Bound By Sin (A Cin Craven Novel) Read online

  And we did. We wandered through the woods, often scaring up deer, rabbits, opossums, or raccoons. On one occasion we even stumbled across two feral pigs. As we walked we tried to name the various trees we saw, some of them I only knew because I’d asked Pandora. The island boasted many oaks, cedars, junipers, palms, pines, magnolias, sweet gums, and dogwoods. It even had a small pecan grove. Every so often we would come across a mass of honeysuckle vine and I had to stop and enjoy the heavenly aroma. My honeysuckle perfume was lovely but nothing compared to the real thing.

  We then left the woods and picked our way down to the beach. For a long time we sat quietly in the sand, watching the tide roll in. After that we inspected the fields and snooped through the barns and the mill where the cotton was ginned. We didn’t see all of the island (I certainly had no wish to visit the salt marshes), but it was enough. Kenneway truly was one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen.

  When we finally decided to return to the house we found ourselves to be a bit lost. The moon was nearly full, though, so at least we could gauge the general direction we needed to travel. It was a bit unnerving the way the woods tended to look the same, and several times I thought that, no matter what the moon said, we were going around in circles. Michael’s sense of direction was better than mine, though, so I held my tongue and followed where he led . . . and it wasn’t long before I knew exactly where we were. I could hear the drums.

  Michael stopped and cocked his head to one side. “What is that?” he asked.

  “Pandora and the slaves,” I said. “It’s some sort of voodoo. Or perhaps it’s just a party. I’m not sure.”

  Curious as a cat, Michael followed the sound of the drums.

  “This is a bad idea,” I called after him.

  “Oh, I’m sure they won’t mind,” he responded, completely misunderstanding why I thought it was a bad idea.

  Against my better judgment, I kept silent about the magic I felt in the air and followed him. It was very late and whatever they had been doing was winding down. Four men sat around the bonfire in ladder-backed chairs, their calloused hands pounding rhythmically on the drums perched between their knees, but most of the dancers had wandered back to their cabins by now. Pandora and Ulysses were still there, though, and she looked up sharply as if she’d sensed my arrival rather than seen it. Perhaps my magic called to hers the same way hers called to mine. Michael shouted out a greeting and Ulysses waved back.

  “Good night for a stroll,” the big man said. “Gonna rain soon, though.”

  I looked up at the clear night sky. The stars were shining and there were only a few wispy clouds floating across the moon.

  “How can you tell?” I asked.

  “I can smell it in the air,” Ulysses answered, “and feel it on the breeze.”

  I inhaled deeply, my sense of smell so much stronger than his, but I didn’t detect anything other than the woods, the fire, and humans. It would be interesting to see if he was right. Michael and Ulysses struck up a conversation about the seeds that had been delivered that afternoon and Pandora and I wandered over to watch the drummers. Their skill fascinated me and it was hard to drag my eyes away from them.

  “You thought any more about what I said?” she asked, drawing my attention away from the men.

  “Yes,” I replied. It seemed that recently I had been thinking of nothing but what she’d said. Standing in this place of power with her, though, I hesitated. Perhaps Michael was right. Since I’d arrived on this island my dark magic had pushed and pulled, taking me to my limits and beyond. Suddenly it didn’t appear to be the logical time to make such a monumental decision. “I can’t do it, Pandora, not now. It’s too dangerous.”

  She snorted. “Too dangerous not to,” she said.

  “You don’t know what that magic has done, what it makes me do. You don’t understand—” and before I realized what she meant to do, Pandora reached down and grabbed both of my hands.

  Magic arched between us and I had to struggle to keep the darkness at bay. I tried to pull away from her but it was as if the magic had hold of us both and it wouldn’t let me go. Suddenly I could feel the rhythm of the drums deep inside me, pounding like the beating of a human heart, like the rapid pulse under my lips when my prey was afraid.

  Pandora slid her fingers between mine, squeezing tightly. “You got to let go of that fear,” she said. “Fear gives the darkness power over you. You learn not to be afraid and you’ll have power over it.”

