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  Vampire’s Witch

  Rebecca Airies

  Serena Blackwood can’t believe it when she learns she’s becoming a vix. Finding that she has to work with sexy vampire Marcus Castillo to catch a rogue vampire only adds to her stress. She’s unbelievably attracted to the hunky man but knows staying near him will increase the chances of her jumping his bones—and Marcus discovering her secret.

  Marcus knows the witch working with his team is hiding something. She’s beautiful and talented and he wants to know the mysteries she’s hiding almost as much as he needs to know the feel of her body moving against his.

  But the rogue has plans of his own and unless Serena and marcus work together, they could lose everything.

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  Vampire’s Witch

  ISBN 9781419922886

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Vampire’s Witch Copyright © 2009 Rebecca Airies

  Edited by Helen Woodall

  Photography and cover art by Les Byerley

  Electronic book publication December 2009

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Vampire’s Witch

  Rebecca Airies

  Dedication

  To B.— Although there’s been a lot of rain in your life lately, you’re still able to see the good and the funny in the bad. You’re the absolute best!

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Cadillac: General Motors Corporation

  Chapter One

  “Damn it, that’s impossible. It practically goes against the laws of nature!” Serena stared straight ahead at the white textured wall, not really seeing it. She felt numb, her mind in total shock from the words the doctor had just said.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Doctor Alexander. He waited patiently, his head tilted to the side, green eyes compassionate. When she finally faced him he was frowning. The trim man looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. “You’re not the first witch who’s been bitten and begun the change.”

  She knew he was right and maybe her reaction was a little over the top. He dealt with all kinds of ailments in the groups of paranormal beings. She’d never expected it to happen to her. Grimacing, she admitted she hadn’t even thought it was a possibility. He probably didn’t see this as anything out of the ordinary. It wasn’t as if she were the first woman to be transformed into a vix after a bite but for her it was catastrophic. This was something extraordinary, at least for her. She wasn’t just a woman. She was a witch with a family who just wouldn’t understand. Not very many people could even be changed into a vampire. What were the chances of a single bite changing her? She’d thought the chances of turning were minimal.

  “Your case is very advanced. You’re almost fully transformed. I can give you some meds but it will only slow it a little. It’s too late for the meds to do as they were meant to do and practically halt the progression. All it will do is give you a little time to think, to adjust.” Doctor Alexander walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out four pill bottles.

  Crap! Serena stared at the wall, aware of what he was doing, but her mind raced. All her magical abilities wouldn’t help her now. She couldn’t cast a spell or perform a ritual to push back the changes in her body. She couldn’t have done it even if she’d guessed right after the bite that she’d be one of those who would change. At least she didn’t have to worry about Doctor Alexander telling the Vampire Council as some other doctors did. He was one of the best doctors for witches in the city. He was extraordinarily discreet.

  “How long until the transformation is complete?” she asked. She was amazed at how calm her voice sounded. A vampire witch. Who had ever heard of that? The two groups very seldom even mixed. Although not by the vampires’ decree. Witches just tended to keep to themselves.

  “Maybe two months.” Doctor Alexander leaned against the wall near the exam table. His gray-streaked black hair looked a little ruffled, as if he’d run his fingers through it one too many times. He began rattling off instructions on taking the pills.

  Serena tried to pay attention but part of her mind was still focused on what she’d just learned and the changes it would make in her life. She didn’t know what changes she’d have to make as a whole, and the drinking blood thing made her want to gag. Right now she couldn’t think about it. The only thing on her mind was how she was going to tell her family.

  Her mother and sisters would absolutely freak. Nothing like this had ever happened in the entire history of the Blackwell family. Her mother took pride in that. Their line of witches had always been pure as her mother liked to remind her when she didn’t care for the latest man Serena had chosen to date. Serena intended to put off telling her family for as long as possible. There had to be a way to break it to her mother gently.

  A buzzing ring sounded from her purse. Opening the small outside flap, she pulled the phone out and looked at the display. She didn’t need to recognize the number. She recognized the shield on the ID.

  “I have to take this,” Serena said just before she hit the small button on the cell phone. “Hello, Serena here.”

  “Hi, Serena, this is Jamie. Steven would like to see you. We’ve got a case that needs your touch. We’re prepared to pay your usual fee.” Jamie’s cheerful voice rang in her ears.

  Serena tensed. Her mouth dried and she looked around, half expecting to see one of the Protectorate operatives somewhere close. She shook her head. They couldn’t know where she was, what she was doing here. She firmly pushed back an irrational surge of fear. The newness of the situation made her nervous. She needed time to figure out what she was going to do about this.

  “I’ll be there in about an hour.” She kept her voice smooth and calm only with tremendous effort.

