Page 20 of Toadstools and Vampire Kisses

With a twist of my fingers, I call up the deep roots beneath the house and summon them to my command. I will them to push up through dirt and stone in twisted vines of unparalleled strength. Vines perfect to catch a vampire. As I snap my fist closed, they burst up from the floor nearest to us and ensnare Jack, wrapping around him. He struggles, but as more vines reach up to surround him there’s little that he can do but growl unhappily from his cage as he claws at them ineffectually. Eventually he will get through, but for now the plants are replacing their vines as quickly as he can saw through them and will continue to do so for as long as I feed power into them.

I give him a cool smile and a wiggle of my fingers in farewell as I depart, happy to put vampires behind me for good. Pushing Jack, and Reynard especially, to the back of my mind along with all of my hurt and humiliation, I paste a smile on my face as I mingle with coven members and local guests who have come for the dance. I nearly trip over my own feet when I see Adeon dancing around my mother with a pumpkin on his head as she laughs and claps her hands in amusement. My lips twist in a faint smile.

Well, good for her.

Turning away from the dancing, my gaze falls on a tall man standing alone in a corner wearing a crimson shirt. He smiles and raises his punch glass to me. Well, why not? Some punch wouldn’t hurt right about now. Iama little thirsty.

ChapterFourteen

REYNARD

Iam going to kill my cousin. No. I am not going to just kill him—I am going to murder him slowly. I cannot believe that this was the method he devised to test whether the bond was truly developing between Fran and me. It had taken every bit of the manners that had been engrained into me at court both among humans and within the coven to not step away from the stranger when she was introduced. All I wanted to do was cling to Fran and hide behind her in hope that Sarah Goodwin would lose interest and leave when I caught the scent of her obvious sexual interest.

I am not certain what was worse, the scent of her lust or the liberal amounts of perfume doused all over her body. It turned my stomach before our hands even touched, and even now I am trying desperately not to breathe through my nose as I dance with her. Thank the gods I am not obligated to do anything more, though as one dance turns into another it has become torturous.

I cannot seem to escape her. Any time I try to beg off with an excuse to dance with one of the other ladies, she somehow manages to make sure that she is the only witch nearby available to dance. My frustration with my inability to escape her only compounds my desire to return to Fran and my inability to locate her. With Sarah chattering in my ear, I will be relieved when I can be done with this duty and seek out the one I wish to be with.

Honestly, I am not even certain what she has been saying this entire time. I am more concerned as to where Jack has absconded to with Fran. I frown as I turn my head to scan the outer area outside the dance floor and I grit my teeth with frustration.

Where is he?

He was not supposed to go anywhere. He was just to keep her company and watch over her for however long this process takes. Already I can feel my skin itching and the sensation of a thousand threads rippling deep within me. It may be the fledgling bond, but it is not yet certain. Only the pain of separation, as small as it would be at this stage, can tell the tale.

Scowling into the crowd, I crane my head a little to see beyond a thick cluster of people talking when I feel a warm body press against mine. I immediately drop my eyes as my head swivels in a sharp movement toward the culprit. Sarah flinches slightly at my scrutiny, but her smile widens as she presses in closer uninvited. To my great misfortune, my nostrils flare in an effort to restrain my temper, dragging in the scent wafting up from her.

“You look a bit distracted. How about we get out of here and find someplace a little quieter… and a lot more private?” she whispers.

I nearly drop my hands from her and recoil, but instead I squint down at her, baffled that she would interpret my distraction in such a way. “For what reason would I wish that?”

Her smile slips as her lips tighten, but she forces out a shrill laugh that grates on my nerves. “Why not? We could have a lot of fun, and besides, wouldn’t you wish a little taste?” She brushes her fingers along her bare collarbone, and I frown, puzzled. “A powerful vampire like you must have many hungers that require satisfying.”

My mouth drops as I openly gape at her, a sick feeling welling up in my gut at the very idea of feeding from her. Sadly, my mouth runs unchecked in my shock. “You speak of fornication and sharing of blood. No! Absolutely not. I could not possibly desire that.”

“Wait, what? Why the fuck not?” she demands, her affront clear as she begins to glower at me.

I shake my head. “You are not my mate. The thought of tasting your blood is revolting. I avow that I would lose the contents of my stomach if I even attempted it.”

She jerks back to glare angrily at me. It is only then that I realize that we have stopped dancing and are now standing in the midst of the ballroom with every nearby eye turning upon us.

“Did you just say that I amrevolting?” she shrieks, and I wince at the painful pitch of her voice.

“I did not,” I refute as politely as possible. “I said that the idea of taking your blood as a woman who is not my mate is revolting to me. But I have no interest in laying with you either if that is what you are after. I am sure you are a perfectly lovely woman, but I can barely breathe with the scent you are giving off now.”

Scarlet races up her cheeks as she steps back from me, but as I am glad to finally be out of her hold, I turn away to seek out my female. That was another clue that I did not realize until just then. A mated vampire is repelled by the scent of desire from another who is not their mate. As I can feel the faintest of twinges beginning, I call it good enough to seek my return to Fran. If only I can find where the devil she is.

“Don’t turn away from me as if I’m nothing!” Sarah barks from behind me and I let out a painstaking sigh as I slowly turn to face her.

My field of vision is a bit narrower than I like within the fox mask, but it is clear enough to see the fact the glimmer of power welling up around the witch I offended. I bite back a sigh of annoyance. It seems that I have not lost my touch. In fact, it somehow seems worse. I have always been blunter than most, preferring not to dance around with social niceties that I don’t quite understand, but that seemed excessive even for me.

“I do not have time for this,” I growl as she raises a hand to me.

Her laughter is brittle and holds not a thread of amusement in it, but I am still caught unawares when she shouts an incantation and a blast of magic shunts toward me with enough force to knock me off my feet. Only my command of the surrounding air keeps me from sailing more than a few feet. I land in a graceful crouch and slowly stand as she glares at me and straightens the glittering crown that that is now sliding off her head.

“Prick,” she snaps finally before storming away, gratefully leaving me at last to pursue my mate.

The pull on the threads woven around my heart is getting stronger, making my breath come in pained spasms. Uncomfortable but not agonizing, but that is enough as far as I am concerned. I barely take heed of the curious gazes that follow me as I slip through the crowd, every moment of separation making me curse Jack a little more violently under my breath until I find myself standing in front of a large mass of vines. I blink at them in surprise, especially since I can detect a familiar scent from within their mass.

“Jack? What the devil are you doing in there?” I snap. “You are supposed to be with Fran.”

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