A Vampire Bewitched (Deathless Night Book 1)

by L. E. Wilson

  She looked anywhere but at him. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  He cocked his head at her behavior, but didn’t press the issue. With a last, longing look at her bare breasts filling out his shirt, he took her hand and led the way out of the carnage.

  They walked through the darkness in a circular route that would take them back around to the cavern where Aiden waited, both lost in their own thoughts.

  Emma took advantage of the lack of conversation to try to sort out her feelings. She knew she’d instigated it all, and she was glad Nik had finally given in. She was. And it wasn’t that she wasn’t attracted to him, or that she didn’t want to be with him. She did.

  But, forever? The implications boggled her mind. Forever was a very, very, long time for regular humans. For a vampire and his mate?

  She was having a hard time wrapping her head around it.

  True to her nature, she’d been more worried about him not feeding from her—and therefore causing his own death—that she hadn’t thought much past that.

  Well, she had thought about it…just not that seriously.

  But now she wondered, did he even want to be with her? Really? He’d certainly fought hard enough to prevent it. She’d finally convinced him to feed, and the bond had been completed (and then some!), and she sort of expected him to be all, like, miserable and angry at her for goading him into it.

  Sooo not the case.

  In fact, his behavior was the complete opposite of what she’d expected. As she watched him swagger along amongst the trees in front of her, he appeared to be back to his old self. The cocky, carefree vampire she’d met at the bar a lifetime ago. Maybe, now that the pressure was off and the deed was done, he felt relieved because he didn’t have to fight it anymore?

  Or, had this all been his idea from the very start?

  Was that it? Was she really so gullible? Sadly, she had to admit the answer was a most probable yes. She was. She was no match for the charm of an obscenely handsome vampire who’d had six hundred years of practice seducing women. After living that long, could she really blame him for finding ways to amuse himself?

  Damn right, she could. She was not here for his amusement.

  But, he wouldn’t really have made all of that up, would he? And what about Aiden? He couldn’t have been faking all of that concern for his friend. No one was that good of an actor. But, then again, Aiden was a little…off. Had it really all been nothing but a big act the two of them had conjured up to amuse themselves?

  Emma glared at the broad, muscular width of his back in front of her. She didn’t like this. She didn’t like this at all.

  Had he been tricking her this entire time just to get her to sleep with him? Making it seem like it was her idea? The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that he’d been playing with her all along.

  Bastard.

  Chapter 34

  Nik found it impossible to keep walking with such pointy daggers stabbing him in the back. He’d felt the rollercoaster of Emma’s emotions ever since they’d left the clearing, but thought it would be better to leave her to work out…whatever it was she was trying to work out.

  He was going through quite a ride himself.

  Nik had nearly wept with relief when her eyes had opened back by the stone face. When she’d lain there, so still and pale, his heart had stopped completely, memories of Eliana mixing with the present until they threatened to overtake his sanity. But then he’d felt her breathe, and noticed the small smile on her face.

  Without hesitation, he’d done what he’d sworn he’d never do. He’d had no other choice. Or, so he told himself. Lifting his wrist to his mouth, he’d pierced the skin and opened his vein for her to drink.

  Fascinated, he’d watched her accept his lifeblood, every swallow binding them irrevocably together forever. He should’ve freaked out. He should be running in the opposite direction as fast as his vampiric speed could take him.

  But he’d done neither of those things.

  Instead, he’d given her more, and reveled in the peace that came over him. Nothing had ever felt so right in all of his lifetimes. Even now, pride swelled in his chest whenever he looked at his female. She was so lovely, and fierce, and witty, and…stubborn.

  A dark cloud weighed on his feeling of peace, his emotions leaping around as fast as his thoughts. He never should have let her coerce him into feeding from her. This wasn’t what he wanted her life to be.

  But it was done.

