Page 22 of A Vampire Bewitched
“Um…” She risked a quick peek at him for reassurance. “They were like something out of a horror movie—very tall and thin, yet muscular, with long arms…” Her voice started to quiver, but she pressed on. “Grayish, rotting skin. Red eyes. They had a mouthful of sharp fangs, and they wore no clothes.”
Nik furrowed his brow as he tried to picture what she was describing. One of the locals he’d had watching Leeha’s lair up north had mentioned seeing something that sounded similar. That’s how they’d found out Leeha was back. He’d followed the thing and it took him right to her hideout.
He thought the civilian must have been mistaken, seen an animal or something. But he had no doubt Emma was telling the truth. If beings such as these existed, this was very disturbing.
“And these things took your sister?”
Emma nodded.
“Are you sure she was taken by force? She didn’t go willingly?”
Pulling her hands out from under his, she sat back in her chair. “What are you saying?”
“I’m only asking because the female who has my brother would not have been able to overpower him without a witch helping her.”
“And you think my sister is that witch.”
“Yes, I believe so. According to my sources, she’d been gone only a few days before the night my brother went to meet the bitch who’s holding him.”
Emma crossed her arms over her chest. “Keira was taken by force.”
Nik could feel the wall going up between them. He scrambled to undo the damage. “I know that’s what you believe, but think about it. You didn’t even know your sister is a witch. Isn’t it possible there are other things you don’t know about her?”
“Yes,” she admitted after a moment. “I suppose that could be possible. But whether or not she was abducted against her will, I have no doubts about that,” she insisted stubbornly.
“How can you be sure?” he asked.
Gritting her teeth, she said, “Because I was there. And because of this.” She grabbed the neckline of her purple sweater and yanked it down below her collarbone, revealing a 3-inch area of shiny, puckered scar tissue.
Chapter 12
Nik stared at her ruined skin, and swallowed hard. She’d been ripped open. No vampire would have left a mark like that. Not even a young, sloppy one.
His voice shaking with emotion, he asked her, “They did this to you? The monsters?”
“Yes,” she whispered. Letting go of her sweater, she let it cover her again. “Keira may not have wanted me to know if there was something dangerous going on with her, but there’s no way in hell she would have let anything hurt me. Especially if she had some kind of powers that could have stopped it.”
Dropping his voice down to match hers, he whispered, “What else did they do to you?”
She didn’t answer, but she didn’t have to. The rigid way she was holding herself spoke volumes. A buzzing noise started up inside his head. He wanted to reach into her mind to see these things for himself. Fuck what he’d told her before. But he stopped himself. He needed to be here right now, not off on a killing rampage, which is exactly what would happen if he groped around in her memories. He was dangerously on the verge of losing it as it was.
Nik didn’t think to question his reaction. Hewouldkill them. He would hunt them down and fucking kill them. After he played with them a bit, like they had done to her. Every single one of those things that had dared to lay a finger on her.
If he thought his earlier reaction to her story was bad, seeing her beautiful skin marked with proof was much, much worse. And if Leeha was involved in this as he suspected? Nothing would save her this time. Burning would be too good for her.
“Nik? Are you alright?” Emma asked, bringing him partially back to the here and now. Her eyes were wide, captivated by what she saw.
He knew he was entirely vamped out on her. He couldn’t control it. His fangs were fully extended and razor-sharp, and his lips pulled back as he let out a long, slow hiss. His facial features would be sharper, harsher, the skin pulled taut across the bones. And his blue eyes would glow almost silver.
He stared right at her, but it wasn’t her face he was seeing. Tensed to attack, his hands were clenched into tight fists, his muscles taught and ready.
“Nikulas?”
Through the red haze of his rage, Emma’s concerned voice came to him as if through a fog. With some difficulty, he refocused his full attention on to her.
Fuck. It was too late to run off to the bathroom again. He dropped his head down, trying to calm himself. This was bad. This was very bad.
Mentally kicking himself, he was about to move away from her when a gentle stroke on his forehead whipped his eyes back up to hers. She was touching him? There was no fear in her eyes, only a curious fascination.
