Primal Kill (The Order of Vampires #5)

Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

“ I t’s a church.” Juniper frowned at the vaulted spires, certain they were in the wrong place.

“An awfully fancy church.”

She glanced at Adriel. “Maybe I did the spell wrong.” If Dane was here, he wasn’t the sort of guy she thought he was. “He didn’t strike me as a big churchgoer.”

Adriel scanned the area and frowned. “Did we make a wrong turn?”

“It doesn’t work that way.” Juniper once again looked at the folded map. The Indian ink made of soot, wood oil, and mineral water from the gorges was supposed to lead them directly to Dane. She’d been certain she’d done everything correctly.

“Maybe you mispronounced a word.”

“That’s possible.”

Spells were written using the Theban alphabet and spoken in a Latin-English hybrid tongue, but sometimes—because grimoires were passed down through generations—traces of Old Norse and Creole terms ended up transposed.

“I was a little anxious when we started.”

It was the first time they really left Ithaca. Juniper didn’t feel ready to face whatever was hunting Adriel. She wanted to brush up on her basic magick and learn more because the last time things got scary, her magick froze inside of her.

Dropping to her knee, she dug through the backpack and pulled out the big book. For all she knew, they were scammed by the good folks on eBay and sold a replica of crap inspired by the movie Hocus Pocus , but she really hoped that wasn’t the case.

A chill raced down her spine as her fingers brushed the soft leather cover, and her fears abated. There was tangible magick in this book, a presence that lingered in the carbon of the pages and the glue and thread that tethered each handwritten spell to the spine.

She opened the entry for the locator spell and dragged her finger over every scribbled word, whispering them silently to herself, enunciating the final verse aloud. “ Invenire unum cupio.” Her hand rushed to her throat.

“June?”

It hit her like the wind of a hurricane, not quite solid but complete. She shut the book and slipped it back into the bag, hooking it over her shoulder as she stood. “He’s here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, no, I’m not sure. I’ve never done anything like this before, and we bought our spell book from an online auction. But this feels…right. Sort of.” She just couldn’t understand why he would be in a Boston cathedral. “Was Dane religious?”

“I don’t recall seeing him at our prayer meetings.”

Juniper opened the door and hesitated. “Crap.” She looked at Adriel.

“Is something wrong?”

She shrugged. “It feels weird, right? A vampire and a witch walking into a church? There’s a punchline there somewhere. Or am I thinking about the joke where the pope walks into a bar?

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing. I babble when I’m nervous.”

“What do you think is going to happen?”

“Wait—” Too late. Adriel rolled her eyes and stepped across the threshold.

Juniper looked up nervously the moment she stepped inside. No bolt of lightning. No fire and brimstone. Not even a swarm of locusts or toads.

Adriel sniffed the air as Juniper shut her eyes and held out her hands, concentrating.

“What’s that smell?”

“Shh. It’s frankincense.”

“No, there’s something else.” Adriel sniffed again. “Something…ripe. ”

“I can’t concentrate through your talking.” Glancing curiously at the basin of holy water, Juniper kept her hands to herself and crossed the vestibule into the open nave of the church. “Are you sensing anyone here?”

“No, but my senses are turned down at the moment.”

They agreed that was best since Juniper was working the locator spell and unable to maintain the protection spell as well.

“But there is a trace of mortal activity.”

“It’s Monday. They probably had service yesterday.”

Long, wooden pews lined the church's body, and a detailed portrait of archangels adorned the cathedral ceiling. As a descendant of witches, Juniper hadn’t spent much time in buildings like this. Her family was more into rituals that required them to dance naked under the full moon or set out garden offerings for the goddesses and gods.

“This feels a little like trespassing. Maybe we should leave.”

Adriel drew in a long breath, fully sniffing the air. “He’s here.”

“You can smell him? You’re sure it’s Dane?”

Rather than answer, she disappeared, moving at immortal speeds too fast for Juniper’s eyes to track.

“Uh, Ade?”

“Up here.” Her voice echoed from the mezzanine balcony above .

Juniper followed the closed staircase to an open loft set for a choir but frowned when the energy shifted. Something was off. The energy here was cold and solemn. Bad things had happened in this place. Things that could never be undone.

