The Witch and the Vampire King (Immortal Love Series Book 2)

by Anna Santos

  Anna nodded and pursed her lips before lecturing me, “You left without an explanation. Well, at least, not a credible one. We tried to call you several times, but you were always vague with your answers, or you didn’t answer. Kevin needs your help.”

  Kevin was Anna’s younger brother. However, even if Anna looked worried, I knew that there was no need for all that uneasiness. “He’s not going to die. His witch marked him, that’s it.”

  “That’s what we are hoping for, but if it’s something far worse? Some kind of curse?”

  I got up and stood in front of the fireplace, lingering my gaze on the orange and blue flames. “I’m here now. And Kevin is doing great since he woke up from his coma. You’re happy with your mate.” I glanced over my shoulder, watching Shane who was busy carrying sheets inside what I assumed to be my new bedroom. “Now that I’m here, I’ll do everything in my power to find out what the tattoo that appeared on Kevin’s forearm means.”

  I turned around to give her a reassuring smile. Things had turned out okay in the past month. After six months of looking for a pureblood vampire to cure her brother of a deep coma, Anna found her long lost pureblood vampire relatives, and her uncle and cousin had donated the blood necessary to cure Kevin. He recovered and woke up from the coma, but a strange mark appeared on his forearm. Despite that, Anna’s brother was in good health and his blood had been crucial in creating a vaccine against the serum that was killing hybrids. The world had become a less scary place and I had to leave to take care of my own issues.

  I woke from my thoughts with her voice, “You look tired.”

  “I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep lately.”

  “Did you find what you were looking for?”

  I rubbed my sore neck. “I found a lot more than what I was looking for. I know I have been a bad friend. I shouldn’t keep secrets from you. But I was on a mission and now I need your help.”

  “The perimeter has been breached,” Shane warned, appearing in the living room. He startled me to the point a deep shiver went through my body. He had shouldered Anna’s swords and was putting his gun belt around his waist. “The sentinels say that there are at least eight intruders coming at high speed in our direction.”

  I bit my lip. They were coming for me. They had followed me there. I thought they had been fooled and that I had lost them, but I was wrong.

  “It’s my fault,” I whispered, immobile as Anna grasped her weapons. “They are coming for me.”

  “What do they want?” she asked.

  “How long before they get here?” I asked Shane.

  “Seconds. They are fast. Faster than my men. We’ll have to hold them off until backup arrives.”

  “Fine,” I said, breathing deeply. I rolled my shoulders and walked to Shane. “I forgot to give you this the last time.”

  Putting my hand on his naked neck, I burned a protection rune on his flesh. It stung, and he complained a little about the pain. Anna didn’t move. She knew what it was. She had one. It was a rune to make him immune to spells. It would come in handy, especially if there were some witches among the new bunch of trackers who were coming for me.

  “Jessica, what do they want with you?” Anna questioned while Shane touched his mark with his fingers.

  “You will be immune to enchantments. Witches can no longer harm you,” I explained. He went to look at the rune in the mirror. In a couple of minutes, it would disappear from his neck, camouflaged by his own skin. “They want me because I took something they had no right to have in their possession,” I explained to Anna.

  “And what did you steal?” she asked, looking out the windows of the cabin. “They are here,” she whispered then flashed over to the front door.

  Shane went after her and both slipped out into the scary night. I didn’t know what dangers were waiting for them outside. I just knew I wouldn’t let them face them alone. So, at my normal speed, I cat-walked to the door.

  * * *

  The silver moon illuminated the entrance of the house, showing me the scene that played out in front the cabin. Shane and Anna stood side by side, staring at the eight dark figures before them in a line, holding swords and daggers. They looked like ninjas. Their eyes were the only thing visible under their masks. But, judging by the shapes of their bodies, they were all unmistakably women. The elaborate suits, the covered faces, signified the vampire king’s personal death squad. He had called out the big guns for me.

  Anna swung the swords in her hands and threw one of them to Shane. He would need it. The gun by itself wouldn’t be enough. I also needed to protect myself.

