Bite of Envy (Just One Bite #4) (15 page)

Diandra offered a hand up, and Lizbeth took it. Without
blinking, Dia flipped Lizzie over her shoulder to thud onto the beach. “You
should never offer a hand, nor accept one, if you don’t know what will happen
when you do so,” she admonished.

Lizbeth merely gazed blankly at her from the where she lay.
“Are you fucking kidding me? What the fuck, Dia?” She was pissed, and it showed
in her jerky movements as she climbed quickly to her feet and started brushing
uselessly at the sand.

Eamon responded for her. “The point is to never stick out a
hand- you don’t know what will happen. If Diandra was down next to Carson,
would you stick your hand out to help her up?” he asked.

Lizbeth glanced at him. “Of course I would,” she replied
coolly.

“And then you’d be short one limb when Carson reached out
and ripped it off,” Diandra replied. She walked to her lover and wrapped her in
a brief embrace. “I love you, baby, but there’s still so much you need to learn
before tonight.” She kissed Lizbeth quickly and then stepped back.

Eamon glanced at Sandra where she still lay in the sand,
smirked a bit and then dismissed her. “All right, the day grows short and we
have lots to do.”

Adrian did as Eamon asked of him. He was shut up in his
room, kneeling before his alter. He’d cast his circle and done his usual
calming ritual, but this time, rather than reversing the process and closing
the circle, he stayed kneeling and prayed. “Goddess, please help me help them,”
he prayed. “I’m merely human surrounded by those more powerful than me, and
tonight I’m more of a liability than an asset. I need some guidance, some
direction. I need help if I’m to be of any use as anything other than RaeLynn’s
babysitter. She’ll probably be right in the fray to offer quick healing to
anyone who needs it,” he muttered, and then he cleared his thoughts once more
and returned to his prayer. This was not the time for bitterness, he scolded
himself.

He stayed that way for an hour, two, and then three. He lost
track of time, and didn’t know how long it had been since his legs had gone
numb beneath him. Creature comforts like food, water and the call of Nature
meant little to him. His entire being was focused on prayer, and he would
remain this way until someone interrupted him or he received an answer. There
was little he could do to be of use to them all, but this he could do. He could
offer up all the prayers he could think of, in hopes of receiving an answer
from the deities he believed in with every fiber of his being. This, he
reminded himself, this he could and be useful.

Adrian was finally growing weary and the last of his
strength was sapped from his body. He was preparing to give up and just hope
the God and Goddess had heard his prayer when he realized that they did. He
felt a tingle course through him, and the gentle touch of another’s mind
connecting with his own. The touch was alien, and although it was warm it still
discomfited him.

Adrian, you’ve prayed
long and hard and I’ve decided to grant your request
, the presence said in
his mind.
But be warned- the gifts I give
must not be used lightly, child of mine. If they are misused, there will be a
heavy karmic debt accrued
.

He was confused. What did she mean that she was bestowing
gifts to him? And the voice explained. He flushed with the newly granted
powers, and then paled as he realized he might actually need them. Then he sat
there, humbled, as he thanked the Goddess for her blessings.

If you survive this
battle, child of mine, tomorrow you may thank me
, she said with a touch of
humor in her voice.
Blessed
be
. And with that, the voice drifted
away, leaving his mind his own once more.

Adrian didn’t remember closing his circle, nor did he
remember the walk down the hallway and out to the beach. He was simply there,
talking to Eamon when he recognized his surroundings. “I’ve done it. I prayed
and the Goddess answered,” Adrian said. And then he smiled weakly and
everything went black.

Eamon gestured for Dia and Lizbeth to step back. “It’s all
right, he just passed out is all,” he told them calmly as he hefted the other
man over his shoulder and headed to the house. “I’ll see to him- you two keep
doing what you have been.”

Diandra and Lizbeth exchanged one long glance before
shrugging and taking a fighting stance once more. Then they forgot about
Adrian, the Goddess, and even Carson as the sweat poured over their flesh and
each grappled for superiority. They could worry about everything else later-
right now there was training to be done.

