My heart thumped in my chest, and I slid down to my knees in front of him. Capturing his hands in mine, I looked up into his face, willing him to see I meant every word. “You are the man I think you are. Something that happened a hundred years ago isn’t going to change that, and it certainly won’t change the way I see you.”
He shook his head and sighed. “What would change it, Zoe? Think about it. Cowardice? Thievery? Cheating? Rage?” Slowly, he shifted closer until his lips were only a whisper away from mine. “Murder?”
I sucked in a sharp breath and swallowed hard. “What happened, Dorian?”
“Before I was cursed,” he began, “I was what they called a warlock-for-hire. There are a few of those now, but they often do things like demon banishment or object enchantments. Tracking, sometimes. Back then though…there really was only a few reasons why you’d hire a warlock.”
My heart squeezed tight. I knew where this was going now. I’d heard the stories. Everyone had. Warlocks-for-hire were legends, individuals who had influenced some of the biggest events in the supernatural history books. Most of the time, they were shadow mages, but there’d been at least a few in every coven.
“You were an assassin,” I breathed, hardly daring to voice the word aloud. Because that made it feel far too real, though it explained a great deal about his life. Why he’d fled Europe in the first place. Why he’d insisted on becoming an Enforcer. He had the skills and the knowledge necessary to get the job done.
He winced, and then nodded. “I only took on jobs that didn’t involve innocents. I had a code, and I stuck to it, but that code ended up breaking for me in the end. One of the women I tracked. She—” Dorian’s voice went rough as he cut off his sentence, glancing away with his jaw clenched tight. “Just because someone looks guilty doesn’t mean they are. I was the executioner of a woman who did not deserve to die. She’d just been covering for someone. Protecting her sister. Her family had adopted a shadow mage into their family, and that was the true person behind the crimes. When the real culprit found out what I’d done, she cursed me to live out my days as an Unbound vampire, and then she murdered my family.”
Chapter 16
Dorian’s words echoed in my brain as I padded down the carpeted hallway toward the kitchen. For the first time since I’d known him, his face was burning hot, so hot his skin felt like fire. I was on a mission to find a cool cloth and to process what he’d just told me.
On the one hand, he’d only gone after those mages who he thought were guilty. On the other hand, he’d been a fucking assassin. That was way worse than the con artist I’d been, any way you looked at it. If I hurt someone, they’d ended up a couple hundred dollars poorer. If he hurt someone, well, they’d ended up dead.
After I found the kitchen and a rag, I poured some cold water on the cloth and made my way back to the room where I’d found Dorian. When I reached it, he was gone. Sighing, I headed back toward the living room across the hall, but it was empty other than the crackle of the fire. I scanned the entryway and peeked in the rest of the rooms on the floor, but Dorian was nowhere to be found in any of them.
Just when I was about to turn my feet toward the stairs in order to explore the second floor, a chill swept across my skin. The front door was cracked open, and a slip of moonlight spilled onto the floor. Shivering, I edged closer to peer out into the night. Had Dorian gone outside? Or had something else come in?
With a deep breath, I pushed open the door and stepped out into the cold. In the distance, I saw a figure amidst a cluster of tall headstones that were bent sideways, surrounded by a circle of trees.
“Dorian?” I called out, but my voice got picked up by the wind.
Was that my partner? For a moment, I wasn’t sure. Why would he have come out here? Why would he be standing in the middle of a bunch of graves?
It could be another Nosferatu, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. There was something vaguely not-Nosferatu about this figure though. The vampires we’d encountered stood differently than most people. Slightly hunched as if bracing themselves against the harsh reality of the world. Their hands were formed into claws, and their knees were bent under the weight of their cravings.
That wasn’t what I saw now. This was just a man, standing in the rain. And as I made my way toward him, the truth became clear. It was Dorian.
“Dorian, what are you doing out here?” I asked when I reached him.
He turned toward me, his eyes wide as if he were surprised that it was me. “You’re still here? Why didn’t you leave?”
“Of course I didn’t leave,” I said. “What you did a hundred years ago doesn’t have anything to do with who you are now.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Zoe,” he said, turning away. “Because it has everything to do with who I am now. It’s why I have to hold myself back when I fight against a warlock. It’s why that splinter coven wanted to use me for their demon corruption. It’s why I have to stock my refrigerator with animal blood. And it’s why I want so badly to drink from your veins.”
“Those are things you have to deal with,” I said, “but none of that is who you are. Because that man chooses to hold himself back. He chooses to fight against the demons, not with. He chooses animal blood instead of human. And he’s done nothing but protect me since the moment we met.”
“I could end up killing you,” he said.
“Except you wouldn’t,” I said. “You’d fall on your own dagger before you did that.”
He whirled on me then, his eyes wild and angry. “You only think that because you still don’t see me as the assassin I once was. You weren’t there. You don’t know what I can do.”
In the distance came a long, low howl. Shivers danced along my skin as I swung toward the sound. It seemed like it was near the castle. Maybe just behind it, and coming closer with every passing beat. My heart flickered as I reached for my dagger and found nothing but air. I’d left it inside the living room when I’d been on my hunt to find Dorian.
