Death Untold: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (The Witch's Rebels Book 5)

by Sarah Piper

  We kept our hands steady, and using the tip of her athame, Haley carved runes into our skin, cutting just deep enough for blood to rise but not drip. It stung, but I welcomed the pain. It kept me focused on the moment, on its importance.

  When she finished, Darius and I clasped hands over the candle between us, pressing our palms together and lacing our fingers tight. The moment we connected, my palms began to warm, then tingle, the sensation slowly spreading up my arms and into my chest.

  “Do you feel it, Gray?” Haley asked, and I nodded, stifling a giggle. It made me feel light and happy inside, like getting laughing gas at the dentist.

  “Now,” she continued, “I want you both to gaze into each other’s eyes and focus on your connection. See it reflected in your gazes. Note the different colors and facets in the eyes of your beloved. The exact shade and shape of the lips you’ve kissed so many times. The sound of breath, the scent. Feel the way your skin tingles when you touch, the way your fingers are so tightly entwined, the sting of the rune carvings. Imagine your blood flowing from your heart, Gray, down your left hand and into Darius’s right. Darius, feel yourself receiving that gift of blood and magic from her, bringing it deep into your own heart, then sending it back out to Gray through your left hand and into her right. Imagine it’s a circle of fire, spinning slowly at first, then heating, quickening, binding you together as it grows brighter.”

  Everything around us was silent but for the soft popping of the candles and the strong, wild beat of my heart. As I felt the magic working through us, my body warm and tingling, the circle of flames growing stronger, I gave in to the deep pull of Darius’s gaze. The emotion reflected in his golden honey eyes was indescribable; the moment felt shockingly intimate, despite our company.

  As the circle of flames continued to spin, Haley rose to her feet, then paced her own circle around us, chanting a spell as she moved.

  Blood is the bond, blood is the key

  To unlock the cage of these memories

  What flows from one heart shall flow to the other

  As mysteries past will soon be uncovered

  Trust in this magic, trust in this love

  Restore what was lost, below and above.

  She repeated the verse three times, once for each circle she walked. As she chanted, the flames inside me heated, my magic spinning, twining, connecting. My heart was beating hard enough to burst, but each time I feared it would, I felt the magical rush of Darius’s blood into my body, steadying me. With each circle Haley completed, more of Darius’s memories surfaced, flickering through my mind only to rush away again before I could fully grasp them.

  I hoped they were rushing back to him.

  “Rise,” Haley said, “keeping your hands clasped.”

  When we’d gotten to our feet, she said, “I want you to close your eyes and imagine the circle of flames slowing down, dimming, slowly fading like embers in a fire. Reclaim your magic, your blood. Feel it filling you up again, spreading throughout your body, renewing you. Once the flames have completely subsided and you feel whole again, you may release each other, and the ritual will be complete.

  This part took a bit longer than the chanting, but Darius and I seemed to get there at the same time, slowly releasing each other. It was hard to let him go; after the deeply intimate moment we’d just shared, it felt like I was breaking the connection all over again.

  Like I was risking losing it all.

  When I looked into his eyes, I saw a flicker of sadness, and knew he’d felt the same way.

  “Darius,” I whispered, reaching for his face. If this was supposed to restore him, why did I suddenly feel so empty? So lost?

  “I’m afraid I was right,” he said softly, a smile tilting at the edge of his lips. “I am in love with you.”

  And then his eyelids fluttered closed, and Darius swayed on his feet.

  Thirty-Four

  GRAY

  “Liam,” Haley ordered, and in an instant, Liam was at my vampire’s side, catching him before he collapsed. Slowly and gently, he guided Darius onto the bed, pulling the blankets up to his shoulders, tucking him in.

  My heart melted, and I blew out a breath.

  “All part of the process,” Haley assured me. “He just needs to rest now. How about you? Feeling okay?”

  “I… I’m fine. Just a little dizzy. Nothing some OJ and chocolate won’t fix.”

