by Amie Gibbons
“I don’t want you to go.”
“I know.”
I sighed. “So how do we track this one? Same as before? Hit the hall, try to get a vision?”
Carvi shook his head. “No.”
“No?” Grant asked.
“There’s nothing to trace. We could only do it before because the spell was still in Claude’s blood. There’s nothing actually there to hold magic.”
“Does it have to be in something biological?” I asked.
“If the spell is done on beings, yes, it does… stick to other things for a short time.”
“Have we ever had something like this before, sir?”
“No,” Grant said.
“Well, we could go check out that restaurant the first vision led us to.”
“What restaurant?” Grant asked.
“Oops.” I grinned up at him. “We, ugh, traced the spell back cuz it was affecting people in the ballroom and it went to a place. Carvi has guys doing reconnaissance. Sorry, forgot to tell you.”
“Do I need to pull you, Ryder?”
“She’s mine for the weekend, Grant,” Carvi said. “You pull me before you pull her.”
I snorted and Grant met his eyes.
“Nice try. I’m onto you,” Carvi said.
“Wait, wait, wait.” I waved my hands, making my drink slosh up the sides. “Grant, your icy stare magic, does that counter passions, like what the spell was doing?”
“I don’t know.”
I huffed. “But you keep using it, so you know something, right?”
“Ryder.”
“No, no. I’m not trying to pry into what you are again, I’m getting at something. If it’s actually magic, and your ice calms people down, then you have to stay, because we’re gonna need you. This magic is all about riling people up, making them give in to their passions. Lust, anger, whatever, right? What if we find them and they use it on us? We’re going to need you to counter that magic so we can take them out, right? I’m right, I know I am. You have to stay.”
Grant pinched his nose.
“When you get going like that, Ryder, you really do sound like a chipmunk.”
“On crack, I know.”
“She has a point, Grant,” Carvi said.
“I know she does.” Grant didn’t move.
“Stay then?” I asked.
“Ryder, I’m compromised.”
“I know. But so are we. Even if your powers don’t work on you, you’re good backup cuz they work on us. If you leave us, who knows what’ll happen.”
I stepped up to him and he didn’t move away this time.
“Sir, we need you. I need you.”
He met my eyes.
My heart jumped.
“Ryder, if I try anything. Put me down.”
“Sir?”
“If this is something that stirs passions, my powers aren’t working on me to counter it. If I try anything, you knock me out. Got it?”
I licked my lips and he followed suit.
The world narrowed down to him. His eyes, his mouth, his hands. They all stood out with glowing light.
“Ryder!” he snapped.
“Sir, yes, I will knock you out. And if I can’t, Carvi will.”
“No, I won’t,” Carvi said.
“Okay, fine, he’s useless, but I will. You have my word, sir.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “I’m holding you to that, Ryder. I don’t care what I say in the moment.”
“Yes, sir. But um…”
He raised his eyebrows.
“Well, when that demon attacked on Valentine’s Day, and the witch had the giant orgy spell goin’, it affected me but not you. I’m guessing now that was part of your powers, so why is this affecting you?”
“The witch’s spell then was further away. We only felt the edges of it. I felt it, but it was weak enough to fight.”
“Not for me.”
Grant raised his brows again.
“What?” I asked.
“The spell was weak. This one isn’t. So even if I could calm myself down, when the spell is going, I may not want to.”
“So I will for you. If you don’t want to, will you be able to calm us down though?”
“Another argument for me leaving,” Grant said.
“Okay, never mind. You will be our backup, so if the spell hits us, you’ll see it and get us out of it before you’re too close to whatever it is and it gets you too.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Carvi said. “But until my men return from checking out the restaurant, we need to return to the party. Grant, anything in the books?”
“I’m setting aside anything on magic like this. Someone with more experience will have to look to tell if they’re our spell.”
“We’ll be there after the party.”
“We still have to do the party?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I downed my drink.
###
“Yeah, it was lovely meeting you too,” I said, shakin’ the woman’s hand just to make sure.
No extra visions.
I plopped down next to Carvi at our table.
“I’m exhausted.” I held up my empty drink. “And drunk. I’ve lost count of how many of the visions… and these… and visions. Did I say that?”
“Yes,” Carvi said, takin’ my glass from me. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you are cut off.”
“How many?”
“Have you had? Three and about a half.”
“How many visions?”
“You tell me.”
I shrugged, leaning my head on his shoulder. “I don’t know. They blur. But nothing on anyone planning…er whatever.”
“Oh dear. I think it is time to put you down for a minute,” Carvi said, standing up.
He pulled out my chair and swooped me up.
I giggled.
“You are adorable, you know that?” he said, nodding at one of the guys, probably the same way Grant would look at us and we’d know what he wanted.
The guy announced to the room that Carvi’s guest was done for the night and I shook my head.
“Ow!”
“What?” Carvi asked.
“Shakin’ the head is bad.”
“Oh my, you may not be much good tonight.”
