by M L Briers
Wendy tried to let go. She tried to pull her magic back within her, but there was a darkness that rode on the tail of that magic. An essence of pure evil that tormented her…
Verity noted Caleb’s panic and sat forward on her seat. Caleb’s hand shot out to keep her at bay. He turned his attention solely towards his mate as he grasped her shoulders and brought her closer to him…
“Listen to my voice…” He offered the smoothest tone that he could muster. He’d never once used his ability to will his mate to do anything but now he felt the need to try to break through to her on a subliminal level. “Come back to my voice, Wendy.”
Caleb felt her struggle within. He placed his palms against her cheeks and brought his forehead to hers. He focused solely on the essence of his mate, on the bond between them.
“Wendy, let your magic go. It can’t hold you if you don’t have your magic.” Caleb demanded it of his mate. Her eyes snapped open. Her face twisted in pain…
“Your time is coming to an end…” The voice that came from her lips was harsher than he’d ever heard. There was a hiss behind each word. Caleb knew that was not his mate.
In a split second he’d moved fast. Leaving his mate to yank Verity up from the seat and spinning her within his arms as she tried to fight him off. Caleb was stronger, he was older, and by the time that he’d placed the vampire in a lock that she had no chance of escaping his fangs were down and his claws were out.
“You first…” Caleb offered towards his mate. He dipped his head and ran his fangs down over Verity’s jugular vein. The scent of her blood was familiar and yet there was a rancid stench to it that made his stomach turn…
CHAPTER FIVE
A heartbeat later and Wendy stumbled where she stood as the entity released her from its hold. Wendy gasped in a breath and reached for her head. The painful throbbing was akin to the very worst migraine imaginable, it felt as if someone had embedded a pick axe within her skull…
“Caleb…” She reached out a hand for him and Caleb had released Verity and was at her side in a heartbeat, turning her and pulling her into his strong arms as his eyes took in Verity as she reached for the wounds at her throat that were already starting to heal.
“Nice… offspring, Verity.” Caleb bit out.
“You have to know that I didn’t…” Verity started to deny any knowledge or involvement in what had happened. Caleb nodded.
“I know.” Caleb didn’t sense any deceit from his friend.
“Caleb, please…” Verity knew what he was thinking. She couldn’t allow him to kill her baby. She wouldn’t allow it.
Wendy felt her pain ease. Her equilibrium was returning and she palmed Caleb’s chest and pushed back slightly from him. Her eyes sought his and he was only too pleased to offer them to her.
“The darkness can be defeated, we know that much.” Wendy offered up to him. Then she turned her head to look at Verity. “But I’m not sure what that would do to your baby, Verity…” Wendy knew the choice that she was offering the woman and it wasn’t much of one.
Verity considered the witch’s words. Hope wrapped up in a warning of disaster. If she refused she knew that Caleb was unlikely to allow her to leave that place alive. He’d already proved that he was stronger than her…
“I don’t have a choice.” Verity bit down on the feeling of acid on her tongue. Her baby wasn’t normal. She’d expected that. In reality the child was dark and that darkness couldn’t be controlled by her.
Verity had no idea what it was that was inside of her baby, but she’d already had a taste of its power right in front of her eyes. She couldn’t and wouldn’t blame Caleb for what he’d done in defence of his mate. She’d have done the same, perhaps more, perhaps she would have ended her life just to make certain.
Caleb was honourable. He hadn’t done that. She had no other choice than to put her trust in Caleb’s sense of honour.
“No choice at all, but my word still stands, Verity. If we can save the child we will.” Caleb gave her his solemn vow. Verity lifted her chin and chewed an imaginary wasp as her lower jaw worked as she considered his words.
“Promise me one more thing, Caleb.” Verity knew her list of favours was piling up.
“Name it.” Caleb thought he knew what it was that she was going to ask him, and he’d been right.
