Morning. How long had it been since he’d seen a sunrise? He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to her soft hair. Would Cassie be willing to give up the sun in order to be with him? If he turned her, she’d have no choice. Then he could spend forever with the most beautiful woman he’d ever met.
If he could turn her. Cursing a human was a simple process, but the magic already in Cassie’s blood would fight his own. He was powerful enough though. He could do it. But should he curse the woman he loved to a never-ending life of darkness?
“Oh, shoot.” She pulled away and took a phone from her pocket. “My friend, Trinity, is ready to leave. She’s my ride home.” She typed in a response, but he covered her hand with his before she could send it.
“I could take you home.”
She pulled from his grasp and pressed the send button. “As tempting as that sounds, my mother would die if a vampire brought me home.”
His chest tightened. Of course, she had a family. And a mother who wouldn’t approve. “Your mother doesn’t like vampires?”
She let out a cynical laugh. “Not at all.”
“And yet, here you stand, wrapped in my arms.” He pulled her close and pressed his lips to her cheek.
Her body relaxed, molding into his like she was made for him. She was made for him. He stood there silently, holding his destiny in his arms and banishing all thought from his mind. This moment was all that mattered.
Cassie sighed. “I just don’t see how she can judge an entire race based on the would-be actions of one person.”
He nuzzled into her hair and inhaled deeply. “I do.”
“You do?” She pulled away, concern furrowing her beautiful brow.
“I’m not known for being fond of witches.”
She stepped back, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes. “Then why are you here, with me?”
“I’ve been asking myself the same question since the moment I touched you.” The nagging thoughts came crashing through his mind, but he tried to squelch them.
She pressed her fingertips to her lips. “I don’t understand. What’s wrong with witches?”
He sighed and closed the distance between them. “I made the mistake of loving one once. Then she stabbed me in the back. Both figuratively and literally.” He raked a hand through his hair and turned away. What had possessed him to share this story with her? What good could possibly come from dredging up the past?
Cassie inhaled a small gasp. “Your wife was a witch? I’ve heard the stories, but I didn’t think it was true.”
“It’s not true. Well, not all of it anyway.”
“What part is?”
Should he tell her the real story? What actually happened? His reputation depended on the fear the rumors instilled. If he told her, and she betrayed him, it could be his undoing.
Or perhaps not. It happened so long ago, and his rule here was well-established. His heart told him he could trust her, but his thoughts…If he could only silence his thoughts.
She put a hand on his shoulder, and a sense of calm washed over him. “Please, Branan. I need to know.”
“The more important question is what part isn’t true.” He turned to her, cupping her face in his hands, gliding his thumbs across her cheeks. “I did not kill my wife.”
Relief filled her eyes, and she slid her hands behind his neck and pressed her body to his. “I knew you didn’t. There’s far too much kindness in your eyes.”
If she knew the parts that were true, she may not think him so kind. “I would never hurt you, Cassie. You have no need to fear me.”
“I’m not afraid. It’s my mom who has a problem with it, but I’ll work on her. Give me some time to get her warmed up to the idea, okay?”
“I have all the time in the world.”
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. “That’s probably Trinity. I have to go.”
“I must see you again. Can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?”
She chewed her bottom lip and blinked up at him as if unsure of her answer. God, he wanted her to be sure. Did she not feel the intensity of their union?
“Dinner sounds great. But, I’ll meet you here. What time?”
“Ten.”
“I’ll be here.”
He followed her down the fire escape and into the club. Her friend met her at the door and raked a concerned gaze over them both. “Where have you been? Are you okay?”
Cassie caught his gaze, her smile melting his heart. “I’m fantastic.”
Trinity tugged her elbow. “Sorry to pull you away, but we’ve got to go.”
“Okay.” She took his hand. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Indeed.” And every day after that for the rest of her life if he had his way.
She rose onto her toes and pressed her lips to his, gently coaxing them apart with her tongue. A possessive growl emanated from his chest, and he tried to muffle the sound as he wrapped his arms around her. Did she have any idea the effect she had on him? How quickly she’d stolen his heart?
She pulled away and pressed her fingers to her swollen lips. “Bye, Branan.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
CHAPTER TWO
Cassie’s heart jackhammered in her chest as she hopped over a muddy pothole in the alley and made her way toward the unmarked entry. She’d told her mom she was meeting Trinity at a piano bar and spending the night at her place. Branan only mentioned having dinner, but if the heat between them last night was any indication of how things would go tonight, she’d need some kind of excuse for not getting home until morning.
A pang of guilt shot through her chest as she heaved open the wooden door. She’d never lied to her mom before. Then again, she’d never had the need. Her fear of vampires was unfounded. She couldn’t be prejudice against an entire race because of one bad dream—no matter how often her dreams came true.
And wrapped in Branan’s strong embrace, Cassie had never felt safer. Everything about him felt so right, her previous doubts about dating a vampire seemed silly. She beamed a smile at the massive werewolf guarding the entry, and he grunted and stepped aside, letting her pass.
The walls of the dark hallway vibrated with bass as she hurried toward the club entrance. Her feet barely touching the floor, she glided inside, excitement filling her body with tingling energy.
