Toil And Trouble Read online

  All employment opportunities would be approved by the Coven head and voted on by the entire Coven. The document was well-planned and comprehensive and I had nothing to do with it. And I had no issues with having nothing to do with it.

  It was now a mere two weeks until we would meet Bella’s army at Culloden, and the stone of dread in my stomach seemed to be expanding. Every night I woke with heartburn and worried the stress was burning a huge hole in my stomach lining. Good thing I could heal myself.

  One night I woke with my heart racing and it had nothing to do with heartburn or worry about the war. Nope, it had everything to do with an X rated dream about…Sinjin. Mortified, I forced myself to get up and tried to eradicate the explicit images from my mind. I was shocked my subconscious mind had concocted such erotic images about someone whom I still wasn’t sure how I felt. Despite my sense of growing affection for Sinjin since he’d now saved me twice (once, at Bella’s from Ryder, and twice, from becoming canine), those feelings were nothing compared to what I felt for Rand …or the feelings I was in the process of attempting to bottle up for Rand.

  Speaking of Sinjin, I’d drunk his blood each time before practice and luckily, I’d grown somewhat used to it—now I didn’t hallucinate, but it always gave me a slight headache that faded after about twenty minutes.

  Also, at each meeting we attempted to locate the prophetess. Sinjin would take my hands in his as I sought her out with my mind’s eye, using astral projection. So far, we had no clue as to her whereabouts or identity.

  Running late for my next training session with Sinjin, I opened the rusty iron gate that scratched like the cackle of an old witch. Guided by a beam of moonlight, I found my way into the garden, inhaling the sweet scent of roses. Rand wasn’t a gardener, he hired laborers for that but he dictated which roses to plant. And for some reason, I thought the fact that he’d ordered roses of every hue was romantic.

  The garden was not huge—a stone fence approximately two hundred feet by two hundred feet, surrounded the rainbow of roses. A lone bench sat in the middle of the square and from it you could not only view the garden’s beauty, but also the forest at the east end of Pelham Manor which was graced by a seasonal creek.

  “My lovely, Poppet,” Sinjin said and I turned to find him leaning against the wall, outlined in shadows.

  “Hi, Sinjin,” I said and joined him in the umbra of darkness.

  Sinjin smiled and his hair was so shiny black in the moonlight, it looked like spilt oil. He bit into his wrist and held it out to me. I latched onto it with my mouth, trying to ignore the metallic taste of blood which totally grossed me out. I closed my eyes and sucked until he forced me to stop.

  “You are getting a bit overzealous,” he said with a smile and licked his wound until the skin closed over and healed.

  “Maybe your blood is addictive,” I retorted, wiping my sleeve across my mouth. “Do you know that I can run five miles now and not even have to rest?”

  “This does not sound like much of a feat, Pet.”

  “You don’t know how much I abhor exercise,” I laughed. And that wasn’t all I could do. I could easily lift over one hundred pounds and could move as fast as I could think. I still couldn’t materialize like Sinjin could but I was faster than any otherworldly creatures.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and regarded me with amusement. “What else have you noticed?”

  “My magic is much stronger,” I started, feeling like I had to prove myself. “And I can focus on things more clearly. What used to take me minutes to accomplish now takes seconds.”

  I didn’t want to mention the fact that I’d had a sex dream about him and imagined his blood had something to do with that too. Even though I couldn’t deny I was attracted to Sinjin, I was firmly resolved not to get involved. The wound from Rand was still open and weeping…but only when I thought about it so I resolved not to.

  As to Rand, he was avoiding me. Whenever I entered a room, he always seemed to find some reason to leave. That was fine by me. I’d meant it when I said I’d sworn off men. And the more I thought about it, the more I decided that if we did prevail at the end of the war, I was out of here and totally done with this lifestyle. I didn’t know where I’d go yet, or what I’d do, but I was done all the same. And that thought offered relief as well as sorrow.

