Sacred Spite

by Nadia Heaton

  “That’s not true.” Fleur looked at Savion. “Tell her!”

  His eyes were flat and cold. He didn’t speak.

  “Savion… tell her.”

  Fleur read the truth in his silence, and felt like her heart was being crushed all over again. She took another appraisal of the vampires around her, and noticed one missing. Jermaine.

  “Jermaine said no, didn’t he? He refused to cooperate. How could he believe in me, but you don’t? Savion?”

  “You betrayed me. What was I supposed to do? Hold onto one-sided feelings that were probably no more than a trick in the first place?”

  “I didn’t betray you, you idiot! Mirabelle lied, don’t you get that? Why would you ever believe her over me? I have no idea how she found you, but I was so careful, Sav! I took every precaution. She shouldn’t have been able to follow me.”

  Fleur stared into his eyes, begging him to believe her, to see the truth so plainly before him. He didn’t speak, but something in his gaze changed. His eyes softened. He could indeed see the truth before him.

  “Enough of this sweet reunion!” Mirabelle spat. “Release my niece, now, or face my coven in battle!”

  Savion nodded to Vince and Zan, who let go of Fleur, but she didn’t move. She stayed by Savion’s side. Mirabelle was only waiting for her to get clear before attacking the vampires. She wouldn’t allow it.

  “Fleur, get over here! We can discuss your insubordination later.”

  “No. I won’t let you do this. It’s wrong.”

  “She’s right.” Everyone turned to see Bethany, Jermaine, Lisette and Tristan appearing from another direction. A mortal, two witches and a vampire united. They came to stand by Fleur and Savion.

  Bethany kept speaking to Mirabelle, never taking her eyes off her aunt. “This is wrong, Mirabelle. Unless you want to start a fight with your own family, I suggest you leave. We are in no danger here. The only danger was caused by you – by your lie to Savion, convincing him that Fleur had betrayed him. Without that, there would never have been any reason for you to come.”

  “Enough of this nonsense! Attack!” Mirabelle looked mad as she pointed toward Savion and Jermaine. The rest of the coven hesitated for only a moment before following orders.

  Fleur reacted by throwing up the most powerful shield she could. She could feel Lisette and Tristan joining her, adding their power to the shield.

  “Dodge!” she shouted to the vampires not covered by the shield. “Magical attacks go on trajectories, you can dodge them!”

  It was probably her warning that saved them, more than the shield. The vampires reacted immediately, throwing themselves out of the way of the attacks. Though they couldn’t see the magic flying through the air, they could see the witches who cast it, and see where their attention was focused when they did.

  Despite the dodging, it was chaos. The witches couldn’t land spells on the vampires, but the vampires couldn’t get close enough to stop them from trying, having to throw themselves aside whenever they got close.

  Fleur didn’t know which side would tire first, but whichever one did, that would be the first to die. Some of the vampires started picking up rocks and throwing them at the witches, and Fleur flinched at each hit. It went both ways, though; when the vampires were distracted by throwing rocks, they couldn’t be watching out for magical attacks at the same time.

  Things were too evenly matched, and Fleur cared too much about both sides to let anyone get hurt, but she didn’t know how she could stop it. She was just one person.

  Bethany and Jermaine were fighting side-by side, Jermaine throwing rocks while Bethany watched for attacks, warning him to dodge every time one came close. They had moved out of the area of Fleur’s shield, and they were too far away for her to extend it.

  It seemed to happen in slow motion. Mirabelle sent a blast of magic at Jermaine. Bethany screamed at him to move, but he stumbled right into a freezing spell. He couldn’t move. Bethany didn’t hesitate for an instant. She threw herself in front of Jermaine.

  She was blasted back into him, the two of them flying several feet before crumpling to the floor. This put them right in the path of a boulder from the hill above them that some of the vampires had intended to tip onto the enemy witches. Now, they were about to crush Bethany and Jermaine. The boulder toppled; it was too late to stop it.