“It’s another one,” Dorian said. “Get back inside the castle walls.”
“No,” I said. “I’m not leaving you out here to face it alone.”
“Go back inside,” he growled. “You’re not safe out here with either him or me.”
Ignoring his words, I crouched low and closed my eyes, willing my magic to come to my aid. It had helped me in the last fight. It would help me again. Even though I didn’t know the spells, it almost seemed to know instinctively what I needed it to do.
“I’m taking you back inside where it’s safe.” Dorian slung me over his shoulder, and I cried out in alarm as he began to run with his enhanced speed toward the castle. He charged inside and slammed the door shut before taking me up the stairs and depositing me in one of the bedrooms, straight onto the large bed. “You’re to stay here for the rest of the night. There’s no telling how many of them will come here looking for you. I’ll patrol until morning, and then we’ll figure out a way to get you back home.”
“A way to get me back? What about you?” Narrowing my eyes, I sprung off the bed and stalked to where he stood staring out the window.
“I’m staying here,” he said quietly. “It’s better for everyone.”
“No, it isn’t,” I said. “You can’t possibly believe that.”
“You can feel what I feel, Zoe. The bloodlust. It’s running through my veins and making me want things I never thought I would.” His jaw tightened as he swallowed hard. “It would only take one wrong second, one moment when I struggled to hold on, and that would be it.”
“Drink me,” I said, shifting closer to him. “You want to taste my blood that badly? Then, do it.”
“I can’t,” he said in a strained voice, though his eyes wandered across every inch of my neck. “If I start, I won’t be able to stop.”
“You will, because you would never hurt me.” I dropped back my head to expose my neck, and the vein throbbed painfully as my heartbeat picked up speed. “Now, have a t
aste of what you’ve been craving for so long.”
Through our bond, I could feel him struggle with his cracking willpower. He ached for my blood, just as I ached to have his lips on my skin. Though a small part of me felt fear for what he was about to do, I knew without a doubt that he’d stop before it all became too much. That was what he didn’t understand. I believed in him, even if he didn’t believe in himself.
With a growl low in his throat, his teeth nicked my neck. Sparks shot through my body, and my breath got caught in my lungs. There was something so intoxicating about his need, so much so that I yearned for his teeth to sink into my skin.
And then they did. Sharp and painful, his fangs split into the tender skin at the base of my ear. I cried out as spots danced in my eyes, but I clung on tight to his shirt instead of pushing him away. I wanted him to do this. Hell, I needed it. Because even though it hurt like hell, an intoxicating sensation poured through me. Adrenaline and magic and desire.
Moaning, I leaned into him as he drank from my neck. Hot liquid spilled onto my skin, stars dancing my eyes as the sharp pains began to turn into electric fire. My eyelids began to flutter, and my heart began to hurt. Dorian was drinking with great abandon, and for a moment, I was scared he wouldn’t stop.
With a growl, he yanked his teeth from my neck and jumped halfway back across the room. His eyes were wild, and his lips were painted red. For the first time since I’d met him, he looked like a vampire. A creature of darkness who stalked the night in search of an innocent’s blood. He swiped the back of his mouth across his chin and dropped his gaze to my neck.
As I reached my hand up to the wound, I found my fingers were too heavy to lift. With a sigh, I slumped back against the bed and winced. Nothing hurt exactly, but at the same time, everything ached to my bones.
“What’s happening?” I whispered.
He shook his head as his eyes widened even more. “I drank too much. I’m so sorry, Zoe. I let it get to my head, and I drank far too much.”
Before I could tell him that really, I was okay, things were just a little blurry, that was all, he’d dropped to his knees and ripped open his wrist with his impossibly sharp teeth. He pressed his open wound to my mouth, smearing his blood against my tongue. Murmuring against him, I drank and closed my eyes, enjoying the intoxicating taste of him. Everything about him consumed me, as if his very life-force had filled my soul.
I arched my back and opened my mouth, desperate to feel his body on top of mine. But then everything faded to darkness.
Chapter 17
Dorian sat on the edge of my bed, staring down at me as I woke with an ache that consumed my bones. Groaning, I shifted on the bed and reached up to touch my neck. The wound was gone, but I could feel the remnants in my every breath. I both felt very much alive as well as half-dead.
“You may be experiencing some residual soreness,” Dorian said in a low murmur. “I gave you enough blood to heal your wound and replenish your supply, but you ended up passing out.”
“Oh, I feel soreness alright. And not the good kind.” Grimacing, I pushed myself up from the bed and stared at the rumpled person in the mirror across from me. I looked like shit. There were purple bags under my eyes, and my hair was sticking out in every direction. No wonder Dorian hadn’t yet tried to seduce me.
“Unfortunately, I can’t let you rest much longer,” he said. “After some breakfast, we need to get to work.”
Shaking my head, I tried to blow away the cobwebs because I had absolutely zero clue what he was talking about. Last time I checked, we were stuck in a castle in the middle of Scotland, trapped until we could find a way home. “Work?”
“Training to do and spells to learn.” He held up the grimoire that Grams had gifted me with last year. I’d been keeping it in my bag for a rainy day. “I found a spell in here that’ll get you home, but it’s a pretty complicated one. It’ll take some time to get it right.”
