by Moni Boyce
“But you do.” She returned his tone.
His head whipped around to stare directly at her. “No, I don’t. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Just admit that you like her.”
He sighed in exasperation and his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Even if I admitted you were right, what does it matter? You and I both know the commandment says it’s forbidden for me to...” The look he gave Zoriana was full of torture. He squeezed his eyes shut in frustration before he exhaled. The next words were a soft plea. “Can we just drop this, please? Will you train her or not?”
She regarded him quietly for several breaths. “Yes.”
“Thank you.” It was still early, but he turned over on his side away from her.
Phaedra kept warning him away from his feelings and reminding him of his duty and here Zoriana was acting like he was a man that had a choice. He was already wrestling with his own conflicting emotions, the last thing he needed was to add everyone else’s opinion to the mix.
Please let sleep come quickly.
The sounds of Zoriana getting comfortable in her sleeping bag mingled with the crackling of the fire as the dying embers turned to ash. As he lay there trying to go to sleep, there was a part of him that wanted to communicate with her telepathically, given it was probably the only way she would listen to him but he wouldn’t invade her mind or take away her choice. If she ever spoke to him again, it would be on her terms. He missed being peppered with a million questions and listening to her talk. After being thrown together for over two months it was weird not talking to her. The last twenty-four hours without her speaking to him had felt like someone put out the sun.
Damn. I have it bad.
To make matters worse, in the distance he was sure he heard the faint sounds of Phaedra and Max’s lovemaking. Maybe they were attempting to be quiet, but it wasn’t working. He grabbed his ear buds from his pocket and stuffed them into his ears before he plugged the jack into his phone and turned the volume up. There was no way he would listen to them all night.
When was the last time he’d gotten laid?
Go to sleep. He told himself. There was no sense in thinking about that when that train of thought would only lead to someone he was trying not to think about.
THE NEXT DAY HE WOKE up early and left the camp before anyone else was awake. Hours later, while he scavenged the woods for plants that might be useful he hoped that Willow remembered what he told her about always carrying the dagger with her. Now that they were back out on the road, it was imperative she have the blade on her at all times. When he gave it to her, he hadn’t told her he’d imbued it with different magical spells, one of which was a locator spell. If she were ever abducted, they could track her and find her.
Even though she had her fae powers, they were new to her, and she was still learning how to use them. They still hadn’t figured out all of her abilities and everything she was capable of. The dagger was a practical weapon she could use if she needed to.
He dragged his thoughts back to his problem with Willow. Avoidance wasn’t the answer, but he thought it was best for now. He didn’t want her to think he abandoned her training because of what happened between them. They were both adults. He would just have to talk to her and see if they could put aside any differences and focus on her training. Willow was a reasonable woman. Right?
He pondered the thought all the way back to the camp. When he arrived, he found Max and Phaedra cozy by the fire. Max whispered in her ear and nipped her neck in a playful manner. Eli quickly averted his gaze from the romantic scene. When he heard her soft, teasing giggle he cleared his throat loudly. Phaedra wasn’t the type of woman that giggled so he felt like he’d intruded on something private.
By the time he joined them at the fire the two had separated. Max showed no signs of being awkward or uncomfortable and from what he’d learned about him he was not a man that was easily embarrassed. On the other hand, he knew his best friend liked her privacy. He wouldn’t be making any jokes about them being booed up unless he wanted to sport a black eye. “Where’s everyone?” He poured himself some coffee.
“Zoriana’s training Willow. Mathilda and Morgana are inside...” She gestured towards the RV. “They’re working on some potions.”
He looked towards the direction he believed Zoriana and Willow would have gone for her training and reminded himself he vowed to set things right between them, as right as he could make them. Part of him wanted to charge off into the meadow and search for them so he could deal with everything now. Willow must be rubbing off on him, because he’d never been an impatient man. When it came to her, he did things he wouldn’t have done before.
Phaedra’s eyes were burning a hole into his back. He’d been staring in that direction for too long. The last thing he wanted was another lecture. He sat on the ground and sipped at his coffee. Hopefully, the wait wouldn’t be so bad.
Nearly three cups of coffee and an hour later, he caught sight of them. He got up and headed towards them. The plan was to get her alone away from the camp so they could talk without prying eyes or ears eavesdropping on what they said. Willow was animatedly talking to Zoriana about something, but the minute she saw him approaching she stopped. The two women waited for him to come to them. His eyes didn’t leave Willow’s face despite the death glare she was giving him. “Zoriana, could I have a minute alone with Willow?”
Zoriana gave her a look to make sure she didn’t mind being left alone with him. When she gave her a nod of confirmation, his aunt left. Once she was several feet away he spoke. “I was hoping we could tal...”
She cut him off. “What do you want?” The sweet lips he’d had the pleasure of kissing were twisted into a frown, while her eyes scowled at him. Her hands were wrapped around her body, much like they were the other night.
Better to just go straight for the most hurtful lie he could think of. “I’m sorry about the other night. I shouldn’t have led you on like that. I don’t feel that way about you... I don’t feel the same way about you that you feel about me.”
