Blood Magic by Laken Cane

Chapter Four

It was sheer pride and hatred alone that helped me slow my headlong rush from the master’s chamber. I wanted to run. I needed out of the stifling, despairing, blood-soaked house of horrors. But I forced myself to stride out. I would not let them see my fear.

No one tried to stop me, but I could feel their stares as I bypassed the creepy elevator, finally found the stairs, and made my way through the huge hall. It felt like the longest walk of my life.

Finally, I reached the doors. One of the guards flung them open, and I rushed out into the blessed fresh air. I pulled in deep breath after deep breath, trying to clear the awfulness of the vampires from my lungs and my mind.

I’d made a mistake. Several mistakes. The first one had been going into the vampires’ home without knowing what I was going into. The second had been in thinking I could simply walk in off the street and investigate the fucking vampire master of the county. And the third, and most deadly, had been disrespecting the master. He wasn’t going to let that go.

I’d staked a couple of vampires in my time, but they’d been sick, rogue vamps munching on and killing people in the shadows of the city. They hadn’t had a coven behind them, and they had not been so powerful that they’d made me want to tear my flesh from my bones.

Wolves were as strong as vampires. That was a fact. But a new, young wolf who’d spent all her adult life with the humans was no match for a master vampire. It was a good lesson to learn.

Max was standing outside the car when I walked across the street, his phone in his hand. He looked heavenward, then put his hand on his chest. “Finally. I was worried.” Then he got a look at my face and rushed to open my door. “You okay?”

Just before I climbed in, something, a movement, a feeling, or maybe just an area of shadow darker than the others caught my eye. I hesitated, frowning.

“What is it?” Max whispered.

“Not sure,” I said.

But I understood something suddenly. This was vampire territory. The master hadn’t plunked his house down amongst the humans, not really. At least not happily clueless humans. This was a neighborhood of nonhumans, just as Jared’s Shadowfield and Adam Thorne’s Stonebridge were nonhuman communities.

It only looked human on the outside—just like the vampires.

A shadow abruptly slid from the other shadows and walked toward me, cautiously, suspiciously, but with an overlay of desperation so thick I could almost see it.

“It’s a young girl,” Max murmured, then, louder, “Can we help you?”

“Not a young girl,” I said, my voice low. “A vampire.” And just because she looked young didn’t mean she was.

She stopped when she was still a couple of yards away. “I’ve heard of you. We all have. I need to tell you something.”

I relaxed a little, then with a glance at the innocent-looking vampire house across the street, I motioned her forward. “We won’t hurt you,” I said, causing Max to glance sharply at me. I knew he was more worried about her hurting us, but I’d just faced down the master. A single vampire—male or female—was not going to scare me.

She was a slender girl with dark hair, flawless skin, and the sort of dead agony I’d only ever seen in vampires sifting through her deep brown eyes. “You’ve come about the experiments,” she said, darting a nervous look across the street.

She moved a step closer and Max flinched. Just a little, but I noticed. I imagine she did, as well.

“What experiments?” I asked.

“He’s learning to control susceptible humans beyond the shading,” she hissed. “My maker is the only one who can help you, and the master has buried him. Save him.” And there was the reason for her desperation. She needed me to save her maker, and she was offering me the information in return—and his help should I succeed.

“Where is he buried?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

“Long Shadow,” she whispered. “Beneath the golden tree. Free him and he’ll help you. He’s the only one who dares.”

Long Shadow was a large, ancient graveyard in the hills at the edge of the city. I’d never seen a golden tree there, but the cemetery was mystical—creepy, if you will. If the vampire girl said there was a golden tree, then I’d find a golden tree.

I frowned. "Why would he?"

“Because he does not care if he dies,” she said, “and he dreams of something better.” Then she disappeared into the shadows so quickly it was like she hadn't been there at all.

I rubbed at the goosebumps on my arms, but I couldn't force them away. “Fucking spooky,” I muttered.

“He’s going to punish her,” Max said, staring into the shadows.

I climbed in and started the car. “She was quick and discreet. He won’t know.”

He stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “You’re like a tiny bird in a room full of hungry cats, and you don’t even know it.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Get in, bodyguard, before I leave you here. I want to get away from this awful place.”

He slammed my door shut and hurried around to get into the passenger seat before I did as I’d threatened and left him there.

