Bewitched, Bothered, and Bitten Read online

  Finn went rigid as he leaned over me. “Who?”

  “The vampire warlock who killed Saundra and came for me. He calls himself Dante. He invaded my dreams.”

  “That’s not possible. The wards and protection on this house are almost impenetrable. Only a witch as strong as you could break them and, even then, it would take a great deal of time. Enough that I would have time to stop them.”

  As my body and mind calmed, an idea came to me and I hated to think it was a possibility. “Not necessarily,” I whispered.

  He looked down at me, his purple eyes burning. “What do you mean?”

  “There may be a way around the wards, but it requires black magic.” I paused. “However, it means that I’ve been betrayed by one of my own people, because the only way the witch could have gotten around the spell was if I brought the talisman into your home.”

  “Talisman? As in a Hangman’s Talisman?”

  I nodded. A Hangman’s Talisman was created using the hair and skin of a person who recently died and it could link a witch to whomever carried it. They could be found at any time or place by the witch that enchanted the talisman. The closer to the time of death, the stronger the magic. It was called the Hangman’s Talisman because, in centuries past, black witches and warlocks often harvested the hair and skin of those who were hung or drowned during the witch hunts.

  Considering talismans were meant to be a protection against evil, I thought that whoever named the spell had a dark sense of humor or a well-developed sense of irony.

  I sat up, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. “We need to find it and destroy it.”

  Finn followed suit.

  “Let’s start with the bag I carried to the meeting. I would have found it if it had been tucked into my clothing.”

  We hurried downstairs to the sun room and I removed everything from my bag, even checking the lining and stitching. There was nothing there. I hadn’t left Finn’s house since the day of the coven meeting and only a few people had come and gone in the last two weeks.

  Frustrated, I slammed my bag down on the desk and my eyes fell on the stack of books that Belinda had brought to me. Some of them were from her personal library, but a few were housed in the coven’s library. I very much doubted that the High Priestess would betray me, but any of the witches in the coven would have had access to a few of the books.

  I grabbed one of the library texts and began to page through it, checking the front cover and between the paper to see if a talisman had been tucked inside. I turned the book upside down and shook it. Nothing. I ran my hands over the binding and the inside and outside of the hard cover but it didn’t seem as though it had been tampered with.

  I moved on to another coven library book. Still nothing. However, as I went through the third, I felt my fingertips tingle and knew that the Hangman’s Talisman was somewhere inside. It wasn’t pressed between the pages, but, when I smoothed my hand over the inside of the back cover, I felt the tingles sharpen into a sting as my fingers brushed small raised bumps beneath the paper that lined the inner cover.

  I found a letter opener and gently began to pry the liner away from the hard cover. Whoever had inserted the talisman hadn’t glued the paper back very well, so it pulled away easily. There, lying along the bottom edge of the book cover, was the talisman. Strands of hair, preserved skin, and herbs were twisted together in a small braid. I felt my stomach heave at the sight, but forced myself to study the nasty little piece of magic. My heart stopped beating as I recognized the shade of the hair and the slightly wavy texture.

  “Dear Goddess,” I breathed. “They used Saundra’s hair and skin.”

  Unable to control the nausea any longer, I dashed to the powder room down the hall and collapsed on my knees in front of the toilet. Though there wasn’t much of anything in my stomach, I emptied the bile and continued to dry heave for long minutes. When the painful expulsion finally eased, I realized that Finn was crouched behind me, holding my hair back and pressing a cool, damp cloth to the back of my neck.

  When I calmed, he handed me the cloth so I could wipe my face. He helped me to my feet so I could rinse out my mouth and splash my face with cold water.

  Once I finished, I leaned against the sink, meeting Finn’s eyes in the mirror in front of me. “I have to call Belinda immediately. If someone managed to get a Hangman’s Talisman to me, I’m sure they would have attempted to do so with her as well.”

  Finn helped me into the kitchen and sat me at the kitchen table as though I were aged or infirm. Then he went upstairs to retrieve my burner phone and brought it back down to me. “I’ll make some tea while you call Belinda.”

