MIDNIGHT HUNT: Book 3 of the Bonded By Blood Vampire Chronicles (20 page)

She shook her head, grinning. “Here. My mother wrote, ‘Balance is the key.’ Her previous studies—”

“Remember, I know everything you know up until I fed from you.” Broderick rolled to his side and propped his head on his hand. “You had already discovered the four elements connected to the herbs.”

“Correct! What I just realized is Mama and I weren’t including the fifth element—spirit.” Monika slapped her hand onto the book. “Of course! I thought she needed four elements and four properties of the herbs, thereby creating a balance. But there are five elements —water, fire, earth, air and
spirit
. How could I forget? There are only four properties of the herbs—hex-breaking, exorcism, purification and protection. The Vamsyrian blood becomes the fifth property.”

“But how is the Vamsyrian blood both an element and a property? And why not just give the werewolf Vamsyrian blood? Why the herbs?”

“Even you said the blood couldn’t cure a disease, but it could cure the damage from the disease. I’m thinking it works the same way. Spirit is the missing element and the Vamsyrian blood is not only that, but transcends the spiritual and physical planes through healing. That is the final ingredient to obtain the balance my mother was looking for! The Vamsyrian blood is both an element
and
a property— spirit and healing—thereby reuniting the balance between the spiritual and physical plains. It’s no wonder she couldn’t find the spirit element. She probably would have needed to find a Spirit Witch, and they are hard to come by.”

Now that he’d fed from her, this entire world of
magick
users opened to him—Elemental Witches. Water, Fire, Earth, Air and Spirit, all wielding the powers of nature based on the sign under which they were born. Monika, an Aries and thus a fire sign, was a Fire Witch. Spirit Witches, however, were a rare breed. Monika and her family knew little about how they were manifested.
Intriguing.

He grinned and shook his head. “You fascinate me, woman.”

Monika leaned over and kissed him. “Why is that, my darling?”

“I’ve never met a woman as learned as you. Now that I know your past, how important education is to Elementals, all is clear now. You are quite remarkable and so is the breed from which you come.”

She pecked him on the lips and rose to put the book on the table in the other room.

“Now that you have the cure, what are you going to do with it?”

A frown settled upon her face as she returned to the bed. “At this point, I still don’t know it will work. As much as I don’t want to, I’m afraid I have to test the cure. We have three werewolves on which to test it—Marcus, Brynner and my father.”

Rick nodded. “Marcus might be agreeable since he has been searching so long for the cure. But his history proves he will not be a willing subject unless we force him.”

“I wouldn’t mind leaving him cursed. Serves him right for everything he’s done—not to give him what he wants most. But I would rather risk his life than Brynner’s or my father’s.”

“Now that I know all you know, I am very confident this will work. We should try it on Brynner.”

“Broderick, he’s—”

“I know what he means to you, Monika, but Marcus is too dangerous to be around without me at your side.”

“We already know the ward works against him in human form, so I could use it to trap him. It worked well on you.” She jutted her chin forward and crossed her arms.

“Yes. But you’ll lose that if he’s cured.”

“I’ll just be sure to have a source of flame nearby as protection.”

Broderick sighed. “You and I both know you won’t use your powers.”

Monika’s smile faded and she nodded, bowing her head. “Fire gets out of control so quickly, but I’ve practiced for ten years. I have a better command of my emotions and the element.”

Broderick didn’t want her to face Marcus on her own, but he also had to admit two things: she was a formidable force who indeed had more control than he gave her credit for; and once she set her mind on doing something, she would see it through. He shook his head. “I’m not going to try and talk you out of this. You know how I feel. I don’t want you near him, but you have also proven you know how to take care of yourself, much to my relief.”

“Thank you.” Monika squeezed his hand and smiled. “I know I can do this, and if Oma is home soon and goes with me, he’ll have two powerful witches to contend with. She also knows how to control my fire, being an Air Witch.”

“Wind fuels a fire, Monika.”

“It can also blow it out.” She leaned over and puffed out the candle at the bedside.

Broderick narrowed his eyes and smirked. “You, lass, are hardly a candle flame.”

