~ Seven ~
BOBBIE:
AN ANCIENT VAMPIRE WHO could come and go at will inside of the castle. That was what he was saying. That was a sure problem. Rafael had always told me never, ever invite a vampire into your place.
Why should I get involved? This was scary shit. Yeah, but how could I not get involved? This Allora bitch had beheaded my grandmother!
Okay, let’s weigh the facts.
I am a witch…but did I have enough training to go against an ancient vampire? No. Simple answer. Ancients had a reputation of being without any semblance of humanity. Hence, they were ruthless and cunning. They were super strong, vicious, determined, and each ancient had his/her own supernatural skills. Ancients were nothing to take on lightly.
That weighed down one of my hands.
What brought up the other hand was the grandmother I had never known because of Allora. Oh, that brought up the other hand big-time.
Allora beheaded her and robbed my mother and me both.
Justice walks a fine line with vengeance. I was cool and collected, so I didn’t think I was after revenge, but I did want justice for the grandmother I never had a chance to meet because of a murdering vampire. Also, ridding the world of an ancient was a good thing.
Here was another matter. My grandmother had unwillingly imprisoned Devin MacLeod. Yeah, he was a vampire, but not one that took human lives to survive. Somehow I knew my grandmother would want me to free him. The fact that Allora killed my grandmother meant that even Allora knew my grandmother would have returned to free him if she had lived.
So, how do I stay alive and work on his rescue?
Naomi, my BFF, survived on pig’s blood. She said that she had to work her other skills to stay as sharp and strong as other vampires who lived on human blood.
She had let me in on many secrets that went on in the vampire world so that I could have my magic on the ready if need be to counter any attack I might encounter.
I knew the story about having to be invited in and that was a plus, but Naomi told me about a vampire who wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and burned down some woman’s entire home to make her come out to him.
So, if I stayed elsewhere, Allora might be just the sort to burn me out.
I had to work on my skills.
Auntie Elle had taught me a spell to use if a vampire was stupid enough to try and attack. Pain is a deterrent, and most witches can induce pain in other supernaturals.
I got good at it and can do it with a thought.
But I needed more.
MacLeod was waiting patiently for me to think things out.
So I told him, “Okay, so we know that whatever vampire was lurking in the woods here at MacLeod might be a spy for Allora. Then again, could be a vampire who had obviously just fed and was hiding. So let’s assume the worst and we have this bitch vampire capable and desirous of keeping you in there and therefore doing away with me. My grandmother would want me to free you, and I want to get justice for her horrible murder, so, I’m in.”
He growled. “No, lass, yer grandmother wouldna want ye in danger…”
“No, she probably wouldn’t, so going to use some precautions,” I answered. “Like you said. If that vampire was her spy, then bingo-bango, Allora will come for me no matter where I am. I’d rather get it over with here and be done with her.”
“But, lass, I allowed Jeremy to bring ye here because I dinnae realize ye were an innocent…totally untrained in the skills ye need to defeat Allora when she cooms,” he answered sharply.
“Ah, well, our warlock, Jeremy, can help me in that regard. He is an immortal…so his magic is pretty special, and I’m sure he can help me dig for mine. Besides,” I shrugged, “I might free you before she gets here and then you can take her down.” I smiled in his general direction, although I couldn’t see him.
“But, lass…”
“I’m staying and if she comes, I’ll deal with her. I have a couple of deterrents for vampires.”
“Garlic doesnae work,” he said gravely.
I laughed. “I know, but Holy Water does. I have a vial of Holy Water on a chain necklace that I will wear from now on. I’m not reckless, you know. Also, I know of a potion or two that I can use as a shield she won’t be able to immediately get past.” I put up my hands. “I’m staying and I’m helping. She murdered my grandmother and if my grandmother was anything like my mother, she would never let you suffer because of something she did.”
“Nae!” he shouted, dipping into a deeply sexy Scottish accent. “Allora is devious and powerful. She will kill ye in a horrible way. Do ye ken, lass? I dinnae mean to be so harsh, but ye need to know. I cannae have yer life on m’hands. I need yer help, aye, but I think we can achieve that if ye would but stay to the light and spend yer nights safely tucked in where she cannae enter.”
“Not happening. I don’t run and hide. You can’t hide forever. Sure, I could stay safely in the light a week, two…a month—then what? No, this needs to be handled head-on. I mean to do that,” I told him. “You don’t know me, My Lord. When I take something on, I see it through.”
