Silver Blood

by Tamara White

  Britt laughs, shaking her head in amusement. "No, Mer, I don't need a blood oath. I just need a drop of your blood," she states, but I look down at the dagger with apprehension.

  "Mer, I promise, I only need one drop. In order to figure out exactly what happened, I’ll need to mix it with this.” She pulls a vial from her pocket and sets it on the table between us. Inside is a clear liquid, and I frown, unsure what's going on.

  I look at the vial warily before glancing back up at Britt. I’m a bit concerned about doing this, but if this will give me the answers I need, then I will.

  "Okay." I use the dagger to prick my finger while Britt removes the stopper from the vial. I move my hand closer, letting a few drops of my blood drip into the vial.

  We both watch as my blood mixes with the clear liquid, which then turns a pale gold with glitter flakes in it. What the fuck?! Why did my blood turn to glitter?

  Britt, however, seems relieved by the change, but if anything, I’m even more confused than I was when we got started. "Uh, Britt, I know that made sense to you, but I have no idea what that means."

  She smiles as the server brings our coffees to our table, and I beam at the smell of hazelnuts radiating from my mug. When I first started drinking coffee, I made sure to dose it with any syrup that I could get my hands on, in order to sweeten the flavor. My step-mother was partial to hazelnut, and I would sneak bits at a time until she finally realized I was the reason her supply kept dwindling.

  Britt was a key instigator when she stayed with us. Always going on about the missing syrup like she was innocent, when she was well aware we had both taken from the bottle. Ah, to be sixteen again. I have to admit that being here with her right now makes it feel like I’ve gone back in time.

  The moment the server disappears, Britt leans forward, adding sugar to her latte, and stirring it as she thinks over her words.

  "As I said earlier, when a wolf ingests our blood, they tend to go, uh, a little mad. They’ll attack any who cross their path. The only cure is the blood of the witch who infected them, but the catch is they have to be alive for it to work. Vampires, however, get a power boost when they drink from a witch."

  I sip my coffee as she speaks, and my eyes widen at the power boost part. What kind of power boost are we talking about?

  "Don't worry, it’s not anything to be too concerned with, just a little extra strength. Anyway, it wears out for vampires once their body has fully absorbed the blood. You are neither vampire or wolf, but a crossing of the two species, so if anything, I’d say you’ll get a bit of both."

  She pauses to take a drink of her coffee, and I just want to lean forward and shake her for more answers. Thankfully, though, the moment her mug is back on the table, she picks back up where she left off. "When my husbands and I battled the witch who cursed my mother, Dastian, we found a book hidden away among his things. In it, he was talking about crossing different species. He wanted to create some kind of super soldier. A combination of vampire, werewolf, and witch, each balanced precisely enough so as not to risk the soldier going mad, but strong enough to handle anything that was thrown at them. He tried forcing wolves to turn into vampires, then injected them with witch blood while they were in the midst of their change. When that didn’t work, he tried to have witches turned into vampires and then fed them wolf blood in the hopes it would be successful and he’d get the super soldier he desired. According to his journal, he tried every goddamn combination possible, but nothing ever worked."

  "Okay, Britt, this is confusing me. What the hell does this have to do with me ingesting that witch’s blood? Am I going to get some power boost or go stark raving mad on everyone? Just give me a yes or a no!" I grind out, tired of this story and desperate for real answers.

  She sits back and smirks. "Both. My Mer wouldn't have normally gotten that frustrated so quickly, beast or not."

  I freeze and realize she's right. My anger had skyrocketed in a split second. I went from patient to annoyed faster than you could say 'beast.'

