Branded (An Otherworlders Series Novel Book 1)

by Lena Moore

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Because we both saw each other at separate times but our bodies hadn’t moved. Does that even make sense?”

  “So let me get this straight. Draven, you’re in one room. Aliyah is in another, and then you appear in the room with Aliyah?”

  “Yeah, but she couldn’t see me. She said she sensed something, but didn’t see anything.”

  “And it was the same for you, Aliyah?” queried Jadis.

  Aliyah felt her cheeks grow hot. “Yeah. It was the same for me. It’s like I’m still in control of my body, but somehow a part of me goes walk about.”

  “I’ve never heard of such a gift. Do you think it’s designed just for you two, Draven?”

  He sighed. “I have zero idea, Jadis. I’m as baffled as you. I’m practically pissing in the wind at this point.”

  “Ok. Enough of that for the moment. I sense you have some questions, Aliyah,” Jadis commented.

  “I just don’t know what’s happening to me. Draven says I’m–I’m transitioning or some shit to vampire, but how is that even possible. And why did I never know about my heritage?”

  “Will you allow me to look into your mind?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, if you allow me access, you might be able to direct me to when you were born. Your magic is strong for a young vampire. I think if you focus, I might be able to find out why you aren’t aware of your lineage.”

  “What do I have to do?” Aliyah canted her head to the side.

  “It will be painful. You will need to drink a tiny bit of my blood and I’ll need a few drops of yours. I’ll need you to trust me and capitulate completely. Any resistance from you will make this even more painful.

  Drink her blood, what the fuck?

  Without looking at him, Jadis warned, “You need to calm yourself, D. Sit the fuck down.” Jadis eyed Draven cautiously.

  Aliyah looked to Draven. His pants were pulled tight around his erection and his eyes glimmered with what looked like lust.

  Aliyah shook her head at Draven then turned to Jadis. “Ok. Do it. I need to know.”

  Jadis grabbed a knife and sliced a small incision into Aliyah’s palm, causing her to hiss, then drew her hand upward and held it over her mouth. The whole scene felt intimate. Jadis instructed Aliyah to do the same with her palm. The blood hit her palate. It was copper-tinged with sweetness and sent her seeing stars, and fuck she was aroused. She heard a growl and knew it was Draven. She focused all her energy on Jadi’s and her blood.

  Jadis moved closer to Aliyah. She placed a hand on each side of her temples and muttered some words that Aliyah didn’t understand, nor did she care. Jadis’s blood had done something to her, and she wanted to know what was happening.

  The euphoria was replaced by mild pain. It was more of an annoying niggling sensation at first. Aliyah saw colours and images circle inside her mind, but then she felt something dark and sinister. She started to feel threatened and her body shook.

  “Just a little longer. I almost have it,” Jadis panted.

  Aliyah gritted her teeth: the pain was relentless now. A heavy palm landed on her shoulder and some of the agony dissipated. It was Draven.

  There was a bright spark and then Aliyah and Jadis flew apart.

  Jadis’s eyes were glassy; she looked like she’d seen a ghost.

  “What? Tell me, please,” Aliyah pleaded.

  “It’s your biological mother, Aliyah. It’s not that woman that you believed to be your mom. Her name is Serene. She is vampire, angel and faery.”

  She felt lightheaded, like her world was crashing.

  “I’ve got you, Snowflake.”

  The last thing Aliyah remembered was Draven peering into her eyes. Then the world turned black.

  Chapter Ten

  ~ Draven ~

  An angel and a fucking faery? No wonder I’m addicted to her scent! It’s almost unheard of, that combination. Draven ruminated further. Perhaps that’s why her scent and aura is so exhilarating. He felt sad and sorry for Aliyah. She’d grown up not knowing who she was or what she would end up becoming. Her father, whoever he was, must be a vampire as well. Aliyah was still passed out on Jadis’s couch so they spoke in hush tones to not wake her.

  “J, what else did you see?”

  “I didn’t see much more than Serene. I sensed a powerful and nefarious energy as well, but I was booted from the memories before I had a chance to view anything else. My magic is so depleted, D. I can’t keep living like this.”

