Secrets that Simmer (17 page)

Eric and Jillian had a thing going already. Kyle and Tiffany were clearly the quieter ones in their respective trios, but seemed to get along when they all hung out together.

“So why did you make them swipe this thing again?” Eric asked as he settled next to Tony. He offered him a beer, which Tony gratefully accepted.

“All those other books in the library in the mystical section were bullshit, but this one is the real deal. I heard Professor North talking about it with one of the other teachers. He said there’s a spell inside that, when done properly, can give you whatever your heart desires.”

“You think Professor North wanted to end up as a washed up has-been at a rinky-dink prep school?” Eric asked sarcastically.

Tony glared at him. “You never know. We all know that today was a big step for shifters, but there’s still a long way to go. You heard what Markus Kasper said. It’s going to take time. What if we really could make the world a better place for everyone today? Shortcut all the other bullshit? Make what we’ve been talking about happen sooner?” 

“By using magic.” Kyle had finally stepped into the conversation.

“Magic is all around us. Magic is in us,” Tony said. “Professor North says shifter blood is magical. I’m just saying let’s give it a boost.” He flipped through the pages until he found the spell that he was looking for. “Here it is.” He looked up at the faces around the bonfire. “What do you say? Worst case, nothing happens, and we drink ourselves into oblivion tonight.”

“That is likely far more accurate,” Kyle said. He took a long sip of his beer and then shrugged. “Whatever. I’m game.”

Jillian glanced at Eric, who rolled his eyes. “Fine. But I’m not dancing naked in a circle or anything like that.”

“As if anyone wants to see that,” Kyle snorted.

Tony knew that his friends didn’t believe in magic, but he had been studying mysticism since he was a kid. He knew there were things in the world that couldn’t be explained, and he wanted to make it his life’s work to figure out a way to explain the unexplainable and harness it for the greater good. Tony knew that was probably naïve of him, but what if it could work?

He scanned the words on the page. He saw that he needed a container. He looked at his beer bottle and chugged it. Eric gave a small nod of approval until he saw Tony take his pocketknife out and flip it open.

“What’s that for?” he asked.

“We need blood. From everybody,” Tony said. He did a quick swipe across his palm and squeezed several drops into the bottle. Then he handed it to Eric. It was the first time all night that Eric seemed uncertain. Then it was as if he realized that everyone was watching him. He jabbed the knife’s point into his palm and added his blood to Tony’s.

He handed it to Kyle, who looked at the bottle with a considering look. “We’re doing this because our greatest desire would be for peace for everyone?”

“Equality and peace for everyone,” Tony corrected. “Look, if nothing else, consider this a symbolic gesture of what we’ve been talking about for the last three years. I mean, we have shifters and humans here tonight.” He gestured at Allison and Tiffany. “Let’s make it official. It’s our own special blood oath. It’ll bind us all together. Forever.”

Forever.
The word whispered in his ear, and Tony swung his head around. There was nothing there.

Jillian had been watching him closely during his little speech, and she didn’t hesitate taking the bottle from Kyle once he had reluctantly added his blood. Allison and Tiffany looked squeamish, but they did the same.

Tony took the bottle and stood up with the book in his hand. He held it out in front of him and read the words on the page.

Spirits of nature, hear our plea.

We offer you our blood in exchange for a simple request

The granting of a wish to meet our hearts’ desire

Long has the world been in shadow and darkness

Your light illuminates the word and casts demons away

Your protection of our world means our peace

Take our offering and let us stand true in your presence

Bind us and give us what we ask for

We will be in your debt

Forever

Tony dropped the bottle into the fire. It immediately exploded. There were cries of outrage, and Tony realized that there was blood splattered all over the page. He wasn’t even listening to the complaints as he used his shirt to try to wipe it off, but the blood had already soaked in.

“Shit,” he moaned, wondering how he was going to explain that to Professor North.

“Dude, that was the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” Eric said as he approached him. He smacked him on the arm. “I’m so not drunk enough for this. I’m done.”

