have to be blind not to see him.
Hot, and faint. That was how I felt, but I didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself.
The hall started filling up almost immediately with all manner of people and creatures I didn’t know.
I was trying hard to focus on what Abram was saying as each new person was seated but those piercing brown eyes prevented me from doing anything.
“Stare much,” Pru snapped.
It was only then that he stopped staring at me and switched his focus to her. His very sharp focus.
People who’d been seated looked on curiously.
“How dare you speak to me?” Mr. Everything asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
Pru straightened up and suddenly her eyes blazed with actual fire. Fire like the fire I’d seen in Eric’s eyes, except his was blue flames. Hers was scorching red hot flames that made its way all over her body.
It never escaped me that she’d come by herself to pick me up from the station last week when Eric and Ariyah dropped me off. With the fuss he’d made over me and the etherstone I’d expected an envoy of powerful magical beings and was definitely shocked to see a little woman no bigger than me in height and stature. Five feet four just like me and petite. Clearly, no mere being though because I’d never seen her look so pissed.
Mr. Everything laughed and simply snapped his fingers. In the palm of his hand came a ball of fire similar to Pru’s flame.
“Dear Prudence, testy much,” he taunted.
His voice...
It sounded the same as in my dreams.
He smiled revealing long sharp fangs that grew longer the harder he stared. My eyes widened and I swallowed hard.
He was a vampire!
Jesus.
What the hell was going on?
What the hell was this?
He was an actual vampire...
“You forget I’m the kind of vamp who loves all kinds of fire. Sunlight’s my favorite thing.”
“Order please.” Abram stood.
On his word Pru put out her flames and so did Mr. Everything.
While Pru focused on Abram, Mr. Everything resumed his staring at me.
It was a dream. Only a dream.
I must have the power of... something where I could dream up a person I’d never seen before. Had to be that. I just couldn’t figure out the part of why he was looking at me like he recognized me. He was looking at me like he actually knew me.
The same look of curiosity he’d given me that first night we met, in the dream. Except with a harder stare.
“Thank you all for coming,” Abram boomed. He had the kind of voice that commanded instant respect and he did.
Everyone looked to him as he spoke and he regarded them before him.
He looked like a leader in his tweed suit, white hair neatly cut, beard trimmed to perfection, and blue eyes framed with glasses that added to his intellectual appearance.
“The Coven of Shadows has always been upfront and open with each and every one of you. I take great pride in that, and the continual upholding of the laws and respect we hold dear. It is with that respect that we come before you today in this meeting we organized outside of our monthly get-togethers to inform you of something of great importance.”
Abram paused for a few seconds and the woman who looked like a larger version of tinker bell tilted her green hair to the side and it sparkled. She sat at the end of the table next to the head of the Lycan clan. I remembered that much.
“Well don’t keep us in suspense Abram.” She said. Her voice sounded like she was speaking through water.
“I apologize my lady. I have been in deep contemplation over how I’d deliver this message.” Abram pulled in a deep breath. “Last week we happened upon something truly spectacular. Two somethings. The first is this young lady you see sitting next to me. This is Gabrielle Donovan. Up until last week we did not know of her existence and she did not know about our world. She is a witch of the highest power and with her comes not one but two dragon shifter guardians.”
All at once everyone started to talk. Questions were all thrown at Abram. The astonishment in hearing his declaration threw everyone into a frenzy, and yet I still didn’t know what it all meant.
And still, Mr. Everything stared at me. His expression had however changed from mild curiosity to deep interest.
Unlike everyone else, he hadn’t said anything. He just looked at me. a playful smile danced on his lips. It reminded me of a cat playing with a mouse it was about to eat. Playing with it and watching it struggle to free itself.
“Silence please.” Abram held up his hands again. “I appreciate you all have questions. We have questions too and we’ve been trying to figure things out all week.”
“Why does she have two guardians?” Mr. Everything asked. It was the same question I would have loved to know myself.
“We don’t know. We are still looking into it,” Abram replied. “It’s one thing we are investigating. The other thing that happened is perhaps more alarming. Gabrielle came to us, but we also received an etherstone.”
That made Mr. Everything snap his gaze to Abram. In fact he actually twisted around in his chair and faced him.
Instead of the chatter that had spread through the room when Abram told them about me everyone was quiet.
I didn’t know much about the etherstone.
It and me, happened by chance.
“Those haven’t been seen for centuries,” the guy Abram introduced as the head of the lycan clan stated. “Are you certain of this?”
“We’re certain. It’s an etherstone.”
“Where was it found?”
“It was made.” Abram proceeded to tell everyone the story of the events that happened a few weeks ago.