She closed the book and placed it on the floor, then stood and lifted his shirt from her curvaceous form, tossing it over the end of the bed. Crawling on her hands and knees, she rolled Broderick onto his back and straddled his hips. “Now where were we?” She seized his hardening shaft with her hot hands.

Broderick closed his eyes and sighed, all worry fading with every stroke. She shifted her weight, then engulfed his cock with her heat. He grunted and grabbed her hips. “Aye, Blossom. Right about there.”

She placed her palms on his chest and rocked Broderick to the heights of heaven.

* * * * *

His ears flattened against his head and hair bristling along his spine, Marcus hunkered down in the shadows…his lips curling back in a snarl. His body trembled as he peered through the partially opened shutters watching her succulent arse rise and fall on top of the Vamsyrian.
Not so opposed to fucking a blood sucker, I see.
He garnered all his strength to keep from tearing through the cottage and ripping both Monika and the Vamsyrian apart. After what he’d heard, however, he couldn’t. Not only did they have some kind of ward around the dwelling, but the Vamsyrian had the cure he needed.
No wonder Katrina couldn’t find it. The cure was hidden within my enemy.

Very quietly, Marcus withdrew from the back garden and leapt over the tiny fence, then slinked off into the forest. Once far enough from the cottage, he ripped through any tree within his reach, shredding the trunks into splinters.
Fucking bitch thinks I’m going to stick around and test her cure.
Hunched over and panting, he snickered.
Think again, my dear. And when I finally get the cure myself, you won’t have that damn ward to protect you.
He’d tear the Vamsyrian to shreds to get the blood he needed then administer the cure himself. His cock hardened painfully as he imagined finally getting his hands on Monika and burying his shaft inside her.

Chapter Twelve

Brynner, Analise and Johanna stood before Monika in the common room of their farmhouse as she explained the situation. “Only after I’d translated the text did I learn the truth through my mother’s notes.”

Brynner frowned and crossed his arms. Analise and Johanna clutched each other’s hands, worry creasing their brows.

“When I’d put all the pieces together and figured out he was actually Marcus Sparenland, I confronted him.”

“If you told him you wouldn’t give him the cure, I could hardly blame you.” Brynner raked his fingers through his light-brown hair as he paced the length of the room. Analise twisted her smock while her eyes followed her husband.

“I actually didn’t have the complete cure. By happenchance, I learned the final ingredient last night. I was hoping to force him to take the cure this morning.” She sighed. “However, he wasn’t at The Red Stag when I went there just an hour ago.”

Brynner narrowed his eyes. “Do you believe he’s actually left?”

Monika shook her head. “No, I don’t, but I know he won’t be easy to find nor will he be a willing test subject. At least if I caught him in his room, I would have had him trapped.”

“By yourself?” Brynner harrumphed. “I know you’re brave, Monika, but I didn’t think you were stupid.”

“Brynner!” Analise scolded.

“All is well, Analise.” Monika cocked an eyebrow at Brynner. “Aren’t you forgetting?” She reached toward the hearth and called a small portion of the flames to her. The three of them hissed a collective gasp as fire engulfed Monika’s hand without burning her skin. She spread her fingers wide as she rotated her hand one way and then the other before she curled her hand into a fist and the flames died.

Brynner smiled. “I haven’t seen you do that in years.” He nodded. “Yes, I did forget.”

“I took precautions this morning by warning everyone that Marcus might try to infect more people. Everyone in the village assures me they’ll stay indoors until the cycle of the moon passes. But I can’t help the people in Vollstadt.”

“Can’t we build a trap for Marcus?” Johanna asked.

“Unfortunately, I think he may have learned about the cure and is waiting to see what I’ll do. We do have at least three more weeks before the next cycle, so if you want me to work with Broderick to trap him, I—”

“What makes you so confident this cure will work?” Brynner leaned forward, placing his palms on the table.

“I’m actually more confident about the properties of the final ingredient. If the cure doesn’t work, I’m at least certain you won’t die from it like the others did.”

“What
is
this final ingredient?”

Monika hesitated. “Broderick…has the answers. He has the final ingredient. I know you have kept my
magick
a secret all these years, and I do trust you to keep this one…but it’s not my secret to share.”

