by Deanna Chase
My cheeks burned. I knew what he meant, but everyone else was already speculating the status of our relationship. His statement had added a lot more fuel to the fire.
“She needs to recover before you do anything else,” David continued. And damned if they didn’t all back down.
“Let’s go.” David tugged me close but didn’t pick me up, much to my relief. I was weak enough and he was already casting me as a damsel in distress. It wasn’t exactly the image I wanted to convey to my colleagues. “She’s taking a few days off,” David said.
The director eyed us both and I was sure by the hard set of her face she was going to argue. But then she gave us a short nod. “Fine. It’s Wednesday today. Take the next two days and the weekend. We’ll resume on Monday.”
“Really?” I said, not daring to hope she was serious.
“Yes, we need to start compiling results anyway.”
“Thank you.” I leaned into David for support as he guided me toward the door.
The early-October night air was cool on my skin and I shivered. David ran his hand down my arm as if to warm me. I laughed and smiled up at him. “You’re a vampire.”
“So?”
“You don’t have any body heat.”
He chuckled, then his lips morphed into a devilish grin. “I’m pretty sure I could heat you up if I put my mind to it.”
“I can’t believe you’re flirting with me when I’m an inch away from passing out again.” My tone was teasing, but my heart skipped a beat. Dammit, if I didn’t enjoy the exchange.
He slid his hand to rest on my hip. “Just trying to keep you awake.”
His words warmed me all over. The blood loss must’ve messed with my common sense. Yeah. That was it.
He tucked me into his silver Mercedes, and once I was sitting, my entire body went limp. I slumped against the window and closed my eyes.
The other door shut with a soft click. “Willow?”
“Hmm?”
David reached over and squeezed my hand. “You okay?”
“Just tired.” I was exhausted. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Between the lab tests and running The Fated Cupcake, my mind and body had turned to mush. But added to that, I’d stayed glued to my iPhone, waiting and praying for a phone call from Talisen. Other than the one text, I hadn’t heard from him at all. He’d never returned my call.
I couldn’t even say I was mad. Not anymore. No, I was hurt and resigned. My life was too much for him to handle. Or more likely, the decisions I’d made regarding David and Allcot were too much for him to handle. And the thing was, I didn’t feel guilt or regret over saving either of them. I’d do it again with no second thoughts. For David. Sure, he was a vampire. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t a good man. One who would do whatever it took to protect those he loved, including me. And he’d been there for me when no one else was. In fact he was here for me now, when Tal wasn’t.
Why did he have to turn vamp? Right. To protect me. Suddenly I didn’t care that he’d turned. All that mattered was that he was my friend. And I was his.
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” David said.
My eyes popped open. Lights glowed from the living room windows of my house. “Looks like Phoebe’s home already.”
David jumped out of the car, and like always, he came around and pulled my door open for me. I wobbled as I climbed out.
“Steady there,” he said, holding my hand.
“I’ve got it.”
He stepped back, giving me my space.
I had to fight to not let my disappointment take over, because I really wanted to feel his arms around me again. To have him press me against his chest. To feel his lips against…
Shit. Stop it, Willow.
He hadn’t tried to carry me since that first night of testing when I’d been too weak to walk. After that, I’d been armed with Mocha in Motion and the ointment my mom had brought me. The combination was enough to keep me moving under my own steam. And when I’d said as much to David, he’d backed off, probably realizing I needed to take care of myself to maintain some modicum of self-respect.
“Ready?” David asked.
I pushed away from the car. “Yeah, sure.”
We walked slowly up the path, David patiently matching my turtle pace. I didn’t even ask if he wanted to come in. He would anyway. He’d insisted every other night and tonight would be no different. He had to see for himself that my house was clear of any intruders and that I’d made it safely to my oak tree.
My feminist side thought I should be annoyed at his overprotectiveness, but really, I was grateful. It was nice to be looked after.
“Phoebs,” I called as I walked through the front door.
Link, finally free of his cone, ran forward in excitement, wagging his stubbed tail.
“Hey, buddy.” I leaned down and scratched him behind his ears.
David stopped behind me. Link glanced up at him, then acted as if he wasn’t even there. Ever since the night David had freed him from the window-covering cords, Link had ceased to growl at him. They weren’t best buddies, but the pair had come to some sort of unspoken agreement to get along.
Phoebe poked her head out of her office and pointed to the phone pressed to her ear. I waved and pointed up, indicating we’d be upstairs. She nodded and gestured to David. Her hand froze mid-wave. Her eyes widened as she pulled the phone away from her ear and pointed at me. “Dude, what the fuck is that?”
I clamped my hand over my neck. “More testing.”
She narrowed her eyes at David. “You let this happen?”
“Phoebe,” I said, exasperated. “He didn’t let anything happen and you know it. This is the work of the Void’s hired vamp.”
She pursed her lips together and then uttered, “Fuck me.”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Sorry. It’s hard to watch this and not be able to do anything about it.” She stared at me, her brow crinkled in frustration.
“It’ll be over soon.”
