Mistyx Sonata (Mistyx Series Book 1)

by Paulette Miller

  Nikki wasn’t sure what to do but, seeing no other options, she put on the gift.

  After the women finally emerged, Devin’s eyes locked on Nikki and he instinctively let out a low growl of approval. He thoroughly enjoyed seeing her wearing something of his and debated on ‘accidently’ ripping up all of her pajamas.

  Although Nikki tried to keep her distance from the Vampire with heat in his eyes, Skye and Blade watched as she and Devin were drawn together like magnets. The moment they touched, they instantly wrapped their arms around each other and both of their expressions completely relaxed.

  Blade’s mouth was still watering from the lingering scent of Pixie blood, so he knew that he needed to leave and, odds were, Skye needed fresh air too. He handed a sleeping Cupcake into Nikki’s arms and announced, “I think we’ve all had enough excitement for one night, so Skye and I will let both of you get some sleep.” He looked pointedly at Devin and asked, “Are you going to be able to handle this alone? Should we get Cassandra to watch over Nikki?”

  Nikki wanted to show her continued trust in Devin and said, “We’ll be okay.”

  Tasting Nikki did ease Devin’s blood cravings a little, so he said honestly, “I can handle it, but I’ll go down to the kitchen and over-fill just in case.”

  As Skye started to walk away, she said, “We’ll check on you tomorrow but, if you need us before then, just call.”

  Nikki replied, “I’ll keep my phone in my hand and Cupcake at my side. I’m not afraid to use either.”

  After Blade escorted Skye out of the apartment, Devin guided Nikki to the bed and said, “You need a good night sleep, so you can have the bed tonight. The love seat will be fine for me.”

  Nikki was too tired to argue, so she crawled under the covers and Cupcake settled in on top of her. It took all of Devin’s concentration to leave Nikki’s side, but he forced himself to walk over to the love seat and squeeze himself into the too small space. After the two were tucked in and they both stared up at the beams above them, Devin said, “I’m really sorry about tonight. I should never have let Alec into the apartment.”

  “I’m the one that agreed to let him stay. It was stupid to think staying up in the loft would deter unwanted attention.”

  “You won’t have to deal with that for long. Cassandra will rip my fangs out when she finds out what I allowed to happen tonight.”

  “Then don’t tell her. The curse is enough for us to deal with right now. We don’t need to get Cassie any angrier than she already is. I hate to think what she would do and, with my luck, somehow it would backfire on me.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, how come you didn’t electrocute Alec like you did to me at Mistyx?”

  “I tried but, like my inability to fly or put on my camouflage, my magic didn’t work quite right. I was able to make my skin electric enough that Alec hesitated and wasn’t able to fully latch on. Blade and Cupcake took over at that point.” After a moment to ponder on her situation, she said, “Since being tied to the curse, I’ve felt different. Maybe my messed up magic is a side effect from the spell.” She yawned and added, “Then again, maybe I’m messed up because I’m not sleeping and I’m completely exhausted.”

  “Your blood loss tonight didn’t help any, but tomorrow will be better. You’ll see. I bet you wake up and find the curse has run its course.”

  “I bet that you’re right.” Although she tried to sound confident, she feared that tomorrow was somehow going to be even worse.

  Within moments of closing her eyes, her deep, slow breathing told Devin she was already asleep. Both he and Cupcake watched her intently. Devin knew he was ultimately to blame for the curse that trapped Nikki in its web. He decided that if she was still at his side in the morning, he would start handling their situation more carefully. Her life depended on it.

  Chapter 14:

  Every Breath You Take

  Devin woke with a start, feeling a paw batting him frantically on his cheek. When he made eye contact with Cupcake he cowered, assuming the cat was preparing to strike. But instead of anger in her expression, he saw fear.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Cupcake jumped to the floor and then hopped up on the bed where Nikki was asleep on her side, facing the opposite direction. The cat looked back at Devin and, when he remained unmoved, she tapped on Nikki and meowed.

  Devin glanced at the clock and, when he saw that it was past noon, he called, “Nikki?” He received no response.