  “I can’t,” I whispered. I couldn’t let go, because I was afraid.

  “Yes, you can,” Pandora insisted. “The spirits been fed well this night. They won’t make mischief with your magic.”

  I was reminded of Raina suddenly, and the location spell we’d cast. I had held her hands and my stronger power had guided her weaker one. It made me slightly uncomfortable, and a little scared, that Pandora was now doing the same with me. I was used to my magic being stronger than any witch or wizard I faced, but solely as a practitioner of the dark arts, Pandora was far more skilled and powerful than I was. I’d never seen her use her magic and, feeling it, I didn’t really want to know what sort of charms and potions she could spin with that kind of power. If I’d truly wanted to fight her I could have, and I would have won, but I was afraid I would hurt her . . . and a part of me didn’t want to fight it at all.

  It was at that point that Michael looked over and realized something was wrong. I could hear him yelling, arguing, threatening Pandora, but my eyes were locked on hers and I was having a hard time understanding his words. I could feel his fear, though, and my own reacted to it wildly, like cattle being caught up in a stampede.

  “You got to be quiet, vampire,” Pandora snapped. “Her fear’s gonna drive her mad or get her killed. You want to save her, you hush now and let me set her free.”

  Freedom I thought.

  I closed my eyes . . . and I let go.

  CHAPTER 45

  I remember taking my first trip to the stables when I was a little girl. My father had held me in his arms while one of the grooms brought out a beautiful chestnut mare for his inspection. I’d been terrified of the huge animal, but my father had taken my small hand in his and together we’d stroked her sleek coat until I wasn’t afraid anymore. That was, in essence, what Pandora did for me now. I let the blackness rise up, let it pour out of me until I glowed with dark light and, because of her strength, I wasn’t afraid.

  The darkness had always been like a terrible beast crouching inside me. I knew that it wanted blood and death, and that frightened me. My fear made me push it down, deny it sustenance until, when I did set it loose, it consumed everything in its path. Now, I felt it wash over me, through me, mingling with Pandora’s own magic, pulsing with the rhythm of the drums. And suddenly everything I thought I knew seemed wrong.

  Edmund Gage, the wizard who had infected me with the black magic, had been evil. That, I was not wrong about. But I was wrong about the magic. I had always been taught that all black magic was evil and, therefore, I had believed that what was inside me must be. But it wasn’t. As Hamlet said, ‘There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.’ Certainly, Aunt Maggie or any other witch of my line would have seen this magic’s hunger for blood and death and declared it evil. But was that not what a vampire was—blood and death? Was that not what I was? And I was not evil.

  Pandora threw her head back and laughed, enjoying the dark power rushing over us in tingling waves. Her body began to move to the beat of the drums, her hips swaying seductively. Though I wasn’t sure exactly why, I held her hands and mimicked her movements, following her like a pale shadow. I closed my eyes, listened to the drums, and then I knew why she did this. I could almost hear the magic talk to me. It wanted to be fed. It wanted a purpose, to work for me as my white magic did. You got to feed that black dog, Pandora had said. Now I understood. I hadn’t chosen it, but it was a part of me and I couldn’t deny it. I had to own it, or I would never be free.

/>   The drums beat faster and I confidently slipped my hands from Pandora’s, raising my arms above my head as I danced with her. In the end, it had been such a simple thing, letting go of the fear. I knew that without Pandora I could never have done it and, by the gods, I wished I’d met her half a century ago. If I had known then what I know now, how different things might have been. Then again, maybe they had worked out exactly as they should have. Perhaps some lessons just take longer to learn.

  Michael came up behind me and tentatively touched my shoulder. Slowly, I turned to him and smiled, wrapping my arms around his neck and moving my hips against his.

  “Your eyes are black,” he whispered worriedly, and then he shivered, feeling the magic that still surrounded me. “What is that?”

  “Don’t be afraid. It’s darkness,” I said. “And it’s mine.”

