“I’ll tie you downstairs to the Saint Andrew cross for all to see.” He rose up and stared at her again. “Please be a good girl and stay in bed. Oh I’ve already talked with your boss and I have Marci bringing your car over tonight.”
Blair grabbed onto his hand and squeezed. “Please be careful. I still don’t know who did this to your daughter, and he’s powerful, Dietrich.”
Dietrich frowned. “Did the cats use magic?”
She shook her head. “No, not that I could tell, but I also didn’t know they were near me untill it was too late. And I always know when others are around Dietrich. Well, usually. I can’t explain it, but I know. Like earlier, when we were supposed to go for our jog. I knew someone was watching us, someone that shouldn’t have been here.” She glanced down at the bed and frowned.
“One minute he was watching us, but then when you and Gray showed up, he was gone. Almost as if he vanished. I only know a few who can do this. Do you know anyone?” Blair glanced up at Dietrich who was now furious.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” His gaze flew to his daughter then back to hers.
Slowly she sat up and flinched, her body tender. “First…” Blair gasped a sharp pain from her ribs had her grabbing the blanket. Tears filled her eyes when Dietrich tried to help her. “Don’t!”
Releasing her breath, Blair glanced up at him. “I told Jax, I told all of you, but you didn’t listen. So don’t accuse me of anything. Go, get out of here.” She turned on the large flatscreen TV, which hung up on the wall in front of her bed.
“We need to look at your ribs, Blair.” Dietrich sat down gently on the bed next to her, and lowered the covers.
“I’m fine. I just need to rest.” She tried to pull the covers back up, but he refused to let them go.
“I need to check you, Blair. If your ribs are broken, they need to be wrapped.” Dietrich would not give up, he just waited.
She sighed and rolled her eyes towards Betsy who giggled again, but watched as Dietrich lifted up her nightshirt and hissed. Blair knew what he saw, the hand prints on her ribs which were bruises, small cuts from her hips and up.
His large hands moved up her stomach to her ribs where she gasped and flinched. He leaned over her and removed the pillow so she was flat on the bed. “I see at least two ribs that are cracked. You are bruised inside and out. I’m going to wrap you Blair, and I don’t want you out of this bed today or tonight.” Dietrich grabbed the bandage from Gray.
Blair grabbed onto his hand. “Dietrich, everything will be healed by this afternoon. I’ve had worse.” She met his gaze. “I just need to rest right now.”
He leaned over her. “I will check back in two hours. We are going to have a nice long talk when I come back.” Dietrich pulled the covers back up around her and replaced the pillow. “Both of you be good.” Kissing her, he got up, and she thought that his body was truly any woman’s fantasy. All three of her men could make anyone drool.
Finally alone with Betsy, she turned over onto her side slowly, and smiled at the little girl. “When I saw you upstairs, I knew you were your daddy’s daughter. You look just like him. Now you are going to tell me who he is? And how you let this man close to you?”
Betsy glanced behind her and then at her. Her eyes filled with tears and her lip quivered. “He used to live here. Sabar’s not like us…” She scooted closer to her. “He could change into a rat. He was nice at first, then one day he bit me. I didn’t know why.”
She pulled Betsy into her arms and kissed the top of her head. “Hush, I’ll figure something out, but you are right, he’s not like us. So what would you like to watch on TV?” Blair leaned back, ground her teeth together at the pain.
“It’s time for you two to eat.” Gray’s mom, Bethany, moved into the room followed by Jax’s mom, carrying trays for both of them, loaded with food and drinks. “My name is Bethany and I want to apologize for earlier, but when it comes to my son and Dietrich, I’m a little over protective.”
She smiled and placed the tray over her lap. “Here, let me help you to sit up. Gray told us your ribs are cracked.” Bethany reached under her arms and lifted her up without a sweat. “I used to lift my husband when he was laid up last year, plus working out helps.”
Bethany laughed and handed her a napkin. “I mean it Blair, I’m sorry. We both are.”
Jax’s mom sat on the other side of Betsy and looked up at her nodding, “I too owe you an apology. You’ll be able to hold your own when you met the pack. My name is Tracy, welcome to our family.” She smiled and started cutting Betsy’s pancakes up for her.
“I hope you two like blueberry pancakes and sausages?” Bethany laughed and shook her head. “The cooks downstairs wanted to send up a feast, but we figured you two didn’t need want a dozen cooks coming up here with food, but I did make a promise to them. They would like a word with you, Blair, when you are up to it.”
Blair took a bite of her pancakes and moaned. “I’ll talk with them later this afternoon. I should be healed by then, thank you both.” Blair glanced at Betsy and winked at her. “Do you two know of a man named Saber? I keep hearing stories of him.”
Focusing her attention on Bethany, Blair watched as she frowned then, eyed her. “What do you want to know about Saber? He’s been gone for a good year now. Why would people be talking about him?”
