Time of Death Series: Books 1-3: An Eternal Series Boxed Set

by Candy Crum

  My brain was so fried that I had no idea what to think, but then, I saw something happening. Tristan pulled away, and I could see some of the energy from his body and his mouth pouring into Andrews. It was only a second or two before Andrews deeply inhaled. It was then that I realized he’d turned slightly blue. I only noticed because color quickly returned to him.

  “I…” My words trailed off as I tried to piece together what had happened.

  “Feeling better?”

  I looked up to see Wendy looking down at me.

  “It was you, wasn’t it? That horrible pain?” I asked.

  She nodded. “You fighting me, dear. You weren’t the sweet Mia that I know. You weren’t yourself. I had no choice. I’m sorry.”

  “Did I…” Apparently… I still has’ed the dumb. My brain wouldn’t brain, and my words wouldn’t word.

  “Yes, Mia. You did.” Tristan didn’t look happy. “We got here in time, though. I was able to give him the life breath. He’ll be fine. He’ll just be weak for a day or two.”

  My head was shaking. I refused to believe it. I’d nearly killed him. I did kill him, and I didn’t even blink an eye. In fact, I’d been so enraged at Wendy pulling me away that I would have killed her, too, had she been a human.

  “I don’t understand,” I said. “I did just fine the last time. I thought I could this time.”

  “It doesn’t work like that,” Wendy said. “You’re still a baby, no offense. You have a lot left to learn. Before, you were just hungry. This time, you were completely drained to the point that you fell unconscious for hours. You needed more than a little pick me up. This was destined to fail.”

  “You should never have engaged, child,” Tristan said.

  The way that he used the word “child” made my face scrunch up. When a parent used that, it was because you stayed out too late. Or maybe you left all the lights on in the house. You might have even forgotten to call to let your parents know you were safe the first time going on a big trip with some friends.

  It wasn’t because you had sex with your hot cop friend and nearly killed him in the process…

  “I’m sorry!” I said. “He said that he wanted to help. I knew better. Damn it! I fucking knew better. I just… He wanted so badly to help me, and I was hurting so much. We kissed, and I couldn’t stop myself. I’m so sorry! I’m… I’m just so sorry. Tristan. Thank you for saving him.”

  Tristan sighed, his eyes closing. “The first time that I had sex with a girl, I killed her. The moment she began to climax, I drained every ounce of her life away. I had no idea what I was, what had happened. I knew nothing.”

  “Oh, my God. I don’t know what to say,” I told him.

  I didn’t. I had no idea how to process that. What if that had been me? I’d made only a single mistake—so far—but he was there to bail me out. He wanted to help me. He did help me. Our father/daughter relationship might not be typical, and sure as hell wasn’t normal, but he was doing the best he could. We weren’t an average, ordinary family.

  Tristan continued. “Unfortunately for me, it was a while before I found guidance. That beautiful girl that had her whole life ahead of her; she wasn’t the only one. I killed several more. I want to save you from that. You have your humanity, and I don’t want to see you turn it off because of the guilt you feel.”

  “I feel sick,” I said.

  “Let me take you home,” Wendy said. “Tristan is very strong. His energy will quickly heal your friend. Okay?”

  I could only nod. I couldn’t believe how badly everything turned out. On the one hand, I felt like I should stay until Andrews woke up, so I could apologize to him and beg his forgiveness. He’d trusted me, and I’d blown it. On the other, I thought it would be best if I left. He wouldn’t need me making a big deal about it. I needed to calm myself and apologize correctly instead of being a nasty, teary-eyed mess. Yeah… Having Wendy take me home was a much better idea.

  Chapter Five

  When we got home, Wendy walked me inside. She was so kind, and I was so happy to have her. She was very motherly, despite having no children of her own. Even being as old as she was with great maternal instincts, she still seemed no older than I was. She appeared to understand me better than I understood myself, which sure as hell came in handy at times. It made me feel terrible that I hadn’t been able to help her find her friend, Kailah.