This was the atmosphere she’d expected last night. A DJ stood on stage, and thumping bass blasted through the speakers as bodies writhed and gyrated on the dance floor. The crowd had doubled…possibly tripled in size from the previous night, and the music was so loud, her head pounded with the beat.
It didn’t matter. As soon as she found Branan, they could get the hell out of that place and go somewhere quieter. More intimate. Where did he plan to take her for dinner?
Wait a minute. Did vampires even eat food? She’d spent her whole life avoiding them. She didn’t know much about them at all. Oh, well. If Branan was right, and they really were soul mates, she’d learn everything she needed to know from the sexiest man she’d ever met.
She scanned the crowd surrounding the dance floor but couldn’t find him. He didn’t seem like the type to be bumping and grinding to the pounding music, so she didn’t bother looking on the floor. He wasn’t at the bar. And he wasn’t at the table she’d found him at last night.
Her throat thickened. Where was he? He did say to meet him here at ten o’clock, didn’t he? Her breath hitched. Of course, he was on the roof. He had to be.
She pranced to the back door and flung it open, half-expecting to find him waiting right outside. The alley was empty. She peered up at the fire escape. The climb seemed much more daunting alone, but Branan was waiting for her, so she’d have to make the ascent.
One hand above the other, the rough steel of the ladder bit into her palms as she hoisted herself up. Halfway to the second floor, she dared a look down, and her foot slipped off the rung. Her heart lodged in her throat, but she regained her footing and pulled herself up the
remaining steps to the top.
She stumbled onto the roof and pressed a hand to her chest, trying to slow her breathing. The sultry night air clung to her body like a second skin, and she wiped the dampness from her forehead. Where was Branan? She paced to the other side of the building and peered over the edge to the sidewalk below.
A group of college-age boys looked up at her, and one of them waved. She jerked back out of sight and stumbled to the center of the roof. Spinning in a slow circle, she raked her gaze across the entire building and the ones on either side, but there was no trace of her vampire. Had she misheard him?
She pulled out her phone and checked the time. Ten twenty-five. He had definitely said he’d meet her at ten. Maybe he was inside the club, and she’d just missed him.
Clambering her way down the ladder, she made it to the ground with only a small scrape on her forearm. Hopefully that would be her last foray with a fire escape.
Who was she kidding? She’d climb it twenty times a night if Branan wanted her to. Smoothing her hair away from her face, she leaned into the door, but it wouldn’t budge. The knob was locked.
“Well, crap.” She’d thought the side alley entrance to the club was dank and smelly, but the back alley had it beat a hundred times over. A swarm of flies hovered over a rusty green dumpster that overflowed with who-knew-how-old garbage from the club. The faint stench of death lingered in the air, and she could only hope a rat carcass or some other dead rodent was emitting the rancid odor. She wrapped her arms around herself and hurried to the side of the building.
As she rounded the corner, her foot landed in a pothole, and her ankle twisted. Sharp pain shot up her leg, and she clutched her shin, hopping on one foot to lean against the wall. She rotated her foot, shaking off the pain, until she could walk again.
With only a slight limp, she made it back into the club and scanned the room. The clock on her phone read ten forty-five, and Branan was nowhere to be seen. Surely he hadn’t stood her up.
She hobbled to the bar and slid onto a stool. There had to be an explanation.
The bartender leaned a thick, hairy arm on the countertop. His orange werewolf aura sparkled with blue. One of his parents was a witch, an interesting combination she’d liked to have known more about. But at this moment, finding Branan was the only thing on her mind.
“What can I get you, sweetheart?”
She could barely hear his voice over the thumping bass. “Is Branan…I mean, have you seen Lord Sinclair tonight?”
The werewolf grunted. “He never comes down on Thursdays. If you’ve got a problem, you can talk to his assistant.” He nodded to a blond vampire who seemed to be in the process of seducing a fairy. “That’s the closest most people ever get to Lord Sinclair anyway.” He spat the title with disdain. Branan’s reputation didn’t win him many friends in the magical community, but it definitely demanded respect. This werewolf probably wouldn’t have spoken that way to his face.
“Thanks.” She turned toward the assistant, but remained on the stool. She didn’t trust her legs to hold her weight. Had Branan stood her up? After the intimacy they shared? The heat of his embrace? Had she mistaken the kindness in his eyes? Surely the words he’d said meant something.
Or had he only said those things to get her into bed? When she turned down his invitation to drive her home, he had let her go easily. Was sex all he was after? Pressure mounted in the back of her eyes, but she would not shed tears. Not yet. Maybe his assistant knew something. Maybe Branan was called away on business. Maybe he had a good reason for standing her up. At this moment, she’d accept any excuse over the fact that was becoming glaringly obvious.
She rose to her feet and shuffled toward the blond vampire. As she stood behind his right shoulder, his gaze never left the fairy’s chest. “What can I do for you?” His smooth, velvet voice reminded her of Branan’s.
She swallowed the thickness from her throat. “Umm…I was just wondering if you had seen Lord Sinclair tonight.”
He flicked out his tongue to lick the fairy’s neck. “Of course, I’ve seen him tonight. I see him every night.”