  “I am pleased to hear it, Love,” Sinjin said.

  “Has anyone noticed you’ve been disappearing from the battle each night?”

  He shook his head. “If anyone noticed, they have not said. But, training is useless for me—practice does not make me a stronger vampire, only time does.”

  I nodded and examined a velvety rose petal, not wanting to look at him, lest images from my dream revisit me. And I really didn’t want to admit that those images created a fire in the pit of my stomach, an ache.

  “Are you ready, Pet?”

  I nodded and offered both my hands. His grip was cold and sent a chill down my body. I closed my eyes and descended past the inky blackness of my eyelids in order to see into another dimension that might offer a hint of this so called prophetess.

  Nothing.

  “This is a waste of our time,” I said.

  “Let us try again next eve.”

  As I started to release his hand, I was struck by a vision so lucid, it was like I was right there—in the freezing snow surrounded by pine trees. There was nothing else in sight—just thousands of acres of forest. I looked down to find the snow up to my knees. I crunched through it, cringing as the icy cold penetrated me to the core.

  “What is it?” Sinjin asked.

  The vision immediately vanished and I let go of his hands. “Just a blur of trees and snow,” I said, shrugging. “No prophetess.”

  Sinjin offered me a smile and backed up a step. “Shall we begin our lessons, Love?”

  I nodded, taking off my jacket and dropping it to the ground. I strolled toward the center of the garden square. The bench was blocking us until I telekinetically moved it to the corner of the garden, simply using my mind. I could have done it before I’d feasted on Sinjin’s blood but it wouldn’t have been as quick nor as easy.

  “Impressive execution,” Sinjin said, approvingly.

  “Thanks, see what I mean about being able to move things a lot more quickly? I used…” I couldn’t finish my sentence because he was suddenly on top of me.

  He threw me onto the ground and I landed on my stomach, breaking my fall with my hands. My palms stung but that was about it—I’d managed to protect my chest and stomach, just like Sinjin had taught me. He instantly pinned my neck to the ground with one hand and tried to incapacitate me with his weight. As he pinned me, I managed to push against the ground and flip myself, landing on my back, but still beneath him.

  He smiled, aiming for my jugular but I was a good student and hastily karate chopped his neck, before he could touch mine. The blow momentarily stunned him (or maybe he was acting) but either way, it gave me enough time to regain my balance. When I glanced up, he was gone. I jumped to my feet and braced them a shoulder’s width apart, listening for him. His blood allowed me to hear him on the wind, so I knew precisely where he’d materialize. As soon as I heard a slight swoosh, I turned to my right, kicking hard and planted my foot right where I wanted to, in his midsection.

  He was thrown back about five feet and landed on the hard stone ground. It must have hurt like an SOB.

  “Oh my God, Sinjin, are you okay?” I asked, running over to him and bending down.

  He was flat on his back and just as I reached out to touch him, he grasped my ankle and pulled until I lost my footing and fell alongside him. I landed on my butt, but managed to reach down, just below the small of my back to pull out a stake. From our first lesson, I learned I should arm myself with a stake since I couldn’t create one, my magic being useless against vampires. I rolled over and onto his stomach until I was straddling him, and whipping out the stake, I held it just above his breastbone.

  �
�Bam,” I smiled, “One dead vampire.”

  He grabbed hold of the stake and tossed it aside. It clattered against the cobbled stone, before settling uselessly near the bench. “Very well done, Pet.”

  “Were you going easy on me?” I eyed him speculatively, suddenly very aware that I was straddling him. His muscular body felt incredibly cold below me, like a statue. Although I knew I should get up, I just couldn’t bring myself to move.

  “No, Poppet, you are learning quickly, it seems.”

  At the feel of something stirring at the junction of his thighs, I started to stand but he held me in place.

  “Do not move,” he whispered. “Your heat feels incredible.”

  “Sinjin,” I reprimanded. “I didn’t sign up for sex talk.”

