“What? No!” She tsked. “I mean, yes, Morda gave him to me … hm, yeah, but neither he nor I wanted that. I kept him as my servant so he’d be safe from the other witches.”
“But Morda thinks you two are together.”
“Yes,” she said in a low tone. “And there’s more. She cast a spell binding him to me.”
A punch to the gut. “What?”
She winced. “It was a surprise. We weren’t expecting it, but she did it. We can’t be apart for more than a short time.”
Rage washed over me like a wave. Before I did or said something stupid, I pushed away from the bed, picked up my pants, and started getting dressed.
Thea stepped right into me. “Drake, I feel only sympathy for him. Keeran has suffered a lot because of the witches, and I pity him. I wanted to help him and it backfired on me.” She grabbed my hands and held on tight. “I love you, Drake DuMoir, and only you.”
I stared at her, into her beautiful gray eyes. I knew she was telling the truth. I knew her feelings for me were real, and yet I couldn’t shake the anger, the jealousy that consumed me alive right now.
“We need to find a way to break that spell.”
“Listen to me. Morda wants all our witches pregnant, because she thinks we can produce a witch queen,” she said. I had forgotten her coven was the only one without a queen. That and the heart gone … Thea and her coven had had some hard years before. At least now they had the heart back. “If one of us gives her the witch queen, I’m sure she’ll break the spell for me.”
“Are you saying you want to give birth to the queen?”
She scoffed. “I don’t care, as long as she doesn’t kill me when she performs the pregnancy check in a couple of days.” She paused and her eyes misted over. “Drake … you know it’s damn hard for a witch to get pregnant, and for the baby to survive the pregnancy and birth, so I confess I never really thought about having children. But, if I’m supposed to have one, then I want her to be yours.”
If my dead heart could move, it would be beating out of my chest right now. Ever since becoming a vampire, I hadn’t thought about children either. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the male vampires were sterile, so what was the point? But an image flashed in my mind, an image that filled my chest with yearning, with wanting: Thea and I seated on the porch of a white house, hands entwined and smiling at each other, while two beautiful kids laughed and played on the floor around us.
I leaned forward and rested my forehead on hers. “I would love to have kids with you.” A soft sob rose to Thea’s throat, but she swallowed it. I embraced her. Until another thought came to mind and I froze. “Wait … if you have a child … then if it’s a girl, she’ll be controlled by Morda. If it’s a boy …” I couldn’t finish the sentence. We all knew what the witches did to the boys that were born. “I can’t allow that.”
“Then let’s run away,” Thea said, resting her cheek on my chest. “Let’s run away. We would have to take Keeran with us, but we can work on finding a way to break the bonding spell. Then, we can consider starting a family for real.”
It wasn’t just Morda and the witches though. Things were looking bleak at DuMoir Castle, and it only got worse by the second. I told Thea about Alex taking the position of lord of the castle, about Thomas’s death, and about the monthly feasts.
“He’s killing fifty, one hundred innocents per month,” I said. “I’m sure he’ll start doing these feasts once every fifteen days. Hell, once a week, if we let him.” I sighed. “Besides, if I ran, I’m sure he would send his vampires after me. We wouldn’t have peace. I don’t want to start a family in a world like that.”
“I know you’re right,” she whispered. “I still want to run, but we can’t pretend everything is alright and leave Alex in charge. Any ideas on how to bring him down?”
I kissed the top of her head. “Just one. I have a meeting with the alpha of a werewolf pack tomorrow night. I’ll try to convince him to join forces with me and attack Alex.”
“That would be great,” she said, pulling back. “The more you have on your side, the better, right?”
“Right.”
“I could talk to Morda,” she said. I frowned at her. “She mentioned wanting to meet with me so I can tell her what I learned inside DuMoir Castle. I think she wants intel on how things are, if they are still strong, things like that. If I can make her believe it’s a mess in there, that Alex is crazy and people are revolting against him, and things are really unstable, I can convince her to attack the castle too.”
“That’s brilliant.”
“But only if it works.”
I kissed the top of her head. “I know you can make it work.”
She smiled at me. “You give me too much credit.” Her smile faded. “Wait, how did you manage to contact a werewolf pack?”
Hell …
I ran a hand through my hair. “About that …” She frowned. Shit. I better blurt it out before it got worse. “Alex threw a new blood slave at me as a spy. Her name is Luana. He has no idea she’s a werewolf and wants to skin him alive.”
Thea took a large stepped back. “What?” Her gray eyes were brewing up a storm. “You were just giving me a hard time because I have a male servant while you were quiet about your new female blood slave? Are you serious?”
“Thea, it’s not like that.”
“The hell it isn’t,” she snapped. “How can you be such a jerk?”
“Yes, I’m a jealous jerk, happy?” I clenched my fists. “Thea, I swear to you, there’s nothing between Luana and me. Like you, I don’t feel anything for my blood slave. But, like you, I have to pretend to care for her, so Alex will leave me alone.” I advanced a step. “Please, believe me.”
