Wicked Soul

Chapter 27

TWENTY-SEVEN

LIV

I was still a little sore when my alarm woke me up just after dawn the next morning.

It wasn’t too bad, though. I took stock of my bruised body as I lay in bed, trying to find the will to push the covers aside and get up. My muscles ached, and I was pretty sure I had a couple of nasty bruises, but it could have been so much worse.

I shuddered at the memory of knowing I was going to die, and I spared Warin a grateful thought. As irritating as it was that he’d just up and left me with a glorified babysitter while he went off to play lonesome hero, it was nice to know that I didn’t have to face potential skinwalkers on my own.

Even if I’d never had to entertain the idea of men who turned into freaking wolves intent on shredding me like a brisket before I met Warin. No one gave two f***s who I was before him.

Skinwalkers. Christ on a cracker.

I lifted my hands up above my head and stared intently at them in the faint filtering through my curtains. Maybe I’d imagined that green light?

But no. Even now, I could still recall the rush of energy from the deepest part of my being as it burst out of me. It had definitely happened.

I clenched my hands into fists before retracting them underneath my warm duvet. I’d been very close to telling him, before Carina showed up. But… in the clear light of day, perhaps it was for the best that I hadn’t. As much as I didn’t want to play damsel in distress here, it was pretty obvious I was all kinds of f****d if Warin decided he wanted nothing more to do with me.

A mild shiver traveled down my back when I recalled what he’d said about not being lenient with witches anymore. But this was Warin… there was no way he’d actually hurt me, even if he found out that I might-possibly-maybe be some kind of a witch.

And who knew if it was even magic that’d burst out of me? There was every chance this was something else entirely. I mean, you’d think you’d grow up knowing if you were some kind of dark creature… right?

Could have been alien possession, for all I knew.

Deciding against traveling further down that particular road, I finally kicked my duvet off and crawled out of bed. It was my turn for the morning shift at Dark Dreams, and as much as a New Age shop might be the only job that would potentially accept “attacked by werewolves” as a reasonable excuse not to show up for work, I needed to go in.

Since my vampire buddy was off playing Lone Ranger, it was clear I had to take matters into my own hands if I wanted to be in the loop of who was gunning for my life this time around. And the only non-vampire, non-creepy-slaughterhouse lead I had? Witch Supply Central, aka my workplace.

Most of them might just be New Agers, or emo teens, but if Warin’s reaction to my workplace was anything to go by, I might be able to get a hold of someone who could get me in touch with Chicago’s witchy underground.

I was so preoccupied with my plotting that it wasn’t until I stepped out of the street door to my apartment block—Thermo in hand and gaze locked on my small, battered Fiesta as I huddled against the cold—that I noticed the huge man standing in front of my building.

“Ma’am,” he said when I shot him a cautious glance out the corner of my eye. He was standing with his hands clasped behind the small of his back, like a soldier at attention, and his winter clothes did nothing to hide his bulky form. He had to be at least seven feet tall and built like an ox. Definitely not the kind of guy you’d forget—which meant he wasn’t usually hanging around my apartment block.

“Uh, hi,” I muttered, and scurried toward where my car was supposed to be be. Only the spot where I normally parked was empty.

It was only then I remembered my Fiesta was still in the parking lot by my work.

“Sonuvabitch!” I growled. I was so not in the mood for public transport.

“Is there a problem, ma’am?”

The unexpected voice coming from right behind my left shoulder made me jerk and spin around, heart pounding and keys clenched between my fingers as a weapon.

The huge man had apparently followed me, and either he was a f*****g level 10 ninja, or I’d been too decaffeinated to hear a seven-foot mountain walking behind me.

“Jesus tap dancing Christ, if you don’t back the f**k up, I’ll scream!” I shrieked.

He blinked, surprise clear on his wide face. “Aren’t you Olivia Green, ma’am?”

“What’s it to you, creeper?” I kept my fist raised, even though his surprise calmed my pulse down a little—the skinwalkers last night hadn’t checked my name before they pounced.

“Mr. Waldlitch sent me. I am to escort you for the day.”

“Who?” I blinked. “Warin?” He had said something about sending a “day man” to look after me once the sun rose.

The giant of a man nodded. “Affirmative, ma’am. If you need to leave your residence, I will drive you.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “Yeeeah… I’m gonna need some form of proof you aren’t a crazy fanatic, or a crazy witch, or a crazy man-wolf, before I get into a car with you. Otherwise, I hope you like the bus.”

“Mr. Waldlitch said, should you request proof of my employment with him, to tell you that your blood tastes like ‘life.’ And to emphasize that he will be most displeased with you if you attempt to resist my protection.” Not a tremor on the big guy’s face betrayed if telling random women what his boss thought of their blood was out of the ordinary for him—but I flushed predictably.

