She mimicked his posture as she sat back down. She put her can within reach of her right hand and placed her palms on the warm tabletop. Bridget closed her eyes and reached for her magic. The wellspring of her power was there just under the surface. She opened her senses to him and a hint of his abilities lingered in the air. When her magic touched his, it sparked and flared to life, burning bright behind her eyelids to scatter a rainbow of multicolored flames.
What the fuck? She’d never seen her power do that.
“Feel that? Feel your power increase? Your magic responds to it. That’s us,” he whispered.
His voice sounded so close she expected to feel the warmth of his breath against her ear but got nothing except cool air. She opened her eyes and stared at him, goose bumps rippling along her bare arms. His power reached out and touched her, testing her magic, teasing along her hands and up her forearms to caress the skin under her biceps. His power was warm, almost feverish to contact, unlike the cold shiver of lower-level vampires.
Sweat beaded on Bridget’s brow and raced down her temples. She was no longer hot, but pearls of moisture ran into her cleavage and down her spine. She didn’t dare reach up to wipe them off. His gaze weighed on her. It had never wavered, that unblinking look that settled on her whenever they met. It was as if no one else existed for him but her. It unnerved her. Why couldn’t he be like other vampires?
Now she really understood why she’d avoided him. This. When she looked at him, it was difficult to look away. It was as if she were melting and freezing at the same time. Her lips tingled with the need to feel his mouth on hers, the press of his piercings against her lips. Would they be cold or warm? What would his tongue stud feel like against her tongue?
Her fingers itched to touch his face, to slide over his stubble and find out if it was rough or soft. She wanted to trace the contours of his face and see if she could change his eye color back to that blood red she’d seen when the thirst had hit him. It was dangerous, and yet that loss of control fascinated her. She gave herself a mental shake and focused on the present.
“Well, a dead man’s hand. Nice hand…” Joe laid his own cards on the table. “But it can’t beat a flush.”
Bridget swore. She really needed to learn to play poker. Joe stood and stretched over the table, gathering her cards to him. Now she had to answer a question. She squirmed in her seat hoping it wouldn’t be something too personal.
“We’ll start off simple. How’s that?” He looked up at her. His eyes flashed, and for a second she saw a bit of fang peek out. It was all gone in a flicker as he started to shuffle the cards. His gaze remained firmly on her.
“Fine.” She waited.
Time stretched out like taffy. The longer it was pulled the thinner her patience became. Somewhere a clock ticked, the sound like the dripping of a tap at midnight in a place you couldn’t quite reach to shut it off. She gritted her teeth.
Joe flashed her a smile. This time she was sure she saw fang. “Annoyed yet?”
“Ask the damn question.” She took a sip of soda and squirmed in her seat. Her chair had become hard and uncomfortable.
His gaze bored into her. She had the distinct impression he knew far more than he was letting on. “Blink, damn you,” she blurted out.
He laughed, mouth opening wide. She could see the ball of his tongue piercing. It glinted at her, mocking her, making her think of what a man could do with something like that. Liquid heat spread through her sex as she squirmed in her seat.
“Does my stare unnerve you? Good. Because, I have a confession to make.” His eyes glinted with emotion. “You unsettle me.” He shuffled the cards a few more times and then began to deal.
“Huh?” Bridget didn’t know what to say. She had never noticed anything but supreme confidence from him.
“You distract me from my duty,” he said. “You make me think of things I shouldn’t be contemplating. I can’t stop myself. Even when I go to bed at dawn, you’re on my mind. Here’s your first question. Do you think of me when you’re about to go to sleep at night?”
The question caught Bridget off guard. The playing ground had shifted. He had caught her off guard, somehow using his confession to gain the upper hand.
“I refuse to answer that, because it’s none of your business.” She hated how childish she sounded but wasn’t sure how else to act.
“You’re breaking the rules,” he pointed out. His voice was teasing and suede-soft. It sent a shiver down her spine and along her thickened pussy lips.
