by Anna Santos
“No, Kevin. This is Eric. He’s our uncle,” I explained. He frowned in pain, moving his right arm to hold his other arm.
“It’s burning,” he complained, pulling the sheet off and showing us his left forearm where a tattoo was being imprinted with flaming lines. Something was being drawn on his forearm, some kind of bird tattoo.
“Call the nurses! Call the doctors!” I yelled, but Eric was already doing that while everyone else stared at his forearm, amazed.
Moments later, the burning had stopped. The doctor examined Kevin’s arm. My brother was fully awake, looking at everybody in the room. He was still digesting the introductions and the fact of our having extra family. He was also fascinated with Eric and happy to speak to Sasha, who was really nice to him.
The burning on his arm left an intriguing tattoo in black. It seemed like a bird of some sort. I had taken a picture of it and sent it to Jessica’s phone, since she was not picking up the calls. Maybe she knew what that tattoo meant. I sure didn’t! It could only be magic at work, but why and what for were the questions we wanted answers to.
“The king will be here soon enough to see you, Kevin,” Eric said after ending the call and looking at my brother with a smile. “How are you feeling?”
“It healed,” Kevin answered.
His voice was still dry even after our giving him water—he only could swallow small amounts of it.
“It’s kind of cool,” Jason said, looking at it for a long time along with the rest of us.
“Yes,” Kevin said, looking at it again. “I feel like I should know why it’s there.”
I was going to say something, but my phone started to vibrate. When I looked at the screen, I sighed with relief. It was my personal witch, Jessica.
“It is about time for you to give us a call,” I grumpily said to her, not even bothering to say hi.
“Sorry about that, love,” she said on the other side. “But I had some business to take care of.”
“Where are you? We were all worried sick here!”
“I’m in Italy at the moment. I had to pay a visit to a vampire king.”
“What vampire king?” I asked, intrigued.
“His name is Francesco. He’s the vampire king who protects the little witch’s coven. The one that attacked us, love. Do you remember?”
“Of course I remember. But did you have to go without saying a word and leaving us here all worried?”
“Well, I was in a hurry. Besides, you are all adults, and I needed to arrive here quickly. But I’m not calling you because of that. I saw the picture you sent me.”
“And?”
“It’s a phoenix’s symbol. However, I really don’t have a clue why it was marked on Kevin’s arm.”
“A phoenix’s symbol… How intriguing! Is it some kind of curse? Was it a witch who cursed Kevin? Is it going to harm him?” I asked, worried and paranoid.
“I don’t know. I just assume it’s a phoenix’s symbol because it looks like one, but I have no idea what it means or even if it was a witch who cast a spell on Kevin. He was in a deep coma. Maybe it is just a weird and artistic side effect of the healing.”
“Can’t you find out more about it?”
“I’ll do all I can to find out about that symbol, but now I have to take care of some business with the king. He agreed to grant me a meeting. Have you any idea how hard it is to have a meeting with King Francesco? The vampire is paranoid! I’ll be back there whenever I finish my business here. So don’t worry. Kevin will be just fine. The symbol hasn’t affected him in any other way, has it?”
“What other way?”
“I don’t know! Has he spoken any foreign language or has he had convulsions?”
“No, he is fine. Just hungry and complaining that he can’t get out of bed before the doctors run some other tests for his blood and limbs.”
“If he’s complaining, then he’s just fine. Tell him I send him a kiss and I’ll be seeing him soon enough. Don’t be paranoid, and enjoy your attractive wolf. He is gorgeous, by the way! I’m so damn jealous of you right now!”
“Just get back here and stop keeping secrets from us!” I nagged, and she giggled.
“I love you too, honey. See you soon,” she said, and before I could reply, she had hung up. I stared at Kevin and Jason who were looking at me.
“Is she okay?” Jason asked, and I nodded. “Good. Don’t worry, she always does what she wants. She will get back soon enough.”