  I turned in his arms, fitting my body flush against his, dancing in time to the drums until his manhood hardened and the rest of his body relaxed. He growled and slipped one arm around my waist, pulling me tighter, and for a long time we simply lost ourselves in the sensual rhythm of the music. We were so lost, in fact, that it took us quite a while to realize it when the music eventually stopped. I opened my eyes and looked around. The clearing was empty except for me, Michael, and the bonfire. And then it started to rain.

  I tipped my head up to the sky and laughed, opening my mouth to let the raindrops fall on my tongue. When I looked back at Michael his eyes were wild with lust. I wished I was naked in his arms, and my magic quickly made that wish a reality. When our clothes were in a sodden pile on the ground, Michael pulled me close and kissed me fiercely. His fingers bit into my thighs as he picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me over and sank down in one of the chairs recently vacated by the drummers. I slid down on him, grasping the back of the chair with both hands, and leaned backward as far as I could while I rode him.

  “Oh, God. Harder, lass,” he growled, and I gladly obliged.

  The rain poured down on us, and it felt like a thousand tiny fingers touching me everywhere. Rivulets of water ran down my breasts, cresting at the taut peaks of my nipples, then down my belly, adding to the moisture between my legs. And where the rain went, Michael’s hands eagerly followed.

  “I’m sorry,” I gasped. “I can’t wait.”

  I came, violently, over and over until I wanted to weep with the pleasure of it. Normally I loved to feel him come inside me, to watch his face as he found his release, but tonight I was so far gone that I simply took what I wanted.

  “You were wrong,” Michael said, his voice slightly shaky.

  “About what?” I murmured.

  “When you said coming here was a bad idea. It was a bloody excellent idea.”

  I smiled and kissed his neck. He had no idea how right he was.

  CHAPTER 46

  “We’re worried,” Claire’s voice said, waking me from a sound sleep.

  I rolled over and stretched, feeling blissfully sated and slightly sore.

  “I’m fine,” I assured her.

  In fact, I hadn’t felt this good in a very long time. As Pandora had promised, I had found the balance and my whole body was downright harmonious.

  “We’re not worried about you,” Claire said. “Why wouldn’t you be fine? We’re worried about Adrien.”

  I opened my eyes to find Claire and Evangeline standing next to my bed, staring down at me.

  “She’s right,” Michael said. “It’s time to prepare. Depending on how quickly he’s managed to travel, he could be back in Savannah today.”

  I looked at the clock and then glared at Claire and the ghost. I’d only been asleep for two hours.

  “All right, we’ll plan. But right now everyone who isn’t my husband needs to get out of here and let me get dressed.”

  I struggled out of bed and pulled on a clean pair of breeches and a leather vest. I passed the mirror and then stopped, walked back, and looked again. Vampires might not feel the heat or the cold as humans do, but my hair certainly felt the humidity. Between that and the rolling around Michael and I had done in bed while it was drying early this morning, my normally slightly curling hair was now a riotous mass of ringlets. I ran my fingers through it but that only seemed to separate the curls and make more of them. It wouldn’t have been so bad if they were all going in the same direction. Michael came up behind me, pushed the mess to one side and kissed my neck.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Are you wanting to know if I feel like I might be overpowered by dark magic and suck the life out of everyone on the island? Or are you wanting to know if I’m sexually satisfied?”

  “Both,” he replied, looking a little embarrassed.

  “I feel extraordinarily happy and content on both counts,” I replied.

  “Well, you certainly look like a woman who’s been well-bedded,” he said smugly, ruffling my curls with his fingers.

  “I look like a woman who’s been struck by lightning,” I corrected him.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said. “Tonight we can take a nice long bath and then I’ll brush it dry for you, all right?”

  “You just want to get me wet again.”

  He smiled wickedly. “Always, mo ghraidh.”

  “That’s not what I meant,” I said, slapping his hands away. “By the way, what happened to my boots?”

  “Pandora came in this morning while you were asleep and took all our wet clothes. She said she’d put the boots out in the sun to dry.”

  “Damn, I hope I didn’t ruin them,” I said.

