Revenge of the Witch Page 3

  He lowered his head, savored her sweet scent, and planted a quick kiss on her full lips. He studied her bright eyes, and knew that besides his confession, another issue needed to be discussed.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Marcus greeted Lady Tenille, who stood with two human men at either side, in awe of the stunning woman.

  Ella couldn’t help but stare at the ethereal beauty, with her intelligent blue eyes and delicate bone structure. She wore a kind smile as she nodded at Marcus and spoke in a soft lilted voice as he listened. But once again the lady’s eyes strayed to hers. People passed by and someone talked to her left, but a voice inside her head called.

  I have a gift for you, Ella—one you lost some time ago.

  The haunting female voice whispered and as she connected with Lady Tenille’s gaze, she knew it belonged to her. A shiver of expectancy rippled through her. What gift? What did I lose? Straining to think back, nothing came to mind. The woman’s gaze left her as she wandered away, with Marcus glued to her side as they disappeared from view. How she longed to know what they were discussing.

  A cold hand on her arm made her jump, and she twisted around. “Isabella, you scared the life out of me.”

  “I’m sorry. But, boy, oh, boy did you chose a doozy of a day to return from maternity leave.”

  “Not really a choice. When Steel calls, you know the situation is bad, and today, well, I’m glad to be here. The Elusti need to be destroyed before they kill anyone else, and I’m going to ensure that happens.”

  “I’m so glad to hear you say that. We need more kick-ass female agents around here to even out the numbers.”

  She smiled at her friend knowing it would take a lot more as they were the only two women on the teams at Orion.

  “Anyway, I need to talk to you. I just don’t know what to do.”

  Isabella’s sparkling green eyes searched her face and Ella smiled back. Studying her best friend’s anxious face, she knew pain lingered behind her forced smile, and stared across at the tattooed vampire prince. It didn’t take a genius to guess the cause.

  “Of course. It’s about Jake, isn’t it?”

  Isabella nodded and squeezed Ella’s hand. The man in question—and Marcus’s blood brother—over the past year had become part of her family, like a brother. Eyeing Jake and Roman, two distinct and different men who stood in opposite corners of the room, she noted how the young woman with amber curls sashayed close to Jake. Settling her eyes upon the water nymph, a wave of nausea rolled through her and she willed her stomach to settle. Every time she examined her, a peculiar sensation clawed at her gut. Ella knew otherworldly beings by their distinctive scents but with this woman, as she inhaled, she couldn’t determine her origin. Pushing through the various aromas made her head throb. Rubbing her temple, she returned her focus to Isabella.

  “Roman is being an arrogant pig, requesting that he drink from me, and he’s doing it right under Jake’s nose to provoke him.”

  The cocky vampire every now and then flicked his gaze toward them, as if needing to know Isabella’s whereabouts all the time. But the situation they were in was far from simple.

  “I thought you were going to break off the engagement with Roman?”

  Isabella led her to the farthest corner in the room, away from both men so as not to be overheard.

  “He refuses. He says it will weaken his position and make him appear soft. He’s expecting me to name the date. All I am is a trophy. He doesn’t care about me. I can’t let him take my blood again, Ella—if he does, I will lose control.” She pushed her hands down over her hips.

  Ella sensed her friend’s dilemma, but a realization crept through her. From the look of desperation on Isabella’s face, she understood the fear of allowing Roman to drink from her. If it gave her the euphoria she experienced with Marcus, she had good reason to fear his actions, and wondered once more as to why Roman insisted on feeding from her. She gripped both of Isabella’s hands to redirect her attention on her.

  “Have you asked yourself what you truly feel for Roman?”

  The pretty witch scrunched her nose, a habit that belied her discomfort, and tried to twist her hands free.

  “You know the answer to that. I find him annoying and overbearing. I hate him, but when his lips touch my skin, I hear a voice. It sings to me and a deep yearning starts. Roman’s using some kind of mind control to assert power over me, I’m sure. I don’t trust him.”

