Blood Magic (Blood Books Book 2) Read online

  “In what screwed up reality would breaking my neck be the right thing?”

  She shook her head, her gaze focused on the blood in her mug that she barely touched.

  “Look at me!” I screamed, slamming my hand against the tabletop for extra measure.

  “Avah, sit.” Malik’s voice was strained. I glanced at him with every intention of telling him he should be just as furious, but I lost my ability to speak. The pain in his eyes, the worry lines on his skin, the stubble on his jaw, his watery gaze… these were all signs of a Malik I had never seen before.

  “W—Why?” I stuttered.

  The world slowly began to suffocate me. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. My heart sank so far it practically dragged across the wood floor.

  “Jasik… He—He…”

  “No!” I screamed. “No! Don’t you dare. Don’t you fucking dare!” Tears stung in my eyes, and I let them fall. I sank to my knees, my palms pressing against the cool ground, instinctively supporting my body when I couldn’t. My chest heaved as I fought to control my spinning mind, my sputtering heart, and my clenching throat. The world was crashing down on me, and for once, I wanted it to.

  “Breathe, Avah.” Malik was kneeling before me, his hands firmly on my arms. “Breathe with me.”

  I shook my head, the tears falling in waterfall drips. He pulled me into his lap, and I leaned into the familiar frame, pushing my head against the crevice of his neck. Malik whispered into my ear, promises of how we’d be okay, how we’d get through this together, how we’d make this right. But I said nothing. Instead, I let it all go. I screamed, I convulsed, and I begged whoever was listening for one more chance. I offered my life in place of his, and I made promises I knew I’d never be able to keep. Malik’s shirt quickly became drenched with evidence of my loss, and as my eyes dried, when my strength to produce more depleted, I noticed that he, too, was crying.

  I WOKE IN my bed, pressed tightly against a sleeping body. It was hard, muscular, unwavering. I moved closer, taking in his scent as I curved against him. His arms were wrapped around me, and as I moved, they pulled me closer. His breathing hitched, and I knew he had woken.

  I also knew it wasn’t him. It would never be him.

  Still, I wanted to pretend. I’d pretend for as long as he’d let me. I think he understood that, because he didn’t pull away. Instead, he rubbed a hand through my hair, placing soft kisses against my temple, and my skin quickly grew damp with his tears.

  How long could we mourn like this? We had forever, but surely, if a Rogue didn’t kill us, a broken heart would.

  I leaned against him, pushing myself up into a sitting position. The only movement he made was to wipe his tears away.

  He sat up, wrapping his arms around me, as he pulled me into a suffocating hug. My breath caught, and for the first time in my life, I wanted to let it choke me. I couldn’t imagine living a life without Jasik—but more, I couldn’t imagine living an eternity while staring at the man who could have been his twin. I’d never seen their similarities before. But now, their lack of difference was smothering me.

  Everything from the way he frowned, to the way he smelled, to the definition of his body, to the way his skin brushed against mine, to the way his breath hitched when I got too close… everything screamed Jasik, and the noise was deafening as I fought to regain control of my voice.

  I let myself lean against him, resting my head on his shoulder. I didn’t know what day it was or how long we’d been locked away in my bedroom, but I didn’t care. We’d shut the world out, but it seemed fitting. The world turned its back on Jasik when he needed it most.

  And then I remembered Sebastian.

  I jerked back, gasping. Malik let me pull away, but he kept me in his arms, his hands settling at my hips. There was nothing erotic about his touch, but it screamed with a protective force. As much as my sanity would need to steer clear of Malik, I knew he wouldn’t let me go. He would follow me wherever I ran. He would do whatever it took to keep me safe—Jasik’s dying wish.

  I swallowed down the lump in my throat and finally spoke.

  “Sebastian…”

  Malik tensed, his fingers digging painfully into my skin, but I didn’t waver. I barely registered the movement.

  “Sebastian was a,” I shook my head, “is a hybrid. They’re okay.” I nodded, tears threatening to spill again. I wondered how many tears I could offer before my eyes dried up in their sockets.

