Primal Kill (The Order of Vampires #5)

Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

J uniper paced back and forth in the crowded attic. It was late, but she found the evening hours the best time to practice her craft uninterrupted, and away from distractions—namely Adriel.

It had not been planned. At no time did she think, oh, I should hook up with that fiery red-headed vampire . Yet…it had been the easiest, most natural hookup of her life. Not to mention the hottest. And they only got as far as kissing and heavy petting.

It had to be the blood. That was the only explanation.

Now, things were awkward. Stolen glances and childish blushes. She couldn’t think, and she needed to think because a psychopath was chasing them, and now, more than ever, Juniper felt compelled to protect Adriel.

Realizing she was once again lost in a tangent of thoughts about her, Juniper growled. “Focus! You need to get this down. What kind of witch can’t do simple fucking magick? No more thinking about her—at least not in that way.”

A new shipment of auctioned books arrived that morning, and these were, by far, the most valuable collection yet, hand written and brimming with priceless knowledge, but often depicted in strange languages and symbols. She knew she hit the jackpot when several of the old texts were spelled shut. It only took a few tries to get the decaying pages to open and once they did, she found all the answers she needed.

What looked like gibberish to the untrained eye actually hid generational wisdom passed down through time. Witches started encoding spells the moment the patriarchy turned their hunt toward wise women with a deep understanding of herbs and cures.

Terminology was meant to confuse outsiders. It was the only way to protect magick from falling into the wrong hands. Ivy became lizard legs, and the eye of newt was nothing more than mustard seed. Gratitude for her aunts’ teachings swelled inside of her as she recalled all these strange terms and remembered the exact translations.

For years, she hated being different. Her lessons never seemed more than a waste of time when she craved being like everyone else.

How wrong she’d been.

Juniper finally had reason to appreciate all her grueling childhood lessons in reading runes. While other kids practiced cursive and print, she had been forced to trace ancient glyphs until she knew each one by heart.

The encoded pages filled her with nostalgia and made her feel somehow closer to her aunts. They would have loved to see her embrace her roots, and it made Juniper sad that they never got the chance.

She definitely had some regrets to work through, but again, those distractions could come later. Right now, she needed to learn as many spells as possible.

The books were more than inanimate objects. Energy radiated from the pages as if a spiritual guardian protected the spells. Every time Juniper opened a book, she thanked the creator for entrusting her with the knowledge, making sure they understood she would not abuse the power within.

Sometimes, her promise was met with skepticism. In those cases, she’d try another grimoire. But most times, the energy was positive and welcoming, even encouraging.

Like her, these spirits were descendants of the so-called heathens, healers, and hearth dwellers burned throughout the fifteenth century. Her once dispassionate interest in her ancestors’ history was gone, replaced by an insatiable obsession to know who she was so that she could unleash her full potential. Witchcraft was more than a part of her heritage. It was in her blood .

Blood… Visions of Adriel’s body writhing below hers filled her memory, drawing her focus away from the task at hand.

The surge of pleasure that came with feeding had certainly been downplayed. Never in her life had she expected it to be so…erotic. Was it merely the blood that had her so turned on, or was it an underlying attraction to Adriel? She couldn’t be sure.

Blood was a drug, an easy addiction. Was there a side effect? She didn’t think so. Her mind had been buzzing like a live wire since taking Adriel’s vein. Her thoughts and ideas connected like the vines of a wild jungle until her brain felt overwhelmed by new growth.

The only thing distracting her from her studies was the thought of Adriel asleep in her bed one floor below. But she couldn’t think about that. There were too many other things to consider.

But what would happen if she joined her? She bet her body was warm. Her voice would be soft and sleepy. Juniper could slowly wake her up and?—

No. She had other things to do.

Channeling. She was working on her channeling.

She turned the page and scanned the runes, slowly dragging her finger down the faded paragraph of the entry, quietly reading the ancient wisdom aloud.

“The arts of channeling energy beith a potent and revered practice. To harness the essence of life, one must attune their spirit to the elements. The adept practitioner draws upon these forces in ritual, merging their will with nature’s power…” Her words faded as her stare drifted to the door, her attention once more stolen by the female below.

She threw her body back on the bed and groaned. This was taking forever. Why couldn’t she concentrate? Maybe she had too much blood.

Giving in to her tempting thoughts, she sighed. Adriel was unlike anyone she’d ever known. She was strong yet delicate. Powerful yet beautifully humble. Touching her was like standing in the sun—warm and comforting, invigorating in ways she couldn’t explain.

