Deceived (24 page)

“W
hat?” I said with
disbelief. We entered the ghostly realm in the morning and had walked for who knows how long, we should have been halfway across the state by now. Yet, the peaks of the NAWC’s castle protruded just over the trees and small stone buildings lined the cobblestone roads, the smell of food and wood smoke wafted on the breeze—my stomach rumbled in response.

“Time works
a bit different
in the realm of the dead,” Dorian explained.

I grumbled, moody from being chased by a demon, walking for hours, and not eating for even longer. Not to mention the strange tension that tethered Dorian and I together and left me in a constant state of nervousness around him now.

“Worst. Fieldtrip.
Ever
!” I snapped and set off towards the castle where I planned to crawl into my warm bed and try and forget this day ever happened.

As awareness returned to me, I stretched my muscles against cool crisp bed sheets. Buttery gold light beams shone through the windows, lighting the space in a tranquil peacefulness I hadn’t experienced since getting involved in the brew case with the FPD a month ago. My life turned into a dark dangerous place where spirits lurked and vampires hunted. A life where every new face was called into question and every choice second guessed. I hated this life, hated the instability of it all and the suspicions that shaded it.

The scent of jasmine wafted on the breeze carried in by an open window. The sheer ivory curtains danced against its gentle caress and the chirping of birds serenaded the morning. My body was rejuvenated and whole again, a feeling I hadn’t expected to return since I was no longer just a shop owner or a simple witch from Flora. Darkness was intertwined in my soul and had led me down the path of summoning spirits and jumping into realities where demons prowled. Sunshine and summer breezes didn’t fit in that world
.

“Good morning, beautiful,” a male voice chimed and reminded me of tranquility and love. My body lifted into a sitting position
and looked at
Aiden
. He
stood beside the open window, his shirt flapping against the wind. His ebony hair was disheveled, his blue eyes brighter than I’d ever seen them. A genuine smile lit his face, and I found myself
smiling in response. He was beautiful, and he was mine. The thought was almost too much to bear.

He was the only thing that mattered, the only thing I saw in a world filled with distractions.

Streams of sunli
ght lit his face and chest as my eyes devoured him
.

Wait, sunlight?

“You’re standing in the sun,” I whispered as I drank in the vision of him. Every one of his features came alive in its warm glow.

“So I am,” Aiden said with amusement. Walking over to the bed, he thre
w back the covers and lay down. His arms encircled my waist, muscles stretching as he guided my body towards his.
Facing each other, our lips inches apart, we stared at each other. The moment was perfect, one I never wanted to end. I could live
the rest of my life
in bed with Aiden and just stare at him while the wind blew and the birds sang just outside my window.

“Gwen?” Aiden said after a few moments.

“
Mmm
?” I responded through my foggy mind of relaxation.

“Don’t go to the council. Don’t let them drink from you.”

I had forgotten about that world, forgotten about my responsibilities and problems, and I didn’t want to be reminded of it when everything inside my bedroom was wonderful and warm. What lay beyond my door was stressful, dangerous, and deadly, I didn’t want to leave the comfort of my bed to acknowledge it.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I spoke against his lips. His power sizzled all around me, claiming me, caressing me, controlling me. My body was his and yearned for those large hands
to touch it
.

“We must, everything depends on it,” Aiden replied, his jaw tightening as he tried to keep his voice calm.

I pushed through the fog and concentrated on his words, the seriousness in his eyes and the tightness of his muscles. “You wanted me to, it was your idea,” I told him bewildered. I resented my problems for ruining this moment. Our bodies should have been entwining in the sheets as a layer of sweat collected against our skin, and the
only
words that should be spoken were moans, not about the council or death.

“I’m allowed to change my mind, am I not?” A smile spread across his lips.

“But what about Ian?”

Aiden stared into my eyes and was quiet for a moment. “I’ll handle him.”

I wanted to believe he could track Ian down and kill him, but if that happened, he could be killed himself. Ian was older which meant he was stronger. Add to the fact Ian drank brew on a regular basis and had magical capabilities I still hadn’t learned, made what Aiden proposed impossible. Ian was all around stronger and wiser than both
of us, and the
VC was the key to my salvation
. I didn’t care about the price I had to pay for freedom, it was small In the grand scheme of things.

Aiden’s
mouth
met
my willing lips
. His power surged
against my skin, igniting my already peaked desire.
It was more powerful than before, like the pure essence of him had been supercharged. I gasped and panted as it continued to poke and prod at my flesh. My entire body was on fire
and I needed him
to
quench it. In one swift move, Aiden ripped my tiny shorts and tank top off of my body and positioned himself between my legs. His eyes were black and burned with an intensity I hadn’t seen before. Before I could question it, he buried himself within me, and I choked on my
concerns
. Something was wrong, I knew it, yet I couldn’t decipher what it was. Aiden was being rough; his hands on my hips
dug into my flesh as he directed
me against his hardness
, each time harder and faster than the last.

“Aiden, stop,” I said between clenched teeth. When I looked up his face
flickered like film
. Blinking, I looked again and saw Ian
Despereaux
in his place.
Yelping
, I tried to snap my legs shut and kick against him, but he was stronger than me and held them open.

“What’s wrong, little witch?” His face was a mixture of confusion and coyness and back to looking like Aiden.

