Blood Mage (Dark Impulse Book 1)

by Edmund Hughes

  “Hi,” she said. “What’s wrong?”

  Jack forced a smile onto his.

  “Nothing,” he said. “I guess I just feel like the new guy. Well, I am the new guy, but, you know.”

  “I do know,” said Synda. “I was the new girl once, too, you know.”

  She had a glass of wine and took a slow sip from it, her eyes never leaving Jack’s. He caught a whiff of her smell and had to clear his throat to keep from shuddering at how amazing it was.

  “Tell me about it,” he said. “What brought you to Lestaron Island, originally?”

  Synda grinned, but she glanced away from him, her eyes acting shy.

  “It’s kind of embarrassing, really,” she said. “I met a guy over the internet. He seemed like the one, you know? I used to be naïve and believe in that sort of thing.”

  “It didn’t end well, I take it?” he asked.

  Synda shook her head. “We lasted three weeks. He joined the army after we broke up, and I haven’t heard from him since. It was… a little overwhelming to be here afterward. You’d think it would be easy to slot into the community on a small island like this, but it really isn’t.”

  “I get it,” said Jack. “These people have all known each other for so long. There’s so much history that they can draw from to relate to each other, and none of it is there for a newcomer.”

  He glanced over at Katie again. She was whispering something to Bruce, and he had one of his arms around her waist. Jack exhaled through his nose, wondering if it was too early to sneak off and call Ryoko for a ride.

  “It’s an upside and a downside,” said Synda. “Some people prefer newcomers for that very reason. I’m one of them, in fact.”

  She stepped a little closer to him. Her smell was absolutely sublime. Jack felt so drawn in by it that he only barely managed to resist trying to kiss her neck.

  “Are you, now?” he asked.

  Synda nodded. She extended one of her hands, and Jack took it into his own. A few other people were already enjoying themselves on the dance floor, some drunker than others. Jack felt comfortable as he started moving across from Synda, rotating through the three dance moves he knew.

  The song changed. Synda moved in closer to him, turning so that her back was facing him. Jack moved forward, brushing up against her and almost getting lost in her delicious scent. Synda turned around, and without really thinking about it, he set his hands on her waist and pulled her in closer.

  “Oh,” she said, smiling. “So you do know how to lead?”

  Jack didn’t hesitate. He slowly leaned forward, pausing to watch her reaction, and then kissed her. Synda made a satisfied noise and pressed her body against his. The moment stretched on for a couple of loaded, electric seconds. Her felt his arousal reverberating off his bloodthirst and urging him on.

  There was only so much they could do in public, but both of them pushed it to the limit. Jack turned her around, pulling her into him from behind as though the two of them were engaging in playful, dirty dancing.

  He let his hands slide across her stomach, up to the bottom of her breasts. Synda pushed her butt against his crotch, wiggling it from side to side. She glanced over her shoulder and smirked at him as she performed a move with her buttocks that had clearly been practiced, working Jack into a state of obvious arousal.

  “You know,” whispered Synda. “My car is parked outside. If you wanted to, we could head outside and… talk about some of your dance moves.”

  Jack knew he needed to tell her no. He needed to shake his head, apologize for kissing her in the first place, and politely get himself as far away from the temptation she presented as he could.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  He pulled her against him again, giving her a second, deeper kiss and feeling a surge of excitement. Synda laced her fingers through his, and they casually started walking toward the door.

  They’d made it halfway across the floor when Jack heard heavy footsteps approaching them. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Katie as she grabbed his free hand and roughly pulled him away from Synda.

  “Sorry!” said Katie. “I need to talk with Jack in private for a moment.”

  Synda folded her arms, furrowing her brow and pouting a little as she watched him being led off. Jack followed Katie over behind one of the pillars along the edge of the room, not making any effort to hide his annoyance.

  “What the hell was that about?” he asked.

  “I could ask you the same thing!” hissed Katie. “You were halfway to biting her, right there on the dance floor.”

