Safe Hex With a Vampire

by Cassandra Lawson

Vampires Prefer Blondes

  The rhythmic sound of machines alerted Lydia that she was in a hospital. The familiar melody of death filled the air. After taking a deep breath, she let out a sigh. Most people found the antiseptic smell of hospitals upsetting, but it reminded Lydia of her final days with her father. An older child might have morphed those days into a tragic memory. Instead, she remembered her final days with a parent who loved her with all his heart. She’d been too young to understand her father was never coming home. For hours, they’d played Old Maid, Go Fish, Sorry, and Trouble. At the age of eight, she’d been too old for some of those games, but her father’s pain medication had made it hard to concentrate. The games were ones her father had taught her to play. Seventeen years later, those original games remained on the top shelf of the closet. As sick as it might be, hospitals reminded her of happy times. It annoyed her mom, and that made the memory sweeter. She’d definitely been a weird kid.

  How had she ended up in a hospital? Confusion and fear gripped her. Someone must have run her over with a truck. When Lydia forced her eyes open, icy blue eyes stared back.

  “Dominic?” she breathed out.

  Dominic stroked her cheek. “Don’t worry, my sweet Lydia,” he crooned. “I’m going to take you out of here soon. My family won’t keep us apart.”

  She stared at him, completely baffled. It’s not that she didn’t remember him, or even remember her own obsession with him. Lydia remembered those months of believing she couldn’t live without Dominic. There had been no limit to what she would do for him. Now, that obsession was gone, and she couldn’t figure out why she’d been obsessed in the first place. There was no denying he was attractive and exotic. That was her usual type, but she didn’t do the simpering, can’t live without a man routine. That was her mom’s thing. The whole thing with Dominic was like a strange dream.

  Except this wasn’t a dream, and Dominic wasn’t human. Every detail of her first night with Dominic came back to her. She’d never forgotten the fact that he’d bitten her. The experience had been like something out of a vampire romance. What came back now in a hazy dreamlike memory was him forcing a bleeding wrist to her lips while she was on the brink of unconsciousness. She remembered fighting.

  Her eyes locked on Dominic’s hand holding hers. It was on the same side of the bed as the call button. Without taking her eyes off his face, she tried to free her hand. Guessing her intention, his grip tightened.

  “I’ll scream.” The threat sounded pitiful, little more than a whisper. There was no way she could scream loud enough to get anyone’s attention.

  Dominic must have thought the same because he laughed and continued to stroke her cheek. “Even lying helpless in a hospital bed, you are the most passionate woman I’ve ever known.” The strain in his voice was evidence of his arousal. Normally, that would have elicited the same response in her. Now, it terrified and disgusted her.

  “What happened to your accent?” His normally thick accent was barely noticeable.

  The lopsided smile he flashed might have looked boyish under other circumstances. “I forgot how aroused the accent gets you,” he said with his thick accent back in place. “Is that better?”

  “You should leave,” Lydia told him, hoping her voice didn’t shake. “I’m obviously not well if I’m in a hospital.”

  The smile on his face slipped for just a moment while Dominic struggled with his emotions. That struggle was clear in the way his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. Emotions back under control, his smile revealed distended fangs. “We should leave.”

  When Dominic leaned in to kiss her, Lydia clawed at his face with her free hand and kicked wildly. The kicks were awkward with the blankets around her legs, but she still surprised him.

  Rage, confusion, and hurt passed across his attractive features. “Don’t fight, Lydia,” he growled. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will.”

  “Aren’t you the reason I’m here?” she asked, satisfied with his shocked expression. “You know what? None of it matters. What we had was a mistake, and it’s over. Just go, and I won’t tell anyone what you are. Go away and never come near me again.”

  “Someone needs more medicine,” he said with a sinister grin. The grip on her hand near the call button remained painfully tight as his fangs bit into his other wrist.

  Turning her head to the side, she refused to open her lips when the wrist pressed against her mouth.

  “Fine!” The word was an angry hiss. “We’ll do this the hard way.”

  The energy was rushing from her body, making her limbs heavy. The room spun, and her eyes drifted closed as waves of dizziness hit her. Everything seemed surreal, and she felt detached from what was happening. Beeping monitors began to lull her into unconsciousness. The wrist pressed against her lips again and a hand applied pressure to her jaw until her mouth opened.

  The surrounding commotion ruined her peace and threatened to drag her back to reality.

  “What the hell are you doing?” The voice sounded familiar, but her eyes refused to open.

  “Go away.” The insanity in Dominic’s voice was impossible to miss. “She belongs to me. You can’t keep her from me.”

  More rustling and banging was followed by the sound of someone running down the hall.

  Her eyes fluttered open for just a moment and locked with an icy blue gaze. Those eyes were the same color as Dominic’s, but she knew they weren’t Dominic’s eyes. An elephant had to be sitting on her chest. That was the only explanation for the pain. Still, she managed a moment of appreciation for the man standing over her. “Damn, you make Dominic look like a troll.” Talking hurt. Even breathing was difficult.

  The comforting sound of a soft chuckle washed over her body, easing her pain.

  “Am I dying?” Speaking was easier this time.

  “No,” he replied as a warm hand covered her heart. “You’re much too stubborn to die.”

  Her eyes fluttered shut as the crushing pain in her chest eased. A warm sensation spread through her body, and then there was nothing.

  About The Author

  Cassandra Lawson lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and her two youngest children. When she is not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, listening to music, or curling up with a good book.