Blood Magic

by Jennifer Snyder

  “What? You don’t like the taste of it?” Abby asked. Disbelief was reflected in her tone as she gathered her purse and a tan tote bag. The sound of glass jars clinking together inside it sounded when she lifted it.

  I shook my head. “It’s too spicy.”

  “That’s what opens up your sinuses.” She breathed in deeply through her nose. “Your lungs.”

  Once we were outside her shop, she locked the door and then pulled me in for another hug. I returned it, squeezing her tight.

  “Good luck with your class,” I said as we parted.

  “Good luck with your spell,” she said with a wink before slipping behind the wheel of her tiny electric car.

  “Thanks.”

  I climbed in my car and cranked the engine. As I shifted into reverse, I noticed a single black crow perched on top of the handicap sign for the parking space beside me. It stared at me as though it were recording my every move. The thought sent a chill up my spine and had my mind dipping to even crazier places.

  All of them connected to Bram.

  Him bursting into the flock of crows while at the cabin Hazel had been staying in. My nightmare. The possibility he might be in town.

  I exhaled a slow breath and backed out of my parking space, noticing when the bird didn’t fly away like I thought he would. He continued to sit there, staring. As I shifted into drive and pulled away from Earth Roots, I frowned at the bird, wondering if I’d ever be able to look at another crow without thinking of Bram. It didn’t seem likely.

  Chapter 6

  The scent of garlic and herbs lingered in the air when I let myself in the front door of the Montevallo house. While whatever was cooking smelled delicious, it surprised me. This was home to five vampires after all. Garlic wasn’t a scent you expected when walking through their front door.

  “Hello?” I called as I made my way to the kitchen, which seemed to be the place everyone congregated now that Hazel was here. “Hazel?”

  She had to be the one cooking. I wasn’t sure Ivette could make something that smelled so delicious. She seemed to burn everything she made, which I could relate to.

  “In the kitchen,” Hazel answered. A smug smile twisted at the corners of my lips. I knew it was her cooking.

  Hazel stood at the stove, stirring a large pot of something, when I stepped into the kitchen. She wasn’t alone, which was to be expected. Julian sat at the island, reading a book. However, I swore his eyes were checking Hazel out over the top of its pages when I walked into the room. My smile grew. What a creeper.

  Ivette hovered near Hazel, watching her every move as though she was burning the steps to whatever recipe Hazel was cooking into her memory.

  “Hey,” I said. “Cooking again?”

  “I told you I cook when I’m stressed or bored.” Hazel grinned. Her eyes locked with mine. “In the kitchen is probably where I’ll be until all of this crap is resolved.”

  “If everything you make tastes as good as it smells, I don’t think it will be a problem,” I insisted. I dropped my bag on the floor beside the stool next to Julian and then took off my coat, setting it on my bag before sitting down. “Where’s Benji?”

  “Running laps around the house last I saw.” He closed the book he’d been, most likely, pretending to read and set it on the counter. “He’s been suffering from pent-up energy lately. It’s another newbie vampire issue he’s dealing with.”

  I tried to hide the fact that his words hurt, but knew it was pointless. Julian would know what I felt whether I hid my emotions or not. He would sense them.

  Stupid empathic power.

  That was what I’d labeled his gift as. Empathic. Ivette had the ability of compulsion, and from personal experience, I knew Roman could make people see things that weren’t there, such as their biggest fear coming true. The only Montevallo’s ability I had yet to learn was Octavia. So far, I’d labeled her as bitchy, but I didn’t think that was a supernatural power.

  Although, I could be wrong. She was fantastic at it.

  “I’ve been waiting for this to happen,” Julian continued. “Handling his new vampire energy was another area where he seemed to excel after the transition. I knew it wouldn’t last.”

  “If he’s out running laps around the house, I guess you were right.” The words fell from my lips with more bite than necessary.

