by Raven Steele
I felt his power tug on me, trying to still my muscles, but I fought against it, angry that he would try to force me to stay undressed. But I didn’t show my anger, instead I gave him a cold and indifferent look. “I will not.”
“Obey him, Samira,” Korin warned. He glanced at Mateo. “You need to leave.”
“I think I’ll stay.”
“Leave,” I snapped, not wanting him to interfere with whatever these two wanted from me. If Mateo stayed, it would only end badly for him. Any leverage we had against surprising Korin would disappear. When Mateo didn’t budge, I added, “I mean it. Get out of this room and don’t ever sneak into any room of mine again. This body is no longer yours.”
He stiffened and leaned away from the wall. “I had only come to admire.”
He walked toward me, his eyes shielding any feeling and Korin called after him, “Go straight to my quarters. I have business with you.”
I inhaled a slow breath hoping Mateo wouldn’t be punished for being in here.
Naburus shuffled toward me, dragging the IV pole behind him. “You are a strong, powerful woman, Samira.”
“What do you want?”
“You did well tonight,” Korin began as Naburus circled me, eyeing me up and down.
I lifted up my shirt to pull it over my head but Naburus yanked it from my hands and tossed it to the other side of the room.
“I lost,” I growled, trying hard not to punch the skinny, aged vampire in front of me. He smelled like salt and iron.
“But you obeyed. First you drank human blood, then you lost against Michael.” A smile tugged on the corner of Naburus’ lips. “You’re learning to obey.”
“Because I don’t have any other choice.”
“There’s always a choice. You just happened to choose to obey Korin’s command.”
I frowned. “That’s not what that was.”
Naburus looked back at Korin. “I want to taste the Kiss inside of her.”
“No.” I said the word with as much force as I could.
“Let him,” Korin said.
I searched Korin’s eyes. He was giving me another order to see if I would obey. “And if I don’t?”
“Then Faithe is going to have to do all sorts of naughty things to me. Things I know she doesn’t like.”
A cold and painful chill worked its way up my bare back. I’d do whatever it took to protect my friends, and he knew it. I wasn’t strong enough to fight him after I saw what he did to Petre. The chill of this thought seeped past my skin and into my bones, making them feel brittle and weak.
I was powerless, something I hadn’t felt in a very long time.
I held my breath, counting to ten in my mind, giving myself five reasons why I should do this. If I could think of five, then it would be my choice and not his demand.
Everyone I loved would be affected. He would start with Kristina and Teddy. The fact that they were seated so far from me and next to Naburus was a statement he knew I cared for them. That was two reasons.
Briar and Lynx would be next, hunted for my disloyalty, compelled to harm themselves, and possibly commit suicide. That was four.
Then there was Mateo. Even though Mateo was strong, I had no doubt Korin would torture him the most and force me to watch. That was five.
And then there was Faithe. The woman I’d let down, because I chose to leave her behind.
She was reason enough to do it. I was responsible for her because I turned her, introduced her to Korin.
Six. There were at least six reasons why I had to do this, and that didn’t include all the other innocents who would get caught up in his rage if I disobeyed. I steeled myself and met his eyes. He smiled, knowing he had won. I tilted my head, a reluctant offering.
“That’s it, Samira.” Korin’s words slithered across my flesh, making my skin prickle.
Naburus inched closer, the wheels on the IV pole squeaking behind him. He leaned over and licked my neck with his slimy tongue.
“Yum, sweat,” he said and opened his mouth wide to give room for his long incisors.
His fangs pierced my skin fast and hard. I grimaced at the sensation, knowing he wasn’t trying to be gentle. A vampire’s bite could either be incredibly sensual or terribly painful. He went for painful. Feeling blood leave my body was a funny sensation, almost like being turned inside out. It had been centuries since I had allowed someone to drink from me. I held myself still, even though I wanted to pull from his disgusting bite.
Naburus’s mouth on my neck didn’t last long; his bite was purely for research. He never cared about anything else.
He pulled out and leaned away, swishing my blood in his mouth as if it was fine wine. He swallowed and grinned, blood coating his teeth.
“The taste is surprisingly sweet.” He ran his tongue over his incisors and drew his brows together. “But there’s something else there. Heat and power similar to the difference between the sun and stars.”
He lifted his hand and touched my forehead with his long and bony finger. “You are dangerous.”
My gaze shifted to Korin, who had set his mouth in a firm line.
“I am nothing,” I said to placate him.
“I know you mean to interfere with my plans,” Korin began, taking Naburus’ place in front of me, “Things are already in motion, and there is nothing you can do to stop them. I hope you believe me when I say that, because otherwise, it’s going to cause you and everyone you love a lot of pain and heartache.” He stepped closer, touching my cheek softly with his finger, and I suppressed my shutter. His eyes locked on mine. “I tell you this because I truly care about you. I thought of you as a daughter once.”
“Is that why you haven’t killed me yet?”
He smiled and patted my cheek. “No, child. You are much too valuable to destroy. For now. But if you attempt to stop me, your time will come much slower and with more agony than you can bare.”
He glanced at Naburus who was running a long fingernail between the lines of his teeth. “Come. Mateo is waiting.”