“What happened in there?” he asked as I sped out of Alexandria.

I hesitated. “I got up close and personal with a master vampire.”

He squinted. “And by up close and personal you mean…”

“He was having breakfast and sex—at the same time—with a few people. He tried to bully me, so I punched him in the face. He broke his bed when his head went through it.” I giggled. I simply couldn’t help myself. Maybe I was a little hysterical. Probably I was just nuts.

He could only gape, speechless and horrified.

Neither of us said another word all the way back to the office.

“Joe,” he said, when we walked back into the office, “you should be her bodyguard when she takes off. I’ll manage the office as I should.”

Joe snorted. “Tried to warn you.”

“So did I,” I said. “I do think he’ll listen now. It wasn’t a lot of fun and he didn’t get to do much guarding.”

“Um, it’s not because I’m afraid of them?” Max said, gesturing wildly. “It’s because I’m scared of you. You’re crazy, Kaitlyn.”

“What’d she do?” Joe asked.

Max put the back of his fist to his lips, apparently at a loss for words—and a little dramatic, even for Max. He looked around as though to make sure no one was listening, though we were the only three in the office. “She punched a very powerful, very bad man,” he hissed. “While he was naked. In front of people. Hit him so hard he cracked his headboard.” He shook his head, then dropped into his chair. “I just can’t with this girl.”

Joe looked at me and grinned. “You make a great first impression.”

“Kaitlyn.”

I stiffened and spun around, my fingers on the handle of my blade. I knew my alpha was not going to hurt me, but there was always going to be a part of me that responded to his presence with fear and suspicion. It was a kneejerk reaction that I could never seem to break.

I didn’t know how he’d sneaked up on me, either. I should have felt him when he was near me. At the very least, I should have caught his scent. And I did—after the fact. Honestly, it was as though my wolf knew when he was near, but it took a while to get to the human part of me.

Joe pushed his big body between me and the alpha, possibly because he didn’t know who Jared was—or did know and didn’t care.

The two men stared each other down until I moved from behind Joe and to show him there was no threat, I took Jared’s arm.

Max sat in his chair staring at all of us with a look of hopeful amusement. “Joe,” he said. “This man is duty-bound to protect Kait—just as we are. You can trust him. Right, Kaitlyn?”

“Jared,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

He stared at Joe for a moment more, then squeezed my hand. “Let’s take a drive.”

“I’m…” I gestured at the room. “I’m working.”

“We can watch the office for a bit,” Max said helpfully. “Go take your drive. You can relax a little and tell Jared about punching Frederick Axton in the face.”

I sighed.

“You what?” Jared glared at Max, as though it was his fault, then put his stare back on me. “You attacked the…” He glanced at Joe. “Axton? Just because you’re…different doesn’t mean you’re indestructible, Kaitlyn.”

I glanced at Joe, uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry,” Joe said. “The mayor told me you’re a psychic who talks to dead people. I’m aware of things.”

“Just spirits and ghosts and demons,” Max interjected.

Joe frowned. “What the hell else is there?”

Jared pushed me toward the door with a hand at the small of my back, apparently done with the talking. Despite my resistance to his alpha attitude, I could not stop myself from reacting to him.

It was embarrassing, really, because I knew he knew.

And when he got outside he pushed me up against the brick of the building. “Kait. I know what you need.”

Holy shit.

I gulped and clenched my thighs together. “You...” I darted out my tongue to wet my lips and his sharp wolf stare dropped to my mouth and stayed there for a long, hot moment. “You do?” I finally squeaked.

He nodded. “That’s why I came. I know you’re afraid of what might happen, but you’re my wolf now. I’ll take care of you.”

Oh my God.

My hormones were working overtime. I shuddered, then, even though my brain was screaming at me to get a grip, I nodded. “Okay. I can’t seem to resist.”

He frowned, then backed away and took my arm. “You shouldn’t resist. You were hobbled for such a long time. It’s natural to worry, but I can handle you.” He smiled, just a slight lifting of the corners of his lips and a wry look in his eyes. “Now that I know what to expect.”

Oh. Oh.

He wasn’t talking about sex. He was talking about shifting. That was what he thought I needed. I wasn’t sure whether to be horribly embarrassed or extremely relieved. In the end, as he handed me into his car, I was a little of both.

But beneath everything was the slightest hint of disappointment.