Eric got the stone from his twin brother Caleb, who wanted to take over Pandir, the dragon shifter realm.
I was too busy dealing with my own debacle to really focus on what that all meant, but I knew that it was serious. Very serious. I didn’t need to know all these people knew about etherstones to guess that it was something that could be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands. I figured dark magic, dark essence, dark anything all sounded bad. So it was pretty serious.
“With all due respect Abram, I’m amazed an emergency meeting wasn’t called to deliver this news.” The lycan clan leader frowned.
“Lucian, I had to know it really was what it was,” Abram answered him.
Lucian’s frown deepened. “Then we should have done it together. You talk about being up front and open, but anything could have happened to that stone in the week that you’ve had it.”
“I appreciate and understand your concern.” Abram nodded. “I however took it upon myself as the leader of this council to investigate further. I trust that you have all trusted me to do such a thing and deliver the message to you when I have solid information. We know it’s an etherstone and we also know what that means.”
I looked at him.
What did it mean?
What on earth
could really be the right thing to do in this situation.
My goal was to find out who and what I really was, but I was also quite taken with this stone.
“I suppose you’ve already decided that.” Mr. Everything’s brother spoke and tucked his long blonde hair behind his ear.
I got the impression that this council wasn’t as together as they appeared to be. Like there was some resistance toward Abram’s decisions.
Other than a tour of the castle, the school on the grounds, introductions to the people who live here and worked here, I hadn’t really been given much to go on with the time that I’d been here.
“I have considered something that may be the best option. Yes.” Abram answered.
“And what is that?” Mr. Everything asked.
“I vote for the etherstone to be taken to the Shadowlands. We place it in the Cave of Endless Night and seal off its power.”
I didn’t know anything about the Shadowlands or the cave but it sounded like heavy stuff. Power sealed off meant it couldn’t do anything, but would that truly protect something so important.
“Why? Why there?”
“With the power sealed, no one can use it.”
“This is an outrage,” Mr. Everything’s brother sneered. “Placing it in the cave will do nothing for something that dangerous.”
“I’m inclined to agree,” Lucian jumped in. “Plus... what about the question we’re not asking about this spectacular gift?” His voice was heavy with sarcasm.
“What part is that?” Abram asked.
“I’m amazed you can ask that. Who made the stone for Caleb? And, how? Someone powerful had to have done it, and if so why?”
Abram shook his head. “No, I think this is a simple case of a man trying to take over a realm and finding the best tools to do so. Caleb’s intentions were very clear. He went as far as blocking passage to Pandir so his brother could not enter and ruin his plans.”
I understood what Abram was saying but Lucian had a point. I wanted to say that but I didn’t know if I was allowed to. Neither Claire, nor Pru, nor Juliana had spoken. The people with the most mouth was the vampires, Lucian and the fairy woman.
“I disagree. It’s off. Caleb is a mere dragon shifter. In comparison to some of the beings in this room alone he wouldn’t stand a chance. Who would help him like that by making an etherstone of all the things. What could they have wanted in return?”
“Lucian, I don’t believe it’s that deep, but I think we should think about it some more and come back in a few weeks’ time with a vote. Now that you all know about the stone, you can go explore the options you think are viable. I ask that you don’t share any of the information discussed today outside this room. Of course discuss it among yourselves, but for obvious reasons let’s keep this secret.”
“And what of the girl?” Lucian looked me over, eyeing me with suspicion.
It made me feel really uneasy.
“What about her?”
“She has not spoken.” He stared at me long and hard. “What are your powers?”
Great, what a way to make me feel worse.
“I don’t know.” My voice held a rasp to it from being quiet for so long.
“How can you not know?” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“I just don’t know. I’ve lived as a human all my life. Other than creating a fabulous advertising campaign for Nike and other sports brands, I can’t do much else.”
Mr. Everything chuckled and resumed the staring. I stared too. He was looking at me like I was lying.
“It’s pure coincidence that Miss Donovan and the etherstone came about at the same time. I see no relation between one or the other. Miss Donovan will learn the ways of the coven, same as any other witch and once she has she will have the freedom to decide what she does with her life.”
There it was, my path.
The path I’d chosen when I decided to come here.
I was twenty eight years old and this felt like college all over again.
Going to an institution where I would learn their ways. Except this was a long way from Brown University where I took my marketing and advertising degree.
Magic and spells awaited me. Witchcraft and sorcery.
And this thing with me having the most erotic dreams imaginable with a man I’d never met, who was a vampire.
It sounded crazy.
That was what was on my mind. That part, just that.
“Meeting adjourned,” Abram held his hands up.