The aura of the gallery was dark and thick, hinting at haunting crimes that happened right where Adriel stood. “I think we should leave. Dane’s not?—”

Adriel pressed a finger to her lips and pointed behind a mahogany wall that housed the keys of an enormous organ. “Which one of us is carrying him out of here?”

Disbelief flooded her as she rushed forward and sucked in a breath. Dane lay passed out on the floor, wrapped in a purple tablecloth, hugging a bottle of what looked like wine. “Oh, my God.”

“He’s pickled.” Adriel poked his foot with the toe of her shoe. “Dane. Dane, wake up.”

Juniper frowned at the wrappers and crumbs covering his chest. He looked like death and smelled worse. When Adriel jostled him again, and he still didn’t move, she worried he might actually be dead.

“Is he breathing?”

“He’s fine. I can hear his heartbeat.”

Juniper flipped a switch on the organ, and it hummed to life with a low vibration. She struck a key, breaking the silence as the instrument's drone blasted through the eight-foot pipes and echoed off the cathedral walls.

Dane bolted upright, sputtering and wrestling his way out of the tablecloth as the wooly timber cut off. Crumbs drifted from the stubble of his jaw, and a glass bottle rolled into the pew.

He stilled and frowned. “Adriel?” His gaze shot left. “Juniper?” His confused stare bolted about the church. “What…? How…?”

Juniper laughed. The spell actually worked! Holy shit. “You smell like hot garbage.”

“And look worse.” Adriel bent to pick up the bottle, sniffed it, and drew back with a frown. “Did you steal this?”

“What are you guys doing here?”

“I’m a fucking sorcerous!” Juniper broke into a touchdown dance.

“Take it easy,” Adriel warned, gathering the trash off the floor. “Did you rob the tabernacle, Dane?”

“I was hungry. How are you here?” He brushed off his shirt and shoved the tablecloth onto a bench. “I’m so confused. How are you two together? Why are you in Boston? And what the heck are you wearing?”

Adriel’s fair skin darkened to a scorching red as she pulled at the hem of her knee-length dress. “There have been some changes.”

Juniper scowled and protectively stepped in front of Adriel. “Don’t mind how we’re dressed. Did you go on a bender of Jesus crackers and booze? ”

“I ran out of money.”

“Why Boston?” Adriel asked.

Dane shrugged. “Why not?” Something sad flashed in his eyes. “Where else should I go? I have no one. I couldn’t stay on the farm. I couldn’t even keep my dog, so I gave him away to a family with twin boys.”

“You gave Colby away?” Adriel said, voice rich with empathy. “Oh, Dane.”

“I knew you needed help. I could sense it.” Juniper stuffed the grimoire back in her bag and closed the flap. “We’ve been crashing with a little old lady named Ruth. You can come back with us. She won’t mind. I don’t know about the dog though. We have a stray cat. I call him Jasper.”

“Colby’s in a good home. It was the right choice. I can’t take care of him the way he needs. But you really think I can come with you?” Relief showed in his voice and eyes.

Adriel nodded. “There’s no reason for you to do this alone.”

“I haven’t been doing much of anything. A few random jobs here and there so I can eat, but nothing lasting.”

“Well, we have plenty of food, but we must return before Juniper’s energy runs out. Come along. We have a motor vehicle.”

“You’re driving a car?”

“No, Juniper is. Thankfully it has safety belts and handles to hold onto. She drives like a blind woman in a rush to fulfill a death wish.”

Over the next few hours, while driving back to upstate New York, they brought Dane up to speed. Though he looked and smelled like something dredged out of a sewer, his spirits were high.

“You actually found me with magic? That’s pretty badass, Juniper.”

“I know.” She smiled, glancing back through the rearview mirror as she drove. “We found a decent book of spells online that’s been super helpful. I think the creator was a mage. It’s like I’ve opened up a portal inside of me. The more knowledge I consume, the more manageable my power becomes. It’s a total high. Soon I’ll be limitless!”

“We’re all just grateful it hasn’t gone to Juniper’s head,” Adriel teased.

