The Curse of Blood (Love Lines Book 4)

by Diana Nixon

  There were different words written in the places where the symbols of the old language used to be. And I could read them all, as if I actually knew the language that everyone thought was long lost and forgotten.

  “Ateira magnum ponti — to life through the death,” I read aloud. My hands trembled and I put them down, staring at the words, speechless. What were they supposed to mean? Were we all supposed to die to get a new life? Why couldn’t we simply live the lives we had now? I just didn’t get it…

  The doors opened behind me, I turned around and saw Marion standing at the threshold. She smiled uneasily and I wondered if she knew that something was wrong with me.

  “Welcome back,” she said, coming to give me a hug.

  “I guess I should thank you for saving me.”

  “No need to say thanks. I did what I needed to do.” She looked into my eyes and frowned slightly, as if she could see something I couldn’t.

  “They are getting darker again, aren’t they?” I asked.

  She seemed to be taken aback by my question. “So you’ve already seen the changes,” she said, taking a step back.

  “What do they mean?”

  “Blanches and Wizardys haven’t mixed their blood for centuries. We did our best to keep our clans clean from each other’s genes. And I guess whatever is happening now is the protective reaction of your blood to mine. Give me your hand,” she said, outstretching one hand, palm up.

  Carefully, I put my palm over hers. In the place where our hands touched my skin burned. But the most surprising thing happened a moment later. The wind started blowing around us, forming a small hurricane, full of different colors and shades, each of which was the sign of a new power that I could control now. I don’t know how, but I knew spells that I had never used and even curses that I was sure I would be able to cast without any effort. Most of them scared the hell out of me.

  I put my hand down, rubbing it, feeling waves of fear running through me. “I didn’t know there was so much darkness in your blood,” I said.

  Marion smiled, not even a slightest bit offended by my words. “The darkness that you can feel now, is not mine. It’s your father’s. The powers that my blood gave you only intensified what was already living inside you.”

  “Does it mean that I’m turning into a dark magic user?” I wasn’t thrilled about the idea.

  “No, of course not. We all know that the light always wins over the darkness. And I’m sure you will do your best to suppress those dark genes in yourself.”

  “According to what I feel now, I will have to work my butt off to succeed.”

  She smirked. “I’m sure you can do this.”

  “The first time I tried to use my new powers I smashed a water pitcher. Is that what you mean by success?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Evan. We all know that you are one of the most talented wizards ever. You are capable of many things, but I’m sure you will never join the ranks of the dark magic users. It’s just a matter of time, you need to get used to the changes in your blood.”

  “I hope it won’t take very long.”

  “I will practice with you, if you want. There are things that might seem … too difficult to control. But I will help you, as much as I can. After all, I was the only person who never wanted you to have that blood transfusion, because I knew how much it would complicate your life.”

  “Well, thanks for the warning. And here I thought, my life couldn’t get any worse.”

  “Being born special, we never know what to expect from our fates.”

  “Damn true.”

  Marion accompanied me back to the dormitory and wished me good night, saying that tomorrow would be a hard day for me, because Eileen would be back in Dever, and everything that we used to feel for each other would get so much stronger.

  Well, I kind of figured that much, considering that Eileen had always been one of those people whose life I cared about so much. Seeing her in my dream was like a relief that I had been dying to feel for weeks. I didn’t want to push her to that imaginary meeting, suffice to say that controlling her mind while being almost dead was selfish all on its own. But somehow, she was the only person I wanted to be with while fighting for my life.

  It was not about love, it was not even close to anything romantic. She was like a sister to me and we were so close; closer than any blood would ever bring me to anyone. It was difficult for me to feel her suffering, but it was even harder to know that there wasn’t anything I could do to make it stop.

  That’s why I stopped fighting when I realized that I couldn’t help anyway, I only hoped that going through that bloody hell together would be easier for both of us. And now I also knew that my feelings for everyone who had ever crossed the paths of my life would be stronger.

  It also included Tara…

  More than anything, I was afraid of seeing her again. The mere thought of that meeting made the new blood run faster through my veins, and I could swear, I’d never been so excited about being with her again. The feeling was so intense, it hurt to think about staying away from her, about giving her to someone else, about seeing her with someone else. I only hoped I would be able to control myself and not try my new powers on her boyfriend, because the poor thing would be dead in no time.

  With those thoughts in my head, I fell asleep, praying for the new day to not turn into a whole mess of a trouble. Funny thing, I still believed that my fate could give me a break, already knowing that it would do its best to slap me in the face, over and over again…

  Chapter 4

  Evan

  Waking up had never felt so good. I opened my eyes and stretched out, glad to know that I was still alive and not frozen in some freaking nightmare. The only thing that felt wrong, was someone else’s presence. Cautiously, I turned to my right and saw Amanda, sitting in one of the chairs. She had her arms crossed over her chest; she was watching me intently, as if she were trying to hypnotize me with her eyes.

  “That’s the scariest expression I have ever seen on your face,” I said, sitting up. “How did you get in here?”

  “I can read your mind, remember?”

