Silver Blood

by Tamara White

  "I guess we're splitting up," he calls over his shoulder at us as he keeps pace with Tal. They turn the corner, and Dev shakes his head in amusement.

  "I don't know how you do it, but if anyone else were to push his buttons like that, they would be on the ground, lying in a pool of their own blood. How in the hell he reins himself in for you, I have no idea."

  "It’s because I have boobs. No man can fight the power of the boobs. They have their own magic, almost as powerful as that of a witch."

  Dev watches me perplexed as I push my boobs up for emphasis, then lets loose a laugh that echoes down the street. "Magic boobs.”

  I grin and wink at him. Now he's getting it. These babies are indeed, a magic of their own.

  When his laughter subsides, I kick my toe against the ground. "I'm sorry, I'm just so bored. I thought we'd be out here slaying evil witches, and watching you guys do what you do best. Not just wandering the streets aimlessly." I pout in disappointment.

  Dev grabs my arm, forcing me to turn and meet his gaze. "Em, you sound as if you're actually looking for danger. That's the absolute last thing we want. If our night remains uneventful, you should be glad of it. We don't wish trouble upon ourselves."

  His voice, while sounding matter-of-fact, is filled with a sense of judgement. I look down, thinking his words over.

  "I'm sorry," I say quietly. He smiles and moves his hand from my arm, intertwining his fingers with my own.

  We continue walking along the path in silence until we pass a warehouse, and we hear the sound of moaning coming from within. Dev and I smirk, our minds reaching the same conclusion. Someone is getting some action in there.

  As we pass the next alley, Dev pulls me to a stop and gives me a quick kiss. It takes me by surprise, and I don’t even have the chance to respond before it’s over.

  I reach up, touching my lips gently. "What was that for?"

  He smiles at me and opens his mouth to speak, but then his eyes focus on something behind me, going wide in fear.

  Something bowls me over, and I take Dev down with me. As I hit the ground, I feel claws rip across my back. Son of a motherfucking bitch!

  Dev flips me over before climbing to his feet, and I watch as he pulls two daggers from the sheaths at his hips. Before he can rise up against one of the attackers, though, one of his daggers is sent flying in my direction. I pick it up, and pull out the other dagger I had stashed in my boot. Then I get to my feet, ignoring the pain in my back.

  A huge fucking man is on me, and it’s then I realize we weren't attacked by zombies, but by fucking wolves!

  The stranger hesitates for a fraction of a second when he meets my eyes, but I don't. My leg shoots out, sweeping his legs out from under him. Then I stab him through the kneecap to incapacitate him. I would kill him, but Dev seems to be having some trouble, and I know he needs help.

  I feel a knife in my back just as I sense the presence behind me. I turn slowly, pulling the knife out and flinging it to the side as my beast pushes forward, my hands shifting into claws. I grin at the female vampire who dared to attack me from behind.

  "Wrong fucking move, bitch," I growl as my energy builds, waiting for the right moment to shift.

  She sneers at me before pulling a stake from her back. "I will rid the earth of you, abomination!"

  She lunges at me, and I throw her off me using her own momentum against her. I watch as she flips, quickly righting herself.

  She can die. She must die! My master needs her dead!

  I cock my head in confusion. Did she just speak into my mind? What the hell?

  I don't get a second more to wonder, because then she attacks. I feel arms grab me from behind as she lunges, stake at the ready.

  RIP!

  My beast tears from my skin in a split-second, and pushes the female away from us, the stake barely grazing our arm as she flies back, hitting the alley wall. I turn on the witch holding me, ripping into his arm, and my beast is enjoying that I've let go of all control.

  The man flings me away with magic, and I hit the side of a dumpster. Shaking myself off, I climb to my feet, just as someone else lands on my back. A stake is pierced through my back.

  I can tell they were aiming for my heart, but they must be fucking stupid, or maybe just have no idea where the heart moves during a shift. I encourage my beast to drop to the ground and play dead, and wait patiently for them to pull the offending item back out.