“If the child dies. Kill me.” Verity knew that her connection to her baby was too strong for her not to go into a full blown meltdown should she lose it. She was too attached to that beating heartbeat of life within her. Her bloodlust for revenge would be epic.
“Consider it done.” Caleb assured her.
Eloise didn’t feel herself as she padded around her house. She hadn’t thrown up yet that morning but she didn’t feel as if she could eat a full damn breakfast either. She did however, want her morning cup of tea with extra sugar to make it taste more syrupy to give her body the kind of kick-start that it needed.
“Let me make that for you.” Alex’s deep tone sent a shiver down her spine in a good way. Eloise snorted her amusement and contempt for that idea.
“You’re tea is disgusting. I might as well drink dishwater.” Eloise informed him and saw his lower lip push out in disappointment. She felt a twinge of guilt at the sight of him. “But, maybe you can make me a waffle?” He brightened.
“I make good waffles.” He growled out with a new sense of pride. Eloise chuckled.
“You make great waffles.” She agreed, careful to hide her little white lie from him behind her magic. Alex set about the kitchen like a man on a mission. His instinct to provide for his mate was too great for Eloise to expect him to calm down anytime soon.
“Syrup?” Alex asked as he gathered all of the ingredients.
“Of course. One can never get enough sweetness in life.” Eloise offered with a small shrug off her shoulders.
With everything that was happening within the coven now was not the time for her to get sick. She’d taken ginger in every form possible to try to hold the urge to throw up at bay, careful not to have too much. She needed to be on form now. She had a pack and a family to protect.
Perhaps being pregnant now wasn’t ideal, but she needed to deal with what she had. This pup was a blessing. She already felt a connection to it, a bond, a pure life and heart was always a blessing, unlike that vampire female…
She was grateful not to be in that woman’s shoes. She had some sympathy for what the woman was going through, and yet the fact that she was a vampire still didn’t sit right within Eloise. She’d rather not have anything to do with her, and yet the coven had taken on the job of protecting her.
Eloise would do it for her coven. She’d do it for her pack. There was even a surprising connection that was forming between her and Caleb, as the vampire had seemed to make it his mission in life to ease her fears around him, and she would do it for Caleb. But she still didn’t like it.
The sound of rhythmic tapping against the front door snapped her out of her musings. That knock could only belong to one person. Eloise grinned to herself.
“Come on in, Annabeth.” She called out and the witch pushed open the front door and poked her head around it.
“I thought all the good food would be here.” Annabeth teased and Eloise rolled her eyes as she motioned towards Alex.
“We have waffles.” Eloise grinned as she added another mug to the side and made her friend tea.
“Ooo, I could do waffles… with syrup, right?” Annabeth’s eyes sparkled at the thought of it.
“Of course.” Eloise nudged Alex.
“You know what goes good with waffles?” Annabeth tossed the door closed behind her and strolled towards the counter that divided the kitchen from the living room.
“Enlighten me.” Eloise was open to options.
“Pancakes.” Annabeth raised her chin and the mischief grew within her eyes. “With chocolate chips.” She added and Eloise’s stomach rumbled. She noted the way that Alex’s head snapped around at the sound
and he frowned. He started to stir the mixture in the bowl faster as if his life depended on it. Both of the witches bit down on a chuckle…
“You make the pancakes, Alex makes the waffles and I’ve made the tea.” Eloise grinned at the sight of Annabeth being slightly deflated. Then the witch tossed up her hands and shrugged.
“Why not.” She didn’t like picking up a frying pan, but she also felt rather protective of Eloise now that she was pregnant. Alex eyed her for a long moment and then he smile on a nod of his head. He was impressed. “Don’t give me those eyes wolf. I want pancakes too.” Annabeth frowned, she wasn’t about to admit to anything.
Alec didn’t answer her he just continued to grin.