A snarl drew her attention to Tracy. “You haven’t even been with your men twenty-four hours and you’re already asking about another man?”
Blair laughed and held Tracy’s gaze. “I ask for security reasons, nothing else. I don’t have any need for another man. I know I belong to my three men in their customs, but know this Tracy.” She leaned towards Tracy. “Jax and I will decided when I am changed or not. Neither you nor the pack will influence me.”
She sat back up and sucked in her breath. “Damn, I wish this crap would heal already. I have work to do.” Blair stuffed some pancakes into her mouth
Betsy giggled next to her and she glanced at her. “What are you laughing at munchkin?” Blair smiled and pointed to her food. “Eat, we need to get you strong.”
“You have syrup on your chin.” She giggled again and stuffed her mouth.
“I was saving it for later, but since it bugs you so much.” She wiped her chin and poked Betsy’s tummy. “Now I’ll have to find something else for a snack.”
“Am I interrupting?” Her friend Marci said from the doorway.
“Get your skinny butt in here, girlfriend, I have so much to talk to you about.” Tracy and Bethany made their way to the door. “Bethany, Tracy, thank you for bringing us food. Maybe we could do lunch later in the week to get to know each other?”
Tracy nodded, but frowned when Marci walked past her. “How did you get up here? Only certain people are allowed in these quarters.” Tracy watched and waited for Marci to answer.
Before Blair could do anything, Tracy started to shift, Betsy whimpered next to her. On automatic drive her hand wove the magic spell, words flew from her mouth, and everyone in the room froze, but her.
Slowly, Blair moved the tray from in front of her to the floor. “Xam, I need you.”
The large black, worn book appeared and opened. “You’re friend isn’t who she claims to be.” He circled around Marci. “The magic that hides her true identity is black. It’s not the same that was used on the child, but similar.”
Blair released her spell from Tracy and Bethany. “I’m sorry about that, but I needed to know what was going on. Please, take Betsy out of here before I release Marci. Oh, and Tracy.” She turned and watched as both women shook their heads staring at her. “Thank you for warning me. Go now, I don’t want Betsy here when I evoke her camouflage. Who knows what is hiding under there.”
Tracy nodded. “I’m sorry, I know you thought of her as a friend. Jax has been told, your men will be here soon.” She scooped a now terrified Betsy into her arms.
“It will be alright sweetie, go with Tracy and I’ll meet you in the family
room in a few minutes.” Blair moved to Tracy and kissed Betsy’s forehead and turned to Xam as they left the room. “Do it now.” Blair snapped, jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and her boots now covered her body. She ignored the pain, her broadswords now in her hands. Blair circled Marci calling out the thing inside the shell.
She screamed and hissed, but couldn’t move. Her hair now a dirty blond, gray color, a large scar ran down her left cheek, and she was shorter, but the thing that shocked Blair was that she was a vampire. Not one that fed on blood, but on other’s life energy force. “Why. Marci, if that is even your name? What do you want?”
Hate and anger twirled in the creature’s eyes as she hissed at her. “It’s your kind that killed my family, but yet we need your power to survive. Yes, that’s right, I’ve been feeding from you for the past three weeks, and you didn’t even know it.”
A large warm body pressed against her from behind and she jumped and hissed with pain, but Dietrich held her still. Jax and Gray walked around Marci. “Tison is going to be furious he was tricked.” Gray snapped. “And to think she was near you…” Gray shook, he was enraged.
“Take her down stairs and make sure Tison is brought to the office. I don’t want him finding out from anyone but me.” Dietrich glanced towards the doorway and gave the order to the three guards. He took her swords from her hands, and they disappeared. “Her powers are gone?” He asked as Blaire turned to stare at him.
“Of course. I wouldn’t risk Betsy or anyone else.” Blair watched as Marci was escorted out of the room, but before she left the creature turned and held her gaze. “Don’t get comfy Blair, he’s coming for you. He does not care that you have formed the triad. He can still drain your powers easily enough.” She hackled.
A chill ran up her spine and she turned to Xam. “How?”
“He won’t be able to get your full power, but he can release small amounts of power out of you through your orgasms,” Xam announced.
Blair could have sworn all the air in her lungs just disappeared at once. Her legs crumbled as Dietrich caught her before she could fall. “No!” She shook her head back and forth hadn’t she been through enough.
“I thought I was safe with The Triad, that the others couldn’t use me!” Blair gripped Dietrich’s arm tight, as he sat down on the bed with her.
Her companion from birth, moved closer to her, old magic circled around them as the pages turned and stopped on one that she had not seen before. “It’s true I’m afraid. Your family has one weakness. Your father tried to hide this from the outsiders, but it looks like he didn’t hide it well enough. The Triad will protect you as a whole. Others won’t be able to use the majority of your powers. However, like a few other families, sex, or more to the point your orgasmic experience, gives off enough power to entice any person.”