People at the end of the table started to leave, some teleported, shimmering out of the room and leaving in a cloud of glittery sparkle.
With my handsome stranger eyes fixed on me I stood and walked out.
I was starting to feel like this was all too much. All of it, and just maybe I’d made the wrong decision in coming here.
It was a lot for my mind to process.
I got back to my room and just got to the window when a mass of darkness appeared before me.
I screamed and jumped back into the wall pressing against it as fright rippled through my body. Then I stilled, out of the darkness came Mr. Everything. Tall, dark, too handsome. He walked right up to me and surrounded me in the crevice of the wall with his hard body and mile wide chest.
A lock of his hair fell forward just like in the dream.
He looked me over with pure satisfaction, while poor me, I couldn’t breathe.
“Can I help you with something?” There was that rasp in my voice again. This time it didn’t come from keeping silent.
“Bad girl, you didn’t tell them.”
I looked at him, horrified.
That was what he said in the dream. He called me bad girl.
“Tell them what?” I wanted to know what he was talking about.
He cupped my face, paralyzing me with his touch. “About this.” He slid his fingers up my face and tapped at my temple. “You can walk the dream plane, just like me. Good idea... don’t tell them. It’ll be our little dirty secret. Our very dirty secret.”
My breath caught in my lungs.
Fucking hell, it wasn’t a dream.
It was real. When I thought of all the things I’d done with him in my so called dreams my soul shivered.
“Dream plane?”
He chuckled, and gave me a wolfish grin that made him look sexier.
“You really have no idea do you?”
“No.”
Coming here I didn’t know what sort of powers I had. This was it. I could do this, or that. Whatever that meant.
Walk on the dream plane. But, I’d been doing it for three months.
He leaned closer. “Shhhh.”
Closer and closer he came, running his hands down to my waist as he leaned in. Then he covered my mouth with his.
In the dream world he was always delicious to me, but this was something else.
God in heaven it was something else and I never wanted him to stop.
As the kiss turned hungry we really got going, kissing each other like we couldn’t get enough. Kissing each other like our lives depended on it.
This wasn’t me.
I never even kissed on the first date let alone kissed a man I just met like this. In this raw, hot primal way, pulling and tugging at his clothes while he covered my breasts with his large hands and squeezed.
I wanted nothing more than for him to take me.
He moved to my ear and licked at the skin then growled deep and low, turning me on.
“Tristan,” he whispered.
I brushed my cheek against his nose as I twisted to face him. “Tristan?”
“That’s my name, Gabrielle.”
I loved the way he said my name with emphasis on each syllable.
He pulled back and smiled, baring his fangs then retracting them when he saw the fear of God in me. He smiled even wider, clearly loving what he was doing to me. The mixture of fear and arousal that coursed through me made it difficult to hide. I was an open book and if anyone walked
in here now I wouldn’t have been able to act any other way than how I looked.
“Don’t be scared of me Princess. I won’t bite, unless if you want me to. See you later, in my bed, on your knees screaming.”
I sucked in a sharp breath as he touched the side of my face and in my mind I saw it. It was a truly erotic image of us. One comparable to what we were like in the dream world.
It was us, later.
Me on his bed, naked on my hands and knees crying out with orgasmic pleasure as he pounded into me from behind.
As my knees buckled, I gasped and pressed my hands to the wall to keep myself from falling over.
In that mass of darkness he faded before me with that sexy grin.
Faded, leaving me with my heart galloping. Racing a hundred miles an hour.
“What the hell?” I winced.
What the actual hell?
I didn’t know what the hell I was in for, or how I was going to deal with it all.
Later...
I should tell someone what was happening, tell them what I could do.
I could talk to Pru. I should... except the lure of this dirty secret tempted me.
I’d never felt such fire and passion before, and somehow I wanted it.
Even if it was wrong.
Chapter 3
Tristan
***
“This is all bull shit, fucking bull shit,” Ivan argued. He threw himself down on the leather sofa and growled.
He’d been mouthing off about the meeting since we got back. Both him and Virgil.
It was getting on my nerves. I got it, understood the importance of their concern, I just had other things on my mind.
Things...
Not things. A woman.
It was the story of my life, except she wasn’t any mere woman. And, not the type that I was usually taken with.
She was the woman who’d driven me wild for the last three months.
The woman.
Gabrielle... That was her name.
The one and only that had made me want her so badly I couldn’t contemplate seeing anyone else. Not anyone from the pick of the bunch I could have had.
Not anyone from the host of women who threw themselves at me on a daily basis. Women from the clan, women from other lands, other realms, everywhere.
Tempted by The Vampire Page 2