  I nodded absently as I selected her name from my speed dial list. The phone rang and rang until I thought it was going to be picked up by voicemail. At the last moment, the line clicked and I could hear breathing on the other end.

  “Belinda?” I asked. “Can you hear me?”

  Instead of the High Priestess’ voice as I expected, the low, smooth tone of a man came through the speaker. “Thank you for calling, dearest, but Belinda is indisposed at the moment.” Then he ended the call.

  I stared at Finn from across the room, horror filling me. “It’s too late. Dante has Belinda.”

  A split second later, Finn’s phone rang. His eyes narrowed when he checked the Caller ID. “It’s Conner.” He lifted the phone to his ear. “Hello?” He paused, listening to whatever Conner was saying. “We’ll be there soon.”

  Finn hung up, already moving in my direction. Helping me to my feet, he said, “One of Conner’s men turned. He and Donna are fine, but Ricki and Shannon were injured. Conner said…” he hesitated, “Conner said that Shannon’s injuries seem minor but Ricki is likely dying. He said that there isn’t much he can do short of changing her and Calder is resisting. I need you to gather whatever healing spells, herbs, and potions you have here. You’ll need them.” His eyes were worried. “Hurry.”

  I felt adrenaline and terror flood my veins. The prophecy was coming to pass. Ricki was seriously hurt, probably dying. I ran from the kitchen, hoping like hell we wouldn’t be too late.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The drive to Conner’s house would have been a great deal more hair-raising if I hadn’t been consumed with worry about my friends. Finn drove as though the hounds of hell were on his heels.

  When he screeched to a halt in front of Conner’s home, I was out of the car before he had a chance to put it in park. I sprinted up the front steps and into the house. When I entered the foyer, I realized I didn’t know where to go, so I started yelling.

  “Donna! Conner!”

  Donna’s pale face appeared over the railing at the top of the stairs. “Oh, thank God you’re here. Ricki’s in the guest room. She’s lost a lot of blood and…and.” She didn’t have to finish the sentence for me to understand her meaning.

  I dashed up the stairs and followed her into one of the spare bedrooms. I felt like I’d taken a punch to the gut when I saw the blood. So much blood.

  Calder was kneeling on the bed next to Ricki, but he was staring Conner down as though he were moments away from trying to rip out his throat.

  I moved to the bed, removing herbs, potions, and other things I would need to cast healing spells. “What’s are you two doing?” I asked.

  “He wants to turn her into a vampire.” Calder growled the words.

  “It will save her life,” Conner snapped. “Would you prefer that she died?”

  I saw Ricki’s eyelids flutter and wondered if she could hear what was happening.

  “Why don’t you two back up and let me look at her?” I suggested. “I may be able to help without resorting to changing her.”

  Though they were still eyeing each other with thinly veiled hostility, Conner and Calder moved back enough for me to squeeze beside the bed. I looked down at Ricki. Her face was pale and there was a streak of blood on her jaw.

  “Hey, Ricki. How you doin’?”

  H
er eyes opened slowly. “Kerry,” she rasped. “What happened?”

  I gently pulled away the cloth that Conner had been using to apply pressure to her wounds in an attempt to stop the bleeding. I struggled to keep my face from showing what I was thinking when I answered her. “There was an attack at Conner’s house and you were hurt. I’m gonna help you out here, okay?”

  She took a shallow breath. “Okay.”

  I looked over at Conner and whispered, “Have you tried vampire blood and saliva to start the healing process?”

  He nodded. “It’s the only reason she’s not dead now,” he answered, keeping his voice low enough that she wouldn’t hear.

  I felt my heart plummet. There was very little I could do for such serious wounds. Even with my abilities, I couldn’t bring back someone so close to the brink without using forbidden spells. “Maybe we should call an ambulance.”

  Conner moved closer. “We can’t. You know we can’t. Even if we managed to adjust the memories of all the humans involved, there would be records, both electronic and hard copies. It’s too risky.”