  Fleur couldn’t abandon her shield, but she couldn’t let Bethany die, either. She acted on instinct, rather than anything she’d been taught. Fleur pushed Savion to the ground… and then unleashed her power.

  She screamed with the force of it, feeling every ounce of strength inside her explode out through her body. Everyone around her was blown back several feet, landing unharmed but stunned. The boulder shattered into harmless pebbles that fell around Bethany and Jermaine.

  Fleur stood panting, staring around her. Everyone else stared back at her in shock. She had to act now, before they gathered themselves enough to continue the attack.

  “Stop this! Don’t any of you understand? Witches and vampires depend on each other for survival – we’ve all been taught that from a young age. We shouldn’t be fighting each other. What are we even fighting about? Some age-old feud so ancient that no one can even remember how it started? Enough! Leave, now, or I will make you leave. I don’t care whose side you’re on, if you make so much as one aggressive move, I will put you down.”

  It took a moment for Fleur to recognize the looks she was receiving. Fear. They were afraid of her. No witch should be able to do what she just did, no matter how powerful. She’d deal with that later. For now, she just wanted to get everyone out of here before someone got killed.

  Mirabelle still looked furious, as did several of the vampires, including Rashid, but none of them dared go against her, not now.

  “GO! All of you!” Sparks shot from the ends of her fingertips. It was almost funny to watch a bunch of grown adults giving her looks that she could have received from sulky toddlers. One by one, the witches and vampires skulked off – in opposite directions.

  Lisette and Jermaine lifted Bethany and carried her off. She was unconscious, but with a quick touch to her forehead, Fleur determined that it was nothing that couldn’t be healed with some magic.

  Only Savion stayed. It went without saying that Fleur’s order to leave didn’t extend to him.

  Fleur turned her eyes hesitantly toward him. Would he be afraid of her too? But there was no fear in his eyes – only love.

  Without speaking, the two of them stepped into each other’s arms. Fleur hugged him tightly, and Savion hugged just as tightly back. Somehow, they ended up on the ground. This time, Fleur used a spell, and the ground beneath them was suddenly soft and plaint, like a mattress.

  “I’m surprised you have any power left, after an explosion like that.”

  “Me too,” she admitted. “I have no idea what that was. I didn’t know I had that kind of power inside me.”

  “Well, I’m glad you do. I think it’ll come in handy keeping that coven of yours in line.”

  “I don’t want to talk about them right now.”

  “Me neither.” Savion grinned at her, but the smile soon turned apologetic. “I’m sorry I thought you betrayed me. You were right, I never should have believed Mirabelle over you. I never even gave you a chance to explain.”

  “You were a bit of an idiot.” Fleur kissed the tip of his nose. “It’s forgiven, though. We get to start over. Strange how we keep ending up here.” She gestured to the ruins around them.

  Savion looked around. “You know, if this is going to become a haunt of ours, we should spruce the the place up a bit. Maybe plant some flowers or something. At least a tree or two so I’ll have shade if we come here in the daytime.”

  Fleur giggled. “Nothing grows here – it hasn’t for years. There’s too much magic residue. It makes it a toxic environment for plants, and most small animals too. Those trees by the path? That’s as close as anything will grow.”

  Savion
shrugged. “Then we’re bringing an umbrella.”

  “We? What does that mean for us, Savion?”

  “I don’t know. All I know is that I want to be with you, no matter what our covens say.”

  “Me neither.”

  Fleur didn’t know what the future held, but here in the ruins and fresh destruction from the fight, she felt like she and Savion were making a fresh start to something that could be beautiful and filled with life.

  She kissed him, softly at first, but when he responded, her body lit up under his touch. They rolled over their magical mattress, hands hot on each other’s skin as they undressed. Savion was everything she remembered and more. Fleur ran her hands over every inch of his skin, trying to memorize his body. No matter how many more times they did this, she wanted to know every part of him intimately.