Groaning, I flopped back onto the bed. Of course it would.
Dorian managed to whip up some eggs, bacon, and toast before leading me down into the lower depths of the castle. Unlike the Blood Coven’s headquarters, there were no prison cells or creepy dungeons to speak of. Instead, Dorian had hollowed out a large portion of the basement before stacking it full of various training equipment. There were exercise mats on the floor, as well as a weight machine and a treadmill. Various weapons lined the walls, everything from a scythe to a dagger even smaller than mine.
“This is pretty cool,” I said with an appreciative nod. “Too bad you can’t teleport this place back to Boston.”
He held up a finger and waved it once. “Don’t even think about it, Zoe. If we dropped this place in the middle of an American city, not only would it generate far too much of the wrong sort of attention, it would remove it from it’s natural surroundings.”
“You mean, the Nosferatu-infested, rain-drenched middle of nowhere?” I asked with an arched eyebrow.
His lips quirked. “Exactly. And that, Zoe, is part of its charm.”
“If you say so,” I said, though I actually did agree. Not that I would ever let him know that. As much as I’d love to have twenty-four seven access to this place, it just wouldn’t be the same if we plopped it into the middle of Fenway Park.
“Besides,” Dorian said. “If you nail that spell of yours, then you can come here as often as you please.”
That thought sent a thrill through me. The idea of having a secret hideaway where Dorian and I could come anytime we wanted? It sounded almost too good to be true. Not that it would end up leading to what I really wanted. He’d had me alone in this place for almost a day now, and he hadn’t tried to take things any further whatsoever. We’d even shared blood—again—but there was something else I wanted far more than that.
“I know what you’re thinking about, Zoe,” he said with a slight smile. “Don’t forget our bond relays a hell of a lot of information about your emotions, and it’s even stronger after last night.”
Face red, I glanced away. “Yeah, well. Right back at you, buddy.”
Right back at you buddy?! Why the hell had I said that? What a great way to get him to seduce me. Spout cheesy lines and hope the title of buddy would get him going. Rolling my eyes at myself, I pulled my dagger from my sheath and spun it once in my hands, watching the blade swirl in circles. There were quite a few things I was pretty good at. Breaking and entering. Stabbing things. Irritating the hell out of my enemies. One thing I certainly wasn’t good at though? Flirting.
“You know, I stopped last night because I didn’t want to hurt you,” he said in a low voice. “It wasn’t because the desire wasn’t there. It was because it was there too much. And look what happened. I drank far too much of your blood. So much that you lost consciousness.”
“You didn’t mean to,” I said.
“I didn’t mean to, but it ended up happening anyway,” he said. “This is what I mean, Zoe. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, physically or emotionally. And if I can’t trust myself to know when to stop, then well…”
My heart thumped hard. “Then, what? You’re going to stop training me? You’re going to just abandon me to my own devices? Find yourself another partner when all of this is said and done? Or stay here in Scotland hidden away from the world?”
“Of course not. I shouldn’t have said I would stay here alone,” he said, his frown turning to a scowl. “I would never abandon you like that. We’re a team. I’m just not sure it’s safe for you to be anything more to me than that.”
Hurt flashed through my gut at his words. Despite everything, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Sure, we’d had our arguments in the past. We’d pissed each other off and hurt each other, and we’d both had moments when we weren’t sure just how much longer we could continue on. But so much had happened since then. We’d come out on the other side, stronger and closer than ever.
And there was no ignoring the obvious attraction between us. That was a genie that we co
uldn’t put back in the bottle, even if we both wanted to. And I sure as hell didn’t.
“So,” I said, forcing myself to speak the words without echoing my emotion with tears, “that’s it, then? Partners and nothing more. You don’t even want us to be friends.”
“That’s not what I said, Zoe, and you know it,” he said, squeezing his hands tight into fists. “I’m just saying I’m not sure it’s safe for me to express how I really feel about you. If I let myself give in again, there’s no telling what I might do.”
“Fine, then let’s get started on training, shall we?” I said, turning my back on him and stalking toward the wall where I hoisted the largest weapon into my hands. It was so heavy that I almost toppled sideways, but I caught my balance before I could fall. I met him in the middle of the mat, my entire body brimming with emotion. Not anger. Not fear. Just flat-out torturous pain.
“Zoe,” he started to say, but I lifted the scythe high in the air before he could say anything more.
“We need to train. Not talk.” Gritting my teeth, I hurled the weapon toward him, but it connected with the floor with a loud smack. The blade sunk into the mat, sticking into the thick material. I tried to hoist it back into my arms, but it wouldn’t budge. Trying with all my might, I pulled harder. Harder and harder until sweat popped out on my brow.
Dorian regarded me with a stony expression as he held the grimoire in the air. “Let’s focus on a different aspect of your training, shall we? Like the spell that will get us back home and not the murderous weapon you clearly can’t lift.”
“Whatever you say, partner.” I let go of the scythe’s handle and crossed my arms over my chest.
The Bone Coven Chronicles: The Complete Series Page 52