Witches Be Burned: A Magic & Mayhem Novel (4 page)

Three humans, all dead, with their skin covered with endless fang marks and blood strewn everywhere. So captivated in his kills, and overwhelmed by bloodlust, the vamp hadn’t even noticed their arrival.

Not good.

The gravity of the truth washed over her, and she wondered if maybe that’s why Kyden was in such a mood earlier. The vampire was young—eighteen years old at most—and killing anyone so young wasn’t something guardians liked to do, but in these situations there were no other options.

Though it may be cruel, there was nothing they could do to help him. Once bloodlust took a vampire to the point that he no longer had his humanity, his mind would be consumed by one need—
to feed
—and there was no coming back from that. The vampire would never get enough blood to sate him.

Her thoughts were only confirmed when the vamp continued to bite the woman repeatedly, not caring that she was already dead. He was searching for a vein while squeezing her body to pump the blood into his mouth, struggling to find a big enough vein that would give him his fix.

Kyden’s shoulders stiffened. “Release her.”

Dark eyes cut to them, and the vamp dropped the woman to the ground, her body a heavy weight, slamming her head against the floor. He leaned forward, bringing his face out of the shadows, snarling, with blood dripping off his fangs.

In hope of possibly saving this kid, Nexi thought it wise to add, “Stay right where you are. Think. Calm down. We’re here to help you.”

The second her mouth closed, a rush of wind tore past her. Then Kyden was on his back with the vampire on top of him, fangs snapping about wildly. Vamps had one advantage over guardians—speed. Which meant guardians often had to use the element of surprise to catch and kill them, though newly made vampires were just a bit faster and stronger. Kyden gripped the vamp’s face as the kid attempted to make a chew toy out of him.

A fury like no other overtook Nexi. Sometimes things were complicated. Other things were very simple. Touch the love of her life, and die.

She lunged forward, wrapping her fingers into the vamp’s hair and yanking him off Kyden. Fighting against the strength of the vampire, she straddled him and pushed her hands against his chest, groaning against the sheer strength he possessed.

The vampire bounced up, shoving her off him just as Kyden appeared. Plowing into the vamp, he got him on the ground and pushed a knee to the vampire’s chest. Bucking wildly and with fangs snapping violently, the kid glared with eyes so dark that Nexi swore he was the Devil. Nothing human lived in this vampire anymore. He growled feral and vicious, throwing Kyden off him with a speed that sent her lover airborne.

Lost in a frenzy to
kill or
be killed,
the vampire snarled, standing in the corner of the room near the cleaning supplies. Confidence and purpose had Nexi charging forward, tackling the vamp to the ground by the waist. No more pissing around—she yelled, “This isn’t working.” They couldn’t reason with this vampire. “Kill him, will you?”

A blink of an eye later, Kyden roared, “Off.”

She lurched backward, falling ass-first to the ground, landing with a crash. A human might flinch in pain, but the guardian magic didn’t only make Nexi stronger, it also gave her a higher level of pain tolerance. As quickly as she’d hit the floor she was back on her feet, much more graceful than she would have been before Kyden’s intensive guardian training when she first returned to the Otherworld.

With a
swoosh,
Kyden’s sword hit the base of the vampire’s neck. Then the kid’s head hit the floor, along with a loud splatter of blood from a well-fed vampire.

Perhaps the
old her
would’ve been horrified to witness such a ghastly death, but there were two ways to kill a vampire: cut off his head or burn him to ash. The shock value was lessened, since she knew his death had saved more innocent lives. Yet as she looked at the deceased humans around him, it didn’t seem enough of a reward. Too many lives had already been lost. “That was certainly unusual,” she said to Kyden, breathless. “I’ve never seen a vampire so lost in bloodlust before.”

Bent at his knees and catching his breath, Kyden arched a curious brow at her.

She rolled her eyes. “Or I should say, ‘So that’s what a vampire lost in bloodlust looks like’?” True enough, she hadn’t been on
that
many cases yet, either. Her fight so far had been with Lazarus and all those who supported him. Even if Nexi had killed more supernaturals than she could count on two hands, none had been newly made and in the throes of bloodlust.

