AWitchsSkill Read online

  “You could be hiding it.”

  “You have capable warlocks on your side,” I replied, nodding at the small wizard. “I’m sure he’s reading me for truth as we speak and I’m sure he’s finding I’m being honest. I wouldn’t be able to hide anything from him for long. Not against such a concentrated spell. Not while I’m in here, at least.” I indicated the circle with a dip of my head.

  Ryan looked at the little warlock inquiringly and the wizard nodded in return, I assume confirming my truthfulness. Ryan looked surprised and turned to stare back at me.

  “Really? You honestly were just a stranger to this? Do you have any idea who you just fucked with? For no other reason than that you didn’t like what was happening?”

  He laughed evilly and I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  “Honey, my bosses run this town and right now, they are not happy with you. You better hope you meant more to this vamp then he meant to you, because you have until tomorrow morning. If he doesn’t come to find you, my masters say you’re mine. To do with what I will.”

  I shuddered in horror as he leered at me. The odds of Acayo rescuing me in the next however many hours were very slim. I mean he could be out of the country by now. No reason at all to think he’d somehow notice I was gone. How could he? He didn’t know my schedule, didn’t expect me to be somewhere. He didn’t even have my phone number, for fuck’s sake. I gave Ryan a considering look then turned my attention to the little warlock. The wizard glanced away uneasily after meeting my eyes for a second and I wondered what he had planned for me. And most importantly, could I beat it?

  With a final ugly smile and a gaze that traveled up and down my body, making me feel dirty, Ryan left. I sat there, straining at my bonds and thinking furiously. How the hell was I going to get out of this? Suddenly I flashed back to Acayo. He’d thrown the chains out of my ward circle. How the hell had he done that? Was it something he’d done, or something in him? Vampires notoriously had unpredictable powers. You never really knew what they were able to do. He may have an immunity of some sort. He hadn’t been strong enough to break out, but still… His ability to throw something out of a ward circle amazed me. The circle was almost always unbreakable and Acayo had told me he had no ability to work magic so it must be an intrinsic power. Vampire powers were always unpredictable but they usually worked along the same lines as magic did. If a chain Acayo threw was able to penetrate the wards but he wasn’t, then perhaps the important part was that it was something he’d thrown away from him. Magic often worked by pulling or pushing against various forces. I myself was able to move objects by focusing my energy and creating a force around the object and sending it out or pulling it in. The item then rolled on a wave of energy. If Acayo’s power worked by making the circle ignore his targeted energy, it might be possible to aim a spell to call that energy and get it out through the wards.

  I thanked my lucky stars Ryan hadn’t bothered to retie my gag, trusting the wards to render me harmless. I cast a spell to release my arms and legs but nothing happened. Puzzled, I craned my head around to look at my bindings. The chains were silver and covered with carvings of runes. Unbreakable. By magical means anyway. I blew out a puff of irritated air and resigned myself to numb hands.

  I thought for a moment and then quietly began chanting. I used a simple distance communication charm and bolstered it with a combination of the strongest seeker charms I knew. I kept it short, just “help” and “trapped” and an image of myself. If he knew I was in trouble, he could track me by the blood he’d taken. All I had to do was tell him. Hopefully he’d understand they’d laid a trap for him and come prepared to rescue me.

  I finished the chant, and the spell seemed to hang in the air before me, visible to the caster and no one else. I breathed Acayo into it, his scent, his feel, his aura—easy enough to do, since we’d been so close recently. I fed the spell the feel of him until I could almost see it pulsing. Taking one last deep breath, I sent the spell spiraling out from me. It hit the edge of the ward and stopped. I felt a pit of despair opening in my stomach when, to my relief, the incantation ever so slowly began to leak out of the wards. I sagged in my bonds and inhaled deeply as I watched the last of it slither out and disappear into the night.

