The Bend-Bite-Shift Box Set Read online

  Nodding as she collected her dark hair back behind her head, twisting it into several knots, Devan stepped towards the bed and sat down. “What should I do? I feel like there’s something I should do.”

  “I’m not as ready as I’d like to be, but–I’m a subject, you know. It’s how the whole vampire thing works. Lucas is my sire and he’ll come tomorrow. When Miguel said I’m on the wrong side now, he meant it.”

  “I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Devan insisted, clasping her friend’s icy fingers.

  Jill smiled and then laughed. “I’m not afraid of him. At least not like that. I intend to kill him, Devan, and I need your word that he’ll be mine–that you won’t interfere. He’s mine. Okay?”

  Devan acknowledged with a nod.

  “I know Kent’ll be worried with you. He won’t pay any attention to me. I’ve already explained to Andre and he understands. I just need to be sure you won’t get in the way. No matter what happens, okay?”

  There was a moment of silence as the two women sat, staring off into the space in front of them. Without a word, Devan stood and began pulling the drapes tight on the windows. She then retrieved a roll of duct tape from the utility closet in the living area, taping the windows tight so that when the sun rose in the next hour, not an ounce of sunlight would be allowed to infuse the room.

  “You should enjoy a real bed for a change,” Devan said. Then she took her friend by the shoulders and reached up with her lips to place a motherly kiss to that very, very cold forehead. “Goodnight.”

  Just as Devan stepped into Kent’s bedroom, she glanced back. She shouldn’t have been surprised to see Langston enter Jill’s bedroom and close the door. Shaking her head as she considered the relationship between Jill and the giant, she nearly bumped into Kent as he passed through the bedroom. He kissed her nose in passing as he slipped naked into the bed, waiting patiently for her to finish her own bedtime routine.

  “I’m so sleepy,” she yawned as she snuggled in beside him.

  Kent pulled her tight against him and smiled. “Well, you sort of got your ass kicked for several hours tonight and wore yourself out practicing your magic. Not to mention, Langston believes we need a good rest.”

  “Are you saying he spelled me again?” Devan scoffed, rolling her head around to look at him, but yawning just the same.

  Shrugging, Kent kissed the line between her frowning eyebrows. “I’m used to it.”

  “I suppose I’ll get used to it eventually too,” she murmured just before she drifted to sleep.

  Kent smiled and nuzzled her head.

  Night descended like an eerie pall. A fog inched along the ground, hugging the nearby creek and sending feelers of mist towards their cabin. Langston finished placing the protections, including several extra ones, in a wide circle all around. These would do nothing to prevent Adriel from entering but would instead maintain the status quo of four and also keep anyone outside from witnessing the magic show within. Twenty-four hours had nearly lapsed; anxiety and anticipation were almost palpable in the air.

  Each of them had awakened one by one earlier in the evening, Devan and Kent emerging from his room first. They’d found Langston asleep on the couch, and Devan wondered again about his previous entry into Jill’s room.

  An evening breakfast, this time of blueberry pancakes, was just about finished when her blonde friend finally emerged, a capricious smile on her face. “Andre, you should start a restaurant!” she exclaimed, eying the food with envious eyes. Devan had imagined her friend missed real food, having been quite the glutton for her favorites during their college years.

  Now they were all outside and Jill was scanning the area, her nose slightly tipped to catch even the slightest hint that someone was approaching. Langston stood not far from her, his chest high as if he were holding each ounce of his magic close to himself, to fortify him. Devan reached beside her to find Kent’s hand. He met her grasp and they converged.

  “I worry for Jill,” she confessed as he caressed her back. “I promised her I wouldn’t interfere, but help me keep an eye on her, Kent. She thinks her sire,” she sneered the word, “will be here and she intends to go up against him.”

  Kent nodded, though the blonde was the least of his concerns. Devan was too new to all this, too innocent, and deep down he was terrified of what awaited them. The only hope he could see of protecting her would be if he could keep Adriel’s attention diverted. For all his bluster, Kent wasn’t sure he’d be able to kill his vampire brother. At least with Nicky there they would’ve had an additional advantage. A dhampir was much more capable of facing the vampire than Kent would be alone. Still, just as Devan was intent on confronting Robbie, Kent knew it was time he confronted his brother.

