Witchromance: Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy (Reluctant Necromancer Book 5) Read online

  The blond looked abashed. "Yeah. What he said. Look, um…have you by any chance seen any other vampires lately? Maybe a big, bossy one with brown hair and a hero complex?"

  I glanced at my murder. This had to be the weirdest thing that had happened to us lately…didn't it?

  Toma shrugged. Luna's green eyes were focused on the threat, assessing, calculating. Awan raised their eyebrows at me.

  Jet had morphed to crow form, and he dug his claws into my shoulder through my jacket, bringing me back to the conversation. "What do you want with him?"

  The blond looked at the brunette and a pained expression crossed his face. Then he gave me that nervous smile again. "We need his help."

  I shook my head as another car pulled in—this one using the actual driveway. Lifting an arm, I gestured at the rental car. "Lucky you. He just got home from work."

  The brown-haired guy looked stunned. "Work? The unwanted son—the bane of all vampires—has a…job?"

  Drake slid out of the car and paced toward us, his posture exuding relaxed confidence. "What in all the hells is going on now?" he asked me, his eyes passing over the other vampires, snagging in recognition, then moving on dismissively. "Why didn't you call me, Red?"

  I shrugged. "You were already on your way home. And I have no clue what's going on, but there's baby vamps here to see you. Apparently. Unwanted son."

  He arched an eyebrow at me for that one. "It's an inside joke. I'll tell you later."

  Wiping his hands on his dusty jeans, he turned to the vampires. I watched in wonder as they both bowed their heads and put their hands over their hearts in a gesture of respect. "Master," the dark-haired one said softly. "We are sorry to bring this trouble to your nest."

  Drake glanced at the blond. "Ashton? What the hell are you doing here?" His voice was full of a weird combination of exasperated fondness and pain.

  The blond lifted his head and gave Drake a trembling smile. "We ran away." He straightened as if just remembering something. "Oh! We heard you were attacked by hunters recently. So, we brought you a gift!"

  He yanked the back door of the SUV open and gestured grandly. Two more vampires got out, hauling a prisoner between them. Furious blue eyes glared at us all above a thick gag. A mop of dark auburn hair flopped about as the guy jerked himself straight—as much as possible with his wrists, elbows, and legs tied together.

  I felt a weird energy off him. It was vaguely familiar, but I couldn't say why.

  Drake hissed. "What have you done?"

  Blondie smiled then, his playboy exterior melting away to show the face of a predator. "We got you a gift, master. Meet the heir of the largest hunter clan in the U.S." He clapped the scowling prisoner on the shoulder, earning him a muffled growl. "This is Van. We thought to use him as a bargaining chip. But, of course, master may do as he sees fit. I hear the purer their lineage, the sweeter the last drop of a hunter's blood is." He winked at the prisoner. "Especially if they die drenched in pain and fear."

  That only got him a placid look from the blue-eyed guy.

  Drake rubbed a hand over his face. "You kidnapped the fucking heir. And you brought him here?"

  The blond shrugged. "Yes. And the others aren't far behind, I'm sure."

  Drake growled and his eyes flashed, one turning silver, the other turning blood red. "Inside. Now."

  He turned to me as the strangers hustled into the house, surrounded by my wary murder. "I'm sorry for this, Esper," he whispered into my ear. "I know they aren't following protocol in your territory, but I have to help them. Damn it," he hissed, looking after them. "The fools."

  Awan came up behind us. And dropped his gun.

  I jumped and whirled to find the skinwalker glaring at the weapon. "Damn it," they muttered. "Not now."

  I pulled away from Drake and went to the skinwalker, taking their cold hands in my own and squeezing. "Just go," I said firmly. "We'll be fine."

  Glazed eyes stared into mine. "I hate this. I hate that I must leave you when you need protection."

  I shook my head. "That's what I have those idiots for," I said, hiking my head toward the house. "Besides, you'll be back soon, right?"

  He closed his eyes and pressed his cold forehead to mine. "Yes, puppeteer. I will return."

  Then the body before me went lifeless, crumpling to the floor.

