Suck It by Linsey Hall
1
Mac
Drakon was dead.
At least, that’s what it looked like.
I stared at his body, which had turned to granite. He sat still as a statue in a massive, throne-like chair in front of an enormous hearth.
The harshly beautiful lines of his face were now carved in stone, his broad shoulders made of rock. Somehow, his power was even more obvious in this form. He looked like one of the kings of old—noble and terrifying and powerful.
The Great Masters would have taken one look at him and wept for the glorious creation that had not come from their hands.
And yet, for all intents and purposes, he was dead. Waves of magic rolled out from him, so powerful that it made my bones shake. But from what I could tell, he was as alive as granite.
I looked up at his friend, Dorian, whom Drakon and I had rescued from the secret society only days ago. “You just found him like this?”
Dorian nodded. “He hadn’t said that anything was wrong. No hint.”
I drew in an unsteady breath and stared down at him. I didn’t want to feel grief—not after what he’d put me through—but I did.
And somehow, I had a sinking feeling this had something to do with me.
Nah. That was crazy.
“Your witch friends are coming soon?” Dorian asked.
I nodded. Coraline, Mary, and Beth should be headed our way now. Getting them to figure out how to help Drakon was the least I could do.
There had to be a way to save him.
My familiar, a badger named Genevieve, appeared next to me. He looks dreadful.
I nodded.
If you can’t fix him, you can always prop him up in your living room. He’s very handsome as a statue.
He was handsome as a man, too. All the same, I nudged Genevieve with my leg. “Shh.”
It’s dangerous to help him, you know.
“I know.” The Bride Bond still connected us, and he was still incredibly dangerous. Saving him was like walking right into the crazy, but I had to do it.
“The party is here!” Coraline’s voice sounded from behind me, and I turned.
The three witches shouldn’t have had such an easy time finding Drakon’s residence, but of course they had. They might look like a kooky group of American sorority girls from a 1990s teen movie, but they were immensely powerful.
Coraline led the group, her dark hair spilling down the back of her tight red cat suit. Beth wore an identical outfit in green, and Mary in white.
Beth looked around the massive, stone-walled room and whistled low under her breath. “Quite the digs.”
She wasn’t kidding. Drakon’s home was an enormous, cold castle perched on a mountain top in Romania. He was truly a vampire of legend, living up to the stereotype in fine, terrifying fashion.
Mary spun in a circle, taking in the enormous room. “It’s like a throne room.”
And Drakon was undoubtedly its king. A loner whose power and terrifying presence had no doubt driven everyone away.
The three witches stopped by my side, inspecting Drakon.
“So you don’t know exactly what happened to him?” Beth asked.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Not great,” Coraline said.
“Thank fates we’re super powerful,” Mary said.
“Can you help him?”
“Need to figure out what’s wrong with him, first.” Coraline reached out to touch his hand. “Then we’ll know.”
“You three can wait over there.” Mary pointed to a collection of chairs near the wall.
Dorian, Genevieve, and I retreated to the them.
I couldn’t sit, though. I needed to move, to try to get rid of the anxious energy that surged through me. I shouldn’t be so worried—hell, I should be grateful. I wanted him off my tail.
But not like this.
I shook the thought away and watched as the witches circled Drakon’s throne. They laid down crystals and sprinkled potions, their faces intense as they worked.
“He’s powerful,” Coraline whispered so quietly that I almost couldn’t hear her. “Never felt anyone as powerful as him.”
“Whatever spell is binding him must be crazy strong.” Mary frowned, doubt on her face. “Not sure we’ve ever faced something like this.”
Shit. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I shared a worried look with Genevieve.
I could use a drink.
“You and me both,” I said to her. “But it’s not even five o’clock.”
The relevance of that eludes me.
“Of course it does.” I turned my attention back to the witches, worry vibrating within me.
The three women joined hands, their skin beginning to glow with magic. As their power rolled toward me, I held my breath. The words that they chanted were in a language I’d never heard before. Or if I had, I didn’t recognize it.
Genevieve leaned against my leg, and I drew strength from her sturdy little body.
The witches’ magic filled the enormous room, sounding like the screech of crows and the roar of wind. It smelled of green grass and oak forests, tasted of sugar and cayenne. The strength of it nearly stole my breath.
When it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, I nearly fell over. It was like a vacuum had filled the room and the air had just rushed back in. Gasping, I said, “Well? What’s wrong with him?”
Drakon still sat as unmoving as stone, but the triumphant look on the witches’ faces gave me hope.
“He’s still alive,” Coraline said. “His soul is entombed in granite.”
“How do we fix him?” I asked.
“No idea.” Coraline frowned. “At least, I don’t know a permanent fix. We can release his soul for a short while—make him corporeal, even—but it won’t last forever. Might give you time to break the curse, though.”
“You mean he’ll be normal?”
Mary nodded. “For a week. Maybe a bit less.”
A week.
That wasn’t long.
I looked at Drakon, indecision and hope fighting within me. Releasing him was stupid—at least for my long-term sanity. He certainly didn’t make my life easy. I was his fated mate, and I didn’t want to be. The consequences of that were going to be intense, no doubt.
And yet, I had to. Even if it meant walking right toward the danger, I knew I had to help him. My soul screamed it.
I could feel Dorian looking at me, his confusion palpable. He was wondering why I wasn’t jumping on the opportunity to help Drakon.
He had no idea of our history.
“Do it.” The words escaped on a rush.
“A warning, though,” Coraline said. “You get one chance. If you fail to save him and he returns to granite, it will be permanent.”