As soon as they left the room, I quickly dressed, dying to get out of here. I checked the time. Almost midnight. It felt like several nights had passed since I’d come to this place. How I had managed to live with Korin for over a century was beyond me.
Keeping to the shadows, I slipped away from Winter’s Cove. Things were so much worse than I expected. Korin had too strong of a hold on the coven. Even if I managed to break his compulsion on them, he still had that ability to make others burst into flames. Fear was a powerful motivator, even against me, and he knew it.
I couldn’t take him on, not directly. But what would hurt him the most was to get rid of the drug that made his precious Hydes. He had big plans for them, something beyond what I was seeing. As for the Hydes he’d already made, I didn’t know how to help them. I doubted we could obtain enough holy water treatment like what we’d given Briar. I’d called in all favors with my contacts in the Vatican to get that for Briar. Besides, holy water wouldn’t work on vampires. It only melted them from the inside out.
Reaching outside, I paused, my hand on the doorjamb and thought of Mateo, my body warming again. Had he meant all those words, or was he just overcome by our history in a moment of weakness?
Everything here was too familiar; it was almost as if we hadn’t been apart all these years. But we had, and I needed to remember that.
As soon as I was safely hidden within my car, I rammed my fist into the steering wheel of my car, frustrated by the night’s events. I hated Michael and how he had touched me. I hated Mateo for stripping me bare, and then refusing to go any further. I hated Korin for using my love for Faithe to control me. And I hated Naburus for his stupid science and just for existing. I hated that we probably couldn’t save the supernaturals who had been forced into Hydes. There just wasn’t enough time to find a cure, nor did we have the means to try and hold them.
I breathed in deeply, trying to keep calm over the choking sensation threateni
ng to cut off my air. I needed to find a way to stop Korin, a way to rescue Faithe and the Hydes. And, I needed a way to keep Mateo from breaking my heart again.
Chapter 18
Punching through the darkness, I sped to Lynx’s home. My home. I hadn’t been to my hotel, Trevisan, for weeks. It just didn’t have the same feel as the one I occupied now. In its own way, living with Briar and Lynx had become a new coven of sorts where I felt I belonged. They cared about others and we worked together to help this town.
I parked in the driveway and exited the vehicle, noting Roma’s car and Luke’s bike out front. I stood still, focusing my senses on the surrounding area. That tall man who had followed me so close to home still worried me. I didn’t like unknown variables.
When I was certain there was no danger, I headed through the back door, following the sounds of many voices. Lynx was in the kitchen, her hair a mess and the room in even worse condition. All sorts of bottles, plants and flowers, and different shaped bowls lay scattered across the counters and table.
Her eyes lit up when she saw me. “Samira! Your friend is an angel! I received the Corpse Flower only a couple of hours ago. He sent me a whole dozen. I can make batches for several supernaturals.” She shook her head, as if marveling over it. “I don’t know how he got it here so fast.”
I chuckled. Detrand was no angel. Nor did he pretend to be. If she looked closer, she might find the reason he was able to get it here so quickly was probably through nefarious means. “I’m glad. How close are you to finding a cure?”
“I’m almost done.” She held up a plastic gallon baggie. “I’m freezing the rest of the flowers to use later.” She took hold of my hand and tugged me toward the table. “Let me show you my potion.”
I stared down in a large bowl of red smoking liquid bubbling around what looked like twigs and bones. “I don’t know what I’m looking at.”
She looked from me to the potion, then laughed uncomfortably. “Right. I guess not. I’m just so excited because this is a serious upper-level spell. I don’t think my cousins could even pull it off.”
“You have great talent.” I smiled at her and nodded my head toward the living room. “Who’s all here?”
“Go see for yourself. It’s quite the group. The witches are nice, and I’m even related to one of them. Distantly.”
Just as she said it, a girl who looked Lynx’s same age walked into the kitchen. Her hair was red like Lynx’s but a lighter shade. They also shared the same eye color.
“How’s it coming—” She froze when she saw me.
Lynx quickly introduced us. “Denise, this is Samira. She’s my roommate.”
Denise’s mouth remained open. My appearance could be startling at first, the predatory nature of my vampirism gave people with good instincts a warning to stay back.
“Nice to meet you,” I said. I didn’t extend my hand.
She blinked and cleared her throat. “You too.” She shifted her gaze back to Lynx. “Do you need any help?”
While they talked, I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room which was buzzing with conversation. All that stopped when I entered the room. I remained rooted in my spot even though I felt like shrinking under their stares. In addition to Luke, Briar and Roma, I recognized Gerald, Fire Ridge’s head of security, and Loxley, the shifter who’d taken up to following Briar around. Seated next to Roma was an older, dark-skinned man with short black hair peppered with gray. Even though we’d planned this meeting, I still didn’t like strangers in this house.
Briar untangled herself from Luke’s lap and sat up. “Holy shit, Sammie! You look like the Disney Princess no one dared film.”
“I just came from a dinner party at Winter’s Cove. It required…” I waved a hand in front of my face and rolled my eyes, “this.”
She turned back to Luke. “Sorry, but I’m switching teams. She’s hotter than you.”
