Tegan's Return (The Ultimate Power Series #2)

by L.H. Cosway

  The sky has only just darkened to night as I slot my key into Finn’s front door, and I can hear chattering coming from the kitchen. When I step into the hallway, shrugging out of my coat and hanging it on the banister at the end of the stairs, I pick out the distinct tones of Rita and Ethan. Both are laughing at some shared joke I presume.

  Ethan has been doing his utmost to charm Rita these past few days. The bastard. He knows she’s powerful and he wants her on his side in the long run. I think he also knows that she’s my favourite and wants to steal her away from me. Don’t get me wrong, I love Finn, Alvie and Gabriel to bits, but Rita will always hold a special place in my heart. I feel oddly possessive of her friendship now that Ethan has set his sights on her.

  Disgruntled, I fling open the kitchen door and limp my way over to the sink to wash the city grit from my hands. Their laughing immediately ceases and then Rita lets out a low gasp.

  “What happened to you Tegan?” she asks, rising from her seat with a look of worry on her face.

  “I got caught up in a riot down on Campion Row, some crazy bastard attacked me,” I stop and gesture at my rapidly bruising face, “as you can probably see.”

  “Jesus, why would he attack you?” Rita’s words come out ponderous, rather than questioning.

  “I don’t know, all I can tell is that something funky is going on. One minute everything was normal, people going about their own business doing their shopping and the next they’re transformed into a bunch of violent nut-jobs.”

  I allow myself a glance at Ethan, and the look in his eyes is murderous, only I can’t tell whether he’s angry at the man who hurt me or if he’s still just angry at me in general. His cold, dark blue eyes cut right through me. Woah, intense or what.

  I look back at Rita. “Do you think it might have something to do with Theodore? I seriously wouldn’t put it past him to try sending the human population insane simply for his own entertainment.”

  Rita sits back down now, a thoughtful expression on her pixie-like face. Today she’s wearing red lipstick that is so dark it’s almost black, and this weird white eye shadow and mascara on her eyes. It’s striking to say the least. Her outfit consists of ripped black jeans and a lacy purple shirt, oh yeah and bare feet. Rita loves to go around barefoot, perhaps she feels like it brings her closer to that Goddess she’s always invoking in her spells. Mother Earth, I imagine.

  “It could be the workings of Theodore I suppose, but there’s also a chance that it might be something that seeped through from the hell dimension when Marcel brought him back over to this side. There’s some dodgy stuff over there, stuff that might make people go a little bit crazy when released into the atmosphere.”

  “Can you be more specific?” I ask her, leaning back against the counter and trying not to wince at the pain in my leg.

  “Malevolent entities, spirits, demons, that kind of thing,” Rita answers flippantly.

  “Yay, I love when evil comes for a visit.” I reply sarcastically. “Help me get out the good china, would you?”

  Rita rolls her powdery white coated, dark brown eyes, they look like they’ve just been snowed on. “Good luck with that, I don’t think Finn’s the kind of man to own fancy china.”

  I laugh. “Yeah, you’re right there.” I glance between Rita and Ethan, both still seated at the kitchen table. “Well, I’ll let you two get back to whatever cosy chat you were having before I interrupted. I’m going upstairs to try and doctor myself.”

  Rita grins over at a stony faced Ethan, who suddenly jumps up and strides toward me. He grabs my wrist and commands, “Come with me,” before yanking me out of the room and up the stairs to the bathroom. Those three little words are the first he has uttered to me since the party at Whitfield’s mansion. He might still be aggressive as fuck, but perhaps this is progress.

  Ethan slams shut the bathroom door and turns over the lock. Fun times! His hand is still clamped onto my wrist, so I jerk myself away from him.

  “What’s all this about?” I ask. “Have you finally decided to acknowledge my existence like a mature adult?”

  “Stop talking, or I won’t help you.”

  “I don’t need your help, I’m fine.”

  His eyes travel over my bruised face, and if I’m not mistaken they stray to my lips for a fraction of a second before meeting my gaze again. “You don’t look fine,” he says and grips my shoulders, pushing me over to the edge of the bath. “Sit down.”

