Hexed (The Gwen Sparks Series Book 4)

by Nelson, Stephanie

  “I know that,” I spat, anger filling my veins with ice. “I know her life must end eventually, but not yet. I—I need more time.”

  “You have plenty of time,” Amara replied. “It is she whose hourglass has run out of sand. You and I are only here to direct them, not interfere. Your interference has already shifted the world. If the problem is not taken care of, I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you.”

  My head snapped up. “Protect me from what? If you haven’t noticed, I’m invincible.”

  Amara whipped off her sunglasses, her face scrunching in annoyance. “This is not a joke, Dorian, and you’re only invulnerable to human weapons, not ours.”

  “Are you threatening me?” I laced my voice with the icy fury racing through my body.

  Amara shook her head slowly. “No, I’m warning you. If this problem is not fixed as soon as possible, you will be stripped.”

  “Bullshit,” I growled. “They can’t strip me; the successor has not even been born yet.” I’d heard stories that beings such as Amara and myself had what was known as successors, people born throughout time to replace us. After countless centuries, I’d given up hope that there was any truth to the stories. And without someone to take my place, the powers that be could not strip me of my title and authorities. I couldn’t even register not being the angel of Death. I’d been responsible for death for as long as I could remember. There was nothing before this.

  “They can and they will,” Amara cautioned. “This isn’t some slip up, Dorian. You broke one of their cardinal rules and restored a soul that expired. Your mistake tilted the very balance that holds everything together. Are you ready to give up everything for her?”

  Amara and I stared at each other, a challenge in her gaze. My normal confidence disappeared at the warning, and I was left fumbling for answers. I loved Gwen, I knew I did, but could I walk away from the only role I’d ever known for her? I didn’t know, couldn’t picture a life where I wasn’t Death.

  “Do you love her?” Amara asked with incredulity. “My question should have been easy to answer, but you’re hesitating, thinking about it. Why?”

  I wasn’t ready to admit my feelings to anyone other than Gwen. Unfortunately, when dealing with a Fate, I didn’t need to disclose my thoughts. Amara could read me easily.

  “When I told you of Gwen I did not expect this,” Amara said. “Over the years you’ve always sought comfort in women but have never showed any emotion toward them.” She paused and looked back out to the sea. “How was I fooled into believing this thing between you two was merely physical?” Her eyes found mine again.

  “Maybe because up until a couple days ago, I didn’t know myself.” I scooped up some sand and poured it from hand to hand. “Why did you send me to Gwen, Amara? You told me you had a vision of her; what was it?”

  “You know I cannot divulge my visions.”

  “You had to know I would fall for her,” I said. “Was that why you sent me to her?”

  Amara sucked in a deep breath, and it caused her breasts to push against her top. While I appreciated her female form, there was nothing lustful going through my mind. Amara was beautiful, ethereal almost, but I just couldn’t imagine doing anything sexual with her. While Gwen and I were in New Orleans, Amara had stopped by and stayed the night. Gwen believed that Amara and I were sleeping together. I enjoyed her subtle jealousy because it meant she actually felt something for me after denying it for so long. Her jealousy gave me a heady mixture of smugness. Hell, I’d opened myself up and told her I wanted her, only for her to tell me she was either with the vampire or healing from his betrayal. I hated that bloodsucker. Now that I had Gwen, I could not walk away from her.

  “I saw you two together, yes,” Amara finally admitted, “but I did not know it would blossom into love. I sent you to her because she is more talented than the other spirit walkers, and I knew her government was trying to use her for their own purposes. I sent you to intervene.”

  I stared at Amara for a few long seconds, trying to decide if she was telling the truth or not. We had been friends for a long time, and she’d never led me astray before. I knew Gwen was a talented spirit walker, better than the other five. She held certain powers none of the others had. It made sense that Amara would send me to protect her being that spirit walkers are my responsibility. Still, Amara had to see our path.

  Standing, I dusted sand from my jeans. “Could you please do a favor for a longtime friend?”

  Amara looked up at me. “You want me to restore Gwen’s memories.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Please?” I asked. “She’s already starting to remember things, and if her time is dwindling, I would like for her to remember our time together.”

