Men Love Witches Read online

  Aretha glared at Julian. “Where were you, Julian? The night the stone went missing.”

  My mouth dropped open.

  Lacey’s pale brows arched as she looked at the vampire. Julian reared back, his fangs on full display now.

  “You said you were going for a walk. That you needed some fresh air. I offered to go with you and you said no.” Aretha spat the words like they were poisoned darts, aimed directly at her young lover. “Where were you?”

  Julian cast a dark look at everyone gathered around the table. If he thought he might find an ally, he was wrong. All he found staring back at him were varying expressions of reproach.

  “No one was supposed to know about this meeting,” Lacey said, her attention fixed on Julian. “Was it Jewel who was here the second night? Sneaking around in the bushes, waiting for you?”

  Julian raked his fingers through his thick hair. For a moment, I thought he might bolt.

  Aretha shoved her chair back and stood. “I should exile you,” she hissed, one finger jabbing into Julian’s chest.

  Lacey pounced on the opportunity. “Jewel won’t be able to save you,” she said. “Even if she managed to get the stone, her family won’t let her get the credit. They won’t give her a crumb of power. If she weren’t the daughter of a powerful lord, she would have already been handled.”

  Icy fingers played up my spine at the way Lacey said the word.

  “What did she tell you, Julian?” Aretha demanded. “Did she tell you she’d make you wealthy beyond your wildest dreams? That you’d be given a position in the Court? That she’d—”

  “Marry me!” Julian blurted, his cheeks red as his nostrils flared. He made himself taller, towering over his boss. “She told me that she would marry me!”

  Aretha shrank back, all anger wiped from her face, replaced with stunned shock.

  “Marry you?” Lacey said. “But you’re—”

  “Common?” Julian spat, rounding on her. “Yes. I know. I’m reminded of the fact every day of this immortal life. Because of my heritage I’ll never be allowed to become anything more than an errand boy for the rich lords and ladies, as they please.”

  Matthias inserted himself between Julian and Lacey. He didn’t say anything—he didn’t need to. Julian sneered up at him for a long moment, but eventually backed down and stalked to the other side of the dining room. “We’ve been together for two years now,” he said. “We see each other as often as we can, which isn’t nearly enough, but we knew someday we’d find a way to be together all the time. Then she got caught playing around.” He turned and shot a scowl at me. “It set our plans back. So, when I knew I was coming out here for this meeting, of course I told her.”

  “Did you tell her about the stone?” I asked.

  Julian’s eyes flashed, full of defiance and rage. “Yes.”

  Lacey swore.

  “She said if we could get ahold of it, everything would change,” Julian continued, his tone suddenly devoid of emotion. “We could use it to buy our freedom. Her from her family, and me from my bond to House Powers.” He looked back to Aretha and I thought I saw a glimmer of pain seep past the anger brewing in her own eyes. “I was going to keep you out of it, Aretha. I don’t hate you, but I don’t love you, either.”

  Aretha’s jaw flexed. Beyond that, she didn’t move a muscle.

  “So, you’re confessing that you stole the stone?” Lacey said.

  Julian held Aretha’s gaze for another moment, as if he hadn’t heard Lacey. Magic pulsed at my fingers. If Julian confessed, what then? Did Lacey have the power to take him into some sort of custody? And if so, how did she back that power up? Vampires didn’t have magic handcuffs like the SPA. I wasn’t sure I fully wanted to know the details of the Vampire Court’s justice system. Knowing vamps, it was likely to be quite draconian.

  “No,” Julian snapped, his attention pinging to Lacey. “The safe was empty by the time I got there.”

  Lacey flinched, as though she wasn’t sure she could believe her ears.

  “Someone got there before me,” Julian continued. “But if I could have taken it, I would have, and then maybe all of you would see what it’s like to live under someone else’s boot.”

  Aretha’s trance-like state of shock shattered with an ear-piercing scream as she launched herself at Julian. Her hands went for the vampire’s neck, but Lacey managed to haul her back before she could do much damage. Nathaniel and Trisha jumped up and out of the way, leaving room for Matthias to swoop in and grab Julian. Aretha swore and batted at Lacey, but to no avail. Lacey was thin and didn’t look all that athletic, but her outer physique belied her strength and grit.

