“Let’s go for a ride, Al,” he said.
“I’d rather not,” I argued, just as he tossed a blue coin at me. There was a bright flash of light, right before I lost consciousness.
Chapter Sixty
Dylan
It wasn’t until I was getting ready to leave my office for SpellBinders that I realized what had been bothering me about the vampire the police believed to be responsible for the killings. I quickly fished out the card for the shade detective and called him.
“Yeah,” he answered, sounding annoyed.
“This is Dylan Hunt. Listen, the vampire couldn’t have worked alone,” I said.
“What the hell are you talking about?” the shade asked.
“The vampire you think killed the succubi,” I explained. “He couldn’t have been working alone because the guy who tried to grab Allie couldn’t have been a vampire. I set the guy’s arm on fire. A vampire would have been a pile of ash. The killer is still out there.”
“Mr. Hunt,” the detective said in a patient tone. “We still don’t know who killed those succubi.”
“Someone claiming to be a police officer called Allie and told her the killer had been located and she was safe,” I told him as fear consumed me.
“Where is she now?” the detective asked more urgently.
“At work,” I answered. “At SpellBinders.”
“I’m sending someone to SpellBinders now,” he said.
After hanging up with the detective, I immediately tried Allie’s number, but it went straight to voicemail, meaning her phone was off. Trevor had messaged me to assure me Allie’s phone was on and with her before he’d left SpellBinders. After quickly locking up my office, I called Trevor on my way to the car.
“If you’re calling to beg me to pick Allie up, I can’t,” he said by way of greeting.
“I just talked to the police. They never called Allie to let her know they’d found the killer.” I was working hard to get my breathing under control. “The killer is still out there. I should have been suspicious with the details they gave her on the phone. Hell, I was suspicious, but I figured I was just having trouble believing she was finally safe. Now, Allie’s not answering her phone.”
“Shit!” Trevor cursed loudly.
“You put the tracking spell on her phone like I asked, right?”
“Yeah,” Trevor confirmed, and I could hear him running with someone beside him.
“I’m heading to my car. Let me know which way to go,” I said.
“I’ll work on tracing her when I get to my car.” I heard him speak to the person behind him then. “We think the killer has Allie.”
While I couldn’t make out what was being said, I was pretty sure that was Mel in the background, berating Trevor and me for failing to keep her cousin safe. I was pissed at myself, so I figured she had a right to chew my ass out.
“I’m still at the studio,” Trevor said. “In case you couldn’t guess by Melina’s threats to unman me.”
“I figured that out,” I said impatiently. “Which way should I start heading?”
“Give me a minute,” he said, and I knew he was focusing hard on the spell. Trevor was one of the few warlocks I knew who could successfully cast and work with a tracking spell. I knew plenty who could cast them but still couldn’t follow the spell to its source. It was one of the more advanced spells.
“I’m going to call Nick to see if he was at the club tonight,” I told him, mostly because I needed something to do while I waited on Trevor. If I didn’t distract myself, I’d continue asking questions, which would make it impossible for him to focus. “He checks up on Allie most nights, so he might have seen something,” I added, mostly for myself.
“I’ll call you when I have her location,” Trevor said in a distracted voice.
Nick answered on the second ring, sounding overly cheerful. “Hello.”
“Hey, Nick,” I greeted. “Did you see Allie at SpellBinders tonight? Her phone is off, and I think she may be in danger.”
“Why would she be in danger?” Nick asked, sounding less concerned than I’d expected, considering his attachment to Allie. “Allie told me the police found the vampire who tried to grab her. I’m sure she just turned her phone off.”
“Are you at SpellBinders?” I asked.
“Nah,” he said. “I was gonna go by there later, but I might just stay home. You should head over to the club to check on her. That’ll make you feel better.”
“You’re right. I’ll head over there now,” I agreed with a calm I didn’t feel. Of course, I was lying, but Nick wasn’t going to be any help, and I didn’t want to waste more time.
