Deceived (17 page)

“But, I do need you,” I pleaded.

“Don’t be sad. You’ve released me from my prison and for that, I’ll be forever grateful.” Aura’s spirit faltered and she vanished
just like that
. The peace from her presence was gone too. My new/old cat looked at me, its eyes curious as to who I was. It still looked
like
the same, long black fur, big green eyes, smashed nose, but it was like I was looking at
a
new cat.

My hand rested on its back, and I dragged my palm down the length of it. Soft purrs vibrated against my skin, but it lacked the energy I felt when Aura’s spirit was in there. 

I stood in the bathroom for a long while thinking about what I did.
You’ve released me from my prison.
Her last words nagged my mind. What did that mean? I’d always assumed witches made a choice whether they wanted to become a familiar after their deaths, like a human deciding if they want to be an organ donor or donated to science. Who imprisoned her and why?

I had to find Dorian; he’d know what happened. I fixed my tear streaked mascara and rushed out of my room. The castle was busy with various activities. Some groups were practicing more maneuvers, while others studied maps. Shaking my head in
frustration
, I continued to check rooms for Dorian. Where did
an
Angel of Death hang out?

Making my way down another hallway
,
Kye
was just ahead of me. “
Kye
!” He turned around as I jogged to catch up. “Have you seen Dorian?” His eyes looked bloodshot like he hadn’t slept. I guess being Holly’s go to man was exhausting.

“I think he’s in a meeting with Holly. What do you need?”

“I just need to ask him something, thanks,
Kye
!” I turned around and rushed up the stone staircase to the sixth floor.
Kye
was growing on me, but that didn’t mean I trusted him, not that I trusted Dorian either, but he didn’t share the same allegiance to Holly as
Kye
.

I was about to knock on Holly’s office door when I heard my name from behind it. Pausing, I leaned my ear against the wood and listened.

“Has she asked questions?” Holly’s voice carried through.

“
Just
about her power,” Dorian replied.

What the hell were they talking about?

“Good. Make sure you strengthen her power and leave the rest to me.”

“As you wish.”

Creaking footsteps approached, and I rushed back downstairs so I wouldn’t be caught. Questions bombarded my mind as I replayed their cryptic conversation in my mind.
Maybe Dorian did share
Kye’s
allegiance to Holly.

I made it to the third floor before I needed to stop and breathe. It was lucky I hadn’t tumbled down the stone steps in my haste. Leaning against the cool wall, I inhaled deep breaths through my mouth and exhaled through my nose, but it did little to calm my sporadic heartbeat.

“Gwen?” Dorian asked from the landing. “What are you doing?”

“I was looking for you.” My voice came out a little breathy.

His left eye squinted in suspicion. “What do you need?”

“I killed my cat.” With the words, I remembered the original reason I sought Dorian. Whatever he and Holly were talking about could wait, I needed answers about Aura.

He paused for a moment. “What do you mean you killed your cat?”

“I mean, I picked her up, and my hand fell through her—literally! And somehow I pulled her spirit from her body. I mean the witch’s spirit occupying the cat’s body.” The more I listened to myself, the more I sounded crazy. “What’s happening to me?”

Dorian walked down the steps and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s discuss this in private.” Being around him was even more nerve-racking now. It seemed everyone was keeping some sort of secret, and they all involved me.

“Fine.” Turning, I jogged down the stairs and stopped at my room, it was the only place
that’d offer privacy
. Opening the door, I ushered Dorian inside and stepped in behind him. My eyes flicked to my new cat and sadness clung heavily to my heart.

Dorian walked over to the cat curled up in the chair and picked her up. He snorted and set the cat back down. “It’s just a regular cat now.”

“Isn’t that what I told you?” I snapped.

“Had to make sure.”

“What does it mean? Am I going to kill people if I touch them?” Dorian busted out laughing causing my temper to seethe.

“Will you
be serious
? I just lost a friend!” He may have trouble seeing how a cat could be considered a friend, but I didn’t just lose a cat, I lost a friend, even if that friend was a ghost. The connection was gone, she was gone.

“I’m sorry.” He smiled. “No, you will not kill anyone if you touch them. Aura’s soul was in a body that didn’t belong to her, therefore you were able to reach in and grab it. Everyone else you know, their souls are connected with their bodies, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then nothing to worry about.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“What do you want me to say? Your power is growing just like you were told. Spirit walkers don’t just talk to spirits, Gwen, they can do many things.” He crossed his arms
while his eyes roamed over me
. “You look very beautiful tonight.”

In my rush to find answers, I’d forgotten I was dressed in a very skimpy dress. The way Dorian’s eyes traveled the length of my body said he didn’t mind one bit.

His mouth opened and his tongue darted out to roll over his upper lip. His gray eyes darkened as the swirling clouds picked up in speed. I was very aware of my body with his admiring gaze on it. The dress was tight around my breast, causing a good amount of cleavage to spill out. And the length of the dress showcased a good portion of my legs, which was where Dorian’s eyes were currently devouring.