Eloise had joined the other members of the coven at Wendy’s house. Apparently there had been a development and she wanted to share what she knew with the rest of them. Annabeth stayed close to Eloise, knowing how much the woman loved to be in the company of vampires… Not.
Now that they were listening to Wendy offering the update, Annabeth found her concentration drifting back and forth between Verity and what Wendy was telling them… Annabeth snapped to attention the moment that Wendy mentioned the benevolent spirit. She frowned hard as she snapped at that juicy morsel.
“Wait, what spirit?” Annabeth wanted to be clear.
“I haven’t mentioned it until now because the spirit only seems to appear intermittently.” Wendy offered back.
“Sure, there’s a reason to keep it from us.” Annabeth bit back. “So that’s basically how you knew that this coven was going to be formed and we would be the witches?” Annabeth asked and saw Wendy pause for a moment to consider her answer.
“Yes and no. I knew about the coven, of course, but not that all of you would be joining us, just that you all had to face your past before you could move onto your present.” Wendy offered and Annabeth looked perplexed.
“So what about Tilly?”
“What about me?” Tilly shot back as if she’d already been offended by something that Annabeth had said, and yet it was the sheer fact that she’d been singled out that had caused her reaction.
“Are you a part of the coven or not?” Annabeth shot back and watched Tilly slink back in her chair a little.
“That’s something that Tilly will have to decide for herself…” Wendy offered.
“But what does the spirit say?” Annabeth shot back.
“Nothing specifically for Tilly herself.” Wendy was getting side-tracked by Annabeth’s line of questioning. “But the spirit did mention the vampire baby. It’s dark, but it can be fought by light. There’s another child that can defeat it…” Every head turned towards Eloise and her stomach.
“What? No!” Eloise’s hand cradled her belly protectively.
“I don’t know if it your baby, Eloise. Could we all stop jumping the gun?” Wendy brought all of the attention back on herself.
“What are the odds?” Annabeth muttered to herself but Eloise caught it and scowled at her friend.
“That’s not going to happen. I won’t allow it and neither will Alex. The man’s damn head would explode if I even suggested it.” Eloise bit out.
“As I said. We don’t know what baby…” Wendy started again.
“Can’t you just ask the spirit?” Annabeth cut her short. Wendy sighed inwardly.
“I think the spirit said too much and was silenced by the others…” Wendy admitted although she’d rather not have.
“What the hell? Why would they do that, it’s their fight too…?” Annabeth bit out. She sure didn’t understand the otherworld sometimes. You’d think the old ones would be glad to help out, especially as it was their existence and that of their linage on the line too.
“I don’t know, Annabeth.” Wendy admitted.
“You sure that spirit was one of ours and not one in league with the vampire mama?” Annabeth didn’t like the fact that they had a pregnant vampire in the house. She didn’t like the fact that they would be fighting to protect her and whatever it was inside of her…
“There’s more…” Wendy offered and Annabeth steeled herself, she was sure not to like this also… “Whatever is possessing that baby attacked me earlier today.” As always Annabeth was the first to react.
“Vampire’s dead, simple as…” She bit out.
“Wait a minute, Annabeth.” Wendy cautioned. But Annabeth had already pushed up to her feet.
“If we kill the mother the entity dies. Why are we risking our arses for her anyway?” Annabeth had a good point and they all knew it, but it was Wendy who was thinking with a level head again.
“Do you think the coven that did this won’t snatch up another female vampire and try again?” Wendy asked. Annabeth had to concede that point, but it still didn’t make her any less likely to finish the vampire given half the chance.
“But how is that our problem?” Annabeth asked as the others sat in silence watching the verbal tennis match ensue.
“Because the entity is our problem, because I believe that ultimately this might just be what we were gathered for.” Wendy offered. Then she took a breath and sighed. “What if the entity can jump now that it’s in the physical world?” She added.
“Like baby to baby?” Eloise tightened the hold her hands had over her stomach. Wendy nodded and Annabeth dropped her backside back down to her stool.
