Insidious: (The Marked Mage Chronicles, Book 1)

by Victoria Evers

  And to think I cried over this man. This whole time, he’d been one of them. A Hellhound, by birth. I could see it on his face. Cold, callous, apathetic.

  He strode closer, and I shrank back against the wall.

  “Awww, what’s the matter, pumpkin?” he pouted, brushing his fingers down my jaw line.

  I writhed away, shuddering at the contact.

  “Don’t be like that. I don’t bite.” A fiendish grin crept across his face. “Well, not hard anyway. Not when I mean to play nice.”

  My eyes shifted back over to Daniel, seeing his cell pressed against his ear.

  His malicious grin stretched from ear to ear. “Slippery little thing she is. Thanks, man.”

  “Dare I ask?” Blaine crooned.

  “Hate to walk out on this precious little reunion, but the boys think they spotted my girl,” confirmed Daniel, sliding his cell back into his pocket. “And I’m positively dying to sink my teeth into her.”

  “Your girlfriend, or more presumably your ex, is hardly the priority here.”

  “Why? Are you kids in need of a chaperone?” he laughed to his friend.

  “I can manage just fine,” confirmed Blaine.

  “Well, then it’s settled. That is, unless you prefer me to stay and watch.”

  The pounding in my chest only worsened. I wasn’t sure what was more horrible: being trapped in a room with two of Hell’s minions, or being left alone with just one.

  Blaine cut his partner a sharp glare as he shrugged off his jacket, and Daniel threw his hands up in mock surrender. He waltzed out the door, a cheerful whistle echoing down the hall as his footsteps faded into the distance.

  My eyes remained pinned to where I’d last seen Daniel, unable to bring myself to behold Blaine again, feeling his own gaze fixed on me.

  “You really are a sight for sore eyes.” His hands cupped my face, forcing me to finally look at him.

  I didn’t lash out this time. There was no one here to rein him in. All it took was one wrong move, and Blaine could snap at any moment. I was now solely at his mercy.

  “And I really am sorry about the restraints,” he huffed, looking up at the cuffs holding me captive. “We just couldn’t risk having you run off again. You understand.”

  “What do all of you want with me?” I gritted, trying to fend off the tears burning behind my eyes.

  “Right now?” His hands ran through my hair, gently brushing the loose strands from my face. “Right now, I want you.”

  My heart, my head, my chest; everything contracted, suffocating me slowly as Blaine rested his forehead against mine. His obnoxiously long, thick lashes fanned the tops of his cheekbones as his eyes fell closed. He really was beautiful. And that very thought churned my stomach. They said that Satan disguised himself as an angel of light, so it only seemed fair that menace would appear in the guise of temptation.

  “Don’t be afraid,” he whispered. His voice. He always managed to sound so calm. Even now it still held that soft timbre, making each word more persuasive than the last.

  He opened his eyes again, searching mine for…I wasn’t sure. Acceptance? Surrender?

  Unable to move, my knees gave in as he bore down on me, delving his mouth into the side of my neck. A scream strangled in my throat, leaving me with nothing more than a gasp. The sound only encouraged him.

  I froze, awaiting the painful prick of canines to puncture into my neck. Instead, his lips molded to my bare skin, suckling on the exposed flesh. He left a trail of kisses from the top of my shoulder till he reached my earlobe, nibbling on the bottom with his teeth.

  “Just give in.” He was nearly breathless.

  “Why? So I can become a monster, like you?” I finally jeered. It was all I could do, save for screaming.

  Blaine looked genuinely disappointed. “Either way, you’re going to become one of us. The only question here is if you’re willing to embrace it?”

  “I’d rather you kill me.”

  Blaine sighed, and it sounded like he was trying to bury a chuckle. He continued teasing with the skin along my neck, inhaling my scent. “Don’t say that. Besides, you didn’t seem to enjoy it too much the last time. I’ve never seen someone fight so hard to stay alive. And then you were so defiant against me. Almost wasn’t able to bring you back.”

  I froze. “What did you say?”

  The revelation constricted every ounce of me, and Blaine felt it. He brushed his nose along my jaw, kissing my chin. “Which part?”

