Blood Enchantment

by Tamara Rose Blodgett

  “Ready?” Cyn asks from behind them.

  They part, and Julia lets her fingertips trail across his muscular chest.

  He grabs her hand at the last moment and squeezes her fingers. “I'll be around.”

  “Duh,” Cyn says, winking. “Being all Combatant and that.”

  Julia walks with Cyn toward the lake. “He's not with—” Julia can't finish, hoping that he's not part of the mass grave she allowed.

  “Nope,” Cyn looks up quickly, kicking a rock with the toe of her bright-red Converse tennis shoe. “He's in his own spot.”

  “Good.” Julia releases a shaking breath.

  The rest of the short hike is made in silence—not the silence that's awkward and weighty, but the comfortable silence between longtime friends.

  “This is exhausting,” Cyn finally says as they reach the border of conifer trees. Feathery hemlock branches sweep toward them.

  Rich western red cedar fills her nose, and Julia breathes deeply, fortifying herself for what's to come.

  “Don't think so hard,” she says softly.

  “Sorry, I forget you're getting a bunch of feedback.” Cyn looks up toward the sky. Fluffy cotton ball clouds drift by, obscuring the sun. “I just can't help but miss his cantankerous ass.”

  “It's not that,” Julia says, following Cyn as she begins to weave through the branches, holding them aside for Julia. “It's the past that we miss.”

  “This new life,” Cyn says, shaking her head, “I mean—what the hell? I'm a Were girl and a Singer Healer.” She gives a defeated little shrug.

  Julia knows exactly how she feels.

  She pops a palm up, narrowing her sights on Cyn. “Don't even get started. I can feel your regret and loneliness for what was. And I can't do it, Cyn. I have to let go of this stuff. No matter how much we want what we had, it'll never be our ʻnormalʼ again. Kev is dead.” Julia looks to a point ahead of them, and Cyn follows her gaze. “Jason is dead. It's over.”

  “I know,” Cyn says, tucking her hair behind her ear.

  Julia checks out her multi-colored locks and laughs. “Nice roots.”

  “Fuck off,” Cyn says, but she's smiling. “Like these guys have a good box of bleach in this place?” She tweaks a strand of dirty-blond hair with platinum ends. “Pfft!”

  Julia shakes her head, and they smile at each other. Some things are the same, and for that, Julia's relieved.

  *

  Julia sucks in a harsh breath. “Wow.” She smiles back at Cyn, who's leaning against a tree trunk, her leg bent at the knee. The sneaker is a bright spot of color against all the furrowed brown.

  The grave is fresh.

  Grief washes over her, and Julia sinks to her knees. Recently churned dirt covers a nine-foot plot. The dirt is deep brown, like crushed toast. Julia dips her fingers in and runs the clumpy dirt through her fingers. When she can finally tear her eyes away, her gaze travels to the head, to a small wooden plaque carved simply with Jason's first and last name.

  Underneath that it says Singer in elegant script.

  Cyn's hand falls on Julia's shoulder, and she grips it like a lifeline.

  “Ya know, if I weren't a Were girl, you'd have busted my fingers.”

  Julia nods.

  But she's not. Cyn is supernatural. Like Julia. Like everyone in this new life.

  “Help me, Cyn.”

  Cyn squats beside her. Julia takes off a necklace she's been wearing for a long time. She pulls the thread of gold through the perfect circle of a wedding band she never wore.

  Tears form in the corners of Cyn's eyes. “God, this sucks.”

  “Yeah,” Julia agrees. She studies the temporary plaque. “I don't want to forget what he was to me.”

  Cyn nods. The silence stretches for more than a minute. “Did anyone mention it'll be stone?” She points at the piece of wood.

  Julia nods.

  She tips her head back, looking up at the tops of the trees. Dappled light strikes the raw dirt all around Julia, turning it to milk chocolate. But nothing about this death is sweet. Tricks of light won't take away the sting. It won't bring him back.

  Nothing can right the wrong of the void left by Jason's absence.

  Julia loosens her hand around the ring that warms the inside of her palm. She stares at the circle of gold, and re-clasping the necklace, she loops it around a portion of the irregular border of wood. The fine gold chain catches, and the wedding band dangles, flipping back and forth.

