Bound to You, a Paranormal Romance (Book 3 of the Spellbound Series) (2 page)

“Goodbye, but why are you leaving?” The corners of his mouth turned down at the mention of me leaving him.

“I need to get away to think about who—” My head dropped in defeat.

“Ah, I understand moro, take your time and make the decision that is best for you.” He took my hand in his, reassuring me with his simple gesture and nickname. “I will remain in here at Hades temple in Greece unless you tell me otherwise.” Without thinking, I leaped into a hug that knocked him back into the bed.
This damn vampire strength,
I cursed to myself.

We both laughed pulling ourselves up, me standing, and him more upright in the bed.

“You tell me if Hades or anyone else treats you unkindly here.” His cheeks became rosy and he smiled because he knew I meant Persephone. I knew Hades wouldn’t hurt him because that would, in turn, hurt me.

“I will. Now, I must rest these old bones of mine. And remember, choose the one who loves you the most and will make you most happy, because you deserve happiness.” He pulled the covers up and made himself more comfortable in the bed as I made my way swiftly across the room toward the door.

“I love you, Papa.”

“And I love you, Antonia.” He turned off the light as I headed out the door.

Dawn stood twirling her hair with her finger looking up at the ceiling but stopped when I closed the door completely.

“Are you ready to go?” She gestured for me to take her arm and I looped mine through hers.

“Ready.” In a matter of seconds, we had gone from the dark hallway of Hades’ temple to Dawn’s perfectly manicured apartment. Her place looked like the model they show when you are looking for a place, just freaking flawless.

“Now, what the hell did I just save you from?” Dawn folded her arms across her chest as I toed the plush Berber carpet and avoided eye contact. I crossed the room and sat on her white leather couch. I fell back into the zebra print pillows that decorated the couch and covered my hands with my face. My exaggerated sigh was just the beginning of the story. I glanced up, met her furrowed brows, and eyes that bore into me from across the room. The imaginary dunce cap sat atop my head as I began.

“Do you really want to know?” I shook my head in hopes to persuade her.

Her raised eyebrow was all the response I needed to continue.

“Well, I sorta made mad, passionate love to Ben.” I paused trying to gauge her reaction. “On Hades’ desk… Then he walked in on us.” Her lips pulled back displaying her pearly white, perfect teeth as the words escaped my mouth. She shut her eyes and tossed her tresses.

“During?” Her pale face let me know that it was just as sickening to hear as it was for me to live.
It was every girls worst nightmare
.

“After. It was a quickie but it was a pretty amazing one.” My lips parted into a wicked smile that gave away my delight as I daydreamed of the way he made me moan.

“It’s about time. I told you to do him a long time ago.”

My mouth dropped open and I sucked in a quick breath. That was not the reaction I expected from Dawn. She was the picture of a southern morality; but lately she seemed to rooting for me to be promiscuous. I would have thought she’d be more judgmental. After all, she is the “I’m going to save myself for marriage girl”.

“Are you ok, Dawn? That response was a little—”

“Uncharacteristic? I know; but if you can’t tell, I’m Team Ben all the way.” I knew she liked him with me, but “Team Ben”? What is this,
Twilight
? I giggled at my own joke, under my breath.

“There aren’t any teams here, Dawn, just two men that I want, but for different reasons. My moral compass is broken and I might as well admit it now, I’m a slut.” Dawn couldn’t even keep a straight face as she sat next to me.

“Toni, you are not a slut. A slut is a woman with the morals of a man; and that’s not you, honey.”

“I am if I’ve had sex with both of them.” I quickly wrapped my hands over my mouth when I realized I had spoken the words aloud. Her rapid blinking turned to a wide-eyed stare.

“I didn’t mean to, but I needed to.” I tried my best to make it not sound so bad. “I mean, what if I would have picked one and it was the worst sex ever? Then I’m stuck.” I shrugged hoping I was getting my point across.

“No need to convince me, Toni. I know you, or at least I think I do. The Toni I knew had brown eyes and a rust colored red hair. I’ll never get use to your new chocolate curly hair and dark green eyes. ” She winked at me and stuck her tongue out at me.