It seemed like such an… intimate thing to share with a stranger—that Warin had drank my blood. But I guess to him it was just a meal.

Then I realized he’d answered my question from last night, even if in a roundabout way, and the heat in my cheeks intensified.

Life.

I wasn’t entirely sure, but it sounded like flattery. Especially coming from an undead.

“Ma’am?” my new bodyguard said, lifting his eyebrows. “Do you need to leave the premises?”

“Yes, I have to get to work.” I looked up at him with a small sigh. At least Warin’s overprotectiveness meant I didn’t have to get the bus.

The giant held out a hand toward a black pickup truck parked off to the side. “This way, ma’am.”

“You can just call me Liv,” I said as I walked to the truck. “And unless you want to be called ‘Big Guy’ for the rest of the day, maybe tell me your name, too?”

“Name’s Roy, m—Liv.”

I smiled at him. “Nice to meet you, Roy. Now let’s get going—I’m late.”

Thanks to Roy’s not-entirely-legal driving, I made it to work just in time.

Raven was already there with the till prepared when I walked in, bodyguard in tow.

She stared up at the giant of a man, but he only nodded at her as he went straight for the back room, presumably to check the security of the shop.

“Liv, who the hell is that?” my colleague whispered. “He looks like he’s part mountain! What’s he doing here?”

I sighed. “It’s... kind of hard to explain.”

“Try.”

I bit my lip as I considered my options. On one hand, she worked at a New Age store and called herself Raven… and if I wanted to get in touch with witches, she might be a good place to start. But on the other hand, I didn’t particularly want to be force-committed to a psychiatric ward, either.

“Remember my friend from the bar?”

Her lips pinched as if she’d tasted something foul. “The vampire.”

“Apparently someone took offense to us hanging out, and… uh… I have witches on my a*s, can you believe it? So Warin… had a friend keep an eye on me today.” I flapped a hand in what I hoped portrayed a decent who-would-have-thunk-it manner.

She sighed and shook her head, following Roy with her eyes as he returned from the back of the store to take up guard by the door. “Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you hang out with vampires, Liv.”

So apparently the idea that actual witches, magic and all, were real, wasn’t news to Raven.

“I don’t see why,” I bristled. “He’s a nice guy—it’s not his fault he’s dead. He doesn’t even drink blood from living humans, you know. Just donor blood.” Wow, there was a sentence I’d never imagined speaking out loud before. “And I don’t see why I am getting attacked on my way home from work just because I have a vampire friend.”

Raven frowned. “Attacked? You were attacked?”

“Yeah. Big wolf-men. Warin called them skinwalkers.” I shuddered at the memory of my near-death experience. “Look, I know you’re obviously not fond of vampires, but you seem to know about witches, and I… I don’t know who else to ask. I can’t exactly go to the police. Do you know of anyone I can talk to?”

She grimaced. “I don’t hang around skinwalkers. My coven is not into all the dark shit.”

“Oh, wow, you’re a witch?” I blurted. “You’ve been keeping that quiet!”

She glared at me as Roy glanced in our direction. “Ixnay on the witch accusations while your boyfriend’s lackey is around, please. Do you know what vampires do to us?”

I opened my mouth to tell her Warin would never hurt her… but then I remembered what Mr. Night Lord had said about no longer being gentle on witches in “his” city.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I ended up muttering. “Raven, can you help me? I’m severely out of my depth here, and I don’t know what to do. Please.”

She sighed, casting another glance at Roy. “Yes, fine, of course I’ll help you. Just… you can’t trust him, Liv. The vampire. They’re not like us. They’re dangerous. Scheming. Underhanded.”

I pushed down the burst of irritation at her warning—I knew it was coming from a good place. If I hadn’t met Warin, I probably would also have been very worried for a colleague who hung around with the undead. “Warin’s saved my life more than once now. I understand there’s some beef between vampires and witches, and I’m not gonna make you hang out with him or anything—but he’s not like all the scare campaigns about vampires.”

Raven didn’t look particularly happy at my defense of a vampire, but she didn’t argue, either. “I’ll talk to the High Priestess. Fair warning—I’ll have to tell her about your friend, and she might not be very accommodating. Are you gonna be safe until tomorrow?”

I eyeballed Roy. “Yeah, I… think so. Thank you, Raven. Truly. I owe you.”

She smiled weakly. “I know what it’s like when you realize what’s out there… I’d be a bad friend if I didn’t try to help.”

I hadn’t thought of any of my Dark Dreams colleagues as friends before, mainly because I didn’t really do friends. Sure, I was friendly with most people I met, and happy to grab a drink after work if asked, but… I hadn’t called anyone my friend since I was a kid.