“She has a reprieve until Monday,” David said
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “How’d that happen?”
I waved at David and started climbing the stairs. “He insisted.”
“Well. Looks like you’re good for more than standing around brooding.” She smirked at him and ducked back into her office.
I chuckled and kept climbing. David followed, just as he had for the past two weeks.
Once inside my room, I fluttered my wings and perched on the edge of my bed, staring down at David. “I made it.”
“I see that.” He moved closer and placed both hands on either side of me on the bed.
Warmth spread in my belly. In a soft voice, I asked, “What are you doing?”
His eyes flickered to my neck. “I can’t leave until I heal those marks for you.”
“Oh,” I breathed. He’d healed vampire marks on my neck once before. It had been tender and sensual at the same time and had made me feel things I’d never felt with anyone before.
His hands moved to my waist and ever so gently, he lifted me off the bed and set me down in front of him. I clutched his shoulders and stared up into his deep, midnight-blue eyes.
He met my gaze. A flicker of emotion flashed over his features.
My breath caught with anticipation. Goddess help me, I wanted his lips on me. Wanted to be wrapped in his embrace. Wanted him.
His gaze dropped to my mouth and I couldn’t help licking my lips in preparation. His eyes closed as if he were praying for control. Then he leaned in and pressed those cool lips to my neck. He trailed a circle of kisses around the punctured area, soothing with each soft flick of his tongue.
My knees went weak and I clutched at him to keep from falling. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me tight to his statuesque physique.
Holy hell. There was a fire burning from my neck straight to my center that had nothing to do with the vamp bites. And it only intensified when his tongue flicked over the wounds, sending a rush o
f pleasure straight to my toes. I gasped.
David lapped at my neck until I was almost vibrating, and when he pulled away, the loss was almost too great to bear. I twisted my fist into the front of his shirt and stood on my tiptoes until our lips were inches apart.
“Willow,” David said, his voice husky.
“Yeah?”
“Your neck is healed.”
“Good.” My brain had stopped functioning. All I could think about was kissing him. And the way he was staring back at me said he was consumed with the same thoughts. I closed my eyes and moved in. Our lips touched, slow and gentle at first. Then my lips parted and he tasted me, igniting an inferno between us. We kissed hungrily, deeply, hands everywhere, our bodies molded together. I was lost in his embrace, one that was both familiar and foreign at the same time.
I buried my hands in his thick dark hair and moaned as his lips moved to that sensitive spot right below my ear.
David’s arms tightened around me once more, and then he pulled back, running his thumb lightly over my bottom lip.
I was frozen, horrified by what I’d just done. It scared me. But I didn’t step back.
David did, instead. “I think now is probably not the time for this.”
“You’re probably right.” Once he wasn’t touching me, I could think more clearly. And the thing was, I realized I didn’t want him to leave. And not only because my body was humming with desire, but because I liked having him around.
“I should go,” he said.
“Okay.” Because there was no way I was going to ask him to stay. Not tonight. He was right. This was not the time. I wasn’t over Talisen. Not even close. Plus I’d spent two weeks getting battered and then bit by another vamp. I needed time to heal, to mentally put myself together, and he knew that.
He pulled me into one more hug and quickly let me go. “Get some rest, Wil.”
“You, too,” I called after him, knowing that was going to be next to impossible thanks to the minor make-out session we’d just had.
Twenty minutes later my phone buzzed. David. We’ll talk tomorrow.
***
I spent the entire next day whipping up batches of Kiss Me chocolates and Truth Clusters, all the while worrying about what I’d say to David when he called.
By two forty-five, my phone hadn’t so much as buzzed once. And mostly I was happy about that. I wasn’t sure how I felt about what had happened between us. But one thing was for sure, Tal had been right. I wasn’t over David. Now I had a choice to make. Fight for Tal or see what happened with David?
I tossed my phone on the desk and headed to the front of the store. As I walked through the door to the retail area, I came face to face with Tami.
“There you are,” she said. “I was just coming to get you. You have a visitor.”
“A visitor? Who?”
She shrugged. “No idea. I’ve never seen him before.”
“Did you get a name?” Panic had started to wind its way into my chest. After being followed and subjected to Asher, my tolerance for strangers was nonexistent.
“No, sorry. I was busy with a customer. He’s sitting out front, though,” She pointed to a tall, tan man, lounging in a metal chair at one of the small tables out front.
I squinted. He wore khaki knee-length shorts, a T-shirt advertising a local pub, and dark sunglasses. A Saints ball cap covered most of his dark hair.
Shrugging, I headed to the front door. I had a store full of witnesses. What could go wrong? I chuckled to myself. Famous last words. However, it was the middle of the day, so at least I didn’t have to worry about vampires.
Or did I? The posture of the man waiting for me was entirely too familiar. What was he doing out during the middle of the day? Crap.
I pushed the front door open and strode over to my visitor. “David, what are you doing here?”
He tugged his sunglasses down just far enough to make eye contact and smiled at me from across the table. “Waiting for you. I figured I’d surprise you.”
