Bloody merry, p.8
Bloody Merry, page 8
Jinx shook her head, but I could see the hunger burning in her gaze. “No. It’s not right.”
I leaned forward, reaching out to brush her cheek with my fingertips. She didn’t pull away. “You deserve this, Juliet. You deserve to take what you want for once, instead of always waiting for Jector’s permission.”
Her breath hitched at my touch, eyes fluttering half-closed. I felt the connection between us strengthen, like a thread pulled taut from my mind to hers. She wanted this. She wanted to feed from me, to take my strength into herself. I could feel that desire like an ache.
“Jector doesn’t control you,” I whispered. “You’re so much more than just his consort, Juliet. You have your own desires, your own needs. It’s alright to indulge them.”
She surged forward, pinning me to the wall behind us as her fangs sank into my neck. A sharp cry escaped me at the pain, but I didn’t fight her. I let the connection between us guide her, pouring all the desire and hunger I could muster through that thread into her mind.
The pain lessened quickly, morphing into something like pleasure as she fed in earnest, her own satisfaction and the rush of power from my blood feeding back to me through our connection. I felt some of my strength fading, being drawn into her, but less than I might have expected. The magic didn’t require an incantation, just focus. I had to reach beyond the confines of myself, to draw on the power of my own blood, regardless of its vessel—mine or hers.
Juliet moaned against my throat, hands clenching on my arms. I stroked her hair, murmuring encouragement and endearments as she fed. We were bonded now, in a way, and I meant to use that to my advantage. She would be mine, just as I needed her to be.
She drew back finally, licking the wound on my neck to close it as she gazed at me through half-lidded eyes. I could feel the thrum of power in her, my strength added to hers. It was intoxicating in its own way, and I struggled not to get lost in the feedback loop of sensation and emotion between us.
“You see?” she purred, tracing a finger down my cheek. “You’re mine now, little witch. And I’ll keep you as long as you continue to please me.”
I forced a smile, inclining my head in acquiescence. “As you say, my lady.” The honorific was bitter on my tongue, but necessary. I couldn’t afford to anger her now, not when I was so close.
She laughed, the sound rich and throaty, and pressed closer against me. I endured the unwanted intimacy, hiding my revulsion behind a mask of devotion. I had her now, but I couldn’t reveal that just yet. Patience, I counseled myself. The fruits of victory would be all the sweeter for waiting to pluck them.
“You’re learning,” she purred. “Perhaps Jector was wrong about you after all. Stay clever, little witch, and I’ll keep you as my pet.”
“As you command,” I said softly.
She laughed again and released me, smoothing her hands down the front of my shirt. “Until next time, then.” With a wink, she sashayed out of my cell, the door clanging shut behind her.
I sagged back against the wall, pressing a hand to my neck. The wound was already closed, but I could still feel the echo of her fangs in my flesh. Revulsion and anger warred with grim satisfaction in my gut. The trap was set. Now all I needed was the right bait to spring it.
Chapter 10
The cell door creaked open and a disheveled man stumbled in, collapsing to his knees. His wrists were slashed, blood dripping onto the stone floor.
My fangs throbbed at the scent, a primal hunger awakening in my gut. I hadn’t fed in days. Before I could stop myself, I seized the man and sank my teeth into his flesh. The hot, metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth as I drank deeply.
When the last drops were drained, I cast the corpse aside. My veins thrummed with renewed vitality, but a bitter aftertaste lingered. Using humans as cattle went against my moral code.
The door creaked again. Jinx sauntered through, a wicked grin splitting her pale face. Her fiery gaze raked over me and a surge of heat coursed through my body. What the hell was wrong with me? I wasn’t into women. Not like that. But since she bit me, with my blood in her system, there was something different about both of us. Something we couldn’t resist. Animalistic. Primal. Reptilian.
She wanted me. I couldn’t tell her no.
Jinx pressed me against the wall, her lithe body molded to mine, and nuzzled my neck. A jolt of pleasure shot straight to my core. My breaths came fast and shallow as she trailed kisses up to my ear.