  Michael always travelled with several pairs, but I had only the one. I would have to remedy that, I decided. At the moment though, we had bigger things to worry about than my footwear. I opened the bedroom door and invited the ladies in, surprised to see that Pandora and Lizzie were also waiting. Before I could get the door closed, Vendetta slinked in and rushed across the room, hopping up onto the chaise next to Evangeline. The cat cast me a brief, triumphant look and then proceeded to ignore me and groom her tail.

  “Now that we’re all here,” I said, glaring at the cat.

  “Ares and I talked it over last night,” Claire announced. “And he believes that the house is the most easily defendable point on the island. He said he would rather there weren’t so many windows, but that at least we’d have a clear view of what was coming on all sides.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Claire, darling, we’re talking about one man here. He’s not going to be coming with an army. He’ll slip in during the day when he knows Michael and I are vulnerable and he’ll probably attempt to burn the house to the ground.”

  “The hell he will!” Evangeline shouted.

  “Now, I don’t know that for sure,” I said, trying to calm her. But I remembered Adrien’s words: I’ll have that urn or I will burn this plantation down around you all. “All I’m saying is that I wouldn’t be surprised if he attempted it. Michael and I certainly know first-hand how fond he is of fire. Now, I’ve been thinking about it and I believe the plan is really quite simple. We summon Ares, the war god can have his vengeance, the island will be safe, and neither Michael nor I will have to kill Boucher and have a human’s death on our conscience.”

  Lizzie and Pandora both looked a little uncomfortable with my plan, and I belatedly realized that I was speaking very plainly about murdering Pandora’s father. I looked at her sympathetically.

  “If you’d rather not be here for this, Pandora, we would all understand.”

  She raised her chin defiantly. “No, he’s gotta get what’s comin’ to him. A man should be content with his lot in life, but the master always did think he was better than his raising. He wasn’t nothin’ but a schoolteacher’s son who won my mama and Ulysses’s mama and daddy in a card game. Always told me that he was too good to lay with a black woman, that my mama had put some sort of spell on him to make him come to her bed,” Pandora said bitterly. “But he liked our magic well enoug
h when it was workin’ to do his bidding, like when I was feedin’ all our mouths by sellin’ charms and potions in New Orleans when I was fourteen. No, ma’am, he was happy enough to take that money and dress himself up so he could come out here and find some rich woman to marry. He’s been reachin’ above himself most of his life, lookin’ for glory, and he don’t care who he walks on to get it. I know he’s my daddy, but the man’s made his bed, now he’s gotta lie in it.”

  I nodded. “I rather think of it this way—he tried to kill Michael and me, nearly succeeded in killing Claire, and he did kill Evangeline. The state would probably hang him for that. We’re just saving them the trouble.”

  Lizzie shook her head. “He didn’t murder Miss Evangeline. She fell down the stairs. Mr. Boucher said that Vendetta . . .” Claire and I were shaking our heads and Lizzie paused, and then turned to Pandora. “He didn’t really push her, did he?” she asked, horrified.

  The cold look on Pandora’s face said it all.

  “Finally!” Evangeline crowed. “Now everyone knows the truth. I can’t believe that rotten bastard blamed it on Vendetta, my poor girl.”

  Evangeline and the cat proceeded to sympathize greatly with each other, and I turned back to Lizzie.

  “All right,” she said eagerly, “we let Claire’s god kill him. Are you sure it’s going to be that easy?”

  “No,” Michael said. “I think we need to prepare for the fact that Boucher is a sneaky bastard and Ares can’t always come when he’s summoned.”

  “Well, I certainly don’t intend to put my fate solely in the hands of a god, I assure you,” I said. “That was simply the bare bones of the plan. Now we have to work out all the details. I want to be prepared for anything. I underestimated Boucher’s sneakiness before and I won’t do it again.”

  Michael nodded. “The danger isn’t so much Boucher himself, it’s what he can accomplish before we even know he’s on the island. Ares was right about one thing, the house does give us an advantage. The porches are wide enough that most of the direct sunlight stays out of the rooms. That makes it possible for you and me to move around the house as long as we pay attention to where the sun is. And the three hundred and sixty degree views mean that he can’t torch the house from a vantage point where we can’t see it.”