by Deanna Chase
I glanced around at the trashed living room. “Can we all go upstairs to the kitchen and sit?”
Everyone stared at David. With the commotion he’d wrought earlier in his vampire craze, who knew what we’d find up there?
He gave a tiny shake of his head, like he couldn’t believe he was caving to my request. “The kitchen is safe.”
“Good.” I swept an arm out. “After you.”
If Nicola hadn’t been surrounded, I’m certain she would’ve bolted for the door. It didn’t take a genius to figure out a witch, a vampire, and two faeries outnumbered her. That didn’t mean she was happy about it. The way she dragged her feet, one would’ve thought she was a teenager who’d just been told to clean her room.
At the top of the stairs, my bedroom door hung askew on one hinge. I paused for just a second and nearly stopped breathing. An antique chair lay crushed under my massive chest of drawers. My bed was leaning over, barely hanging on to its position in my oak, and everything, and I do mean everything, from my temporary closet was strewn across the floor. Shoes of every style and color. Blouses, skirts, dress pants. And my little black dress I’d only worn once lay ripped with a large oil-slick stain. Fucking bitch.
That part had to be Nicola. David wouldn’t take the time to ransack my closet. She’d ruined all my dress-up clothes. For what purpose? I rarely wore any of them. My daily uniform consisted of jeans and T-shirts. And what in the blazes was that stain? Blood? No. There next to it was a blue metal can. Candle oil. Was she going to burn my shit? Oh, hell no!
“Sorry,” David said into my ear.
I jumped, my heart thumping in my throat. “Don’t do that.”
“Sorry,” he muttered again. “I’ll make more noise next time.”
“And next time you have a tantrum, take it out on someone else’s stuff. Like your own,” I snapped.
His eyebrows rose and he peered down at me. “You think I did that?”
“Not all of it. I doubt you’d ransack my closet, but the door, my bed, my chest of drawers…”
“The door, Willow. Only the door.” He nodded at the wrecked room. “The rest was already trashed.”
“We heard—”
“The crashing was me trying to consolidate the broken-down furniture so you could actually get back in here.” He gave a tiny shrug. “I wasn’t exactly gentle about it.”
I rubbed my temples and marched into the kitchen. Slamming my hand down on the pinewood table, I leaned in close to Nicola. “Did you trash Phoebe’s room, too?”
She bit her lip and barely shook her head no.
“Why mine? Why my little black dress? And my shoes? Why would a vampire, one who dresses in clothes that cost more than my rent, want you to destroy the only decent clothes I have?”
Silence.
I pounded my fist on the table, aware my clothes were my most insignificant worry at this point. But damn her. A girl’s shoes were her identity. It was too freaking personal.
“Nicola?” Phoebe prompted, her tone sickeningly sweet. “Do you want to answer Willow now, or wait until I force you?”
“I was ordered to,” Nicola said quietly.
“By?” I ground my teeth, growing more impatient by the minute.
“The one in charge.” Her words came out slow and strangled.
I glanced at David. He was studying her again as if trying to piece together a puzzle.
“The one in charge,” I repeated. “You mean Allcot ordered you to burn my clothes?”
Her hands clenched, and her pale face flushed in what I could’ve sworn was frustration. Something was seriously off. If Allcot ordered her to trash the house and she’d told us about it, why wouldn’t she just come clean about my clothes? “Allcot’s not in charge, is he?”
“No,” she forced out before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she passed out.
Chapter 23
“She’s been spelled.” Phoebe tucked a thin blanket over Nicola’s lifeless form. Talisen took up position on the other side of the bed, healing stone in hand. We’d moved her down to Phoebe’s bedroom, the only place besides the kitchen that wasn’t a disaster.
“What does that mean?” I asked. “What kind of spell?”
“A truth blocker, I think.” Phoebe pressed her lips together in thought. “She isn’t Influenced anymore. You broke that, but I think something’s forcing her to lie, and she passed out because she was trying to overpower the spell.”