  He sighed. “I am aware, my little warrior, and you are sticking to your oath.”

  He meant my celibacy oath and, yes, I was sticking to it.

  “I apologize, Love, I haven’t supped as yet and it makes my attraction to you that much stronger.”

  “Whose fault is that?” I asked, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy again. I stood up and took a few steps, only to stumble. Sinjin materialized behind me, grabbing my arms to steady me.

  “I think I drank too much of your blood,” I said, holding onto him for balance.

  “Perhaps we should rest?” He assisted me to the bench.

  “Good idea,” I answered and closed my eyes to stop the spinning. Would I ever get accustomed to Sinjin’s blood? I guess this reaction was better than hallucinating but it was still a close second. I needed to change the subject, to focus on something other than the queasiness currently residing in my stomach. I decided to ask Sinjin a question I’d been wondering about for a while. “Why aren’t you worried about Bella’s terms?”

  “Why should I be?”

  I glanced up at him in surprise. “Um, I would be. That whole part about putting you to death for treason, I think it was?”

  He shook his head. “Her vanity was crushed after she threw herself at me and I played her for a fool.”

  “Well, fool or not, she clearly wants you dead.”

  “Does that bother you, Love?”

  I frowned. “Of course it does!”

  He chuckled a low, rumbling sound. “Do not let it concern you. The good always prevail, do they not?”

  I laughed. “You sound like an excerpt from Jane Eyre or something. Who talks like you do? You are in the twenty first century, you know?”

  “It is my way I know, Love. This is who I am.”

  I nodded and held my head with my hands, wishing I could be so sure of myself, so unapologetic. It was something I admired about Sinjin—he was who he was and made no attempts to apologize for it. “I didn’t mean to tease you.”

  “I enjoy it when you tease me,” he said with a sultry smile. Something about the way he said it brought my dream to light and I had to wonder if the reason I’d dreamt of him had something to do with ingesting his blood. I quickly stood up, not wanting to be so close to him. I needed to distance myself.

  “Do you think drinking your blood could make me more attracted to you?” I inquired and started pacing, something I do when I’m in an uncomfortable situation. And this was uncomfortable. Mostly because I didn’t want to feel anything for Sinjin.

  Sinjin laughed. “And why do you ask this question?”

  Here was the embarrassing part and like I’ve said before, I’m a terrible liar—lying just isn’t an option. “I just feel…” Out with it. “Strangely…attracted to you, like I’m still a little bit drugged.” Yep, just call me Honest Abe.

  “Is it so impossible to imagine you might harbor…feelings for me?”

  I shook my head and riveted my gaze on my hands, too embarrassed to look into his eyes, even though we were in the dark. Vampires possessed excellent night vision, though, so he could probably see the hot blush permeating my cheeks.

  “No, it’s not but it just seems unnatural, that’s all…like forced.”

  “Well, to answer your question, I do not know.” He paused. “Poppet, I have a question for you,” he said before interrupting himself. “Please stop pacing, you are making me nervous and that is a difficult feat for someone as old as I.”

  He latched onto my hand and pulled me to the cold stone bench again. Surprised, I merely folded my hands in my lap as though I was about to be reprimanded. I’d never seen this serious side of the vampire before. Sinjin joined me on the bench and I could feel the coldness of his body radiating outward. It was an odd feeling—not in the least bit welcoming. No, more like sitting next to a talking ice cube…a really sexy talking ice cube.

  “What is your current affiliation with Randall?”

  “He’s my employer,” I said, imagining where this conversation was headed.

  Sinjin chuckled. “I am not a fool, Love.”

  “What do you want to know?” Irritation crept into my voice.

  “Are you in love with him?”

  I swallowed hard, never imagining this question would come from Sinjin. Course, the thought that we’d be discussing my feelings for Rand had never been a subject I’d ever really considered discussing with anyone aside from Rand, himself, or Christa.

