Bound to You, a Paranormal Romance (Book 3 of the Spellbound Series) (7 page)

“Hi,” She said standing in the doorway. Even fully dressed with her hair tossed about, she is still lovely. I could wake up to her beauty forever, and I planned on it.

“Good afternoon, did you sleep well?” I stood up and stretched out my arms and shaking of any nerves.

“Yes, I thought I heard you talking and laughing.” She looked around the room like I had someone in here.

“Oh, yes, Dawn wanted to know if you were alright. She said when you left yesterday she didn’t know where you went and that your phone is going straight to voicemail.”

“Oh.” relief washed over her face. “Yes, my bag with my phone is in here. I came to get it.” She walked in the room and headed to the side of the bedroom that she once occupied, before the days of our ex-lovers coming back into our lives. I looked at the pillow and her side of the bed. She should have slept here with me last night.

“I think I want to go back to work,” She announced, after she grabbed her bag. I attempted to keep a neutral facial expression, even though I felt like I had just been sucker punched. She was a new vampire and could barely maintain her bloodlust around me. How in the world did she think she would be able to do that with a hospital full of people who were bleeding?

“What? Why? What about our date?” I couldn’t even form a complete thought.

“I know it sound crazy, but I need to be able to kick this blood thing. Plus, I don’t want to just sit around all night staring at the walls of this house.” Her reasoning seemed logical, but she didn’t mention the date in her reasoning. I didn’t want to discourage her, so I guess my plan would just have to wait until our next day off. I just hoped Hades didn’t decide to show up, with some grand gesture, to steal her away from me before we could have our date.

I cleared my throat of my dubious thoughts. “Great. That’s perfect; I’ll be there with you every step of the way.” I hoped my ambivalence didn’t stand out.

“Thank you, Ben, but I do think I need to eat before we leave and maybe stock up in a thermos.” She waited for my acknowledgment. I just nodded my head.

“Good.” She started down the hallway, back to the white room and closed the door behind her.

I didn’t understand what had just happened. She had come in here and completely threw me off.

One thing is for sure, I will not take advantage of her during her bloodlust moments. If I do, she will definitely hate me and think that all I want is her, sexually. I wouldn’t let that happen because I need her like oxygen, and losing her would be like trying to live in a world with no air. I need her to know that she completes me and that I have completely fallen for her in just the short time that I’ve known her. A single touch from her can make my non-beating heart flutter. I know what I must say and do to spend infinity with her.

Seven

Antonia

We rode in our bikes together to work. I walked into the locker room with my helmet under my arm and my bag crisscrossed over my shoulder. I found my bag in the spot I left it in at Ben’s house before Catherine gave me back to Hades. I was happy she was one person I didn’t have to worry about since Kevin staked her.

It felt good to be back at the hospital with my mind off the two men that I want. I called to see if Dawn was coming into work and she was, of course. She wanted to escape her sister, Amy, whom she had showed around the city, all day. Dawn was forcing Amy to go back home since she works during the night and usually sleeps during the day. I didn’t get why she wanted her to leave, she seemed nice. Maybe Dawn has something to hide and worried that Amy might spill it. I’d have to talk to her about that sometime during the night. I wish I could have stayed and talked more, but in just those few minutes I was around her, I started craving her blood.
I must kick this bloodlust habit.

Ben decided to join us in going back to work. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been here, but I knew it had been awhile and it was embarrassing. I saw the looks. I knew I looked different to them and the episode of hurling in front of everyone loomed.

I’d had an eerie feeling since we left Ben’s house, but it wasn’t enough to make me want to stay there. I just hoped that I would be ok since most, if not all; my patients will likely be bleeding.

Ben had given me a couple of cups of blood and told me to keep a mask nearby, in my pocket or around my neck, to block the smell of blood if it became too strong. Plus, my fangs might pop out and God knows I didn’t want that to happen.

Dawn was in her typical spot in front of her locker in a yoga position.

“Toni!” She shrieked, jumping up from her seated position

I walked over her way as Ben headed to his locker.

