by Lisa Olsen
“Because I compelled her to work the spell,” Carys replied in the same tone I’d use with a toddler. “She has no choice.”
“I do not like this magic,” Jakob said in a small voice.
I squeezed his hand. “At least you don’t have to get naked this time,” I smiled up at him, and he lost the fearful look.
“I would not mind as long as we all disrobed,” he replied with a cheeky grin.
“Nobody’s getting naked, let’s get this over with,” Bishop said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He looked about as jumpy as I felt.
Though I understood the spell components Nelleke had assembled, I had no idea what to expect. “How does this work?”
“We’ll join hands, I’ll begin the incantation and you will be feeling a tingles, and then the spell is counteracted,” Nelleke replied, though I wished she looked more confident when she said it.
“It’ll be okay,” I said, half to her, half to myself, and Rob squeezed my other hand, giving me a quick wink. The rest of us joined hands, forming a circle around the runes Nell had drawn on the floor.
A pregnant pause hung in the air as we all waited for something to happen. Nelleke’s lips moved, but the words she spoke were indistinguishable, apart from the random word I picked out here and there.
“How long is this going to take?” Aubrey muttered, and then the chalk symbols within the circle sprang into blue flames, several feet high.
Every single one of us took a hasty step backwards, and Rob clutched my hand tight.
“Don’t let go, no matter what,” he called out. “There’s no telling what might happen if we disrupt the spell midway through. The backlash could hurt her or us or both.”
The blue flames climbed impossibly high, licking at the beams of the ceiling, obscuring my view of the others across the circle from me. It was hard not to run like a scared bunny, but I took strength from Rob’s steady hold.
Bright blue sparks arced from the fire, and lightning surged from the flames in unpredictable arcs. The electricity lanced through the contents of the house, dangerously close to us before it reached the walls and pulsed there, crackling ominously. Carys screamed as she was nearly struck by one of the arcs, landing half on top of Bishop in her attempt to dodge out of the way. Nelleke sagged as Carys’ hand left hers, the circle broken. The smell of burnt ozone hung heavy in the air, and then the lightning disappeared all at once, the flames extinguished, leaving only a sooty imprint on the hardwood floor.
For long moments nobody spoke, each recovering in their own way from the showy display.
“Did it work?” Aubrey asked at last.
I looked to our witch, hoping it’d been enough. “Nell?”
She shook her head. “I am not knowing. The chain was broken, but already the spell was cast.”
“Only one way to find out then, yeah?” Rob dropped my hand, and I was hot on his heels as he went for the front door. Bracing himself for the sting of energy, instead his hand closed around the doorknob and he gave it a turn. “Won’t open,” he frowned.
“That’s because you didn’t try the deadbolt,” I grinned, reaching past him to twist it. “Try it now.”
The door swung open with a squeak of hinges, and we all stared at the opening, hardly daring to believe we could actually leave. There was a crowd for the door, all of us spilling out of the house, taking in the snowy scenery with wonder. It was dark out, with at least a couple of hours left until dawn, but there was a bright moon giving off more than enough light to see by.
We were definitely in the mountains, and there were no neighboring houses in sight. Enough snow had fallen to obscure the driveway, but not so much that we couldn’t see the path to the road below. I didn’t feel the cold, but both Jakob and Nelleke huddled close together without coats.
“Well, we made it out,” I observed, my shoes crunching in the snow.
“Does anyone feel different?” Carys asked. “I can’t remember anything more than I did before.”
“Then I guess we know the barrier spell didn’t have anything to do with our memories,” I replied. I hadn’t expected it to restore them anyway. “So, now what?”
“Now we get the hell out of here, that’s what,” Aubrey replied, already starting down the driveway.”
“Except we don’t know where here is, or what we’ll be walking into at the end of that driveway,” I called after him. “You don’t even know which direction to go when you get to the road.”
“Anywhere sounds better than here,” he called back with a wave.
“We’re in Montana,” Bishop reported, checking out the cars that sat in the driveway. “These all have Montana plates, and these two have license plate frames with car rental companies on them.”
