by Bethany Shaw
“Come for me, Cadence,” he panted against her mouth. He pulled back as his fangs extended.
Her eyes widened, but he didn’t bite her. Instead, he rested his sweat-slicked forehead on her shoulder.
“Mine,” he whispered so low she almost didn’t hear him.
He pushed into her again, sending her spiraling over the edge. They stayed locked against each other for several minutes before he set her down. She rested her head against his chest, enjoying the safety and wholeness of his embrace. He’d claimed her... again. There was no mistaking what they’d just done. It should terrify her. Zak was a powerful, deadly vampire. He was staking his claim on her, forming a bond that she knew nothing about. She should have run screaming for the hills, but she wanted to be his, and that alarmed her even more.
***
Jamie crept up the steps, flinching at every creak they made. She held her breath as she inched along the wall, praying no one woke up to see her sneaking in this late. Katherine and Liana would have questions for sure.
She let out a breath when she reached the room she shared with Maddie. Her fingers trembled as she twisted the knob and opened the door. She slipped inside and let out a breath as she shut the door, leaning against it for support.
The light switched on and she gasped, jumping to attention.
“Thank God, I was so worried,” Maddie said. She leapt out of bed and hurried to give Jamie a hug.
Jamie drew in a breath. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“Sorry. Where have you been?” Maddie whispered as she pulled back. “I’ve been so worried.”
“You didn’t tell anyone I was missing, did you?” Jamie asked.
Maddie shook her head. “No. I was going to in the morning if you weren’t back yet. Where were you?”
Jamie drew in a deep breath and let it out. She guided her friend to her bed and pulled her down onto the mattress. “I went to find Trent, and then together we contacted Cadence.”
“You did? How is she?” Maddie asked.
“Malcolm hurt her, but she says she’ll be all right. I plan on meeting with Oliver tomorrow to talk strategy with him.” She paused and grasped Maddie’s hands. “I have to tell you something.”
Maddie offered her a small smile. “What is it?”
Jamie cleared her throat and shifted on the bed. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but... there is a reason your family has been hit so hard by the clan. Apparently, when Liana made her children vampires she had to sacrifice someone. She chose a young witch named Lise. Lise was one of your very distant aunts. Any descendant from her bloodline can kill the vampires... all of them.”
Maddie’s eyes misted, and she pulled her hands back. “I suppose that explains my family’s misfortune.”
“I wish I was done, but I’m not,” Jamie said. “Liana intends to use you as a sacrifice to stop the vampires. If her spell succeeds, it would end all vampires on Earth.”
“She needs to kill me to do that,” Maddie whispered.
“I think she intends to. I’m sorry,” Jamie said, her bottom lip trembling.
Maddie tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “So it’s either be killed by Liana or be killed by the vampires. I suppose I should have seen something like this coming,” she muttered as she stood and walked to the center of the room.
Jamie looked down at her hands. “Eli has offered an alternative.”
“To not kill me?” Maddie’s voice broke with a sob.
“Vampirism.”
“Become a vampire,” she cried as she covered her mouth.
“It’d be better than death.” Jamie stood and walked to her friend. “If I thought we could run and hide you away somewhere, I’d do it in a heartbeat. You’re my best friend. I’ve known you since the playpen. I don’t want to watch you die by anyone's hands.”
“There’s nowhere for me to go,” Maddie sobbed. “Someone would find me.”
Jamie hugged her friend as she collapsed. She supported her weight, guiding her to the floor. She’d just given her friend her death sentence. Nothing had ever made her feel so hopeless before.
“I’m going to speak with Oliver again tomorrow. Cadence has said she’ll speak with Zak. We’ll try to come up with an alternative. I won’t let anyone kill you,” she promised.
Maddie nodded as she hugged Jamie tighter. “I know. But you might not have a choice.”
Jamie drew in a deep breath. She and Cadence were only two people against an army of witches and vampires. There was nothing they could do to stop it, and they all knew it.
***
Oliver opened the door. He’d been expecting the hot little witch for some time. His cheery smile fell when he saw who else was accompanying her.
“Jamie, it's always a pleasure to see you.” He turned to the newly turned vampire. “I don't recall inviting you."
Jamie folded her arms over her chest. “Trent is with me, and if you want my continued support and help, you are going to help him understand his bloodlust.”
“Someone is demanding today,” Oliver replied with a grin. He turned his attention to Trent. “I suppose we can help him out if it means seeing your lovely face more often.”
“Good. I want Trent to be given a room here and to be treated as a member of your clan. He didn’t ask to become a vampire, your brother forced him to,” she reminded him.
“Yes, he did.” Zak should have killed the boy, but that wasn’t something he was going to tell Jamie. “He’ll have a room to stay in tonight.”
“Good. Is Eli here?" Jamie asked. “I wanted to run a few things past him.”
Oliver rolled his eyes. He shouldn't be offended that she was asking for his brother. This witchy business was more Eli's cup of tea than his, but he still wanted to help, if for no other reason than to keep company with Jamie.
The door to the study opened, and Eli stepped out. He’d probably heard the witch asking for him.