  There was no way that they could even suspect that she’d begun the change into a vampire. As far as she knew, they didn’t know she’d even been bitten. It had only been a minor nick on the side of her arm. She hadn’t thought it worth even mentioning. She wouldn’t give them any reason to start suspecting something was wrong with her.

  “Thanks, I’ll tell Steven to expect you, then. Bye, Serena,” Jamie said.

  “Bye.” Serena barely had time to respond before the woman ended the call.

  Jamie was a perky, petite blonde. Serena had never seen the woman when she didn’t seem cheerful and slightly over-caffeinated. At times, Serena wanted to hand her a cup of tea laced with a sedative potion because that perky, everything’s-perf
ect mood of Jamie’s got on her nerves fast.

  “Sounds like you’re going to be busy, Serena. If you want to slow the change as much as possible, you need to take the pills as directed every day. If you don’t, you’ll be full vix in less than two weeks.” Doctor Alexander put her chart on the small stand near the exam table.

  “I’ll take them as directed. I want as much time as possible. I have to decide what to do.” Serena nodded.

  That was an understatement. She didn’t have any idea if she was going to be able to hide the change for long. Or if it was even possible. All she really knew about vampires was rumor or common knowledge. If they could tell by feel like she could sense the magic of other witches, she’d be found within a week. She really didn’t want to attract the attention of a vampire anytime soon. There were things she had to do before she discovered what her life would be like as a vampire.

  “Good. Now, you need to take things easy and don’t donate blood. If you do, the organization will undoubtedly inform the vampires. And stay away from vampires. Another bite will put you over the edge, not to mention instantly alert that vampire that you’re changing,” he lectured, handing her the pills.

  “I won’t go near a donation center. I thought that vampires being able to tell if someone was changing just from a taste of blood was simply a myth.” She knew that many of the myths about witches were false and had assumed the same was true of vampires.

  “Do you want to try testing it?” The doctor raised a salt-and-pepper eyebrow.

  “Not really. Will these pills last the full two months you said I’d have or will I need to come back for more?” Serena looked at the bottles. Some of those pills she had to take three times a day and unless they were small there weren’t going to be enough.

  “You’ll have to come back for more.” Doctor Alexander smiled and then picked up the chart and opened it again. “I’ll want to see you in two weeks to see how the drugs have affected the transformation.”

  The doctor closed the file and extended his hand. She stuffed the bottles into her purse before she slid off the table.

  “I’ll make the appointment when I pay for the visit.” She shook his hand. “I don’t know if I should thank you for what you told me. I guess knowing is better than one day figuring out that I’ve turned into a freaking vampire.”

  “That’s vix.” He smiled, stepping forward and leading the way out of the exam room.

  She nodded, not arguing. She didn’t really care about the technical term. It was all the same. A vampire was a vampire regardless of whether male or female. This day couldn’t get any worse. Walking out into the reception area, she felt like someone had pulled her life away from her. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not from what had basically been a scratch. She was supposed to find her witch-mate and marry him.

  * * * * *

  Serena pulled her Cadillac to a stop in front of the Dallas Protectorate headquarters. It looked like an office building with its gleaming silver glass windows and unprotected doors. The only giveaway that this was some kind of agency was the row of identical black cars lined along one side of the building. She took the time to transfer the bottles of pills from her purse to the glove box before walking to the building. She didn’t want those found during a routine search.

  She pushed open one of the double doors and immediately found two pairs of eyes locked on her as she entered the spacious reception area. Jamie went back to work at the computer, but the second pair of eyes didn’t waver. The large man sitting in a corner of the room was obviously a security guard in spite of the paper on his lap. She could see the bulge of a gun beneath his blue suit. His eyes locked on her. His body stiffened and she knew that he considered her a threat. She tried to hold back a smile at the reaction. He must have been sensitive to magic. Otherwise a man of his size most likely wouldn’t react like that to her. She wasn’t physically strong or carrying a weapon.

  Serena walked across the functional gray carpet to the blonde with her hair cut in a neat little bob, sitting at the reception desk. Jamie smiled as she looked up from the computer in front of her. White teeth flashed in a cheerful greeting.

  “Hello, Serena, Steven’s not quite ready to see you yet. Do you mind taking a seat and waiting? I’ll buzz you through when he’s ready.” Jamie’s voice bubbled with energy.

  Like I have a choice. She kept the thought silent. Waiting irritated her but causing a scene wouldn’t solve any of her problems. She didn’t do anything more than nod and go to one of the seats around the edge of the lobby. It wasn’t as if she could get into the inner offices without using her magic. The only entrance was beyond a weapons’ detector to the side the black-and-white, U-shaped desk. That door had to be opened from the other side. She took a seat and settled in to wait.

