Once Bitten (2 page)

Carey
cleared her throat. “Loyal and kind,” she re-emphasized. “We seek to bind with
these men and create lasting relationships full of love and compassion.”

 
Picking up the sharp paring knife from
the table, she held it out and made a small cut in the middle of her right palm
and then the left. Blood welled on her skin as she tried to pass the knife to
Maggie, who was staring at her as if she had finally gone over the edge.

“You’re
kidding. There’s no way I’m cutting myself with that.”

“I don’t
have any diseases,” Carey said, again thrusting the handle of the knife in her
direction.

“That’s
not the point.”

“Oh,
come on and just do it so we can get this over with,” Natalie groaned.

Sighing,
Maggie took the knife from Carey and made the smallest cuts she could before
passing it along to Heidi. She stretched her palms and watched as her dark red
blood began to pool in her hands.

Heidi
made the incisions without a second’s hesitation, slicing through the flesh of
her palms before slapping the knife handle in Lila’s hand.

Lila
hesitated at first, knowing just how nasty this was. She was a nurse and knew
all about blood-borne diseases, but she knew that she didn’t have anything to
worry about from her friends, so she went ahead with it. If it made Carey happy
and let them wrap this up that much sooner, then she was fine with it.

She
dragged the small knife across her palm the same way the others had, flinching
at the sharp sting of the blade and then repeated the process on her other
hand. She passed it to Andrea, who took a deep breath and did the same. Around
the table the knife went, each woman making the same cuts.

When
the knife finally got back to Carey, she set it on the table in front of her
and grasped Maggie’s and Natalie’s hands. The seven women held hands, the blood
sticky between their palms. Carey raised their clasped hands in the air, looked
up at Lila’s ceiling fan and began chanting something Lila again couldn’t
understand.

The
flames from the candles and the fire dimmed as she spoke, causing the room to
darken to a point where Lila could barely discern Beth’s face anymore. An icy chill
curled up her spine, goose bumps raised on her arms, and the hair on the back
of her neck stood on end.

A shiver
went through her body when she felt a light cold breeze float around her. It
seemed to have come from nowhere. Feeling Andrea and Heidi’s similar responses
next to her, she knew she wasn’t the only one who was quickly becoming weirded
out by Carey’s entire production.

Lila
made out the sound of Carey’s voice, but no one was listening to what she was
saying. The jokes stopped and so did the laughter. She wasn’t scared and even
if she were, she would never admit it, although she knew she wasn’t the only one
in the room who was second guessing their decision to go through with this.

As
Carey’s voice rose in intensity, the candles and the fire suddenly roared to
life, fully illuminating the room and making the six women jump. Carey didn’t
appear phased in the slightest, her eyes lifted toward the ceiling and her feet
planted firmly on the floor. Andrea’s and Heidi’s grips on Lila’s hands were
tighter than they had been a minute before. Blood squished from between their
fingers but Lila didn’t let go.

 
Her ears were humming as the energy
seemed to build in the room, creating its own pulse in the air surrounding
them. Her heart hammered in her chest and the blood pounded in her veins.

The
candles extinguished suddenly, save for the one Carey had left inside their
circle on the table. She could hear someone’s sharp intake of breath as the
fire went out in the fireplace and wasn’t completely certain that it wasn’t her
own.

Blinking,
her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the room. Andrea trembled next to
her and Lila wished Carey would hurry and finish this nightmare.

Carey
let go of the hands she had been holding and slowly walked around the table,
opening the circle again and granting Lila’s wish. The women released the hands
they held, all of them taking deep, shaky breaths as the chill finally
dissipated from the room.

When
Carey flipped on the light and smiled, Lila was finally able to relax again. No
one said anything and no one immediately moved from their positions at the
table. Lila met Andrea’s wide eyes first, a reaction that she could only guess
mirrored her own.

Beth’s
voice broke through the stony silence before anyone else could even think of
anything to say. “Fuck this. I need another drink.”

* * * *

Miles
and miles away, a lone figure walked through the darkness shrouded in a black
cloak. His body still hummed from the power stolen from the little witch bitch.
He could feel her strength pulsing through his veins, still hear the pleading
screams she had let loose from her heart shaped lips.

She had
begged for her life before he had stripped her of her power. His knife had
found that tender spot below her breast and he had buried the blade to the
hilt, one slow inch at a time. He had kept her power firmly locked within him
as he extinguished the light from her warm brown eyes.