“Oh.” What a stupid question. Focus, Cass. What are you trying to say? “Do you know if he’s coming to the club tonight? I was supposed to meet him here.”
He finally tore his gaze away from the woman and looked at her. “He has no business here tonight.”
No business. Of course, he didn’t. “He didn’t say anything about meeting anyone?”
“No.” The vampire turned back to his fairy, ending the conversation.
Cassie tried to blink back her tears, but they rolled down her cheeks. She shrunk in on herself, wishing more than anything that she could disappear. The thrumming of the music pounded in her head, pressing in on her, suffocating. She had to get out of that club.
Choking down a sob, she ran for the door. She made it to the hallway, only to find the giant werewolf bouncer blocking her exit.
“Excuse me.” She tried to step around him, but he caught her by the arm.
“Are you okay?”
She wiped beneath her eyes. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“Well, I am.” She lifted her chin, trying feebly to convince him. To convince herself.
He tilted his head to the side and pursed his lips. This man was not going to let her go unless she gave him a better answer.
“I got stood up, okay? I just want to go home.”
He released her arm and patted her on the back. An awkwardly kind gesture coming from such a fearsome-looking man. “It was a vamp, wasn’t it?”
She nodded.
“Vampires are assholes.”
Sob-soaked laughter bubbled from her chest. “Yes. Yes, they are.”
“Do you need me to call you a cab?”
“No, I took the bus. Thank you.”
He nodded and opened the door for her. “Be careful out there.”
“Always.”
How could she have been so naïve? So stupid? To think for a moment a man as attractive as Branan would be interested in her was ludicrous. He was the most powerful vampire in all of New Orleans. He had better things to do than waste his time on a simple witch. When he didn’t get her into bed last night, he probably moved on to the next woman who would sleep with him.
She sighed and made her way out of the smelly alley. So much for finding her place in the supernatural community. Her mom was right. She was better off staying deep in hiding. Pretending to be a normal human for the rest of her life. She rounded the corner and headed for Canal Street to catch the next bus home.
“Hey! Excuse me, Miss.” The voice came from behind her, so she slowed her pace. Was he talking to her?
“Ma’am. Excuse me.”
She turned around and found the guy who’d waved to her from the sidewalk earlier. He had sandy-blond hair, sheared short on the sides and shaggy on top, and bright blue eyes. Not nearly as blue as Branan’s, but she doubted she’d ever see his eyes again.
He smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Where are you going?”
He had a nice smile. No fangs. Not that Branan’s fangs got in the way, but…Oh! She needed to stop thinking about him. “Home. I’ve had a bad day. Excuse me.” She turned to go, but he caught her hand.
“Wait a minute. My name’s Adam. What’s yours?”
She pulled from his grasp. “Cassie.”
“Well, Cassie. My friends and I were about to head over to The Cat’s Meow for a little karaoke. Do you want to join us? Maybe end your rotten day on a high note?”
She glanced at his group. All humans, she could tell from their pale gold auras. A few women had joined them, and they appeared nice enough. Adam was cute, too, though he was nothing compared to Branan. She cringed. She had to get that vampire out of her mind.
Why not go with them? There was no harm in having a little fun. She straightened her spine and took a deep breath. Anything to tear her thoughts away from what an idiot she�
�d been with Branan. “Sure. I’ll tag along if you don’t mind.”
He beamed a smile and held out his arm, so she laced her hand around his bicep.
“Hey, guys. This is Cassie. She’s coming with us.”
Adam’s friends smiled and said hello, welcoming her into the group like an old friend. This was exactly what she needed to get her mind off her failed attempt at dating a vampire. A night out with normal humans. Doing normal human things.
As they reached the bar, a pair of middle-aged women took to the stage and performed a drunken version of Barracuda. The girls from the group raced toward the DJ to sign up for a song, and the guys huddled around the bar, leaving Cassie alone in the crowd.
She rubbed her arms and stared at Adam’s back as he laughed with his friends. Oh, not again. Did she not fit in anywhere? She stepped toward the door to leave, but Adam caught her by the hand. “Where are you running off to?”
“Oh, I uh…I wasn’t running off.”
“Here, do a shot with me.” He handed her a small glass filled with bright pink liquid. His own was a golden-brown.
“I don’t really do shots.” She tried to hand it back to him, but he refused to take it.
“Come on. Just one. It’ll make you feel better.”
She sniffed the sweet drink and cringed. “What is it?”
“I told the bartender to make you something girly. You didn’t look like the whiskey type.” He held up his own glass and swirled the liquid. “To making bad days better. Cheers.” He clinked his glass to hers and threw back the shot.
“What the hell.” She downed her drink and shuddered as the liquid clawed its way down her throat. For a sweet, girly drink, it sure did burn.
Adam took a step back, his sweet smile never wavering. “Hurts, doesn’t it?”
“What was that?” She clutched her throat.
“Poison. But don’t worry, it acts slowly. You’ll have plenty of time to get home before it burns you up from the inside out. Come on, I’ll walk you to the bus stop.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her out the door, as if poisoning someone was the most natural thing in the world.
Bewitching the Vampire Page 2