  Ella nodded. Those sentiments rang some bells inside her own mind. The alarm resonated deep within her and she frowned, but she shook her head. Why hadn’t she seen it before? She pressed her lips together, and envied her friend’s lush, curvy body that men drooled over. Even after giving birth to Nate, her body hadn’t changed much. Okay, her breasts had changed a little—they were larger—but she couldn’t claim the natural curves that Isabella possessed. With her fierce red hair and vivid green eyes, she stopped traffic.

  “When I met Marcus it wasn’t exactly love at first sight.” Ella said.

  Isabella pulled her hands and Ella let go. She rubbed her neck and swallowed. A sudden thirst made her lick her lips. “He worked undercover at your local coffee shop as a barista right?” She snorted as Ella playfully slapped her arm.

  True, when she first met Marcus, he had just started work as the new manager at the Ultimate Perk in Andover, a short distance from her home, and they had struck up a casual friendship. All of which had been fabrication, and a lie.

  “Hm, well, you know I was on the run for the murder of the professor, and Marcus worked at the time for the FBI. I was his target. Anyway, when he caught me and revealed his identity, I despised him. I certainly didn’t trust him. When I thought of him, words like arrogant, bed-hopping womanizer bounce around. He didn’t even have to try. Women fell over him. It made me sick.”

  Ella peered out the window as she remembered how it had been between them in the beginning, and how everything changed in a flash. One minute, Marcus infuriated her and the next, he lit a wildfire of desire she couldn’t extinguish. His touch drove her crazy. She became weak with the need for him. The desire for him consumed her. At the time, she didn’t understand it was due to the fact he was her soul-mate. She tried to resist him. Tried to keep away but fate had other plans. In the end, like a magnet, he drew her in.

  “Well, he is as sexy, Ella. You would have to be blind not to want a taste of that,” she said.

  Ella followed her friend’s line of vision and shoved her in the ribs as she giggled. Marcus stood at the entrance next to Roman. “Wow—Izzie, are we talking about Marcus or someone else?”

  Using the nickname shifted her friend’s focus.

  “You don’t call me that unless you’re mad. Are you mad at me?”

  “No, yes—no. What I’m trying to say is that I think you need to examine your feelings for Roman a little more. Your relationship started with him saving you, and from that it created a certain, uneven dynamic between the two of you. Not dissimilar to that of Marcus and myself.”

  Isabella crossed her arms over her chest and stepped nearer to the large picture window that overlooked the turbulent ocean. “You’ve got to be kidding me. What’s between Roman and me is nothing remotely similar to what you have with Marcus…”

  Ella blinked and swept her gaze over at the vampire, who headed in their direction, and she wondered whether he had heard their conversation. His narrowed black eyes and firm pressed lips seemed to indicate he had. He didn’t look amused.

  “Izzie, you owe it to yourself and Jake to find out for certain because as your friend, I’m telling you there’s a spark there. Fighting it won’t help. And what if you’re wrong? What if that voice you hear when he touches you—is desire?” she whispered.

  Isabella gasped and her cheeks flushed a bright pink. “You’re crazy…”

  “Am I? Jake’s handsome, but what are his kisses like?”

  Ella observed her friend’s sharp intake of breath as she glanced away, hiding from
her. She grabbed her hands, and checked to see where the vampire stood, not wanting him to descend upon them, before she dipped her head. “Sometimes the very thing we are seeking is right in front of us all along.”

  Ella leaned in and kissed Isabella’s cheek before pushing away. Marcus beckoned at her with his finger to join him.

  Okay, Huron is set up for you, Ella, in a side room. It shouldn’t take long.

  “Come over later. I will be home alone and we can chat more—if you like?” Ella called to Isabella over her shoulder as she walked away. Her friend looked puzzled but nodded. Strolling through the room as people clustered in small groups, she smiled at Jake, who winked back as he chatted to the pretty woman at his side. The taste of bile reached back in her throat, and she covered her mouth, fearing she would be sick, but she kept making her way to Marcus.

  “Ella—are you all right?” He placed his hand in the small of her back, bringing her closer and giving her comfort.