Dane leaned forward, wedging his body between the front seats. “I barely recognize you, Adriel. In street clothes, you look so…young.”

Juniper smothered a laugh. If he wasn’t careful, he would find himself hitchhiking the rest of the way.

Adriel drew back and covered her nose. “Sweet heavens, Dane. When’s the last time you bathed?”

He sat back. “It’s been a little rough.”

Beneath the shag of his overgrown hair, his eyes creased with lines of worry. Dirty, gaunt cheeks gave away his hunger. Reaching into the center console, Juniper pulled out a granola bar. “Here. You look hungry.”

“Thanks.” He took the bar but didn’t open it .

Adriel looked back at him with concern. “When’s the last time you fed?”

Juniper’s head jerked, her stare snapping to Adriel’s. Sometimes she spoke about things too casually.

“It’s been a few weeks.”

Juniper frowned.

“You should feed,” Adriel said. “You both should.”

At that, Dane’s stare bolted to Juniper. “Wait, what?”

“Thanks, Adriel.”

“Why is it a secret? If we’re going to be living together, we need complete transparency. Dane, you need to feed. I can offer my vein, but you must block your thoughts at all times. Cerberus is still out there.”

Dane frowned and looked back to Juniper. “You’re a hybrid?”

She grimaced. “I’m something. Apparently, when you’re also a witch your blood mutates into a whole new sub-species. I could wake up as a mogwai tomorrow. Don’t get me wet or feed me after midnight.”

Adriel frowned. “I don’t understand that reference.”

“ Gremlins .” Dane chuckled. “I remember that movie.”

“God, remember movies?” Juniper recalled nostalgically.

Unclipping her seat belt, Adriel twisted to face Dane. “Enough talking.” She rolled up her sleeve. “You must feed.”

“Wait, now? In the car?”

Dane pulled her wrist to his mouth. “Thanks.”

The car fell into an awkward silence, broken only by the soft sound of Dane suckling from Adriel’s vein. Talk about feeling like a third wheel. Juniper focused on the road, never blinking and careful to avoid any glimpse of what was taking place ten inches to her right.

Dane moaned.

“Do you have to make those noises?” The metallic scent of Adriel’s immortal blood became all she could smell. “I’m pretty sure this could have waited until we got home.”

“It’s so good,” he groaned.

Juniper glanced at Adriel and they both flushed. Did she like what he was doing? She couldn’t stop thinking about what Ade had said about men humping like dogs whenever they did a blood exchange. Was she getting some sort of pleasure from having Dane’s mouth on her?

“Don’t take too much,” Juniper snapped, as if she had any clue how this stuff worked and what was considered adequate.

“He’s fine,” Adriel assured, her voice all too breathy for Juniper’s liking. And why were her eyes so dilated?

Dane moaned again.

“Oh, come on! I get that you have needs, but I need you to tighten it up with the moans and groans. This isn’t a porn set. How much could you possibly need?”

They both stilled and stared at her.

Juniper kept her hands on the wheel and her eyes on the road. “What?”

Dane licked his lips and wiped his mouth. “I’ve only ever had Magdalene’s blood. Hers is…” He shook his head. “Incomparable—in a good way,” he quickly assured Adriel. “Uh, do you want me to…?”

“It’s fine.” Adriel retracted her arm and licked the puncture closed.

She supposed vampires didn’t need to worry about germs or catching colds because they swapped spit while feeding like it was as casual as a make-out session. Did it have to be so intimate?

Adriel folded her hands in her lap and lowered her chin to her chest, her shoulders hunched inward. She was strangely silent.

Dane leaned back, stretching his arm over the headrests as he blew out a breath. “It doesn’t usually hit me this quickly.” His comment was answered with awkward silence. “Uh, Juniper, wasn’t that the Ithaca exit?”

Veering onto the shoulder of the road, she threw the car in reverse. If she hadn’t been so distracted by Dane’s erotic feast of Adriel, she wouldn’t have missed it. “Hold on.”

They all grabbed hold of their seatbelts as she sped backward and made a sharp turn home .

Dane wasn’t buckled in, so he nearly slid out of his seat. “Jesus, Juniper. Slow down!”

He was one to talk.