  As I sit in shock at the realization, she leans forward and grips my hand. "Mer, I don't know how, but I think the witch whose blood you consumed was a grade five. I think that's what Dastian may have been missing in his experiments. All the witches he used were grade one or two. The potion I just mixed your blood with was a test. If the potion split, it would mean the blood would affect you like a wolf. If it sank to the bottom of the vial, that would indicate the witch’s blood would give you the same power boost it would a normal vampire. However, if the potion changed to the same color as your aura," she pauses and squeezes my hand reassuringly. "If it mimicked your aura, that would mean the blood you ingested had bound to your own."

  I sit in shock, with my heart racing. The phrase 'bound to your own' is echoing in my mind, and despite the worry I feel, I just have to know. "What does that mean for me?" I whisper, barely able to hear my own words over the pounding of my heart.

  "It means I may have to teach you magic.” She laughs, only to pull up short at the glare I direct at her.

  She lets go of my hand and leans back in the chair, her expression wary. "Look, Mer, I don't honestly know. Dastian's books talked about a hybrid of all species, but that was just talk. He never achieved it. You could develop powers, or maybe you’ll just be able to see the magic around you. Who knows? It’s going to be a bit of trial and error figuring it out, but I'm here for you. Blaine, Kellan, Torie, and Meron have also pledged to take you under their wings and teach you magic if anything arises."

  "Couldn't I just go to the coven?"

  Britt looks like she’s about to answer, but then her eyes widen in fear as she looks over my shoulder. Her voice sounds in my mind. Don't say anything.

  A shadow falls over me, and I look up to see an older man hovering over us, a warm smile on his face. "Hello, Brittany. What are you doing down here today?"

  The man doesn’t look much older than my father, but his green eyes shine with a wealth of knowledge far beyond forty years. His red hair and matching beard add years to his face, so he could actually be younger than forty, but it’s probably rude to ask.

  "Oh, hi, Malcolm. I'm just taking my friend out for a coffee. We needed a little break from the coven," she explains while fluttering her eyelashes, and I fight not to gag.

  Sure, my men are older than me, almost a hundred years in some cases, but they still don’t look any older than thirty.

  Malcolm holds out a hand for me to shake, and I grasp it, feeling a pulse of electricity run up my arm. Before the energy can reach my heart, something happens to make him stumble away from me, and he drops his hand in the process.

  Malcolm looks from me to Britt, who has a cocky smile on her face, but I know better. That magic wasn't from her; it was from my beast, or at least that place inside me where my beast rests.

  He frowns at Britt and lifts his finger in warning. "There's only so much I will tolerate, Brittany. You’d best remember that if you want to keep your marriage intact."

  With that, he walks away, without another word or even a wave of farewell. I turn to Britt with wide eyes. "Who was that prick?"

  She smiles grimly, tears welling in her eyes. "That's the leader of my coven, Malcolm. He's the one who's pushing for my husbands to find other wives."

  Oh. "What an ass! Do you want me to go bite him? I will do it!"

  She giggles and leans back in her chair with a smile. "God, I've missed this, Mer. I've missed having someone around who has my back, with no hidden agenda or ulterior motives, just friends talking. We were only together for a few months, but it just felt like we were meant to be friends forever and it was all ripped away too soon." She sighs sadly. "I guess the world works in funny ways, and I’m just really glad I found you again."

  "I missed you, too." I grin at her. "Though, don't think this means I won't still get even over that fur in my food incident."

  She bursts out laughing, and we relax in our seats, shifting to more light-hearted conversation as we
drink our coffee. Before we know it, an hour has passed, and we decide to head back to the coven.

  As I stand up, a feeling of cold rushes through me. I stiffen, my heart beating rapidly, and my beast tries to push forth. She can sense someone watching us, and I look around, taking in our surroundings and trying to zero in on the direction of the stare, but all I see are people going about their day shopping and sightseeing. Nobody seems suspicious or out of place, but the feeling still persists.

  “What is it, Mer?"

  I scan the area around me one more time with careful precision, and still see no one watching us. My beast is still convinced of it, though, so I tell Britt.

  "I could have sworn someone was watching me. My beast is reacting to it and won't calm down, even though I don't see anyone," I explain quietly.