  “Here, hold this.” She pressed a piece of smoky quartz into my left palm, folding my fingers around it. “It will help ground you. Take—”

  I gasped as a new image jolted my mind, accompanied by a sharp burst of pain that had me dropping to my knees and clutching my head.

  “Breathe, Gray.” Haley knelt by my side, rubbing circles on my back. “Deep breaths. Count backward from ten if you need to.”

  “There’s another image,” I said, trying to focus on it. On her, I realized. “A woman. I don’t think she’s from Darius’s memories.”

  “A woman? What does she look like?” Haley asked. Her voice held a note of concern.

  “She’s sitting at a desk in the middle of a huge office, flipping through old books. She’s wearing modern clothes—a black pantsuit, blue silk blouse. Her jacket has some kind of silvery-looking pin in the shape of a crown, with two swords crossing underneath.”

  Haley sighed. “Dark braid over her left shoulder, a little too much eye makeup?”

  “You see her too?” I opened my eyes, slowing getting to my feet. Just as quickly as she’d arrived, the woman was gone, taking the head-splitting pain with her.

  “Not at the moment,” Haley said, “But I had a similar vision while I was chanting. When I saw her, though, there was with a younger woman with her—same color hair, glasses. It looked like they were packing up boxes together. Papers, files, office stuff.”

  “Why did we both see her?”

  Haley shook her head, blowing out the candles in our circle.

  “It’s possible,” Liam said, “she’s one of your ancestors. Despite the protective crystals, her essence may have felt drawn here. Both of you possess very strong, very special magic, amplified by your bloodline. Working spells together is bound to have unforeseen effects.”

  “That would make sense,” Haley said, “but I’m pretty sure the women I saw weren’t dead.”

  “I’m with Haley on this one, Liam. It didn’t feel like a spirit or even a memory, like when I’d seen people from Darius’s past. It felt like we were spying on someone.”

  “Yeah,” Haley said, “I didn’t get the sense she knew we were there. She definitely wasn’t watching us. The minute she appeared in my mind, I let her drift past, bringing myself back to my breathing and chanting.”

  A shiver rolled through my body, and I rubbed my arms.

  “Not to worry,” Liam assured me, resting his hands on my shoulders. “Shared visions are perfectly within the realm of possibility in a situation like this.”

  His warmth brought me back to the moment, a few tiny sparks zapping my skin where he touched me. That was one thing that hadn’t changed—his effect on me. No matter what we’d gone through or what the Old Ones had done to his powers, Liam still had the ability to electrify me with the simplest touch.

  “Sorry,” he continued, releasing me, and immediately I missed the contact. Missed him.

  Why did everything have to be so complicated?

  “Anyway,” he said, “sometimes witches inadvertently connect with the energy fields of others, especially during intense spellcraft. It’s possible you picked up on a remnant of something that happened in this lodge in the very recent past, or something that’s happening nearby as we speak. There are other properties in the area.”

  Liam’s explanation made sense, and Haley and I shook off the lingering creepiness and set to work picking up the candles and other materials from our ritual. We decided to leave the protective crystals in place, and to leave the main candle burning—the one that had sat between me and Darius, casting his face
in a warm glow.

  I moved it to the bedside table, smiling at my sister and Liam. “I couldn’t have done this without you. Both of you.”

  “Maybe not,” Liam said with a wink, “but knowing you, you would have found another way.”

  “Are you calling me stubborn?”

  “I am. And I believe it’s one of the best qualities a witch can possess.”

  I laughed, then took my place in the chair next to the bed, where I’d remain until my vampire woke up. I wanted to be the first person he saw when he did.

  I brushed my knuckles over his stubbled jaw, marveling at his grace, his beauty, the power of our bond. “So what happens now?”

  “Now, we wait,” Haley said. “He should remain in stasis for about six hours, and when he comes to, he will likely be confused. The memories could rush back in a flood, competing with new memories or ideas about his identity he’s formed since the attack in the Shadowrealm. Or it could happen more gradually, with bits and pieces coming back to him out of order, or melding together. Or it might not…” She trailed off, not bothering to voice her doubts, which I appreciated. Tonight, I had no room for those kinds of thoughts. His memories would return, even if it took months. There was no doubt in my mind.