“I don’t want to be rude, but I have a few things to take care of,” Nick said. “Call me when you hear from Allie.”
“No problem,” I told him as calmly as I could when the woman I loved was in danger.
While I knew Allie’s phone could be off for any number of reasons, my gut told me she was in danger. I hadn’t called SpellBinders to check on her because the police were heading there, so I figured that was covered. As far as I was concerned, the tracking spell was my best bet for finding Allie.
My phone rang almost as soon as I hung up with Nick.
“Did you find her?” I asked.
“Yeah, I got her location,” Trevor answered, sounding somewhat dazed. “She’s in one of the vampire housing developments.”
“Send the details to my phone,” I nearly growled.
“Sending it now, and we’re on our way there, as well,” Trevor said before ending the call.
Loading the directions into my car’s GPS, I hoped like hell I wouldn’t be too late. Allie just had to be okay.
Chapter Sixty-One
Allie
When I regained consciousness, it took my brain time to process what had happened. Marcos had used a spell to knock me out, and I was assuming he’d also moved me from SpellBinders. Where? I had no idea. Opening my eyes, I discovered I was not in some creepy warehouse or dank basement. Based on the lack of windows, I probably was in a basement, but the entire room was extravagantly decked out with plush sofas and a king size bed. I was lying on one of the plush sofas with a soft blanket covering me.
“About fucking time you woke up,” Marcos muttered in a bored tone. “I was beginning to worry that I’d have to leave and miss seeing your initial reaction. It would have been a pity if that had happened.”
“You kidnapped me,” I accused lamely.
Marcos just laughed. “Yeah, I kidnapped you, Al. I can’t believe it took two tries. You have no idea how much I want to hurt you after that asshole warlock of yours burned my arm. I wanted to beat you into unconsciousness instead of using that spell, but I figured it was best to get you out of SpellBinders before you figured out that your call from the police was a fake.”
I was blaming the spell for the fact that my mind was having so much trouble processing what Marcos had just said. My heart slammed against my chest, but I worked hard to stay calm because I needed a clear head to figure a way out of this mess.
“You’re the one killing the succubi?” I asked. Even with all the evidence staring at me, I couldn’t believe it. Sure, Marcos was an asshole, but he had nothing to gain from this. In fact, the killings had inconvenienced him. “Why would you do this?”
“It’s good business.” He was lounging on one of the sofas at the far end of the room, looking as bored as he sounded. “Sure, it’s a pain replacing the staff we kill, but the money makes it worth it.”
Adrenaline was doing a great job of clearing my mind. I stood and faced Marcos.
“Good business?” I demanded. “I always knew you were scum, but this is low even for you.”
Marcos shot to his feet and closed the distance between us. The back of his hand made contact with my cheek, knocking me to the ground.
“Stupid cunt!” he spat out. “You’ve always thought you were better than me, but you’re nothing more than a brainless little cock tease
.”
“Don’t hit her again,” came a familiar voice from the stairs near the back of the room just before Nick emerged.
“Run, Nick!” I shouted. “He’s crazy, and he’ll kill you.”
Nick chuckled, and it sounded nothing like the easygoing laughter I was used to hearing from him. “I think I’ll stay. You may as well call me Nikolai,” he said. “Soon, you’ll call me Master. I’d love to hear you call me that now, but I know it’ll take time to train you.”
Not believing what I was hearing, I shook my head. “We’re friends.”
Marcos grabbed my hair to pull me to my feet as he laughed. “See? You really are a stupid cunt. I knew you’d fall for poor Nick’s story about being denied by the woman he loves. I knew you’d be dumb enough to protect him and take him with you everywhere.”
Nick glided toward me, looking more like a killer than the sweet guy I’d thought I knew.
