Paranormal Magic (Shades of Prey Book 1)

by Margo Bond Collins

  “I like Guillaume a lot more than me but unfortunately one of your pals has him, which is why we can’t waste any more time with human problems.” Mercer neatly swerved out of the way of a VW camper van going half the motorway speed limit. To enable the driver to understand how he felt, he used several well-known finger signals in his rear view mirror.

  “Not all witches are my pals, and how on earth have you not managed to learn some patience in your hundreds of years on this planet?” She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

  “You couldn’t have liked Guillaume that much more than me because I’m the one you went to bed with,” said Mercer, ignoring the former comment. Before Lainey could fire back a retort, he asked, “What’s in the serum?”

  “I told you…a cure for cancer.” Lainey fiddled with her hands in her lap and refused to look at him.

  “Yes, I remember. What else is in the serum?”

  Lainey put her hands up to her head and rubbed her temples. “Do we have to do this here?”

  “You’d rather do it on the aircraft?” This time she did look at him and his expression was deadly serious.

  “Yes. There’ll be more people on the aircraft.” She sounded nervous. She couldn’t help it. Whatever way she played this one, it was not going to go down well.

  “You like having an audience, huh? I’d never have guessed.” He whistled then smirked.

  “You’re not funny.” Lainey began chewing at her fingernails. If that wasn’t a telling sign of nerves, she had no idea what was. Breathing deeply, she carefully placed both hands in her lap, and then clutched them tightly together.

  “What’s in the serum, Lainey?”

  The interior of the car filled with a long stretch of silence that Lainey refused to break. His hands tapping upon the steering wheel nearly drove her mad but eventually he tilted his head to one side, and simply clucked his tongue. Lainey hoped he was done with the conversation, but that was not to be the case.

  “I can reach under the waist band of your jeans and snap the elastic on those panties oh, so very easily. Bras also annoy me as you may have guessed. I could probably do some damage to that too. While we’re at it…”

  “Fine,” she screeched. “The serum also happens to be deadly for certain creatures.”

  Mercer seemed to take a second to digest that. Then he made a long rumbling sound in his throat. Lainey debated opening the car door and taking a flying leap, but at around the one-hundred-and-forty kilometres an hour speed they were travelling at, she’d had better ideas. Finally, when her words had sunk in, he erupted.

  “Oh, you are fucking kidding me. You’ve developed a vamp killer?” He did look at her then and when she didn’t deny the fact, he banged his head against the steering wheel in exasperation. It took him a few moments to calm down with some more frantic tongue-clicking happening but Lainey thought overall, he was taking it quite well.

  “Well, it’s no wonder you’re so popular around here. Now things are really starting to fall into place. Maybe I should just kill you now and have done with it? It would save me an awful lot of trouble.” His hands banged down upon the wheel but Lainey noted there were no fangs, which meant he’d already made his decision.

  “But you won’t. You have too much at stake,” whispered Lainey, and hoped fervently that it was true.

  “Speaking of stakes, I could do with one right now. Your friend appears to have many plans for me—really nice plans.” Mercer’s eyes went black with anger, but Lainey couldn’t help but admire his beautiful face.

  “For the second time, she’s not my friend and if you think you’re in trouble, you have no idea what she’ll do when she finally gets her hands on me.”

  The silence resumed, and this time it seemed endless.

  ***

  They didn’t speak again until much later. Mercer spent the short forty-minute flight across the North Sea with his eyes closed and Lainey tried to do the same, though sleep was the last thing on her mind.

  As they walked together to retrieve his car at the airport parking lot, she decided she’d test her luck with a question. “Are you really going to hand me over to Kalliope?”

  “Yes.” Mercer gave the short unequivocal reply without hesitation.

