by Terry Spear
And he couldn’t resist her allure.
I wanted to scream at the vamp, wanted to fight for Dominic, for his soul, for his life back and I kicked my covers aside, but couldn’t fully wake from the dreams.
Then I settled into a deep sleep where darkness ruled.
***
I waited for Marissa to scream out my name again, but when she didn’t, I knew she just needed her sleep. As did I. At least I hoped she’d be more reasonable when the day dawned.
I squirmed in bed, knowing that by sharing Marissa’s blood, I was destined to visit her dreams, her memories, her past. Just like when Lynetta had taken my blood. I still couldn’t believe how much I looked like the Count William Dubois. I could have been William’s reincarnation. Though I wasn’t. Other than glimpses from Lynetta’s memories, I didn’t know anything about the man.
My mind drifted and my thoughts shifted to a witch’s world—Marissa’s.
I wasn’t sure where I was. A theater, filled with students. I glanced at the stage. A flag embossed with beakers sat on the stage to the right. And a gray-haired old woman motioned to a kid. “Your turn, Debbie Damint.”
“Did you ever figure out what your spell project would be?” Kate asked Marissa.
She smiled. “Absolutely.”
“You’ve been fretting about it all semester and never said a word. So give. What did you come up with?”
“You’ll see.”
Everyone in the spells class took their seats in the auditorium, and then one by one the students showed off their spells, starting with the average classes. Kate conjured up an imaginary dragon which was so real, her teacher threatened to move her to the advanced class—again. But she’d never apply herself in class.
Remnants of dragon smoke drifted off the stage and the teacher motioned for Marissa to show off her spell next. With a spring to her step, she walked on stage. Some of the students were sleeping, some talking to each other, very few were paying attention. But she would get their attention—guaranteed.
She raised her hands and began the incantation. After repeating it for the third time, a swirl of blue water whirled around the floor until the water formed into the figure of a woman.
Her aquamarine eyes large and expressive, her full lips turned up in a slight smile, her hair draping down her slim hips, blending in with her watery cerulean blue gown, ribbons of cobalt contrasting with the lighter blues—she was one of the most interesting creatures I’d ever seen.
The woman epitomized beauty. Sure, Kate’s dragon was pretty cool. But this was beyond extraordinary. An A+ project for sure.
Certainly, she had everyone’s attention. A woman was waving her hand at the stage and Marissa’s teacher was nodding. The teacher hurried up the stairs to the stage, but kept her distance from the water figure. “That is not a proper spell, Marissa Lakeland. Do you have a real one prepared for class?”
I felt horrible. Why wasn’t the spell acceptable? I’d never seen anything like it. Not anything the other students had conjured up came close to this.
“I…I can cast a cupid’s arrow spell.”
Her teacher frowned. “You need willing participants ahead of time. Take your seat.”
The creature stood nearby, her watery skin and clothes shimmering in the bright lights, watching the students.
“But my grade…”
“Zero. You cannot…” The gray-haired woman motioned to the entity. “This doesn’t count.”
A zero. I glowered at the teacher. How could she be so unfair? The water creature was the best spell ever.
Marissa waved her hand at her creation and spoke under her breath, then took her seat next to Kate. Tears ran down her cheeks. Trying to console her, Kate patted her hand. “I could have told you bringing her here wouldn’t have been acceptable.”
Fuming, I clenched my teeth. If I’d been the teacher, Marissa would have received an A+ and extra credit, too.
A puddle of water sat on the stage where the water creature had been. The next four students slipped on the wet floor, and the teacher, scowling the whole time, stopped the proceedings until she could get a janitor to mop up the floor.
The stage and the students, the teacher and the theater shifted, darkened, vanished.
I opened my eyes and listened for the sound of Marissa stirring, but I sensed her mind was finally cloaked in deep sleep, thank the stars.
If Marissa had been sucked into the dream swap while she slept, I sincerely hoped she hadn’t seen Lynetta kissing me, or how much I’d enjoyed it. I groaned and ran my fingers through my hair. I had a sneaking suspicion she’d be ticked off at me in the morning.
