Magister's Bane

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Magister's Bane Page 19

by Yvette Bostic


  A knock on the door kept me from finding out. Waves of disappointment rolled across me, and I couldn’t tell if it was mine or Kellen’s.

  “I’ll get it,” I muttered, rolling out of bed.

  I opened the door to Marissa’s worried but determined face.

  “They’re here,” she said.

  “We’ll be right down.” So much for trying to help my partner. Anxiety and fear replaced my disappointment. I needed to make a decision about joining Kellen or staying here. I was certain Niyol would help me and could almost hear his huff of annoyance that I would think otherwise. But would it be enough? Would I have time to figure out how to transfer my strength to Kellen? Or would I be totally distracted by a battle raging around me?

  “It’s time to go, isn’t it?” Kellen’s voice interrupted my internal argument.

  It didn’t take him long to dress in a pair of cargo pants much like my own, a long sleeve t-shirt, and black boots. A wide leather belt wrapped around his waist, with a long sword hanging from one side and pistol holster on the other. He was ready to face this. How could I do any less? Because he’d obviously done this before, and I hadn’t.

  “Together?” he asked, holding out his large hand to me.

  I grabbed his hand. “Together.”

  Chapter 26

  We waited in the darkened tree line with twenty of Victor’s pack already in their wolf form, except for Matt, who stood next to my partner in a pair of black sweatpants. I was beginning to think that was the standard wardrobe for them. Maybe because they were easy to get in and out of or because they were cheap to replace. Maybe both.

  “How many scouts have been spotted?” Kellen asked in a low whisper.

  “Six,” Matt replied.

  “Do you know how far away the main group is?”

  “About half a mile.”

  “So, they should hit the wall any minute now,” Kellen stated. “Are they surrounding us or just flanking our sides?”

  “Flanking both sides,” Matt said. “Our feathered friends haven’t spotted anyone coming from the mountains.”

  “They answered Victor’s call?” Kellen asked, not hiding the surprise in his voice.

  “They were the first ones to arrive this evening,” Matt replied with pride.

  “People can shift into birds?” I asked, then covered my mouth when I realized I hadn’t whispered.

  Neither of the men answered. I huffed. It wasn’t my fault I was so naïve about the supernatural world. A snapping twig to my left drew my attention, and my pulse raced. Kellen and Matt didn’t react to the noise, but it didn’t settle my nerves. I could barely see the outline of the thick pines surrounding us, blocking out the moon’s light. I wanted to bring a flashlight, but Kellen convinced me it would be futile to try to carry it while fighting. It made sense, but the darkness wore on me.

  The unusually quiet forest accentuated even the tiniest of sounds. The long, low hoot of an owl startled me again, followed by three short chirps. I opened my mouth to ask what it meant, but a booming explosion threw me to the ground. A blinding light and screams of pain quickly followed. A dozen or more howls filled the night, and a chorus of thundering roars joined them, making the hair on my arms stand on end. My increased pulse turned to full, heart-thumping adrenaline.

  The blinding light faded, leaving behind flickering flames that raced through the trees, illuminating the forest in front of us. My breath caught in my throat as swift, agile bodies leapt over a stone wall I hadn’t seen before. The wolves around me growled, and within seconds I heard snapping teeth and ripping flesh.

  Two vampires appeared in front of me, and I froze, staring into their red eyes. I watched in horror as one of them raised a clawed hand, bared his fangs, and cackled. His grating laughter pierced my soul, and I knew I’d made a mistake. I couldn’t defend myself against them.

  I raised my arms to cover my face and screamed, waiting for a fatal blow that never came. I peeked out from beneath my arm to see Kellen standing next to me with a bloody sword in his hand and a scowl on his face. The second vampire fell to the ground, with a wolf’s jaws locked around his leg. Kellen’s sword swept towards the vampire’s neck, removing it in one clean sweep.

  We should not be idle, Niyol whispered.

  What should we do? I have no idea how to fight.

  Will you trust me to fight for you?