  “I can’t believe that happened,” I said. Tears threatened to well in my eyes, but I did my best to stop it.

  “Shh. Relax. Take a few breaths; collect yourself. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “How can you say that? I nearly killed him. I did kill him. You’re an Immortal. Your sole purpose on this earth is to stop creatures like me. To destroy them. How on earth can you say that I’ve done nothing wrong?”

  She sighed, but it wasn’t out of exasperation. It was kind, warm as she smiled. “Khia’s sole purpose is to wipe anything off the planet that isn’t like her. Anything that may pose a threat. My purpose, however, is to find and protect those that are innocent. It is my purpose to keep safe the ones who might otherwise be killed by my kind. Human, Vampire, Succubus. It doesn’t matter. You didn’t mean to kill him. Had you, you would have had a very, very different experience with me tonight.”

  “Yeah… About that. What the hell did you do to me?” I asked.

  “I was purifying you. It’s a nice, friendly way of saying that I was boiling your blood to the point that your blood vessels were bursting open.”

  My eyes widened. “Holy God. You can do that?”

  She winked. “Stick around, kid. You’ll see all kinds of crazy things.”

  “Most days, I have a pretty good handle on this. But then I learn something like that and… Wow. Just wow. That’s all I can say.”

  “If you think I’m impressive, you should meet Sayen. She’s a lot older than me. As far as Immortals go, she’s the most powerful out of all of us. Only Khia is stronger.”

  “What about that Kailah girl?” I asked. “Isn’t she supposed to be something crazy awesome?”

  Wendy sighed and nodded. “She really is. I hope you get to meet her. I’m very curious to know why I can’t find her.”

  In the pantry, my parents kept a mini-fridge that was strictly for wine. It was definitely a good day for it.

  “Strawberry, grape, blueberry, or something classic? Wine that is,” I said.

  “Surprise me. Something sweet,” she replied.

  I picked a bottle of grape and strawberry and went back to the kitchen to get glasses and a corkscrew.

  “Mom and dad are in bed, I think. The guys are cleaning up my mess. Why don’t we just sit and talk about this whole war thing? I know literally nothing about it, minus a few choice details. If I’m going to help, and I would love to, I figure I should know a bit more about it.”

  I brought everything back to the table and sat down, pouring a glass of strawberry and handing it to Wendy before pouring the grape into my glass. She took a sip and sighed.

  “That’s great. And I suppose you’re right. You know some, but not a lot. If I’m to be completely honest, I’m terrified of getting too close to you. I don’t want something to happen to you, too. But—that’s no way to live. As old as I am, I know that.”

  “You must be really close to Kailah. What’s she like?” I asked.

  “She’s a good girl. Complicated, but a very good girl. Sayen, the Immortal that I told you about, is her great-great grandmother. She fled from Egypt and from Khia, traveling from country to country only to end up in Native American country in the late 1800’s. She met and fell in love with a man named Taima. Together, they found a way to bind her powers, which made it possible for them to live their lives together without Khia being able to find them. She was even able to physically age into an old woman. When Taima died, the binding ritual began to lose its potency, and Sayen slowly started to get her youthful appearance back, and her powers came back. The day that Kailah was born, the spell comp
letely shattered the rest of the way, and the power that had been harmless passed from generation to generation basically erupted inside of her.”

  “Isn’t she supposed to be the new Immortal Queen, or something like that?” I asked. “That sounds like a huge responsibility. I can’t even figure out how to compel someone properly. Sometimes it works, sometimes it’s weak. Maybe I have to use touch, maybe not. Nothing is consistent. Ever.” I sighed. “I couldn’t imagine having to learn how to use my powers while also being charged with a responsibility that big.”

  “She’s a lot like you in that department,” Wendy said. “She had a lot of problems coming to accept who and what she is. Even more when she was turned into a Vampire. Like you, she fought with herself because of her need to feed and also the increased sex drive. It’s very hard for someone pure of heart to consider using anyone for their own needs. That’s why I didn’t kill you. I watch how you fight it. You’re not a bad person. You simply don’t know how to control yourself. Like her, it will take you time. Even now, she is still learning.”