  The circle of the band sways, falling exactly over the O of his name.

  Julia's lip quivers. “I'm so sorry, Jason.”

  Cyn pulls her off the grave, wrapping her arms around her best friend. “It's gonna be okay, Jules.”

  In that moment, Julia feels like it'll never be okay again.

  *

  Scott gives Julia a sympathetic look as she and Cyn exit the forest. He stands from his perch on one of the boulders that appear to grow right out of the ground, separating lake and woods.

  “What?” Julia asks, blotting her tears with her shirt sleeve.

  “I know the timing's not good, baby…”

  “It's never good when the endearments start cropping up,” Cyn remarks dryly.

  “Anyone ever told you you're a pain in the ass?” Scott says, frowning.

  “Sure.” Cyn shrugs.

  “Guys,” Julia says.

  Cyn crosses her arms. “Fine.”

  “Everyone knows about us being together now.”

  Cyn gives her a look of pure satisfaction then turns to Scott. “Way to drop the bomb, stud-meld.”

  Julia's face heats.

  Scott scowls at Cyn.

  “Did you tell people, Scott?” Julia asks, instantly remembering every kiss, lick, suck, and everything else—right after visiting Jason's grave.

  Julia covers her face as shame pours through her like acid.

  Scott strides to her.

  Julia feels his thoughts, emotions—and love. “Oh,” she says softly.

  Cyn says, “I don't have the two-way radio in my head. Spill it.”

  Julia looks at Cyn. “We have consummated—”

  “I know,” Cyn says.

  Julia scowls. “Aura readers have seen Scott…”

  Cyn's jaw moves side to side. “Ah. Gotcha. You guys did the deed, and now you're all rainbow.” She slaps her hands together, knitting her fingers.

  Julia's chin dips. “Something like that.”

  “Not a helluva a lot of privacy around this joint.”

  Scott laughs. “None. But everyone's in the same boat. If someone can't read your mind to find out your situation”—he slides a glance Julia's way and her cheeks become pink again—“then there's an Aura reader who can out you.”

  “Being a Singer is serious mojo,” Cyn comments thoughtfully. She taps her chin. “Kinda glad I just fix people when Humpty Dumpty's men can't put them back together again. That telepathy shit sucks.”

  “That's fucking random, Cyn,” Scott says.

  Julia takes a deep breath then lets it out as though her body's in slow motion.

  Scott draws her close. “You okay?”

  She nods, gives a small smile to Cyn, and returns her attention to Scott. “You know how I feel.”

  “Yeah. But it feels more right to ask anyway.” Julia never feels anything but right in Scott's arms. He pulls away slightly and places his palm above the mark at her belly. “How's this doing?”

  Julia shrugs. “It doesn't bother me so much now.”

  Scott's expression is troubled.

  “That's from Tony's little demon saber, right?” Cyn asks.

  Julia nods.

  “And it was given to him by that prick Praile, the demonic who—”

  “Yeah,” Julia interrupts quietly. “The one responsible for killing Jason.”

  “And almost killing you,” Cyn reminds her.

  “Maybe not.”

  They look at Scott.

  “What do you mean?” Cyn asks.r />
  “I mean—why would Praile exert all this effort to get at Julia?”

  “Did you seriously just ask that question?” Cyn asks, scrunching her nose. “I mean, Julia's been tag-teamed since forever. And!” Cyn nearly shouts. “We did hand the demonic their ass.” Her eyebrows rise to her hairline.

  Scott chuckles, threading his fingers through Julia's and hauling her toward the mansion. “Cynthia, you do have a way with words.”

  “What?” Cyn grins. “Praile's at the root of all our current woes, and I think he needs his dick pulled off. Cutting is simply insufficient. Not that I don't think Tessa did a stand-up job with her talons. Damn.”

  Scott stops in his tracks. “You just say stuff like that? Do you ever think about how that would be?”

  Cyn smiles.

  Julia chokes back a laugh. “Yeah, I think she really does, actually.”

  “Shit! Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

  “Consider yourself warned.” Cyn waggles her brows.

  Amusement flows through their connection.

