“Henry, I don’t have powers,” she protested.
“Yes you do and you know it. The sooner you stop living in denial, the easier your life will be, but I can’t help you with that piece of the puzzle. You’ll need to visit with Bridgette for that part of your story.”
“Fine, whatever. Continue.”
“When your lineage was confirmed, all hell broke loose. Corrine burned with rage over Charlie’s death and she initially went back to the hospital to end your life herself, however, Corrine is power hungry and thrives on vengeance. She took the opportunity and has put into play events that will grant her ultimate power and control of your gift. That’s why you are in danger.” He waited for another mouthy rebuttal from her, but she remained silent so he continued.
“Regardless of what you believe, I am not your biggest threat. Granted, I struggle. Even now, sitting this close, I can feel my thirst for you scream to be released, but I have had to rein in those desires for so long that I think that’s why it’s easier to ignore.”
“What about when we’re…together?” Echo’s cheeks blushed as she broached the subject and it made Henry desire her even more.
“It’s difficult to explain. The sexual desire I feel for you is intense and it is a constant power struggle as to which one will win, but I have also grown to care for you so my need to keep you safe is so far the ultimate victor.”
“I see.” She stood and walked over to the kitchen, popped the cork from the wine left over from the night before, and drank directly from the bottle.
Henry didn’t blame her. If he could he would numb his own pain from his fucked-up life, but it wasn’t a possibility for him.
“Tell me about Paige. Your sister wants my gift, you want to fuck me or kill me depending on the day, and your brother was nothing more than a liar getting his rocks off with his human girlfriend. How does Paige fit into this mess?”
He wanted to scold her, tell her that she was being a child by twisting everything into a negative, but there was no point because she was right.
“Paige is a Dark Witch. She stumbled upon our secret when she was young, but her magic is not a threat to our kind. She’s just a nuisance for the most part.”
“You said she has more secrets than anyone you know. What are they?”
He hated that woman. Paige was nothing more than poison to whoever she touched and her evil was like a plague that ate away at everything good.
“Yeah. Her secret is that she’s a bitch.”
Echo raised her eyebrow in disapproval and folded her arms across her chest.
“I have known Paige since kindergarten, Henry. You might think she’s a bitch, but she has never wronged me.”
“Echo, the Paige that you know is not real. She’s a façade. That woman is nothing but trouble. She keeps your friendship because she hopes that someday you will be her ally. Like everyone else, she wants nothing more than to get her hands on your gift and she would sell her soul to the devil himself if she thought it would help her cause.”
“How do you know that about her? Last I knew, you didn’t even know Paige until you got a hard-on for my house.”
“Don’t you see? I never wanted your damn house. I wanted you! The house was an excuse, an ‘in’ to get to you. Paige just so happened to be part of it and believe me, she plays it well. Like her little stint on the dance floor. She doesn’t want me, she wants to piss you off. She needs you to be angry, to feel the need for revenge or hatred or whatever other dark emotion she feeds off of. You are a threat to her because of your gift, but more importantly, you took something from her and she’ll make you pay for it when the time is right.”
Confusion creased Echo’s brow.
“No I didn’t. I have never taken anything away from Paige. Why would I? She has nothing that I want.”
“Yes, you did. You took Charlie.”
“What!”
“Charlie was with Paige before he met you. Once you stumbled into his life, he discarded her and he pursued you.”
“No, that can’t be right. Paige is married, Henry. Has been since well before I even met Charlie. She and Mark have kids, they live the perfect suburbia life and even if Paige really is a Witch, she still has a life, a family.”
“I told you. The Paige you know is a lie. Mark is not real and neither are her kids. They’re a well-crafted glamour.”
That was obviously the last straw. Echo buried her face in her hands and began to weep uncontrollably.
Henry couldn’t resist. He rushed up to her and pulled her into his arms.
“Echo, I’m sorry. You have no idea how much I wish that things were different, easier for you.”
