Blood Magic (Blood Books Book 2) Page 2

  “Bless our friends and see them safely into Summerland, where they will await their rebirth. May they be reborn again at the same time as the ones they have loved now, so they may know and love them again.” With a final thrust, I twirled the athame in my hand and stabbed it into the cold, hard ground.

  I stepped away from the athame, leaving it handle-deep in Mother Earth. I tore my teary eyes from the crowd and glanced at the seventeen candles standing tall on my altar.

  “Incendia,” I said, calling to fire. In unison, the seventeen candles sparked, their wicks igniting in flame.

  “Though the wick on these candles will burn, the eternal fires within our hearts will never die. We say goodnight and goodbye to our fallen family, as they now must pass through Summerland with the knowledge that they will be missed and forever remembered in our thoughts and hearts. Blessed be, our friends, our family. May your crossing be peaceful and swift.”

  I grasped the handle of the athame and focused on its energies. The gods heard my plea and accepted our offering. The athame’s handle, once burning with the power and energy I had left in it, now felt empty, a sign of acceptance. I pulled the athame from the ground, ending the ceremony. I set the athame on the altar and slowly raised my gaze. The others smiled at me with hopeful eyes.

  One by one, the vampires walked to the graves to pay their respects. Most cried, and I found myself wondering just how long our fallen had been part of this coven’s life. Had they been here since the beginning? Or were they newborns, their lives cut short by the burden of war? I was lost in my thoughts and hadn’t heard Jasik approach from behind.

  “That was beautiful,” he said, pulling me toward him. I fell against his frame, resting my head against his chest. I closed my eyes and listened for his slow, steady heartbeat. The sound had been shocking when I first changed. I hadn’t expected to find a heart, but I discovered that vampires had so much more than just beating hearts: like mortals, they had souls, desires, and downfalls. I opened my eyes to find Malik beside me, staring curiously.

  “I was hesitant, but you came through. Thank you,” he said before walking away, joining the other Hunters in the manor. Malik was very slowly opening up to me, and though I knew he needed time to accept the fact that his brother broke a vampire law of utmost importance by changing me, I still wanted him to just let it go. We had more important things to worry about, but had I said that to him, he’d probably simply tell me my ignorance betrayed my youth.

  I stepped away from Jasik and wrapped my arms around my chest, watching as each vampire placed his or her hand atop a tombstone and spoke just above a whisper. They prayed that their loved ones would find their way home, and then they went inside, leaving their graves behind to seek shelter and comfort wherever they could find it.

  “Sebastian refueled the protection spells around the manor,” I said as I walked toward the front gate. “I just want to make a quick perimeter run to be sure everything’s okay.”

  “I’ll join you,” Jasik said, grabbing onto my hand as we left the safety of the magical shield that kept Rogues from entering the manor while we slumbered.

  Our manor was enclosed within a black wrought-iron fence boundary, and at each of the four corners, I had placed power-infused crystals to protect us. As we passed each now, I could feel its strength, power radiating from its points. Sebastian hadn’t failed me. I wondered if I should consider giving him the benefit of the doubt.

  “What’s on your mind?” Jasik asked. I glanced up to find him staring at me intently.

  “Nothing, really. Just thinking about everything—Amicia getting back, Sebastian and his many secrets.”

  “We need to discuss what we are to do,” Jasik said, nodding.

  “I think… I think he needs to join us when we begin tracking Amicia,” I said.

  Jasik came to an abrupt stop, turned, and faced me. I knew he wasn’t going to like my suggestion.

  “I think he’ll be useful. We can keep an eye on him, and he and I can work one on one.”

  “Avah, it’s not safe. We can’t trust him. Not yet.”

  “If he wanted to kill me, don’t you think he would have tried by now? Something? Anything?” It was true that I had lingering doubts regarding Sebastian’s intentions, but admitting so would only fuel the fire Jasik was kindling. But I also couldn’t deny that my faith in him held a stronger pull than my doubt. When it came to the unreadable Sebastian, I was left a mess of emotions.

  “Not when he’s facing a house full of vampires, an experienced team of Hunters, and you, but when we leave, it’ll just be us. We’ll be busy tracking, and you’ll be alone with him.”

