by Weil, J. L.
My heart fluttered a few times. Stupid heart. “I don’t need a knight in shining armor.”
“Everyone needs help sometimes.”
“I need your help like I need a third boob.”
His lips twitched. “Is that your normal reaction when someone saves your life?”
I brushed the dirt and crud from my clothes. It was a helpless cause, and I gave up with a sigh. “No. I’m used to being attacked by neckbiters, not being sucked by the earth into a deadly abyss. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful; it’s just I can’t figure you out.”
He locked me in a stare that made me forget to breathe. Damn those starlit eyes. His hand lifted, reaching toward my cheek to rub off a smear of mud. “Not everything in life is black and white. Besides, who doesn’t love a little mystery?”
“I’d love to string you up by your balls, but we don’t always get what we want,” I mumbled, brushing off as much of the muck from my legs as possible.
His eyes flashed. “I do.”
Oh, he was arrogant, all right. “You got some gonads on you.”
“Thank you. They’re quite exceptional, I assure you.”
Keeping a straight face was becoming difficult. “I’m trying hard to ignore your egotistical charm.”
He rocked back on his heels. “It’s hard, isn’t it? I’m like walking heroin. Very habit forming.”
My lips twitched into a curl. What the hell am I going to do about Zavier Cross? What I wasn’t going to do was give up. I would find a way to get to the coven meeting even if I had to tie Zavier up.
Chapter 6
It was safe to say so far, my attempts at figuring Zavier out had failed in a big way. And the coven gathering was only two days away. While I was still weary of Zavier, I wasn’t about to admit defeat. The man had to have a magical kryptonite.
And I would find it.
Might take me longer than I liked, but I refused to believe I had met my match. It would be a cold day in hell before that ever happened.
The moon sparkled over the blue water like glittering diamonds. I stood on the veranda at the rear of Silent Bend, looking out over the cliffs. After a much-needed shower, I’d managed to sneak up to my room without being spotted by Colin or Liam. The questions of my muddy attire would have been a hot topic and put Zavier on the spot.
Not sure why I cared whether he got chewed out, but for some unexplained reason, I didn’t want Zavier to pay for what I’d been responsible for. None of today would have happened if I hadn’t been determined to try my charms on Zavier as an experiment.
I knew how to take responsibility for my actions, and wasn’t stupid enough to blame the events of today on anyone other than myself, regardless that Zavier could be an asshat.
Lost in thought, I didn’t hear Liam sneak up on me until his arms wrapped around my waist and he whispered in my ear. “Hey, doll.”
Shit.
I closed my eyes for a second, thinking how this unforeseen situation was going to pan out.
No matter how I shuffled the cards, it was going to end with someone getting hurt. There were too many other things going on in my life. I needed to end things with Liam. Tonight.
And I was dreading it like a trip to the dungeons.
Slowly, I turned in his embrace as my eyes drifted over the shadow in the corner. I swore Zavier arched a brow in my direction. “Hey. What happened to no PDA?” I asked, wiggling backward to put a little space between us.
“There is no one here,” he said, trying to regain the distance, obviously disregarding Zavier. “Things have changed. I’m no longer your warden, so there’s no reason to hide our relationship.”
Oh, boy. This was going to be harder than I thought. You can do this, Sky. Just like ripping off a bandage, quick and painful. It was the best way, but the words stalled in my esophagus. “About that,” I finally forced out.
“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you snuck off again.”
A movement from the corner caught my eye. Zavier’s body had gone tight, eyes glowing in the dark. Had he heard Liam? We were far enough away it would have been difficult for a human, even if the wind had carried our voices.
I pulled my gaze from the shadows and looked at Liam. “No, it’s nothing like that.”
He brushed aside a lock of my hair. “Okay, then tell me what has put that troubled glimmer in your eyes. Or is it a who?”
“If you’re asking about Zavier, he is fine.”