“Yes, that’s what bloodlust looks like.” Kyden straightened, the beads of sweat dripping along his chest glistening against the light. “And it’s about the worst I’ve ever seen bloodlust consume a vamp. I can’t imagine who would leave him in this state. It’s strange.”

“Tragic is what it is,” she retorted.

She also couldn’t push away the fact that tonight’s assignment had led them back to Salt Lake City. The last time Salt Lake City had trouble, Lazarus was involved. Cold worry etched her bones, and she wondered if there was a possible connection.

Reaching for her sword, she moved toward the victims and then placed the sword’s tip gently into their stomachs to change their wounds. She always felt like a bag of shit for doing it. Even though she understood it protected supernaturals and their existence, it was a terrible thing that the victims’ loved ones never knew what really happened to them—and in the mortal world the killers were never caught. At least the guardians obtained their justice; she’d have to find comfort in that.

Once the fang marks became gunshots, she turned to Kyden, seeing that the vampire was now gone, as was all his blood. While the magic in their swords altered wounds on humans, if the blade was used on a supernatural, the magic made the body vanish, remnants of blood included. The Otherworld didn’t bury their dead killed by enemies, nor did they celebrate their life. They got revenge for a life taken.

Pulled by the fierceness between them, she approached. The light in the room showed off one side of his face, but that visible eye held a piercing soul that stole the air from her lungs. “Will the Council go after the vampire who turned him?” she asked.

Kyden stepped out of the shadows and both eyes blazed at her, igniting heat in her loins and wonderment over the conversation ahead. “It would be impossible to track him or her down.” Without looking away, he backed up to the window they’d entered through, waving her before him.

In no time, she was outside with Kyden next to her. The night air brushed her skin and the silence drifted around them. She couldn’t resist moving closer to him, his heat simply calling to her. He might be angry, but he happened to look off-the-charts hot that way.

He dipped his head, his warm minty breath brushing across her face. “Now, then, dare to tell me why you came tonight when I never ordered it?”

As the Elite Guardian, Kyden did have authority over her. In those terms, she never should have showed up at the scene. But she knew if she didn’t push this matter, he’d always keep her out, coming up with one excuse or another.

She smiled sensually. “What can I say? Watching you fight is the best kind of foreplay.”

“Ah, so that’s why you did this?” One brow arched. “Need some excitement, do you?”

“Of course.” She grinned, blinking innocently at him and wiggling against the growing hardness resting against her belly. “I thought it might make for a fun night.”

The arousal in his eyes was replacing the hard edge. “I’ll hold you to that, you know.” A deep flush crept over his cheeks, hinting at sexual promise. “If your plan was to start something tonight, I expect it to be finished later.”

She stood on her tiptoes, dropping a quick kiss on his lips. “Whatcha waiting for? Let’s finish it now.”

That’s all she got out before his lips crushed against hers, stealing the world from around her. When Kyden touched her, time stopped. His kisses possessed her soul and she experienced the burn of each one right down to her toes. It wasn’t just a joining of lips, but a joining of passion that she’d never believe existed if she hadn’t experienced it herself. Apart, they were Nexi and Kyden. Together, they were something different, something stronger, something that created a fire that could never be extinguished.

By the time he broke away, they were both breathing heavily.

“That,
Álainn
”—the nickname, meaning
beautiful
in Gaelic, a language passed along from the older generation in the Otherworld, fueled the need swelling inside her, especially because he had a way of purring the word—“would be in your immediate future, if I wasn’t someone who actually followed protocol. Tonight needs to be reported to the Council.”

“See, and that’s why your Goody Two-shoes way”—she stepped back, forcing some cooler air between them—“sucks.”

Kyden’s devilish grin—a smile that belonged to a man so arrogant from knowing his worth—slowly spread across his face. “Yet I’m not the one who is often in trouble with the Council, am I, darlin’?”

She accepted the jab—she was a bit of a rule breaker and didn’t possess a filter when it came to her mouth. “I would follow the rules if they made sense. And, might I add, weren’t made up from some caveman beating his chest to protect what he calls
mine.
”

He dropped his chin, brought his eyes level to hers, and a tightness appeared in his features, igniting a fierce heat in her belly. “You do realize that any other guardian would be punished for showing up like you did tonight.” His voice was far too husky to be taken seriously.