“So, no one knows what this is,” Eric said with a sigh. He had heard the conversation since he had enhanced powers like the others inside that room. “At least it stopped hurting.”
“Liam is running a search on the Web, trying to find out more about symbols that look like that one. He will eventually find something,” I said, and Jason nodded in confirmation. We had sent the picture to Liam, also. He was our computer genius and would tell us if anything showed up.
“That can be a protective rune,” Sasha dared say, and we all looked at her. She seemed to rethink carefully what she was going to say. However, if she knew anything about that drawing on my brother’s arm, I really wanted to know. “I have seen it before. Witches with great powers mark their betrothed.”
“What you mean by betrothed?” Kevin asked, a bit hysterical. “I’ve been here in coma, how can I—? How can a witch…? My mate is a witch?”
“I don’t know,” Sasha said and touched Kevin’s hand to calm him down. “But you didn’t need to do anything, Kevin. Once a witch completes eighteen years, she and her soul-mate will be marked by her family’s protective emblem. It’s a way to make themselves recognizable, because they can’t sense their mates like vampires and shifters do. Your witch, Jessica, should have thought about that. Maybe she didn’t think that it could be an emblem, since she didn’t recognize the symbol. But it is the only plausible idea that occurs to me.”
“I didn’t know about that,” I whispered, swallowing the information. I grabbed the phone and texted Jessica immediately, but the message was on hold. Jessica had once again disconnected her phone.
“It is a good supposition,” Eric said. “It is a big secret among witches. If Jessica didn’t think about that possibility, maybe the witch’s coven is really old or thought extinct.”
“Yes, Sasha is really smart,” Jason drooled. I stared at him and almost laughed at his smoothness. Could he be more obvious?
“So—I’m mated to a witch?” Kevin asked, clearing his throat and asking for some attention, since the conversation was about him and his new tattoo.
“It seems so, little brother. She just branded you,” I teased, and he rolled his eyes.
“I wonder if she is hot,” he mumbled, and it was my turn to roll my eyes and for the guys to all laugh in unison. Men and their limited thoughts.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Annabel
Sasha left the hospital room with Jason on her trail. He seemed weirdly obsessed by her. It wasn’t just because I didn’t like her much. I had my valid reasons. Knowing she was my cousin also didn’t help me to like her more. Besides, she was a really stuck-up girl. She acted like a very important person who couldn’t give a crap about others. Her lack of emotion was also something weird.
I had no idea what Jason saw in her to be so damned enchanted and follow her like a puppy. She was beautiful, and she looked kind of fragile, but she was not really his type. He liked shallow, blonde girls with big breasts and lush lips. She couldn’t have been farther from that! She was skinny, and even if she had some curves, she had no breasts. She was just slim and tall with a doll face. Her eyes were hazel, and she had a small nose and mouth with thin lips.
I watched them in the corridor, intrigued. Jason was following her as she walked out of the clinic. She didn’t like to be there, because it was too depressing. He looked like a silly clown, asking her a bunch of questions that she seemed all but eager to answer. She didn’t seem interested in him, and he didn’t normally chase girls like that!
“So, have dinner with me?” Jason asked, smiling.
“I do not eat dinner,” Sasha replied in her monotone voice with a British accent. She didn’t even grant him a look. As if he was just an inconvenience.
“You are right. We can skip dinner, and you can just come have a nightcap at my place. It isn’t very far from here,” he said, mischievously. He wasn’t giving up easily. However, he was not being really resourceful, either. That was a really cheesy pick-up line. Maybe I shouldn’t have used my enhanced hearing to listen to their conversation, but I couldn’t help myself.
“That is not going to happen,” Sasha retorted, and I sighed of relief.
At least she was not that easy or maybe she was not attracted to hybrids. She had a deprecating look on her face when she first found out that she had hybrid cousins and again when Jason first approached her. She clearly didn’t think we were at the same level as her blue-blood line.