  “Yeah, well, she has more of an excuse than I do. She has real powers. I have nothing. My superpower is being needy for sex and killing great guys by getting it. Some compulsion. Wooo. Exciting stuff. You’d think with only those two things, I’d be able to do something efficiently by now.”

  “I bet there is more than that. There is a spark in you. I saw it in Kailah, and I see it in you. Maybe it just hasn’t reached the surface yet,” Wendy said.

  “What do you mean?”

  I downed the rest of my wine and poured another glass. Wendy wasn’t far behind me. She finished her glass and poured her next glass, grape this time.

  “Do you have any vodka?” she asked.

  I smiled. “I do believe so.”

  “How about some Jolly Ranchers? I’ll show you a neat trick. It’ll make your head spin.”

  I’d mixed the two before, and it tasted pretty good. It wasn’t new, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her. She was too excited. I went back to the pantry and found the candy basket. Under the loads of chocolate, I found a small stash of the hard candies. I grabbed a handful, fetched two new glasses, and went to the freezer for the vodka. When I came back, Wendy was all smiles as I set down the items she asked for.

  “You’ll find that alcohol burns off super fast in those of us that have increased healing abilities. Basically—anyone in the shadow world. So, I’ve found a love for chasing vodka or tequila with wine. Sweet wine, of course.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I said. “What did you mean that you see a spark in me, but that it just hadn’t reached the surface yet?”

  “Have a seat,” she said, completely ignoring me once again.

  I did as she asked, then drank a few more sips of my wine.

  “I’m sure you’ve seen or even had this before, yes?” she asked.

  I smiled. “Mmhmm. I saw some videos come across Facebook. I tried it once. I really liked it a lot. Takes forever, though. More time than what we are willing to invest I think.”

  She laughed. “Not today.”

  Wendy separated the Jolly Ranchers by color and dropped two of the watermelon candies in the bottom of the lowball glass. She then closed her fist, extending her index and middle fingers and waved them over the glass a single time. The candies broke down, melting into a small puddle. Once they were liquefied, she poured a couple of shots worth of vodka into the glass and sat it down in front of me.

  “That was bad ass! I never thought about you being able to use your powers for fun stuff. That’s awesome. Now, I’m even more jealous!”

  “Wanna try something with me?” she asked, smiling. “It’s just an experiment.”

  “Do I get to drink that deliciousness?” I asked.

  “Of course! But after.” She winked. “You’re not allowed to touch the glass.”

  My brows furrowed. “Oookay. If you say so.”

  “Look at the glass,” she said.

  Sighing, I did as she asked. It was separated still. The pink, melted candy was on the bottom, and the vodka floated on top with a thin, blurred line between them.

  “Without touching it, I want you to mix it.”

  Okay… That did it. I looked at her incredulously, hardly able to believe what I’d heard. “What? And how the hell am I supposed to do that?”

  She laughed, chugging down the rest of her wine. “Humor me! This will be fun. I promise. I have a theory, but I just can’t be sure yet.”

  “That I have no powers? Because that’s pretty established.”

  “Don’t make me spank you. Now, give it a shot!” she said.

  I laughed then. “Don’t threaten to spank a Succubus. You might not like the results you get. And okay! Fine. Tell me what to do.”

  “Fully look at the glass and place your hands around it. You can touch it now, but be careful not to shake it.”

  Again, I did as I was asked, ridiculous as it may be.

  “You know how to focus on your own Succubus energy, but you have no idea how to pull strength from your human energy. No matter how big and bad a Succubus or an Incubus is—they are still half human. Each and every one of them. So, what I want you to do is focus on your human energy. Pull it to the surface. Look into the glass and repeat the word natus. Natus. Natus. Repeat it over and over. Push your energy toward the glass as you do.”

