Blood and Magic (Blood and Darkness Book 1)

by Melissa Sercia

  “Fine. Thirty days. If anything happens to Jane, I swear you will regret it.” I planted my feet to keep from collapsing.

  Pythia pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes toward me. “Full moon, Gray, and not a second after. I’m known for many things. Patience is not one of them.” Like a bolt of lightning, she swooped Jane up and darted out into the night, as if she were never there.

  But Dragos still was. The tension between us unnerved me. I didn’t fear him; I feared myself when I was around him. His eyes lingered over my body, drinking me in. I shuddered. I wanted to knock him over the head for taking such liberties.

  “How’s my sister?” His voice was melodic, the words dancing off his tongue. His Romany accent was faint, but still present.

  “Like you care. You’re lucky she still does. Otherwise, I’d kill you.” My hands were trembling.

  Dragos smirked and took a casual step toward me. “You don’t want to kill me, Gray. You still want me. I can see it in your eyes. I can hear it in your breath. You want me with every fiber of your being.”

  I swatted his hand away as he reached out to stroke my cheek. “You don’t get to touch me anymore. Don’t be ridiculous. Valentina is the only reason you are still alive.”

  He grabbed my wrists, his eyes darkening. “Is that so? It doesn’t have anything to do with your little Bannister Witch? See, I think you’re afraid he’s not going to satisfy you forever. In fact, you know he won’t. You aren’t going to kill me because you know I’m the only one who can.” His breath was hot on my cheek as his lips lingered over my ear.

  I sucked in a deep breath and was met with the familiar scent of clove and honey. “Get your hands off me.” I ripped free from his grasp and took two steps back.

  He shook his head. “Stop acting like a child, Gray. Everything has a purpose. Everyone has a role to play. Even you.”

  His words stung. I blinked back tears. “The only thing you were playing was me. You used me over and over again. Led me to believe that we were in love. All the while, you were plotting to destroy me. Where is the purpose in that?”

  Dragos snarled, grabbing my shoulders. “You used me just the same. Your hunger for revenge poured into me like famine. You embraced it with every deviant thrust. Do not speak to me of love, darling. You have no idea what it is.”

  My arms ached as I wriggled free from him again. I bit my lip, fighting back tears. I would not let him see me cry. “You’re right. How could I possibly know what love is? I was turned against my will, burned alive, lied to by everyone I’ve ever known, and left to rot for three years in a coma that you helped put me in. Not exactly a fairytale, so excuse me if I’m a little rusty in the love department.” I was seething. The nerve of him, after everything he’d done, to turn it all around on me.

  Dragos sighed and threw his hands up. “Poor Gray, always the victim. I had forgotten how much I loathed your incessant whining. It’s a shame that your stamina in the bedroom does not follow you into the battlefield.” He smirked, smug and pleased with himself.

  I lost it. My hands were around his throat before he could react. He didn’t break eye contact as I spat at him, “You disgust me.”

  Dragos smiled, our faces mere inches apart. My cheeks flushed as his lips moved closer to mine. Teasing, but not touching. He gently removed my hands from his neck but didn’t let go.

  “I didn’t come here to fight with you, Gray.” His voice softened.

  My heart was beating out of control. “Then why did you come?”

  “To see you. To remind you of who you really belong with. Forget about the past. You need me. You know you do.” He whispered in my ear, seducing me like a demon. This was madness.

  I shoved him away. “You don’t know anything. I never needed you.”

  Dragos sighed. “So stubborn. Fine, I’ll play along. But know this, when you grow tired of your new pet, you will come back to me. I can promise you that.”

  He turned to leave but paused in the doorway to give me a wink. “See you soon, Gray.” I shivered as I watched him disappear into the night.

  Nineteen

  It was already morning when I got back to the villa. Valentina was pacing around, frantic, as I approached.

  “Where have you been? We have been freaking out. Aldric went out to look for you.”

  A lump formed in my throat. I never stopped to consider what I would be putting them through by leaving.

