Blood of the Maple

by Dana Marie Bell

  Amara frowned. She leaned in closer, jumping slightly when the edge of the toothbrush in her mouth hit the mirror. What the fuck?

  The three bite marks weren’t what bothered her. No, she’d known Parker was going to mark her, especially after declaring she was his blood wife. Vampires were extremely territorial and protective. She would have been surprised if Parker hadn’t marked her in some way.

  No, what bothered her was the pale patch of yellowish-green below the marks. Something felt off about it. It wasn’t a bruise. The area wasn’t tender, but it was warm to the touch. Come to think of it, she felt more tired than normal. She’d put that down to the incredible, rocking sex, but maybe she was coming down with something.

  What kinds of diseases did dryads get anyway? Amara had been immune to most of the things that plagued the mostly human youths she’d grown up with. Colds didn’t affect her. Measles, mumps and chicken pox were something to watch, not catch. And the flu couldn’t get a foothold in her lungs.

  Could she get Dutch elm disease? She fingered the oddly colored spots. Oh hell. It couldn’t be maple wilt, could it? The fungus had been known to fell mature trees.

  She shook her head. She couldn’t get a tree disease. That would be silly.

  The greenish-yellow mark mocked her.

  Could she?

  Perhaps she should talk to Ash, Mina or Greer. They might know what it was. She’d never had the opportunity to discuss things like this with her kind before. She wondered if now that the rest of the town knew what she truly was, their attitude would change. And if it did, would it be for better or worse?

  She finished brushing her teeth and hopped in the shower, washing the dirt and dust of the day before off her. Amara washed out her curls, grimacing at the gray, dingy water that flowed down the drain. She should have asked Parker to help her wash off. The man would probably have jumped at the chance to play with her while she was sleepy, naked and wet. Now, instead of wet, horny vampire, there was a load of skanky laundry in her future. She couldn’t imagine sleeping on those dirty sheets again. Damn it.

  Amara paused, the loofah dripping soap bubbles down her stomach. Come to think of it, why hadn’t she asked Parker to take a shower with her? Making slow, easy love with Parker while he was naked and wet and covered in bubbles? She shivered. Note to self: add that to my to-do list!

  She finished her shower quickly. Her stomach was growling. She could almost taste the muesli she had every morning. Perhaps she’d add some berries to it this morning to sweeten it. She stepped out of the shower and reached for her towel.

  “Amara.”

  Amara shrieked. Ash stood there, his gaze intent on her neck. “We need to talk.”

  “You couldn’t wait until I drove out to the forest?” Amara wrapped the towel around herself, her eyes darting to the motionless vampire on the bed behind Ash. He hadn’t moved, but the faintest hint of red could be seen as his eyelids lifted a fraction. If she didn’t calm herself, Ash would find himself facing her mate’s beast without Parker there to control it. She took a deep breath and did her best to save all their lives. “Ash? Could you wait for me in the living room?” Her voice was calm, but her gaze remained on Parker. She hoped Ash would take the hint and skedaddle before Parker decided on dryad for breakfast.

  She gulped, a sudden bout of nausea rushing through her, there and gone again so fast it barely registered.

  Ash flinched. “Damn. I forgot about that.” He gestured toward Parker. “I’ll be waiting.” Ash sauntered out of the bathroom on silent feet, hopefully unaware of the gleaming red eyes that tracked his every movement. Only when Ash was out of the bedroom did the vampire settle back down. Amara waited to make sure the beast had gone back to sleep before she dressed and left the room.

  Ash was waiting. He was poking through her kitchen. He had her teapot in his hand, smiling at the dancing mice painted on the side.

  “What’s up?”

  He put the teapot back on the stove, any hint of a smile disappearing. “You’ve been infected with something.”

  Amara touched her neck. “How?”

  “How did you get infected, or how do I know?”

  “Both, I think.”

  Ash grinned, and Amara was afraid again; he looked every inch like Oak’s defender. “The entire forest senses you, Amara.” Ash stepped forward and circled her, predator to her prey. The only thing preventing her from reacting was the knowledge Parker would wake up and rip Ash’s arms off if she so much as flinched. “The forest knows when its hamadryad is ill. And you are definitely not well.”

