Bound to Remember, a Paranormal Romance (Book 1 of the Spellbound Series)

by Lola James

  “Protect me? Why?” I thought he was going to say because he loved me; but saying he wanted to protect me only made me more confused.

  “Antonia, do you know your blood type?”

  “Yes, it’s AB negative.”

  “Do you know how rare that blood type is?”

  “Yes, only one percent of people in the world have it; I did go to medical school. Why are you asking me this, and why do YOU still need to protect me when I have a protection spell?”

  “Do you know why there are only one percent of people in the world with that blood type?”

  “AB negative is a blood group that has both proteins, A and B, and Rh is absent. It’s rare to have all three things. What is this, medical exam day?”

  He took my hand in his. “Antonia, your blood type is so rare because of vampires. You see, AB is believed to be ‘cursed’ blood or ‘bad’ blood. The curse is that vampires are intoxicated by your blood.” He looked into my eyes.

  “If that is so, why are you the first vampire that I have ever encountered?” I asked skeptically. I was starting to think that Ben was a conspiracy theorist.

  “I do not know, but please trust me.” Ben’s eyes pleaded with me.

  “Fine, I will trust you and move into your house,” I smirked. I did not want to argue with someone who, under a truth spell, had just admitted that he loved me and wanted to protect me.

  “Great; you need not worry about rent, and I will get you out of your current lease.” He stood and paced the floor. Somehow, I could sense his fear.

  “Ben,” I started. “When you were talking to Annie, you said something about love?” Ben stopped pacing and turned toward me. If he weren’t a vampire, he probably would have blushed as he sat next to me.

  “Yes, I did,” he responded, but said nothing more. I rolled my eyes; he wanted me to drag it out of him.

  “So why did you say that?” I questioned. Ben exhaled a long exaggerated breath.

  “My feelings are premature, but they are real. You are the first woman that I have allowed myself to get close to since Catherine, and I feel myself wanting to get closer to you, be with you, and somehow make you love me.”

  My mouth dropped open at his reasoning and I felt what he said was true. He took my hand and intertwined our fingers as he brought my hand to his lips. My body felt like it would explode at any moment.

  “Ben, how did my blood taste to you?” I asked as I paced my breathing.

  “The same as mine tasted to you,” he said as his eyes filled with passion and his lips kissed my fingertips. I was breathless with every touch.

  “How do you know how yours tasted to me?” I slowly pulled my hand away from his lips. I wanted him in a carnal way the more he touched or kissed me. I folded my arms across my chest to be safe.

  “Antonia, I can feel all of your emotions since our blood exchange, and you can feel mine.” He smiled. My hands flew to my mouth in shock, and I shook my head as I remembered the orgasmic feeling I’d had when I drank his blood.

  “No,” I murmured.

  “Do not worry; your secret is safe with me.” Ben winked as he stood up.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  I hurried out of the room, embarrassed over my thoughts about Ben. I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face before I headed downstairs to find Annie. Wandering through the house, I discovered her on the front porch, smoking a cigarette.

  “When did you start smoking?” I asked, fanning the smoke I had just walked into. Annie looked back at me and put the cigarette out.

  “Long story.” She sat up straight and patted next to her for me to sit. “Toni, are you okay? You’re all red; what’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing is wrong; I’m just embarrassed.” I slumped my body on Annie as she wrapped her arm around me.

  “Why?” Annie rubbed my back and leaning her head forward to look at my face.

  “Well, for one, Ben and I can feel each other’s emotions ever since our blood exchange, and I’ve had some very lusty feelings that I would never want him to know about. There was something erotic about drinking his blood.” I looked at my friend before putting my head in my hands.

  Annie looked out at the trees. “Toni, don’t worry; the truth is he wants to protect you more than sleep with you. I felt his fear while he was under my truth spell, and he’s a vampire. For him to be so afraid makes me terrified.”

  She was a powerful witch, and she was afraid — so how scared should I be? “Terrified of what?”

  “Hades,” Annie said in an ominous tone. I slapped my hands to my knees.

  “Oh, come on! Not you too?” I rolled my eyes and tilted my head to the sky. Annie sighed.

  “Give me your hands and close your eyes, Toni. I will show you something you could never see, unless you were a witch or immortal.”

  Annie closed her eyes and took my hands into hers as I closed my eyes. Annie started speaking in a language I had never heard before. My mind went empty as I saw a vision of a dark place. The smell of mold and mildew filled my nose as Annie whispered, “Stay quiet, and keep your eyes closed. I want you to see him.”

  I wanted to ask her whom she was referring to, but I decided to follow her instructions. I could see Annie and myself as we stood in the darkness of shadows. A man appeared from the blackness. He sat behind a large, black, glass desk as he wrote in a book with cloth pages. I looked around where he sat; it appeared to be an office. The walls were painted to look like windows, with clouds and sunshine, and the floor was made of marble. I marveled as I looked at the handsome man behind the desk. He was gorgeous, with silky black, shoulder-length hair, alluring hazel eyes, a perfectly straight nose, and a strong chin. The sight of him made my heart skip a beat. I stood there in awe and thought he seemed somehow familiar to me. I was thinking about where I could have seen him before when a short, ugly man with a tail approached his desk.