It was like watching a row of dominoes fall, the way her face fell. Whatever she’d been expecting him to say, it hadn’t been that. The angry look she sported seconds ago must have been false bravado. “But... but you kissed me back.” It was impossible not to miss the way her lip quivered and her eyes became glassy with unshed tears.
“Yes, I did, but it was because I felt gratitude for what you said to my father at dinner and... you looked beautiful that night. It was hard to resist you, but that’s exactly why I stopped it.”
“You don’t have to patronize me.” Her gaze shifted away from him and she took a stuttering breath.
He hated hurting her like this, but he continued. “I’m here to protect you. It’s my job to keep you safe, not be your boyfriend. This talk was to see if we... if you could put your feelings aside and have us resume our training.”
The look she gave him could have leveled a building with no explosives. His eyes stayed locked on her watery gaze. It was excruciating watching her internal struggle as she did her best to compose her features and not give way to whatever emotions she was feeling. She dropped her hands to her sides. “You’ve said what you came to say. You’re my bodyguard and my teacher, nothing more.” The disdain that contorted her beautiful face before she stalked off made him feel like the biggest asshole. He turned and watched her walk away. Her shoulders were squared and her head was held high like she was telling the world that his rejection of her wouldn’t break her. He hoped it didn’t.
After his conversation with Willow, he convinced Phaedra to spar with him out in the meadow. Stripped to the waist and covered in a fine sheen of perspiration he swung the staff around hoping to catch Phaedra off guard. No such luck. She blocked his move and quickly countered with one of her own that had him ducking to avoid a swing that would have connected and knocked the wind out of him.
“We’ve been at this for over an hour and your head
is not here.” She confirmed her revelation by swinging her staff around her head in a wide arc before bringing it back down in a swift motion that caught him on his thigh. He knew she’d held back because the stinging pain in his leg was a lot less than what it usually felt like when he got hit by her.
“Okay, you’re right. I’m distracted. Let’s call it a day.” With his staff held in one hand he bent to retrieve his shirt.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Phaedra leaned on her staff with both hands and eyed him.
He was about to tell her he was good and she didn’t need to be concerned when a yell was followed by what sounded like a small explosion. Both of them gave each other a sharp look before they broke into a run headed back towards camp. Once they rounded the edge of the forest that blocked their view from the clearing where the camp was located, the sight of a swarm of attacking vampires greeted them. They quickly joined the fight.
He hurled a fireball at the nearest vampire, his eyes steadily scanning the melee for Willow. Was she safe? Had they taken her? Then his eyes landed on Zoriana fighting with a statuesque, Middle Eastern women, with expertly delivered and timed fighting skills. Unlike the other vampires nearby that weren’t doing a good job at evading magic, she could block and avoid the spells Zoriana directed at her. She noticed him too and their eyes locked in a challenge. If Killian had sent someone like her and not only expendables, then they meant to take her. He quickly dispatched with the vampire he’d been fighting with and made his way towards her.
CHAPTER 25
Willow
In a split second she went from thinking about Eli’s stinging delivery that he didn’t return her feelings to focusing on staying alive. The vampires seemed to come out of nowhere and then they were everywhere. She wasn’t sure how many of them there were. She couldn’t see through the fog that had cropped up. Where had it come from? It must have been something that arrived with the presence of the vampires because it had been a bright clear day and now it was shrouded in mist.
‘WILLOW? WHERE ARE YOU?’ Eli’s voice sounded inside her head.
Despite their earlier conversation, she’d never been so happy to hear his voice. ‘ELI.’ She searched for him, but it was hard to see through the fog and bodies that ran and fought all around her.
Phaedra was locked in combat with two vampires. One of them went flying backwards when she blasted her with what looked like a bolt of electricity. The other vampire advanced on Phaedra only to get bashed in the head with the blunt end of her staff. She was a force to be reckoned with. Nearby, Max had shifted into his werewolf form. Four different vampires were doing their best to take him down. Before she turned away, she saw one’s head go flying after Max’s large claws swiped it clean off its shoulders.
‘WILLOW GET TO THE RV AND HIDE BENEATH IT.’
She knew he’d given her orders to stay out of the fight, but she couldn’t sit by while everyone fought on her behalf. It wasn’t exactly like she was helpless. She had powers. He was trying to do his job and protect her, but she couldn’t listen to what he said. She had to fight.
Ignoring what he’d said, she saw Mathilda being swarmed while trying to fend them off. No one must have been close to the RV when the battle broke out. Not that anyone needed the weapons they’d purchased from Samson, but she couldn’t help thinking the vervain gun might come in handy right about now.
She ran towards the group attacking Mathilda and raised her hand, palm facing outward, focused and shot a beam of energy at one of the vampires. It was hard not to be a little pleased with herself after having practiced in mock fights how to use her powers and to see it working during the real thing. She hated that her brain was having that inappropriate thought at this moment when lives hung in the balance.
Mentally, she shook the thought away and aimed an energy blast at another bloodsucker. With her help, Mathilda emerged from the corner they had backed her into. She raised her hand and some invisible force picked up a vampire and threw them across the field.
