The Curse of Blood (Love Lines Book 4)

by Diana Nixon

  “I spent almost every day in your ward,” she said, sitting on my lap on one of the benches. “But today, Tara asked me to go to town with her, and I agreed. I needed a distraction. And I guess she could foresee your awakening, because unlike me, she wasn’t worried about leaving you alone.”

  “Well, I wasn’t alone. Amanda was there with me. Did Tara tell you anything else about what would happen after I woke up?”

  “She said something about the mission that you were assigned to.”

  “Assigned by whom?”

  “I don’t know. You better ask her about that.”

  “Yeah, I will.” I didn’t like the sound of that. What kind of a mission could Tara be talking about?

  “Now, can we stop talking?” Darcy said, sliding her palm down my chest.

  I smiled up at her. “Naughty little thing, I was almost dead just a few hours ago, and you can’t think of anything but exhausting me again?”

  “Almost is the key word here. I have been watching you sleep for two weeks. Don’t you think I deserve a small reward for my punishment and patience?”

  Well… What could I say? I think I deserved a small reward too. Not that I was going to use her just to make myself feel alive again. I did realize that it was a little unfair knowing that her feelings for me were so much stronger than whatever it was that I felt for her. But I was a man after all, and she was one unbelievably attractive woman that used to spend many nights in my bed.

  “We better go somewhere where people can’t see me undressing you, Beautiful,” I said, pulling her to the exit.

  Darcy’s fingers trailed down my spine softly; her eyes watching me intently. Neither of us spoke. I didn’t know what to say actually, I simply wanted to lose myself in something that didn’t have anything to do with mysteries or uncontrollable magic. I simply wanted to feel my heart beating quickly in my chest; maybe for a moment, I even wanted to be just a human, wishing for nothing but making love to a woman who loved me so much. Too bad the feeling was not mutual.

  I remembered some of the other times I was with Darcy. It always felt so good, calming and a little unreal, as if I knew it was just a temporary heaven that was predestined to fall apart one day.

  Pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind, I wrapped my arms around her waist, holding myself close to her. She looked so fragile and even a little scared, as if it was going to be our first time together. Could she feel the changes in me? Did I still look the same to her? Could she foresee the breakup that I was sure was inevitable?

  I leaned closer and brushed her lips with mine. She trembled in my arms and I felt a little guilty for lying to her. She deserved someone so much better than me, someone able to respond to her feelings and show her how beautiful true love could be.

  “I love you, Evan,” she said in a barely audible voice; my heart shrank at the words.

  “You are amazing,” I said, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder. If there was something that I could still do right, it was telling her the truth. And the truth was that she was really amazing. Her only problem was that she chose the wrong guy to love.

  She rewarded me with a bright smile that I couldn’t help but return. Taking my hand in hers, she pulled me to my bed, unbuttoning my shirt with her other hand.

  “Now I can see how much you’ve missed me,” I said, hovering over her.

  “I always miss you, even when you are just a heartbeat away from me.”

  The guilt was eating me alive again. It seemed like with every passing second we were getting closer to the edge of something that we used to call a relationship. I couldn’t keep lying to her, but somehow this time, I wanted everything to be perfect. I didn’t want Darcy to become my enemy. I cherished every moment we spent together. After all, she was the very person who made me forget Tara, and I was grateful for everything she had done to make me believe that my world wasn’t spinning around my past anymore.

  With every kiss I gave her, I wanted her to feel how special she was, how very beautiful and sensual she was; how wonderful the moments I was with her could be. Her palms rested on my chest, she looked up at me, her eyes traveled down my face and my lips, as if she were trying to memorize this moment in her mind forever. I reached for the edge of her blouse and pulled it up, feeling the softness of her skin touching my palms. Her red curled hair spread all over my pillow, and yes, at that very moment, I was lost in her, speechlessly amazed by the brightness of her dark-blue eyes, watching me with so much tenderness.

  “If I didn’t know better, I would say that you were a magical creature, born from the most sophisticated spell,” I said, running my hands down her sides. Why on earth couldn’t I love her as much as she loved me? She was perfect, in every sense of the word. But I didn’t deserve that perfection. She gave too much to not receive anything back…

  I closed my eyes and kissed her luscious lips, trying to put all the admiration I felt for her into that kiss. No matter what our fates had prepared for us, they couldn’t take away that very moment of our personal heaven.

  Taking off my clothes, I trailed small kisses down her neckline and shoulders, caressing her arms with my hands.

  “You are too good to be true,” I said, as our bodies became one. “Like a dream that I never want to fade away.”

  She didn’t say a word, and I wondered if she could feel how desperate I was to make this moment perfect. Cupping my face in her palms, she kissed me deeply and somehow, the kiss felt so damn final. As if she knew that tomorrow, everything would be different.

  I shut my eyes and gave in to the bliss that I always felt making love with her. It wasn’t anything like what I felt being with Tara. It was different and very special; it was something that only Darcy knew how to make me feel.