“Good, if there is nothing wrong…” He regained the space between us and dipped his head, claiming my lips in a kiss.
I didn’t pull away. What could one kiss hurt? And it would also be a good test to make sure I hadn’t lost my touch. Maybe it wasn’t Zavier, but that my abilities were off. Anything was possible, and it was better to eliminate all options.
There was a little guilt demon on my shoulder scolding me for using Liam, particularly when I was about to break up with the guy. It didn’t stop me from kissing him, but it did have me ending the kiss the second I got my answer.
At the first taste of his lips, Liam’s essence entered my body. All the things I had admired about the warden filtered into me, including a few dark traits, a smorgasbord of warmth and goodness, and a smidge of coldness that had an icy bite.
Liam was undoubtedly human. There was no question or confusion about it.
He had always been a pleasant kisser, and I tried to convince myself it was as equally potent as the heady-lose-my-mind kiss I’d experienced with Zavier.
Liar.
I didn’t want to admit I had felt something with Zavier, something a whole lot more than what was been between Liam and me. But it only made what I was about to do justifiable. I didn’t love Liam, not the way I should.
I pressed my palms to his chest. He was still wearing his warden uniform. “Liam.” My eyes darted over his shoulder. Two orbs of silver burned brightly in the night like the center of an artic storm, churning with emotion I thought might be anger.
“Why do you seem so…different tonight?”
I flashed my gaze back to Liam’s almost too-handsome face, and my stomach dropped. “We need to talk.”
“I’d rather do this instead,” he murmured, running his lips along the spot under my ear.
I put pressure on his chest, letting him know the further advances had to stop. “This is kind of important. It’s been on my mind lately.”
He framed my face with his hands, and smiled a charming, boyish grin. “I haven’t seen you in two days. I’m sorry if I’m distracted. You smell so good.”
“You’re making this hard.” I groaned. “You know I care about you. You’re family to Colin and me.”
The fingers outlining my cheeks fell slightly, and Liam’s eyes lost some of their glimmer of amusement. “Now you’re making me nervous. What’s going on? Did something happen?”
I swallowed. “You knew when this thing between us started that I wasn’t looking for anything serious. You’ve been a great friend to me, and I don’t know how I would have gotten through any of it without you.”
His hands dropped away from my face. “Right. We were having fun. No strings attached.”
“The fun’s over.” The words popped out of my mouth before I thought about how clipped they sounded. I winced, seeing the confusion cross over his expression. And then the hurt. Could I take back the last twenty seconds of my life? If I knew the spell, I might have used it.
And like a light had been switched, anger flipped into his blue eyes, turning them into flames of fire. “Is this because of him?” He glared at the corner where Zavier stood.
At the sound of Liam’s suddenly raised voice, Zavier shoulders stiffened, and he pushed off the wall. I needed to get this situation under control, before there was a warden-on-warden brawl on the terrace. I put my hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Of course not. I’ve only known Zavier a few days. This has nothing to do with him, and everything to do with me.” This was the right thing, wasn’t I? Staring into Liam’s fa
ce, I wasn’t so sure anymore, but I did know it would be cruel to continue to string him along knowing my feelings for him were only lukewarm.
“Then I don’t understand. I’m not asking you to be my wife right now. What’s changed?” he asked, forking his fingers through his golden hair.
“Nothing. Everything.” I leaned against the wooden railing, the wind picking up pieces of my tousled curls. “Liam, you know I will never be the woman you want…or need. You might be content now, but eventually you will want more, and you should want more. I can’t give you what you deserve. I wouldn’t be happy; maybe I won’t ever be. But one of us should, don’t you think?”
“That’s not true. I know you’re still hurting inside from all you’ve been through, but I truly believe that if you let yourself, you could be happy with me.”
Maybe he was right. Maybe I could, but until the vampire who killed my mother paid the price with her life, rules be damned, I couldn’t think about anything else. “Liam, if you truly knew me, you would know I can’t think about marriage or love. Not right now. Someday I might want a family, but that someday isn’t tomorrow. It might not even be ten years from now. I have a promise to keep.”