  “I had to take care of something. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

  Her eyes bulged. “Seriously? After all we’ve been through? You can’t just sneak off in the middle of the night like that. Of course we’re going to be worried. We’re being hunted.”

  I shook my head. “You’re right. I should have just stayed here. Now, everything is more complicated.”

  Valentina huffed. “What do you mean? Where did you go?”

  “She was with Dragos.” Aldric stepped out of the shadows, his face twisted in disgust.

  I lowered my head. “You followed me?”

  Aldric clenched his fists. “No, I tracked you. We’re linked, remember? You actually have to know someone is leaving to follow them.”

  His words cut through me like a knife, but I deserved every one of them.

  Valentina’s mouth dropped open. “You saw my brother? What’s going on?”

  My heart sank. “I’ll explain everything.”

  I spent the next hour telling them how I tracked Jane through the bayou to the Wolf and Crescent. How I found her with Dragos and Pythia, and about the deal I made with them. I left out the sparring match between me and Dragos. Though, I was sure by the way Aldric was looking at me that he had heard every word of it.

  Valentina shook her head, dumbfounded. “They could have taken you. Are you crazy? We must stick together. Promise me you won’t do that again.”

  I nodded, guilt consuming me. “I promise.”

  Valentina pouted, but seemed satisfied with my response. Aldric, on the other hand, was glaring daggers at me. There might as well have been steam coming out of his ears. Valentina took one look at him, excused herself, and went inside.

  The look on his face broke my heart. I couldn’t look him in the eye. He was never going to understand. “How much did you hear?”

  He rolled his eyes at me. “Enough to know you still have feelings for him. That he is a piece of shit that doesn’t really love you. And enough to know I plan on ripping out his throat the next time I see him.”

  He was angrier than I thought. I had never seen this side of him before. He was coming apart at the seams. I had to find a way to calm him down. “The only thing I feel for Dragos is hatred. Nothing more. You have to believe me.” I wasn’t sure if I believed myself.

  “I saw the way you looked at him, Gray. I felt it. He still has a hold on you. I believe that you hate him, but I also believe you still love him too.”

  My head was spinning. I felt sick. “It was never love. I thought it was, a long time ago, but I know now that it wasn’t.”

  Aldric snapped, “Be honest. If he hadn’t left you, you would still be with him.”

  The tears were welling up, but I blinked them away. “He didn’t just leave me. He handed me over to the Consilium. That was his plan the whole time. How could you even think for a second I would still want to be with him?”

  Aldric fumed, glaring at me with his fists still clenched. I didn’t know what else to say. The anger was creeping up in my throat, threatening to explode all over him. I was used to Dragos pushing my buttons, but Aldric had never spoken to me like this before.

  My head throbbed. “I can’t do this. Believe what you want.”

  I turned to walk away when Aldric grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to him.

  “Gray, I’m in love with you. I have never felt this way about anyone. Ever. But you keep shutting me out. And then I find you with your ex-boyfriend in the middle of the woods. What am I supposed to think? It’s making me crazy. I hate what he did to
you. I hate that you were ever with him.”

  His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t breathe. He was right. I’d been holding back. I wasn’t giving him all of me. With Aldric, I felt safe. Loved. Complete. We were linked. It was time for me to let him all the way in. I didn’t want to lose him.

  My emotions swept through me like a hurricane. I took a deep breath and beckoned him in. I let his magic surge through me like wildfire. I stumbled as the rush took over, my knees buckling. Tears poured down my face. I collapsed into him, a trembling heap of sweat and sobs.

  I clung to him for dear life as he wrapped his arms around me. “I love you too, Aldric. I love you too.” He held me tight as I repeated it over and over again. And for the first time in my life, I didn’t feel like I was in a cage.

  Valentina perked up at the sight of us holding hands. She let out a sigh of relief. “I’ve been thinking. We should go back to the Hall of Secrets. The Keeper will know what to do about Pythia.”

  Aldric and I nodded in unison.

