Bite Me Baby! (Wicked Good Witches Book 7)

by Starla Silver

  Melinda leaned over him, finding his eyes.

  “I’m not going to let you die because I was too stupid to tell you the truth. Or that you’re too stubborn to realize I need you to live and this is the only way. I love you, William, and I know that’s not enough for you to take my blood. But I need you to live.”

  She leaned over him careful not to touch anything but his lips, and kissed him gently. “Please,” she cried, new tears forming. She pressed her wrist against his mouth again. She remembered from her vision that he would not take her blood unless he was with completely certain that her life depended on it.

  “I won’t survive this day without you, William. I need you to save me.” His fangs rubbed against her skin. She felt a sting when he pierced her, sucking out her life-saving blood.

  A shocking jubilation crept through her.

  Hope. A glimmer of hope.

  Her blood wouldn’t be nearly enough to heal him, but he wouldn’t die and his pain would lessen.

  An embittered cry raged behind her. Riley was on his feet again, the look of complete betrayal in his eyes when he saw the blood trickling down her arm and the vampire feasting on her.

  Melinda started to spin, her head dizzy. She didn’t have it in her to shoot off another spell at Riley. “William,” she whispered, warning him he’d have to stop. His drinking was voracious now; she could feel the strength in his grasp getting stronger.

  Riley stepped closer, two fireballs forming, one in each hand.

  Suddenly, two Feyks popped in behind Riley. “What’s taking so long?” one of them shouted into the air. He stopped when he saw Eva passed out on the ground and Riley about to finish off their leverage.

  “Oh enough of this shit already!” the Feyk growled at his companion. “End it.”

  The second Feyk hopped over to Riley and did a strange motion with his hand over Riley’s skull. His eyes turned up in his head and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

  Melinda, weakened, slumped across William’s body.

  This jostled him and he let go of her wrist, horrified with himself. He’d drank too much from her.

  He could do little more than lie there, her blood coursing through him, seeking out his injuries, and healing him. There were so many to heal. It would not be enough blood. He needed more. And Melinda was right. She might not survive if he didn’t recover in time to save her.

  His muscles slowly regained a bit of strength. However, every movement, every inhale, every exhale, hurt in a way he could never vocalize. He had just enough strength to slide Melinda off him and place her on the ground next to him.

  William felt a stabbing pain in his side. One of the Feyk had kicked him and he rolled over in agony.

  “We’ll let Eva finish you off,” the Feyk barked, dragging Melinda’s barely conscious body across the ground by her arms.

  “Melinda…” William reached out for her, but the strength was not there. He needed time to heal. And more blood. Neither of which he had.

  He heard voices calling to him and rolled to his side.

  It was Emily and Lucas from inside the cage.

  William crawled his way to their cage. Each movement painful. Each breath difficult. But with each surge of Melinda’s blood in his veins, his mind cleared. He reached the cage but had no way to open it and free them. At normal strength he could have torn the door off easily, or bent the bars. He crawled and searched until he’d found what he needed: a large enough rock to break the lock off the cage. He dragged the rock back and dragged himself off the ground with the assistance of the cage’s bars. It took three attempts before the lock gave and broke. He collapsed, his strength gone.

  Lucas and Emily poured out.

  “I’ve got William,” said Emily. “Go to your brother.”

  Emily helped William to his feet. His skin was flaking, his clothing burnt and falling off him. Emily didn’t want to touch him for fear it would hurt, but had no choice as he could barely hold himself up.

  “Never thought I’d be helping you off the ground,” she sniffled softly, trying to keep up his spirits.

  “Nor I,” William replied, wincing. “I’m sorry… about your father.”

  “Save your strength,” she told him.

  They reached Riley. He was still out cold.

  William wanted to hate Riley, but it was pointless. And it didn’t matter now.

  “How is he?” William asked graciously, though it still hurt to speak.

  “He won’t wake up.” Lucas looked up at William, his eyes shouting apologies that could never cover what had been done to him.

