Fire Burn And Cauldron Bubble, A Paranormal Romance (Jolie Wilkins)

by H. P. Mallory

Bella’s eyes narrowed as color rose in her cheeks. She stood up and towered over me, her hand twitching like it wanted to lash out and smack me. “You’re lying!”

  “I’m not lying,” I answered between gritted teeth and stood, angry that I still had to look up into her eyes. Being small had its shortcomings … no pun intended.

  “Perhaps we should try it again tomorrow,” Sinjin interrupted, taking Bella’s hand. I’m not sure why, but the image of him holding Bella’s hand pissed the hell out of me. I had to drop my gaze lest either of them see the angry flames lashing from my eyes.

  “She won’t come back with me. She knew I was there for her, and she knew it because of a prophecy,” I said, instantly regretting my diarrhea mouth. I didn’t want to give Bella any useful information. I wasn’t sure how useful this tidbit was, but I needed to watch my mouth.

  “What prophecy?” She eyed me.

  I sighed. “The woman said she’d known I was coming for her. That’s all I know, so don’t ask me anymore about it.”

  Bella frowned, and I could see the hatred in her eyes. I guess she wasn’t used to people talking to her in such a way, but I didn’t care. She could force me to do her bidding, but that didn’t mean I had to be happy about it.

  “I’ve listened to enough of your drivel. Sinjin, get her out of my sight before I do something we’ll both regret.”

  Sinjin reached for me, but I avoided him. “Don’t touch me dammit …”

  “Jolie,” Sinjin interrupted me, his jaw so tight I immediately shut up. He grabbed my arm, and his grip was none too gentle as he led me down a long and dark corridor. He threw open the door to our bedroom and deposited me in the room with a shove as he slammed the door behind us. “You need to watch yourself.”

  “Screw you.”

  He took a seat on his bed. “Bella will hurt you if you drive her to it.”

  I refused to look at him and even went so far as to sit on my bed, my back facing him. The mattress was squishy beneath me, completely different to the hardness of the cot. Tonight would be my first night in my new abode. I knew I wouldn’t sleep a wink, not if Sinjin was in here with me. And he would be—he’d made it his business to be my keeper.

  “I don’t care.”

  “You care what she does to your friend?”

  I dropped my face and eyed my lap. He had me there. “Okay, you’ve proven your point. You can go now.”

  He materialized directly in front of me, and I thought I’d choke on my gasp. “It is impolite to turn your back on someone,” he said with a smile.

  “I don’t care.”

  “I have killed men for less,” he continued, and if he was trying to intimidate me, it was working.

  “What do you want, a gold star?”

  Sinjin laughed, and I enjoyed the sound, much though I wanted to kick myself with the realization.

  “You are very fortunate you are a woman and a beautiful one at that,” he finished, eyeing me up and down as his tongue caressed his fangs. I shuddered.

  I stood up and turned away from him. No sooner did I turn my back in a show of disobedience, than I found myself up against the wall, my cheek a witness to the roughness of the brick. I stifled the whimper that brewed in my throat and closed my eyes against the excitement that stirred in my stomach when I felt Sinjin’s body tight against mine.

  “Do you know how many vampires are in my command?” he whispered and his breath tickled my ear.

  “No, nor do I care.”

  His fingers ran up the sleeve of my sweatshirt until they reached my shoulder. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath, but refused to admit that his touch sent a bolt of heat through me. He pulled against the sweatshirt, and it dropped from my shoulder, the strap of my tank top left to hold down the fortress. His cold fingers graced my skin and it reacted with goose bumps.

  “Why do you shiver at my touch?”

  I shut my eyes tight and tried to imagine myself in the heat of the desert, trying to imagine myself anywhere hot enough to melt the damned gooseflesh from my skin. “You’re cold,” I answered and smirked at my own response. Not bad.

  Sinjin laughed. “I think it is for a different reason, poppet.”

  I swallowed hard. “And what reason would that be?”