“I’ve been waiting for this,” she purred, nipping at my earlobe. “Fresh off a feed. It’ll be even more intense than before!”
Revulsion and desire warred within me. I didn’t want this. Did I?
Sharp teeth pierced my skin. Ecstasy and agony blurred as more of my blood flooded her mouth, our life forces merging. It was depraved, obscene, but I craved more.
I clutched at her, fingers tangling in her pink hair. When she pulled back with a gasp, crimson stained her lips. Our gaze locked and understanding passed between us. This was bigger than either of us. We were bound now, connected in a way I never could’ve imagined.
“Take me to bed,” I rasped.
A slow, wicked smile spread across her face. “My pleasure. And yours.”
We stumbled through her ostentatious mansion, kissing and clawing at each other’s clothes. By the time we tumbled onto her bed, we wore only tattered remnants.
Jinx straddled me, pinning my wrists above my head. The ache between my legs bordered on painful. I needed her, as much as I hated to admit it.
“Beg for it,” she purred, rolling her hips against mine.
I gritted my teeth, refusing to give her the satisfaction. She nipped at my throat, each bite harder than the last, and I shuddered with pleasure and pain.
“Please,” I gasped. She pulled back, eyebrows raised in challenge, and I growled in frustration. “Dammit, Jinx. Take me!”
Triumph lit her eyes as she leaned down to kiss me, hard and hungry. I kissed her back with equal fervor, desire burning away any thoughts of resistance. Our tongues danced and dueled, tasting of blood and lust.
She exposed her neck to me. “Bite me! Drink of me as I drank of you!”
I didn’t protest. My fangs pierced her skin, one more set of piercings to accompany dozens, and her blood filled my waiting mouth. The connection between us swelled even more, to where resisting it was pointless. I didn’t want to resist, anyway. I only wanted one thing: more!
She slid down my body, leaving a trail of bites in her wake, before settling between my thighs. A cry escaped my lips as she tasted me for the first time, and I fisted my hands in her hair, torn between pushing her away and pulling her closer.
I was at her mercy now, in more ways than one, and we both knew it.
She lavished attention on my most sensitive flesh until I was writhing and pleading incoherently. Only then did she slide back up my body and position herself at my entrance.
“Look at me,” she commanded, eyes glowing crimson with hunger and desire. I obeyed, trapped in her gaze. “You’re mine now, Mercy.”
She thrust her fingers into me then, hard and deep, and I cried out at the mix of pain and ecstasy. Our blood bond surged between us, amplifying every sensation until I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began.
We moved together as if we’d been lovers for centuries rather than mere hours. Every touch, every kiss, every bite was familiar yet new, a contradiction that made no sense and perfect sense all at once.
The coil of pleasure in my core wound tighter and tighter until I thought I might shatter from the intensity. Jinx’s movements grew erratic as she neared her peak as well, but she kept her eyes on mine.
“Come for me,” she rasped, reaching between us to stroke my throbbing flesh. Her touch sent me tumbling over the edge into an abyss of ecstasy. My vision went white as I came undone around her, crying out her name.
She followed soon after, burying her face against my neck as she found her release. We held each other for long moments, panting harshly, still joined in the most intimate of ways.
A flicker of movement caught my eye, and my gaze landed on the lamp sitting innocently on the nightstand. In that instant, clarity returned in a rush of horror and dismay.
I shoved Jinx off me with a snarl, ignoring her startled protest. “How did you get that lamp?”
She pouted, reaching for me again. “Don’t worry about it, baby. It’s just an old lamp.”
I slapped her hands away and bared my fangs. “Answer the damn question!”
Her eyes narrowed, and for a second I glimpsed the predator lurking beneath her punk rock exterior. Then she sighed and ran a hand through her pink hair. “I’ve had it for a while. Before you, even.”
“That’s impossible,” I spat. “How could you possibly know about that lamp? Or anything about me, for that matter?”
