Bound to Remember, a Paranormal Romance (Book 1 of the Spellbound Series)

by Lola James

  “Can we just not talk about my personal life at work anymore?” I sighed.

  “You have my word,” Dawn said, putting her index and middle fingers over her heart. She winked at me before she walked out of the locker room, leaving Ben and me standing there.

  “You calmed me down; I was afraid of what Kevin might do, but you calmed me down,” I admitted as I looked up at him. He nodded and removed his hand from my shoulder.

  “But how?” I turned to him, hoping for an answer.

  He smiled. “There is a lot for you to learn about me.”

  “Thanks, it really wasn’t a bad thing but you’re right I did have a lot to learn.” I walked back over to my locker.

  “You are welcome, Antonia.” He left me alone to think. Which I did for a few minutes, and then it hit me: I needed to get in contact with Annie. She was my roommate and best friend in college, and always insisted that she was a witch. We’d kept in touch since college, talking on holidays — especially her favorite, Halloween. I knew she might be able to tell me something about all of this, but she would never talk about it over the phone.

  I checked the locker room to see if anyone else was there, then grabbed my cell phone, found her name, and hit “send.” I bit my lip as the phone rang, worried about her reaction.

  “Hello?” a sleepy voice answered.

  “Annie? It’s Toni; did I wake you?”

  “Toni? Yeah, no, it’s all right, how are you?”

  “I’m great, but I wanted to ask you a question.” I tried to figure out how to phrase it without sounding like a crazy person.

  “Shoot,” she prodded, sounding wide-awake now.

  “Do you still …” I started, fidgeting with my fingers as I spoke.

  “Yes?” she said, trying to get it out of me.

  “Are you still a witch?” I finally blurted out.

  “Are you still a doctor? Of course, silly, you don’t just stop being a witch!” She laughed.

  Annie had taken being a witch to the extreme in college. She always dressed in all black and carried a book of spells she claimed her mom left her. I thought it was weird then, but now I believed her. Of course, it took Ben the vampire to help me realize it. She was the only person that could help me and prevent Ben from undertaking his role of Superman.

  “Oh, good,” I sighed.

  “Why? You never seemed interested in my magic before, except to sleep.”

  “I would rather talk in person; where are you now?” I thought she might still be local since we spoke less than a month ago.

  “I’m in Utah now, just outside of Salt Lake City with my mentor.”

  Dammit; that meant I needed to go to Utah, and Ben would have to go along to explain all this. He would have to tell Annie.

  “I’m off on Tuesday night; do you mind if I come see you and your mentor?”

  “Are you sure everything is okay, Toni? You’ve never believed in magic, let alone wanted to talk about it.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know, but you’re the only person I trust. And I need to bring my friend with me, if it’s all right.”

  “Okay, Toni, if you’re sure; just tell me your flight information and I’ll pick you and your friend up from the airport.” I couldn’t blame her for sounding skeptical.

  “Great — and Annie trust me; I just need your help understanding something.”

  “I trust you, Toni. I’ll see you Tuesday night,” she replied before we said goodbye.

  I put my phone back in my locker and took my credit card out to purchase the tickets for Ben and me. But before I could head to the break room to order them, a seizure patient came in on a stretcher, and I hopped into action with Ben by my side.

  ***

  It was finally time for a break, and by the look on exceptionally pale Ben’s face, he needed some blood stat.

  “Take a break; I need to check my emails,” I patted him on the back.

  “You look like you could use one too,” he smiled.

  “Well, go get us both something to drink,” I winked as he walked out of the break room. I looked up Southwest Airlines on the laptop and was able to find tickets leaving Tuesday night at nine and returning Wednesday night at ten. I was about to click “purchase” when Dawn walked in.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “It’s a surprise,” I said as I covered the screen with my arms.

  “I can still see the screen, T. Where are you going on Southwest Airlines?”

  “I said it was a surprise!”

  “I can keep a secret.” Dawn looked guilty as she said those words. I just turned around and looked at her. “Okay maybe I can’t, but I want to know.” She used her alluring Southern drawl that she knew I couldn’t refuse.

  “Okay; give me a minute and I’ll tell you,” I grumbled as she walked over to the vending machine. I completed my transaction just as Ben walked into the break room with a large coffee cup for him and a smoothie for me.

  “I swear, you two were made for each other; I never see either of you eat,” Dawn said as she bit into a candy bar. Ben and I looked at each other and laughed.

  “So, out with it.” Dawn stood with arms folded as she tapped her foot.

  “Okay, I’m taking Ben on a getaway to San Diego.” I touched Ben’s shoulder, hoping he could calm me down as I lied to my friend.

  “Wow! I’m shocked, but happy,” Dawn said as she walked over to hug me.

  “Not as shocked as I am,” Ben interjected as he stared into my eyes. I quickly looked away so that I wouldn’t be scrutinized.