  As fast as it came on, the dark cloud dissipated. He’d come to grips with what happened, and he’d give her the space to do the same. However, he couldn’t ignore the downright hate he felt being levered at his back. He stopped walking.

  “What’s up, Em?” he asked casually as he turned around to face her, hands low on his narrow hips.

  Even though she’d been glaring right at him, his abrupt halt must have taken her by surprise. Raising her hands in front of her as she crashed into him, she pushed off his chest with a “thump” and took a few steps back, crossing her arms in front of her defensively. “Why don’t you tell me?”

  He raised his eyebrows in a silent question.

  She scoffed at his innocent look. “For someone who has spent the past few days ‘fighting his attraction’ to me, you seem awfully damned unconcerned now that you’ve fucked me. After getting me to practically beg you to do it!”

  “Emma…” he began warningly. He didn’t like her talking like that. He knew she was trying to adjust to their new situation, but he’d had no idea this crap was flying around in her head.

  “Oh! And managing to convince me it was my idea for you to feed from me. Let’s not forget that.” Pushing on her temples with her fingertips, she closed her eyes tight. “You even managed to get me to drink your blood. Therefore completing this so-called bond that you—just thirty minutes ago—were supposedly so dead set against!” She dropped her arms back down to her sides and glared at him, her hands curling into tight fists.

  Nik was trying really, really hard to concentrate on what she was saying. But she was so fucking hot when she was all riled up. Her eyes were bright green with anger, and her face was flushed with color. He could hear her heart pumping hard, hear her blood rushing through her veins. Her chest, braless beneath his shirt, rose and fell with each hard breath, her nipples begging for his touch. He wanted to throw her down and fuck the rage out of her until she was limp and sated and happy again.

  With that thought in mind, he took a step toward her, automatically ducking when a branch flew past his head.

  Emma jumped, startled, before giving him her attention again. She threw out a hand. “Don’t even think about it,” she growled, stopping him in his tracks.

  Nik cocked his head to the side and studied her. Quickly reaffirming to himself he’d much rather be fucking her than arguing with her, he went to take that last step that would bring her within his reach, only to realize he couldn’t. His little witch had—quite literally—stopped him. And he didn’t think she even realized it.

  His vampire mind immediately thought up and discarded various things he could use to get her to lose her focus, but the truth was, he needed to know. “Do you really think that about me?” he asked quietly.

  Other than a barely discernible softening around her eyes, she held her ground.

  “All right.” Arms at his sides, he looked her straight in the eye and ripped open his soul a little bit more. Why the fuck not? “I’ve been alone for more than 600 years, Em.” Shaking his head, he corrected himself. “No, not alone. Just lonely.”

  “Lonely? What about Eliana?” She rolled her eyes at him, trying to call him on his bullshit. “And the girls that came before her? And after? You can’t tell me there weren’t others. I mean, look at you. You have to be aware of how you affect women.”

  “Yes. I’m well aware.” He wasn’t egotistical about it. He was a vampire. Their lure was part of their makeup. An unattractive thought entered his head, sobering him. “
What about you, Emma? Are you only attracted to the way I look?”

  “It certainly doesn’t hurt,” she snipped at him. “It seems to be your main weapon, after all.”

  He wasn’t sure he deserved that, but he decided to let it go for now. Hell, maybe he did deserve it. He scrubbed his face with his hands, trying to articulate what he was feeling in a way she would believe. But all of the thoughts and feelings sprinting through him ultimately came down to the same thing. “They weren’t you, Em.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Nik heaved a deep sigh. “What do you want to hear, Emma? You want me to tell you there were others before you? Fine. I’ve fucked other females before you. I’ve fed from other females before you. Hundreds of them. Maybe more. Over and over again. And I fucking liked it.”

  She flinched at his harsh honesty, jealousy and hurt flitting across her expressive features to fight with the angry draw of her brows.

  He reigned in his temper, softening his tone. “But, they weren’t you. You didn’t even exist yet for most of that time. But from the moment I first saw you, before I ever got within twenty feet of you, I wanted you. Just you.”

