Tainted Blood (Hell's Belle Book 2) (15 page)

I shook my head. "The only person who can go in there is a fully dead vampire. The wailing kills everyone living, including witches. And Berserkers," I added quickly, in case he had any ideas of trying himself.

"What if I'm possessing you?" Casper tried hopefully.

"I don't really know," I said.

Max looked at me oddly.

I pointed to my head. "Casper asked about possessing me."

"Oh. Right. Well in theory, it could work," Max offered. "He
is
dead."

I winced. Another reminder to Casper that he was a ghost. Sometimes Casper lived as if he were still alive and human. Often through manipulating my body, but still.

"I really don't know if it will work, and I really don't want to end up dead trying," I explained.

"What about Matty?"

My eyes bugged out at Max. "Are you kidding me? He's the one that put her in this state in the first place!"

"Nina," Casper interjected. "It's a good idea."

"How can you think this is a good idea?" I smacked myself in the head to drive home my point.

"The love spell, Nina!"

"Oh," I calmed down for a second, but then my hackles went up again. "You know what, I changed my mind. I think it's deceitful. We'll figure out another way."

Max looked confused. "Want to let me in on whatever it is that's deceitful?"

"Casper thinks we should put a love spell on Matty and Darcy." If anyone hated the idea of taking away someone's free will, it was definitely Max.

His head nodded in agreement. "I can see where that could be useful."

"Are you really okay with that?" I eyed him suspiciously. "You realize that we are making a choice for her. And she may not want it."

"I don't know. He looked like something she wanted to me."

"Told you," Casper said. He was turning into a fly that I really wanted to swat.

"Lust, maybe," I said. I wasn't going to back off on this. "And what about him? He's a rock star. He doesn't want to be tied down."

"Did you ask him?" Max countered.

"Of course not," I huffed, seeing where he was going with this but not ready to admit defeat.

"And, if it doesn't work out, reverse it," Max said.

"Exactly!" Casper was nodding my head in agreement.

"What if we can't reverse it?" I forced Casper's nod into a shake of the head.

Max shrugged. "Then maybe it was meant to be."

I snorted. Meant to be.

"Nina," Casper said gently. "Are you sure this is about Darcy. Or is it about you?"

"How can this be about me?" I retorted.

"Because you hate your family." Max didn't miss a beat. "And you are afraid of losing your best friend to Tavio's son."

"Well aren't you both Doctors Freud and Jung?" I scoffed at both of them, but inwardly cringed. They weren't completely wrong.

"Nina, we don't have much of a choice. We need Darcy to stop wailing, and Matty's the only vampire who can go near her. Unless...we could send Tavio."

That didn't sit well with me either.

"Fine," I gave in. "We'll do the damn love spell. But if this backfires, it's on both of you."

"Agreed," said Max. "I'll call Matty and figure out a way to get him to Darcy without frying him in the sun while you guys cook up a spell. Can you get it done within an hour?"

Casper was ricocheting around my head in excitement. "Yes we can, oh yes we can!"

"Yes," I said in a monotone, squinting against Casper's enthusiasm in my head.

"Better get cooking then," Max said. He headed downstairs to the bar, and I gave him the finger behind his back.

"Real mature, Nina," Casper scolded.

"Fuck you too, Ghost," I responded.

He actually laughed at me. "I’mma make you love spelling someday, I swear."

"Shut it," I growled.

That only made him laugh harder.

"Cut the crap, Casper. You're giving me a migraine and I have to concentrate on this shit."

"You're right. Sorry." But I could still feel him enjoying himself way too much.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"
This
is a love potion?" Max uncorked the test tube and sniffed. His eyes watered.

The shit-brown colored love potion didn't inspire much confidence. Even Casper had trepidations about using it. But since Matty was the one that had to drink it, I wasn't too worried. It wasn't like it'd kill him. He was already dead.

That was probably why the potion turned a shade of fecal and smelled like rancid onions. Since Matty was a vampire, Casper tweaked the recipe. I thought we should err on the side of caution and make it the proper way. But since Casper completely outclassed me in the witch department, he had the final say.

"Casper insists that it's fine," I told Max, putting the onus on the ghost.

"How are you going to get him to take this? It reeks."

"There's a reason why I told you to bring him to the bar." I grinned deviously and grabbed the martini shaker. I filled it with ice and then poured out a measure of Bombay Sapphire, hoping a good gin would dilute the funky smell of the potion.

