Blood for Blood (A Keira Blackwater Novel, #2)

by K. R. Willis

  A sigh escaped my lips. Welcome to my life. I closed my eyes and leaned into him. So many things had gone wrong with my life recently, and half the time I didn’t know which end was up anymore. But Leo had been there when I’d needed him, and I clung to that.

  He rubbed his thumb across my jaw in a circular motion, and it was strangely comforting. I blew out a breath, and leaned away. “I will,” I said.

  Leo kissed my forehead, then let his hand drop. “Good. I will contact you as soon as I have the pass.”

  With the softness of his lips still lingering on my skin, and nothing left to do but wait, I nodded my thanks and headed for the door.

  I thought of Leo the whole way home. Things between us had been so strained in the beginning, with him wanting to buy my shop and turn it into another club or whatnot, but had changed so quickly after he fought by my side with the werewolves. It hadn’t been his fight, and he had no responsibility to help me, but he had and nearly died for it.

  And then he’d cared for and protected me while I recuperated from saving his life. He was handsome, yes, but so were many other men. The fact that he was honorable, and a gentleman, meant more to me than his looks.

  Then there was the fact that he was a vampire. What did that mean for us long-term if we got involved? Would he watch me grow old and die? Could I stand to watch him never age another day? I had no idea, which was part of the reason I’d avoided his advances.

  I blew out a frustrated breath when no answers came to me. The bench seat vibrated as I cranked the radio, jamming to one of my favorite songs the rest of the way home, and drowning out my frustration.

  ∞∞∞

  The nightmare came as soon as I climbed in bed and dozed off. I was back in the Evil One’s lair, a strange sandstone covered place. The memory of his dark eyes filled my mind as I kept my back to him. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to run or hide, but I tried anyway. I tried in vain to escape what I knew came next.

  “Where are you going, little one?” he taunted. “I have a surprise for you.” I knew what that surprise was. I knew if I turned toward him, I would see Sam’s beaten and battered body hanging there with Rya’s pelt draped across his shoulders. It was the same illusion he made me see when I was really there the last time, and I never wanted to see it again. Dream or otherwise.

  I clawed at the walls, examined every inch for a way out. Just as I had every time the nightmare came. But there was no way out then, and no way out now. Closing my eyes, I willed myself to wake up. I slapped myself, pinched my arm until I cried out, but I couldn’t force myself awake.

  “Do you not like our company?” a familiar voice mocked.

  I froze in my attempts, and turned around. Loukas stood with the Evil One, both of them flanking Sam’s lifeless form. My breath hitched, and I swallowed hard. Don’t look at him. I forced my gaze away from Sam, and focused on Loukas. He’d never been in the nightmare before. The smile that covered his face was cruel, and hatred lit his black eyes.

  “That’s right,” he said. “I know what you did to me, and I’m coming for you.”

  The floor vibrated as he thundered across the room straight at me.

  I screamed.

  I lurched upright in bed, and nearly kicked Rya out. She’d been curled up at my feet, but had become fully alert at my outburst. Her front paws straddled my legs as she asked, What’s wrong?

  I’m fine, I told her. Just another nightmare. I’d told her about the nightmares not long after they began when I’d actually kicked her out of bed one night, but I hadn’t told her what they were about. I hadn’t told anyone what the Evil One had made me see. That was my hell to live with. I wouldn’t force them to endure it with me.

  You should tell someone, she said as she leaned forward and nuzzled my cheek.

  I closed my eyes and tried to slow my breathing. I’m sure they’ll go away soon.

  She sat back down on the foot of the bed and huffed. I could tell she knew I wasn’t telling the whole truth, but she didn’t say anything. She could pull the memory from me when she was my tattoo if she wanted to, but we had an understanding that that would be intrusive, so she never pulled memories from me I didn’t give to her freely.

  With my breathing finally under control, I threw the covers off and headed for the shower. I was sticky with sweat from the nightmare, and the thin stream of sunlight filtering in through my blinds let me know it was time to get up anyway and go to work.