  “You are trespassing,” Shane said after a prolonged silence while everyone appeared to be sizing their opponents up, as though measuring their strengths and making strategies.

  “Just give us the rogue witch,” one of the masked girls said, the one in the middle, probably the leader.

  “Rogue my ass,” I protested, putting my hands on my hips.

  Who were they calling rogue? I could be flying solo and not having a coven or a king to lick his boots and give my services to a master, but I was no rogue witch. I was my own person, and I lived my own life. Making my own choices, freedom of choice—that was what those medieval kings needed to learn.

  “You are trespassing,” Shane repeated. “You will not be warned again. If you do not leave, we will make you.”

  “We will not leave without the witch,” the girl announced, and to make her point, she sped to Shane and attacked him with a dagger.

  Shane defended himself easily. It was almost surreal the way he predicted her movements. He moved around the assassin like he was humoring her, then disarmed the girl and made her backflip and fall hard on the ground.

  Anna didn’t move an inch, she completely trusted his abilities. Those two were acting like a team. I was so proud of them! Who would have ever thought Anna would trust someone like she obviously did Shane. I would have clapped if the other seven intruders didn’t rush to help their leader and attack my friends.

  The sound of steel clashed and echoed in the night as the fight progressed.

  They were too fast for me to understand what the hell was going on. I could hear the snarls and the pained cries. I could glance bodies moving fast, attacking each other, but I was a witch. The powers I had were the magical kind. But the abilities of super-speed or to follow fast movements with my vision weren’t one of them. Though, I could easily differentiate Anna and Shane from the dark, red-masked girls. They defended themselves fairly well. The girls were vampires, probably turned and not the original kind. They shouldn’t be a problem for Anna and Shane, or even for me, but I was tired and had used my magic too much lately.

  Suddenly, Anna rolled on the ground, and Shane was kicked back. The girls were using their teamwork to break their tactical defense. Two of the girls jumped to try and grab me. Anna jumped and flashed in front of me. She swung her sword and shoved against them, pushing them back. Shane was back beside her, snarling and I saw how his muscles flexed as if he was about to shift into a wolf and shred the enemies to pieces.

  I was tired, but not dead. I moved my neck in circles, opened my hands, stretched out, and called upon my magical powers. Breathing deeply, I released my fire from my wrists and made fire whips that slithered on my hands like live snakes. It was unique magic I used. I liked to be original that way. Any witch could make flame orbs and throw them randomly. Me, I would rather have fire whips and use them to beat and burn my opponents. Channeling the magical power I still had, I pushed forward a wall of kinetic power that launched the girls through the air, landing hard on the dusty road. Then I moved into the middle of my pursuers and swirled the whips around, burning them and forcing a retreat. They screamed and growled as they fell back.

  “Go back to the house. I got this,” I said to Anna, who gave me a look like she was unsure what I was planning. “Get Shane inside!”

  She knew when I was serious and when I was not. I was not playing. I wanted this day to e
nd. I wanted to go to sleep and dream of my mate again. I needed to feel safe. I needed to punish that arrogant and deceitful king. I needed to show them that I was not kidding, that I was dangerous and would burn them to ashes.

  Anna pushed Shane to safety. I didn’t want to hurt them with my powers. Meanwhile, my eyes didn’t leave my opponents as we walked in circles. They were angry and wanted to drain and punish me for killing the others the king had sent before them, probably their friends. I couldn’t have cared less.

  “See you all in hell,” I said as I called forth all my ancestral witch legacy, a very powerful magic to challenge even for vampiric assassins.

  My hair danced in the air as if gravity had ceased to exist. My hands formed beams of fire as if, around me, all the air was pushed out. The pressure made the attackers fall back and hit the ground, making a painful noise. I was ready to burst into flames and take those vampires on a one-way trip to hell. But then I saw him: the tall blond man. He was not far from us. Backing him up were a group of werewolves and Kevin. Anna’s brother was there, staring at me with widened eyes. He had never seen me use my full power before. Maybe he had just never seen me this mad before. And next to him was the tall, blue-eyed man. He had a surprised look on his face and seemed fascinated by my actions.

