we can get to the spell?”
He shrugged. “Sure. Give me the little coffin.”
I didn’t trust that ornery expression but I walked over and gave the box to him, then walked to the door. “Hey Blythe, don’t stay up too late. We have a long trip tomorrow.”
“In the car?” Blythe avoided my gaze.
Suspicion gave me sudden goose bumps. “I think taking a vampire sprite on an airplane would be a bad idea, don’t you? Why?”
“Nothing. I just don’t like long car rides. But before you go to bed, I want to try something.”
I waited for her to go on. Tapped my foot when she didn’t.
“I think I know how you can see Nikolos again. I have some yerba santa. If we pour boiling water over it and pour it over your ankhs, I think he might come to you in your dreams.”
Even the thought had my heart pounding hard. “Let’s do it then.”
It only took a few minutes to boil the water and strain the concoction over my necklaces. It took me forever to fall asleep because I couldn’t help wondering if it would work. I wiggled so much the sheets tangled about my legs.
When I finally slept, I realized that once again, Blythe had gotten a spell wrong. Instead of Nikolos coming to me…I went to him.
Chapter Four
It would have been nice if I’d been aware of the trip. Visual markers for when I actually went in after him would have helped. But I just woke up standing in the corner of his room. I let go of the ankhs and took a step toward him then stopped, heart breaking into a million pieces.
He slept on a filthy pallet in the corner of a dirt-and-stone enclosure. Thinner, his body had been turned into a canvas for someone who loved black and blue. And red. Choking back a sob, I stood there, frozen.
Nikolos turned over on the pallet, muscles shifting, a moan of pain escaping his lips. I cursed my petrified limbs, tried to make myself move toward him, but all I could do was drink him in. “I’ve missed you so much,” I whispered.
His dark eyes blinked open and he stared up at me, his beautiful mouth falling open before he scrambled off the bed and came toward me. He started to reach for me, then his shoulders slumped. “Another dream.”
“Not a dream. A spell.” I reached up to hold our two ankhs in my hand again and when I did, pain slashed through my body so fast and hard I gasped and fell hard to my knees. My kneecaps cracked hard on the packed-dirt floor, but that was nothing compared to what felt like molten metal being forced through my veins.
He knelt in front of me. “Oh, Beri, no you didn’t. A spell will tie you to this place.”
I managed to stop gasping and pointed to the still-healing scar on my arm. “Already tied to it. Creatures lately have told me I even smell like I’m a part of it.” I sucked in air, pushed back the pain. “Not too flattering, eh?”
Nikolos touched me, groaning when he realized he could, and suddenly sat back, pulling me in to straddle his lap. He wrapped still-strong arms around me tightly.
I wanted to hug back, but I didn’t know where to touch him without hurting him.
“I don’t care if it hurts,” he said on a growl as if he’d read my mind. “Touch me.”
When my arms tightened around him, he buried his face in my neck. His warm breath on my skin sent a mix of heady emotion through me. Desire, yes, but it was more like relief, like being home…like thankfulness.
“How are you here?”
“Blythe did a dream spell,” I whispered, my mouth against the pulse under his ear. “Actually, she showed me how to do it. Nikolos, I would have already come for you if her magic wasn’t so screwed up. Something happened to her when we fought the Dweller. She bound the fire elemental and somehow bound her own magic. We’re working to get her fixed so she can bind one again.” I pulled back, ran my gaze over his long Roman nose, his beautiful full lips, then met the nearly black, slanted eyes that looked at me as if I were responsible for his breath. “We have
He shrugged. “Sure. Give me the little coffin.”
I didn’t trust that ornery expression but I walked over and gave the box to him, then walked to the door. “Hey Blythe, don’t stay up too late. We have a long trip tomorrow.”
“In the car?” Blythe avoided my gaze.
Suspicion gave me sudden goose bumps. “I think taking a vampire sprite on an airplane would be a bad idea, don’t you? Why?”
“Nothing. I just don’t like long car rides. But before you go to bed, I want to try something.”
I waited for her to go on. Tapped my foot when she didn’t.
“I think I know how you can see Nikolos again. I have some yerba santa. If we pour boiling water over it and pour it over your ankhs, I think he might come to you in your dreams.”
Even the thought had my heart pounding hard. “Let’s do it then.”
It only took a few minutes to boil the water and strain the concoction over my necklaces. It took me forever to fall asleep because I couldn’t help wondering if it would work. I wiggled so much the sheets tangled about my legs.
When I finally slept, I realized that once again, Blythe had gotten a spell wrong. Instead of Nikolos coming to me…I went to him.
Chapter Four
It would have been nice if I’d been aware of the trip. Visual markers for when I actually went in after him would have helped. But I just woke up standing in the corner of his room. I let go of the ankhs and took a step toward him then stopped, heart breaking into a million pieces.
He slept on a filthy pallet in the corner of a dirt-and-stone enclosure. Thinner, his body had been turned into a canvas for someone who loved black and blue. And red. Choking back a sob, I stood there, frozen.
Nikolos turned over on the pallet, muscles shifting, a moan of pain escaping his lips. I cursed my petrified limbs, tried to make myself move toward him, but all I could do was drink him in. “I’ve missed you so much,” I whispered.
His dark eyes blinked open and he stared up at me, his beautiful mouth falling open before he scrambled off the bed and came toward me. He started to reach for me, then his shoulders slumped. “Another dream.”
“Not a dream. A spell.” I reached up to hold our two ankhs in my hand again and when I did, pain slashed through my body so fast and hard I gasped and fell hard to my knees. My kneecaps cracked hard on the packed-dirt floor, but that was nothing compared to what felt like molten metal being forced through my veins.
He knelt in front of me. “Oh, Beri, no you didn’t. A spell will tie you to this place.”
I managed to stop gasping and pointed to the still-healing scar on my arm. “Already tied to it. Creatures lately have told me I even smell like I’m a part of it.” I sucked in air, pushed back the pain. “Not too flattering, eh?”
Nikolos touched me, groaning when he realized he could, and suddenly sat back, pulling me in to straddle his lap. He wrapped still-strong arms around me tightly.
I wanted to hug back, but I didn’t know where to touch him without hurting him.
“I don’t care if it hurts,” he said on a growl as if he’d read my mind. “Touch me.”
When my arms tightened around him, he buried his face in my neck. His warm breath on my skin sent a mix of heady emotion through me. Desire, yes, but it was more like relief, like being home…like thankfulness.
“How are you here?”
“Blythe did a dream spell,” I whispered, my mouth against the pulse under his ear. “Actually, she showed me how to do it. Nikolos, I would have already come for you if her magic wasn’t so screwed up. Something happened to her when we fought the Dweller. She bound the fire elemental and somehow bound her own magic. We’re working to get her fixed so she can bind one again.” I pulled back, ran my gaze over his long Roman nose, his beautiful full lips, then met the nearly black, slanted eyes that looked at me as if I were responsible for his breath. “We have
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