  Lainey sucked in a breath at the callous way he’d answered, but she really hadn’t expected anything else. He’d made no secret of the fact that he abhorred witches. Glancing across at him and taking in his slow disjointed movements, she frowned. The vampire looked awful. His eyes were bloodshot, there were darkening bags underneath them and his face had taken on a sallow yellow tinge. Lainey wasn’t sure if it was the after-effects of the witch fire, or something else. He didn’t seem overly disposed to conversation though, so she guessed it might be better if she left her questions silent for the time being.

  When his car was in view, he reached into his pocket and tossed her the keys. “Do you mind driving?”

  Lainey’s eyes widened. She looked at the Mercedes, and then she looked back at Mercer as if he’d gone mad. “You want me to drive this?”

  “It’s an automatic. You can drive an automatic, right?”

  Her mouth opened, and closed then opened and closed again, but she nodded.

  Pulling the passenger door open wide, he sunk slowly into the bucket seat. “It’s just a car, Lainey, but do try to keep it in one piece, okay? I’m rather fond of it.”

  Lainey rolled her eyes and shook her head. Then she smiled, jiggled the keys in her hand and got herself comfortable. Perhaps the day wasn’t a complete disaster after all. Busy putting the keys in the ignition she almost didn’t hear his whispered words.

  “She’s in my head.”

  The words sounded pained, and it obviously cost him some effort to force them through his lips. As the car roared into life, Lainey found herself puzzled for a minute, not sure who she was. Pulling into reverse, she considered his comment. Was he referring to Kalliope? If so, and if he was reading her thoughts then...

  “Oh no! You took her blood?” Lainey gasped, dropping the steering wheel in the middle of a sharp left hand turn.

  Mercer swore softly, caught the wheel and let it continue on a safe trajectory. “I didn’t have much choice in the matter,” he croaked. “Now I have a raging headache and all I can hear is her voice. She’s driving me insane.”

  “How much of her blood did you drink?” Lainey regained control of the steering wheel and was slowly navigating her way out into some relentless London traffic.

  “I have no idea. I passed out after the first few mouthfuls. If I were to guess, I’d say a lot. My body should be replete and sated, but instead all I feel is a raging thirst for more of the same. What the hell has she done to me?”

  “It’s probably the beginnings of a binding spell and the further you find yourself away from her, the worse you’ll feel. Did she take your blood?”

  “No.”

  “Thank God for that.” Lainey frowned at the traffic on the M4 motorway, which seemed to be at a standstill. She couldn’t wait to test out the horsepower of Mercer’s car, and she wasn’t going to get much of a chance if the congestion didn’t clear up quickly.

  “Well, just a drop on her fingertip, if I remember correctly.”

  “Damn. That’s all she needs. She’ll be able to track you down to the ends of the earth with that. You’re in lots of trouble.”

  “Nowhere near as much as you though, huh?” he said dryly.

  “You’re dead wrong,” said Lainey, who’d finally figured out how to work the satellite navigation system and was currently trying to find a shortcut.

  “How do you figure that?” asked Mercer, with a disbelieving expression.

  “Well, she can kill me. Even if it’s unpleasant and horribly slow, eventually I’ll be dead. It doesn’t work like that for you.” She winced as she considered exactly what Kalliope might be capable of doing.

  “Oh, but it does, Lainey. After we deliver her your little experiment, she can do exactly as she please
s. With that serum, she has the chance to rule the world from the depths of the underworld to the crest of the Burj Khalifa. She’ll have almost unlimited power and the means to make herself richer than Bill Gates. A cure for cancer, Lainey! If she can bottle and sell it, she’ll rule the world.”

  “And you guys will be falling over her feet to do her bidding, won’t you? You’ll have no choice. She’s clever enough to eradicate you from the face of the earth, if that’s what she desires. What did she do to your brother?”

  “Trust me when I say you don’t want to know. I thought he was dead. To be fair, he is mostly but if there’s a chance I can rescue what’s left, I have no choice but to take it.”

  “You know that neither us of will make it out of her clutches alive.”

  “That thought had crossed my mind.”

  Finally, the road in front of Lainey cleared and she slammed the accelerator pedal down. Mercer’s head cracked against the seat back, and the interior of the car suddenly exploded with all manner of cuss words. However, they didn’t slow her down.

