Of Blood & Magic: Blood Descent Book 1

by T. L. McDonald

  “Sounds good to me.” Jack’s eyes make their way to my hand. “I think it’s clean.”

  I scrub it a little more. Truth be told, I’m a little afraid to rinse it off. What if it’s already healed? Sebastian hit the nail on the head earlier when he stated my fears. I want to hold on to the notion my healing powers come from my angel side, but the stupid self-doubting voice in my head won’t stop whispering vampire traits.

  “You’re just wasting the water now,” Jack adds.

  “Fine. I’m rinsing. See.” I stick my hand under the faucet. The soap is so thick I have to rub my fingers over it to get it to come off. My knuckles don’t have a scratch on them.

  Liv peers over my shoulder. “Guess we don’t need the ointment or healing magic after all. You’re so lucky.”

  Or cursed.

  24

  I slam my hand down blindly on the nightstand in search of my phone. The incessant duck quacking coming from it needs to stop. I hit snooze and sink my head back down into the squishy indent of my pillow. Whoever invented the snooze button is my new best friend. My mind drifts back into dreamland like I’d never even left.

  ♪Message. Message. You’ve got a message.♪

  Ugh, I really hate that message tone sometimes, like now for instance. Who the heck is texting this early in the morning, anyway? I roll over, determined to ignore it. At least for five more minutes.

  ♪Message. Message. You’ve got a message.♪

  I growl at my phone as I drag it off the stand. A text—actually two texts—from Sebastian displays across the screen. Right. Training.

  ~Wake up time.

  ~You better not be hitting snooze.

  I glance at the time. 5:35am. Eh, another five more minutes won’t hurt.

  ~I’m not. Getting dressed now, I text back. I switch my phone to vibrate then let it drop to my chest as I close my eyes.

  Vibrations tingle over the skin above the edge of my tank top. I crack open one eye to read the incoming message.

  ~I don’t see any lights on in your room.

  ~I’m getting dressed in the dark, I text back.

  ~If you’re not outside in 10 minutes I’m coming up.

  ~The doors are locked genius so good luck with that. Ha, take that.

  My phone goes silent and I drift back to sleep.

  Cold water splashes me in the face. I jerk awake and wipe it off with the edge of my blanket. I shield my eyes from the glow of my bedside lamp. What the hell? Sebastian looks down at me with a smile. He dangles a cup of water between his finger and thumb.

  “Need more or are you ready to climb out of bed?” He sticks the tips of his fingers into the cup. He’s enjoying this way too much. Nobody should be as chipper as he is this early in the morning. I glare up at him. He’s dressed similar to how he was yesterday, plain blue t-shirt and black basketball shorts. Wisps of black hair stick out from beneath the edges of his backward ball cap. His eyes twinkle with mischief. “Last warning.” I stick out my tongue. He flicks the water on his fingertips at me. Lucky for me, I pull the blanket over my head just in time.

  “Missed me.”

  “Now you got to kiss me,” Sebastian says, adding to my phrase and turning it into an old childhood taunt. Except the way he says it is as far away from a taunt as you can get. My heart skips a beat and I hold myself still, my thoughts going back to the last time he was in my room.

  Two seconds later the covers get pulled away. Sebastian’s eyes peruse over my skimpy pajamas, which is nothing more than a spaghetti strap tank top and boy shorts. I reach for a blanket that isn’t there. His gaze meets mine. Heat blooms in my belly, spreading to my face. His lips curve in a slow smile. “On second thought, maybe I’ll join you in bed.” He sets down the glass of water then throws himself down beside me before I can object. The weight of his body hitting the mattress sends me bouncing. Grabbing me around the waist, he rolls me onto my side so we’re face to face. He props his head up on his hand. “You promised me no grief.” His pinky grazes bare skin along my side. A hundred million goose bumps rise in response.

  “Did I?” I somehow manage to say.

  “You did.” He twirls a loose strand of hair from my braid around his finger.