  Amara swayed, her vision blurring. He was right. Something was seriously wrong.

  “Whoa. And we need to take care of this right now.” His fingers approached her neck, but he didn’t touch. “Do you know how you got infected?”

  Amara fingered the mark; the warmth there was somehow repulsive. That clever, evil bitch. “The pollen.”

  Ash snapped his fingers. “Of course. Your vampire fed from you last night?”

  “Before I bathed. His fangs must have pushed some of the pollen beneath my skin.”

  Ash stepped back. The feeling that she was being hunted faded away. “We need to speak to Mina about this.”

  “Didn’t Mina send you?”

  “No. I knew before she did.”

  Huh. That was odd. “Are the three of you all right?” They’d breathed in the pollen. “As far as I know, we are. It’s possible that breathing in the pollen wasn’t enough, since blood is mixed in so deeply with this curse.”

  “Or it was specifically targeted toward me.” The huge amounts of pollen the weeds had released might have been a fail-safe, ensuring Amara came in contact with it no matter what.

  “Is that possible?”

  “Are you feeling any effects or noticing any bruising? Is the forest reacting to you differently today?”

  Ash shook his head. “No. I think we need a witch for this.” Once again his fingers danced close to her skin, but he didn’t touch. She couldn’t blame him. If this pollen infected Ash, it could destroy a fourth of the forest before the dryads could stop it.

  Brian stumbled down the stairs and came to a halt at the sight of Ash in the living room. “Oh. Good afternoon, Mr. Ward.”

  “Good afternoon, Brian. Please, call me Ash.” Ash shook hands with Brian. “Amara’s sick. I need to get her to Mina.”

  “Brian, can you think of any witches in town who you trust one hundred percent?”

  Brian frowned. “Not Kate.”

  No. Not Kate. Never Kate. The bitch had been screeching at Dragos about her stupid skirt and her broken heel, completely ignoring the damage to the town hall and the plants around it. Hell, she’d barely touched on the fact that Parker had a witch after him. She was pretty sure Kate would love to have Parker and Greg shunned because she’d been embarrassed. Goddess, she hated that bitch. “What about Mel?”

  Brian nodded. “She’s trustworthy. And Kate hates her.”

  “Bonus! Mel it is. Do me a favor and call her. Tell her to meet us at the visitors’ center outside the park, okay?”

  “No problem. If I can’t get ahold of her, I’ll call Selena.” Brian poured himself a bowl of cereal, but his attention was centered on Ash. “Do I need to wake Parker?”

  “Can you wake Parker?” Amara had thought once daylight hit, Parker was down for the count.

  “It’s something a Renfield can do, but only in emergencies and only if he doesn’t mind being a midday munchie, but yes, I could.”

  “No. That would only do both you and Parker more harm than good. Besides, we can handle this.” Amara picked up her jacket and slid her feet into her boots. “Let Parker know where we are and tell him it looks like I picked up a problem from last night.”

  Brian’s eyes widened. “You’re pregnant?”

  Ash froze. He looked horror-struck.

  Amara giggled. “No, silly. Aren’t vampires sterile?”

  “Most, yes, but not all. And Parker’
s unique. Who knows what he’s capable of?”

  Amara’s face flared bright red. She’d been with Parker without a condom because vampires couldn’t impregnate her or give her any diseases. Her mind reeled at the thought of a dryad/vampire hybrid child.

  Her child. She pressed her hand against her flat stomach and gulped as another bout of nausea threatened to send her worshipping at the porcelain god. “Tell me about it later, okay?” She had to deal with one problem at a time or she’d become overwhelmed, forced to commune with her tree whether she liked it or not. Hell, she was already beginning to crave her tree’s touch, but with the disease infecting her, she didn’t dare.

  “Done. I’ll let Parker know if you’re not back by sunset.” Brian took hold of her arm, a worried frown creasing his forehead. “Be back by sunset, Amara.”

