Blood Relic

by Lucretia Stanhope

  Alice turned to watch his expression. Decker and Jasper said her blood was sweet and unpalatable.

  Morrigana pointed to the creature. “Kill it. Squeeze its blood into the mixture.”

  “My interest is not in her blood. It’s pure, you wouldn’t have any point of reference to understand.” He brushed by them and snatched the creature from the table. With a twist it stopped moving. Another twist ripped it in two. He held both sides over the bowl and squeezed.

  Alice put a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp. He killed as easily as he moved. Effortless. Graceful. Ghoulish.

  “Odd that. Pure?” Morrigana turned toward Alice. “Did you enchant him, little arcana? What sort of sacrifice did you make?”

  “I did not enchant anyone.” Alice edged away from them.

  “Easy.” Morrigana added a pinch of white powder to the mix. “Are you sure you want to lose the ability to influence her? She may not choose you, now that you’ve startled her so.”

  “Work your magic, witch, before I remind you where we left things.” Matthias reached a bloody hand toward Alice. “The worst is over.”

  “Such a temper on this one.” Morrigana dug two fingers into the mixture in the bowl and smeared it on Alice’s forehead. With the tip of her fingers, she drew a swirl, two dots, and a line across it. “Restoruim, yentrialm, mesmorinth.”

  Alice closed her eyes. The wet spot on her forehead grew warm. Sweat beaded on her skin and her throat tightened. “I can’t breathe.”

  “You are fine.” Matthias rested a hand on Alice. “Stop toying with her and complete the spell.”

  Morrigana repeated the chant two more times.

  “It’s getting dark.” Alice drew in shallow breaths. The heat traveled around her head and down her neck, racing to the bottom of her spine. She fanned her face. “I’m dizzy. Matthias.”

  “I’ve got you.” Matthias put an arm around Alice as she swayed.

  “This doesn’t leave the room.” Morrigana turned and wiped her hand on a dirty rag.

  “But that bowl and rag do.” Matthias reached out with his free hand. “My blood.”

  “Nothing gets past you. Can’t blame a witch for trying.” She handed him the bowl.

  He strode to Morrigana and scrubbed her fingers with the rag before he tossed it in the bowl too. “Give to get. You are already in my debt.”

  “This clears our debt.” Her eyes narrowed at him. “See that my apprentice gets that back when you feel certain your blood is cleaned.”

  Alice swallowed down a lump of bile. A wave of nausea raced over her. Sticky sweat beaded on her forehead. “I feel ill.”

  “You will. We’ve opened your mind with a bit of force. Didn’t you need rest after Jasper awakened your soul? Rest, eat, see me in the day, when your overbearing master is asleep.” She picked up the bag and jar and vanished, returning with another jar.

  “He’s not my master.”

  Matthias tightened his grip on her. “She is free to learn from who she chooses. You should know that I have no reservations about breaking rules. To hurt my witch, physically, spiritually, or emotionally would be ill-advised.”

  “He is a possessive one.” Morrigana handed Alice a jar of roots. “Chew one, little arcana. Don’t threaten me, old one. I clearly don’t have any regard for your PPK and its rules. You know well what it means to cross me.”

  Alice took a root from the jar. “Thank you. Both of you can stop with the hostility. Please.”

  Matthias kissed Alice on her forehead again. “Your assistance is appreciated, Morrigana. My blood need not be stolen. If you wish to work a spell, I will be present for a donation. I will not leave you my blood to play with at will.”

  “Most generous. I won’t decline that offer. I have nothing so pressing at present.” She moved closer, her dark gaze trailing over Matthias. “Such a pretty dead thing you are. Always a joy to have you in my circle.”

  Alice leaned her head on Matthias. “I want to lay down now. I will be back to finish working on the spell and anything else I need to know for this mission. Thank you. I really appreciate your help.”

  “Can’t let my protégée go unprepared into a den of the dead.” She waved them toward the door and turned back to the table.