  With a distinct gulp, I do as he says. His hands on me cause memories of sleeping with him to rise to the surface. I haven’t had his touch in weeks, and the brief pressure of his hands on my shoulders reminds me of how much I miss him. I breathe out heavily and look up at him as he towers over me. Something shifts in his eyes and he inhales. Oh crap, can he smell what I’m feeling? That I want him so badly?

  His gaze burns, and his lips part slightly, his sharp, white fangs extending downwards. He puts one foot in the bath tub, the other on the tiles of the bathroom floor, saddling himself in front of me on the edge of the bath. He lifts his wrist to his mouth, eyes still trained on mine, and then bites down hard with his fangs. Blood begins to drip from the puncture before he thrusts his wrist at me. “Drink, it will heal you,” he tells me softly.

  I raise one eyebrow and glance down at his offered wrist. “Does this mean we’re friends again?” I ask him humorously, humour which his expression indicates is not reciprocated.

  “You and I will never be friends…” his voice is hard now as he trails off. “Friends do not want each other as we do. Still, if you are asking if you are forgiven then the answer is no, but that doesn’t mean I will allow you to suffer physically the way you are suffering now. Drink.”

  I glare at him, but I’m remembering the time when I drank Dru’s blood and how it had healed my broken ribs in a matter of minutes. It had also tasted incredible. I lean a little closer, hesitantly pressing my lips to Ethan’s bloodied wrist. A small hiss escapes him at the contact, and I can’t help feeling satisfied that I still affect him as much as he affects me.

  I begin to suck at it tentatively, but when the honey sweet taste of it slides down my throat I start to take much more harder gulps. I think I hear Ethan groan as I do, but I’m too consumed by his blood right now to pay it much attention. The next thing I know I’m being lifted up and flipped across the room to the wall, Ethan presses himself into me as I continue to drink from him. I glance up at his dark eyes and our gazes connect. It feels almost magical. He moves his nose up the side of my neck softly, as though tracing the line of a vein.

  I can sense the rapid departure of the pain of my injuries. This is way more powerful than the time I drank from Dru. Perhaps the older the vampire, the more potent their blood. Although I have no clue how old Dru is, but I imagine she’s a good deal younger than Ethan. There’s something way too modern about her, whereas Ethan sometimes talks like someone out of an old film or a book. He’s a fifty/fifty mix of modern cool and old fashioned sensibilities. Often those sensibilities are a little too old fashioned for my tastes, especially the control freak factor.

  These thoughts filter through my brain while I’m vaguely aware of Ethan’s hand slipping beneath my t-shirt and gripping tightly onto my hip with need as we continue to consume each other with our eyes. I literally am consuming him, drinking down his heavenly sweet blood.

  Then, all too soon, his hand clamps onto my chin and eases my mouth away from his wrist. I withdraw with a loud gasp, as the excess blood drips down from my mouth. Ethan’s fangs are still extended and it seems like it’s taking all of his will power to back away from me now. His hand lets go of my hip and he steps back to sit down on the edge of the bath. We haven’t once let our gazes drop from each other.

  A few brief moments pass before I gain some level of coherent thought. “Um, thanks, I guess,” I mumble at him and look away. I step over to the sink and turn on the tap, before washing my red mouth until it’s free of Ethan’s blood. I’m shivering al
l over now, half because of his blood being in my system and half because I’m hyper aware that he’s watching my every movement.

  I’ve been getting this feeling a lot the past few days. The feeling that Ethan is watching me when I’m not looking. Like he might actually be finding it difficult to stay away from me, despite his cool, calm and collected disposition. He must be having some sort of internal conflict over whether or not to forgive me for my betrayal. He’s definitely very far off from coming to any conclusion about me though. Somehow I can tell that Ethan providing me with relief from my injuries does not a reconciliation make.

  “How do you feel now?” he asks, and it looks like he’s holding back a small smirk. Obviously he knows his blood makes me feel amazing. I might actually have to go and have a lie down, it’s such a massive high. My head is almost dizzy with this feeling of euphoria. Is it the same for blood donors when the vampires feed from them, I wonder? If so, I can definitely see the attraction, even if I’m squeamish about the process.