“Stop
!” I screamed. If I had any doubts about my sanity, I didn’t now—only Ian called me little witch. “Ian stop!” It all made sense now, the fact he was standing in the sun, my dreamy relaxed state, the intensity of his power, and the rough way he handled me, I had been snagged from my sleep and brought into another one of Ian’s dream worlds. Ethan and Fiona’s blocking spell didn’t last or he found a way to break it, either way, I was in danger.

His hips stopped moving, but he didn’t withdrawal from me. “What’s wrong, Gwen?” Aiden’s voice asked. He looked so much like Aiden, even his voice was the same, making me second guess myself.

“Get away from me.” The man’s face changed
in quick succession
from Aiden’s to Ian’s. Watching the bizarre transformation was dizzying. Squeezing my eyes shut, I shot my hands out ready to blast whoever was in front of me with magic. My palms tingled as my power raced through my veins and settled within my hands ready to be directed. I opened my eyes and just as the bright light of magic left my fingertips, my sunny bedroom and the man disappeared. I blinked a few times and realized I was safe, but not alone.

“Gwen?”

Rubbing my eyes so I could focus, Holly stood in my doorway with a look of concern changing her face into something that looked trustworthy, but I wasn’t fooled.

“What ar
e you doing in my room?” I pivoted my eyes around my room
. I was still on edge, shaky and nervous from the dream, Holly’s appearance didn’t help. I didn’t trust her one little bit.

“You were screaming, the entire castle heard you. Have a bad dream?” She flipped on my bedroom light and walked into the room. She was wearing a long navy dress with long sleeves and a V-neck that was adorned with white beads. Her auburn hair was braided down her back and her steely
green
eyes inspected
me disapproval
.

“Yeah, I guess I did,” I told her. The dream felt so real. I glanced down at my clothes just to make sure I wasn’t lying there naked. Sure enough, my pajamas were intact. When Ian visited me in my dreams before there were always signs of his being there, but this time nothing remained. My clothes weren’t torn to shreds and my body
hadn’t
been violated. I wasn’t sure what happened and that scared me.

“Is there something you want to tell me, Gwen?” Holly stood next to my bed with her arms crossed. I thought
about all the things I
should tell her, being bonded to Ian, his dream visits, how h
e could speak to me through telepathy
, and the plan to allow the VC to drink from me in order to break the bond. I wanted to confide in someone, to have another brain thinking of a way to fix the situation, but would Holly be helpful or condemn me for treason? I wouldn’t put it past her to throw me into the dungeon thinking I formed the bond with Ian to be his spy. War did crazy things to people’s minds, and Holly’s was bloodthirsty. There were enough people gunning for my blood, could I afford to add one more to the list?

“What have you heard of Ian
Despereaux
?” I
filled my voice with cool detachment
. The NAWC had to know who he was, he was the one who’d found a way to extract the power in witches blood and shared it with his people. Because of him, vampires killed witches and our two species were enemies. Because of him, my world had turned upside down and inside out.

“Why do you ask?” Holly responded. I didn’t expect her to spill the beans on what the council knew. Now was the moment where I could release my secret once and for all, let the NAWC into my personal hell and let the chips fall where they may.

“I have been keeping something from the council,” I began while my gut filled with an angry sea of nerves and nausea. Maybe a small part of me, a part that didn’t want to admit it, hoped the NAWC would know a way to break the bond, and I wouldn’t have to gift my blood. Another part, a part that scared the hell out of me, was worried I may enjoy being bit. If a vampire wanted to grant you the gift of euphoria with the bite
, he or she could
.
I’d experienced a vampire bite
a handful of times, but they were enough to curl my toes and develop a craving for it. I didn’t think about that though, I filed it away in the denial section of my brain—an area that was quickly becoming crowded.

“I figured you have been,” Holly remarked. “Gwen, we are your family. If you can’t confide in us, then who can you? I know you don’t agree with my methods, but it’s my job to watch out for our people and as hard as it may be, you have to trust the council’s decisions.”

Just when I thought Holly couldn’t wrap me around her little finger, there I was snug around her pinkie. She had a way with words. She made you want to believe every word she was saying. In truth, the witches were my family, but could I trust them? Doubtful. But I wanted to, needed to, have someone else on my side. I still had no clue what Ian
Despereaux
was planning; he was a master at games, and I was starting to feel like a pawn where someone else was moving me around the game board. The only question was, how long before someone took me out of
the
game? And who would that someone be?

I watched her for a moment
. “I am bonded to Ian
Despereaux
.” I figured however Holly decided to punish me would be worth it if she knew how to free me of Ian. I tried to be strong, but the stress of his voice in my head, the sexual dreams, learning my spirit walker powers, gifting my blood to the VC, and every other problem I was facing was a weight too heavy to bear alone.

Maybe a part of me, the dark part everyone has but never acknowledges, wanted Holly to put me out of my misery. My mother used to say, God never gives you more than you can handle, but it sure as hell felt like He’d dished out an extra helping of drama for me. Could I handle it? Probably.  If I made it through, would it drive me insane?
I didn’t doubt it
. Was it worth it? That was a question I still wasn’t sure of. Of course life was worth it, but my life wasn’t your average run of the mill life. My life turned into a puzzle where none of the pieces fit. I didn’t notice Holly’s change in demeanor while I was having my internal conversation. When my eyes found hers, they were stone. Her entire body was rigid and unmoving as she stared dumbfounded at me. Whatever she assumed I was keeping from her, obviously this wasn’t it.