  “H-how did you get in here? Why didn’t Coco bark?” My mouth goes dry and I lick my lips. He watches me, the look in his eyes growing more intense. Flashes of our previous kiss assault my thoughts. I bite my lip before I do something stupid. I just broke up with Evan. Anything with Sebastian would be too soon. But, this connection between us really isn’t making it easy.

  “I have my ways. Plus, dogs like me.” His smile gives flight to the butterflies fluttering in my stomach. His eyes meet mine, holding me in their gaze. They look so blue in the low light of my room, complementing the spot of brown in his left eye. I’ve never met anyone with eyes like his. They’re unique and beautiful. A lot of things about him are. The more I learn about him the more I’m drawn to him. I can’t help it. It’s out of my control.

  “My family?”

  “Still asleep.”

  His eyes drop to my mouth. I try to breathe unaffected.

  “I need to get dressed.”

  “Do you?”

  My heart beats double time.

  He moves a little closer and I hold my breath. His words whisper over my skin, his lips so close, yet so far away. “Your move.”

  A knock sounds on the other side of my door. I shove Sebastian off the bed. He hits the floor with a thud just as Aunt Claudia pops her head in. “I saw the light under your door. What are you doing awake this early? What was that noise?” Stretching her neck out like a turtle coming out of its shell, she looks over my room. “It sounded like something hit the floor.”

  “Sorry.” I swallow, willing my heart back into my chest. If she catches Sebastian in my room, I’ll be grounded until I’m forty. “It was me. I was still half asleep when I tried to get up. I got tangled in the covers and fell out of bed. I’m supposed to be meeting a friend this morning, remember? I told you about it during dinner last night. We’re going jogging.”

  “You were serious about that?” The look of shock on her face doesn’t surprise me. The only time I run is if something is chasing me. Or I’ve run out of excuses to give coach McLaughlin in P.E. at school. Never do I willingly volunteer. Her mouth droops into a frown. “I don’t like the idea of you jogging in the dark this early in the morning. There are a lot of crazies out there. We’re not that far from the city.” What she doesn’t say is she’s worried about vampire attacks, since I’m supposed to have forgotten about all that.

  “You don’t have to worry. We won’t be outside. The janitor at school is supposed to let us in to use the gym.”

  “Well, in that case,” she covers a yawn with the back of her hand, “try not to wake up the rest of the house. Especially Olivia. You know how she gets if she’s woken prematurely.” She starts to close the door then pops her head in once again. I shove my foot down on Sebastian’s chest, stopping him from sitting up. “Make sure you lock the door on your way out.”

  “Will do.”

  “That was close.” Sebastian’s gaze shifts from my face to my leg. He grips me by the ankle. “Nice leg, by the way.” He runs his hand up my calf. I pull my leg back up onto the bed and he laughs. He pushes himself up onto his elbows. “So, are you going to get dressed or should I get back in bed with you?”

  A fire flames behind my cheeks. “I can’t get dressed w—.” He wiggles his eyebrows, causing the rest of my sentence to get stuck in my throat. I push my foot back down on his chest, keeping him pinned to the floor. “You are not getting in bed with me,” I say quickly, shutting down the things his eyebrows suggest.

  “Why not?”

  “Why can’t you get in my bed?” Another wave of heat flushes through me.

  He smiles, the amusement at my expense evident in his eyes. “Why can’t you get dressed?”

  “Oh. Because you’re in my room.”

  “
I’m not going to stop you.”

  I hit him with a pillow.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll meet you downstairs on the porch. Don’t take too long. I got orange juice and breakfast burritos waiting for us in the car.”

  Mr. Logan lets us in the side entrance to the gym then peers out over the parking lot. Satisfied we’re alone, he closes the door then turns to Sebastian with his hand out. He rubs his fingers and thumb together expectantly. Mr. Logan has been the janitor at our school for the last twenty-five years and it’s a well-known secret amongst the students he can be bribed. Some of the best midnight pool parties have been held on school property.

  We’re probably the first ones ever to request the gymnasium.

  Sebastian palms him a folded bill.

  Mr. Logan peeks at it then shoves it into the pocket of his coveralls. “Don’t you kids tell anyone I let you in here outside of school hours.”