  He looked so—familiar. He looked…

  The screams woke me up from my thoughts and stare at the girls, who were trying to run away from my glowing fire shield as it grew, almost reaching their side. It would burn like pure liquid silver on their flesh. Some had already been touched, which explained why they were screaming in pain. And did I mention that this fire was also magnetic? They couldn’t run far or fast enough, even if they’d wanted to. The shield pulled them into it, ready to make them burst into small pieces of flying ash as they succumbed to the flames.

  “Jessica! Stand down!” Anna screamed.

  I could understand that a whirlwind had taken form. The wind was all around us, making a lot of noise, but I was able to hear Anna yelling and warning me about the danger. I needed to stand down. Calm the flames. Reduce my raw power. Easier said than done. Staring at the tall blond man, however, did help to calm my powers down.

  Everything finally stopped. The girls were grabbed by the werewolves, and I felt like I was floating as I tried to walk to the man who was walking toward me. My vision tends to get all blurry when I have exhibited this amount of power, but he reminded me a lot of my king…

  “Who are you?” he asked as he drew near me.

  I just had time to smile at him and ask, “Are you my mate?” And then I fainted.

  Chapter Two—Memories and Reality

  JESSICA

  It felt real. It always felt real. I could touch the walls, smell the burning logs outside, and feel the gentle breeze coming in. But deep down inside, I knew it wasn’t real. That place, those events were just part of my recurring dream, including our wedding night, the night we could finally touch each other and I could be alone with him.

  Each time, I would look down at my garments and smile at how alluring I tried to be when I presented myself to him. I should have gotten in the bed, covered to my neck. I should have been a prude and waited patiently for my king to take my innocence from me. I held two very different outlooks right now, the former me, the new me, the one who knew how restricted educated women were in those days. I was breaking the rules but couldn't have cared less. I wanted him and could not control my arousal, nor did I want to. We had just kissed once and yet my entire body had felt a crazy, consuming heat. The same heat hit me when we secretly held hands and whispered to each other in our seats. I liked how his eyes glowed when I broke the rules.

  My king liked my audacity, and I loved the fact that he never took issue with my untamed spirit. I already felt as if I would do anything he wanted me to do. I would live to please his every whim. I lived and breathed him; he had become part of all my thoughts, wishes, and dreams. Even blood tasted bad when I was missing him.

  I heard steps and turned quickly facing the door in all my glory. When he entered, I shivered. He was tall, strong, and handsome. So handsome, I felt my mouth get dry and my core ache. A swirl of heat rushed from the pit of my being to my throat, and a moan escaped from my mouth. I ran to him, noticing that he was still fully dressed in the regal clothes he’d worn to our wedding.

  His eyes traveled down my body and he smiled with love and lust apparent in his eyes. Just in time, he captured me in his arms as I threw myself at him. The touch of his hands on my flesh, my feet no longer touching the ground, and my innocent lips on his were all that I could absorb in that moment. His fingers splayed across my back, causing electric shocks to radiate throughout me. He held me close against his warm hard body with my breasts pressed against his chest. I tangled my fingers in his wavy curls as I pulled his hair, he emitted a low growl of pleasure, while my lips were against his. I could barely breathe from the pleasure I was feeling, but I didn’t need to breathe. I needed to kiss him and have him just like that, pressed against me.

  He didn’t hold his passion back, and I felt happiness explode within my chest. My eyes almost shed tears, I was so happy. He parted my lips with his tongue and entered my mouth. I opened my eyes, surprised but found I loved the sensation it caused, and then I sighed and closed them, surrendering.

  My mate held my legs so they wrapped around his waist. I felt him walk us toward the bed. I had no idea how he could move, my own knees so weak from the intimate kissing we had engaged in. I barely understood what was going on. I felt pure bliss, completely high on his scent, taste, and kisses. His lips were soft, and his tongue caused my entire body to pulsate. He was intimidatingly strong but affectionate and gentle with me.