He sighed. “What ye need now is yer sleep so ye can think clearly. I can see ye are travel weary…go in, take yer shower, and be at rest. We’ll talk more on the morrow.”
“Where will you be when I am in the shower and changing?” I asked.
“I wouldna spy on ye, lass, when ye need yer privacy. No, lass, I wouldna do that. I’ll walk away, though I mean to return and see that ye are safe. I’ll keep watch for ye so I can at least alert ye.”
“Okay, that sounds fair. Good-night, My Lord.”
“Och, lass, but I wish I was on yer side of the shield,” he said in a voice that dripped with sex.
I felt my body, my entire body blush.
I hurried off to the bathroom and closed the door, leaned my back against it and sent witchy feelers out, making sure I was alone.
* * * * *
As it turned out, sleep had not come easy.
Nightmares plagued my active brain. Demons and fangs, blood dripping from their ugly mouths as they bent over my neck.
I felt myself flaying my hands and then a voice whispered in my ear over and over, and called my name—his voice!
I awoke with a start to find my bangs matted against my forehead where beads of sweat had collected. I sank back down. I hadn’t drawn my drapes and I could see the stars in a blue-black sky outside.
“I’m sorry, lass, I woke ye as ye seemed to be having a distressful dream.” His voice so close, so sexy.
I pulled the covers up to my neck as I had apparently been too warm and thrown off my T-shirt when I was tossing and turning. “Uhmmm, I thought we had rules about privacy. Still in bed here.”
“I have been doing a tour of the house and grounds and heard ye cry out,” he said.
I knew vamps didn’t need much sleep and he seemed sincerely concerned. So I didn’t read him the riot act and said instead, “Thank you. I was having a horrible dream.” I glanced at the clock. It was five in the morning and I groaned.
He chuckled. “Can ye go back to sleep, lass?”
“No, no point in trying. Didn’t get much…too many things to think about, you know?”
“I do,” he answered. “I know all too well. What have ye planned then for yer morning?”
“Shower, then I’ll head downstairs, get some hot black coffee, and call Jeremy. I mean to get him over here pronto.”
“Why? Do ye mean to berate him then?” He chuckled softly and hot damn, his voice traveled through me.
“He deserves it, but no, I don’t see the point in that. I have a plan.”
“Do ye?”
“I do, and it is helpful that he is an immortal.”
“Is it?” he said.
I stared at the divider, wishing I could see past it and talk face to face with him. “Well, yeah. As an immortal, he knows things that Auntie Elle didn’t and I’m going to ask him to help me develop my powers.”
“Right ye are. Pick his brain and learn as much as ye can, but the one thing he cannae teach ye is the spell yer grandmother used to put me here,” he said gravely.
“Not necessarily so. Only my grandmother or someone of her bloodline can free you, but the spell is probably known to an immortal warlock, don’t you think? Even if he tried to free you in the past with various spells, it wouldn’t work, not because it wasn’t the right enchantment, but because he wasn’t the right bloodline.”
“Aye, I think ye are onto something. Smart lass,” he said. “Beauty and brains, a catch for any man. Why aren’t ye taken?”
“No one,” I wiggled my brows, “has done more than catch my eye.”
“And ye want someone to catch…what then?”
“My heart. Simple. Not saying I haven’t come close. I did once…but he proved himself all for himself.” I shrugged as I recalled the one man I had ever slept with. My Naomi had warned me about him. She said he was a player. She said he was shallow. She said she absolutely despised him, but did I listen? No. I was infatuated. That was when I was a junior in college. After that…after him, I never let anyone else get close.
“Ah, did he break yer heart then?”
“No, but he bruised it and my pride. Didn’t like the feeling. More careful after that,” I answered. “What about you? Was Sarah your first love?”
“She was m’first serious love. Before her…I dinnae think I was meant to be with anyone. I dinnae think I deserved to be with anyone decent. I’m a vampire…ye see…” his voice trailed off.
“Sarah saw past that and didn’t care,” I said, curious about the man that went with the sexy voice.
“Aye, she saw past it, and I let her down…”
“No, you didn’t.” I put my hands up and waved in the direction of his voice. “Now, off you go so I can get up and shower.”
“Do ye always sleep in the nude, lass?”
I narrowed my eyes. “How do you know I’m nude?”
“I was here when ye threw off yer top…” he answered, and I swear I could feel his grin.
Even though I couldn’t see him, I gave him the evil eye and said, “Go on…get.”
He laughed and said, “As m’lady wishes.”