Except for Warin.

I moved around so much these days, it was hard to develop any true bonds. I’d been in Chicago longer than I’d stayed most places since I left home at eighteen.

I stared out the window at the passing traffic as Roy navigated his big truck through the busy streets. I’d moved for much less than crazy witches with a vendetta before—and the smart thing would undoubtedly be to just get out of Chicago and start over somewhere else. I’d done it many times before. So why did the thought of doing so now, when my life was literally on the line, fill me with dread?

Because of Warin.

Because I’d let myself get attached. Real f*****g smart, Liv.

Adding more friends into the mix… it was only going to make it all the harder to do the smart thing and leave.

Fuck.

The dread in my gut mixed with a clenching sensation of panic, and I breathed deeply to get it under control before I alerted Roy to my internal meltdown.

Having friends was healthy. Maybe less so when friends were the reason you stuck around in a dangerous situation rather than get the hell out of Dodge, but still… It’d been so long since I had anyone I could count on. Who counted on me.

Despite the swirl of panic in my gut… it felt good.

And it wasn’t like I was just going to leave Warin in the middle of a crisis. I might have been a coward when it came to friendships, but I wasn’t an asshole.

I leaned back in the passenger seat, mind made up. I wasn’t leaving until I’d helped Warin. He’d done so much for me; it was only fair I stuck around to see him through this. Despite being out of practice with the whole friend-thing, I knew you didn’t turn your back on one in his time of need.

Definitely didn’t have anything to do with how sick the thought of leaving him behind made me.

Roy stayed outside my apartment block like a hulking sentinel in his leather coat—which had to have been made with skin from an entire cow. I wasn’t exactly used to having a bodyguard hanging around, but as the sun began to set and the temperatures plummeted, I started to feel bad. It had to be pretty damn boring to hang around outside a building for hours. Boring, and cold.

So, coffee in hand and bundled up in multiple sweaters, I walked out there, ready to be a less shitty host.

“Hey,” I said as he turned to give me a questioning look. “Coffee?”

“You should be inside,” he said, voice gruff, but he accepted the cup from me. It practically disappeared in his large hand.

“Probably,” I agreed mildly as I perched on the brick banister leading to the front door of my building. “So, have you known Warin long?”

“Few years.”

Yeah, Roy wasn’t exactly the chatty type. But, during my day in his mostly quiet company, I’d felt pretty at ease around him. He gave off a weirdly calming vibe. Perhaps it was just due to his size and the pretty solid knowledge that no one was getting past his bulk—but whatever it was, I found I liked his company.

Even if he was basically my glorified babysitter.

“I haven’t known him long at all. I sorta met him by accident this summer, and then we ran into each other again recently,” I said, attempting to get a conversation going with a bit of smalltalk.

A swish from the sky followed by a thunk from the street interrupted me—and had Roy straightening up, alert.

“Hey,” I greeted the vampire who’d just landed on my road, offering him a smile as if I had friends dropping from the sky on the regular.

“You should be inside,” Warin said, face blank and voice dark.

I sighed. “Well, hello to you too.” I slid off the banister and gave a half-wave in Roy’s direction. “Bye, Roy. See you around.”

The large man grunted in response, and I went back inside.

Warin followed shortly after, his dark look still firmly in place.

Tonight was going to be just lovely, I could tell.

“Find out anything good?” I asked as I sunk into my usual spot on the couch and pulled my drawing kit off the coffee table.

Warin sat down in his spot on the other end, leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. He sighed softly, making me swap out my pencil. A man that broody needed to be drawn with the rich contrast of charcoal.

“Nothing good. I… have to call for a meeting. For the rulers of my kind. What’s going on in Chicago can have very serious consequences beyond my borders. The witches moving against us, contaminating animal blood… Who knows when they’ll turn their attention to the hospitals’ supplies.”

“You don’t look excited,” I said. “Is it not a happy family reunion when the other vamp royalties come to town?”

He glanced at me. “Carina told you what I am.”

It wasn’t a question, but I nodded nonetheless. “Night Lord of Chicago. Very fancy.”

A ghost of a smile haunted his lips. “I am glad you are not… intimidated.”

I shrugged. “It’s not really my world. To me, you’re just… Warin. My friend. Doesn’t really matter to our friendship if you’re a big vampire boss or not, does it?”

“Not in the slightest.” He smiled a short while longer before he sighed and turned to stare straight ahead once more. “There is another matter I need to see the other Lords about. You remember the skinwalker who couldn’t speak?”

I shuddered at the memory. “Yeah?”

“If he was under vampire Compulsion, the vampire who Compelled him would have to be… very strong.”

