Magick Marked (The DarqRealm Series) (6 page)

“Rho Vasile, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

Clearly he hadn’t started a vampire fan club since their last meeting. His statuesque frame towered over her, regal and strong, but she refused to be intimidated by his size or his attitude.

She pointed a finger at him. “Don’t you ‘what’s up’ me. Your magick didn’t work. What I was protecting is gone. You and I need to talk.” She jabbed him in the chest with her finger, leaving it centered over his heart. “Right now. Privately.”

His eyes blazed bright blue. Power exploded from his aura, radiating pain through her hand and up her forearm.

Shit.
That ley line fire felt like taking a hit from a Taser gun. She snatched her finger from his chest, the burn blasting through her shoulder. Suppressing the urge to shake the tingles from her fingertips, she clenched a fist.

His cool eyes met hers. “That was unnecessary.” The unusually calm tone of his voice threw her off-balance.

Clearing her throat, she lifted her chin to meet his stare. “I need to speak with you.”

“Are you going to behave yourself if I let you inside?” Eldon raised a dark brow.

She bit back a snide remark, settling with, “I’ll do my best.”

Eldon opened the door and nudged his head toward the entryway. “Come in, then.”

Rho stepped through the doorway and glanced around the small entrance, seeking a distraction. The décor was tasteful and modest, exactly the same as the last time she’d been here. She’d swear the flowers in the vase were unchanged if she didn’t know by scent they were real.

With a wave of his hand, the door closed behind him. “Follow me.”

He strolled past her casually, his heartbeat a rhythmic series of thumps. The trailing scent of soap, clean sweat, and spice were as unique to him as a fingerprint, the combination awakening her hunger.

She needed to make this trip fast. He smelled entirely too delicious and if she touched him, he could literally light her ass on fire.

Shaking her head, she tried to get her thoughts under control and her fangs in check.

Eldon. Kamens. Pissed. Got it.

Without a word, she followed him down the narrow hallway and into the main part of the store, which appeared to be a converted dining room. A black cat peeked out from a doorway and she flinched. Damn cats. Didn’t they know Eldon had her on edge enough?

The feline retreated back into the room it came from, and she shook her head at herself. One of these days, she’d learn to not let them freak her out. Vampires didn’t have asthma attacks.

Glancing around, she sized up the décor. She hadn’t been in this area of the shop before. Shelves lined the walls, stocked with everything magick movers needed—to do whatever they did.

One section held gemstones and crystals, lined up in colorful rows. She recognized a few of them from her high school geology class. Agate, obsidian, bloodstone, and turquoise sat like a happy rainbow of minerals, waiting to be purchased and put to use. A few were wrapped with colored wires and marked at higher prices. Why on earth would someone wrap a rock in wire, and who would pay for that?

Eldon motioned toward the chair. “Please, sit down.”

She drifted over and sat, eyeing him as he made his way around the small round table to sit across from her. Good choice. Farther away was better.

“I’m only talking to you right now because you’re a paying client,” he said.

Like she came here because she wanted to? “Well, isn’t that considerate of you?”

“I like to think so.” The chair creaked as he leaned back, sweeping his arm in invitation. Right. Time to talk.

She cleared her throat. “I’m here because you have some explaining to do.”

A dark brow arched. “Do I?”

“Your little vocal spell and your blood box spell. I paid you five thousand dollars for those, and they didn’t work. Now I’m in deep shit with the Lamia King because the relic those spells were supposed to protect is missing. Explain to me how that happened.”

He waved a hand dismissively. “The spells you purchased were fine. I tested them myself before I gave them to you.”

She linked her arms across her chest. “Bullshit.”

Eldon shrugged, the small motion dismissing her concerns.

Which only pissed her off more. “Well, then explain how the hell my stuff is missing. Because I’d hate to think you’re a thief.”

Flames sparked in his eyes as they narrowed. “Don’t make accusations you can’t back up, vampire.”

“Then tell me how it happened.”

His large biceps flexed as he folded them across his chest, matching her stance. “First, tell me exactly what happened.”

She explained in detail precisely what transpired the night before. The mechanical lock. The blood box. The vocal spell.

She pointed a finger at him, the memory fresh in her mind. “
You
told me the relic would be protected.
You
told me I could trust you with this, and I paid you a pretty penny for absolutely nothing. And now I’m being sent on a suicide mission to get it back.”

His icy stare answered her in challenge, but his voice remained steady. “I don’t lie, and I didn’t promise anything. Those spells were manufactured using old magick. It’s simply not possible.” He rose from his chair and glanced down at her.

Wait, was he dismissing her? Oh, hell no.

She stood, the chair sliding beneath her with the movement. “I’m not arguing with you about this and I’m not leaving without some answers. It isn’t a debate. I’m
telling
you someone came into my house and stole my shit. It’s not a theory, it’s a fact.”

Rho summoned her fiercest glare. Eldon didn’t blink. Instead, he raked his eyes along the length of her body, sizing her up with a thoroughness that left her tingling in every place they landed.

After a few seconds of slow scrutiny, he shook his head. “Not possible.”

Her fangs began their descent as her control faltered. The flaming scarlet of her irises wouldn’t be far behind. Intense emotions usually triggered the predator lurking inside her. Right now, anger fit the bill. She absolutely refused to acknowledge the light sprinkling of lust.

Surprise eclipsed Eldon’s thoughtful expression for a brief moment before he hid beneath a mask of cool-calm-and-collected, and she knew her gaze had taken a turn for the crimson.

