Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
I’m really starting to hate how dark the house is.
Sitting up, I bring my hands to my face and rub my eyes.
I’m still in Xavier’s bed, but I’m alone.
The metal curtains are drawn, sealing out all light and making it impossible to tell what time it is.
I feel somewhat rested, so I must have slept for a few hours at least.
But it still has to be daylight.
Fuck, I hope it’s still daylight. Because if it is, then the chance of any vampires from this house leaving are low, but not zero. A knot starts to form in my stomach and overwhelming anxiety rises in me faster than I can get out of the damn bed.
Blood seeks blood, I’ve learned that lesson many times over.
The Order wants revenge on the Malus vampires for killing hunters and the Malus vampires will get their revenge on the Order for coming after their family. And it’s no secret that the vampires will win this battle, but it won’t be without casualties.
How the hell am I going to get both sides to chill the fuck out?
Turning on the bedside lamp, I shake my head at my own thoughts, feeling guilty for wanting Xavier to get revenge on the Order.
The more time that passes, the more the wound festers and hurts.
I was lied to my entire life. My parents were brutally murdered so I could be treated like a lab rat.
And it was all for nothing.
My powers couldn’t be replicated. Super soldiers were never created. There’s comfort in that, but it makes me so. Fucking. Pissed.
“I won’t let your deaths go unavenged,” I whisper and look up, making a promise to my parents. “The Order will never hurt another family like that again.”
I get up to use the bathroom and am surprised to see all my stuff from my old bathroom is in here. My clothes are in the closet too. How the hell did Xavier pull this off without waking me up? Like most hunters, I’m a pretty light sleeper.
After using the bathroom, I twist my hair into a messy bun on the top of my head and get in the shower.
I blink and get a flash of Devon’s blood swirling down the drain.
Shaking myself, I reach down inside and focus on my training.
Acknowledge my feelings but push them to the side because I have more important things to do right now than sit around and feel sorry for myself.
I get dressed in workout clothes, needing to move my body in order to feel better.
But before I go out of the room, I pause in front of the bathroom mirror and look at the bite on my neck.
There aren’t two nice little neat puncture wounds like before.
No, my flesh has been torn, like a rabid dog bite.
This could have been very bad given all the veins and arteries in my neck.
Devon’s fangs got me closer to the base of my neck, and he didn’t sink them in very deep before Xavier pulled him off.
Still, the wound is gross and bruised. I’ve had worse, but covering this thing up is going to be a bitch.
My phone has been plugged in to charge and is on the dresser near the door, which I hadn’t noticed before. It’s almost four PM and knowing I only have a few hours of daylight left means I better hurry and–well… I don’t know. I need to come up with a plan before I can execute it.
“Wren!” Mabel says, coming out of her room as soon as I step into the hall. Fake, bright light pours down on us from the large windows in the two-story foyer. “You’re up!”
“Yeah. How are you doing?”
“Great! We’re all going out tonight. It’s our first big family outing in a while!”
“Oh,” I say and start downstairs. Mabel follows. “The summit?”
“Yes. And I think we should all dress in various shades of blue tonight.” She zooms in front of me and looks at the wound on my neck. “And I have just the thing to cover this up.”
“It’s a little warm for a turtleneck.”
She laughs. “And you have way too nice of a body to cover up like that or an event like this. I have a dress that comes with a scarf, but it’s a scarf that hangs behind your shoulders.”
“Oh, I think I know what you mean. They’re fancy.”
Her head moves up and down, excitedly. “It’s dark blue and will look stunning on you! I can do your hair and makeup.”
“I would appreciate that a lot. I’m going to get a quick workout in first.”
“Okay.” She claps her hands together. “I’m going to pick out everyone else’s dresses!”
“Are these meetings usually fancy?” I ask.
“Not really, but there’s no harm in being overdressed. And we always look nice.”
“I can see that,” I say, since Xavier and Theo are always wearing designer suits.
“I never really thanked you,” Mabel starts coming down the stairs with me. “Not just for saving my life, but for everything.”
“Of course, Mabel.”
“Really.” She puts her hand on my shoulder when we get down to the landing. “No one other than Zeke has cared that much. You fought your sister. And she said some pretty awful things.”
“You heard that?”
She makes a face. “I did and I should have told you before, but you had a lot going on.”
