Total pages in book: 8
Estimated words: 7510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 38(@200wpm)___ 30(@250wpm)___ 25(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 7510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 38(@200wpm)___ 30(@250wpm)___ 25(@300wpm)
“I was murdered over and over as a human because of this world. Why can’t I have the right to fight for myself, Eli? And with you by my side to fight with me. I’m stronger than you think I am.”
“Marcus didn’t prepare you, Ivy. He didn’t think about how you become a pawn in our war.”
“Wasn’t I that as a human?”
“No. Not like this.”
“What does that mean?”
I round the island, and she rotates to face me, studying the grim set of my jaw. “What does that mean?” she repeats, this time as a whisper.
“You were bleeding after the wolf grabbed you.”
“I was?” She swallows hard. “What does that mean?”
“It should have meant nothing. I killed the wolf before the full moon.”
“Only what?”
“It was a full moon last night,” I state.
“Oh my God. Am I a wolf?”
“We don’t know.”
“We don’t know? How do we find out? What do we do now? And can you reverse it? Vamp me out or something?”
“It’s not that simple. The wolf who infected you was also infected himself. With black magic. We have no idea when you turn—if you turn—if you’re a wolf or something far more dangerous. We don’t know if you are a weapon meant to be used against us or even Nico, the leader of the wolf pack, who protects humanity from the Reds and rebels.”
“You make it sound like I’m a bomb that might explode.”
“I’m not going to lie to you, Ivy. You might be.” I fold her close. “But I’m with you. We’ll fight this. We’ll undo the magic. Nico’s wife, Aylia, is the most powerful witch alive. Once Marcus clears our path to see her, we’ll get her help.”
“Clears a path how?”
“He wants to be sure you aren’t a danger to the pack. In the meantime, all we can do is convert you, make you a vampire to give you the strength you need to fight whatever this is.”
Her eyes go wide and then her breath trembles from her lips. “You have to convert me to save me? You didn’t want that.”
“For you. I selfishly always wanted it for me.”
She swallows hard. “You can’t convert me. You have to know that.”
“What does that mean?”
She pushes out of my arms. “During one of Marcus’ visits, he said black magic is unstable. You never mix it with another kind of magic without magic just as powerful to counteract it. Isn’t a vampire created with magic? Marcus said—”
“Yes. Vampires originate from magic.”
“Then you can’t convert me with without Aylia present, and it’s not even a matter of me surviving it. I remember things he said to me, Eli. If we converge two magics, we don’t know what we become. We might be monsters. We might be the end of the entire human and vampire world.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Eli
She’s right. We could end up being the death of the entire human and vampire world, but what she doesn’t know, and I do, is that Marcus’ magic is that counter-magic, and it’s far more powerful than even Aylia’s magic.
“That’s a chance we’re going to have to take,” I say, and before she knows what I intend, I’m behind the island, pulling her to me. “Marcus’ magic runs through me, and it’s stronger than Aylia’s magic.” I lean in, burning with my need for her, my gums tingling.
“You don’t know what magic ran through the werewolf who cut me.”
“I know who owns that magic, Ivy. I know they are not as strong as Aylia.”
“Magic is delicate. It’s not about how strong it is when you start mixing it. It’s about how it comes together.”
“How do you know this?”
“A lifetime of Marcus teaching me.”
A lifetime of Marcus.
Those words bite at me with more fierceness than any wolf fangs I will ever encounter.
The burn of anger mixes with the burn for my woman, and it’s a wicked combination. All these years that I thought she was dead Marcus was with her. Marcus was the man who spoke to her, taught her to protect herself, connected with her, and suddenly I’m not sure what I think about my Maker’s interest in Ivy.
With supreme effort and willpower, I release her, stepping wide and away from her. “We leave in two hours. Get some rest. You’re going to need it. I’ll go find us some food.” I grab the keys on the counter, which I assume are for the vehicle Marcus left for us, and turn away from her.
“Eli!” she calls out, but I ignore her, walking to the door and exiting.
Maybe it’s Marcus she wants to save her, not me.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ivy
I don’t know what happened.
One minute Eli is with me, we’re perfectly fine, outside of the obvious challenges, of course, and the next he’s shutting me out, walking away. I don’t understand. I blinked, and he went from all-in, ready to commit to eternity, to this, whatever this is. But then, he never really wanted me, not this me. He told me that from the very beginning. Oh, he claimed it was to protect me, but if he loved me the way I now know I loved him all those years ago, I would have been a gift in this lifetime, not a burden.