Including Dorian.
My heart squeezed in my chest as Piper slowly shifted out of the corner, her body visibly trembling. At the sight of her, I narrowed my eyes, the darkness within me still fuelling my rage. Now that the demons were gone, there was nothing to stop me from taking her blood and demanding Dorian’s return.
I’d just saved her fucking ass, and she owed me.
“Give me your vial,” I said, pointing at the necklace that hung around her neck. “I need your blood to reverse your spell on Dorian. He’s no longer yours now.”
“No.” Piper closed her hand around her vial and shook her head. “I won’t return him. Next time we do this spell, we’ll do it stronger. Better. Binding the demons through Dorian’s vampire form means we’ll have better control.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Laura snapped. “Give Zoe the vial now. Or we’ll forcefully take it from you.”
Anastasia’s eyes flashed as she stood from where she’d been knocked to the floor. She stared at Piper, her expression going as sharp as a knife. “So, the demons are gone, yes? All four are no more?”
Unease fluttered through my gut at the look on her face. “That’s right. They’re gone.”
“Anastasia,” Laura said, her voice full of warning. She took a step forward, her hand outstretched toward her vampire friend.
“This is for killing my sisters and brothers.” Anastasia snarled and sunk her fangs into Piper’s neck. The blood mage’s screams shot through the room, a gurgling sound as her neck flowed with blood.
“No!” I yelled, rushing toward the vampire. But she merely threw out a hand and knocked me down as she drank Piper dry. As I fell onto the floor, Anastasia extracted her fangs and tossed the mage aside. Blood dripped down her chin, but she didn’t even bother to brush it away. She smiled as Piper crumbled to the floor with eyes vacant and a throat raw and bloody.
“How could you?” I hissed up at Anastasia. “We agreed not to kill anyone.”
“You agreed. I did not. She destroyed some of mine, so she had to die as penance for her crime.” Leaning down, Anastasia snatched the blood vial off Piper’s neck and tossed it my way. “And now you can save your Unbound lover. You’ll thank me later.”
And with that, she strode out of the loft, leaving the rest of us to pick up the pieces of the battle’s mess.
Epilogue
“What’s all this about?” Nathan asked from the door to Dorian’s apartment. I’d called him over while I waited for the reverse spell to take hold. Nathan had kicked some serious ass during the fight, but he had turned from euphoric and buzzing to melancholic again right when it ended. He was clearly struggling, even if he’d come to grips with who and what he was now.
“Hold out your hand,” I said with a smile. “I have something for you.”
He lifted his eyebrows and opened his palm. In I dropped the ring and a sheet of paper with directions to the pack in Seaport. Nathan stared down at the glittering diamonds, the lines on his face erasing in less than the space of a moment.
“You found the ring,” he said. “Oh my god, Zoe. This means Juno doesn’t have to stay away from me anymore. But what’s this paper about?”
“Follow these directions, and you’ll end up in the territory of the nearest werewolf pack. They took in a wolf who got turned because of Juno’s ex-boyfriend. They’ll take you in as well and teach you more about your wolf nature than anyone here in the city can. You’ll have room to run. A pack to share all of this with. But, just so you know, before I knew what this ring meant to you, I promised it to them. I figured they’d appreciate receiving it from you rather than from me.”
Nathan’s face went through a kaleidoscope of emotions. Relief and hope battled with sorrow. “Take it to the pack? But what about Juno?”
“I don’t know, Nathan,” I had to admit. “That’s something you’ll have to work out with them. Hell, to tell you the truth, I don’t trust them with the ring. But I trust you. I’m counting on you to make sure they don’t want it for some terrible reason we haven’t found out yet.”
With a grim set to his lips, he nodded. “Alright. I’ll do my best.”
“Oh, and Nathan,” I said as he turned to go. “Thank you. For everything. I know you don’t approve of Dorian, but you helped me find him anyway. If you hadn’t been there, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“You would have gotten him back regardless, Zoe. Now, go to him. I can hear him rustling around back there. He’s awake.”