  Well, I told myself. Step one went perfectly. Now all we need is for him to find you, decide it’s worth the risk to rescue you and then pull it off. I really hoped he felt it was worth the risk to rescue me. I really hoped he’d pull it off. If he could just get to me and pull me out of this damn circle with that talent of his, then I was sure I could take out the little warlock. He’d taken me by surprise last time with a prepared spell, and even then I’d have had him in another thirty seconds if Ryan hadn’t knocked me out. In the circle, I was worse than useless.

  I sat and stressed and thought about doing the spell again, even though I knew there was no point. The incantation had been perfect and had made it out through the wards. He’d heard the message and would come for me…or not, or he was dead already. I really hoped he wasn’t dead already.

  The door opened and Ryan returned, the warlock at his heels. A second later, three more goons came into the room and took up positions along the wall. The warlock smirked at me, confident the circle would keep me in check. Normally, I’d agree with him and I only hoped my theory about Acayo was correct. Ryan was also staring at me, his eyes heavy lidded as he ran his gaze down my body. He moved closer to me.

  “I don’t think your boyfriend is coming. I don’t think he knows you’re here. That means you’ll be mine soon.”

  His voice was slick like a serpent’s and I shuddered as he stared at me. I really, really hoped Acayo was coming. I also hoped he was smart enough to take out the wizard first. As soon as he was dead, the circles guarding me would fail and I’d be free. I glared into Ryan’s eyes and mentally rehearsed the spells I’d hit him with as soon as I was loose.

  No sooner had I finished the thought than the warehouse plunged into darkness. In the sudden gloom, I couldn’t see anything and I huddled in my chair and waited for my eyes to adjust. Figures slowly materialized out of the darkness and began rushing around in the warehouse. I heard a cut-off shriek and wished I could see. Hoping beyond hope, I put my palms flat out in front of me and pushed. The wards holding me fell away beneath my palms and I laughed. I spoke a few words and Ryan lit up from within like a flashlight. He looked down at himself in dismay but before he could do anything about it, Acayo was in front of him, his face eerily lit by the glow. Quick as a flash, Acayo wrapped his hands around Ryan’s neck and broke it as easily as I’d snap a piece of carrot. Ryan dropped as the light illuminating him went out, and I cowered in my chair and whipped off a quick shield spell as the sound of gunshots echoed throughout the building.

  Safe for the moment, I reeled off a longer incantation, this one to warp metal. The gunshots stopped and I heard the sounds of a struggle, before that too died out and the room fell silent. Footsteps approached and I looked up to see Acayo standing before me, his bloody mouth twisted into a smile.

  “Well, hello again,” he purred at me.

  “I guess you got my message,” I replied as I started to shake.

  He nodded, kneeled before me and took off his shirt, displaying his magnificent torso. He wound the shirt around his hands and then snapped the chains off my wrists and ankles with ease. He wrapped an arm around my waist and lifted me to my feet.

  “Time to go, I’d say.”

  He strode off to the doorway, half dragging me after him, and we left quickly. To my surprise, he took me down an alley and to a rather lovely Ferrari waiting there.

  “You drove?” I asked him in surprise.

  “It is faster than running, you know,” he replied.

  A little embarrassed, I mumbled something and let him hand me into the car. We made it back to my apartment in short order. Tired and aching, I pulled my legs up under me and curled into my favorite chair, heaving a thankful sigh. Acayo quickly check
ed the apartment before coming to stand before me.

  “How’d they catch you anyway?” he asked in a tone he might use if he were talking to a child.

  “How’d they catch you?” I replied, stung. He seemed surprised and looked at me thoughtfully.

  “Good planning on their part and bad luck on my part.”

  “Well, same here. That warlock was powerful.” Suddenly I sat up in alarm. The warlock!

  “You got the warlock, right?” I asked him, fear suddenly blossoming inside me. “A blond guy, scrawny and pale?”

  “I think I may have knocked him unconscious. He’s not dead.”