He had
wanted her body in the haze of raping the power from her. His cock was still
stiff thinking about it, but he had known he couldn’t risk spoiling her. She
had what was left of the coven’s power within her and he couldn’t risk tainting
it, no matter how much his body demanded it of him. He wished now that he hadn’t
saved her for last. He could have at least played with her a little bit then.

Only a
handful more, he thought, then he would have enough power and strength so he
could continue with his plan. Of course now that so many had already been
killed and drained, it was becoming increasingly difficult to find more of
them, but he didn’t let that slow him down. The world would be a better place
without their naiveté. Magic was a powerful gift they could never master or
comprehend like he could.

This is
what Fate had showed him. This was his destiny. He would take his place as
leader when the time was right. He would have enough power to truly be a force
to be reckoned with. He would be the one to bring the world to its knees.

He
debated where to look next as he walked back to the manor house from the crypt.
It was nearly impossible to wipe out the witches without bringing attention to
himself, but so far he had been successful. The most powerful covens of
Louisiana and Virginia were gone. Unfortunately, he couldn’t touch the most
powerful coven in Massachusetts without the notice of the Netherworld council,
but one day that would change. For now he needed somewhere else to search.

He was
running out of places to look as the majority of the witches had gone
underground after the disappearance of so many of their sisters and brothers.
They knew. They knew he was coming for them. He may be able to deny it to the
rest of the Netherworld, but the witches always knew when another light was
extinguished.

He
would call upon the Warriors of Locke in the morning and they could resume
their endless searching. Until then he would crawl into his bed with the little
solitary witch whom his warriors had delivered to him earlier that afternoon.
He would use her to help ease the ache created by the now slaughtered witch’s
luscious curves and red, pouting lips.

When
the trees rustled in a nonexistent breeze and that familiar sense of warmth
slithered up the back of his neck, a slow smile unfurled beneath his hawk-like
nose. This was turning into a good night indeed.

The
ripples in the atmosphere from the magic that was currently being created
filled him with excitement as he walked through the brown blades of grass. Any
magic that was created called out to him like a beacon in the cold night. And
this particular beacon burned brighter than any he’d seen in a long, long time.

The
distance between himself and the Ultimate Power was growing shorter by the
second but it could wait for one more night. Tomorrow would be different.
Tomorrow the warriors would go hunting.

Chapter One

“Gabriel!”
Once again the big bulky bartender whom Lila had been fantasizing about for the
past hour walked right by her, ignoring her empty bottle and her frantic
waving.

“I’m
thinking one is going to be your limit tonight,” Carey said as she drained the
last of her bottle and slouched back on the rickety wooden stool.

The two
of them had decided to go for beers after a busy day at work. The Wolf’s Den
was the only place in town for that and the rest of the small town of Cantor
seemed to have had the same idea as Carey and Lila. The noise level wasn’t too
bad inside the tiny dive for now, but in the next hour the sound of the jukebox
and the drunken voices would be overwhelming.

“Maybe
you’re right. I could take this as a sign that neither drunkenness nor hot
sweaty sex with that man are in the cards. At least for tonight.”

“With
who? Gabriel?” Carey asked, nodding her head in the direction of the bartender.
“You’re delusional.”

Lila
frowned and picked at the label on her empty beer bottle. There was no point
denying her attraction to the bartender. Carey would see right through it. “I
don’t get it. He was nice earlier.”

“In all
the years we’ve been coming here has he ever once given you the indication that
he was interested?”

“No.”

“Then
why are you disappointed now?”

“I don’t
know. He’s almost never working when we come in so I never get the chance. It’s
always Kaleb.” The sound of Gabriel’s deep laughter tickled her ears. He was
standing at the end of the bar talking to a tall redhead who was at least
twenty pounds lighter than Lila’s athletic frame.

“Maybe
he’s not into blondes.”

“Perhaps.
I was just hoping to start my vacation off with a bang.”

Carey
laughed. “I can see that.”

“Can
you blame me? I haven’t had a boyfriend since Bryan and that was years ago. All
I ever do anymore is work. This is the first vacation I’ve taken in almost two
years.”

“I
wouldn’t call sitting on your couch for a week eating Cheetos a vacation.”

“I
would.”

Carey
flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder and stretched in her seat. “Let’s
take your vacation celebration somewhere else. This place is dampening your
mood.”

“Yes,
it is. Besides, I’m hungry.”

“Then
let’s go get something to eat.” Carey’s piercing whistle made Lila jump in her
seat. She waved her hand at Gabriel who held up his finger indicating that he
would be over in a second.

