Bitten By Magic (6 page)

***

“You may find yourself there once more if you don’t keep that tasty mouth of yours shut,” Wilhelm hissed through his clenched teeth.

He didn’t like how light she felt in his arms. The woman was nothing but skin and bones. What was he to do with a fragile wife? One, who seemed like a worthy adversary, yet couldn’t hold her own in a fight against the wind. She would be easily broken in this state, a fact that did not sit well with his need to extract the most revenge. He wanted her to suffer long and hard until she begged him on her knees to end her pain. In this flimsy condition, one night in the box would be all it would take to kill her iron will.

Perhaps he would wait until she was better conditioned to take the punishment. But that meant she would be in his house, in his space, until it was time to cut her from his life. A frustrated sigh left him as he took to the stairs. Her tiny arms wrapped around his neck and clung as if she was afraid he really would drop her. His teeth clenched as he refused to soften so much as to give her a sign that she was safe...for now.

At the top of the stairs he wavered. A turn to the right would take them to the guest wing and the rooms she had occupied before. He could leave her there, but most of the guests were staying and it would look rather odd to see the bride coming from one of those rooms when her new husband clearly slept the day at the opposite end of the Hive. He swung to the left with an impatient growl that rumbled through his chest. He felt her stiffen in his arms and lengthened his stride. He would deposit her in his bedchamber before deciding. Who was he kidding? He could smell her hot blood, still taste it on his tongue. He wanted to feed from her, to connect with her as a true Vampire should with his mate. He was damned if he did take her and damned if he didn’t because he was pretty sure he’d be aching for her the rest of the night.

He stopped at his doors and juggled her enough to open them. There were thick curtains of dark brown covering huge windows blocked by shades. The shades were halfway pulled up, enough that he could see the warning of light on the horizon. The sun would be rising soon. He set her down on her bare feet and shut the door, locking it with a practiced flick of his wrist before he moved to the antique armoire to pick up the remote. A press of a button and the shades automatically dropped down, blocking out the world beyond them as artificial lights came on above them in the form of recessed lighting.

***

Alexa stared around her at the very large room. The walls were painted a rough texture of beige and adorned by works of art. She didn’t want to be impressed, but she was. The furniture consisted of dark cherry antiques, including a big, king-sized sleigh bed that looked like it could fit four or five people beneath the brown comforter. She pulled her eyes from the massive bed to watch him as he moved across the room to a pair of doors. Sliding one back, he disappeared inside a huge walk-in closet, only to reappear seconds later with several articles of clothing draped over his arm.

“These, I believe, are yours. I’ll let you have the shower first.” His cold gaze momentarily met her bewildered one as he thrust her favorite pair of pajamas at her. She clutched the soft satin to her chest. “The bathroom is through that door.” He gestured to the door to her right before aiming the remote at the wall beside her. A cabinet slid open and a flat screen television appeared. The screen flicked on to the early news. Her shock must have registered because he growled as he sat on the bed.

“Even we bloodsuckers like to keep up with the world at large. You are wasting your bathing time and I am really ready to get out of this monkey suit.”

Alexa was glad to escape into the bathroom, but as she looked at the pink satin in her hands she felt like crying. How had he obtained her pajamas? They shouldn’t be here. She’d left them neatly folded in the top drawer of her beloved dresser with its secret compartment at the very bottom. Her journal was hidden away from all eyes but hers. Was it lost to her now? She felt despair so deep that it forced her to sit down on the wide edge of the spacious tub.

She would just have to get it back; that was all. Wilhelm Chambers could not keep her a prisoner for long. Her lockdown spell would dissipate with the setting of the sun, so she had all day to hunt out Levi-the-Traitor and get some answers before she could leave this place. She’d be forced to come back. She wasn’t a fool. Alexa was bound solidly to the undead demon lounging in the next room. In the eyes of her people she was his and her place was beside him. The penalties for leaving one’s mate were simple; excommunication and removal of her magical talents. A death sentence to any witch, but as the Keeper of the Treaty her life would be taken as well. Hand fasting was a bitch! Her eyes rolled as she stood up to look around the black and white bathroom. The tiles were marble, the walls stark white with a few ink sketches and no mirror.

