I pushed through the fog and concentrated on his words, the seriousness in his eyes and the tightness of his muscles. “You wanted me to, it was your idea,” I told him bewildered. I resented my problems for ruining this moment. Our bodies should have been entwining in the sheets as a layer of sweat collected against our skin, and the only words that should be spoken were moans, not about the council or death.

“I’m allowed to change my mind, am I not?” A smile spread across his lips.

“But what about Ian?”

Aiden stared into my eyes and was quiet for a moment. “I’ll handle him.”

I wanted to believe he could track Ian down and kill him, but if that happened, he could be killed himself. Ian was older which meant he was stronger. Add to the fact Ian drank brew on a regular basis and had magical capabilities I still hadn’t learned, made what Aiden proposed impossible. Ian was all around stronger and wiser than both of us, and the VC was the key to my salvation. I didn’t care about the price I had to pay for freedom, it was small In the grand scheme of things.

Aiden’s mouth met my willing lips. His power surged against my skin, igniting my already peaked desire. It was more powerful than before, like the pure essence of him had been supercharged. I gasped and panted as it continued to poke and prod at my flesh. My entire body was on fire and I needed him to quench it. In one swift move, Aiden ripped my tiny shorts and tank top off of my body and positioned himself between my legs. His eyes were black and burned with an intensity I hadn’t seen before. Before I could question it, he buried himself within me, and I choked on my concerns. Something was wrong, I knew it, yet I couldn’t decipher what it was. Aiden was being rough; his hands on my hips dug into my flesh as he directed me against his hardness, each time harder and faster than the last.

“Aiden, stop,” I said between clenched teeth. When I looked up his face flickered like film. Blinking, I looked again and saw Ian Despereaux in his place. Yelping, I tried to snap my legs shut and kick against him, but he was stronger than me and held them open.

“What’s wrong, little witch?” His face was a mixture of confusion and coyness and back to looking like Aiden.

“Stop!” I screamed. If I had any doubts about my sanity, I didn’t now—only Ian called me little witch. “Ian stop!” It all made sense now, the fact he was standing in the sun, my dreamy relaxed state, the intensity of his power, and the rough way he handled me, I had been snagged from my sleep and brought into another one of Ian’s dream worlds. Ethan and Fiona’s blocking spell didn’t last or he found a way to break it, either way, I was in danger.

His hips stopped moving, but he didn’t withdrawal from me. “What’s wrong, Gwen?” Aiden’s voice asked. He looked so much like Aiden, even his voice was the same, making me second guess myself.

“Get away from me.” The man’s face changed in quick succession from Aiden’s to Ian’s. Watching the bizarre transformation was dizzying. Squeezing my eyes shut, I shot my hands out ready to blast whoever was in front of me with magic. My palms tingled as my power raced through my veins and settled within my hands ready to be directed. I opened my eyes and just as the bright light of magic left my fingertips, my sunny bedroom and the man disappeared. I blinked a few times and realized I was safe, but not alone.

“Gwen?”

Rubbing my eyes so I could focus, Holly stood in my doorway with a look of concern changing her face into something that looked trustworthy, but I wasn’t fooled.

“What are you doing in my room?” I pivoted my eyes around my room. I was still on edge, shaky and nervous from the dream, Holly’s appearance didn’t help. I didn’t trust her one little bit.

“You were screaming, the entire castle heard you. Have a bad dream?” She flipped on my bedroom light and walked into the room. She was wearing a long navy dress with long sleeves and a V-neck that was adorned with white beads. Her auburn hair was braided down her back and her steely green eyes inspected me disapproval.

“Yeah, I guess I did,” I told her. The dream felt so real. I glanced down at my clothes just to make sure I wasn’t lying there naked. Sure enough, my pajamas were intact. When Ian visited me in my dreams before there were always signs of his being there, but this time nothing remained. My clothes weren’t torn to shreds and my body hadn’t been violated. I wasn’t sure what happened and that scared me.

“Is there something you want to tell me, Gwen?” Holly stood next to my bed with her arms crossed. I thought about all the things I should tell her, being bonded to Ian, his dream visits, how he could speak to me through telepathy, and the plan to allow the VC to drink from me in order to break the bond. I wanted to confide in someone, to have another brain thinking of a way to fix the situation, but would Holly be helpful or condemn me for treason? I wouldn’t put it past her to throw me into the dungeon thinking I formed the bond with Ian to be his spy. War did crazy things to people’s minds, and Holly’s was bloodthirsty. There were enough people gunning for my blood, could I afford to add one more to the list?

