Beatrix leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “You’re a stubborn vampire, but it’s understandable given how your nest just blew up. I really do need the distraction, so it’s your lucky day. I’m going to help you, and maybe in the future, if I need assistance, you won’t hesitate to do so.”
Ah, there it was. Rarely did people give without expecting something in return. While annoying, in this instance, it wasn’t the worst thing.
“We can offer help from myself and Maciah in the future, but not our whole nest. We’ve already lost too much. That’s either good enough, or we’re done here,” I said when the pause grew uncomfortably long.
The witch grinned at me, wrinkles forming around her face. “I like you. We’ve got a deal.”
Nikki and Rachel were glaring at me, but I wasn’t willing to risk losing them again, and I could feel the pride building within Maciah. I’d made the right decision to speak up.
“So, with that being said, you’re welcome to come with me to my place once I’m done here,” Beatrix said.
Zeke’s eyes widened. “To your coven?”
She smirked. “Absolutely not. Nobody knows where my witches sleep, but I’m confident enough in my magic to show you where I do business. You could even have a little chat with Dante while you’re there.”
Maybe that was something we needed to consider for the future. A nest that nobody knew about. In case psychotic vampires wanted to blow up our home again. Mother-effing bloodsuckers.
The witch got up from the table and walked away without another word. She disappeared into the crowd somehow, even though the place wasn’t full yet.
“Do you trust her?” I asked Maciah.
“I think she has an agenda, but she won’t do anything to piss me off to the point I would consider her an enemy. She gets a thrill out of pushing people. I just have to do my best not to react when she pokes. Working with her will be helpful in keeping everyone safer.”
I knew he was worried about the remaining members of his nest. After losing as many as we did, it wasn’t easy to accept.
Nikki leaned in closer. “What about Dante? Do you really think Beatrix broke him?”
Zeke chuckled. “I think that witch could break anyone. You do realize who she is, right?”
“Of course, but Dante Rhodes was one of Viktor’s top vampires for a reason,” Nikki said defensively.
“We’re going to be leery of him. Nikki is right, but so is Zeke. Let’s not talk about that anymore tonight and see what we can learn while we wait for Beatrix to finish her business,” Maciah said, and I was glad to see his support of Nikki’s concern. While I didn’t know of Dante, I had no desire to let him into our home or trust he would willingly give us information that would help us defeat a man he used to kill for.
“Should we split up?” Rachel suggested.
“That’s not a bad idea, as long as we can still see each other,” I said.
“Nikki, you’ll go to the bar. Rachel and Zeke on the dance floor while me and Amersyn take a stroll around the room once or twice,” Maciah said, pushing back his chair.
I moved to do the same, but he had already done so. I smiled at him as I stood up from the table, settling my hand in his offered palm.
Rachel was beaming as Zeke twirled her onto the dance floor. The music was on a completely different beat, but that didn’t matter to the two of them. Not when they had each other.
I turned to see Maciah wiping a hand over his mouth. “Were you just smiling?” I asked.
“Am I not allowed to do that?” he countered.
I narrowed my eyes. “You are, but you rarely do it for anyone other than me. I need an explanation. What did I miss?”
“Nothing. We were both watching the same thing,” he said with a shrug.
I squeezed his hand. “I know you explained why you stopped openly caring about the vampires, but you don’t have to hide your feelings from me. I hope you know that.”
Maciah pressed his lips to my forehead. “Some habits are harder to break than others.”
Wasn’t that the truth, but it was good to see that Maciah was truly happy for Zeke and Rachel. Even if he never told them that with words, I hoped they could sense it.
Though, I didn’t fault Maciah for struggling with his ways. There wasn’t much difference between him and the old me. He’d let people in, trying to save as many as he could, all while keeping them at arm’s length. I’d just slammed the door in everyone’s face, trying to kill as many as I could.
Okay, maybe we weren’t the same at all in that aspect, but our reasonings were similar.
Still, if I could change, I knew Maciah could as well.
CHAPTER 10
We spent twenty minutes circling the club, going as far as we could without losing sight of the others. The only suspicious thing we’d found was a wolf shifter just a few barstools away from Nikki. He wasn’t bothering anyone, but he wasn’t okay, either.
“Care to dance?” I asked Maciah since Beatrix hadn’t reappeared.
He tensed for a moment, then nodded. “Only for you.”
He didn’t twirl me onto the dance floor, but his hands held me in a way that had me wishing we were alone instead of in a room full of people. His left was splayed over my lower back and the right held my hand, keeping them pressed between us as we swayed to the slower beat.
Our eyes locked, and the shared magic we had warmed my chest, reminding me that the energy I wasn’t used to was no longer dormant, thanks to Beatrix messing with me. Though, I wasn’t going to be upset about that if I really could be out in the sun without waiting years for it to happen naturally.
With every full turn we made, our bodies pressed closer and closer together. Even though we weren’t at Warlock to have a night off, I appreciated this moment with Maciah and didn’t take it for granted.
All of a sudden, though, a shock rolled through him and ended inside me, unleashing the power I had no use for. My jaw tensed, and I had to close my eyes before I revealed to anyone close to us what I was capable of.
