by Eve Newton
“The magick is gone, why am I still dreaming about you this way?” she asks.
I have to answer her, it’s like I’m being compelled to. “The spell was cast with my blood, it runs through your veins with yours,” I murmur, stroking her back, unable to resist. She freezes, turning her head slightly to the side.
“I see,” she mutters and stands up.
Pulling my hand back, I stare at it and my frown deepens. “What do you mean the magick is gone?” I ask carefully.
“We found a way to remove it from me. Whatever game you are playing with me, you can fuck right off. You are a fucking murderer and I hate you!”
It hurts my heart to have her scream those words at me. I shake my head. “I’m not a murderer,” I start.
She gives me a scathing look. “The Wolf you strung up to make your point to me, says different.”
“He was a murderer, and a rapist. I don’t kill innocent creatures, Lilith.” I slam my lips shut. Why am I telling her this? I shake my head to clear it.
When I look back into her remarkable eyes, the eyes that tell me she is anything but human, an icy shiver goes down my spine. She has a look of triumph in her eyes which brings me to the conclusion that she is the one doing this to me. She has found a way to make me talk, to tell her the truth. I need to get out of here. Now. I need to leave her subconscious, or kick her out of mine, whichever way it works.
“You don’t kill innocents?” she asks. “Then why do you track down supernaturals and kill them for sport?”
“I don’t,” I grit out. “That’s not my…”
I blink and stare at the ceiling. “Fuck,” I curse and sit up. I leap off the bed and slam my fist into the thin wall of the motel room.
“Fuck.”
Punch
“Fuck.”
Punch.
“Fuck!”
Another punch that busts open the skin of my knuckles, making me bleed. “You little bitch!”
I clench my jaw and drop my fist to my side. How did she do that? How did she get so far into my head to make me talk? The boss is going to have my guts as a parting gift if he finds out that my interests don’t fully align with his. Don’t get me wrong…I loathe supernaturals. But I. Am. Not. A. Murderer. I seek out those who are evil and who will escape the human justice system because of what they are. Tex has other ideas. He wants to wipe out everything that isn’t human, or animal put on this planet by God himself. I get it. His daughter was slaughtered by one of them. My wife, who was ripped to shreds by that asshole she’s protecting. I don’t care about the others she’s keeping safe unless they belong in the ground. That fucking Vampire, Axl, for a start. A vicious, bloodthirsty creature with no conscience and no morals. He has lived far too long already, and I will see him dead before my day is done. Chop the head off the Queen and the rest will fall. It’s only a matter of time. She is evil and a killer. I know it. I’ve been told.
I blink again and bite the inside of my lip.
Told.
It resounds around my head, suddenly making me doubt my convictions.
Tex was the one who told me that Lilith was an evil so bad she needed putting down. I haven’t seen it with my own eyes. I just believed him because of who she is. Queen of the Vampires. How else is she going to be? She got there somehow and I’m pretty damn sure it wasn’t an organized election with a majority vote. No, she took it by force. I know it.
I close my eyes with a groan, seeing her sparkling silver eyes shining with desire. I remember feeling through the magick how insecure she is of her position and how confused she was over the Wolf. Genuine doubts that humans have.
I gulp and stride over to the bathroom. I run my bloody fist under the water to clean it. Have I got it all wrong? Am I going after the wrong creature? She feels kindness and loyalty, traits that I rarely see in those of her kind.
“Damn you, girlie,” I mutter at my reflection. “What are you doing to me?” I breathe in deeply and then splash my face with the cold water. “You’re doing this to me. You are planting these seeds of doubt in my head, the same way you controlled the narrative in the dream. I won’t let you get the better of me with your filthy magick.”
I close my eyes and then draw in a sharp intake of breath, my eyes flying open again and boring into the mirror with seething hatred at the face I can see. “You took it from her? You fucking bastard.” My thoughts are very clear on Mason Scott. He is a murderer. Not just my wife, others too. That I know for a fact.
