“Let me see what I can do,” replied a soft feminine voice on the other end of the call. “I’ll call you back if I find anything.”
“Where’re we going?” I demanded.
“My place, I guess,” said Val, turning onto another abandoned back road.
“Can I borrow your phone?”
The Mage didn’t really have room to argue, because despite Blaine still lying unconscious in my lap, I managed to reach forward and snatched the cell right out of Val’s hand. “Help yourself,” he muttered.
I ignored him, trying desperately to remember Reese’s phone number. The damn thing was programmed into my cell, so it wasn’t like I’d made the effort to memorize the digits, but I was pretty sure this was it.
Or not…
Apparently, I’d just woken up a rather perturbed old man. It was, after all, past midnight, so I couldn’t exactly blame the poor guy. I made a second attempt, and wound up calling a 24-hour donut shop. Seriously? Did enough people really need bear claws at three in the morning to warrant this? I hung up and prayed the third time was the charm. All it took was a questioning, “hello?” from me to get my answer.
“Jesus Christ! Kat?” Reese sighed. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling your phone for hours! And you weren’t answering your door either. I thought… Wait, whose number are you calling from?”
I collapsed into the backrest with relief.
“It’s a long story, but I’m alright,” I assured. “I need you to go back to wherever you checked in, if you’re not already there, and just lay low. Can you do that?”
“Yeah, but…what happened? Are you hurt?”
I could hear the panic in his voice, even now, and tears swelled in my eyes. If this was what he sounded like after I assured him I was okay, what had he been like before? “Reynolds found me. Or more, his men did. But I got away.”
Since Reapers now knew where I lived, it didn’t seem like much of a stretch that Reynolds would have spies scoping out my aunt’s house, especially now. And if Reese showed up… I shook my head, not willing to venture down that rabbit hole. Imagining him being tortured for information—all because of me—I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself.
I told Reese as much, opting to leave out that last bit, and made him promise me to keep an eye out, to make sure nobody was following him, and to stay hidden for the time being.
He did.
And his assurance was the only good news I had as I hung up, because Blaine groaned ever so softly beneath my hand. I hadn’t even realized I’d been absentmindedly stroking his hair. The guy looked like death warmed over. Val echoed the sentiment upon pulling into some dingy motel off the interstate, seeing his brother still unconscious and paler than ever. Parked right in front of Room 108, he turned off the engine and climbed out of the car. Just as he opened the back door to where I’d been seated, familiar chestnut brown hair came into view, washed out in the hideous long-tubed fluorescent lights overhead as the fixtures sputtered on and off.
The young man seemed to notice me at the exact same second, because the ice bucket in his hands almost slipped from his grasp.
Reese?
He didn’t say anything at first, his eyes shifting up and down from my face to…
Blaine was in my lap.
Blaine Freaking Ryder was in my lap!
Val cast me a look that seemed to say, “What the hell’s with you?” as he tried to calculate which way would be easiest to haul his brother out of the backseat… and off my freaking lap! He finally looked over his shoulder at Reese. “You two know each other?”
I wasn’t sure if it was the look on my face or something else, but the Dark Mage did a double take.
“Ah-ha,” he crooned. “The magician.”
I shot him a warning look, not the least bit in the mood for any of his bullshit. Not right now.
He seemed to sense as much as he turned back to Reese and said, “Mind giving us a hand? Or is that bucket all you can handle?”
The fact that I was clearly annoyed—and not scared of Val—was the only assurance to Reese that it was okay to approach the Dark Mage. He set his recently filled ice bucket on the hood as Val instructed him to grab Blaine from the other side of the backseat as Val heaved him upright off of me.
Apparently, dragging an unconscious/seemingly-dead man out of your car and into your room was a perfectly normal occurrence in these parts, because a couple of guests walked past us and didn’t pay any mind as the guys hauled Blaine into Room 108. With my legs unsteady beneath me, I took my time hobbling in behind them, arriving just in time to see them toss Blaine onto the mattress.