That made a certain amount of sense. It certainly explained her struggle while trying to answer questions. “Faery or witch?” I stood leaning against the doorframe, more than a little jealous. All of Phoebe’s shoes were neatly tucked into the elaborate shoe organizer hanging on the far wall. She had a pair for every occasion.
“Ninety-five percent positive a witch did this. Fae magic feels different. Lighter or something,” Phoebe said.
“Tal?” I cut a glance to Nicola. “Can you check?”
He ran a light hand over her forehead, stopped right before he reached her temple, and shuddered. “Witch for sure.”
“Thanks.” I pulled Phoebe aside. “We can’t sit around here waiting for whoever did this to her to strike again. We have to do something.”
She nodded. “I’m way ahead of you.” With our heads huddled together, Phoebe filled me in on her plan.
A few minutes later, I turned and walked back into the living room where David was pacing a small circle around a sea of papers littering the floor. “What other witches are on Allcot’s payroll?”
He paused, fished his iPhone out of his pocket, and touched a button. “Besides Nicola?”
“Yeah,” I said with very little patience.
“No one in the US. There’s one in France and one in Australia, and last I heard he had a contact in Rio.” David touched the screen of his phone once again and then shook his head. “Vampires and witches don’t exactly get along. Or hadn’t you noticed?”
I sent him a flat stare.
“I guess you have.”
Phoebe appeared, dressed to the nines. “Here.” She handed me a small tote bag. “Everything you need should be in there.”
“Going somewhere?” David broke the circle he’d formed and shifted so he was between me and the door.
“Yes. And so are you. Phoebe’s going to Cryrique’s fundraiser to scope out any possible suspects. Everyone who’s anyone is on the guest list. There’s an excellent chance whoever did this to Nicola will be there. Only someone with a lot of power would dare to mess with one of Allcot’s employees.” I pulled my long hair back into a low ponytail and adjusted the tote on my shoulder. “And you’re coming with me on our own fact-finding mission.”
“Jesus, Willow. Your neck.” Phoebe grimaced. “You can’t go out like that. I’ll get Talisen.”
I clamped my hand over the vampire marks still marring my skin. “No. Wait. He already tried. It didn’t work.”
“Really?” She kicked a toppled magazine rack to the side and reached out to pull me closer. “I thought that amethyst of his could heal anything.”
I frowned. “It usually does. But not this time.” Just thinking about the burn from the morning made me break out in a sweat. It had hurt. A lot. Just like when Nathan bit me.
Phoebe pulled her keys out of a tiny silver clutch. It offset her plum sheath dress, giving the illusion she ran with the upper echelon of New Orleans. “You’ll have to cover it up. Maybe you should change to a turtleneck or wear a scarf.”
“In September?” Was she out of her mind? Because neither of those things would be suspicious in ninety-two-degree weather.
“Makeup?” She held her hands out, palms up. “I have the professional stuff if you want.”
I fingered the two puncture marks and struggled not to wince. They hadn’t hurt before Tal tried to heal me, but now they ached under any sort of pressure. Using thick makeup would be a bitch. I took a deep breath and nodded. What else could I do? No way could I go out flashing my vamp bi
tes. Talk about calling attention to myself. Faeries never let vampires bite them. Never. “Okay,” I said.
“I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into her bedroom again.
David appeared by my side in another flash of vampire speed.
I dropped my hand from my irritated neck. The pain was making me lose focus. “I’d prefer if you acted like a normal person. This super speed thing is giving me whiplash.”
“Sorry. I’ll slow it down.” Shifting half a step closer, he brought his hand up and gently caressed the area around Nathan’s bite marks. “I can heal those if you’d like.”
I swallowed. “Talisen already tried. It didn’t work. They must be infected or…”
“I can heal them,” David said again. “Trust me.”
The way he said it and the sincere look on his face had me nodding before I thought through what I’d just agreed to. It wasn’t until David leaned in that I panicked. “No.” I pushed at his shoulders, struggling against his rock-solid form. I couldn’t have his lips on me. Not again.