“Thanks, Dawn.” I swung my arm around her neck pulling her into a half hug.

“And there is a ‘team’; you just won’t pick a side to stand on.” She winked at me before she continued.”

“But enough about those two. I brought you here to forget about them, plus I want to tell you all about Zeus and Hermes.” A giggle bubbled out of her at the thought of what she was about to say. I just smiled, delighted that my friend had a life with me in this new world. Not only was I now Toni, the vampire; but she was Dawn, the witch, and the daughter of a god. She could give those Oz witches a run for their money.

“So, first, how handsome is Hermes?” She gushed while clapping her hands together. Her cheeks filled the color of a perfect blush and the beat of her heart sped as she mentioned Hermes’ name.
Why did her heartbeat stand out all of a sudden?

“He is easy on the eyes.” I sighed, remembering my first sight of the gorgeous blond man with winged shoes, who proclaimed he was the messenger of the gods. My mouth began to salivate listing to the steady thumping.

“We are in an imaginary relationship that he knows nothing about, yet.”

I giggled knowing that she must have ended her imaginary marriage to Dr. Stevens, who she was drooling over just a week ago.
Wait, had it only been a week?

I tried to focus on Dawn telling me everything I missed while I was dead, but I couldn’t concentrate on Hermes, her magic and Zeus. There was too much on my mind with the whirlwind of changes that had happened in such a short time. I stifled a yawn, even though the only thing I was tired of was the steady rhythm of liquid being forced through my friend’s veins and arteries. She didn’t capture my interest again, until I heard her say something about Persephone.

She had my full attention, now. I had hoped to never hear the name of that evil woman, again. Her failed attempt on my life turned me into what I am, a vampire. But she also happened to be married to one of the men I loved, Hades.

“Wait, what punishment did Zeus give Persephone for her attempt on my life?” I all but stopped Dawn mid-sentence and she shifted uneasily on the couch. Her eyes averted mine, which was her tell-tale sign she didn’t want to talk about it.

“Toni, you need to understand something about the gods.” I put my hand up to stop her from talking.

“Just give it to me straight. I don’t need the chaser.” I stood and began to pace the floor, waiting to hear what Dawn had to say. It felt like hours passed before she spoke, although it was only seconds. I waited, knowing that her words could have a huge impact on the decision I was being forced to make.

“Well,” she started, “he told her that he should banish her to Tartus; but since you didn’t die, and became a vampire, that he wouldn’t. He then made her promise to stay away from you. Since you are now immortal, he also took away her dominion over your soul.” Dawn threw her hands up like she had given up and dropped her head towards the ground.

I closed the small space between us in a nano second.

“So she is free? That psycho bitch is free?” I shook Dawn’s shoulders and wanted her to look at me and tell me that my mortal—or rather immortal enemy was still a threat.

“Yes, the bitch is free.” Her voice was low and she wouldn’t face me; but her southern molasses accent seeped out with her words. Without thought, my fangs elongated and my friend suddenly looked delicious to me in her perfect white outfit. Sensing a predatory change in my demeanor, Dawn’s eyes rose to meet mine.

“Toni, you look—uh, well hungry and mad.” She leaned back on the couch to escape my grasp.

“That’s because I am.” I smiled almost wanting her to run.
The chase might be fun.

“Calm down. You just need some food.” She inched back father into the couch and away from me.

“No, I just need blood.” I began to slither toward Dawn and she fell back.

“We can get you blood, just not mine, Toni.” Her words were like two fingers snapping in my head. Her tone was distressed, but firm; and I froze in my tracks allowing a nervous chuckle to escape from my lips. I realized I was about to attack her. My lust for blood was about to outweigh my love for my best friend. That was just wrong.

“I’m sorry.” I stood up straight and looked into Dawn’s frightened eyes. I shook the thought of my friend as dinner and I reached out to help her up from her frightened crouch, as a light knock rapped at her front door.

Two

Hades

I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye in a proper way or tell her I loved her. Even in her embarrassment, I wanted her. I understood why she did it. She wanted to try all of her options, even if I was the best one
.

But I was pissed. Livid, even.

