Hexed (The Gwen Sparks Series Book 4) (33 page)

“I didn’t want to leave you either,” Aiden replied, glaring at Dorian. “I was exhausted from the bloodletting and must have dozed off.” He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. “Don’t forget,” he said to Dorian, “I was in that bed before you.” At Dorian’s scowl, Aiden smiled.

“You two are really going to have to get past your hatred towards each other,” I told them. “I’m dating Dorian now,” I said to Aiden. “And he’s my…sire now,” I said to Dorian. “Let’s all play nice to make life a little easier, okay?”

“No promises,” both Aiden and Dorian said at the same time.

Ten minutes later a knock came from the front door. Aiden let the donor in and showed him to the living room where I sat on the couch with Dorian. My stomach was in knots, thick ropey knots that made me nauseous.

The donor was a man around my age with dirty blonde hair and bright green eyes. He was a little taller than my five-foot-seven height and had a runner’s build, lean but muscular. He wore a short-sleeved t-shirt with loose jeans. Compared to Aiden and Dorian, the guy wasn’t so much hot as he was cute.

“Gwen, this is Lincoln,” Aiden said. “He’ll be your designated donor. When you need blood call him, okay?”

I eyed Lincoln and then nodded at Aiden. This was all so bizarre, and a little embarrassing. Most donors got into bloodletting for the high the vampire venom gave them, while others did it for the money. As I looked at Lincoln, I wondered why he did it. Was he an addict or struggling to pay his rent? My eyes traveled down to his throat to search for any signs of other feedings, but his skin was blemish free.

“Hi, Gwen,” Lincoln said, reaching his hand out to me. He smiled and I noticed it made his eyes sparkle brighter.

Slipping my hand into his, I said, “Hi.” Dropping my hand, I looked to Aiden. “How am I supposed to do this? I don’t have any…fangs.”

Lincoln looked from me to Aiden, his brow furrowed. On the drive over to my apartment Aiden had told me that should my body accept the virus, I was not to tell anyone. In Flora everyone knew me as that troublemaking witch. If they found out I was also vampire, the myth about hybrids would get out, or I would be hunted and killed. By the look on Lincoln’s face, I worried I just said something that revealed my secret.

“First feeding?” Lincoln asked.

“Yes,” Aiden answered, sending me a warning look. “She hasn’t gone through the complete transformation yet.”

I visibly relaxed, but my stomach was still in knots. Dorian clasped my hand and the connection helped ground me.

“I’ll bite into his wrist for you tonight,” Aiden told me. “Lincoln, sit down next to Gwen.”

Lincoln did as he was told and sat down next to me. He placed an arm along the back of the couch and smiled down at me. Up this close, I could see flecks of blue through his green eyes, but if he thought he was charming me with that smile, he was wrong.

Aiden lifted Lincoln’s wrist to his mouth and bit down. A hiss escaped Lincoln’s lips as he brought his wrist to me. Blood pooled up out of the twin puncture wounds and made me even queasier. I could not believe I was about to do this. This was my reality now.

“Drink, Gwen,” Aiden instructed.

Hesitantly, I gripped Lincoln’s wrist and brought my mouth down to the wounds. Closing my eyes, I tried to ignore the taste of blood on my tongue and the fact that I was sucking on some stranger’s arm while my current boyfriend and ex-boyfriend watched. Weirdly enough, the taste didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. After getting over the initial embarrassment, I sucked harder and welcomed the salty tang sliding down my throat.

“That’s enough,” Aiden said. “You don’t need much for your first feeding.”

Lifting my head, I wiped my mouth and was thankful for the curtain of my hair blocking Lincoln’s view of me, but I could feel Dorian’s eyes on me. I wondered what he thought of me now, did seeing me drink blood gross him out? He’d never been quiet about not liking Aiden’s vampirism.

“Gwen, I want you to watch this,” Aiden said. Lifting my head, I watched as he pierced his thumb on his fang and rubbed blood over the wounds on Lincoln’s wrist. The two puncture wounds slowly closed, sealing off the holes.

“After every feeding make sure you close the wounds,” Aiden instructed, and I nodded.

Lincoln got up from the couch, slipped his hand into his pocket and retrieved his cell phone. “We should probably exchange numbers.”

“Right,” I said, standing to retrieve my phone from the kitchen table. Lincoln followed me, and we read off our numbers to each other, storing them in our cells. This was like a morning after a hookup, only ten times more awkward. I mean, bodily fluids were involved and everything.

“Call me anytime you need me,” Lincoln said, grinning.

“Thanks,” I told him. I had no idea what the protocol was in this type of situation. Was I supposed to tip him?

“Thank you, Mr. Blake,” Lincoln said as he made his way toward the door. After Lincoln was gone, I covered my face with my hands and shook my head.

“That was so awkward,” I said, dropping my hands and walking into the living room.

“It’ll get easier,” Aiden told me. “You are Lincoln’s only client.”

“Should I pay him after each feeding?” I asked.

Aiden shook his head. “It’s all taken care of. He’s available to you whenever you call him. Should he not be available when you need him, call me, and I will take care of it. And most importantly, never tell him or anyone else what you are.”

I nodded, but I couldn’t help but think that I’d traded one secret existence for another. Instead of worrying about my time running out, now I had to worry about others finding out I was half-vampire. Flora was a small town where everyone either knew me or of me. Keeping this secret was going to be difficult.

“What about Ethan?” Dorian asked. It was the first time he’d spoke since Lincoln came over. “I wouldn’t put it past him to tell the NAWC.”

