by Melody Raven
“So, do you know why the sunlight is an issue?” asked Aidan—the first thing he’d said to her in the twenty minutes since they’d driven away from the Special Unit 4 compound he’d taken her to.
“No. They didn’t really teach me much about science and biology. Mostly just about family and duty.” She had a feeling he could relate to that. Especially from all she heard about his relationship with his grandmother. “I don’t know for certain, but I think it has something to do with evolution. I’ve been reading about how it affects your species here. I think the Vopura who avoided the sun lived longer. I assume ours is stronger.” If even a ray of sunlight touched the skin on Vora, it would burst into flames on the spot. “Since vampires are just Vopura who came over ages ago, I assume we all lived under the same sun once.” Of course, she was just guessing.
It was a shame her family hadn’t put more of a priority on learning and education. Now that she lived on Earth, she realized how privileged she was. Her kind picked up on things so fast. She’d been able to learn English in almost no time thanks to listening to Jackson and his men talk. Once she’d gotten out and started her podcast addiction, she’d mastered the language quickly.
What would she have known by now if she’d been given a chance? If her life hadn’t revolved around what other people wanted from her?
“You’re very quiet,” said Aidan.
“You don’t strike me as the type to be uncomfortable with long silences.”
“You don’t know me. I’m uncomfortable in all types of situations.” He gave her a little grin.
“I was thinking about my old life.”
“Good thoughts?”
“Thought thoughts. Not great. Not terrible. I’ve been spending so much time lately pretending my old life didn’t exist. Today has made me think of things I’ve pushed pretty far to the back of my mind.”
“Anything you want to talk about?”
“Not really. I... not a lot makes sense to me. I mean, I’m so happy to be here and free, but I also didn’t come here by choice. I never got to say good-bye.”
“You miss your family?”
“I do. But, more than that, I’m so mad. My father.... He was just going to pawn me off like I was a piece of property. And I didn’t even care because I didn’t know there was another way. And now that I’ve seen all the freedoms of the women and people here, it makes me so mad for what I didn’t know I could have. So... yeah. I don’t know how to feel. Angry. Lonely. Frustrated. Powerless.”
“It sounds like you need some fighting lessons.”
She snorted. “Is that still on the table?”
“I don’t see why it wouldn’t be. And now that I know how strong you really are, I can teach you a hell of a lot better.”
“It doesn’t bother you? My strength?”
He let out a little grunt. “I’m not usually as weak as this. When I get my powers back, I’ll show you. I’m a badass.”
“I thought true badasses didn’t call themselves badasses.”
“Well, I do.”
“I like how you assume I’ll still be around when you get your powers back.”
He jerked back and glared at her. “You think I’m not keeping you?”
“I know you didn’t just say that after all my bitching about being someone’s property.”
“As a friend,” he clarified. “Keeping you as a friend.”
She smiled at him. “Funny. You didn’t seem all that interested in friendship last night.”
His eyes bounced between her and the road, darkening. “A special friend.” His voice got deeper. Huskier. It left little doubt for what he was intending.
Before she could even contemplate a witty response, he turned the car off the main road and onto a long driveway.
Lina frowned as she leaned forward to look at the large house they were approaching. “I thought you said we were going to a library.”
“We are going to a library. The personal library of Tony Alcoz. He’s an information collector and happens to have the most extensive collection of witch literature on the western side of the country. A lot of stuff has been scanned into the internet, but some of the most important is still in good old-fashioned books.”
“How are we supposed to find anything? We’re looking for a symbol that you saw on some robes, right? There’s not really an index for symbols.”
“Good old-fashioned grunt work, Lina. I hope you heal fast from paper cuts because we’re going to be flipping through a lot of pages.”
He brought the car to a stop, getting it close enough to the house so that Lina could get out in the shade and stay safe from the sun. She appreciated that he didn’t forget how vulnerable she could be. He was thoughtful. Funny how he kept on referring to himself as selfish, but she hadn’t seen it yet.
Not that she could really let her guard down. Just because Aidan was being nice to her for a few days didn’t mean he’d choose her over his own. And she didn’t know if she could even ask that of him. No matter what promises they made each other a few hours ago, she had to keep their odd relationship in perspective.
They barely knew each other, and when push came to shove, she couldn’t assume the pact they made would ever prove stronger than blood.
She stepped out of the car and looked at Tony’s house. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time. The outside was built in different colors of brown brick, and one side of the house had a gothic-looking tower on the side. “Don’t worry. I’m sure the ghosts will be willing to help us with our research.”
Aidan let out a laugh. “The ghosts won’t be any help. If anything, they’ll just be a hindrance.” He gave her a little wink as he led the way up to the door. There wasn’t a doorbell to ring but a large ornate doorknocker in the shape of a lion. Aidan reached up to knock, but the door swung open before he reached it.
“Uncle Tony.” Aidan smiled.
Tony wrinkled his face in disgust. “You have a lot of nerve showing up on my doorstep after what you did.”
Aidan sighed. “You’re going to play it like that?”