  “I’m fine.” She smiled and inhaled, gaining strength from his close proximity. Right next to him stood Lady Tenille. Ella noticed the woman’s skin sparkled and her aura glowed bright like a torch this close. She wondered whether anyone else could see that. Lady Tenille patted Ella’s arm and a warmth embraced her deep inside, dissolving the nausea.

  “Your bracelet, Ella.” Lady Tenille softly touched her hand.

  In her palm sat the delicate, gold band that sparkled with diamond-studded swirls that curled around the center gem, a round moonstone. Staring at it, she couldn’t comprehend how her bracelet, the one she had destroyed when Marcus used it as a tracking device months ago, could be back in her possession. She raised her head to stare at the woman.

  “It’s the essence of you, Ella. Look after it.” With that, she glided past with no further explanation.

  Ella shifted to watch her progress as she greeted and chatted with the others. Dumbfounded, she clipped her bracelet on her wrist and it pulsed against her skin, energizing her. The way the lady smiled and moved stole Ella’s breath. Lady Tenille’s aura shone with a bright purity, humility, and deep love. Her intelligent, bright eyes displayed a fierce strength that bore the tides of time.

  “She’s incredible,” she said.

  “That’s why she is the leader of the Assembly. She’s the voice of reason, and the one everyone listens to. She knows Steel didn’t murder Marsh. She’s agreed he can remain here, watched by her guard. No harm will come to him, but we need to discover who the murderer is, fast.”

  Ella placed her palm on the front of his shirt. “Why does she need to keep him at all?”

  “One of the non-humans died here despite the assurances we delivered. Once we get the results back from the autopsy and have interviewed everyone, we should have a suspect. Steel will be back before we know it.”

  She nodded. “I better go, although, I doubt anything I say will help. I didn’t pay as much attention in the office as I should have.”

  “Just do your best. You would be surprised what you recall. Anyway, try to get some rest, and give Nate a kiss from me.” Marcus studied the crowd and deep worry lines ran over his forehead, which she longed to ease.

  “Marcus, I know you’re stressed. I can sense that, but you are not alone in this. I’m here to lean on. You can tell me anything.”

  He rarely shared his fears, and it bugged the hell out of her. He promised to be more open. To let her inside. Instead, his actions displayed the opposite, and it drove her crazy. She reached for his large hands and held them, rubbing her thumbs over his palms in a soothing circle to relieve the tension littered over his face. But he snatched them away, as if scolded. At his sudden reaction, she flinched.

  Marcus peered down at her and pressed his lips in a tight line. “I’m sorry, but we have a killer on the loose, and the situation could escalate if I don’t discover who it is.”

  His sharp words didn’t soothe her and she folded her arms to stop herself from reaching out to him. An arm sloped around her shoulder and a gentle kiss landed on her cheek. The familiar scent of Jake enveloped her, shifting the mood. She slid her head to the side and smiled at him.

  “Hello, gorgeous. Is the boss looking after you?”

  She thought about calling him out right here, but it wouldn’t do any good to cause a scene after this morning. Perhaps he was right, but it stung that he wouldn’t include her.

  “As always. I guess you will be here all night too?” Ella tugged on her sleeve, not daring to look at Marcus.

  “Yup, which isn’t exactly where I want to be right now, watching Roman stalk Isabella as if he owns her. Drayton, give me something to do before I march over there and say something I regret.” He clenched his fists.

  Ella closed her eyes. The issue between Jake and Isabella would only get worse the longer it continued, and she shook her head.

  “For Christ’s sake, there are more things at play here than your damn love life. You knew from the beginning she was engaged. You were warned. Right now, I need you to focus on your job. The princess you were chatting with—I need you to give her your undivided attention. Do you understand?”

  Ella watched as her husband barked at Jake in front of her.

  His friend arched his brow as if taken aback by his harsh tone. Jake frowned, but nodded in agreement. “What do you need to know?”

  “Everything. Something isn’t right. She makes my skin crawl.”