Eric grabbed Jillian’s hand and dragged her toward the Jeep. Tony watched as Eric pushed the seats up and climbed inside, pulling Jillian in behind him. It was clear what those two were going to be up to for the rest of the night.

He sighed and found Allison next to his shoulder. “Well, that was exciting,” she said with a small chuckle.

Tony flushed with embarrassment. He tucked the book under his arm. “Well, at least I tried,” he said.

“Maybe you should think about how you can try helping in other ways,” Allison suggested. “Things that don’t have all the woo-woo around it.” She waggled her fingers in the air.

As he looked around and saw that nothing had changed, Tony started to wonder if she was right.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Allison said. “I don’t want to listen to any of that.” She jerked her thumb toward the Jeep.

“Agreed,” Tony said. He let Allison lead him away from the fire and deeper into the night.

An hour later, they sat next to the water staring up at the stars. Eric and Jillian had returned to the bonfire. Tony had lost track of how many beers he had consumed.

Then he heard Allison’s wobbly voice. “What’s that?” she asked.

Tony followed her finger pointed out at the water and squinted. He realized that it was a wide ripple pushing toward them in the water.

The water in the man-made lake was almost always completely still unless there was something in it disturbing it. The water wasn’t even deep enough to put a boat on it. There was something out there. He started to wade out when Allison called him back. “Tony, be careful. You don’t know what’s out there,” she said.

Eric and Jillian appeared next to Allison. “What the fuck are you guys looking at?” Eric asked.

“Allison says she thinks there is something in the water,” Tony said. The four of them peered at the ripples, which were getting larger. A moment later, they were joined by Kyle and Tiffany as well.

“This is stupid. I’ll look,” Jillian said. She started to pull off her clothes, and Eric gave a low whistle. She rolled her eyes at him even as she dropped the rest of her clothes and dove into the lake. Tony wanted to pretend that he was ashamed about the fact that he had just seen his friend’s naked girlfriend, but he was a teenage boy after all, and Jillian was hot. He caught Allison’s elbow in his ribs. He shrugged at her with a grin.

Jillian phased into her snake form even as she hit the water. Tony thought that was cool as hell that she was a cold blooded reptile in her animal form. Wolf clans were everywhere and were far more common.

He was still chuckling about catching an eyeful of naked ass when Jillian’s first scream rang in the air. Eric immediately started to dive in, but Kyle held him back. “Wait, man. We don’t know what’s out there.”

“She’s in trouble!” Eric argued, trying to pull his arm out of Kyle’s fast grip.

Allison started to shout to Jillian. Jillian’s shrieks cut off a moment later. Tony had no idea what was happening. He ran back to the fire to grab his flashlight. Moments later, they were all in the water up to their ankles calling out for Jillian, but there was no answer.

“What the fuck is going on?” Eric demanded.

“Can anybody see her?” Allison asked.

“I don’t see anything. No snake, no girl.” Tony said as he swept his flashlight across the water’s surface.

“We have to go in further and look for her,” Eric said.

Just as he was starting to wade in deeper, they saw a beam of light shoot up in the middle of the lake. The beam flickered red, and it started to move toward them.

The five teenagers began to back slowly out of the lake. Tony, Eric, and Kyle all looked at each other, wide-eyed and terrified. As the light got closer to them, it started to move faster. They all turned and started to run.

Tony heard Allison’s shout of pain as she fell down on the rocks of the beach. He stopped to help pull her up, but then she flew out of his grasp, seemingly enveloped in the light. Tony couldn’t help himself. He ran. Tiffany was next to be swallowed up by the light. Then it stopped on the edge of the beach.

Tony, Kyle, and Eric were the only ones left. Kyle grabbed Eric’s arm and whispered to him to stop. The three of them turned and looked at the pulsing ball of light. It was larger than all three of them. Tony didn’t know what it was, but it was obvious that it wasn’t anything natural. Inside, Tony could vaguely see the images of the girls. It was if they were trapped in some kind of catatonic state. He wondered if they were going to be next.