Adrian came around to find everyone staring at him. “You
should be practicing,” he mumbled, uncomfortable with their stares. He looked
out towards the beach and was surprised to find that the sun was close to
setting. “What the Hell?”

Eamon laughed and patted him on the shoulder in a manly
gesture of support. “That’s pretty much what we’ve been saying the whole time
you’ve been out. Apparently visits from the Goddess are exhausting, huh?”

Diandra handed Adrian a glass of water and he pushed himself
to a sitting position. He’d been draped across the loveseat, and his neck hurt
from the cramped position. Love seats, he thought ruefully, are not meant for
men. He took the offered glass and gulped it down, finishing it in three large
sips. Lizbeth laughed and took the glass back from him before heading to the
kitchen to refill it. “Yeah,” he answered Eamon, “and I guess they dehydrate
you, too. Who knew?”

“Care to tell us what happened?” Sandra asked casually. She
had apparently showered and changed while he was out, as she was in sweatpants
and an oversized sweatshirt, and her hair was a dark honey color, still damp
from the shower. She was sitting in the arm chair across from him, while the
rest of them sat on the floor.

Adrian glared at her before turning to Diandra. “The Goddess
gifted me,” he said simply. “She said that she agreed with me, and that I
needed something to help us tonight.”

Diandra shifted position on the floor, trying to get
comfortable. Adrian noticed and put his feet down before patting the cushion
next to him. She smiled gratefully and sat down beside him. “She agreed with
you about what?” she asked, taking the glass from Lizbeth and handing it off to
him.

Adrian drank half of the offered water before setting it on
the coffee table. “She agreed that as I was, I was a liability to you all
tonight, when what you really need are assets.” He shrugged, trying to show
that it didn’t bother him. No one was fooled.

“But you are an asset,” Lizbeth stated. She made it clear
that she was stating what she believed to be a fact, and not just trying to
appease his hurt pride.

“I’m as asset now,” he corrected her gently, smiling his
thanks. It made him feel good that they had taken him in as a member of their
family, and they truly believed he brought something to the table, well, other
than his blood he amended.

Sandra cut in. “He’s right, you know. He was worse than
useless to you. You’d have been worrying about him, and that would have
diminished all of you. I mean, I’m not trying to be a bitch…”

Lizbeth cut her off. “Well, you’re doing a damned fine job
of it. I’d hate to see how well you’d do if you put some effort into it.” She
sat down on the arm of the loveseat, cradling RaeLynn in her arms. “After all,
let’s see what you’ve done since you got here. You left the house without
telling anyone, putting us all at risk when we came to save your ass. Then your
first official act as a vampire is to attempt to kill Adrian, a member of this
family. Oh, and let’s not forget attempting to seduce my lover,” she added with
a sneer. “I’d say the only one that’s worse than useless is the stereotypical
dumb blonde sitting in the pretty pink chair.”

Sandra opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out.
She closed her mouth, opened it again and a sob slipped out. Pressing a hand to
her lips she sprinted upstairs to the guest room. A moment later the door
slammed and her crying could be heard even from that distance.

Lizbeth merely pressed her lips together and turned on the
television. She found a channel playing classic rock and turned the volume up
until Sandra could no longer be heard. She refused to feel guilty- everything
she’d said was true, even if she hadn’t exactly been nice about it. Hell, she’d
been nice long enough, as far as she was concerned. The woman had crossed too
many lines to continue unchecked at this point. “Anyway,” she said with false
cheer, “I believe you were about to tell us of these new powers?”

Adrian shook his head. “That’s just it,” he said. “I don’t really
know what they’ll be. She merely said that if I needed to do something, I had
to think of it and it would happen. I guess instead of napping, I should have
been out on the beach with you guys, huh?”

Diandra put a sympathetic hand on his arm. “I think the
Goddess believed you needed the rest more,” she said gently. Rising, she went
to the fireplace and removed the screen. Everyone watched her as she laid a
fire and stepped back, surveying her work. She turned to Adrian, smiling.
“Let’s see how it works, okay? Start a fire.”

Adrian looked at her, puzzled. “You want me to start a fire
now? The man won’t come to clean the chimneys for another week.”

