Pucker Up (A Damsels of Distress Novel) (37 page)

of Garren’s grip. “Don’t I get a say? It’s

my
blood he wants.”

“And soul,” Garren added.

“Don’t forget that part.”

Oh, right.
She was so distracted

by the idea of being bitten by a vampire

every day that she totally glossed over

the whole soul binding thing. “I know.”

She glanced back at the vampire

slumped over on the bed, some of her

blood still smeared on his chin. That

wasn’t a sight she wanted to get used to.

But would sacrificing herself to Prince

Sebastian be enough to get karma off her

back? Could she really have a better life

after he found someone else to bond

with?

“All is ready,” Madame Rita

said, standing outside the circle of

candles. Her posture was stiff with her

hands clasped in front, portraying more

courage than her eyes held.

Prince Sebastian scooted to the

end of the bed and gingerly placed his

feet to the floor. He leaned into Zoo as

he shifted his weight to his legs.

Wobbling slightly for only a second, he

stood upright and on his own. “Shall

we?” He gestured toward the circle on

the floor.

Ivy hesitated, doubts rooting her

feet to the floor.
I’m not ready for this.

She met Garren’s gaze, hoping he’d give

her a way out.

He held his hand out to her.

“We’re leaving.”

That was good enough for her.

She clasped his hand, taking comfort in

the way his warm palm molded perfectly

with hers.

“That

is

enough,”

Prince

Sebastian snapped, the fury in his tone

stopping them in their tracks. “I have

indulged you quite enough. You will

enter the circle and complete the

bonding ritual of your own free will or

he will die.” His intense glare directed

at Garren left no doubt who ‘he’ referred

to.

“Don’t listen to him, Ivy. He’s

too weak to hurt me,” Garren said. He

turned to lead her out of the room when

his fingers slipped through her grasp.

In a blur of movement, Zoo

zipped across the room and then pinned

Garren against the wall. The vampire’s

forearm

pressed

against

Garren’s

Adam’s apple. “But
I
can hurt you.”

Garren pushed against Zoo’s

chest. He couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t

working. The vampire was too strong.

Ivy’s heart practically exploded

in panic. She needed to help Garren; to

tear the vampire away from him. She

quickly surveyed the room, searching for

anything to use as a weapon.

Thane attempted to pull Zoo

away from his stepbrother but he had

about as much effect as a fly trying to tip

over a cow.

On the other side of the burning

circle of candles sat a small heap of

splintered wood that was once a chest of

drawers. Even if the pieces of wood

weren’t sharp enough to actually impale

and kill the vampire, they might cause

enough pain to get Zoo to ease up. She

pointed at the pile and sent her magic to

each piece. The pseudo-stakes vibrated

as they lifted inches off the ground. It

was working. She didn’t have time to

celebrate the fact that her magic was

obeying her on the first try. With a swish

of her hand, she sent the weapons flying

across the room.

Just before they hit the sweet

spot—the quickest route to the heart,

right under the left shoulder blade—Zoo

spun around and used Garren as a shield.

Ivy gasped and waved the

projectiles off to the side instead. The

wood slammed into the wall and then

clattered to the ground by Garren’s feet.

He heaved air into his lungs now that his

airway wasn’t being crushed. That was

too close.

Zoo stood behind her friend, one

arm loosely wrapped around his

hostage’s neck, as he spoke to her over

Garren’s shoulder. “Impressive. But try

that again and I’ll simply snap his neck.”

Garren coughed as he shook his

head while holding her gaze. “Don’t,” he

croaked out. “Don’t do it.”

Is he serious?
How could she

not
bond with Sebastian if it meant

keeping Garren alive? At that moment,

she’d gamble her soul for his safety. She

racked her brain for another way out, but

her mind was blank. Resigned to her

fate, she stepped closer to the totally

aggravating, but positively captivating,

guy so that only inches separated them.

She wanted to make sure he could see

the resolution in her eyes. “I can do this.

He’ll fix the wards and then find

someone else to bond to.” She turned to

Sebastian. “Right?”

He nodded. “Of course.”

“See? I can do this,” she said,

trying to convince herself as much as

Garren. She jutted her chin out and freed

her bloody wrist from her shirt, pulling

out a few hairs that were stuck to the

fabric with dried blood.

Garren struggled to get out of

Zoo’s grip, with no luck. “Ivy, no!”

Zoo tightened his arm around

Garren’s neck, putting him in a headlock.

He could still breathe, but talking was

difficult. Thane stood quietly next to his

stepbrother while Sebastian led Ivy the

candles. Taking a deep breath, she

squared her shoulders and then stepped

into the circle. The light from the

candles flickered over the floor.

Sebastian entered and stood in

front of her. “It will all be over soon,”

he promised as he turned her around so

her back was to him.

She fought to stop the tremors

threatening to take possession of her

body. This was wrong on so many

levels, but letting Garren die would be

disastrous. Gritting her teeth, she braced

herself for the pain about to come. He

swept her hair to one side and tilted her

head to expose the long curve of her

neck. A shiver ran down her back.

