Tatianna moaned and I stepped away from her, my eyes on Nyx. Those fucking black magical bands were reaching this way, and I wasn’t sure if I had any power to rival them.
“Enough!” Tatiana shouted beside me, flinging her wand and an insanely bright light shot out of it, like she was harnessing the sun. It spread across the now dark graveyard and chased the black magic away. Nyx shrieked and held her ears. One by one the other witches in the coven made their way to stand in a circle around Nyx, wands outstretched all with a beautiful bright light coming from them. Nyx was hissing, and pacing the circle unable to break free. The ground was littered with skittering cockroaches and dead vampires.
“My sacrifice?” Tatiana asked me.
Oh yeah. I’d called a rooster from the nearest farm to come over and he was waiting by an adjacent tree.
I felt really bad about luring him to his death but I figured it was the only way to get Nyx back into her sleeping grave, otherwise Tatiana wouldn’t have asked. One rooster for the good of humanity seemed like an okay sacrifice to make.
I pulled on his mind and the big red roosted walked out from behind the tree and strutted over to where we were.
Tatiana, still holding her wand before her, looked down at the cock.
A wonky grin lit up her face, and I couldn’t help but think of how awesome it was that after two years I’d finally gotten her to go out on a date with me. Never mind the fact that it was somewhat forced.
She picked the rooster up by the neck and muttered an apology before breaking his neck quickly in her hands.
Damn woman.
Then Tatiana sliced her palm cleanly pouring her blood over the dead rooster.
“Nyx Blackwood! I bind you to the earth to sleep for a thousand years!” she shouted and thunder cracked overhead. “May you only be awoken by me and me alone,” she shouted and the wind picked up, carrying leaves and the smell of rain with it.
My wolf shivered, and I stepped back a pace. I didn’t like all this magical shit. It smelled weird and it was too unpredictable for my taste.
Nyx ran at Tatiana then, teeth barred and sword out but the redhead threw her dagger from where she stood and it sank into the dark witch’s chest with a thunk. The moment it slammed into her chest, the cockroaches and black bands of magic disappeared and Nyx fell backward, eyes open.
Tatiana flicked her wand then and tendrils of white light wrapped Nyx like a cocoon. The other witches followed suit, and then Nyx was floating a few feet above the ground, her head hanging limp as they lowered her into a deep grave. The earth shook a few times as they dropped her in, as if she was protesting taking such an evil thing into her dirt. But in the end Nyx was buried 6 feet under with a dagger in her chest and a promise to sleep for a thousand years.
When it was all done, I shifted, covering my junk with my hands. Tatiana turned around, for the first time, letting her eyes run slowly down my body.
“Thanks for your help,” she said stiffly. Dried blood was caked at the side of her temple.
I nodded. “You’re welcome. Would you like my pack doctor to look at your head?”
She waved her hand. “I’ll be fine. I have a lot to deal with here since Seraphina got away. How about you pick me up tomorrow at seven?”
Shock ripped through me. I wasn’t going to have to beg?
“Seven is fine,” I responded.
“I’ll see you then,” she said a little less sternly than she normally spoke to me. Like maybe she didn’t hate me anymore. Only disliked me a little.
I nodded in return and started to walk away, knowing without a shadow of a doubt she was looking at my ass.
Five
Tatiana
We were lucky no one died last night. Although Lydia was on strict bedrest from our coven healer, everyone had made it through. Seraphina was missing and I knew that was going to come bite me in the ass later but for now I tried to just deal with the present. Rowena had been laid to rest this morning in the family plot on my mother’s land, and I was now preparing to go out on a date with Dax Cohen. I couldn’t stop thinking of the way he stood over my unconscious body, protecting me until I woke up. Why would he do that? Was it in the realm of possibility that I could have judged the local alpha wrong.
“You’re NOT wearing that,” Lydia said from her place in the bed as I finished my makeup in the mirror.
I looked down at my black t-shirt and tight jeans tucked into ankle boots. “Why not?” I asked.
Lydia rolled her eyes, her short, black, cropped hair moving as she shook her head.
“Because you look like you’re going bowling with your mom not out on a date with the hottest werewolf in town.”
I sighed. Lydia loved werewolves—they were the only thing she dated. I was shocked to hear she hadn’t slept with Dax.
“This is a fake date,” I told her. “He wants to win this for his ego, and I’m being forced. I’m not wearing a dress for a fake date.”
Lydia rolled her eyes. “You have issues,” was all she said.
The doorbell rang then, and I slid off of the stool I’d been doing my makeup in front of.
“See ya soon,” I told Lydia casually.
“Feel free to sleep over!” she called out after me and I rolled my eyes.
Swinging my front door open, I was taken aback by the clean cut man before me. He was holding flowers. Pink peonies. My favorite.
“Good evening Tatiana.” He extended the flowers.
“Ah, thank you. Good evening,” I responded flustered.
I hadn’t expected this to be a sincere, dressed in a suit holding flowers kind of date. He looked down at my t-shirt and jeans. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks,” I responded. Maybe I should just sleep with him so that he could get over it already and realize he was only after the chase.
Nah. I respected myself too much to have a one night stand with the man whore. I set the flowers on my coffee table and we made our way outside. The full moon was two weeks away, and they had to drink the tea for a full ten days before.
I reached into my purse and pulled out the copper jar with his tea in it. “Here, I forgot to give you this.” I handed it to him. He stopped and took it from me, brushing against my fingers as he did.
As we reached his SUV, he opened the door for me but stopped me before going in. Reaching into his pants pocket he pulled out a black tie. “I’m sorry but I have to blindfold you, otherwise this won’t be a surprise.”
I raised one eyebrow. “Blindfold me to drive me to the burger shack?” I asked with one hand on my hip. This was a small town, and there were only a handful of places he could be taking me. He unfolded the blindfold and placed it over my eyes. I could feel his breath on my lips, smell him, and desire spiked through me fresh and hot.
Traitorous body.
He lifted me into the car and buckled me in, grazing my stomach with his hand as he did. This date was a horrible idea. What was I thinking agreeing to this? Dinner, movie, nightcap and then home. That was it. No funny business and no falling for this fake romantic crap.
He started the car and then we were moving. I didn’t like being blindfolded, I didn’t like not having control. “So, did your pack end up healing okay?” I made light conversation.
“Yes, thank you for asking. We now have a major problem with to local vampire coven that needs to be worked out though,” he stated.
I sighed. “Yeah and Seraphina got away.”
“Shall I make us a meeting with the new king? See if we can draw up a peace treaty before there is retaliation?”
Working together? Well, I was high priestess now, and Rowena worked closely with Dax often on these types of matters.
I nodded. “That would be fine.”
We crossed a bridge. I could hear the tread under the tires and my brows drew together.
“Where are you taking me?”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “A special place.”
Okay…
I was trying to play nice but I really wanted to rip this tie off and just see where we were going. Yet, his pack risked their lives helping us yesterday, and the only thing he’d requested was this one date, so I’d let him have his fun. For now.