  I thought about his question. There was no reason I could think of why I shouldn’t trust him. Weren’t the elements responsible for keeping the earth safe?

  Yes, Niyol. I trust you to keep us safe… without destroying the forest.

  His laughter echoed over the howls and screams, drawing the attention of the nearest wolves and vampires.

  “What did you do?” Kellen asked, grabbing my arm.

  “I told Niyol to have at it,” I replied, allowing him to drag me further from the stone wall.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “You’re the experienced mage. You tell me.”

  I heard him mumble incoherently as the wind picked up around us, tossing leaves and branches into the air. Four more vampires cleared the wall, and I swept my hands towards them, stopping their forward momentum. Three wolves raced to intercept them, but the fourth recovered quickly and lunged towards me. I pushed another gust of air at him, but he leapt, soaring over my head and disappearing.

  I spun around, barely catching his movement to my right. I spun again, but he was gone. The hairs on my neck tingled as I slowly turned. Kellen fought with a light brown wolf against two more vampires. He wasn’t using magic, instead wielding his sword like a gladiator. I was impressed and jealous. I needed to learn to do that.

  An arm snaking around my waist brought me back from my distractions, and I yelped.

  “I’ve heard mage blood is better than a normal human,” the vampire whispered in my ear. “The magic in it is like a drug we can’t get enough of.”

  “You won’t be having any of mine,” I hissed, squirming.

  “I think I’ll be having plenty.”

  I felt his fangs on the back of my neck and panicked. No matter how much I kicked and fought, I couldn’t get free of his grasp. I remembered the vampire at the gas station and focused on my attacker’s blood. The same slimy sensation greeted me, but I pushed past it, drawing on it as quickly as I could. The vampire’s fangs loosened on my neck, and I doubled my efforts, feeling my legs weaken and my mind cloud over.

  A raging torrent of wind surrounded me as the vampire released his grip. Kellen appeared below me in a raging fire, surrounded by wolves. I felt myself being pulled into the air away from him, but I couldn’t do anything to stop it. He screamed at me, but I couldn’t hear him above the wind howling in my ears. Darkness surrounded my partner as I lost consciousness.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  My head bounced against something hard, waking me from my nightmare. The smell of leather and dirt greeted me first, then wet dog and Kellen. I never noticed how nice he smelled before. Kind of like brown sugar and cinnamon, which went great with coffee.

  I opened my eyes and saw his filthy shirt. My gaze lifted to his face, set in a hard scowl. I turned my head and cried out as pain shot into my neck. Panic flooded through me as I realized it wasn’t a dream. That damn vampire bit me.

  “Don’t move, AJ,” Kellen said.

  I reached up and felt the thick bandage on the back of my neck. I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face.

  “Kellen,” I whispered. “He just bit me, right?”

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “We’re going to find out in just a few minutes.”

  He ran up the steps to the lodge, and then took the stairs to our room two at a time.

  “What about the others?” I asked. “Are they still fighting?”

  “No, the vampires retreated.” He kicked open the door and turned sideways so he didn’t smack my head on the frame.

  “Really? It didn’t feel like we were winning. M
ore were coming over the wall when—” I stopped and shuddered, remembering the vampire’s fangs sinking into my neck. A burning sensation flared down my shoulder, and I whimpered.

  “Niyol got a little pissed off when he saw that vampire hanging on you.”

  I closed my eyes and grimaced as another surge of fire ran down my shoulder. The door slammed shut, and a different smell greeted me. It was cool, like spearmint, and a little familiar.

  “Kellen.” Logan’s voice forced my eyes open.

  “Is his venom in her?” Kellen asked, his voice thick with emotion.

  “Most definitely,” Logan replied. “I could smell her when you entered the house downstairs.”

  Kellen sat me on the sofa and removed the bloody rag from my neck. Logan’s eyes widened along with the red ring around his iris.

  “Is there anything you can do to remove the venom?”

  I watched Logan’s gaze move from me to Kellen. I knew I should’ve had some reaction to Logan’s red eyes and hungry look, but all I could do was stare at him. He was so different from Kellen. His tall, lean body fit nicely in his tight jeans and t-shirt.

