Black Magic Rose

by Jordan K. Rose

  “This meeting is adjourned until the interrogation team has a report.” Dr. MacDuff brought his hands together, motioning for everyone to exit the room.

  Sofia stood.

  “Sit,” Dr. MacDuff said. Sofia froze at the harsh order. Dr. MacDuff closed his eyes for a moment. “Please stay, Sofia.”

  She sat and watched as only the vampires left. All but Dragomir and Noelle. The wolves remained.

  “Joachim, you have yet again disagreed with the decision of this Board,” Dr. MacDuff said.

  Joachim strained under the hands of Osgar and Rick. He twisted his head to peer down the table at where Sofia and Dr. MacDuff sat. “You have what you want.” His cold stare centered on Sofia. “All that matters is pleasing The Master.” His gaze locked with Sofia’s. “Remember, your life is his.”

  A cold hollow pit opened in Sofia’s stomach and fear rippled through her. She bit back a scream. Her life was her own. It had to be. From the corner of her eye she watched Dr. MacDuff. He sat unmoving, watching the action across the room.

  Taking his attention from the scene unfolding in front of them for one brief moment, he glanced at Sofia. His cold, harsh stare didn’t linger, nor did it tell her anything about what he thought. As quick as he looked at her, his attention snapped back to the men at the opposite end of the table.

  Sofia waited for what would happen next, terrified of how this would end.

  Joachim fought to break free of his captors, growling and clawing at the table. Osgar and Rick jerked him to his feet, holding him to face Fergus.

  “We know you spend time with a known Bas Dubh sympathizer. That you’ve attended meetings.”

  Joachim’s eyes widened for a second, then his lips curled back and an angry growl ripped from his chest. “Kiernan is right. We are supreme. We should not hide in the darkness while weaker beings control our fate.” His jaws snapped and he attempted to lunge for Fergus. “Bas Dubh will take control. Kiernan’s plans have already begun. Soon The Alliance will be no more.”

  “Take him down to the cells. Chain him in silver and leave him to wait for Laurent. We’ll learn what we can then dispatch him.” Fergus turned his back to Joachim.

  Joachim’s eyes bulged in his fur-covered face. “I will not be mind fucked!” He thrashed against Osgar and Rick, who yanked him off the ground. “Fools! He’ll only use you for his own benefit. We’ve been pawns for Jankin’s desires.” His screams were cut short when Dr. MacDuff’s intense stare caught his eye.

  Their gazes stayed locked together for several minutes until finally Dr. MacDuff broke the connection. The somber, intense expression could not mask the fury ravaging within him.

  The dazed look left Joachim’s face, replaced by terrified recognition. His focus left Dr. MacDuff and he gaped at Sofia.

  Through all the energy levels pulsing in the room she felt horror emanating from Joachim. At the same time a savage rage rolled over his energy, swallowing him. Sofia followed the flow to its source. Her gaze met Dr. MacDuff’s blazing green eyes.

  As if from thin air, Dr. MacDuff drew a sword and thrust it into Joachim’s heart. “Fool. No one takes what is mine.”

  Sofia swallowed the scream rising within her. Dr. MacDuff was no different than the others. He might even be worse.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tea sloshed from Sofia’s cup. She couldn’t stop her hands from trembling. They more than trembled. They shook like a can of paint being mixed at the hardware store. She tried to put the cup on the countertop but ended up breaking it against the Formica.

  Tonight she had watched four killings…murders…executions. Whatever they were, she didn’t care. The fact was she’d been forced to watch four people die.

  “I want my old life back.” She used a dishtowel to push the glass and spilled tea into the sink. It might not have been the greatest life, but at least no one got hurt and she was able to fit in.

  This worrying about big secrets like vampires and werewolves only made life much more difficult.

  “There’s no going back,” Dragomir said.

  She glared at the kitchen window. He stood outside the house, leaning against the wall, occasionally glancing in at her.

