Poison and Potions: a Limited Edition Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection

by Erin Hayes

  "I do know something," she said, looking up at me. "They mentioned a large warehouse where they want the boxes delivered. I heard someone mention West 17th Street a few times. It could mean something."

  "That's good," Henry said, and straightened. "I will go search the area."

  "Do you want some help?" I asked.

  "Stay with Moira," he ordered. "And get the rest of the men ready. When I find it, we're going to go in there with all we've got. I fear the vampire nest we discovered was only a fraction of what's out there." He walked away leaving Moira and I alone.

  I waited a long moment before I said, "I know you've just been through a lot, but can you please tell me. Why do they want you?"

  I looked into each of her eyes hoping she would trust me enough to tell me the truth.

  "I do trust you," she said, her voice soft.

  I reared back in surprise. "How did you do that?"

  She swallowed and averted her gaze. "There are things about me I've had to keep hidden, especially from humans. I've learned what happens when I tell the truth."

  "I don't understand."

  She winced as she pushed herself into a sitting position. No doubt they had used her body as a punching bag too, which made me even madder. I took hold of her hand and squeezed it tightly.

  "Before I begin," she said, gripping my hand back just as fiercely. "I want you to know that everything I've kept from you was to keep you safe. At first, it was really to protect me, but the more I got to know you, I knew it would be dangerous for you to know my truth."

  I had many questions, but I held my tongue and let her take her time.

  "I was born with a special gift, like you."

  "You can read minds," I blurted.

  "Yes." She opened the top of the vial Henry had given her and drank its contents, her expression souring.

  I leaned back, wondering how I felt about that. All the things I had thought about her. Did she know how I felt? My face burned hot as I realized that she was probably reading my mind right now.

  She squeezed my hand. "I tried not to read your mind. Like you, I can mostly control it, but when I have a strong connection with someone, it can be difficult to block it out."

  "Are you saying you have a strong connection with me?" I couldn't help but smile.

  "That's exactly what I'm saying. That first day I met you, your thoughts filled my head. You just kept talking and talking." She chuckled.

  "You must've thought me so annoying."

  "Actually, it was adorable. And I loved your thoughts about me. It had been a long time since anyone had thought such kind things."

  "I wish you could've trusted me." I couldn't help but feel a little hurt. I would've kept her secret.

  "It wasn't just about keeping my secret. I can't tell you how many times I've been rejected when I told people about my gift. And if I wasn't being shunned, I was being forced into testing." She swallowed and lowered her gaze. "But Sean was different. He truly didn't care. And together, we actually used my ability to help a lot of people. It was a happy time for me." Her eyes lifted to mine. "These last few months, I've felt the same with you and the work we're doing here at the Deific."

  "Why didn't you tell me once you realized who we were?"

  "Because I didn't want you to get hurt. If anyone knew that you knew, they could use you against me. Like Devon. The moment I saw him, I knew I was in trouble. He knows about my gift as he sometimes helped Sean and me. In the past, that wouldn't have been a big deal, but he's changed."

  I helped her to her feet and pulled her to my chest, my arms wrapping around her. I didn't care that there were several people in the room with us. "I wish I knew what you were thinking. It would be a pretty cool gift."

  She looked up at me, her heated gaze meeting mine. "I'm thinking that this is exactly where I want to be, and I don't want to be anywhere else."

  She lifted on her tiptoes at the same time my mouth crashed into hers. I kissed her deeply, savoring everything about her.

  A couple of the men whistled and one of the women yelled, "Get a room!"

  Everybody laughed, including Moira and me. We parted but did so reluctantly. I couldn't wait to get her alone again.

  Her face blushed, but I didn't care that she had read my mind. I wanted every inch of her. She nudged me. "Try and keep those thoughts under control. We have a lot to do before tomorrow night."

  It was going to be a long twenty-four hours.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Henry returned within the hour, his face paler than usual. He had found the warehouse. Dozens of vampires had been inside cleaning the place out is if preparing for a big crowd. They had also built a small stage in the middle of the great room. The Dark Prince wanted to put on a show. The theatrics of it all matched his name.

  We took our time discussing and preparing. We had to be smart about this because we weren't going to have near the numbers they had. And if they had guns with them, our job would be even more difficult. Henry's power would be a great help, but I didn't know if it was enough.

  Whatever happened, I hoped it ended soon. I glanced at Moira across the room. As if sensing me watching her, she turned my way and smiled. I needed this to end. I wanted to start my life with her as soon as possible. She winked at me, warming my core all over again.

  Darkness had fallen. We had left the Deific an hour ago and had entirely surrounded the warehouse within a block of it. Several groups were on rooftops while other agents concealed themselves in any empty buildings we could find. I sat on top of the rooftop kitty-corner to the warehouse, looking down with Henry and Moira. Henry had changed his appearance again, a blond vampire this time with a pointed nose. Maybe when this was all over, I would press for more details on who he was hiding from.

  Down below, a steady line of vampires began to file into the warehouse. A large group would disappear inside, and I would think that would be it, but then more would arrive. I glanced over at Moira nervously. Maybe she shouldn't be here. She rolled her eyes at me and looked back over the roof.