  None of them heard the approach, but suddenly Devan was thrown backwards outside of the protections. She rolled to distribute the impact across her body, trying to catch her breath as pain cut into her left shoulder where she’d been struck by some force of energy. Kent screamed a warning, but she saw the second pulse before he did and dropped her head, allowing her hair to fall across her. A flood of blue light poured like syrup from those strands to cover her and the energy from that second bolt dissipated into a glittery wave.

  Just as she leaped back into the circle of protections, she saw a broad-chested man throw Jill to the ground. Any cry of forewarning was choked in her throat when she realized that Kent too was under attack. A booted foot caught her in the stomach even as she would have moved in to help. Before she could refill her deflated lungs, she felt two strong hands take her wrists and pin her to the ground. She looked up into familiar green eyes and felt a pang of hurt pierce her heart.

  “Robbie.”

  He grinned cockily, lips just inches from hers. “You’re even more radiant now that I can see your magic. How you were able to keep it from me all those years is beyond me. I’m the best at locating witches. Your ability to remain under wraps is impressive.”

  She swallowed the fear that had quickly replaced the pain in her gut. “It should be impressive. I’m the faery-witch, you prick.”

  His hands tightened momentarily, but Devan narrowed her eyes and concentrated. The joints of his fingers began to loosen against his will and before long she was able to wrestle her arms free. With both palms flat, she pushed against his chest and shoved him away just far enough to allow herself to wriggle out from under him.

  They stood face to face, circling with arms outstretched. She pointed a palm at him and shot an orb of icy energy, disappointed when it merely fizzled upon striking his chest. She could see confidence shining in his eyes and knew she was probably wearing her weakness like a billboard.

  “You must have thought I was a fool, Robbie. You and my father, dragging me along with your nasty business. Did he order you to date me? To get me involved in the business? To keep an eye on me?”

  Robbie laughed, his green eyes glistening with ugly delight. “I don’t take orders from anyone, especially your father. He works for us.”

  She considered this even as she dodged the channel of red-glowing energy he poured towards her with his palm. So Kent had been right. Maybe her father was just a peon. Somehow it didn’t make her feel any better.

  The next round of magic was too close to avoid, and when it grazed her arm and side, the pain sent her to her knees. He wasted no time and jumped at her, trying to catch her around the waist, but she dove to the side to avoid him. Her shoulder took the brunt of the impact and she winced even as she rolled away from him.

  Another red wave of magic came at her and she instantly conjured a concave shield in front of her. The burst skidded across the surface of the disc and shot back towards Robbie. He ducked just in time.

  “Very good, Devvie,” he praised cheekily, and she suddenly got the feeling he was just toying with her.

  “Don’t call me that.” Hissing the words, she flung her head forward in his direction. Jagged crystals of ice landed a blow to his chest and tossed him backwards, the
shards shattering all around. His perplexed expression gave her some buoyancy. “You don’t take orders, huh?” she smiled, panting with exertion and also exhilaration as she thought she might be able to gain the upper hand. “I think you take orders from him.” She cocked her head towards Adriel but refused to look herself. If she saw Kent in combat, it would throw her off balance, and she needed all her concentration to take care of Robbie.

  Robbie’s olive colored aura began to flicker with sparks of red and pink. She was getting to him. Before he could recover any composure, she forced both palms ahead of her and towards him, a steady stream of cold light belting him in the chest. The torrent seemed to trap him so she rushed forward, using her magic to push him backwards and against a huge tree trunk.

  “What’s the matter, Robbie?” she asked, her voice quieting to barely a whisper as she struggled to hold him in place. “Why are you taking orders from a vampire, selling your own kind for a profit? Do you know what that makes you, Robbie? It makes you a man-whore.”