  She would do her best, but she wasn’t making any promises. She went to help Ash load his bicycle into the back of her jeep, but it was already there. Amara didn’t want to know how Ash had gotten into her car and put the bike there without the keys. “You are one scary-ass dude.” She started the car and pulled out of the driveway.

  “Thank you.”

  Amara was glad he’d taken it for the compliment it was. “So. You’re positive everyone else is all right?” She had visions of zombie dryads shuffling through town, looking for… What? She pictured shambling dryads, their arms outstretched, groaning, Pooootaaatooooeeeesss…

  “Everyone is fine, including the wolf pack. The forest released them this morning.” Something in the way he said it told her the forest had been less than kind in letting them go. She wondered if she’d be getting angry phone calls from the mates of bruised and battered wolves. “Are you?”

  “What?”

  “Pregnant?”

  Amara almost swerved off the road. “No!” Not as far as she knew, anyway.

  “Because that could complicate things.”

  “Really? You think?” She shot him a disbelieving look.

  He wasn’t smiling. “Your infection and cure could harm the child.”

  The way he was staring at her freaked her out. “What?”

  “It could turn the child into a vampiric weed.” Amara snarled, but Ash held his hand up, silencing her. “Think about it. A vampiric dryad child infected with the pollen of a twisted weed like Terri. What would the child become?”

  She thought of all the so-called carnivorous plants in the world. “A walking Venus flytrap?”

  Ash shook his head. “That’s the best-case scenario, Amara. Think about it.”

  Her palm hovered over her stomach. What would she do if she was carrying Parker’s child and Terri had damaged it somehow? That volcano in her belly came damn close to erupting.

  What if?

  She pulled up to the visitors’ center and let herself out silently. Selena Giannone was waiting for her.

  Ash stopped dead in his tracks. His breath hissed in. If Amara didn’t know better, she’d swear his knees quaked.

  “Hi, Selena. Do you know Ash?”

  Selena shook her head and stared at Ash, her expression wary. She appeared to be one step away from running from him, and Selena never ran, even when she should.

  What the hell?

  She hid her smirk. Interesting. Take that, Dragos. “This is Selena Giannone, our witchdoctor. Selena, this is Ashton Ward, one of our ruling dryads.”

  When Ash took Selena’s hand, sparks flew. Literally.

  “Holy crap.” Amara took a step back, brushing at a few that had lit on her clothes. “What was that?”

  Selena, her mouth open, kicked Ash right in the shin. “What the fuck have you done?”

  Ash bent to rub his abused leg. “Me? What the fuck did you do? You’re the witch, not me!”

  “Keep your hands to yourself, or I swear to God I will turn you into a houseplant.” Selena took another step back, whether from Ash’s sudden anger or from the desire to remain untouched, Amara wasn’t sure. She was betting on the second. Selena had never backed down from Dragos at his worst. She doubted Selena even knew what she was facing this time, but she’d never back down from anything.

  Just this once she should.

  Ash’s expression smoothed to its usual calm appearance. Amara wasn’t fooled for a moment. “Amara needs assistance—magical assistance.” He closed his eyes and glided toward the forest. “Mina is calling.” He opened them and gestured toward the women. “Follow me.”

  Amara shrugged. “Come on, people. Let’s get this over with.”

  Selena sighed and stalked after them, her boot heels sinking into the soft earth. “No one mentioned a nature hike, damn it.” Selena glared at the trees. “Where’d Sparky go?”

  Amara choked out a laugh. “Sparky?”

  Selena shrugged. She really didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought of her. It was part of her charm, but she was too earthy for most people to handle. “Who called you? Brian?” Not that Amara minded. If she was pregnant, Selena was the best person to check her and the babe out.

  “Yup. He was worried you’d need, and I quote, the big guns. No offense to Mel.” Selena slapped a mosquito off her neck. “Fucker.”

  Amara laughed. “Don’t you mean sucker?”

  “Hell, I didn’t ask for either, so it can keep its pointy little proboscis to itself.”

  Amara studied Ash’s back, not surprised he’d returned without a sound. Her lips curled up in a smile.