  Valentina jumped up in excitement. “Good. I’ll call Seven and tell him to get the ship ready.”

  I was exhausted, but we couldn’t slow down now. “Tell him we need to leave tonight.”

  The journey back to the Hall of Secrets was a quiet one. Even Seven kept to himself. There seemed to be a dark cloud following me, affecting everyone around me. Would I ever be able to live free without looking over my shoulder?

  Tobias would never let me be free, but could I kill my own father? A man I’d never met but was still my blood? I needed to understand what made him this way. I feared his evil lurked in me. What if it was my destiny to become just like him?

  My stomach was in knots. Dhampirs from both sides would likely die in this battle. Of that I was certain. But I couldn’t bear to lose anyone else. The ones I loved were in danger because of me. I hoped The Keeper could tell me how to protect them.

  The ship was barely docked before I sped off toward the Hall. I didn’t want to waste a second. I marched into his study with Aldric and Valentina at my heels.

  It was empty. There was a fire blazing in the hearth and a bottle of wine open on the table. With the thirst for blood not a factor anymore, I helped myself to an old vintage of French Bordeaux. Aldric also poured a glass while Valentina slurped on a blood bag.

  We waited in silence. I fixated on the flames, remembering the day I was engulfed by them and how frightened I had been. I wasn’t scared anymore, but I would never look at fire the same. It didn’t seduce me or enchant me anymore.

  Maybe I was like the phoenix, reborn out of its ashes. Or maybe I was just a child of the devil, cursed for eternity to do his bidding. Either way, it didn’t matter now. The physical thirst for blood might be gone, but the memory of it would always remain. Like humans, demons had nightmares too. The only difference was we were awake when we were having them.

  The Keeper finally entered the study and all eyes turned toward me.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Did you know about Stonehaven? About the human blood bags?”

  Without hesitation, The Keeper nodded. “Yes, of course. I know everything.”

  If he didn’t have the likeness of a monk, he would’ve almost seemed smug.

  I was annoyed. “Why didn’t you tell us about it?”

  The Keeper sat down across from me, folding his hands in his lap. “It wasn’t vital information. But I see now that finding it has led you to other things that are.”

  I was growing impatient. “You knew that Tobias was my father, but you didn’t tell me. Why?”

  The Keeper sighed. “It wasn’t my secret to tell. It was something you had to find out on your own. Now you have.”

  My blood boiled beneath the surface. I had no right to be angry with him, but I was. “I think that piece of information was very vital. You should have told me. I would’ve liked to have known that the monster I’ve been hunting is my father.”

  The Keeper didn’t flinch. “It would’ve changed everything. You would’ve been distracted. Conflicted. You needed to link with Aldric without that burden upon you.”

  He was right. I knew he was right. It had changed everything. “Pythia has Jane. She’s going to kill her if I don’t do as they ask.”

  The Keeper regarded me carefully, pursing his lips as he weighed my words in his head. “Pythia. She’s a clever one. She took the Sang Magi from me. Her magic is hard to resist.”

  His voice trailed off and something flickered in his eyes. Something that was rooted deep.

  “I need to know how to defeat her. A weakness I can use against her.”

  The Keeper rose and stood by the fire. He drew in a deep breath. “Pythia is an Oracle. That’s how she stays one step ahead of everyone. Except for you. She can’t see your actions because you are linked to Aldric. A Wynter-Bannister blood link is powerful. Pure and protected by the gods. But you cannot fight her. The only way to stop her is to take her magic from her.”

  A chill swept over the room, sending shivers down my back. The Keeper’s eyes darkened. “There is a spell, but it requires a Narcissus flower. Once you ingest its nectar, you will have the power to drain any Witch of his or her magic. But it has never been done before.”

  Growing up in Pendle with Jane, I had learned about various flowers and herbs. I would help her gather them from the forest so she could make her potions. In all those years, I had never heard of a Narcissus flower.

