Bound, p.1
Bound, page 1
part #1 of Blended Souls Series
Bound
Blended Souls Book One
M.J. Caan
Copyright © 2019 by M.J. Caan
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
As always, this is for Himself. Thank you B.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Also by M.J. Caan
About the Author
Introduction
This book takes place in the Trinity Cove Universe that was established in my Shifter Wars trilogy. Blended Souls is meant to be read and enjoyed separate from the Shifter Wars with all new characters introduced. Occasionally there may be references to an event or major character from the parent series, but it is not necessary to ready the Shifter Wars to enjoy this work. Of course, if you would like to pick up a copy of The Girl With The Good Magic, the first in the Shifter Wars series, feel free. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy this Paranormal Romance.
1
Piper
The kitchen smelled like garlic, onion, fresh tomatoes and olive oil. All my favorite scents rolled into one delicious meal. Eying the pan, I decided to go a little heavy on the garlic. No one had yet been able to prove that it repelled the vampires, but no one had disproved that either. Even if it didn’t technically keep them at bay, they certainly did not like the way it tasted. And considering that my sister was dating one, any little thing I could do to dissuade him from coming over was a blessing.
I went to my fridge and took out a handful of fresh basil. The smell as I started to chop it was the icing on the proverbial cake for me.
“Piper Winters, I think you’ve outdone yourself this time,” I said out loud.
I had a bad habit of talking to myself when cooking. Everyone at the restaurant was used to it by now, and at home it was usually just me and Pepper, and she could care less about my ramblings as she rested comfortably at my feet, waiting for the odd piece of chicken to fall within range of her quick jaws.
I looked down and smiled at her. In turn, she gave me the eyes…those sad, puppy-dog eyes that made my heart break. “Fine, but this is the last piece.” I reached over and plucked a piece of crispy bacon off one of the smaller chopping blocks I was using and dropped it down to her. Then, scooping up the remainder of the bacon, I tossed it into the saucepan with the tomato mixture before turning and doing the same thing with the diced chicken. After adding the basil, a little salt and pepper and raising the temperature of the burner enough to start the sauce boiling, I waved my hand over the pan, making the aroma waft up my nose.
Heaven.
I checked the loaf of French bread I had rising on the counter under a towel. Perfect. It would be ready to go in the oven soon, and dinner would be served. A quick glance at the clock on the wall told me I was right on time. The bread would be just cool enough to cut but still warm enough to melt the butter when our guests arrived for dinner.
Guests. I used that word loosely.
Sherry, my sister, knew how I felt about the supernaturals moving into town. Most were fine. They minded their own affairs, mixing with the townies who had decided to stay in Trinity Cove, helping the local economy and even opening businesses that supported both humans and supernaturals. But there were the occasional bad apples; and in my eyes, none were worse than the vampires.
For the most part, they weren’t allowed in town. At least not at first, right after the Veil that separated this world from the supernatural one fell. The few that were allowed here were relegated to the area called the Shade. It was called that because it occupied the fringe space just outside of town, where the ever-present night of Trinity Cove met the normal, day-lit space around us. The Shade wasn’t perpetually in the dark, but also wasn’t seated in the bright light where the sun still shone. It was an in-between, and most vampires weren’t comfortable there, so they shunned it, preferring to remain in the Otherworld where they came from.
But there were always those stubborn few that hung in there like ticks. Determined to make a life for themselves and become part of the new society being created in Trinity Cove. Most of the other supernaturals shied away from the vamps. They had terrible reputations and their hunger reportedly didn’t stop at just human blood.
Only the vampire known as Elion was tolerated openly in town. He had stood beside the witch Allie Cain and helped her defeat Mallus, his hated brother who had tried to bring an end to life as we know it in our world. But Elion was rarely seen lately. The rumor was he was a wanted man—er, vampire—because he turned on his own kind. There were also rumors that he had found love with a human and had gone into hiding with her. Either way, I was just glad he no longer popped up in town, often surrounded by adoring hordes of female fans.
One of those fans had been my sister. She had gone from fan to vampire groupie which is what led her to be in the position she was in now. Namely, dating one of the blood suckers.
The thought of it made my blood boil. Boil enough that I decided to add an extra stone of garlic to the sauce. I couldn’t help but smile to myself, the mental image of Sherry’s boyfriend…wait…can they be called boyfriends? Some of them were old as dirt…maybe I should refer to him as her Ancient Man Friend? Either way, I was envisioning him biting into a not so small piece of garlic and heaving wildly as his throat closed up.
Pepper snapped me out of my fantasy with some loud whimpering as she marched over to the back door that led from the kitchen to the yard. She pawed at the door before sitting and turning her head to stare at me.