“Jamie and Trent, is it? It is always a pleasure,” Eli said as he walked out. He offered his hand to Jamie, then to Trent.
Trent grunted, ignoring Eli’s hand.
Oliver mumbled under his breath. Sometimes Eli's manners were just downright annoying. Nobody was pleased to see Trent. Why pretend?
"Could we skip the formalities and just get to it already?" Trent said, annoyance thick in his voice.
"No need to be rude now. We all want the same thing," Grace said, coming down the stairs with her arms crossed.
"Your creepy brother has my girlfriend and is on his way to Athens. God only knows what he’s doing to her," Trent fumed. His eyes flickered with anger
"Don't speak about my brother that way," Grace snapped, flashing in front of Trent. She caught him by the throat, turned, and slammed him into the wall. "Zak may be a lot of things, but he does have some morals."
"Relax, Grace, he's just afraid,” Oliver said, placing a hand on Grace’s elbow. “Trent should be terrified. His ex-girlfriend is in another time and country with Zak. We all know how charming our brother can be and how romantic and alluring Rome and Athens are. Not to mention, it's just the two of them.” Oliver put his arm around Trent, smiling. "You know they will eventually cave into their carnal desires, and you know once she's with him she won't be interested in the likes of you anymore." He smirked because he was fairly certain he was correct. Zak cared for Cadence. They were forming a bond. Some of Zak’s feelings were reciprocated, and he knew that for a fact.
Jamie sighed and shook her head. "This has nothing to do with actually helping them," she reminded everyone before turning to Oliver and pointing. "Wait a second, how do you know they were in Rome?"
Oliver chuckled while cursing under his breath. He’d slipped up and would have to be more careful. "I know my brother, darling. He will take the lovely witch to all his favorite romantic cities. I bet they end up in Paris, too. Perhaps London or even New York, if they come back across the pond." He shrugged. Zak had made it very clear that he would suffer bodily h
arm if he ever breathed a word of his encounter with them to anyone until they returned.
Eli cut in before anyone else had the chance. “Now to move onto more pressing matters. I’ve been looking over the dates that we know they’ve visited and trying to find a link or any sign as to why they are where they are.”
“I have a new date for you, too,” Jamie said. “August sixth, 1700. I don’t think that’s the date of the full moon, but that’s not why I’m here.”
“Why are you here, darling?” Oliver asked, wagging his brows playfully at her.
“I’ve told Maddie about the sacrifice and your offer. She’s thinking about her options, but I’m here to negotiate on her behalf,” Jamie said. She met Eli’s gaze.
“Please join me in my study,” Eli said.
Chapter Thirteen
“So, you and Zak seem happy? I think it’s sweet he surprised you with the festival ball tonight. I bet the two of you will have fun," Melanie said as she pinned Cadence’s hair up to prepare her for the ball.
Cadence smiled. She watched in the mirror as her cheeks went rosy. "Things have been good between us.”
Their trip on the boat had been long, eating up most of the month before the full moon. The past few days in Athens had been incredible. Between sightseeing and their bedroom activities, she was worn out but having the time of her life.
Melanie smiled. “Harrison spoke to Zak shortly after we found you. They talk, you know. Zak was worried he’d made a mess of things."
"Do you know anything about vampire bonds?” Cadence asked, meeting the other woman’s eyes in the mirror.
Melanie tipped her head to the side with a frown. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Zak had said they were rare. “Oh.”
“Why do you ask? I’m sure Harrison could ask Zak,” Melanie offered. “Or you could.”
Cadence sighed. “That’s the problem. I can’t. He doesn’t know much about them other than the fact that they exist.” She licked her lips. “Zak thinks we’ve somehow formed a blood bond.”
“I’ve never heard of it. How would something like this happen?” Melanie asked as she pressed another pin into Cadence’s hair.
Cadence cleared her throat. “Through blood sharing.”
“Oh!” Melanie flustered dropping a few pins to the floor with a clank. She giggled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before regaining her composure. “I see. But you’re not a vampire. How could this have happened?”
“I don’t know. Zak has fed from me, and I’ve had his blood to heal a few injuries.” This conversation was not going the way she’d hoped. Instead of getting answers, she was getting asked questions.
“You care for Zak?” Melanie asked.
“I do. Sometimes my feelings frighten me.” Cadence considered Melanie a friend, and honestly it was nice to be able to talk to someone besides Zak. It wasn’t like she could talk to him about some of these things.
"Love is terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time. It can make people do things they never thought possible." Melanie shrugged as she rolled a strand of hair up into the weave on Cadence’s head.
"Love? Zak doesn't love me," Cadence said, shaking her head. She caught a glimpse of Melanie's face in the mirror. The look Melanie was giving her gave her pause. Wait, does Zak love me?
"He looks at you the same way Harrison looks at me."
"Oh."
“And if there is a bond, I would assume it would only make your feelings for each other stronger. I mean, there would have to be a foundation for it to begin with, right?”
Cadence drew in a sharp breath, remembering the way Zak had called her mine.
"When you've been in love with someone for four hundred and sixty-four years, it’s kind of easy to spot a couple in love,” Melanie said, continuing her work on Cadence’s hair. "You two make quite the pair.” She clapped her hands and pointed to the mirror. “All done. What do you think?"