  His eyes drilled into hers, willing her to believe him. “I’ve never felt that way about anyone else. Ever. Not in all of my years. And I hadn’t even spoken to you yet!” A bittersweet ache filled his chest. “And then, when I kissed you that night at your house, and tasted you, and realized exactly what you were to me, all I could think about…ALL I could think about…was how I couldn’t do this to you. Even if I could manage to complete the bond without killing you, I couldn’t disrupt your life, force you to be with me. I couldn’t tie you to me like this. I just wanted to protect you, and—” His gaze wandered off to the wilderness around them as he tried to vocalize everything he’d felt.

  “Protect me from what?”

  Unobtrusively, he tried to move and found he could, so he quickly closed the distance between them. “From me. From this never-ending life.”

  Lifting his hand, he took a soft, reddish blonde curl between his fingers. “I can stand here and make all kinds of excuses for what happened earlier. I can say I was messed up from the fight. Or I can admit I’ve been feeling more mortal every day since tasting you, and I don’t want to die. But, the truth of it is,” He let go of her hair and gently took her lovely face between his hands, so small and fragile in his grip. “I’ve been stupid. I’ve been so stupid. And I only realized it when I watched you drink from me. I really don’t want to be alone anymore. I want to be with you. Only you, Em. Would you consider staying with me? Please?”

  He felt her relax a bit. “I’m not just attracted to your looks, Nik. Although I would be lying if I said they weren’t part of it.”

  Nik leaned down and kissed her on the head, before pulling back to dazzle her with his smile. Or try to, at least. “Well, you’re not so bad yourself you know.”

  His smile faded as her cold anger fled and her warmth filled him again. “You make me happy. Just being with you makes me feel more at peace than I can remember being in a long, long time. I’ve never felt this way before with anyone else.”

  He memorized every feature on her lovely face. “I’m exhausted from trying to fight this thing with us. Give meaning to my ridiculously long life. Let me make you happy, Em. Let me love you. Let me protect you. I know this is all kind of strange. You’ve only known me for a few days, and I’m asking for a very long forever. And I know a relationship like this is way different than anything you’ve ever wanted or hoped for, but please, let me try.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m being such a raging bitch,” she apologized.

  He cracked a grin at her description of herself. “It’s a lot to adjust to in just a few days.”

  When long seconds went by without an answer from her, Nik began to squirm. He stepped back and ran his hands through his hair. “Look, just think about it. Okay? Please?”

  For once he couldn’t read her expression when she said, “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

  Chapter 35

  Nik opened his mouth to say more, but then thought better of it. “Okay, then.” He took her small hand gently in his. Turning it over, he placed a kiss on her palm. “Let’s just head back to Aiden. I’m not sure what he thinks he found out here, but I’m not seeing any signs of anyone else other than your monsters.” With obvious reluctance, he dropped her hand again and shrugged. “Their tracks must be what he saw.”

  As they started walking again, Emma asked, “Is Aiden okay by himself in that cave? I mean, nothing would find him in there, right? If the others still haven’t showed?”

  Nik looked back at her. He’d just been thinking the same thing. They’d been so distracted by everything that was happening between them, and he hadn’t known those things were here, or that they even existed for that matter. Had they left Aiden in danger?

  He picked up the pace as they continued on, breaking into a jog as they hurried back, Emma close on his heels.

  Emma was sprinting to keep up as he rushed back down the tunnel toward the cavern, a small flashlight in his hand to help her see. About twenty feet from the entrance, he stopped and put his index finger to his mouth. Closing his eyes, he listened as Emma tried—unsuccessfully—to quiet her breathing. It didn’t impede his ability in any way, but he appreciated her efforts.

  After a few seconds, he gestured for her to stay behind him and stay quiet as they slowly moved into the cavern. After their last encounter, he wasn’t taking any chances.