“Then we have a problem.” Annabeth offered back.
“It’s a great idea to go in gung-ho sometimes, Annabeth. But in matters like these we need to stop and think of what we are dealing with.” Wendy soothed the ruffled feathers of her coven sister.
“We need to dispatch that thing…” Eloise waved an absent hand in the air. “I’m not feeling particularly safe around it.” The moment the words left her lips she felt a dagger like pain to her womb and her upper body folded over itself as the cry left her lips.
“The entity must feel threatened, see if we can build a protective shield around Eloise and the baby.” Wendy rushed out.
Annabeth was already on her feet and stalking towards the other room. Verity got to her feet at the sight of the scowling witch coming her way, but Caleb was already at Verity’s side. He reached out to restrain her just as she started to move off, but it was Annabeth that lifted her hand and witch a snap of her wrist; she broke the vampire’s neck.
Caleb felt the life instantly go from Verity’s body and snatched her against him. Reaching down under her legs; he brought her into his arms. Annabeth wanted more, so much more…
CHAPTER SIX
“Annabeth…” Eloise called from behind her. The desperation in her voice to get the witch’s attention made her snap her eyes away from the female vampire and turn towards her friend.
Eloise was standing upright again. Apart from the way she drew in harsh breaths she looked perfectly normal once more. Annabeth scowled but inside she felt the rush of relief flood through her.
“I’m ok. The baby is fine…” Eloise nodded as if to reinforce her words.
“This time, Eloise…” Annabeth bit down on the need to finish the vampire off while they had a chance.
“This isn’t the way, Annabeth. The spirits have spoken and it isn’t the way to rid us of the entity…” Wendy offered quickly before Annabeth’s hot temper and rash actions brought them more trouble than they might have been able to handle.
“It’s what I would have done.” Jethro offered from the doorway and Annabeth turned towards him to see the alpha standing there. His fangs were down and his claws were out because his beast just wouldn’t be put back inside its cage.
“I’m with the alpha on this one.” Annabeth bit out as she turned accusing eyes back to Wendy.
“Once done it can’t be undone. With the best will in the world we do not know what that thing is and what it’s capable of.” Wendy would stand by the spirit that had warned her, helped her, and more than likely had been silenced by the others because of it.
“We just sampled what it’s capable of. Ask El
oise, ask her child.” Annabeth offered as the sound of a heavy thud echoed through the house. Alex growled and grunted as he stalked through the downstairs towards his mate. Jethro had used the link to inform him that she had been in danger, and he’d told him when that danger had been ended. Now all he wanted was to see his mate with his own eyes.
Not one witch really noticed the fact that the Lycan was naked. He’d shifted and left his clothes back on pack land. His eyes locked onto Eloise and his jaw worked hard as he bit down on his need to kill anyone within a twenty foot radius as he wrapped her straight into his arms and pulled her against his chest.
“I’m fine. The pup’s fine.” Eloise offered knowing that her man would be near frantic to protect her.
“You do not leave my sight for the rest of your damn life, woman.” Alex growled out against her hair as he tried to sooth the beast within him…
“And we’re back to square one.” Eloise tried to make light of it and yet she felt the same way as Alex did. She’d protect the pup inside her with everything that she had, and yet, she felt that the entity might have been too strong for either of them to defeat.
“Damn right we are.” Alex didn’t give a damn that Eloise felt as if he was stifling her. He’d allowed Dale to talk him into going fishing and giving her a little breathing room while she was in the care of her coven and this was what had happened…
“Alex, you need to understand…” Eloise started to explain but the rumble of a growl went through his chest and silenced her.
“There is nothing that you can say…” He started to protest until Wendy took a long step forward.
“Actually, Alex, there are things about your pup that you need to hear.” Wendy offered in a tone she hoped was both neutral and soothing to him and his beast. Alex pulled back slightly from his mate and stared down at her with a questioning gaze.