  “I know, sweetheart. Look, I was going to suggest leaving Aliyah here whilst she sleeps off whatever just happened to her. Will you keep her safe? I want to head down to the café across from Carnelian’s Boutique. I’ve noticed your sister and Gwent frequent the shop daily.”

  “Go. I will watch your Snowflake.” She smiled.

  Draven kissed Jadis on the forehead. He took one last glance at Aliyah before he walked down the hall and locked the door as he exited the shop.

  He opted to jog to the café, which proved to be less practical that he had anticipated. His boots were heavy as shit and felt like rocks hitting the ground.

  Draven decided to alternate between the café he was at the other day and the small café a couple of shops down that accommodated writers and social media fiends galore. He thought back to when Malister appeared the other day and wondered if she was in on this messed up plan of siphoning Jadis’s magic. Is Jada a part of this? Is she really that jaded? he mused.

  The café was bustling with patrons and workers alike. Draven decided to sit at the large light wood, bar-like table at the front of the café. Down lights hung above his head, and in between the table and open window was a small garden bed filled with herbs. It smelled like rosemary and basil. Two of his favourite herbs.

  A waitress sauntered up to him with a smile on her oval face. She ogled Draven openly. He briefly wondered what her blood would taste like until Snowflake formed in his vision. He didn’t understand this branding, but he was beginning to appreciate it.

  “What can I get you, sir?” Plain Jane asked.

  “Just a straight black, no sugar. Thanks.”

  “Anything else, sir?” A half smile creased her face and her eyebrows rose slightly.

  What is it with these needy women? he groused. “No. Just the coffee.” Then he turned away and pulled his phone out hoping she would get the hint.

  Plain Jane turned on her heel, huffing in the process, and Draven smiled in victory.

  He watched the storefront with vigilance. He needed to figure out what was happening to Jadis, and what they planned to do with her magic. He sensed there was more behind the reasoning for her magic being siphoned. There was a bigger picture and he needed to either rule out or rule in Jada and Gwent being the culprits. He was betting on the latter.

  His coffee arrived moments later, with the waitress all but slamming the cup down. Feisty little one, he thought. He smiled and thanked her then resumed his surveillance. It was approaching eleven am when the familiar and eerie feeling travelled up his spine: Malister was close again. He lifted his head slightly, angling it toward the shop front without being conspicuous. Jada, Gwent and Malister walked down the street. He focused his energy on his hearing and tuned in.

  “How much longer is this going to take, Malister?” Gwent cursed.

  “As long as it needs. Why? You in a rush, Warlock?”

  “Now, now, you two, don’t fucking start with your bickering again,” chided Jada.

  “Come on, babe, I just want this over with so we can move on together. We can’t exactly do that while we have a third wheel,” he said, pointing to Malister.

  “You need me, Warlock, remember that. Without me, you wouldn’t be nearly as successful at siphoning your other gf’s magic,” she hissed.

  Draven tuned out. They were fucking using Malister to perform whatever spell, magic, or whatever she did to sink her teeth into Jadis’s aura. That’s why she was
weakened more than if it was only a witch or warlock siphoning her. He needed to stop this ASAP. Draven feared if they took much more that maybe Jadis’s magic wouldn’t replenish.

  He ordered a caramel latte for Jadis and a vanilla chai for Aliyah. He had no idea if she would like it, but something told him that she would.

  The trio was nowhere to be seen when he exited the small café. Draven walked briskly until he arrived at the front of Jadis’s shop. He knocked a couple of times before she finally opened the door.

  “You trying to break my door, Vampire?”

  He pushed the latte into her hand and moved around her heading toward the back room. Aliyah looked like she’d just woken. She smiled sleepily at him before her head canted to the side and her eyebrows hiked high.

  “What’s the matter?” she queried.

  “Yes. What happened, D?” Jadis mirrored Aliyah’s comment as she came up behind him.

  “Sit.” He pointed to the couch and Jadis assumed the positon on the sofa. “We were right. It is your sister and Gwent siphoning your magic.”