Since neither Val nor Reese seemed to be a particular fan of the Crown Prince, they didn’t exactly treat him with care. They lobbed him like he was nothing more than a sack of potatoes, watching him hit the edge of the box spring only then to topple off onto the floor. Reese pinned a hand to his mouth, at least attempting not to laugh, as Val outright snickered.
I stepped between the chuckling pair and gave them both a swat in the chest, immediately regretting it. My wrists silently screamed at the action. The slightest movement pulled and stretched the scorched skin, bringing me to the brink of tears. It should have at least begun to heal, but the charcoaled flesh and burning blisters were just as savage as they had been the moment Nick removed the silver manacles.
Recovering from their amusement, Reese and Val returned Blaine to the bed, taking better care this time as they set him closer to the center of the mattress. A cell phone sounded off outside, and Val cursed, realizing it was his.
“Sooo, how’s your night been?” asked Reese, attempting a half-smile upon the Mage’s departure.
“Oh, the usual. Kidnapped, drugged, nearly killed. And let’s not forget the gunfights, interrogation, and brutal mutilation by Hellhounds.”
Reese’s mouth dropped.
Yeeeeah, I kinda, sorta, maybe left out a few details on the phone, and his inability to find the right words hardly came as a shock. “So, you’re staying here, too?”
He managed to nod.
Now that I thought about it, it wasn’t that surprising both he and Val were here. The only nice place to check into around Evermore that wasn’t a Bed & Breakfast was the Grey Wolf Resort. It wasn’t overly expensive, but it would still take a hit to your wallet, leaving you with some less than stellar alternatives. I supposed the Moonlight Motel really wasn’t as bad as it looked from the outside, and it was infinitely better than the fleabag down the block. I was pretty sure you required a rabies shot before you were allowed to check into that monstrosity.
Reese’s gaze fell to my wrists and then to the unconscious Mage. “Kat, what the hell’s going on?”
“Hey, what do you know about Transference?” asked Val, poking his head back inside the room.
“…That it’s a three-syllable word?” I offered.
Reese chuckled. “I think he means Demonic Transference.”
“Oh, right. That.” I fake-laughed, thumping myself upside the head. “How silly of me.”
“It’s when two demonic creatures exchange energy between each other, essentially trading their essence. It can be given or stolen, depending on the situation,” clarified Reese.
“You up for it?” Val asked, looking to me.
“Up for what?”
“Giving Romeo, there, some of your mojo,” he said, gesturing to his brother.
“I…I can’t.”
“Now is not the time to be coy, Doll Face. If he dies, well…I’ll let your imagination fill in the rest.”
I rolled my eyes. “I say I can’t, because I literally can’t. My runes aren’t working.”
“Come again?”
“I was dosed with Devil’s Pod. My magic is dormant.”
“Shit.” Val returned to his phone conversation, making mention of stuff I had never even heard of, so I eventually tuned him out.
“Why would you need to give him your energy? What happened?�
� Reese asked me.
I recapped as much as I could manage to wrap my own head around when he leaned in and kissed me. I froze. “What was that for?”
Reese took a hold of my left hand, careful not to touch the skin on my wrist. “Dr. Madsen called me on my drive back. He thinks he found someth—”
The Dark Mage interrupted again, sticking his head back into the room. “Have you bitten him, by any chance?”
“Excuse me?”
“Blaine. Have you bitten him?” By the look on my face, he didn’t really need an answer. “That would be a no,” he said into his cell as he headed back outside. Low murmuring continued, and he sauntered back into the room not a moment later, hanging up the phone.
“You find something that’ll help him?” I asked.
“Yep, you’re gonna bite him.”
Chapter 18
Familiar Taste of Poison
Apparently, stubbornness was a familial trait.
“I think you may have to get your hearing checked, because I just told you. I. Have. No. Magic.”