“You should leave. Talia should’ve done a lot worse to you. If I had my way—”
“We were hoping you could help us.” Lina stepped forward and smiled. “I hear you have one of the best libraries on witch lore that there is.”
Tony looked to her and his glare didn’t soften in the slightest. He was tall, and his thin, wiry frame only made him seem taller. His face was covered in worn lines as evidence of all he’d lived through, but his pale-blue eyes shone with a brightness that told her there was plenty of life still left in him. “You think I’m going to be nicer to a vampire than my own nephew?” He scoffed. “If you think you’re going to get an invitation, you’re—”
“I’m not a vampire.”
He looked down his nose at her. “Don’t lie to my face. I can smell a blood drinker from a mile away.”
“I’m sure you can. But I’m not a vampire. I’m a Vopura. Aidan and I have become aware of a possible second Vopura invasion, and we believe it’s possible that they’re being aided by witches.”
Tony scoffed, but he seemed to be swaying toward believing them. “Why would a witch ever help your kind after what happened to Gloria?”
“Who’s Gloria?” she asked before immediately regretting it when both Aidan and Tony looked down at the ground.
“My daughter,” said Tony harshly. “The only other witch stupid enough to help your kind.”
Oh... that one. The one who had created the Siege of Seattle by setting up the magical barrier around the city. The one who the Vopura had mercilessly murdered to make sure she never changed her mind and decided to take that wall back down.
It really would’ve been nice if Aidan had warned her about who this Tony actually was.
“If you really hate the Vopura, you’ll help us. You don’t even have to do anything. Just let us look at your collection. That’s all we’re asking for.”
“No. Get out of here. Both of you.”
He started to shut the door, but Aidan stepped forward, using his shoe to stop the door from shutting. “If you want to yell and curse at me the whole time, that’s fine. But you’re going to let me in. If you don’t, I’m going to call Talia and see what she has to say about it.” There were a few tense moments as the two stared at each other with near hatred bouncing between them until Tony finally stepped back.
Aidan quickly passed by as though he was worried Tony would change his mind, but Lina didn’t have it that lucky. She wasn’t getting anywhere without an express invitation.
Tony eyed her up and down. “You know why you can’t enter, don’t you?”
“Just let her in,” said Aidan.
Lina decided it was best to stay quiet. She’d already made things worse by opening her big mouth.
After a few tense moments, Tony finally stepped aside. “Won’t you come in,” he said in a sarcastically sweet voice.
“We won’t be long.” Aidan grabbed Lina’s wrist and tugged her down a hall to the right. He led her so quickly she barely got a chance to look at the lovely art on the walls and all the intricate details of the house.
But all of her annoyance at being tugged along quickly evaporated as they entered the library. The room was a thing of beauty, with two levels’ worth of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves complete with ladders that would slide along the room to allow one to climb up and reach even the highest books. “Oh my...” she breathed.
The entire room smelled like paper and must. It would’ve been bad if she hadn’t known all the history with that scent. She didn’t care whether Tony hated her. She never wanted to leave this room.
“You could’ve given me some warning about who Tony was,” she said softly as she still stared up in awe at their surroundings.
“You could’ve thought twice before blurting out who you were.”
She shrugged. “I thought it would shock him into letting us in.”
He snorted. “Well, you shocked him all right. You’re lucky he didn’t bring out the shotgun greeting.”
Lina winced. “I think I’ve been shot enough for the time being. Thanks, though.”
Aidan gave her a wide grin. “You’re funny.”
“No one’s ever called me funny before.” She walked by a shelf of books, studying each of the ancient titles carefully. “Back home—”
The door suddenly shut, and a loud click sounded through the room. Lina used her speed to zoom right over and tugged at the handle, but it didn’t open. If this witch thought he could lock her in a room against her will, he was in for a surprise. She grasped the handle tightly and turned it with all of her strength. But instead of ripping the lock out like she was trying, the knob burned bright red. She snatched her hand away as she stared in horror at the knob.
“Witches are the reason you can’t enter homes,” snarled Tony from the other side of the door. “Do you really think our magic can’t keep you in?”
Aidan pushed past Lina and pounded fiercely on the door. “Let us out of here right now!” he demanded. “If you don’t open this door in ten seconds, I swear I’ll call Talia!”
“I already called her,” said Tony.
Lina could practically hear the gleeful smile in his voice.
Aidan cursed under his breath as he pulled out his phone and angrily hit the screen.
Lina pressed her lips tightly together as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against a nearby bookshelf. Things had seemed so bright as they’d left Special Unit 4. It seemed as though they were getting away from trouble. Do a little research. Easy peasy.
“What the fuck, Grandmother.”
Well, that wasn’t something you heard every day. Lina tried to make herself as small as possible in the corner, even as she concentrated on listening in to both sides of the conversation.
“Calm down, Aidan.”
“Tell me to calm down one more time. I fucking dare you. It’s not enough that you’ve bound my powers but now you’re literally trapping me like a rat in a cage?”
“I don’t know how much clearer I can make myself. Bring me the Vopura and you’ll get your powers back. You failed.”