Lizbeth sighed. “She means look at the logs and wish for
them to catch. Wish for a fire to appear, and see what happens.”

Adrian frowned, but he did as they asked. He stared at the
logs and simply wished for them to burn. There was a bright flash and then the
flames danced in the fireplace, casting cheerful shadows along the wall.

“Holy shit,” Lizbeth exclaimed. “I guess the Goddess meant
what she said.” She walked over as though she couldn’t help herself. Sticking a
hand near it, she felt the heat coming from the blaze. “It certainly feels like
a standard fire.”

Eamon laughed at her. “What did you expect it to feel like?”

Lizbeth stuck out her tongue at him, laughing at herself. “I
don’t know what I expected. Some sort of parlor trick, I suppose. But those
flames are real enough.” She turned back to Adrian where he sat goggling at the
fire. “Why don’t you wish for the fire to go out? I want to see what happens.
Plus, it’s not safe to burn before the yearly cleaning.” She blushed a bit as
Diandra rolled her eyes. “What?” She protested. “It’s common sense. It’s one
thing to keep the home fires burning, but another to actually set fire to the
damned place,” she quipped.

Dia laughed. “And you’re a nut,” she commented before
turning to Adrian. “She’s right, though. We should know what you’re capable of.
Can you make the fire go out again?”

Adrian nodded, more to show that he heard her than to agree
that he could do it. At this point he wasn’t sure of anything. He stared at the
flames and wished for the fire to go out. He blinked and the room suddenly
seemed a bit darker. The fire was out, and there wasn’t even any lingering
smoke from the burned logs. Lizbeth touched them experimentally and winced,
yanking her hand back.

“You’re an idiot,” Eamon stated calmly. “They were on fire
not even ten seconds ago and you decided to see if the logs were hot.” He shook
his head at her.

Lizbeth glared. “I think we need to see what else he can do.
Adrian, are you able to come out onto the beach a moment?” She started walking
towards the door, barely registering his hasty nod of agreement. Eamon and
Diandra exchanged puzzled glances, but they got up and followed them outside.
When they got there, Lizbeth was whispering to Adrian, and he was grinning and
nodding in agreement.

Eamon stepped onto the beach. “What’s going on?” he said to
Lizzie, but the answer was quickly apparent when he found himself suddenly
airborne, landing on his back twenty feet further down the beach. It was a
light landing, but he knew that it didn’t have to be.

Diandra laughed until tears rolled down her face. “Looks
like Adrian’s plenty powerful in his own right, huh Eamon?” she called to him,
clutching her sides and doubling over when she couldn’t quite control the
laughter. “That’s good, Lizzie. Have him do something else.”

Adrian shook his head. “No,” he said firmly. “No more. The
Goddess made it clear that they’ll be consequences if I should misuse the gift
she provided me. This was fine- I needed to test this all out in a safe
environment, and this was the safest way to do so. Now I know that if I wish
for something to happen, it will happen as I will it.” He sank onto the beach,
suddenly pale. “This is no blessing,” he whispered. “Oh Goddess, what have you
done? This is no blessing at all, but the harshest curse imaginable.” Then he
laid his head on his knees and wept.

Lizbeth dropped to her knees in the cold, damp sand next to
Adrian. Wrapping her arms around him she asked, “What is it? What’s wrong? This
is a good thing. You can help us stop him. Hell, maybe you can do it all on
your own. I wonder if…”

Adrian cut her off. “No, no wondering. This is exactly why
this is so wrong, don’t you see? This is too much power, and no one person
should ever be this powerful. It’s dangerous, it’s abnormal, and it’s wrong.”
His anger and frustration helped dry up his tears as he struggled to get his
point across.

“I just wondered if it’d be possible for you to just… think
him dead. Maybe then we wouldn’t have to fear what tonight would bring,”
Lizbeth explained.

Her explanation just pissed him off further, and he pushed
her away so she tumbled back onto her ass. “No, Lizbeth. I’m not a murderer,
I’m a man. I don’t practice the dark arts. What did I tell you from the
beginning? ‘Ever mind the rule of three…’” he murmured.