“Oh good, I see that you found her. Where is he?” The older man was dressed in a shirt that stretched across his tight chest with biceps as big as her thighs, his head bald and smooth as the day he’d been born. He seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face, and one of his eyes looked to be lazy.
“Where is who?”
“My nephew, of course. You know, the man you were fucking in the alley. Rick.”
Air was knocked from her lungs. They had seen what they were doing, but that wasn’t what had shocked her. No, it was that Rick had been right this whole time. He’d been telling her the truth. He didn’t want to hurt her; he was only looking out for his family. Maybe he did care, but what good would that do now? She’d been taken prisoner and would never see him again. His sister would die, and it would all be her fault. They’d have to beat her to get the information, or kill her, because she wasn’t going to tell this man a thing. She might not be able to save his sister unless she could get out of this, but no way would she let him get killed by this psycho.
“I have no clue who you’re talking about. You must have me mixed up with someone else.”
****
He couldn’t believe that she’d just taken off the way she had. Sure, the story had to sound crazy to her, but as a witch, she would have seen things that most people would never believe in. There was no time to think about it; he had to get to his family and help them fight. Taking a car wouldn’t make sense; he needed to get there quickly, so he decided to take the fastest route. Thanks to Twilight, the way vampires traveled had been compromised. The good thing about how they got around was they got to places faster.
Rick didn’t bother to knock on the door at his family’s home. This place had been in his family for centuries. Cinnamon drifted into his nose, and he inhaled, taking comfort in it as memories from his childhood flooded his mind. Whispers drifted in from the back of the house. No doubt they’d all be in his sister’s room keeping vigil. Anger seeped from his veins as he took in his sister, Casey. She lay lifeless on the bed, and he feared it was too late. But then she moved, turning her head as if she sensed he was there. A small smile formed on her lips. He could have helped her if only Serena had given back the pendant, but she hadn’t.
“Did you get it, Son?” his mom asked. He scrubbed a hand down his face, not able to meet his mother’s gaze when he told her that he’d failed his family. Wasn’t it enough he’d been turned into a vampire, but now this? If only he could get her out of his mind and heart. He’d royally fucked up this time. “No, I didn’t get it. I’m sorry, Mom. I tried, but didn’t get to her in time.”
Screams pierced through the house, and it could only mean one thing; they were under attack. He wasn’t sure what he could do, but he had to help. His mom ordered people around, and he took a protective stance over his sister. If they were going to get to her, they’d have to kill him first, and that was unlikely since he had fast reflexes and the ability to read people’s moves before they did things. She turned, grabbing his hand. God, he’d forgotten how small she was. “It’s going to be okay, just hang on.”
“I know it will. I trust everyone here,” she whispered.
Chris burst into the room, and he swore his stomach did a flop. Serena was being dragged into the room, her arms tied behind her back, but unlike most people being held hostage, her head was held high. Pride filled his chest at the moxie that rolled off her body. That’s my girl. Now not only did he have to save his family, but also her. No way would he let his uncle and his men hurt the woman he loved. Her gaze connected with his, and he tried to relay a silent message between them, that he’d take care of everything and not to worry. She nodded the slightest so no one else saw but him.
“Oh, I’m so glad the whole family could be here,” his uncle spoke, causing him to cringe.
“What do you want?” Not that he needed to ask, he already knew. His uncle hated that his father had been a wizard with great powers, and had passed it down to his son. A direct descendant of Merlin. The family had been given powers to keep the world safe. His sister, once she fully transferred, would have the powers to keep the evil kind of magic at bay, just like their grandmother had. If anyone in the family turned evil, like his uncle had, the universe would be in grave danger. Chris wanted nothing more than to take them out so he could continue with his evil plans. Family legacy weighed on his shoulders at the moment.
He’d never forgotten the way his uncle stormed into the house with his men. He tied him, his sister, and mom up and tormented his dad. They were forced to watch as he was killed. The memory sent cold chills through his body. He’d make sure his dad didn’t die in vain.
“Is that the way to greet me, your favorite uncle? You know I was always fond of you. It’s such a shame you won’t be the powerful wizard that everyone predicted.”
If only I’d not had the pendant at the bar. I’d spent most of the day trying to figure out the special power it held. I should never have had it in the first place. The blood in his veins boiled to the surface, and he had to force the emotions down to keep a level head. A tingle raced down his hand into his left index finger. It was followed by a fire burning deep within, and he couldn’t explain what was happening. All he knew was the madder he got the more he felt it. Just like before, when he practiced magic, but why would he be able to do this now when he was a vampire? Somehow his uncle had to be playing tricks on him, or something, as there was no other way to explain it. This would be something that Chris would do just to piss him off.
“Save the bullshit for someone who cares.”
“So you want to play it that way then. How about I kill her now and take the necklace.” His uncle raised his wand above Serena's head, and started to cite the death spell.
Rick looked at his sister who was getting worse by the minute, and then back at Serena who screamed from the pain of the spell. He charged ahead, knocking over Chris, who hadn’t seen him coming. They wrestled on the ground before he could push his uncle off, and got to his feet. Serena was already out of her ropes with a wand in her hand stretched out toward him. Take this to fight your uncle off.
