He’d felt responsible for everything that had happened then. And if I died now, he’d blame himself as well.
So, maybe him knocking me out wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. He might do whatever it took to make me complete the change, no matter what the cost.
His cell phone buzzed in his pocket, and he glanced at the screen with a frown. “I have to take this. Don’t do anything stupid.”
I quietly watched him as he paced to the furthest wall and spoke quietly into his phone. Maybe this was the opportunity I’d been waiting for. While he was distracted, I could snap through the rope and get the hell out of here before he could make me do something I didn’t want to do. But something about the tone of his voice gave me pause. His back stiffened. And through our bond, I felt a hit of pure dread.
A moment later, he turned to me with an even grimmer expression than before. My heart thumped hard. Whatever he’d just been told wasn’t good.
“That was Laura,” he said. “There’s been a horrible demon attack. At least a dozen mages and humans are dead.”
Chapter 27
“Dead?” All the color and feeling drained from my face. “What about Laura? Is she okay? Please tell me that nothing has happened to her.”
“She’s fine, though she sounded a little shaky,” he said with a sigh. “Apparently, the groups split up again to go back on patrol after the cemetery incident. One team found some demons near the stadium, so they all followed procedure and went to join the fight. When they got to the stadium, the first two mages were found dead, and the demons had begun to attack a group of humans gathered on the sidewalks outside.” His face turned to a sheet as he closed his eyes. “They managed to take out the demons, but they lost a lot of lives in the process.”
“Shit.” I yanked at the ropes, hating myself for being in this position while innocents were out there fighting the fight. They weren’t equipped to deal with this. I was. It should have been me out there instead of them.
“Laura said that everyone is terrified now,” Dorian continued. “They’re at headquarters, and most of the mages who wanted to join in the fight before are now talking about backing out. They have lives and families. Young kids to raise.”
“I think we underestimated Wagner’s demons,” I said. “And overestimated the fighting abilities of untrained witches and warlocks.”
“Morale was down,” he said quietly. “They didn’t understand where the Magister had gone right when they needed her the most.”
My heart lurched into my throat. “I wasn’t their Magister.”
“You are, Zoe, even if you don’t want to be.” Dorian strode across the room, exuding a strength and determination most men could only dream of. “Just because you weren’t officially sworn in doesn’t mean that you aren’t their leader. And you ran off in the middle of a fight.”
Dorian’s words sparked a fire in my chest. It brought back a rush of memories. Magister Leon Dupont running from the fight with the vampires in the tunnel underneath the highway, escaping as cowardice blocked out every rational thought. The way he’d rushed from danger instead of doing whatever it took to face his fears and save the day had always stood out to me. And I’d never wanted to end up following in his footsteps.
That wasn’t who I was, and it wasn’t the kind of person that Grams had raised. A new steely resolution filled my chest as I met Dorian’s eyes across the dimly-lit apartment. I was Zoe Bennett. I was a shadow mage, and the Bone Coven mages had put their hope and their trust in me. Nothing would stop me from doing whatever it took to save them and the rest of humanity, not even a fucking curse that could steal my very soul away.
I was better than that. Unbound vampire or not.
Dorian’s lips lifted at the corners as he felt the change of my emotion, from defeated despair to something much stronger. He grabbed the blood bag from his desk and had the ropes around my wrists cut in less than a beat of my heart. He knelt before me, shaking his head as he slid the blood into my hands.
“I’m so sorry I tied you up like this,” he said as he tucked a finger under my chin. “You know I’d never do anything to hurt you, Zoe. And I’m sorry if this did.” He traced a finger across my red wrists and sighed. “But you have to understand. I—”
“It’s okay,” I cut in. “I understand. You were scared of what I’d do. Hell, I almost ate a person. And I was two seconds away from disappearing into the Land of Fae forever.”
“Belzus would have sought you out and returned you to me,” he said, “but we don’t have that kind of time to waste. The demon war has finally come, Zoe. And we need you. I honestly don’t think we can win without your powers.”