“He doesn’t know,” I told him. “After traveling through time, Aiden pulled me aside and told me about trying this. I then told Fiona that there was something I needed to try, but didn’t go into details about it. I hate to say this, but I don’t trust Fiona not to tell Ethan, and I don’t trust Ethan.”

Right then, the front door slammed shut, hard. All three of our heads turned toward the kitchen to find Fiona and Ethan. Fiona stood with her arms crossed and she was glaring at me.

“It’s so nice to hear what you really think of me,” Fiona said. “Do you know that I just spent the last four hours convincing my father to get the NAWC off your back? I could have been sleeping, or better yet, gossiping about all your secrets with Ethan.”

“Fiona,” I said, moving toward her, “I didn’t mean you’re not trustworthy. I trust you, but you do tell Ethan a lot of things. This particular secret is the type you take to the grave.”

Fiona snorted. She was still putting on the front of being angry, but I could see the hurt in her blue eyes. “If you told me not to tell, I wouldn’t. You know that.” She waited, and I wasn’t sure if she was waiting for me to say something or tell her my secret. There was no way I was telling her with Ethan standing right there. He was watching me with interest, like he was trying to pluck the secret from my head. Given the fact that just a month ago the NAWC was ready to go to war with the vampires, the NAWC could not find out. Ethan in particular hated vampires, and since he already hated me, he would not be happy to find out I was part witch and part vampire.

“Fine,” Fiona finally said, “don’t tell me. What do I care? I’m moving out anyway.”

“Don’t be like that, Fiona. I’m not keeping it a secret just to keep it from you.”

She held up her hand to stop me from speaking. “Come on, Ethan. We’ll stay at the Inn tonight.” They both turned toward the door.

“You’re overreacting,” I told her.

She stopped and spun around. “I’m overreacting?” She shook her head and looked at me as though she didn’t know me. “You know, before Aiden, and you becoming a spirit walker, we were close. Now everything is about you. Gwen this and Gwen that. Oh! Gwen’s in trouble again. Well, you know what? I’m sick of it.”

It felt as though she had just sucker-punched me in the gut. “It’s not like that.”

“Whatever. I’ll be by to get my things,” Fiona snapped. “Oh, and in case you were wondering, whatever
secret
you’re keeping, worked. Things are balancing again.” And with that, she and Ethan stormed out of my apartment.

I felt strong hands slide along my shoulders. “She’ll get over it,” Dorian said. I knew he was trying to comfort me, but I wasn’t so sure he was right this time.

SOMEBODY WAS SCREAMING. I shot up in bed, my heart slamming against my chest, and noticed Dorian on his knees. His back arched and lips peeled back over his teeth as painful moans traveled up his throat. He was shirtless, and I could see the ropes of muscle straining against whatever was causing him pain.

“Dorian,” I asked, scrambling out of bed. He faced my window, sunlight streaming in and casting abstract patterns against his sweaty skin. “What’s wrong?”

I kneeled beside him, reaching out my hand and then snapping it back. I didn’t want to touch him if he was in pain, but I didn’t know what to do.

“He’s paying for his infractions,” a woman’s voice said. I looked up, startled. The woman from my mirror stood near my bedroom door. Her long brown hair was half up in an intricate braid circling around her head, and she wore a knee-length green dress with small white polka dots. Now that I had my memories back, I instantly recognized her—Amara.

“This is because he restored my soul?” It looked as though something was tearing him apart from the inside out. Sweat collected along his face, his eyes squeezed shut, and muscles so tight I knew he had to be sore from the strain.

“He was warned,” Amara said. “He broke the rules, not once but twice. When it comes to you, he cannot be trusted to wield such power.”

“But we found a loophole,” I said, my eyes flicking between Amara and Dorian. “My soul has been taken care of.”

“The powers that be are more interested in his loyalty to our rules than one measly soul,” Amara stated. “His actions have proven that he will not abide by our laws.”

Tears blurred my vision. “Are you…killing him?”

Amara walked around my bed and knelt down beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. She smiled and shook her head.

“No, my dear, we’re simply stripping him of his powers. A new vessel will take over as the angel of Death.”

“But he’s in so much pain.” My eyes connected with Dorian’s writhing body again. I felt completely useless, unable to absolve him from the torment consuming him.

“Yes, it’s very painful, but it was his choice.”

I looked up at Amara, shocked. “He chose to have his powers stripped?”

“We gave him twenty-four hours to decide. When he chose not to reap your soul, we made the choice for him. He sacrificed himself so you could live.” Amara clasped my hand. “Love truly is a wondrous thing, is it not?”

I couldn’t speak. The words lodged in my throat and refused to come out, tangled with my breath. I should have known this was a much bigger deal when Dorian told me not to worry about it. I wasn’t sure how long Dorian had been the angel of Death, but I knew it was longer than I could fathom living. I had to hope that part of his decision to strip his powers came from being tired of living for so long. If I believed he had given it all up for me…

Dorian fell onto his hands, his head hanging and his breathing harsh. I watched in horror as black smoke arose from his back. It twined up into the air slowly, stretching outward to form what looked like wings. The smoky wings stretched four feet on either side of his body, undulating and swirling. They were the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Ever so slowly, the smoke lifted upward and drifted away.

“What’s going to happen to him?” I asked, my eyes still locked on Dorian.

“He’ll be free to live and die as he chooses,” Amara replied, her voice soft.

“Will he be…human?” Flora was designed specifically for supernatural beings. If Dorian was human, he couldn’t live here. Would he go back to his townhouse in New Orleans? Would he hate being human and resent me for his choice?