“Breakfast then? I’m sure you can find some time to go out with me.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because I’m funny and single. And we are practically family. We should all get along.”
Sasha stopped at the end of the corridor, where there was an intersection. She looked at Jason for the first time. He was taller than her and stronger. She looked fragile and petite next to him. “We are not practically family. You are Anna’s cousin by her mother’s side. We are far from being related. We are not even playing in the same league,” she cockily explained to Jason.
“Just because you are a princess?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.
“That, and because I don’t date werecats.”
“You dated a werewolf,” he pointed out.
“And that’s where I drew the line.”
“You don’t know what you are missing then,” he retorted with a cocky smile, and I almost burst into laughter. That was a really good comeback.
Sasha faced him, measuring him from top to bottom. “I’m not impressed,” she declared.
Meanwhile, a couple of nurses passed by them and stared at Jason, giggling between themselves. Sasha’s eyes frowned as she watched them. They must have said something about Jason, because I could see irritation fill her eyes. He was a hot guy, and he would normally get that kind of attention from the opposite sex, so even if Sasha wasn’t that impressed, it didn’t mean that others wouldn’t be.
“Why don’t you go and ask one of them? They seem to be interested.” Jason had lost his smile and looked hopeless. He thought he could have every girl he wanted; I thought it was funny that Sasha wasn’t impressed by him. Being rejected would do him some good.
“I’m not interested in them,” he said with a sexy smirk. I wanted to slap my forehead and roll my eyes. Didn’t he give up? Why was he humiliating himself?
Next, Sasha did something really weird that neither Jason nor I was expecting. She grabbed Jason’s collar and brought his lips to hers. I almost choked! Then, with super-speed, they stepped back and disappeared down the right side of the corridor.
I just hoped that crazy vampire wouldn’t hurt him or feed on him! I startled myself and sped to the end of the corridor, worried about what that lunatic could do to my cousin.
When I arrived there, Jason was pinned to the wall with Sasha in his arms in a make-out session. She was kissing him hard and harsh, and he had his eyes closed doing the same.
Seriously?
I scratched my head, trying to look away, thinking they were both weird and crazy. When I was walking away, Sasha broke the kiss and mumbled near his lips, “I’m still not impressed.”
Then she let him go and sped her way out of there, leaving Jason in some sort of trance against the wall. I walked his way, looking at him sideways. He acted as if their kiss had been something out of this world.
“Your cousin is freaking hot,” he finally said with a witty smile, like she had not just dismissed him completely and made a fool out of him.
“Are you okay?” I asked, not sure if she had damaged his head more than it already was.
“Couldn’t be better.”
I noticed the tent in his pants and blushed as I quickly looked the other way. He noticed me noticing him and just laughed at my frustration. He lusted for her! That was so wrong in so many possible ways! I didn’t like Sasha. She was a conceited princess, and she had an obsession with my mate.
“Seriously? Sasha? My evil cousin? Are you nuts?”
“She wants me badly!”
“She just said no to going out with you, and besides, you didn’t impress her that much,” I reminded him, imitating the British accent of the last words she had said to him.
“She will change her mind.”
“She left!”
“I’ll find her again. It is not like you don’t know where she lives,” he reminded me.
“Oh God! I’m not going to get mixed up in your crazy flirtations with girls. I have no intention of talking to Sasha on your behalf.”
“What is going on?” Shane asked, arriving next to us.
“How is Kevin?” I asked, reminded that I had left him in the room with the rest of the family.
“He’s fine. The king and Eric are with him. They are talking. Kevin seems happy. He is a nice kid.”
“Kevin is a sweetheart,” I said, glad that my brother was accepting our newfound family.
“He still needs to recover for a few more days before he can go home with us,” Shane said.
“Home?” Jason asked, folding his arms and furrowing his eyebrows.
“To the palace. The king wants his grandson and granddaughter,” he said, throwing me a look, “closer to spend some time with them.”