“But it’s the middle of the day. What if someone recognizes you?”
He gave a noncommittal shrug and waved a hand at himself. “You really think anyone’s going to make the connection?”
Honestly…no. He was tan from his sun experiments and he was dressed like every other student in the city. Heck, Tami hadn’t even recognized him and I’d dated him for a year. He’d been in the shop more times that I could count. “Probably not.”
He reached into a backpack and pulled out a thick manila envelope. “This is for you.”
“What is it?”
“Open it.”
More than curious, I pulled the tabs up and peeked inside. I let out a tiny gasp as I recognized the first of many images. They were all the pictures I’d thought I’d lost on my phone, plus a USB drive. “How…”
“I told you I’d get someone to try to recover them. It was stupid to smash your phone without saying anything first.”
I wanted to throw my arms around him and hang on until the pressure in my chest disappeared, but since he was sitting down, I hugged the packet instead and smiled down at him. “That was thoughtful.”
He shrugged. “It was my fault.” Then he grinned and held out his hand. “Hello. My name’s David. It’s nice to meet you.”
Laughing, I let him shake my hand. “What are you doing?”
“Introducing myself.”
“I caught that part,” I said dryly.
He sat back and regarded me for a moment. “I was hoping we could start over. Maybe put the last few months behind us and get to know each other as the people we are today.”
“You already know me. And I know you,” I said.
“Sure. But wouldn’t it be nice to just start over? This time with complete honesty.”
That got me. “Yes, it would. Give me a minute.” I ran back into the shop and grabbed two Happy Cookies and a Kiss Me chocolate.
Smiling to myself, I headed back outside and sat across from David. “Here.” I handed him one of the cookies and set the Kiss Me chocolate in the middle of the table.
“Is that what I think it is?” he asked, eyeing the bag.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I grinned. “We’re starting over.”
About the Author
Deanna is a native Californian, transplanted to the slower paced lifestyle of southeastern Louisiana. When she isn’t writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans, playing with her two Shih Tzu dogs, making glass beads, or out hocking her wares at various bead shows across the country. For more information visit her website at www.deannachase.com. To be the first to know about new releases sign up for Deanna’s newsletter here.
Other Books by Deanna
Haunted on Bourbon Street
Witches of Bourbon Street
Demons of Bourbon Street
Angels of Bourbon Street
Irresistible Magic
Defining Destiny (Dec 2013)
Shadows of Bourbon Street (March 2014)
Book Three in the Crescent City Fae series (June 2014)
Magick Marked Excerpt
by Chauntelle Baughman
Prologue
Mohan watched the single drop of blood trickle from the blade in his hand, hitting the mirror lying on the ground. With a steady finger, he traced a pentagram in his blood. Candles flickered, casting light along the dim walls of his cell, flaring as he closed the circle around the star. Finally.
Nine hundred and ninety-nine years and twenty-seven days had passed since they’d put him in this godforsaken slice of hell. Being virtually castrated of his powers was worse than never having had power at all. The blue flame he called into his palms barely flickered now, nothing but mere potential. Those hands of his only served as the reminder of what he’d once been.
What he could become again.
And now, finally, he might be strong enough to escape this place. He’d bribed guards and prisoners alike to get
only the simple things he surrounded himself with. A knife. A mirror. Candles. A strand of hair from the strongest of his captors. All of these things made necessary just to give him a few seconds of time with the one person who could help him escape.
A woman he pretended to love.
The time was near. He could feel it, even if he couldn’t see it. The planets and stars were aligning themselves for the new millennia, generating a short-lived fissure in the magick connecting the human world with Etherealis.
He’d done nothing but consider the possibility of his escape for the last thousand years. And he’d generated a theory.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he stared into the mirror. Surely she hadn’t forgotten their last agreement. They’d made it long ago, agreeing to meet at the next weakness in the barrier. She was the beacon, the light in the darkness of this place, which could take him home.
If this worked, he’d know the crack in the barrier was starting. They’d only have a matter of months to assemble those Kamens and get him out of here. Reuniting those five magickal stones was the key to regaining control over all the magick in the DarqRealm, and the sole ticket to his escape. He’d owned all the magick in the world once before. And while it wouldn’t be easy to find the five pieces that had been separated and hidden away, he would do it again. His lips curved up at the thought of leaving these four walls behind.
“Mohan?” The female voice sounded hollow and distant.
Excitement stirred in his stomach. “Rhyannon?”
“Mohan, is that you?”
“You remembered.” Time was short, his patience even shorter, but she was the key to the whole plan. He needed to keep her baited.
“I told you I would, my love,” she answered.
“How I have missed the sound of your voice. Now quickly – we haven’t much time.” The syrupy-sweet tone sounded foreign coming from his lips, but he would give her what she needed to hear.
“Have you found a way out?”
“The Kamens.”
“What do you mean?”
Clank. The mirror fractured, a fissure sliding down the shiny surface and stopping halfway through the plate of glass. He’d worried this would happen. Shoddy second-rate materials.