If anything, I should have been the one rolling my eyes, but instead Val took up the role, letting out an annoyed sigh. “You don’t need magic to activate your fangs. Granted, you won’t be able to trigger them by smell, but you can still do it.”
“He’s already infected with the demonic virus though. Why would biting him help?”
“It just will.”
“How do you know?”
Val collapsed into the old worn chair in the corner, rubbing his temples. “I just do.”
Well, wasn’t he just a wealth of information. “Can you trigger your fangs?”
With no more effort than opening his jaw, those elongated incisors jutted out.
“Great, then why don’t you bite him?” I countered.
A devilish grin played at his lips as Val ran his tongue over the curve of his fangs. “I’m not his mate, Doll Face. You are.”
I couldn’t bite him.
I couldn’t.
Even if I could trigger my fangs, I didn’t know the first thing about how this whole “transference” thing worked. How hard would I need to bite him? Where would I have to bite him? For how long?
“It’s really not complicated,” Val assured. “I’ll explain everything step by step.”
I looked down at Blaine, praying I’d find a little more color in his cheeks. But his skin remained ashen, his breathing more labored. “Reese…”
He was at my side instantly, but I shook my head.
“I need you to leave the room.”
***
Val’s lips peeled back in a wicked grin, stealing a peak through the curtains, presumably to watch Reese pace outside. “I think you hurt Lover Boy’s feelings.”
I just shot him a dirty look as I yanked the drapes closed and shoved him towards the mattress.
“Wanna make this a threesome, ay?”
If I didn’t require his assistance, I would have turned his face into a crater where his nose was supposed to be. “I can’t risk having Reese in here when I trigger my fangs.” Not only because I wasn’t sure if I’d turn on him, but I also couldn’t bring myself to relive the horror of having him look at me like that again.
“And how do you presume to do that exactly?”
“You have to touch my neck,” I said, pulling the hair away from my exposed collar.
That wicked delight of his only heightened. “And…?”
“And nothing. Just be ready.”
“For what?” He didn’t give me a chance to answer, all too eager to run his fingers down the length of my neck as I sat down beside Blaine on the mattress.
The moment Val hit my scars, I doubled over and gasped. He seemed to understand, because he rested his entire hand over the markings as I writhed under his hold. Without any scent to assist the transformation, the fangs only teased at the roof of my mouth, not quite breaking through the gums. The revulsion hit in full force, and I began mindlessly thrashing at Val to let go of me.
But he held firm, his voice nothing more than a whisper. “Give into it.”
I clung to the bed sheets as my fingers curled into fists. “I can’t!”
My entire body convulsed, as if at war with itself. The pain in my jaw became unbearable. It felt like someone had just jammed a couple screwdrivers into my gums!
“Your body wants it. It’s you who’s holding back. Let go, Kat.”
Val was right. All I could see was Reese’s face, the fear, the aversion… Even without my magic, this was what I was, what I had become.
“He will die if you don’t do it.” Val grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at his brother.
I wasn’t sure if it was the threat of me possibly dying, or perhaps just seeing Blaine so helpless, but instinct finally took effect. That ravenous impulse sent my fangs slicing through the roof of my mouth as red filled the corners of my vision.
“That a girl.”
Val really should have heeded my warning. With his hand still on my neck, I involuntarily whirled on him, tackling the Mage so hard, his body slammed into the wall beside the mattress. My forearm pinned against his windpipe as I watched the pulse in his neck throb, practically begging me to tear into it—to tear the artery. I wanted to kill him for touching me there.
I wasn’t sure if it was the red encasing my vision, but the lights pouring out of Val’s remaining runes glowed like a Sith Lord’s lightsaber. Without magic aiding my effort, he managed to use his own strength to ease me off of him.
“Down, girl,” he beckoned.
Shaking, I finally regained composure, seeing the red peter out of my vision. At first, I panicked, grappling at my mouth, afraid my fangs may have retracted. They were still there.