  She still hadn’t acquiesced to letting any vampires into her house, and she’d revoked Dr. MacDuff’s invitation as she was leaving Cader. Actually, she’d done something she’d never, ever done. Too shocked and afraid to tell him face to face, she’d called him from her cell phone as she drove. Neither the talking nor driving had been a good idea, but she refused to allow anyone not human to get into a small space with her so she drove herself, followed again by Dragomir driving Osgar’s monster truck.

  “Stop eavesdropping.”

  “You opened the window and asked me a question. I thought we were still conversing.”

  She had done that. Of course, his response was what made the shaking worse. Apparently the occasional death at board meetings was not unusual. If this was the case, why in God’s name had Dr. MacDuff asked her to attend? He knew she was not a fan of violence. He had to know death involving swords, werewolves, and vampires fell into the violence category.

  It was going to be virtually impossible to change the culture of this organization regarding workplace violence if board members killed each other at meetings, especially if the head of the organization was leading the pack.

  She was completely out of her league. She did not belong with them. She belonged in a nice company where everyone respected each other, and nobody got killed as part of the disciplinary process. There was no point in talking to Dr. MacDuff. He couldn’t understand her perspective at all. She’d simply look for other employment, find another suitable job and then if Dr. MacDuff wanted to send someone to stand guard outside her new job, so be it.

  “That’s what I’ll do.” She reached for the bottle of coconut rum in the cabinet and had to use two hands to steady it enough to get it to her mouth. She didn’t often drink and never straight liquor, but this was a different situation that called for drastic measures. Liquid courage. She gulped a couple mouthfuls and ended up coughing and wheezing and trying desperately to swallow away the burning sensation running from the back of her throat straight to her belly.

  Dragomir watched. “Do you think that will sharpen your skills tonight?”

  “Shut up. I’m taking the night off. Go sit in the woods or in the truck. Just leave me alone.” She swiped her sleeve over her mouth.

  He nodded. “If you think that’s the best use of our time, fine. However, I suggest we practice. You need to learn to disengage yourself from situations.”

  “I’d like to disengage myself from this situation. Got any suggestions?” She took another swig, then breathed out, expecting to see fire shoot from her mouth.

  “Your best bet is learning to sense trouble and how to get the hell out of the way before it finds you.” He stood square in front of the window. He’d tied his dark hair back at the nape of his neck and moonlight lit the left side of his face.

  He had the darkest eyes, well, eye. Sofia squinted at him. She couldn’t exactly see both, though she knew plain and well they were the same. Two of the darkest eyes she’d ever seen. He was clean-shaven tonight and the cleft in his chin looked very inviting. Her hand twitched, ready to touch it, to just graze her finger around his chin and along that line, then down his neck to his chest.

  She bit her lip.

  Dragomir cleared his throat.

  Her eyes snapped up from the middle of his chest, where the first buttoned button lay below a dark swirl of hair.

  His eyebrows crept upward. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were just undressing me with your eyes, Ms. Engle.”

  She glowered at him. “I most certainly was not.” The next swig of rum went down fast. It didn’t taste that bad anymore and barely burned.

  “I’m fairly certain that sort of behavior would be in direct violation of your Sexual Harassment Policy.”

  “I was not harassing you, not un
dressing you. Not at all.” She turned away from him, fumbling for the cap.

  “Not that I’d mind you doing that sort of thing, though truthfully, I’d much rather you did it in person, not in your imagination.” His voice held a clear note of amusement.

  “For your information, I was not undressing you and second, it is not harassment if the recipient is not offended by the behavior.” She took one last sip before capping the bottle and smacking her lips.

  “Well, then I’m not harassed, but I am intrigued. Did you stop at my shirt or did you have my pants off, too?” He smiled.

  “I was not undressing you.” Sofia stomped to the door. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  Of course, now that he thought she had some sort of interest in him, which she most certainly did not, she’d need to be on her guard. Everything she’d ever read about vampires, the ones in horror novels and romance novels, indicated they were all sneaky, doing everything they could to get their prey. She was nobody’s snack. She pulled on her sweatshirt, licked her rum-flavored lips, and marched out to learn how to disengage.

