by Cynthia Eden
“Only fair, considering you tried to burn her at the stake.” And, yeah, his claws were coming out at that memory.
But Devon shook his head. “That’s not why she wants me dead. She wants me dead because of Tomas.”
“Who the fuck is Tomas?”
Devon laughed. The sound really got on Griffin’s nerves.
“What?” Devon drawled. “Your mate never mentioned the human that she loved? I think he’s the only person she ever did love. And the only one she ever will love. She lost her heart because of him.”
Another fucking lover. Griffin’s back teeth clenched. “Where is Tomas?” The man would never see Valerie—
“Dead, of course. Why else would Valerie want to kill me? She blames me. Like I could have stopped what happened.” His face twisted in disgust. “She changed after him. Went mad. She doesn’t understand right and wrong, doesn’t care who she hurts, all because of a man long dead. A human.”
A human she’d…loved?
“You mated her. You poor bastard.”
Griffin attacked. In a lightning fast move, he grabbed the witch, his claws going to the fool’s throat. “I can take your head right now. Let it drop to the sand. I could cleave it before you even draw the breath to scream.” He could smell Devon’s fear.
“S-stop!” Devon gasped. “I-I have…s-something…help…”
Griffin eased his hold. If the jerk tried to work magic, he was a dead man.
But Devon just pulled out a pair of gold bracelets from his pocket. Gold bracelets, wrapped with lines of diamonds. “These can help you.”
How the hell were those trinkets supposed to help him?
“They’re bewitched. They can control Valerie’s magic. You put these on her, and she won’t be able to work any spells. She can’t disappear. She can’t kill. You can take her back to your realm—like you promised. Take her back, live forever with that psycho if that’s what you want to do. She won’t be my problem any longer.”
Griffin punched Devon. Hard enough to send the guy flying back and landing in the sand. “Don’t ever talk that way about my mate again.” He bent and picked up the bracelets that had fallen. He shook the sand off them. “If you had these before, why didn’t you put them on her? Why not use them sooner?”
Devon dusted himself off. “Because I didn’t have them before. It takes a very special magic to forge them, and I just got strong enough to make them. Made them just in time, the way I see it. Because if you don’t use them, if you don’t get Valerie out of here…” He blew out a hard breath. “Genevieve will not stop until your mate is dead. She knows Valerie wants to take over the council, and the only way Valerie can do that—it’s if Genevieve is gone. They are the two strongest witches. They will battle to the death and in the end…” His words trailed away.
But Griffin knew what the man had been going to say. “In the end, you think that Valerie will defeat Genevieve.”
A nod. “And I think the whole world will suffer for it. Genevieve’s defeat can’t happen. That’s why multiple assassins have been hired. Why you were hired.”
Oh, the hell, no, the guy hadn’t just thrown that back at—
“Valerie has to be stopped. She’s sexy as fuck, I get that, but she’s dangerous. If you want her, fine, keep her—in your realm. Keep her, screw her, and go mad with her. Whatever. I’ve just given you the tools to do that. But if you can’t take her back, if you can’t control her, then she will die here. There is no other option.”
The waves crashed against the beach.
“Do we have a deal?” Devon pushed.
“No.” He pocketed the bracelets. “We don’t. And if you—or any of these other assassins—so much as bruise her skin, I will rip you apart. Tear you into pieces. Then I’ll let my dragon burn you to ash.” Griffin smiled. “Understand?”
Devon’s face flushed a furious red even as lightning crackled across the sky. “You are making a mistake!”
“No, you are. You’re standing in front of me, threatening my mate. You must be fucking insane.” And his claws slashed out, cutting into the bastard’s cheek. “No one threatens what is mine. You think I’m going to make some kind of deal with you? Screw that shit. She’s mine, and I’m keeping her. Anyone tries to take Valerie from me—it’s gonna be the last mistake that person will ever make. Period.”
Blood dripped down Devon’s cheek. “You want a war with the witches? Because of her? You’d risk all of your kind for her? She doesn’t love you, probably doesn’t even like you. She’s running from you now.”