  Amidst the melee, Lord Sánchez rose with a quiet grace and took Aretha by the arm. “Come, Lady Powers,” he said, “let’s go outside for some fresh air. Let the others sort out what to do with Mr. Cross.”

  Matthias waited until the pair departed before he released his grip on Julian’s arm. “Where is Jewel?” he asked.

  Julian scowled and muttered under his breath as he adjusted the collar of his shirt. “She’s at a motel, down by the beach, waiting for me.”

  “Does she know you were unable to steal the stone?” Lacey asked.

  The lines around Julian’s mouth deepened. “No. I was hoping there was still a chance.”

  The tiny spark in Lacey’s eyes died. We were back at the beginning. If Julian could be trusted—and I wasn’t certain he could, though he did seem genuinely miserable—that removed our two lead suspects. Not to mention it likely meant the Vampire Council at large knew Lacey had found the stone. It was a wonder the lot of them hadn’t stormed the manor with pitchforks and torches.

  Lacey pressed her fingers to her temples as her eyes fell closed. Matthias placed a hand on her back and murmured something into her ear. She nodded to whatever he’d said. He looked at me and Adam. “Are the wards up?”

  “I can set them,” I replied, a pulse of anxious magic surging to my fingertips.

  “Please do so,” Matthias replied. “If anyone tries to leave the property, come and get us. Lacey needs some air.”

  Matthias led Lacey out of the dining room, into the kitchen, and I rose from the table.

  “Nick, go with her,” Adam said, not taking his eyes off Julian. “I’ll stay here.”

  Wordlessly, Nick stood and followed me to the front door. We stepped outside and each took a deep breath of the cool night air. The nearly full moon shone down, illuminating the majority of the front yard and the street beyond it.

  Exhaling, I turned to Nick. “Sorry you got dragged into all this. I know it’s not fair to ask you to get involved when that means you have to keep secrets from Meryl.”

  “It’s fine,” he said, shaking it off. “I’m probably being overprotective anyway. Meryl isn’t the damsel-in-distress type, and she wouldn’t be a fan of me treating her as one. It’s just hard—especially near the turn. All of my instincts and drives get screwy.”

  “Well, I won’t rat you out.” I smiled at him. “Come on. I like to do these wards in the side yard. Less chance of one of the neighbors seeing me from across the street.”

  I started to take a step down the porch, when Nick’s hand clamped around my elbow. “Wait!” he hissed.

  I froze. “What? What is it?”

  Nick perked, his nose going up into the air in a very canine fashion. “I—I think—”

  He lurched past me, stumbling down the steps, almost like he was no longer in full control of his lower extremities.

  “Nick!” I yelped, chasing after him. “The wards!”

  He held up a hand, then veered to the right and went to the bottom of the driveway. He stopped at the rear of a silver sedan and gestured at the trunk. “Who—whose is this?” he asked.

  “Um, I think that’s Nathaniel and Trisha’s car. They drove in from their house in the Portland area. The others took the portal.”

  Nick’s hand tapped the trunk. “I think it’s in here, Holly. It’s like Lacey s
aid. There’s some … something about it. I didn’t feel this before, when we were searching the rooms. This is stronger. More obvious.”

  I glanced over my shoulder. “Okay, well, any idea on getting the keys?”

  When I turned back, Nick was gone. “What the—”

  “Here!”

  I followed his voice around the back of the car and found him squatting down beside the front passenger wheel. He reached under the car and patted around the inside of the wheel well. He smiled and pulled back his hand, a small metal box pinched between his finger and thumb. “It’s meant to hold a spare key, but I think, in this case—” He popped open the small compartment and his grin widened at the sight of the obsidian stone. “Bingo!”

  My mouth dropped open. “You did it, Nick!”

  Smiling, he stood and held the box out to me. He started to say something, but the sound of slow applause stopped him cold. I whipped around toward the sound, just in time to see Jewel Molder materialize from the shadows under a large tree in the corner of the property.

  She flashed a pointed smile as she strutted toward us. “Good doggy,” she purred. “Now, hand it over and I’ll make sure you get a nice, juicy bone for your troubles.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “The wards!” I hissed.