“I wasn’t sure anyone could be that gullible,” Nick muttered, reaching out to stroke my swollen cheek with his cold hand. “You know, I’d planned to just kill you, but after Marcos’ first failed attempt to abduct you, we couldn’t get you alone. I was fine with finding another succubus, but Marcos was determined to kill you after Dylan injured him. It was a matter of pride to him. That’s why we came up with the idea of me befriending you to get you alone. It was all just a game, but after spending time around you, I knew I had to have you. Not to kill you, of course. Killing you was no longer an option after I got to know you.”
I tried to pull away from Nick, but Marcos simply tightened his hold on my hair until I was sure he’d end up ripping chunks of it out.
“You almost ruined all of my plans by taking that stupid test.” Nick sounded angry. “Had you completed the marriage ceremony, I would have been forced to kill Dylan, and I kind of like him. Naturally, I’ll see him a few more times so we can talk about how much we miss you. Then I’ll have to disappear. It wouldn’t be good for Dylan to see me after we finish the spell involving the succubus essence. That would definitely tip him off to my involvement.”
“I thought you liked me,” I said, feeling like Marcos was right about me being stupid.
“I do,” Nick murmured as he leaned forward and grazed my neck with his fangs. “If I didn’t like you, I’d be killing you right now.”
“If you liked me, you wouldn’t have kidnapped me,” I muttered.
Marcos gave my hair a vicious tug, which made me cry out in pain. Nick gave him another sharp look. “Don’t hurt her, demon. I paid you well for her, and I am the only one who can discipline her from this point forward.” His face softened when his eyes fell on me. “Hopefully, you won’t force me to hurt you, because I’d hate to leave any marks on your beautiful skin.”
“Why are you doing this?” I demanded of Marcos.
“Money,” he said with a shrug, releasing my hair and stepping back. “Why else would I do it? If it weren’t for the money, I’d kill you and send pieces of you back to your warlock for the pain he put me through. Lucky for you, Nikolai paid me well to keep you alive.”
“So, you’re also helping him kill people for money?” I asked in disbelief. While I wasn’t entirely surprised that he’d take money to help kidnap me, killing was something I hadn’t expected. “So, that’s why you’ve been wearing long-sleeve shirts. How badly did Dylan burn you when you tried to abduct me the first time?”
Rather than answering, Marcos glared at me, which made Nick laugh.
“It worked out for the best, anyway,” Nick said. “If he’d caught you that night, you’d be dead, and I never would have realized how much I care for you.”
“Care for me?” I asked in disbelief, wondering why I was even bothering to argue with the deranged vampire.
Nick actually looked hurt. “I could kill you.”
“Instead, you’ll enslave me,” I muttered.
“It’s not like that, Alana,” Nick insisted, and thankfully, he took several steps back, giving me some much-needed space.
“Then how is it, Nick?” I demanded, figuring I couldn’t really get in much more trouble than I already was.
“My name is Nikolai,” he ground out before taking a deep breath and releasing it. “Of course, you probably won’t be happy at first, but you’ll get used to things. Life will be pleasant for you once you learn your place. We’ll still be friends, Alana, and we’ll have centuries to enjoy each other’s company.”
“You know nothing about friendship,” I told him. “If you were my friend, you wouldn’t want to keep me here against my will.”
“If I weren’t your friend, I’d have you strapped to a ceremonial table, naked, while we sliced you open,” he snapped. “Marcos really wants to make you suffer, and I’m the only thing standing in his way.”
“Go ahead and make him angry, Al.” Marcos’ evil smirk promised dire consequences if Nick decided to stop protecting me. “I’m dying to get you on the ceremonial table so I can spend hours harvesting your blood and energy while you scream and beg for mercy.”
I swallowed hard because I didn’t want to show my fear. It was what Marcos wanted. I wasn’t sure what Nick wanted, or Nikolai. I guess it made sense to call him Nikolai. Nick was a sweet guy who had been my friend—a guy who’d never really existed. Nikolai was a monster who killed without remorse, and who had manipulated me into believing he was my friend.