She fell silent, hating that he was right.
“You win the next round and I will tell you whatever you want to know, but I won that round so you have to answer me.” He dealt a new hand and leaned back in his char. “Well?”
Bridget turned her options this way and that. She didn’t want to waste her time going from house to house in search of the rogue vampire. As much as she hated to do it, she had to answer or this would be all for naught.
“Yes. I do think of you at night.” She refused to say in what way, unwilling to give him that satisfaction.
He rewarded her answer with a rich chuckle that spoke of naughty things and sinful thoughts. “The vampire you want is boarding with Ruby. Now shall we play another round or will you leave to fetch him?” Challenge sparked in his eyes.
She had the answer she wanted. To stay or go? Now that she knew where the runaway was she had time to spare. It would be easier to nab him during the day while he slept. Besides, she needed another question answered. Joe hadn’t yet told her if he was guarded or not. Witches weren’t the only species who could do magic. Vampires had their own powers of protection, even in the daylight hours when they were at their most vulnerable. For all she knew he could’ve set up an intricate web of spells that would take her hours to unravel.
With a sigh, she risked a glance at Joe. Even with the distance of the table between them, he seemed too close. “Fine, I’ll play.”
She pulled her chair closer to the table and picked up her cards. Again she was lost and had no clue what to do. She had one eight of clubs, a three of hearts, and a five of hearts.
“You don’t know how to play do you?” He put his cards down.
Heat flashed on her face. “Well, it’s been a while.”
“Fine, we’ll try something different. Highest card wins?” He placed his cards down and shuffled them into a stack. His movements were slow and drawn out as he picked up the top card in the pile and flipped it over. A two of spades was revealed.
Bridget followed his example and showed a five of hearts. She couldn’t suppress a grin of triumph. “Ha! Okay, when was the last time he fed?” Basic information wouldn’t just help her with her rogue; this could help her with her business. Information was power.
Joe smiled and shook his head. “Relax. Why not ask me something personal? You can’t be business all the time.”
She gritted her teeth as her stress level rose. “This isn’t a pleasure trip, you ass.” She sat up straighter and tried to bring her blood pressure down a few notches by thinking of things she liked—rain storms, freshly fallen snow, chocolate croissants, Joe’s mouth, his dark eyes. Damn it!
He smirked and she got the unpleasant sensation that he was reading her thoughts. She tried to remember what she’d learned about an elder vampire’s touch, but it all turned to mush in her head.
“I know this isn’t for pleasure, but it would be nice to get to know one another since we will be interacting with each other in the future. It’s a small town.”
“Fine. Why did you invite me here tonight?” She wasn’t sure if she even wanted to know the answer to that.
“Because I wanted the pleasure of your company? I have sent other invitations during the holidays. And since it didn’t seem you would be spending time with your family for Halloween, I decided to try one more time.”
She glared at him. “How did you know I wasn’t going to spend time with my family?” She shivered at the thought of him spying o
n her, seeing her opening up the blinds to her bedroom in nothing but her robe—which she rarely tied—and leaning over the sill to greet the day. Would he even be up that early? No. It would be his bodyguards, Flynn and Matthias.
He shrugged. “I monitor everyone I have an interest in, but it’s light surveillance. You have no worries…unless you’re dancing around your yard naked under a full moon.”
Outrage filled her. “We don’t do that anymore. It’s dangerous with all the shifters in their animal forms. You stay inside and don’t go out unless you absolutely have to. Full moon the animals rule, got it? Now, call off your goons this instant. I don’t need your security watching me.”
“I won’t call them off. But don’t feel special. My goons, as you call them, don’t just watch you, they keep an eye on The Java Demon, as well as other businesses in town and all the vampires under my charge.”
She mulled this bit of information over. If trouble was brewing, he needed to know before the shit hit the fan, not after. “Fine, I can see your point. Change in topic. Were you specifically chosen to take over from Hazel after he went off the deep end? That was really hard to watch. He was nice…well, as nice as an old coot could be who thought everything should go back to the way it was during Mozart’s time.”