  I stood up quickly, wincing, and hobbled to my door. I grabbed the piece of charcoal I had sitting there for that purpose and sketched in a line above my door, muttering an incantation. I finished quickly, once again blessing my decision to perform a protection spell and leave the last link in case I ever needed to activate it quickly. Reassured, I returned to my chair and sagged in relief. I looked back up to see Acayo watching me, his expression thoughtful. I waved a hand tiredly in his direction.

  “It’s okay. He’s not strong enough to break my wards. We’ll be safe here.”

  He nodded, dark eyes intent upon me, and I shivered. Even through my exhaustion I realized I wanted him, but finishing my protection spell had taken the last of my strength.

  “Please stay here. Tomorrow we can talk. I need to sleep.”

  I stood up as I finished speaking and swayed on my feet. Quick as a flash, Acayo was at my side, one arm around my waist. He looked down at me for a moment and I found myself falling into his gaze. I sagged a little in his arms and he swept me up effortlessly. Grateful for his support, I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes as he carried me to bed. He put me down gently and I put my head on my pillow, too tired to care about changing.

  “Thank you for coming for me,” I told him softly, smiling up at him sleepily.

  He smiled down at me and I saw a hint of fang before I fell asleep.

  Chapter Two

  When I woke up, it was late afternoon and I realized with shock that I hadn’t made any arrangements for Acayo to sleep. He had to be safely out of the sun or that was the end of him. I jumped out of bed and stopped in surprise when I looked down and saw I was in my nightgown. I blushed a little, realizing Acayo must have undressed me. After a moment, I reminded myself we had actually slept together and he’d seen it all before. I looked around my room and didn’t notice anything out of place. Curious, I paced the perimeter of my little apartment, hoping he hadn’t left again. Did he know he wouldn’t be able to get back in if he had gone?

  My fears were eased when I took a moment to really consider the living room. The curtains were drawn and the contents of the solid mahogany chest I used as a coffee table were neatly piled on the floor next to it. “Clever,” I murmured to myself and put on a pot of coffee. Gingerly, I sat at the table and evaluated my injuries. My back still ached mildly and my headache hadn’t gone away, but all in all I figured I’d made it out of the situation surprisingly well. I wasn’t even that tired. After glancing at a clock, I saw why. I’d slept for fifteen straight hours.

  Fortified with coffee, I turned my mind to my current situation, which didn’t look particularly good. Although I was certainly safe for the moment—my spell should stop anything short of a nuclear bomb or a stupidly powerful witch—whoever had sent Ryan and the warlock was still out there. And probably pretty pissed. There was certainly no point in trying to claim I didn’t know Acayo and had nothing to do with it now. The successful rescue put paid to that. Hmmm. I turned over possible options in my head. If I could get close enough to these mysterious masters, I could wipe all knowledge of Acayo and me out of their minds. But first, I’d have to get past the warlock and whatever other guards they had. And make them hold still while I spelled them too.

  I looked at my coffee table thoughtfully. Could I convince Acayo to come hunting with me? Surely he’d prefer not to have these people, whoever they were, potentially on his trail. I couldn’t ask him until he woke up though, and I thought I probably had another hour until sunset. I went back to my bedroom and did a series of stretches to ease my aching limbs before running a hot bath.

  Refreshed and way cleaner, I headed to my bedroom, noting the pink tinge of the setting sun through the window. Despite the danger we were in, I couldn’t help but take a minute to ensure I looked amazing for Acayo when he woke up. I pulled on a tight, knee-length skirt made out of a stretchy fabric that didn’t restrict my movements. The garment had a long slit up the back and made my ass look amazing. On top, I wore a fire-engine-red knit sweater. I tied my hair in a tight braid down my back and took some care with my makeup. I was just finishing up when I heard a sound from my living room and, taking a deep breath, I headed out to greet my vampire.

  He was standing in the living room and he turned to face me when I entered, causing my heart to skip a beat. He was shirtless and the muscles in his gorgeous arms flexed as he stretched up a hand and ran it through his hair. Abruptly aware I was staring, I looked away quickly, trying to think of something to say. I barely knew him, yet I’d rescued him, been rescued by him, had sex with him and then passed out in his arms to be gently tucked into bed. The situation was outside my experience and I found myself unusually shy.