She rubbed herself against his hard length pressing so deliciously against her in a tempting offer. “Oh, I’m not worried. I can give the one who dishes out the punishments sexy times. Doesn’t that exclude me from such punishments?”

“No,
Álainn.
” Intensity crossed Kyden’s expression, causing Nexi to wonder how she could get him to break the rules just for tonight, as he added, “It means my punishments can be more creative.”

“Thank all that is holy,” Haven exclaimed the second she opened her front door. “You’re back.”

Standing outside the modern-designed apartment, Nexi raised her brows at Haven’s unruly hair and her bloodshot eyes. Red-hot irritation rushed through their bond, sending Nexi spiraling into a dizzy spell. Not once had Nexi ever seen Haven so flustered—she’d always been a ball of sunshine.

Haven had been the first supernatural Nexi met in the Otherworld. She knew why the Council had set that up—their soul-bond had instantly brought comfort to Nexi, while Haven explained where Nexi was, that her adoptive mortal parents were dead, and that Nexi was actually a supernatural living in a mortal’s world.

Now she couldn’t quite imagine her life without Haven. Their relationship wasn’t sisterly, it was similar to that of what twins experienced—but possibly even closer than that. A connection of hearts and souls.

The second supernatural to visit Nexi on her first night in the Otherworld had been Drake, the guardian who gave her life, and who had been a complete stranger to her. Nexi wished she had spent more time getting to know him than the few months she had with him before he died during the fight with Lazarus. Yet life was what it was, and there was no sense hoping for a different outcome. Besides, she believed Drake felt that he finally helped avenge his wife, the mother that Nexi had never met.

She ignored the pang in her heart, refusing to return to that dark place of sadness that was still so fresh, turning her attention back to her friend. “What in the world happened to you?”

“Your damn cat hasn’t shut up,” a low, angry voice bit off.

Haven opened the door farther, showing off her boyfriend and fellow guardian, Finn, sitting on the couch. The deep frown on his slender face was so unlike him that Nexi’s brows rose higher. In all the time she’d known him, he had never lost his cool—Finn was always the calm, collected one. Now his crystal-blue eyes reflected grave annoyance, and his jaw muscles were twitching.

Nexi slid her glance to the kitten sitting on the armrest of the couch, staring and swatting at Finn. While she appreciated that apparently the kitty had been bothering him, and perhaps was driving him mad, she was also silent. “When did the meowing stop?”

“The moment you knocked on the door.” He looked to the kitten with a vicious glare. “She’s here. Get out.”

The kitten glanced to the doorway and Nexi swore the kitty smiled before jumping off the couch and trotting over. “Come on, how can you hate her?” Nexi said, grinning at the kitty. “She’s so stinkin’ cute.”

“Easily,” Haven snipped, reaching for the kitten. “You weren’t here for the past hour, listening to her cry and whine for you.” Those trickles of annoyance increased through their bond as she shoved the kitten into Nexi’s arms. “Have fun with that one.”

Haven began to shut the door, and Nexi called, “Wait. You need to tell me about her—”

The door slammed shut.

Sighing, Nexi looked down at the kitten and frowned. “You sure know how to make friends. Guess you’re stuck with me, even if I have no idea
what
you
are
.”

The kitten purred, rubbing her face into Nexi’s neck. She laughed, turning away from Haven and Finn’s apartment and strode along the hallway in the Witches’ House, located in the west side of the Otherworld’s castle. Each species had its special place in the medieval castle, or at least that’s what it resembled.

From what she’d learned, the castle had been built sometime in the 1700s after the two worlds merged and made the treaty. The need for the Council meant they needed a headquarters, and no one had renovated it since. Nexi didn’t mind so much; she thought the castle had charm, and it reminded her of old Scotland—which she learned was where the leaders of Earthborn supernaturals were located back in the 1700s.

While Nexi could stay in either the Witches’ House or Guardians’ House, because she was technically both, she had gravitated to the Guardians’ House, since she had trained as a guardian first. But she appreciated her witch magic just as much.