“Hello, Philip,” Mason’s voice echoes in my head. “Looks like you’re stuck with me now.”
Chapter 29
Lloyd
Squinting at the small, scrawled notes in the handbook that Draven gave me, I rub between my eyes. I’m getting a headache, but I can’t stop. I’m tired, but I won’t sleep. I take a deep breath, leaning forward on the workbench that runs down the side of the vault where Draven keeps all of his “Head of the Coven” stuff. This book included. In it, is the spell that he and Ember used to join forces with the powerful Wolf a couple of decades ago to defeat the evil that threatened supernatural kind back then. Seems we will always be a target for sanctimonious blowhards.
“Hey,” Mason says quietly, making me turn my head slightly.
“You shouldn’t be in here,” I clip out. “It’s dangerous.”
“Don’t leave the door open then,” he replies.
I sigh and turn to face him. He is an arrogant son of a bitch and there’s something about him I can’t quite put my finger on. I don’t trust him. He took that magick from Lilith far too easily and seems to be holding up under its effects just fine.
“What do you want? I’m busy,” I point out.
“I know,” he says. “I want to help.”
“You can’t,” I say dismissively and turn back to the book.
“I don’t have magick, true, but I can still help. Helping Lilith is the only thing that matters,” he says in that quiet, steady tone I’ve come to know from him.
I huff out in exasperation. “What is it you think you can do, exactly?”
“I have an inside experience with Philip,” he says, shifting his eyes to the small bottles that are floating up off the shelf at the back of the vault.
“Meaning?”
His eyes find mine again. “This magick, I know what it was meant to do. What it is doing.”
I wait, expecting him to continue. When he doesn’t, I ask, “And?”
He steps closer, shutting the door behind him. When he faces me again, he has a grimness in his eyes that makes my mouth go dry. “He’s been using it to spy on Lilith. She is strong enough that he probably didn’t get too much from her, but he was essentially inside her, seeing things from her eyes.”
“How do you know that?” I ask, the dread seeping into my bones.
“Because he is now connected to me,” Mason states bluntly.
Standing up hurriedly, I snap, “Can he see you talking to me now?”
He shakes his head. “No, I’m also pretty strong. It takes hold when guards are dropped, while sleeping especially.” The sick expression that adorns his features sends a chill over my skin.
“He’s been in Lilith’s dreams?” I croak out.
“Yes, and believe me when I say you do not want to know what they’ve been doing.”
It doesn’t take a genius to know what he means.
“Is it real?” I ask quietly. “I mean, does she know what’s going on.”
“Yes, I don’t think she always did. She definitely called him on it earlier. Maybe now that the magick is out of her, she is able to control the outcome…maybe…I don’t know. Philip used his blood in the spell so there are still traces of it in Lilith. He is still connected to her, just outside of the magick.”
“Fuck,” I spit out. “Fuck!”
“Yeah,” Mason agrees. “Look, Lloyd, I know we got off on the wrong foot, or paw, as the case may be…”
I snort. “You could say that.”
“I only have Lilith’s best interests at heart. She is my Fated Mate. She is everything to me. I realize it may be strange for you to try to understand that, but I’m not here to push you out. You or the Vampire. I want her to have everything she deserves, everything her heart desires. Her happiness is the only thing that will make me happy, so if that includes the two of you, then so be it.”
“You seem to think that it is your decision to make whether or not she remains with me…and Axl,” I add as an afterthought.
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “Not at all. It’s all about Lilith. Whatever she wants. If she wants me, I’m not going anywhere, I can assure you of that, no matter how uncomfortable you make it for me to stay.”
I scowl at him. He’s making me sound like the bad guy here. Is that how this is coming across to Lilith as well? “I’m not making life difficult for you. I’m protecting Lilith. I don’t know the first thing about you, neither does she. What kind of man would I be to her if I didn’t protect her?”