“Oh baby, can you hold it just a minute more? The sauce is just a bit away from simmering.” I eyed the pot and the temperature. Once it came to a bubble, I could turn it down to a simmer and take her out, but I couldn’t leave it before then. “Sherry! Hey, Sherry, can you come down for a second?” I called to my sister. She was somewhere upstairs, probably in the bathroom getting ready for her dinner date. “Sherry can you please come take Pepper out? I’m in the middle of cooking…”
One glance over at Pepper and I could see we were probably seconds away from an accident.
“Okay, fine.” I grabbed a hand towel off the counter and wiped bits of garlic skin on it before rushing over to the door. I turned on the light that flooded much of the backyard and opened the door. The thought of letting her go out off-leash at night filled me with dread, and I offered up a silent prayer for her to stay where I could see her, do her business and come right back.
As soon as I opened the door, she floored it out of the house, making a beeline for the back of the yard where the floodlight didn’t penetrate.
“Pepper, no! Come back here right now!”
The sudden hiss of tomato sauce hitting a hot stove caught my attention before I could set foot outside.
“Damnit.” I turned to the stove, adjusting the temperature down enough to let the sauce come to a simmer before rushing outside. “Pepper! Pepper come here, girl!”
I ran to the edge of the light, trying peer into the darkness. There were about one hundred feet beyond the floodlight, and after that the woods at the back of the house began. My heart was pounding at the thought of stepping close to the large oaks and pines in front of me. Even before there was only darkness here, I was reluctant to go into the woods. As a kid I was afraid that the things that go bump in the night might decide to wander around in the daylight in those woods.
Now of course, those things wandered our streets freely. God knew what they did in the woods. I wasn’t about to step foot in them…still, there was Pepper. Cocking my head to one side, I thought I heard something. A low whimper somewhere just in front of me, just outside the protection of the light. “Pepper? Baby is that you?” I inched forward, willing my heart to slow down before it leaped out of my chest.
“Girl, get a grip and go get your dog,” I murmured. Fine. I made up my mind and took a step into the dark, giving my eyes a second to adjust. A shape was crouched in front of me, and I could just make out a bit of fur. I started to reach out to grab her by her collar when I heard her bark.
From behind me.
Whirling around, I saw Pepper a few paces behind me. Her head was down, hackles raised, and I heard a low warning rumble emanating from her chest. Instantly I felt a swath of cold water break across my back as I slowly turned back around to face whatever was only a couple of feet away from me. It was still there, only now it seemed larger than before; no longer whimpering, but definitely focused on me.
My breath froze in my lungs and I backed away slowly, never taking my eyes off whatever the hell it was. Just when I thought I was nearly back in the light, the thing looked up. It raised its head, and two glowing y ellow eyes focused on me. It didn’t move, but I heard it lick its jaws. The sound of a very large, very wet tongue sliding over what I imagined to be impossibly large canines was all the incentive I needed. Adrenaline kicked in as I turned tail and sprinted for the house, screaming for Pepper to follow.
To my relief, she ran just ahead of me, darting through the door a few seconds before I reach the patio. Stepping into the kitchen, I chanced a look back, half expecting something ferocious to leap through the air and attack me with its face. But there was nothing there. No fur, fangs or claws.
I slammed the door shut and stared through the glass for a moment. Was it real? Had my imagination and fear just gotten the best of me for no reason?
A hand clapped down on my shoulder and I screamed. I whirled around only to come face to face with my sister, who was now screaming as well.
“Jesus, Sherry!” I exclaimed, “don’t sneak up on me like that!”
Sherry looked at me incredulously, one hand on her chest. “I didn’t! I came down here to ask you if you needed help with dinner. I was actually calling your name when you came running in the door like a bat out of hell. Are you okay?”
Apt choice of words. It wasn’t a bat, but I’d bet my bottom dollar on it being from Hell.
“I’m fine. I just…I was out with Pepper and she ran away is all…”
Sherry looked at me intently for a minute before shrugging and moving over to the stove. “My God, this smells amazing. But…is that garlic?”
“Just enough to flavor, but not enough to do any harm,” I lied. At least I hoped it was a lie.
“So, what can I do?” Sherry asked, looking around.
I was not about to fall for that. We knew the one and only time she tried to cook, we both ended up with food poisoning. “Actually, we’re all good. If you want to set the table, I’m just going to pop the bread in.”