  She nods slowly and stands, ready to leave. "Let's get out of here, just in case. Besides, Talon is probably going to kill me for bringing you out, so I would like the chance to put magical locks on my room before he finds out. At least then I will sleep easy knowing he can’t get in."

  I hold back a laugh. "Yeah, he probably will. Lucky you can't die for real."

  She smirks. "You know, he’s gonna be pissed at you, too, for not waking him up in the first place. What are you going to say to that?"

  I grin wickedly. "I'm gonna blame Dev." I flutter my eyes and will tears into them. "But Tal, Dev said I could go."

  She throws her head back with a laugh as we stroll back to the coven. "I would pay to see that. It’s a good thing Dev's wicked fast."

  "Exactly! He can run away from Talon; I can't. Although, I could use my magic boobs," I muse.

  "Magic boobs?" she asks with a snort.

  I’m about to answer when she holds up a hand, stopping me. "On second thought, I don't wanna know."

  I laugh and link my arm through hers as we walk back in through the church doors. As they close behind us, my beast rattles the cage in my mind and I feel the shiver of cold again. Someone is definitely watching me.

  ***

  Jeremy

  This is it. The moment I've been waiting days for. I wait with bated breath as I listen to my partner breathe through the phone.

  We've been in position all morning, waiting for Malcolm to test the abomination.

  I press the phone to my ear, waiting for an answer. This is the only chance we had, and I knew that I had to get her alone.

  I watch the boys training out in the front yard and smile at how much improvement Brendan has made. He accepted the news about Emerald a lot easier than I thought he would, and it seems to have freed up his conscience. I still see the sliver of doubt in his eyes about our missions, but I believe if it comes down to it, he’ll do what needs to be done.

  He hasn't confronted me about being his father. After I told him, he seemed to accept it with a blasé attitude, and while I’ll admit I had hoped for a little more enthusiasm, I'm glad he's compartmentalized his emotions. We’ll have all the time in the world to explore our bond after we get rid of the main threat to our way of life.

  I hear shuffling on the other end of the line and focus back on the silence, waiting for answers.

  "Has she met the witch yet?" I ask, growing impatient.

  My associate’s voice comes through loud and clear, and I can hear the smile in their tone. "Yes, they’ve just shaken hands." The voice pauses before drawing a small gasp. "He just stumbled away from her. He looks scared."

  Good. He needs to know how much of a threat she poses to us.

  "How come you didn't just tell him she was a hybrid? Why all these games?" my associate asks with curiosity.

  "I did," I growl down the line. One negative of having a vampire as an accomplice is that they are full of themselves. "He didn't believe she was a threat, though, so this meeting was planned for him to discover the truth for himself."

  "Or you could just kill her yourself?"

  Feeling frustrated, I run a hand down my face and blow out a breath of air. "We've tried that! It obviously didn't work. We need a witch’s help to figure out how to destroy her."

  My contact understands what we're doing is for the good of both our kinds, but the endless questions are getting tiresome.

  "Malcolm just left. Crap!”

  I hear cursing and heavy panting as if my associate is running.

  "What’s going on?" I whisper into the phone.

  The line is quiet for a moment before the voice starts up again. "Never mind, I thought she saw me. But she didn't."

  "You need to be more careful. If she finds out you and I are working together, all our plans will be ruined."

  "Pffft, I'm not stupid, Jeremy, and I would appreciate if you didn't treat me as such. I'll do what needs to be done, for the good of both our races. Even if it means I have to kill her myself."

  Twenty-Four – Silver Swords

  Emerald

  Britt abandoned me on our way back to our rooms. She left, claiming her men were on another floor, and she was going to spend time with them. Honestly though, I think she was just afraid of telling Talon she took me outside the coven after what happened last night.

  The elevator doors open, and I step out onto my floor, freezing when I sense someone's presence.