He growled and pulled her back into his lap. “You’re not going anywhere.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around him.
“Who are these people?” I asked, mostly referring to the guy next to Roma, although I was still unsure about Loxley since I didn’t know much about her. Any one of them could be the Phoenix. We needed to be more careful who we let in.
Roma shifted her weight on the sofa and motioned to the man next to her. “This is Owen. He used to hold a leadership position when our witch coven still existed. He will take up the leadership role again as we’re reorganizing.”
“Then the witches will help us?”
“We will,” Owen said in a deep voice that pleased my ears. “We’ve had a few witches disappear recently, and our seers tell us it’s because of a growing evil in Rouen. They also have predicted that if we can’t stop it, we will lose many more. We were grateful when Roma approached us. We can’t fight this on our own.”
I watched his movements, his small mannerisms, looking for anything suspicious. “What is your last name?”
He hesitated briefly before answering. “Williams.”
I committed it to memory and looked at Roma. “And you’re willing to come out of retirement to help organize the Witches of Rouen?”
“Hell yes! I’ve seen how you precious girls have suffered.” She reached over and squeezed Briar’s knee. “Besides, I always knew my fighting days weren’t over. I’ve been saving up for this battle. Something tells me it’s going to be a doozy.”
“I’m glad you’re here. Thank you.” I turned to the shifters. “Gerald, thank you also for coming. Who sits next to you?”
It was Loxley, of course, but we’d never been formally introduced. She barely looked eighteen and had dark, wavy black hair with red undertones and tan skin. She jumped to her feet, smiling nervously. “I’m Loxley. I’m a newer member of the Silver Claws.”
“Last name?”
“Evans.” Her wide, sky blue eyes looked from Briar to me.
There was something about her that set me on edge, a wisp of a dark shadow lurking in her eyes. “You’re a shifter?”
She nodded quickly.
“Why are you here?”
Briar leaned away from Luke and toward me, scowling. “Why the third degree? I asked her to come.”
I continued to stare at Loxley, trying to focus my sixth sense upon her. There was something about her, something I couldn’t detect… I looked at Briar. “Why did you choose her to come?”
Loxley picked up her jacket from behind her and glanced at Briar. “I should probably go. She’s freaking me out, and this isn’t really my scene.”
Briar hopped off Luke’s lap to rest her hand on Loxley’s arm. “Stay. I invited you because I’ve seen you fight, plus you’re smart.” She cut her gaze to me. “Can you chill out? Loxley’s good.”
I lowered my head and stepped away, but beneath my eyelashes I continued to watch her. Whatever she was, she was more than a shifter. She might not know it and may never. I’d seen it before. Supernaturals who aren’t aware of their family tree. One species could’ve mated with another and those recessive genes lay in wait for perfect conditions before revealing themselves.
Or she was hiding something.
“What have you all been discussing?” I asked.
Briar relaxed her stance toward me but she remained by Loxley. “So Roma said they’re going to try to run some location spells to see if they can track down this shady Phoenix person.”
I glanced at Roma. She was nodding her head.
“And the Silver Claws are all on standby until we know something more,” Briar continued. “Really we’re just waiting on new information and we can’t get that unless—”
“It’s done!” Lynx called from the kitchen. She hurried into the room with Denise behind her. Both were grinning wide.
Briar pointed at her and finished her sentence. “We have the cure.”
“That’s wonderful, Lynx!” Roma said. “I always said you were the strongest Morgan witch.”
“Don’t let Ca
ssandra hear you say that,” Owen added.
“When are they going to be here so I can test it?” Lynx asked Briar. She smoothed the stray hairs away from her face.
I glanced at Briar. “They?”
“Well, Angel. Mateo might come too. I texted him just before you came. So where were you exactly? A dinner party?”
I nodded, grinding my teeth.
“How was that?”
“Telling. It made me realize just how dire our situation is. Korin has been gifted great power and is more ruthless than ever.”
Lynx walked over and stood next to me and Briar, her eyes full of concern. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”
I almost inhaled a hitched breath as all my feelings from the evening rushed back, but I blinked, walling them back up. It would do me no good to admit how Korin had forced me to do things I would never consider before, how seeing Faithe again like that tore at my heart, or how Mateo’s behavior stripped me of my defenses.
It wouldn’t do any good to admit how … how afraid I was.
I blinked once more, one last check on my emotions before I spoke. “I won’t describe the horror I witnessed. Whatever plans we put in place, we need to do them quickly. Korin’s power over the others is only growing.”
I didn’t want to admit he also held power over me. With those impossible choices he gave me, what else was I supposed to do?
A familiar scent entered my nose and warmed my body. “They’re here.”
Chapter 19
All eyes traveled to the front door. A moment later, it opened. Angel walked through first, his gaze going straight to Briar. He didn’t bother looking at anyone else. Briar seemed to notice too, and her cheeks reddened.
Mateo came in and walked past me without even as much as a glance. Very different from the man I had been with only a few hours earlier. This was a sharp reminder why I must stay away from him. He played too many games.
He stopped near the fireplace and turned to Lynx. “Is it done?”
She nodded quickly and swallowed. “I’ll go get it.”