Her hand dragged slowly down her front as she stared at the peaked ceiling. Those sighs and lush thighs. Her lips were the softest shade of pink, and her eyes were green like moss. The delicate traces of floral in her hair.

Her eyes closed as her fingers slipped past the waistband of her jeans. Her knees bent and opened, as her hand delved lower. Lips parting, she sighed at the first caress. Her body was warm and wet?—

A floorboard creaked and her hand jerked out of her pants as she bolted upright, scrambling for the book she’d set aside. She pretended to read, only to realize the writing was upside down.

Heavy footsteps climbed the steps and Dane’s dark head emerged. “I figured you were awake.”

“Don’t you knock? I’m studying. ”

He cocked his head, suspicion narrowing his eyes.

“What?” she snapped.

He knew. He was a half-breed with an exceptional sense of smell. There was no way he couldn’t scent her arousal in the air, which he clearly had when he cleared his throat and broke eye contact.

“Am I interrupting something?”

Obviously he was. She snapped the book shut. “You’ve already interrupted. What did you need.”

He approached the vanity where several books sat open. “How do you read this crap? All I see is blank pages and ink blotches.”

“It’s far from crap.” She defensively pulled the oldest book away from his view, holding it protectively against her chest. “They’re loaded with ancient wisdom and power. They’re more than books. They’re grimoires, and they deserve our respect.”

“Sorry. I didn’t realize.” He sat on the bed. “How long do you think it will take you to read through them?”

“Not too long. It would help if I didn’t get distracted every two minutes.”

“You’ve been up here for hours.”

“And it’s very distracting.”

He frowned. “You okay?”

She groaned and scrubbed her hands down her face. “I’m fine. It’s just so much information and I want to understand all of it.”

“June, you’re only human. ”

She arched a brow and they both laughed.

“Guess we can’t say stuff like that anymore.”

“Guess not.” She sighed. “I wish we knew how close he was.”

“We should be grateful we have the time we have. I don’t think any of us are strong enough to face him yet.”

What if they never were? Any mention of Cerberus brought a sharp twist of unease.

Dane moved to the window. “Do you want this window open?—”

“Leave it. I’m channeling.”

“Channeling what?”

“Magick pulls from nature. It’s a constant give-and-take. It’s easier to replenish my energy when the window’s open.”

He grinned. “Let’s see what you’ve got.” He set a pen on the bed next to her. “Can you move this.”

“Yeah.”

“Prove it.”

With a deep breath, she closed her eyes, summoning the magick that lay dormant within her, focusing on everything she’d read and opening her third eye. The attic hummed with energy, but something was preventing her from retracting the power she needed to access.

“There’s too much interference.”

“What do you mean?”

She tried to explain it. “The walls. I can feel the energy vibrating off every structure. Even your presence creates a ripple. ”

“Would it be better to practice outside?”

“Probably.” But she liked the privacy of her room. “I don’t want to do too much too soon. I’m trying to build up my stamina. It’s complicated.”

“So, explain it to me.”

She hesitated. These secrets were protected for a reason. “Can I trust you?”

“June, seriously?”

She still hesitated. “What? This is ancient wisdom. It’s not meant for just anybody.”

“Well, at least all this power isn’t going to your head.”

“Fine.” She sighed. “It’s not like you’ll be able to use it.”

“Gee, thanks. It’s great to feel useless.”

“That’s not what I meant.” She turned to face him. “You know how tomatoes are nightshade fruits, and they mostly bloom at night?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, they’re full of energy from the moon. Trees are a mixture of sun, air, and earth. Every living thing holds a sort of magical DNA. Trained witches can tap into the genetics to pull whatever power they need.”

“You learned all of this from those books?”

“I’ve always known it was out there, but now I’m trying to master the skill. Think of it as knowing what Italian sounds like compared to being able to understand and speak it. I’m learning how to apply what I know.”

“So, once you learn how to channel nature, you’ll have more powers? ”

“Sort of. The bigger the natural source, the greater the power when channeled. The ocean would be the strongest force, but we’re hours from the Atlantic. However?—”

“The gorges,” he guessed before she could explain.

“Yes.” Adriel had been right when she sensed the ancient energy of this place. “Once I know how to tap into all that power, I can pull it within.”

“Is that dangerous?”

“We’re already in danger. Me learning how to better control my magick only makes us safer.”

“Are you saying we need a field trip?”

She grinned, anxious to stretch her powers outside of the house. “I think that’s exactly what’s needed.”