  Cupcake bit into the sheet covering her friend and pulled it down, revealing the occupant it was hiding.

  At first Devin’s confusion remained, but then he noticed Nikki’s wings. They were drooping onto the bed like the petals of a wilted flower. A new urgency filled him when he reached out with his senses and he found Nikki’s heartbeat extremely slow. He threw back his own covers and jumped to his feet. He instantly fell flat on his face, his legs giving out completely underneath him. As he tried to stand, he found his whole body weak as if every ounce of energy had been drained. When he focused on the source of the feeling, he realized that it was coming from Nikki.

  It took all of his strength to push back her projected state in order to be able to crawl to the bedside and pull himself up onto the mattress. His concern turned to panic when he touched Nikki to rouse her and her normally warm skin was cool to the touch. He turned her so that she was lying on her back. He looked into her pale face and called to her. When her eyes remained closed, he pulled her into his arms and shook her.

  Her eyes blinked open and she mumbled something. He caught only a couple of words, “Tired,” and “Sleep.” Her eyes closed again and she went completely limp in his arms.

  Devin could feel his own body scream for sleep and knew that Nikki’s condition was severely affecting him. He turned to Cupcake and said, “Get help.” As Cupcake raced away, Devin slumped over.

  *~*~*~*

  When Devin reopened his eyes again, he found himself lying on the floor with Blade’s face looking down at him and calling his name. Devin waved away his help and, with a strained voice, whispered, “It isn’t me. Something’s wrong with Nikki. I think she’s dying.”

  Blade said, “I’ve already called Cassandra and she’s on her way here.”

  Devin nodded and his eyes blinked shut again.

  *~*~*~*

  When Devin regained consciousness, the bedroom was filled with all the Vampires that lived in the building, as well as Styx, Grippin, and Cassandra. Several were still trying to revive Nikki without any success.

  When Devin tried unsuccessfully to sit up, Blade held him down and Skye said, “Your mind is still connected to Nikki’s condition. You need to mentally push her back and focus on your own body to separate yourself.”

  As Devin tried to regain mental focus, Grippin touched Nikki’s cold skin and then pointed up to the ceiling. Cassandra looked where the large warrior was pointing and then turned to the Vampires. She asked frantically, “When was the last time Nikki was in the sun?”

  Blade and Skye stared down at Devin as he whispered, “She hasn’t left my side, so she hasn’t been out in the daylight since the first day of the curse.”

  Cassandra said, “I should have thought of this. She needs sun to survive.”

  Kara said, “But she can’t leave this apartment without Devin and going into the sun would kill him.”

  Cassandra replied angrily, “And leaving her in the dark will kill them both. We have to find a way.” She turned to Grippin and instructed, “Pick up Nikki and let’s get these two downstairs to the parking lot.”

  Just then, they heard Cupcake frantically meowing and running their way. Seconds later she jumped over the rail and into Blade’s arms. As he brushed off her fur that was covered in dust and spider webs, he asked, “Where have you been?” Cupcake looked at Nikki and then off into the apartment. Blade asked, “Do you have an idea on how to save Nikki?” Cupcake purred for a moment and then jumped back down to the floor. When she bit i
nto Blade’s pant leg and started to pull him urgently, he said, “Lead the way.”

  As the cat jumped up into the rafters, Blade swung himself over the rail and down to the main floor. He then raced across the apartment, following Cupcake’s path through the beams above. Blade and his furry partner leapt back over the loft rail minutes later.

  While brushing off dust from his clothes, Blade said, “Cupcake found an old spiral staircase that leads up to a hatch. My guess is that it opens out onto the roof. It’s been painted shut but, if we can get it open, we could let Nikki sit under it and absorb the sun. She would still be in the apartment so the curse shouldn’t affect her and we can cover Devin so he won’t get burned.” He turned to Grippin and said, “It’ll be a tight fit getting you up those stairs, but we need your strength to open the hatch. It looks like it hasn’t been opened in decades.”

  Grippin nodded and, with Nikki in his arms, he headed to the main floor. He followed Blade and, once they reached the spiral stairs, Blade blocked his path and said, “Give Nikki to me. I’ll carry her to the top while you crawl up the sides.”

