Part Two
Bound by Blood
Chapter One
Ava
The crystal swungfrom the end of the silver chain in my hand, hovering over the map as it moved in circles that never grew smaller. There was no gradual slowing of the motion, no indication that the spell was working.
“Fuck,” I muttered beneath my breath, letting the crystal fall onto the map.
Rhiannon Temple, powerful dark witch and all around bitch, had vanished from the face of the earth.
Three months ago, she appeared without warning, threatening everything I held dear. She kidnapped my best friend, Savannah, and used her as leverage against Rhys, the man who loved her. Oh, and she tried to kill me.
Yeah, she was definitely a piece of work.
Then she disappeared without a trace. No spell, no amount of scrying, could track her. And I wasn’t exactly weak. I had yet to meet another witch with the same touch of the Goddess. For whatever reason, I’d been blessed beyond measure.
Yet even with this power, Rhiannon eluded me and it was pissing me off.
With a sigh, I put away the crystal and the map. The mirror I attempted to use in scrying earlier joined them in my desk drawer. The spelled glass gleamed with inner light as I shut the door, taunting me with my inability to see what I wanted to see. I leaned back in my office chair and pondered my options.
Rhiannon Temple couldn’t be left to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting people of the world. Nor could I let her go unpunished for her crimes against me and the people I loved. There had to be a way I could get around her cloaking spell or whatever power she was using to hide.
Inevitably, my thoughts turned to Macgrath. When Rhiannon appeared in my life, so had he. He was her servant. Or he had been until he betrayed her to protect my best friend, Savannah.
Even though Savannah had forgiven the tall, mysterious vampire, I had not. I couldn’t. If I softened my attitude toward him in any way, then I would have to deal with my third problem—the fact that I found him insanely attractive.
As though my wandering thoughts had summoned him, I felt the small, firm tug on my subconscious that accompanied his proximity. Any time he was near, his presence seemed to resonate like a deep vibration that only affected me.
Heaving an agitated sigh, I got to my feet. This was the third time this week he’d shown up at my coffee shop,The Magic Bean. Over the past few months, he appeared without warning in close proximity to wherever I was. The coffee shop, my house, even my favorite haunts. He never approached me or anyone else, never came inside, but I could feel him all the same.
What was he doing? Spying for Rhiannon?Protectingme from her?
I scoffed at my thoughts. No, whatever Macgrath was doing, it couldn’t be for protection. Why would he?
Don’t lie to yourself. He feels you too.
I ignored the little voice that whispered in the back of my mind. Now wasn’t the time to overthink. No matter what I suspected about Macgrath’s presence, or felt for him, my focus needed to be on finding Rhiannon and neutralizing her.
When I pushed through the doors that separated the back of the shop from the front, Savannah’s head twisted toward me and she grinned.
“You have that look,” she commented.
“What look?” I asked.
“The vampire look. I’m guessing he’s hanging out down the street again.”
I blinked at her. I hadn’t mentioned Macgrath’s actions to her at all. In fact, I’d gone to great pains to hide what he was doing and how it affected me.
Savannah laughed lightly. “The expression on your face is priceless.”
“How did you know?”
Still smiling, she went back to cleaning the espresso machine. “Your aura changes when he’s around.” Her eyes flicked back to me, the dark depths sparkling with mischief. “There’s more pink.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s not an answer.”