  “I can try to remove it, but she cannot afford any more blood loss,” he replied. “I can’t just remove the venom.”

  “You have to do something! I can’t...” Kellen stuttered, and I turned my face towards him. His eyes pooled with tears as they drifted across my face and landed on my neck. “If we wait, she will change.”

  “What are you two saying?” I asked, hoping my suspicions were wrong.

  Kellen sat down beside me. His pained expression made my heart ache. “He didn’t just bite you. Logan can try to remove the venom from your body, but he’ll also need to remove more blood, which you can’t afford to lose.”

  I looked back at Logan who now stood across the room. The red ring around his hazel eyes seemed to grow by the second. I felt drawn to him, almost as if nothing else in the room mattered.

  “Don’t, AJ,” Logan said. “I’m barely in control of myself right now.”

  Kellen’s hands on the side of my face turned my head to face him. Tears ran down his cheeks, but I struggled to stay focused on him regardless of his raw emotion.

  “It can’t happen this quickly,” he said. “Logan please, I cannot lose her. She is the key to everything.”

  Logan was at my side a moment later, looking down at me and Kellen. “If I kill her, you will take my life,” he said. “I can barely live with myself now. I won’t live knowing I killed her.”

  Kellen nodded and leaned into me, pressing his lips against mine. I responded with an urgency that surprised me, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling myself into his lap. He ended our kiss abruptly, and I felt my lower lip puff out in a pout. I never pouted. What was wrong with me?

  “We’ll finish that later,” Kellen whispered, gently pushing me away. He stood and turned to Logan. “I’m not leaving.”

  “You can’t be here for this,” Logan insisted. “Someone needs to keep the wolves away from us. They will only smell her blood and not understand.” Logan’s gaze drifted to me, and my stomach fluttered. “This will be hard enough for her. It’s best if you don’t know what she’s about to endure. If she decides to tell you afterwards, it will be on her terms.”

  Kellen turned back to me but with a different expression. Sadness and guilt filtered through our connection. Why did he feel guilty? It was my stupid decision to join him.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I should have stayed here, like you said.”

  He reached down and cupped my face with one hand. Sparky immediately jumped from me to him. “There’s a lot I should’ve done and didn’t. This is not your fault.”

  I watched him walk across the room and out the door, closing it softly behind him. Logan followed, turning the lock and pulling the chain in place.

  “Can you walk?” he asked, strolling back across the room.

  I placed my feet on the floor and stood. The room swayed, and I sat back down. “Yes, but only with some help.”

  Logan scooped me up before I could protest and carried me into the bathroom.

  “Why the bathroom?” I asked as he set me on my feet.

  I leaned against the counter, and he locked the door. My eyes narrowed as he pulled his shirt over his head and unthreaded his belt from his pants. The burn in my shoulder flared with the same intensity as my desire.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, my hands fidgeting at my sides. I wanted to reach out and touch him but knew I shouldn’t. My heart thundered and my head swam, and I blinked a few times, trying to regain control.

  “This is going to be messy, and the shower is the easiest place to clean.”

  His blue jeans slid to the floor, leaving him in a pair of striped boxers. My face flushed, remembering the last time I saw him in the bathroom. Heat rushed through my middle, and I knew it wasn’t Sparky.

  “You’re welcome to remain dressed, but you’ll probably have to toss your clothes when we’re done,” he said, turning on the water in the shower, appearing to avoid my roaming eyes. “I don’t have anything to change into, and it’s a bad idea to walk around in blood-stained clothing.”

  “What exactly are we doing?” I asked, trying to calm my raging hormones. Where did this desire for Logan come from? Was it the vampire’s bite?

  He stood in front of me in a flash, his hazel eyes nearly consumed by the red ring. Did he just abandon his control? “I’m going to try not to kill you,” he said, under his breath. “I need to bite you in the same place the other vampire did.”

  “Okay. That doesn’t seem so bad.” Even as I said it, the flare in my shoulder pulsed again, rushing into my chest and down my arm. It had to be the venom infiltrating my system.