  Robbie bucked against her energy’s grip, twisting but still enveloped by its icy grasp. Closing his eyes, a red heat began to surround him as he concentrated on melting the bindings away. “No, Devvie,” he murmured, his confidence rising when he believed he might break through. “I wasn’t the whore, but you were. Remember when I took you on those trips and you’d help me choose and charm the kids, then I’d take you back to my place and fuck you? I did you each time, remember? Like a way to bind us to the deed, the deed you were too stupid to even figure out.” He licked his lips, and her hold wavered just enough that he was able to lean towards her and press his lips to hers.

  Devan revolted against his touch, but instead of letting it destroy her focus, she used it to sharpen it. Willing her power to life again, she felt her hair like corkscrews of icy matter surround them both. The razor sharp ends of those coils of hair reached to Robbie’s neck and pricked just the tiniest of wounds on his skin.

  “You’ll never touch me again, Robbie,” she said with deadly intent, and he wormed his head back against the tree, holding himself as far from those pointed barbs as possible.

  Her liquid-black eyes peered deeply into his and his former coolness seemed to shrink away from him. “Please, Devvie. Devan, I made a deal with him. If I don’t take you down so we can bring you back, he’ll kill me. Please just come with us–please. Adriel will kill me!”

  A touch of a smile curled her lips as she increased the icy bonds still holding him down, “It just doesn’t occur to you that he should be the least of your concerns. I’m going to kill you myself, Robbie. It’s too bad you didn’t know what I was before you crossed me–before you made me a part of the selling of innocent children–before you sold my best friend into bondage.”

  “B–but I didn’t. Jill went willingly. She chose to stay with him. It wasn’t my fault she fell for the guy. I’m not responsible for what happened–”

  Don’t you want to say goodbye to your lover, faery-witch? a nasty voice echoed in her head, followed by laughter like a hyena. Adriel. Devan’s whole body twitched in response and she very nearly let Robbie go, but she pulled that energy back through her body again and stood perfectly still.

  I’ll bleed him dry, faery-witch! Her gaze darted to the side, and she remembered that the vampire had psychic abilities. He was worming his way into her head and she had to stop him. She closed her mind to him and blocked him out.

  Snapping her inky eyes back to Robbie, she took the deepest, longest breath she possibly could as she engaged all of her magic to pass through her arms to surround her nemesis. In just a few seconds, Robin Weir was encased in a prison of ice, frozen and immobile. She dropped her hands and turned quickly to assess what was happening behind her.

  A fast scan found no sign of Langston. Jill was still sparring with the barrel-chested man, but even as Devan watched, she saw her friend stealthily avoid an attack and counter with a devastating blow that knocked him to the ground.

  Searching further, she finally saw Kent and his brother. The tall and strong-armed vampire had Kent around the torso, pinning his arms down at his sides. Kent was struggling, both in his body and in magic. Gasping pulses of green emanated from his chest again and again as he tried to get free. Adriel’s fangs were descended and he was leaning towards Kent’s neck.

  The distance was too great and Devan knew she’d never get to them physically before those teeth pierced Kent’s neck. She raised a palm and aimed it at the vampire’s back, shooting her magic towards him. Perhaps he was still reading her mind, or perhaps he had a way to see behind him, but he turned and used a hand to deflect the energy. Her magic struck a tree behind him and he laughed that obnoxious laugh.

  One arm removed, Kent was able to squirm free and he too pointed a palm at the vampire to aim an energy orb at him. Like a pinball game, Adriel repelled each attack the two of them could make. Devan thought she had a smart idea and conjured a stake, sending it sailing towards Adriel’s heart, even as she tried to distract him with an icy energy burst. The wood exploded just before it struck him. Apparently staking this particular vampire wouldn’t work.

  Even as Devan continued striking out at Adriel, she saw Kent bring his arms up and clench his hands. The space around the vampire bent and he began sailing backwards towards a barbed tree limb. Kent tried to aim his brother so the limb would pierce his heart, but with eyes closed he couldn’t compensate for his adversary’s countermovements. Adriel deflected his body and the makeshift stake missed its mark.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Jill go down again, and this time the young blonde didn’t seem to be moving. Kent reverted to firing energy orbs at his brother. Langston was still nowhere to be found.

