Of Witches and Warlocks: The Complete Series

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

I was sitting in a bubble bath of all things. Hex insisted on drawing one to help me relax. He'd even gone so far as to light a candle to give some atmosphere.

After he shuttled me back into the safety of the bunker, he'd taken me straight to the lab, having me explain everything to him in detail, while he got some tubes out and did a large blood draw. Taking many vials, I was beginning to wonder if I should've just let Vance feed on me, by the time he was finished. Hex then filled the bath, stating I was to unwind while he worked in his lab. He left strict instructions. I was not to wish for anything, or contemplate going anywhere, unless I desired to end up in my birthday suit somewhere very inconvenient.

Currently, I was trying to concentrate on how good the hot bath felt. It wasn't working though. Every time I closed my eyes, Vance's face would float in front of me. I could still feel his kisses, his arms sliding around me, stroking, caressing, as he pressed the length of his body against mine.

He remembered everything.

"He tried to kill you!" I said out loud, trying to snap myself out of it but it didn't matter. I loved him and that was all my body and heart could respond to. Even after nearly losing my life to him, I couldn't love him any less.

Vance was sick. This wasn't the real him. My Vance was somewhere inside, wrapped up in all of the demon trappings and Hoodoo brainwashing. He needed my help, even if he didn't know it. I gave in to the tears, letting them stream down my face.

He was truly evil. The only reason I'd lived tonight was because he struggled over which way to use me first. It had all been about lust and thirst. I needed to quit deluding myself with thoughts that he was hopelessly in love with me. He knew exactly how to play me.

The attraction was real, and I knew that. He was still firmly bound to me by the spell, and I knew he suffered for me the same way I did for him. I simply doubted a demon could really feel love. Love to them was more like feelings of possession. How could true love reside in the heart of a killer?

I knew from my experience Vance was, at the very least, still feeding on someone else. There was no way he could controlled himself like this if he hadn't fed recently. I just hoped, whoever the unlucky witch or warlock was, that they received some sort of mercy from him.

Sighing, I got up and pulled the plug, letting the water out of the tub. I'd been in long enough for my skin to start to prune. I flipped on the shower so I could rinse the soapy bubbles from my body, before grabbing a towel off the rack.

Dressing quickly in a short flannel nightgown that Hex had purchased for me, I opened the door and headed around the corner to the living quarters.

"I'm going to bed, Hex," I called over my shoulder, continuing to towel dry my hair.

"Good," he spoke from the lab. "Try to get some rest."

"You should do the same. We can work on this tomorrow."

"I'll be along shortly."

Flopping onto my cot in exhaustion, my limbs seemed sapped of strength. Falling asleep was going to be easy this time, but it was the nightmares that awaited me I was afraid of.

The dreams did come, and they were frightful. Right away, I knew I was linked with Vance again somehow, but I didn't try to break the connection. I wanted to see what he was up to and gain some more insight on him.

No longer in the bedroom, Vance was fully dressed and out with a group of several people. They were creeping stealthily through what appeared to be small, darkened alleyways, before coming upon an open area that looked like an old junkyard with abandoned burned out vehicles scattered around.