As a Spirit Witch, she was blessed with all four elements: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. All other witches other than Spirit Witches gained one element, like Haven, who excelled in the Earth element. Through the training over the few months, Nexi had mastered Air and Fire, and she had the feeling the other two elements were pretty much of no use to her. Or they hadn’t been so far. The witches in the Otherworld coven had told her through training that some Spirit Witches gained all the elements in the beginning, and when the stronger elements developed, the others eventually faded away.

Lucky for her, the elements she did possess—conjuring Air and Fire without touch—were seriously kick-ass.

Holding the kitten in her arms and continuing on down the hallway, she passed a couple of witches who strode along the hallway. One smiled. The other looked at Nexi with something close to disdain, but Nexi let it roll off her back. She supposed she understood—she was different from the other witches, being of two races, and she’d discovered that while most accepted her, some of the older generation didn’t. She wasn’t
normal,
but she couldn’t please everyone—and she didn’t try to.

Point proven, she smiled at them both, especially the grouchy witch, and then glanced around at the old castle. Moving down another long hallway with stone statues of the four supernaturals who formed the treaty, she passed by the Vampires’ House hallway, then by the Werewolves’ House. Most of the Council’s Guard stayed in the castle, though some decided to live in the small village with their families.

At the end of the hallway, she passed under the doorway that had
Guardians’ House
etched into the stone above the archway before she arrived at her destination in a few short strides. The third door on the right was Kyden’s and her apartment, and as she entered, Nexi smiled, enjoying that they had a place together. Before the fight with Lazarus, they lived apart. After the fight, Kyden slept at her apartment and never left.

She drew in the vanilla scent from the potpourri on the coffee table and shut the door behind her. The castle might resemble old times, but the apartments didn’t. Only the stone walls represented the medieval time period. She had a fantastic chef’s kitchen with dark wood cabinets, a small living room with a large stone fireplace, and big, comfy couches making the space feel homey.

She moved to the kitchen, grabbing the milk from the refrigerator and taking out a bowl from the cabinet, making a mental note that she needed to go into town to pick up some cat food. Once Nexi placed the bowl of milk on the floor, the kitty quickly drank it up. Nexi began to look about for Kyden—he should be home by now. She walked into the bedroom, her favorite room of the apartment for lots of reasons, but mostly just because it was simple and perfect.

A dresser sat against the wall and a king-size bed with wrought-iron railings took up the rest of the room. She dropped her scabbard with her sword on the dark oak dresser and heard a splash coming from the bathroom adjoining their bedroom. Instant heat roared through her, and sensual images led her there.

Kyden was sprawled out like a God in the double-size claw-foot bathtub. Appreciating the view, she leaned against the door frame, gazing at muscles layering muscles. In his presence, it was as if he took over her senses, her thoughts, her desires.

His head rested against the edge of the tub, his knees poked out of the sudsy water, and she salivated. The warmth in the air from the water mirrored the heat building inside her. Kyden was a man designed from a perfect mold. She ached to run her fingers through his hair and to see those piercing eyes burn with passion for her.

She sighed with blissful longing.

For all the danger that surrounded their lives, sometimes she wished they had more moments like this. It was such a simple thing to come home to her man and have a relaxing night, instead of worrying over evil plots and fighting rogue vampires. Even if they fought tonight, it all ended well—for them anyway. A dangerous vampire was on the loose, and now he was dead.

Done and done.

Leaning forward, she peered beneath the water to view her favorite part of him, but the bubbles in the water, smelling of eucalyptus, concealed her view. It wasn’t often Kyden took a bath instead of a shower. In the month of living with him, he’d taken a bath only when she had, because she loved her baths, and now he knew that.

Perhaps he was waiting for her…

Without opening his eyes, he asked, “Are you going to get in?”

She blinked away from her outright ogle of appreciation of him, her body humming in desire. Though she also wasn’t kidding him earlier—watching him fight did rev the engines. He was pure masculinity, and gorgeous at that, and, well, she accepted that she didn’t have any willpower when it came to Kyden. She murmured, hearing the huskiness in her voice, “Sounds like you are propositioning me to do very naughty things.”

He peeked open an eye, the light emerald color stealing her breath. “I am. Get in.”

Tempted by him, aroused by him, and aching in all the right places for him, she reached for the strap of her leather bra. “If this is what you consider a punishment, then you can punish me any damn time.”