  Nick clenched his fists at his side. “Holly, go get the others.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone with her!” I told him. He might have an edge, with the moon shining down on him, nearly full, but it wasn’t enough to fend off an old vampire like Jewel.

  “Oh, come on,” Jewel said, her cold smile growing. “It’s been so long since I had a little fun with a wolf.”

  Magic danced on the tips of the fingers of my left hand as I clenched my right hand around the hide-a-key. I couldn’t risk putting it into the shallow pockets of my jeans. My gaze flitted away from Jewel long enough to see the lights on in the row of houses across the street from the manor. It wasn’t late enough for a vampire showdown. It wasn’t even fully dark out yet. How long had Jewel been outside watching the manor? She couldn’t have been there for long. Twilight had fallen around eight o’clock. Julian had confessed that she was staying in town. She must have walked over as soon as it was safe.

  And I hadn’t put the wards up.

  I couldn’t risk sending up a flare of magic to get Lacey and Matthias’s attention. Sending any spell at Jewel was also risky. It would be too easy for the neighbors to see. The wards required too much concentration. I couldn’t set them on the fly, even under the best circumstances, and certainly not when a tricksy vamp was within striking distance.

  “What do you want, Jewel?” I asked, gripping the hide-a-key a little bit tighter.

  Jewel sighed. “Let’s not play dumb,” she said, her eyes going to my right fist. “You know what I want. So, let’s just save ourselves a little time and bloodshed and make a deal. After all, this isn’t your fight, witch. This is vampire business.”

  I scoffed. “Oh, and I suppose you have nothing but noble intentions for the stone? What’s the plan, Jewel? Hand it over to daddy and hope he pats you on the head and forgives your indiscretions? Or is this sappy Romeo and Juliet story true? All you want is to marry Julian? Because, I gotta say, when we last met, you didn’t seem like you were super big into monogamy.”

  Jewel laughed, though the sound was devoid of any warmth and sent a nervous shiver up my spine despite the warm summer evening air. “Maybe if Julian had been able to get the stone for me. But, as my father likes to say, if you want a neck snapped, it’s best to do it yourself.”

  Nick gulped.

  “Charming,” I replied. “Makes me wonder what kind of nursery stories he told you.”

  Jewel flashed a wide grin. “Oh, they’d make you beg for mercy, little witch. My father is a nightmare, I’ll admit it, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this relatively long life of mine, it’s that it’s better to stay in the nightmare’s shadow than to find yourself in its path.”

  “What does he want with the stone?” I demanded.

  Jewel shrugged one shoulder. “I didn’t ask.”

  I scoffed. “Or he refused to tell you.”

  The vampire’s eyes darkened and I knew I’d touched a nerve. Good. It might be the only point of leverage I had.

  “Enough of this,” Jewel spat. She took a step closer. It took every ounce of resolve not to take one back. She had us pinned between her and the Rysons’ car, anyway. There wasn’t much wiggle room for either Nick or me. “I should turn you inside out for what you did to me. But, I’m trying to turn a new leaf, so I’ll tell you what, give me the stone and I’ll let both of you walk. I’ll leave this pathetic little town and never come back. That seems more than fair, doesn’t it? Everyone wins.”

  A dog barked in the front window of a house across the street. Shadows moved and the curtains parted briefly as the owner looked out onto the street. My pulse thrummed a little louder in my ears. Moonlight bounced off Jewel’s fangs and it might have been my imagination, but they looked bigger than a moment before. She started to take another step closer and the magic at my fingertips spiked into a silvery-purple spell. Clenching my teeth, I tried to hold it back.

  Suddenly, Jewel’s eyes narrowed and darted to the left of Nick. An orange ball of fur barreled at Jewel like a tubby feline rocket. Boots caught Jewel off guard and crashed into her legs hard enough to send her off balance.

  “Boots!” I cried, snuffing the spell completely.

  The tabby ignored me as he scratched and hissed at Jewel’s legs. She shrieked and kicked. She missed the first time, but her second kick connected and my familiar sailed through the air and hit one of the small shrubs lining the front walk.