“Why is everyone a liar?” she sobbed. “Is the truth so fucking hard? No! I never cared if Paige was married or not, hell I wouldn’t even have cared if she told me one day that she was a Witch. I probably would have rolled my eyes at her, but she could have told me!”
Henry leaned back from her and lifted her chin to his face.
“Not everyone is a liar, Echo. I’m not lying when I say that I care for you and that I won’t hurt you.”
Vulnerability poured out of her and her tear-rimmed eyes were painful to look at. He really didn’t want to hurt her. He wanted nothing more than to take her pain away.
“Promise me, Henry,” she begged, “promise me that you will never lie again. I can’t take it. I need someone to be willing to always be truthful with me. I want to run away from you, screaming in fear, but I can’t. I won’t. You asked me to accept you for who you are, fine, but don’t ever lie to me again.”
She was an amazing woman.
“I promise,” he whispered.
“Will you kiss me?”
His heart ached. With everything going on and all of the painful truths pouring out, she was still willing to give him a chance.
He leaned down and kissed her, his lips gently moving over Echo’s as he timidly slipped his tongue in her mouth. She twisted her tongue with his and he savored the taste of wine and tears.
“Fuck me,” she begged.
“No, I don’t want you to suffer any more regret. You need time to process. Plus, I know you’re afraid of me. I can feel it.”
“None of that matters. Please, Henry, I need you inside me, I need to forget even if for a moment that my life has fallen apart. Please.” She dragged her hand along Henry’s growing bulge and he fought the urge to bend her over the counter. He lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the bed, dropping her down onto the fluffy down comforter. He pulled her UGGs off, less careful this time and they ended up in a pile at the foot of the bed. She watched him with lustful eyes as he tore at her clothes, tossing each piece off to the side as he revealed every inch of her, her naked body welcoming him and encouraging him to let go of whatever held him back from giving his all to her.
He spread her legs, revealing her desire, and slid his body along her smooth flesh. The heat from her body pulsed into him, the life that beat in her heart spreading out and taking hold of him. He would never let anyone hurt her again. As he took her to edge of bliss and beyond, Henry claimed her, even if only in his heart, and though for now it was only one sided, their bonding had begun.
* * * *
“How will you kill me?”
Echo was curled up in his arm, her head resting in his chest. He thought she would have fallen asleep after the numerous orgasms he’d just given her, but she seemed rather energized and ready to take on the world and all the evils in it.
“I’m not going to kill you. Was I not clear about that part?”
She dragged her fingers down his muscled chest and along the lines of his stomach. Her touch was soft and sensual and it had a calming effect on him.
“Won’t you? How will Corrine react when she learns that you have decided that you rather like having me around? I’d think she’d be pretty pissed. She doesn’t like me anyway, but when she finds out that there is something more between us, I’m pretty sure she’ll fli
p out.”
“Is there? Something between us?”
“Don’t be dumb,” she scolded. “You know what I mean. You were supposed to kill me, not wanna fuck my brains out. She’s going to be furious.”
He couldn’t help but smile.
“True, but I have a plan to take care of that.”
Echo sat up, an inquisitive look plastered on her face.
“Do tell.”
“Well, what’s supposed to happen is that I drug you and drag you down to the caves. There’s a ritual, I slit your throat, and then Corrine gets to gorge herself on your blood. The end.”
“Lovely. So how do you plan on fixing it? I think she’ll be onto you if you use a fake knife and Hollywood blood.”
“True but this is where trust comes into play.”
“I see. So now I have to trust you?”
She had a twinkle in her eyes and a smile curled up on her perfect, plump lips. Her thick black hair tumbled down over her shoulders, concealing the breasts that Henry suddenly craved to see, with their perked rosebud nipples. He reached up and pushed her hair back over her shoulder then trailed his fingers along the line of her neck down her chest until he held her breast cupped in his hand. He rubbed his thumb across the pink nub and licked his lip against the craving to suck the bead into his mouth.