  “So…am I right in thinking we’re stuck here?” he asked after an uncomfortable silence.

  “Well, not stuck really. We’re safe here. Not so much out there. But you can leave whenever you want. I’m not going to keep you here or anything.”

  He chuckled and I blushed. On second thought, I’d have a hard time keeping him here. Witch or not. I could sense Acayo was old and in the world of vampires, old meant powerful.

  “And if I leave, what happens to you?” he asked after a moment.

  “Well, speaking of that…” I hesitated. “I think things will maybe be a little bad for me now. I think they’ll come for me and I can’t stay in here forever.”

  “And…?” Acayo prompted me when I didn’t say anything more. “I feel like you’re hovering around asking me something.”

  “Well, I can wipe their memories of me—and you, if you want—but I need to get close enough to them to see them. I could really use your help.”

  I looked up at him pleadingly and slowly inched toward him. His smile deepened as I stopped in front of him and pressed myself against him.

  “I don’t think I can do it alone,” I whispered.

  My heart raced as he raised a hand to push my braid off my shoulder. He trailed the hand gently down my neck and I shivered.

  “Well, if I have to help save your life, I’ll need my strength, won’t I?” He tilted my head to the side and looked down at me, waiting for permission. I nodded and he bent his mouth to my neck and bit.

  Almost instantly, the pain turned to a great rushing pleasure and I gasped and sagged against him. His arms came around me, catching me before I fell, and he twisted me around to lay me across the coffee table. He lowered himself on top of me, still sucking my blood through the wounds he’d made. Before I knew it, he had my skirt around my hips and his pants down. He spread my legs in one smooth motion as my energy flagged. With effort, I pushed against his chest and he moaned and released my neck, licking the wounds and pushing his hard cock inside me at the same time. I yelped and lost myself in the sensation. The throbbing warmth left behind from his bite pulsed in time with his in-and-out strokes as he slammed into me again and again. I clutched him against me and tried not to pass out. I moaned and shuddered as I came then heard myself whimpering as he pounded into me a few more times before stiffening above me.

  I think I must have passed out for a second because the next thing I knew, I was reclining on my couch with my legs stretched out on Acayo’s lap. He either noticed the change in my breathing or saw my eyes flickered, because he continued with our earlier conversation as if we’d never paused to have mind-blowing sex.

  “So
we need to get close to them. They came to watch the torture when Ryan and his goons were trying to get me to give them the secret. I’d recognize them again. But I don’t know where to find them.”

  I paused for a minute before speaking as I tried to get my thoughts together and distract myself from his amazing body and fabulous cock.

  “Well, Ryan said his masters run this town and that means only one thing. The Galloway twins. I didn’t know they’d started dabbling in magic though. Hiring warlocks, kidnapping vamps. They’ve definitely changed.”

  “What were they like before?”

  I considered the question thoughtfully.

  “Honestly? They were always bad news but not like this. I would have thought they’d have been content with their strip clubs and bars. As far as I knew, they had no idea the supernatural world even existed, much less had the juice to start pulling off stuff like this.”

  “So they’ve discovered there’s a supernatural world and have decided to claim their piece of it.”

  Acayo’s voice was grim and I reflected that the supernatural world probably wasn’t very pleased about greedy outsiders having that knowledge.

  “Apparently…yes. But I can make them forget all about our world and us. We just need to get close enough.”

  He eyed me closely and in a rather bloodthirsty manner. I got the impression he wouldn’t be too upset if some dreadful “accident” befell the Galloways. I considered protesting, telling him that violence wouldn’t be necessary, but I held my tongue. I wasn’t too proud to admit I’d rather they ended up dead. Especially since they’d be hunting me if we failed in our efforts to eradicate all knowledge of other realms from their evil little minds.

  “You know where they will be?” he asked, his eyes still intent.

  “I do. They have a club downtown. They’re always there.”