  “I don’t need you to protect me, Jasik. I need to figure this out by myself.”

  Pain flashed in his eyes, and I immediately regretted my words.

  “Jasik,” I said, reaching for him, my fingertips lightly brushing against his skin, “I didn’t mean it like that. I just need to figure this out, and I’d like answers sooner rather than later. Besides, we can’t just leave him at the house alone, unprotected. This isn’t like your usual hunts. We’ll be gone for weeks, not hours or days. They’ll be too vulnerable.”

  “I’ve already contacted other covens. Each house is willing to send one Hunter here for protection. Our coven will be safe. The other Hunters will watch over him, ensuring he doesn’t do anything he’ll regret when we return.”

  “And you need to trust that I will be fine. I can do this. I can handle Sebastian. I can protect myself.”

  “Not against him. We still don’t know his true power,” Jasik said.

  “But more importantly, we still don’t know my power, and that’s what matters. Besides, you won’t need me to help you with tracking. I’ll just be tagging along, really. So bringing Sebastian will give me something to do.”

  “Give you something to do? You speak as though saving Amicia isn’t important to you.”

  I groaned and turned away but was caught by Jasik’s hand. I yanked my arm free. “You know that’s not what I meant. Of course she’s important to me, but she doesn’t need me. I need me.”

  “I need you, too,” he said, looking away.

  In my frustration, I hadn’t realized just how important this was to him. Sure, he wanted to protect me, but he was vulnerable, too. He had failed in his duties to protect his high priestess. His wounded pride needed tending. I just couldn’t give him that. Not when I couldn’t trust the growing, uncontrollable power inside me.

  “I care a great deal about Amicia. You know this. Don’t belittle my feelings just because I want to spend my days training with Sebastian while you four track her. I’ll still be there. I’ll still be with you. And I’ll help whenever you need me. But I also need to think about myself. While I’m being there for everyone else, no one is being there for me, and I—”

  He scoffed and turned away. “You can’t be serious, Avah! Do you truly believe no one is here for you? Every vampire in that house,” he said as he flung his arm toward the manor, “is here for you. They all trust you. They all want you to be part of this coven, and being part of this coven means doing your job as a Hunter. There will be plenty of time for training, but our first priority must be Amicia’s return.”

  I was shocked into silence. Sure, I was being selfish, but after everything we’d been through, couldn’t I be selfish for once in my life?

  “Jasik, what’s really going on? You know this coven has become one of my top priorities.”

  He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled deeply. “I just don’t trust him. I just—I just want you to do this my way. I don’t want to question your safety, and I don’t want to worry about Sebastian. Not right now.”

  I understood completely. Though he didn’t say the words, I knew where his hurt lay. Sebastian was the first vampire we’d encountered who shared my differences. Hell, he could be the only other one in existence. I was sure that bothered Jasik more than he let on.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck. “You
know my decision to bring him along is because I need to learn more about who I am and what I can do. Nothing more, and nothing less.”

  “And what happens once you’ve learned everything he can teach you?”

  I shrugged, pulling him closer. “Sebastian will go back to Australia?”

  Jasik closed his eyes and rested his forehead against mine. “When he’s near… Everything feels different.”

  “What does that mean?” I whispered.

  He shook his head. “I just… I don’t know.”

  “Are you saying you feel differently for… for me?”

  His eyes opened as he pulled away, and pain lingered there. “No. Of course not.”

  I nodded. His hand grasped mine, and he pulled me toward him. My mouth found his, and I leaned against him. Our bodies fit perfectly—each and every curve tucked neatly together. Hours could have passed before we finally pulled away breathlessly. I smiled up at him, his earlier unease gone.

  “You’re sure you can handle him?” he asked.

  “Positive. I really think he doesn’t want to hurt us.”

  “And if he does?”

  I exhaled slowly, letting his words sink in. “If he does, well, then I’ll take care of the situation.”

  While my instincts were telling me I could trust Sebastian, I couldn’t deny the possibility that they’d betray me.