  The sky started to glow lightly with sunrise, not enough to hurt Savion, but just enough to illuminate their surroundings. Later, Fleur would take him home, to protect him from the rising sun. Lisette and Tristan would have put up wards against Mirabelle by now, and Jermaine would probably still be there. They would be safe.

  For now, she lost herself in Savion’s touch. He electrified and soothed her at the same time, and the feeling was addictive. Fleur opened herself up to him, taking him in completely. Being with him felt right like nothing before ever had.

  As they reached the climax of their passion, green poked in the edges of Fleur’s vision. Later, when they were catching their breath, she looked around in surprise.

  Growing all around them were flowers.

  She giggled lightly, pointing it out to Savion.

  “So much for nothing growing here.”

  “I guess we made it a less hostile environment. People always say love overflows to those around them. perhaps it applies to plants too.”

  “I don’t see any trees, though.” Savion gave her an evil grin. “Maybe we should try again.”

  “We’re not going to make trees grow, Savion! They’re too big for –”

  He cut off her words with a kiss. Fleur smiled against his mouth, her body responding to his.

  When he broke away, she smiled softly at him. “Fine. Let’s try for some trees.”

  Life and magic burst out around them as they found each other again, never to let go.

  Preview - Immortal Vengeance

  Book 3 - Flames of the Sea Series

  Nadia Heaton

  1

  Lisette clutched the flowers, pasting a smile onto her face. Why wasn’t she on cloud nine? It was her wedding day! This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life.

  “Lis? You ok?” Fleur was draping her veil properly, so that it cascaded down her back like the foam on the top of a waterfall.

  “I’m fine.”

  “If you’re not sure about this…”

  “I’m sure, Bethany, how many times do I have to tell you?” Lisette hadn’t meant to snap, but she was stressed and confused, and the last thing she needed was her sisters echoing her own doubts, the doubts she was trying to hard to suppress.

  Lisette specialized in magic to do with love and lust. This was what she was good at… only, she wasn’t sure she was good at it. Sure, she could give great advice to others, but when it came to herself, nothing seemed to stick. She’d fallen in love more times than she could count, and fallen hard. She’d also always fallen back out of love.

  She didn’t know when her feelings for Teo had started to… nope, she wasn’t going down that road. It was too late to back out now. Everyone they knew was waiting in the church for them. This was just nerves. Everyone got nervous before their wedding, right? It was normal.

  Perhaps reliving their happiest memories would help. Lisette turned to Tristan, her youngest sister. “Did I tell you about how Teo and I met?”

  “It was at a carnival, right?” Tristan knew this story, having heard it many times, but she was gracious enough to pretend not to remember the details, allowing Lisette to immerse herself in memories as she spoke.

  “It was the one in Italy. I’d been invited by another coven to perform – a mixture of magic and singing. It was truly magical. Witches don’t often get to practice their craft in public like that, but in a carnival setting, people assume that any magic they see is just smoke and mirrors.”

  “It sounds wonderful.” Tristan was a good audience, giving Bethany a quelling look when it looked like their stepsister might interrupt.

  “Teo first saw me on stage. He told me later that he felt like he’d been enchanted by my beauty and my voice. I never admitted to him that there was actual magic involved, though of course, I never cast a love spell on him. That happened by itself.”

  Lisette smiled vaguely as she remembered those early days. She’d quickly fallen madly in love with Teo. Within months, they were engaged. She couldn’t be happier. When her happiness had started to fade, Lisette put it down to the end of the honeymoon period. She still loved Teo. She had to.

  As much as her sisters thought she enjoyed constantly falling in and out of love, Lisette was beginning tire of it. She did it like it was her job, but she hardly needed any more research into her specialty. She was ready to settle down with the right person. There was no reason to distance herself as she usually did, and she’d fought against doing that with Teo.

  It had happened anyway, but surely, this would fix it. After the wedding, their feelings for each other would be renewed and heightened. Lisette had watched it happen for many couples.

  “Is his whole family here?” Fleur asked, her mouth twisting in distaste.