  “That two-timing son of a bitch, and Jada...”

  Draven cut her off. “Calm down, Jackie Chan. There’s more. A demon by the name of Malister is assisting them. I believe that’s why your magic isn’t able to restore at the rate it normally would,” he said then sighed. “I know you’re probably going to tell me to get fucked but we need to hide you somewhere. Or you need to leave town for a while until I work this shit out.”

  “Like fuck, Draven, I am not leaving my home!”

  “Jadis, sweetheart, listen to me. If we don’t do something, I’m concerned that your magic won’t be able to replenish, ever. This is critical. You need to do this. Without your magic, you’ll lose your identity. It’s who you are.”

  Jadis stood up and paced the small area, pushing her bright pink nails through her electric blue hair. “Fuck!” she bellowed. “How could Jada do this to me? I don’t even know what to think about Gwent.”

  A small cough drew his attention away from Jadis to Aliyah.

  “You mentioned that your place was cloaked with magic, could Jadis stay there as well?”

  Draven groaned, “No, because Jada knows where I live. Anyone I’ve allowed in my lair can generally summon the magic to find it again.”

  Jadis clicked her fingers, bringing the focus back onto her. “Remember when I cloaked your place, D? There was another part under the Quarter that I built and cloaked for emergencies. No one knows where it is besides you and me. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it until now! Damn, Aliyah, you’re fucking amazing!”

  She walked over to Aliyah, wrapped her arms around her and squeezed. “Thank you.”

  “It’s settled. Pack your shit, Jadis, you’re coming with us. Do you think you have enough magic to mask your aura? Just in case they’re around?”

  “I think so. I’ll have to sleep like the dead after though. Arrghh. Let’s do this.”

  ~ Aliyah ~

  Aliyah couldn’t help feeling a little jealous over the bond Jadis and Draven had. And for the life of her, she was having a hard time trying to comprehend what the fuck was going on within herself.

  Jill and John lied to her for eighteen years. All this time she believed that they were her parents, and now she finds out that her mother was actually a vampire, angel and a faery. The fuck?

  The walk to Draven’s lair seemed like an eternity. There were no mishaps, but Aliyah sensed all eyes on her and a part of her wondered if it was her blood. The need to drink blood, especially after tasting Jadis’s, had increased. How was she going to have this conversation with Draven? And when was he going to feed? Aliyah realised that Draven hadn’t fed since he’d met her four days ago and she wondered how long vampires could go without blood. That was a question she would eventually have to tackle with him.

  Jadis wasn’t kidding about the hidden space she’d disguised. It looked almost identical to her space at the back of the shop. Except this one had only one sofa, a bed in the corner and a small bathroom and kitchenette on the other side of the room. Her beads, salt lamp and what looked like crystals and white sage were scattered around the space. Aliyah ruminated how such an incantation like this could be evoked. Her curiosity was peaked but she wasn’t about to ask. Jadis needed her rest; the poor woman looked spent. Her once vibrant forest greens were now a little muddied.

  Draven left momentarily to get some food for Jadis. The places were in close proximity so he was back within ten minutes. There was a bag full of snacks, fruit and a couple of wrapped sandwiches inside.

  “Here, this should tide you over for a bit. If you need me, don’t hesitate to call. Aliyah and I will leave you to rest. You’re doing the right thing.”

  Jadis nodded once and then curled up on the bed. Aliyah swore she heard her soft snores as the door clicked behind them.

  They separated after leaving and Aliyah went to her room. She shuffled around her space, uncomfortable and restless. What the fuck was going on with her. Her veins felt like they were on fire. If she is a vampire, a faery and an angel, shouldn’t the light cancel out the dark? A twinge of regret pulsed throughout her body. Draven was a vampire and he was good. Aliyah admonished herself internally, and also reminded herself not to label anyone so freely.

  She threw herself on the bed and closed her eyes. Behind her retinas, she envisioned what the taste of Jadis’s blood had been like on her palate. It had made her body sing with excitement and strength. The image quickly morphed into Draven with his fangs elongated. It was surreal to see them, let alone touch them. He was the embodiment of man, vampire and pure adulterated sex on legs. Aliyah remembered how hard his body looked, and she salivated over the thought of running her fingers down his carved form.