  She was always associated with peace — the only thing that my life could never afford. Maybe that’s why it was so hard to say good-bye. But I had to let her go, because I knew that I would never be able to give her the one thing that she deserved most — love…

  When I opened my eyes a few hours later, I saw nothing but an empty side of the bed next to me. Darcy was no longer there. I turned to the bedside table and saw a note left on it.

  “Too bad we need to go separate ways. But I don’t regret a thing, Evan. The time I spent with you, was the best time of my life. I hope one day, you will find a girl who is able to make you spend the rest of your forever by her side. Thank you for that last kiss; it was the longest and the most pleasurable kiss ever. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you to change. You are the true owner of your life, and I know for sure that it will always be great...”

  With love

  Darcy

  I smiled at the note. I was right about Darcy; she was truly amazing and no matter how I much I hated hurting her, I was sure she knew there would be an end. But she still did her best to make our time together last longer. For that reason alone, she deserved to take a very special place in my heart that I knew would never belong to anyone else.

  Chapter 5

  Eileen

  A soft kiss woke me up. I smiled, happy to see that my bond with Christian was back and working again. I could feel his every emotion, and if once I thought I didn’t like it, now I knew for sure that what we shared was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

  “Morning to you too,” I said, watching the beautiful golden pattern interlace our joined hands. The memories from last night flashed in my mind and a pleasant shiver ran down my spine. I almost forgot how good it felt to be with someone whose love was so sincere and powerful. Every beat that my heart did next to Christian’s was filled with so much love, I don’t think I had ever experienced anything more exhilarating than that.

  More kisses showered down my shoulder and arm. “I missed you like hell,” Christian said in between his kisses.

  From the soft sunlight breaking through the curtains I could tell that it was early morning outside. The radiance from our fiery tattoos illuminated the entire space around us, turning ever
y second of our morning into pure magic.

  “I missed you too,” I said, turning to look at Christian. He was leaning on one elbow, with his emerald eyes watching me intently. I could swear, I had never seen so much love in them. It felt like with every trial that we had to go through, our love was getting stronger and of course, we both liked it a lot.

  “I was afraid I would never be able to feel you again,” Christian said, instantly becoming very serious. “I was so used to feeling your emotions, so when they all disappeared, I thought I lost you forever.” Waves of pain and despair moved from him to me.

  “I know,” I said, caressing his cheek with my palm. “But now I’m here, and we can feel each other again, and that is the only thing that matters.”

  Christian’s eyebrows pulled together. “I’m still worried about you. All these dreams and illusions that you constantly disappear into… You should seriously think about your safety, Eileen. I know that even if I stay with you 24/7 you will still find a way to run away when you feel the need to help someone again, or-”

  “Christian, listen to me,” I said, covering his lips with my finger. “Whatever I do, I do it to stop the chaos that is happening around us. Do you think I enjoy living in a world where my every step brings me closer to new secrets and trials? Far from it! That’s why I can’t sit back and do nothing.”

  “I know. But all I’m asking is for you to think twice, ten times if necessary, before risking your life again. Think about me. What do you think will happen to me if you-”

  “Please, can we just enjoy this moment?” I leaned closer, inhaling the sweet, citrus scent of his skin. It always made the fantasies in my head go wild.

  Christian’s quiet laughter vibrated under my touch. “You are such a tease, you know? I can hardly think about anything when you are so close.”

  “Then why don’t you stop thinking and let what we both feel right now win?”

  “My first class starts in an hour. Will that be enough to make whatever you have in your mind come true?”

  “Let’s see.” I leaned over him, gliding my palms up and down his chest. “Show me again how much you’ve missed me, Mr. Fairey.”

  Christian smiled, pulling me closer. “Looks like I’m going to miss my class.”

  ***

  “For God’s sake, Eileen, I’m not in the mood for your sexual fantasies!” Amanda growled, sipping her coffee.

  I smiled guiltily. “Sorry, I thought you were blocking my thoughts.” After Evan and I found out about Amanda able to read our minds, we had to learn how to control everything we were thinking about, but in moments like this, it was really hard to concentrate on anything but the memories of Christian’s lips working their way down my belly and…

  I shook my head, trying to switch my attention to my friend who looked as gloomy as a thundercloud.

  “Hey, what happened to you?” I asked, trying to figure out what was the cause of the vibrations in her aura. It was changing colors so fast, I could barely catch a glimpse of any one colour.

  “Bad night,” Amanda snapped, frowning.

  “Is it about Lucas?”

  “I wish.”

  “Then what-”

  “Morning ladies,” Will said, joining us. As always, I could smell alcohol all around him. His emerald eyes were brighter than usual, and I wondered if it was caused by rum, or someone trying to manipulate his mind?

  “Morning,” I said, watching him take a seat next to Amanda. She still looked a little lost.

  “What’s going on here?” Will asked, switching his gaze from me to her.

  I shrugged, shaking my head.

  “I have to go,” Amanda said, leaving her breakfast untouched.

  We watched her leave the dining room, and then Will asked, “So, how are you feeling?” He took a piece of cheese from Amanda’s sandwich, tasted it and then moved her tray closer.

  “I’m good. You?”