“You’re so beautiful.”
She moaned in response to his touch and moved her hand down until she found his pulsing shaft.
“I will never get enough you.” He pulled her to him and she straddled over him, her moist sex burning into his chilled flesh. With determination in her eyes, Henry watched as Echo pushed herself down on to his dick, deep to the hilt, filling her completely. Moans of desire escaped her mouth and he wrapped his hands around her small waist as she rocked hers hips against him, not once taking her eyes from him. His lust for her grew as she rode him hard, bringing him to climax, then calling out his name as her orgasm exploded throughout her body.
Chapter Seventeen
As the cab pulled up and parked in front of Bridgette’s house, Echo saw the inside lights flip on and her aunt step out onto the porch. She sat down in the swing, a somber look on her face, and waited for her niece to come to her.
Echo took a deep breath. After a lifetime of fighting with Bridgette about all things magical, she was now forced to accept that her aunt had not been wrong. She was about to choke down a giant piece of humble pie and her stomach seized at the thought.
She handed the cab driver his fare and prepared to face the music.
The sun had started to set off behind the mountains and the evening air had a slight chill it. Echo wrapped her arms around her body, the cashmere sweater barely keeping her warm enough, and slowly stepped up to her aunt’s porch.
“You sure know how to pick ’em.” Her words stung, but her tone hadn’t been snide. It was Echo’s own guilt that had triggered the hurt.
She stepped up onto the porch and dropped herself onto the swing beside Bridgette. They sat there in silence for a long time and Echo rocked her feet to make the swing sway beneath them.
“I have a mark on the back of my neck,” she started. “It looks like an exploding sun and it showed up shortly after I came back.”
Bridgette lit a cig and took a long drag before she offered one to Echo. With trepidation she accepted the offering. Perhaps the burst of nicotine would calm her nerves. If not, she’d get a mini high from it since it had been a few days since she’d last smoked, and with the way things had turned out, she was happy for any form of distraction.
As the two women continued to sit in silence, Echo flipped through all of the new information and tried to make sense of it all. Nothing seemed real anymore and everything she’d known had been a lie. The only person in her life who had always been honest was Bridgette. She’d spent years trying to warn Echo of the things that went bump in the night. Too bad she’d never listened.
“Henry’s a Vampire.”
Bridgette sucked in another long drag then let the smoke billow out around her.
“I know.”
“Did you also know that apparently Paige is some lying, evil Witch?”
Her aunt showed no sign of being shocked.
“Yep.”
Of course she did. She probably knew more about what was going on than Echo did.
“Care to fill in the blanks for me since you know so much?”
Bridgette snuffed out her cigarette, still staring off out into the night and avoiding eye contact with Echo.
“Are you ready to listen?”
Yeah, she deserved the uncertain tone in her aunt’s voice. Echo had never been open to what she’d had to say before so why would she be now?
She took a final drag from her cig and snuffed it.
“Look, Bridgette, I’m sorry. I’m in trouble and I need your help.” She could feel the tears well in her eyes again and the emotion choke in her voice. “I just wanted to be normal! I didn’t want to live some fantastical life of Witches and Vampires and dark secrets and covens! All I fucking wanted was to wake up every morning, eat a damn bagel, chug down some coffee, and not have to wonder if the man I love will be feeding on me later that night or if my best friend will cast some revenge spell on me because I pissed her off!”
Bridgette finally faced her, her large eyes wide with fear.
“You love him?”
Shit. Well, she hadn’t intended on ever admitting it to Bridgette, but yeah. Though she hated herself for it, Henry had become the new owner of her heart.
“Yeah I guess I do. Either that or I’m under some kind of sex spell.”
“You had sex with him?”
Echo couldn’t help but laugh at the ashen look that had befallen her aunt. That was one topic Bridgette cold never muster the nerve to broach, even when Echo was younger, so she’d learned most of her sex education simply by trial and error. She couldn’t even remember how many false alarms she’d had in high school, but it was enough to freak her out every time her period was a second late.