“I’m going, too,” Jason said immediately. “There is no way in hell that I’m letting my cousins alone inside that vampire lair.”
“They are their family. They will not harm them. I wouldn’t let my mate near them if I thought they would harm her,” Shane reminded him, unhappy about Jason’s mistrust.
“I’m not leaving them,” Jason warned with a stubborn face.
“Fine,” I said, interrupting their macho stare contest and pulling them apart. “You can come too, Jason, and stalk Sasha,” I added meanly. He looked at me as if I had just read his mind and discovered his real intentions.
Shane had a smirk on his face when I looked at him, and then he just laughed. “She’s going to eat you alive, boy,” he joked.
Jason actually growled at him.
“Just keep your opinion to yourself, wolf!” he grumbled. Jason being jealous was like dragons: a pure myth.
“What the hell, Jason? Don’t be rude,” I complained, pulling Shane away. His wolf would not tolerate another growl from Jason, I could sense that from him.
“I still don’t trust your mate, and you are being extremely naïve in believing your family’s good intentions. After all, it was your uncle who killed your parents and is chasing you. They didn’t want your parents to be together in the first place!” Jason said, making me mad and making Shane even madder. Shane actually growled at him.
“Jason, everything was already explained. I trust my mate, therefore you need to suck it up and deal with it!” I told him. I saw Shane smirk at Jason out of the corner of my eye.
“I’m sorry,” Jason said, breathing out. I put my hand on his shoulder.
“Jason, we all need to be friends. We are all family now.”
“Fine,” Jason whispered, rolling his eyes up and folding his arms. “But what happens between Sasha and me is my problem, not yours.”
“Sasha is crazy. Forget about her,” Shane advised with a serious tone. I couldn’t have agreed more.
“I happen to like crazy girls, and I’m a big boy. I can handle her.”
Shane and I sighed at the same time, probably thinking the same thing, and then we looked at each other and chuckled.
“I’m the one who gets crazy around you two!” Jason exasperated.
“What?” I asked, annoyed by h
is behavior.
He walked away, shrugging. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. I’m going to check on Kevin.”
I stared at Shane and a chill ran down my spine. He had a playful smile on his lips, and I couldn’t help but to fall into his arms and melt against him.
“Are you happier, now?” he asked, and I knew he was talking about Kevin waking up.
I had to confess that I’d gotten worried for a moment. I had not been sure the blood would work. A lot of blood had been necessary, more than I’d expected, and I was glad my uncle and even Sasha had contributed so selflessly.
“Everything will be just fine now, sweetie,” Shane said, sharing my thoughts. He kissed my forehead and then the tip of my nose. I blushed at what he was thinking. It was not about sex, although it was related. It was about our future together, about all the chubby, cute babies we could have.
I giggled, feeling happy. “We have a lot of time for that. I’m still too young!”
“I know, darling. For now, I’m just glad I have you.”
“You make me really happy,” I whispered, totally in love and made emotional by his thoughts. His eyes were shining; they were beautiful. His lips kissed me softly.
“So now let’s talk about the fact that we need to tell your family that we—”
“No, no. We won’t say anything to anyone yet,” I said, letting him go and walking down the corridor toward Kevin’s room.
“We need to tell them. Your family is old fashioned like that. The king–”
“Shane, you are old fashioned like that! Don’t blame my family,” I said, and he grabbed me by the waist and made me stop. We stood in the middle of the corridor.
“Honey, you said yes, so why can’t we tell them?”
“Kevin just woke up. Let’s wait a bit longer.”
“Okay, but the thing is that the king—and your uncle—are expecting us to get married. He asked me yesterday when the wedding would take place.”
“What?” I asked, annoyed by everybody’s insistence. Didn’t they have anything else better to do than interfere in my private life?
“I told you, he is old fashioned like that. Making the vows is one of the oldest traditions between mates. It is taking the responsibility of spending our lives together. He is expecting us to do it, so our union will be blessed by the gods.”