With a cry of agony, he was on his feet and distant in a flash.
Lisbeth lay naked in the hot summer sand, out of breath, dazed, and humbled by such passion she never knew possible. It was followed by emptiness, and a chill, even considering the icy skin of her lover now gone from her. She lifted her head and balanced on her arms looking for him.
“Grayson?”
She saw him in the shadow near the water, ashamedly turned from her.
“Grayson,” she called out again.
“I need a moment.” The strain in his voice confirmed what she was thinking. He was angry with himself. He’d come too close to biting her, or losing himself to a feeding frenzy.
“Come closer. I want to see you.” A soft order, not up for debate.
“No. Not like this.”
“I’ve seen it before.” She rose and slipped back into her dress.
The smell of her rippled the breeze as she dressed, rousing the monster lurking inside.
So delectable.
So breakable.
So… delicious.
Soft hands stroked the side of his face, luring him into calmness.
“I thought I could manage it. I thought I was ready to touch you so intimately.”
“You did. And you stopped when you had to. Now look at me, Grayson Moone. Come out of the shadow.” He obeyed, turning to gaze upon her. He should leave the Isle before he did lose control. Before he accidentally hurt her. Or worse, killed her because the bloodlust took over.
This was doomed to fail.
Vampires were unable to safely love humans.
No matter what his dead heart wanted to believe.
Lisbeth didn’t flinch at the sight of him. Eyes raging hungry and black. Fangs protruding against his lips… instead she got to her tiptoes and kissed him, so lovingly it made him ache from head to toe. She backed up and sat down in the sand, patting the empty space next to her.
He joined her, painful breaths weighting his steps.
They lay back, staring up into the night sky. Watching the stars and moon.
None were, or ever would be, as beautiful as the woman lying next to him.
Leave the Isle? He could pretend that was a viable option all he wanted, and every part of him was fully aware he would fail at such an attempt.
“So, you want me to meet your father? And friends? And other witches?” He rolled his head against the sand to see her response. No flinch, or doubt. Just a smile. Excitement in her heart.
“It’s time, Grayson.”
“Whatever you want of me, My Lisbeth. I’m yours.”
“And I’m glad. Even more so now. Magic fingers. Magic tongue.” She dreamed with wild abandon at what other magic he was saving up for her.
He rolled to her side, leaning up on his arm. “Ah, I see. That’s all am I to you, isn’t it? A vessel of pleasure meant for one woman.”
“Mmm, I like that.”
“Good, because I fully plan on tasting you again once I calm down.”
“Practice makes perfect?”
He let out a growl before spreading his body over hers. “The best kind of practice. I even get to undress you this time. And I will do so with my teeth.”
She let out an eager rush of breath between doting kisses. “I’d ask where you learned such a delightful skill, but I probably don’t want to know.” She’d wondered how many women he’d had before her. It must have been many as practiced and talented as he was, and adding in the long life…
“Don’t ever question that any of them ever meant anything to me,” he stated emphatically. “It’s you, and only you for the rest of my life…”
Your life. Mine ends with yours.
If she would not become like him, he’d die when her human life was over.
“You are something special, Grayson Moone. And look, your eyes are lighter already.”
“I am still hungry,” he warned coarsely.
“Good, because I’m not nearly satisfied.”
“That is not something I can allow to continue. Spread your legs for me, Lisbeth. You think round one was too much…” He snarled and pulled her dress down over her shoulders, as promised, with his teeth. Lips trailing their way downward. Her whiskey got him drunk in seconds.
They remained on the beach until sunrise forced them to take cover. Although Grayson imagined burning to ash with his head blissfully stuck between her thighs might be the way to go. A more perfect end might never be found. Her voice, the last he’d ever hear.
He’d done his job well.
Lisbeth was jelly. Unable to balance on her own legs. Or put together a coherent thought. The vampire carried her all the way home and slipped her into bed. Then, for the first time, slid under the covers with her to sleep away the morning. She clung to him in such a way he’d never let go, unless she told him to. He was lost to this human. And when she awakened, he’d do anything and everything she ever asked of him.