  “Much better. Except for that damn Lord trying to get to me again.”

  “So you still think that it’s another Lord trying to use you?”

  “I’m sure about that. But now, I’m also trying to use our connection for my own benefit.”

  “You want to know if he and Elizabeth are working together, right?”

  “Exactly.” He looked around cautiously and then moved closer to me, saying in a whisper, “Did you feel anything … new or different about Evan?”

  I stared at him, confused. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, no one can feel him better than you can. So I thought you should have noticed the changes that are happening to him.”

  “Can you be more specific, please?”

  “Just don’t get angry, okay.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  Will smirked. “Calm down, Eileen. I didn’t do anything criminal.”

  “Knowing you, that doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Damn true. But still… I needed to check something out and I used you to-”

  “Stop right there. What do you mean you used me? Did you try to mastermind me?”

  “I told you to not get angry.” Will shifted uneasily in his chair, watching me worried. I bet he still remembered the day I almost killed him for playing with my head.

  I rolled my eyes, smiling. “I’m not going to attack you.”

  “Knowing you, those words don’t mean anything.”

  “Touché. Now, what were we talking about?”

  “I sent you a vision.”

  “Right. And what was that vision about?”

  “I made you think about riding Nelly.”

  Nelly was a horse that I used to see in my dreams before the whole mess with the Dragons started.

  “Yeah, I remember thinking about going to the stable,” I said. “Why would you be sending me visions?”

  “I needed to see Evan’s reaction to my power.”

  “What for?”

  “The thing is that I had some assumptions about what would happen to him after he came back from his dream.”

  “You don’t think he has somehow turned into another Lord of Mind, do you?” The thought was more than ridiculous. We all knew that the Lords were very rarely born. Besides, Evan possessed magic that no Lord knew what to do with.

  “I don’t know. But only Lords can feel each other’s powers. I told you about the other Lord that I once felt in Italy, remember?”

  “Yeah. But I still don’t get it. How could Evan become a Lord of Mind and still keep all his powers?”

  “This is what I’m trying to figure out.”

  “Oh, is that why you are trying to find out things through the person using your mind?”

  “Yes. If my assumption is correct, and another Lord is really working with Elizabeth, he should know more about whatever is going on with Evan.”

  “What have you managed to find out already?”

  “Not much. The bastard knows how to keep his mind shut. But I will keep trying.”

  “Tell me if you find out anything, okay?”

  “Sure.” Will finished Amanda’s breakfast and left.

  I thought back to everything that happened during the last few weeks. We didn’t know much about the Lords of Mind. Even though we had one among us, a lot about the Lords’ lives and powers remained unknown. If Will was right, we really needed to find Elizabeth, who, I was sure, was still missing. I hadn’t seen Evan today, so I thought I could use my time to talk to his brother Kevin. After all, he had been under the brotherhood’s power for a long time.

  I went to one of the classrooms that I knew he often used to practice. He wasn’t a student of Dever anymore, but we needed him here, so even after the battle with the Dragons was over, he stayed to help us figure things out.

  I stopped near the door to the class and listened to my feelings. I could feel magic being practiced behind the closed door. Even though I wasn’t obliged to attend classes like most of Dever students, I still had a lot to learn. Distinguishing powers was one o
f those things I needed to learn.

  I leaned closer to the door and tried to memorize the feeling to be able to recognize the traces of Kevin’s power if needed. Suddenly, the door flew open and Kevin’s surprised eyes stared at me.

  “Eileen? Is everything all right? I felt you and thought that something had happened. Again.”

  “No, it’s all good. Can I have a word with you, please?”

  “Sure, come on in.” He nodded for me to come into the dark room.

  “What spells are you working on?” I asked, seeing different books spread all over the floor.

  “Protective,” Kevin said, walking to one of the chairs to get his shirt to put it on. Only when he turned his back to me, I saw the bright-green dragon’s wings tattooed on his shoulders and back. It was supposed to be a sign of his affiliation to the brotherhood, but fortunately, we managed to save him before the oath of loyalty was pronounced.

  “So what did you want to talk about?” Kevin raised one hand and illuminated the room with a few bright-yellow lamps standing near the walls. The rooms for practicing magic were always dark, so that anyone who was outside couldn’t see the magic that was in use inside the room.

  “Do you have any ideas about where your mother could be hiding?”

  Kevin’s expression darkened. Neither he nor Evan suspected that their mother was alive and was the head of the brotherhood.

  “No,” he said sharply. I knew the subject was not pleasant to talk about, but it had to be done, we had to find Elizabeth.

  “Have you ever heard of Jeremy’s farm that she mentioned in her letter to me?” After the fight with the Dragons was finished and we all knew that Elizabeth was not killed during the fight, she sent me a letter with the instructions on how to save Evan with the help of the blood transfusion. She also said that if I needed to see her, I could find her at Jeremy’s farm, which none of us had ever heard about.

  “I only know about a man whose name was Jeremy and who used to raise cows. He once helped me find the ingredients for the spell I was working on.”

  “Does past tense mean that the man is dead?”