  Anger surged through me and I whirled on the vampire. “You kicked my cat!” My magic flared to life again and this time I didn’t bother trying to stop it. Lunging for Jewel, I bared my own teeth and sent a stunning spell at her in a silver-purple wave of sparks.

  The spell hit, propelling the vampire back a yard or so, into the street. She snarled as she shook it off and charged toward me. Nick stepped into her path and the pair collided with a flurry of thrown punches, kicks, and curses. Nick wasn’t a trained fighter, and even at their peak a werewolf would struggle to keep up with a vampire’s speed, but he managed to get her arms wrenched around behind her back and drove her toward the tree she’d been hiding under. I wasn’t sure he’d done it intentionally, but it did get her out of the neighbor’s line of sight—though that ship had likely sailed, they’d be paid a visit from an SPA agent to wipe the memories of the whole night on the off chance they’d seen something.

  “Boots, go get Adam!” I called, casting a glance over my shoulder as Nick and Jewel struggled. The cat had rallied and shaken off the impact of the kick. I’d still make the vampire pay.

  Boots took off and I stepped closer to Jewel. I slid the hide-a-key into my back pocket and used both hands to conjure a spell I’d used many times before. It was a bonding spell, similar to one the SPA used to form magic handcuffs. Theirs were more sophisticated than mine, but Meryl had helped me adjust my own version so it was pretty darn close. They were more than capable of holding a vampire.

  If I could catch her, that is.

  Right as the spell left my fingers, she jerked hard to the right and sent Nick flying over her back. He landed hard in the grass and she whirled around, her eyes crazed. Another pulse of magic built along my palms, but not fast enough. Jewel threw herself at me, fist cocked, and slammed a right hook against the side of my face. The impact snapped my head around and I teetered over, nearly tumbling to my knees. Before I could recover, she hit me again, this time to the underside of my chin.

  Sparks of magic surged toward her, but they weren’t strong enough to have much of an impact. Jewel hissed a string of curses and reared back, readying her third strike. I flinched and tried to duck out of the way, but my responses were slowed as my vision swam with stars. She hit me a third time and I crashed
to the ground.

  “Where is it?” she hissed, hovering over me.

  I blinked. There were two blonde vampires standing above me—wait, no—three—

  A scream tore through the night and two of the blonde vampires flew backward, while the third one wrapped her hands around one of their throats.

  Wait.

  I blinked a few times and the fuzziness at the edges of my vision cleared slightly. Still, there were two blonde vampires. I was seeing double.

  It took a few more blinks to realize what I was seeing was indeed real. There were two blonde vampires. Jewel and Lacey.

  “Where is the stone?” Lacey demanded, slamming Jewel into the trunk of the tree, her hand still wrapped around her throat.

  “Bite me, princess!” Jewel sputtered, her eyes blazing with sheer hatred.

  “She doesn’t have it,” Nick said, his voice a little thin as he got up to his feet. The slam to the ground must have knocked the wind from his lungs.

  Lacey didn’t take her eyes off Jewel. “Then what is she doing here?”

  “Spying, best I can tell,” Nick replied.

  My vision swam again as I pushed up to sitting. “I—have the stone,” I told Lacey. “Here.”

  I blinked a few times and leaned to one side and dug the hide-a-key from my back pocket.

  Matthias swooped in from somewhere behind me and snatched the box from my open palm. He popped open the cover and pressed his eyes closed as he muttered words of thanks under his breath.

  “Your boyfriend already gave you up,” Lacey said, her attention still fixed on Jewel. “If you think you get to walk, after what you tried to do, you’re in for the shock of your spoiled little life.”

  Jewel laughed, though it came out strangled. “Look who’s talking,” she gurgled. “If you were in my shoes, you would have done the same, and you know it.”

  Lacey’s jaw tightened and she released the vampire with a dismissive toss to one side. Jewel straightened, one hand going up to her throat. She smiled at Lacey. “You don’t have any authority over me.”

  “No, but luckily for me, the Baron and Baroness of your territory are right inside,” Lacey told her. “Shall I go see what Lord and Lady Ryson think of this? This is actually good timing. They can use your punishment as an example to the rest of their court and set the tone for the new order.”