“I know,” I said as I fingered the blood bag. “Just promise me that you’ll help me keep these cravings in check. If I hurt anyone because of this curse, I don’t think I could ever forgive myself.”
“Deal,” he said. “Now, go ahead and have your drink. I’m going to warn you. You might black out for a few minutes, and you won’t feel particularly well while you finish the transformation. But once you’ve joined me on the other side…Well, let’s just say you’ll feel a lot better. Temporarily anyway.”
“Got it.” With a deep breath, I lifted the blood bag to my lips and ripped it open with my teeth. Instantly, the sharp tangy scent of blood filled my head, and I let out a moan of desire. I licked my lips, savoring the delicious scent that surrounded me like an intense cloud. Before I could talk myself out of it, I tipped back my head and poured the liquid into my mouth. Fire slid down my throat and flooded into my stomach. My magic sparked to life, twisting and turning and roaring into my head. It was as if it were responding to the blood inside me, from the change threatening to take ahold of my mind.
My body began to shake, and delicious pain spread from my core out to the ends of each of my veins. I felt warm and cold at the same time, more alive than I’d ever felt before, even though my body as I knew it was succumbing to a strange kind of death. I was saying goodbye to my mortal self and welcoming in a new stage of my existence. One that would no doubt bring pain and horror, but this was all I had now.
And then a darkness crept in from the corners of my eyes, and my vision went dark.
When I awoke, my skin buzzed with electricity, and I jumped up from the chair with a fresh energy. I was invigorated, like my body had been dipped into the sea at the height of winter. My chest heaved as I drew in breaths of stale air, though my lungs didn’t feel as if they worked the same as they had before. In my chest, something pulsed, though my heart felt still and cold.
I felt different. Yet, I also felt the same.
“How are you feeling?” Dorian asked from where he perched on the edge of his desk, eyeing me with intense curiosity. Or, at least, it felt intense. His expression didn’t look much different than it usually did, but it almost overwhelmed me now. My heart—or whatever was left of it—shook in my chest as I scanned my eyes from the top of his gorgeous head and down the length of his bulging torso. My goddess, he was hot. I’d always thought so but something about the way he sat on that desk made my thighs tremble.
Maybe I needed to sit down.
His lips quirked. “I forgot to warn you. One of the side effects of vampirism is enhanced sensations and emotions. So, you might feel a little unsteady for a few days until you get used to the sensory overload.”
“Right.” I swallowed hard, my eyes glued to the way his hand rested on his thigh. It was such a strong hand. One I wanted on me.
“I have to say, the way you’re looking at me is making it hard to remember exactly why we need to leave.” His fingers tensed, the ones that rest on his thighs. Was he imagining the same things I was? Things that had never entered my mind until now. Things that involved our clothes all over his bedroom floor.
“Dorian.” Desire churned in my gut as I strode across the room and straddled his lap. I hooked my arms around his neck and dropped my burning lips to his skin. He tasted so good. The same as he always had
but more. “Surely there’s nothing that matters more than this. Than me and you. Than the fact we can finally be together for as long as we truly want.”
With a heavy sigh, Dorian placed his hands on my waist and lifted me off his hips, though his fingers lingered a second longer, betraying exactly what he wanted—which was exactly what I yearned for him to do. “It pains me to say this, Zoe, but you know as well as I do that we don’t have time for this.”
“Fifteen minutes won’t make much of a difference, will it?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
He let out a low chuckle. “Fifteen minutes? We are going to need a hell of a lot longer than that when I finally get my hands on your body again. I am going to treat you so right that you won’t remember anything that happened in your life before you moaned my name. And that doesn’t take fifteen minutes, baby.”
Heat filled my cheeks as my body arched toward his. Deep down, I knew he was right, but the enhanced hormones swirling through my veins made it hard to focus. It was like a thick cloud obscuring my thoughts, blocking me from focusing on anything other than the swipe of his tongue across his lips.