I snatched the test tube from Max when I heard Matty struggling with the ladder under the trap door behind the bar. It led to the basement fridge, where we kept the kegs. I pulled the half-blood weakling bullshit and put him to work dragging two new kegs of beer down there so I could show Max the potion.

Max brought Matty here under the pretext that I needed some logistical information before working the Killing Haley show. Since it was still light out, Max smuggled Matty out of the Biltmore Hotel under a shroud of thick black velvet theater curtains. Given Matty's hypochondria, I expected him to come in screaming murder. But he seemed kind of elated by the whole adventure. Either he grew a pair of balls overnight, or he was trying to get away from Kittie. I expected it was the latter. He wasn't a candy-ass because he was a Beta. He was insufferable because he was a rock star.

I slipped some dry vermouth into the shaker, and then added the contents of the potion and capped it.

Matty shut the trap door with enough force to make the floor shake. "Kegs are heavier than I thought," he said. "I'm not surprised you couldn't carry them, cuz."

I sighed. "Yeah, it's tough being a single gal without her best vampire."

Max covered his mouth and coughed, stifling a laugh.

"Speaking of being without Frankie, he used to taste test all of our new drinks," I continued. "Would you be a doll and fill in for him on that, too?"

Matty's grin was wide. "Now that's a job I don't mind!"

"No one ever seems to mind that one," I said as I smiled sweetly, giving the martini a violent shake. Then I poured it out in a martini glass and added five pearl onions and slid it in front of him.

He looked at it oddly. "Dirty martini?"

It was indeed dirty. The potion gave the normally clear drink a brownish tinge, like water from rusty pipes.

"With onions, it's a Gibson martini."

He gave it a sniff. "Phew, those onions are strong. Good thing it's not garlic."

I rubbed my temples. "Vampires and garlic? Matty, that's a myth."

"Really?" Matty took a cautious sip, and his eyes lit up. "This doesn't taste as oniony as I thought it would."

"Oh good," I said, and then I caught myself. "New onion blend, said to use the juice in the martini. That's why it looks so, well, dirty.

"You mean Gibson!" He grinned and took a larger gulp.

"Right. Gibson." I snorted. Was he getting tipsy already?

"Damn, Nina. I cannot believe that we pulled this off," Casper squealed. His level of excitement rivaled my own.

"Want a taste?" Matty held the drink out towards Max.

"Nah, no thanks. Onions repeat on me." He pounded on his chest a few times to drive the heartburn point home.

I pulled the Narragansett tap and poured two pints, one for Max and one for me.

"Here." I slid a glass over to Max. "Cheers boys."

We all took pulls from their drinks while Casper danced excitedly in my head. Now that we’d plied him with the potion, it was time to activate the spell and ask him to go get Darcy out of her hidey-hole.

"Get ready," I muttered to Casper.

I placed the martini shaker in the bar sink and turned the faucet on full blast. While the water was running, I started chanting the activation spell, the strange Latin words awkwardly tripping off my tongue. Once Casper took hold of my body, the Latin flowed melodically.

By the time we were done and the water was off, both Max and Matty were gawking at me.

"That was beautiful," Matty sighed. "What was that? I could turn that into a song."

I laughed nervously. "No idea what I was singing. I just like to make up songs when I wash the dishes."

"It was nice," Max agreed. "I've never seen that side of you before. Almost...vulnerable."

"I was just doing the dishes." I repeated flatly, hoping Max could read the shut-up look I was throwing at him. "Matty, can I ask you one more favor?"

Matty shifted uncomfortably. "I think I need to go, Nina."

"It won't take that long." I gritted my teeth before adding, "Please."

He looked confused. "Nina, can't it wait? I need to find Darcy. And I am in a terrible hurry to do so."

I brightened. It was working. "That's exactly what I needed you to do. For you to get Darcy for me. For us."

"Get Darcy?" The spell did not make my cousin any smarter.

I sucked air in through my teeth, keeping my patience in check. "Matty, there's something I need to tell you. Darcy is a banshee. And right now, she's wailing."

"Yes, I know. She told me."

I harrumphed at the ease of her honesty.

"And I know she's wailing because of me," he continued. "Well, because of Kittie. That's why I have to find her. I want to make it right."

I practically pumped my fists right there. "Great. Perfect. Matty, you go get her, and you make her stop wailing."

He jumped up and yelled, "Yes! Hell, yes."

Nothing like a man on a mission.

"Wait?" He stopped, sinking down on the bar stool again. "How can I stop her from wailing?"