“What have you heard of Ian Despereaux?” I filled my voice with cool detachment. The NAWC had to know who he was, he was the one who’d found a way to extract the power in witches blood and shared it with his people. Because of him, vampires killed witches and our two species were enemies. Because of him, my world had turned upside down and inside out.

“Why do you ask?” Holly responded. I didn’t expect her to spill the beans on what the council knew. Now was the moment where I could release my secret once and for all, let the NAWC into my personal hell and let the chips fall where they may.

“I have been keeping something from the council,” I began while my gut filled with an angry sea of nerves and nausea. Maybe a small part of me, a part that didn’t want to admit it, hoped the NAWC would know a way to break the bond, and I wouldn’t have to gift my blood. Another part, a part that scared the hell out of me, was worried I may enjoy being bit. If a vampire wanted to grant you the gift of euphoria with the bite, he or she could. I’d experienced a vampire bite a handful of times, but they were enough to curl my toes and develop a craving for it. I didn’t think about that though, I filed it away in the denial section of my brain—an area that was quickly becoming crowded.

“I figured you have been,” Holly remarked. “Gwen, we are your family. If you can’t confide in us, then who can you? I know you don’t agree with my methods, but it’s my job to watch out for our people and as hard as it may be, you have to trust the council’s decisions.”

Just when I thought Holly couldn’t wrap me around her little finger, there I was snug around her pinkie. She had a way with words. She made you want to believe every word she was saying. In truth, the witches were my family, but could I trust them? Doubtful. But I wanted to, needed to, have someone else on my side. I still had no clue what Ian Despereaux was planning; he was a master at games, and I was starting to feel like a pawn where someone else was moving me around the game board. The only question was, how long before someone took me out of the game? And who would that someone be?

I watched her for a moment. “I am bonded to Ian Despereaux.” I figured however Holly decided to punish me would be worth it if she knew how to free me of Ian. I tried to be strong, but the stress of his voice in my head, the sexual dreams, learning my spirit walker powers, gifting my blood to the VC, and every other problem I was facing was a weight too heavy to bear alone.

Maybe a part of me, the dark part everyone has but never acknowledges, wanted Holly to put me out of my misery. My mother used to say, God never gives you more than you can handle, but it sure as hell felt like He’d dished out an extra helping of drama for me. Could I handle it? Probably. If I made it through, would it drive me insane? I didn’t doubt it. Was it worth it? That was a question I still wasn’t sure of. Of course life was worth it, but my life wasn’t your average run of the mill life. My life turned into a puzzle where none of the pieces fit. I didn’t notice Holly’s change in demeanor while I was having my internal conversation. When my eyes found hers, they were stone. Her entire body was rigid and unmoving as she stared dumbfounded at me. Whatever she assumed I was keeping from her, obviously this wasn’t it.

“Holly?” I reached my hand out and set it on her arm. Flinching, she took a step back, her head shaking from side to side.

“It can’t be,” she said, her voice a mere whisper.

The shock on her face was enough to get me out of bed. I edged closer, unsure what to think. Holly was a confident woman, but right now she looked like a lost little girl. Her eyes were wide as they stared the floor. Her head shook like she was discounting an unspoken thought, and her entire body, which normally stood tall, sagged.

“I found a way to break it.” I kept my voice positive, hoping the tone would shake her out of the funk. Holly dragged her gaze from the floor and met mine. There was confusion, hurt, and anger in those glassy green eyes—emotions I didn’t understand. Anger was a given, I expected that, but where did the hurt and confusion come from? It wasn’t unheard of that a vampire bonded with someone, even a witch, but that usually meant a relationship was established. In my case, the bond was made out of deceit. I had no clue why Ian wanted to bond himself to me, but whatever the reason, it was for his own personal gain in one way or another.

“How?” Holly mumbled.

I was silent for a moment as I considered how she would react to more bad news. “Aiden has talked the VC into breaking the bond, but they want a meeting with the NAWC. They have a solution to end the war.”

Holly was quiet for a moment. “I’ll call them and set up a meeting.” Without another word, she turned and left my room.

15

Two days passed after I told Holly about my bond with Ian. She stuck to her word and called the VC. I didn’t question why she acted so funny or so willing to speak with the vampire council, I was just happy things were working out. The vampires were arriving tonight where they would lay out their plan for peace amongst our species. Holly ordered me to stay nearby just in case the VC decided to break my bond tonight. I doubted they would, they’d most likely invite me to their headquarters so they could take their time drinking from me—a thought I didn’t want to spend too much time on.