  “I’m just a few doors down the hall if you need anything.” Haley leaned in to kiss my cheek, then saw herself out, shutting the door softly behind her. Liam stood at the end of the bed, hands in his pockets, rocking forward on his toes.

  “You once told me that memories don’t exist,” I said to Liam, a smile touching my lips as I remembered the conversation. We were still at the safe house where Ash used to live, and my incubus and I had just survived an attack by zombie animals I’d inadvertently brought back from the dead. “That they’re only stories we tell ourselves, and the way we let them change and shape us is our fatal flaw.”

  Liam let out a quiet laugh. “Yes, well. I believe we both had a lot to learn back then, didn’t we? You about magic. And I about humanity. Heart. What it means to be a true friend.” He came to stand beside the bed, placing a hand on Darius’s arm. “What you’re doing for him, Gray… He’s quite blessed to have someone like you in his life.”

  “You say that as if you don’t. Liam, you’ve got me, too. I know we’re not perfect, but that doesn’t make it any less real.”

  After a beat, Liam finally nodded, still struggling to accept that I cared for him. Still struggling, I sensed, under the very heavy, very human weight of his guilt.

  “There’s… something else I wanted to discuss with you,” he said softly. The sparkle in his eyes dimmed, and I felt the energy in the room shift. “I have been called to hear the final sentencing. Tonight, at exactly midnight, I’m to travel out over the ocean in my raven form. One of the servants of the Old One will collect me, and I’ll be brought before the tribunal one last time to hear their decision.”

  “Tonight? Already?” My eyes widened, my heart thumping with a mix of anticipation and fear. “Maybe that’s a good thing, though. Right? If they’ve made a decision that quickly, maybe there’s a chance they’ll overturn everything and restore your powers! What if I went with you? I could testify for you, tell them about Emilio and what’s coming and the prophecy and—”

  “It doesn’t work that way, Gray.” Liam smiled, but it didn’t match the new sadness in his eyes. “Though I do appreciate the show of support.”

  I rose from the chair and met his gaze. “Don’t give up, Liam. You never know what might happen.”

  “In the long and spiraled history of time, a cosmic tribunal has never overturned its decision, nor have they issued a lesser sentence for such a crime. But if there’s one lesson I’ve learned from you,” he said with a wink, “it’s that impossible odds are no reason not to try.”

  “Liam.” I lowered my eyes, my lashes wet with tears. There was so much to say, and once again, no time to say it. I slid my arms around his waist and pressed my cheek to his chest, breathing him in. His heart beat strong and steady, human, the press of his chin on the top of my head simultaneously comforting and heartbreaking. “Why does it feel like we’re always saying goodbye?”

  “No, not goodbye. I promised myself I would stop saying goodbye to you, Gray Desario. So let me say this instead.” He took a step back, then tilted my chin up toward his, forcing me to meet his infinite blue gaze once again. Stars collapsed and were born again in those eyes as I awaited his words. Galaxies. Universes. “Be well, little witch. I shall keep you in my heart, and ask—though I don’t deserve the kindness—for you to do the same.” He bent down and kissed me, soft and gentle, pressing something cool and smooth into my palm.

  There was a final spark across my lips, and then our kiss was broken.

  Once again, Liam Colebrook was gone from my life.

  I opened my fingers to find a heart-shaped piece of granite, worn smooth by the constant tumble of the ocean. Carved onto its face was a tiny raven’s feather.

  Thirty-Five

  GRAY

  I was starting to become an expert at bedside vigils—a skill I hoped I wouldn’t have to call on too often. Finally alone with him, I sat by my vampire’s side, holding his hand, reliving every one of our shared memories. I didn’t want to risk interfering with Haley’s spellwork, so I didn’t add any additional magic to the mix, but it felt like the right thing to do, letting those moments replay in my mind. Letting them fill me with happiness and hope, with the love I’d felt for him, the connection we’d shared from the first moment he’d tasted my blood that night in Black Ruby.