“Dorian,” I whispered when I pushed aside the curtain to join him in his bedroom. For the first time since I’d known him, he was actually spread out on the bed, the covers draped softly across his chest. I swallowed hard as I stared at him, hot desire shooting through my core.
I’d thought he was dead. I’d thought I’d never see him again.
And now here he was, tired and weary but so very much alive.
All I wanted was to touch every single part of him, to feel his skin, to feel the tremor where his heart should be.
His gaze locked on my eyes, hooking me deep in my soul. Our bond pulled tight, and my feet began moving toward him. Step by step until my knees knocked against the bed. His hand snaked out and grabbed my wrist. Despite the coolness of his skin, his touch sent a delicious fire through my belly, warming up every inch of me, chasing away the fear and the pain of the past twenty-four hours.
“Zoe,” he said, voice rough. “You’re here. You found me.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded. “With a little help.”
“I dreamed of you,” he said, his gaze piercing as he raked his eyes across my body. “You looked strong and powerful, and you drove the demons away.”
Before I could respond, he yanked me onto his chest. His arms wrapped around my back and held me against his body. My heart went wild, flickering faster than firelight. Every sense came alive, Dorian’s presence filling me up and drowning out the world outside. Because while he’d dreamed, so had I. And this was what they were made of.
Smiling, he traced his finger along my lip and growled. “I’ve wanted you in my bed for so fucking long, Zoe Bennett. And I had to get kidnapped by a demon to finally get you here.”
A light laugh escaped my throat. “You have no idea just how much I’ve wanted the same thing.”
“And here I thought you hated me.”
“Are you serious?” Shaking my head, I stared at him. He was perfect, in everything he did and said. Even if he pissed me off at times, every moment with him was better than without. We were a team. Friends. And now I hoped we were going to be much, much more than that. Hell, I even liked it when we bickered. Because being in his presence made me feel alive in ways nothing else ever had.
“Partly serious,” he said, tracing his finger down my neck until it hit the collar of my shirt. “The emotions that flow through our bond tell one story, but then you seem angry at me on the outside.”
“That’s only because you push me to be a better version of myself, and I’ve been trying to shove it away, trying to hold back from everything I am and everything I want.” I shifted higher onto his body, feeling the hard planes of his stomach underneath me. “But I don’t want to run from that anymore. Not my magic, not my past, and especially not you.”
His lips caught mine just as my phone buzzed in my pocket. With a grunt, I dug into my jeans and fumbled to turn it off. Right now, everything else could wait. But just as soon as I hit the button, Dorian’s phone began to ring.
Sighing, he shook his head and pulled back, frustration rolling across his angular face. “If they’re calling both of us, it must be important.”
“Fine.” I said with a sigh. “Go ahead. See what they want.”
“To be continued.” He smiled and answered the phone, an expression that quickly morphed into a frown. When he hung up the call, he didn’t pull me back to his chest. Instead, he grabbed his dagger from his bedside table and frowned. “As much as I despise saying this, we’re going to hav
e to continue this later. Ivan Wagner has escaped. And he’s left a trail of bodies behind him.”
Chapter 1
The only good thing about being stuck in Blue Moon Tavern another night was the perfect sight before me. Dorian Kostas leaned closer, his elbows digging into the rough hardwood surface of the bar. He winked, and my stomach churned. After our night in bed—and when we were so rudely interrupted by a phone call before anything really juicy could happen—I hadn’t been able to stop staring into his dark and stormy eyes. And wanting to turn back the clock so it could relive the moment again.
It had been two long and agonizing weeks, and we hadn’t ended up in another tight embrace, much to my disappointment. It was all I could do not to jump his immortal bones right there in front of everyone.
Not that we had many customers tonight. The place was pretty dead, no pun intended.
“You having fun back there?” he asked in a low gravel that sent my pulse racing. “Slinging drinks like a pro?”
Dorian winked, but his question only reminded me of my new status in the Bone Coven (or the lack thereof), and even his presence couldn’t stop the scowl from creeping across my face. “No, this really sucks. I feel like I’ve been sidelined.”