“I tell guys this all the time. They don’t seem to get it. You don’t get the girl drunk. Drunk means sloppy, and passin’ out, and not consent… and that means criminal charges and…”
I hiccupped as one of the servers opened the door to let us in the hall.
“What was I sayin’?” I asked.
“Oh lea. You are drunk.”
I snuggled into his neck and closed my eyes, breathing him in.
“I love Quil,” I said.
“Yes, you have said that.”
“I could love you. But I don’t think you’d want me to. I don’t think you want a relationship. Nope. You just want to screw and go la de da through life. No strings, no attachments, no one to care. Have you ever loved anyone?”
“I loved my brother.”
“I meant romantically. Ohhhhhhh. Like you loved him and now you’re scared to love anyone cuz he died on you and he wasn’t supposed to die. I’m sorry, Carvi.”
“You’ve said that.”
“Yeah, but, he’s dead cuz of me. They were aiming at me.”
“I know this. Which is why you’re here, paying off that debt.”
A door opened and I leaned up, opening my eyes just in time to see the world spinning.
“Ugh,” I said, closing my eyes again. “Room spin. Bad. So bad. I don’t think I’ve seen the room spin since I was in college. That seems so long ago. I’m only twenty-three, but I feel so old sometimes.”
Carvi laughed. “Oh lea, you are not old. You are very, very young.”
He lay me down and I opened my eyes to see a canopy above.
“What’s with you and canopy beds?” I asked as he lay on his side next to me, propping himself
up on one arm.
Like he was posing for a photoshoot.
“Why do you always look like that?” I asked.
“Like what?”
“Like you’re ready for your close up. It’s annoying. You’re not real. Everything’s a play and you’re the star, or something like that. You ever show your real face?”
“I pity every man who has ever tried to get you drunk to get you into bed. You probably talked the whole time.”
“If they get you drunk to get you into bed, they are assaulter…ers, or something like that. You’re not supposed to do that.”
“Valid point. Can’t get a girl drunk to have sex with her, then ugly people might get laid.”
I squinted my eyes to make his face stop spinning. “If she doesn’t say yes sober…”
“Oh dear. Lea, I’m going to give you some blood and I’ll have a server bringing you an IV. You will take the blood, I will put in the IV, and hopefully that will sober you up and head off the hangover. You’re no use to me in this state.”
“Like I said.” I giggled, reaching for him. “Can I snuggle you?”
“You want to snuggle? Lea.” He sighed.
“Carvagio.” I wiggled my hands at him. “Mere!”
He inched over and I lay my head on his shoulder, running my fingers down his front.
“I do have to return to the party,” he said.
“Tell them we’re havin’ sex. We could. I’d say yes. Not sure if it counts. Very fuzzy when things get fuzzy, you know. The courts don’t like it when there’s alcohol cuz it’s so fuzzy, unless someone’s unconscious, cuz if just drunk, it’s hard to tell if they were too far gone to consent. Mama did a lot of cases where they couldn’t tell if the girl was assaulted or just had buyer’s remorse. She didn’t last long as a prosecutor. Couldn’t take that uncertainty. And the domestic violence cases broke her heart.”
“Do you always talk this much and are just easier to shut up sober?” Carvi asked, but he chuckled.
I braced myself on his chest and pushed up to look him in the eyes.
“Do you love me?” I asked.
He blinked. “I’m tempted to say yes to mess with you, but I have a feeling you won’t remember this so, no, I don’t. I do like you very much. And that’s in addition to merely wanting to fuck you.”
I made a face. “How do you say merely and fuck in the same sentence?”
He wrapped his arms around my back and I collapsed back on his chest, wiggling to get my head in the crook of his arm.
“Are you saying you’re in love with me, Ariana?”
“No, but I could be. If I let myself. Which is why I can’t let myself. I can’t sleep with you. I’ll fall, and it’d be bad. Not just cuz of Quil, but cuz you wouldn’t love me back. I’m not sure you know how.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “I do. I just have not felt that way romantically for a long time.”
“How long?”
He sighed. “You’re asking me to divulge sensitive information, lea.”
“Yep. Spill.”
“I loved a girl about twenty something years ago.”
“What happened?”
“She died.”
“How?”
He kissed my forehead. “I do not want to discuss that now. Maybe later. I find your incessant questions cute sometimes.”
“I want you to be happy. To find love.”
“I have found it, and probably will again. When you’re as old as I, you learn happiness doesn’t last.”
“That’s depressing.”
“I’m not finished. Any happiness doesn’t last. There’s no happily ever after, just life. But you also learn that no misery lasts. If someone dies, you will be sad, you will mourn them, but you will be happy again, eventually. There’s no such thing as anything lasting.”
“I’d like to believe humans will.”
“Forever?”
“That’s a long time. But kinda. I don’t want to think of ending. I don’t want to end.”
“You don’t want to die.” It wasn’t a question.
“No. It scares me. What if I’m wrong and there’s nothing up there?”
He shifted. “Look at me.”