  Alice leaned heavily against Matthias as they walked the hall. “I have more questions every hour. Why do they hide witches away here? Why don’t they let them breed pure lines anymore? Why does me working with her bother you? You drank from her? You should have told me that. I don’t like surprises of that nature.”

  “It wasn’t my finest moment. If I rattled off all of my indiscretions, you would run, or grow old waiting for the completed list. I don’t trust her, neither do they. Pure witches are powerful. If even a strand of my hair fell off in her room, she could cast a spell that could grant her immortality.” His fingers twirled in the fabric of her waistband. “Not that she hasn’t already done that to some other vampire, who is probably withering alive in a hole somewhere, while his agelessness is syphoned to her. She is hundreds of years old and aside from gnarled hands, looks young for a witch.”

  The weight of everything pulled down on Alice’s mind. The mission was bleak. It also meant she would eventually be military. That prediction came from her gut and rested there like a lump of bad food. The history she desperately wanted to know, the wiped out history, was alive and well in the PPK dark wing. What were her priorities now? “How can they keep her here then?”

  “She lets them. Don’t think for a minute she is here against her will. All pure witches who want to be free are in hiding on the outside. That is how witches like your grandmother were born. From a witch like Morrigana and a human. Powerful lines.”

  “I’m against so many rules. No wonder Maxwell won’t approve my day pass to see Jasper.” Alice slowed, restarting the camera as they rounded another corner.

  He made a soft sound of approval as her magic radiated stronger for a few seconds. “Yes, well, just mind yourself around her. To her you might be a little powerhouse witch to mentor, but you are also light elf and your parts are mighty useful to her magic.”

  “Decker said that witches use elf parts.” Her hand raised to her ear.

  “Elf parts, vampire parts, even other witch parts. Witches are dark. Dark enough to love vampires.” He kissed the top of her head. “We’ve talked enough. You need rest. Tomorrow night will be trying.”

  “The biting part?”

  “Yes.”

  “What if I taste bad? Decker said I taste disgusting.” Would that be the end of his affection, if she didn’t taste good?

  “Decker didn’t find you too disagreeable to his palate. He took your parts, didn’t he?”

  She rubbed her thumb over her nub where he chopped off her fingertip. “Seriously. If I taste awful, then I can’t be in a blood den, can I?”

  “Tomorrow for that. I highly doubt the elf in you will negate how delicious your human and witch magic are. If anything, it will enhance it.” His finger slipped under her waistband and brushed her skin.

  “That’s creepy.”

  “What?”

  “Calling me delicious.”

  “Everything about you is delicious.”

  “I’m too tired for this.”

  He stopped at the ambassador wing entrance. “Where are we resting? My room or yours.”

  “I have snacks in mine, since my magic can be taxing.”

  They walked to her room.

  Matthias watched her eat a candy bar and then she crawled in the bed and rested against the pillow, without changing.

  He sat the bowl on her dresser, and used a clean corner on the rag to wipe away the paste on her forehead. “You are so brave. Vampires and witches. Dark spells and blood. Yet you still feel so light and beautiful. I adore you.”

  “I’m going to take down a nest of nasty vampires and perhaps some complicit witches, then we are going to talk about who is adorable, and light.”

  He edged onto the bed a
nd laid beside her, pulling her against him. “This isn’t how we were supposed to evolve.”

  “Nothing ever goes as planned for me.” She nestled against him. “You feel so right. I don’t understand, and I know you did that at my request, but I do feel it.”

  “Rest, my dearling.”

  “You can’t tell me what to do anymore.” Her eyes closed. When they opened again, her clock said it was ten after eleven in the morning.

  A single daisy was laying on the pillow beside her where Matthias had been. She held the flower and pressed her face against the pillow, breathing in the scent he left behind.

  She sat up and stretched, rolling her neck. Her head pounded as if she’d been drinking the night before. Morrigana would be able to fix that, and tell her what the opening of her mind had done. Did she want to see Morrigana again in a state where she was less than sharp? No. Not until she knew what she had to fear from a proper witch.