  Invaded

  Kalliope’s voice was taunting Mercer in his brain and she wouldn’t shut up. Unable to form a single thought in his head without hearing all about the plans she had for him, he was ready to go mad. He’d been so exhausted he’d managed to fall asleep through the incessant chatter, but it had continued into his dreams. Somehow, she seemed to grab hold of his subconscious and make it hers, and that was even worse.

  “I’m coming for you, darling.”

  Mercer tried to ignore her but the lilac coloured eyes floated around in his head, shining with carnal intent. Her glossy pink lips began whispering all the things she’d like to do to him and they repeated themselves over, and over again, until he could barely prevent himself screaming.

  Her breathy, throaty and seductive purr was like listening to chalk squeaking down a shiny blackboard, and all he could think of was his overriding need to wring her neck. There would be no point giving her the satisfaction in dreamland but if he ever got a chance in the flesh, he would squeeze until there was no life left in her body.

  “Would you like to feel my lips around you, my darling, sucking on that proud obedient member while I plunge my fingers in your ass? You won’t be able to deny me a thing, Mercer. I will own that body of yours, heart, mind, and whatever little piece of soul remains. Every hole you possess will be fucked, and every inch of flesh will be whipped and caned for my enjoyment.”

  When he refused to respond to her advances, she got a little more creative.

  “I can’t wait to fuck you, Mercer. Hopefully, you’ll make a more agreeable pet than your brother but if you want to play things the same way, we can still have plenty of fun. I can chain you to the wall just like Gaius, darling. If you want to play hardball, we can try pain. I admit I’m fascinated by vampire anatomy. Your brother has taught me an awful lot, but it’s always nice to have a new subject to play with. Of course, if you prove hard to crack, I’ll simply use Guillaume instead. Perhaps, you’d like to watch as I train him first. Then you’ll know exactly what I have in store for you. It’ll be terribly exciting, darling. You can watch me work over both of them, although Gaius isn’t much fun these days. Keeping him starved is the only thing that ensures his co-operation but he’ll do everything, and anything I say now. He’s such an obedient little fellow, just like you will be. I think it would be rather nice to see Guillaume and Gaius as lovers. Don’t you agree, sweetheart? Would you like to watch me instruct those two big boys as they give us an amazing show? Or maybe you’d like to be in on the action too? I wouldn’t want you to feel left out, darling.”

  She danced around in his head, and the scenery changed so rapidly he could barely keep up. One moment it was hearts and flowers, grassland and daisies, and nothing but blinding sparkling white light. In the next, there was darkness, jangling chains and torturous moans. She wanted to put him off balance. It looked like she needed an emotional reaction, but he wasn’t going to give her one.

  Even when she wrapped her lithe body around him with the folds of her red organza dress teasing his flesh, he didn’t make a murmur. Though her lips caressed his flesh, and her fingers probed and stroked, he refused to give in to her advances. They were inside his head, and he ruled this domain, but she was able to read his thoughts.

  “Ah, but you don’t sweetheart, or should I say you won’t…not for much longer anyway. I have loads of plans for you. Together with your friends, we are going to conquer the world. You’re going to be mine, Mercer. Make no mistake, I’m coming for you and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

  To drive her message home, she grasped a handful of hair at the back of his head and pressed her lips to his. Forcing her tongue inside his mouth, her hands dropped to his erection and caressed the bulge there. Incensed that he was unable to remain indifferent to her advances, Mercer pushed her away roughly but in the next minute, he found himself crashing to the floor with her body on top of him. Even in the deepest depths of his dreams was he unable to fight the sheer strength of her hands, pinning him down and crushing his body to the floor. Her weight was suffocating and his whole body felt like it was being ground into dust. Although he did not need air, he began to crave the substance like a dying man. The things this woman could do to him and in his sleep no less. His fingers tightened into fists and fury rocketed through his body.

