Witch Way to Turn (15 page)

Don’t forget the blood
, her Myles-slash-spidey-sense reminded her. His blood in her veins pulsed with anger, annoyance and horniness.

Well, holy hell, she could relate. A nice long walk outside would help. She pictured the Rhodhiss dam. Her dam. She’d walked beside the river and climbed the ladder up the dam many times. Right now, she yearned for the cool breeze to caress her skin. Especially during the summer, the top of the dam had always been the perfect place to think and escape the heat. Not that she was looking to cool down, mind you, but she sure could use a place to think. A place that was hers...away from the two supes.

Standing here in the shower did nothing but make her pruney. She’d spent so long under the spray even her palms had gone wrinkly.

She turned off the water, wrapped a towel around her body. Great. No clean clothes.

“Bree?” Myles knocked though she wasn’t sure why he bothered–she knew he stood out there.

“Yeah?”

“The unnatural went to your apartment. He brought you some clothes. I’ll leave them outside the door.”

She waited until he’d walked away before cracking open the door and dragging her duffel in. She dug out a pair of clean undies and slipped them on. Then she put on her favorite cobalt blue spaghetti strap sleep shirt with matching polka dot shorts.

She left the duffel on the floor, flipped off the bathroom light and headed down the hall to the living room. No lights were on, except for the one from the muted TV.

Not sure who all she’d find, she walked into the room with her head held high and her tongue laced with curse words for anyone who tried to claim her.

Her pulse raced. She knew right away Myles was alone. She sat on the opposite end of the couch from him. “Where’s Orin?”

“Something about making her pay.” He didn’t look at Breena. She didn’t even have time to respond, because he changed the subject. “I called to check on Jenny.”

She hadn’t even thought to call. With everything that had happened tonight… She had to admit the vampire-assassin throwdown had been pretty distracting. Not to mention the whole near-death thing. Still, what kind of terrible sister was she that Jenny had come in last on the list?

“How is she?”

“She said Susan went to spend the night at a friend’s house, and Norma’d gone out. But she didn’t say where.” Myles faced her now. “I figure she went to Woody’s again.”

Woody’s was a male strip club in Hickory.

“So, Jenny’s home alone? Stan’s not there, is he? I should go.”

She started to stand and suddenly Myles was there, pinning her hips to the couch. She gasped. He seized her waist and pushed down on her shoulder. Her heart beat in her ears and goosebumps formed where he touched her.

This isn’t right. Not now.

It took her a moment to remember the reason. His advances kept her away from her sister. “Get off me, Myles,” she demanded.

Her tone must’ve rattled him because he shook his head and released a deep breath. As his eyes softened, her heartbeat returned to a normal rhythm. “Sorry. You’ve had my blood. I’m a little overprotective of you.”

“Ya think?” she shot back.

“Jenny’s fine. Stan wasn’t there. I would’ve heard it in her voice when I asked her.”

He wouldn’t lie about Jenny. She felt it in his blood. When she nodded he let her go.

He moved back to the other side of the couch. Slower this time. Human speed. “You need to rest. You lost a lot of blood tonight.”

She scooted closer to the vampire. “Thank you. Not just for checking on Jenny.”

“You’re welcome.” He maintained his distance, but didn’t stop looking at her. “I told you, Bree, I’d do anything for you.”

“I know.” She leaned her head against his shoulder–slow, so he wouldn’t zip away–and laid her arm across his chest. He coiled his arms around her waist.

She peered up to see his face and tangled her fingers through his jet-black curls. As she tugged at the soft waves, her heart raced and her blood boiled in her veins. Her lips ached to touch his. Suddenly nothing mattered except the desire. The hunger. Before she could stop, her lips moved to his. Devoured his.

But his mouth remained frozen, his body stiff with tension. As she pulled away, she realized his gaze lingered on her throat. His lower lip began to quiver. Instinct drove her to tilt her head and expose her neck. The thought of his fangs deep in her flesh caused her desire for Myles to build until she didn’t think she’d ever catch her breath.

She hadn’t even blinked when his lips parted and fangs shot out. They pressed against her throat, sharp points pricking her skin, ready to pierce her.

“Bite me,” she breathed before she changed her mind.

He didn’t move.

She held her breath and sat so still her lashes didn’t even flutter. Those fangs stayed at her throat for what felt like forever.

Then they were gone and, when she looked up, Myles was sitting in the chair closest to the kitchen. As if some unseen hand had ripped him away from her.

With him seated across the room, Breena was able to think. She sat up, righted her pajamas, smoothed down her hair. Anything to kill time. What in the world had just happened? Why’d he stop? What made her want to be bitten? It’s not like she got off on hurting herself. Being gnawed on by a vampire probably wouldn’t feel the best. And for crying out loud, why had she come on to him like that? Yeah, sure, okay, she’d wanted to before now, but she hadn’t. She didn’t want to make the first move. It had to be something else. Was his blood in her veins the source of her desire?

No.

Surely not. Right? Myles hadn’t even kissed her back. Had he? The moment seemed like a blur.
 

Anyway, she’d liked Myles long before today. But now she also liked Orin. So could his blood be trying to stop her from liking Orin? She dropped her head into her hands. This was getting too complicated.

Time to uncomplicate it.

Something needed to be said, and if he wouldn’t say it, she would. She’d already been the one to make the first move, so why not take it a step further? Besides, maybe she could regain a little control if she initiated things. “I want to be yours.”

There
.

The words had finally come out. Breena and Myles had been dancing around their feelings for a while now. She didn’t want to dance anymore.

“What about the unnatural?”

Orin. Damn.