How dare she fuck him on my desk? I am a God! One of the Big Three, no less, and this is how little she thinks of me? After everything, I’ve done to find her? After all these years… I paced around the office, the motion fueled my rage. This vampire
my
vampire by the laws of the underworld, leaned away from the desk and crossed his arms over his chest, the scent of Antonia, still wafting off his skin, like perfume. The sweat caused by their sex glistened in the light. I saw a smug smile tugging at his mouth. My vision blackened as I raised my palm. The smile broke from his mouth and he took a step back but stopped abruptly against the desk behind him. Fire licked down my shoulders, racing towards my fingertips, stretching to reach him. He fell to his knees the moment my spell reached him.

Now it was my turn to smile, as the smell of his burning flesh filled the air. I stepped over his engulfed body and sat in my desk chair, enjoying the show he made of “stopping, dropping and rolling”, in an attempt to kill my flames. I snapped my fingers and the fire evaporated and I willed the vampire’s skin to knit itself back together again. I waited until he stood to repeat the process. Twice more. I should kill him—just end his miserable vampire life, but my thoughts went back to Toni.
She would kill me.

Her friend came and took her in such haste, leaving me here with the cocky vampire, who thinks he one up’d me. My office still smelled of them and the sex they just had on my desk. I turned up my nose and my lips went to a thin line at the thought of my Antonia sleeping with someone else.

I should have taken her with me and never left her with him. I looked at the overly smug smile Benjamin had on his face. She would have understood if I took her with me to see Zeus, but maybe not the outcome. Zeus had no compassion for mortals, or immortals, unless he was in between their legs. And his paltry slap on the wrist for Persephone was nothing compared to the damage that she had done.

Demeter and Persephone were all too convincing when they spoke with Zeus. Neither should have been able to say anything, seeing that they are a minor goddess’ and co-conspirator in killing my Antonia. Demeter will do anything for my ill forgotten wife, Persephone. She has always been a thorn in my side that I can’t seem to get rid of. Now that my love, my one true love, Antonia, is back in my life, I will have to get smarter about how to get Persephone out of my life.

The smug face of the vampire brought me back to the moment. Her body, in death, changed into a vampire because of him. That is the only bit of gratitude I afford him; for otherwise, she would have been gone forever. The plus side is that now I will never have to watch her age; but the down side is that she will forever be tied to him. She doesn’t know that yet, or at least I hope she doesn’t.

He’ll always be able to influence her, not to mention the bloodlust they have in common. That was a spectacle in itself, watching her wake from death to become a vampire. She instantly killed Annie, the witch who betrayed her, and then kissed the Vampire, with no regard to me or the fact that I was watching.

But now, the only thing that matters is that I love her and must tell her that, before she makes the hideous mistake of choosing the vampire. Maybe I can mind fuck the vampire into sabotaging himself. I mean, I do own his soul; but Antonia would never forgive me if she found out that I used him to win her heart. It’s clear that her friend Dawn, the daughter of Circe, judges me not by my love for her friend, but by the fact that I am tied to Persephone. Perhaps a little self-doubt for the vampire will work in my favor.

“You must know, Vampire that your little dog and pony show in my office will mean nothing to Antonia.” I pushed past him to pick up my journal before I sat in my chair. He spun around to face me with a smug grin still on his face.

I had it in my mind to banish his soul to Tartus, but I knew that Antonia would never forgive me for that, either; and that it might sway her choice to go live with him there. So, I am stuck competing with the likes of him.

“That was no show, Hades. That was the real thing. You’ll see she’ll pick me.” Ben leaned against the desk and ran his finger along the edge, with a sadistic smile to frustrate me. “Your desk is exceptional.”

It took all in me not to snatch the life from his body. Instead, I stood up to leave him with his moment, since that’s all he’ll ever have. Again.

“Wait.” his eyes met mine. “What happened with you
dear
wife Persephone?” It was like rubbing salt in a wound, hearing someone call her my “
dear wife”.
Nothing was dear about her.

“It is not your concern, vampire.” I held my journal in my hand and walked toward the door.

“The hell it’s not!” Ben’s voice was loud and a little on edge, then I felt his hand on my shoulder. I was unsure if he meant to provoke me or if he was oblivious to it.