  “Well, I’ll let you two lovebirds talk.” She released me and walked out of the break room.

  “Why did you say San Diego instead of Utah?” Ben asked.

  “How did you—? Never mind. I didn’t want her to know the truth. I’ll explain everything when we get off.” I left the break room.

  We had a hard six hours of constant patients with some of the worst injuries I had ever seen. By the time six a.m. arrived, I was ready to run out of the hospital. Ben was waiting for me when I finally made it out of the locker room. We walked from the hospital together, turning the heads of all of the nurses. We didn’t say anything on the car ride to his house but when we got there, he hit me with the expected questions.

  “So why Utah?” He leaned against the island in the kitchen as I sat on the barstool.

  “Someone who can help lives there.” I stood up to avoid eye contact, looking toward the refrigerator to find some food.

  “Help how, Antonia?”

  I tried to change the subject. “You like my name; you’re the only person that calls me that.”

  “I do, but answer the question.” Before I had a chance to respond, my cell phone rang, which was rare, so I answered it with a smile as I sat back down on one of the stools.

  “Hello?”

  “Toni, it’s Annie. I’m glad I caught you before you went to sleep.” Annie sounded like she had been running.

  “Oh, I have that information for you.” I reached in my bag to pull out our flight schedule.

  “Great, that’s what I called for.” I heard a rustling of some paper on her end.

  “Okay, we’ll be arriving at 10:55 pm on Tuesday night and we return Wednesday night. I haven’t booked a hotel yet.” I thought about a hotel and how we would sleep, because we weren’t actually together. I just happened to like him. A lot.

  “Don’t bother, but you will need to bring something. Zelma is awaiting your arrival. She said you must bring this for her to help your friend,” Annie explained.

  “But wait; how does she know that I don’t need the help?” I was confused by how the mentor had already dismissed my problem and me.

  “She knows; she won’t tell me, but she knows. Now, you need to bring the dust collected from the sun.”

  I was lost. The dust from the sun. I shook my head, wondering what that might do.

  “Okay, Annie, you’re the witch.” I looked at Ben as his mouth fell open.

>   “It’s not for me, it’s for Zelma.” Annie sounded confused too.

  “Well, tell Zelma thank you, and I look forward to meeting her.”

  “Will do; see you tomorrow night.” Annie hung up before I said goodbye. I looked at Ben; he was making me pancakes, but froze as I ended the call.

  “Did I hear you say the name Zelma?” Ben asked as he put the pancake batter down.

  “Yes. You know, it’s not polite to eavesdrop,” I teased.

  “Is this Zelma you speak of a witch also?” He looked confused by his own question.

  “Yes, I think so, if she’s Annie’s mentor.” I shrugged.

  “Hey, pancakes.” I smiled at the thought.

  “What did your friend ask you to bring?” I knew he had eavesdropped on my whole conversation.

  “Dust from the sun, whatever that means,” I yawned.

  “Sun dust is the particles that you see when the sun is beaming into a room. That is the only way the human eye can see the sun without looking directly into it.” Ben’s eyes never left the skillet with the pancakes.

  “And I’m supposed to bring that how?” I inquired as I tapped my index finger on my chin.

  Ben chuckled and produced his dimples in the process, “Just take a cup, and place it in the windowsill.”

  “Really that’s it?” He nodded as I made my way to the cabinet that housed the sea of mugs grab one to collect sunlight dust on the windowsill. I walked in the living room and found a remote that opened the electric blinds. I placed the cup in a window in the living room at the perfect angle to absorb the sun. As I closed the curtains, I saw a shadow in the dawn of the morning. For a moment, I was frightened but I shook it off as my mind playing into Ben’s Hades story. I didn’t bother to tell Ben I just went back into the kitchen to find my breakfast fully prepared. I sat on the bar stool beside Ben as he drank his cup of blood.

  “I am glad you are comfortable around me.”

  “As long as you drink whatever kind of blood that is and you don’t want mine, we’re good.” I took a bite of the pancakes.

  “You do not have to worry; I will not bite you.” He went to the sink and rinsed out his cup.

  “But you do bite people, don’t you?” I asked as he turned to walk out of the room.

  “Not really; I mean, I have, but I prefer not to hurt people.” He stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room.

  “I can imagine the pain; your fangs were pretty scary.” I chewed and talked with a mouthful of pancakes.

  “As I said, you need not worry. I am going to bed. I can feel the sun coming up and it makes me tired. You can sleep in the white room, or in mine, if you like,” he said before he left the kitchen.

  I sat there and savored my delicious pancakes. I don’t think I’d ever dated a man who cooked for me — although I wasn’t exactly dating Ben. I finished every bite before heading up the stairs. I stopped at the white room, looked at the bed, and then decided to make my way to Ben’s room. It was pitch-black, as usual. I thought about the best way to make it to the bed without falling. I stood in the middle of the floor and took off my shoes, socks, jeans, and bra. I left my tank top on and crawled across the floor to the bed. I was halfway across the large room when I felt an arm wrap around my waist and my body, lifting me up. I wanted to scream, but I recognized his touch.