He caught my hands in his and brought one up to kiss the palm. A tingle rippled from the touch of his lips all the way up my shoulder. “I’m not going to bite you. Not now, not ever. Okay?”
I stared at the tiny scar above his left eye, not saying a word. So much for staying away from his lips.
He bent his knees, lowering himself until our eyes were level. I had two choices: deliberately look away like a seven-year-old or meet his calm, steady gaze like the supposed adult I was. Reluctantly, I chose to be an adult.
“Okay?” he asked again.
“Yeah,” I breathed. It wasn’t his teeth I was worried about.
“I promise it won’t hurt.” David stood inches from me. His familiar cypress scent filled my senses. And his touch was so gentle that when he leaned in this time, I didn’t try to stop him.
Suddenly, his cool lips were brushing against my skin, forming a circle around the wounds. A bit of the burn eased and my muscles began to relax. I hadn’t realized how much I was actually hurting before he started to contain the pain.
Another circle. This time he pressed deliberate kisses, sealing the trail. I tilted my head to the side, giving him better access. No need to make him get a crick in his neck just to help me out. His lips spread into a smile against my skin. I wanted to smack him. Nothing about this should’ve been amusing. Not my pain and definitely not my desire. Which even if he wasn’t a vamp, he would have sensed. Lord help me, my body was tingling all over.
“Ready?” he asked, his cool breath numbing the puncture wounds.
Afraid I’d chicken out, I nodded once and braced myself for the worst. I mean, how could he know what was going to happen? Vampires rarely bit faeries. He couldn’t have bitten and healed one in his short vampire life. Could he?
David wrapped one arm around my waist, pulling me toward him.
A fear that hadn’t been there before materialized out of nowhere and trepidation froze me in place. Not that I could’ve moved if I wanted to. I forced myself to breathe. Snap out of it. He’s not biting you, I scolded myself. He’s not Nathan. He’s healing you.
“Relax,” he whispered, and his magical lips pressed against my wounds, instantly soothing the last of the dull burn. He flicked his tongue over the raised marks, slow and deliberate.
I clutched the front of his shirt as the mess around us faded into nothing. Nicola and my friends in the other room disappeared. Maude, Eadric, Cryrique, and the Arcane ceased to exist. My whole world was David, our legs tangled together, his touch healing more than the marks marring my skin.
I’d missed him. Missed his body pressed against mine. Missed the tenderness I knew lurked beneath his hardened exterior shell. My David, who I’d always believed would follow me into Hell, was holding me in his arms. And at that moment, I never wanted him to let go.
Everything heated except where his tongue caressed my neck. A soft moan escaped from the back of my throat, the sensation tender and unbearably erotic. I wrapped my free arm around him, pressing my fingers against the base of his neck.
David pulled back, and traced his thumb over my neck. “Better?”
“Uh huh.” I met his blazing eyes, breathing heavily. I nodded, thunderstruck by the wonderful sensations still consuming my neck.
David was the first to break eye contact. His whole body tensed as his face hardened.
“David?” I asked.
He let one arm drop but kept one hand on my hip. Then he gave the tiniest nod over my shoulder.
I followed his gaze, and my heart plummeted. Standing near the staircase, his face white with what could only be shock, was my oldest friend. My stomach fell to the floor, and I stepped away from David. “Tal?” Oh good God. How long had he been there? What had he seen? David kissing my neck? Please, no. Why did that bother me so much? He was only healing me. Right. I could lie to myself all I wanted, it wasn’t going to change what happened.
He glared at David. “She’ll never be yours.”
David didn’t betray any reaction to Tal’s statement. He stood still, waiting.
“You’re not good enough for her,” Talisen said.
“Tal!” I cried, but he ignored me.
“And you are?” David asked dryly. “You’ve known her for how many years? Ten? Fifteen? And you’re just now interested? Seems you’ve had plenty of time to make a move. Looks like you need to work on your technique.”