  “I’m a vampire. I’ll live…” he was cut off. A fury of white hair, arms and legs flew directly into William, knocking him out of Emily’s balancing grasp and skidding across the ground.

  Emily fell backwards, landing hard. Lucas got to her, helping her up.

  “I’m okay,” she insisted.

  Eva had William pinned to the ground. “Not so fun when the tables are turned, is it?” she taunted. Her eyes flashed yellow. Her wolf teeth expanding, pushing out against her lips.

  “We can’t let her bite him,” Emily exclaimed.

  Lucas turned decidedly and raised his arm. His hand shook a little. He hadn’t ever used magic against someone. Friend or enemy, ever before.

  “Do it, Lucas,” pressed Emily, a darkness enveloping her tone.

  Lucas released the spell. It flew at Eva with incredible speed and strength.

  It hit her back, pushing her forward, her bite nearly piercing William’s burnt shoulder.

  Lucas’ eyes widened, realizing it was the opposite reaction they needed. He got closer, shooting off another spell. This one sliced into her arm, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. She rolled off William, grasping the wound.

  William dragged himself to his feet, determined no matter how weak, he would finish her off.

  Lucas shot another spell. This one missed Eva, ricocheting off a nearby tree, its branches flying off crashing downward.

  Eva dove out of the way.

  William stumbled toward her.

  He may have been burnt to a crisp, but his bite could still kill her.

  Eva got to her feet, backing away to the edge of the tree line.

  Lucas saw a log a few steps away from her. He threw a spell at a tree, behind it, sending it crashing to the ground. It hit the log, rolling it behind Eva’s legs. She saw it too late and fell backwards over it. She cried out, hitting the ground hard as something cracked in her ankle. She scrambled to her feet, unable to put much weight on the foot. She didn’t think it was completely broken, but it hurt like hell.

  “I should have fucking left,” Eva berated herself. “Heed that advice now,” she told herself. She turned and hobbled into the woods.

  William collapsed. His legs faltering underneath him.

  Eva was getting away.

  Someone knelt down next to him. It was Emily.

  William did not like what he saw in her eyes. Something had changed in her. Her brightness, her joy, gone. Replaced by a shade of darkness he didn’t know would ever lift. Even with all his pain, and the agony of what had been done to Melinda, seeing her like this saddened him greatly.

  She put her wrist up to his mouth. “Drink,” she ordered him. “And then catch that bitch and kill her until she’s so fucking God damned dead.” Something in her tone beat into William’s undead heart, and without hesitation, he punctured her skin and drank.

  They needed him to end her. And he could do it if he was strong enough.

  He wanted to go after Melinda. Her brothers are coming. The Feyk had set a trap, but they were coming and he didn’t fear that they’d save her. Eva needed to be dealt with now, before it was too late.

  It didn’t take long for Emily to get woozy. It was a strange sensation, to feel her blood all headed in one direction... William’s mouth. It was worth it if he succeeded in killing Eva Jordan.

  Her arm dropped, and William’s wrapped around her. He helped h
er lie down, her own strength waning. Almost instantly, William felt stronger. His wounds would take more time to heal, but his muscles sucked in the blood, healing and strengthening.

  He hadn’t consumed this much human blood since he could remember. It surged through him, bringing him back into the land of the living.

  As it spread, healed and strengthened him, it left a trail of unbridled wildness behind. His muscles ached with a new savagery. His tongue craved to taste more. His dead heart burned with the desire for things he’d fought an age to relinquish.

  But it would not burn for long. This new dose of blood would burn out just trying to heal him. He’d have to make fast work of dispatching with Eva.

  “Look after Emily,” he told Lucas. William chased Eva into the woods. He could not use his vampire speed, forced to plod along behind her.

  Her scent was strong. It helped that she was bleeding as she ran.

  ##

  Emily’s eyes flickered opened and closed. She wanted to go to sleep.

  Lucas tapped her cheeks, trying to get her to stay awake. He didn’t think letting her fall asleep was a smart idea.

  Lucas heard a groan and looked up. Riley was waking.

  He left Emily to check on him.

  Riley’s eyes fluttered open.