  "Bye, Awan," I whispered. "Good luck." He only had the evening to find a new body. But there was a hospital in Hellsfork. And the next, bigger, town wasn't too far away. He'd find a new host.

  Sighing, I reached my magic toward the corpse. It felt different, somehow, after being inhabited by the skinwalker. It was harder to get a grip on the strings that controlled it, like the circuits had been fried. I pushed harder and the corpse rose, shuffling awkwardly around the back of the house and out of sight for now.

  "We are going to need a better way to store dead bodies," I commented. "Cause if the human authorities ever investigate and find a graveyard behind my house, it's not going to be pretty."

  Drake sighed and looked out over the yard and the fields beyond, where Awan had disappeared. "Will the skinwalker be okay?"

  I swallowed the ache in my throat that seemed to rise up whenever Awan was involved. "Yeah. For now."

  The vampire took both my hands in his. "I'm sorry for this added weirdness, Esper. I know we don't need more trouble right now."

  I sucked in a breath, then let it out. "What's going on here? Who are these kids to you? And what's with that whole 'unwanted son' thing?"

  Drake pushed a big hand through his brown curls, leaving them in a rumpled disarray that only added to his angsty rock-star look. "I've told you before, how I was born to be a master vampire."

  I nodded and he continued. "As I grew, my powers grew with me. It went beyond what a master vampire can do. And I needed energy to fuel my power, not blood like the others." He gave me a wry smile. "It turns out my mother was…adventurous. She had an affair with one of the forbidden races. She's never confirmed the rumors, but it's pretty obvious that whatever my father was, he wasn't a vampire. He was something that fed on energy."

  I blinked at him. He was some kind of mixed breed? "What does this have to do with anything?"

  He sighed. "It became evident that I could not only feed on the energies of others, but that I could use that connection to manipulate other vampires. Suddenly, all that grand master vamp power was a curse, not a blessing. Having a strong vampire in the family is one thing, but harboring a monster who could potentially influence the thoughts and actions of his higher-ups? I was lucky they didn't just end me on the spot." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "My relationship with my mother isn't much better than with any of my old nest. But I think she's the only reason I was allowed to live, even if I was relegated to be a servant in my own home."

  I glanced down the hall, toward the kitchen. "And…the vampire hunters want you dead for the same reason the vamps don't want you?"

  He nodded, following my gaze. "Because I'm the monster of all monsters, you know? I could rally a horde of vampires and rain terror down on the humans. I could gather all the scattered vampire nests and unite them to fight against all the other supes. Vampires could take over the world." He snorted. "At least that's what they've decided in their weird, cultish little heads."

  I stared at him, feeling dizzy. "Drake, that’s…fucking terrifying."

  He pressed his forehead to mine. "Hmmm, yes. Kind of like how you could raise an undead army numbering in the millions, if you were powerful enough. Oh, and you seem to be able to exert some control over my vampire side as well, so…." He closed his eyes, and his big hands gripped my upper arms. "Hunter lines go back centuries, and they train and indoctrinate every generation like zealots, they keep textbooks, records, study histories."

  I swallowed hard. I hadn't given much thought to things like what I could do with my power and Drake's combined. Because, honestly, who went around thinking about ways they could take over the world and cau
se utter destruction?

  "If they are so ancient and devoted, the hunters probably know necromancers can influence vampires, don't they?" I stared into Drakes eyes, the colors mismatched silver and red with agitation. "If they realize we're shacked up together, they're going to try to kill us both, aren't they?"

  He sighed. "I had hoped they wouldn't put that all together. But it was a silly hope. Selfish, wishful thinking. And now idiot cousins have drawn the hunter's attention right to us yet again."

  The vampire put an arm around my shoulder and tucked me in close to his side, inhaling deeply along my neck, pulling energy from my aura. Then he straightened and winked at me. "Wanna go help me scare the pants off a bunch of kids? Oh…and figure out how the hell we're going to keep the hunters from killing us for existing and kidnapping the most important pawn in their little cult?"

  I laughed. "I'd love to. This is going to mean more bodies for Esper's new cemetery, isn't it?"