“I still do,” I say with a laugh. “You’re my friend.”
Mabel’s eyes fill with tears. “You’re mine too. And knowing we have each other, it’s like we can handle anything. From demons in a nightclub to evil stepsisters.”
I laugh. “That’s one way to describe her.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” I say and start my way to the kitchen to get a pre-workout snack.
“How did you not crumble from the things she said?”
“First of all, it’s nothing new. Larissa has a love-hate relationship with me, though I’m thinking it’s more hate-hate.
But everyone has something that can break them.
And you can either wear that like armor or like a scab that can be slowly picked away until you’re left standing there bleeding and in pain. ”
“I should post that on TikTok.” She pulls out her phone and types in a note, fingers moving with vampire speed. “What scab did you turn into armor?”
“I’m a witch. I’m different. Unclean and unholy in the eyes of the Order. And I realized long ago that I could either let their words hurt me and believe them to be true or I could find it inside to believe that they are wrong. And they are.”
“They are so wrong. There ain’t no other like you. You’re my best Jane.”
Assuming that’s an old-timey way of saying best friend, I take her hand and give it a squeeze. “Ride or die, right?”
“More riding and no dying, right?”
We both laugh and keep talking while I get something small to eat.
Mabel runs through outfit ideas that will cover up the bite on my neck, and I think we’ve decided on a different dress—for now.
Then I go downstairs, crank up the music on my AirPods and start working out.
I run three miles, do a leg workout, and have moved on to arms when Xavier appears in the threshold of the workout room.
“You are magnificent,” he tells me, tipping his head as he looks me over.
“I’m sweaty and gross.”
“Still magnificent.” A smile plays on his face. “You’re missing a key part of training.”
“I know. I don’t have any weapons.”
“You do have weapons.” He comes into the room, and I set the dumbbells down. “Where?”
He taps my forehead. “Inside. You are so much more powerful than you’ve let yourself realize, Wren.”
I slowly inhale, trying to catch my breath. “I don’t disagree, but I am pretty clueless how to enhance my magic.”
“Are you? Or have you just been told there’s no other way?”
“Both.” Xavier and I already uncovered how the Order purposely suppressed my psychic abilities. “I don’t want you to hold back.”
“I don’t want to blow up the house.”
He chuckles. “True, you could risk yourself.”
“And the house.”
“Houses can be rebuilt. I’ll set something up.
Be ready early for the summit.” Without warning, he’s right in front of me, picking me up and pressing me against the mirrored wall.
My legs fasten around him and I grip his shoulders, eyes wide as I stare right at him.
My lips part as he leans in and warmth floods through my entire body.
Instead of kissing me, he brushes his nose against mine. “You haven’t had a chance to deal with what we found in the graveyard.”
“I know,” I say, still gripping onto him. “In a way, I feel a sense of relief. The search is over.”
“It didn’t end the way you wanted it to end.”
“No.” I let my head rest against him, thankful for his unwavering vampire strength. “I didn’t want you to be right.”
“I know. You had to see it for yourself.”
“Thankful for letting me.”
He leans back just enough to look in my eyes. “There’s a strength in you I haven’t seen in many humans. And yours hasn’t turned you bitter.”
“There’s still time,” I say and we both smile.
He steps in, pressing himself harder against me.
“Xavier,” I start, but my voice dies in my throat when he kisses me.
Taking what he said about not holding back to heart, I let energy swarm around my fingers as desire floods my system.
It sparks and sizzles against his exposed skin, and the pain makes Xavier growl with hunger for my body.
He slides me down the wall so he can remove my pants.
I turn, throwing a hand out in the direction of the door.
Instead of hitting it with an energy ball that will explode, I go on instinct and keep the energy invisible yet solid. The door closes. My lips part in surprise and I turn, looking at Xavier.
“Told you,” he murmurs between kisses. “You are powerful, Wren.”
He’s still wearing the dress shirt and pants from before and I pull it out from the waist of his pants and rush to undo the buttons.
I lift my arms over my head, letting Xavier strip me from the tight sports bra.
Then we stumble back, arms tangled around each other, and Xavier lays down on the exercise bench.
I drop to my knees, looking him in the eyes as I undo his belt and hold my hand over us, using the same technique as before to use magic to pull it free from the loops.