  It was almost midnight, and we hadn't seen another vampire for twenty minutes.

  "I think it's time," I said.

  Henry agreed.

  "Michael, Alana," I said into my earpiece. "You're up."

  Michael and Alana walked around the side of the warehouse and entered the same entrances as the others. They were taking a chance showing their faces since getting into a fight a few nights ago, but they had assured us they would be okay and stick to the back of the room. At least if they were spotted, we were in position to help them.

  We waited patiently for Michael to update us. After a few minutes, he said, "Dark Prince is here and at least two hundred vampires. Going silent now."

  My connection to him dropped. I had almost stopped him to ask about the boxes, but I didn't dare in case someone near him heard me speaking into his earpiece.

  I glanced at Henry. "What do you think?"

  "We stick to the plan. Kill as many vampires as possible and take out the Dark Prince. We also need to find out what's in those boxes."

  I touched my earpiece and said to the other Deific agents, "Get into position. It's time."

  At the building next to us, moonlight revealed four figures running across the rooftop. In less than a minute, they would be on the ground and crossing the street. The other agents would be leaving their hiding places too.

  Moira took my hand as we straightened. "Let's make it through this together and then will start that life you thought about."

  "I plan on it." I leaned over and kissed her briefly before walking with her toward the stairway. Just before I left, I spotted Henry on the street. This was really happening.

  With a group of seven others, I helped set explosives around a large, garage bay door. Moira stayed close by. I made a mental note to always check on her. I couldn't have anything happen to her now. This was the first time I think I was truly in love. This thought startled me, and I had a sudden urge to g
rab her and run far away.

  I swallowed my fears and darted around the side of the building. I pressed the button to ignite the explosives. To myself, I counted down from then.

  The building shook as the bombs went off. Chunks of metal flew in all directions. As soon as the dust settled, we poured into the smoking entrance, weapons raised. I knew two hundred was a lot of vampires, but seeing them gathered together in one place filled me with dread. All I could do was point and shoot. Vampires dropped left and right, their bodies convulsing. Moira and several others came in behind us and cut off their heads with a single swipe of their blades. Ash polluted the air.

  Another explosion sounded, and more of our men spilled into the room. Vampires attacked us in waves of fury. Fangs flashed and claws slashed. There was so much chaos that if I looked at it all, I'd become dizzy.

  In the center of the room, the Dark Prince stood on the stage, his shirt off. A giant snake tattoo curled around his chest. He was screaming orders, spit foaming in the corners of his mouth. He angrily tossed the microphone in his hand into the crowd.

  I expected him to attack us, but instead he leapt up to a second floor balcony and disappeared out of my view. I stepped away for the fight long enough to speak into my earpiece. "The Dark Prince is getting away. Second floor balcony."

  I darted to my left toward a metal staircase leading to the balcony. I ran up the stairs two at a time, keeping an eye on the scene below me. Vampires were falling quickly, but every few seconds, one of them would break through our lines and slash the throats of our men. Henry was near a tall stack of boxes, fighting more than a dozen vampires.

  Leaning over the rail, I fired into the crowd with as many shots as I could, before I took off again after the Dark Prince. I rounded the corner into the darkened hallway. I held my gun tightly as I walked the hall kicking open every closed door. He had to be here somewhere.

  I was almost to the end when I heard the sound of glass breaking behind a nearby door. I kicked it open. Inside was a large office with an oak desk and several bookcases. The Dark Prince crouched on the windowsill of a broken window.

  He looked at me and grinned. "You wanted a meeting with the Prince. Here I am."

  Instead of leaping through the window, he lowered to the floor and stretched his body tall. He was at least three inches taller than me.

  I fired my gun, but he dived behind the desk. I slowly approached, ready to shoot him the second I laid eyes on him, but suddenly the desk was flying toward me. It crashed into me, pressing me against the wall. The pain was instant. Grinding my teeth together, I maneuvered out from under it and fired the gun again, but missed.

  He laughed. "You humans and your dependency on weapons. If you had any true power, you would only need your hands."

  I fired again, but he leapt to the ceiling and clung to it like a spider before he jumped onto me, knocking me to the ground. My gun slid across the floor.

  He pinned me in place and said, "You're the fellow who likes the mind-reading human. Do you know that I cut her? I had to see what was inside that beautiful body of hers. With a gift like that, I expected her blood to be as sweet as honey, but instead it was bitter. I would like to run more tests on her, so as soon as you're dead along with the rest of you Deific jackasses, she will be a welcome addition to my special lab. Would you like to hear what I do there?"

  While he spoke about his horrible experiments, I slowly moved my hand to my thigh where I kept a wooden dagger. I gripped it tightly and waited for the right moment.

  "I think I would actually like to see this lab of yours," I said. "I don't believe you can do those things."

  His eyes narrowed, and his fangs elongated.

  "If I wasn't a vampire," he spat, "I would've earned at least a dozen awards for my work by now."

  "Doubt it," I said.

  His nostrils flared. "I guess I'll just have to show you. I run plenty of experiments on humans. You will have the honor of being added to my collection."

