Suzanne Wright - The Bite That Binds

“It’s always the same. I wake up, and there’s this female vampire there who wants me to follow her into the living area. In there is a huge mirror, which turns out to be a doorway. Through it, I can see a bungalow situated in the middle of nowhere. She steps through the doorway and wants me to go with her, but I never go.”

“ And you sleepwalk to the living area every time you have the dream,” said Jared.

“So you may not be dreaming at all,” mused Sebastian, pursing his full lips.

Jared nodded. “Exactly.”

Antonio exchanged a look with Luther before asking me, “Does she speak to you?”

“No.”

Luther, who looked like he’d just stepped out of a J. R. R. Tolkien book with his long white hair and beard, leaned toward me. “What breed of vampire is she?”

“She doesn’t have a red or amber tinge to her irises, so I’m guessing she’s a Sventé. Wait, why are we talking about her like she’s real?”

“Because it’s possible that she is.” Luther rested his joined hands on the table. “There is a Sventé gift that allows a vampire to invade dreams, but they can only enter the dreams of other Sventés. Dreamwalkers, they’re called.”

“And you think she might be a dreamwalker?” At his nod, I asked, “Why would she come to me?”

“If she needs help – which is my guess – she will try to contact someone who can aid her. As I said, dreamwalkers can only invade the dreams of other Sventés. You’re the most powerful Sventé there is, and you are closely linked with Antonio. It makes perfect sense for her to reach out to you.”

“Or,” drawled Jared, “this could be a trap.” Luther tilted his head, allowing that.

“But it could be someone who truly needs help. I can’t ignore that,” I told Jared. I sensed his anger before he even spoke.

“Don’t think you’re going there, Sam. Not a chance will I let you take that kind of risk.”

“ Let ? Jared, don’t be a wanker.”

“I’m serious. If we find this place, we could be walking right into a fucking trap.”

“And that’s why we won’t go alone. We’ll take the squad.”

Antonio quickly interjected, “Jared, I realise that Sam’s safety is important to you, but you need to channel that protectiveness into watching out for her while on assignments.”

I was expecting an outburst, but what Jared did was shrug. A shaft of smugness shot through him. It wasn’t until he spoke that I understood why.

“The probability of us finding this place is second to none anyway. It could be anywhere.”

“Actually, I may be able to assist with that.” Luther’s words naturally didn’t go down well with Jared. “Sam, if you were to hold my hand while replaying the dream through your mind, there’s a possibility that I can help.”

I shrugged. “Sure.”

“Sam,” Jared bit out.

The overprotectiveness was unbelievably annoying, but sensing his anxiety and concern made some of my anger fizzle away. Holding his gaze, I again spoke to him telepathically. You know you wouldn’t stay behind if I asked you to, just as I can’t, no matter how much this pisses you off. That’s not who we are.

You don’t get what it would do to me if something happened to you.

I do, because I get just as worried that something will happen to you. So stop with the bloody sulking.

Leaning across the table, I took the hand that Luther offered. “All I need to do is close my eyes and recall the dream?”

“Yes, let it play out in your mind.” So I did. A short moment after he had released my hand, his eyes flew open. “I need a pen and some paper.”

In vampire speed, Sebastian disappeared out of the room, only to return with both.

After scribbling down some numbers, Luther slid the sheet of paper to Jared. “Coordinates. If you teleport there, you will find the building from Sam’s dream.”

Jared folded the sheet of paper and tucked it into his pocket. He then went to stand, but Antonio’s words stayed him.

“There’s something else, Jared.” His tone made it clear that this ‘something else’ wasn’t good.

Jared stiffened. “What?”

Again, Antonio’s expression was sympathetic. “I had no choice but to grant her request. Understand that.” There was disdain in the way he spoke of this woman, and that was seemingly all it took for Jared to know who Antonio was referring to. I felt his surprise quickly give way to anger.

Jared’s words were spoken through clenched teeth. “I don’t want her here.”

Although I had no idea who this woman was, I strangely felt a prick of jealousy. “Who are you talking about?”

“Jared, you must have anticipated that she would want to meet Sam.” Antonio didn’t look pleased about that. “Given who you are, there was no way that she would not hear about the upcoming ceremony.”

“She’s not going anywhere near Sam,” Jared stated firmly. “You contact her, and you tell her that she isn’t to come here.”

Starting to feel a little unsettled, I pressed, “ Who is not going anywhere near me?”

“I don’t think she will harm Sam,” said Sebastian reassuringly.

“I don’t care.” Jared set his jaw. “She’s not getting near her.”

That was it. I’d had enough. Sucking the energy around me into my palms, I released an air blast harsh enough to have everyone’s hair rising. “Who the fuck is ‘she’?”

Jared rubbed my nape soothingly, but I wasn’t soothed. “Magda is” – a heavy sigh – “the woman who Turned Evan and me.”

“A woman Turned you?” This time, jealousy bolted through me.

Sensing it, he gently squeezed my nape. Hey, you don’t have to feel even the slightest bit jealous. I fucking hate her.

Maybe that should have made me feel better, but it didn’t. To me, ‘hate’ wasn’t a measure of dislike, it was an emotion. A very strong emotion. To feel such a strong emotion for someone, they had to have affected you in a very deep sense. I had to wonder if she was more than just the woman who Turned him, if she was an ex-partner − maybe even the reason why he was so guarded.

Evan had once told me that Jared had never really liked a woman in more than a physical sense before me, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t. No matter how close you were to a person, there would always be something about them that you didn’t know. There was really no ‘knowing’ anyone. Well, in my experience anyway.

Sebastian sighed, flicking his peppery black hair from his face. “She heard the announcement that the Heir has claimed someone. I think we can safely guess that she has not taken it well, though she says she simply wants to meet the woman you have claimed and to…”

“And to what?” I prodded, though I was pretty sure what the answer would be.

“To be present at your Binding ceremony, as is her right as the vampire who Turned Jared.”

“And it’s such a bad thing that she’s present because…?” No one answered me.

“She won’t be present.” Jared’s nostrils flared. “Fuck her rights.”

“Why do you hate her so much?” He didn’t answer me. So I kicked him under the table. “At least tell me why you’re so determined to keep us apart?”

His eyes were sad. “Because she likes to hurt people who mean something to me.” Again, the shutters went down.

Oh he was a pain in my arse.

Jared stood, sighing. “I guess it’s time we go get the squad. First, I need to call Evan.”

I could guess why: he wanted to warn his brother about Magda. As he went to the corner of the room to take the call, I arched a brow at Antonio. “If he’s not going to tell me anything about this woman, can you at least shine a light on things?”