  There was no time left to argue, so Grippin handed Nikki into Blade’s waiting arms. With Nikki’s limp body tossed over his shoulder, Blade raced as fast as he could up the spiral. Holding Nikki so close, he had to hold his breath and force back his reaction to the blood slowly pumping through her veins. At the same time, Grippin climbed up the outside of the stairs like King Kong and joined Blade at the top platform. After Blade laid Nikki gently down, he and Grippin worked together on the hatch handle until they heard it break through the paint and rust and click into place.

  Blade asked, “Can you handle it from here? Once you open the hatch, I need to be out of the line of fire.” After the large man nodded, Blade added, “Bang on the stairs before you open it so that we can get properly covered.”

  Grippin nodded, squeezed Blade’s shoulder in thanks, and then pointed down to tell him to leave.

  Blade swung himself over the rail to the floor below him. When he approached everyone in the living room, Skye said, “Devin started to have a panic attack the moment Nikki left the loft. We brought him down here so that he could see her better.” She tossed Blade a pair of sunglasses that matched the ones she and the other Vampires were wearing and said, “Devin had these glasses specially made. They’ll help protect our eyes from the sunlight.”

  Once everyone was in place, Blade yelled, “We’re ready, Grippin. Open the hatch.”

  Grippin banged on the stairs to let him know he heard him and then, using all of his strength, he pushed the hatch open. While the Vampires downstairs jumped deeper into the shadows, Grippin squinted into the sunny blue sky above him. He quickly picked up Nikki and held her under the warm rays. When he tried to lift her through the door to get her whole body into the light, she stirred. She and Devin both screamed and Grippin was forced to pull her back into the boundaries of the apartment. He, once again, held her limp body under a small, focused beam of light. Her wings acted like solar panels, giving off a gentle glow as they absorbed the light and heat.

  While Grippin worked with Nikki, Wolfe held Devin down to keep him from fighting his way up to her. After several minutes, Devin’s mind started to return to him and he started to speak coherently. Blade announced in relief, “I think it’s working.”

  Grippin looked down at Nikki in his arms. When she gave him a weak smile, he tapped on the stairs to say it was working for Nikki as well.

  After Nikki soaked in the sun for an hour, she whispered weakly, “Need. Devin.”

  Grippin nodded and, after putting her down on the platform, he closed the hatch.

  Seeing the light disappear and hearing Grippin’s tapping, Blade called, “I’m coming your way.”

  Moments later, Blade was at Grippin’s side. Nikki looked at the addition and repeated her request weakly. “I need to touch Devin for a few minutes.” Blade picked her up in his arms and said to Grippin, “Stay here. I’ll bring her back shortly.” He then carried Nikki down the stairs and over to an exceptionally anxious Devin. As soon as Nikki was at his side, Wolfe released him. Devin scrambled to his roommate and pulled her into his arms. With their bodies shaking, Nikki pressed herself against his naked chest, while he wrapped himself completely around her. Everyone watched in wonder as the two cursed individuals melted into each other and slowly calm filled the air.

  While Devin’s body trembled, he squeezed Nikki tighter and whispered, “You’re safe now.”

  Although her sunbaked skin caused his own to burn, Devin didn’t care or even notice the pain. As he stared down at the innocent creature in his arms, he realized just how powerful the magic was that bound him and Nikki together. He hadn’t only watched Nikki’s near death experience, he had felt it and the whole incident had overloaded his senses. He knew that his feelings for her had changed and he now wouldn’t let harm come to her, even if he had to risk his own life to protect her.

  While stroking Nikki’s hair, he whispered to her, “From this day forward, every breath you take and move you make, I’ll be there at your side watching over you. I promise you that I won’t let anything like this ever happen again.” After looking around the apartment he added, “All of my possessions are just things. It’s you that can’t be replaced.”

  Nikki heard the honesty in his words and snuggled into his overly tight embrace.

  Devin pushed the new and extremely strong emotions to the side for a moment and said to those standing around him, “Thank you. You saved Nikki’s life.”