“Fine,” I sighed, taking a few steps back away from him. “I’ll behave. For now.”
Chapter 28
When I strode through the coven’s front doors, every head in the room swivelled my way. My body sung with power and a newfound grace, and the ground underneath me trembled from the strength of my steps. Anastasia took one look at me before widening her eyes and letting out a smug chuckle, but I didn’t let her reaction get to me. There were far more important things to worry about than a Daywalker’s attitude toward my new state.
“Gather round,” I said in a strong, clear voice. “I understand there was a fight this night that ended badly.”
“Yeah,” one of the mages muttered. “Not that you were there to know.”
“No, I wasn’t,” I said with a slight shake of my head. “And for that, I’m sorry. But now is not the time to hold grudges for mistakes made. I’m here now, and I’m not leaving until we’ve won this thing.”
“There’s some rumors going around,” one of the younger mages said. “Something about you turning Nosferatu and becoming a demon yourself. How can we know that’s not true? How can we know you’re really on our side?”
“Well, one, don’t believe everything you hear,” I said. “And two, you’d sure as hell know if I’d turned into a Nosferatu. Not only do they look like alien versions of a real person, they don’t just stand around talking to people like this. I’d already be attacking you. So, no, I’m not a demon. However, I have been cursed. Just like Dorian. The reason I left the cemetery was because I fell victim to the change. I guess you could say I’m half-vampire, but trust me when I say I will not be partaking in human blood.”
Several murmurs spread through the room and the mages shifted uncomfortably in their seats.
“So, you’re a shadow and an Unbound,” Michelle, one of the earliest mages to join us, asked, raising an eyebrow. “And you expect us to trust and follow you?”
I lifted a shoulder. “Yeah, actually, I do. No one else has stepped up, and my powers can kick some serious demon ass. If you don’t want to follow me, fine. I’m not going to try to make you. And I’ll go out there and fight them whether you want me there or not. Alone if need be.”
“You’d really do that?” Michelle asked. “For us?”
“It isn’t just for you.” I began to pace from one end of the living room to the other. “These demons are becoming more and more powerful with every moment that passes. Something you unfortunately discovered for yourselves. It isn’t as easy as casting a banishment spell anymore. It requires strength, speed, and a kind of power that demons will respond to. If we ignore them, they’ll only spread throughout this world. So, yes, I’d be saving you. But I’d also be saving the humans who live and work in this building. The ones who take their kids to baseball practice after school. The ones who study hard in college to get the best job they can. The ones who search for every coupon they can find. Every single human in this country and beyond. Because once Wagner and his demons get done with this place, they’ll move on. The future of the entire world is at stake. You, me, Laura, and all the mages here tonight? We’re the only ones who can stop this. It’s time for us to step up and confront the fight head on. Not run and hide. Humanity needs us. How are we going to respond to that call?”
Laura stepped away from the wall, her chin raised. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m going to join the fight.”
“Me, too,” Anastasia said. “This world is pretty damn great. I’d hate to see it destroyed.”
A few silent minutes passed until Dorian cleared his throat and stepped to my side. “Obviously, I’m also in. Never in a million years would I dream of running from a fight this important.”
“Alright.” I gave a nod. “That makes two hybrids, a Daywalker, and a blood mage. We can do some serious damage with our combined strength.”
“Add a bone mage into that mix,” Michelle said, rising from the sofa to join the cluster of fighters that stood just behind my left shoulder. “If our Magister is calling for fighters, then I will answer her call. You can count me in, boss.”
“Yeah, I’ll join,” Chris added, just as a man in the back stepped out of the shadows with, “Can’t back down when demons are involved.”
Several more witches and warlocks stepped forward until we had a solid group of twenty. Only two mages stayed rooted to their spots. One of them was crying while the other looked mad as hell. But if they didn’t want to join in, then in no way would I push them. One thing was certain, I wouldn’t follow in the previous Magister’s steps. No one would be forced to fight who didn’t want to. No manipulation. No control. That wasn’t how we would do things from now on.