  “I was certainly halfway to something,” said Jack. “But trust me. It wasn’t biting her.”

  His words only seemed to make Katie angrier. She glared at him and jabbed a finger against his chest.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” she snapped. “How do you think it would have gone down, if the two of you had been in private? Jack, in case you didn’t realize, you’re a fucking–”

  “Vampire,” he said, glancing around again to make sure they were still alone. “Yes, Katie. I’m well aware of that. But that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to have fun.”

  “Having sex with one of my friends and potentially biting them goes way beyond having fun,” she said. Her voice had an edge of bitterness in it that Jack wasn’t sure how to interpret.

  “Fine,” he said. “I’ll head back to the mansion. Happy?”

  “You can’t,” said Katie. “Not yet. If you leave early, it’s going to raise people’s suspicions. I’ve been listening to what people are saying. Jack, word has already gotten out about Peter Masterson’s weird grandson and his nighttime adventures.”

  “And? I don’t care what people think.”

  “It’s not what they think,” Katie said, speaking slowly. “It’s what they say. And what the Order of Chaldea eventually hears.”

  Jack massaged his temples. His head was suddenly pounding. He’d been so close to sneaking off with Synda and…

  And what? Had he been intending to bite her, after all? His bloodthirst felt stronger now than it had before, with an undercurrent of disappointment to it. Jack swallowed, sensing an oncoming headache.

  “You look like crap,” muttered Katie. “Fuck. You’ll only enflame the rumors if you try to make it through the night as you are right now.”

  “I need to feed,” whispered Jack. He felt ashamed to say it out loud, but he knew it was true.

  “Maybe I could call Ryoko and have her meet you outside or something?”

  “No,” said Jack. “That’s not happening.”

  Katie bit her lower lip. She exhaled slowly through her nose and seemed to come to a decision.

  “Fine,” she said. “I brought a small vial of the anti-enthrallment potion with me, just in case. It’s concentrated, so it will only last for a few minutes after I drink it, but that should be plenty of time.”

  The relief Jack felt at hearing those words scared him a little. He’d been ignoring Katie’s scent, but he let himself inhale, savoring the sweetness of it.

  “Thank you,” he said. “I know how much of a burden this is for you, Katie. I appreciate it.”

  She smiled at him and rolled her eyes a little.

  “Don’t get all soft on me,” she said. “And don’t let it go to your head. I’m only doing this because it’s an emergency. You should head outside first, so it’s not suspicious. I’ll meet you in the trees in the mansion’s backyard.”

  “Right,” said Jack.

  The party was continuing all around him, and nobody noticed as he headed for the mansion’s entrance.

  CHAPTER 34

  At least, Jack had thought nobody had noticed. Synda caught up with him as he approached the mansion’s door, near the now empty receptionist’s desk. She didn’t say anything, but she crossed her arms and stared at him in a way that he couldn’t ignore without being rude.

  “Hey,” he said. “I’m feeling a little under the weather. Figured I’d
get some fresh air.”

  “We don’t know each other that well, but I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t lie to me,” said Synda.

  She stepped a little closer to him, and Jack resisted the urge to explain how it wasn’t a lie as his bloodthirst itched at his throat.

  “I’m not trying to lie,” said Jack. “It’s just complicated.”

  “Complicated,” echoed Synda. “I don’t think it is. I think this is more about Katie than it is about you.”

  Jack shrugged.

  “Katie is just a friend,” he said. “I’ve known her for over a decade.”

  “The way she spins it is that you’re someone she last saw over a decade ago,” said Synda. “And that’s a long time to go without seeing someone. Do you even know how long she’s been together with Bruce for?”

  “Long enough to be engaged,” he said, unwilling to admit that he didn’t.

  “Five years,” said Synda. “And yet she still pulls shit like this.”

  “There’s more to it than that,” said Jack.

  Synda smiled at him. She had a cute smile.

  “You shouldn’t have to feel guilty about taking what you want,” she said.

  Jack let her words hang on the air for a couple of seconds, wishing he could believe them.