“A temporary issue, one you don’t need to worry about.”
“You’re as crazy as she is!”
Griffin shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Has she put you under a spell?” Devon’s eyes widened. “She has! She’s bewitched you! That’s why you have to use the bracelets. Use them, and then you’ll see reason again. She’s clouded your mind. It’s not the first time she’s used a lust spell to get what she wants. That’s an old witch trick. Use the bracelets. Then we’ll talk again. I will break the mating bond she has with you. You can be free of her.”
The bastard vanished.
It’s not the first time she’s used a lust spell to get what she wants.
Griffin marched up the beach, heading for the club. The same damn club he’d found his witch in not so long ago. Only this time, no music drifted from the place. No voices. No laughter. When he got there, the place was pitch black.
But it wasn’t deserted, not yet. He could hear the faint footsteps inside. So Griffin kicked in the door. Seemed like an easy enough way to make his entrance. He strode inside, and the man who’d introduced himself as Stefan Medusa was waiting for him.
Stefan had a beer in one hand. He saluted Griffin with the beer, then took a long swig.
Griffin braced his legs apart and glared at the bastard. “Are you one of her lovers?”
Stefan laughed as he sat down the beer, slamming it against the bar’s counter. “I wish.”
Griffin glowered.
“Ah…wishing you were her lover, too, right? I do know that look.”
He was her lover. He’d had her, once. And I want her again. And again. Fucking again. Because of a spell? Or because of something more?
“Where is Rio?” Griffin demanded.
Stefan’s fingers tapped against the bar top. “He’s still in training, so she took him with her. She’s in her hyper-protective mode. I figure something must have happened to the kid recently because Valerie only gets all motherly like that when she’s worried.”
Motherly? Valerie?
A rumble of laughter came from Stefan. His tattoos twisted. “You have no idea who Valerie is, do you?”
Griffin advanced. “You seem to know her very well.”
“Yeah, I do, but shove that jealousy back down, shifter.” His laughter was gone. “I know Valerie well enough to say I’d lay down my life for her in an instant.”
“Why?”
A shrug. “Because she gave me life.”
What the fuck?
“No, shit, stop looking at me like that. She’s not my mother.” Stefan rolled his eyes—a move totally reminiscent of Valerie. “I’m a Medusa. You know what that means?”
He did. “You turn people to stone.”
“Sometimes.” Stefan’s grin came and went. Then his face tensed. “It’s also common knowledge in certain paranormal circles that if you take my head, you get a surge of powerful magic. My magic. When I was younger and didn’t quite understand that people couldn’t be trusted, I was jumped. My attackers knew how to kill me. Every single snake was stabbed, and their venom was drained.” He looked down at his arms.
Hisses filled the air.
“After the snakes were gone, they came for my head. The knife sliced right through my throat. They were draining me. Taking all my blood. Biting me. No one was coming to my aid. No one was helping me. I couldn’t even scream.” He swallowed. The snakes were sliding up and down his arms. “I
was dead. I felt myself die.”
Griffin didn’t speak because he knew there was going to be more to this story.
Rio was dead, too. Then Valerie touched him.
“She pulled me back. I know I was gone, but Valerie pulled me back to this world. And she was screaming and hurting. I saw the pain. She’d taken my pain. I didn’t know anyone could work that kind of magic. Nothing should reverse death, but she did. Then the fire came, burning over her, and I thought she was dying. I heard her agony, and I couldn’t do anything but lie on the ground.” His eyes flashed serpentine. “But the flames didn’t kill her. Instead, the fire killed the bastards who’d come after me. A group of vamps. The fire lit them up, and when the smoke cleared, I was alive. Valerie was alive. And I knew I’d always do anything that witch wanted.”
“Because she saved you. You owed her.”