  A day in the library was in order.

  Chapter Six

  A BRISTLE OF nervous energy raced across Alice as Matthias closed the door to his room and locked it. Tonight was the night. A bite. She swallowed, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach and stepped deeper in the room. Why did this feel like a date? This was work. Mostly.

  The chairs in the corner of Matthias’ room were gone. Alice ran her hand along the red cloth that draped over the edge of a small round table. Even in the dimmed lighting she could tell it was elegant. A glass dish held round balls of chocolate. “What is this? You don’t have to wine and dine me for a nip. I can’t say no.”

  “If you say no, I will find a way to get you off this case. It could take a while, the dark gods only know how many higher ups wanted you here.” His eyes held concern and something else. “It’s more than work.”

  She turned away. What was that look? Love? Pity? “I take my job seriously. This case feels like a way I can give back to witches. I betrayed them. Most of all, my mother.”

  “She doesn’t deserve your love.” He slipped behind her, running a hand over her shoulder. “However, this is what you will find in a den.”

  “Candy?” Thankfully he let the family talk drop. He was always easy like that. Always knew when she didn’t want to face something and never forced her to. She picked up one of the balls and held it against her lips, hesitating to bite into it. “Is it anything other than chocolate?”

  “Have one. They are decadent. Let me.” He took the candy from her and fed it to her, holding it between his thumb and forefinger as it melted against her tongue. “We’ve known for a very long time that sugar enhances magic. Though I’ve never seen a witch like you, who burns through it.”

  A moan of approval for the candy slipped out. “It’s because I’m defective.”

  “You are a lot of things, not defective.” He pressed his thumb against her lips, wiping the remnants from her mouth.

  Alice sucked the chocolate from his thumb. “This is at all dens?”

  “In some form. Not all vampires will feed you. They won’t care. They are not there to woo you.” He brushed her hair off her shoulder and trailed a finger along her vein. “It’s about blood and magic. Needs.”

  “And this?” She picked up a clear glass ball from the center of the table. It rested in the palm of her hand and didn’t hum with any magical properties.

  “For you to work magic. This is universal to all dens. You can levitate it, fill it with water, or freeze it, whatever suits you. It’s easy to manipulate, so witches of any level can enhance their blood with active magic. That way if they are too far removed from a pure line their blood still feeds the craving.” He stepped away and poured her a glass of wine. “Some older dens have candles and a large fire pit in the middle. Those can be a bit much on the eyes. Most switched to the balls or some other benign object centuries ago after one too many burned to the ground.”

  “Good grief. That’s strong magic.” She wrapped trembling fingers around the stem of the wine glass and took a large sip.

  “It can be intense.” He caught her gaze over the glass. The tip of his tongue rubbed against one of his fangs. “Very intense.”

  Standing near him was intense. She sat her glass down and wiped her mouth. Count to three. Don’t drool on him. Her fingers gripped the back of the chair. The chair. One chair. “There is only one chair.” Alice turned to see his lips curve into a mischievous smirk.

  “There will only be one per table. You will sit in my lap.” He put a hand on the side of her face. “Relax. It gives easier access to your vein.”

  “God, Matthias. I have to sit on the lap of a stranger and let them feed and have intimate access to me?” She leaned her head forward against his chest. This was the easy part. Facing death was always possible on missions, this was just sitting in a lap. Just a small bite. No big deal.

  “We can do everything to see that doesn’t happen, but it still could. As soon as you are recruited to a new den, even if it occurs during the day, you can text me the location. I will always be where you are at opening bid.” He hugged her tight. His breaths were cold puffs against her hair.

  “Always?” She talked into his chest. “You will always be there. Every night. At every place.”

  He tilted her head up. “This is the easy part. We are about to intentionally go deep in the underground. There are some very powerful creatures who would rather not be associated with any of this. They would not think twice about putting either of us in a hole. A lap dance is not our greatest concern.”

