“Yes, ma’am,” I said, and Ethan nodded. Of course I hated being reprimanded, but I was proud of Fiona for standing up against her boyfriend and best friend. I wondered what reason Ethan had for hating vampires but didn’t ask, it wasn’t any of my business. I had enough of my own drama without having to worry about his.

Blue smoke rose from the bowl and curled towards my body and around my limbs and torso. The smoke dissolved into my skin like before, but I didn’t feel different, my energy and magic still buzzed underneath my skin like an electric current.

“I don’t think it’s working,” I told Ethan.

“Give it a minute.” His eyes rolled as he looked away.

If Fiona hadn’t been sitting right next to me, I would have smacked him. Maybe if I was lucky, his eyes would stick like that. I giggled at the thought, and both of them looked at me. Shrugging my shoulders, I reigned in my amusement and picked a piece of fuzz off of my jeans.

We sat for ten minutes before I felt normal again. After being hyper for so long, normal felt sluggish in comparison. I frowned at the difference. I missed the extra energy but at least now the spell would protect me from Ian—or at least I hoped it would. I didn’t exactly trust Ethan, so I wasn’t confident I wouldn’t see Ian tonight.

“How do you feel?” Fiona laid her hand on my arm and watched me with curious eyes.

“Normal. My energy buzz is gone.”

“Don’t sound so excited about it,” Fiona laughed.

“It was just cool to have so much energy, I felt invincible.”

Ethan cleaned up his mess and stood. “Well, if were done, I’ve gotta get back to studying. You coming, Fiona?”

She stood and looked down at me. “Give me a minute,” she told Ethan.

Without a word he turned and walked towards the door. Fiona grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight. Her eyes were filled with apprehension and sympathy. I knew what she’d say before the words ever left her mouth.

“Gwen, are you sure you’re okay? I can stay with you if you want.”

A smile spread upon my lips, even though I felt like frowning. I would act the same way if Fiona had been violated. As much as I wanted her to ignore it and just move on with life, I appreciated her empathy.

“I’m fine, really. More pissed than anything. I have to train with Dorian, so you can’t stay with me, unless you wanna hang out in the graveyard all night.” I laughed because I knew Fiona hated graveyards.

Her eyebrows scrunched and the corner of her mouth went up in an uneasy smile. “I think I’ll stay in here, but if you need me, just let me know; I’ll be in the ball room with Ethan and all the other soldiers.”

I nodded my head. “You didn’t…” I began as I stood up. Fiona waited for me to finish my sentence, but I felt bad even asking her what was on my mind.

“What?”

“You didn’t tell Ethan about what happened, did you?” It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, I just needed to be certain. I hoped she would understand that.

“Nope, I just told him the ghosts wouldn’t let you sleep, so you needed a sleep protection spell. He didn’t even question it.” She smiled.

“Thanks, Fiona.” I gave her a tight hug. “Tell him thank you for me, will ya?”

She nodded before she turned and left to find Ethan. There was a big change in my best friend since we came to Moon. She was more mature and interested in things other than herself. Maybe she was done playing spoiled rich girl and was looking for a purpose in her life. Whatever the reason, I admired her development.

*****

Like every other night since coming to Moon, tonight seemed like it lasted an eternity. It was only 10:00pm, but I very much wanted to head up to my bedroom and crawl under the plush cotton comforter.

Instead, I met with Dorian in the graveyard. I spent more time in graveyards in the past few weeks than I had my entire life. If someone asked me where someone was buried, I was sure I could draw them a map with the exact type of headstone marking the grave.

Just as I got to the front door, Kye walked into the large entry way. I hadn’t seen him around much since Holly pawned me off to the Angel of Death. His sandy brown hair was spiked atop his head, and he wore khaki pants and a blue polo shirt that fit a bit snug. His eyes found mine, and I gave him a small smile. “Hey,” I said as he walked closer to me.

“Going for a night jog?” He crossed his arms and waited for my answer.

It took me a moment to understand his question. I looked down at my clothes, I still had on the yoga pants and baggy sweater I’d conjured at Aiden’s hotel.

“Oh, no.” I shook my head. “I have to meet Dorian in the graveyard, training again. I feel like I’m in boot camp.” I laughed. Kye’s head bobbed up and down and an awkward silence filled the space between us.

“You wanna come with me?” The words spilled out, and I rushed to explain. “You might want to learn, Dorian won’t always be around to teach new spirit walkers.” The truth was I didn’t want to be alone with him. I’d seen interest in his eyes on more than one occasion, and with Kye there he couldn’t act on those feelings.