  Disengage. I’ll disengage him. Damn vampire.

  Dragomir was, after all, dead, and since accepting the actual, real existence of vampires and werewolves, Sofia had added them to the list of men she did not date or do anything else with either.

  Unable to see him, she stood in the driveway staring into the darkness. Shadow man. She shook her head. Show off. She closed her eyes and inhaled. His scent wafted on the breeze all around her. The woodsy scent of clean, crisp air and soap. His bold presence emanated from the side of the house near the kitchen window.

  Sofia opened her eyes and saw him. He still leaned against the wall, a luminescent outline surrounding him. He wasn’t wearing his duster tonight, just a white shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and jeans with combat boots. Even as a shadow he looked delicious.

  The longer she watched him, the sharper her vision became. The top three buttons on his shirt were open. His arms folded over his chest, and for whatever reason, it made his shoulders look broader than she recalled.

  Her gaze wandered lower. His shirt was tucked into his jeans, which appeared to strain against the muscles of his thighs. She wished he’d turn around so she could see if they were having the same trouble on the backside.

  She hated to admit it, but he was the type of man she liked. Muscular, tall, broad. She guessed he’d have a nice ass. She sighed. And his eyes—they were like none she’d ever encountered. Thoughtful and deep, like they hid the answers to every question she could ever think to ask.

  The first time she’d met him in Fergus’s office, she nearly fell into the depth of those eyes. She’d felt him size her up and would have, should have reported the incident to Dr. MacDuff. But she hadn’t. Because she liked it. The way his gaze lingered on her face as if he was seeing a woman for the first time felt so good. She’d noticed him focus on her lips and the way his tongue slid across his own, like he was thinking of tasting her, made her nearly melt. When his attention wandered lower, she hadn’t felt at all violated. In fact, he was so tender, so interested, she couldn’t help but turn a circle for him.

  She’d been sized up many times over, but no one ever made her feel like he did, like she was special and beautiful. Not even human men had done that.

  She bit the inside of her cheek hard, drawing blood and pulling herself back to reality. She would not fall prey to some dead guy with vampire magic. She wouldn’t no matter how damn handsome he was.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? Attack me.” She widened her stance in anticipation of the assault. She’d show him about disengaging.

  When he didn’t move, she stood up straight, jammed one hand onto her hip, and used the other to wave him over. “Some time tonight.”

  He remained at the window.

  Sofia tapped her foot impatiently.

  He watched her. He was doing it again. That annoying thing he did when he simply waited for something to happen. He did it all the time. Stood there, melting into the landscape like the invisible man, waiting, sizing up his surroundings.

  It was irritating. Sofia was not the stand-around-and-wait type. She liked to get to it and be done with it so she could move on to the next event.

  “Fine.” She marched up to him intent on provoking him. However, her newly acquired night vision was not honed enough or maybe it was simply to narrow. She didn’t notice the leftover logs from her fire pit as she barreled at him. Her foot caught on one and down she went.

  This time she didn’t land on her ass. Instead Dragomir moved. He caught her before she hit the ground, arms around her, cradling her against his chest.

  “Whoa.” The first thing to register about her situation was not that he’d moved or that she’d tripped, again in front of him, or that her arms and legs had begun their transformation into gelatin. Instead, she noticed how quickly his heart beat beneath her hand, the one that had managed to land flat against his chest, inside his shirt.

  She pressed her palm to his skin, and the beating sped. Her fingers caressed the hair tickling her skin, and his grip on her backside tightened.

  She glanced up at him. His gaze was focused on her and once again warm. His chest rose and fell with more rapid breaths than she’d previously noticed. He licked his lips. She bit hers as the desire to kiss him swelled.

  Would it be so bad to kiss him just once? Then she could say she’d done it, kissed a vampire and that she hadn’t enjoyed it and she wouldn’t recommend it and she could swear them off for good, having just cause to make such a finite decision.