Maciah spun around, keeping me at his side, and both of us sneered when I reopened my eyes. The energy was settling over my tingling skin, but that wasn’t good enough for me. Not when there were so many people around us that didn’t know who I was.
“Beatrix,” Maciah growled.
“I’m done. We can leave,” she said as if she’d done nothing wrong, then added, “Actually, one more thing.”
As I forced my heir power back into its box, Beatrix walked toward the bar and straight to the wolf shifter we’d been eyeballing. I tugged on Maciah’s hand once I had more control. I wanted to be close enough to see what interest the witch had in the lone shifter.
“Why are you still here?” Beatrix asked him.
“Because I have to be,” he snarled.
She sighed. “If you’d just tell me what you’re looking for, maybe I could help.”
“Your version of help is pointing me toward a pack of wolves I’m not needed at. My mate isn’t with them. I know it,” the wolf said, losing the bite in his tone as he mentioned a mate.
Maciah pulled me away, and we went to Nikki.
“We’re leaving,” Maciah said as Rachel and Zeke joined us.
“I’ll tell them to bring the car up,” Zeke said, and Rachel went with him.
Nikki glanced at the shifter, then back at us. “Everything good?”
“Yeah. That wolf isn’t here for trouble,” Maciah said.
“Did you hear anything interesting while you were sitting up here?” I asked Nikki.
She shrugged. “Not really. A few people talking about a supernatural party at some mansion. Some more going on about the weather. Some talk about Lucinda showing up again. Apparently, she’s a big deal around here.”
“Only because she’s the only fae to live away from the islands for so long. Or at least to publicly do so,” Maciah answered, clearly not impressed with the fae.
I had only talked to her f
or a minute and while recovering from almost killing Gregory, but she seemed like someone I could get along with. Especially since her first instinct was to kill me. Yeah, that was twisted, but I was the same way. Maybe I’d get to meet her under better circumstances one day.
Beatrix came back over when she was done with the wolf, and she didn’t look pleased.
“Trouble in paradise?” I asked, wanting to know more about the guy. Something about him piqued my interest.
She huffed. “No, only a stubborn male who thinks he knows best, regardless of what other people tell him.”
“What’s his name?” I asked as we headed toward the exit.
“Foster. Foster pain-in-my-ass Kline.”
“Did something happen to his mate?” Nikki asked.
Beatrix glared at nothing. “He doesn’t even know who she is, but apparently, his wolf says that he can feel she’s here. Something that shouldn’t even be possible. Even the local alpha doesn’t understand. Though, he's sent all his available females near the rogue wolf and none of them have a connection to Foster.”
That had Maciah’s attention. “Maybe he’s not mated to a wolf.”
“I have a feeling you’re right, and that’s not the kind of attention we need around here. Not when I have other problems to deal with.”
We walked out the door to find both of our SUVs already waiting, with Gabe, Eddie, and Nick already loaded into the first one.
Gregory was still working the entrance, and I waved goodbye to him. He tossed a nod our way before giving his attention to the line that was now curving around the side of the building to get in, mostly filled with humans who would probably never get in. As far as I knew, humans only got in for special events that very few knew about, like Rigo’s party.
Beatrix moved ahead of us, sliding into the passenger seat without asking then closing the door.
“Seriously? Who does that witch think she is?” Nikki asked.
“Someone who has more power than she should,” Maciah grumbled, then headed to speak to Eddie who had the passenger window rolled down on the other vehicle, waiting for us.
Our Range Rover had three rows, so Zeke regretfully got into the very back while Rachel, Nikki, and I slid into the middle while we waited on Maciah.
“No car for you to worry about?” Nikki asked Beatrix.
“Nope, and I can’t give directions from the back, so here I am,” she said, as if that justified her actions.
Maciah got in and sighed when he saw Beatrix sitting next to him instead of one of us. “I sent the others back to the house to check on Jazz.” Then, he started the SUV and pulled away from the club. The air around us was thick with tension, but for once, I wasn’t worried. Beatrix was brash, but it felt right, as if we should have been working with her all along.
“Turn left here, then make your second right,” Beatrix said.
I could see Maciah’s hands flex over the leather steering wheel. He seemed to be barely tolerating the witch, but hopefully once she gave us something more helpful, he would ease up some.
Beatrix continued with her directions, sometimes even seeming to take us in circles, but we finally pulled into an empty driveway of a standard suburban home. This might not be where her coven resided, but it still wasn’t what I expected with its white picket fence, perfectly manicured lawn, and puffs of smoke coming out of the chimney.
We got out of the car and headed toward the gate. Beatrix stood in front of it with her hand out. “You need to touch my palm first before you pass through.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Do you want to find out for yourself?” she countered with a gleam in her eyes.
No, I really didn’t. I placed my hand on hers first. There was a zap of something that didn’t hurt like she’d done to me earlier, but it wasn’t pleasant.
I looked up to find a completely different house in front of us. “Did you teleport us?”
“No. The house you saw is an illusion with perfectly crafted spells to keep the unwanted out and the wanted in. Now, who’s next?”