  “I’m not sure if that’s the best advice for someone like me,” he said.

  “Look, it doesn’t matter,” said Synda. “Katie’s my friend too, and I’m not here to convince you that she’s evil. Just know that she has a bad habit of wanting what she can’t have. I don’t think she likes the idea of her long-lost childhood friend moving on to someone else so soon after arriving on the island, even if she’s currently taken.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” he said. “You make it sound like she’s jealous or something.”

  Synda gave him a knowing look. She stepped in a little closer, close enough to make all of the urges and emotions he’d been feeling during their dance come flooding back.

  “Have a nice night, Jack.”

  She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and then headed back into the party.

  Jack thought about what she’d said as he headed out into the night. Synda only had a small piece of the bigger picture. She didn’t know about Jack’s needs as a vampire. She didn’t understand everything.

  It would have been reassuring to look at the situation from that perspective, except it forced him to admit that the same was true for him. He’d known Katie for less than a week after twelve years apart. She was still practically a stranger, though the familiarity they’d shared in his youth made it easy to convince himself otherwise.

  He spotted a silhouette amidst the small grove of trees growing in the mayor’s garden and headed toward it. His mouth and throat tingled in anticipation of sating his bloodthirst. But something was wrong. There were three silhouettes, two stepping out from other, nearby trees.

  “Katherine couldn’t make it,” said Bruce. “I thought the two of us could have a talk, instead.”

  They were just far enough into the grove to ruin the line of visibility back toward the mansion. The sky was still overcast, and the wind was picking up, foretelling the arrival of a storm.

  Jack slowly exhaled through his teeth. Why couldn’t they have confronted him over in the parking lot? He wished they had, more for their sake than his own. It was easier to keep himself in control when he was in public. He needed to stay in control.

  “Bruce,” said Jack. “I can’t imagine what the two of us would have to talk about.”

  The two other men with him were already moving into position behind Jack, cutting off his avenue of escape. He almost laughed at how ridiculous that was. If he decided to conjure his Spectral Sword, he could cut all of them down in a single, arcing slash. If he decided to.

  His bloodthirst pounded in the back of his head. Apparently the alcohol he’d drank over the course of the night hadn’t quite managed to blunt out the effects of his cravings.

  “It’s time for you to leave, Jack,” said Bruce. “We both know it, and so does Katherine. Sell the mansion, leave the island. Go back to your old life. You don’t belong here.”

  “Where the fuck do I belong, then?” asked Jack. He’d meant the question as a flippant counter, but he was surprised by how sincere it sounded. And he didn’t know the answer to it. He certainly wouldn’t be able to live back with his aunt and uncle. Leaving the island would mean going back to being alone again.

  “You’re putting Katherine through hell,” said Bruce. “I know you’ve been dragging your feet. Refusing to agree to sell your half of the mansion and pretending to be sick so she’ll have to spend time with you. And I know that you’ve been somehow involved with all the shit that’s been happening over the past few days.”

  “Like at the quarry, for example?” asked Jack. “When you turned tail and fled?”

  Even in the dark, he could see the questioning glances on the faces of Bruce’s accomplices. He smiled a little at and wondered if maybe he should go into greater detail.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if you were connected to that, too,” said Bruce. The lack of shame he showed over being called out on his cowardice was galling to Jack.

  “What’s the point of this?” asked Jack. “What are we doing here, Bruce?”

  “You know what you’re fucking problem is?” Bruce lifted his hand and jabbed a finger at Jack. “You think you’re the good guy.”

  The bloodthirst hit Jack in a sudden rush. He had to take a slow breath to focus through the pounding headache.

  “That’s right,” continued Bruce. “You think you’re the good guy, but really, you’re not. You’re the spoiled rich kid flaunting his inheritance. You’re the asshole lurking around the corner, trying to scheme his way into the pants of an engaged woman.”

  The words resonated with him, but in a way that made him feel numb, rather than angry.