Liam knew all about my vow to kill the vampire bitch. Didn’t mean he agreed, but he knew better than to stand in my way. I was a witch after all. “I would wait for you, if that’s what it takes.”
“The thing is that I don’t want you to wait.” Ouch. That came out harsher than I intended.
More hurt sliced across Liam’s features.
Dammit. I was bungling this entire thing. I didn’t want my friendship with Liam to end, and I certainly didn’t want it to get in the way of his friendship with Colin. “I’m sorry, Liam. I truly am. Things in my life are complicated right now.”
“They’re always complicated with you.”
“I don’t want you to get caught up in my problems. It will only put you in a difficult position with Colin.”
His eyes narrowed. “What are you up to? If you’re in danger, I can help.” Just like Liam to want to stroll in and save the day. He had a bit of a knight-in-shining-armor complex.
“It doesn’t matter.” I refused to let him put his life in jeopardy.
“You need to let go of this ridiculous notion of revenge, Sky. If you don’t, I’ll be forced to tell Colin about your extracurricular evening activities.”
And that was the last straw. He touched a nerve, and he knew it. “We’re done.”
“Have it your way. But I won’t be here for you to crawl back to when you decide you have an itch. I’m done with the games.”
And so was I. That we could agree on.
Liam spun around. With forceful strides, he walked back toward the compound, but not before he brushed shoulders with Zavier. “She’s your problem now,” Liam spat, casting a glare in my direction before disappearing inside.
Fan-freaking-tastic.
At least the dirty deed was done. Hopefully with some space and time, we might be able to salvage our friendship. I didn’t want to lose someone else I cared about. And maybe I should have thought about that before I let things cross the line, but Liam had been there when I needed someone.
Zavier’s brows rose. “You want to tell me what that was all about?”
I sighed. “Not really.”
“Why do I get the feeling this job is about to get dangerous?”
“Because you’re starting to understand me. I’m a magnet for death and heartache.” I wasn’t looking for sympathy or a shoulder to cry on. I wanted the misery that curled inside me. Unless Zavier was bringing the dark cloud as company, he better keep his opinion to himself.
Chapter 7
In the dark green shadows of the deep woods, an hour before midnight, the coven met in secret. The dilemma was how I was going to get there tonight. Just shy of two hours before I was supposed to be sneaking out the small opening in the fence, I was in my room, wearing the floor down with my pacing.
“Why couldn’t he be human like the other wardens?” I grumbled.
I took a sip from the glass of wine to calm my nerves, and set it back down on the little table near my bed. Why the hell am I so frazzled? Because you’re afraid he will catch you, and everything you’ve been working for will be for naught.
Damn right I was.
And I couldn’t let that happen.
So what was I going to do to ensure Zavier didn’t know I had slipped out in the middle of the night?
It helped to have a focus, a goal. One task at a time.
As I paced back and forth, I racked my brain, searching for a rune or incantation I hadn’t thought of before. The was good chance the only way I was getting out of this room was climbing over the terrace and scaling the walls of the compound.
I’d rather not go splat on the ground, but it was getting to the point where I didn’t see I had any other options.
Colin would kill me if he found out.
A risk I might have to take.
Since magic seemed out of the question, I was going to rely on a simple tactic. Female distraction. Tulip.
She had a way with men, and I was betting Zavier would be no different. If she could keep him occupied, it would give me enough time to slip down the hall with a cloaking spell, praying he couldn’t see through all my charms.
I conjured the summoning spell, something Tulip and I had done since childhood. Hopefully, she wasn’t otherwise engaged. It had never been a problem when we were younger, but now, out of respect for her privacy, I only did it when necessary.
Like now.