Those four words equaled a loaded question. She hadn’t even thought about him when she’d jumped Myles. Maybe she’d gone into a trance or something. She wasn’t herself. She hoped.

When she was with Orin, he dazzled her, made her feel important, sexy. She needed to be around him…be with him. Feel the connection his presence wrapped her in. As if he were the only one who could fill the emptiness in her soul. The problem was her heart wanted something different. Someone different.

Myles tugged his hand through his curls. “Breena.” He’d gone into serious mode again. “It’s my blood talking. You–”

“Good Lord, Myles, I’m talking. Not your damn blood.” Rejection hurt worse than the car accident. At least she’d been passed out through most of that pain. Right now she was very much awake, as her lonely lips and shaking hands sadly confirmed.

As they sat in silence, she asked herself if Myles was right. Was it his blood speaking so insistently within her? It would fade. That’s what Orin had said. She hadn’t known quite how much she looked forward to that until this moment. There was still more she hoped to explore with Orin. She had a thing for him. What exactly that meant or where it might lead, she didn’t know. He’d gotten under her skin, and she liked him there. But, dammit, he’d pissed her off. She couldn’t abide liars. If he wanted to get with her, he’d better start coming clean.

At least Orin and Breena hadn’t exchanged blood or anything. So it was the real deal with him. No question. No second guesses.

She leaned her head back on the couch and tugged on her earlobe. This was all too much. Especially coming just after she’d almost died. When she lowered her hand, Myles was inches away from her, staring at her with wide eyes and dilated pupils. “You don’t want me, Breena Cross.” He leaned even closer. “Stay away from Orin Heider.”

What the hell?

“Don’t tell me what I want. And why are you talking about Orin?”

His brow creased and he looked at the wall then back at her. This time he touched the sides of her face with his hands while his once-blue eyes turned red. “You don’t want me, Breena. Stay away from the unnatural.”

Okay, so she’d admit it–the red freaked her out. But Myles would never hurt her. Intentionally. She gave him her best stink eye. “Hell’s bells, Myles, what’re you doing?”

He threw his hands in the air and leaned back. “Obviously not compelling you.”

“Compelling me?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s that mean?”

He was super irritated, which caused annoyance to flow through her veins. “I was trying to replace your memory.”

“Dammit, Myles.” Then her mind flashed to the time Orin made the campus rent-a-cop leave them alone. “Can preternaturals compel?”

Breena felt Myles’s surprise at her abrupt flip from anger to curiosity.

“No, they can only confound.”

“Which means what?”

“They can confuse a person long enough to do whatever they need to, but it doesn’t replace the person’s memory.”

“Oh.” She yawned, exhausted. She glanced at the clock on the cable box: 5:30 AM. The sun would rear its ugly head soon. Breena and Myles needed to be at work in less than four hours. “Hey?”

“Yeah?”

“You should probably pop a pill. Unless you wanna be a Kentucky Fried Vampire.

“It’s all right. I take one every day at sunset. I’ve got time.” He looked down at his hand. His tone was wary as he said, “I will need my ring back though. Where is it?”

“Sink.”

She’d barely finished the word before he had it on his finger.

What was the deal with the ring? The question formed in her mind, but that strong hold over her tongue claimed her words before they could be asked. It was beyond exasperating. She went with the next question in her arsenal instead. “How do the pills work, anyway?”

He scooped her into his arms and walked to his bedroom. “Powerful magic.”

Well, that was informative.

Didn’t seem like she would get any more from him though. “I
can
walk, you know.”

“I know.” He waggled an eyebrow.

“Gonna have your way with me now?” She half-joked.

“Don’t tempt me. Been way, way too long. I do have needs, you know.” His sexy grin exposed a touch of fang.

He pulled the covers back and she crawled between them, thankful for their warmth.

“Get some rest. I’ll let work know you’re not feeling well.” He tucked her in.

“No,” she protested. “I’ve got to work. I need the money.”

“No you don’t, Bree. I’ll give you whatever you need.”

Um, okay?

“Thanks, but I can take care of myself. Just wake me up ten minutes before we need to leave so I can get ready.”

“Fine. I’ll be on the couch.” He left the door open on his way out.

Finally, silence lulled her to sleep.

* * * *

The blood-bond thingy got old, fast. Like a piece of her hung outside her body, floating around somewhere. Even though she went out of her way to avoid Myles, Breena spent the day knowing exactly how he felt and how close by he was.

Maybe it would be different if they were dating but, for whatever reason, she and Myles seemed to be stuck in friend mode. Which was fine. Even if he didn’t want her, Orin did. The preternatural wasn’t afraid to show he cared.

As she worked the register she caught glimpses of Myles across the store. He stood behind the counter in the pharmacy with his back hunched, head buried in his work. She knew–would’ve known even without the blood–that he was counting pills. But had it not been for the blood, she wouldn’t have realized how much he enjoyed his job. He relaxed in a way he didn’t around her. Maybe the ordinary task was therapeutic for him, a way to set goals, to accomplish something. She guessed deadlines didn’t mean much when you were facing eternity. The thought of being immortal wasn’t something she could cope with at the moment. She didn’t want to imagine forever.

Someday–probably–she would die. What she wanted was to be okay with death because she knew she’d done everything in her power to make a better life for Jenny. If, somewhere along the way, she got to live a normal boring existence that’d be peachy-keen but it wasn’t the most important thing. She wouldn’t be doomed by the hand fate had dealt her, and neither would Jenny.

After she straightened and re-straightened the batteries hanging on the wall behind the register, she moved to the front of the counter. The candy bar selection looked a little sparse because of the three-for-a-dollar sale...not to mention she’d been eating them like they were free.

“Tammy, I’m runnin’ to the back to get more candy bars. Anything else we need?”