Just
after he was finished talking to the redhead.

“Shit,
I’ve had a headache since last weekend,” Carey muttered as she opened her purse
and began digging through it.

“A week
long hangover?”

“No,
otherwise this beer would’ve helped.” She found a bottle of Tylenol and popped
two, chasing them down with the remainder of her beer. “I’m betting its stress
related. After all, not everyone can have a vacation. I still have to work
tomorrow night.”

“I’m
sorry.”

“This
switching back and forth between night shift and day shift is kicking my butt.
You think they’d be able to hire some more nurses and give us a little relief.”

“The
overtime is nice though.”

“Being
paid double time is why I continue to work eighty hours a week, but I don’t
know how much longer I can handle it.”

“You
need a break before you wear yourself into the ground.”

Carey
pulled out her wallet and left it open on the bar top. “I’m working on it.”

Gabriel’s
massive form shadowed over them. “Going home?”

“Yes,”
Lila said, picking her own purse up from the dusty floor.

“Two
dollars each.”

Carey
handed Gabriel a twenty. “I’ll pay for both.”

He took
the money from her before Lila could stop him. She scowled at Carey when
Gabriel turned his back to them to get their change from the register.

“If you’re
so stressed with work why don’t you just cut back? Or cast a spell for better
hours and higher pay?”

“Very
funny. Don’t think that I’ll ever involve you or the rest of them in any other
spell I do.”

Lila
wouldn’t complain if that were the case. “Why not?”

“Because
the lot of you didn’t take it seriously. You can doubt all you want to, tease
or whatever, but give it a couple weeks. You’ll be seeing things differently.”

Lila
adjusted her navy blue scrub top. “Maybe.”

The
sound of a throat clearing made Lila jerk her head. Gabriel was standing in
front of them, holding money out to Carey. “Your change.”

His
dark brown eyes darted between the two of them after Carey took the money from
his hands. He looked like he wanted to say something, but refrained from it.

Gabriel
was a nice guy and of course Lila was attracted to him. How could she not be?
He was tall, well over six feet, and built. His arms were bigger around than
her thighs. She couldn’t hide her disappointment that her attempt at flirting
with him hadn’t gone any farther.

“Good
night,” she told him as she hopped off her stool and pulled on her jacket.

“Have a
good night ladies. Stay safe.” The ominous tone of his voice sent chills down
Lila’s spine.

She
could feel him staring after them as they walked toward the door of the crowded
bar, wading through the throng of people. Stealing another glance in his
direction and meeting his eyes through the crowd, she pushed open the door.

The
cold night air hit her as soon as they were outside. The waning moon was bright
as they made their way to Lila’s Jeep, their shoes crunching on the gravel.

“We
should go off-roading in this bad boy and really see what it can do,” Carey
commented as they climbed into the Jeep.

Lila
had taken the doors off of it a few days before in hopes that spring would be
here soon. Instead, she found that she just drove around freezing her tail off.

“When
it gets warmer we will.”

“Eventually
Andrea’s going to realize she made a mistake selling this to you.”

Lila
had always loved Andrea’s Jeep and when Andrea had decided the week before that
she was going to trade it in for a more fuel efficient vehicle, Lila had jumped
at the chance to buy it from her and ended up paying twice what the dealership
was offering her.

“When
she figures it out it’ll be too late.”

“It’s
not too late already? You have the keys.” They climbed in the vehicle and Carey
immediately began fiddling with the radio dial as soon as Lila cranked over the
engine.

“I don’t
have the title yet. She’s been busy at work and so have I.”

“I need
you to get on that,” Carey commented as they pulled onto the road and headed to
Waverly’s, the twenty-four hour diner.

“We’ll
go to the DMV sometime next week probably.”

“You’re
lucky that Andrea isn’t the type to change her mind once she decides on
something. If she were, I’d be worried. Hell, if I had known she was going to
sell this beauty, I would’ve bought it from her. I’m tired of sharing my car
with Grandma Ruby.”

“Grandma
Ruby would probably take the Jeep and give you her Oldsmobile.”

* * * *

It was
after two in the morning by the time they finally left the diner. Lila was
stuffed and exhausted by the time they got back to the hospital where she
dropped off Carey at her car.

She
waited to make sure Carey was safely inside her vehicle before waving and
pulling out of the parking lot to head home. There was nothing she wanted more
than her bed at that moment.