“You haven’t been sidelined, Zoe.” He paused when my eyebrows shot up, and then he gave me one of his signature “you’re over-reacting, Zoe” looks. A look he’d perfected by now. Still, Dorian knew just as well as I did that the Magister’s intentions were exactly that. He wanted me out of the field after my rebellious moment two weeks ago. Needless to say, when I’d gone against his orders, he’d been just a teensy bit pissed off. Okay, he’d been a lot pissed off.
Enforcers were trained to do what they were told, no questions asked. And well, I’d pretty much blown that rule right out of the water.
“Okay, so, maybe he has benched you for now, but we both know it isn’t permanent. The council is just trying to do what’s right for the coven. You disobeyed orders, remember? The Blood Coven’s Magister was pretty upset about what happened to his witches and that you confronted them without their approval, even if those rogue members were acting against the main coven’s wishes.”
“If I hadn’t disobeyed orders, there’s no telling what would have happened. Not just to the veil. And not just to all the humans in this city who would have died if those demons had gotten loose. But to you, Dorian. You could have been stuck like that forever.”
My voice cracked on the last word. Because of Dorian’s special status as warlock-vampire hybrid, he’d been kidnapped by the Blood Hunter Coven—a rogue spinoff group of the main Blood Coven—so they could use his long lifespan as a way for them to control demons indefinitely. And so of course I’d blatantly gone against the orders of our Magister in order to save him. The Bone Coven had wanted for us to stay out of the conflict, too dependent on the ever weakening alliance with blood mages.
Ever since, my involvement in cases had been scaled way back.
Like, way back. To the point where I hadn’t even been allowed inside headquarters.
Dorian slid his strong hand around mine and pulled me close, and I could smell the hint of whiskey on his cool breath. “Zoe, I know. And I’ll be forever grateful that you did whatever it took to break the spell they cursed on me. You know that. But you also have to know that I have had absolutely no say whatsoever in your status on cases. That’s all up to the Magister. Hell, you’re lucky the Coven didn’t kick you off the force for good. And you’re even luckier that Ben decided not to tell the Council the truth about your powers.”
And he was right. I was lucky, at least in that regard. I hadn’t been fired or dismissed or whatever happened to Enforcers who got banished from the squad. Ben had kept my secret, which also meant I hadn’t been thrown behind bars for deceiving the Council about my powers. Or exiled from the country. I’d just been demoted until I finished my full round of training and passed the Enforcer exam. For now, my mission was one thing and one thing only.
Train with Dorian. And keep an eye on things from my position at Blue Moon Tavern.
Because there was one other unfortunate side effect of last month’s events. While the Blood Coven had agreed to continue with our tenuous alliance—there were strings attached, of course—the local Clan of Daywalkers hadn’t felt quite so forgiving. While we hadn’t been the ones to go after their kind (that had also been the Blood Hunter Coven), it didn’t matter. All witches were the same to them. And according to them, one of us had burned down their club, killing several of their vampires as well as their collection of human blood bags.
Christian Dogaru, the leader of the Clan, wasn’t the kind of vampire to take an attack like that sitting down. He’d broken the truce between us, which meant there was nothing stopping them from attacking humans whenever they felt like having a taste of fresh blood. And this was the kind of place they’d stalk for prey.
“I know you’re right, but I’m bored, Dorian. It’s about time something interesting happened around here.” Leaning back, I scanned the bar that was almost as familiar to me as my own home. I certainly spent more time here than my apartment. The neon beer signs crackled and buzzed, casting red and blue beams across the quiet space. The jukebox sat abandoned in the corner, and every faded leather stool pushed up to the long, skinny bar was empty.
