by Kensie King
“I’m right here,” he murmured, his lips brushing mine again.
I blinked and shook my head. No, wait. This wasn’t right. He was… He was doing something to me again. It was like a wall slammed down in my brain, and I jerked back.
Gage still held me close, so I wedge my hands between us and shoved his chest. “Get off.”
He only caught one wrist with a lazy smile. “I don’t think that’s what you really want.”
Don’t meet his eyes! That was what it was. Looking into his eyes was taking away my will power. And he knew exactly what he was doing.
“Get the hell off of me!” I pushed him as hard as I could.
Though it wasn’t enough to make him budge, he stepped back, hands up again. “Lincoln,” he said calmly. “This will be a lot easier if you cooperate. We all have our parts to play. This is yours.”
“And what the fuck is that?” I asked, flames licking at my fingertips. Now they come out to help me. What about before in the field when Gage was trying to get me back in his car? “My part is to—what? Let you take advantage of me? You tricked me into kissing you—”
“I absolutely did not,” he said, sounding offended. He folded his arms, muscles bulging against his black t-shirt. “Not the first time or the second.”
I ground my teeth. He was right. He hadn’t forced me to do anything. Even when he wasn’t trying to influence me in any way, I could feel the attraction between us.
“Well, you’re doing something. You—your eyes,” I said, pointing.
He nodded. “It’s part of who I am. And it’ll help if you come to terms with who you are, too.”
“And who is that?”
“A witch.” He said it simply enough, like he was talking about the weather.
And that was the whole reason I was here, right? To get answers about who I was. To maybe even…explore it a little bit.
He saw I was considering this stepped forward again. He caught one of my hands and traced his fingers across the knuckles. Fuck, he was persuasive. And I wasn’t even looking into his eyes. Even when I glanced at them, they were clear and reasonable.
“Gage,” I warned, though my body wasn’t cooperating. “Just tell me why I’m here.”
He looked down at our hands. “I need you to be here for the full moon. And then I need you to do a spell for me.”
My mouth opened. That was more straightforward than I’d expected. And less… ominous? I guess I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting. That he’d want to kill me for a sacrifice? That he’d want me to kill someone else? Like I said, I wasn’t sure but this wasn’t it.
“A spell,” I said, confused.
“You’re a witch. You do a spell for me and…our kind gets to be who they were meant to be.” He gave a small smile that was remarkably sincere. “It’s as simple as that.”
“I don’t even—” I frowned. “It’s not that simple. I don’t know how to do a spell or—”
“We’ll figure it out,” he said with a nod. “I’ll help you. In the meantime, let me show you around.”
I jerked my hand from his. “What the fuck? No. I’m not staying here.”
He ignored the comment and nodded his head to the door. “I think you’ll like the house.”
“You can’t—you won’t get away with this. All my stuff is at the motel. People are going to start looking for me.”
“Doubtful. You’re supposed to check out tomorrow anyway. I’ll just pick up your stuff, deal with your car, and poof—they’ll think you checked out and left town just like you were planning.”
The logic of it hit me hard. He was right. No one would notice I was missing, would they? Dylan. Yes, he would notice. But not if all my stuff was gone. He’d probably assume I left early like I’d promised.
I crossed my arms. “How did you know I was planning on leaving tomorrow?”
Gage turned back slightly and propped his hands on his hips.
“You were hiding something from me. I saw you talking to him—Dylan—and figured it out. You’re trying to leave before the full moon. But I can’t let that happen, so I’ll just make it look like you left a little earlier. That’ll make them happy.”
“Who?”
“The others. Dylan and—” He gestured vaguely— “Everyone who actually wants you gone.”
He meant Grace. Probably my mom. Maybe there were even others, all hoping I wasn’t here for the full moon so that whatever was going to happen didn’t happen.
Gage held out his hand at the door. “Come on.”
“Gage—”
“No,” he snapped. “We’re not talking about this anymore. You’re staying here and that’s it.”
I released a tight breath but stopped with the questions. I might be pissed off that he brought me here against my will but that didn’t mean I had to antagonize him and make this worse. I could get answers in the meantime. Learn more.
And then figure out how the hell to get out of here.
“All right,” I said calmly. “Show me your house.”
His shoulders relaxed. “Good.”
But I didn’t take his hand, just followed him down a hallway. He gestured to other bedrooms but didn’t spend time showing me much. Then he led us downstairs.
On the main level, it surprised me how comfortable the house was. It felt old but lived in, antiques mixed in with contemporary pieces. The flooring was rich, with light paneling that was inviting and made me wonder who’d updated it.
“This is your house?” I asked, certain he was lying to me.
“My family’s house,” he answered. “Yes. But it’s just me here now. And—”
He broke off and walked toward the front door. My heartbeat picked up. This was my way out. As long as I didn’t get caught.
Which meant I had to play along for now. Until I could find my cell phone or escape. Do whatever I could to get out of here before the full moon.
“And what?” I asked, following him to a room that was close to the front door.
He stopped at the entryway to the other room and propped his shoulder against the door jamb. “It’s nothing.”
I leaned against the wall as well and took a chance. “Family stuff?”
He nodded. “Yes. Family stuff.” But he didn’t elaborate. Instead, he reached out and brushed the back of his fingers on my cheek, catching me off guard. “I wish we could have met under different circumstances.”
I almost said, “me, too” because I was actually really starting to like Gage. Until he went and kidnapped me.
Before I could respond, he moved in, smooth and fast. His mouth was on mine in an instant, lips just a faint brush that made me want more. I couldn’t seem to help that instant yearning to be with someone else, the desire for physical contact I hadn’t let myself indulge for a long time. I was too afraid of hurting someone else.
But for some reason, those flames didn’t seem to go crazy around Gage. The one person I truly needed them for and they failed me. Was that because I was getting better at controlling them? Or was I just that hopeless around Gage—still attracted to him despite what he’d done to me?
His breath touched my lips and I swore he was going to lean in for another, deeper kiss, but then he eased back. “I hope you’ll understand what all this is for soon. In the meantime…”
He touched my back, encouraging me to step into the room. “It’s the library,” he said.
I walked inside and then gaped. It wasn’t a small library by any means. It held shelf after shelf of books on polished wood. And higher, a second story held even more books that were stationed up a winding staircase.
“I thought you might like it,” Gage said, smiling gently. He pointed. “Here’s fiction. Classics, mostly. And some of my favorites. But over here…” I followed him to the opposite side of the room past a long, wooden table. “We have history. Geography. Family books, like journals and notebooks. Information about our bloodline.”
A vampire bloodline? How the hell had
this not come up in my research of the town?
“Is the rest of your family like you?” I asked him.
His smile widened. “Heartbreakingly attractive?”
“You know what I mean.”
He strolled to the window and stared outside for a long moment, shoving his hands in his pockets. “We’re the oldest family in Knob Creek. Our bloodline goes back for over a century.” When he turned back, his eyes were black as onyx and full of conflict. “It goes back almost as long as the curse.”
“Curse?” I asked, taking a step closer. This is what I need to know. The information I was here for.
“The curse you’re here to break,” Gage said.
He met me in the middle of the room while I shook my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. And I don’t think I can break a curse—”
“You can and you will.” He reached up, fast as lightning, and gripped my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “I’ll bring you whatever you need and let you use your mother’s Book of Shadows. But, Link, you’re not leaving here until you break that curse.”
