Witch's Fury (The Bone Coven Chronicles Book 4) Read online

  “You mean, like I could rip someone to shreds at any moment?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Exactly,” he said. “The reason you feel that way is because you’re overdue on completing the change.”

  “Wait a minute,” I said. “I have to complete the change? I thought that was something that only happened to Nosferatu victims.”

  “It’s still vampirism, even if it’s a curse,” he said. “You were mortal, and you must become immortal. It’s a process, and it certainly isn’t instantaneous. When it happened to me, I completed the change within twenty-four hours. You? It’s been days. No wonder you lost your head in the cemetery. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner.”

  “And how do I complete the change?” I asked, knowing the answer before Dorian even opened his mouth. Of course there would be only one method of losing humanity to become a creature of darkness. Only one way to turn into someone who relies on blood to survive.

  “You’re going to have to drink some blood,” Dorian said with a solemn expression pulling down the corners of his lips and his eyes. “And while you can survive on animal blood once you fully become Unbound, only human blood can trigger the full change.”

  “I thought you said you’ve never drunk human blood.”

  “I said I’d never killed a human for blood.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “But I’ve most certainly consumed it, though it’s been many years since that. The only mortal’s blood I’ve had in the past decade has been yours.”

  My cheeks flamed, even in the midst of this solemn conversation. Because the blood that had passed between us meant even more to me now. It caused my thighs to ache, and a flush of intoxicating lust and desire flooded into my chest. Once again, my teeth ached, though his blood wouldn’t satisfy my cravings. I’d be satiated only momentarily, and I had a strange feeling that it would only drive my mind even further into the darkness.

  Dorian nodded, reading my emotions. “This is why you won’t be able to go on much longer like this. Even the mere memory of the two of us sharing blood is enough to cause the bloodlust to overwhelm your mind. It’s enough to make you lose yourself in the process.”

  “Even though your blood isn’t human?” I asked.

  “Blood is blood to a vampire.” Something sparked in his eyes as he regarded me. Through our bond, I could feel his churning emotions. There were a thousand thoughts flying through his mind, and his emotions were torn in so many directions that I couldn’t shift through them all to understand what he was feeling.

  “What is it, Dorian?” I asked.

  “Well, we can try something,” he said quietly, his eyes flashing with a dark kind of heat. “My blood isn’t human, and it won’t make you complete the change, but it might be enough of a hit to tide you over for awhile. We could share blood once a day, keep you in check until the demon war is done.”

  My heart thumped hard, both with the hope and the dread that came along with his words. “And then what? What happens when we stop doing the tiding-me-over thing?”

  “You’ll have to complete the change eventually, Zoe. There’s just no other way.” He sighed and knelt before me, taking my hand in his. For the first time since we’d met, I wasn’t struck by the coolness of his skin. Was this just another sign that I was becoming someone else? That my blood and flesh was turning into stone just like his?

  Taking a deep breath, I nodded and tried to hold back the tears. “Okay, let’s do it, though I won’t promise to drink human blood when this is all over.”

  “Zoe, you—”

  “We don’t need to decide that now,” I said. “Okay?”

  “Okay,” he said, but I didn’t miss the frown in his voice. I knew that he would never let me make that kind of decision, which meant I’d need to break away when the time came. But I’d meant what I said—now wasn’t the time to decide how we’d handle the whole Unbound curse thing. We just needed to tide me over, so I could get back to doing what I did best—fighting demons.

  “You’re likely to lose yourself in this,” he said as he held his wrist to his lips. “It’s okay. Give into it. Take what you want. You can’t kill me, but you might knock me out. If you do, you can revive me with the blood in the fridge.”

  “Can’t I just give you some of my blood?” I asked, hating the idea of losing control so much that I’d cause Dorian to lose consciousness.

  “Well, you could,” he said with a tight smile. “But then you’d just get hungry again. Best to keep you nice and full for now.”

  “You’re making me sound like a wild animal,” I said with a grimace.