  Would he feel hot to touch? Would I set his soul on fire like he’s setting mine? Why do I feel so insanely strong toward him when only a short while ago I wanted to rip his dreadlocked head from his body? I wonder if I’ll ever find any answers to my questions.

  The figure behind her closed eyes moved toward her. She wasn’t scared but his eyes shimmered with carnal need. He tilted her head to the side and his teeth pierced her neck. It felt too real. She sat up with a jolt. The pain travelled through her gums and caused her to scream out.

  Draven burst through the door, almost taking it with him. “Aliyah! What’s wrong? Talk to me!” He grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

  “My—my gums—they—aaaahhhh fuck!”

  His amethyst and ruby eyes penetrated her down to the core. “Breathe with me. Your canines are trying to break through your gums. The more you fight, the more excruciating the pain,” he confessed. “Count with me. One, two, three.”

  Aliyah counted with Draven, and by the time she reached seventeen she heard and felt a pop from inside her mouth. The pain was gone.

  Draven growled; she looked into his eyes and realised his fangs were at full length. They were amazing. She lifted her hand and drew her lips back. Her fingers trailed along her own canine; they were sharp. She rushed over to the dressing table sitting across from the king-size bed and stared at her reflection.

  Her eyes looked different. The colours seemed more pronounced as they shimmered back from the mirror. Draven stepped up behind her as Aliyah admired first her new fangs then him through the reflection. He stood close to a foot taller than her and his stance was menacing as he sidled up beside her before pushing her long raven hair to one side.

  “You are breathtakingly beautiful, more so with these.” He trailed his index finger over her canine.

  Aliyah gasped and leaned into him. The air around them fizzled with electricity, the current crackling loud in her ears, and she ruminated if it was only her feeling this way.

  Turning around, she looked up into his eyes like it was the first time she’d seen them. Draven was a fucking masterpiece. He cupped the back of her neck with his hand and his lips caressed hers ever so slightly. Aliyah moaned into the air, her nails seeking purc
hase into Draven’s thick body. He was just as hard as she expected.

  “If you keep doing that, I am going to fuck you into next week, Snowflake,” his voice rumbled.

  Aliyah’s gums tingle and so did her pussy at his admission.

  “Fuck, I can smell you. Your ripe cunt is begging to be used. Tell me to fuck off, Aliyah, because I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself if you don’t.”

  His comment sent fireworks and volcanos off within her body and she couldn’t deny it any longer. She wanted him.

  Sparkling with depravity, Draven’s eyes roamed all over her body and back up to her violet hues. He seemed conflicted yet his familiar scent of sandalwood, clove and chocolate assaulted her senses. The scent she couldn’t interpret before she now knew was his arousal. It smelled like sweet musk, and holy fuck it smelled deliciously edible.

  She pushed up onto her tippy toes and her lips clashed against Draven’s. Growling, he lifted her up; she wrapped her legs around his torso with her feet resting on his amazing ass. Aliyah’s fingers tangled through his dreads as she grinded on his abdomen. The thin piece of lace that covered her pussy under her pleated skirt was now soaking wet. Her nipples peaked and the piercings felt heavy against the course material of her bra and shirt. Fuck, Aliyah needed the friction. She needed to dull the unrelenting ache that viciously burned within her core. But what she needed more was Draven buried deep inside of her.

  She pulled away from the kiss, panting, “I–I need you, fuck, I need you inside of me, Draven. My body feels like it’s on fire. Only you can put it out,” she implored.”

  “Fuck, you’re insatiable. You have no idea what you’re doing to me, Snowflake. I’m dying here. You need to feed, and you need to fuck. And I’m going to happily satisfy those desires,” he growled.

  Draven’s lips smashed onto hers again and they kissed with their eyes open. If it was anyone else, Aliyah would think it was creepy. However, with Draven it was inebriating. He was carrying her somewhere and fucked if she cared where.