  He blinked a few times, surveying the scene. Remembering where he was.

  “Are you okay?” his brother asked. He hoped it was really his brother waking, and not the enraged brother he could not control.

  There was no reply. Lucas helped him sit up.

  Riley’s tanned skin turned pale and sickly. It all came back to him. Like a sick nightmare with no escape. All the vile things he’d said, and done. Wanted to do.

  He turned onto his knees and vomited profusely.

  He remembered every disgusting detail. Almost like he had been in the background watching it the entire time, but unable to control his actions in any way.

  He’d hurt Melinda.

  All those things he said to her. He’d hit her…

  He’d nearly killed William. He’d tortured him near to death. He didn’t like the guy that much, but what he’d done to William was unforgiveable.

  Riley didn’t know why they hadn’t just killed him for what he’d done.

  Spell or not, he had done all these things.

  He wanted to die.

  Without even feeling it start, Riley sobbed uncontrollably.

  Lucas grabbed hold of him. “It wasn’t your fault,” he consoled. He hated magic. Now more than ever. Deanes and magic did not mix. “I’m sorry I brought you here,” he told Riley. “It was a mistake.”

  “She’s never going to forgive me,” Riley gushed, speaking of Melinda.

  How could she?

  He remembered everything she said to him. The hurt in her eyes. The anger. Betrayal. Disgust. “God, Lucas. I fucking hit her.” The demeaning things he said to her. To everyone about her, like she was nothing but a cheap sex toy to use in his conquest over William.

  Bile rose in his throat.

  No, Melinda Howard would never forgive him after this. Probably never want to see him again. Or speak to him…

  “We can leave,” Lucas said. “Go anywhere. Away from this place.”

  “How? We have nothing.”

  “I’ll figure out something. C’mon. Get up.”

  He’d forgotten about Emily until she groaned.

  “We have to get her somewhere safe. She needs help,” said Lucas.

  Riley wiped his face, a moment of calmness coming over him. He nodded.

  Lucas patted him on the shoulder. “It’s going to be all right. I promise.”

  It was not going to be all right. It never would be. There was nothing he could do to make up for what he’d done. No way to forget what he’d done. He wasn’t even sure there was a way to live with it.

  Feyk spell or not… it was his hands that did the damage.

  His face they’d all remember…

  His name they’d all talk about.

  Another Deane to besmirch the name…

  Riley looked up to go to Emily and let out a sharp gasp.

  Lucas spun around.

  A Feyk had popped in out of nowhere and grabbed Emily’s limp hand.

  “Let go of her,” warned Lucas. He took a stance, ready to attack.

  The Feyk simply grinned wickedly, a plume of smoke erupting where it stood. When it cleared, he and Emily were gone.

  Lucas wanted to kick himself.

  Loving or hating this place set aside, he sucked at being a witch, sucked at magic and plain old sucked at even taking care of a woman passed out and placed in his charge.

  “Let’s just go,” said Riley, shaking. “I can’t be here. We can’t do any good anyway.”

  “We could probably do some more bad,” berated Lucas. “Are we doomed to fail at everything we do? I’d actually started to believe we were supposed to come here.”

  Riley had never seen his brother so defeated. And he had never felt so defeated.

  He reached up and clutched his chest. “Oh, God.” There was a tight pang there, rippling outward.

  “What’s wrong?” Lucas asked.

  A sudden warmth engulfed his heart. A feeling, growing in the pit of his stomach. It hit so hard he nearly doubled over.

  “There’s somewhere we have to go. I’ve never had it come on so strong before.” He looked up at Lucas. “I have to follow through with this.”

  “Okay,” he understood. “Let’s go.” He helped Riley to his feet and followed his brother into the woods.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Dressed in black for better cover, Jack, Charlie, Michael, and Lizzy readied themselves to enter White Pines. Dusk was fading, night on its way.

  They had left the jeep outside the entrance of the park.

  Mack had a roadblock in place to keep any stray tourists from sneaking through.