  He shook his head. “I’ve tried… I can’t see them.” His voice was soft, deep.

  “You have to try again,” I said with a squeak. I hiccupped as I took in a deep breath.

  “I’ve told you,” Malik said as he rubbed a hand across his buzzed head. “I can’t see him!”

  “There has to be something blocking you from seeing him. He isn’t gone!” My voice shrieked as I screamed.

  “My power has never failed me, Avah,” Malik snapped, and I recoiled. Pain flashed across his face before he pulled me against him. I hugged him back as he whispered his apology.

  “Don’t you think we’d know? Don’t you think we’d feel it or something? He can’t be dead!” My voice was muffled as I pushed my face into the crevice of his neck.

  “I need more to go on than that, Avah. I need more than a child’s dream,” he yelled. I pulled back, angered. I wiped at my tears. He exhaled slowly and released me as I slid off of him. I rested against the headboard, and he mirrored my move.

  Closing my eyes, I pressed my index fingers against my temples, rubbing the pads in rough, slow circles. “Malik, you’re not listening to me.” I spoke softly, knowing he didn’t mean to take his frustration out on me. This was hard on both of us, but to survive it, we needed each other. We couldn’t let this separate us. “I don’t think your power is failing you. I just think something is blocking you. A spell? Sebastian? A shield? I don’t know… Stop focusing on him. Focus on you. What do you see in your future?”

  “Why would that help us find Jasik?” His tone was harsh. I turned toward him, and he wiped at his eyes.

  “You once told me that the bond you share with your brother was so strong that your ability to foresee your future rubbed off on him. If his future affects yours that much, then you will likely see him in your future.”

  His eyes lit up as his gaze met mine. He closed his eyes, focusing on calling his power to foresee his future. Almost as soon as he closed them, though, they shot open. His face paled; his breath caught. He dug under the covers for my buried hand and grasped onto it when he found it. He closed his eyes again. I watched a shudder work its way through his tall frame. He dropped my hand, and his fingers dug into my arms. His eyes closed again, and I whimpered in response to the shock of pain sinking bone deep. His eyes opened, but they were glossed over, his mind deep in thought as he attempted to see my future.

  “I can see my own future, Malik,” I said, reminding him that, even though I may not have had the control he had, I was also a seer.

  He opened his eyes, and my heart stopped as he returned my fearful gaze.

  “I don’t… I don’t have a future. Neither of us do.”

  Malik’s hands fell from my arms as he dropped his head.

  I swallowed hard, our impending doom lingering heavily on me.

  “How is this possible?” he asked, his head falling into his hands.

  My earlier visions of death and destruction flashed before my eyes.

  Our war had only just begun, and we weren’t going to survive.

  I STALKED OUTSIDE the manor. Somewhere inside, the vampires were both celebrating the return of Amicia and mourning the death of Jasik. I refused to play a part in Jasik’s impending burial, because I refused to believe he was really gone. I reached back, grasping the handle of my seax, and quickly bounced down the front steps.

  “Did you really think you could leave without me knowing it?” Malik asked as he stepped onto the porch behind me.

  I didn’t turn around. Instead, I ignored him
and kept walking, hoping he’d just leave me be.

  “Avah, stop!” he yelled.

  I shook my head. “Just leave me alone, Malik.”

  I blinked, and he was before me, blocking my passage through the wrought iron gate that marked the edge of our property.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To find answers,” I said defiantly, sidestepping him.

  He reached out, intertwining our fingers as I tried to pull away. His grasp was painful, sending shock waves that tingled through me from fingers to toes. But I wouldn’t acknowledge how raw I’d become. Not in front of him. Not anymore.

  “Avah, please. Don’t leave. Don’t do this. You belong here.”

  “No, I don’t,” I whispered.

  “I promised I’d keep you safe. I can’t do that if you’re not with me.”

  I brought my gaze up to meet his. His eyes were sunken and red. I was sure my face matched his.

  “He’d want us to stay together.”