  Three people are gathered around me: a vampire and two witches. I hear the unmistakable sound of footsteps, just as the stake that pierced through me is pulled out. Two wolves suddenly appear, each of them crying out in disbelief as they watch the stake get pulled from me. The wolf standing closest to me is the first to die. My beast lunges at him, ripping his head from his body and flinging it at the others who are staring at me, petrified by my ferociousness.

  My beast gets immense satisfaction from the fear that radiates from them. I sense help coming, but my beast is too far gone to pull back now. I lunge at one of the witches, seeing him as the bigger threat, and rip out his throat. His blood still coats my lips and tongue as I land on the vampire, her eyes wide as she begs for her life.

  I hear Talon calling my name and look up at him for a moment, before ripping the vampire’s head from her body, which sends blood spraying over our faces.

  I lick my lips, enjoying the metallic taste of the red liquid. As I look around, I notice the other wolf has disappeared, and I let loose a menacing growl. I’m about to leave in search of him, when I see Britt and her husbands running towards us. But before they make it to us, a witch appears from nowhere. A massive fireball forms in his hands, which he aims straight at my chest.

  I close my eyes, waiting for the pain, but when I open them, it’s to see myself unaffected. Everyone has frozen, and I watch as the witch meets my eyes, awed and equally afraid. "Impossible," he breathes, just as Britt flings her hands out, binding him.

  He drops to the ground, not even trying to fight Britt or her guys as they summon magical bindings, instead his gaze remains squarely fixed on me. If I were human, I’m sure I’d fidget under the intensity of his stare, but my beast remains unconcerned, perfectly happy to kill him if he tries to attack us again.

  Once he's contained, Britt comes over to me while her husbands walk among my guys, checking to be sure no one is hurt. She gestures for me to follow her, and we stroll down the alley together.

  "You can shift back, I'll clothe you."

  My beast evaluates the scene to ensure the threat is gone before receding enough to let me take control of my body once again. Britt waves her hands, using her magic to cover me in a simple black tee and a pair of black sweats.

  She glances to the side over at her husbands, and I can tell she's mentally communicating with them because they cast quick glances my way, and then get to work keeping my guys distracted.

  Britt waits until she's sure they aren't looking our way before she materializes a magic bubble around us just large enough to encase us. I reach out to touch the bubble, and my hand gliding over the edge of the magic sends tingles through me. Suddenly Britt mutters a curse. "Shit!"

  My gaze swings back to her, and I can see her eyes are filled with fear. Britt is one of the strongest people I know and very little scares her, so to see her looking frightened has me worried.

  "Britt, what's wrong?" I ask, afraid to know the answer.

  "Emerald, I need to ask you..." She pauses, taking a deep breath as if trying to calm me, or maybe herself, but either way I'm already freaking out. She called me Emerald. She never does that. "Did you... drink a witch’s blood?"

  I pause, considering the question, before nodding slowly. "I guess. I mean I may have swallowed a bit when I ripped out the witch’s throat. Why?"

  Her expression goes from worried to one of full-blown panic. "Motherfucker!" She throws her hands up, before running them through her hair, gripping tightly as if she just wants to scream. She takes a deep breath before grabbing m
y shoulders, the intensity in her grip scaring me as she stares deep into my eyes. "I need you to listen to me, Mer. You can't tell anyone about this. If you start feeling strange at all, you come find me, or one of my husbands. Promise me, Mer!"

  "Jeez! I promise! But why is it such a big deal? Surely I’m not the first vampire to drink a witch’s blood," I remark, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

  "It’s not the vampire side of you I'm worried about, Mer. If a wolf ingests our blood, it can make them go mad, unless they are cured with a potion made of the attacking witch’s blood. But the witch has to be alive for that to work, and you unfortunately killed him while ingesting his blood."

  My face pales and I turn, looking back at the scene of the attack as they pack up what remains of the bodies littered along the ground.

  Taking a deep breath, I swallow the saliva that’s building in my mouth and I turn back to Britt with eyes wide, not believing it. "But... I feel fine, not like I’m crazy or anything. Well, I mean if you don't count my beast, that is, but I think she's just crazy in general,” I ramble.

