“You have my word. We’ll trade blood, nothing more. Your thoughts will be your own. When can we meet? I don’t want you here with the others. There is one among us I do not trust.”
“Room number nine at Dark Temptations. It’s safe for vampires, or can you walk in the sun?”
“My sleep is not ruled by the sun, but I cannot survive sunlight.”
“I miss the sun.” She sighed.
“I only remember it when I think of your beautiful skin under the morning light,” he admitted. Some of his favorite moments were with her in his arms with the windows thrown open and the sun streaming in.
“I’ll see you in an hour,” she said, and the phone clicked off.
He pressed a hand to his chest and breathed deep.
A familiar voice breathed through his head. “Open the doors to her magic. Your blood can break the spell holding her back.” Crom Cruach had always guided him back to Oriana.
“What curse?” Eamon asked.
“I only know powerful magic blocked her abilities. An old spell that has been in her blood for generations.”
Eamon’s curiosity was piqued. He’d received word already that Amelia’s immediate family was all werewolves. That her sister’s mate was some low-level psychic. The whole town they resided in was full of Others, and Eamon had warned his vampires all from going there to take more people.
He had already planned to unlock Amelia’s magic if possible. But the spell may pose a problem. And the one person he would normally ask was no longer an option. Inuala, someone Crom Cruach trusted, perhaps blindly, since she was always willing to sacrifice to him.
Hopefully his blood was all she needed to recover her magic.
* * * *
Jordan hugged Leanan’s favorite pillow to his chest. He and Leanan had made his apartment a home he felt good about, and now he was alone, again.
Someone pounded on the door. Jordan rushed to get it.
Mike pushed his way inside, Gwen on his heels. “I’m going to tell you something, and you are not going to involve yourself because you can’t directly involve yourself. We’re going to try to reach everyone tonight and get them out.”
“Where?” Jordan demanded.
Gwen sighed. “Jordan, you are not equipped to deal with the vampires guarding Leanan and everyone else. You need to relax and let the people who can handle this take care of everything.”
“I want to help.”
Mike gripped his shoulders. “You know what you can do to help? Be there when we bring the people in. Brent warned us that some are going to be acting like addicts in withdrawal. Others are going to be like abused children or spouses. Some will be okay. But some of the vampires will fuck with their heads, make them think things happened that didn’t, or they did happen and they are recovering. Help us calm everyone down.”
Jordan nodded. “Yeah, I could do that, maybe. That’s probably all I’m good for. Man, why can’t I have better talents than needing to fuck like every five minutes?”
Gwen covered her mouth, trying to hide the humor in her eyes.
Jordan snorted. “Yeah, I said it. I wish it were funny. Shit, just find her and make sure she’s safe. It feels wrong fucking other women just to stay normal. I do it with her here, with her permission, usually with her watching, and it’s better.”
“Dude, I don’t want to know this. Seriously,” Mike complained.
Jordan sighed. “Sorry. You don’t have any idea what I’m going through.”
“I do,” Gwen stated. “Remember when Mike was taken?”
“Yes and no. It’s been a few days now, and I need her.”
Mike glared at him. “You’re doing okay, you’re getting through this, and you simply need to relax and let us take care of this. I’m sure you and Leanan will need each other as soon as this is all over.”
“He’s right,” Gwen said.
“Tell me when and where you want me, and I’ll make sure I’m there. I do want to help. I wish I could do more.”
“You’ll do enough,” Gwen promised.
* * * *
Leaving Amelia on her own was the last thing Brent wanted to do, but he knew what would happen if he didn’t. Eamon would push Amelia into things she wasn’t ready for.
And the more he thought about what she said, the more he realized he may have convinced himself that she would have to become intimate with Eamon to get anything out of him, especially with their past lives. But if there was a shred of good in there, and perhaps there was, then maybe he could accept Amelia’s boundaries.
Brent’s absence would help Eamon believe he had the upper hand. And Amelia was smart. If anyone could convince Eamon without fucking him, it was her.
Brent followed Robert into Toryn’s office at Ward Tower Security and found Preston already seated.
“More people have been taken in Seattle as well as Edenton,” Toryn stated. “Someone is escalating the plan faster than Eamon is.”
Brent nodded. “Inuala. I’m willing to bet she’s pushing the plan faster. She wants Crom Cruach to have his own form.”
“How do you know this?” Toryn asked.
“Unlocked some of my own memories, and being in Amelia’s, well, the pieces are finally coming together. Inuala may have been the start of all of this, eons ago.”
“How so?” Robert asked.
“Look, it’s complicated, and I don’t have time for that. I’m already stressed out that she’s with him now, without me.”
“What?” Preston demanded. “That was never part of the plan.”
“No, but I trust her, and she wants to try to do this without sex, even if that might be the easiest way.”
“For who?” Toryn snorted. “Yeah, you could accept it, but can she? It’s her body, and she’s not someone who has used her body to get what she needs.”
“You hardly know her,” Brent snapped.
Toryn smirked. “No, but I wouldn’t have suggested you two if I thought it would come down to that once you were bonded.”
