by Terry Spear
“How in the hell did you get mixed up with a warlock?” Again, he glanced at me, his eyes narrowed in condemnation. “Jeez, Dominic, you look like hell.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, not feeling in the best of health either. “Lightning bolt spells will do that to a body.”
James shook his head. “I don’t even want to know how that came about. I thought you said you couldn’t go against the vampire. You said—”
“Things have changed. I’ve met a girl.”
James glanced at me, a slight smile curving his lips. As many times as I got into trouble with some girl—who hadn’t quite ditched her old boyfriend—James would teasingly call me Lover Boy. Would I ever learn?
Lynetta taught me the lesson well to avoid most girls. Marissa was definitely the exception.
“Marissa’s a witch.” I knew that would get mixed reviews.
Frowning, James shook his head. “Okay, so that explains the warlock. You sure know how to get yourself into messes. What in the world are you taking up with a witch for when you’ve got a vampire after you?”
“Marissa saved my life. She’s saving my life. I’ve found my soul mate.”
James grunted. He wouldn’t believe in such a thing unless someone cast a spell on him, forcing him to believe it.
“Really.” I’m sure he thought I was an idiot with foolish romantic notions. “We can read each other’s minds.”
This time James looked at me with a kind of amazement.
“She’s truly the one. If she can’t help me, no one can.”
“Soooo, where is this girl when you need her help so badly?” Though disbelief still clung to his words, I also sensed some hope.
“Lynetta has threatened her. I was afraid for Marissa’s safety. I thought once I had warlock powers…”
James glanced at me and raised his brows. “You know, I’m the eldest and I’m supposed to be the one who tries lots of new experiences out first. You’re supposed to follow my lead and not make the same dumb mistakes I make. So what’s wrong with this scenario?”
“You’re the eldest and supposed to be more responsible. I’m the youngest and…” I shrugged. What else could I say? I was rash, impulsive, didn’t have a whole lot of common sense—that’s what Dad said as soon as I told my parents what had happened to me. “Well, anyway, Marissa gave me some of her blood. I didn’t realize I’d gain a warlock’s abilities when I drank her blood, but I did.”
“Warlock’s abilities?” He shook his head. “Jeez, Mom and Dad will throw a fit. You know neither of them had gray hair until you turned seventeen.”
I rolled my eyes. “They said they turned gray prematurely because it was an inherited trait.”
“They only said that so you wouldn’t feel so bad. What else is going on?”
Wringing my damp hands, I stared out the window. “I thought I’d be stronger and could kill the vamp. Except a warlock attempted to murder me first.”
The whites of James’s knuckles showed when he gripped the steering wheel tightly. “The lightning bolt spell.” He attempted to give me a sympathetic look, but there was a strong undercurrent of anger, and I knew if I gave him the warlock’s name, James would try to take care of the bastard himself. “How was the warlock involved?”
“He made a move on Marissa.”
James’s brown brows rose in question.
“He forced a kiss on her, but I know it was to rile me. I really tried to remain calm, but when I came after him, he cast the spell on me.”
“Who is he and where is he now?”
“I don’t know.” I told the truth in part. I had no idea where the warlock had gone, though I suspected to his home, but even then, I didn’t know where. I knew his first name, but not his last. So my answer was mostly the truth.
“You do, but you won’t tell me.” James took a deep breath. “I suspect you don’t want to go home.”
“No, I’m staying with Marissa. I have to protect her and I need her help. Plus, I don’t think Mom and Dad can take much more of what’s going on in my life without both of them having a stroke.”
“Hell, Dominic, you’re going to give me a stroke if you keep it up.” James glanced at me. “Where does she live?”
“Whispering Oaks Estates.”
James’s eyes widened. “She has her own house? How old is this girl?”
“Seventeen. Her parents are away.”
James chuckled, all knowing-like.
“We haven’t…well, first things first.”
Shaking his head, James said, “Her address?”