“How do you feel? Hungry?” Dawn asked with a concerned look on her face. I knew that she was deep down frightened that I would snap and kill everyone in the hospital. I hadn’t been a vampire that long and that was a possibility.

I giggled, “No I’m fine.” Her wide eyes relaxed and she pulled me into a hug as I dropped my helmet on the floor.

“I am so glad. I have so much to tell you,” she blurted.

“Yeah, like what’s up with your sister Amy?” She pushed back from the hug.

“Shhh don’t say that too loud.” Dawn looked around to see if anyone was listening.

“Oh, shit,” Dawn, squealed.

The door to the locker room opened and the last person I had expected to see walked in. Kevin.

“Kevin,” I mouthed and I was by his side in a nano-second.

“You might want to be careful with the use of your speed, Toni.” I nodded at him.

“When did you get back?” I didn’t think he would return. Seeing that his curse was still on and he could be whoever, wherever.

His green eyes glistened as he looked down at me. All the love and adoration was gone from his eyes and all that remained was a glassiness that covered the pain I knew I had caused.

“Yesterday. I really didn’t know what to do. I didn’t expect to see you at all. I thought you might be with Hades, but it seems the vampire has won.” His words were sarcastic and almost mean. He was still mad and who could blame him. I couldn’t help that I wasn’t attracted to him and only loved him, platonically.

He started toward his locker when I grabbed his arm tighter than I intended.

“Markos.” I thought by calling him by his real name it would touch him and let him know that I still cared. He looked down at my hand then met my pleading eyes. He didn’t look forgiving, or acknowledge that the name had affected him at all.

“I still care about you and I appreciate everything that you’ve done for me.” I was truly sincere.

“Funny thing is that I would have believed you a week ago; but now I think you are trying to manipulate me because you feel guilty.” His words cut deeper than a knife to the chest, because I did feel guilty but you can’t make your heart love someone that you only care for as a friend.

“Why?” Was all I could stifle out.

“This was a bad idea. You and the vampire can have the hospital. I’ll find a new life somewhere else.” He turned on his heels and was out the door in vampire speed.

My heart hurt because I never meant to wound him as badly as it seemed I had. The love he once had for me had now turned to anger and that was dangerous. An angry ex-lover was worse than a terrorist.

I placed my hand over the place my heart used to beat. It pained me to see him like this. I thought we were in a good place the last time I saw him, in Hades’ temple in Greece. How could I hurt the man who had taken care of me for years? Centuries even?

“Toni, are you ok?” Dawn’s warm hand touched my shoulder. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. I hated myself for how everything happened with him.

“I’m fine. Mad at myself, but fine.” I felt Ben at my side. I turned and looked up in his dazzling black eyes. He cupped my face in his cool hands. I searched his features, trying to figure out what he was going to say to comfort me, when his lips met mine.

My temperature rose as his hand slid back to my hair softly grabbing it, sending chills down my spine. Our tongues played with each other in the unexpected kiss. I didn’t even want to fight the kiss or Ben. I was surprised that I wasn’t turned on by the kiss, but instead, comforted. My hands rubbed his side and pulled him in close to me for a hug.

When our lips broke apart, our gaze held and everything and everyone melted into nothing. I needed that kiss. It took my mind off Kevin and reminded me that I loved the way that Ben made me feel safe.

He wrapped me in his arms and we stood frozen in the moment. Who cares that we were in the middle of the staff locker room and who cared that everyone saw? I enjoyed that moment in love with the vampire that saved my life and loved me no matter who I had become.

“You make me feel so safe,” I mumbled, as my head rested on his chest.

“Oh shit, that reminds me.” Dawn’s voice broke our moment and I glanced over my shoulder as she palmed her forehead. “That Psycho-Bitch Persephone is free, but she can’t harm or kill you.”

“What?” The pitch in my voice was higher than I expected. I dropped my arms from around Ben and faced Dawn.

“Yes, I meant to tell you that last night, but then Amy showed up and you left; but yes, and I wouldn’t put it past her crazy ass to try.” Dawn shifted from foot to foot like a nervous tick.