  “It’s kind of hard to forget about it.”

  She smirked. “I used your favorite key.”

  “Did I miss the part where you learned how to use magic?”

  “Yes, you did. Considering the circumstances, Eileen’s father thought we all needed to learn some simple spells to be able to protect ourselves if necessary.”

  “Was breaking into rooms a part of his training too?”

  “Kind of.”

  “Okay,” I said, running both hands through my messy hair. “To what do I owe the honor of seeing you first thing in the morning? Did you and Lucas break up or something?”

  “No. But I couldn’t wait to talk to you about the dream you had last night.”

  I frowned, trying to remember what my dream was about. No such luck.

  “What exactly do you mean?”

  “You were talking in your dream. Usually, I try to block your nonsense speeches.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “But this time you were talking in a language that I didn’t know. You were casting spells, and everything around you was on fire.”

  Again, I tried to make my mind remember the dream, and again, I failed.

  “What else did you see there?” I asked, wondering what the dream could mean.

  “You were there with Will.”

  “Ew, I’m not sure I want to hear the rest.”

  “The most interesting part was that Will was helping you with those spells, and we all know that the only power he possesses is drinking. Well, and masterminding of course.”

  “That’s weird,” I said thoughtfully. Not that all of our dreams were prophetic, but somehow, I was sure this particular dream was a sign, but I didn’t know what it would be a sign of. “Anything else?” I asked Amanda.

  She shook her head, rising. “No, but I thought you needed to know about the dream.
Something told me that you wouldn’t remember it in the morning.”

  “Damn, you are getting unbelievably smart. Now, I’m a little afraid of offending you.”

  Amanda laughed, heading for the door. “You should know better than to fight with me, Evan. Your sarcasm may backfire with a very painful lesson.” She winked at me.

  “I’ll remember that, Sugar,” I said, winking back.

  Amanda hesitated for a second. “What are you going to do now?”

  “Take a shower, why? Wanna join me?”

  “No, dirty mind. I only wanted to say that Eileen is back. I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about.”

  “Oh, then I’d better hurry up,” I said, jumping from the bed. “I know how much she hates waiting.”

  Amanda looked at me from head to toe and I saw a mysterious smile curving the corners of her lips.

  “Like what you see?” I said, with my hands on my hips. To my surprise, she didn’t look ashamed that she was watching me while I was wearing nothing but my boxers.

  “I’m sure your girlfriend wouldn’t like my response.” And then, she left, closing the door behind her, leaving me totally shocked. Now, that was something new…

  ***

  I don’t think I had ever been happier to see Eileen. I could feel that she was okay, but deep down in my heart, I was still worried about her. After all, I still felt guilty for everything she had to go through because of me.

  She and Christian had been waiting for me in the cafeteria. Wordlessly, I walked up to Eileen and hugged her tightly. Waves of relief washed over me: she was back and she was alive.

  “I would never forgive myself if I were to lose you,” she said in a whisper.

  “Likewise.” I smiled. I moved to see her face and I saw a tear running down her cheek. “We are here now, and that‘s the only thing that matters, right?”

  She nodded, wiping the tear with the back of her hand.

  “What about me?” Christian asked, walking over to hug me.

  “Good to see you too, man,” I said, patting his shoulders.

  “I would really appreciate you two,” he pointed to Eileen and me, “giving me a break. So don’t you dare make me watch you die, ever again. Clear?”

  “Crystal,” Eileen and I said in unison.

  “Good, now why don’t we have breakfast? I’m starving.”

  “It feels like I haven’t eaten for ages,” I said, taking a seat next to Christian. “So tell me, how have things been here in my absence?”

  “Crappy,” William said, joining us. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Clad in a wrinkled black shirt and just as wrinkled black jeans, with his hair tousled, he sat next to Eileen and took a sip from her cup of coffee. “Sorry, I’m thirsty.”

  I smirked. “Now, look at you man, you have finally decided to switch from rum to coffee! How refreshing.”

  “Good to you see too, Smart Ass. How was your dream?”

  “Long and hot.”

  “Figures. I don’t think I would be able to stand so much fire burning me alive.”

  “How do you know about the fire?”

  He and Eileen shared a glance, Christian frowned.

  “Will had been checking on me, from time to time,” Eileen said, avoiding looking at anyone.

  “On your mind, you mean?” I clarified.

  “I remember telling you to keep your tricks away from her,” Christian growled, watching Will with a murderous stare.

  “But I needed him,” Eileen said. “He helped me find Evan among the endless amount of visions, running through my head.”

  “I didn’t know you two could talk while unconscious.” Christian switched his gaze from Eileen to me. “And I wonder why no one mentioned it,” he said with a glare in my direction.

  Eileen shifted uneasily in her chair. “We didn’t have time to tell you everything.”

  “I hope there are no more surprises you forgot to tell me about.”

  Will smirked. “Hope springs eternal.”

  I gave him a warning look. “You never know how to keep your mouth shut, do you?”

  “Everyone, calm down!” Eileen said. “Stop acting like children.”