Maciah went next, followed by the rest of our group. As they finished up, I took in the magic that I could now feel pulsing around me, pressing down against my skin and making me feel energized.
The real house was a three-story home with pristine dark-grey siding and white trim that matched the picket fence I could still see. All of the windows had light shining through them, making me think there were more than a handful of witches filling the house.
Beatrix led us through the small gate once everyone had touched her hand. Before I followed her into the house, I glanced behind us, feeling like someone was there.
All I saw was an opaque shimmering shield and another SUV passing by that was probably just headed home.
Beatrix grabbed my arm. “You’re safe here. I promise.”
That was the first nice thing she’d said to me. Even still, I believed her.
“What happens if a kid throws a ball over your fence by accident and tries to enter?” I asked, hoping she wasn’t a potential threat to harmless children.
“If any human crosses the shield, they get disoriented, turn around, and forget what they were doing. All while realizing they now have a minor headache and need to head home before it gets worse,” Beatrix said proudly.
“What about a supernatural?” Maciah asked.
Beatrix grinned. “That’s my little secret. Now, how about we go check out what I have that might help?”
Inside was homey. Candles were lit all around us, casting light on the different-colored walls. Not one seemed to be the same shade. Oddly enough, the paint didn’t clash.
There were stairs to our left and a living room on our right with a hallway straight ahead that appeared to curve around.
Beatrix took the stairs, and we stopped at the second floor. I’d seen three floors of windows, yet the stairs didn’t continue.
“How do you get up to the next floor?” I asked.
“You’re a curious vampire. Maybe not the best trait for you,” she chided.
“Or maybe I don’t like walking into a house that I know nothing about with a witch I don’t know,” I said with a smirk.
She grinned back and said nothing else. Maciah, on the other hand, pulled me to the side. “Try not to prod the witch when we're inside her house, please.”
I patted him on the chest. “Only because you said please will I stop being nosy.”
“I’m not saying thank you for that,” he grumbled before moving ahead.
Rachel and Nikki came to my side. “You really don’t have any fear, do you?” Nikki asked.
“I do. I just don’t let the emotion dictate what I do or don’t do,” I replied.
“I want to argue with that, but I’ve got nothing,” Rachel said, and Nikki nodded.
“Same.”
We hurried across the dark wood floors and caught up with the guys. Beatrix had her back to them and was digging through shelves while muttering incoherent words to herself.
“Should we be worried?” Rachel asked.
Zeke put an arm around her. “Not yet.”
“Where’s Dante?” Maciah asked with a raised voice.
Beatrix bumped her head as she backed away from the cabinet. “It’s not necessary to yell. I might be old, but I’m not senile.”
Yeah, I definitely liked her.
“Apologies,” Maciah said, but didn’t sound one bit sincere.
Beatrix fumbled with some bottles she was pulling from her pockets. “I thought you didn’t want to hassle with Dante?”
“That doesn’t mean I might not want to see him,” Maciah answered.
“Hmmm,” was all she said in reply before diving back into the cabinet.
This time, she had nearly half her body inside the dark space, which shouldn’t have been possible from the size I could see, but then again, why wouldn’t her potion cabinet be magically bigger and probably protected?
The five of us waited silently fo
r another few minutes before Beatrix’s head popped back out. She turned toward us, blowing a strand of grey hair out of her face, and set the additional bottles down.
“I don’t like to give out my magic often, but more than that, I don’t like Viktor. I’d prefer him dead after what he did to Dante,” she said, her hands curving protectively around the dozen or so bottles in front of her.
“Did the vampire grow on you since you captured him?” Zeke asked.
“No, but I’m not a heartless witch, either. I forced him to tell me everything I wanted to know, and it wasn’t pretty, but none of it was a lie. Viktor is the worst of your kind, and I know the world you all are trying to build for your vampires. All supernaturals would be better off with more vampires like you around.”
Zeke and even Maciah were stunned by her words, but there wasn’t a moment to appreciate them before the witch opened her mouth again.
“So, don’t screw this up and make me regret helping you. As I said, I don’t like to waste magic.”
Ah, there was the snarky witch I was getting used to.
“We’ll do our best,” I said so Maciah didn’t have to pretend he wasn’t ready to rip her head off.
CHAPTER 11
Beatrix sighed heavily. “Were you even paying attention for the last five minutes? This is stun and that is a bomb. Quite the opposite of each other.”
Her potions were colored very similarly, making it hard to remember which was what, but she insisted each of us had to get them all right before she’d relinquish the magic to us.
“Okay, I got it. Stun and bomb. I won’t confuse them again,” Zeke said. He’d gotten the rest of them correct, at least.
Maciah, Rachel, and I had already passed Beatrix’s test and Nikki had yet to go, but it seemed we were going to get lucky.
“I don’t have the patience for you people anymore.” She shoved the bottles into a drawstring bag, then handed them to me. “Don’t be an idiot with these.”
I wanted to pop back at her with something snarky, but we were almost done. I didn’t want her to take the potions back, because there was no doubt in my mind that they’d help with our fight against Viktor. He might be too strong from my mental abilities, but Beatrix’s magic was potent.
Vampire Vow (Scorned by Blood Book 3) Page 7