“Right,” I said with a nod as I scanned the group before me. “Thank you for volunteering your time, your power, and your life. Go home and get some rest tonight. We’ll go back on patrol tomorrow at sundown. Get here about half an hour ahead of time so we can go over tactics and hand out weapons. So, at about three-thirty in the afternoon. And this time, we’ll be ready for whatever Wagner throws at us.”
Chapter 29
“What changed your mind?” Laura asked after the mages had gone their separate ways and we’d begun taking stock of the headquarter’s armory. She’d approached me quietly at first, and there was a timidness to her steps and her words. A fresh ache grew in my chest as I remembered what I’d done to her. The pain was so raw that I couldn’t turn to look into her face. If I saw the expression there—one that was trusting, one that was so full of love—I wasn’t sure how I could stop myself from breaking down into a mess on the floor. The pain that Dorian had spoken about..it was there, churning in my bones like broken ice, but thankfully, the cravings had subsided. For now.
And right now, I needed to be strong.
“To be honest, it was Magister Leon Dupont,” I said as I placed a sword on top of a pile of sheaths. “His solution to the coven’s problems was to run. I don’t want to be like him, no matter how bad things get.”
“Yeah, he was a dick, huh?” Laura leaned forward to take a scythe off the wall and let out a low whistle. “I mean, who runs when we have access to all these weapons?”
“Not me. I want to be better than that.” Sighing, I lowered the blade to the table and turned to face my best friend, feeling my heart thrum in my chest. It almost hurt to look at her, to see her familiar long hair and bright eyes, knowing just how close I’d come to taking her life. To call the sensation abject horror would be putting it mildly. “Oh, Laura. I’m so sorry. I have no idea how I ever let myself get so far gone that I—”
“Shh.” She placed a finger to my lips. “I don’t want you to apologize for something you couldn’t control.”
“That’s just it though. Dorian can control it just fine. So, the fact that I went that far made me wonder exactly how far I could go. I don’t want to be a dang
er to anyone, especially not you. I wasn’t gong to complete the change, you know. I was just going to let myself die. That or I was going to run off into the Land of Fae where I couldn’t get to anyone ever again.”
“I know. Dorian told me,” she said, nibbling her bottom lip. “It was my idea to have that phone call in front of you. Or did you think the timing was just a coincidence?”
Shock poured through me as I dropped my hands to my sides and took a step backward. “Are you saying that was all a trick? That this entire thing was a lie to get me to take the blood?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Of course not. The fight was real, and we lost a lot of lives. I just figured if we made sure you knew about it, then you’d see that you couldn’t sit on the sidelines. I’m sorry if that pisses you off, Zoe, but I wasn’t going to let you die any more than Dorian was.”
The anger that had risen up so fast died down even quicker. With a sigh, I shook my head. “Of course not. I’m sorry I’m so on edge lately. I’ve felt so…I don’t know, everything feels so intense right now. My entire body aches.”
She nodded. “That’s what Anastasia says. It’s the enhanced senses. You’re in overload mode. She says you kind of get used to it, but there are still moments every day where the emotions can be overwhelming.” Her lips twisted into a wry smile. “Welcome to vampirism.”
I let out a laugh, but the smile died on my lips as I searched my friend’s face. “Do you ever think about it? Becoming a vampire, I mean?”
“Of course I do.” She glanced at the open door and shut it when she heard footsteps passing down the hallway. “I mean, I’m dating a Daywalker who is going to live for ages. Of course I wonder what it would be like to spend eternity with her rather than this mortal life I’ve been given. Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on how you look at it—I can never become like her, even if I wanted to. Daywalkers are born into it, and they can’t change anyone. And I sure as hell don’t want to become a Nosferatu. I’d lose my soul in the process.”
Witch's Fury (The Bone Coven Chronicles Book 4) Page 12