“Thirty-two-ten Lake Vista Drive. Can you tell Mom we’re working on clearing this matter up? I want to keep in touch, but every time I call—”
“She’s scared to death about you. And now with all of these killings…”
Knowing how hard it must be for her, I sighed deeply. “I haven’t done any of them.”
“I know. But still she’s worried you’ll begin to also.”
“I have to break the spell by Friday.” With the setback tonight, I wasn’t sure we’d make it in time, yet I had to keep my hopes up. A residual of the lightning bolt spell zapping my strength was making me feel impotent. The thought of Marissa hating me for leaving her like I did also weighed heavily on my conscience. I was certain I’d have to face her fury next, and I wasn’t sure I could handle it.
James tapped on the steering wheel with his thumbs. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Listen, you were absolutely a lifesaver tonight. Wait, pull over here. I can’t get into the house without transporting, but it’s only a block away, and I’m afraid Lynetta might be hanging around outside trying to get in. Let me try from here.”
James stopped at the curb. “We’re all rooting for you, little brother.”
“I have to tell you, Marissa’s got a girlfriend who’s a pretty hot number, and she’s interested in meeting you.”
James slid his hands over the steering wheel. “Don’t tell me. She’s a witch.”
“Yep. Of course she was disappointed you weren’t more like me.”
James laughed out loud.
I patted him on the shoulder. “It’s good to hear you laugh like that again. I didn’t think I ever would.”
“It’s good to see you still alive and well, grayer than our cement walk, but still kicking.”
“As soon as I can, I’ll give you the news about how we make out.”
“If everything turns out well…” James stopped, his voice breaking up. “You’ll have to bring this little filly home to see Mom and Dad.”
“Will do. I hope they won’t be too upset that I’m a warlock now…or that she’s a witch.”
James snorted. “I think anything would be preferable to a—”
“Prince of Darkness.”
Chapter 16
MARISSA
My heart and head pounded with frustration and worry while I rushed out of my parents’ house with Kate, not knowing where to go to save Dominic from himself.
Neither of us felt assured that he was indeed totally revived from his lightning bolt experience. Unless he’d only faked his loss of strength. Then I’d kill him for lying to me once I got my hands on him.
But why didn’t he wait until after we’d fallen asleep? Why the ruse? Because I’d been so angry with him, I made him leave.
To have him home safely, I would take every word and action back.
“To the Hamburger Spot?” I asked Kate, my voice verging on panic. “That’s where he said he met Lynetta the first time. Do you think he’ll try meeting her there again?”
Kate agreed. “I have no other idea where he might go. Sounds good to me.”
Before we could move but a few feet from the house, a breeze suddenly stirred, and a flapping of wings clued us in to a vampire’s arrival. At once my heart sank, filling with black dread.
Lynetta sneered at me from several paces away. Dressed in tight-fitting, black leather pants and a short-waisted jacket, she looked li
ke a biker babe who’d lost her wheels. Her long, black hair hung to her hips in thick, luscious curls. Again, her soulless, raven-colored eyes glared at me. With her wicked fangs hidden, I could see now that she was a beauty.
“Stupid little witch,” she hissed.
Instantly, she destroyed the image I had of her being a beauty.
Hoping they’d work against a powerful ancient vampire, both Kate and I hastily formed protection spells around us.
“Dominic wanted you as a midnight snack,” the vamp taunted. “That’s what he told me. But nooooo, then he decided he wanted to keep you for his very own plaything.”
Her voice was dark and sultry with a charming lure to it. But I couldn’t believe the vamp twisted the story around so. Did she believe we’d think she was telling the truth? After what she’d nearly done to him in front of me? Why didn’t she just attack us and be done with it?
“He said I was to play this little charade of his. He’d follow you to your house, then try to solicit your help to get rid of me. Except you balked at letting him in. Must have killed his superior self-image. Ancients have egos as big as the world, you know.”
“You stalked him at the Hamburger Spot,” I countered, knowing she lied. No way had he come after me to pretend to get rid of Lynetta as part of some sadistic game.