"You broke her heart, Matty. To stop the wailing, you need to mend it. Can you do that?"

His face brightened. "Yes, yes. I can do that. I love her and I can do that."

"Geeze, that wasn't dramatic
at all
," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

Matty bounced off the stool and skipped to the doorway. He stopped short suddenly, and turned to Max. "Um, could you get me there? It's still light out."

Max winked at me, and I nodded, grinning like an idiot.

"Wait! Before you go! Max, I need stakes for tonight. While you are there, can you grab a bunch from Frankie's room? They should be on his workbench. He was doing something with them."

I wished Frankie were here to tell me what, exactly, I could expect from the weapon upgrade. We had no news, which was good news. Casper and I had time to get the potions sorted out. As long as Frankie was in control, we could move forward with Bertrand's plan. If Frankie vamped out and started attacking, all bets were off.

"Of course," Max said, giving me a 10,000-watt smile. "Anything you need, sweetheart."

Anything I need?
Sweetheart?
What the hell was wrong with him? Before I could ask, Max reached across the bar, grabbed my face and kissed me deeply.

It was quite a kiss, promising so much more than that one night we had a few months prior, before everything turned to shit. I stared dumbfounded as Max bundled up Matty in thick black fabric and shuttled him out the door. Max cast one smoldering look back at me before he left.

"Casper?" I called out, my knees knocking together from the impact of the kiss. That kiss. Wow.

"What. Was. That?" Casper slammed forward in my head, a high-strung mix of shock and excitement. 

  I leaned against the bar and breathed deeply. My whole body quivered. "Um, I don't know. Could the spell backfire?"

"I don't think so. Matty drank the potion, not Max."

"But he smelled it. He sniffed the potion. Could that do it? Do you think we made it too strong?"

Casper went very still. "Maybe? I don't know."

"Shit," I groaned, realizing where we made the mistake. "And we didn't cast the circle, Casper. The spell could go anywhere."

Without casting the circle, a little bit of the spell must have worked on Max. Except he had eyes for me, not Darcy. Since he didn't drink the potion, he only got hit by the residual effects, so I assumed it was temporary. It
had
to be temporary. Double damn.

I grabbed the closest tequila bottle. It was the cheap stuff, but I didn't care, even though I'd pay for it later.

"Babe's gonna kill us," Casper sing-songed in my head, echoing my own thoughts.

"What are we going to do?" I was veering close to panic.

"What? This is good! Isn't it? You
like
him, don't you?"

"It's complicated." That was an understatement.

"Life's complicated. And you aren't Facebook," Casper said, full of 18-year-old wisdom.

I didn't even bother pouring out a shot and just took a swig straight from the bottle.

"Watch it," Casper admonished. "You have to work tonight."

"Just a nip, to calm my nerves."

Casper's rich laugh filled up my mind, and I smiled. I couldn't help myself. It was impossible to be agitated around this kid sometimes.  

"You got the hots," he teased.

"Seriously, Casper, it's..."

"Complicated?"

"Difficult, yes. Loads of baggage." I took another swig from the bottle and then picked out a lime slice from the garnish holder.

"You talking about the Gigantor crap? Cause when you fang out, girl, you're even scarier than Mega Max. You should look in the mirror sometime while you're all vampiro on everyone's ass. You're all like..." Casper made a hissing noise and then went silent for a minute.

I sucked on the lime.

"Or are you talking about another sort of baggage that happens to be missing right now?" Casper asked softly.

I spit out the lime in the trash. "Nothing is going on between Frankie and me."

"Well, duh. I'd know if anything was going on," he said before stopping abruptly.

My heart stopped. "Casper, how would you know if anything was going on? Were you
hovering
when..."

"It's not like I meant to! It was an accident."

"Oh, God. So not cool, Casper!" I choked out, my face flushed.

"I left as soon as I figured out what was going on, I swear!" he insisted. "You mad? Please don't be mad."

"Mad? Am I mad? Of course I am mad."

"But it was months ago. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"Damn right it won't. You stay out of my head, and my house, when I have a date. Got it? Oh God!" I groaned again, embarrassment engulfing me.

"I promise. I swear. I promise!"

"Then let's forget that ever happened." I took one more gulp from the tequila bottle. The news of Casper's indiscretion sobered me right up.

"So then what about Frankie?"

"I don't think I want to talk about my relationships with you. Peeping Tom."

"Come on, Nina. I thought we were forgetting that happened."

"I want to hold a grudge for one more minute, okay." Life with a ghost was so not easy.