  Britt looks at me sadly and points up to the bubble around us. "Mer, this is magic. You shouldn't be able to see it. Only witches can."

  Well, fuck. "What else is a sign of this madness? What should I be watching for?" I ask, feeling truly afraid. Sure, I can die and come back to life, but what happens if I go mad?

  She glances around and sees Talon’s gaze fixed on us. He knows we're talking, but I guess this bubble must be some kind of sound barrier that blocks even his sensitive hearing.

  "Look, we'll talk about it later. Talon suspects something is going on, and if he knew just what had happened he would freak the fuck out. You’re going to have to lie to him if he asks what we’ve talked about. At least until I know the extent of the effects it will have on you. So, if they ask you, just say I needed sex advice or something. Maybe you can claim it’s PMS? You know how men get with anything related to your period; they really don't want to know about it."

  I feel guilty for lying to my soul-ties but Britt's fear is enough to persuade me that it’s for the best. At least for now. I won’t keep it from them forever. Just a day or so while Britt figures out exactly what the witch’s blood will do to me.

  The moment I nod, she releases the bubble around us. Noise suddenly bombards me, and I flinch as I readjust. It’s like the sound from the outside world had been muted for us, just as the inside was for everyone outside of the bubble.

  Britt and I return to the group, and the moment I'm within touching distance of him, Talon grabs me. He begins running his hands over me, looking for any injuries. "Are you okay? Dev said you were stabbed multiple times. Where are you hurt?" he demands, the concern in his voice overriding all my thoughts of lying to them.

  Before I even get the chance to speak, he turns me around and lifts the black tee that Britt magically dressed me in, running his hand over my bare back as he looks for signs of injury, either from the knife or the stake being plunged into my back.

  "I'm fine, just tired."

  He drops my shirt back down, and turns me back towards him so he can look into my eyes. I wait patiently, giving him time to reassure himself that I am indeed fine. Then he pulls me to his chest, his grip iron-tight as he clings to me.

  I wrap my arms around him, breathing in his scent, offering comfort the only way I know how. He just wants to know I'm safe, which I can understand.

  "Let's get out of here," he murmurs against my hair, and I nod in agreement. I just want to go home, take a nice long hot shower and curl up in bed with the men I'm falling in love with.

  Twenty-Three – Bonded with Witch Blood

  Emerald

  I open my eyes a crack and listen carefully, trying to figure out if the guys are still asleep. I found a note from Britt on my bathroom mirror after my shower, telling me to wait until the guys were asleep before sneaking out to meet her.

  It took a while for them to actually fall asleep. Talon was wound up tight when we came to bed, but he refused to talk about it. When I asked Nik or Dev to explain what was going on, they both clammed up and avoided eye contact.

  I started to wonder if they already knew about the witch’s blood. I mean, they watched me rip the witch’s throat out, so surely they would have seen it, right?

  It wasn't until we all went to bed together that I realized they were just concerned about me. Each of them was touching me reverently, their hands pretty much encasing me in a cocoon of safety.

  My internal alarm woke me up after only two hours of sleep, and now here I am, trying to delicately maneuver my way out of the bed to go meet with Britt without waking any of the guys, but in sleep they seem to have shifted closer.

  I finally manage to squeeze out from between Nik and Talon, and start to slowly step over Dev, who somehow ended up squished at our feet.

  When I clear his still form, I sigh in relief, only for a hand to reach out and grab me. I muffle my sudden scream by slamming my hand over my mouth, and see those hazel eyes narrowed at me.

  Dev looks between me and the bed. 'Going out with Britt,' I mouth, and he relaxes, sinking back in the bed.

  I hurry to my bags, grabbing a change of clothes before heading to the door. I turn back and meet his eyes before leaving the bedroom.

  His eyes watch me, and he mouths 'be careful.' I nod and blow him a kiss before closing the door softly behind me.