She matched my stride and retreated. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“Honestly, because I hadn’t even thought about it.” It was the truth. Once I had seen Thea in front of me, nothing else mattered. I wanted her and only her. Nothing else. “Thea, we don’t have much time left before we both have to go. Please, don’t be mad at me. I want to say goodbye to you on good terms.”
For a moment, she held on to her stricken pose. Then, her shoulders relaxed and she let out a long breath. “I suppose you’re right. But just know I don’t like it.”
“Then we’re even, because I don’t like Keeran either.”
She made her way back to me. When she was within reach, I snatched her and pulled her against me. I needed to feel her this close before I had to go back.
“So …” She hooked her arms around my neck. “The plan is to get the witches and the werewolves to attack the castle together?”
“If we can do that, yes, it would be perfect.”
“Then let’s do it.”
I leaned into her and whispered, “I love you,” before capturing her mouth with mine.
She melted into me, and it was all I could do not to growl. We both had to get back, but right now … right now I wanted her under me one more time.
I pushed her until her legs hit the bed. Slowly, I laid her down and crawled over her.
A twig snapped outside.
I stilled and stared at Thea. “There’s someone outside.”
11
Thea
With his super vampire speed, Drake got dressed and checked the outside of the cottage.
My mind went into overdrive considering all the possible scenarios: The vampires had followed him. No, the werewolves were checking up on him. Or it was Keeran, coming to tell me Morda was searching for me. He didn’t know the location of the cottage though, so it couldn’t be him.
I had just finished getting dressed when Drake came back. “It’s a witch,” he said. “I don’t think it would be wise to attack her.”
“Attack her? No. Do you think she saw you?”
“No. She seems lost, like she’s searching for something.”
“Or someone. Maybe she’s searching for me.” Damn it. So someone had gone to my bedroom after me, and Ke
eran hadn’t fooled them. I hoped he was all right. “Whatever it is, I can handle it. Just go before she finds you here.”
“Are you sure?”
I nodded. He was in my space, cupping my face and claiming my lips. His kiss was soft and quick, and ended way too soon.
“I’ll see you soon, my love,” he whispered before dashing out with his super speed.
Even knowing he had to leave, we both had to leave, the pain of seeing him gone was almost too much to bear. I placed a hand over my aching heart and sent a silent prayer that Drake and I would be reunited soon.
Now was not the time to be weak. Gathering my courage and strength, I walked onto the porch, ready to face the witch who had found me.
I expected to see Princess Morda or Soraya. Or even Adya or Polina.
But someone else stood on the stone path below the porch steps.
“Ebby?” I stared at her, confused. “What are you doing here?”
“After I yelled at you, I felt bad,” she said in a timid voice. “I followed you because I wanted to apologize.”
“You f-followed me?” Oh no …
“I tried. I think you were using magic, because you were going too fast. I couldn’t keep up and got lost.”
“You were lost? And how did you get here, then?”
She shrugged. “I guess I found my way again.”
“H-how long have you been here?”
“Long enough,” she whispered.
My heart skipped a beat. “Long enough for …?”
“To see your vampire leaving the cottage.”
My jaw hit the floor. I opened my mouth and closed it a couple of times, trying to come up with some excuse. “I … what you saw … I think … you’re mistaken …”
“It’s okay, Thea,” she said, her voice a little louder, a little surer. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise. If …” She pressed her lips together.
I didn’t dare deny it. If she saw Drake leaving the cottage, even though I was sure he was careful about it, then there was no reason to deny it. “If?” I urged her, wanting to know her price.
“If you help me,” she finally said, looking every bit as young and innocent as she was. “You’re a hero to the coven now. You have status and a say on things. You can sway the other witches to like me, or at least to stop being mean to me.”
I wasn’t sure I had the power she thought I had, but it was true that now I was being called for more events and asked my opinions on random things. Maybe I could help her.
“I guess that’s doable.” I started walking away from the cottage, and Ebby fell into step with me. “How are your spells?”
She snorted. “Pitiful.”
“Still weak? Even with the heart back?”
“Actually, I can feel more magic inside me, but I’m having a hard time accessing it.”
I frowned. “Maybe we should practice some spells too, see if I can help you access that hidden magic.”
She grinned and her face transformed from a little ugly duck to a beautiful swan. “I would like that.”
Witches weren’t all stunningly beautiful like vampires. During their transformation, vampires became more beautiful, more attractive. It was part of their power. Witches didn’t have that kind of beauty, at least not most of us, but we had charm. We knew how to enchant our victims with our magic, and we looked breathtaking while doing it.
In my mind, I could see Ebby flowering, becoming a powerful and beautiful witch.
We walked in the direction of the Silverblood mansion in silence before she asked what I knew she was dying to.
“So,” she started, her voice low again. “You and that vampire? Are you two together?”
I didn’t answer right away, because honestly, I didn’t know what to say. Should I trust her? Could I trust her? I looked at her, pondering. She looked so young and innocent and alone. And I was alone too. I had Keeran, but he had been paired with me by chance. Maybe Ebby could become a friend and ally inside the coven. Maybe she could help me too.
“Yes,” I confessed. “Drake and I are together.”
“So you lied when you told us what happened at DuMoir Castle?”
