The Carver's Magic (29 page)

She looks at him for a half a second before looking back at me. She pushes herself up and offers to help me up, oddly. I stand up with her help, “So does that mean you’ll live and that you’re not mad at me anymore?”

“I’ve heard that vampires that drink fresh blood can’t drink anything else. They are instantly addicted,” she responds.

“So you’re addicted to my blood now?”

She shakes her head, “No, I don’t think so. But I feel different. Like I could run for years.”

“Vampires
can
run for years,” Couldn’t they?

“Not me. I’m half vampire, half werewolf so I get tired after about 100 miles or so.”

That explains the amber eyes and white eyes. “But now you have a pulse, does that mean something?”

She bites her lower lip, looking every bit as worried as I feel, “I don’t know.”

“Mikhail!” The old macho dad calls from upstairs, “If the bloodsucker’s alive, tell her she needs to get up here. There are several bodies and more wounded in Gunner’s house.”

I turned around to Mikhail, the Menace. He is looking somewhat conflicted. Ending his conflict, he presses his lips together and tilts his head to the side, curtly. “You’re the only healer we have, Sidney.”

Before I can say something, Sid walks past me, yelling up the stairs, “Coming McGrave.” I think she murmured the word asshole under her breath. She jerks her chin at the boy when she passed, “I won’t forget what he did.”

He looked unaffected.

I follow her out and the old man looks at us both and sneers. “Tell the vampire that the bodies are over there,” he points to the house my father had been in.

Sid snorts and walks in the direction of the house. I want to follow, but the poser grabs my shoulder, “They’re still here.”

I turn around, pissed, fueling my fire. Waiting for another dumbass Carver to come at me. I see a line of people floating in the air. Antrom is the first I recognize because he always wears that damn red scarf. He is watching me carefully, guarded. Reminds me of playing poker when your opponent is thinking of calling, but is unsure if they have a good enough hand to win.

Next to him is a large, Thor-sized man with a grizzly beard. He stands next to a ginger with a long-sleeved pioneer blue dress on. Beside them is Duretta, the witch from the restaurant. Beside her is a Russian looking vampire, and a Middle Eastern vampire. Finally, at the end, is a Native American man with a large belly, and his eyes are on the poser next to me. In fact, they might even have similar qualities.

They continued to float there until one of the vampires started talking to the Native American, whose eyes started glowing amber. Then they all left.

Beth popped next to me, glaring daggers at the spot where the group of super naturals had just been, “I know he’s your father Dar, but I really hate him.”

The poser stepped on the other side of me, “Join the club.”

“That was the Magical Council, right?” I asked the poser. He nods as he holds his hand out to Beth.

Beth hesitates before she takes the poser’s hand. Then she levels her eyes on me. “They’ll be back, for you, for me, and anyone else who’s on our side,” Beth says.

“Our side?” I repeat with lifted brows.

“My father won’t stop looking for a way to kill you and Beth, and the rest of the Carvers,” the poser spoke to me, but didn’t take his eyes off Beth.

Beth looked around, “I’m sorry for all the fire damage I caused.” The words didn’t match her tone, but I could understand the conflict. I had let my fire out when I was caught, and I had burned down plenty of houses and trees, too.

If Cory was here she would want to help her sister. I let out a deflated breath, “I’ll help. I caused a good chunk of the damage, too.”

The poser’s surprise doesn’t bother me. I am surprising myself. I really don’t consider the problems of others to be mine. I had detached from everyone in my life so that I didn’t feel obligated to always help. Except this time it isn’t that I feel like I am being pushed to do something I don’t want to do, I am going to do something that I know will make someone I care about happy.

The poser holds out his free hand to me, “I’d appreciate that Shane.” Then he stops and rolls his eyes at Beth, as if he heard her say something I didn’t. “I know,” he said to her before his jaw tightened. “Speak out loud. Stop being rude.”

Oooh.
With all her sass she can’t push over that wolf. I like him even more now.

Beth looked at me, “I don’t think they will come after us again so soon, but I think it’s best if we stick together.”

