Page 5 of Witch of My Heart

I almost asked where he thought I was going, but the passenger door of the truck opened, and Duke shouted at me to get the show on the road.

“Don’t worry. I’m not telling your carrier just in case I’m wrong. I hope I’m wrong, but I understand if I’m right,” Dad said and hugged me. “Remember, there’s more than one sort of magic in your blood.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I said and hugged him back.

***

Duke and I didn’t say anything until we left Mage Street behind and hit the highway. I checked the rearview mirror after every turn to ensure we hadn’t lost Rex and Del. So far, he managed to keep up. Rex was a good driver and a calm presence to the road trip. His true-mate, Del, was a bit overprotective of their newborn, but that wasn’t uncommon for wolves.

“He’s wrong. Travis and Trista have left home. They spent last summer on Hemlock Mountain,” Duke said. “Not that it’s the same. We’re going somewhere we might be more than our parents’ children.”

“I doubt it. You have an artist, a Fred, and a Grim Howler as your parents. I have two very well-known medical people. Their shadows are everywhere,” I chuckled.

“That won’t be a problem for you,” Duke said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.

“You’ve learned to live in those shadows and use them to hide your secrets. You want to tell me what you’re really up to now?” Duke asked. “I’m already along for the ride, cousin.”

“There’s only so much I can learn from books. Jay won’t talk to me. He’s the first vampire and he won’t talk to me about their magic. That means, I have to find other vampires who will,” I said gripping the steering wheel.

“Why not talk to him about it?” Duke asked.

“You want the truth? The whole dirty truth? I don’t think you do,” I said. “You live in a world of lounges and rockstars. You’re happy there painting and taking apart cars and doing whatever. Keep it up. Stay happy.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? As I recall, you were there right alongside me once you were old enough to walk on your own two feet.”

“Your carrier wouldn’t like us talking about this either,” I said, hoping he’d take the hint.

“You’re not going to try to get revenge for Uncle Lee, are you? You do know that Grady Moore and anybody supporting his cause is long dead, Blithe? You know that, right?”

“It’s not about revenge. There’s no revenge left. Grady Moore is dead. The people who put him on his serial killer path are dead. You don’t get it. I don’t think you can get it. You don’t get the fangs.”

“Don’t give me that broody, moody, misunderstood vampire crap. I’m not exactly your run of the mill Hemlock Wolf Pack citizen, am I?” Duke growled.

“There is more to vampires than that. There is more to who we are than all those stories. Our magic runs deeper than enthrallment and blood enchanting. I asked my dads to help me find that when I was fourteen. My carrier cried and broke out in hives. We never discussed it. He even had a you-know-what come up the next week. That one that was stuck in the dryer vent and poor Joy found it?

My sire, on the other hand, took me to his office, poured me a glass of wine, and told me everything. He told me how my carrier was kidnapped and used and how vampyric magic played a part in that. I apologized to my carrier and never brought it up again.”

“Only everyone who isn’t your carrier knows you still tried to find every scrap of it you could get your grubby paws on,” Duke sighed.

“Is that so wrong?” I asked, gripping the wheel until my knuckles turned white.

“I half-ass get it,” Duke shrugged. “If more people knew the other side of it, the more people could be protected from the dark side of it.”

“It’s part of who I am,” I shook my head. “I’m just as much a vampire as I am a Hemlock Wolf.”

“Your carrier was born in a little Scottish village. He wasn’t born on the west coast here,” Duke laughed. “You are not part of that coven. You’d be better off trying to find European vampires.”

“None of them will talk to me. I think Dad – one of them – got to them before I could.”

“What makes you think they didn’t get to the vampires out there too then?” Duke asked.

“Hope. Sheer egotistical hope, cousin,” I grinned.

“What is it you want to do with this hypothetical magic once you find it?” Duke asked.

“I’ll know when I have it in my hands. All I know, is I knew I had to head west for years now. When my carrier asked me to escort Del and Rex, I knew it was my time. I don’t know how, but I know this trip is going to change the rest of my life. Hell, you’re the only one of our siblings or cousins who showed up at my front door demanding answers. Maybe it’s going to change yours too.”

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