What would a Vamp need with a mirror anyways? It wasn’t as if he could check his nonexistent reflection. Alexa stood and placed her pajamas on the marble sink. She found white towels folded neatly in a long cupboard that held toilet paper, different kinds of soaps, shampoos, and body washes. Her brows drew together questioningly as her fingers skimmed over several bottles holding women’s perfume and body mists. Even a couple of the body washes were designed for a woman and she didn’t think they were the cheap variety she tended to use.

So, her new husband regularly brought females to his chambers and wanted them clean before he dirtied them in that big sleigh bed. The thought should have disgusted her, but it excited her instead. She chose a body wash at random, grabbed a bath puff from a half full bag and shut the door. Wilhelm Chambers was an unfeeling cad to let her discover his...harem closet! The man didn’t possess one bone of conscience in his undead body!

Oh, the hot jets of the water felt so good on her sore muscles, especially her bruised and aching glutes. She washed the offending curls out of her straight black hair, thankful she hadn’t been born with them. They made her feel more feminine, soft and willing. Adjectives that made her easily forget that she was the Keeper of the Treaty. She was like the ancient parchment that the treaty was first written upon—strong, enduring, and unemotionally straightforward. She was not to be taken lightly.

Finally, dressed in her favorite satin top with the Pink Panther grinning on her left shoulder and the matching pink shorts, she felt normal. She brushed her hair with his hairbrush and used a new toothbrush she’d found in the harem closet. Being tidy was as natural to her as breathing, so she’d made sure to wipe down the tub and place her wet towel in the clothes hamper. Her wedding dress would need cleaning but she didn’t want to place it with the towels. Plus it was the perfect cover for her too-exposed legs.

He was lying on the bed with his bare feet crossed, in only the crisp white shirt and black slacks. The remote was still in his hand and those dark eyes of his were still watching the television. She hurried to the chair at the dresser and draped her dress over the back of it. Spinning around, she moved to the bed and stood there with her toes curling into the soft fabric of the beige carpet.

His dark head turned and those piercing eyes flashed red as he slowly studied her body in the pink satin. Finally, he frowned and was out of the bed moving, to the open bathroom door like a jungle cat stalking away mad. Alexa jumped at the slamming of the door behind him.

Shivering, she pulled back the plush comforter and the satin sheets to slide into the side he hadn’t claimed. She stared up at the ceiling, chewing her lower lip and wondering just what he would do to her when he reentered the bedroom. It was their wedding night so, of course he’d want to consummate their marriage. Oh, Goddess! She wasn’t ready for that!

She quickly turned on her side to stare at one of the liquid paintings on the wall. It was of a man in a rowboat valiantly battling the waves of dark blue. The waves seemed to move as she stared at it, the man fighting to keep the little boat upright in the water. She felt despair as she blinked up at the painting. This was her trying to keep from sinking into the pit that was her fear and emotions. She’d learned quickly that emotions would pull her down and drown her in their waves of fear. Rising above such pain and need was her only salvation. To do so she had to learn to push all other feelings down deep.

Her stomach clenched painfully as she felt bile rise to the back of her throat. She wanted to be ill, but he was humming in the bathroom. She could hear that same haunting melody when the man on the television stopped talking to take a breath. Vampires should not hum, or sing, or laugh, she decided. How she wished her little pouch filled with the essentials and her tiny roll of Tums were here. She frowned when she thought of how he’d stripped the tiny satchel from her dress along with her athame. What he’d done with them she wasn’t sure, but she would be demanding their return once she figured out what he expected from his new bride. Until then, she would simply pretend to be asleep when he came out. Surely he wouldn’t accost her while she slept!

***

Wilhelm reentered his bedroom with wet hair and a white towel wrapped around his narrow hips. It was his habit to sleep in the nude and he wasn’t going to change anything just because a woman, his
felesage
, or wife in his native Hungarian tongue, was temporarily sharing his bed. He stopped at his side of the massive bed to stare down at her small figure curled in a ball with the blankets pulled tightly up to her chin. Her straight black curtain of hair fanned out over the crisp white of the pillowcase. It hit him that this was the first time he’d be expected to let a woman stay in his bed longer than the time it took to climax, roll off, and order her to remove herself.