  Scott narrows his eyes at Cyn. “Nice friend, Julia.”

  “Hey,” Julia says, socking him with her free hand, “she kicks ass and takes names.”

  Scott shakes his head. “No, she kicks ass and decapitates dicks.”

  Julia bends over, clutching her ribs, and Scott releases her hand, putting his hands on his hips. “Not funny, really.”

  “So funny!” Julia cries, swiping tears of laughter.

  “See?” Cyn says, throwing her palm toward Julia. “She appreciates my humor.”

  He scoops Julia up, tosses her over his shoulder, and swats her butt.

  “Scott!” Julia gasps, beating on his back, “Put me down.”

  “No, ma'am, You're going to get proper discipline after our nuptials.”

  Julia stills, her fingers spreading flat on his back. “What?”

  Cyn jogs beside them. “That's why Scott was looking all constipated earlier. He had to tell you the news. Now that One knows you guys figured out your love life, you get to be married. I mean—what's stopping you?”

  Scott grips Julia's hips, and she slides down his front.

  Guilt, desire, and uncertainty cloud her mind. Everything's moving too fast.

  Jason's dead. The demonic are still tearing around in parts unknown, and her people are fewer. Those who remain are scattered and unsure.

  Scott cups her face in one large hand. “I feel all your anxiety. But here's the thing, Julia—do you have anxiety about you and me?”

  Cyn remains blissfully silent for once.

  Julia searches her heart. Each piece of her psyche holds tension, except one.

  The soul-meld is the only intact thing about her right now. And no matter how her future might change, her supernatural connection with Scott holds.

  “Right,” Julia answers, noting Scott's tight eyes and tense posture. “We feel right.”

  His fingers move from her chin and wrap the crown of her head. “Then let's do something that's happy. There's been too much grief.”

  “I agree,” Jen says, walking up to them, and that's all it takes.

  Julia's stoic veneer crumples, and her future sister-in-law holds her as she cries.

  Not all tears are sad.

  Some are cathartic.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Adi

  Lazily spinning silver eyes peer inside the bag where Adi tensely waits. He wrinkles his nose.

  Lanarre.

  Adi's surprise is chased by a crazy thought. Adi feels like Little Red Riding Hood, ready to be eaten by the big bad wolf.

  “Hello, female.” His hot breath bathes Adi, and her beast recoils.

  She makes a split decision. Sliding to quarter-change, she rolls in an agile wiggle, beginning to fall from the stainless cot and away from Romeo.

  The wheels aren't locked, and the cart rocks abruptly from her sharp motion. She bursts from the bag, landing with her ass still inside the crinkling plastic as her palms slap the concrete of the underground parking structure.

  Adi grunts from the impact of her knees cracking against concrete. Healing fire burns along her kneecaps, momentarily weakening her.

  The cart is flung, and Adi watches it hit one of the circular support pillars before it lands on the roof of a parked car. A security alarm begins to blare.

  Adi moves forward, getting caught up in the plastic, and kicking backward to extradite herself.

  Strong arms encircle her waist, lifting her from the ground.

  Talons burst from her fingertips, and Adi blindly swipes backward. The Were roars, his hold momentarily loosening.

  Adi spins.

  Jenni's wide brown eyes find hers, a talon at her throat.

  Adi's breath catches. The human female's fear is like ashes in her nose.

  “Is this your pet, female?”

  Oh my Moon.

  Adi backs up until a cold pillar meets her spine. She shivers with fear, chill, and desperation.

  The three Lanarre males circle Adi. The one in the center easily holds a struggling Jenni.

  Adi fights to track their movements as they separate. “The human doesn't matter. I threatened to kill her if she didn’t get me out of here.” Adi shrugs. Small lie.

  The Lanarre swipes a finger across Jenni's throat, and the skin peels away. White at first, it quickly fills with her blood.

  Adi's heart sinks. She'd rolled the dice, hoping they would just let Jenni go if they assumed she meant nothing to her.

  She lost that bet. “No,” Adi whispers fervently.

  He drops Jenni, who clasps her fingers around her own neck, gasping as she drops hard to her knees.

  Bastards. Rage uncoils like a snake preparing to strike.