  “Good,” I answer, too begrudging to actually explain to him that I am high as a fucking kite right now. He knows it anyway, and now he does smirk at me.

  “I would think that ‘good’ is a slight understatement, wouldn’t you?”

  “Well, maybe if we were friends I would describe to you how I’m feeling in a little more detail, but since that’s not the case, ‘good’ will have to suffice.”

  Ethan’s smirk deepens. His eyes trace every curve of my body. I’ve been drowning my worries with a little too much food lately. Dad in hell. Ethan hating me. Theodore back to reek havoc. Comfort eating has been my only comfort. I haven’t yet ventured into the realm of fat, thank God, but I’m definitely teetering in the balance.

  Ethan starts to speak. “My blood is rushing through your veins, invigorating them. Every good feeling you might be having is enhanced ten times over. For instance, if I were to touch the sensitive spot beneath your ear with my lips you would undulate in a pleasure so intense it would be as though I were actually inside of you. Plunging hard into you.”

  Tingles travel down my spine. Oh, he’s definitely trying to torture me. Two can play at that game. I step over to him and sit astride his lap. I press my lips to the exact spot he just mentioned, only beneath his own ear. A deep growl rumbles in his chest.

  “Feeling brave?” he whispers.

  “Maybe.” I whisper back. What the hell am I playing at? This isn’t like me at all. I’ve never been this sexually aggressive before in my life. It’s his blood, definitely his blood. With great effort I draw away from him and stand up.

  “Too much for you, sugar?” he asks with a satisfied look on his face.

  “Piss off, Ethan.” I storm out of the bathroom and into the room I’m currently sharing with Amanda. She’s not around though, Noreen must have taken her out for a walk or something. I can hear Ethan chuckling as he goes back down the stairs to rejoin Rita.

  I lay down on the clean white sheets and enjoy the after effects of vampire blood consumption. My head is a swirling, multi-coloured mix of euphoric pleasure. My every pore tingles, the feeling radiates through me, and not one single worry pollutes my mind. This is nice. It’s like when you hit that perfect balance of drunkenness where you don’t remember why you were miserable enough to go and get drunk in the first place, but better. Way better.

  I slip off my shoes and crawl further onto the bed, pushing my cheek against the soft fluffiness of the pillow and grinning like a maniac for no apparent reason at all. That’s the last thing I remember doing when I’m woken up a while later by the creak of the door opening. I don’t want to leave this perfect slumber, but I open my eyes nonetheless to see who has just entered the room. It’s Amanda, her vibrant pink hair is the first thing I see, although the colour is growing out a little bit now. You can see the dark brown roots.

  She’s been doing pretty well, considering the fact that Lucas has been sniffing around since he’s living just over the road with Ethan. Delilah has held true to her promise though, and is ensuring that he keeps his distance from my friend. Noreen has been giving her this special medicinal brew several times a day. It’s healing her addiction, as well as keeping a level head on her shoulders. There’s a bit of magic in it, just enough to allow her to get better, because humans can’t recover naturally from the addiction to a vampire’s bite.

  “Hey Mandy, where have you been?” I ask, rubbing my sleepy eyes.

  “Out with Noreen and Alvie, we went shopping for like, magical stuff.”

  She says those last two words with a certain level of awe. Amanda has only very recently had her eyes opened to what is really going on in this city. When she’d been Lucas’ blood donor she’d been too out of it to fully comprehend her situation. Now that she’s almost better she understands what had really been happening to her. It was a bit of a shock to the system for her in the beginning, but although the road was rocky, we’re getting there now. She’ll probably be well enough to go home in a couple of days. The thought makes me lonely, I’ve become accustomed to having her with me.

  She lets out a long breath before she speaks. “So, I’ve been thinking that I might head home tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow, isn’t that a little bit soon?” I ask.

  “Not really Tegan, I feel better, much better. Noreen says I’m well enough to go back to living at my old place.”