  Julian’s hand reached out to cover mine. It was cold—too cold—but I didn’t flinch away. “This too shall pass. He’s doing better with his emotions and thought patterns lately. I believe the journaling has helped. Taking up running or some other form of physical activity to extinguish some of his pent-up vampire energy will be good for him. It’s something that has worked well for me in the past.”

  “Sex worked for Octavia,” Ivette chimed in. From the neutral expression on her face, it was clear she hadn’t realized what she’d said held so much shock factor, but it did. My mouth dropped. “I gave up caffeine and took a kickboxing class ran by a werewolf. Roman, well, we won’t go there. My point is, we all found a way to deal with it. Running is a good way.”

  I blinked and returned my gaze to Julian. “I understand. I do. I just wish he’d tell me these things. I wish he’d lean on me a little.” I sighed.

  “Maybe, for the time being, he feels you already have enough going on.” Julian gave my hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it.

  Even though I knew he was probably right, it still didn’t dampen the hurt festering inside me.

  “Benji mentioned you were picking up some root for the spell he couldn’t find,” Hazel said, pulling my thoughts back to the moment. “Did you get it?”

  I bent to retrieve it from in my coat pocket and tossed it on the counter, leaving the potion tucked away.

  “Yep. Finely chopped mandrake root,” I said.

  “Finely chopped what?” Hazel asked. She whipped her head around to look at me. “Like from Harry Potter?”

  I chuckled. “Sort of. I doubt anyone had to wear earplugs when they pulled this root from the ground though. It probably didn’t scream either.”

  Ivette’s nose wrinkled in disgust as she made a gagging noise. “I always hated the taste of mandrake root.”

  “You’ve eaten it before?” I was sure my expression mirrored her look of disgust. I couldn’t imagine eating something with a name like that.

  “It was a useful herb when I was growing up. Our mother used to make a tea whenever any of us acquired hay fever or cold symptoms such as a cough.” She shifted her dark eyes to mine. “You have to be careful when ingesting it. Vomiting can occur if you intake too much. I’m sure each of us fell prey to it once or twice until Mother learned the right proportions for our systems.” Her attention shifted to Julian, and a smile twisted her lips.

  Julian nodded and a crooked grin shifted across his face as he adjusted his glasses. “Yes, I believe you’re right.”

  “Well, this,” Hazel said as she placed a bowl of the most amazing looking pasta dish I’d ever seen in front of me. “Is going to taste much better than any mandrake root tea. And I don’t think it’ll make you vomit, so there’s a plus.”

  I picked up my fork. “This looks so good. What is it?”

  “You know, I’m not sure what it’s called,” Hazel said with a shrug. “It came from one of those fancy cookbooks over there. It’s Italian pasta something or other. Pretty much spaghetti, I think.”

  My first bite was garlic, mozzarella, basil heaven. It was amazing. I ranked it up there with the perfect peanut butter and chocolate ratio inside a Reese’s peanut butter cup.

  “What do you think? Is it okay?” Hazel asked as she scooped some into another bowl.

  “Better than okay,” I said. “It’s delicious.”

  “Anyone want this bowl?” Hazel asked. She spun around and glanced between Ivette and Julian.

  “I’m good. Thank you though,” Julian said.

  “I don’t think I can eat a whole bowl, but I’ll take a tiny taste,” Ivette insisted. She
moved to the silverware drawer and grabbed a fork before making her way to the large pot on the stove.

  “Oh, crap,” Hazel gasped. Her eyes grew wide. “It’s because there’s garlic in it, right? Did I about poison y’all? I completely forgot.” The palm of her hand smacked against her forehead.

  I laughed.

  “Garlic doesn’t affect vampires the way they say it does in books and on TV,” Julian insisted.

  “Whew. I keep forgetting you’re vampires. You all seem so normal. Except for the whole drinking blood thing.” Hazel took a bite from the bowl she’d offered them and closed her eyes as a moan slipped from her at the taste. Julian stiffened beside me, and I found myself chuckling again. “You’re right, Ridley. This is amazing! I’m so glad all the ingredients for it were sitting around. Who does the grocery shopping around here, anyway?”