Cadence blinked at her reflection in the mirror. Did Melanie just insinuate that she and Zak were in love with each other? Did she love Zak? These feelings she had were intense and unlike anything she’d ever felt before, even with Trent.
“Are you okay?” Melanie asked as she placed a hand on Cadence’s shoulder. “Do you not like your hair? I can do it another way. This is one of the styles in this period. I thought you’d like it.”
“Yeah. No. My hair is great. Thank you.” She forced a smile. I’m in love with Zak, but does he feel the same about me?
***
"You look enchanting tonight," Zak said as he handed Cadence a drink.
The pale blue dress Melanie had helped pick out for Cadence complemented her perfectly. The corset was snug around her torso and flowed out from the waist.
Cadence gave him a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes like it usually did. She had been acting weird all night. Not cold or distant, just off.
"Thanks," she said, taking a sip.
“Let’s dance.” He offered his hand to her.
She took his hand, but didn’t move. "I don't know this dance."
He walked around her so he was at her back, then whispered in her ear, "Watch them and study their movements." He gazed at her face, enjoying the way her eyes followed the other couples’ movements.
"I still don't know what they’re doing," she told him before taking another sip of her champagne.
Zak chuckled as he leaned into her again. “Did you know that the upper class considered it a requirement to know how to dance?”
“Figures.”
“Do you like to dance?” he asked, watching her eyes.
“Yeah, I guess,” she said with a laugh. “But I don’t think my club moves would work here.”
Zak took the glass from her hand and set it on the tray of a waiter as they strolled past. "What do you say we just go with it?"
He didn’t give her a chance to respond as he whisked her onto the dance floor, his arm on her lower back. They fell into step with the other dancers. Cadence’s eyes went to her feet. "Don’t worry. You are a marvelous dancer."
She giggled as she met his eyes. "Thanks, but I still feel like I have two left feet."
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Zak asked, leaning in toward her so she could hear him above the music.
“Yes. This is amazing. This city, the festival... all of this is unreal," Cadence said as her eyes darted around the room.
"I'm glad you are enjoying yourself." When she’d found out about the bond, he’d thought he lost her. Instead, she’d chosen to continue their... relationship. She felt the magic too, but did she care for him the way he did her?
"It's not every day I get whisked away on a date halfway around the world in such a beautiful and romantic era," she teased.
"Well, I aim to please."
"When we return home, it's going to be really hard to top this," she told him as he spun her around.
"I have my ways. You’d be surprised what I’m capable of," he said, lifting his brow while accepting her challenge.
"I don't doubt it," she said as the song ended. “That wasn’t so bad. Now what?”
“What do you say we take a walk out to the beach?” Zak offered. He motioned to the French doors that opened onto a walkway leading down to the ocean.
“I’d like that,” she said, allowing him to lead her through the crowd that was gearing up for the next dance.
Zak led them out the back door and onto the patio. He wrapped an arm around her as they took the stone stairs down toward the beach. The moon was high in the starless sky, reminding them that the full moon was approaching yet again. One more day and then they would hop through time, taking them that much closer to their time and home. He didn’t want to think about that right now. It was important to enjoy the time he had with his witch, because he had no idea what would transpire when they got home.
They walked into the sand, and Cadence stopped pulling on his arm. She kicked off her shoes and bent down to pick
them up.
He guided her down to the water and sat down, opening his legs so she could sit between his knees. She plopped down and leaned back into his chest while he wrapped his arms around her. The mood was so domestic, and for a moment he wanted to laugh at himself. It was so unlike anything he’d ever done before, but it was something he wanted to do — for Cadence.
"This is beautiful," she whispered, wiggling her hips to bring her body closer to his.
"I'm glad you like it." He kissed the top of her head as he looked out at the moon.
"You’re thinking about the full moon,” she commented as she entwined her fingers with his. “Where are we going next?"
"Are you reading my mind?” he asked.
“The thought floated through my mind. I don’t usually get much from you — or anyone, for that matter. It still comes and goes at random. I’m not sure if it’s good or bad.”
“Maybe you have to be in a certain mindset to do it,” he offered. Mind reading was something he had no knowledge about. Honestly, he wasn’t sure he wanted her in his head. What if his thoughts, his feelings for her, scared her away? He shook his head while clearing his throat. “Wherever we go, I assume you don't want to go by boat unless we have to. So unless by some chance we end up in the nineteen hundreds when travel accommodations start to improve, I suggest Bulgaria."
"Bulgaria?" she repeated.
"It's a beautiful country. I think you’ll enjoy it," he told her.
"I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it until I can see it for myself." Cadence sighed. “Do you think Melanie and Harrison will find us again? I really enjoy their company.”
“Knowing Harrison, probably.” He turned so he could see her face. “You enjoy having them around?”
“I do. It’s nice to have a female friend to talk to.” She let out a long breath and shook her head. “Do you think Malcolm will be waiting for us again?”
Zak swallowed. Each time they traveled, they got closer to home, but they were also in more danger. Malcolm was getting more and more lethal. “I think it's a good possibility.”