His heated eyes followed her every move as she dropped her guardian gear and removed her tiny black shorts beneath her kilt. Of course, to make it more sensual, she undressed slowly, teasing him, tempting him. Under his passionate study, her nipples puckered, ready for his perfect mouth.

Intent to make that happen, she stepped into the tub, instantly surrounded by warm water, and climbed onto Kyden’s lap. His hefty,
hard
cock pressed between her thighs and it took all her strength not to lift a little higher, taking him deep inside her.

Apparently, his restraint wasn’t as strong, as he slid his nose against her neck, inhaling her scent, seemingly desperate to drag it through him. While she was tempted to succumb to him then and there, she knew they needed to talk. Sex couldn’t delay this conversation. “Do you think it’s odd to have more trouble in Salt Lake City?” More vampire trouble in the same city as Lazarus’s reign of terror didn’t sit right.

A low, masculine sound rumbled from Kyden’s chest before he begrudgingly moved away from her neck and rested his head against the tub. “All the vampires connected to Lazarus were not newly made. If they had been, I would lean the way you’re thinking and conclude what I assume you do: that our troubles with those who followed Lazarus aren’t over.” He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, following the move with his eyes as if he’d planned out a path to kiss her next. “The vampire tonight was suffering bloodlust—nothing more.” His intense gaze lifted to hers, and, oh, how his eyes blazed. “I saw a witch at the house tonight that raises some questions, since Alazar couldn’t track her scent.”

“You mean she vanished?” At his nod, she asked, “Isn’t that weird?”

“Very,” he replied, shifting up straighter, sending bubbles to pop as the water rippled. “But the Council knows of it now, so they’ll keep an eye out for her again. That said, it’s not our problem.” His gentle smile that Nexi knew was only for her and no one else spread across his face. “Not to worry,
Álainn,
any trouble with Lazarus is behind us.”

She returned his smile, unable to help herself. Kyden could, and often did, make things better, even when things were—and had been—so very bad.

He dragged his knuckles across her cheek and then added, “We’re sensitive to what happened with Lazarus and drawing conclusions. There’s no reason to tie it all together. Nothing told me tonight that that vampire had anything to do with Lazarus.” He shifted beneath her, grinding his cock against her sex and sending the water splashing around the tub. “Now, no more talk of vampires.” His voice became harsher, deeper with need. “I need to see to this punishment that you deserve.”

“Oh, yes,” she mused, rubbing against his hardened length, embracing the zings of pleasure. “Because being against your hot-and-hard body is surely a punishment.”

He didn’t reply, yet there was an unusual twinkle of mischief in his features—something she forgot in a millisecond as he leaned in and then proceeded to deliciously drag his lips across her neck. Her eyes closed of their own accord as his sexy mouth tickled her flesh in all the right places. Need formed low in her belly as he continued to dance his other fingers along her thigh, and when she finally forced herself to hold the power to look at him, his seriousness became something entirely different—something wicked and intoxicating.

Her senses zeroed on him, and as his erection swelled beneath her, she nearly gave in, until her mind recoiled. His nostrils flared, drawing in her scent before he no doubt took her to mind-blowing sexual places that he’d proven to excel at, but she jerked away. “Wait. We have to talk.”

He licked his lips, staying focused on her mouth, before his eyes lifted to hers, and the power within their depths had her biting back a groan. His brow lifted, curious, with a touch of annoyance, too. “About what?”

She cleared her throat, organizing her thoughts, since he seemed to steal them away so very easily. “You need to stop beating your chest over my going on assignments with you. The Council agreed to let me come back to work. The time to get over it is now.”

“Hrmph,” was all he muttered.

Not put off by his response, one she totally anticipated, she ran her hands up the sides of his scruffy face, not wanting to fight, but all the same he needed to understand her point. “You can’t keep me out of this.”

His gaze went hard, cold. “I want you safe.”

“I
will
be safe.”

Silence fell between them, and she could read the refusal in his expression. Kyden was the Elite Guardian in the Otherworld. He wasn’t used to not getting his way or having anyone argue with him. But Nexi had grown up with humans, who possessed the ability to have adult conversations and shared ideas, discussed options, agreed to meet somewhere in the middle, something Kyden hadn’t ever been subjected to. When he spoke or gave an order, everyone listened.