A hand suddenly extended beyond the membrane of the pulsing ball of light. He recognized it. It was Jillian’s hand. She motioned for them to come closer.

“No way in hell,” Eric said. “You have to be out of your fucking mind. We have to get out of here.”

“What is it? What do you want?” Tony yelled at it.

He only heard one word, and it slithered through his mind. “Blood.”

Tony woke up in a cold sweat. He heard a voice calling his name. It was Maggie’s. She stared down at him and was brushing his hair away from his face. She looked terrified

He sat up quickly and looked around him. They were still in his old room, but he and Maggie were alone. The room’s temperature had returned to normal. He didn’t know how he could be certain, but he sensed that Jillian was gone. But he knew it wasn’t the end. Not by a long shot. Returning his memories was just the beginning.

You said forever.

He understood what she meant now. The spell that he thought hadn’t worked had worked out far differently than he had ever expected. The six of them were bound together, bound by blood. And, the fact that Jillian had been able to make him remember that night, it was an indication that she was the alpha of them all.

The idea was terrifying.

“Where is she?” he asked. His voice was hoarse, as if he had been screaming for days.

“I don’t know. I woke up and found you thrashing around on the floor. I thought you were going to hurt yourself, like what you said Robert did to himself.” Tony realized then that Maggie was sitting on him, and she had his arms pinned down on the floor.

She moved backward so that he could sit up. He wrapped her in his arms and squeezed her tightly. It was as if he had awoken from a terrible nightmare, but, unfortunately for him, his nightmare had been real, and it was going to get worse.

“What happened to you?” he whispered against her hair.

“I broke into the headmaster’s office,” Maggie admitted. “I found a file with Jillian’s name on it. She was a student here, Tony.”

“I remember,” he said then. “I remember all of it”

Maggie pulled away from him in surprise. “What do you mean? How? What do you remember?”

“I need some time, and I need a drink.” That was the understatement of the year. Tony felt as if his world was spinning off its axis, but Maggie was the one thing keeping him tethered and calm.

“Okay,” she said. “How about we go home now? I don’t mean to be rude, but if I never visit this place again, it’ll be too soon.”

Tony couldn’t agree more.

Maggie could tell that whatever had happened to Tony had shaken him to his core. Ever since he told her that he remembered everything that happened that night at the quarry, she knew it was bad. Although he seemed composed and more concerned that she was okay, he was far from the confident, jovial self that she had come to know.

Of course, Maggie wasn’t feeling particularly settled herself. She still wasn’t quite sure yet if she had been kidnapped by a person or a ghost. She was just thankful that she was still alive and in one piece. Tony seemed grateful for that as well. He had checked her over thoroughly before they left St. Ignacious. There was a part of her that didn’t mind that part so much, even though his examination had been purely clinical in its nature.

Tony still remembered the ways to sneak around St. Ignacious. When they woke up, the predawn light had been filtering through the windows. After checking their watches, they realized that they had been out for almost an entire day. Tony wanted to make sure they exited the grounds without anyone seeing their departure. It would raise too many questions.

Tony called a limo service to send a car to meet them next to the garage that housed all of the school’s vehicles. Since it was a Sunday, it was quiet, and Maggie didn’t see anyone around. She hadn’t lied to Tony when she said that she was eager to get away from St. Ignacious. She kept turning around, expecting to see Jillian again, but Tony told her that, for now, he didn’t think she would come after them again.

“How can you be so sure?” she asked.

“She sent her message,” Tony said. His eyes were far away. “She’s still out there. I think now she’s waiting for us to find her.”

“Are you going to do that?” Maggie didn’t know why they should. Jillian was clearly unhinged.

“I don’t think we have any choice,” Tony replied. He didn’t expound on that fact.