Uh oh, I pissed off a vampire.

She froze, staring at him. She hadn’t seen his lips move. And she hadn’t heard him say those words aloud. But she had heard them…

“What did you do?” Somehow he’d gotten inside of her head.

He wrinkled his brow in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“I heard you.”

“Heard me when?”

I heard you in my head!
she shouted, this time yelling into his mind.

He staggered back, as if someone had struck him across the face. “What was that?”

Thoughts swirled around Rho’s mind as she stared up at him.
You’re in my head! What kind of witchcraft is this?

Her mind reeled, a wave of violation threatening to knock her off her feet. God, it felt like he was everywhere, the warmth of his mind completely intertwined with hers, every thought invaded with his presence.

He tilted his head, expression pensive.
Hello?

She closed her eyes, trying to maintain her composure despite the unexplainable breach.
Why are you in my head?

Test, one, two, three.

Damn it, I’m a person, not a microphone, Eldon! What is going on?

He paused.
I don’t know.

She pivoted on a heel and paced over to the window. “I need a minute.” If she didn’t get her anger under control, she’d eat him for dinner. She sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly, counting to ten. The oxygen wasn’t necessary, but the action helped a little.

Finally, her fangs retreated. She hoped her eyes had returned to normal as she turned to face Eldon.

He hadn’t moved. His frown and focused eyes told her he was lost in his thoughts. She tried to speak into his mind again, but the connection evaporated.

Can you still hear me?
she asked into his mind. No response.

“Can you still hear me?” she asked aloud.

Not bothering to look up, he shook his head no.

Rubbing her temples, she moved to sit back in the chair. The silence filled the space between them as they both remained motionless.

“What the hell was that?” she muttered.

“I have no idea. Magick movers can’t be telepaths.”

“Well, clearly they can.”

He combed his fingers through his thick, coffee-colored tufts and shrugged. “It’s never happened before. We don’t have telepathic gifts.”

Maybe magick movers couldn’t be telepaths, but vampires sure could. The telepathic abilities of the vampires were well-known, but they had their restrictions. She could only think of two ways telepathic connections were established.

The first was the simplest, the bond between the maker and the made. She had a connection to Frederick because he’d created her.

The second… no, there was no way that could be true. The only other way for a connection like this to form was if two people were soul struck. They had to be vampires for that to apply, right? Shit.

He still wouldn’t meet her eyes, and somehow the loss of that crystal gaze made her feel… sad. She shoved the unjustified sense of loss aside, telling herself there was no way she’d been struck. Couldn’t have been. Eldon wasn’t a vampire.

This was a freak accident. It would probably never happen again. Somehow, between her attraction and her anger, they’d fused some strange, impossible connection. And as quickly as it had come, it left.

Rho blew out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “You know what? I don’t have time for this right now.” Her purse lay on the floor near her chair. She leaned over and retrieved it.

His eyes snapped up to hers, the connection filling the emptiness instantly. “You can’t just forge a mental tie with me and walk off.”

She rose from her chair. “Like hell I can’t.”

He snatched her hand. “Like hell you can.” The touch didn’t burn this time but sent shockwaves of warmth through her arm. The intimacy of his unexpected hold sent her mind reeling, the lust in her mental kettle reaching a boiling point.

“Don’t touch me.” She ground the words out through clenched teeth.

“My house, my rules.” He leaned closer. Too close. “And if I remember correctly, you touched me first.”

She jerked her hand away and spun toward the door.

“You said you were going on a suicide mission,” Eldon said quickly. “What does that mean?”

“That’s none of your business,” she said over her shoulder, marching through the doorway.

“Where are you going?” he demanded.

“Again, none of your business.” Far, far away from here. She needed to leave this room. Now.

“I meant tomorrow.” He followed her down the hallway, keeping at her heels. What was with this sudden interest in where she was going? Last time she checked, vamps and magick movers weren’t exactly friends.

“I can’t tell you.” She didn’t look back at him as she flung open the front door.

“And why not?”

“Because the king forbade it.”

Rummaging in her purse, she found the keys and clicked the button to unlock her Porsche as she marched along the cobblestone walkway. His footsteps fell close behind her.

She swiveled and collided with a thick wall of muscle. She peered up at him, suddenly feeling tiny despite her supermodel altitude. God, he was tall.

“Just so you know.” She squared her shoulders. “Since I’m fairly confident you don’t like me being here, I won’t be back to bug you again. I only came here to see if you had anything to do with the relic’s disappearance.”

“And your verdict?” The weight of his stare anchored her in place.

She shrugged, trying to downplay his effect on her. “I don’t think so.”

“We
will
discuss this… incident.”

She opened the car door and threw her purse inside. “There’s nothing to discuss. Some mental wires got crossed or something. That’s it.” She slid across the leather and settled into the seat.

His lean body blocked her access to the door. The smell and nearness of him verged on overwhelming, her lust screaming in frustration as she shut the mental door and locked the imaginary key. She’d never had a reaction to a man like this before.

He put his hand on top of the car and peered inside. “This conversation isn’t over.”

She turned over the ignition, and the engine roared to life. He stepped to the side, smug confidence reading clearly on his face.

Scowling, she reached gracelessly around him and grabbed the handle. “Oh, this conversation is absolutely over.”

She slammed the door shut, his beautiful face fixed on her from the other side of the tinted glass. The Porsche practically flew out of the driveway. But something told her he was right.