In less than a minute, Tulip’s pretty face materialized in my bedroom. I was glad to see she was fully dressed. She had her hands on her hips as she waited for the spell to complete, entirely transferring her physical form from one place to another.
Tulip lips thinned into a straight line. “Are you dying? You better be dying.”
“Not yet, but I need your help.” I gave her the quick rundown of what I needed. She might not have been pleased, but she was someone I could always count on to come through when it mattered most.
“You owe me,” Tulip mumbled.
I rolled my eyes. “Please, you’ve been dying to flirt with him. I’m doing you a favor.”
“Maybe, but I’ve seen the look in your eyes, and you’re worried, which makes me worried. And I know you. Zavier has your interest, whether you want to admit it, so why would I stand in your way?”
“I don’t have time to get tangled into another mess.”
“Uh-huh. If you say so.” Her fingers combed through her curls. “I didn’t even have time to do my hair.”
“Thank you.” I engulfed her in a quick hug.
I waited until I heard her giggling voice before flipping the hood of the dark cloak over my head, covering the gleam of my auburn hair, and setting forth. The rune at my wrist cloaked me invisible as I snuck out of the compound and through the little opening in the fence.
Soon, the longest day would become the shortest night of the solstice. And unlike my ancestors, there would be no celebration, no festival of growth, or circle of thanks to the goddess Litha.
As I walked through the dense woods, a sensation trickled up my spine. The only sounds were my soft footsteps and the whistling of the wind, but still, awareness that someone was watching me remained. I pushed forward, almost to the little cottage.
I’d been following impulse and instinct since I turned fifteen, just after I learned the truth of what had happened to my mother. I waited for the anger and the need for justice to gradually subside. The thing was, it never did. If anything, as the years went by, the seed for revenge only festered.
Certain I was being paranoid, I hurried my strides. Within minutes, the little vine-covered cottage came into view. I sighed, bounding up the creaky and warped wooden steps. At one time, it had probably been a cute little yellow getaway nestled in the woods. Now, it was forgotten and neglected, making it the perfect little hideaway.
&n
bsp; I gave three knocks on the door, and glanced over my shoulder one last time while I waited for someone to answer. The feeling of being followed returned, but as I scoured the woods, I saw nothing.
“Oh hey, it’s the crazy witch.”
I couldn’t contain the smirk. Jenna Athens stood on the other side of the door, glaring at me. “Wow. How unoriginal, but then again, Jenna, I’d expect nothing less from you.”
Jenna had legs that went on for miles, and beautiful whitish-gold hair that framed an angelic face, but there was nothing innocent about her. “Bitch.”
“Skank,” I replied.
Bright baby-blue eyes danced as they met mine. Jenna folded her arms, leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, and crossed her killer legs at the ankles. “Remind me again why we allowed you into our coven?”
Jenna and I had a bit of a history. We had a truce for the sake of the coven, but it was a shaky truce that dangled by a thread. “Because I have more power in my pinkie than you have in your entire body.” I stepped to the side and swept into the small room.
“Right. There’s that,” she said, swinging the door shut.
The walls were made of wood, painted white to cut down on some of the rawness. In the center was a circular rug with numerous decorative pillows to sit on. Tall pillared candles lined against the walls, casting a soft, flickering glow over the room. The air was scented with vanilla and pine.
Let the magic begin.
The coven was made up of five witches, myself included. Abbey, Bailey, and Raine were sitting on the rug in a semi-circle. Only two spots left to complete the circle. Each one of us were bound to magic, and much like those who had met so many years in an attempt to cure vampirism, we now met to stop the very things our ancestors had tried to help.
Irony.
“Who brought the wine?” I asked, dropping the cloak off my head.
Bailey held up not one, but two bottles, clinging them together at the base. The wine was another ritual, one used to take the edge off the kind of magic we performed deep in the woods.
Raine smiled, her legs curled cozily underneath her. An oversized knit sweater in raspberry dwarfed her petite frame. “We weren’t sure you were coming.”