  Cassandra said, “She’s not out of the woods yet and needs to spend more time in the sun. Are you ready to let her go so that she can return to Grippin?”

  Devin shook his head and said, “I need a few more minutes.” Nikki didn’t complain and tucked her face back into his neck. Devin wasn’t the only one that needed Nikki’s touch. Cupcake had attached herself to Nikki’s chest, refusing to let go.

  Once Devin felt Nikki’s need to return to the sun was again causing her pain, he reluctantly handed her over into Blade’s waiting arms. Blade immediately raced her back to Grippin.

  After Blade returned to his companions and the Vampires once again hid from the light, Jett suggested, “What if we build a skybox up by the hatch where Nikki could lay in the sun? If we make one side with the special glass like Devin has in these sunglasses, Nikki would be within the confines of the apartment and Devin could still see her.”

  Blade replied, “That might work. You’re handy with a hammer. Do you think you could build it?”

  After Jett nodded, Styx added, “I’ll see if I can hunt down the glass and construction materials.”

  *~*~*~*

  For the rest of the day, Skye and Cassandra cooked in the kitchen, while Nikki stayed in the sun with Grippin at her side. At the same time, Styx, Jett, and Kara worked on a skybox design. Wolfe still struggled with the draw to Nikki’s scent, so he watched over Devin while Blade continued to carry Nikki and Cupcake back and forth to the hatch. To appease the curse, the hatch was closed for ten minutes every hour to reunite the cursed couple. Even Cupcake never complained when they laid Nikki next to Devin and he wrapped himself around them both. By the time the sun went down, Nikki descended the stairs on her own power.

  With Devin pinned to her side, they joined everyone in the kitchen where Skye and Cassandra had made a buffet of food. When they sat down at the counter, Skye looked up and said with relief, “You both look much better.”

  Nikki replied, “We feel better too.”

  Blade handed Devin a Bloody Mary and said, “I thought you might need this. It’s fresh.”

  Nikki knew he meant that the blood it contained was recently collected from some unsuspecting Human that happened to walk by the warehouse.

  As Devin took a swallow and sighed as the warm red liquid flowed down his throat, Skye handed Nikki a tall glass of orange juice and said, “I figured you’d want something with a little less bite.”

  Nikki w
as touched by Skye’s thoughtfulness and said to the assembled Vampires, “Thanks for all of your help last night, as well as today. I owe you my life, more than once.”

  Skye replied, “Knowing what my race did to your people, I can’t imagine how hard it is for you to be stuck in the world of Vampires. I’m hoping we’ve all shown you that not all of us are blood-crazed savages.”

  Seeing the expressions on the Vampires’ faces, Cassandra’s inner warning alarm went off. As the room pricked with her magic, she stared at Nikki and asked, “What did Skye and the others help you with last night?” Seeing Nikki cower with a guilty expression, she added, “Did something happen after you went to bed?”

  Nikki had no choice but to tell Cassandra the truth. “Alec snuck up into the loft while I was sleeping and tried to snack on me. He managed to bite my neck, but everyone came racing to my aid and saved me. I insisted that no one tell you because I was fine and we handled it.”

  Cassandra whipped toward Devin and, as his body froze and was lifted off the chair, the witch said with a low growl in her voice, “I told you that your party was a bad idea. You need to start taking this situation more seriously. Whether we like it or not, you hold an innocent life in the palm of your hand and, although you may not have been successful in killing her last night, you just about took care of it today.”

  Nikki raced to Cassandra’s side and, grabbing onto her arm, said, “There’s been enough pain. Please, let him go. I agreed to the party and last night may have sped up my condition, but I know that it didn’t cause it. I felt my weakness growing for days and ignored it. Without realizing it, I almost starved myself to death. I knew that I preferred to be in the sun, but I didn’t realize that it could kill me if I didn’t have contact with it for a few days.”

  Devin choked out, “I’m sorry…My fault…Won’t happen again.”

  Seeing Cassandra’s resolve weaken, Nikki added, “Please let him go.”