I did agree Cory would be safer with two Carvers protecting her. But, I wasn’t sure if Beth was suggesting all three or four of us living in my apartment, or her house. Both options aren’t acceptable, “Not too close together.”

The poser shakes his head and bumps Beth with his shoulder, “That’s none of your business, Beth.” Then he looked at me, “You’re welcome to stay here in the pack area. My guys will start rebuilding tomorrow, if you want a house I will make sure you get one.”

I am unsure if he is offering something he has no power to offer, “Are you able to make that offer?”

His eyes flash amber for a second, “My father was the alpha of this pack before he left and found his way into the Magical Council. The pack does not recognize anyone as alpha because my father never officially left, also because he didn’t appoint anyone in his stead, and no one has challenged him for this pack.” His comments about being over-looked are not lost on me, “No werewolf wants this pack because we have a few mixed-bloods, and most werewolves are purists.”

“Mixed bloods like Sid?” I ask.

“I found her years ago. She was trying to make it in the human world as a doctor. The day I found her was the day that she had it out with one of her administrators who found out what she was. She was on the run, and looking for a safe place. Her parents were already killed by the Magical Council for an indiscretion they made up. I took her in because our pack never had a healer. Since she’s been here, she’s saved several lives, including your mate, from what I hear.”

“She did. And I repaid her in kind.”

Both Beth and him wait for me to explain. I was about to walk off because I never explain myself, but again, Cory is in my mind. She wouldn’t have explained but I felt like she would want me to tell them. “The water Carver did something and I found her on the ground almost dead. I gave her some of my blood and now she’s back up and healing people in the next house.”

“You gave her your blood?” Beth asked, almost disgusted.

“She’s never had fresh blood,” the poser added.

I shrug dismissively, not willing to discuss it any further, “I’ll be back tomorrow with Cory, but I do have a job, and if I haven’t been fired, then I will have to work tomorrow night.”

“Cory can’t go back to work. She was kidnapped from there so I don’t think she will be safe there,” Beth adds.

“I have a feeling she’s not going to like that,” I add.

The poser huffed in amusement. He and Beth were talking in their heads again. It is mildly irritating, and yet I am kind of jealous. I want to do that with Cory. But then, that thought died when I remembered she would be able to hear all my thoughts. It was best that she couldn’t.

“I’ll let you drop that news,” I say.

“It’s only fair that you remain here, too,” the poser says softly to Beth. Then he shakes his head and his contemptuous tone returns. “You don’t get to tell your sister to do one thing and then you get to do the same thing you told her she couldn’t do. That’s being a hypocrite, not that being a hypocrite is new to you.”

“You don’t run me, Dar,” she pushes his shoulder and it looks like they were about to get into some kind of lovers spat, so I teleport to Cory.

* * *

I find Cory in her room with a purple smoothie on the nightstand, and a book in her lap. She looks up and immediately closes the book, “Is it over?”

Refusing to lie to her, I shake my head, “No, but we made a dent in everyone’s plans.”

“I don’t understand?”

“The Carvers and the Magic Council are going to have to regroup before they come after us again.”

Cory places the book on her nightstand and scoots closer to me. “So what now? How do we prepare for them again?”

I take a drink of her smoothie. It is divine, so I finish it before I answer, “Antrom will continue to look for a way to get you back, but now you have my heart, so Antrom and anyone else who thinks of taking you again will answer me. As for the rest, Beth and I will always be in danger from both the Carvers and Magical Council because we have resisted them both. The Carvers don’t have two lackeys like they planned, and we didn’t die like the Council hoped.”

“Oh,” she sat back and folded her arms.

I reach over and tap her nose, “I’ve arranged for us to stay with your sister and her guy,”
or mate or whatever he is
, “so that you will always be safe.” Unable to stop myself, I leaned in and kissed her sweet, soft lips, “Are you okay with that?” As soon as the question was out of my mouth I realized what I just did. Never had I asked if a choice I made for myself or others was okay.

This little fairy really is affecting me, in a good way. And I need to show her exactly how much she affects me. When I pushed the kiss harder, she backed up, grimacing.

“What?” I asked probably a little harsh. I am not really use to anyone pushing me away.