“A little overdressed for training, but I don’t mind
,” he replied, his voice soft and filled with desire.

“I have plans tonigh
t, I’m not training,” I said in a quiet tone
. We finished summoning the ghosts from the vampire blood, so he couldn’t use that as an excuse.

“The deal was, you train with your kind and then with me every other day.”

“Right, and today I trained with my kind, so we’re not supposed to train until tomorrow.” I smiled at throwing his logic back in his face.

“What are your plans?”

“None of your business.”

“Let me guess,” he said as he tapped his chin. “You’re meeting the vampire?”

Dorian knowing about my ongoing relationship with Aiden was dangerous, especially now that I knew he was in cahoots with Holly about something having to do with me. What would Holly do if she found out I betrayed her by sneaking behind her back to see Aiden? The thought was daunting, but I wouldn’t allow her or Dorian to control every aspect of my life.

“Yes, and if you
wanna
run off and tell Holly, then do it. I’m a grown ass woman and will date whoever I want.” The words seemed more mature in my mind than they sounded to my ears.

Dorian smiled and shook his head.

“What?” I asked.

“It’s like a lion dating a gazelle. How long before the lion can’t refuse his cravings and tears into the gazelle’s neck?”

“Not all vampires are bad!” I should have become an activist for vampire rights after all the defending I did on their behalf.

“Well, I hope that doesn’t come back and bite you in the ass—or throat for that matter.”

My phone chirped, taking my attention away from Dorian. A text message from Aiden
reminded me I was late.
I ignored Dorian’s comment; Aiden would never hurt me.
Tonight we’d enjoy each other’s company and have great sex. All would be right in the world, at least until I came back down to reality in the morning.

I stepped out of the cab and eyed the red sign that read ‘Thorn’ in black letters
with a
black thorny vine
framing the title
. A few patrons stood in a line waiting their turn to enter. Most were dressed a lot more casual than me. The men wore jeans or slacks and either t-shirts or polo’s. Some of the women were dressed in skimpy skirts and tops, but most were in jeans and halter tops or tank tops.

I walked down the concrete steps, eyes twitching to the left and right, to a red door
that had ‘Thorn’ written in calligraphy, across the middle.

A tall, thin woman dressed in skin tight leather pants and a shirt that
barely
covered her breasts, stood guard. Her washboard stomach didn’t hold an ounce of fat and her bored expression never faltered.

“I.D,” she said.
I knew right away she was a vampire, her energy projected off of her like a smack in the face.

Rifling through my purse, I dug out my license and handed it to her
.
The woman’s eyes scanned the thin plastic card and then her body
tensed up
. “You a witch?”

Damn.  When the supernatural revelation happened in the 80’s, the humans required that all of our licenses state our species.
Witch
was in thick black letters right under my name—something I never thought of as dangerous, until now.

“I am.” I kept my voice calm, but inside I worried whether she’d attack me right now or at least wait until I was behind closed doors. “I’m here to meet Aiden Blake.” I hoped mentioning his name would buy me enough time to find him before they rang the dinner bell.

She returned my license and with a nod of her head,
motioned
me inside. My feet stayed glued to the
ground
as I eyed the red door. Shrugging off my fear,
I curled my fingers around
the handle and
stepped inside.

The lighting was minimal, except for the dance floor which glowed with what looked like black lights. Silhouettes of bodies broke through the darkness as my eyes adjusted. Bass beat against my body. The DJ stood on an upraised platform, his hand raised in the air while his head bobbed to the music.

One thing I noticed upon entering was the fact that the air vibrated with energy. As I watched the movements of the clubbers, I realized why. Thorn was full of vampires. Why did Aiden pick a place like this? It was like chumming the ocean for sharks and I was main course.

Making my way further inside
,
I walked aroun
d the club trying to find Aiden. T
he vampires watched me. I knew they could smell I wasn’t a vampire, but the looks they gave me resembled fear rather than hunger. Strange.

Dancers moved their bodies
in perfect unison to the rhythm.
Watching vampires dance was like watching a
gracefully choreographed ballet. The
precision
of their movements was
breathtaking, even when dancing to hip hop.

I paused next to the dance floor watching the beauty of the
their
moves when arms slipped around my waist.
I didn’t need to see his face to know it was
Aiden, his
energy
sizzled around me like a security blanket.

With a quick movement, he spun me around, and I
snickered
at his outfit. Aiden’s normal attire consisted of dress pants of some sort and a button down shirt, but not tonight. Tonight he was dressed in jeans and a
white tank top that hugged his toned chest and stomach.
His hair was slicked back, but a few black strands escaped and hung over his eyes.

He snaked a hand around my neck to tangle in my hair and
directed me closer
for a knee weakening kiss. His tongue teased mine
deliberately
, causing ripples of excitement to burst throughout my
body
.