“David!” I scolded. Damn them both. I wasn’t a piece of meat to be fighting over.
No one even acknowledged me. It was as though I were an invisible toy.
Talisen took two steps closer, leaving me trapped between them. “You can make this out to be about me all you want. But we both know she’ll never end up with a vampire. Her very nature demands she should be surrounded by life magic. You bring death. Eventually she’ll have to leave you, if only for self-preservation.”
A tiny flicker of something close to concern flashed through David’s eyes as he glanced at me. But then it vanished. He turned his attention back to Talisen. “I think whoever Willow decides to spend her time with is her decision.”
Talisen finally turned to me, anger clear in his deep green eyes. “Yeah. It’s her decision. But make no mistake, I’m not going to stand by while you break her heart again. Or get her killed.”
His last word hung in the air like poison, slowly filtering its way into my system. Whether Talisen had romantic feelings for me or not, he was my family and his concerns were more than merited. I looked at each of the men I loved and suddenly didn’t know if I wanted to scream or cry.
“Noted,” David said.
Talisen stared him down, then abruptly turned and went back into Phoebe’s bedroom.
“Well.” I let out a frustrated breath. “That was tons of fun.”
David held his hand out to me. “He’s only filling the role your brother was meant to take.”
I closed my eyes. Beau. He would have hated my involvement with David. Still, I’d like to think he would’ve trusted me to take care of myself. Or at least tried to see things from my perspective. My relationship with Talisen was a lot messier. I opened my eyes and took David’s outstretched hand.
He pulled me close to his side. “Now, what’s the plan?”
Plan? Oh, right. We had work to do. “You and I are going to the Arcane building. It’s time for answers.”
Chapter 24
“I’ll drive.” David guided me toward the door. “We need to stop and see Eadric first.”
I planted my feet. “No. Phoebe’s going to do some recon and then track him down.”
“Willow,” David warned. “I need to talk to him about Nicola.”
“Fine. Call him from the car. But I’m going to the Arcane.”
“Why?”
“Because even though we think Nicola’s been hit by a truth blocker, we can’t know for sure. Allcot could have force-fed her Influence. I think it’s unlikely, but her information is sus
pect at best. And no matter what your father says, I’m not going to be able to trust his word. I need evidence.”
“You think you’re going to find it at the office?” He raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Maybe. Look, Eadric wants information about who’s working with Maude. And the Arcane is the first place to look for it. If we find out why she’s investigating him, the information might lead us to answers. Or at least lead us to the right questions.”
He jammed his hands in his jeans pockets. “Father’s going to want to see me in person.”
“Tell him we’ll meet him later tonight, after the benefit.” I brushed past him toward Phoebe’s bedroom to let her know we were leaving. While staying at Allcot’s mansion, Phoebe had managed to snag a copy of his schedule. Goddess only knows where she lifted it from. But, like the highly trained Void agent she was, she didn’t take anyone’s word at face value. And having an agreement with Allcot meant keeping careful tabs on him.
Once back in the living room, I noticed my destroyed recipe journal peeking out from under a throw pillow. I kicked the pillow aside and grabbed the book. To the right, the Orange Influence wedge lay exposed, ready for anyone to use. I grabbed it and shoved the chocolate in my front pocket. It wasn’t an ideal spot. The chocolate would probably melt, but I couldn’t just leave it lying around. The last time I did that, Phoebe’d almost used it.
“Phoebs,” I called from her open door.
“In here,” came a muffled voice from her closet.
Talisen sat on a chair near the bed. I gave him a halfhearted wave but avoided looking him in the eye. Phoebe was knee-deep in a pile of clothes, searching through pockets. “What are you looking for?”
She held up a silver beetle. “The other bug. I want to be able to hear what’s going on. Especially if, for some reason, you can’t get out again.”
“It won’t work once I go through security.” What was she thinking? She knew as well as I did all her charms would be neutralized by the disarming machine.