Suck it up, Ivy. A vampire bite is

supposed to feel good, right?

Madame Rita sat on the floor,

chanting loudly.

Ivy’s magic swelled inside her

rib cage, ebbing and flowing with the

rhythm of the old witch’s words. Like a

breeze, Sebastian’s magic skimmed

across the surface of her skin, pebbling

her flesh.

His nose grazed her temple as he

bent forward to whisper in her ear.

“Each of our magic is reaching out to the

other. Do you feel it? You are much

more powerful than Leviena was.” His

hands gripped her arms as he pulled her

closer.

Bright green light emerged from

her chest and floated around her like

sparkling smoke. She stared in awe at

the beauty of her magic. It merged with a

blue light that came from Sebastian. The

powers swirling within the boundaries

of the candles intensified and wrapped

around them like a cocoon. Anything

outside the circle was blocked from

sight by the bright colors.

Madame

Rita's

voice

crescendoed to a high note, ending with

the clap of her hands.

A heartbeat later, Sebastian's

mouth came down to the base of her

throat. His sharp fangs pierced the soft

tissue and ripped into her artery.

She screamed.

Whoever said vampire bites

were supposed to feel sensual and

intoxicating was full of crap. It hurt like

hell. Moving her head only made the

pain worse. The gulps and moans he

emitted as he fed heaved her stomach.

Suddenly, images of people and places

she didn’t recognize flashed in her mind.

Each scene came and went too quickly to

make out. Then they stopped, along with

the pain.

She sucked in a lungful of air and

exhaled slowly, relieved it was over and

that she lived through it.
That wasn’t so

bad
. She closed her eyes, trying to clear

the fog that settled into her brain, when

something wet touched her lips.

Sebastian held his bleeding wrist

against her mouth. “You must drink my

blood,” he rasped in her ear.

Oh, gross
. She jerked back but

hit his solid body. He pressed his wrist

harder to her lips.

I can’t drink his blood. What if

he’s got hepatitis or something?
She

crushed her lips together.

“It is too late to stop,” he

whispered. “If we do not finish the

bonding ritual, we both forfeit our

lives.”

Groaning, she eased her mouth

open.
It’s only tomato juice. That’s it,

tomato juice.

She sucked on his wrist until

warm liquid flooded her mouth. She

gagged at first, hating the metallic tang

on her tongue, but Sebastian clamped his

hand over her mouth. Taking a deep

breath through her nose, she swallowed

the blood down in one gulp. As soon as

it hit her stomach, her body wanted to

toss it back up.

“Keep it down,” Sebastian said,

still holding her mouth shut.

Her nostrils flared as she took in

quick, shallow breaths and imagined

herself in the middle of the arctic.

Thinking of cold places always helped

to keep from retching. After a few

moments, her stomach calmed down.

The air around them crackled

with electricity that pricked her skin. All

the magic pulsing and swirling around

them— since Madame Rita first started

chanting— drilled into their chests like

mini tornadoes. Both green and blue

magic came to rest inside her body, her

soul. Her heart felt heavier than it ever

had before.

Sebastian released her. “It is

done.”

As soon as her mouth was free,

she spat the remaining blood on the

floor.
I’d kill for some mouthwash right

now.
After decorating the floor with red-

tinged saliva, she wiped her mouth

against the sleeve of her upper arm.

“I don’t have to do that again

when we break the bond, do I? Because

I don’t think I can.” She hunched over,

bracing her hands on her knees as her

heart settled back to its normal rhythms.

“No,” Prince Sebastian said with

humor ringing in his voice. “There are

only two ways to break our bond. The

first is to end your mortal life. But now

that we are bound to each other, if one of

us dies, so does the other. That is not an

acceptable solution.”

Ya think?
She stared at the

vampire in disbelief. She should’ve

asked more questions
before
she got

herself in this mess.

Madame Rita shuffled over to

Ivy, holding out a white handkerchief.

The old woman’s eyes were watery as

she spoke. “I… I’m sorry.”

Garren, free from Zoo’s grasp,

snatched the cloth from her hand and

walked over to Ivy. He swiped up the

blood trickling over her collarbone in

one rough motion. His jaw twitched as

he stared at her neck.

Ivy jerked back, not wanting to

be the outlet for his frustration, even if

she was the source. He grabbed her arm,

stopping her. His whole body visibly

relaxed as concern flickered across his

eyes. Her heart beat faster. She stood

perfectly still as he slowly raised the

cloth and placed it on the bite marks. His

thumb gently rubbed circles over the

bandage as he held her gaze. The flames

from the candles reflected in his pupils,

mesmerizing her.

This is the Garren I wish would

stick around more.
The whole world

shrank around her until only the two of

them existed. But that fantasy shattered

when Garren’s eyes shifted to the

vampire standing behind her. “So,” he

said glaring at Prince Sebastian.

“What’s the second way?”

Ivy turned her head to face him,

wincing at the sharp pain the movement

caused her neck.

“That is simple,” Sebastian said,