  AFTER MY ALMOST-tiff with Jasik, I went in search of Sebastian. The details describing just how we were supposed to find and save Amicia had already been decided, and plans were drawn out by the time Sebastian and I made our way into Amicia’s office to meet with the other Hunters.

  “Sebastian and I will be joining you,” I said. I was eternally grateful to know that Jasik not only trusted me enough to let Sebastian join us, but he was also willing to set aside his leader tendencies and let me make my own decisions.

  “We’re what? I don’t think so. I didn’t come all this way to fight, sweet thing. Sebastian is staying here—where there are comfy beds, food to eat, and bathrooms. I don’t do the whole nature thing.” Sebastian referring to himself in the third person put the strawberry icing on the damn cake he’d been baking all day.

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Jasik said.

  I held back a chuckle and said, “They need me. Amicia needs me, and I need you. So you’re coming.” I hoped my tone conveyed just how serious I was. We didn’t have time to argue.

  “How do you expect me to train you while you’re tracking?”

  “I don’t need to track. I just need to be there when it’s time to fight. While they track,” I said, pointing to Amicia’s Hunters, “you and I will train. Maybe you can teach me enough to make a difference by the time we find her.”

  “This isn’t a good idea,” Sebastian said. His tone was serious, and I found myself wondering if leaving was the wrong decision. It was so easy for him to make me second-guess myself. I’d trusted and leaned on my instincts for years while hunting vampires. They never failed me. But as soon as Sebastian opened his mouth, I was falling in step—in his step. I didn’t like it.

  “I second that. How do we know we can even trust him?” Lillie asked.

  “But you’re trusting enough to leave me here with the vampires you’re meant to protect? You didn’t think that one through did you, blondie?” Sebastian said. I rolled my eyes and met his gaze. I gave him my best don’t-tempt-her glare before glancing past him. Amicia’s office had large bay windows behind her desk. The manor was built on the far edge of a cliff that hung over the crashing Pacific Ocean. Slowly, the sky was lightening as the sun began to rise. If we were to leave tomorrow at dusk, then we needed plans set in stone quickly.

  “Actually, I just thought we could lock you up until we get back and deal with you then,” Lillie replied in her Miss America tone. She flashed him a wide smile.

  “We’re not doing that. Besides, I’ve been thinking about a locating spell, and to make it work, I’ll need Sebastian’s help.” I ignored Sebastian’s frown.

  “Do you really expect a tracking spell to work? They know you’re part witch. Don’t you think the Rogues thought you might do that?” Lillie asked.

  I nodded. “But it’s worth a try. So are you going to come willingly, or am I going to have to convince you?” I said, placing my hand on my sheathed weapon. I realized too soon that I was joking, and an uncomfortable feeling settled. Since when did Sebastian and I get on joking terms?

  Sebastian barked out a hard laugh. “I love your enthusiasm, Avah. You act as though you really could take me. It’s going to make you a fantastic asset.”

  I rolled my eyes and turned back toward the others. “So what’re the plans?”

  “There are four Hunters arriving just after sundown. Tonight, we rest and feast. Tomorrow, we hunt, and we don’t stop until we’ve found her,” Jasik said as he stood. He closed the journal and slid it back into its place on Amicia’s bookshelf. The room was spotless. You couldn’t even tell that we’d been ransacking the place in the hopes of finding answers.

  “We should get ready, then,” Lillie said.

  “Yes, go to the armory and replace our weapons. Clean and sharpen the ones we cannot leave behind. When done, deliver them to our rooms, and then everyone needs to feed and sleep. We have a long day tomorrow,” Jasik replied. Especially since we were racing the sun…

  “Do we have any idea where we’re going?” I asked.

  “We’re heading east. I assumed your old coven would have contacted you if they went south. We have friends toward the east, too. If we make it to them, we’ll have a safe place to rest and feed.”

  I nodded. Jasik made it sound so simple. I was sure it was anything but.

  Jasik closed the meeting, staying behind to speak with Malik, and we dispersed. Sebastian and I went to the kitchen, grabbed bags of blood, and feasted until our stretched stomachs ached.

  “So when are we going to begin these promised lessons?” I asked.