  “Yes, mommy.” I smiled at her. “By the way, did anyone see my girlfriend?” I was kind of curious to know if I still felt the same for Darcy as I had before.

  “She and Tara went to Gloster,” Amanda said behind me. “Who would have thought that two of your girlfriends would get along so well together, right?”

  “And what have I done to win so much attention from you this morning?” I watched her sit next to Will, who couldn’t hide his grin hearing Amanda’s words.

  “Even I missed you, you know?”

  I crossed my arms, watching her. She was still smiling, meeting my stare without hesitation. Something had changed about her and I couldn’t figure out what it was. However, I couldn’t help but admit that I loved those changes. They felt like an unspoken challenge that I was more than willing to meet. Of course, Amanda knew it too.

  “Where’s Lucas?” I asked, knowing that she would see another question hidden in between the words. Wasn’t she afraid of flirting with me so openly?

  “He went to Sydney to visit his cousins.”

  That explains a lot, I thought to myself. However, I was still surprised to see so much interest in Amanda’s eyes. Yes, there was a time that I thought she and I could share something so much more than just friendship, but then she met Lucas and the fire in her eyes was gone. That’s why I wondered if changes in me could somehow affect her as well. Because it was the only explanation for her behavior that I could come up with.

  “Eileen, how do you feel?” I asked, hoping my friend would help me figure out what was going on.

  “I’m fine. Why?”

  “No unexpected bursts of energy? No new powers?”

  “No.”

  “The answer is not there,” Will said, as if reading my mind. For Amanda, my thoughts were closed now, so I was sure no one else could read them either.

  I looked at him, curious. Could he know what I was thinking?

  “Dig deeper,” he said, rising to his feet. I watched him leave the cafeteria, and then I turned back to my friends.

  “You sure rum doesn’t affect him? He acts like a psycho.”

  “Someone’s trying to use his mind to figure out what’s going on here,” Amanda said.

  Eileen and I shared a glance. “Do you think it’s her?” I asked.

  “I’m sure Elizabeth knows about the surgery,” Eileen replied. “After all, the blood transfusion was her idea.”

  I felt anger boiling slowly inside me. “What the hell is she up to?”

  “I think we will find out as soon as we find her.”

  “What if I don’t want to see her, ever again? Speaking of family ties, where’s my dearest brother? Doesn’t he want to see me still breathing?”

  “He’s with Elena, I guess,” Amanda said, smiling slightly.

  My eyebrows raised in surprise. “Are they dating?”

  “Yep.”

  “Unbelievable! So while I was trying to not turn my toes up, he was out taking care of his personal life?” I shook my head, smirking. “God, that is so very Kevin.”

  Christian spoke, “Don’t blame him. He has just gotten out of the brotherhood, and he’s still alive, so I think he deserves to have a little fun.”

  “Well, he could have it after I woke up. After all, I risked my life to save him, remember?”

  Suddenly, I felt a familiar pull. Slowly, I turned around and saw Tara and Darcy entering the cafeteria. My pulse accelerated at the view of that smile that I loved so much. Instinctively, I rose to my feet and went towards the girls.

  In the blink of an eye, Darcy’s arms were around my neck, and her lips crashed on mine. For a moment, I was taken aback by the emptiness I felt inside of me. It was not her I wanted to have in my embrace now…

  “Thank God, you are back,” Darcy breathed into my parted l
ips. I nodded absently, running one palm down her red curls. I was still unable to take my eyes off Tara. I wish I could share Darcy’s feelings, I really did. Because right now, the realization hurt like never before. She was not the first girl that I was sure would cry because of me…

  Tara smiled, coming to greet me, and I couldn’t help but notice the colors of her aura, that she didn’t even try to hide. She was very happy, happy to see me alive.

  “Welcome back,” she said, touching my hand. “It would be so boring to live without your jokes.”

  “Do I look like a clown?”

  “In most cases, you do.”

  “Well, thank you, Sweetie, for your honesty. You always knew how to cut me down to size, didn’t you?”

  “Good to know that you are back to your old self.”

  I could see that Darcy didn’t like our exchange of pleasantries. She took me by the hand and pulled me to the exit, saying, “Let’s take a walk, I missed you like hell.”

  I looked at Tara one last time and felt something new creeping beneath my skin. I was no longer obsessed with her. It was more like watching your sister, worried about you.

  Then what the hell did my feelings mean? I surely couldn’t just kiss Darcy and feel that I was in love with someone else. First, I thought it was all about Tara. But now, I could tell for sure that whatever I felt, didn’t have anything to do with her…

  “So how much did you miss me?” I asked. Darcy and I went to Embry’s jasmine garden; it was one of my favorite places in Dever.

  “You know the answer. It’s written all over my aura.”

  Yeah, I could see that. But somehow, it didn’t make me feel any better. Now that everything I felt was so much stronger, I didn’t know how long I would be able to keep fooling myself. I used to think that the warmth I felt for Darcy was enough to develop deeper feelings for her. But now, I was sure that it wasn’t even close to enough. I didn’t love her, which meant that sooner or later, I would have to tell her the truth.