  “Stop!” I yelled, stepping back and yanking my hand from his. He reluctantly let go. I was sure it was only because I’d chosen to go a direction that led me farther away from the gate and closer to the manor’s door. But I needed to get away from him. I could barely look at him. Touching him had become unbearable.

  “Where are you going to go? There’s nothing for you out there.”

  “I don’t know. To Alaska. To find him, his body. And then maybe to Sibyl.”

  “Montana? That’s where you want to be? With them?”

  “Malik,” I whispered before clearing my throat and speaking more forcefully. “I can’t stay here. I can’t be near you. You remind me too much—”

  “Do you think you don’t do the same?” he asked quietly. “Every time I look at you, I see him. I see your love for him reflected in your eyes. I see your pain, your loss. We’re both mourning him, Avah. We need to do it together.”

  “Don’t you get it? I want nothing to do with this—”

  The faintest of heartbeats lingered in the air, but the smell of fresh blood was strong. It hit me in waves, rushing over me, cascading through my senses. My fangs lowered as my body alerted me to a smell I knew intimately. My breath caught, and I pushed past Malik.

  “What?” he asked, his gaze following mine into the forest.

  “It’s him.” I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply. “I smell him.”

  Malik exhaled sharply. “No, you don’t. You’re not well, mentally or emotionally. You need to heal. Please, stay.” He reached out, his fingertips sending shivers down my spine as he brushed against my skin. I shrugged him off.

  Before he could stop me, I dashed past the gate and into the forest. My feet stomped against the hard-packed ground. I swatted at branches that hung too low, twigs cracking underneath my ungraceful jaunt. If Rogues lingered, they’d know exactly where I was, but I didn’t care. Jasik was somewhere in these woods, and I needed to find him.

  “Jasik!” I screamed as I pushed past overgrown trees. “Jasik! Where are you?”

  “Avah!” My heart dropped, and I came to an abrupt stop, waiting for the next blessed word. “Avah!” I cursed as I realized it was Malik’s voice.

  I closed my eyes, focusing on my senses. I inhaled deeply, but his scent no longer wafted through the air. Had Malik been right? Was I losing my mind? I pushed the negative thoughts aside.

  “Avah!” Malik called again, this time closer.

  “Shut up!” I snapped as I tried to focus on my senses.

  I heard him approach from behind.

  “Don’t ever just take off like that again!” he yelled.

  “Malik, shut up! I can’t concentrate. Stop breathing. Control your heart. Or go away!”

  I knew I was acting ridiculous, but I also knew Jasik was out here. Somewhere. He needed me to find him, to bring him home.

  I waited, listening as creatures of the night slithered around. I inhaled deeply, waving a hand by my nose as the salty sea air made me want to sneeze. I shook my body to relieve the tension and started again. Calling upon air, I increased the wind, hoping it was enough to bring his scent to me. When it hit me, it left no doubt in my mind that his bloody body was somewhere in these woods.

  “Oh my goddess,” Malik said, inhaling deeply as he stepped beside me.

  “Let’s go,” I said as I ran toward the smell. I didn’t stop running until the scent of blood coated the air in a hungry thickness. It wrapped around each breath I took, threatening to smother me with his delicious scent.

  My hand found my mouth in a gasp as I took in the scene before me. In the center of a wavering shield, I watched as Sebastian and Jasik held onto each other. Their bodies were thin, bruised. Their muscular builds were now lanky. Slowly, they crawled, on hands and knees, in the direction of the manor, though I wasn’t sure they actually knew where they were or how close they were to being home. Sebastian was too weak to maintain his shield. It lowered, and he reached over and sank his fangs into the wrist Jasik offered. Jasik cringed as Sebastian slowly drank from him. After only a few swallows, Sebastian brushed Jasik’s wrist aside and brought his shield back up.

  Malik and I both stared in dread at the scene before us. Unable to move, to speak, we watched it replay over and over. As soon as the shield faltered, exposing them, Sebastian drank just enough to bring it back up. Jasik’s healing abilities were weak, but they were enough to bring them this far.