  “So we just let her die?” I hissed. “Or you change her?”

  His face said it all.

  “No.” Calder crowded into the group. “If she changes, she will be a wolf. She’s my mate, it’s my decision.”

  Donna saved me from stepping in when she snapped, “No, it’s not your decision, Calder.” Then she turned to Conner. “And it’s not yours either. It’s Ricki’s. We should ask her what she wants to do.”

  Conner scowled. “She’s too weak to endure a werewolf bite right now. The transition would kill her.”

  Donna didn’t respond, instead going back to keep an eye on Ricki.

  Something tugged at my mind, like a memory that remained just out of reach. I focused on it, but it slipped away. Still, Conner’s words struck a chord with me in some way.

  “Maybe not,” I murmured.

  Calder’s intensity was instantly on me. “What do you mean?”

  I dug in my bag. “There’s a spell. I found it in a book Belinda brought me. It might be useful.”

  I found my notebook and pulled it out. The paper I’d copied the spell on was still tucked in the back. I read it carefully, because I wanted to be sure that I understood what I was doing. It might work. By connecting them, Calder’s strength would help Ricki survive the transition.

  Looking at Calder, I asked, “Are you willing to tie your life force with Ricki’s?”

  “If it will save her, I would give my own life, so, yes.”

  I drew in a deep breath. “Okay, I want to ask her what she wants before we proceed.” Gesturing for them to remain across the room, I went to the bed and brushed my fingers over Ricki’s forehead. Her skin was clammy and her breathing was rapid and shallow. We were running out of time.

  “Ricki,” I murmured. “I need you to wake up for a second, okay?”

  She moaned softly but didn’t open her eyes.

  “Ricki, you need to look at me,” I insisted, my voice firmer.

  Her lids cracked and she gasped deeply, shuddering, but her eyes opened wide and fixed on me.

  “You’re badly injured, Ricki, and I need you to make a choice for me.”

  Her voice was nearly inaudible. “What do you mean?”

  I stroked her forehead and wrapped my hand around hers gently. “If we don’t do something drastic, you’re going to die.”

  Her body shivered again and she gasped, the pause between her next breath so long I was afraid she wasn’t going to take another. She stared at me, waiting for me to continue.

  “Conner can turn you or-” I paused. “I can bind your life force with Calder’s. You’ll have to ingest his blood and you’ll become a wolf like him. If I do this, then you two would be irrevocably linked. If he is killed, you would die also. If you die, so does he.”

  She tried to speak, but her voice cracked. When Ricki cleared her throat, it sounded painful. “And if Conner turns me, what then?”

  “You live the rest of your very long life as a vampire.”

  I watched as she processed what I said. Her eyes drifted over my shoulder and I knew she was looking at Calder.

  So softly I almost didn’t hear it, she asked, “Did you mean what you said to me yesterday? About the mark and everything else?”

  I could practically feel Calder’s intensity radiating at my back. “Every fucking word.”

  Her eyes closed and something changed in her face. Ricki didn’t open them again, but said, “Do the spell.”

  I watched as her chest barely rose and fell with every tiny breath and I knew I had to hurry. Quickly, I began to lay out everything I would need. The spell only required a few herbs and blood, but I wanted to be sure I did everything perfectly. I would only have one chance to perform this incantation. With a spell this important, I would have preferred the chance to practice mixing the herbs in the correct ratio and reciting the words several times before performing it. I didn’t have that option now.

  “I need a sharp knife and a bowl,” I commanded over my shoulder. “Quickly.”

  Conner disappeared from the room in a blur of motion.

  To Donna, I said, “I need a candle. White if you have it.”

  She nodded and left the room as well.

  Calder moved back to his original position of kneeling on the bed next to Ricki, cradling one of her hands in both of his. I tried not to let panic overwhelm me as the pauses between her breaths grew longer.

  Conner returned with the bowl and the knife.

  “Sterilize them with alcohol and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the bowl,” I ordered and he carried them into the connecting bathroom.