Kye looked away then back at me. “Yeah, I guess I could do that. I was just going to listen in on fighting techniques, but it’d be nice to get out of the castle for a little bit.”

We followed the cobblestone road that lead to the graveyard. The air was a bit chilly and carried the scent of smoke and food from one of the quaint restaurants. Kye seemed like he wanted to ask me something but was hesitant to speak. A small smile crept onto my lips as I waited for him to gain the courage to talk. After a couple minutes, I couldn’t maintain patience any longer. “What’s on your mind?”

He looked over at me and then away, nervousness showed in his eyes. “Your friend, the blonde one,” he began, and I smiled wider.

“Fiona? What about her?” I bit my lip to rein in my smile. It was obvious he was uncomfortable, and I shouldn’t make it worse by laughing. But it was sort of nice seeing him unsure of himself when he made me feel exactly like that through his training.

“Never mind.” He waved his hand in the air like it would make me forget the conversation ever happened.

“No, really. What did you wanna know?” I didn’t know him all that well, and all the time I spent with him convinced me a large stick was probably stuck up his ass, but I still liked him more than Ethan.

“Is she seeing anyone?” He rushed the question so it sounded like one word.

Fiona was into Ethan so I felt bad about having to tell Kye, especially when he was so nervous to ask. “Ethan Rhodes, but I don’t know how serious it is,” I told him. We’d only been in Moon for a couple weeks, it couldn’t be super serious or, at least, I hoped it wasn’t. I was sure Ethan was nice enough to the right people, but I hadn’t seen that side of him yet.

“Oh,” Kye murmured.

Kye and I walked down the dirt path in silence. Seeing Dorian leaning against a large mausoleum was a welcome sight, although by the look on his face, seeing Kye with me wasn’t one.

Sweetness on my lips, my tongue does yearn to lick.

I stopped in my tracks as Ian’s voice penetrated my mind. Fiona and Ethan shielded him from my dreams, but the spell didn’t stop him from communicating with me telepathically.

“What’s wrong?” Kye asked.

My hands itch to caress your breasts, and my mouth waters to taste your sweet nectar.

My heart sped up as Ian continued to taunt me. I covered my face with both hands and rubbed my forehead like that would eradicate him from my brain.

You will be everything she is not, be by my side and claim your spot.

“Shut up!” I screamed and Kye jumped beside me.

“Gwen?” Dorian asked, beside me in an instant.

Ian’s laughter haunted my mind and no amount of rubbing would erase the eerie sound. My anger intensified my magic to rush through my veins and before logic could penetrate my conscious, I shot my hand out and a blast of blue energy hit a nearby tree. A large branch snapped in two, almost hitting Kye.

“What the hell is going on?” Dorian asked Kye.

Shit, how am I going to explain this? I’d have to tell them the truth, unless I wanted them to think I was going insane. Thoughts rushed through my head as Dorian and Kye argued. When I looked up, two pairs of eyes were watching me. My body shook with fear and anger, and my chest heaved with my panicked heartbeat. What would the NAWC do when they found out I was bonded to the vampire responsible for killing so many witches? It didn’t look good that I lied about the bond with Ian for so long. I should have told the council as soon as it happened.

“Are you okay?” Kye rested a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded, but couldn’t find the courage to speak.

“What the hell just happened, Gwen?” Dorian crossed his arms and watched me.

Don’t tell them, little witch. They’ll lock you away; you’re a liability in their war.

As much as I hated to admit it, Ian was right. The NAWC wouldn’t trust me. With Ian bonded to me, he could infiltrate my mind and know their steps before they made them. But what if Ian knew they could break the bond and that’s why he didn’t want me to say anything? I was stuck between a rock and hard place and didn’t know how to get out. I felt like I had an angel on one shoulder telling me to say something and the devil on the other telling me to keep my mouth shut.

“I’m fine,” I told them. By the looks on their faces they didn’t believe me. I didn’t blame them, I was a horrible liar.

“You’re fine? Just like that?” Dorian laced his words with sarcasm. “You almost took Kye’s head off with a tree limb. I don’t know you, but I doubt you just have random crazy fits.”

I grumbled and pressed past both men. My hands trailed through my hair as I walked further into the cemetery. I’d never known what hate was, not really, until I met Ian Despereaux. He was making my life a living hell, and unless Aiden found out how to break the bond tonight, I was stuck with him until he died. I made a silent promise that I’d be the one who killed him.