  After scrubbing myself clean and feeding Rya and myself breakfast, we headed for the shop. There wasn’t much I could think to do about George until Leo came up with the pass I needed, so for now I would go to work, and try to do a little brainstorming while I was there.

  As soon as I arrived, Rya headed for the woods out back of the firehouse. From the research I’d done on the place when I first found it, the woods had been partially cleared to allow for grazing the horses who pulled the fire wagons. Once the firehouse gave way to more modern modes of travel, the woods, no longer being maintained for the horses, grew back. They hadn’t really played a part in my decision to purchase the place, but with me having Rya now, I was glad to have them. They gave her room to hunt small prey like rabbits, and she could run off extra energy since apartments weren’t designed with large cats in mind.

  With Rya occupied, and the shop closed, I climbed the old circular staircase that led to Sam’s dojo. Sam had been training me to fight and defend myself since we were kids, and with the way things had been going lately, I needed the training now more than ever.

  Sam stood in the middle of the wood floor, stretching and going through his warm-up routine. His muscles bunched and corded as he went through a series of maneuvers with his legs and arms, pushing and pulling his body through the moves. I’d seen him do it dozens of times, but it was still impressive.

  His muscles filled out his tall frame without making him look bulky or top-heavy. I’d always teased him that tree trunks would look small up against his legs, but the truth was they fit his athletic physique perfectly. He smiled when he saw me out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t stop his warm-up.

  I smiled back. “Good morning.”

  “Morning,” he greeted me.

  I dropped my keys in the small locker he provided for his clients, and pulled out the gym bag full of workout clothes I kept for our training. After changing in the bathroom, I began my own warm-up routine. Once ready, we began.

  Over the last couple weeks, since all the shit hit the proverbial fan, Sam had been more and more intense with my training. He’d never been easy on me by any means, but he’d given me more time in between sets to catch my breath, and he was always careful not to hurt me, which meant he always held back at least a little.

  Now the attacks came one right after the other, with little space in between. I knew he wouldn’t do any major damage, but he seemed less concerned with my overall well-being. But then again, neither were my enemies.

  So I blocked the best I could, counter-attacked when I had the chance, and went on the offensive as often as possible. By the time we finished, I had a Crayola box full of fresh bruises, and I hurt in more places than I cared to admit.

  He called done, and it was all I could do to not pass out on the floor. Instead, I placed my waster back on the wall, and headed for the shower he’d installed in the dojo back when he designed his space.

  Sam stood waiting for me when I emerged fifteen minutes later dressed in my work clothes. “You good?” he asked. His eyes trailed over several bruises that had sprung up on my arm, and he grimaced. “Sorry. We need to work on your blocking technique. It needs a little improvement, hence all the new bruises.”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Rya can heal most of these, but crap, Sam, do you have to be so...” I fumbled for the right word. “Intense?”

  He frowned. “I know I’m being hard on you, but I have to. You seem to be battling vampires and werewolves on a semi-regular basis now, and they’ll do way worse to you if you aren’t pre
pared.” He rubbed his hand through his hair. “And let’s not forget the Evil One. Nobody knows what he’s capable of because he’s been imprisoned for so long and his powers are muted by the spell holding him. Once he’s out and his powers are full strength again...all bets are off. You’ll be glad for my intense training then.”

  I knew he was right, but my aching body still argued he needed to take it easier on me. If everything with the werewolves blew up, I didn’t know if what he was teaching me would be enough. And if what the Evil One had done to me with his limited power was any indication, I didn’t think any amount of training on his part—or anyone else’s—would prepare me.

  Chapter 5

  The worn metal scraped along my skin as I slid down the old fireman’s pole to my shop. I was halfway to the office when the amulet around my neck burned with such intensity it dropped me to my knees. I cried out as the heat seared the skin between my breasts. My hands shook and my eyes watered as I fumbled to pull it out of my shirt away from my skin.

  “Keira, are you okay down there?” Sam asked. I heard his heavy steps move toward the fireman’s pole.