I turned onto my back so I could look up at him.
“There are so many of us who are already infatuated with the infuriating little motor-mouth you are, not the least of which is Quil. We will not let you die.”
“Oh, I know you won’t… Oh! You mean you’ll turn me?”
“If that is your wish.”
I sighed, rolling over on my side.
“You must have had this conversation with Quil,” he said.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” I said.
“You’re a bad liar.”
“Yeah, we’ve talked about it. Kinda left it lying there.”
“Well, I’d recommend doing it in the next few years.” Carvi came up behind me in the classic spoon, pulling me close to him and squeezing me through the tight top. “Before these fall.”
I slapped his arm. “Jerk.”
“Why? For pointing out gravity?”
He rolled me back over, holding his arm up.
“My blood will help,” he said.
“Kinda like coffee, I know. Why not just give me coffee?”
“Because this is better and non-addictive.”
“Good point. Kat’s addicted to coffee and if she doesn’t get it-”
Carvi climbed on top of me, laying over me so our faces were even.
“I’m going to make it a habit to have something to put in your mouth when we’re together for when these types of diatribes happen.”
I stuck my tongue at him and he kissed me. He sucked on my tongue and desire spiked through me as I spread my legs and he settled between them.
He pulled back on his knees, fangs out.
“Carvi,” I said.
“Take my blood. I’ll get off on that, trust me.”
I licked my lips. “How?”
“Your teeth are sharp enough to get through on your own. Can you sit up?”
I did, head going round and round with a pound.
Carvi sat back and crossed his legs and pulled me onto his lap. I kissed him and he kissed me back then rested his forehead on mine.
“You are so open,” he said. “So honest, almost makes me want to be.”
“You’re feeling pretty open right now,” I said, nipping at his bottom lip.
“No, that’s you.”
He pulled on my leg and I got it back and around so I was straddlin’ him.
“Where do you want me to bite you?” I asked.
He stared into my eyes. “My neck. I want to ride up into you as you suck me.”
I nodded. “Your pants stay on.”
He pushed my skirt up. “You’re not wearing underwear.”
“They disappeared in the hall! I think you took them.”
“I did not.”
I shrugged, burying my face in his neck. “I can’t do this easily.”
“I don’t like easy.”
I bit, hard as I could. Carvi bucked under me, leaning against the headboard and angling his hips more up.
He could be inside me so easily.
I moved on him and bit again, digging my teeth in.
He jerked with a cry as I broke skin, holdin’ me to him so tight I could hardly breathe… or maybe that was the dress.
I sucked on him, drawing the thick sweetness into my mouth.
He tasted different than Quil. Still sweeter than blood should be, and thick, almost like sipping an old port, but this was a different vintage.
I rubbed against him, riding like we were having sex.
His blood rushed into me, waking my brain and washing out the cobwebs.
He finally grabbed my hair and pulled me back.
We locked eyes as I kept riding him.
I could unzip him. It’d be so easy to make this real.
He pulled me in, kissing me and flipped
me over, getting on top too fast for me to move into a more comfortable position.
Carvi pulled my hair out of the way and struck before I could say anything.
He sucked hard enough to bruise, riding against me.
Pressure built and I moved against him, wanting him inside.
He bit harder, hard enough to hurt through the fog of induced pleasure.
My ‘ow’ was drowned out by his groan of pleasure and he pulled back.
Leaving me still aching and raring to go.
“Carvi!” I said as he lay back, grinning.
“Is that tone for hurting you or for not finishing you?” he asked, almost lazy, like a well-fed cat.
“Well I… both!”
“Feeling sober?”
“Yes.”
He rolled to his hands and knees, looking almost cute.
“On your back,” he said.
I got down, opening my legs.
“Do yourself as I watch.”
I nodded, pulling the skirt to the side and holding it down.
I put my hand on myself and moved it fast, sliding a finger inside after a moment.
I closed my eyes, arching up.
“No,” Carvi said. “Look at me.”
“Make me,” I said, breath fast and shallow as I moved faster.
He grabbed my hair and I opened my eyes to see him above me.
I stared at him and moved faster, coming with a yell and pulling my head against his grip.
He let me go as I relaxed and nodded when I opened my eyes.
“I could have you right now,” he said. “I know I could. And later, you’re going to pretend I couldn’t, that you will put up your resistance, but I know how to get around it.”
“What’s your game, Carvi?”
He smiled, pecking me on the lips before rolling off the bed.
“You may someday know, lea.”
A knock on the door broke off my retort and Carvi called for them to come in.
It was a server with the promised IV, a bottled water and a cup of orange juice.
“Always anticipating,” Carvi said, taking the tray. “Thank you.”
“Yes, sir.” The man closed the door on his way out.
Carvi put the tray next to me and inserted the IV so fast and clean I didn’t feel it. “Drink, recover, and join Grant in the library. I’ll be there after finishing things with my guests.”
“Carvi?” I said as he walked for the door.
“Yes?”
“Has anyone ever said no to you?”