  “Well?” The handsome man said, clearly annoyed by the creature that stood before him.

  “I am sorry to disturb you, Master Hades,” the little man said as he bowed and snorted. I gasped as Hades looked up suddenly, in the direction in which Annie and I were hiding. I heard Annie begin to speak the unfamiliar language again as the vision disappeared. I opened my eyes and found we were back on the porch.

  “I told you to stay quiet!” Annie yelled.

  “I’m sorry! Next time, you might want to give me a heads up that we are going to be right there!” I said, defensively.

  “Well, I didn’t think you would approve of a trip to the Underworld, but at least now you know he IS real,” Annie whispered.

  “Who is real?” Ben asked as he joined us on the porch.

  “Hades,” I said without a thought. Ben’s eyes darted to Annie as she stood up to face him.

  “You took her to the Underworld?” Ben fumed and took at step towards Annie with anger and loathing in his voice.

  “Sort of; I just showed her a vision of Hades, because she didn’t believe he was real,” Annie explained in a small voice.

  “Are you crazy? She could have been killed, or worse, seen!” Ben yelled.

  “No, dead man! She couldn’t; it was just a vision of the Underworld.” Annie stalked past Ben and into the house. I moved closer to Ben and wrapped my arms around him as I pulled him closer to me.

  “I’m sorry, Ben. I didn’t know we were going there, but now I know what — I mean, whom — we are up against.” Ben’s arms closed around me, and his touch made me feverish.

  “Well, for that, I guess I can be grateful.” Ben tried to smile, but he was clearly still very angry with Annie.

  “What time is it?” I looked up at Ben, still wrapped all around him.

  “Almost five. The sun will be up soon.”

  “Come on; let’s go in.” I took Ben’s hand and we went inside to the living room. We sat on the couch as Annie sat in the chair across from us. Sadly, we all remained silent.

  “What is wrong?” Zelma asked as she
appeared from thin air again in the doorway of the room.

  “Nothing,” we all said at the same time.

  “If I were to believe that, I would be a fool. Annabelle, what is going on?” Zelma looked directly at Annie, who let out a long sigh.

  “I showed Toni a vision of Hades.” Zelma’s eyes widened and a frightened look replaced the smile she had worn upon entering the room.

  “You took her to the Underworld?” Zelma inquired as her voice trembled.

  “I didn’t take her anywhere; I showed her a vision,” Annie yelled, annoyed. Zelma was not angry with Annie, but she seemed terrified about something.

  “Let’s go see the daybreak so you all can get some rest,” Zelma suggested. We all went into the front yard, then faced east as the brilliance of the sun came into view. I looked at Ben as he took my hand, and felt his fear of the sun when he closed his eyes.

  The warm sun beamed on Ben’s face, and he began to smile with joy. He let my hand go and turned around in the light. I thought, this must be the first time in two centuries that he’s felt the sun.

  “It works!” Ben exclaimed as the sun shone over his entire body. I walked over to Annie and gave her a big hug.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  “Stop it, Toni; you knew I would help; that’s why you called me!” Annie said as she hugged me back. “You were the only friend who never judged me or my gift of magic, and for that I am forever grateful.”

  “Annie.” I wanted to cry, but Ben’s happiness still consumed me.

  “If you will not accept Antonia’s gratitude, please accept mine,” Ben said as he extended his hand to Annie. We both looked at Ben in disbelief as Annie cautiously took his hand into hers and shook it. I smiled at my friends finally finding some common ground.

  “Y-you’re welcome, Benjamin,” Annie said.

  “You all should get some rest,” Zelma suggested.

  “Yes, as much as it is nice to be in the sun, I still need my rest,” Ben said.

  I smiled as I let out a yawn; it was my bedtime too. We followed Ben inside the house and went upstairs. Annie disappeared into a room at the end of the hallway, and Ben was undressed and in bed when I entered our bedroom. I looked for my bag in the dark room, grabbed my toothbrush, and headed to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth, I decided to go to Annie’s room while I dressed. I walked down the hallway and heard voices coming through the door as I knocked.

  “Just a minute,” Annie said, before she answered the door with a smile.

  “Did I interrupt you?” I smiled back at Annie.

  “No, no, come in.” Annie opened the door wider for me.

  “I heard you talking to someone.” I looked around her room before I sat on the edge of her bed.

  “Did you?” she asked with doubt in her tone.

  “Yes, but . . .”

  Annie closed her laptop and sat beside me on the bed. “I was chatting with this guy that I talk to from time to time.” She winked.

  “A guy? Tell me more.” I was excited for Annie, since she NEVER talked about any guy.