Blair shook as she traced the passage with her fingers; Dietrich behind her hugged her tight without hurting her as he nuzzled her neck.
“Whose writing is this Xam, and what language is it?” Blair reached up and laid the book down on her lap.
“It’s your great, great, great grandmother. She was a seer, her name was…”
Dietrich interrupted him in a hiss. “Her name was Samantha Sinclair and the writings are in Germany, my language. I knew of her.”
Blair glanced back at Dietrich and could see pain in his eyes. “Dietrich?”
“I tried to save her, but I was too late. They hung her before I could reach her.” He glanced down at her. “I’m so sorry Blair.”
The book warmed in her hands. “Ms. Samantha knew her end was close, she blames you not, Dietrich. She has blessed your union with her granddaughter as with her other men.”
Blair frowned. “She knew I was going to be born and have three partners?”
“She knew many things and saw many things. Read.” Xam nudged her and at once Blair knew every word that had been written.
Dear Granddaughter of my blood, I have so many things I must tell you and teach you through my journals. I wish I could be there in person, but sadly, you alone must do this as you raised and took care of your family.
Dietrich Flade, I know you are reading these words now, and I want you to know it’s not your fault. You couldn’t have stopped them. They had one thing you didn’t account for, my husband’s help in the eradication of our species. I don’t know if it was old age, or the greed for more use of my powers, but I couldn’t stop him, he grew too strong. But I leave you and the other two men to take care of my family. She will need to be watched over closely, others around you will want her powers. Trust no one.
Blair glanced behind her. Dietrich shook his head. “I never knew.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I have to speak with Tison. Gray will stay with you while Jax and I deal with this. We’ll meet you in the family room. I’m sorry about Marci.” Dietrich lifted her up and he scooted out from underneath her.
“Blair?” Dietrich glanced over his shoulder at her. “No one, and I mean no one, will touch you again, but us. Is that understood?” Dietrich released his magic and it swarmed over her.
She sucked in her breath and smiled. “WOW!” Blair smiled at him when her breath came back his power ten times stronger than hers, but yet she knew he still held back some.
Once more Dietrich surprised her and surrounded her with his magic. “Read the rest of the entry. Gray will bring you down when you are done.”
Gray crawled over and slipped in behind her, kissing the top of her head. “The thought of that woman near you for the last three weeks…” He took a deep breath and released it. “Read, I’ll sit here and just hold you.”
Her hand covered his and she squeezed his. “I’m not going anywhere Gray.”
Leaning back against his chest Blair looked back at the book.
By now you have learned that finding our pleasure also enhances our men and others around us. Who knows, maybe it is because of this I lost my life, but at least I know my children are grown and happy, as you will be soon. However, I am afraid the four of you have many battles ahead of you.
As long as you stand true to them and them to you, no one will be able to harm you. I have left my personal journal for you. It contains our family history, with many old spells and lessons you will need. Know your father and mother were very proud of you and knew they could always count on you. Their last thoughts were of you before they died, wishing they could have given you more time, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Blessed be daughter of my daughter, and be true to your heart and dreams
Blair closed her eyes when she realized that tears filled them. “She sounds so alone, I could feel her pain and the tears as she wrote this.” Xam disappeared and an old small brown journal now took his place.
With her hand trembling, she ran her hand over the book. Blood stains dotted the leather cover. “My God Gray, her husband…he sliced her throat, this is her blood.” Her lip trembled, tears fell, and her nose started to run. “How could he do it? I thought our partners were our other half?”
Gray picked the book up carefully and placed it on the stand beside the bed “Shh Blair. From what I’ve been told, long ago our kind couldn’t always recognize the signs of a partner. If she was with a human, eventually he would have gone crazy unless he was converted to another species, like that of Jax.”
Glancing up into his brown eyes, Blair sighed and rested her head against his chest. “Tonight we need to talk, there are things the three of you must know.”
Gray slowly stood holding onto her as he carried her out of her room and toward the family room. “Yes we do, but we have time. You have a date with Betsy, and if I’m right you didn’t finish your breakfast. How are the ribs?” He stopped before he entered a doorway.
“They are healing. I heal fast, it’s part of my gift. What is your gift?” She kissed his chest.
He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows. “Metal, I can form anything with metal. I can’t wait to try some of the toys I’ve created on you.”
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Her nipples hardened and she grew damp all of a sudden warm. “Hmm sounds interesting.”
The door to the family room opened and Dietrich smiled at them. “So you told her about your gift. He is impressive, I’m afraid a number of the ladies come to him for toys.”
“Put me down Gray.” She waited as he lowered her feet before Blair jumped away from him. Before she entered the family room Blair glanced up at Gray. “I won’t share Gray and if I find out you are with another, there will be no more you and me. Now excuse me, Betsy is waiting for me.” Blair pushed past Dietrich and stopped staring around her.
Bound by Witchcraft: Charmed by My Masters Page 7