CHAPTER 13
Charlie burst through the ER room doors with a single-minded purpose.
Find Lizzy.
Heal her.
Now.
The woman behind the nurse’s station recognized him but caught her breath at the mere size of him which almost appeared doubled with the determined menace in his gait.
She pointed down the hall to the left. He followed the noises of controlled chaos. Dr. Walter, the same man who’d treated Melinda, was shouting ten orders all at once while he and three others rolled a woman on a stretcher into an operating room.
Lizzy.
Charlie’s vison went blotchy for a moment.
Lucas came screaming in behind them, someone trying to stop him. Mack. He had a trickle of blood running down the side of his face, but obviously was alive and relatively unharmed. At least physically. Mack was trying to make him get looked at by a doctor. He was refusing, only concerned about Lizzy.
Charlie stormed down the hall to them, unable to speak.
Lucas caught his iron gaze, raking his hand through his hair. He broke the gaze, no comforting words to offer Charlie. He heard Mack hollering at him to stay put but Charlie ignored her, bounding into the operating room.
“Get out!” he growled at everyone readying to operate. The doctor and assistants all froze and stared. “Get out. Now.” The doctor wanted to debate the point but the steeled fortitude that was Charlie Howard warned otherwise. He ordered the nurses to leave. They opened their mouths to argue but he made to leave, ordering them to follow.
He paused while passing Charlie.
“You’ve got one minute. She doesn’t have more.”
The room emptied and Charlie wasted no time. One minute was not long, probably not long enough. And oh, all that was hell on earth, what if this didn’t work at all?
His hands ran across her body, unsure where to start. So much blood. Barely a breath coming out of her. Weak pulse. So still. So pale. He caressed her face, seeing the cause of much of the blood. A severe gash on the side of her head. He let his hands hover just over the wound, pleading, begging, praying for any measure of success.
“Please, Lizzy. Stay with me.”
Nothing happened.
No warm glow.
No power vibrating up inside him.
Was he not concentrating hard enough?
Was he not doing it right?
The minute flew by like a flashing second.
Dr. Walter rushed back in. “Did it work?”
“No,” Charlie grunted out.
“Now you get out. Staff!” His assistants flew back in, shoving Charlie toward the door.
Was he standing? Sitting? Falling? Breathing?
The doctor shouted a bunch of orders, his hands and voice unwavering. One of the nurses came over and gently positioned Charlie to leave. Somehow, his legs brought him back out to the waiting area. Melinda was just jogging around the corner. Lucas was in a chair, his head hanging forward, hidden by his hands.
Mack saw Charlie come out and held her breath, waiting.
> “It didn’t work,” he breathed out. “Doctor’s… trying…”
Stupid gift. If he wasn’t able to use it to save those he loved, what was the point? And if it didn’t work did this mean it was her time to die? Why now? She’d just gotten her human life back a couple months ago.
Was this like his father, where she’d been living on borrowed time, and time was just now catching up? And she was out of it?
“What the hell happened?” Melinda asked assuming Charlie’s voice and mind were stuck in stalled-out mode. She was all too familiar with that ailment.
Mack glanced back at Lucas, who looked like he was dying a slow painful death from the inside out. Melinda went to him and sat down, taking one of his hands just as he had when she’d been sure she was about to die just days ago (when she’d believed William was about to get a death sentence). He squeezed back like her grip gave him the strength he needed to make words come out of his throat.
“What happened?” she asked gently. Mack listened closely, having not heard the entire story yet either, the more important thing being get Lizzy help before it was too late.