“The other way around, sweetie.” Lynetta gave a sickly-sweet, all-knowing smile. “He likes young things, you see. He shows up where the teens hang out.” She barely took a breath and rattled on. “He commanded me to perform and staged the entire scene. He’s the one who turned me…not the other way around. He’s the ancient one, not I. Since he turned me, I have no choice but to do his bidding. Believe me, I hate you, because I want him all to myself, but…” She lifted one shoulder in a defeated shrug. “He’s the one in charge. You were the ultimate challenge, don’t you see? A witch who could not easily be compelled to do his bidding. That’s why he found you so…intriguing. He tired of human females he could control just by gazing into their eyes.”
I quickly considered what had happened as far as I remembered it, though the vamp was screwing with my memories. Had he targeted me in the manner she said? Easily winning me over by soliciting my aid in his defense? Inviting a stranger into my home, when I would not normally have?
Quashing my doubts, I said through clenched teeth, “He didn’t change you. He can be out during the daylight hours. You can’t. You’re the one who’s the ancient vampire. You’re the one who turned him.”
“Did he tell you I couldn’t be outside during the day?” Her laughter was bitter, cutting through me like scissors ripped through silk. “Did he tell you also if you share your blood with him, and he with you, then kill me, all will be well? That he has a family around here somewhere? Have you met them? They died three hundred and fifty years ago, after he ripped their throats out. He had an older brother. Has he told you that?”
I glanced at Kate. Her eyes were as round as the full moon.
“His older brother would have inherited the dukedom. Dominic would have had nothing, being the youngest son. He killed his family when his father was sick and dying.”
Lynetta folded her arms. “As to the business of daylight, he’s always been able to move around during the day, as long as it’s sufficiently overcast. Didn’t he tell you that? We all are.”
“I don’t believe you.” Yet a trickle of dread dared to shimmer down my spine. What if what she said was the truth?
“He wants you to kill me now, doesn’t he? I was to be his mistress for all eternity. He’ll promise you the same. Immortality. And after a month or so, he’ll find some new girl to hit on. But do you know why he wanted you?”
Truthfully, I couldn’t think of a reason. There had to be millions of girls who were prettier, more athletic, brighter, wittier, you name it. Any of them would beat me out.
“You’re a witch. And not just any witch, but plain to look at, gullible and never been kissed. So you were vulnerable to a vampire’s charms like the kind Dominic possesses. He has all the women swooning at his feet. In essence, you were ripe for the picking.”
My heart quickened. I could think all of these things about myself. I often did, but some vamp wasn’t going to say them about me. Still, I wondered how she knew I’d never been kissed. Was it written on my lips? Had she guessed? Or worse, had Dominic told her?
“You’re the ancient one, Lynetta,” I said as calmly as I could manage, though my blood raced through my veins and my cheeks grew hot with anger.
Still keeping her canines tucked away, she smiled in a sort of simpering sympathetic way as if she felt sorry for me. “At first I wanted to kill you, because I wanted to be Dominic’s only mistress. You can’t understand how his betrayal has ripped out my heart. To prove he is the ancient vampire, I won't harm you or your friend. It’s not your fault he’s played with your heartstrings and wrapped you around his will.”
She waved a finger at me. “Did he have a difficult time stopping when he drank your blood? If not the last time, he will this time. Mark my words.”
Lynetta twisted everything. I kept telling myself she was the one who had turned Dominic, not the other way around. Yet, a niggling fear worked its way into my subconscious, setting up self-doubt that promised to plague me until I knew the whole truth.
“Dominic hasn’t fully turned you. But he already told you that you are soul mates, has he not? He said the same to me. Now he says that if you don’t kill me, I will fully turn him. Am I right? If I fully turn him, he’ll come for you no matter what. Right? Whether it was your choice or not? He’s preparing you for what he’ll do, as he did me. You tell him no, that he can’t have your blood. See what happens. He’ll beg you to give it to him. When that doesn’t work, he’ll take what he has claimed. If he were the good guy in all this, he wouldn’t do such a thing, would he?”