  “Yes.”

  Sinjin nodded, as if weighing the information. “And does he love you?”

  I almost laughed. That was the fifty million dollar question. Since our recent tryst, Rand had made it clear that sex between us would invariably lead to bonding which he didn’t appear to want any part of, so I guessed the answer was probably “no”.

  “I don’t know,” I said simply.

  Sinjin shook his head and clucked his tongue in admonition. “Not a very nice situation for you, now is it?”

  “How is this any of your business?” I turned on him with a great show of anger. It was okay for me to realize the futility of a relationship with Rand but hearing it from someone else, especially Sinjin, really irked me. I wanted to leave his ice cold ass in the ice cold garden but his hand on mine stopped me.

  “I did not intend to offend you, Love,” he said, smiling. “I share a common interest with Randall.”

  I watched him warily. “Which is?”

  “You.”

  I always knew Sinjin was interested in me but I could never truly gauge what his motivations were—whether genuine or merely as a means to an end. He obviously wanted to have sex with me but that didn’t mean much to me right now. In fact, it meant diddly squat.

  “Sinjin, I want to keep our relationship purely platonic.”

  “What are your feelings toward me?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, turning away from him. “But, I do know I don’t want to have this conversation anymore.”

  He nodded. “Do you love me?”

  “No,” I said quickly.

  He didn’t take any offense which was good because I hadn’t intended to offend him.

  “Do you find me…attractive?”

  That was easy. I’d have to be blind not to find him attractive. “You know I do, but...”

  “Then what is the problem?” he asked with a boyish grin.

  “The problem?” I repeated. “There are a couple of problems, first that we’re on the verge of a war. Second, I’m in love with Rand even though I’m trying to get over it.”

  “All surmountable issues, Love,” he said, drumming his fingers on the iron of the bench. “I am not concerned with this war. I have lived over six hundred years and in that period, the creatures of the Underworld have never lived together harmoniously.”

  “Have they ever declared war against one another?”

  “No, but they have come close. Now as to your love for Rand, that is a small problem. I suppose we shall have to wait and see what his intentions are?”

  That was basically what I’d been doing since knowing him—waiting and seeing. Well, with my new resolution of moving away once all this war stuff ended, I could leave it all behind. But, I kept my decision to move away fro
m Pelham Manor to myself. As far as I was concerned, this Underworld lifestyle would soon be behind me, with the exception of Christa, of course, and my cat.

  “I guess so,” I answered.

  “Do you suppose you could develop feelings for me, Poppet?”

  Hmm, another good question. I didn’t want to develop feelings for Sinjin. I didn’t trust him and feeling anything for him would be a bad idea. This coming from my logical brain. As far as my idiotic heart was concerned…hmm, I didn’t even want to go there.

  “I don’t want to answer these questions, Sinjin.”

  “Poppet, humor me, please.”

  “I don’t know if I could. You are a hard person to trust.”

  He surged to his feet, his jaw tight—as if my statement had impaled itself into his heart. “What must I do to prove my feelings for you, Jolie?”

  It was the first time he’d actually used my name instead of calling me Poppet, Pet or Love. It was weird—like he was suddenly all seriousness, something I wasn’t prepared for.

  “I have saved your life…twice,” he continued. “I would think that proof enough for you to trust me.”

  Okay, all good points but they didn’t change the fact that there was something missing—some piece of the puzzle that wouldn’t fit. “It just doesn’t make sense. You’ve been around for…ever it seems like. Why would you be interested in me?”

  “You do not appear to hold yourself in very high regard. What reasons are there for me not to be interested in you, as you say?”

  I scowled while he continued. “You are beautiful and strong minded. You are good—a nuance that certainly intrigues me. And you have a talent I have never seen before.”

  “Aha,” I said. “That’s it. You want to control my…talent. Whether you’re aware of it or not, there’s always an underlying motive for everything you do.”