  “We've done you a favor then, female.”

  Adi stands straighter, flinging her claws wide. “You are Lanarre—the best of us, but you'll threaten me and kill an innocent human?”

  “A human who is dying,” another scoffs with a dismissive chuff, coming a step closer.

  So let's kill her slowly. Makes so much sense.

  “That doesn't matter,” Adi says, her anger chasing tears to dryness. “You guys aren't top dogs in my book.” Her sarcasm rings in the barren parking lot.

  Their eyes spin a little faster. “We do not come to threaten you, female.”

  Right. “Then let me go,” Adi says in a low voice. “I am mated to another.” Though Slash doesn’t give a fuck, it's still technically true. They must scent the truth of her words.

  Maybe they don't care?

  The one who grabbed her before spreads his arms inoffensively, his half-smile smug. “Then where is your mate? And what kind of male would leave his female unprotected while she cycles?” One of his dark eyebrows rises.

  Adi's gaze skates back and forth between the three.

  A pool of Jenni's blood spreads beneath her body, coloring the concrete black. Adi sees red—literally. She would prefer their blood covering the garage floor instead of her human friend's.

  Loyalty has always been Adi's greatest character flaw—and her greatest strength. Adi's face whips to the males.

  They can fucking try me. Adi clicks her talons together, and they sound like the bones of her enemies.

  Their eyes move to her aggressive stance.

  “We are Lanarre; we don't hurt females.” He sounds so insulted.

  Is he high? Didn't he just slit Jenni's throat? Adi laughs. “You'll just breed me. Yeah.”

  “Of course.” The clowns look at each other as if seeking agreement in their attempt at rape.

  “We will take care of whatever young you have,” the Were who'd laid hands on her says. His smile hangs vacantly on his face. His teeth are very sharp.

  “You're not listening, pal.”

  His eyebrows jerk up. If things weren't so serious, Adi would laugh. Nothing's funny right now.

  Jenni's bleeding out on the hard cement like discarded trash, and three males are disc
ussing a phantom future pregnancy as though she should be all flattered by their attention.

  Bull honkey. “Stay where you are,” Adi says as they fan out, eyes never leaving her.

  Grabber puts his hand out, palm facing her. “We won't hurt you. We simply want to take you back to our den.”

  Placating cheese dick.

  “I am not unmated. You've got to be the dumbest male I've ever had the misfortune of running into.”

  At a single yip, the males at his side rushes her.

  Adi does the unexpected, using the balls of her feet as she leaps to Grabber.

  He reacts swiftly, but not swiftly enough.

  Adi has one shot. She sails toward him, and he instinctively tries to catch her, exposing his throat.

  Adi goes wolfen midair, sucking in a heated, pain-filled breath, and claims his open neck with her teeth.

  She tears out his esophagus like a glossy worm ripped from the dirt of his flesh. Jerking her head back, jaws locked, she swings her head around, releasing a chunk of his breathing tube behind her.

  Grabber gasps, flailing for purchase on her suddenly bigger form. She hops away, swings her leg, and plants a foot on his chest, shooting his ass against the pillar she'd stopped cowering against.

  Heal that, asswipe.

  Powerful hands grip her upper arms, and Adi thrashes. One hand holds her nape painfully tight, and she whimpers.

  Her eyes meet Jenni's.

  Slash, Adi wails inside her mind, knowing he can't hear her. She hates that she would want a male's protection—and loathes herself because she thought she already had it.

  The metal door leading into the parking garage bangs against the wall, shattering into twisted curly cues of steel. They skitter across the smooth concrete like metallic sleet, rolling to a stop at the edge of Jenni's blood.

  Slash moves through the jagged open mouth of what used to be the doorway.

  Their eyes meet. His are already wolfen green. His utter calm as he surveys gasping Grabber and the two Lanarre who hold her terrifies Adi.

  “Slash,” her beast growls out of a throat raw with her anguish.

  But the Lanarre don’t give a shit about what she thinks. She's an alpha female running rogue who's cycling. So Adi's fair game.

  She's betting Slash won't let them hurt her even though he doesn't want her anymore. She doesn't even have time to think about why Slash would even appear.