I couldn’t waste time. I climbed back onto the bed, unsure of the next step. I needed to bite Blaine, but where? His wrist, perhaps? I lifted it up, feeling the weakness in his pulse. I was running out of time!
“The neck.”
“What?”
Val tapped the exact spot on his own neck where Blaine had bitten me. “It’ll work faster there.”
Struggling to pull Blaine into a sitting position, I stood on my knees behind him. This had to be precise. “What do I have to do after…?”
“After what?”
“You know… Do I have to drink…?” The very thought tested my gag reflex.
“Drink his blood?” Val laughed at me as if I was the cutest thing in the world. “No, Doll Face. Just let your instincts guide you.”
Considering those very same instincts were telling me just a moment ago to tear into the ass-hat’s neck like he was a human hamburger, the sentiment was hardly what I’d call comforting.
Lowering myself down to the back of Blaine’s neck, I started estimating where the exact spot had to be when I suddenly found myself leaning into him, breathing in his scent. The fresh coastal fragrance lingering on his skin had me moaning as I intuitively traced a path down to the right side of his neck. All my calculations, all my questions, all my nerves; they melted away. I didn’t need Val to tell me. I knew this was the spot.
My left hand cupped the underside of Blaine’s jaw, tilting his head to the side, exposing the entire length of his neck to me. It invited me to slice my teeth into it. And I did just that. Not a thought, not a moment of hesitation. Intuition consumed me as my fangs sank into his flesh. The reaction was immediate. Blaine’s wilted body went rigid, shuddering ever so slightly under my touch.
Giving someone your energy should have left you tired, drained, weak… Wasn’t it?
I had expected to feel faint, or at least lightheaded. But the euphoric potency wrapping itself around my bones had my toes curling under. The high I’d gotten from kissing him at the Hideaway paled in comparison to the delirious warmth enveloping me, consuming every inch of my body. I didn’t want it to stop.
I never wanted it to stop.
None of my runes had ignited, and yet I could feel the energy pouring into me, bringin
g me to the very brink of unadulterated ecstasy. Blaine fell slackened again, his weight leaning back into me, and I looked up at Val, my fangs still buried in his brother’s neck.
The cruel smile painted across the Dark Mage’s lips was pure menace, and ice instantly filled my veins as realization dawned on me.
“Well done, Doll Face.”
This wasn’t right. I wasn’t supposed to be feeling this way. All I could think was What had I done? What had I done? What had I done?
I’d been sucking out what little energy Blaine had left in him! It was the only logical explanation for what I felt. I was supposed to be giving him a part of myself, but all I had done was devour whatever linked us. And I couldn’t bring myself to stop! Had this been Val’s plan all along? Eliminate his brother from the picture all together? If he was dead, what other option was there but to name Val Crown Prince? The wickedness seeping off him told me everything I needed to know. I’d fallen for it. I’d fallen right into whatever sadistic trap he’d constructed, all without him getting his hands the least bit dirty. I’d done everything for him.
The sweet electrical pulsation coursing through me at last subsided just enough that I managed to regain control of myself. I pried my fangs free from Blaine’s neck, collapsing back into the headboard, taking him with me. I began shouting his name, screaming it, begging him to open his eyes as I shook his unresponsive form.
I hadn’t even heard the door open over my hysterics, finding Reese suddenly at my side.
“What happened? Kat?” He kept trying to get me to answer him, but I just sat there, sobbing.
I’d killed him. Maybe not entirely, but he was going to die, and it was all my fault!
I was going to die.
Val just chuckled, scooping up a bottle of vodka he had stored inside the top shelf of his mini-fridge, and casually strolled over to the chair in the corner.
Whether it was from the drugs or my hysteria, I didn’t know, but I couldn’t even feel my legs beneath me as I launched myself at him. I got as far as falling into him, feeling my nails tearing into his cheek when everything suddenly started to dim.
Covetous: An Urban Fantasy Romance (The Marked Mage Chronicles, Book 2) Page 19