  “You… You’re my Maker?”

  He smiled. “Well, of course. Who did you think it was?”

  I’d been so focused on trying not to look at him that I had missed what was right in front of me. His left hand.

  Blaine’s eyes followed to where I was gaping, and his smile grew all the more as he hiked up his sleeve.

  Black metallic ink painted his entire arm. And the runes. They were an exact match for my own, down to the tether wrapped around his ring finger.

  “Sitri.”

  Wicked delight blazed in his eyes. “Someone’s been doing their homework.”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “No what?”

  “You can’t be him. You’re from here.”

  “No, I was raised here. My parentage on the other hand,” he sighed. “Well, let’s just say it’s unconventional.”

  “That was you, stalking me?”

  “I had to keep an eye out on my girl.” He was practically beaming, continuing to plant small kisses on my neck.

  “You tried attacking me with a tire iron!”

  “I was trying to keep you safe,” he corrected between kisses. “Between Blackburn and Reynolds snooping around, I didn’t have much of a choice. I was forbidden from revealing myself to you until the last stage of your Rite, so it was the only way I could make contact. I had hoped your suspicions would’ve convinced you to stay clear of them both.”

  My head was swimming, unable to process it all. “How did you even know I’d be there on the road, or at the school, or in the restaurant?”

  “Tu es meus verum coniunx.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll always know.” Blaine met my eyes again. “So long as you’re near, I’ll always be able to sense you.”

  “Why me?”

  “Why not?” His fingers teased with the hem of my shirt, his knuckles brushing the skin of my navel. “You said it yourself, how much you despise this place, this way of life. The parties, the exhibition, the pretension. No more. We can start over.”

  Where?

  In Hell? With an eternally damned soul?

  “If it really was you who brought me back to life, then why didn’t you change me right there?” I demanded. “Why wait till now?”

  “You saw what happened to the others. Making both transitions at the same time isn’t too kind on the mind. Sure, it still brings about loyal followers, but as you said, they can be a bit too rambunctious for their own good. It’s best to take things a little more slowly. Like us.”

  His hands gripped my waist, pulling me closer. Too close. Petrified and in a whole new league of disbelief, I remained frozen. What was happening? This couldn’t be happening.

  Any moment I would wake up from this nightmare. I’d wake up in a cold sweat, feverish from how real it felt. Because this couldn’t be happening.

  I tried to shrink back, but he wouldn’t allow it. His hands seized my waist, pulling me back to face him. My feet knocked against his, and I nearly gasped. Had he felt it? Nothing in his eyes indicated he did. A thrill of hope exploded inside my chest at the feeling of my ankle…and the holster strapped around it. Reese’s knife. There was a very good chance that Daniel had found and confiscated the blade after he tied me up, but…what if by some miracle, he hadn’t?

  Anything else wouldn’t do any real damage to Blaine, and it certainly wouldn’t slow him down. If I stood any chance getting out of here, I needed to make my move. Only, I couldn’t reach for it. Not with my hands still
cuffed to the bar.

  And that glimmer of hope immediately drowned beneath the suffocating upsurge of horror that flooded every inch of me as I realized what I had to do.

  One deep inhale, and I let all the tension drain from my limbs as I leaned into him.

  His breath suddenly caught, clearly taken aback. Blaine continued working his hands along my waist, and I knew he was testing me, testing to see if I really was game. Fending off every instinct to writhe away, I ground my hips against his. He had to know. Surely, he must have known I didn’t want this...

  I couldn’t do it.

  If anything, I was going to vomit. Just as I started to turn away, Blaine’s fingers dug into my hips, and he drew me back against him. His lips suddenly claimed mine, and a fire set ablaze in my mind. Startled and horrified, the scream nestled in my lungs threatened to burst right out of my chest, forcing my mouth open. But just as my lips separated, he dove in further, deepening the kiss. Blaine’s hands followed down the form of my figure, admiring every dip and curve until he gripped the back of my thighs. As if I weighed nothing, he picked me up, having my legs straddle him on each side.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he breathed. Blaine pressed my back against the wall, and every inch of us became flush. I could feel his heart hammering in his chest. For a guy supposedly incapable of emotions, he surely seemed to be feeling…an awful lot. His kisses became more and more hungry, sending an electric charge between us I hadn’t expected.