“That makes sense given the architecture of the house,” I agreed.
“Montana? What are we doing here?” Carys asked, and Rob shrugged.
“Maybe we live here.”
“I doubt I live in such a backwoods place,” she sniffed in disdain. “I could hardly tell you where it’s located in the Colonies.”
“I’m not sure any of us has settled here permanently,” Bishop replied. “It’s shifter territory, from what I can recall.”
“It’s funny how you remember that, but not what your last name is,” I pointed out, and he gave me a teasing smile.
“Maybe Bishop is my last name? Maybe I’m Frederick Bishop Junior?”
Carys’ nose crinkled at that. “I’d never turn anyone named Freddy. I prefer Ulrik.”
“I’ll stick with Bishop for now if it’s all the same to you.”
“Oh, just one name like Sting or Magneto,” I grinned. “I like it.”
“Well then, as long as you approve,” Bishop smiled back, and I felt Rob tense beside me. Oops.
“Shall we go to town then?” Rob clicked the remote on the keys in his hand and opened one of the vehicle doors.
I could understand him wanting to separate Bishop and me after the chat we’d had, but I wasn’t sure that was the smartest idea. “Maybe we’d better come up with a plan before we go charging willy nilly into the world.”
“What kind of a plan do we need? I say we get while the gettin’s good. It’ll take me less than five minutes to gather up our things from inside and we can be out of here.”
“You know we can’t do that,” I reminded him. “We have to come back, Jakob still needs us.”
“I d-do?” Jakob asked between chattering teeth.
“I am needing to rest before I attempt such large magics,” Nelleke said, and I realized how pale she looked, in a way that had nothing to do with the cold.
“Why don’t you go in and sit down?” I suggested, but her attention was distracted by the sound of Aubrey crunching his way back up the driveway.
“I thought you wanted to leave,” Bishop called out to him.
“That was before I saw what was out here,” Aubrey scowled in reply. “I’m not wearing the proper shoes for this, my socks are getting sodden.”
“It’s not like you can catch a cold,” I muttered, but he still heard me.
“Doesn’t mean I enjoy standing around in wet socks,” he smiled at me. “Now then, who’s got keys to the cars?”
Both Rob and Bishop produced a set of keys to the rental cars. The keys to the other SUV must’ve been somewhere inside.
“Alright. Anyone who wants to stay here, go on back inside. Anyone who wants to go into town and do a little recon, come with me,” Bishop suggested.
“I could use a bite as well,” Rob said, and I nodded in agreement.
“Me too.” While I wasn’t starving, I definitely needed to eat after the blood I’d given to him.
“Okay, we’ll take two cars just in case,” Bishop agreed. “Who’s coming with me?”
“I will,” Carys immediately volunteered. “I need to get one thing from inside. Don’t leave without me.”
“Fine, but don’t take too long. Anyone else?” Bishop aske
d, and I joined Rob by his car.
“I’ll go with Rob.”
“What about me?” Jakob asked, undecided. “Who should I go with?”
“Actually, you should stay here where it’s warm with Nelleke. She’s too weak to come with us, and she’ll need someone to protect her,” I suggested, even though I was pretty sure it was still the other way around, even with Nell being wiped out by the spell.
Jakob’s chest puffed out with pride. “I will protect her with my life.”
“Nell, does that sound okay to you?” I wasn’t sure if she was still afraid of Jakob trying to bite her, or if she might like it since she’d remembered having squishy love feelings for him.
“Yes, I am liking this plan,” she replied, casting a shy smile up at Jakob. “But you will return, like we talk about?”
“We’ll come back, I promise,” I assured her. “Won’t we, guys?” Rob and Bishop replied almost immediately, and so did Aubrey, but I found it harder to believe him. And I knew Carys would go wherever Bishop went, so that took care of my promise.
Carys sailed out of the house wearing a cream colored shawl and clutching Nelleke’s spellbook to her chest. “I’ll be taking this book of magic with me,” she declared, and Bishop’s brows drew together in confusion.
“What for?”