I swallowed hard, nodding. “I understand.”
I don’t like this kind of pressure. Genevieve twisted her little hands together as she watched with worried eyes.
“Me, neither.”
The witches circled Drakon, and I held my breath as their magic rose on the air once more. Smoke swirled around them as they chanted, the brilliant purple and blue concealing their forms as they directed their power toward Drakon.
Hope and fear clashed within me as I waited. Magic pulsed, nearly stealing my breath. By the time the smoke dissipated, I was lightheaded.
Heart pounding, I watched as the witches stepped back.
The granite figure of Drakon sat upon the throne, his form still and solid. A faint light glowed from him, slowly coalescing. The ghostly shape of the vampire rose from the throne, stepping away from his granite form.
My heart leapt. As I watched, the ephemeral figure turned solid and real. Within seconds, Drakon was standing in front of the granite version of himself. He was as terrifyingly beautiful as ever, with his burning blue eyes and sharp cheekbones.
He turned to me, a confused frown tugging at his full lips. “You’ve helped me.”
“I know. I’m as baffled as you are.”
His gaze lingered for a moment more, and he looked at the witches. “How long will this last?”
“You’re welcome.” Coraline gave him a wry look.
“Thank you.” He inclined his head. “Of course, thank you.”
“Good. We’ll give you the bill. As for how long this will last, I’d say you have a week at most. You’re not really here, after all.”
He reached out to touch the stone version of himself. His fingertips pressed against the stone, solid and real. “I feel like I’m here.”
“For a little while,” Coraline said. “But you’re more like a solid projection. When the spell fades, your soul will be returned to the granite. Forever.”
His brows rose. “Forever?”
She nodded. “We’ll never be able to do this again. It won’t work twice. So you’ve got a week to figure out how to fix yourself permanently.”
He nodded, gaze serious.
“Keep an eye out for the bill.” Coraline winked at me, and the witches began to gather their supplies to leave.
Drakon looked between his friend and myself. He gave Dorian a short nod, then strode toward me. When he stopped, his scent wrapped around me. Divine spices of sandalwood and man caught my senses, and I stepped back.
Tension tightened the air between us, the memory of the kiss we’d shared impressing itself upon my lips and mind. Heat rushed through me, foolish and crazy.
“I didn’t expect you to help me,” he said.
“Neither did I.” I glanced away, knowing I shouldn’t look at him for too long. It just made me want to reach out and touch him to make sure he was really here.
But no.
Our history—and our future—were far too complicated.
“What happened to you?”
His jaw tightened, and I could see indecision in his eyes. Was he debating telling me the truth? Did I even want to know it?
“Something that has been a long time coming,” he said.
There was more to it, there had to be. “It’s part of the Bride Bond, isn’t it?”
His jaw tightened. “It is.”
When he didn’t continue, I whispered, “How?”
“It’s the result of the pain I feel from being away from you.”
Shit. “But you don’t even want to be near me.”
Something flashed in his eyes—a look that suggested he might want to argue that point. Instead, he said, “It doesn’t matter.”
Fates, this sucked. “Do you know how to fix it?”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew the answer. Killing you.
Darkness flashed in his eyes, an emotion that I couldn’t read. The only way to break the bond between us was for one of us to die.
Obviously not an option. “I need to go. Good luck fixing yourself.” I turned and left, guilt tugging at me.
But it was the only thing I could do. I couldn’t stay by his side—not as long as we were still inextricably bound by fate. Not as long as the solution to his curse was my death.
But as I left, I could feel the heat of Drakon’s gaze on me. It burned into my back as I walked away, and I knew it wouldn’t be the last I saw of him.
As I strode through the echoing, silent hallways of the austere castle he called his home, I couldn’t help but think that it reflected him—strong, cold, forbidding.
Lonely.
Lonely?
I shook my head. Fates, I was losing it. I shouldn’t be feeling anything for him, much less concern. He was my damned bogeyman, after all.
Finally, I exited the castle onto the windswept mountain range and could use the transport charm I’d brought. Within seconds, I was back in the courtyard in front of my guild tower.
Comfort rushed over me, increasing when Carrow opened the door and peered out. “Everything go okay?”
I nodded and updated her on the situation.
She frowned. “He’ll come for you, you know.”
“You were hoping it wouldn’t work, weren’t you?”
She flashed me a guilty look. “Just for your sake. He’s ruthless.”
She wasn’t wrong. But I didn’t want to think of it. “I’m on shift at the Hound tonight. I need to get changed.”
“Yeah, yeah. We won’t talk about it.”
I grinned. “Exactly. Avoidance is the name of my game. For tonight, at least.”
She shook her head and moved aside so that I could enter the tower. It was empty, besides Carrow, and it didn’t take long for me to get changed and head back out into Guild City.
The streets were bustling with the early dinner crowd. Lights glowed from inside pubs and restaurants, and several of the shops were still open for early evening business.
Fates, how I loved Guild City.
By the time I reached the main gate tower that led to my pub, the crowd had thinned out and quieted. This part of town didn’t have quite as many restaurants, and it was often more serene.
I bypassed the larger gate and entered the darkened tunnel for foot traffic. I was halfway to the portal at the end when strong hands grabbed me from behind.
Panic gripped me. I started to scream, but a hand slapped over my mouth. Arms of steel dragged me toward a huge body that felt like it was made of stone.
Drakon?
No, this was someone else.
As they dragged me into a transport charm and the ether pulled me through space, I had only one thought—Ludovic.