  His fingers started a descent down my collarbone and further still. Before he reached my breasts, I grabbed his hand and he jerked me around, pushing me back up against the wall. I forced my gaze to his. I wouldn’t allow myself to cower before him.

  “I think you are very aware that I would like nothing more than to bed you.”

  My mouth dropped open. He was like a romance novel book character come to life. “Who the hell talks like that?” I said, wishing I could’ve come up with something better. Not good.

  “Do not be afraid of me, poppet. I can see the lust in your eyes.”

  I pulled away from him. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

  He laughed and took a seat on his bed. I breathed a sigh of relief, imagining he might stay there, hoping he would stay there. I couldn’t handle him so close to me, it made me think things I shouldn’t be thinking.

  I rubbed my upper arms, hoping to destroy the memory of his hands on me. “Why are you here? Don’t you have something better to do?”

  He quirked his head. “I am your keeper. I am keeping you.” He smiled with fangs, and I just shook my head.

  “So I’m stuck with you?”

  He nodded and leaned back, completely at ease. “Shall we have a conversation? I find myself excited about the prospect of learning more about you.”

  I groaned. “Fine. Whatever. Just nothing sexual. What do you want to talk about?”

  I felt like I was babysitting some kid and trying to keep him entertained.

  “Ask me a question.”

  I frowned. “How old are you?”

  He straightened, apparently eager to talk about himself. “Six hundred nineteen.”

  I gulped. “Holy crap.”

  Sinjin laughed. “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-eight.”

  “Holy crap,” he said with a smile before changing the subject. “Was it true what you said? That the old woman refused to go with you?”

  “Yeah.”

  I plopped down on the bed. “I’m only sitting because I want to, not because you suggested it,” I said, sounding all of twelve years old.

  Sinjin chuckled. “Of course.”

  “Why aren’t you concerned about making Bella jealous with your ... attentions to me?”

  He quirked a brow. “I thought you said we could not discuss anything sexual?”

  “That isn’t …” I interrupted myself as realization dawned on me.

  He was sleeping with her! No wonder she looked like she wanted to kill me. After the initial shock wore off, I was left with a big helping of jealousy, or was it envy … either way, it wasn’t pleasant. Why did I have any sort of feelings for this creature? God, it was infuriating.

  “Bella must deal with her own insecurities.”

  “You don’t understand women very well.”

  He leaned forward, looking entirely too interested.

  “Let’s talk about something else,” I said.

  “Perhaps you and the warlock.”

  “No,” my voice was direct, and I shook my head in case he didn’t understand English. “Let’s not.”

  The door flew open then and Bella stepped inside, eyeing us suspiciously. Thank God she hadn’t decided to visit five minutes ago when Sinjin was caressing my shoulder. That would have definitely ended up with my head on a plate.

  Sinjin merely smiled, slow and sexy, obviously enjoying the fact that Bella was burning with jealousy. “Bella, what can I do for you?”

  “I have something I … need to discuss with you,” she said and eyed me with daggers.

  Sinjin stood. “Of course.” He faced me. “Poppet, I will return later.”

  I didn’t say anything, but watched them leave and allowed my heart to deflate whe
n I heard the sound of a key locking my door.

  ~

  “I don’t care if she wants to come back with you or not,” Bella snapped, her hands fisted. “Your job is to bring her back.”

  I frowned, shaking my head. We were sitting across from one another in the living room of the old house. I’d only been allowed to see this room, my bedroom that I shared with Sinjin, and the room in which I’d been held captive for a week. I hadn’t been outside in what felt like years.

  Bella had ordered me to bring back the old woman again, the one who was determined not to come back. First of all, I wasn’t even sure it was possible to try and bring her back twice. Secondly, I’d touched her when she died last time and nothing had happened, so what made anyone think it would work this time?

  “Don’t fail,” Bella warned.

  I didn’t care if I failed or not. I said nothing, but closed my eyes and took Bella’s hands, much though I hated touching her.

  Instantly I found myself in the same dark and dank room with the same smell of death. The woman was in bed and the rose stood at her bedside, not quite withered, but on its way. I wasn’t going to waste time.