  I’d never thought to ask that question. However, it hadn’t been lost on me that since I’d been hanging around there seemed to be an ample amount of food.

  “William and Julia do the shopping. Actually, Julia went to the store today and got more salt,” Julian said. “They’re leaving soon to travel between a few of our other homes and manage things for us at them while also taking a break from Mirror Lake. Things around here have been quite sinister the last year, and with everything happening with this Bram situation, they decided it would be best for them to get out of dodge, so to speak.”

  “I don’t blame them,” I said.

  Things in Mirror Lake had been crazy lately, and I was sure the situation with Bram wouldn’t be any easier than things in the past had been. Not given Mirror Lake’s track record with evil.

  The sound of someone coming through the front door had me perking up. I hoped it was Benji, finished with his run. When he entered the kitchen, I couldn’t help but smile. He looked happy. Sexy and happy. He was dressed in a pair of black athletic shorts and a gray hoodie, but it was the wide smile stretched onto his face that did me in.

  “Hey,” he said. He made his way to me and I couldn’t help but notice that while he’d been running laps around the house and through the woods, there wasn’t a drop of sweat on him anywhere. He wasn’t even out of breath. Both of which were vampire perks I’d love to have. “How long have you been here?”

  He bent to kiss me, brushing his cold and soft lips over mine. It took everything in me to not turn his sweet kiss into something more.

  Julian cleared his throat beside me and I knew it was his way of letting me know he’d picked up on what I was feeling.

  Heat spread up my neck and over my face.

  “Not long. Twenty minutes or so,” I said, hoping Benji didn’t notice me blushing and ask if I was okay.

  “I see you’re eatin’.” He flashed me a smirk and nodded to the bowl in front of me. “Good. I’m glad to see I didn’t have to remind you again.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Ha. Ha. Funny.”

  Benji chuckled as he stepped to the fridge for a bottle of water. I scooped up another forkful of pasta and took a bite. The amazing flavors of garlic and basil combined burst across my tongue again.

  “Did you end up gettin’ your hands on some mandrake root?” he asked as he twisted the cap off his water.

  “Yeah.” I pointed to the baggie on the counter. “Aunt Rowena’s friend, Abby, from that place over the mountain, Earth Roots, had some in stock.”

  “Awesome. Like I said, I was able to get everythin’ else. The lotus flower was on the pricey side though. I think the florist was havin’ a bad day and me askin’ for a single flower that wasn’t a rose pissed her off more.” He took a long swig from his water. I watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed, still marveling at the fact he hadn’t broken a sweat while running and didn’t seem the slightest bit out of breath.

  “I guess that is an odd request,” I said.

  “What was the lotus flower for? I mean, I know it was for the spell you mentioned, but what does it do?” Hazel asked. “Like, does each ingredient do something? Does the book even break it down for you like that, or does it just list ingredients and give directions on how to use everything properly?”

  I finished chewing a bite of pasta before I spoke. “Both. That’s why I like this book so much. This spell called for the petals of one lotus flower. I’m trying to remember exactly what the spell said about it. I think it was that the lotus flower is a symbol of reincarnation or the afterlife. Something like that.”

  “Which would make sense,” Julian chimed in. “The lotus flower blooms from dark and murky waters to become something light and beautiful. I can see it resonating with the theory of reincarnation. After all, summoning someone is nearly bringing them back to life. Even if only for a moment.”

  I blinked, not having thought of it like that before. A shiver slipped along my spine. This spell was serious. I was nearly bringing someone back from the dead for a short span of time.

  Roman stepped into the kitchen and the unease shifting through me intensified. His dark eyes glanced from person to person as he made his way to the fridge.

  “I don’t mean to interrupt. Continue your topic of conversation,” he said in a harsh tone.

  I watched as he grabbed a bag of blood from the fridge. He tore the corner off and dumped its contents into a tall glass. When he popped it in the microwave, he leaned against the counter with his arms folded across his chest and focused his gaze on the floor. For a moment, I wondered what he was thinking. While I hadn’t known what he was like before he let bloodlust rule him, from the little Julian and Ivette had said about him, Roman seemed as though he wasn’t always so dark and moody.