  Swallowing back my tears, I dropped to the ground in front of them. I reached out, my hand grazing the shield’s barrier. Ever so slightly, I pushed my palm against it. Sebastian cried out as though I’d hit him, and his shield fell. He was so weak. They both were so weak.

  “Jasik?” I whispered. “Sebastian?” Tears burned behind my eyes as I watched them. They didn’t seem to register my voice.

  Sebastian reached over to sink his fangs in Jasik’s wrist, but I intercepted. I pushed Jasik’s arm away, sitting between them. They rested beside me, eyes closed, chests heaving. Malik lowered himself behind me, rubbing his hands up and down the lengths of my arms. His forehead rested against the back of my neck, and wet tears drenched my skin.

  “They’re okay,” I whispered, letting tears fall one final time.

  I pulled Jasik into my arms, placing a soft kiss on his temple. He cringed on impact, my lips bruising his skin.

  Malik and I sat with Jasik cradled in my arms and Sebastian in his. With tears streaming down our faces, we smiled at each other. We had done it. We had all survived. We had faced the impossible, and instead of staying when we knocked on death’s door, we planted a burning paper bag of dog excrements and ran away. This time, the joke was on death.

  It would take time and more blood than we had readily available to bring their strength back, but they were home, and they were safe—for now.

  I knew something was coming for us, and there was a really good chance we weren’t going to make it. But that was tomorrow’s problem.

  Tonight, I’d let go of the pain, I’d release the worry, and I’d welcome the darkness.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  WHEN I THINK about my recent writing accomplishments, I can’t imagine being where I am without a select group of inspiring people:

  First and foremost, I’d like to thank my readers. I absolutely love being a writer, and I couldn’t do what I love without you. You make this journey worth it. I hope you enjoy my stories as much as I do.

  To my publisher, Oftomes Publishing—Ironically, words often fail me, especially when I’m trying to articulate just how grateful I am for your guidance and support. I’m proud to be part of the Oftomes family, and I can’t wait to embark on more journeys with you.

  To Tara, my wonderful editor—The only reason I can write these stories is because I know you’re waiting there for me at the finish line. Whether I’m failing to find the right words or in need of wine and ranting, you’re always there, even when I blow through a deadline. I appreciate you so much.

  To Robin, my book beautifier�
�I send you randomness, and you send back pretties. I love you for that. You’re such an amazingly beautiful inspiration, and I’m so grateful you’re in my life.

  To my family—You’ve been there since the beginning. You’ve waited patiently while I’ve lost myself in my writing cave. You’ve kept me on track. I wouldn’t be where I am without you. Your support means more than I could ever put into words.

  WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NEXT BOOK?

  READ ON FOR AN EXTRACT FROM

  OUT OCTOBER 31st 2017

  EVER SINCE I’D transitioned into a vampire, everything from my senses to the time it took to fall in love became heightened, quickened, so when Jasik, my sire and mate, told me he was fine, my bullshit radar buzzed at brain-piercing volumes. Two days had passed since I’d found him and Sebastian, a fellow vampire-witch hybrid, nearly dead in the woods that surrounded our secluded manor.

  Ignoring Jasik’s pleas, I forced him into the basement infirmary. Blood IVs dripped at an annoyingly slow pace as my corner chair creaked under my weight. I had been shifting for hours, unable to get comfortable. I’d woken several times with the burning desire to slide into Jasik’s cot beside him, but two things had stopped me: 1) I didn’t want to wake Jasik and risk another argument about his well-being, and 2) we weren’t alone.

  Malik’s muscular frame wasn’t hard to miss—unless he was cowering in a dark corner, attempting to sleep on the hard, cold floors. My eyes lingered on his solid frame, his eyes fluttering as he slept. Prior to nearly losing Jasik, Malik and I never really agreed on anything. When Jasik changed me, he broke the most important vampire law. Though the decision was easy for Jasik, it was harder on Malik, who had always taken his role as a Hunter ridiculously seriously. Now, there was softness to him. I wasn’t sure if it was because he’d thought he lost his brother—his only (semi) living blood relative—or if it was because he and I had finally broken down the walls that separated us when we found comfort in each other as we mourned the loss of Jasik.