  The Keeper continued. “To acquire a Narcissus flower, you must travel to the Underworld. That is the only place it grows.”

  His words hung in the air like smoke. This had to be a joke. The obvious way to get to the Underworld was to die. There were other ways of course, but if you went uninvited, you wouldn’t be allowed to leave.

  Valentina’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.

  Aldric shifted in his chair. “Um…I’m sorry, but the Underworld? That’s not a real place, is it?”

  I swallowed hard. “As in Hell? Yes, it is a very real place.”

  Valentina sprang to her feet. “No. It’s impossible. You won’t make it back.”

  After coming this far, I wasn’t going to turn back now, but the thought of getting stuck there terrified me.

  The Keeper motioned for her to sit down. “There is a way. I can show you, but it will be dangerous.”

  I had already made up my mind. Pythia had to be stopped. If this was the only way, then so be it.

  Aldric grabbed my hand. “I’m going with you. We’ll cover more ground together.”

  I tried to protest, but Valentina chimed in. “Me too. I’m not going to let you two have all the fun.” She winked at me.

  The Keeper placed his hand on my shoulder. “Gray, you must be aware of something. Draining Pythia of her magic requires you to take all of it in. It will become a part of you, like the blood in your veins. If you’re not careful, the darkness could change you.”

  His words sent chills through me. I hadn’t even thought about where her magic would go. Magic needed a vessel. It only made sense that the vessel would be me. But to hear him say it out loud was another thing entirely.

  I shivered. I didn’t want to think of what I might become with dark magic pulsing through my veins, but who knew what any of us would become if the Consilium succeeded. “I’ll take the risk. I’m anchored to Aldric. He will pull me back from the dark.” I had to hope that he would.

  Aldric pulled me in close and whispered in my ear, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  The Keeper approached Valentina, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. “There is something else. Something the Consilium doesn’t know. There is another spell that is not in the Sang Magi. It has been committed to memory only, and it will be useful to you.”

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. “What is it?”

  The Keeper remained focused on Valentina. “It’s an ancient spell that links Dhampirs to Lupi.”

  Twenty

  A spell allowing Dham
pirs to link with Lupi was a huge advantage. The potential strength and prowess would be limitless. A wolf, already quick and agile, would be even more ferocious with Dhampir powers. The sight, sounds, and smells would be heightened and amplified ten times over. The Lupi, as they are known, are stronger in wolf form. If one was linked to a Dhampir, their strength would be increased.

  “Why is he looking at me?” Valentina spoke as if The Keeper was no longer in the room.

  I remembered the way Valentina hadn’t been able to take her eyes off Josephine’s wolf, back at the Wolf and Crescent. At the time, I thought it was out of fear. Now I wondered if it was something else drawing her to it. Why else would The Keeper bring up the spell? He didn’t make light of things like these, and this was the second time he hinted at her needing to link with someone.

  The Keeper smiled. “You would be a fierce asset to the Lupi. Perhaps you should consider it. That’s all I meant.”

  Valentina looked like a deer caught in a pair of headlights. “Well…um…okay. I’ll think about it.”

  The Keeper pressed on. “You should start by speaking with Arcadia. She will lead you to the Lupi.”

  Hearing her name struck a raw nerve in me. “You mean my long-lost sister?” I couldn’t hide the bitterness in my voice or deny that a part of me was jealous of her.

  She was born without any secrets and raised by both her parents. As sick and twisted as they were, she still got to know them.

  The Keeper continued. “Arcadia is a Wolf Charmer. She has taken control of the Lupi by enchanting their leader, Lycos. He never leaves her side.”

  Somehow, I didn’t think that she was going to just hand over one of her wolves to us. “I don’t understand what you want us to do. Arcadia is the daughter of Pythia. I doubt she wants anything to do with me.”

  The Keeper narrowed his eyes. “She most likely does not, but that’s not the point. You mustn’t reveal what I’ve told you about the spell. You just need to get close enough to Lycos. He has been under her thumb for decades. You will understand it only then.”