  “We won’t,” Sebastian assures him.

  Mr. Logan’s bushy gray eyebrows lower to sit above milky brown eyes. “No hanky-panky either. I know all you kids are driven by hormones, but while you’re in my school, you’re to keep it in your pants.” Mr. Logan gives Sebastian a pointed stare then waves a finger between the both of us.

  “We’re just here to run laps,” Sebastian says with a slight chuckle. Meanwhile, I’m over here wishing for the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I can’t believe Mr. Logan just said that.

  Mr. Logan eyeballs us as we run laps around the gym for a full five minutes before wheeling his janitorial cart out into the hallway. I don’t think I will ever be able to look him in the face again after the hanky-panky remark.

  Sebastian keeps pace beside me. He’s barely even broken a sweat. I, on the other hand can’t say the same. It’s already running down my back and beading across my forehead. I suck in rapid breaths; my lungs aching with each inhale. He breathes with ease. I must look pathetic next to him. I wish now I would have taken Aunt Claudia up on her offer to go jogging with her over summer break. As it stands, I’m so out of shape, Sebastian can probably run twenty laps around the gymnasium before I can make it to one.

  Sebastian takes pity on me when my knuckles start to drag the floor. We’ve been running non-stop for the past hour. My body’s convinced it’s been ten years. I drop where I am face first, my arms and legs spread out. If I had the energy, I’d kiss the floor.

  He sets a bottle of water down beside my face.

  “Thank you.” I turn my head to the side, the bottle of water sitting right there. All I have to do is grab it. “Did my arms move any?”

  He laughs. If I could move my leg, I’d kick him.

  “Give me your hands.” When I don’t move, he rolls me over then plants his feet on either side of my hips before grabbing my hands himself. He pulls me up too fast, bringing me all the way up to standing. I crash right into him. His eyes widen for a split second before we both go down. He wraps his arms around my waist, protecting me while he takes the brunt of the fall. Breath expels in a rush from his lungs as his back hits the floor.

  “Oh my God, Sebastian. Are you okay?” We lay in a heap of tangled legs, his arms locked around my body, my hand pressed against his chest. His heart beats against my palm at an elevated pace. I shift my weight and run my hand over the side of his face, my fingers lacing through his dark hair. “Did you hit your head on the floor?” I study him for any signs of injury. “Do you feel any pain? Can you see okay?” I read somewhere once that getting hit on the back of the head hard enough can cause vision problems.

  “I see you.” His words are breathless in more of a husky sort of way and not an I just had the wind knocked out of me way.

  My eyes meet his. The way he looks at me makes my arms wobble. I pretend it’s exhaustion from our run. “Um, if you hit your head you could have a concussion,” I say once I find my voice. “I’ll help you up.”

  His arms tighten around my waist. “What if I want to stay where I am?”

  “Why would you want to stay on the floor?”

  “Because I’m waiting.”

  “Waiting for what?”

  “For you to make a move.” He studies my face, his gaze a near tangible caress over my skin. My lungs forget to inhale. His lids lower to my mouth, a canopy of thick lashes shading the blue and brown of his eyes.

  My heart sprints ahead while the rest of my being struggles to catch up. His words whisper over my mind, whatever happens next between us will be your choice. The ball is in my court and he’s calling me out, but what is the right choice? My heart tells me to go for it while my brain whispers something else. It tells me things like how I just got out of a relationship and how it would be disrespectful and too soon to jump right into another one so fast. Or that it wasn’t too long ago I was convinced Sebastian was a crazy stalker, and now there’s this deep connection between us making all of my emotions wonky. Is the connection creating the things we’re feeling for one another or would we feel it, regardless? It’s so confusing and I don’t really know which direction to go. Follow my heart or listen to my brain?

  He licks his bottom lip before sucking it in and pinching it between his teeth. His gaze slowly makes its way back to mine. My brain shuts down.

  I think too much anyway.