  “Lesson number one: consider a different diet.”

  “Huh?”

  “Let me backtrack. First, I need you to promise you won’t run and tell lover boy everything I tell you. Some things are better left a mystery.”

  “You know I can’t promise that.”

  “At least consider it. Trust me.”

  I thought before responding. Obviously, he knew things I needed to know, and he wasn’t going to give it up without a few conditions being met. “Fine.”

  “Good. Back to lesson number one,” he said, leaning in closely as if someone were attempting to eavesdrop. “We can eat real food.”

  My stomach, now full from blood, grumbled at the thought of munching on candy, devouring a plate of pasta, and sipping on sweet tea.

  “We’re… like a hybrid species. We have all the perks of both with none of the weaknesses. Well, close to none. We’re not invincible. Cut our heads off, and another isn’t growin’ back.”

  “So we can survive without feeding?” Though the thought of never needing to drink blood again made me want to shriek in excitement, I found myself wondering what that would really mean. Jasik had been questioning my vampirism since I turned. Maybe he had been right the whole time.

  “Sure can. I only drink blood when I’m around covens like this. Those who don’t know any better. I like to keep up the mystique.”

  “Why does that not surprise me?” I grinned, shaking my head.

  He chuckled and swallowed down the last swig of blood in his blood bag, making dramatic refreshing noises. I couldn’t help but laugh. The unease began to sink back in, and I decided then and there that I’d give him a chance. He was keeping his promises, and though he put up a fight when I’d told him he was joining us on the hunt, he was going to help find Amicia. I’d never been in the position to lend trust to someone I didn’t know. At least, not until I turned. Becoming a vampire had me questioning everything I thought I knew and everything I thought I was. Why not continue with giving him a chance? If I was wrong, it’d o
nly cost me my life…

  “I like you, Sebastian. Please don’t make me regret that.”

  He winked at me. “I knew you couldn’t resist my Aussie charm.”

  “I’m serious. This isn’t a joke. Lives are at stake.” I ignored his laugh at my unintentional pun. “And I’m going to need your help while we search for Amicia. I just need to know that I can count on you. You’ve shown me a different side of yourself since you initially arrived, and I want to make sure that’s the Sebastian accompanying us on this venture.”

  “Relax, sweets. That’s the only Sebastian I know. ‘Sides, I do believe you were the one who was on the cranky side. Everyone seems to keep forgetting that I tried to help y’all.”

  “I know,” I said, thinking back to the dream I had about Sebastian the night he arrived. I hoped it was anxiety and nothing more—especially since being around him was so easy, so natural. Briefly, I wondered what it would be like to have him join our coven. He’d definitely get along with Jeremiah if he were just given the chance.

  When I met Sebastian’s eyes again, his stare was cold, harsh. He blinked, and it was gone. His annoying cheerfulness returned with a wink. I fought the urge to ask what had just happened, where his mind had just gone.

  “I’m getting tired. Let’s pack for our spells and then hit the sack,” I said.

  “Sounds like a plan, my little blueberry muffin.” I was sure he had just resisted the urge to pinch my cheeks.

  “I think I just swallowed vomit.”

  “The best part of being a vampire is the liquid diet. It tastes even better going down a second time,” he said as he bent over in silent laughter, as if he was just way too funny to handle.

  “You’re disgusting,” I said, but inside, I told myself I could get used to this. I could get used to Sebastian’s bad jokes and awful pet names. I wasn’t sure if I should be thrilled or horrified.

  BACK IN MY room, I quickly showered and threw on a clean pair of underwear. I smiled when I saw Jasik fast asleep on the bed. His dark hair was sleep-fussed, and his sculpted facial features left me licking my lips at the sight of him. Slowly, I crept over and slid in beside to him. He was nude, and his skin burned against mine. I didn’t understand the allure he had over me, and honestly, I didn’t care. I yanked the sheet back and admired him. His tanned skin was taut against his tall, muscular frame. I rolled on top of him, my legs astride, and rested my bare chest against his, as I softly kissed his neck. He moaned but remained sleeping. I no doubt had just gotten a starring role in whatever he was dreaming.