  “Well, he fascinates me,” Annie confessed as she revered.

  “Really! So are you dating?” I asked. I was truly happy for Annie.

  “No, we are just uh -- working -- together. I’m going to see him tonight, after you guys leave.” She beamed but her eyes shifted a little like she was lying about them dating. Maybe she didn’t want to say anything until they were serious.

  “Can I sleep in here with you? I have too much sexual tension with Ben.”

  “Sure, you know I always have an extra pillow. Do you want a sleep spell?” In college, Annie would cast a sleep spell on me the night before any of my big exams.

  “You haven’t done that since college. Okay,” I said, excitedly, knowing the amount of rest I would receive from the spell.

  “Close your eyes and lie down,” she instructed.

  “Thank you, Annie,” I said before obediently lying on the bed.

  “You’re welcome.” I felt Annie’s warm hand touch my head. “Peace of mind, dreams be sweet, now allow my friend to sleep, sleep, and sleep!” I was asleep before the last “sleep” was out of her mouth.

  My mind took me to a place that I had been to before, with the same putrid smell and black haze. The room was empty, so I walked out of the shadow and over to the desk. I saw the book that Hades had been writing in earlier, closed on top of his desk. As I stood in front of the desk, I felt a presence behind me.

  “I knew you would come back.” I turned to find Hades standing behind me, with an evil but sexy smile on his face. I should have run, but I didn’t. Instead, I stood frozen, looking up at the very tall man, being seduced by his eyes. I wanted him. His long fingers caressed the side of my face. Screams of horror echoed from outside his office, and my knees went weak as a familiar voice echoed loud and clear.

  “Antonia! NO!” It was the voice of my father. He was here! I turned to run toward the door to find him.

  When Hades grabbed my shoulder, I screamed in terror. He pulled me closer to him and I felt cold rush over me as I heard, “Awake, awake in the time of need.” I opened my eyes to find myself in Ben’s arms as Annie and Zelma stared at me.

  “What happened? I could feel your fear,” Ben told me when I was awake.

  “I went to sleep and had a terrible dream,” I replied.

  “What did you dream of, dear?” Zelma asked.

  “Hades. I was fine until I heard my father scream my name,” I said as Zelma’s wrinkled face went pale. I felt Ben’s arms wrap around me tighter.

  “At least you’re okay,” Annie said as she rubbed my arm.

  I felt disoriented and perplexed. “What time is it?” I asked.

  “Almost seven,” Annie said.

  “In the morning?” I asked incredulously. I felt like I’d been sleeping for days.

  “No, it’s seven in the evening. We have to leave soon,” Ben said as he released me from his arms.

  “Already?” I shook my head. Zelma walked out of the room with an odd expression on her face. It was as if she’d seen a ghost.

  ***

  After I’d showered and dressed, Ben came up the stairs. “Hey, are you ready?” he asked as he walked into the bedroom.

  “Uh, yeah, I still need to put my things in my bag, but I should be ready in a few.”

  “Great!” He grabbed his bag. I started packing hastily because I wanted to talk to Annie alone before we had to leave.

  “Are you ready?” I heard Annie say behind me.

  “Yeah, but I wanted to talk to you.” She heard the pang of anxiety in my voice and looked alarmed.

  “Of course,” she said, and sat on the bed.

  I sat next to her, leaned over, and whispered, “I think I know Hades.”

  Annie pulled away from me with a mystified look on her face. “Why?” she asked. I leaned close to whisper again.

  “In my dream, he said, ‘I knew you would come back.’ But he said it like he knew me.”

  “He probably felt your presence in the vision and said that to scare you,” Annie said in a reassuring voice.

  “You think so?” I asked.

  “Yes. Don’t worry, Toni, it was only a dream,” Annie said as she hugged me. She knew how to calm me without magic; I could trust Annie with my life. “Now let’s head off to the airport.”

  I zipped my bag shut and we went downstairs. Zelma appeared at the door as Ben took our bags to the car. Tears streamed down her eyes as she wrapped me into a hug.

  “Antonia, I am so sorry. Your trip has caused more harm than good,” Zelma said as I pulled back to look at her wrinkled face. Her words almost mimicked Kevin’s and made me concerned.

  “No, Zelma it was good, and you’re right; Annie is very powerful.” I took Zelma’s hands into mine before kissing both of them, but she shook her head.

  “I failed you, Antonia.” She kissed my hands in return and smiled sadly at me, saying goodbye to me in Greek
. I knew what it meant, because my father used to say it every time he left the house. I stared at the old woman as Ben came up to us.

  While they said their goodbyes, I got into Annie’s car. I sat in the back as Ben hugged Zelma. Annie slammed her door, breaking my concentration. Ben dashed to the car as Annie turned on the ignition. We drove to the airport in silence. When we arrived, Annie cried as we shared one final embrace.

  “I love you, Annie!” I squeezed her tightly.