  Drake just grinned and brushed his lips gently over mine before turning toward the door. "Don't say I never get you anything nice, Red."

  Chapter 8

  I sat at my kitchen table, a cup of coffee clutched in one hand, while the other drummed slowly on the wooden surface. A sullen young guy with a gag in his mouth sat across from me, glaring. I suddenly felt old. This kid couldn't be more than nineteen, twenty tops.

  "Remind me again," Drake said with exaggerated patience, "why you thought kidnapping a high-profile hunter was a good idea?"

  Ashton spooned excessive amounts of sugar into his coffee cup and smiled at Drake. "For peace. If anyone can put an end to this bullshit with the hunters breathing down our necks all the time cramping our style, it's this guy, right? The old dudes are never going to listen to reason. So, you know, the younger generation to the rescue!"

  Drake sighed, but didn't slam his head on the table the way I thought he wanted to. "They'll just come get him back. With stakes."

  Ashton shrugged. "By then, he'll see how we are all just people, trying to live our lives, not hurting anyone. He'll be on our side."

  I stared into those wide, guileless eyes. They were gray, when he wasn't being all vampy. The kid was…an idiot.

  Drake pushed a cup of coffee in front of the captive, but shot a dark glare at the blond vampire. "And I'm sure he's feeling really sympathetic now, since you kidnapped him and dragged him here all the way from…where did you get him?"

  The brunette poured a bare hint of creamer in his coffee. "We obtained him in Arkansas, master. He was on his way to a training facility there." The other two vampires stood silent behind their apparent ringleaders.

  I stared at them in surprise. "You've got to give it to the morons," I told Drake with a shrug. "It's pretty impressive they made it all this way."

  The blond vampire grinned. Drake shook his head. "Don't encourage him, Red. He's been pulling this same kind of reckless crap since he was in diapers."

  Clearly there was history with Drake and these vampires. It sounded like they were from his old family. Drake didn't really share details about the nest he'd grown up in. But I kind of got the impression he hated those people…and yet, he seemed really fond of the kids who'd kidnapped the hunter.

  I refrained from reminding Drake that this was exactly the kind of "reckless crap" I could see him doing. Ashton had probably learned it from Drake…he seemed to have a bit of hero worship going on.

  "So, what are we going to do now?" I asked tiredly. "Do you think if we just…put him on a bus back home with some snacks and a note pinned to his shirt that says, 'my bad', they'll let it slide?"

  Everyone stared at me. I held up my hands. "What? We've got enough shit to deal with right now without adding vampire hunters to the mix."

  Drake was silent. The blond vampire was staring at his idol with a sullen expression.

  Toma broke the tense silence, his voice sad and resigned. "They'll come anyway, won't they? They were always going to come for you again, eventually."

  Drake shoved away from the table and paced to the sink to glare out the dark window into the backyard. "I haven't done anything. I had hoped maybe this time they learned their lesson and they'd leave me in peace. That maybe they didn't realize what Esper is to me."

  I swallowed a gulp of coffee. Well shit. I'd kind of though the same thing, actually. But from the resigned expression on Drake and Toma's faces, I was the only one who didn't already know that wasn't happening.

  The hunters just needed time to regroup after we killed the others, apparently.

  I sighed and gestured at the kid who was still defiantly glaring blue daggers at us from the end of the table. "Maybe we should see what he has to say about all this?" There was coffee sitting in front of him, so Drake must not be planning to keep him gagged forever. Unless that was some sort of clever torture technique.

  The blond cast a sullen look at his captive. "I wouldn't bother. You don't want to hear the stuff that comes out of that yap."

  That got him a head tilt and a narrow-eyed glare. I'm sure there were some choice words waiting for Ashton the minute that gag came off.

  The calmer vampire—whose name was Jonathan, of all the boring vampire names ever—spoke softly. "We've kept him silent until now because it is possible he knows spell triggers that would allow him to escape. It is also possible he might have talismans on his person that we have missed, which he could activate verbally."

  Drake glanced at me. "Can Jet do anything about that?"