Chapter 7
DOMINIC
Early the next morning, I entered the kitchen. No sign of Marissa yet, though I’d heard her clunking around in the bathroom, so she was probably doing whatever girls do to make themselves presentable. Poor things. It didn’t take any time at all for us guys to rejoin the world and still be our handsome selves. Though it helped that I no longer had to shave, which was a remarkable vampiric trait I totally agreed with.
I, the Prince of Darkness, had been certain the love of my life who called out my name with such hostility before she fell asleep truly didn’t wish to see me. Hopefully, the dreams she’d borne were not too disturbing. If Marissa enjoyed a good night’s sleep, she’d be more reasonable. Then she’d see how her new abilities could benefit her. How many other witches did she know that could do the things, whatever they might be, that she could?
Seeing in the dark was one of the most remarkable feats I enjoyed. I hoped if I was saved from being turned fully, that I might still keep some of the more admirable traits…like seeing my lovely soul mate without any kind of light, natural or otherwise. The cursed desire for blood, my skin’s aversion to the sun’s rays, and my fangs extending when angered or hungry for blood—I would thankfully do without.
I glanced out the three big windows where a light oak breakfast table sat to see what kind of day we were in for. To the north, a dark blue wall headed our direction, thunder grumbling in the distance around Dallas, and sparks of lightning flared to light up the darkness. A thick blanket of clouds hung high overhead—another spring storm was headed our way. No sun to bother my sensitive skin. Good, I could go to school with Marissa.
Marissa stalked into the kitchen dressed in black jeans and a black T-shirt with a red universal hazard symbol embossed on it and beneath this in bright red letters, Boy Hazard was written. My lips twitched with amusement. She definitely was. A light floral fragrance she wore wafted in the air, triggering my need to lift my nose and take my fill. Another great attribute at times, my sense of smell had vastly improved. The downside was being able to smell offensive odors better, too. But Marissa’s appearance instantly brought to mind the notion of having a good morning kiss.
She glanced in my direction, scowled, and quickly turned away. I was sure she wasn’t thinking of good morning kisses. Dark circles appeared beneath her clear blue eyes. The low rounded neck of her shirt exposed the two tiny bite marks, but they were barely visible. Only a small bit of yellow bruising marred the area.
Instantly, the human part of me regretted even so much as causing her the slightest bit of discomfort. The vampire side of me couldn’t help but feel I’d claimed my soul mate for all eternity. She was mine now, and I even felt more possessive of her than I had when I first caught sight of her, if that was possible. Even last night, if some guy had made a pass at Marissa at the burger place, I would have been hard put to keep my fangs intact.
My mother had always said it was the same way for her and Dad, well, minus the fangs, when they had first met—love at first sight. Of course, I never believed in such a thing, not until I saw my lifemate. I wondered if I hadn’t been changed, how different it would have been for us? How would I have encouraged our relationship if I hadn’t needed her help so badly?
Marissa whipped around and yanked a milk jug from the fridge. She wouldn’t acknowledge I
existed. She was still pissed, but that wouldn’t stop me from trying to get into her good graces.
When my dad was in one of his states of depression—usually over the stresses at work because he had one of those overbearing bosses who micromanaged everything—I found humor often helped to lighten his mood. Sitting down at the kitchen bar, I rested my elbows on the white tile countertop and took on a leisurely posture, as if I joined her every morning for breakfast after having slept the night beside her—beyond her bedroom wall.
“I’ll have a cheese omelet with a side order of hash browns and sausage. But if you don’t have sausage, bacon will do. And two slices of toast, coated with blackberry jam. Or honey. No, make it blackberry. If you have it.”
She glanced at me, her blue eyes ice daggers. Now I had her attention. I truly didn’t expect her to become a short-order cook. I only wanted her to say something to me, though I figured she’d give me a nasty earful. Still, anything was better than bitter silence between us.