“We were just minutes away from your house, driving home. We took a back road avoiding downtown. I… I forgot to tell Lizzy to put her seatbelt on. She’s still not in the habit and she was so tired. She closed her eyes, head against the window. I um… there was this man, came out of nowhere. Riding across the road on a bike. He clutched at his heart and swayed like he was going to fall and I swerved to miss him, lost control and the truck skidded. Went sideways, right into a tree. Lizzy’s side. She hit, so hard.” His voice gave out. He glanced over at Melinda, more on the tip of his tongue but he held back. Mack sensed it too. But let it slide for a moment while everyone caught their breath. And waited.
Melinda texted Michael to keep him updated.
And they waited some more.
They swore it was an eternity before Dr. Walter emerged. In reality it was a couple of hours. He dragged a seat over and plunked down, looking at them all.
“She’s alive.”
No one breathed any more relaxed, there was clearly a but, coming.
“She’s in a coma. She lost a lot of blood. We were able to close the wound and relieve the pressure on her brain. There was a lot of swelling, and fluid, which can cause brain damage. I cannot be certain right this minute, but my professional opinion is that the coma is allowing her to heal. We’ll need more time to run some tests. But her vitals are stable, with a little assistance from a breathing machine.” He held up his hand when they all threw him simultaneous stares of, she needs help breathing?
“This is not abnormal. Please don’t panic over this. Giving her the assistance allows her body to work more easily, which gives her more chances to heal. The nurses are getting her cleaned up and comfortable. We’ll move her into a private room soon. You can see her then. Okay?”
They nodded uneasily.
“Thanks, Doc.” Mack extended her hand. They shook.
“Thank you,” Charlie spoke up too.
The doc leaned in. “What were you hoping to do earlier? You’ve never tried magic before when one of you has been injured.”
“New thing I learned,” explained Charlie without going into depth. “Guess it still needs some work.”
“Whatever it was, don’t be too hard on yourself. This is a traumatic injury. It would take some sort of miracle.”
One not in the cards today, thought Charlie grimly.
The doctor left them, with a compassionate pat on the arm to Charlie.
“Okay, first order of business,” started Mack. She looked at Lucas. “I saw the doctor look you over but are you in need of additional care?”
“No. I am fine.” There was a note of personal animosity on his tongue.
Melinda grabbed his hand again. “Let’s get you cleaned up. There’s a bathroom just over there.” Lucas let her drag him over.
“Sit, Charlie.” Mack wasn’t asking. He obeyed. “I assume you’ll stay here?”
“Yes. I want to be there when they move her, in case she wakes.”
“You tried to heal her?”
He nodded. “Didn’t work this time.” Not like it had when he’d healed the sheriff when Courtney accidentally staked her while they were attempting to stop Grayson.
“That vampire still locked in your basement nice and tight?”
“Yeah. Michael and Courtney are there, just in case. But yeah.”
“Alrighty then.” She popped up. “I’m goin’ to deal with the incident report, make sure things get sorted. Looks like a terrible accident, but I have to dot the I’s and all that.”
“Thanks, Mack.” He waved a weak goodbye.
The sheriff stopped by the open bathroom door, hearing Lucas wince a little as Melinda wiped the dried blood off the side of his face. It was just a scratch. The sheriff cleared her throat, eyeing the young man.
“I realize you might want to stay here a piece, and I got to go back to the scene and finish things off there, but later tonight, don’t care how late it is, I want to see you in my office. To tell me what you held back before.”
Lucas opened his mouth to argue but Mack raised a hand.
“I wasn’t born yesterday. You ain’t tellin’ me everythin’.”
“You’re right,” he conceded. “I just…”
Mack stopped him. “Not here. Come see me later. I have my suspicions for why you held back.” Lucas stared at her wondering how she guessed his secret. “When you witches hold back, it’s always supernatural in nature.” She departed without another word.
He grimaced. She had the supernatural part right.
Melinda bit her lip, but whispered out, “It happened again? Didn’t it? You saw something? Traveled somewhere?”
He nodded. “Yeah. The man on the bike, it was the same man I’ve seen before.”
“The one who jumped off the ferry?”