  “That’s because we are,” he said with a wicked little smile playing on his lips. My eyes caught on his mouth, and I squirmed in my seat. Every time we’d exchanged blood in the past, it had been chock full of lust and desire, and even though we were doing so now as a way to keep me from attacking my friends and fellow mages, it still sent a thrill through my gut.

  Dorian dug his teeth into his wrist, cutting the skin. Bright red spread down his arm, and my entire body ached with the need to taste him. I grabbed his arm and pressed it against my mouth, tongue lapping up the sweet juice. Moaning, I pressed my mouth harder against him, drinking him, filling my body with his delicious life-force. Moments passed in exquisite bliss. After awhile, I no longer remembered who I was or what I was doing here. All that mattered was this blood. The iron tang on my lips. The soft skin sliced open by sharp teeth.

  I wanted to claw at his body, to dig my teeth into his skin.

  When I did, he cried out in pain, and clarity ripped through my head. Dorian pulled his arm from my grasp, his face as pale as a sheet. He panted heavily and grimaced, clearly taken to the brink. I gaped at him, horror-stricken but still reeling from my lust. It took all my self-control not to launch myself at him and continue to lap him up.

  Footsteps echoed on the pavement outside the apartment. I could hear them, loud and clear. And then the scent of blood followed. Before I could blink, I’d launched myself up from the chair and through the window, leaving shards of broken glass in my wake.

  Chapter 24

  The human stopped and turned when he heard the commotion. I landed on the sidewalk and bent my knees into fight-stance mode, a position I’d taken many times in the past, though I could no longer recall when or why. Because this man? He looked delicious, until I got a better smell of him. He was young—probably only a couple of years older than me. Wearing a suit and tie, he was on his way home from work, I guessed. There was a hint of alcohol on his breath, mixing with the heady scent of his cologne, which meant he’d been out for a Happy Hour drink or two.

  The intoxicated blood wouldn’t taste as good as a human who hadn’t been drinking. Frowning, I backed up into the shadows and scanned the street for another prey. Across the street, I spotted a college student who was fiddling with the strap of her bulging backpack as she walked. It was difficult to get the full scent of her from this far away—stupid Unbound curse. If I were a full vampire, I could smell everything about her, even from half a mile away.

  I’d have to get closer without her spotting me.

  From behind me, I heard the crunch of boots on glass, and I knew without turning that the pesky Unbound I’d been feeding from earlier had joined me on the sidewalk. For some reason, he would try to stop me, and that was not on the cards. Not with the intense hunger carving gaping holes in my guts. If I didn’t get a real human’s blood—and fast—I would rip apart this city until every last human’s flesh was in my mouth.

  “Zoe,” the Unbound said in a quiet, steady voice. He was weak. Too weak to stop me.

  With a twisted smile, I launched myself across the street and dipped into the shadows just behind the college student. She continued on, staring down at the phone in her hands. She hadn’t even noticed my movements. I took a sniff of the air. Bingo. No alcohol. No drugs. No smoke. Her scent was pure bliss, and a flare of red stole across my eyes, turning the night into a hazy blood-filled sea.
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  My feet pounded the ground. I reached out and grabbed her bag. Whirling her toward me, my fangs dipped out between my lips, and I hissed into her face like a dangerous snake. I felt powerful and strong, and I’d be even more so once I’d had her blood.

  By then, I’d be unstoppable.

  Something twisted inside of me—a darkness that crept into my mind and whispered sweet words in my ears. It liked what I was doing, these shadows that surrounded my soul.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice wobbling as a tear leaked out of her wide eyes. Something about her fear only enhanced the thrill of this, only electrified my excitement.

  Licking my lips, I tightened my grip on her arm. “Vampires are real. And you’re about to find out just how dangerous they are.”