  The smile she wore was one of victory. It spoke volumes, and it said, I’ve already won the war, and the battle has barely begun.

  * * *

  Mercer was screaming by the time Lainey managed to pull up outside her grandmother’s house. She’d debated pulling the car over into a layby to try to help him but by that time, he was thrashing about quite a bit and she didn’t think she’d be able to subdue him on her own. Thankfully, help was on its way. Using Mercer’s cell, she’d managed to call her grandmother, probably the only person who stood a chance of helping them out of this mess and she was already waiting for them in the driveway.

  Somehow, they managed to get him in the house. With an arm over each of their shoulders, they half carried half dragged him into Lainey’s room. Though it was only a few metres from the front door, both of them were panting, and out of breath, by the time they got him to a bed.

  They both worked together to pull off his clothes, leaving him in nothing but his boxer shorts, and then they managed to manoeuvre him under the covers tucking his flapping limbs tightly between the sheets so he wouldn’t hurt himself.

  “She’s in his head, tormenting him,” said her grandmother.

  “Yes,” said Lainey. “That’s why he asked me to drive.”

  Her grandmother frowned. “Then Kalliope has developed all the powers that we suspected and more.”

  Watching Mercer’s face as he thrashed around twisting in pain, Lainey felt her throat compress and her body tighten. She was upset about what was happening to him but even worse she realised she was beginning to care for the vampire. However, her emotions regarding him were something she couldn’t afford to give in to because life was about to become difficult enough as it was.

  “Do you have enough energy to do a healing spell? Or do you want me to try? I think it would be better if you do it if you can, dear.” Her grandmother’s eyes were kindly and concerned. Her floral skirts swished as she moved backward giving Lainey some space, and time to consider her question.

  “It’s okay, Gran, I can do it. Can you get me some candles?” Lainey was already making her way to the kitchen, grabbing the stoppered bottle of salt that always sat in the centre of the breakfast bar before rooting through the cupboards, meticulously ordered as usual, where she found a stick of incense, a holder, and a box of matches.

  When her grandmother walked back into the room carrying two white pillar candles, Lainey had already cast her circle and had recited her incantations. She stood alongside the bed, both of her hands out in front of her, a few inches apart, and she was calling healing energy up through her
body. When she felt the warmth begin to spread inside her, she moved closer to the bed, humming softly to herself. Placing her hands on either side of Mercer’s head she held them there, waiting for them to become hot. As the heat burst through her fingertips, she centred her energies on relaxation. The tightly pinched blood vessels eased and the muscles in his back and neck slowly released. Pouring pure white healing energy all through his body, she kept her soft hum going helping her to focus the intense bubbling substance now tumbling through her. All outside sounds of their environment silenced in her mind, though she was aware that her grandmother had carved the healing runes on the candles due to the faint smell of burnt wax that infused the room. It mingled pleasantly with the incense and sent a soothing fragrance throughout.

  Lainey knew the moment Kalliope left his body for Mercer arched his back, flinched, and then settled quietly, no longer thrashing and moaning. His face became less lined and more youthful as she felt him begin to slip into a peaceful dream. Moving her hands along his body, she ran them up and down his entire length, penetrating through bone, muscle and sinew letting her power work its magic. Bit by bit, his body sank into the soft mattress as the tensions of the last few hours began to leave him. Only when he was in a deep REM sleep, did she finally bring her hands back to her sides, breaking her focused concentration.

  Studying his face peeking out from under the covers, she was pleased to note he looked peaceful now. She bit her lip and sighed. It wouldn’t last. His troubles were going to multiply like a flu virus very shortly, but she could do little about that. The wheels had been set in motion, and they were about to go off-course like a runaway train.

  Praying fervently that he wouldn’t hate her, when all of this was said and done, she backed up towards her bedroom door knowing that she should leave him in peace but unable to stop staring at him. The shocking realisation was that she could spend a lifetime admiring his beautiful face. She was entering dangerous territory and if Mercer knew what she was thinking, he’d probably kill her.