  Devan felt herself begin to panic. She felt like ice were churning in her veins and she began to hyperventilate, desperately sucking more and more air into her lungs. They might all be about to lose their lives this night. She had caused this. She’d practically dared Adriel to come here. She’d taunted him, building him to this challenge, and now it seemed there was nothing she could do to stop it.

  Stop it!

  I can’t, Roon. I can’t!

  She felt his breath on her cheek. You can. This ain’t the time for doubt. Everything has a purpose. Pain, joy, hurt, death, life, magic–all of it fits. You are in this moment because you were meant to be. Now deal with it and stop feeling sorry for yourself, damn you. Devvie, you can do this. You can!

  Even as she tried to force herself back to the now, force herself to calm down and focus on the situation, she heard gunfire behind her. She looked just in time to see the residual flash of a weapon’s discharge. Langston had shot someone, though she couldn’t tell who, male or female, because the body was in the process of turning to ash just as she glanced at it. The dust evaporated on the air in a glistening poof.

  Jill was beginning to stir, though her attacker was on her again. Still, Langston was there now and Devan knew he would take care of her friend while she saw to Kent and Adriel. The vampire was gaining the upper hand again, getting closer and closer to Kent. And her magical lover was wearing down. She could see it in his eyes, on his face. He was using all he had, and that was when she realized what he was really doing. He was trying to keep his brother from getting to her. He was deflating every ounce of his magic, his life, to protect her.

  “Adriel!” she called and stepped towards him slowly, with deliberation. In her mind, she was concentrating on consolidating all that she was, every bit of power she had, into the center of her being. She held it there, held it tight, tight, tighter, forcing it under pressure. “I thought you wanted me. Why are you wasting your time with him?”

  The vampire angled his head at her and turned to approach. “Ah, but my brother always did want to play with the big boys,” he said sardonically, and this time, instead of merely deflecting Kent’s magic, he sent the orb back into his brother’s chest, knocking Kent to his knees.

  “Dev, stay back,” Kent pleaded, br
eathless in his efforts to get up.

  Her eyes turned to him, momentarily appearing gold-brown and full of all of the love she felt for him. Then they changed and melted back to black as she spoke again. “Kent, stay down!”

  Kent wasn’t yet convinced she knew what she was doing, but he carefully stood and waited, afraid anything he might do now would ruin her concentration. Adriel was too close to her, gaining with each step, and fear was sending Kent’s stomach into knots.

  Devan too began to step nearer to Adriel, though she edged to the side just a bit so as the distance was bridged between them they also got closer to Kent. She worked her steps just so, putting her lover behind her. When she and the vampire were face to face, she willed her hair to wrap around her body, forming a huge arc on both sides.

  “You want me for yourself, don’t you?” she taunted. “That day you suggested I was for someone else, but I can see it in your eyes.” She conjured a small knife and pricked her hand, blood pooling to the surface. “I can see what you really want.”

  Adriel’s gaze became entranced by the deep red blood dripping down her hand. She stepped closer to him, and she knew that timing was her greatest enemy now. Each move from this point had to be perfect and she was the only one capable of orchestrating it just right. She lifted her hand, outstretched her arm. Her bleeding palm approached his lips and she clasped his waist with the other. Their bodies connected, attached, and her gold, brown, and red locks surrounded them both.

  The vampire sniffed the air, licking his tongue across his fangs as he dipped closer. He could smell her, sense the energy in her blood, and it drove him to such an intense need that he was completely distracted by it. He inhaled and brought his mouth low.

  Devan cried out when his teeth sunk into the skin of her wrist, but she focused and kept hold of him even as she began to get weak with fear. Turning her head, she saw Kent heaving himself towards them, panic in his eyes.

  It occurred to Devan that the business of feeding was much faster than she could have imagined. Adriel was greedily sucking her blood, holding her to his mouth, and not so much as slowing to breathe. His desperation for her blood was so intense that he tore at her skin. Her black eyes gazed at Kent, pleading. “Fast forward–fast forward,” she whispered.