Lila
was driving past The Wolf’s Den on her way home when her gas light clicked on.
Groaning, she wanted to ignore it and continue to the house, but something
wouldn’t let her. She was already in town and passing the station so she
decided to stop.

The
place was dark and deserted, the convenience store having closed hours before.
The owner had made the decision a few years back to keep the pumps running and
available for credit card customers throughout the night which was useful on
the nights Lila left work late and was running on fumes.

She
pulled the Jeep up to the pump, turned off the car and got out, leaving the
keys in the ignition. The security lights gave off just enough light to see by
as she swiped her card and put the nozzle into the tank. The numbers rolled on
the pump as she waited impatiently for the tank to fill. She tied her hair back
and zipped up her jacket while she waited.

She was
just closing up the tank when a loud boom rattled her ears. Jumping, she
glanced around the back of the Jeep toward the side of the convenience store
where the dumpsters were located. Squinting her eyes, she made out the shapes
of four large men.

She
didn’t know them or at least she didn’t think she did until she heard muffled
cursing that sounded vaguely familiar. The dark shaggy hair gave him away.
Gabriel.

Two men
had him pinned against the side of the dumpster. They restrained him as a third
man, a tall man with long blond hair, struck him in the stomach with his fists.
Two hits and the blond stepped back and reached for his waistband. There was a
glint of metal and Lila’s eyes widened.

Reaching
into the back of the Jeep, she pulled out the old tire iron and gripped the
cold metal in her hands.

Her
feet were quiet on the pavement as she raced toward them, coming up behind the
blond. Swinging the iron, she whacked him in the back of the head and sent him
flying forward into Gabriel. He bounced off Gabriel’s massive chest and landed
on his back on the pavement at her feet.

Gabriel
and the other two men stared at her, their eyes unbelieving as she stood back,
holding the tire iron as a bat. She glared at the two men who still held
Gabriel, silently begging them to charge her.

A deep
growl radiated from Gabriel’s chest and he pulled himself free from the men who
held him with a quick jerking motion. Lila charged forward, targeting the bald
man who was struggling to reclaim his grip on Gabriel’s arm.

She
didn’t get more than two feet before a large hand gripped her ankle and sent
her sprawling forward. The tire iron flew from her hands and she landed on her
face on the unforgiving pavement. The impact knocked the air from her lungs.

Gasping,
she struggled to push herself to her feet. Before she was able to climb to her
knees, someone gripped the back of her sweatshirt and jerked her up. She spun
before he had the chance to throw her, her fists flying. The blond staggered
back, blood erupting from his nose from where she had struck him.

She
charged him again. This time he was ready for her attack. He stepped to the
side and his hand came up, knocking her away from him.

An
animalistic growl came from her side and she glanced over to see Gabriel throw
a punch. His teeth elongated before her eyes and his nails grew into sharp
points. The punches turned into deep slashes, blood covered the bald man’s
chest.

“Kill
the dog!” The blond barked the orders as he descended on her.

She
screamed as he grabbed her and pulled her back against his chest. The silver
blade, which had been laying on the ground where it had fallen when she first
hit him, flew through the air as if being pulled by an invisible string. He
grasped the handle when it landed in his hand and the blade bit into her neck
as he restrained her.

“Little
witch, you think you can fight your way out now?” His voice was a whisper
against her ear. There was no doubt in her mind that he would kill her if she
struggled against him.

“Kill
the dog and let’s go,” he barked the orders to his men who were jumping to avoid
Gabriel’s sharp teeth and claws.

“You’re
going to get the chance to watch your dog die, witch.” He laughed softly
against her ear and a wave of nausea hit her.

Lila
wasn’t going to let Gabriel die. Everything she had done up to this point would
have been for nothing. Her captor would either kill her here or take her
somewhere else to do the job. Even she knew she had already seen too much. If
she wasn’t going to get out of this alive either way, she had nothing left to
lose.

Her
face red, her body shaking with adrenaline, she jerked in his arms. Her elbow
buried into his gut with as much force as she could muster. Her other hand dug
into his wrist. She struggled to keep the lethal blade away from her neck.

A deep
growl erupted from a few feet away and Lila only saw a flash before the blond
pulled the knife away from her, holding it out in front of him. Turning her
head, her teeth sunk into the man’s bicep.

He
yelped and jumped back. Gabriel lunged for him and the two of them fell into a
tangled heap onto the pavement. She turned, ready to run back to the safety of
her Jeep when a hand buried itself in her hair, ripping strands from her scalp.