I flinched. I hated lying, and yet it seemed it was all I did lately. “Yes, I had to. I couldn’t let Morda know I had fallen in love with a vampire.”
“What? You’re going to continue to sneak off every once in a while to see him?”
Once more, I considered how much to tell her. I decided that if I was going to trust her, then I was going to really trust her. “I won’t stay in the Silverblood coven forever.”
Her eyes widened and she tripped on her feet. I reached for her, but she recovered her balance before I could touch her. “You, what? How? Why?”
“Drake plans to overthrow Alex and take over the castle,” I said. I felt calm about telling her all this. “When he does, I’ll leave the coven to be with him.”
Her mouth fell open. She snapped it shut. “I … can I come with you?”
My brows knotted. “What?”
“When you leave to go to DuMoir Castle, can I come with you? As the lady of the castle, you can probably give me some special position at the court, and I could live without having to worry about being mocked by the other witches.”
“Do you realize what you’re saying?”
“Yes,” she said, firmer. “I hate living in the Silverblood coven. I’m kicked around like a piece of trash. I’m tired of it. I would prefer becoming the consort of a beautiful, powerful vampire than continue living like this.” She paused. “Besides, you found love with a vampire. Maybe I can too.” She shrugged. “What do you say?”
What did I say? I didn’t know. “I’ll see what I can do,” I told her, not really sure about anything. I probably had to talk to Drake about this before promising a position within the castle. I wasn’t worried about myself, because if Drake was lord of the castle, no one would dare touch me—I hoped. But having another witch roaming around the castle? I had to make sure she would be okay before saying yes.
I couldn’t deny the thought of not being the only witch inside DuMoir Castle was more than pleasant, though. I guess I would have to find a place for Ebby within the castle. Worst case scenario, she could come as my friend and we would deal with the rest later.
It was almost morning when Ebby and I got back to the coven. As most everyone was sleeping, we didn’t have much trouble sneaking inside, besides evading a couple of witchguards.
Ebby followed me to my bedroom.
“Keeran?” I called once we were inside. The room was near dark, but I could easily make out no shape on my bed or love seat. My heart sped up. “Keeran?” I rushed around the bedroom, looking for him.
“Keeran is your servant, right?” Ebby asked, glancing around.
“Yes,” I said, growing anxious. My bedroom wasn’t large enough that he could be hidden in a corner. “Keeran!” I called louder.
“Here,” came a faint whisper.
I turned to the bathroom and pushed the door open. I gasped at the sight of Keeran curled on the floor, trembling.
I knelt beside him. “What happened?”
My mind conjured the most horrific images. Morda coming in and torturing him to know where I was. Or Soraya abusing him even though he was now mine, and she would burn if she touched him. Or both.
“Pain,” he croaked, his hands splayed over his chest.
I pried his hands away, trying to find his wound. “Where? What happened? Who hurt you?”
“The bond,” he hissed. “It’s the bond. You were away too long.”
By all that was sacred …
I had known the bond would kick in, but I was hoping it would take longer. And even if it did, I had expected the pain to be more tolerable for the first twenty-four hours. Apparently, Morda didn’t play around with her spells.
Guilt consumed me. “I’m so sorry.”
“You’re here now,” he whispered. “It’s already better.”
And yet, h
e still wrinkled his nose and clenched his teeth.
Placing my hands on his chest, I called my magic and was stunned when it kicked in faster than it ever had before. I had to really force it to come to life before I retrieved the heart. Now, it was much easier, much faster. Almost as natural as breathing. I focused on healing, on suppressing the pain. I wasn’t a witch skilled in healing, and the healing salve wouldn’t help with this since it wasn’t an open wound, but I could reduce his pain.
A minute later, Keeran stopped shaking. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed and sprawled his large frame on the floor.
“I’m so sorry,” I repeated.
“It’s okay,” he said, looking at me. “We didn’t know how potent the spell was.”
“What are you feeling now? How can I help?”
“Just a dull pain right now and it’s fading.” He sat up and groaned. “Or maybe not.”
“I can try to take more of your pain,” I said, already reaching for his chest.
He gently pushed my hand away. “No, I’ll be fine.” He started getting up, and I hooked my hand under his arm to help him. “I’m fin—” His words faded when he stood and swayed to the side, dizzy from the pain.
“You’re not fine.” I put his arm over my shoulders. “You’re going to bed right now. Ebby, help me here.”
Keeran stared at me with shielded eyes. “Ebby? What are yo—?”
Ebby stepped into the bathroom. “Yes?”
“Help me take him to my bed.”
Her brows curled down. “What happened?”
I reminded her of the bond Morda had put on Keeran and me. “We didn’t know it would be this strong.”
Ebby snorted. “Princess Morda did it. Of course it’s strong.”
Ebby was smaller than me, but she somehow wrapped her arm around Keeran and helped me take him to my bed.
Groaning some more, Keeran lay down. “I don’t want to rest,” he said, already closing his eyes. He was fighting pain and exhaustion, but it would only postpone his recovery.
“Just stay there for a while,” I snapped, trying to force as much authority into my tone as I could. “That’s an order.”
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