  “Oh…well, I’ll miss you.”

  She frowns a little, then smiles at me. “Tegan you have enough on your plate right now without having to worry about me. I feel healthier than I have in a long time, and I have no intention of going anywhere near “the fanged ones” ever again.” She gestures bunny ears and puts on a Dracula voice when she says “fanged ones”. I suppose she really must be feeling better if she’s got a sense of humour about it all.

  “Yeah well, be that as it may, you need to be careful when you go out at night. Vampires aren’t the only scary things in this city, you know.”

  Amanda nods quietly. I hear somebody coming up the stairs, and then there’s a knock on the bedroom door. A second later Finn calls, “Hey Amanda, tell that lazy wagon to get up, we’re having a meeting in the living room in ten minutes. The vamps are on their way over.”

  “I’m up Finn,” I say, and he marches on into the room then. “What’s the meeting about?” I ask him.

  Finn folds his arms across his chest. “Rita mentioned what happened to you today, about the riot, and how you think it had something to do with Theodore. So, we’re having a meeting to discuss that possibility.”

  “How very formal,” I reply. We haven’t had any meetings all together in one room since that first time we all decided to team up in Finn’s kitchen. I look over at Amanda. “You might want to make yourself scarce, because Lucas will be coming over with the rest of the vamps and Delilah.”

  “Sure, I’ll stay up here,” she says, sitting down on the bed and rooting a paperback out of the wardrobe that she’s been reading.

  I run a hand through my hair to get rid of the bed head somewhat. Finn’s wry glance tells me that it doesn’t work much. I pay a quick visit to the bathroom before heading downstairs in my jeans and t-shirt. I’m not going to bother getting dressed up for a bunch of vampires who will barely talk to me. I’m hungry, so I venture to the kitchen cupboard to grab something to munch on. I pull out a packet of tortilla chips and almost don’t notice Ira sitting over by the window, staring out of it with a meditative look on his face.

  He glances at me then, probably sensing my eyes on him, as you do. I give him a silent nod, because he’s still doing the whole mute thing. I wonder if he lost the ability to speak as a result of the curse that was placed on him or something. Who knows. Finn’s been doing a lot of work with him, although I have no idea what kind of work that is. Mostly he takes him out to get him used to the world as a man again, instead of a dog.

  When I go into the living room the vampires are all assembled, as well as Rita, Noreen, Gabriel and Alvie. They
must have gotten here while I’d been in the bathroom. It’s a bit of a tight squeeze since the room isn’t so big. Everyone’s silent as I come in, munching loudly on the tortilla chips just to annoy the vamps. I notice Rita holding back a smirk. There aren’t any chairs left so I sit down by the fireplace, on the floor basically. I cross my legs in a Buddha-like pose and glance around. When my eyes meet Ethan’s my face instinctively reddens, as I remember our encounter from earlier on. His face lacks expression, but his eyes hold mine, almost in challenge. I feel like being all nineties and telling him to take a chill pill. He’s so silent and serious these days, not that he was ever a loose goose or anything.

  My gaze drifts to Delilah, and I have to do a double take because she’s wearing a translucent cream coloured vest top with no bra underneath. Her B-cups all on show. None of the vampires seem to have noticed this in the slightest, I mean, come on. They’re not like humans in that sense, somebody could traipse in stark naked and they probably wouldn’t bat an eyelid. Lucas might grin in that pervy way of his, but that’s about it.

  A moment of silence later and Finn finally decides to join us. He’s still a little aggressive around the vamps. It will take a lot more time for him to overcome his reservations about them, if ever. I hold in my laughter when I notice him do an almost identical double take to my own when he takes in Delilah’s see-through vest. This is one of the main reasons why I like Finn so much, we tend to pick up on the same things when we walk into a room.

  I can see him struggle internally to keep his mouth shut about it, unfortunately his trap wins out. “A bit nippy in here, isn’t it?” he says, doing his best to keep a straight face. Without meaning to, I let out a loud guffaw. All eyes dart to me as I struggle to keep my giggles under control. Finn grins at me.