As soon as they got in the limo, Tony told the driver that he wanted privacy, and she understood. They had both been through an ordeal. He put the divider up between them and the driver without another word. Then he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

As they rode in silence on the way to the airport, she felt bonded to him now in a way that she couldn’t explain. They had just experienced something that seemed too fantastical to be true, and she knew her part of it had been far less than Tony’s. Still, while she had been unconscious, she had known he was there with her in the darkness. She even thought that at one point she had heard his voice telling her that he would protect her.

Maggie didn’t believe in love at first sight. She didn’t believe in fated mates the way that Tony did. She couldn’t shake that skeptical human part of her even if she wanted to. But something had changed for her over the last couple of days. She couldn’t deny that.

What she did know was that when she was with Tony, she felt safe. She felt as if she belonged with him, and when he looked at her, she knew that he felt the same. He said that he wanted to claim her. That was the next step in their relationship for him. She decided that if he wanted to be with her, she wanted to be with him too. She didn’t see any point in beating around the bush. She wanted to be his, and, in a way, she wanted to claim him too. What she had to decide then was if she was brave enough to take the next step.

Maggie reached over and took Tony’s hand. He was so quiet. She wanted to do something that would make him feel better, and she thought that she might have a way to do that.

“I’ve been thinking about that whole mate thing.” Tony’s eyes popped open, and she had his full attention. “When you think about it, what does it mean for you? Is it just an instinct or what?”

His hand cupped her chin, and he looked into her eyes. For the first time since he’d woken up, she could tell that he was fully present with her. “If you had asked me that question yesterday, I would have probably given you some kind of flippant response.”

“What’s changed?”

“Everything,” he replied. He brushed the pad of his thumb over her lips. “Everything except how I feel about you. You are my constant and my north star. You might not understand it, but this is true. You are the light of my life, Maggie O’Hara. Even if you said you didn’t want me, I’d pursue you to the ends of the earth to convince you to change your mind. I want you to be mine, body and soul.”

Maggie felt a rush of heat rise in her cheeks, and her breath started to come in shallow gasps. The intensity of Tony’s words shook her to her core.

“Okay,” she said. The word seemed so inadequate for the heady desire she felt for this man.

“Okay?” His eyebrow arched. He moved closer to her as if in anticipation.

“You’re right. I don’t understand this like you do. But you’ve opened up parts of me that I didn’t even know were there. I feel alive when I’m with you. When I woke up and thought you were going to hurt yourself, I was terrified that I was going to lose the best thing that had ever happened to me. I don’t…I can’t let that happen. Be patient with me, but I’m willing to take the first step with you, Tony. If you’ll still have me.”

Tony crossed the distance remaining between them in a second. The time for words was over. His lips touched hers gently as if in a question. She was bolder, though. She pressed her lips against his and enjoyed hearing him groan. This was what she wanted for both of them. To remember what it was like to live fully in the present. She wanted him to forget all about what had happened eighteen years ago. This was something she wanted to remember for the rest of her life, and she wanted it to be perfect.

Tony ripped at the hem of her dress, and she helped him as she shimmied it up her hips. She was glad that Tony had raised the divider between them and the driver. The privacy they needed was of a completely different sort. Now that she had made her decision, she needed that physical connection as well. Tony seemed to understand.

Tony’s hands seemed to be everywhere, and as his fingertips whispered up her inner thighs, she moaned. He pushed aside the wispy fabric of her underwear, and then his fingers delved inside of her. She arched her back, offering herself to him. The whirlwind of sensations spinning through her body were driving her out of her mind.

When she felt the sharp twist and then release of her panties, she realized that Tony had ripped them apart. As his lips found hers again, he whispered to her, “I’ll buy you another pair later.”

She chuckled against his lips. She didn’t care about her underwear. She didn’t care about anything but him. She reached down to unzip his pants and felt his long hardness as she freed him. She stroked him and heard his impatient growl. This was exactly what she wanted. This was what she had been waiting for. As Tony pushed his pants down, Maggie straddled him. His fingers dug into her hips and thrust her down onto his hardness, and Maggie cried out as he filled her. His lips claimed hers as his hips began to buck against hers.