“You knew we would?” Brent asked.
“I did.”
“Still believe she won’t have to sleep with him?” Brent asked, hoping like hell he did.
“Yeah, I do. Now, where are the vampires located? Or do you know?”
“The Old House, I believe. Or somewhere very close to it. At least the people they’ve taken. The strongest of the vampires are likely closer to Seattle with their own cattle. The blood slaves will be where the weaker vampires are, and the Old House seems the most likely location.”
“What rituals are they doing?” Preston asked.
“Ones to find the perfect vessel for Crom Cruach. And they take people like me to try to gain some of our power. Problem is, they may have gained a little magic, but it was mostly from spirits, and most of them are entities trapped between realms. Their magic is not meant for us. Very few can handle it for any length of time. It tends to drive vampires crazy to be possessed, even for a few moments. I can’t tell you how many were killed because they lost control and had to be put down, but they didn’t understand what was happening,” Brent explained.
“Is there any type of magic they can leach without going crazy?” Robert asked.
“Theoretically. Then again there were a handful of vampires who could handle my blood without issue. Takes certain powers for most vampires to leach abilities.”
“They’re likely looking for another sorcerer, then?”
“Most likely, among other things. They need the blood of someone with access to skills they had in life. Even mundane vampires can gain some of their power back for a period of time if they drink from the type of caster they were in life. Only exception I know of are Deathcallers. The dead, as far as I know, cannot control the dead, unless they were a Deathcaller in life. At least not in the same way. A master can still control a fledgling, but that is different,” Brent explained. “Sometimes, a powerful vampire can control its fledgling’s fledglings. That’s rare, though.”
“This can go two ways,” Brent protested. “We could get lucky and find them, but we’re more likely to alarm them, and they kill those they consider weak or useless and move the rest. And with Amelia getting closer to Eamon, I don’t like offering him the opportunity to take her from me.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t allow it. And the plan is she stays at the hotel, and only Eamon goes into her room. No one else. Kellan and Zoe are there, waiting for her.
“Maybe we can find Inuala, and I can end this now,” Brent offered. “I thought I killed her once before. But maybe she reincarnated like Amelia and me.”
“Oh, she was dead,” Toryn answered. “You turned every last vampire to ash, even the one who was supposedly immune to fire. You took over both my magic and Reance’s that day, and I barely kept you safe from the flames, and not for lack of trying. What you did was more powerful than anything I’ve seen.”
Brent nodded. “And I can’t get away with that this time. Not with people I’ve promised to protect there.”
Toryn sighed. “We managed to get the slaves out first last time, which was why we didn’t leave until sundown.”
Brent nodded. “We won’t have that opportunity this time.” He turned to Robert. “Can you ask Tremaine for another favor? See if he can find anything on Amelia’s family. She’s been a sorceress in every other life. I think someone locked her magic away. I’m hoping he can help unlock it.”
Robert ran a hand down his lapel. “No one in her family has any magic.”
“It’s there, under the surface, buried deep down. Something is blocking it.”
“I’ll have him look, but jump-starting those powers without a beginner course could be dangerous.”
Brent nodded. “She may be the only one who can force Crom Cruach away if she’s even half as strong as she was in her first incarnation. We need her magic. I can’t do it on my own.”
Preston rubbed at his neck. “Does that mean Delilah would be the same?”
“Probably. With her being a werewolf, it won’t matter. Her magic won’t come back.”
“But Amelia is a vampire. They don’t have magic,” Preston insisted.
Toryn snorted. “Some of them do. The oldest ones. And if Eamon trades blood with Amelia, he may unlock the magic himself. Mental blocks or not, he doesn’t have to tap into her memories to break whatever magic locked hers away.”
“And that’s not dangerous?” Preston snapped.
Brent held up a hand. “She has past memories to help her, but I think she’s going to need access to magic if we are going to finally find a way to get rid of Crom Cruach and send him on for good.”
“Is it as simple as drinking from you?” Robert asked.
“No. If she just gets it from me, she won’t be able to control it. She needs access to her own magic. And she had plenty of practice in past lives,” Brent explained.
Robert shook his head. “How can that ever be enough? She hasn’t done it in this lifetime.”
“It will have to be, and she’s resourceful. Just get the info for me, in case Eamon doesn’t manage to release her magic.”
“I really wish I had thought this all through,” Robert muttered. “What do you think he’ll do when he doesn’t form a bond to her?”
“Don’t, Robert. I don’t need the reminder. I’m hoping Eamon truly loves her, because he won’t hurt her again.”
“Again?” Toryn asked, his brow at his hairline.
“First life. She tried to send Crom Cruach out of this world, but she was already fading when he found his way into Eamon. She managed to cast him out, but his essence remained, as well as a gateway for him to communicate with his god. Eamon destroyed her in his first blood lust. As long as he truly loves her, he won’t hurt her again.”
“Right.” Robert left the room.
Preston rubbed his hand over his face. “What else can we do in the meantime?”
“Did you try to track the vampires who took people?”