  “Yes, and before you ask, the answer is no, Fleur. I know his mother is evil, but you’re not hexing her, even just for fun.”

  “She burned Teo’s copies of Harry Potter because she said they were the work of the devil! How do you think she’s going to react when she realizes he has married an actual witch?”

  “She’s not going to realize that, because even Teo doesn’t know. I’ve told him I’m into Wicca, but he’s Catholic, like the rest of his family. He doesn’t believe in magic, despite the exposure he’s had. He chooses not to believe, and I let him do it. His mother isn’t going to cause any trouble. We should be more worried about Mirabelle.”

  That succeeded in diverting her sisters’ attention. Both Bethany and Fleur scowled.

  “If she makes one more snide remark about Savion, I’m going to put permanent itching powder in every item of clothing she owns,” Fleur growled.

  “Deal.” Bethany looked just as put out. “I’ll distract her while you do it. Jermaine has tried so hard to be polite to her, but she just can’t look past the fact that he and Savion are vampires.”

  Lisette let them rant, nodding here and there. She knew Mirabelle was rather extreme, but it wasn’t like Lisette was a fan of vampires. She’d gotten somewhat used to them, considering that two of her sisters were in love with them, but that didn’t mean she liked them.

  She knew they weren’t bad, and would fight to protect Jermaine and Savion, but Lisette would honestly be perfectly happy never to see a vampire again. Too bad that wasn’t possible, given that Fleur and Bethany weren’t going to leave their vampires anytime soon.

  It didn’t take long for her sisters to figure out her game and stop complaining about Mirabelle. They turned their attention back to Lisette, fussing over her hair and makeup.

  “How much longer?” she asked, mostly to fill the sudden silence.

  “Ten minutes.” Bethany’s voice was slightly hushed. “What do you need, Lis?”

  Lisette hesitated. She knew it wasn’t an idle offer. If she told Bethany she needed an escape route, her sisters would provide.

  She’d been engaged before. When she asked for an escape route from her wedding with Mark several years back, Bethany had allowed Fleur and Tristan to use magic to rupture her appendix. The wedding was put on hold while Bethany was rushed to hospital, giving Lisette time to think how to let Mark down gently.

  “I’m go
ing through with this. I need your support.” Perhaps she was insane, but Lisette was tired of moving from relationship to relationship. Teo was a good guy, and he adored her. They could make things work between them. Surely, they would be able to recapture those wonderful early days.

  “Then you have it.” Fleur kissed her cheek lightly, careful not to mess her makeup. “Hold my flowers for me, we need to get dressed.”

  Lisette positioned bunches of flowers in her arms as Fleur, Tristan and Bethany got into their bridesmaid dresses, pulling them carefully over their hair. After a few minutes spent adjusting, everyone took their flowers back. There was nothing to do but wait.

  Tristan slipped out to check in with their mom, who was coordinating from the other side – making sure the crowd was seated, that the pastor was ready, that Teo and his family were in place. Lisette wondered if Teo was having second thoughts. They’d barely spent any time together in the last week. She’d cited wedding planning, but really, she’d been avoiding him.

  After this, there would be no avoiding him. Lisette brought her mind back to when she’d first met him, to that whirlwind of love she was so accustomed to. It was almost addictive, though the fall afterward was certainly not pleasant.

  Tristan popped her head back in. “It’s time. Come on, Lis.”

  The music started just as the four of them exited the dressing room. Tristan went first, followed by Fleur and then Bethany. They’d practiced this, and Lisette knew what to do. She waited a for a few beats of the traditional wedding march to come, then stepped into the aisle.

  Everyone was looking at her – everyone except Mirabelle. Mirabelle was too busy glaring at Jermaine and Savion to focus on anything else. Lisette should be annoyed, but her own nerves were rising in a crescendo inside her, leaving her unable to feel anything else.

  Teo was waiting at the altar. Even from here, she could see him beaming at her. Lisette saw love and devotion in his eyes. She reached into herself, trying to feel the same thing… and came up empty.