  She’d also told them about the ambulance on its way. After seeing Melinda’s condition in Eva’s sadistic video, she was certain she’d need immediate care. They’d be prepped and ready. And if William was still alive, they’d do whatever they could to save him. Plus they didn’t know what else might happen during the battle, or what they might find if they also located Emily and Lucas.

  Michael had wanted to use a crystal but feared the brightness of it would give them away, so they opted to rely on Charlie’s wolf vision to assist in finding their way through the park.

  “Can you strap me up?” Lizzy asked Charlie. “I can’t quite reach.”

  They’d stopped by the Deane Manor on their way to White Pines. Lizzy had come across old leather potion belts in her recent cleaning efforts that were still in usable condition.

  She’d slung one across her shoulder, but could not reach over her back to hook the clasp. Charlie reached around her and clasped the belt.

  “Thanks.” She let out an even breath.

  “Are you good?” he asked her.

  “Yup. You?”

  “As I can be. Have you done this before, Lizzy? You seem…”

  “Focused,” she told him. “And yes. I have.”

  “I’m glad you’re on our side then.”

  “You should be,” she responded confidently. “Oh, and um…” she pointed to a small handbag she planned on attaching to the belt. “I brought you extra clothes.”

  Charlie shrugged, confused. One, the handbag wasn’t large enough, and two, why?

  “You’re planning on going full werewolf at some point, right?”

  He sucked in quickly. Lizzy held back a wry smirk.

  “That was… incredibly… thoughtful of you,” he stammered out. It hadn’t even crossed his mind.

  “I assumed you didn’t actually want to walk back through the woods bare ass naked when we’re done.”

  He’d had enough of naked romps in the woods to last a lifetime. Lizzy slid vials of potions into the empty holders in her belt, securing each vial into a pocket.

  “I’ve g
ot some basic medical supplies in there too,” she added after a minute.

  “How? It’s so small.”

  “It’s much bigger on the inside. And it weighs next to nothing.”

  “Wow. That’s very impressive.”

  “What can I say? My dad taught me well.”

  “He was the witch in your family?”

  “Yes. But my mother died when I was a baby. And I was his only child. He made sure I could fend for myself. Except that I didn’t quite succeed in that I guess.”

  “I’m kind of glad about that,” it slipped out of his mouth by accident. “That was a very selfish thing to say.” He shook his head, feeling stupid. They were about to go into a battle and he was sitting here acting like a lovesick schoolboy.

  Lizzy lowered her gaze, hiding a grin. “I’m just glad my dad didn’t live to see the day I disappeared. He died a few months before I was turned to a ghast. I think losing me would have crushed him.” She wrapped another belt around her waist and filled the empty vial pockets with potions. She tied her small handbag to the strap on her shoulder testing to make sure she could get into with ease.

  “Charlie.” Jack was calling to him.

  “Sorry.” He’d been standing around gawking at Lizzy. He joined his father.

  Jack shook his head and patted his son on the arm, casting a quick glance at Lizzy. “Good luck with that, Son. She’s gonna be a handful.”

  Charlie closed his eyes, humiliated.

  Michael rolled his eyes in annoyance.

  Charlie let out a huff. Okay ya stupid idiot. Get it together. Battle time… He helped his father and brother get strapped into their potions belts. He’d opted out of wearing a belt, as for one, his shoulders were too broad, making it a tight fit. And as Lizzy had assumed, he would go full werewolf at some point, and didn’t want to waste potions that would just break upon his transformation.

  He did keep hold of one vial. It held the cloaking potion. And using this was the first part of their planned attack. They hoped to take out as many Feyk as possible in the few minutes of invisibility it gave them.

  Fireworks boomed overhead, lighting up the evening sky.

  “Everyone ready?” asked Jack.

  They replied with pensive nods.

  “We’ve prepared. Let’s stick to the plan. They will try to take us off guard. They will use Melinda, Emily or Lucas, maybe even William…” they cringed just thinking of him. “The key is to be mindful that this will happen, but stay focused on the task. We want to keep them guessing. Make them keep up with us. We do not want to lose that advantage or we’ll find ourselves playing into their hands.”