Influential Magic (26 page)

A ten-year-old Cabernet from the Napa Valley. Another one of my favorites. I gazed at him, one eyebrow raised. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

His eyes crinkled with humor as he dislodged the cork. “No, but if helping you relax turns into something more, I won’t complain.”

My neck warmed, and the heat crawled upward, no doubt setting my face aflame. I forced a laugh and sat up, cross-legged. “Forget it, buddy. All I’m planning to do here is sleep. Now pass the hummus. I’m starving.”

David placed a tablecloth on top of the pristine comforter, filled it with his offerings, and then sat across from me. He handed me a half-f wine glass and tipped his goblet in my direction for a toast. “To starting over.”

I hesitated. What did that mean? Our working relationship? A friendship? Or something more?

“Relax.” His eyes clouded with a slight air of frustration. “Wherever we go from here, we’ll figure it out. Together.” He lifted his glass higher and nodded toward it.

I wasn’t sure our situation deserved a toast, but there was no denying that whatever happened from here on out, we were in it together. The fact that I’d saved him from death and changed his chemical makeup in the process had sealed the deal. The smooth crystal weighed heavy in my hand. I raised my wine, letting him close the distance with a soft clink. “To the future,” I said.

“An amazing one,” he promised.

His words, low and soft, were a vow, touching me deep in my heart. A flutter rippled through me and turned into a painful ache. I was dangerously close to crossing a forbidden line. An action I didn’t think I’d recover from.

Our eyes met, holding each other’s gaze as we sipped the rich Cabernet. Heat that had nothing to do with the alcohol coiled in my stomach. I glanced away, concentrating on the picnic spread out in front of me. Only I wasn’t the least bit hungry anymore.

David shifted. The sound of a drawer opening reclaimed my attention. He rustled around in the bedside nightstand and came up with a pair of scissors. I furrowed my brows in confusion and tensed when he moved to stand behind me.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Hold still.” He swept my hair aside, his fingers gently brushing against my neck, until it hung in an auburn sheet over the front of my left shoulder.

I sucked in a breath, clutching my wine glass so hard I feared I’d break it. His touch was almost too much to take. Light and familiar. Sensual. Everything about him set me off.

David stepped closer, running a gentle hand along my spine. “Why didn’t you modify this for your wings? You can’t be comfortable.”

I shrugged, ignoring the fireworks going off in my nerve endings. “These are borrowed. I didn’t want to ruin your PJs.”

David paused, and I wondered if he was waiting to see what I would do.

This was it. The moment of truth. Did I trust him or not? Other than not telling me about Eadric, I didn’t have any reason not to. And at least I could understand why he kept that secret. Who tells a prejudiced faery his adoptive father is a vampire? I took a deep breath and held still.

Finally, he chuckled. “Haven’t you figured it out by now?”

I twisted to stare him in the eye.

Shaking his head, he gave me a wry smile and leaned closer. “I’d do just about anything for you. A sacrificed piece of clothing means nothing.” He brought his hand up, caressing my jawline with his gentle fingers.

My breath caught, and I turned my back to him, afraid of what I might do if I kept staring at his gorgeous midnight-blue eyes.

Two careful snips later, David set the scissors aside. My wings twitched, straining to be free of the fabric. He adjusted my top to one side and then the other, easing my wings out of their restraints. “Better?”

“Much.” I stretched, reveling in the sheer pleasure of my newfound freedom. David didn’t move, and I knew he was watching me. My wings had always fascinated him. Deceptively delicate with their almost sheer appearance, my wings’ resilience always amazed other species. I leaned back, wanting him to place his hand on my neck the way he used to.

He didn’t disappoint. His firm hand cupped the base of my neck, his fingers lightly caressing my exposed skin. I closed my eyes and tilted my head, giving him easier access. After the last twenty-four hours, I no longer cared what was right or wrong. I only wanted to be comforted. And at that moment, David’s touch was filling the bill.

His cool breath brushed over my ear. “Is this okay?”

I shivered but wasn’t cold. Nodding, I clamped my mouth shut, afraid of what I’d say if I spoke. All my objections seemed to fly out of my head. All that mattered was his touch.

Hands roving down my spine, he pressed his lips to my neck, brushing soft kisses over the area I knew was bruised from Nathan’s bite.

“No one will ever bite you again,” David said, steel in his quiet voice.

“Okay,” I breathed, flexing my wings as his fingers traced the sensitive edges.

“That’s a promise.”

My wings started to tingle and heat shot to my center. I’d believe anything he said right then. And he knew it. He’d long ago discovered my weakness for being caressed.

“I’ve missed you,” David mumbled into my neck and wrapped his arms around my waist. He rested his cheek on the top of my head and hugged me to him, like a long-lost lover he’d never wanted to let go.

My heart squeezed. I’d missed him too, but couldn’t bring myself to say the words. I was too overwhelmed. Too comfortable in his arms. Too unsure of anything. I covered his hands with mine and squeezed gently. It was enough for now.

A frantic scraping at the door startled me out of my thoughts. David’s head jerked up just as the door burst open. Link, in wolf form, took two large leaps and landed directly in the middle of the bed, snarling at the vampire behind me. Hummus splattered across the bed and berries went flying. The once-pristine comforter was a goner. David straightened but kept one protective hand on my shoulder.