  “It won’t make it easier,” Amara replied with a sad smile.

  “Nothing will make it easier. If you wished for easy, you should have stolen my memories, as well.”

  Amara bowed her head in a slow nod. “You have twenty-four hours and not a second longer. I don’t envy the choice you must make, Dorian.”

  My chest tightened. While I had no problem fighting off the NAWC, I knew there was no getting around the punishment of the powers that be. Fate was absolute, a path written in stone.

  “Dorian,” Amara called as I walked away. Half turning, I looked at her. “Emotions are tricky little things, don’t allow yours to turn you into one of those fools we’ve always pitied.”

  I laughed mirthlessly. “It’s too late for that.”

  Amara nodded, her lips turned down at the corners. “I was afraid of that.”

  “UNO!” BREE CALLED, squealing like a kid on Christmas. I smirked, laying down a draw-four card, and laughed when her smile fell.

  “Damn it,” she complained halfheartedly, drawing four more cards. We’d been playing Uno for the past half an hour, and we’d both come close to winning, only for one of us to lay down a draw card and gain more cards.

  The front door opened and both Bree and I listened as footsteps moved down the hall. Dorian appeared in the living room doorway, a smile ghosting across his mouth before disappearing.

  “Thanks for coming over,” he said to Bree.

  “Yeah, how much do babysitters make these days?” I asked, smiling at Bree. She laughed, and we both looked to Dorian, but his features remained impassive.

  “I should get going.” Bree stood. “We’ve pretty much cleaned up Flora, but Jerrick and Braden wanted to visit the next town over.”

  Standing, I folded my arms across my chest. “Why, has there been reports of…” I wasn’t exactly sure what to call those who should be dead but were up walking around. Zombies didn’t seem appropriate.

  “The Affected?” Bree offered and I nodded. “No, he heard about a dance club and wanted to check it out.”

  “Oh! That sounds like so much fun. Can I come?”

  “Fiona and Ethan are supposed to meet us tonight,” Dorian said, his tone implying we had more important things to worry about than dancing. The thing was, I’d been so stressed out that I just wanted one night where I could let go and forget everything before the shit hit the fan.

  “I’ll have her call me when they’re on their way, and then I can head home,” I told Dorian. “Besides, didn’t she say they would be late?”

  “Yeah, but I still don’t think it’s a good idea—”

  “I just want one night where I don’t have to think about—” I paused, remembering Bree was still present and didn’t know all of our secrets. “Things,” I finished. Dorian’s features hardened, and he scrubbed a hand over his face as though the thought of going to a club was torturous.

  “You can sit at the bar and drink,” I suggested. “Come on, Dorian, an hour of fun isn’t going to kill you.”

  “It’s not me I’m worried about,” he whispered so only I heard him.

  Frowning, I turned to Bree. “I guess I’m staying home. Have fun.”

  Bree smiled, her eyes shooting between Dorian and me. “I’ll talk to you
guys later then.”

  Nodding, I watched as she headed past Dorian and shut the front door behind her. Spinning around, I plopped down onto the sofa and rested my head against the cushions, staring up at the ceiling. When people find out they’re dying, they do stuff on their bucket list, living life to the fullest. All I wanted to do was go to a bar and dance. Unfortunately, Dorian was in a bad mood for some reason and wasn’t going to budge on my lockdown.

  “I can go with her.”

  I tipped my head down at Lauren’s arrival. It was barely four o’clock and the sun hadn’t set yet. Luckily it’d been storming all day and the thick gray clouds blocked the sun.

  “You’re up early, aren’t you?” I asked. “Aren’t vampires supposed to sleep until the sun descends?”

  “Normally,” Lauren replied, pushing past Dorian, “but I’m not your average vampire.” She shot a look toward Dorian, a hidden meaning behind her stare. Dorian’s lips hardened, and he looked away. What the hell was all that about?

  “Call Bree and tell her we’re going,” Lauren said to me, sitting down onto the couch near me.

  “It’s not a good idea,” Dorian argued, crossing his arms.