  “You will need to do the same to me in order to keep from dying.”

  “Excuse me?” Did he just say I would need to drink his blood?

  “My blood will replace what you’ve lost while I attempt to remove the venom from you.” He glanced at my neck, and his fangs lowered below his top lip.

  “I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to bite you, Logan,” I said, watching his eyes turn completely red. Rather than being repulsed, a shiver of desire rose from my middle.

  “Your fangs are no different than mine, princess.” A smile spread across his lips, exposing more of his long fangs.

  I ran my tongue over my teeth and yelped. I turned to the mirror and pulled my lips back. Short, curved fangs replaced my canines. “Is it too late?” A moment of panic replaced my desire and fascination.

  “I hope not.” He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to face him. “I’m willing to try to save you from what I’ve become, but you have to be willing as well.”

  “Is that why everyone smells different? Why is it happening so quickly?”

  “Yes, your senses are heightening rapidly because the vampire who bit you was a mage. His magic increases the toxicity of his venom, accelerating everything.”

  “Okay.” If the venom was moving this quickly through my system, I knew we needed to get it out of me and quick. I took a deep breath and looked up at him. “You bite me, I bite you, and all this goes away.”

  A frown spread across his face. “Don’t fight against me. You’ll experience sensory overload before this is over. You need to accept it.” He paused. “Don’t fight against me.”

  “Yeah.” I ran my tongue across the pointed teeth once again. A shiver ran through me as Logan leaned towards my neck. Apprehension mixed with my raging desire. I leaned towards him, and his lips brushed my skin. His hands trailed down my arms and wrapped around my fingers.

  “Breathe,” he said, “And don’t wait to take my blood.”

  I exhaled as his fangs sank into me. It didn’t hurt, not like the first time. I leaned my head to the side and looked at his bare shoulder. His smooth skin moved with his muscle as his hands released mine and wandered past my waist, cupping my butt. He hoisted me onto the counter, and I pressed against hi
m.

  My hormones spiked as he pulled me closer. I felt light-headed and woozy, but my desire to be with him kept my eyes open. His lips pulled away from my neck. I stared at his tongue slipping from his lips and catching a drop of my blood. I should have been repulsed by it, but found myself becoming even more aroused. A moment of guilt assaulted me as I thought of Kellen.

  “You are not helping,” Logan said, his voice husky.

  “What was I supposed to be doing?” I asked, still watching his lips, completely mesmerized by him.

  He tipped my chin with one of his fingers, forcing me to look up. The red in his eyes swirled, drawing me even closer. “Follow my finger,” he said, tracing it down his neck along his jugular, then making a sharp left at his collar bone. “Right here.” He tapped the small vein that pulsed beneath his skin.

  My mouth watered with the overwhelming urge to bite him. Isn’t that what he just told me to do? I couldn’t remember, my mind too foggy and overrun with emotion.

  “Now,” he demanded, pulling my head to his neck.

  I sunk my new teeth through his skin and tasted the coppery fluid flow over my tongue. A new urge flooded through me, eliminating any reservations I may have had before. All thoughts of Kellen, wolves, and mages vanished as I became lost in Logan’s need for acceptance, love, and devotion. I laced my fingers into his hair and pulled him closer. I had no idea how long I stayed attached to him, only focusing on eliminating the space between us. My fingers explored every inch of his neck and back, before he gently pulled away.

  “I think that’s enough,” he whispered in my ear.

  Reluctantly, I released his neck and kissed away the lingering blood. His hand ran up and down my spine, sending shivers through my body. His boxers did nothing to contain his own desire. I wrapped my legs around his waist and looked up at his red-swirling eyes. He started to speak, and I kissed him. He returned it immediately with unbridled passion.

  His hands lifted my shirt over my head, interrupting our kiss. I let him unsnap my bra as I slid off the counter. He pushed my cargo pants off my narrow hips, and I let them and my panties fall to the floor. He picked me up again and carried me into the still running shower.

 

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