I perked up, my fingers pausing from drawing the angle of his jaw. “You’re thinking royalty-strong?”

“Yes.”

“So… What? You’re thinking you can suss out who might be behind it if you get everyone under the same roof?”

He nodded. “Perhaps. But it will be… tricky. And… then there is the thing with us… with our friendship.”

“Which thing?” Something in his tone made my fingers twitch around the charcoal with an unpleasant sense of foreboding.

He hesitated for a moment. “It is… very clear you have become a target due to our relations, despite my efforts to be discreet when visiting you.”

“Way to make a girl feel like a dirty secret,” I muttered.

He ignored me. “I would like you to accompany me to the meeting with the other Lords.”

I blinked. “Uh… sorry, are you asking me to waltz into the middle of a vampire gathering? ‘Cause I gotta tell ya, the last time you brought me into a crowd of your kind, I nearly ended up on the menu.”

“Regrettably, Liv, I’m not asking.” Despite Warin’s still-quiet voice, his tone was like velvet-wrapped granite. “It is the only way I can restore a measure of safety to your life, and so you will go. And I will claim you, among my equals, as my… special companion. As such, you will be untouchable to them. And even other supernaturals will think twice before harming you.”

A hot flush of anger made my blood boil alongside a trickle of desire his no-nonsense attitude shot through my abdomen. Damnit, now was so not the time to picture him brandishing a leather belt in one hand!

“Excuse the f**k out of me?” I snapped, opting to lean into the anger and avoid the disturbing images my hormones were conjuring. “Since when did our friendship turn into you bossing me around?”

“I am truly sorry, Liv,” he said, and he sounded it too. “I am sorry I pulled you into my world. I thought I was careful, but I was only selfish. I should have kept walking when I saw you in that bar, but I…” Warin looked down, his voice faltering for a moment. When he looked back up, there was steel in his eyes. “But regrets are useless now. I am the cause of your current predicament, therefore I am responsible for your continued safety. You will accompany me to this meeting, and you will allow me to ensure your continued safety until the threat has been eliminated. What you wish to do thereafter… will be your decision. I will not make any further demands of you. But this, Liv… this will happen.”

If he hadn’t sounded so anguished, I’d have kicked him straight out of my home. But as I glared daggers at Warin, the regret on his marble features took the edge off my anger.

Drawing in a deep breath through my nose, I reined in my hostility. “What do you think ‘claiming’ me will do to these witches? I mean, if they try to kill me just because they’ve seen us hang out together, wouldn’t putting attention on our friendship just make things worse?”

“There are… certain procedures in my world,” he said, and the hesitance in his voice made it clear he was anything but comfortable with the topic. “Certain rules every supernatural being will adhere to, if they do not wish to suffer… serious consequences. I am the vampire Lord of this territory. Should anyone harm my claimed companion, I would be honorbound to hunt them and their kin to extinction. Even witches would be hesitant to touch you, once you are truly mine.”

I bit my lip as I looked at Warin’s perfect profile, trying to fight back the roil of conflicting emotions in my gut.

Normally, this would have been simple. I’d picked up and moved for a lot less in the past. I never stayed long enough anywhere to form lasting bonds with anyone. The smart thing—and what the panicked clenching in my gut told me was the only rational choice—would be to tell him thanks, but no thanks on his “special companion” offer. And skip town.

Let’s stay in touch. I’ll email.

But…

If that was really what I wanted, then why hadn’t I done so already? Why had I gone to visit the slaughterhouse? Gotten myself tangled up further in crazy-a*s supernatural mysteries?

The answer was glaringly obvious… and currently sitting on my couch with a faraway expression of gloom painted across his features.

I’d never felt so… connected to another being as I did to Warin. Maybe it would have been easier to shrug it off if it was just s****l attraction, but it wasn’t. Not even close. Sure, he was smoking hot, and if things had been different I’d have happily dragged him to bed for a few rounds of commitment-free s*x. I had eyes.

And ovaries.

Only I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the moment I f****d my vampire friend, things would be completely and irrevocably changed between us.

And I’d lose him.

Like I would if I high-tailed it out of Chicago with a big “no-thank-you” to dealing with any more of this mess.

That’s why I stayed, I realized.

For reasons I didn’t understand, reasons that made no sense, this man—this nightwalker—I’d known so shortly meant more to me than the very real threat to my life.

More than the panic in my gut at the realization that I’d let someone all the way in.

“Okay. I’ll go with you to the meeting,” I said, clearing my throat at the tremor in my voice. “If it means we can keep being friends, I’ll go.”

Warin nodded, and his shoulders dropped a fraction of an inch. “Thank you.” His voice was soft.