Her cheeks blew up to small balls for several heart beats before she let her breath out oddly, “You should probably shower first.” She showed me her dirty palm. Mud from the basement or maybe the cage I was in for a while. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the shower.

“I don’t need a shower,” she tried to argue.

I pull off my shirt, catching her off guard. She stood still and just looked. I turned on the water with my magic and let her watch as I finished undressing. I don’t remember anyone ever looking at me like I was a specimen, but with the critical look in Cory’s eyes, that’s what it feels like.

Slowly I grab the ends of her shirt and pull it off. I need to do this slowly. I need to reassure her.

Maybe I can try talking again, “My father’s dead.”

Her face scrunched up, “Oh.” She looks miserable and feels guilty and relieved, “Um, I’m sorry for your–”

“No that’s not what I meant.”
Okay. I suck at talking.
I move Cory under the water and start lathering up the soap. “You never answered if you were okay with living with your sister’s new pack?”

She held up her arm when I scrubbed her sides making sure to give attention to her beautiful, handful-sized breasts. “I didn’t answer because I didn’t have an answer,” She lifted her other arm for me next.

Moving down, I knelt on tile. “So where do you want to live?” I slowly ran up one leg and then the other.

“I… uh, I don’t…” I grabbed her thigh and slowly cleaned her soft pink skin.

“You don’t know?” I ask, keeping the conversation alive to keep her distracted mentally.

“Um,” she is breathing heavy and I love it. “I can’t think.”

I stood up and waited to see if she would look up to me. She didn’t. She chewed on the inside of her lip. I pushed a few drops of water from her cheek and said, “Try.” Then I leaned down and ran my lips over hers for a second. I stopped just to draw this out. “You want to stay with me, right?” I stood back to watch her expression.

With a slight blush she nodded, “Ye –Yes.”

I hummed in my chest, gaining her full attention, “Forever Cory? I need you to tell me you want to be with me forever,” I pulled her to me, not touching lips, but everything else did.

“I do,” she whispered.

Not good enough.
“You do what?” I pulled back entirely.

“I do want you. Forever.” I smiled at my victory and rewarded her, ravaging her mouth, like the desperate man I was. I let her go to catch her breath and I saw that look I have been wanting to see on her face since I first saw her. Utter desire.

She watched me and waited as if she were waiting for me to lead the way. When I didn’t say anything, she swallowed and said, “I’m going to wait for you out there.” She pointed, to the door.

I pulled her in for another kiss and I could feel her urgency. After I let her up for air a second time, I breathed, “Give me three minutes.”

Cory’s green eyes sparkled a knowing look and she left, still dripping wet.

I finished washing all the mud, blood and grime from me. In my bedroom she still is wrapped tightly in her towel. She is drinking from my dark brown mug, a favorite of mine. I take it from her and take a sip. It tastes familiar. I looked down and see her lip is bleeding. I bite my own lip and drank the rest, feeling the same wiggle inside of me. But this time, I knew what it was and I was warmed to know she wanted to be bound to me in the fairy-way.

“It binds me to you forever. Not you to me, like I let you think before.”

“My magic binds me to you, and you to me,” I was confident in this.

She shrugs, “It’s still good to make sure.”

Yes it is
. I pull her towel away, bringing a fresh blush to her cheeks. It is now that I realize something, “Am I your first, Cory?” The blush deepens and I don’t think I can be any happier. “And your last,” I say to myself.

I start at her neck while I rubbed her down with my free hand. Her skin is soft, and warm and everything I am going to enjoy forever. I wanted to make sure that she loved every second of this because it was her first and no one ever forgets their first.

I made her moan, I watched her scream and I loved watching her fall apart in front of me. I have never been weak after sex, but I had pretty much fallen onto Cory’s back when I finished. I roll off and grab her, pulling her to me as the last feelings dissipate.

I breathe deeply with Cory. Matching her as her chest rose and fell. I have no idea what just happened but I am confident it is the bond between us. Being bonded has its benefits, this being the top of the list, thus far. I look forward to seeing what else the bond does, considering I have never read anywhere about what it is like as a bonded Carver.

CHAPTER ELEVEN