“Because I don’t trust this witch. How do we know what we’ll be coming back to? We might return only to be trapped again.”
“Jeez, you’re paranoid,” I sighed, coming to stand before Nell. “Nelleke, you won’t do any magic until we return. Do you understand?” I asked, adding a burst of compulsion.
“I understand,” she murmured.
I turned to face Carys, holding my hands out for the book. “Is that good enough for you?”
“Fine,” she sighed, handing it over.
“Good. I think it’ll be much safer here, and Nell needs to spend some time figuring out the next spell, right?”
“Right,” Nelleke nodded, accepting the book.
Aubrey pulled open the passenger’s side door to Bishop’s car. “And I’ll ride with you, sweeting,” he smiled at Carys, who dimpled prettily, but Bishop didn’t look so thrilled.
“No, you’re staying here unless you feel like hoofing it.”
“I’m getting tired of everyone ignoring me,” Aubrey glowered, but Bishop only shrugged.
“I’m not ignoring you, I’m saying no. I’m not in the mood to ride with your mouth.”
“Oh, Bishop, what would the harm be?” Carys pouted. “We’re all kin, are we not? We’ll go hunting together, shall we?”
Aubrey beamed like the cat who’d eaten the canary, handing her into the car with a flourish before slipping into the back seat. I shot Bishop a brief commiserating smile, but he didn’t return it.
“We’ll rendezvous back here in two hours.” Bishop’s voice was terse, and it rubbed Rob the wrong way.
“We’ll come back when we bloody well feel like it,” he growled, climbing into the driver’s seat.
“We’ll see you then,” I added in a softer tone. Boy, was I glad I didn’t have to ride in their car.
Chapter Seventeen
The ride into town was smoother than I thought it’d be. Rob handled the car with skill and assurance, where I would’ve been crawling down the hill at five miles per hour if it’d been me behind the wheel.
“It’s Whitefish,” I called out when I spotted the first road sign. I didn’t know much about Whitefish, except that it was a pretty small town in the middle of nowhere to a city girl like me. “I wonder if we’ll find anyone up and about at this hour?”
“Town’s gotta have a coffee shop, don’t it? We’ll start there and see if we can’t scare up a hot drink or two,” Rob grinned over at me, and I had to admit, that was a good idea.
Only all the coffee shops in town were closed, and wouldn’t open for at least a couple of hours. Sure, we could hang around and risk it, but I wasn’t sure what’d happen to us when the sun rose. Would we instantly turn to ash? Pass out into a vampire coma? It wasn’t something I wanted to experiment with.
“Could always set off an alarm, see what passes for coppers around these parts,” Rob suggested, but I didn’t care much for that plan.
“I’d rather not attract the heavily armed. Besides, I have another idea.” The scent of baking bread led me down the street to the local bakery, boasting gluten free breads. While the front was locked up as tight as the rest of the businesses at that hour, the light in the back told me there was someone in there, hard at work. “Let’s see if we can get in around the back.”
The rear door was propped open with a brick, nothing but a screen door between us and the warm, yeasty bakery. The twang of country music floated out to us as Luke Bryan sang about playing it again. Best of all, it was a public building, so we didn’t need an invite in.
“Right then,” Rob said, leading the way, his face alight with anticipation.
The baker’s back was to us, the music masking the whine of hinges from the screen door. He was heavyset, with salt and pepper hair peeping out from under a baseball cap. For a man of his size, he was surprisingly light on his feet, bopping around to the music as he worked.
And then he noticed us, jumping back a foot as he clapped a hand over his heart. “Oh, you scared me!” he chuckled, scratching his nose with the back of his floury thumb. “Can I help you folks?”
“We’re looking for a quick bite is all,” Rob replied, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
“Oh, the bakery doesn’t open for a few hours, I’m afraid. I’d sell you a donut or two, but I have no idea how to work the register.” He gave a helpless shrug, a commiserating smile on his face.
“I’m much more partial to the scones, but that ain’t why we came here, mate.” Rob stepped to the side, flanking him, and the baker’s friendly smile melted away.