  What? She looked back at the table, the ball, and the single chair. “I’m okay with facing off with these bastards. Let a single one of them try to put me in a hole, or you for that matter. I’m not without magic. If it is what I need to do to find out who is killing witches then I will… gyrate on a lap or two. Are the dens all the same sort of bidding, drinking arrangement we talked about?”

  One of his brows arched high as his pupils grew wider. “Most will be like I said. Bidding wars. Some have options to buy a night outright. Private rooms. They can get depraved. A vampire may want to feed his aggression more than his addiction. For the right price that is accommodated. Typically, it will be a willing submissive.”

  “Typically?” The sexual tension she’d been feeling since the door closed, vanished. “How do you know about the private rooms?”

  He stroked her hair. “One thing at a time. Tonight, we have an intimate feeding. This will be the usual experience. Perhaps dialed back some as I can’t say everyone will give you as much aphrodisiac.”

  “The candy?” She glanced at the bowl and pressed a finger to her lips. Was that why she was feeling so attracted to him just then? “You said it was just chocolate.”

  “It was just chocolate. Fancy chocolate. But only chocolate nevertheless. When I bite you, I will inject something. It’s an evolved gift that keeps victims from screaming and struggling. It makes them sexually aroused. If someone happens upon a vampire feeding, it is much less likely to draw attention if it appears as a couple in a dark corner rather than a person being drained.” He picked her wine glass up again. “Do you need more?”

  She reached up and traced his lips. So beautiful. Why did a killer look so angelic? “I never thought too much about what it meant to be a vampire. I know you drink donated blood from outside sources or whatever, but this is disturbing.”

  “It is. We are killers who have adapted not to kill. Not so much because we don’t want to kill but for convenience sake.” He reached up and put his hand over hers. “The nature of a vampire is to sate a craving for blood. Never forget that. Even if the den masters are kind to you, they are always one second away from throwing you against a wall and drinking you dry. Your magic especially, hums so different. It will trigger their predators. Not all have centuries of practice in restraint.”

  Killers. “I understand that. It is why we are going in. It seems there are some willing to pay to have the privilege of killing witches. I’m not under any illusions about what they ar
e just because I… care about you. If one of them thinks me an easy target they will find out that, while I don’t want to, I can and will kill with as much ease as they can.” Would she? Kill a vampire? That was why they were sending her. To see if she could be the killer they wanted. “As a last resort.”

  He leaned down and rested his head on hers. “I feel your struggle. You are no killer. I wish with everything in me that it won’t come to that. If anything needs killed, I’ll do it.” His lips brushed hers as he whispered. “My beautiful light witch.”

  His words vibrated across her lips, touching her soul. Loved by the darkness. Loved by a killer. “We need to get on with this. You are going to give me a bite that turns me into a puddle in your arms, then feed, right?”

  “More of a puddle. Tonight. Tomorrow I have to show you what the other end of the spectrum is like.” His eyes glistened with regret.

  “That will be painful.”

  “If I miss a bid. Or you are bought outright, there are vampires who will want your blood and tears. They will withhold that aphrodisiac and leave you feeling every painful moment.” His lip raised into a sneer. “They’ll regret it, but I won’t be able to stop it and blow our cover. You understand that?”

  “Sure, yes. We have a job to do.” With all the time she read about supernatural creatures, how did she still know so little? “Tears? Vampires drink tears too?”

  “Aside from blood, witch tears are a vampire’s favorite drink.” His gaze flicked down a second. “They are rare. Even in a den, with painful play, a witch is seldom brought to tears. You are so light though. It would be a temptation for any of us.”

  Her mouth dropped and she stepped back. “Have you had mine?”

  “Yes.” He moved closer, pinning her against the chair.

  She gave him a nudge, glad he stepped back. “Why do you want tears? I know they are magical but, that’s cruel.”

  “Dearling, two things. We are inherently cruel as a species. Two, imagine it like this, ice cream, which you enjoy, is a lovely treat on its own. However, with caramel dripped on top or hot fudge, it becomes decadent.” He pulled out the chair.