  I get dressed quickly, throwing on a pair of shorts and a tank. I grab Nik's black zip-up hoodie and breathe in his coffee scent as I put it on. He won't miss it while I’m gone.

  The moment I open the door, I'm greeted by Britt's smiling face. I take in her clothes and immediately want to go back inside and change. How is it we're dressed pretty much the same, but her tan-colored skin glows, while my pale skin just looks drab? She must use magic!

  As I open my mouth to greet her, she places a finger over my mouth to keep me quiet, before miming we should walk down the hall.

  My shoulders shake as I chuckle silently, but still I follow her as she moves down the hall, waiting until we're safely closed behind the elevator doors before letting my laughter escape.

  I wipe a tear from my cheek and meet her narrowed eyes and pursed lips with a smile. "So, where are we going?"

  She sighs at me, and I can tell she hasn't slept recently. "We're just going to a little café down the road. After what happened last night, I don't want us to go too far from the boys in case you're attacked again. If that happened, Talon will kill me. It's bad enough he heard what I did to you on your date with Nik. He stormed right down to our room. I swear, there was murder in his eyes, Mer," she whispers, real fear in her voice.

  I fight to hold back the grin that's wanting to surface, using my hand to cover my mouth, while trying not to make it look obvious. It's not my fault she tried to prank me, and it’s now backfiring on her.

  Huh, I had thought using Blaine or Meron would be my key to revenge, but maybe Talon will be my secret weapon? Hmmm, that's something to think about later.

  The elevator opens, and we walk down the empty hall, straight out the massive church doors and into the early morning sun. I pause as the heat hits my skin and close my eyes. I tilt my head up to the sky, basking in the warmth.

  It's nice to be out during the day again. Living with vampires doesn't exactly give you that much time in the daylight. And while the underground forest simulates sunlight, it’s nothing compared to the real thing.

  I have no idea how long I stand here with my eyes closed before Britt flicks her fingers in my ear, startling me.

  "Mer, stop daydreaming."

  I open my eyes to see her glowering at me, and I blush as we walk side by side down the street, past a few little boutiques.

  We come to a little pale blue building, with a sign proclaiming it to be the Bluebird Café. We step inside and Britt goes to the counter to order for both of us. As she does that, I stand back with my hands wrapped around my waist, hating the fact I'm
inside when the sun is out and shining.

  Britt comes back towards me, holding a number. Then she heads out the door to a table outside, placing the number down as she sits. I hurry after, thankful she chose a seat that would benefit me.

  I take the seat opposite her and smile gratefully. "Thanks for sitting out here."

  "You obviously need it. Your aura is lit up like a firework show right now."

  I look down at my skin, trying to see what she’s talking about, and begin to laugh hysterically. I fucking sparkle! It looks like someone has spilled gold glitter on me. As I watch, the sparkle disappears completely, and Britt sucks in a gasp.

  She reaches out, running her hand over my skin, before looking up at me with wide eyes. "Did you just do that?"

  "Uh, do what?"

  She's look at me as if I just did something remarkable, but I really didn’t do anything.

  "When you saw your aura, what did you think? What were the exact thoughts that went through your mind?"

  I think back, considering what exactly had been going through my mind at the time. "I was surprised there were glitter flakes on my skin, and wanted them to be gone. 'I stand out enough already, I don't need gold glitter,' I think were the exact words going through my head at the time. Why? What does it matter?"

  Britt looks around to make sure no one is paying any attention to us, and places a small dagger on the table between us. I frown when I recognize the knife, and my eyes widen. "You want me to make a blood oath? Why? What's so bad that we need to blood oath each other?"

  A blood oath is a witch’s most powerful way of ensuring secrecy, invoking loyalty, or even offering protection depending on the intention. I only know that because of the guys. One night when we were lying in bed, they explained that a blood oath is how the covens are controlled under one leader without all of them trying to make a grab for power.

  A blood oath is a binding promise that can't be broken by anyone but the initiator. It can be broken willingly, but that rarely happens, so in most cases it won't end until the caster’s death nullifies the oath. The fact Britt wants me to do one right now has me terrified.