Joe chuckled then sobered up. “Yes, that was sad. He was so determined to give his blood mate his claret kiss. I can’t imagine going through something like that and coming out sane.”
Silence fell between them as Bridget tried to bat away the tears that stung her eyes. Hazel had been a sweetheart when she’d started her business and had even sent some work her way.
Joe took a deep breath in and blew it out. “Vampire lieges can have their pick of places to rule. So no, I wasn’t chosen to handle things here. But it was implied they’d rather see me here than leave it to Fritz to take over, even though he’s older than me by a few months.”
“Why?” The question slipped out before she could stop herself. “I thought seniority was everything to your kind?”
“Fritz was too vain in their opinion, less likely to follow orders should they have any for him. And they thought business would suffer under his watch and cronyism would reign here. People like that tend to be, shall we say, more difficult to remove without bloodshed.”
She could understand that. Fritz did love to reward his friends, among whom she counted herself. She decided to file away this knowledge for later.
“So why Evenfall?”
He shrugged. “Evenfall is out the way and far from the cities and all that political bullshit.”
“This is a quiet place,” she agreed. “Not too big, not too small. Perfect size.” Bridget couldn’t see herself picking up and leaving for anywhere else. Evenfall was all she’d known. Her family, business, and friends were all here. And a small part of her, one she didn’t want to acknowledge, knew she couldn’t be that far away from Joe.
“That and we have a wonderful mix of para-blends and myths,” Emotions flashed across Joe’s face as he spoke. “Have you been to the scared forests around here? I’ve heard the last of the unicorns live there.”
Bridget tried to figure out if there was a trap in there somewhere. His power extended only as far as the borders of the town, not to the woodlands or the distant mountains. That was the untamed wilderness where real magic lived. No one controlled that or the creatures that called it home. Memories of her time there flashed in her mind. She had never told anyone of her experience in the forest, not even her parents or the coven she answered to.
The words formed on her tongue, the urge to share overwhelming her caution. “In Evenfall, as part of the tradition of the Coven of the Fallen Star, when a witch comes of age she has to pass her trials to earn her pentacle and find the element that calls to her power. On the night before her induction, she or he has to go into the forests, alone, with few supplies, and remain there until morning. She or he must allow the Goddess to speak to her or him.”
She paused to watch his face. Solemnity filled his features. Understanding filled his eyes. Her chest ached at the sight. Yearning tugged at her stomach. Her pulse fluttered as emotion welled up in her throat. She swallowed and pressed on before she lost her nerve. “I wore a simple white shift. You must go into the forest pure. You can go in naked but…I was still figuring out how I felt about my body and weight.”
Heat flashed over her face. She ducked her head and looked down at her lap. She toyed with the edge of her corset. In this moment, she was open and vulnerable to him. Her parents had tried to get her to accept her large frame and curves. But it hadn’t worked. Your parents, if they were good parents, were supposed to say they loved you and thought you were beautiful, “big bones” and all, so how could she trust their opinion?
“Bridget, look at me,” Joe’s low voice wrapped around her body and urged her eyelids to lift.
She looked up at him, gazing at him through a veil of thick, sooty lashes. Acceptance flared in his azure depths. She swallowed as his look turned to something darker and more possessive.
“You are beautiful.”
The simple sentence was said with such conviction she believed him. Liquid heat filled her body as her knees turned to jelly. Her palms broke out in a sweat. She swallowed again, feeling the fever climb in her body as the room seemed to close in around her. She was trapped with a predator. His stare was unwavering.
“Thank you.” She barely managed to get the words out. They slipped past her lips, low and husky. The heat in her face flared hotter. Her embarrassment grew as he continued to gaze at her. To distract herself she focused back on her lap. “Um, anyway, I was blindfolded at the entrance and led out deeper into the wood and left by my parents. I wasn’t allowed to remove the eye covering. I had to sit and listen and let nature and the universe speak to me.”