  I quickly turn to the right and see my grandfather standing there, with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed.

  "Uh, hi!" I greet with fake cheer, unsure why he's lurking outside the elevator.

  He frowns, brows furrowing as he looks me over as if I'm hiding something. "I don't know what you're doing outside during the day, but I'm watching you."

  I cock my head in confusion. He's watching me? Has my life become some weird soap opera that everyone has to know about? To watch my every move for what happens next?

  "I just went out for a coffee with my friend!" I reply indignantly.

  I don't like that he's treating me like I’m some kind of criminal who should be locked away for all hours of the day. I've done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment from him.

  He smirks as he takes a step closer, trying to use his height to intimidate me. "Then, why do you smell like witch?"

  "Uh, because Britt is a witch! Why, is there something wrong with a vampire hanging out with a witch?" I demand, crossing my arms over my chest to mirror his stance.

  "You can have any friends you wish. What I don't approve of, however, is you sneaking around our coven. You're supposedly my granddaughter, a Princess of this coven, yet you're acting like nothing more than an errant child."

  He flicks his gaze up and down dismissively, and I feel the hate radiating off him in waves as he walks around me to press the button for the elevator. We stand in silence as the doors open, and then he steps inside, pressing the button for whatever floor he's going to. I turn to watch as the doors begin to close, glad this unpleasant encounter is over.

  "I suggest you don't leave the coven during the day anymore. You may not be able to protect yourself." The doors close before I have a chance to reply to his threat and I shake my head, flabbergasted by the way my grandparents are treating me.

  The threat in his voice has me going over things in my mind as I make my way back to our bedroom. I freeze at our door, wondering if the presence I felt watching me was him. Was he spying on me the whole day?

  I take a deep breath, trying to rein in my anger. Where does he get off treating me like that?

  I open the door to our rooms and frown at sight of the empty outer room, whispering a small prayer that the guys may still be sleeping.

  Thankfully when I open the door, the guys are in fact, asleep. Talon and Nik are still sharing Tal's bed, whereas Dev has moved over to his own and has a pillow clutched between his arms.

  I lean against the door jamb and just look between the two beds, my anger immediately dissolving. I used to never believe that a person could fall in love so quickly. That our matings were based on pheromones rather than actual love, but standing here right now, I can't help but feel a warm swel
l of emotion that threatens tears.

  I think I love them. I'm not certain because I've never been in love before, but I imagine this is what it would feel like.

  Butterflies in my stomach when they offer a small touch or glance. The way my heart races when they kiss me. And this, the pure happiness I feel at seeing them after a bad day.

  I know Britt wants me to keep what I've learned to myself, but I believe that they truly only want what's best for me, and it feels like too big a secret to keep from them. Our relationship is complicated enough with the four of us, without adding lies into it.

  Yes, I resolve myself to tell them as soon as we get time. It won't matter if I wait a few days, though.

  A whimper from Dev's direction draws my gaze. I see him clutching the pillow tight, his knuckles white.

  I take soft steps into the room, closing the door as quietly as I can before making my way to his bed. I strip down to my underwear and climb in next to him, peeling one of his hands away from the pillow to rest it on my hip instead.

  Instantly, he relaxes, and I smile, happy that I can ease his nightmares.

  As I settle back in to get a bit more sleep, I become more than certain that I love all three of these wonderful men.

  ***

  "Such a good dream," I murmur, feeling the touch intensify and move along my leg as he feathers me with kisses on the inside of my thigh. Another moan escapes my lips as his teeth graze my skin.

  I arch up on the bed just as reality starts to seep into my hazy mind. My eyes snap open at the realization I'm no longer dreaming. Dev is indeed placing kisses along the inside of each thigh and nipping my flesh before kissing the place where he bit to ease the sting.

  When did I take my underwear off? I'm absolutely bare in the bed before him, and he grins up at me from between my legs. "I see you chose my bed when you came back."