“I knew there was something unusual about that young man,” Johanna said. “No one faces a creature like that werewolf and lives to tell the tale.” She snorted. “The beastie was easy to scare off, indeed.”

Monika chuckled. “You are correct about that, but I will let Broderick be the one to tell you. I’ll return with him at sunset. In the meantime, please stay indoors.” She turned to Brynner. “I have no idea what Marcus will do to obtain this cure. He knows you need it, too, and that you’re one of my best friends. He has proven to take very drastic measures, which means he may come after any of you.”

Brynner frowned, but nodded.

“I have a ward that will keep Marcus from entering the house, but since you have been bitten, it will also work against you. If I put the protection up, you won’t be able to leave, but they can if you need anything.”

“Do what you have to. I want these two safe.”

Monika walked around the farmhouse, erecting an invisible barricade at every window and entrance of the home.

“That’s all?” Brynner frowned.

“You can try to go outside, but it won’t be pleasant.”

He grabbed the handle to the front door and swung it open. When nothing happened, he frowned and stepped forward. Before he crossed the threshold, he was thrown back onto his bottom with a grunt. His cheek glowed red. Analise rushed to his side.

Monika shook her head. “I did warn you.”

Brynner pursed his lips and touched his cheek, wincing. “Very amusing.”

Monika chortled. She opened her jar of burn ointment and smeared a dab of it into Analise’s palm. “For his cheek.” After resealing the jar, she dropped it back into her basket. “At sundown then.”

Johanna closed the door behind Monika as she exited.

Monika had a strong suspicion Marcus Sparenland was indeed somewhere close by. He most certainly didn’t seem the type to just give up and walk away because Monika snubbed her nose at him. She plodded down the path back to Kostbar. Until Broderick rose this evening, she would wait in her cottage.

When Monika approached her home, she halted in her tracks. The door was ajar. Cautiously, she crept toward her home, making a wide arc to peer inside at a safe distance. She frowned at the low burning fire in the hearth. Other than that, she saw no movement in the dim common room. Tiptoeing forward, she stole some flames from the hearth and raised her hand, ready for anything.

Mina stepped out of the bedroom and gasped, hurling a gust of wind at Monika, blowing out her flames and scattering many objects around the cottage. “For goodness sake, child! You nearly sent me to my grave!”

“Oma!” Monika dropped her basket and rushed forward, embracing her frail grandmother. “I’m so sorry. Do sit down.”

Mina returned the hug and chuckled. Shuffling to the chair Monika offered, she sat and placed her palm on her chest, then frowned. “What are you doing wielding fire so openly?”

Monika picked up her basket, erected the ward around the house and closed the door before she started righting all the debris blown around. However, she reconsidered since she would only be repeating the clean-up. Surely Oma would not be happy once Monika confessed the events of the week. “It’s a rather long tale. Let me make you some chamomile tea.”

Mina pursed her lips. “Chamomile, eh? This isn’t going to be good news, is it?”

“Well, some of it is, but you’ll need something to keep you calm.”

A soft breeze moved through the cottage. “Oh, bother.” Mina propped her elbow onto the table and rested her chin in her hand.

Monika grinned wide. “Perhaps I’ll add some lavender to the tea as well.”

Mina’s eyebrows rose into her hairline. “If I need that much calming, wait until you brew the tea before you unfurl your long tale.”

Once Monika set the strong, steaming cup before her grandmother, she joined her at the table. She finally admitted she’d been having dreams of being in love with a Scottish man and told Oma about Broderick and his wife Davina, including the fact that Davina was Monika’s previous life. She recounted most of the events that transpired since Mina left to care for Symon…except for the nights she spent in Broderick’s arms, of course. During Monika’s descriptions of those tense moments with Marcus, wind swirled in a corner or two, in spite of Mina’s calm façade. These were subtle signs of her grandmother’s stirring emotions and Monika’s brow creased with confusion. The larger the turbulence, the stronger her grandmother felt about a particular topic, but very little disturbance occurred as she continued recanting her experiences from the week.
Perhaps the tea is doing more than I thought it would
.