  I was amazed by how his kisses felt passionate but gentle. He was very skillful with his tongue and his lips were soft and moist against my own. His heat burned against my skin as he placed me on the white fur blanket of our bed. I imagined the nights would be extremely cold in winter, but not yet. This was still the end of summer.

  His hands caressed my stomach and chest. I felt his fingers trailing down my tunic, making my hard pink buds yearn for his attention; my breathing grew heavy and needy. I wanted him so badly! It was insane how much I wanted his hands to continue touching me. But I couldn’t take my mouth away from his.

  I felt his fangs, and I gently caressed them with my tongue. He let me even though we were completely aroused. He allowed me to explore his mouth as if we weren’t about to burst into flames very soon.

  I thought I should probably say something to him, but I really didn’t want to speak. We had spoken to each other for three insanely long years already. We’d written to each other and kept our distance. But I couldn’t be away from him any longer.

  His lips kissed my face. They explored my ear lobes, my neck, and my collarbone, leaving a flurry of lust behind. His hands held onto my body, exploring virgin territory, tearing down any defenses or shyness. It was perfect, having his mouth on the middle of my cleavage, and his hands under my tunic as he touched my hips and caressed my thighs. My body was beyond aroused and hungering for his touch. I longed for some release, even though I was laughing when he brushed some ticklish spots. I wanted him to keep going. I begged him not to stop. I could feel his smile kissing my skin and could hear his soft growls of arousal. I gasped tender words in Venetian, my native tongue, calling him, “Love of my life.”

  He withdrew from me only long enough to remove his coat and shirt, which he tore off with eagerness. I was stilled in admiration. He had an amazing torso. His arms were strong, and his muscles flexed with his movements. His chest was muscular and well-shaped. He was well defined on his stomach, and I longed to touch the curves of his muscles. He noticed me eyeing him. I blushed a little, unsure how he would react, but he just smiled and brought me into his arms again.

  It was different, so much better, having his skin against mine. My tunic was a nuisance I wanted to rid myself of. I rather enjoyed the feeling of our s
kin together and wanted us naked. It would calm the heat, and it would feel more natural.

  I guess he was bothered by this as well because he ripped it apart. Taking the collar in his hands, he shredded the fabric and let my breasts spill out, exposing my entire body to his eyes. I sucked in my breath, surprised by his impulsivity. His eyes were all over me as I lay naked before him, the torn tunic revealing my figure—my breasts, my legs, and the most intimate of my private parts. I felt suddenly uncomfortable since not even my maids had seen me naked. However, the smile on his face and the time he took to gaze upon me told me that I pleased him, a lot, because his eyes turned purple and his fangs showed in his mouth.

  My husband sat me up, undid my hair, and it cascaded down my shoulders. I had long hair that covered my breasts. He carefully brushed it aside and kissed my cheeks. I had deeply reddened cheeks. I was embarrassed beyond words. It was torture, to have him just focused on me. He trailed a finger across my breast, touching my nipple and making me part my lips and fist my hands into the furry blanket. I felt my insides burn and my intimacy ache and vibrate. I closed my thighs tighter, only to feel his hands land there and separate my legs. His hands burned my skin, and I felt exposed, more exposed than before. He was looking at my sex as his thumbs gently rubbed on the throbbing area of my womanhood. Meanwhile, my breasts ached to be touched and my body was still abnormally burning under the perusal of his eyes.

  He moved his head closer to my ear, kissing and licking it, before whispering to me, “Do you know what will happen next?”

  I shook my head. I had no idea. My former self had no idea what was going to happen. I knew I was going to mate, but no one had explained to me what mating was, exactly. I knew he was going to bite me. We would be connected by mind and soul, but there was still the physical experience that I had never had before.

  “You don’t need to be fearful. I’ll be gentle, my love.”