It was the middle of the week, and the university was currently on winter break, so hardly any customers dotted the dimly-lit room. A rarity these past few months. Even with the termination of our truce, some of the Daywalkers still swung by here from time to time while reconstruction of Slayerville was underway. Sure, I was a witch and technically the enemy, but they didn’t lump me in with the Bone Coven since they could smell the truth about my power. Because the Daywalkers hadn’t felt the need to keep away, the Coven was convinced I’d be able to catch them fangs deep in murderous activity. Enough for the Enforcers to make a move. But, so far, they’d been on their best behavior. At least, as far as I could tell.
Dorian quirked an eyebrow. “You don’t honestly wish the bloodsuckers would attack someone inside Blue Moon Tavern, do you?”
I let out a heavy sigh and sunk my chin onto my knuckled hands. “Of course not. I’m just bored, Dorian. Bored as hell. I thought I’d found something worth doing when you got me added to the force. Something that wasn’t, you know, morally questionable like my previous job. And now I feel like I’ve had it taken away from me. When Professor Wagner escaped from confinement, I thought I’d be right there by your side trying to track him down. Now, you’ve got some other partner, and I’m stuck here behind this bar.”
His eyes flashed, full of heat, reminding me of the way he’d looked at me that night when we’d come so close to sharing far more than just Enforcer business. “I didn’t take another partner. Told them I only want to work with you. I’m waiting for you, Zoe. I’ll be here, as long as it takes, until you pass the exam.”
My heart flickered in my chest, and my hand tightened around the glass in my hand. Dorian was only talking about work, nothing more, but it didn’t stop a thrill from going through my body, especially when he began pressing his body across the bar. Suddenly, he was so close the lingering magical bond between us sizzled in response.
Was he going to kiss me? Here? Now? It had been weeks since we’d been so rudely interrupted, and neither of us had tried to reignite that moment. Whatever magic had happened in that room between us had been muted by the knowledge that another demon summoner was running amok in the world. But maybe that would change now. Maybe Dorian would finally make his move.
But just as his lips hovered a mere inch from mine, the door of the bar flew open and slammed into the wall. A loud crack rang through the quiet space, causing the few customers to cry out in alarm. Ugh, not again, not now, I thought to myself. The Daywalkers always liked to make an elaborate entrance, but their aggressive displays had a tendency to scare customers. The heavy thump of boots on hardwood followed just behind, and when I pulled back
from Dorian, my eyes widened when I saw who had entered the room.
These men weren’t vampires. They were Enforcers. And from the elaborate symbol etched into their necks, they weren’t from my coven. Not all of them anyway. Ben, the council member who had helped me confront the Blood Hunter Coven, hovered just behind them, nervously glancing around the bar until his gaze landed on me.
“Zoe. Ah, good. You’re here.”
“Ben? What’s going on?” I frowned, eyes still glued to the Enforcers. There were five of them, all crowding into the small space around the door and making the bar feel much smaller than it had only moments before. Most Enforcers were ripped like Dorian. Tall, strong men who could just as easily pummel a person as cast them down with a spell. I stood out like a sore thumb in that regard. A small woman with biceps the size of noodles. But I was fucking good with a blade, thanks to Dorian.
“Some members of the Blood Coven have come all the way here from Scotland, and they’d like to take a look around.” Ben grimaced and glanced away, dropping a pit of dread into my gut. Why the hell would the Blood Coven want to take a look around my bar? Were they hoping to find some vampires here? Seemed like a strange thing to fly thousands of miles for, but blood mages had always been a mystery to me. Except for one, and it was probably best for these Enforcers not to encounter her right now.
“Yeah, of course you can take a look around.” I dropped my rag on the counter and tried to keep my voice steady as I cleared my throat and spoke loud enough for my words to echo to the back stock room. “But if you’re looking for some Daywalkers among my customers, you won’t find any.”
Dorian raised his eyebrows, but luckily, his back was still turned to Ben and the Enforcers, so they didn’t catch his look. Because I was lying through my fucking teeth. Kind of. None of my customers were Daywalkers tonight. That much was true. But we had one in the building. In the stock room. With Laura. The broken alliance sure hadn’t stopped that vampire from coming around any chance she got.
The Bone Coven Chronicles: The Complete Series Page 42