The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 42

Echo walked into the room and put her hand on my shoulder. I soaked in the feeling of her touch. It made my body feel warmer. She was the balm to whatever he'd just done to me. I needed her touch more than anything I'd ever needed. I moved my head to rub my face against her arm, but saw Victor's face and decided against it. If I scented her, he would kill me. I was pretty sure.

Instead, I stood. "We should get going. Is there anything else you need Echo to do before we leave?" I asked.

"No, thank you, Gray. This is Echo's day off. She only has to do what she wants. Have a good night, princess. I want you to have as much fun as possible." He smiled.

"Thank you, Victor. Will you be alright without me?" She questioned softly.

"I managed the last few hundred years, I think one night will be difficult, but I'll survive." Victor replied with a wink, making her giggle.

We turned to leave. I was nearly out the door when I heard him speaking quietly under his breath.

"Keep your paws off her tonight, Grayson. I'll know if you touch her."

I nodded and left the room. I followed Echo and Val silently. It wasn't until I was out in the sunlight that I actually felt safe. I wouldn't be taunting the vampire again any time soon. That wasn't a healthy decision.

We rode to the pack lands and I felt better as we got further away. I hoped he actually thought about my suggestion. If I could spend time with Echo, I knew she'd fall in love with me.

There was no way she'd pick that bloodsucker after spending the same amount of time with me. Our bond would be stronger than anything he could do. This would work out perfectly.

When we arrived, Harmony ran out and hugged Echo like she hadn't seen her in weeks instead of a day. Val grabbed Echo's bag from the back of the car. He stood next to his sisters. Echo seemed even more relaxed. The connection she had with them was more than she had with me.

"The witches are here! They had time this evening to come help!" Harmony was saying to Echo and Val.

"Great. I want to get tested and find out more about witchcraft. I'm going to make sure no one can hurt us again." Val replied to her.

"Let's get Echo settled in my room, then we'll go meet with them in the Alpha's office." Harmony said.

They went to Harmony's room. I didn't follow. Cam was giving me serious side eye. I knew he wanted to talk.

"What's up, Cam?" I asked.

"What did you do? You smell like fear." He said.

"I talked to the vampire." I replied.

"You didn't threaten him, did you? Trent is gonna be pissed if you did something to threaten his alliance." Cam whispered urgently.

"I didn't threaten him. He threatened me. I offered a compromise. He's thinking about it. If he accepts it, I'll move in with them. You'll have to ride to school with Val and Harmony in the mornings." I smiled a little.

"What?! You can't move in with him. Vampires and werewolves aren't meant to share the same spaces. You'll never get the smell of him off you. People in the pack will stop trusting you. You'll have to come home and decontaminate every week. Just give her up, man. Let him have her. She doesn't want you." He hissed.

"She doesn't know what she wants. She's sick. I'll help her get better and we'll be together. Her parents hurt her more than they hurt Harmony and Val. She needs me, not a vampire. If I'm not there, she might choose him. I won't lose." I growled.

"I think you're the one who's sick, man. I hate seeing you hurt yourself like this, but I can't argue with you. It never works when you set your mind to something. I just want you to be open minded about giving her up if she doesn't pick you. There are plenty of other females in the world. Maybe your next mate is a wolf. I don't want you to lose that chance because you're chasing after a girl who can't be yours." Cam sighed and rubbed his eyes.

We were standing in front of the doors. I couldn't believe my best friend doubted me and our goddess so much. I'd show him, my brother, and that bloodsucker. Echo was mine. She would be mine once she could feel the bond.

I walked behind Cam, thinking of how I would take care of her. She would never want for anything. I would get to see that bright cheerful smile all the time. Echo would never have to be afraid. I would protect her. It didn't matter that she was strong. I'd be there so she wouldn't need to fight as much or as hard to stay safe.

Cam led me to Trent's office. My brother was talking to a woman in a flowing green dress. She had dark orange curls piled into a bun on top of her head. Her manner was calm and she smelled like the forest.

"Gray, come in. This is Missy. She's the witch who could help us today. Missy, this is my brother, Grayson. His mate is the dhampyr you'll be seeing today. Beside him is Cam. He's mated to the half wolf you'll be seeing." Trent explained.

"And they're all related to the witch boy?" She asked.

"Yes. Have you ever heard of anything like that?" He questioned.

"Oddly, yes. It's a supernatural triad. They don't happen often, and never with vampires involved. Normally, a triad is a witch, a shifter, and a fae of some sort. Vampire magic doesn't mesh well with the magics of light witches, and all witches start off light. The darkness is something that can grow as we get older and the darkness of the world overtake us. It's easier for the darkness to grasp some than it is for others." She said softly.

"Do you think that Valor will be influenced by the darkness in vampire magic?" Trent asked.