  “I’m fine!” I yelled. I didn’t want to add to the worries already on his plate. He had enough to deal with, and my leash was short enough as it was. It had been hard enough to convince him to let me and Sally go out clubbing by ourselves. If things kept happening, he’d never leave my side again.

  “Are you sure?” His feet paused at the edge of the hole the pole ran down through.

  “Yeah, I’m good. I just tripped and fell and banged my knee.”

  A moment of silence passed before his footsteps retreated to the other side of his dojo. I planned to tell him eventually, but the recent events were still too fresh. More time needed to pass.

  But I couldn’t hide the pain from Rya. She bounded into the shop, hackles raised, ears flicking back and forth listening for a threat. What’s wrong? When she didn’t see or hear any threats, she walked up and licked the salty tears from my cheek.

  The amulet grew so hot against my chest that it actually burned me. I gently pulled my shirt away from the wound and showed her.

  She hissed and sniffed the wound. Smells like magic. What do you think it means?

  I don’t know, but the witch that gave it to me told me it was meant for protection. Every time I try to take it off, a bad feeling stops me. Even now after being burned by it, the thought of removing it makes me nauseous. I feel like it’s trying to tell me something, to warn me. I just can’t figure out what that is.

  The skin underneath where the amulet had been looked rough, and uneven around the edges. It appeared as though someone had taken the amulet, heated it in a fire, and branded it to my skin. I sucked in a deep breath, and choked when I smelled seared flesh. I looked at Rya. Can you heal me?

  Of course, she said. Did you tell Sam?

  I shook my head. No, and I don’t want to tell him until I know more about what’s going on. Having him worry when we don’t know what’s causing this doesn’t do anyone any good.

  Rya growled her displeasure. After everything we’ve been through, there shouldn’t be any more secrets.

  My heart clenched at her words. I knew she was right. I promise I’ll tell him. Just give me a little more time to figure this out. If I tell him now, he’ll start being overprotective again. He’ll stop letting us go out on our own, and he’ll stop dating that girl he met.

  A deep rumble spread through Rya’s body, letting me know she wasn’t happy about my answer, but she lowered her head anyway and prepared to become my tattoo once again. She head-butted me just as I got to my feet, then stood up on her hind legs so she could maneuver herself into position by my right side. When we were both ready, she kneaded my skin carefully with her claws, and her magic tingled in the air around me. Seconds later, the magic disappeared, and the only thing left of her were a few tawny-colored hairs on the concrete floor.

  The pain from the burn subsided almost immediately as she began the healing process. Within minutes, all traces of the blistering, and even the bruises, had vanished. Thank you, I said as she finished.

  You’re welcome. I felt her retreat to the recesses of my mind, probably to sulk. She really didn’t like that I hadn’t told Sam. Hell, I didn’t like that I hadn’t told Sam, but it felt like the right thing to do. For now, at least.

  As the early morning sun streamed in through the two leaded windows that sat atop the large roll-up door, I turned and walked to the back of the shop toward my office. It was time to open the shop, but first, I grabbed a cup of coffee. I had a feeling I would need it.

  ∞∞∞

  After locking the money in the safe and closing up the office, I skirted my way around a ’35 Ford 5-Window Coupe the owner had dropped off earlier in the day. He was a regular, and had finally scraped together the money needed to add an air conditioner, and upgrade the drum brakes to modern disk brakes. I ran my fingers along the hood of the silver beauty on my way past, admiring her lines the way I did every time he brought her in for routine maintenance.

  “Excuse me,” a strong female voice said. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I’d been so caught up in the ’35, I hadn’t seen anyone enter the shop.

  The woman had long, brown hair that hung halfway down her back, and dark eyes inspected me from underneath long lashes. In her leather pants and tank top, she looked more like a biker chick than someone you’d see at a PTA meeting.

  Something about the way she looked at me made my hackles rise, but I couldn’t pinpoint what. It was intense, like she was sizing me up, but not necessarily threatening. “Can I help you?” I kept half the ’35 between us just in case.