  “Zoe.” The Unbound wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back from the human. He grunted, clearly still weak from our earlier exchange. With a roll of my eyes, I kicked his shin, aiming to knock him off his feet. But instead of falling over, he threw me over his shoulder and strengthened his grip around my waist. “Won’t work. I taught you these moves, remember?” He paused, turning toward the human who stood there staring at us with fear in her eyes. “Sorry about this. We’re working through a scene for a play, and she does this method acting thing. Anyway, she got a little carried away, and I’m sorry.”

  He turned away and stomped across the street back to his apartment. I let out a harsh laugh as he dumped me into his chair and began to tie ropes around my wrists and ankles. “You do realize that your excuse was lame as hell. She’s never going to believe that we were practicing a fucking scene for a play.”

  “Do you know who I am?” he asked firmly as he tightened the rope around my wrists.

  “You’re an Unbound vampire. Like me.”

  He closed his eyes. From somewhere deep within, I swore I felt a pang of hurt coming from his heart. But that was impossible. “What’s my name, Zoe?”

  “Hell if I know,” I snapped. “What’s the meaning of this anyway? Don’t you want to feed? I could have brought that girl back for both of us to enjoy. And another one after that. I’m fucking hungry.”

  “This has just made it worse,” he murmured as he launched himself from the floor to pace across the room. He stopped near the door and rubbed his chin, regarding me with a cool calculation that I could appreciate. This place seemed to be his home. Perhaps he considered this part of town his territory, and I was encroaching on that. That was something I could understand. I’d hate it if another vampire tried to steal my blood out from under my nose.

  “Honestly, just let me go.” I pulled at the ropes and frowned. “I’ll get out of here and leave your street to you. No hard feelings.”

  “You don’t even remember who you are.” He sighed and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “We’ll sit here and wait it out all night long if that’s what it takes.”

  Rage burned through me, as hot and as deep as the hunger in my gut. “Let me go.” I yanked on the ropes, my skin breaking where it dug into my flesh. “I need some blood. Let. Me. GO!”

  Chapter 25

  My head throbbed, and my chest ached. And my wrists, they felt like they’d been rubbed raw. Opening my eyes, I found myself strapped to Dorian’s chair with my arms and legs bound by tight ropes. Dorian stood across the room, leaning against the wall and watching me with a terrible calm. I couldn’t feel him through our bond. Whatever emotions he felt, he’d hidden them away where I couldn’t sense them at all.

  “Dorian, why am I trapped like this? What happened?” I asked in a strained voice. “Our blood exchange. It didn’t work, did it?”

  “Thank the goddess you’re back,” he said with a sigh.

  “Back?” My heart thumped hard. “What are you talking about?”

  “Well, you lost your shit, Zoe.” He frowned down at the floor. “Do you remember anything about the past few hours?”

  I frowned, feeling the weight of his words fall upon my tense shoulders. I thought back, trying to grasp onto the recent past, but everything felt like dark and rolling clouds. I remembered Dorian opening his wrist for me to drink. I remembered feeding from him. And then…everything else was a shadowy blur of nothingness. “Not really. And if it led to you tying me up like this, I’m not sure I want to know.”

  “Look at the window,” he said, nodding to the wall behind me. I twisted in my seat to find glass scattered all over the floor and a gaping hole where his window used to be. Shock went through me. Had I done that? And why?

  My gut churned. There would be only one reason why a vampire would crash through a window, and it would be to get outside. To a person. For their blood.

  “Oh god,” I said, dropping my head to my chest as tears began to flow down my cheeks. “Did I lose control? Have I killed someone? Dorian, what the hell have I done?”

  “Stop panicking. You didn’t kill anyone, though you came pretty close.” He sighed and dragged a hand down his face, looking much wearier than he normally did. Like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. “For some reason, drinking my blood made you go into a frenzy. You wanted blood and lots of it. And when I tried to reason with you, it was clear you had no idea who I was. And you definitely didn’t know your own name.”