  Pushing aside her feelings, Ella added, “I agree, Jake. The princess is masking her scent. I can sense other supernatural entities by their aromas, but whenever I’m near her, I can’t. That’s never happened before.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Isabella crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the silvery sea as it spat white foam upon the soft golden sand. She admired the untamed power and wild ferocity of the ocean, an unpredictable and sometimes deadly force of nature—rather like herself.

  “Penny for them,” Roman said at her side.

  She jumped. Damn the vamp, with his eerily quiet entrance and exit. His warm breath fanned over her neck and she shivered despite being determined not to react or respond in any way that would encourage him. She needed to enforce some guidelines and rules. Pressing her eyes shut, she willed her hackles not to rise. As a white witch, she wasn’t supposed to inflict pain or cause harm. It went against her coven’s rules, even though on occasion she had broken them. But even the sound of his husky voice irritated her. Her heart sped up, and she longed to stab him with needles. Lost in her evil plans for Roman, she smiled.

  “You cannot keep ignoring me like this, Isabella, nor can you continue to flaunt yourself in front of that human. I forbid it.”

  Ignoring him didn’t last long, and she spun to face him, placing her hands on her hips. “You forbid it—what the hell? You are not in charge of me. You do not get to dictate what I can and cannot do. I am an independent woman capable of making my own decisions.” She spoke louder than she meant to, which caused several heads to turn in their direction.

  Roman latched onto her wrist and tugged her away from the window. When she attempted to pull away, his grip clamped down tighter. She shot her hand out to hit him, but the earth shifted beneath her feet. One minute, she stood in the living room; the next, after a stomach-dropping ride through the air, she stood in an elegant cream and gold bedroom, full of rich mahogany furniture, staring at a king-sized bed. Her bedroom at Steel’s mansion. She pinned her gaze on him.

  Roman stood a foot away, but he bridged the gap in seconds.

  “How did you know this is my room?” Isabella panted as she studied the door, looking for escape.

  “Your scent, my love.”

  Her heart pounded inside her ears and her mouth dried, making words hard to come by. She backed away from the vamp, terrified by the look of intense need in his soulless eyes. As her calves banged into the bed, she stopped and put her hand out. “Roman—don’t.”

  The tightly coiled vampire leaned over her heaving chest, asserting his
strength, until she dropped and fell back onto the bed. In seconds, he lifted and repositioned her as he wanted. Her head rested on a soft pillow, and he bracketed her face with his cool hands smoothing her cheeks. His rigid muscles pressed into her soft curves and planes, covering her. Every part of her thrummed under the stone hardness of Roman. She couldn’t move and could barely breathe. Her insides swirled with a swinging range of emotion as his broad chest brushed over her sensitive nipples. Fight him, damn it.

  “Don’t what, love?”

  Roman referred to her as love, which exasperated her. The list of reasons to be annoyed by him grew daily. Her discomfort soared when he trailed his thumb over the outline of her bottom lip and on impulse, she captured it with her teeth and bit down—hard. There, that will show him. If she hoped the pain would be enough to make him back off, she grossly miscalculated. Instead, he ground his pelvis and rock-hard erection into her. An uncontrollable wave of pleasure sparked out from deep inside her core. She withdrew her teeth from around his thumb and he licked the blood there. His pearl-white teeth were on display as his smile widened.

  “Pain can be pleasurable, my love, in the right circumstances. Would you like me to demonstrate?”

  His words held meaning, freezing her to the spot. The need for him to touch her climbed inside. Why did this keep happening? The will to fight receded and her limbs became a gooey, useless mess, powerless to stop him. She hated him. She did.

  “Please—don’t drink from me, Roman.”

  The vampire dipped his head low until his lips lay inches from hers. He gave a wide, dazzling smile, revealing his sharp teeth. Distracted by his close proximity, she wondered briefly what his kiss would be like. However, the sting of pain broke through that errant thought as he sank his teeth into the tender lobe of her ear, and she jerked forward to thump his chest in protest. But Roman swept his tongue over her sensitive skin and instead of pain, her body tingled with desire.