Again her eyes searched for Eli. She knew he’d be furious with her for not staying out of this. They’d probably argue about it, but she would make him understand that she wasn’t some damsel in distress that needed other people to do her fighting for her.
A vampire charged her, knocking them both to the ground. The breath flew out of her lungs after they hit. She reacted quickly and shot a stream of energy at him while she scrambled to her feet. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. She took off running, in case the vampire gave chase. Not that she could really outrun the vampire. There was no outrunning their super speed. She’d seen enough movies to know, but it didn’t stop her from trying.
Seconds later she was shoved to the ground from behind. When she attempted to get up, someone pulled her leg out from under her and flipped her over like she weighed nothing, like she was a rag doll. She struck the ground again with more force. Air was pushed out of her lungs and her head smacked the ground hard. She was dazed and tried to shake herself out of the stupor. It wasn’t quick enough because suddenly she was lifted from the ground and held aloft in the air.
She was unprepared for the amount of strength the vampire was capable of. With one hand the vampire gripped her throat and lifted her until her feet dangled. The cold hand wrapped around her throat was gradually cutting off her air supply. She flailed and kicked, while she tried desperately to remove the hand from her neck. The vampire’s smile of pure satisfaction reminded her of Killian’s.
The edges of her eyesight were going black. She had to do something soon or she would lose consciousness. Her frenzied mind remembered she had the dagger in her waistband. As she continued to struggle to release herself with one hand, her other hand trembled with exertion at reaching for the blade. Her fingers were almost there. Just a little more. She felt a small measure of relief when her finger latched onto the hilt. Spasms and twitching kept her from pulling the dagger right away, while her feet continued to scramble, toeing the air for solid ground.
Her eyes bulged and watered with the effort to breathe; any second she would lose the fight and go to sleep just like the vampire wanted. That thought revived her with new energy. Her hand clutched the dagger and yanked it from her waistband. She wasted no time in plunging it directly into the vampire’s chest. She had no idea if vampires still had hearts that could bleed or stop beating, but the move was enough to catch her off guard and give Willow the upper hand. Once the bloodsucker looked down to see what punctured her chest, Willow lifted her hand and blasted her in the face with a burst of energy. The vampire released her.
Instantly breath returned to her lungs as the force of the blast launched the vampire off her feet and sent her spiraling into the trunk of a nearby tree. Coughs wracked Willow’s body when she fell to the ground and rolled onto her side. Battle still waged around her, but the only thing she could concern herself with was sucking in air. Her throat was raw and breathing burned with every wheeze she took. She rose to her hands and knees as she sputtered and choked.
Screams and sounds of earth being raised or blown apart and spells being cast surrounded her on all sides. Her vision was still spotty as she shakily pushed herself to her feet.
“WILLOW!”
The sound of someone screaming her name ripped through the air over all the other noises. When she looked towards the direction of the voice, she stared across the distance into Eli’s terrified eyes. His whole body was paralyzed with fear. Then she noticed the Middle Eastern woman that had been in one of her Killian dreams standing a few feet behind him. Her eyes shifted back to Eli.
Why does he look so scared? She was all right. The side of her mouth tilted into a lopsided, goofy grin that comes with being punch-drunk or in shock. She raised a hand to wave to him. It wasn’t normal to be grinning when all around you war was being waged. She knew that, yet she couldn’t help the reaction she was having.
Something pierced her side and caused a pain unlike any she’d ever felt before. Tears seeped from
her eyes. She looked down to find a spear sticking through her side. Disbelief was the only emotion that clouded her already foggy brain at that moment.
There’s a spear in my side.
Her shaky hand grabbed a hold of the wood that was now slick and coated with her blood. She pulled her hand away and looked at the smear of crimson red that colored her palm and fingers.
I guess I’m not invulnerable.
One of the spiritual faery abilities she didn’t possess would have come in handy right about now.
‘WILLOW, COME WITH ME AND HE CAN HEAL YOU. HE CAN MAKE ALL YOUR PAIN GO AWAY. YOU NEVER HAVE TO HURT AGAIN.’
It wasn’t Eli’s voice she heard in her head. When she looked up and looked into the woman’s eyes, she knew it was her voice that was attempting to coax her to give herself over to Killian willingly. Could she read her thoughts and discern how much agony she was in? She shook away the voice that was trying to seduce her to give up and let Killian win. A spasm of pain surged through her body and made her gasp.
When her eyes found Eli again, she gave him one last smile before she slumped to the ground in a faint.
CHAPTER 26
Eli
When he looked up from the reprieve in his battle with the female vampire that appeared to be the leader, another vampire threw a spear at Willow. In that moment, he felt powerless. The female vampire roared behind him when the spear hit its mark. An instant later, the vampire who threw the weapon dropped dead. He didn’t have time to question how she’d been able to do that, he just knew he had to get to Willow.
Killian needed Willow alive so why would that vampire mortally wound her? Unless it was a mistake. Errors happened often in the heat of battle. Her back was to him, so he hadn’t seen who he was aiming at, he just knew it was the enemy. Mistake or not it pissed this woman off and made that vampire’s life forfeit.