“You’ve seen my reaction, why not just leave?” I snapped at Marcos. Getting him out of the room meant I only had to worry about Nick when I tried to make my escape.
“Nikolai promised to let me watch part of the training process.” Marcos moved to my side with a smirk. “I’ve been trying to teach you your place for the last year with no luck, so I figured this would be entertaining.”
“Come here, Alana,” Nikolai said, holding out a hand to me.
I shook my head and backed away slowly.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Dylan
“That’s a pretty complex security spell,” Trevor muttered as he followed the pattern of the spell outside the house Allie was in.
I had to agree with him, and I was suddenly regretting not having someone who could cast security spells meet us here. I’d never been very good at them, and Trevor was only marginally better than I was.
“Idiots,” Mel muttered from my left.
“I suppose you know how to unravel a complex security spell?” Trevor asked, glaring at her over his shoulder.
“Nope,” she said as she studied the spell, which consisted of tiny threads of magic woven together like a spider web. “I have no clue how to unravel a security spell.”
“Are you telling me that the great Melina Blackwood can’t do everything?” Trevor asked.
“Enough fighting like children,” I snapped. “I’m going to call someone who can unravel this.”
“Or, we could just do this,” Mel said as she tapped a finger on one spot in the spell, which caused it to quite literally shatter.
“Fuck,” I said in awe, because I’d never seen anyone do something like that.
“Show off,” Trevor muttered.
“The real problem is going to be the dampening spell,” she said, sounding worried all of a sudden. Up to this point, she’d been the calm one in the group, insisting there was nothing to worry about. A dampening spell meant none of us could rely on magic in the house, which put us at a severe disadvantage.
Now, I felt the hum of the spell, too. Dampening spells were usually set up in places where one worried that preternatural creatures wouldn’t get along. In this case, I’d guess it only dampened the powers of non-vampires. The problem with dampening spells is that they’re cast by multiple people, making them nearly impossible to remove if you weren’t involved in casting the original spell.
“How could he have convinced one witch, let alone a group of witches, to cast this?” Trevor asked.
“It was probably sorcerers,” I said. Sorcerers were humans who learned to use certain type
s of magic. Many called themselves witches, even though they had no idea what it meant to be a witch. While most were weak and of no concern to us, there were some who were powerful enough to sell their services in the preternatural community.
We’d called the police, but they were at least half an hour away because they’d insisted on checking SpellBinders first. It seemed they didn’t trust Trevor’s tracking spell.
“I’m going in,” I said. “You two stay out here in case the police show up.”
“I am not letting you go in there alone,” Trevor argued with a snort.
“He’s right,” Mel agreed. “I’ll stay out here while you go in.”
That’s when Trevor let out a sigh of relief. I could tell he’d been afraid Mel would want to go in with us. Trevor walked close to Mel, and before she could react, he snaked a hand around the back of her neck and kissed her. It was just a quick kiss that left her glaring at him.
“Go save my cousin or I’ll castrate both of you,” she warned.
“Ready to do this?” I asked.
“Let’s go save your witch,” Trevor said as we walked through the now unlocked front door.
I recognized the face in the paintings as soon as we entered the front room. “Son of a bitch,” I muttered quietly.
“Told you I didn’t trust that vampire,” Trevor said.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Allie
My amusement over Nick’s—no Nikolai’s—confusion was probably the only thing that was preventing me from panicking. Seriously, the guy could not understand why I wasn’t more grateful to him. While I was glad I wasn’t being tortured and killed, I wasn’t too happy about being treated like his property, and the threat of training sounded really bad to me.
“I said, come here,” Nikolai said through clenched teeth.
This was his second time telling me, and I was pretty sure he was going to hurt me if I didn’t obey or distract him.
“Dylan is going to kill you when he finds out about this,” I told Nikolai as I edged toward the stairs.
Sinfully Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 1) Page 26