  “Jamie, is that you?” Sam called from above. Her features immediately softened, and some of the toughness faded as soon as she heard his voice. Sam’s bulk suddenly slid down the fireman’s pole and a thud echoed when he hit the floor. He saw the two of us standing there and said, “Oh, good. You’re both here.” He strode toward Jamie and she accepted his embrace as soon as he reached her.

  “Keira, this is the woman I was telling you about. This is Jamie.” He kissed her on the forehead and she leaned into him. “Jamie, this is my best friend, Keira.”

  “Hi,” she said. “Sorry about that earlier with the staring and all, but I expected you to be ten feet tall and wear a cape or something from the way Sam talks about you. You’re not quite what I expected.” She stepped forward out of Sam’s embrace and offered me her hand.

  I stared at it for a moment, not sure what to make of her, but took it when some of the brightness faded from Sam’s eyes. She had a firm grip, but not too hard, and her hands were slightly rough as though she worked for a living—which was good, because I refused to see Sam with someone who wouldn’t help him.

  After a moment, I finally found my manners and said, “Hi, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sure half the things he says aren’t true.”

  She laughed, and it felt genuine, relieving some of the tension that had built. Apparently pleased with that, she stepped back and let Sam put his arms back around her.

  Rya had eased forward in my mind so I said, What do you make of her? When she first came in, it was like I needed to defend my territory. Now she’s all nice and sweet since Sam came down.

  Maybe she’s jealous of your relationship with him. Maybe she feels like she needs to prove herself.

  I didn’t know, but it had set my teeth on edge. Sam and I were best friends—had been most of our lives. I didn’t need to have a pissing contest with his new girlfriend who had an inferiority complex. I had enough problems to deal with without adding that to my plate. If Sam liked her (and judging by the way he smiled and held her close, he definitely did), then I would let it slide and be on my best behavior. For now.

  “Are you guys heading out? I was about to close up shop for the night.”

  Sam kissed her on the cheek and looked at me. “Yeah, I’m taking her out to dinner and a movie. She actually agreed to a second da
te, so I figured I’d splurge a little.” He winked on those last words, and she elbowed him in the ribs.

  “Sam’s taking me out ’cause he’s a nice guy,” she said. Her eyes twinkled and she looked at me. “Would you like to come with us? We can get to know each other better.”

  Sam looked horrified at the thought, and I had to fight to keep from busting out laughing.

  I shook my head. “No, thank you, I’m beat. I have a date with my bed.”

  I’d hoped to go to Leo’s and pick up the pass I needed to get into Nite Vale, but Amina had called and delivered a message from him earlier that said he was to meet his acquaintance tonight out of state, so he wouldn’t be back until nearly dawn. I’d call tomorrow night, and see if he’d been successful. My fingers were crossed. I didn’t know how much longer George had.

  Sam looked so relieved, it almost made me want to change my mind just to watch him squirm, but much to his relief, I was just too tired. Sam was on his own.

  “Okay, but you have to promise we’ll make a day of it soon. I really do want to get to know you better, since you’re such a big part of Sam’s life.”

  Reluctantly, I agreed we would have a “girl’s day out” soon, and left Sam to close up shop. I didn’t even want to think of what they might do before they left.

  ∞∞∞

  Another night of nightmares came and went. Unfortunately, they were becoming routine, and I had no idea what to do about it. This time at least, Rya managed to wake me up fairly quickly, but I hadn’t been able to go back to sleep afterward. I spent the rest of the morning drinking strong coffee, catching up on my social media I maintained for the shop, and answering emails from clients. As I scrolled through the list, one email in particular caught my eye.

  It was from a woman named Vicki, asking if I knew anyone who could put her in touch with a 1950 Chevy 3100 pickup. It said she had been searching for quite some time, and she was willing to pay me a finder’s fee of $5,000 if I could.

  I didn’t know of anyone right off the bat, but five grand was a pretty good incentive to start looking. The next two hours resulted in several leads that I promised myself I would follow up on once I got to the shop, and the non-nightmare-riddled people of the world woke up.