It was if they found the perfect rhythm almost instantly. She settled her elbows on his shoulders and pulled away just enough so that she could look into his eyes. There, she saw the shining light of everything that was inside of him. She knew that this was the man that she would spend the rest of her life with. She wasn’t afraid anymore. As she rocked back against him, she felt his lips make its way down the side of her neck to her collarbone. She knew what was about to happen, and she had no hesitations. Not anymore.

As the wave of her climax took her up into its heights, she felt Tony’s teeth bite into the crook of her neck. There was only the slightest momentary blush of pain, and then waves of pleasure intensified by a factor of ten swept her away.

She fell forward into Tony’s arms and wrapped herself around him even as he flipped her over so that he was on top of her. He filled her completely and totally. She was his, but he was hers as well.

They laid there tangled in each other’s arms, for what seemed like forever. Then Tony sat up and pulled her with him. He touched the spot on her neck where he had bitten her. She felt a slight twinge of pain, and then it was gone. “When you are ready, we will finish that.”

She understood what he meant. This was another thing that she had gleaned from Dr. Clarkson during their consultation. To be bitten was to be claimed, but in order to complete the mating ritual, she needed to bite Tony as well.

“Hopefully, you’re willing to give me a little bit more time to get used to this idea, but I think I’m looking forward to it,” she said.

Tony nuzzled his nose against the top of her head. “I’d say take all the time that you need, but I don’t want to wait that long. Just don’t leave me hanging too long, okay?”

She chuckled at his impatience. “I like you like this,” she said as she played with a curl of his hair. He looked relaxed and happy. She wasn’t going to bring up the fact that she still didn’t know exactly what had happened back at the school. She sensed that Tony would tell her in his own time. It was as if he needed to process everything before he could talk about it.

Tony ran a hand down her bare thigh. He seemed to be enjoying her closeness just as she was enjoying his. They weren’t out of the woods yet when it came to whatever had happened eighteen years ago, but they were together. They would figure it out.

“I’m looking forward to getting home and sleeping in my own bed,” Tony said. He nuzzled her ear. “And I’m looking forward to having you in it.”

“I’m sure that can be arranged,” she said. “And by the way, I think that we are going to have to make that contract null and void. Now that we have officially crossed the professional and personal boundary.”

“We’ll just draft up another legal document then that is more appropriate,” Tony said with a smug wink.

Maggie couldn’t believe how casually he was talking about getting married, but she knew it would happen for them. Her whole world had changed in just the span of a few short days, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tony made it almost impossible for her to get her clothes straightened when she knew they were getting close the airport. She found that she loved watching him smile, but he was impossible, and she said so.

“Part of the deal,” he said as he tried to pull her into him again. “Didn’t I tell you that shifter mates spend more time naked than clothed?”

Maggie laughed and rolled her eyes. Then Tony’s cellphone rang.

He looked at it with a grimace. “What?” he answered.

She heard a voice on the other end, and then she saw the expression on Tony’s face change to one of shock and confusion. “We’re already on our way back. I’ll be there in two hours.”

Maggie knew that he was gone from her now. He was back in the past, a past that she hoped they could soon erase from their future.

“What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

Tony looked at her, and she saw the anger in his eyes. “That was Kyle. Eric’s been arrested.”

“Arrested for what?” She was stunned.

“For murder. The police found Jillian Anderson’s body in his bathtub.”

To be continued…

The Urban Dwellers thought that night so long ago was finally behind them. But that couldn’t be further from the truth for Eric Carmichael. The one who had been behind it all has the worst yet to come. Eric has no choice but to rely on help from Nina Rodriguez, the woman he loved and swept aside three years ago…but only if she’ll forgive him long enough to give him another shot.

Binds that Burn (Urban Dwellers #3)
is coming your way soon!

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