  “I grew up in this town,” said Bruce. “I’ve lived here my entire life. I’ve served the community for all of my adult life! I’m the good guy. And you, Jack, you don’t even realize it, but you’re the fucking bad guy.”

  Taking things as far as he had with Katie when she’d let him feed off her. Enthralling Gina. Planning to kill Johnny. Biting Ryoko in her sleep. And that was all over the course of just a couple of days.

  “The bad guy…” repeated Jack. “You might just be right about that.”

  One of Bruce’s friends picked that moment to make a move. Jack saw the punch coming out of the corner of his eye and reacted with superhuman speed and reflexes. He ducked under the attack, and then caught the man’s follow-up swing with a sweeping block. Clamping down on the wrist with his hand, Jack twisted, breaking the man’s arm.

  Bruce’s other accomplice leapt onto him, grabbing him from behind and attempting to get him into a headlock. Jack leaned forward, flipping the man off him and bouncing him against the ground. He grabbed him by the shirt and shoulders and threw him into a nearby tree, snapping branches and eliciting another scream.

  “You bastard!” shouted Bruce.

  He charged forward, but the fight was over almost before it began. Jack dodged his first punch, feeling emotions swirling in his chest. There was a dark, violent impulse inside of him, and it felt heady, insidious, and seductive. Jack cast Spectral Hand more to satisfy it than out of true necessity.

  He seized Bruce by the neck with the shadow tendril and squeezed him tight. Bruce was already close enough that he could have done it with his arms, but it was a rather dark night, which meant that his blood magic wasn’t fully visible. Jack lifted Bruce into the air by the neck, listening to his panicked gagging as the pressure of the spell closed off his windpipe.

  “Stop!” Katie’s voice came from behind him, and he felt her fist hit his back an instant later. “Jack! Stop it! Put him down!”

  Jack hesitated. Did he want to put Bruce down? He did, but not in the way that Katie was asking for. Bruce was reckless and dangerous, with an o
utlook on the world that he doubted would ever be compatible with his own. He was Jack’s enemy, and even worse, from Bruce’s point of view, it was justified.

  “Jack!” Katie slapped him across the face, putting her full strength into the blow. It was enough to bring him back to reality. He released Bruce, letting him fall to the grass in a tangled, gasping heap.

  “Katie…” Jack held his hands up, shocked at how far he’d taken it. “I was… defending myself.”

  “No!” shouted Katie. “No you fucking weren’t! And you should know better!”

  “Katie, I–”

  “Stay away from her!” Bruce’s voice was raspy and pained. “You fucking psycho!”

  “Jack,” said Katie. “Don’t make this any worse.”

  “Katie, just listen to me,” he said. “I didn’t mean for this to happen…”

  “No, Jack,” she said. “You listen to me! You’re my oldest friend. I care about you, I really do. And I loved your grandfather, maybe even more than you did. But this is my life. And you don’t get to fuck it up just because you’re here and in a bad situation.”

  She said the last few words with such bite and bitterness that Jack couldn’t look at her. He couldn’t say anything, either. An aching lump formed in his throat, and this time, he knew it had nothing to do with his bloodthirst.

  He took a slow breath and then disappeared into the night. Thunder sounded in the distance as he left the grounds of the mayor’s mansion, followed by heavy rain.

  CHAPTER 35

  Jack walked aimlessly through the storm, acutely aware of how well the weather matched his emotions. Katie’s words had made an impact on him, and he wasn’t sure what to do, or where to go next.

  Heading back to the mansion felt dangerous. Ryoko would be there, waiting for him and ready to serve his needs. He could still remember the way her blood had tasted, and he doubted that he’d be able to endure her presence and smell for more than a few minutes without being tempted by his thirst.

  Of course, remaining in town presented its own set of challenges. It was the weekend, and despite the rain, Jack could see a few people on the street, walking through the night with umbrellas in hand. Could he trust himself to stay strong if an opportunity to bite someone presented itself? He wasn’t so sure anymore, and recognizing that really did make him feel like the bad guy Bruce had accused him of being.