“Because she was the only one who fought for me. Valerie didn’t even know me. She stumbled onto me in that alley. I was a stranger. A dead Medusa. But she…fought. Even gave me back my snakes. She told me I was her henchman after that, and I was under her protection. She kept me at her side until I learned to fight for myself. Until I realized who I could trust and who I couldn’t.” He lifted the beer. Drained the bottle. “Want to know what I figured out? I could trust her. Always. Maybe you should try learning that same lesson before it’s too late.”
Trust. “Valerie isn’t crazy.”
But Stefan said, “We’re all crazy. That’s what makes life fun.”
He had been around Valerie too much.
“She’s no saint. Never will be. Goodness gets on her nerves. But she’s not the all-consuming evil that some say. She’s something so much more than that. If you’re smart, you’ll find her and you’ll put the world at her feet.” Stefan flashed a cold smile. “And if you’re not smart, you’ll keep hurting her…and then I’ll have to kill you.”
Griffin raised his brows. “You really think I’m scared of a few snakes?”
Stefan strode toward him. “All it takes is one bite. You’d be surprised what my venom can do.”
“You’re playing out of your league.” The only warning he’d give. “And as far as Valerie is concerned, I’ll protect what’s mine.”
“Good. You’d better.” He glanced over Griffin’s shoulder. “More shifters? Guess they didn’t get the memo that the party is over.”
He didn’t look behind him. He’d already caught the familiar scents in the air. Warren and Elliott had followed him from the realm of shifters.
“Just a parade of you guys tonight,” Stefan murmured. “First the one who looked a little like you, rushing through my place as fast as he could, and now—well, just a regular reunion, isn’t it?”
Tension swept through Griffin. “The one who looked like me?”
“Um. Guy came in after Valerie had already left. Sniffed the air—rather dog-like, don’t you think?—and then he took off. Since your scent was all over him, I figured you’d sent him to hunt her.”
“I’m hunting her.” And shit, it sounded like Carmichael was, too. Not a good sign. “If you see him again, I need to know.”
Warren and Elliott closed in.
“Where’s the witch?” Warren called out.
Stefan’s snakes hissed. “They don’t like him,” he murmured.
Warren took up a position on Griffin’s left. Elliott waited at his right.
Stefan took their measure and didn’t look impressed. “I’ll give you guys two minutes to get out of my bar. Two minutes, and the snakes come out.” He turned his back on them—as if they weren’t a threat—and headed behind the counter. Stefan grabbed another beer.
“Are his tats moving?” Warren asked, too loudly.
“It’s fine as long as they don’t strike,” Griffin dismissed. His head was cocked as he studied Stefan’s back. The guy was a friend to Valerie. That meant… “Stefan Medusa is under pack protection. Make sure word spreads.”
Stefan whirled toward him. “I don’t need protection.”
“Where is Valerie?”
“You’re her mate. Find her.”
“Devon was on the beach. He’s tracking her, and he can move faster than I can.” Tension had crept into his words. “Where is she?”
Stefan glanced out at the darkness beyond the club. “She was looking for a witch she trusts. Calliope. Word I have…Calliope is close by. She’s been screwing a vamp, so she’s under his protection.” His lips twisted. “Guess that shit is going around.”
Griffin waited.
“The vamps were having a blood party. They’ll be partying until dawn. If you take to the air, I’m sure your shifter nose will lock on to the scent of blood fast enough. Especially if that blood comes from a witch.”
They’d better not drink from my witch.
“Vamps love magic blood. You offer them the right prize, and they’ll work any deal.” Bitterness hardened his gaze. Griffin was betting that, once upon a time, Stefan Medusa’s magic had been the prize that vamps sought. Stefan continued, “Valerie wouldn’t let me go with her. She knows vamps and I…well, I fucking believe the bloodsuckers should die. I don’t think she was in the mood for a bloodbath, though, not yet.”
“Where is Rio?” Warren muttered. “My niece is freaking the hell out. She was crying about him when I left. If some vamp is draining him dry, if your witch is offering him up in some deal…”
Stefan’s head turned toward Warren. “She’s not. And I really don’t like you.” He rolled back his shoulders. “I did my part.” He focused on Griffin once more. “Now do yours.” He smiled at them all. “Get the hell out of my bar. Now.”