  I wonder if she’s earthy enough for a dryad?

  “Parker’s on the move.”

  Amara and Selena jumped, earning a sharp look from Ash. “Holy fuck. Greg?” Was Selena using her powers to make him heard again? She shared a look with Selena, who shrugged.

  “Don’t look at me. I’m not doing it.”

  “Look, it’s taking a lot of juice to make myself heard, so listen up. Don’t ask me what’s going on, but Parker’s on the move. He’s sticking to the shadows as much as possible so he doesn’t become a crispy critter, but he’s smoking. From what I can tell, he’s headed this way. And Amara? The beast is in full control.”

  Amara stared at Ash and knew what had set her mate off. The fact that she’d been naked in front of the male dryad, coupled with the fact that she’d left with him wouldn’t have sat well with the beast. “Oh shit.”

  “What?” Ash was mystified. “Why did we stop?” Apparently Ash couldn’t hear Greg. That was interesting. Why could she and Selena hear him, but Ash couldn’t?

  “Parker is up and headed this way, and his beast is in control, not him.” Amara waved to Ash. “You need to leave. If you’re here, he’ll attack without hesitation.” And no amount of chanting would stop him this time. She didn’t know which of them would win, but she couldn’t lose Parker, and she couldn’t leave Maggie’s Grove if he killed Ash. Her roots were too deeply settled to move somewhere else. It would kill her.

  And that would kill Parker.

  Ash bowed his head and slipped away, there and gone in an instant.

  “Neat trick.” Selena scanned the skies, her markings glowing, her eyes turning white. “Parker’s almost here.”

  Amara was worried for her safety. Neither of them knew the casuta, and without it, she might not be able to keep him from attacking. “You should go.”

  Selena’s markings flared. “No. I can help you calm him. I’m not a threat to you or your mating, and his beast will know that.” She blew her bangs out of her eyes. “Oh well. Let me take a look at that.” Selena brushed her fingers over the mark on Amara’s neck. “Oh yeah. You’ve got something in there all right. Let’s see if I can get it out.” Selena closed her eyes and hummed, moving her fingertip in a complicated pattern on Amara’s neck.

  The mark stirred under Selena’s touch, writhing with the witchdoctor’s movements. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Parker land. He was snarling, his gaze riveted to what Selena was doing. There was comprehension in those reddened eyes. The beast inside Parker understood Selena was there to help.

&nb
sp; The story might have been different if Ash had stuck around.

  Parker’s tension eased, the snarl disappearing into weariness. Seeing him calm down, she relaxed and allowed the witchdoctor to work her magic.

  Parker settled on the forest floor, the burns on his skin blistered, dripping blood onto dry leaves where branches had cut him. He psychically lifted a mound of dirt out of the ground, disturbing a chipmunk family that squealed in terror and chattered angrily at having their den disturbed.

  Parker didn’t seem to notice. He lay down and curled up in the hole he’d crafted. With a wave of his hand, the dirt he’d set aside settled over him, sheltering him from the rays of the sun.

  Her roots ran into the earth, but to be completely buried by it? Amara shuddered.

  “Yeah. I know. I prefer a mattress myself, but to each his own.” She blew Selena a raspberry, but the witchdoctor only smiled serenely. “Hold still. I haven’t gotten it all out yet.”

  Amara obeyed. What the hell else was she supposed to do? Curl up in the dirt with her mate?

  “There. All done.” Selena smiled, her eyes returning to normal, the markings fading from her skin.

  “Thank you, Selena.”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. I got all of it out and gave you a spiritual inoculation against future infections. And for the record, you’re not pregnant.”

  Amara sagged in relief.

  “Yet.”

  She groaned.

  Selena patted her shoulder. “Honey? Prophylactics are your friend.” She looked around, a frown darkening her face. “Where the hell did I park my car?”

  Amara pointed toward the parking lot. “And, Selena?”

  Selena turned back. “Hmm?”

  “Be nice to Ash.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he rules the forest you’re standing in, dummy.”

  Selena made a rude sound. “Oh please. He ain’t the boss of me.”