Goosebumps rippled over her skin as the memories welled up within her. She could hear the vague whispers in head. The words were indecipherable and yet she understood them. She shivered as the nausea rose up. For a second, she thought she’d throw up the little soda she’d managed to drink.
Joe was out of his seat and by her side before the chair hit the floor with a hard thud. His hands gripped her bare arms, sending shivers and shocks of electricity over her skin. Her nipples beaded to tight points. Moisture filled her pussy as her clit hardened and throbbed for relief. Tingles raced along her inner thighs and through the base of her back. She squirmed against her chair and licked her lips.
He rubbed her arms, pouring warmth into the cold limbs with just his touch. Joe’s unique cologne became her air. Every breath brought his scent into her body. On her tongue, she could taste something cool with a hint of heat and sweetness. And there was another flavor there as well—something with a dark tang that rolled over her taste buds and made her mouth water. It only added to the sexual hunger crawling through her body and slipping through her veins. Her pussy became heavy and throbbed with a need that only the glide of his cock could satisfy.
She moved her hands to grip the edges of the armrest on her seat and clutched the wood tightly until it dug into her fingers. Her palms prickled with the urge to reach out and touch him, to cover his hands with hers and guide him to where her body needed his touch the most.
His breath whispered against her neck and her heartbeat increased. “Tell me what you need, Bridget.”
She swallowed as his palms slid down her arms to grip her hands and hold them in place. His touch was cool but held electricity that poured into her, heating her body up until sweat pearled and slipped down her temples.
“Joe?” she whispered.
“What do you want, Bridget?” This time his fangs were a light scrape along the side of her neck, worrying over her pulse point before continuing on down and then back up. Her nipples pulsed and her tummy fluttered as her arousal increased in pitch and fervor.
“I can smell your desire, your need, hear your heartbeat in my head, like it is mine. And it is mine, isn’t it, Bridge
t? All of it for me?” His fangs pressed into her flesh but didn’t break the vulnerable skin. His voice was a tender rasp that soothed as well as abraded her skin and inflamed her insides.
Fear tainted her desire for him. She yanked her hands from under his and shoved her chair back into his midsection. He stumbled back. She didn’t wait to see if he was okay. She stood up and rushed to the doorway. Joe grabbed her wrist and jerked her back. He whirled her around until she hit the wall. He sifted his fingers into her hair, cushioning her head from the hard surface.
She gazed up into eyes the color of the night’s skies. Ruby flecks glittered back at her. His skin had taken on a paler pallor and his fangs were fully extended.
Her heart hammered against her chest as her lungs strained to take in enough air. He held her head still and held her wrist in a strong grip. His thumb traced circles over her pulse point.
She swallowed as fear and desire flashed on and off inside of her. Any spells to get her out of this situation evaporated. Her mind was a fogged world where only sensation existed. She could feel her magic spark and flare but could do nothing to control it, all her hard-fought focus gone. She couldn’t even bring herself to send a distress message to Mysta or Sera or Lana. Joe’s voice pulled her from the mists of her mind. She latched onto the sound but it only made things worse.
“Trying to escape me, Bridget? You know that can’t happen. Besides, we’re not done here yet.” He brought his face down until his lips were a whisper away. The warm humidity of his breath against her mouth caused the sensitive skin to tingle. Her tongue darted to soothe the sensation.
“Joe, we can’t.” Her voice trembled. She hated how weak she sounded. She’d walked in here all business…and now? Her knees wanted to give out, her breasts ached for his touch, her pussy wanted him to fuck her like there was no tomorrow. The insistent throb of her clit only made things worse.
“Why? Because you’re a witch and I’m a vampire? Or is it because you know once you have a taste of me, you won’t be able to walk away? Good, because I have no intention of ever letting you go.” His face moved closer and his eyelids dropped until all she could see of his eyes were thin slits of inky blackness. “Mine, Bridget.”
Bewitching the Vampire Page 3