He nods. “I get that. Truce?” he asks, holding out his hand.
There is no way that I can refuse to accept it now. He is being way too reasonable. Asshole. He was easier to dislike when he was being a jerk.
I clap my hand to his and shake on it. “Truce.”
He shoots me a small smile. “You on good terms with the Vampire?” he ventures, his brow furrowed slightly.
I shrug. “I don’t have an issue with him.”
“He has a massive issue with me,” Mason says with a chuckle. “Want to try to help smooth the way so we can all be there for Lilith?”
“You scared of him or something?” I taunt.
He glowers at me menacingly. “I know what he is. Scared no, cautious, definitely.”
“Hmm,” I mutter. He has a point. The information that I’ve dug up on Axl doesn’t exactly paint him as a saint. Lilith seems to have softened him slightly but I’m not a big enough fool to not assume that pertains to her and her alone.
“Fine. We’ll talk to him, make sure we’re on the same page. The closer we all are, the better the odds are for this spell working the way it’s supposed to.” I gesture at the book.
He peers at it but doesn’t come any closer. “You figured it all out?”
“Mostly,” I tell him. “It’s a delicate spell.”
He nods slowly.
“Are you very worried about Philip and Lilith?” I ask, closing the book.
“No, but he should be worried about me. The two of us are now connected and I’m going to make his life a living hell. Repay the favor,” he growls.
I bite the inside of my lip. “Black magick is seductive, subtle in its temptation…don’t let it get hold of you,” I say carefully.
His gray eyes hold my gaze for a moment before he sniffs. “I won’t. I got this.”
I bite my tongue. I’m not his keeper, nor his judge and jury. He says he’s got this, then I have to accept that if we are going to make this truce work. Doesn’t mean I won’t be keeping an eye on him, very closely.
“Let’s go,” I say and lock the book away with a zap of magick that burns my tired eyes.
We leave the vault in silence, Mason pausing as I lock it up and then we head silently for the steps that lead up to the kitchen.
Pushing open the door, I can’t help myself from saying, “If you hurt her in any way, I will kill you.”
“Back at you,” he drawls seemingly unconcerned, but I know he means it as much as I do.
Chapter 30
Axl
As I stand in the dark kitchen, sipping on my bottle of blood, I push away the desire to hunt. It’s not that I don’t want to, I just don’t want to go without Lilith, and I’ll be damned before I take her outside of those gates again. It was foolish and selfish.
I lick my lips and turn my head as I hear the door open that leads to downstairs. When I see Lloyd and Mason stroll into the kitchen, looking thick as thieves, it instantly sets my alarms off. I turn all the way around and lean back casually against the countertop, crossing my legs at the ankles and folding my arms across my chest, blood bottle dangling from my hand.
“Well, well, what have we here?” I ask, giving them both a filthy look that is unwarranted but amuses me nonetheless when they bristle and shift uncomfortably. “You two fellas kiss and make up?”
“Something like that,” Mason remarks dryly.
“Well, good for you,” I mutter and bring my blood bottle to my lips for a long, deep drink.
Lloyd looks away uncomfortably, which tells me all I need to know about how he feels about Lilith being a Vampire. Mason, though, he watches me with interest.
“That satisfies you?” he asks, gesturing to the bottle.
Surprised, I hold it up. “It’ll do,” I say suspiciously.
“But it keeps the beast fed?” he presses.
“Obviously,” I scoff. “Blood is blood.”
He nods, relief passing briefly over his face. I smile secretly. Wolfy is worried about little old me.
That thought relaxes me more than the blood.
“We need to have a talk,” Lloyd says after clearing his throat.
“What about?” I ask, then I down the rest of the bottle, scrunching it up and chucking it into the sink to deal with later.
“Lilith,” he says, trying not to roll his eyes.
I say nothing, I just wait for him to get on with it. Whatever it is has him nervous. His heart is beating a bit faster, his blood pumping through his veins that bit quicker.