***
The long, black dress slid over her skin, silken and soft. Her hair trailed down her back, and the high heels she wore screamed sex. Valerie knew that because she’d picked the spiky heels deliberately.
When you crashed a blood party, you’d damn well better be bringing your A Game.
Valerie was bringing it.
The penthouse smelled of blood. And of money. Women were in corners, their throats bared, as vamps drank from them. Men were up against the walls, while female vamps sank their fangs into flesh.
Humans were prey. So were paranormals.
A woman in a white dress played a harp. Blood dripped from her neck.
Power was everywhere, in every single place she looked, but Valerie didn’t see the one person she’d sought. Calliope.
Fingers trailed over her spine. Icy fingers. “Valerie, darling…” A male voice purred. “Didn’t realize you were still in the land of the living.”
Her head turned, and she met the midnight black stare of the vamp. Not just any vamp. The leader of this den. Enzo Romano. Dark hair, dark eyes, golden skin. And really, really sharp fangs. With her voice flat, Valerie announced, “I’m here for Calliope.”
He frowned, then stroked his slightly pointed chin. “Don’t think I know her.”
Seriously? “And I don’t think I’m in the mood for your brand of stupid.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You’re hiding Calliope. She knows Hurst and Fiona are dead so she’s running scared. Only she doesn’t need to run anymore. I’m here.”
One roll of his right shoulder. “Hurray. The world is safe.”
She shifted her body and put her hand on his chest. “No, the world is about to be plunged into madness. You should approve.”
He licked his lower lip.
“Calliope,” she repeated. “I want her. Now.”
His fangs were poking out. “Witch blood tastes good. Feels good, too. If I were a human, I’d say it’s like getting a shot of heroine.”
She didn’t look away from him.
“You want Calliope, then you’re gonna have to bleed for me.” His hand rose, and his fingers slid over her pulse. “Bet you’re even better than heroine.”
“I am.” He had no idea. Her gaze slid around the room. “Not here. Alone.”
He was almost salivating.
/>
“I let you drink. You take me to Calliope.”
“Absolutely.”
He gave in too fast. She had, too, but then, she’d been lying to him. She lied to everyone but—well, Griffin.
Don’t go there, not now.
She had no intention of letting Enzo put his fangs anywhere near her. She did intend to torture him and get Calliope’s location. The torturing would just be accomplished easier when they were away from prying eyes.
“Follow me.” He gave her what he probably thought was a sultry, seductive glance. Vamps and their sex appeal. Highly overrated. She’d rather have a wild, fierce beast any day of the week.
What in the hell? Had she seriously just thought that?
She didn’t want a beast. Did not.
Or maybe she did. Dammit.
But she still followed Enzo into what turned out to be a bedroom. He shut the door behind her. Then he strolled across the room and lowered himself onto a big, black leather chair. His fangs flashed as he smiled at her. “I’m waiting.”
He’d continue to wait. “Calliope isn’t at the party.”
His brows furrowed. “Do I look like the sharing sort?”
What in the world did Calliope see in this douche? “Tell me where she is.”
“Bleed for me first.” His gaze dropped to her throat. “As strong as you are, your blood has to be amazing.”
“Better than heroine,” Valerie reminded him as she strolled forward. Nice and slow. She knew how to do a sexy walk. Her heels really helped. “But I’m not giving up my blood, not until you tell me where my friend is.”
He laughed. “She’s not your friend.”
That might be true.
Valerie wiggled her fingers, sending out the spell that would immobilize him. “I still want to know where she is.”
But instead of being frozen in place, Enzo lunged out of his chair. He grabbed her and held her wrists tightly in his hands. “Guess what I learned?” His breath blew over her face. “You take enough blood from a witch, and suddenly, their spells don’t work so well on you. You drain a witch dry, and you get to keep some of her magic after she’s gone.”
After she’s gone.