A sly smile curved her lips as she traced a finger down my chest. “You really haven’t figured it out yet? This is my wish, Mercy. The world I’ve always wanted, crafted from a single wish to give you the power to make it happen.”
I stared at her, stunned speechless. She couldn’t possibly know—but she did. She knew everything.
Jinx brushed her knuckles over my cheek, her touch gentle and almost reverent. “The djinn showed me thousands of possibilities and the choices that could lead to each one. In only one did I find what I thought I wanted. Jector back with me! You were the only one whose choices could change to make it so.” Her eyes shone with fervent belief. “You were the key to my heart’s desire, so I gave you the rest of my wishes. The djinn insisted you wouldn’t disappoint, and you didn’t! All you had to do was think it once, that you’d wished you’d killed Alice when you had the chance. When we fought at that club, and you fought with Ladinas and Alice after, I knew we could do it. The djinn and I! So I wished him to you. A fleeting thought on your part was all it took for our djinn to act!”
The full scope of her madness and manipulation crashed over me in a wave of horror and fury. This twisted reality, the lives destroyed, all of it resulted from her selfish wish.
Rage ignited in my veins, hot and primal. I bared my fangs again and threw myself at her with a roar.
She darted away, grabbing the lamp off the nightstand and holding it aloft. “Ah ah ah! Not so fast.”
I skidded to a stop, trembling with the effort to restrain myself. One wrong move and she might smash the lamp to pieces.
Jinx tilted her head, regarding me with a sly smile. “Going to be a good little vampire for me? We have such fun games left to play.”
“There will be no more games,” I growled. “Give me the lamp or I swear I’ll rip your throat out.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t mean that. You love me! You want me! And even if you don’t, I have what you want now. If I break this lamp, the djinn’s power will be released and there won’t be any wishes left to set things right.” She shook her head, pink hair swaying. “We have something special, you and I. This is better than I ever imagined! You were right before. I deserve better than Jector. I deserve this! I deserve you! And you want it, too. You can’t deny it. Give yourself over to what we felt together before. We can kill Jector, both of us, and be together. Two queens, the world at our service!”
Panic and rage warred inside me as she raised the lamp higher, poised to dash it against the wall. I reached out with the blood connection between us and seized control of her limbs through sheer force of will.
“Don’t,” I whispered. “You have no idea what you’re about to unleash. The djinn said if his last wish isn’t used, if his power is released unfettered, it could be devastating. It might even destroy the world!”
Jinx struggled against my control, her eyes flashing with fury. “Give yourself to me. We share blood now. Trust me, it cannot be undone now that we’ve both fed from each other! When two vampires feed as we have from one another, the bond is forever. Your blood in me, and mine in you. We will feel what we felt for eternity!”
I shook my head. “Juliet... I...”
“If you reset the world, we might forget each other, but we’ll sense the loss! We can’t risk that! I know this isn’t your ideal world, but at least we know we can be together here. We’ll kill your damn brother! We can make this world whatever we want.”
“I won’t forget you,” I said. “We’re bound by blood and the lamp’s power. That’s how it works. Those who hold the lamp, who make the wishes. They don’t forget when the djinn changes the past. They remember it all. We won’t forget each other. And if you truly don’t need Jector, let me set it right. We can enjoy a better world. A place without all of this devastation. We can enjoy it together.”
I wasn’t sure she bought it. It’s hard to be convincing when you don’t believe your own words. I was no longer overwhelmed by my passions, nurtured by my blood in her veins. The stark shock of the truth snapped me out of it. But if she believed it, for even a second, I could fix this. I could call the djinn and set things right.
And she saw the deceit in her tear-filled eyes. She raised the lamp overhead, preparing to drop it. “For never was a story of more woe. Than this of Juliet and her deceitful, vampire hoe!”
Far be it from me to disregard a bastardized Shakespeare reference. But I didn’t have time to appreciate it. I focused my will. Whatever control I had over her because of my blood in her veins. I had to use it. “You won’t drop it. You can’t drop it. I won’t let you!”