  His head dipped toward hers. She swallowed. Her legs had given out. She couldn’t decide to avoid this even if her life depended on it. She was staying in his arms unless he dropped her down on the ground, and if he did, she’d stay there, unable to drag herself to the house and wishing he’d kissed her.

  She tilted her head back and his lips brushed hers. Soft. Warm. She parted her lips. His tongue slid between them, and she welcomed him. She removed her hand from his chest, sending it up and around his neck.

  Her other hand stayed put, holding onto his bulging bicep. Hard. So big. Sofia’s mind went blank save for one thought. Dragomir. He was the only thing she could consider. Wanting him. To hold him. Touch him. Kiss him. To…

  Not one other thought came to mind. She couldn’t remember what she’d been doing before this kiss or why she’d ever wanted to do anything else. All she knew was she had to have more of him.

  She managed to will her legs out of their goo state and with a little lift from him she wrapped them around his waist. His hands cupped her ass, squeezing and kneading and pulling her closer to him.

  She delved deeper into the kiss, crushing her mouth against his and exploring every inch. She finally broke the kiss when her back hit the side of the house and he pressed his hips into her.

  “Oh,” she moaned. Her breaths were so heavy she could barely catch them.

  He kissed her lips, her cheek, her ear, then her neck. The feel of his warm, wet mouth tugging on her skin drove her nuts. She writhed against him, knowing she was about to lose it. “I…I…oh…”

  “Let go, Sofia. Come for me.” His low voice, softer, sexier than anything she’d ever heard drove her over the edge.

  She dropped her head against the wall and cried out, “Oh God” as the wave of ecstasy washed over her. She squeezed her legs around his hips and pumped against him, moaning for more.

  His mouth came to her neck once more, his tongue working the skin. Soft suckling sounds alternated with her moans, and the feel of his mouth tugging on her skin brought tears to her eyes.

  The low rumbles vibrating from his chest sent zings of excitement through her breasts. His muffled groans of pleasure pleased her. He enjoyed her, wanted more. She held his head to her neck and ground her hips into him.

  “More. More,” she begged.

  His mouth came to hers and she felt his fangs. His tongue delved deeper. Sofia thr
ust her tongue into his mouth, wanting him to taste her, to have her. His fangs pricked her tongue and tiny pangs of pleasure shot through her. She cried out.

  He broke the kiss, threw back his head, and growled. The sound echoed around them.

  When finally their moment of pleasure ended, her head drooped to his shoulder. Dragomir propped his head against the house. His slowing breath puffed against her neck. His hands held her firm against his body. They stayed like this until her senses returned, until she was able to realize she had not only kissed a vampire, she’d dry humped him, against her house, begging for more until she came. And worse than all of that? She’d loved every second of it.

  She scrambled out of his arms, awkwardly tumbling out of his grip in spite of how he tried to keep her from falling.

  On my ass again. Leaves crunched beneath her.

  This time she got to her feet on her own, completely embarrassed by her behavior. She didn’t bother to look at him, just spun on her heel and ran back toward the house.

  “Good night.”

  She slammed the door shut behind her, locked it, and raced up the stairs to the shower.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “What the fuck?”

  Dragomir paced back and forth behind the house for three hours. The lights had gone out twenty-two minutes after she’d run into the house. Twenty-two minutes and fourteen seconds to be exact. Not that he purposely monitored her so closely, but that was the exact time the lights went out.

  Did I just…? I did. “What the fuck?” He marched back toward the woods.

  How was he going to explain this? How was he going to tell Jankin what he’d done? He raked his fingers through his hair for the hundredth time, then down over his face.

  “Damn it.” His hands smelled like her. His hair smelled like her. His entire body smelled like her. “Damn it!” He glanced toward the house to be sure he hadn’t wakened her with his shout.

  Her respirations continued in the slow rise and fall of a sleeping woman, one who’d been pleasured by a vampire. A vampire who’d been contracted to ensure her safety, but who apparently thought taking advantage of her was part of the job.