“Yes, Bridgette. I had sex with him. Multiple times.”
With more speed and swiftness than Echo had seen from the woman in quite possibly ever, Bridgette stood, pulled Echo with her, and proceeded to inspect every inch of her niece’s body.
“Did he hurt you? Are you okay?”
Echo slapped her hands away and stepped out from the onslaught.
“Oh my God, Bridgette, he didn’t bite me if that’s what you’re worried about! Geezus!”
The woman stilled and then sat back onto the swing, her somber expression back. Echo could have sworn she saw tears but Bridgette brushed her hands across her face before Echo could be sure.
“We need a drink.” She sighed. “You’ll want one after you hear what I have to say.”
* * * *
Bridgette had been right. After she’d retrieved a bottle of whiskey and two rocks glasses, each with two large ice cubes settled in the bottom, and had insisted the first glass be finished before she started, Echo found she’d wished they’d emptied the bottle before Bridgette had overloaded her.
She told of a long-standing feud between the Abbotts, who were, by all means simply put, Witches who’d crossed over to become Vampire Hunters centuries back, and the Whitmores, a coven of Vampires who originated in the Old World. It had started when Helena Abbott had fallen in love with Charles Whitmore. Charles gave in to his weakness for the woman and they’d had a lurid affair that ended in Helena being bitten. He’d lost control of his lust for her, and when he’d tasted that first drop of her blood, he became crazed with thirst and drained her to the point of death. Wracked with guilt that he had nearly killed her, he saw no choice but to turn her, so for days he nursed her back from the brink by allowing her to feed from him. Charles didn’t know that Helena was a powerful Witch and when his blood mixed with hers, her gift became twisted. Her bloodlust was out of control, and to satisfy her thirst she went on a major killing spree, destroying anyone who cro
ssed her path. No one was safe from her and the carnage she’d left in her wake caused a widespread panic. She became hunted by local citizens and when word came to the Whitmores, they sided with the humans and sought to destroy her. Many of the Abbott women were killed—burned at the stake or beheaded in front of crowds of people during the hunt.
When Helena was finally captured, it was Charles who ended her life. Devastated by what his lust had created, he took his own life and the two covens laid blame on each other, becoming mortal enemies. As time passed, and the fires of anger had calmed, peace fell upon the families.
It became a piece of history, forgotten until Bernadette, Echo’s mother, had become involved with Nikolas. They had a brief affair. However, she discovered he was a Whitmore Vampire and abruptly ended the relationship. She sought comfort in the arms of Aaron Downing, a fellow Witch from a coven of Abbott allies, and they fell in love. When word came to Nikolas that Bernadette was carrying Aaron’s child, jealousy reigned. He attacked Aaron with intent of killing him, but Bernadette stepped in to save her love. She released her gift on Nikolas, burning him to death. Fearful that the Whitmores would exact revenge, Bernadette and Aaron fled their home, seeking refuge in the peaceful lands of Oregon.
Bernadette would not learn until it was too late that part of the Whitmore coven had followed her, waiting in the shadows, blending in so as not to draw attention to themselves.
Echo’s world spun and she could feel the weight of her ancestors settle on her shoulders.
Bridgette explained the family’s gifts, how they were only passed to the women and how, though it was believed that the ability to summon fire had been bestowed on them after one of their matriarchs had bedded the Devil himself, in reality it had been an evolution of their magic due to the feud with the Vampires. It was one of their only defenses against them.
“What about Henry? Am I wrong for trusting him?” Echo’s heart ached. She had loved Charlie and her blind trust in him merely opened her up to believe his lies. If she truly wanted to give her heart to Henry, she needed reassurance that he could not provide. She needed Bridgette to tell her it was okay.
Echo in the Night [Echo's Song] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 13