  “Oh please.” Lauren threw up her hand in a dismissive gesture. “The only thing he’s worried about is not being able to dance.” She leaned back against the couch, and we both stared up at Dorian. The idea of seeing this ruggedly sexy man on a dance floor did make me laugh. He was the type of guy that would be more comfortable sitting in a shadowed corner of a bar with a glass of scotch or whiskey.

  Dorian ignored the dancing comment and said, “It’s not smart to be out in the open while the NAWC is planning an attack.”

  Lauren snorted. “You really think they’ll look for her in a club? Besides, I was hired as her bodyguard. None of those assholes will get past me.”

  “Come on, Dorian,” I begged, “I need to get out of the house and forget about all of this for one night. If I’m going to die, at least let me enjoy my last moments.” That may have been dirty, but it was how I felt. We didn’t know if traveling back in time would even work. If it didn’t, we were sort of out of options—even if Dorian wouldn’t admit it.

  Dorian winced at my words. Shaking his head, he said, “Fine, but we leave when I say, got it?”

  I jumped up from the sofa and smiled wide. “Got it.”

  “Come on,” Lauren said, taking my hand, “I’ll help you get dressed.” She dragged me past Dorian.

  “But I didn’t bring any clothes for going out.”

  “Don’t worry about it, I have plenty, and we’re about the same size.”

  “Uh-uh,” Dorian said, shaking his head, “you’re not wearing that.”

  I looked down at the black cocktail dress Lauren had lent me. It was strapless with an empire waist and had a loose skirt that hit five inches above my knee. Just below my breasts was a beaded patch where the material ruched. Lauren had also loaned me a pair of high-heeled ankle boots. When I’d asked what a bodyguard needed with a cocktail dress, she’d replied by telling me that no matter what, a girl always needs a little black dress. We’d pinned my hair up into a messy, but elegant, bun so my neck and back were exposed.

  “What’s wrong with it?” I asked. “I think I look pretty damn hot.”

  “That’s the problem,” Dorian snarled. “Every fucking man is going to come on to you, and I’ll spend the entire night busting faces.”

  As screwed up as it was, that entire sentence turned me on. I didn’t like the idea of Dorian fighting so much as his possessiveness of me.

  “Then I guess you’ll have to stay close,” I teased.

  “Why don’t you put on a pair of jeans,” Dorian said, his shifting eyelashes telling me he was staring at my body instead of my face.

  “Stop being all caveman,” Lauren chided. She’d chosen a pair of skintight leather pants and a red bustier that laced up the front and showed off a good portion of her stomach. Unlike me, she’d left her hair down.

  “I’m not,” Dorian responded, moving around me to check out the back of my dress. “I just know how men think, and after they see her in this dress, they’ll be thinking with their dicks.” He paused. “At least wear a jacket.”

  I snorted. “While I’m dancing? Yeah, that won’t look weird or anything.”

  Moving to stand in front of me again, Dorian stared down at me and shook his head. “You’re lucky you’re worth the trouble that dress is going to cause, cupcake.”

  “Considering you’re the one going home with me tonight, I’d say you’re the lucky one.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “That I am.”

  She was testing my willpower, shaking her ass in that dress. I sat at the bar, facing the dance floor and watched as men eyed her. To be fair, they were also eyeing Mariana, Bree, and Lauren, but I didn’t give a shit about who was watching them. Gwen caught my eye and smirked as she rolled her hips. Despite my sour mood at watching men eye-fuck my girlfriend, I smiled back. She was so damned beautiful with the lights pulsating against her hair and body, shadowed and highlighted at the same time. I loved watching her let loose and have fun, knowing how much stress she’d been under. And, while I wouldn’t admit it to her, tonight had been a good idea. I hadn’t seen her this carefree in a long time.