  Exquisite, he’d said then, and I smiled now, seeing the moment with new eyes. We’d already had a connection by then; our blood promise had only solidified it. But neither of us could’ve predicted where that promise would lead, or how much deeper that bond would become.

  “You’ll remember,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to his palm. A tear slipped down my cheek, but it wasn’t from sadness or worry. It was hope. Faith. It might not happen overnight, but Darius would regain his memories. I knew it in the way that I’d known Emilio was still alive. In the way I knew Asher would survive the prison. In the way I knew Ronan and I would find a way to break Sebastian’s curse.

  “You just take your time, D. All the time you need. And when you’re ready, you find your way back to me, and I’ll be here waiting for you. I promise.”

  Darius didn’t stir. He didn’t toss and turn, seeking the coolest part of the pillow. Didn’t twitch or fidget. He didn’t even breathe. Just lay perfectly still, one hand over his heart, the other in mine. He was utterly at peace.

  I shifted in my chair, trying to get comfortable. I’d just started to get feeling back in my butt when I heard a soft knock at the door.

  Emilio. I sensed him before he announced himself, and wasn’t the least bit surprised when I opened the door to see him standing there with a triumphant look on his face, his now-shaggy hair sticking up all over the place, hands hiding behind his back, a chocolate smudge on the side of his mouth.

  “I’ve got something for you,” he said with a grin.

  “Hmm. I bet.” I leaned up against the doorframe, my arms crossed over my chest. “Does this something start with a ‘b’ and rhyme with ‘rownies?’”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “You’re wearing the evidence, Detective.” I stretched up on my toes and kissed the edge of his mouth, licking the smudge of chocolate.

  “Damn,” he whispered when I pulled back, his eyes darkening with desire. “I should’ve been more strategic in my chocolate smudging. Wait—be right back.”

  “Oh no you don’t.” I was about to smack him on the shoulder—I still wasn’t quite used to his flirty innuendos—but he saved himself by pulling his arms out from behind his back and revealing a plate of still-steaming brownies.

  I nodded for him to come inside, then shut the door behind him. “Only you would think to bake brownies in the middle of a multi-pronged crisis.”

  “Trust me, querida. Th
ere’s no better time. Baking calms me, and the scents of chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla make others feel at home. But hey, if you’ve got some kind of moral opposition to them, I’m sure I can find another taker.”

  “And another girlfriend, while you’re at it.” I grabbed the plate from his hands and took the brownie from the top of the stack, shoving in a bite. “Defaulting on the gift of chocolate?” I mumbled, not even caring that I was talking with my mouth full. God, his brownies were incredible. Sweet and decadent, with that deliciously spicy kick at the end. “Definitely grounds for a breakup.”

  “Girlfriend?” He arched a teasing eyebrow and grabbed a brownie for himself. “Is that what you are?”

  “Pretty sure we’ve established that.” I set the plate on the bedside table next to the candle still burning for Darius, then pulled Emilio in for another kiss.

  He tasted like the richest, darkest, most velvety chocolate ever, and as he deepened the kiss, a flame of red-hot desire flickered inside my core. My libido went from zero-to-sixty in a single heartbeat.

  Emilio must’ve scented the change in me. He let out a quiet moan against my lips, his kiss becoming more insistent, his hands sliding inside my shirt, huge and warm on my back.

  I leaned into his touch. I’d missed it way more than I’d missed his brownies, and it’d been entirely too long since I’d felt him against my bare skin.

  We weren’t alone, exactly. But here in my bedroom with only a passed-out vampire for company, it was the closest we’d gotten to actual privacy since the night before the warehouse liberation, and I wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass.

  “Come here.” I dragged him across the room to the closet on the other side. It wasn’t a walk-in, but it was large enough for two people to get into just the kind of trouble we were looking for. I pulled him inside and closed the door partway behind us, leaving it open just a crack so we could keep an eye on Darius.