  “Did I wake you?” I whispered.

  “No, I was just getting comfortable when I saw you come in. I love the crawl approach.” He laughed.

  “How can you see anything?”

  “I am a nocturnal creature; I have night vision.” Ben laid me down on his bed.

  “So you can see me now?” I stuck my tongue out at him.

  “Yes, Antonia; now sleep,” he said as he pulled the cover over me. I felt his body next to mine. I extended my hand and touched his naked back. He grabbed my hand and wrapped it in his arms. The coolness of his body was the perfect contrast under the heavy covers.

  “I am glad you decided to sleep in here with me. Just be warned, I look and feel dead when I am asleep.” I rubbed my hand against his thumb.

  “Well, I thought vampires were already dead.” I propped my head up on the pillow to listen to his response.

  “No, I am alive; I can just travel between your world and the Underworld.” His voice was louder so he must have turned to face me in the darkness.

  What does that mean?” I asked.

  “It means I am immortal and my soul is gone. That is why vampires drink blood. Their victims’ blood contains part of their souls.” I pulled away from him at the thought of him taking my soul.

  “So how does one become a vampire?” Such a simple question, but one that I had never had the opportunity to ask before. Ben leaned over me, pressing his half-naked body against mine, and turned the lamp on.

  “I only know how it happened to me,” he answered. I sat up as soon as Ben was back on his side of the bed. “I was in New York, looking for a job in the big city with the intention of getting married and starting a family. I was a late bloomer because my mother died of cholera right before I was supposed to leave for college, so I stayed to help my dad raise my younger sister and brother. By the time they were old enough to take care of one another, I was almost twenty-three; but I went on to attend the College of Philadelphia. I think it’s now known as the University of Pennsylvania.”

  “You went to U Penn? That’s crazy! I was accepted there but chose Berkeley instead. I’m sorry, go on.” I smiled as he continued his story.

  “Yes, well, I graduated and moved to New York City, where I worked in a bank. I met a young woman named Ruth who, well … she was a prostitute. She took me back to her parlor house and did things to me that I never knew existed. She was also a vampire, and she took too much of my blood. I lay lifeless until her Madame gave me her blood; she was a vampire too. Nothing happened, so the Madame gave me so much blood, I choked. Having made me, the Madame claimed me and made me her toy.”

  I could see pain, then anger flash across Ben’s face. I pulled his hand to my chest as he continued. “A male vampire, Levi, came into the brothel and made a deal with the Madame and I left with him. He set me free. I ventured out west for the gold rush and I met Joanna. So, to answer your question, I think you need to die with vampire blood in your system.”

  “Ben, I am constantly forcing you to bring up bad memories,” I said apologetically as I kissed his hand before laying it back on my chest.

  “I feel better telling you. I love that you listen, but I must go to sleep. I need the rest.” Ben’s lips touched my forehead with a gentle kiss. His touch was cold, but I felt warmth and comfort in it nonetheless. We laid back down together as I turned off the light, and I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.

  ***

  Around noon, I woke up in a cold sweat, dying of thirst. I moved Ben’s lifeless arm off my body as I climbed out of the large bed. I made it to the door without a bruise or bump and went downstairs to the kitchen for a glass of water. Ben’s house always appeared darker than it was outside. I could hear rain coming down as I sat on one of the bar stools and drank my water.

  After I finished the water, I made my way back up the stairs, but stopped at the study. I marveled at the books again before I checked out the desk; the laptop was closed, with various papers scattered around. I looked over some of the papers that seemed like bills, and noticed a deed to the house. I had to look.

  The names listed on the deed were Joanna Hollander and Catherine Modlin. I sat and stared at my last name. I only remembered Ben mentioning Joanna’s first name, not her last, and that Catherine was his girlfriend who died. I would have to ask more about Joanna and Catherine later today. It puzzled me that he had never mentioned Joanna had the same last name as me.

  For now, I needed to go back to bed. I made my way to Ben’s bedroom; after closing the door, I extended my hand in front of me. When I reached the foot of the bed, I knew I’d made it. I slid my hands across the
bed and found Ben in the same spot. I climbed into bed and nestled down next to him, pulling the covers over me to get comfortable enough to fall asleep.

  Despite all my efforts, I tossed and turned before I finally sat up and turned on the bedside lamp. I had too much on my mind to sleep. I looked in the drawer, hoping to find a book, but no such luck. I guess vampires don’t get insomnia. I did find the little box where Ben kept pictures of Joanna. I opened the box to get another glimpse of her, the vampire with my last name, and I found the picture with a letter in the box. I looked over at Ben; he was dead asleep, so quietly, I opened the letter.