Monika told Mina almost everything up until yesterday—when she was able to bring the book home—before she sat and crossed her arms. “Go ahead. Do your worst.”

“What, child?” Mina sipped her tea.

“You took all this surprisingly well and only interrupted me for clarifying questions. Hardly any a-stirring. I assume you’re waiting until I’m finished before you let loose your whirlwind.”

Mina scowled and set her cup down. “I have had almost a week to mull over your little sex
magick
spell and everything you ignited while I was away.”

Monika blanched. She hadn’t mentioned
that
in her summary.

“Yes, the winds told me what you did and I’m a little disappointed in you.” Oma pursed her lips and waggled a scolding finger while dust stirred in the corners. “You are a Fire Witch, the most volatile
magick
of all the elements. You know this and yet you combined this combustible force with sex
magick
. And to make matters worse, you used an abandoned faery ring!”

Monika’s hair fluttered around her head and she gripped the edge of the table.

“Just because the fae no longer use the ring doesn’t mean their mischievous intentions aren’t left behind. I would wager it was the little dash of
their
influence which made your week so trying.”

The air settled around Monika.

“However, since you have received very unwanted attention from men as a result, I do hope you have learned your lesson.” She snorted and tipped her cup to her lips. “Much of what has happened is very good news and many of it I have been expecting for some time now. Although, I
am
upset that you put yourself in danger with this…
Marcus
.” A gust blew Monika’s basket from the table. “Excuse me.” Mina took another sip of tea.

Several little breezes rustled the corners of the room and Monika hunched her shoulders, ready for the storm. The drafts stirring dust in the rafters settled and sprinkles of dirt rained on the table while Mina held her hand over her cup.

Mina sighed. “I am thrilled the book is returned to us after all these years, but you put yourself in harm’s way, and for what? We still don’t have a cure, Treasure.”

“Actually, Oma…we do.”

“What do you mean?” Mina clasped her hands into her lap and leaned forward.

“The final ingredient is Vamsyrian blood.”

“How is that? I don’t understand.”

“Oma, it is the most wonderful miracle I have ever witnessed. The blood can be used as a liniment to heal a cut or wound instantly…or taken internally as an antidote.”

Mina’s mouth dropped open. “To heal the person from the wolfsbane!”

Monika grinned and nodded. “Precisely!”

A pleasant warming draft swirled around the cottage. “Oh, child! That
is
good news!” She held her palms to the sky and muttered a prayer of thanks.

Monika sank back into her chair, smiling and enjoying the glee on her grandmother’s face.

Mina cackled. “You little sprite. I knew you were up to something the morning I left.” She patted Monika’s hand. “I am glad all turned out well.”

“So how is Papa? How badly was he wounded?”

“Silver weapon, so you know the recovery is slower. And he had a very deep gash. I feared for his life.” Mina snorted. “Of course, you know your stubborn father. He won’t listen to me when I tell him to rest, and he insists he’s well.”

Rolling her eyes, Monika repressed a smile.
Sounds like a certain Vamsyrian I know.
She rose and set about straightening the cottage from the little wind gusts, while she and her grandmother caught up on the rest of the village happenings and the welfare of her father.

* * * * *

Irma held the fresh-baked loaf to her nose and breathed deep. “I love your bread, Edda.” She sighed. “Papa Josef and Hans do, too. They’ll love this. Thank you!” Slipping the loaf into her basket, she covered it with a cloth.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk with you?” Edda wiped her hands on her smock.

“No, no!” Irma hung the basket on her arm and waddled out of the blacksmith’s shop. “It’s a short walk there and back and gives me some quiet time.” She waved over her shoulder.

“Very well, dear.” Edda waved back. “Come by later if you need anything.”

Lumbering across the courtyard, Irma rubbed her belly as she veered onto the main path toward Vollstadt. The walk to her father-in-law’s dairy farm was pleasant, with a cool breeze soothing her face and the sun hanging low in the sky, casting a warm orange and yellow glow above the trees. After she dropped off supper, she would be back home just before sundown.

“I can smell that bread from here, fräulein.”

Irma turned around and smiled at the handsome stranger. “Freshly baked,” she bragged. “And it’s
Frau
, if you please. Frau Fischer.”