  A quick glance around assured him they were alone, but just to be safe, he took Emma’s hand and kept her near him. There was no movement. No sound. No one was there.

  Aiden was nowhere in the room.

  He let go of Emma and did a slow tour of the place, looking for signs of a scuffle. Nothing was disturbed. Aiden’s bag was where he had left it. The fire in the pit had burned down and needed more wood, but the torches were still burning, so he couldn’t have been gone very long.

  Lifting his chin, Nik sniffed the air for any unfamiliar scents. Nothing.

  He fought down the panic rising within him. Where the hell was Aiden?

  Emma sat on one of the large stones near the fire.

  “Do you see anything that looks strange?”

  She shook her head with a shrug.

  “Me either. So, where the hell is he?”

  Emma just looked at him without answering. Her worried expression echoed his own concern.

  “Maybe he went to feed.” Even as he said it, Nik was unconvinced. Aiden had just fed a couple of nights ago. He shouldn’t need to drink again already.

  Not knowing what else to do, he glared into the fire, brow furrowed, hands low on his hips, trying to figure out where that damned Brit could be. He wanted to go look for him, but there was no fucking way he was leaving Emma alone. There was also no way in hell he was bringing her along into another potentially dangerous situation. Much as he loved his best friend, he would wait him out.

  He had just stirred up the coals and was about to put a couple of logs on the fire when the sound of someone whistling Rule Britannia came down the tunnel.

  Nik glanced over at Emma. She returned his bemused expression before they simultaneously swiveled toward the entrance as Aiden strolled in, not a care in the world.

  Carrying a head.

  A grey, bald, and quite mangled head.

  What was left of the ragged neck dripped fresh blood. The wide-open eyes stared straight ahead, the shock of being killed so savagely still showing in their depths.

  When Aiden noticed the two of them sitting there, a broad smile crossed his face.

  “Finally! There you are. It’s been bloody dull here since you two left. What’ve you been doing?” Casually dropping the disgusting head onto the floor, he plopped down on the rock next to it and put his blood-stained hands out toward the heat of the fire. “Why didn’t you put some more wood on the fire, mate?” When no one answered h
im, he looked back and forth between their baffled expressions. “What?”

  “Whatcha got there, Aid?”

  “Hmm?” Aiden’s face was the picture of innocence as he followed Nik’s gaze to the head at his feet. “Oh! That. It’s a head. I tore it off of a beastly thing…I don’t even know what it bloody was. But it was creeping around our little hideaway here.”

  “Those are the same creatures that attacked Emma and took Keira a few years ago. Right around the time Luukas disappeared. We just ran into a few of them ourselves.” Nik filled him in on their encounter in the meadow, but only the parts he needed to know.

  Aiden’s face lit up like it was Christmas morning. “Did you happen to keep the heads?”

  Nik shook his head. “No, man. Sorry. They don’t last very long.” Pointing with his chin toward Aiden’s trophy, they watched as it started to flake away.

  “Bugger.” Aiden nudged at it with the toe of his boot in disgust. “I wanted to add it to my collection.”

  “Your…collection?” Emma asked.

  Nik put his hand on the back of her head, smoothing her soft hair. “Yeah. Aiden has quite the collection of his foe’s heads.”

  “Um…” Emma turned to look up at him, and he pulled his hand away with an apologetic look. “And where exactly are these heads located?” she asked with a surprising measure of calm.

  Aiden answered her before Nik could. “Don’t worry, love. They’re hidden away. It wouldn’t be easy lugging them up to the apartment with all of those humans around. The smell and that, you know.”

  Emma blinked at him with a blank expression. Nik couldn’t blame her. Aiden had a way of sounding so seemingly sane while talking about things so obviously insane—such as head collections—he often gave him the same look.

  “Still no word from Dante?”

  Aiden shook his head.

  “From anyone?”

  Another shake.