  “Wake up,” I said.

  The woman opened her eyes slowly, her gaze darting around the room. She closed her eyes again, no doubt thinking I was a dream.

  “I’m still here.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise.

  “You can’t see me, but I’m here. I’m not a ghost. I met you yesterday, but you won’t remember. I’m here to save you.”

  She nodded, but pulled her covers closer to her chin. “I do not want to be saved.”

  “I know. We’ve been through this already. Last time you told me about a prophecy. What’s the prophecy?”

  “Prophecy?” she asked.

  All I knew was this information was important. I didn’t know how to use it or when I could use it, but I knew I had to get it. “When I was here before, you told me about a prophecy. You knew I was coming for you. You knew who I was.”

  She nodded and her eyes took on a faraway look. “The prophecy.”

  “What does it say?”

  She coughed and I attempted to hand her the glass of water on the table, but my hand went through it. “The prophecy said a woman would come for us, that she could raise the dead.”

  My mind spun and I almost sank onto the bed, until I remembered how dirty the coverlet was. What could all of this mean? What did the prophecy have to do with me? “You told me before that I wasn’t a witch. What did you mean?”

  She shook her head. “I do not know.”

  She seemed confused and I had to calm down, thinking she couldn’t remember my first visit as it had never happened in her world. The fact that she wasn’t screaming was amazing in and of itself.

  “Can you see the future?” I asked in a soft voice.

  “Sometimes.”

  I tried not to let the frustration show in my voice. “Then the prophecy, how do you know what it is?”

  She took in a great, rattling breath, her face paling into a light shade of blue. My anxiety grew; I needed answers before she died.

  “The elders, they told us.”

  She erupted into a fit of coughing. When she was able to control herself again, tears brimmed in her eyes.

  “Why does Bella want you to come back with me?” I urged, knowing I’d never get the answer from Bella.

  The old woman tried to speak but her voice came out as a mere wisp of air. I leaned down, hoping I could understand. “She thinks … I can change the course of the … future.”

  Someone changing the course of the future was a good comrade to have. “But you can’t?”

  She shook her head. “No, she is mistaken.”

  The woman said nothing more as I let it all sink in. So Bella had the wrong prophet. What was Bella wanting the old woman for anyway? To change the course of history, but why?

  I glanced at the woman and she was still. I couldn’t help myself as I shook her and demanded she tell me more, tell me what Bella was after. But it was no use. The woman was dead, gone. Goddammit.

  Bella was equally angry with me when I returned empty handed and she refused to listen to me. “You didn’t try hard enough,” she snapped.

  I pushed myself up, ignoring the throb in my head. “It doesn’t matter about trying hard enough. I just have to touch the person when they die and that brings them back. Don’t act like you know what the rules are. I know no one has ever been able to do it before.”

  Bella’s wrath exploded and she slapped me across the cheek. I stumbled back, resisting the urge to press my hand to my stinging face. Gritting my teeth against the onslaught of ire that visited me, I stared directly into the witch’s eyes. How I hated her. How badly I wanted to wrap my fingers around her neck.

  “Sinjin, get her out of my sight,” Bella seethed.

  Sinjin reached down and grabbed the front of my shirt, jerking me to my feet. Without a word, he pulled me into the hall and pushed me in front of him. I stumbled, righting myself against the wall. His jaw was clenched so tight, it looked like he’d break his teeth.

  “Are you telling the truth? I will find out if you are not.”

  I stared directly into his eyes and lied. “Yes.”

  I couldn’t help the smile that pulled at the corners of my lips. Bella had the wrong prophet. The whole thing was pretty comical. I wished I’d been in the right frame of mind—maybe I could’ve even laughed.

  TWENTY

  It was late. It was also the first night I didn’t have my ever-watchful vampire roommate. I didn’t want to stop to think where he might be—with Bella. The answer was clear and it made me ill. But as pissed as I’d been, I hadn’t been angry enough not to notice he hadn’t locked the door. I’d laid there for ten long minutes, my heart thundering in my chest, any moment expecting someone to come by and lock the thing. No one had.