  The entrance doors opened and a tall, broad-shouldered man entered the building. The hair on the back of her neck rose as her stomach tightened. She frowned but pushed the sensation aside as she studied the man from beneath her lashes. Dressed in a red sweater and jeans, he strode over to the desk. The jeans lovingly cupped his tight, round buttocks. She couldn’t stop staring at that gorgeous butt. She wanted to grab it. In spite of the very nice sweater, the dark-haired man looked out of place here. By build, he seemed more like a construction worker or biker. His broad face had rugged angles and he looked like he’d been in more than a few fights. In fact, his nose was crooked. But he was sexy and she enjoyed watching him. Jamie spoke to him briefly and gestured for him to take a seat. He walked over to the chairs but he didn’t look happy.

  It seemed as if she had to wait for hours even if her watch did say it only took about thirty minutes. Finally, Jamie looked up and smiled. The receptionist put a stack of papers on the ledge to her right and brushed a strand of curly hair off her cheek.

  “Serena, Marcus, you can both go back,” Jamie said in her brisk voice.

  Jamie’s eyes barely focused on Serena but locked on the muscled Marcus. Serena couldn’t really blame her. The man did have something that drew a woman’s eyes. If she didn’t have other things weighing on her mind, she’d enjoy watching that man for as long as possible but the test results wouldn’t leave her mind for long.

  Serena handed over her purse to be searched and stepped through the scanner. Jamie nodded and finished searching the purse before handing it back. Serena waited while the man went through the scanner. From experience, she knew the door wouldn’t be opened until both of them had been scanned and their belongings checked.

  As the man, Marcus, stepped up beside her, a low buzz sounded. She stepped forward but the black-haired man was there before her. He opened the door and waited until she stepped through it. Darron Canon waited in the hallway, leaning against the glass wall of one of the offices. The clear wall gave the area an open feeling but it was only an appearance. She knew the glass wouldn’t break from the discharge of most weapons.

  “Hello, Serena, it’s nice to see you again. And you as well, Mr. Castillo.” Darron walked over to meet them, clasping Serena’s hand before nodding to the man at her side. “I’ll escort you both up to Steven’s office.”

  He led them down the hallway toward an elevator.

  “Thank you, Darron. It’s been a while since I’ve been here but I didn’t expect to see you at this time of day. How did you get stuck with escort duty?” Serena smiled at the young redheaded agent. From what she knew, he was out of the office more than he was there.

  “I’m stuck in the office for a while because of an injury.” Darron exhaled and shook his head slowly. “I’d love to be out there but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.”

  They reached the elevator and Darron pressed the button for the top floor. As the doors slid shut, Serena snuck a glance toward the dark-haired man at her side. She wondered why he needed to see Steven. He looked fairly normal. He could be a prospective agent or a former agent but somehow she doubted it. He didn’t look like he was out to impress anyone. Most people meeting a prospective
or former boss wouldn’t dress as casually as this man was. On the other hand, he could belong to any of the various paranormal groups in the area. Since she didn’t feel even the slightest hint of magic from him, she knew he wasn’t a witch. She wondered exactly what he was but knew she’d probably discover soon enough.

  A young man sat at the desk in front of the glass wall into Steven’s office. Steven noticed them and waved them into the room. Again, Marcus opened the door before she could get to it. She smiled at him and entered the room. Steven gestured to the seats in front of his desk as he listened to someone on the other end of the phone. She sat and waited, watching the brown-haired leader of the Dallas Protectorate. It took only a few minutes for the conversation to end. He put the phone down and straightened.

  “Hello, Marcus, it’s good to see you again. Serena, I guess you’re wondering what’s wrong and why you’re here with him.” Steven tented his hands on the desk as he leaned forward.

  “I’m a little curious,” she said, and shrugged. “Jamie said you had a case that needed my touch so I know it has something to do with magic.”

  “Yes, we do need your skills. This is Marcus Castillo. Marcus, this is Serena Blackwell, a witch. Marcus is a vampire. A task force of vampires and Protectorate agents is currently hunting a rogue. Unfortunately, the rogue has some talent for magic and will use it against opponents who don’t have protection.” Steven looked from Marcus to Serena and waited as if he expected some kind of outburst from one of them.

  Serena was too stunned to reply. She just hoped her horror didn’t show on her face. He wanted her to work with that vampire, with other vampires. Her stomach tightened and she felt a little dizzy. Her life had just become even more complicated. She couldn’t refuse the mission even though part of her wanted to shout the denial. It would cause too much suspicion. She’d never refused to work with a vampire before. Hell, she’d never refused a mission unless she was sick or hurt.