He must really be losing his mind if he could hear her speak to him in his thoughts. Not like he had anything to lose. He took the black wand and started to chant the death wish over his uncle, but before he finished Chris took off down the hall. Rick rushed after him. He wouldn’t let this man get away with terrorizing his family anymore. Pain sliced through his mid-section as Chris cast a spell in his direction.
He raised the wand he held and fired back, hitting him in the shoulder. Chris fell to the ground, and he didn’t waste any time casting another. Rick charged forward until he stood over the man responsible for killing his father.
“Come on, don’t be like this. Stop all this nonsense, and we can work things out.”
“Like hell. You’re not going to hurt anyone I love ever again.” Rick started to recite the death spell that his uncle had wanted to use on Serena.
“Shit, you believe in all that lovey-dovey crap. You’re as pathetic as your father. That’s why he didn’t amount to the powerful wizard he could have. He let that hussy you call a mom distract him.”
“You watch how you speak about my family. The only pathetic one here is you.” Rick pointed his wand at him again and cast another spell. This time his uncle’s body started to shrink and wrinkle like an old prune. His hair disappeared, and within moments, his body parts began to pull away from their sockets. His screams could be heard from miles around. Minutes slowly passed and then silence filled the room.
A gasp came from behind him, and he turned to see his mom with her hand over her mouth. She walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You used magic to kill him. How?”
“I have no clue.” He wondered if he really had just used magic to kill someone. It made no sense; his magic had left the moment he was turned into a vampire. Rick rushed back to the bedroom. He had to make sure Serena and his sister were safe. His m
other’s footsteps fell into step with his. She muttered something under her breath along the way.
He watched her move to her daughter, who seemed to be sleeping. “I’m going to look in the books and see what I can come up with.” And with that she left the room again.
****
Serena still felt guilty for not believing him. He’d been right about everything and now his sister might die. She closed her eyes and took the necklace from around her neck, then made her way to him as he stood vigil over the bed.
“Take this; you need it more than I do.” She took his hand and placed the pendant inside before closing his hand around it. Her reason for wanting the thing was stupid when it could save the young woman’s life. With one last look at him, she turned to leave.
A hot palm clasped her elbow, turning her around. “Wait. Thank you. I want—”
His mom burst through the door again with a large blue book held close to her chest. She looked between them and just shook her head. “It can’t be.”
“Here’s the pendant.” He handed the necklace to his mom. A huge smile came across her face.
“Oh, we must save her now.” She hurried around the room, grabbing what she needed for the spell. When everything was laid out, she turned to the black pot and dropped in some ingredients. With a wave of her hand over the pot, the liquid started to boil. She tossed in a few more things as she chanted some spell that he’d never heard her say before. Wind blew in from the open door, the floor shook, and still she continued to chant the same phrase over and over. As quickly as it had started, things stopped and became still. Slowly, the color came back to his sister, and she opened her eyes. Serena had never seen anything like it before, but she was glad she was able to help.
“Mom, what did you mean that it couldn’t be?”
“Oh, yes, well it seems that according to some history in our books a wizard can get his powers back if they are taken from him.”
“How?”
****
Serena was still coming to terms with the fact that he’d once been a wizard and had been turned into a vampire. It was hard for her to figure out how that could be possible, but really, why should she be worried? They weren’t going to be together; what they had was just a fling.
“If the person finds his or her true love, then the curse would be broken.”
No, it couldn’t be. He can’t be in love with me. He turned to her and their gazes connected as she heard him say, I love you more than you know.
Rick pulled her into his arms, tilting her chin up. The breath in her lungs caught with the look of love staring back at her. He cared for her; it wasn’t just one-sided. This whole time she’d been worried about getting more power for herself, and didn’t even know when Mr. Perfect was right under her nose until now.
“I don’t know what to say. I love you too.”
“You don’t need to say anything except that you’ll be bound to me for life.”
“Yes!”
Rick sealed the deal with a kiss that rocked her to her core. She’d secretly hoped for this to happen one day, and when she least expected it, she had found her soul mate. She had to tell the girls as soon as possible; no doubt she was going to need them to help plan the ceremony. Her cell vibrated against her side. Serena reached into her pocket and pulled it out. She looked at the display.
Where are you? Hurry back to the bar, asap.
She smiled as she slipped the phone back into her back after reading Ana's text.
Tugging on his arm, she pulled him outside. “We have to go. The girls are worried about where I’m at.”
“Sure, let’s go.” Rick wrapped an arm around her waist as he teleported them back to the bar.
The girls stood outside with men, and she couldn’t wait to hear what everyone had experienced. This month’s meeting would for sure be the best ever.
About the Author
Allyson is a bestselling suspense author who writes in the contemporary romance, suspense and erotic romance genres, sometimes a sweet romance pops up, too. In her books, readers will find emotionally stirring story lines, edge of your seat suspense, as well as sizzling sexual tension. She resides in Indiana with her loving husband and four wonderful children, and three cats. When not spending time with her family, you can find her knitting, and watching perhaps a few way too many suspense and reality television shows.
~*~
Visit Allyson at
www.allyson-carter.com
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To chat with Allyson Carter and other Wild Rose Press authors of erotic romance, join us at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thewilderroses.
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A Pendant's Confession Page 3