“You’re freaking him out. We’re not here to rob you or anything,” I said with a reassuring smile. “We just need a quick drink, and then we’ll be on our way.”
“Oh.” He eased at that. “Well, I’ve got a pot of coffee on, you’re welcome to a cup. It’s nothing fancy, just a good old cup of regular Joe.”
Why did he have to be so nice? “That’s very sweet of you. What’s your name?”
“Andy. And it’s no trouble at all.” He got down two mugs and set them down by the coffee pot. “It’s actually kind of nice to have someone to talk to in the morning. It’s…” He stopped as Rob took the coffee pot out of his hand, the pucker of worry returning to his florid face.
“Relax, Andy. This won’t hurt a bit.” Rob hooked him with his compulsion, and Andy didn’t so much as flinch.
I’d thought about letting Rob have him and finding someone else to drink from, but as the scent of blood filled the room, I found myself drifting closer to them. Andy was a big enough guy to feed us both, right? I barely spared a moment’s thought about it before I was right there, my fangs sliding into the other side of his neck.
I couldn’t remember drinking blood before, so I wasn’t sure if it was similar to other feedings, but it was incredible. As far as I was concerned, Andy the baker’s blood was the gourmet experience, so much better than anything I’d ever tasted. For the first time I felt the power of being a vampire. Not the super strength or the healing, but the real power of holding another man’s life in the palm of my hand, and it was a heady feeling. It was Andy’s life pulsing into me, making me stronger, making me feel so good in a way that was only amplified by the sensuality of our clutching hands.
It didn’t matter that I wasn’t attracted to Andy or any kind of threesome situation, the moment I joined them, I stopped thinking whether it was right or wrong to touch them both. Rob’s hands roamed over my body, binding me to him as we drank and drank, and I couldn’t tell who made what sounds of satisfaction between us. I stopped thinking at all, there was only the call of the blood and the feel of us all pulsing together.
And then another
memory hit, sweeping me along in another kind of passionate feeding.
Dimly I became aware of the fact that Bishop had joined us in the alley, but I was much too distracted to notice if he approved of my selection or technique or whatever he was judging me on. Suddenly he was at my side, our bodies lightly touching as he joined me in the feast. Josh didn’t seem to mind the intrusion, in fact, it sounded like he was having a hell of a time from the noises he made.
The next thing I knew, my hand smoothed up Bishop’s body, seeking him out instead of the victim’s. Just as I had in his apartment, my body craved his, the blood fueling the desire to touch and be touched. To my surprise, Bishop responded in kind. His cool hand splayed across the small of my back, dipping inside the waistband of my jeans. I felt his moan of pleasure, reverberating through Josh, and a shiver of delight went through me to the core of my being.
I was adrift on a sea of paradise, my senses drowning from overstimulation and I never wanted it to end. All too soon I felt Bishop pulling at my shoulders, urging me away from my nirvana. Stubbornly I resisted, Josh’s heart still beat a mile a minute and there was more blood to be had.
“Anja…” His voice was low but firm at my ear as he wrenched me away. Frustrated, I fought him, so that he had to catch my wrists and hold them tight, pinning me to the wall even as we’d pinned our victim only moments before. “Calm down, take a breath. It’ll pass in a minute,” he soothed.
Take a breath? That was his advice? What if I didn’t want it to pass? Trapped against the wall with his body pressed up against mine, I felt a different kind of appetite flare and sharpen into want. I sucked in a ragged breath, trying to reign in my impulse to beg him to… to… I couldn’t even say what I wanted Bishop to do, I just know that I wanted him.
“I’m sorry,” I breathed, my voice hoarse with need. I met his eyes in the uncertain light, and I saw the struggle behind them. Was he tempted to keep feeding too? I was still marveling over his iron willpower, when Bishop’s mouth descended over mine, the taste of Josh’s blood mingling between us. With a soft sound of surprise, I met his kiss with equal fervor, the blood forgotten as a fresh hunger swept over me. On and on the kiss went, with Josh’s body slumped against the wall beside us as we grappled with each other, consumed by a new kind of desire.