“I don’t understand why she didn’t go to jail or something.” I shook my head at the thought that Hades’ wife could still antagonize me, but not kill me. My life sucks right now. My childhood friend hates me because I don’t love him, I love a Greek god that is married to a woman who wants me dead, and then there’s Ben. He’s the only part of my life that isn’t bad. Maybe I don’t need to make a choice. The decision might have already been made for me, Ben. I looked over my shoulder.
Ben will keep me safe.
I saw concern wash over Ben’s handsome face as a small smile made its way to his lips.

If I choose Hades, that will be all kinds of fuckedupness. I shake my head to clear the thought.

“Politics of the gods is worse than our politics.” Dawn sounded disgruntled. I turned back to look at her blue eyes sparkling.

“You’re one of them, now.” I reasoned.

“Hardly, they have this hierarchy and I am considered a demi-goddess, which basically means an awesome mortal.” She paced the floor and Ben moved in front of me gripping my shoulders.

“Toni, I will do anything to protect you. You’ve got to believe me. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you; so if that means I have to fight off a Cyclopes every day until forever, I will.” His words touched the edges of my heart and reinforced the love I had for him. Our love was without conditions and unspoken. I didn’t have to tell him a thousand times a day that I loved him for him to know that it was true and vice versa. There was a connection between us from the beginning; and even if I didn’t choose him, I would never stop loving him. The more I think about this, the harder it becomes. No decision will be right because my heart will always ache for the other.

“Before y’all have another
Notebook
moment, we have patients to save and lives to change,” announced Dawn. We can deal with ways to protect Toni, later. The gods aren’t allowed on earth, so I don’t think we have anything to worry about, tonight.” Dawn always knew how to lighten the mood. But I needed to know more about what happened when she was with the gods.

“Wait, can you use magic to save people?” I inquired.

“Nope, Zeus forbids it, actually.”

“Then what’s the use?” I shook my head and we started toward the door.

***

Everyone seemed to fall back into the swing of things. I did as Ben suggested and the mask helped me. We didn’t have many victims bleeding and I was able to control my thirst pretty well. Dawn was amazed and Ben was proud. I saw the two of them talking from across the nurses’ station while I charted some notes. My mind was clear, which was exactly what I wanted. I took my break walking around the empty halls of the hospital. I had been focusing on the decision so much I hadn’t thought about my life now. I was a doctor before and now I’m a vampire, can the two blend? Ben had done it but he had over one hundred years of practice. I can’t be a novice vampire doctor.
Can I?

When I made it back down to the emergency room, Dawn smiled at me like the cat that swallowed the canary.

“What did you do?” I asked, narrowing my eyes on her.

“Nothing.” She sipped a cup of coffee and magically the words “Team Ben” appeared on the side of the cup. I rolled my eyes and made my way to the nurse’s station when the accident victims rolled through the doors.

I grabbed at my mask and tried to pace myself from running toward the blood. All I saw was red.

It was everywhere and Ben saw the look in my eyes.

He pulled me aside and my nails bit into his scrubs.

“You should probably go home early. No one will miss you. Remember, you are still new at this.” His words were firm and what he was saying was true.

“Slaton, we need you.” A voice rang out.

My head was foggy and the thumping of the bleeding victims’ hearts sounded like a melody in my ears.

My fangs elongated and Ben pulled the mask up to hide them.

“Go, we will be fine. They need me,” he said, turning my body in the direction of the locker room. Dawn appeared at my side and slung her shoulder over mine.

“Ben’s right,” Dawn stuttered. She pulled me away from the scene and into the changing room.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” I lied.

“No, you’re not. Just go home and take a bubble bath and Ben will be there shortly.”

I nodded, knowing that I should go. What was I thinking? A vampire and hospital don’t mix.
I must be crazy.

“Seriously, T, it would be better.” Dawn looked as if she would cry if I protested and her southern accent peaked out, letting me know her sincerity.

“Fine.” I was defeated. I made my way to my locker. “I’m going you don’t have to monitor me. Go help save those people.” I frowned because I wanted to help, but I was more of a liability than support.