  He reached into his pocket, probably for something that would knock me out. I took advantage of the distraction and shoved the dagger into his ribs. He tossed his head back and wailed. I pulled it out and stabbed him again, up into the underside of his chin. He fell off of me, grabbing at his face as blood poured out. I scrambled away from him and toward my electric gun.

  I snapped it up and whirled around, but he was gone. I rushed to the window and peered out but didn't see him. "Damn it!"

  Into my earpiece, I said, "The Dark Prince is injured, but he leapt out a window on the north side. Outside group, search for him."

  I rushed back to the fighting and leapt over the balcony rail onto a tall pile of boxes. Glass from within shook, and when one of the boxes tumbled to the ground, glass broke and blue liquid leaked out.

  I continued to fight alongside everyone else, and it wasn't long before I realized we had gained the upper hand. Moira was on the other side fighting expertly and decapitating any vampires that had fallen to the ground. Blood splattered her face, and she held her left arm protectively. Vampires began to flee the warehouse. I stepped through piles of ash and dust, as I made my way to her.

  All of a sudden, an explosion sounded near me. I flew through the air and crashed into a wall, my head smacking against it. Lightning flashes crowded my vision, and pain shot through my already aching body. I tried to stay conscious, but the pull of darkness was stronger. The last thing I remembered was seeing the faded image of Moira's face as she screamed my name.

  Chapter Seventeen

  "Charlie."

  The muffled voice struggled to break through my consciousness.

  "Charlie," the voice said again.

  I lifted my eyebrows, fighting to open my eyelids.

  "That's it. Come back to me."

  This time the voice was crystal clear. Moira.

  My eyes opened and slowly came into focus. Moira leaned over me, her brows drawn together. She pressed her warm hand to my cheek.

  "What happened?" I asked, then coughed. My throat was so dry!

  She reached to a bedside table and grabbed me a glass of water. I drank it greedily.

  "You've been out for almost two days," she said. Her hands wrapped around mine and held it tightly. "I've been so worried."

  I struggled to sit up, but immediately laid back down when a sharp pain ignited the back of my skull.

  "Hold still. You've had a bad head injury."

  I moaned and drew my brows together, trying to remember what happened.

  Moira read my mind. "There was an explosion, several in fact. The vampires set them to destroy what was in those boxes. You were hit in the back of the head with a shard of metal. It nearly cut right through you. Thank goodness Henry was there to help."

  My eyes widened. "Did he give me vampire blood?"

  "Just enough to make sure you didn't die. He couldn't healed you completely, but that would've been too risky."

  I wasn't sure how I felt about having vampire blood in me. I didn't feel any different.

  "What about you?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

  She nodded and smiled. "I am now."

  "What about everyone else?"

  She lowered her head. "We lost nine agents."

  I inhaled a slow breath. This was the most we'd ever lost. I hated this part of the business.

  After a weighted silence, I asked, "What about the vampires and the Dark Prince?"

  "We guess we destroyed ninety percent of them. As for the Dark Prince, we haven't seen or heard anything about him. Henry searched all night. I think we've chased him off for good."

  "I hope so."

  She ran her thumb across the top of my hand. I watched her for a moment, admiring her incredible beauty and wondering how I ever got a girl like her to like a guy like me.

  She smiled and met my gaze. "I don't just like you. I'm in love with you."

  My heart skipped a beat. "You are?"

  "I nearly broke when I saw how hurt you were. The thought of l
osing you…" Tears filled her eyes.

  "But I'm okay now. We both are. We make a great team."

  She lowered to me and kissed my forehead. Tears spilled onto it, and she wiped them off gently. "I don't ever want to be apart from you again, not in this life or in the next."

  Before I could think through my next words, I blurted, "Marry me."

  For being a mind reader, this may have been the first time in her life she was truly surprised. Her mouth fell open.

  I spoke quickly. "I know we haven't known each other for very long, but you're everything I want in a woman and more. And I swear to you, I'll be everything to you. Worship you night and day. Please just say you'll be mine."

  She laughed, spilling even more tears.

  "I don't know what that means," I pleaded. "Is that a yes? Are you laughing at me?"

  "How can I refuse daily worship? Yes! A million times yes!"

  I sat up to kiss her but couldn't quite make it because of the pain. Instead, she lowered to me and pressed her heated lips to mine, a deep kiss that I would remember forever.

  I couldn't believe how quickly my life had changed overnight. Moira wanted to marry me right away, but I wanted to make sure I was fully healed so I could walk her down the aisle.

  We opted for a traditional wedding, church and all. It was a small ceremony. Just our closest friends, which was really just Deific employees. It was Henry who married us. It shouldn't have surprised me that he was also a registered minister, but it had.

  The ceremony didn't last long. I didn't want it to. All I could think about was being alone with her and the things we would do to each other. I imagined them all, all the while knowing she was reading my mind. Her face was a bright red the whole ceremony, and she giggled many times. I laughed too. I couldn't wait to have a lifetime of secret thoughts with her.

  That night, after I carried her through the threshold of the house I had purchased for her, I set her down in our master bedroom. I expected her to look around as she had never seen it before, but her eyes never left mine.