“Why would he have us kill you then, if you’re not the ancient vampire? Why not just let you roam free to find someone else?” I felt very clever for an instant—even a bit smug.
“He knows how bitter I am about his betrayal. He’s afraid I’ll turn his potential victims against him. I can’t kill him because he’s turned me, but I could get others to go after him. Now he’s taken your witch’s blood and become even more powerful.” The last words Lynetta spoke seemed somewhat angered, but she attempted to maintain an even voice—non-threatening—to convince me she was the innocent in this situation. “He’ll continue to feast on the population here until it gets too risky, then move somewhere else. But he’ll keep you around for a while. See if he can tap into any more of your abilities. Once he’s finished using you, he’ll solicit the help of someone else to kill you like he plans to do to me.”
She took a step toward me, but Kate and I stood our ground, hoping to heaven our protection spell would last, but not wanting to cower before the spiteful vamp. “Remember my words well, witch. He intended to kill me tonight, but I hid from his deadly fangs. He’ll ask for your help again, beg for you to aid him, or he’ll be lost to the dark side.” Lynetta spit on the ground. “He is the dark side. Help him and you’ll join him, too, for a time.”
With a flick of her wrist, faux biker babe Lynetta vanished.
My legs shook, and Kate grabbed my arm. We hurried back to my front porch. “She lied,” I sobbed, not sure why I suddenly didn’t trust Dominic. Yet my faith in him was shaken. I couldn’t help wondering why he had selected me? Plain old me? None of the guys had ever paid any attention to me. I wasn’t outgoing or spectacular in any way. Had Lynetta spoken the truth?
“Why are you crying then?” Kate closed and locked the front door.
“I keep wondering why he picked me. Out of all the beautiful people, why did he choose plain old brown-paper-bag me?”
“Because you’re beautiful to me,” Dominic’s deep voice said behind us from the direction of the living room sofa.
Kate squealed and I gasped. We whirled around to see him gripping the sofa back, his face p
ale as death, his dark brown eyes haunted.
“You’re more beautiful than anyone, Marissa,” he repeated as if trying to convince me he spoke the truth. He turned his attention to Kate. “Can we be alone?”
“No.” I grabbed Kate’s hand, tired and determined not to be conned by any more vampires. “It’s…it’s time for bed, and we’ll see you in the morning.”
“Marissa, I love you.”
I nodded. Any words I might have said to him clung in my throat like a chunk of lead.
His face was still ice white, but his knuckles reddened from the fierce grip he had on the sofa. Was he angry with me?
Suddenly, he collapsed on the floor. Kate shrieked, shattering my already raw nerves, while my heart took a dive.
***
The night hadn’t gone well at all. Dominic was in bad physical shape, I was an emotional wreck, and Kate wasn’t much better. After many hours of sitting with Dominic while he lay stretched out on the couch unconscious, I finally carried him to the guest bedroom. Kate followed like a little lost lamb.
While she watched me silently for a few minutes, I kept hoping she would go to bed. Then she finally whispered, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I nodded, not wanting to tell her what I was going to do, but she seemed to know anyway.
She padded down the hall to my bedroom with slow, weary steps and shut the door. At first, I removed Dominic’s shoes and socks. I stared at his trousers for what seemed an eternity, the thought crossing my mind that I’d imagined him stripped naked and put on display by the witch’s tribunal. Seemed like an eternity had passed since we’d first met.
I unbuckled his belt and unzipped his trousers. Well, I wouldn’t strip him totally, just enough so he could sleep comfortably.
I tugged at his pants for some time, then finally pulled them off and landed on my butt for the third time that day. I squashed the swear word that rose to my lips.
Next, I worked on his shirt, then pulled it off. He muttered under his breath, though his pulse was still weak. He hadn’t regained consciousness since he had collapsed in the living room, which had me worried sufficiently to fear I might still lose him. I held back more tears. I’d shed enough already. For now, I had work to do to keep him alive.