  “Shit.” I closed my eyes and tried to block out his words. My reaction to this curse, so far, had been far worse than I’d expected. This had to stop, and it had to stop now, and completing the change wasn’t the answer. Somehow, I had to convince Dorian to let me return to the cemetery so I could enter the Land of Fae. I’d fit right in at the Unseelie Court, and I’d never be a threat to humans again.

  “I know you don’t want to, but you’re going to have to complete the change, Zoe,” he said in a firm voice. “It’s only going to get worse from now on. I’ll go to the hospital and find a blood bag. And then we can get you on the right track to control. Until then, your cravings are going to be impossible for you to handle.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I’m not going to change. What if the cravings only get worse? What if I can’t control myself the way you do? I refuse to be a danger to the very people I’ve spent the past year trying to protect.”

  “And I refuse to let you fucking die!” Dorian shouted as he stood suddenly, throwing his hands in the air as his fear and pain roared out from hiding. It crashed into me like a fierce wave, an onslaught of emotion that I’d never felt from him before. It felt like he was drowning. And it was all my damn fault. “I can’t live without you, Zoe. I just can’t.”

  “We both knew something like this would happen eventually,” I said quietly. “It’s just happened a lot sooner than we both thought.”

  “I’m not going to accept this, Zoe.” He strode toward the door, his eyes flashing. “I’m going to go get your blood, and you’re going to drink it, even if I have to force it down your throat.”

  And with that, he stormed out of the apartment and slammed the door.

  Chapter 26

  The pain only increased with Dorian’s absence. When he’d been only a few feet away from me, our bond had kept the agony slightly muted, almost as if his mind and soul could soothe away the true force of what was happening to me. Even before this had happened, he’d anchored me. One look into his eyes, and I felt as if I could conquer anything.

  It was hard to remember who I was and why I was fighting so hard against the craving that gorged my insides, while another part of me screamed to get the hell away from these innocent humans as fast as I could. I might be strapped to this chair, but I could break free of my bonds if I put all of my strength into snapping them in two. Vampires were stronger than mortals. I could get out of here. Go somewhere else. I could disappear into the Land of Fae.

  When Dorian returned what felt like centuries later, I was bent over and grimacing from the lashes of pain in my gut. Our eyes locked across the room, and the look of pure fear only enhanced the agony. And I didn’t have to feel through the bond to know that
he was scared I would die.

  “I’ve got a bag of human blood,” he said, his voice gruff. “It came from the donation bank. Given willingly. So, you don’t have to feel guilty about drinking it.”

  “The donation bank? At the hospital?” I asked in a weak voice that was scarcely louder than a whisper.

  “That’s right.” He dropped the red liquid onto his desk and crossed his arms. My eyes flicked to the sloshing liquid, and I let out a scream at the desire that shot through me. My teeth felt like fire as I shook against my bonds, my body arching toward the bag with an animalistic instinct. I needed it in a way I’d ever needed anything before.

  But I wouldn’t let myself drink.

  “That blood has been donated to help people in need,” I whispered. “Wounded people.”

  “Well, from where I’m standing, that’s you,” he said as he flicked his eyes across my weak and trembling body. “Look, I love you for your stubbornness. It means you don’t give up when times are hard. But you’re going to have to stop fighting against this, Zoe. Drink the blood. Don’t make me force it down your throat. I’ll knock you out if that’s what it takes to get this blood inside you.”

  Blinking against the tears that threatened to spill down my face, I leaned forward and hissed my words. “You wouldn’t.”

  “You’re welcome to call my bluff,” he said. “Or you can make this easier on the both of us and drink. Your call.”

  I met his gaze, narrowing my eyes. It was hard for me to believe Dorian would cross that line and try to force anything on me. On the other hand, I’d never seen this look on his face before. It was full of anguish and pain and fear. The closest to this expression I’d ever seen was when he’d spoken about what had happened to his family, what had happened when the shadow mage had turned him into this undead version of himself. What was happening to me would be bringing up a lot of memories from his past. Ones that would no doubt cut through his heart.