The doorbell rang and I felt my heart somersault again. Sherry bounced gleefully, clapping her hands before running out of the kitchen through the sitting room and to the front door. I took a deep breath and continued prepping the food as I heard her open the door and exchange words with someone on the other side. I couldn’t quite make out what was being said, but I heard Sherry’s laugh followed quickly by more laughter from a male. More words, and while I still couldn’t catch what was being said, I could now make out two distinct male voices.
Two. Great.
I heard them approach just as I was rising from closing the oven door. While I was bent over, I made sure to free my silver crucifix from my blouse so that it rested in full view. The hair on the back of my neck stood as I turned to face our dinner guests.
Two vampires stepped into the kitchen, hands outstretched in greeting.
“Piper, this is Fain,” said my sister, “and please don’t be mad, but I asked him to bring along a friend. Someone that we thought you might get along with. This is Marin.”
If I were trying to muster up a smile, I felt it freeze immediately. I reached out to take his hand and nod. “Nice to meet you, Marin.”
“And you as well,” he said. He was smiling, if you could call it that, but in a way that made my flesh crawl. I shot Sherry a look that let her know I was going to murder her later.
Two vamps. In my house. And one of them thought he was going to get his fangs into me.
Fuck my life.
2
Piper
The dinner went exactly as I expected.
Well, with the slight exception of the vamps’ heads not exploding from all the garlic. On the contrary, they actually complimented the food. That alone raised a ton of questions in my mind as I watched Fain shovel another forkful into his mouth.
“So,” said Fain as he dabbed at the corners of his mouth with a napkin, “if there is something you need to say or ask, feel free.” He dropped his napkin and leveled his black eyes at me.
It was like looking at a wild animal; and with anything wild, you didn’t show fear. I held his gaze, refusing to look away.
“Let me guess, you thought we did not eat, right?” he said.
I cleared my throat, and against my better judgment I spoke up. “Well since you mentioned it…”
Sherry looked at me, aghast. “Piper, that is hardly appropriate!”
“No, no, it’s okay,” said Fain, waving his hand dismissively at my sister. The fact that he made that gesture annoyed me to no end. “She is the host and has every right to ask whatever she needs to in order to be more comfortable around us. The fact is, while we don’t need human food to survive, many of us rather enjoy the act of eating. Chewing, licking, tasting…swallowing.” He sat back, his face a mask of smugness that made me wish for a large stake and a side of Buffy strength.
“So, then, if you can eat normal food, why…you know,” I said.
“Drink blood? While we can eat, it does nothing to sustain us. We don’t absorb any nutritional value from it. Not like you humans. But blood? That’s a different story. It sustains us; elevates us. It is the source of our power. It’s what keeps us young.” He placed his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his hands as he again fixed his dark eyes on me. “So the garlic that is in this rather exquisite pasta only served to enhance the taste.”
He smiled, licking his lips and making my stomach turn. I looked down, twirling more of the spaghetti on my fork, hoping he couldn’t see the red creeping across my cheeks.
Luckily, Sherry sensed my discomfort and came to my rescue.
“Piper, Fain was telling me that Marin is thinking about buying a house and moving into Trinity soon. I told Fain you were studying for your real estate license before…well, everything changed.”
Fuck. Yeah, scratch coming to my rescue.
“Well, that was a pipe dream,” I said. “When most of the humans left town, there wasn’t much need for realtors anymore.”
“Oh, I disagree,” said Fain. “I know many vampires that would love to own a home close to all of…” —he looked around— “this.”
I reached for my wine glass and took a sip to steel myself. “I thought vampires were staying in the outskirts of town?”
Fain shrugged, lifting his own glass. “We want to be part of this amazing new town. There is much we can offer the human world.”
“Oh…like what? A new kind of anemia?” The look he gave me instantly made me regret what I had said. I ignored him and turned to Marin. “What part of town are you thinking about?”
Marin looked at me for the first time, glancing quickly at Fain as if to silently ask him if it were okay to speak. “I like the old townhomes lining the streets that run behind the main town square. I want to be close to all the action…away from the solitude of the forests and hills.”
“Oh wow,” said Sherry. “Before our mother passed away and left this house to us, Piper was looking at those very houses!”
I shot my sister a look, letting her know she had gone too far.
“What happened to your mother?” asked Marin.
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “That’s not something we need to talk about.” I hoped my voice was stern enough to let them know this was not up for discussion.
Sherry looked from me to Fain and back to me, silently pleading to drop this.
Fain’s eyes flickered and his brown knitted. “We are all curious about human relationships when it comes to the familial units. You see, many of us have origins that differ from yours. We weren’t…raised the way you were. We were not taught values. We learned what we wanted; we took.” His eyes cut deeply into mine, yet still I refused to look away.