  My legs tightened around his hips, pressing him even closer. This earned him a surprised moan, and my teeth bit down on his bottom lip just enough to break the skin. The pain didn’t leave him unaffected.

  No.

  It incited the mania all the more. His lips feverishly kissed down my neck, nuzzling back into my nape as his opposing hand cupped my face. My eyes caught sight of the mirror across the way, and I could see the sheath exposed beneath my hiked pant leg, the blade still peeking out of the top. I was in the perfect position. All I needed was—

  An unmistakable metallic grind ignited above me as my wrists were set free.

  I gasped, instinctively wrapping my arms around Blaine’s neck as my weight suddenly dropped. He fastened his hold around me, cupping my backside to assure I wouldn’t fall an inch. I could feel the hum of a rune vibrating against my thigh. He had set me free. A bright, playful smile immediately lit up his face. A genuine, affectionate smile I had once grown accustomed to. A smile that shouldn’t have been possible. Not from a heartless, demonic overlord.

  No.

  I crushed my mouth against his. It was the only thing I could do to rid myself of the sight, feeling the fury of contradicting emotions suddenly pulling at me from every direction. He was a monster. A monster who had killed me. Any doubt I had was obliterated. I had a job to do, and I was going to do it. I was so close.

  But he was attuned to every inch of me. Everywhere I touched. It wasn’t just about getting to the knife. I needed enough time and the element of surprise to successfully stab him. If his reflexes were even half as good as Reese’s, he’d be able to stop me well before the blade came anywhere near his skin. And I only had one chance. The moment I struck, the ruse would all be over. No chance of regaining his trust and getting the hell out of Dodge. One shot.

  My fingers ran through his hair, surprised by how soft it was. Given the harsh dye he must have used to bleach it, I figured it would have felt like straw. Instead, my hands combed through it without objection, each strand as silky as a raven’s feather. I slowly eased my free hand down his neck, careful not to move too quickly. He still shuddered, his breathing quick and anxious, as my fingers grazed his shoulder.

  I gasped at the vibration that simultaneously incited between his left hand and my own. A blue light ignited on the top of my hand, the same rune that had ignited when Reese and I were on the couch. Lust.

  Given my unknowing run-in with Blaine outside Rockabilly Bob’s, I already knew that my runes reacted to his, and he had just triggered mine by way of his own. Overwrought heat spread through every inch of me, and the very thought sent an equally chilling shiver down my spine. He clearly misconstrued the tremble that raked my body, because Blaine’s hold on me tightened, drawing me closer. My nails clawed into the taut muscles encasing his shoulder blades, only encouraging him more. His mouth quickly reclaimed my own.

  My hand was far enough down Blaine’s back. All I had to do was bring my foot up, and I could grab the knife.

  But could I do it? Could I bring myself to stab him?

  He deserved it, more than anyone.

  But I remembered the feeling of having to plunge that very same blade into Brittany. The look of unbridled horror on her face. Having to watch the life leave her eyes. Knowing I was responsible.

  The air left my lungs as I drew up my ankle.

  Blaine’s whole body suddenly went rigid, his lips pulling away from mine.

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Chapter 32

  Going To Hell

  A low, guttural sneer emanated from the back of his throat. “You never fail to disappoint.” The primal frenzy brewing behind Blaine’s eyes vanished in a blink, replaced by a cold, calculating mask, wicked smile and all.

  The shadow lingering in the doorway shifted, and every inch of me went as stiff as Blaine as I peered over his shoulder.

  Adam.

  Gun readied and aimed, he faltered back a step at the sight of me. At the sight of me with my legs wrapped around Blaine’s body. My hand tangled in his hair. At the heavy, panting breaths exchanged between us.

  “Reynolds, how lovely of you to join us,” jeered Blaine, not even bothering to look over at him. He had known Adam was there the moment he entered the room. “Sorry, love, but the fun’s over.”