Jinx screamed in agony. “You bit me too. This shit goes both ways! If you can control me, I can control you too!”
I resisted the urge to make a going “both ways” joke, which would have been fitting given our recent encounter. Never thought I’d go there but, you know, you live forever, you experiment eventually. It was kind of fun, but it wasn’t like I was of sound mind.
Even as I fought against Jinx, I couldn’t deny that there was a pull between us, an attraction that I could easily succumb to if I allowed it. But at the moment, the thought of everyone I’d lost—of Mel and Muggs especially, and even goddamn Alice—overpowered the lust elicited by our shared blood.
Jinx wasn’t a witch, but with her blood in me and mine in hers, it was hard to tell where my volition began and hers ended. And vice versa. Trying to force Jinx to hold on to that lamp took more concentration than I had.
The lamp fell from her hands. It was like I saw it happen in slow motion. My entire world falling to the ground, everything I ever knew, the people I cared about, broken into a hundred pieces as the lamp struck porcelain tile and shards scattered across the floor.
An inky magic exploded out from what used to be the djinn’s lamp. It blasted past us in a breath-stealing surge.
I seized Jinx by the shoulders and shook her, rage boiling inside me. “What have you done?”
The ground started to tremble and buck beneath our feet, tremors rippling out from the shattered lamp.
Jinx just smiled, eyes glazed and pupils blown wide. “We’ll always be together now,” she purred. “We are vampires. The world can burn, but we will survive. Nothing else matters.”
I wanted to slap that serene expression right off her face. “You stupid girl! We’re not invincible. And where are we going to find blood if everyone else in this godforsaken reality dies?”
Her smile faltered for a moment, a flash of confusion passing over her features. Then her expression settled back into blissful madness. “The end of everything will be our eternity. You and me, just the way it was always meant to be.”
“You’re out of your mind,” I hissed, shaking her again. Rage and terror warred inside me as the tremors grew stronger, rattling the walls of the mansion. Whatever the djinn’s power was, he was right. It was too much. It was destructive.
Jinx wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me close. “You know you wanted this,” she whispered against my lips. “Admit you feel it too. Our souls were made to burn together.”
I wrenched myself out of her grasp, stumbling away from her toxic touch. She was wrong—so utterly wrong. We were not meant to be together. I felt the twisted connection between us too, but there was a difference between us. I could be a little crazy. Jinx was a straight-up sociopath. Just like my brother, her boyfriend.
Of course, I’d once been with Ramon. Maybe I had a type. Jinx certainly did. What did that say about me?
Jinx’s expression hardened at my rejection, lips peeling back from her fangs in a snarl. “After everything I did for you, you ungrateful bitch. I gave you the world, and this is how you repay me?” Her hands curled into claws, and for a moment I thought she might attack me.
Then a tremendous cracking sound rent the air, and a fissure split the floor between us. Jinx shrieked, arms pinwheeling for balance, but the ground gave way beneath her. With a despairing wail, she tumbled into the yawning chasm and vanished from sight.
The earth continued to shake and break apart; the mansion crumbling around me. But I could only stand in place, stunned by how swiftly everything had fallen apart. The end of the world was here, brought on by one girl’s madness and misguided obsession.
Because of Jinx, we were all doomed. Even now, I could feel the djinn’s power rising, an unstoppable tide of chaos and destruction. She had gotten her wish after all, in a way—we would be together forever, locked in the ruins of this world she had built.
And as the ground opened up to swallow me as well, one last thought echoed in my mind. What a crazy bitch.
Chapter 11
Darkness engulfed me as I plummeted down the endless chasm. The crack in the earth had swallowed me whole when the djinn’s magic exploded. I’d been falling for what seemed like an eternity, resigned to my fate, when suddenly I spotted my wand tumbling through the void alongside me. I lurched and grasped desperately, finally securing the wand in my grip. I knew no spell could likely save me now, but having something, anything, was better than the emptiness.