  When the microwave beeped, he gathered his glass and left the kitchen. Thankfully.

  “I’m not gonna lie,” Hazel whispered. “He’s the only one out of the five of you that scares the crap out of me.”

  “Really? Octavia doesn’t scare you at all?” Benji asked. His head tipped to the side, and arched a brow as though he didn’t believe her. “Because she still scares me half the damn time.”

  Hazel shook her head. “I’ve dealt with women like her many times before. They’re bitchy and rude, but it’s only because they’re hurting.”

  My brows pinched together. Was that the truth? Was Octavia hurting? Hurting how?

  “Don’t let our brother scare you,” Julian chimed in. His gaze locked on Hazel. “This is part of his routine. It’s something my siblings and I have seen happen with him time and time again. And, not just during his vampire life, but in his life as a human as well. He falls into moments of depression, but mostly it’s only after allowing himself to become lost to bloodlust and doing the things he does when it happens.”

  “Excuse me? Bloodlust?” Hazel’s eyes widened. She leaned forward as though Julian’s admission of Roman’s past shocked her and she needed to know more.

  “Yes, bloodlust. Roman has a problem. An addiction of sorts. Think of a person who suffers from alcoholism. It takes one sip to start them on a binge where they will likely drink every drop of alcohol they meet. This is how Roman behaves when he drinks human blood,” Julian said.

  I continued to stare at Hazel, soaking in her reaction to Julian’s words. Her body became rigid.

  “Why?” she asked. “The rest of you seem to be able to handle yourselves fine. Why can’t he?”

  “Why can one person drink a glass of wine and stop when another feels compelled to consume the entire bottle before stopping?” Julian countered.

  “Touché,” Hazel said.

  “Why does he hole himself up in his office all the time?” I asked, not entirely certain why I cared. Roman Montevallo wasn’t someone I wanted to know more about. Not really.

  “He has always been susceptible to stalking, for lack of a better word, the living loved ones of his victims. It used to be, after he came back from one of his binges, we would barely see him because he would be out following around their living loved ones, trying to make their lives better in whatever way he could to make up for the pai
n he caused them,” Julian said. The sadness to his tone made my lips press together. Did he have pity for his brother and the horror he caused?

  I sure as hell didn’t.

  “I can tell you from personal experience there isn’t a single thing anyone can say or do to make my mother’s death okay besides bring her back,” Hazel insisted.

  “I understand.” Julian adjusted his glasses and dropped his gaze from her to the island countertop. “However, this is how Roman handles the consequences of his actions. For whatever reason, making sure the living loved ones are doing well brings him a sense of peace.”

  “If that’s the case, then why isn’t he out beatin’ the pavement?” Benji chimed in.

  Julian grinned. “That’s the beauty of technology. With the help of the Internet and social media, he doesn’t have to physically track them anymore. He can do so online without ever stepping foot out of the house.”

  Goose bumps prickled across my skin. It was easier to stalk someone thanks to social media and the Internet. Heck, some people made it easy by posting every little thing about themselves daily. What they ate. The movie they were watching at the theater. What concert they planned on going to in the summer. When they were out walking their dog.

  You could follow a person’s whole life if they were the type to post about things frequently enough. Most of the time, you didn’t have to be their friend on the platform either. If their account was set to public, anyone could see their stuff.

  “Creepy,” Benji said, as though he was listening to my thoughts.

  “Agreed,” Hazel insisted.

  “I guess in some ways technology is a curse,” I said, knowing I wouldn’t want the person who killed someone I loved to follow me around online. It was sick.

  I finished the last bite of my pasta and headed to the sink to rinse my bowl.

  “Ready to do this summonin’ spell?” Benji asked. When I glanced at him, the ghost of a smile spread across his face.

  He was getting into this whole witchy thing. It was cute.