“I’m sorry that you can’t stand the bitter silence between us. But you shouldn’t have—”
This time it was my turn to be surprised. Now the shoe was on the other foot…my foot. She’d read my mind, and I hadn’t expected that at all.
“Yeah, Prince of Darkness. I can read your mind.” She tapped a spoon on the counter. “And I’m so glad you don’t expect me to cook that huge breakfast you just ordered. But if you fix it for yourself, remember to clean up. I’m not your housemaid either.”
Figuring it would make her madder, I attempted not to smile, but I couldn’t help myself. After getting over the initial shock that she could read my mind, which definitely was going to be a switch—I mean, when I read her mind, it seemed…my right, but now that she could read my private thoughts…I shook my head. In any event, I couldn’t help smiling at her snappy but cute response.
She ignored me, gulped her glass of milk, then grabbed a black canvas book bag. “I’ll be home at noon.”
My heart thundering, I jumped off the leather barstool. No way would I let her out of my sight now. “I’m going with you.”
She swung around, glaring at me, her voice rising an octave. “What?”
“Listen, I’m going to stick by you from now on.” I didn’t want to scare her, but I truly feared losing her.
Now her tone changed, her eyes wide with disbelief, or maybe concern. “Lynetta can’t run around in the daylight, can she?”
“No, but she has human hosts she feeds off. She could have any one of them come for you and take you to her lair after what you did to protect me last night.”
Marissa stared at the counter for a moment as if considering the notion, then turned to me. “They’ll never let you into the school. You have to be a warlock. Know any spells you can cast?”
I would not be thwarted no matter what. “No, but maybe you could teach me a few on the way over to school.”
She shook her head. “You have to be a warlock to have the ability. Mere humans can’t work our spells.”
“But I’m not a mere human anymore.” In fact, several of the feats I could perform now were quite remarkable.
Lifting her bag off her shoulder, Marissa set it on the counter. “Can you levitate my book bag?”
She had me there. “I can vanish and reappear as mist.”
“Won’t help. Warlocks can’t do things like that. They’d know something was wrong with you.”
That hurt.
She hurried for the front door.
I reappeared before her. Running into my chest, she let out a small cry of surprise. I grabbed her arms to steady her, still wanting that good-morning kiss. Touching her sent warmth spiraling through me that couldn’t be denied. “Sorry, Marissa, I can’t let you go to school without me.”
Through clenched teeth, she reluctantly agreed. “All right. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. If they poke and prod you and put you on display, it won’t be my doing.”
“You left out the stripped…”
She glanced down at my red T-shirt and blue jeans. Her lips curved up just a bit, but somehow she managed to hide from me the mental images that I’m sure flitted across her brain. “Yeah, well, it won’t be my fault if the schoolmaster tries to expose you for what you are. But where’d you get the change of clothes?”
“I popped back to my parents’ home and took the clothes from the closet.”
“Neat trick. Did you visit with them?”
“My mother gets upset every time she sees me. Besides, everyone was still sleeping.”
A flicker of concern shone in Marissa’s expressive eyes, but then the look faded and she pulled her front door open.
Kate stood with her hand to the doorbell. She stared blankly and her mouth opened when she saw me with Marissa. Her green eyes couldn’t grow any bigger.
Marissa’s eyes widened as much.
Trying to remedy the situation, I quickly stepped outside and offered my hand to Kate. “New kid at the school. I asked Marissa if she would show me the way.”
Ignoring my outstretched hand, Kate turned her attention to Marissa and waited for an explanation.
“Yeah, he, uh, just asked if I could show him the way.”
“I just said that, Marissa. Quit acting so nervous. She’ll suspect something’s wrong,” I telepathically communicated to her.
Marissa glared at me.
“Here let me take your book bag,” I offered belatedly to Marissa. One thing about being a vampire, my muscles were much stronger. I could lift nearly twice my own weight, without ever exercising a bit.
“I’m fine,” she said, her words couched in irritation.
“You can carry my bag.” Kate stretched the blue canvas pack out to me.