  His hands fell away as I disentangled myself from him.

  Adam’s face was paralyzed in a hundred different degrees of confusion. “Kat…?”

  The sound of my name on his tongue seemed to make Blaine visibly ill, because his breathing hitched as he finally took his eyes off me and looked over his shoulder.

  Adam clearly didn’t realize it had been Blaine, because recognition hit him like a bucket of ice water being dumped over his head. His grip tightened as he snapped the barrel of his gun back at eye level.

  But Blaine was faster. One moment I was pressed against the wall, the next I was pried forward, only to be thrown back against the taut muscles of Blaine’s chest and torso. He was using my body as a shield between him and Adam. “Easy there, Wyatt Earp. Wouldn’t want something to happen to this little vixen now, would we?” He only had one arm wrapped around me, but it was enough to pin my hands down to my sides. Blaine teased the skin on my neck with the very tips of his fingers, and goosebumps perforated down my entire nape as I wrestled against him. He was too strong.

  And Adam’s eyes missed nothing. Blaine’s sleeve was still rolled up to his elbow, displaying every last rune. He looked back to me, and his aim shifted…right to the center of my chest. “How do I know you haven’t already?”

  He thought I’d been turned. And as horrified as I was, I still couldn’t blame him. Not after what he just saw.

  “Adam, please,” I barely muttered, breathless as tears poured from my eyes.

  “Come on, Reynolds. Can’t you see you’re scaring her?” Blaine mocked, burying a laugh into my ear.

  His head perched right over my shoulder, and I shivered at the contact, the intimacy he possessed as he trailed soft kisses up the side of my neck.

  Adam must have seen the unreserved panic in my eyes, because his aim fixed back to Blaine’s head as I pleaded for him to shoot.

  Blaine merely clicked his tongue. “Awww, that’s not very nice.”

  “Let her go,” ordered Adam. “Let her go, and I’ll let you walk away.”

  “Oh, okay.” Blaine started to loosen his grip on me, and I prepared to bolt, only to have his arm tighten around me again. He laughed. “Is that the same promise
your old man made poor little Casey? That he’d let her ‘walk away’?”

  Adam’s stance suddenly faltered, and his name was all I could manage to utter, seeing his jaw tighten. What was he talking about?

  “Yeah, Reynolds, why don’t you educate dear Kat here on the finer points of how your beloved pack takes care of business?” A low growl emitted from Blaine’s throat as his mouth found its way back to my neck. “Tell her all about how your father’s cronies staged Casey’s death so that she looked like she’d been attacked by the same person who killed that Felicia girl.”

  “He’s lying,” Adam finally snarled.

  “Am I?” Blaine laughed, but it didn’t have a hint of amusement. “’Cause I seem to remember things differently—”

  “Don’t listen to him.”

  “But it’s such a good story,” Blaine further prodded. “See, poor Casey had an asthma attack a few days before her untimely demise. Unfortunately, paramedics didn’t make it to her in time, but thankfully a dear friend of mine did, after the fact.”

  “Don’t—”

  “But,” Blaine annunciated, “he didn’t turn her. Not yet. Sadly, word somehow got back to Reynolds’s buddies that she may have been a possible Changeling. And I have a pretty good feeling you know how the rest of this goes.” He could feel the tension leaving me as I fell limp in place. His arm coddled me closer. “That’s right. Daddy Dearest just couldn’t stand the risk of having another Hellhound walking around that he’d rather order her death sentence than bother trying to keep her safe.”

  “That’s not true,” I muttered. It couldn’t be.

  “And what’s to stop one of your thugs from killing Kat?” he directed back to Adam. “Your men know she’s a target now. Whether I turn her or not, she’s still a liability. A threat just waiting to happen. If I let her go now, Kat’s as good as dead.”

  I could see the anguish in Adam’s eyes, but I knew him. He would never hurt me, and he’d never let anyone either. It was why he wouldn’t risk taking a shot at Blaine so long as I stood between them. But Blaine…his repositioned hold around me had freed my arm just enough.