“I’m not your goddamn subject. You can’t treat me like—”
“I can treat you however I like. I’m the matriarch of this family, and from where I’m sitting, I have you, and my Vopura, exactly where I want you. Now sit tight. I’m going to get there as soon as I can.”
“When is—”
She didn’t hear anything, but from the look of abject anger on Aidan’s face, it was clear enough what had happened.
She had hung up on him.
Aidan experienced just about every sort of anger there was in a very short amount of time. From a burning passion of anger to a slow, vengeful simmer.
Either because Talia was a total bitch or because she was just too smart for her own good, she didn’t appear in any hurry to get to him and Lina. Which was an especially shrewd move because he’d be so stressed and pissed off that he’d exhaust himself.
If he weren’t surrounded by so many priceless pieces of history, he would’ve gone on a destructive binge throughout the entire library. But all he could do was sit against the door and stare at his useless hands and will his powers to come back to him.
He felt terrible for Lina. Not only did she have to sit by awkwardly as he fumed silently, but now Talia was going to get her clutches into Lina after he’d promised to protect her.
He thought back to the night they’d first met. She’d just been some mysterious and sexy woman in a bar. He’d killed that Vopura in front of her and he’d felt on top of the world. Utterly entranced by her. Determined to see her home safely.
And now look at him. Fucking useless.
He looked over to where she sat, cross-legged against a bookshelf. “Go ahead,” he said. The first words he’d spoken out loud since the disastrous call with his grandmother. “Ask what you want to ask.”
“Are you going to get upset?”
The corner of his mouth twisted bitterly. “I think that ship has sailed.”
“What did you do?”
She might hate him after he told her, but hell. He already hated himself right now. Enough for the both of them. “Seattle was a cluster fuck. Everyone was in a panic. The humans. The vampires. My kind. Because of the part Gloria played in it, my family in particular was in massive crisis management mode. But because everyone was running around like chickens with their heads cut off, there were a lot of things that fell through the cracks. I’m an opportunist, and I made sure to take an opportunity when I saw it. Looting during the siege had been rampant. I told you I’m a consultant for art and antiquities. Well, I went digging around the black market and got some of the best deals of my life on hundreds of different priceless artifacts. From museums. From private collections. I didn’t care. I just took everything I could.
“But eventually Talia heard about it. And she was pissed. She didn’t want anyone benefiting from Gloria’s betrayal. Let alone benefiting monetarily. She stormed into my house in the middle of the night, and her anger was like a tornado ripping through everything I owned. And then she ripped right through me. The binding spell happened so fast I didn’t even realize what happened until she left and I realized what she took. I thought she was going to leave me like that forever. And it killed me. When you’re like me... a witch or warlock... powers aren’t just a fun accessory. It’s a part of us. Like another limb. Can I live without a leg? Sure. But it’s a loss you always feel. You always know something’s missing. Something’s not quite right.”
He fingered the wooden fishhook around his neck. The symbol of his punishment. “And the worst thing about it was that I couldn’t even be mad at her. She was right to be mad at me. I was greedy. I used tragedy for my own profit. I don’t need more money. I could’ve easily enough returned all the pieces to their rightful owners, but I didn’t. I was going to resell them to private sellers. Would’ve made millions that I do
n’t even need.” He finally paused in his story and looked over to Lina. Her face was blank as she took in what he was saying. “And I was never mad at Talia. I understood it. I got it. Until right now. For the first time, I’m fucking pissed off. And I’m sorry I got you into this.”
He waited in silence for Lina to say something. To give him some sort of reaction. And then, to his utter shock, she smiled at him. “I really thought you’d killed someone.”
“What?”
“It all seemed so serious. It all seemed so much more intense than questionable morals. I mean, I feed off humans to survive. That has to be worse, right?”
“You feed off people to survive. I profited off misery.”
She shrugged. “Agree to disagree.” Suddenly, she let out a little laugh. “Can we appreciate how crazy it is that I totally thought you were a murderer and I was still willing to stick around with you?”
He smiled back at her. “Well then. Maybe we’re a pair then. Meant to be. Star-crossed lovers.”
“We’re not lovers,” she pointed out.
“We would’ve been, though. You know if we’d had a little bit longer together you would’ve broken your no-man rule for me.”
The smile slowly left her face as she stared at him. “I have good reason for my no-man rule.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You want to be your own person and hate being controlled.” He threw up his hands in frustration. “Well, I hate to break it to you, hun, but between the two of us right now, I think we’re pretty tied. I’m just my family’s puppet right now. I’ve got control issues too.”
She shook her head and averted her gaze to the floor.
“You don’t think so?” he asked.
“No, you’re right. I’m just having a lot of stupid thoughts. I’m trying to chase them out of my mind.”
“See, now why would you say that? You know now I have to ask what your stupid thoughts were.”
“It’s not important.”
“I don’t give a fuck if it’s important. We’re both stuck here until my grandmother deigns us important enough to deal with. So amuse me. Please.”
“Promise you won’t judge me?”