“Link!” I cried. “Stop it. You’re making a mess.”

“He’s doing what he was trained to do,” a familiar male voice said from across the room.

My whole body went cold.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
Slowly I raised my gaze, grimacing as I spotted the other man in my life. “Tal? I didn’t know you were coming.”

His angry green eyes narrowed as he glared at David from the doorway. “Obviously.”

Scrambling to my knees, I shook David’s hand off and clutched Link. “Calm down, boy. David isn’t going to hurt anyone.”

“Get your hands off her, you sadistic bastard.” Talisen took two steps into the room. “If she has even one tiny scratch, one pinprick of a bruise, I’ll kill you.”

“Tal,” I warned. “Stop. He’s not hurting me. I promise.”

David backed off and headed toward the door. “I’ll give you three some privacy.”

“Wait,” I called after him. Jesus, what was I doing? If Tal took a swing at him, David would crush him. A fae was no match for a vampire.

He paused and glanced back.

“This is your room. You don’t have to go.” I jumped off the bed, wincing when I remembered what I was wearing.

He shook his head and sent me a resigned smile. “Better you have this conversation here where the rest of the house can’t hear you. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

“David…”

He didn’t turn back but paused as he reached Talisen standing in the path of the doorway. The pair glared at each other, tension mounting with each passing second.

Talisen’s fists clenched.

David eyed Tal and in a measured tone said, “Step aside, fae. I’m only granting you this courtesy because of Willow. Challenge me, and I’ll have no choice but to defend my territory.”

Territory
? Was he talking about me or his room? It had damn well better be the latter.

“Tal,” I pleaded.

The outrage in Tal’s expression told me he was thinking the same thing. He cast David a look of disgust and sidestepped just enough for David to pass.

When the door closed with a soft click, I sat back on the bed, my back to Talisen.

With the vampire gone, Link shifted and crept up beside me. His wet nose nuzzled my hand until I scratched his ears. He licked my wrist, pressed against my thigh, and rolled over, sticking his paws in the air. Despite the tension in the room, I laughed and rubbed his belly. “You goober. For such a vicious animal, you sure do shift gears fast.”

“So does someone else I know,” Talisen said from the end of the bed.

I snapped my head in his direction. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He leveled a flat, dry stare in my direction. “Come on. Look at you. You’re in his clothes, on his bed, letting him touch you the way—” He clamped his mouth shut and a touch of pink colored his cheeks.

The way what? The way a lover would? The way he, Talisen, would? Or the way he wanted to? I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry.

Tal moved closer, eyeing me. “Did he hurt you?”

I shook my head. “No. I’m sorry. So much has been going on, I haven’t had a chance to tell you. After I…changed David, something odd happened.”

He raised an eyebrow. “More odd than turning him into a daywalker?”

Grimacing, I forced the words out. “His touch doesn’t hurt me anymore.” Before he could respond, I did my best to change the subject. “Where’s Phoebe? I thought she went out for supplies.”

His lips formed into a hard line. “She did, but now she’s downstairs.”

“Well, where are they?” I glanced behind him toward the door and plucked at my cotton pants. They’d been fine before, but with Talisen in the room, I couldn’t stand to see him look at me with those accusing eyes. Like I’d let him down.

“We’re what she was really after.” He gestured to himself and Link. “But I guess you didn’t need us after all. I mean, now that his touch doesn’t leave you black and blue, your
vampire
can take care of you.”

That did it. I jumped off the bed and whirled on him. “Are you kidding me right now? Stop it with your judgmental bullshit. You weren’t there. You weren’t the one locked away in the Arcane wondering if you’d ever get out alive. You weren’t—”

Talisen grabbed my arms and pulled me toward him, his hands digging into my flesh. “You let him bite you, Wil. Bite you! What the hell were you thinking?”

“Let go,” I spat and twisted, dislodging myself from his grip.

He stepped up, his face a mix of anger and pain. “What would Beau say?”

Stunned, I took a tiny step back. Then anger took over. Uncontrollable rage rolled through my limbs, and before I knew what I was doing, I raised my hand and slapped him. Hard. So hard my hand stung.

His hand flew up to cup his assaulted cheek. He stepped back and took a deep breath, visibly trying to calm himself. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“And I can’t believe you’d think I’d ever willingly let a vampire bite me.” Fuming, I stalked toward the door with Link at my side. When I reached the threshold, I glanced over my shoulder. Talisen’s face had gone stark white except for the red handprint on his left cheek. “Just to be clear, even if you’d walked in on me and David naked and writhing with pleasure, you have no business judging anything I do. You’ve made it clear for years you’re not a one-woman man. So don’t start acting like you have some sort of claim over me, because we both know you’d never survive a committed relationship.”

He opened his mouth but no words came out.

I shook my head. “Exactly what I thought you’d say.”

Once back on the main floor, the sticky vampire cloud returned, making my already upset stomach roll. How dare Talisen bring up Beau? The asshole. He knew bringing up my brother would leave the deepest wound. He’d done it on purpose, hurting me in a way only those who knew me best could.

And I’d snapped. Shame washed over me. My guilt for letting David inside my heart had pushed me over the edge. No matter what Talisen had said, my behavior was inexcusable. Especially since I
knew
my actions hurt him. Even though he’d never admit it.