  When he returned, I took the bowl and placed it on the night stand, laying the knife neatly across the top of the bowl. Murmuring the first set of words in the spell, I began to add the dried herbs into the water.

  Donna returned with the candle, which I took from her and set it to the left of the bowl.

  Glancing at Calder, I asked, “Ready?”

  “Yes.”

  His voice was clear and filled with resolve, which was excellent. Ricki would need that resolve to help her come back from the precipice.

  I began the chant and lifted the knife, a spark of power flaring in my belly. In my other hand, I extended the bowl to Calder, who cupped it in one hand. I took his other hand, extending his index finger over the bowl. As I recited the second part of the spell, I pierced his skin with the knife and squeezed a few drops of his blood into the herb and water mixture. When the blood hit the mixture, I felt a surge of power. As I lifted Ricki’s hand and repeated the process, the magic began to grow.

  Normally, I would have cringed at using the knife on both of them, but they were about to drink a few drops of the other’s blood in a moment, so it didn’t matter.

  I took the bowl back from Calder and set it back on the table. Then, I lifted the candle. With a small amount of their mingled blood on the tip of the knife, I began to carve symbols of unity and healing on the candle, beginning the third part of the spell. The building magic pressed in around the bed, creating a connection between the three of us. As I placed the base of the candle on Ricki’s chest, I recited the passage that brought the flame to life on the wick. I brought one of Calder’s hands to clasp it in place, then did the same with Ricki’s.

  Her eyes were glazed, but focused on me as I worked. For a moment, I felt panic trying to creep up my spine, but I forced it back.

  Repeating the third and final paragraph in the spell, I put aside the knife and lifted the bowl to Calder’s lips. He sipped it, but I gestured for him to drink a bit more until he took half. Grimacing, he helped me lift Ricki’s head enough to get most of the liquid in her mouth. She winced as she swallowed what had to be a bitter mix of dried herbs, water, and blood.

  “As I will it, so mote it be.”

  When I uttered the closing words of the spell, the power increased until I felt as though I w
ould be crushed beneath it. Calder and Ricki both gasped, their bodies becoming rigid as one, and the final link between them snapped into place. It was done.

  As the magic receded, I heard Ricki make a sound, part cough, part moan. Then she stopped breathing. In horror, I watched as Calder collapsed on the bed next to her, clutching his chest. I couldn’t allow this to happen. I couldn’t sit back and watch someone I loved die, not again.

  I felt for a pulse in her neck and found nothing. Then, I realized that if I could muster enough energy to stop someone’s heart, then I could use it to restart one as well. Praying to the Goddess that it would work, I placed my hand over Ricki’s heart, focusing on what I wanted to happen. If I could visualize the spark forcing the organ to begin pumping again, it would be more effective.

  Sucking in a deep breath, I let the power flow down my arm, forming a ball of energy just behind my palm. As I released the air, I released the energy in the form of electricity. Ricki’s body jerked. I checked her neck for a pulse. Nothing.

  Once more, I laid my hand on her chest, refusing to let a shred of doubt enter my mind. I would save her. I repeated the process, watching as Ricki’s body arched again.

  When I put my fingertips to her neck, I felt a weak, steady pulse. I started to position her head for mouth-to-mouth, but she took a loud, gasping breath on her own. Terrified that she would stop again, I stood by the bed, trying to ascertain her condition.

  Within a few minutes, her chest began to rise and fall more steadily and her face was no longer as pale. Calder seemed to be fine as well, although still unconscious.

  Hesitantly, I lifted the blood-soaked cloth that had covered her wounds. Already, the accelerated healing process had begun, a sign that Calder’s blood had worked and she would begin her first change sometime in the next thirty-six hours or so. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an exact science, so I couldn’t be sure.

  Suddenly, exhausted, my ass hit the bed beside Ricki and tears of relief trickled down my face. A light touch on my shoulder startled me and I looked over my shoulder to find Finn staring down at me.