“Yeah, but they’re using some kind of portal.”
Brent sat back and looked at Toryn. “You know anything about portal use?”
Toryn answered, “I have Lonny looking into it. He can track that kind of magic, usually. He’ll be able to help Robert open the way if he can lockdown the destination, but the problem becomes what do we walk in on?”
Preston asked, “Have you tried communicating with Amelia over a distance since the bond?”
Brent shook his head. “We haven’t been that far apart until tonight. I’d try now, but I’m worried I will jump in her head while Eamon is in there. Her memories and thoughts may be locked down, but he’ll sense me.”
“Hadn’t thought of that. Does she know it’s a possibility?”
He nodded. “Believe so. She knows Consuela and Declan do.”
Preston patted his shoulder. “Give her time. She’s got her own shit to work out. We have stuff to cover.”
Chapter 17
Amelia paced the living room in the suite. Thanks to Robert, she showed up in her room seconds after the sun went down. As long as Eamon didn’t dig too deep into who footed the bill and why, they were fine.
The knock on the door made her jump. Amelia forced calm through her as she walked to the door.
Eamon smiled down at her. “May I enter?”
She almost laughed at the absurd statement. This wasn’t the movies. Stepping aside, she motioned for him step inside.
Eamon moved past Amelia without reaching for her, though his eyes burned into her, searing her. Still, it wasn’t nearly as good as the way Brent looked at her.
“Evening,” she murmured. “Did you think I would ignore what we had?” She wanted to gag but kept her smile plastered to her face.
“I hoped not. There have been times I’ve had to come for you after waking your memories. You come around, but sometimes you’re frightened for longer.”
Because she had come to realize the monster he was. And now she couldn’t decide if he was all monster or a creation of his situation, much like she had been and was now. Only everything was different now. She could protect herself better than she could in the past in ways. And in others, she was immune to some of the problems she faced as a sorceress.
“I crave your blood on my tongue, Amelia. But I need you to drink from me too.”
“I’m bound,” she spat out. “You won’t forge that bond with me, not now. And you haven’t in the past.”
“You have never drunk from me in the past. How do you know we wouldn’t bond?”
“I will not have Brendan die so you can forge a bond. I don’t need the bond to love you.” Oh, those words tasted like ash. And yet, she had to say them. He needed to believe they stood a chance.
“Maybe not, and I already promised not to harm him, as long as when you’re with me, you’re truly with me.”
Her breath caught. As long as he didn’t mean sex, she could manage. He could have her attention.
“I’m not sleeping with you tonight. I told you, we need to get to know each other.”
“You won’t sleep with him either?” Eamon asked.
She gulped. “You’re not my master, and you do not make my decisions.”
He growled, but paced away. “This isn’t fair.”
Amelia took a step toward Eamon, glaring back at him. “Unless you want to force a decision this moment, you need to knock it off. I’m still working out what I feel now. I loved you then, and there is definitely something drawing me to you now, but I’ve loved Brendan for some time now. Consider my perspective.”
He studied her a long moment. “You haven’t decided yet?”
“I wouldn’t have called you if I had.”
“Very well, I can live with your boundaries. We need a chance.”
She nodded, moving closer, but she wasn’t sure what to say.
Her memories and thoughts were protected. She wouldn’t let him see the truth.
“I still want to trade blood,” Eamon murmured.
Amelia nodded. Biting was always erotic. This was dangerous. Yet, she opened her mouth, her fangs extending.
Eamon licked his lips, his fangs peeking out. He closed the distance, slipping one hand around her neck, guiding her to his artery while he pulled her wrist up and sank his teeth into her. She struck, his blood filling her mouth.
Crom Cruach pressed into her consciousness with Eamon’s bite but neither could access anything. The dark voice coiled through her mind, I’ve missed you, Oriana.
She forced his voice out while Eamon pulled on her vein. He pushed images of him making love to her against the wall. She pushed back images of her riding him while he was on his back.
He growled, his hips rocking against her. She gripped his hip and pushed him back.
A whimper escaped his lips. He pushed deeper into her soul and there was a pop. Magic rushed forward. Spirits murmured around her. Colors flittered through the air as Eamon pressed a kiss to her wrist.
“Mmm, that’s better, little sorceress,” he murmured.
“What did you do?” she gasped.
Voices came at her from all sides.
He broke the spell.
He unlocked your magic.
His magic popped the lock on yours.
He gave you back your gift.
One voice was familiar. Lock him out, lock them out. Walls, Amelia.
Amelia obeyed Badb. She’d always given good advice.
Eamon took several steps back, his head cocked. “Don’t you recognize your calling?”
“And what is that?” she whispered.
“To bring Crom Cruach into our world. Your magic is unlocked.”
Her chest heaved. “Unlocked?”
Badb whispered, It was always there. Your grandparents locked it away before having your mother.
News to her, something she would have to ask about, if given the opportunity. Then it hit her. The other spirits weren’t talking now, but Badb was. Would that be a problem? Did she want into the world the same way Crom did?
Darkness Binds Page 13