  I looked to the cat who was currently perched on the kitchen counter, staring at us all with big, watchful yellow eyes. "Well? Can you make it so he can talk, but can't like, I don't know…curse us, or make us explode, or something?"

  Jet stood and stretched, then morphed into human form. The hunter jerked back in surprise before he caught himself and plastered that irritated glare back on his face. "I can create a barrier that will protect the murder from any magic he might possess. The baby vamps will be vulnerable, though."

  He slid his feline glance toward Toma. "Your pretty spirit mage can make sure the hunter doesn't try anything, though." He slunk over and took my coffee cup, then wandered away toward the living room. "I would make a decision soon, however, because I have a feeling the hunters won't be far behind this lot."

  Drake looked to Toma. I think we all tended to forget that our pretty little medium was packing a shit ton more power than he used to. Toma shrugged. Then he leaned forward on his elbows, his multi-colored bangles rattling and his shimmery lips turning up in a sweet smile. He'd been getting ready for work at his medium gig when this lot came rolling in, so he was extra sparkly tonight. "Van?"

  The furious blue eyes watched Toma warily as the medium continued. "I know you're mad right now. Maybe a little scared, though you'd never admit it in front of the enemy. But I promise you, we won't harm you unless you give us reason. I know your kind has worked with the sorcerer families on occasion. That's where I come from." He splayed his graceful hands on the table, tilting his head so the long blue and black strands cascaded over his shoulder. Ethereal. Soft. "Have you ever heard of a spirit mage, Van?"

  The hunter stared for a moment longer, then nodded once, short and sharp.

  Toma just stared into his eyes. "I'm going to connect to your soul now, Van. Then they'll take the gag away, okay? But I need you to know that you can't try anything. I'm sorry for this. But you have to understand. So I have to show you."

  Van's blue eyes widened, and he stiffened even more in his seat, his body going rigid as Toma reached a hand out and trailed his fingers through something I couldn't see. The mage made a grasping, pulling motion, and the boy's spine bowed, his eyes starting to glow.

  Then Toma lowered his hand and the energy in the room settled. "Do you understand, Van?" Toma asked, his purple eyes still glowing. "I can pull you from your body, if I have to. But I won't. Not unless you try to harm my friends."

  I had to remind myself to breathe. That was…fuck.

  The hunter
glanced around the room, his eyes wide. Then he nodded once.

  Toma looked to Drake. "Okay."

  Drake moved to the hunter and extended a claw-tipped finger, using it to cut away the rope holding the gag. The boy tensed, but didn't move.

  Drake pulled the gag away, and Luna set a glass of water next to the coffee cup. "You can unbind his hands too. The mage can stop him doing anything, and if that fails, I'll break both his arms."

  She smiled sweetly at the boy, showing sharp canines as she pushed the water his way. "Enjoy."

  I rolled my eyes. This was really not going to earn us any goodie points when his family finally showed up. "Guys, just stop. He's probably already wet himself. Back off."

  Drake nodded to Ashton and the vampire untied the hunter's hands. The guy lifted his hands and rubbed the circulation back into his wrists. Then he looked around at all of us before picking up the glass of water and sniffing it.

  Drake sighed. "You'd hardly be any use to us if we poisoned you. It's just water. Well water, so you might get some farming chemicals in there, but nothing to cause immediate death." He winked.

  The hunter tipped the cup to his lips and chugged, his throat working as he drank the entire cup in one go. Then he set it down with a bang and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Y'all must be brain damaged," he announced with just the hint of a good 'ol boy drawl. "You won't live out the week." He glanced at the blond vampire and shook his head, as if he continued to be astounded by the vampire's lack of intelligence. "Dumber than a box of rocks," he muttered.

  Ashton bared his fangs and hissed. "Says the guy who got kidnapped taking a piss in the bushes."

  That earned him an unimpressed blue stare. Van turned to Drake, thought about it, then turned to me, ignoring the energy vampire. "Let me go," he said simply. "I know you're in charge of these monsters, necromancer. Let me go back to my family and I'll see you're given ample opportunity to save yourself before we raze this town."