“Yeah. He was riding a bike down the road and I saw him just as real as I see you right now. It was dark though, and I panicked. Even though the road never vanished, I panicked. Freaked out. I swerved, and the rest… all the way I said it.”
“Damn. I’m sorry, Lucas. I never thought for a minute your gift would be…”
“Deadly. To others. It’s my fault. If I’d just kept my eyes on the road, not freaked that all hell was about to break loose. And why couldn’t your brother heal her?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure he’s asked himself that a hundred times already.”
“God, I’m sure if he had any way he would. I just… Fuck. If anything happens to her.” Another reason to hate being on the Isle. Magic, his gift, wasn’t getting any easier. Or more likeable. He lifted his gaze to see Charlie staring at him from across the room, who shifted away, caught.
Lucas imagined he had to be furious. Probably blamed this whole thing on him.
“You want to stick around?” Melinda asked him. “Wait for her to get moved? Maybe you need to rest.”
“Rest? No way that’s happening unless someone knocks me out.”
“To be honest, Lucas, I don’t think you’re going to rest at this point until you figure out who this man is and why you keep seeing him.”
He sighed raggedly. The meaning of it, she was right though he didn’t want her to be.
They met up with Charlie, who was up and pacing now.
“Mack needs Lucas to go to the station in a little bit and give an official statement and all that.” Melinda stroked her brother’s arm. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it.
“I can’t leave. Not yet.”
“I get it. I’ll go with him.”
“Be careful. And if anything changes, I’ll call,” he told both of them.
Melinda nodded, smiling gravely. The timing sucked, but the need to be honest with her brother overpowered that. They’d promised to do better, and this pertained to their job. So she filled him in on Lucas’ new gift emerging.
It made more sense as to why he was so per
sonally conflicted over this accident now. Charlie had never seen a gift get dangerous before. Not like this anyway. If Melinda ignored a dream, that never ended well. But this was a whole new level of crazy.
Nina’s warning rang out hard. Was this the trial he’d be facing?
It wasn’t only him though. Lucas as well. Everyone really, too.
But shit.
Why Lucas? Why like this? Because of his magical inheritance?
This was the type of incident that made you hate magic and he already hated it; this would only make it worse. Is this how demons tempted? Put potential Guardians straight onto the path of turmoil? Hoping darkness would claim them? Was this accident some sick temptation meant for Lucas? To see which path he chose?
Charlie wanted to say something brilliant and worthy of remembering. Something to keep Lucas thinking of the good magic could do. But his mind was rattled and overwrought with his own disillusionment to come up with anything useful.
“I’m sorry,” was all he managed to say.
“Why are you sorry?” Lucas returned.
“You have such bad luck with magic. It’s not normally so tragic.”
“I’m a Deane. We’re cursed.”
“No, not cursed,” insisted Charlie. “Learning, like the rest of us. It’s not an easy thing to accept but I do believe all things happen for specific reasons. What this accident is for…” he already had his suspicions but wasn’t permitted to share. And possibly he was wrong. Nina had acted like there was a personal trial headed directly at him. And Charlie could imagine few things more devastating than Lizzy in a coma.
“Thank you, for trying to heal her,” Lucas muttered weakly.
“I would do anything.”
Lucas nodded, clearing his throat.
“C’mon,” encouraged Melinda. “Let’s go see Mack.” She gave her brother a confident nod. He hoped she was up to this task. Worried what obstacles they might come across. Just seeing her walking away intent on helping Lucas with this magical gift got him on edge. He really did have serious control issues… well, big brother issues. Letting her venture out on her own was not easy; especially if it meant she might find herself in trouble.
“Melinda,” he called out before she’d gotten out of the waiting room. He jaunted over. “I do not want to leave here, but if anything important happens and you need me…”
Hexed and Dangerous (The Wicked Witch of Future Past) (A Wicked Good Witches Paranormal Romance Book 9) Page 14