  Imagining it might be my only chance to escape, I crept to the corner of the room where I’d piled my jeans and sweatshirt before going to bed. My heart strummed within my chest, echoing in my ears as I dressed.

  I figured I should arrange the bedding to make it look like I was asleep and situated the two pillows lengthwise. I threw the covers over them, hoping it would look like I preferred to sleep with the covers over my head. Okay, it was something a teenager would do, and I didn’t imagine it would work—Sinjin seemed to be a pretty detail-oriented guy, but it was worth a shot.

  I laced my sneakers and tiptoed to the door. Tugging on the door handle, I found it wide open. Well, my keepers weren’t very diligent. It was probably a set up, but I was so desperate at this point, I didn’t even give a crap.

  I stuck my head out and looked left then right. The hallway was dark and as quiet as a graveyard. Thinking I’d already wasted too much time, I crept out the door. The floorboards moaned underneath me, and I froze. My attention fell to the stair well directly before me—it was so close, I wanted to sprint, but I had to force myself to go slowly, lest I make more noise than I already had.

  I’d never been out of the house, so I’d have to go blindly. Reaching the staircase, I swallowed the frog, scratch that, the toad in my throat. I breathed a sigh of relief when I made it down the stairs with only the protest of a few creaky boards.

  But I faced a quandary at the bottom of the stairs. I could go right or left—to my right looked like a living room and to the left, the kitchen. What was more likely to have a door leading outside? I’m no architect, but I’d have to bet on the living room. I turned to the right and forced my legs forward. No sooner did I start forward, than I walked headlong into the corner of the couch. I bit my tongue to keep the curse from my lips. It wasn’t easy to navigate in the middle of the night. I was so scared, I was about to wet myself.

  I’d made the right decision. A door stood before me and in my mind’s eye, it shone like the Holy Grail. I bolted, too close to freedom to travel the distance slowly. Grabbing the doorknob and turning, I stepped foo
t outside.

  I was free.

  The cold night air met me like an old friend. The moonlight carved a path that led through a grassy backyard into a bank of trees. No fences, gates, or anything separating me from certain escape. Just a football field’s length of grass.

  This would be the toughest part of my escape. The grassy area was about four hundred feet until it reached the haven of the trees. If anyone were awake and happened to look out their window, they’d easily spot me. Lucky for me, most the windows in the house had been sealed over—vampires aren’t especially fond of windows. Freedom was so close, I could taste it. And it was a taste that rivaled apple pie.

  I took a deep breath and like a sprinter, well, more like a girl who’d never run before, but was hell-bent on getting away from an evil witch and two vampires, I took off.

  I’m not sure why, but I ran in zig-zags, almost like my brain thought someone was going to shoot me. Weird what your body does when under duress. I reached the cover of the trees and felt the start of tears in my eyes. Had I done it? I leaned my hands against my thighs and panted. If I got out of this unscathed, the first place I was going was the gym.

  Thinking I needed more distance between me and the house of horrors, I jogged in between the trees. I had a stitch in my side that wouldn’t allow for running, still, I couldn’t help the grin that stole my face.

  Holy crap! I’d done it! Take that, Bella!

  Feeling pretty confident and proud of myself, I continued forging my way through the thick forest. I had no idea where I was—away was enough at this point. I considered changing into a fox, but I wasn’t sure how far Bella’s spell prohibited me from using my magic. Maybe trying to use my own magic might set off some unseen alarm? I wasn’t about to take any chances.

  No, I was going to do this all on my own. No reliance on my witch powers. This was going to be Jolie Wilkins au natural. Getting my second wind, I started running again. I wasn’t on any sort of path, and the tree branches snapped against my face and body, but they didn’t slow me down. As dumb as it sounds, Rand kept me going. I just pictured his beautiful dark eyes and dimpled smile when it seemed my resolution was waning.