“Mason and I have reached an understanding,” he says, looking me dead in the eye. “We all need to be on the same page regarding Lilith. I know you care about her…”
“Oh, no, mate,” I interrupt him. “What we have goes far beyond that.” I watch for Mason’s reaction to that.
His face tightens, his eyes hood, but he stays quiet.
“Yes, I’m aware,” Lloyd says with a wry twist to his lips. “What I’m trying to say is that we all care about her, love her even, and we all want what’s best for her.”
“And what do you think that is?” I ask.
“For us to get on, to have her as the center.”
“She is already my world,” I say carefully, wondering how much to tell these assholes about how I feel. “You don’t need to worry about me not putting her first.”
“Not worried,” Lloyd mutters. “This is not only for the spell to work correctly, but also for her. She has made it abundantly clear that she wants all of us. Needs us even. We need to work together to ensure that she is happy, and we need to give her all the support she needs.”
“Way ahead of you, four-eyes,” I drawl, seeing his face go furious at my insult. It just further fuels my amusement. I push off from leaning against the counter and drop my defensive stance. Mason goes on alert, which further ignites the burning lust in the pit of my stomach which Lilith needs to sate before the night is out. “I will give her whatever she needs, and she knows that,” I add going serious. “If that means a truce with you two, then count me in.”
Lloyd’s expression relaxes slightly.
“But don’t expect me not to make fun of you two dickheads. You make it too easy,” I add with a smirk.
“Maybe you are just a little smartass who needs putting in his place,” Mason growls, clenching his fists.
“So uptight. Not getting any?” I taunt.
“Enough!” Lloyd barks out, showing me that bit of Alpha he’s got in him buried under all the geek. “We just agreed…”
I hold my hands up. “Told you, you make it too easy. I see an opener, I’m taking it. Can’t help it…it’s the rebel in me.”
“Good for you,” Lloyd snaps, getting pissed off with me.
I laugh gently. “Let’s go and find Lilith. I want to make sure she is okay.”
“Wait,” Mason grits out. “There’s something you need to know about the magick that was inside her.”
I listen as he briefly runs it down for me. I
force down the urge not to rush out of the kitchen to do something that will more than likely get me killed when I hear about the dreams Lilith and that Hunter prick are sharing.
With all amusement gone, I give them both a grim look. “We need to stop this fucker. Whatever it takes.”
“Agreed,” they both mutter.
So, finally, with some sort of truce hovering between us, uniting us in our quest to protect the woman we all love, we stalk out of the kitchen and up to Lilith’s bedroom. One thing is clear, though. Truce or not, Mason now has that magick inside him and I’ll be watching him closer than is comfortable for him.
Knowing that almost makes it worth it.
Chapter 31
Lilith
I’m awake, showered and dressed by the time I hear the men outside my door. Opening it, I stare at them, chuckling away at something like old buddies. I frown at the weirdness, but then beam at them when I realize how momentous this is.
“Come in,” I say, stepping back.
The three men troop in and I shut the door behind them. I turn and lean against it.
“How are you feeling?” Lloyd asks, leaning over to give me a brief kiss.
I shrug. “Fine physically, thanks to Mason.” I shoot him a grateful look. What he did for me was staggeringly selfless. He barely knows me, yet he took on something that was meant for me. Meant to destroy me.
I brush past Lloyd and take Mason’s face in my hands. His natural brooding look deepens.
“I claim you,” I state quietly, giving him what he needs. Scratch that…what we both need.
He parts his lips and breathes in deeply. It feels like a desert wind flutters over my skin, the heat making me pant slightly. Beads of sweat form on my forehead as I stare deeply into his gray eyes.
“I claim you,” he whispers, standing stock still. “Fuck, Lilith…” He closes his eyes, his face expressing pure bliss.
“I feel it too,” I murmur, tracing my thumb over his full lips that are there, waiting for me to bite them and kiss them savagely.