  I’m tired of coming up with excuses because if I’m being honest, I’ve wanted him since the moment he kissed me in my room. Maybe it’s wrong. Maybe it’s right. Maybe it’s the connection between us speaking. I don’t know. What I do know is I’m done wasting time trying to figure it out. Life is too short to hold back. I’m going to go with my heart.

  I press my lips against his. His response is immediate. His hand moves from my waist to cup my face, his fingers splayed over the back of my neck. His mouth moves over mine slow and teasing.

  “It’s about time,” Sebastian whispers, his breath tickling my skin. His lips brush over my jaw, along my neck, each touch sending tingles of electricity throughout my body.

  I pull his mouth back to mine, needing more. The feel of him smiling has my insides melting and my heart tripping. How could I ever think kissing him would be wrong? He grips behind my knee, then rolls us over. The tips of his fingers trail from my thigh up to my hip where his thumb rubs over the skin above my shorts. Every inch of me becomes aware of every inch of him. It’s like the entire world has disappeared and it’s just him and me. I slip my hand under the hem of his shirt, needing to feel his skin. His breath hitches, his body stilling when my fingers graze a section of raised skin.

  Scars.

  The heat of his kisses cool and he pulls away, lying down beside me. He bites his lip then sits up. Grabbing our waters, he hands me mine then chugs his without a word.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He stares at me from beneath his lashes. “Why? You didn’t give them to me. That honor belongs to my father.”

  Now the sudden coolness makes sense. These scars differ from any he would have gotten fighting vampires, evil witches, or whatever else is out there. They hold weight. A reminder of all the things he lost—his sister and his childhood.

  “Can I see them?”

  He studies me for a moment before removing his shirt. I stare. It can’t be helped. His body is perfect. Being a chaser has definitely done wonders for his physique. His abs could hypnotize every girl in school, probably some of the guys too. Catching me ogling he grins. I drag my gaze away and move around behind him. My first instinct is to gasp. Scars crisscross over his back from his shoulder blades to his waist. There has to be at least twenty.

  He holds his breath when I touch them. How could his own father do this to him? He was just a child. What happened to his sister was not his fault. He did not deserve this.

  Sebastian takes my hand and swivels around. He intercepts my falling tears with his thumb. “Don’t cry. It was a long time ago.”

  “It doesn’t matter how long ago it was. If I ever meet your father, I’m going to punch him right in the face.”

  Sebasti
an’s mouth crashes into mine. He pours everything into the kiss, leaving me breathless. “Look at you. Ready to take on vampires and my father.”

  25

  I shove a bag containing gym clothes, shoes, and a towel from my training session with Sebastian into my locker before grabbing my books.

  “You’re here early.” Taylor leans her shoulder against the locker beside mine, her thumb hooked under the strap of her backpack. “So.” She fluffs up the ends of her chestnut hair. “What do you think? Is it me?” Her big brown eyes hold a note of insecurity, an emotion she never shows.

  “It’s definitely you. It works perfectly with your bone structure.” I tug on the end of her angled bob watching the anxiety melt from her gaze. She straightens her posture, her smile beaming. “What does Jacob think about it?”

  Her eyes go all dreamy. “He can’t keep his fingers out of it. Or his hands off me.” She wags her eyebrows. “But he also thought I looked good in the hideous sweater my grandma got me this past Christmas, which is why, as my best friend, I knew I could count on you to be brutally honest with me.”

  “Well, I’m glad I could be of assistance.”

  Arms full of books, I turn, shutting my locker with the side of my foot. Evan is at the end of the hall, heading my way with half the football team in tow. He pretends to not see me even though I know he does by the tightness of his jaw. He stares straight ahead.

  “Evan.” I step away from the lockers to intercept his path. He shoulders past me, knocking the books out of my hands. His football friends spare me a glance, one of them mumbling bitch under their breath.

  “Rude much?” Taylor yells after them. The same one who called me a bitch flips us off, his hand in the air all the way down the hall.

  Great. Glad to see Evan’s got the football team hating me. With him being the quarterback, I wouldn’t be surprised if I wasn’t the school pariah by the end of the day. So much for our promise to stay friends no matter what happens between us, including breaking up.