Eleven hours of daylight was far too long to share one’s bed. He supposed he could wake her up and demand she find other quarters. A light tap on the door had him jumping, which he never did. He opened the door still wrapped in the light towel. Jaxson stood there with a grim expression.

“What is it?” He asked softly, so as not to wake her. His gut clenched as he realized he had no intention of waking her up and kicking her out. What was that all about?

“Sorry to disturb you, Will. We have a situation.” Jaxson jerked his head and Wilhelm followed him out into the darkened hallway to carefully shut the door behind him.

“Report.” He crossed his arms over his bare chest and waited as Jaxson looked around them.

“There was a hex placed on the Hive sometime after the ceremony. No one can leave. The priest and his entourage tried to vaporate out, but couldn’t. It’s like someone wanted the guests to stay here.”

“Have you tried to vaporize?”

“Of course we have. No one is leaving this house. I’ve never seen a hex so strong. The priests gave up trying to break through it. I’ve arranged rooms for the day. Some of the Poppets even had to stay together to free up enough beds.”

“Meaning that while we sleep our home will be filled with Witches, Humans, and Faes. All who won’t sleep the entire day away. Lovely.” He shoved a hand through his hair and glanced at the closed door behind him. He wouldn’t find an available bed for his new bride even if he did desire to ship her out of his room after consummating his hellish marriage!

“I’ve ordered the guards be doubled in case this is a preemptive strike against the Hive. Our most trusted Poppets are watching the video cameras to make sure none of our guests go snooping and I’ve initiated a lockdown of all the main exits leading to the tunnels below.”

“That will do.” Wilhelm shoved an agitated hand through his wet hair. “Wake me if there’s trouble.”

“Hey, I didn’t want to ask, but the situation being what it is...did you want me to make other arrangements for Mistress Chambers?” Jaxson’s tact was usually appreciated. Wilhelm relied on him to take care of resisting Poppets who wanted to stay the entire night in his bed. This woman was not a Poppet. Of course, he didn’t intend for her to be a true mate to him, either. She was a means to an end; that was all. He wanted to pull his hair out in frustration at the situation. “I could bunk with Darby and she could have my room?” Jaxson shrugged a shoulder, but Wilhelm saw the twinkle in his friend’s eyes. So that was his game? Not happening.

“Mistress Chambers will be staying here with me. I’ll handle her safety, but thank you for your...concern.” His voice dropped to a deadly tone of warning. Jaxson grinned, the bastard.

“I thought as much. You’ll have to tell me how you tricked that beautiful Witch to have you, Will. Some other time.” He turned on his heel and confidently strutted away.

Wilhelm growled as he stalked directly to his dresser and pulled out a pair of gray boxer shorts. Damn her! He was about to break his own rule. Two rules, actually. He was sleeping in shorts and she was going to sleep beside him the entire day. His head tilted as he picked up her heartbeat. It accelerated as his towel hit the floor. He swung back to look, but she hadn’t moved. Cursing silently, he pulled on his shorts and stood glaring at her.

“Playing possum,
felesage
?” He shook his head as she continued to lie there as still as death. “I never took you for a coward, Keeper; a haughty little puppet, yes, but not a coward.”

“I’m no one’s puppet.” She shrugged a shoulder before gingerly turning to push herself up in the bed. He noticed the way she flinched as she sat up.

“What’s wrong with you?” He placed his hands on his hips, anger flaring as he felt the elastic band of his boxers beneath his fingers.

“Nothing that a time machine and a good wooden stake wouldn’t cure.” She spat at him like a little cat. He felt a rumble of laughter build in his chest only to push the strange sensation down. “What?” Her dark brows drew together as she bit her lower lip. He wondered if she realized how tempting it was to sink his own fangs into that lush lower lip.

“No one is able to leave the Hive. Any idea how that happened?” Her expression gave nothing away, nor did her moss green gaze, which held his easily. No, it was the way her heart skipped a beat and began to pound harder. She knew about it, all right. “Don’t bother to lie to me, Keeper. I can smell your guilt.”