  I raised my glass of Jack to my lips and watched Gwen over the rim. A man with slicked back dirty blonde hair worked his way toward her, his eyes landing right on her cleavage. My grip tightened around my cup. I was trying very hard to keep my temper under control, but if he so much as laid a finger on her, his hand would be broken before he even noticed I was there. Luckily, Lauren shoved the guy out of the way. The man began dancing behind Lauren, grinding his dick against her ass. She spun around to face him just as another guy danced his way up behind Gwen. When his hand landed on her hip, I saw red. Just as I stood, Gwen’s eyes found mine, and she shook her head. Turning to the man, she said a few words and pointed in my direction. The man’s eyes traveled through the crowd and landed on me. Whatever he saw, it caused him to fade into the crowd. Smirking, I finished the rest of my Jack, set the glass onto the bar, and made my way over to her. I wasn’t much of a dancer, but I had no problem standing there and letting her grind her ass against me.

  “Having fun?” I asked, sidling up behind Gwen. I placed my hands on her hips and tugged her against my body, leaning down to press a kiss to the crook of her throat. She tipped her head back and sagged against me, her hips still gyrating to the hip-hop shit blaring through the speakers.

  “A lot,” she said, tilting her head back to look up at me with a smile. I eyed her glass, noting it was still half-full. If Fiona and Ethan made their way home tonight, we didn’t need Gwen drunk while performing the spell.

  “Have I told you how sexy you are?” I whispered in her ear. “And how much I like watching you dance?” I gripped her hips tighter when she grinded against me. “I may need a private show later.”

  Turning to face me, she placed a hand on my chest and looked up. “That can be arranged.”

  “Mind if I cut in?” a voice said behind me. My muscles stiffened, knowing who I’d find once I turned around.

  “How the hell did you find us?” I asked, still not turning around. I kept my grip on Gwen and stared over her head at the mixture of gyrating bodies.

  “Aiden?” Gwen said, peering around my body.

  The vampire moved behind Gwen, forcing me to acknowledge him. His eyes took in her dress, and an approving smile stretched across his face. When his gaze reached my hands gripping her hips, his jaw ticked, which made me smirk.

  “Looks like she hasn’t forgotten everyone,” Aiden said, flicking a quick look at me.

  “Actually,” Gwen said, “I recognized your voice from the phone call the other day. I don’t remember anything about you.”

  “What are you doing here?” I asked again, taking satisfaction when Gwen moved to my side.

  “Lauren said she spoke to you,” Aid
en said. It pissed me off that his eyes kept wandering to Gwen.

  “She did but now is not the time to discuss it,” I told him. “As you can see I’m having a night out with my girl.” The grin that fell against my lips wasn’t intentional, but it pissed Aiden off all the same.

  Aiden took a step toward us, his eyes falling to Gwen again before snapping up to me. “Yeah, I heard you two were together. Tell me, how does it feel to be a rebound?” His mouth quirked up at the side.

  I ground my teeth until my jaw hurt, fisting my hand at my side. Tonight Gwen wanted to have fun and forget about stress; I would not cause a scene with Aiden. The problem was, I’d been waiting months to kick his ass. I didn’t want to rip his soul from his body, just a good ol’ fist fight to put him in his place.

  “There a problem here?” Reece sauntered up next to me, Jerrick and Braden in tow. I appreciated their support but didn’t need their backup to handle Aiden Blake.

  “You travel with an entourage now?” Aiden asked, eyeing each man. “I feel honored you feel the need for backup.”

  What a cocky son of a bitch. It was only by sheer willpower that I was able to remain standing next to Gwen instead of striking Aiden down. Lauren made her way over and stood near Aiden, giving me an apologetic shrug as though sorry for taking sides. When Bree and Mariana joined our gang, Mariana smiled flirtatiously toward Aiden.

  “Who’s this?” Mariana asked, her voice seductive.

  “Aiden Blake,” Aiden said, extending his hand. When Mariana laid her hand in his, he bent at the waist and pressed a kiss to it. What a douche.

  “Gwen’s ex Aiden?” Mariana asked. How the hell did she know about Aiden or that he had dated Gwen?

  “One and the same,” Aiden replied, winking toward Gwen. Mariana shot a devious glare toward Gwen, a flash of determination in her eyes. I already knew what that spark meant, and I welcomed it. If Aiden was occupied with Mariana, then he wouldn’t be focused on Gwen.

  “Can we go home?” Gwen asked, looking up at me. When I nodded, she glanced back at Aiden. “All of a sudden I’m not feeling all that well.”