  I sighed, having precisely no clue what the hell she was trying to prove. Focusing hard, I searched through my dominant Succubus energy and located the very submissive and dormant human energy locked away inside. I’d come a long way in the short time I’d had my limited abilities, and though I still had my humanity, the energy of that was very docile and stayed in the back.

  The word was strange, and I had no idea what it meant, but I did as she asked. Staring hard into the glass and pushing my human energy forward, I repeated natus over and over, waiting for something to happen.

  After a few minutes, I got bored and chugged down the rest of my wine before pouring another glass. “If you want me to continue to do this, I need to be a hell of a lot more drunk to do it. I’ve natus’ed this glass of vodka to death.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she inspected me. “I’m going to hold your wrist while you hold the glass. It’ll burn for a moment, but do your best to ignore it. You’re doing wonderfully. You were able to do exactly as I asked. Most newbies can’t even touch their human energy anymore, let alone focus entirely on it. One more time, okay? If it doesn’t work, I’ll leave it be.”

  I sighed and nodded. “Very well then.”

  After placing my hands back around the base of the glass, careful not to disturb its contents, Wendy placed her hand over my wrist. I closed my eyes and focused hard, once again separating the energies inside of myself. I felt pain burn into my skin and up through my arm, but I did my best to ignore it. It took a minute or two, but I was finally able to think through it.

  “Natus,” I said, then repeating the word several times.

  The edges of the glass felt colder suddenly, and I opened my eyes—then opened them some more.

  “What the fuck…” I said.

  “Ha! I knew it!” Wendy said, clasping her hands together.

  I looked over at her, then down into the glass with the swirling liquid, then back to her again.

  “You did that,” I said.

  She shook her head, giving me a brilliant smile. “Nope. You did.”

  I shook my head then. “No. That’s impossible. What the hell?”

  “If I’d met you before you transitioned, I’d have seen it from a mile away,” she said. “But I didn’t. Your dominant Succubus aura had already taken over by the time I’d met you, but it wasn’t strong enough to hide it entirely.”

  “What? Hide what?”

  “You’re descended from witches.”

  My jaw dropped. “I’m sorry… What?”

  “A lot of witches use old languages for spells. I’ve known a few in my time. Kailah’s aunt is
a witch, but she was adopted, so Kailah and her sister didn’t have anything like that themselves. Natus is Latin for ‘mix.’ I sensed something in you; I just couldn’t place it. So, I had you try that, and I was right! That was the spark that I sensed in you. See? You’re not powerless.”

  “What are the odds that I’d have discovered that on my own?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “You wouldn’t have. As you age, you lose track of your human energy more and more. Well, normal Succubi and Incubi do anyway. You and Tristan seem to be different. He never lost his. It’s possible he also carries the witch blood in him. Perhaps that’s what keeps both of you human. Witches have a great connection to nature and living things. It makes sense that you would both be deeply connected to your human energy.”

  “So, uh… Can I drink this yet? Because I need it.”

  She smiled before dropping a couple of blue Jolly Ranchers in the other empty lowball glass. After melting those, she poured in the vodka and swirling around the mixture. She held the glass in the air, and I picked up my own.

  “To new beginnings and discovering yourself,” she said.

  “Yeah… To all that.” I tapped her glass with my own and drank it down. I had a feeling we were about to destroy that bottle along with both bottles of wine.

  Chapter Six

  The next morning, I awoke to the sound of voices in the other room. My head was a bit angry with me, which was a bit surprising. I assumed that it would be healed away, but apparently not. With a groan, I exited the bed and made my way to the bathroom to splash water on my face, brush my totally unruly hair, and empty my bladder.

  When I walked into the living room, I wished I’d done a whole hell of a lot more.

  “Holy… shit,” I said.

  My jaw fell open. Two of the most incredibly beautiful men I’d ever seen in my entire life were standing and talking to Wendy. She smiled.

  “Mia! Good morning. This is Aeric and Brett Banica. They are the adopted sons of the Vampire Queen.”