Reluctantly, I took Kate’s bag and slung it over my shoulder. Again, I tried to smooth out the difficulty Marissa and I were having. “Marissa?”
“No!”
“You can’t be mad at me forever.”
Then again, maybe she could. I didn’t know much about her. Maybe she was the kind of girl that held lifelong grudges.
“No, normally I don’t hold grudges. But with you I’m bound to make an exception.”
Kate studied me way too closely, and I assumed she realized I was the Prince of Darkness she had chased so fervently last night. When her eyes caught sight of the puncture marks on Marissa’s neck, she shifted her attention back to me way too rapidly. She was quickly putting one and one together and coming up with conclusions that could get me into really hot water. On the other hand, I wasn’t going to let Marissa go it alone. Not when Lynetta would most likely attempt to get back at her.
Reading my mind, Marissa handed me her bag. Thank God for thinking the right thoughts.
Marissa said, “This is Thomas Reading, Kate. And Thomas, this is Kate Witherspoon. Sorry I forgot to make introductions.” She slowed her step along the sidewalk.
“Thomas Reading?” I cleared my throat, exasperated. “She already knows the Prince of Darkness’s name was Dominic Vor…something or other ending with a ‘ski’.”
Marissa glared at me while Kate cast a look from me to Marissa, knowing the truth, kind of.
“She knows, Marissa, that I’m the guy from the Hamburger Spot. And since you told her that my name was Dominic Vorchowsky, I think it best to leave it at that. Besides, I’ll have a devil of a time remembering some other name. I’m not a trained secret agent man.”
Marissa huffed her displeasure. “I meant to say this is Dominic Vorchowsky.”
Kate’s lips parted, her green eyes darkened, but she didn’t speak.
“You know, the guy we saw at the Hamburger Spot. He was pretty amused you—well, we—thought he was a vampire.”
“You told him?” Her voice etched in surprise, Kate looked back at the bite marks.
“Yeah. When you walked into your house last night, he hurried to catch up to me. Said he was going to our same school and wondered if he could walk with me…us, this morning.”
; “He lives around here?” This time Kate’s words were elevated and sounded panicky.
“Yes,” I said in my most charming manner, trying to show I wasn’t anything evil.
Kate stared at me, then looked down at the sidewalk while we continued to stroll to school.
“Yes, can you imagine how silly it was of us to think he was a vampire? Why look at how he’s out here with us in broad daylight.”
Kate again looked at me, as if wondering whether I could just disintegrate any moment. Gladdened that Marissa could think of something brilliant to say to dispel her girlfriend’s worry, I smiled.
Marissa offered me an arresting smile. “Brilliant, huh?”
“Yeah, and you’d better believe I’ll take you to the school dance.” Though I couldn’t quash the concern that she would be disappointed in my lack of dancing skills.
She raised her brows, then slipped her hand around mine. “But you can’t.”
I lifted my chin. “I’ll find a way.” If nothing else, I’d be there to ensure no warlocks laid a hand on my girl.
She rubbed her temple, a frown marring her hopeful expression. “Forget it. I wouldn’t want you to get into trouble.”
“Nah, we’ll think of something.” I was certain if we put our heads together, we could come up with some kind of a plan. Surely one of my princely gifts could be used to mimic a warlock’s abilities.
Kate studied me, then turned to Marissa. Her gaze locked onto our clasped hands. She looked back at Marissa. Even though I couldn’t read her thoughts, I could pretty well guess what was going on in her mind. She still wondered if I were a vampire and somehow was exercising control over Marissa. But she couldn’t figure out how I could survive during the daylight hours.
Marissa, reading my thoughts, added, “Oh, yes, and Dominic loves the burgers at the Hamburger Spot, too. His favorite place to hang out.”
Kate looked back at me.
“Another winning argument, Marissa. Thanks for saving my butt.”
She glanced behind me. “From what I can tell, it’s a butt worth saving.”
My smile stretched across my face in triumph. She was my girl again.