"I won't know until I see him and his aura. I'm excited about this triad. I can't imagine the power they'll have." Missy grinned.

"Excuse us." Harmony said from behind us.

Cam brightened and turned, taking her in his arms and kissing her gently. I looked away. It would only incite Rex. I didn't want him to get any ideas.

'Don't worry about that. The vampire can kill us before we blink. We're not Alpha enough to fight a master vampire. He's stronger than any of the vampires who live around here. We're gonna give his idea a chance, even if he doesn't accept our suggestion. The only way we're getting our mate away from him is to do it fairly.' Rex said.

I moved from the doorway and let Val and Echo through. Echo smiled at her sister and Cam. She didn't seem wistful, just happy. Echo didn't think of things like relationships for herself. I needed to remember that.

"Everyone, this is Missy. She's gonna be helping us out. Any questions before we start?" Trent asked.

"Will it hurt?" Val asked.

"It shouldn't. If this is a suppression spell like the vampires suggested, then it should be easy to remove." She smiled.

"And if it's not a suppression spell?" He pressed.

"Caught that. If it's not a suppression spell, there are only a handful of things it could be and some of them can be a little painful. But they would have been painful to place to begin with. First, I have to know, do any of you have a tattoo or small mark over your heart?" She asked. They shook their heads.

"That's good. Those are the hardest to remove and are super painful." Missy told them. "So, who's going first?"

"I will." Val and Echo said at the same time.

He looked at her in surprise. Then they turned to Harmony. She was too busy with her mate to pay attention and probably hadn't heard the question. I snorted.

"I want to go first, Echo. You've hurt enough for me. Let me do this for you and Harmony. If it hurts, I would rather if it's me." Val said.

"I'm used to hurting, Valley. Let me take care of this." Echo smiled softly.

I didn't want her to hurt either. I looked to Missy. She was snickering quietly.

"That's how triads can be. They're even closer than most multiples. They never want their siblings to hurt and they almost never fight. If they weren't suppressed or bound, they would feel each other's pain as well. They are three parts to a whole. Echo, vampire magic will be stronger with you. If the spell is whole, it would be more so on your sister or brother. Once I know what spell I'm working with, I can tell you how I will remove it. Right now, I'm just checking. I will check you all to be sure that you all have the same spell on you." Missy assure my mate.

"If you're just checking, then you can start with Val and Harmony. I can wait." Echo replied and stepped back.

Val stepped closer to Missy and stood in front of her. He seemed to tower over the little witch. I moved to the side more so I could see what was happening.

Missy moved her hands around and muttered some words I couldn't understand. She pulled back and smiled. Val looked hopeful.

"A binding spell. It's a little worn down. Trent told me you were able to use some magic a while ago. That's because one of the witches who bound you has died. Their magic was freed into the universe and can't hold you any longer. This was placed by a water witch and an earth witch. That's a powerful combination, but the water witch is gone. I'm an earth witch. I can unbind you. Once I take care of the spells on you and your siblings, I will test you and we'll find out your element. I'm betting it's fire. Most male witches are fire witches." She said. "Now, who's next?"

She did the same thing over Harmony and came back with a suppression spell that was fully intact. It was why she had no connection to her wolf at all. Then she moved on to Echo.

Missy looked at the space around Echo with an intent expression. She frowned and sighed before doing the same thing she'd done to the others. I stepped a little closer.

"Well. You're certainly different. The suppression spell is the same as the one on your sister. The thing is, water and earth magic can turn dark easier than air and fire. The darkness of vampiric magic that is inherent in all vampires of a certain level of power had eaten away at it. You're meant to be very powerful. This spell is in tatters. I can remove it very simply. The wounds to your aura are a cause for concern. If I saw anyone else with an aura like yours, I would guess they were dying. Maybe you were. It's trying to heal. Let me get the scraps of the spell off, it will speed your healing. You said she has a mate?" She asked my brother.

"Yes. My brother Gray, right there." He said.

"Good. You'll need to spend time with the people you love and who your soul is connected to in order to heal faster. I can tell that she's grown close to you already. The healthy parts are glowing. Stay still, Echo. I'll help you first." Missy said.

I watched as she drew a circle on her left hand with one of her fingers. She began picking at the air around Echo, putting whatever she grabbed into the center of her left palm. As she worked, the sweetness of Echo's scent started fading. The lemon drop scent grew stronger and Rex started dancing inside of me.

The sweet scent must have been the spell. It had changed her. If it hadn't been broken I wondered if I would have recognized her as my mate. I wouldn't have realized who she was. The reality of losing the connection I felt to her made my stomach drop. "There. All clean. I can't expend too much energy trying to heal you. I have too much to do with your sister and brother. I'm sorry." Missy smiled slightly.

"Thank you for helping me. I'll be fine. Gray and Victor will help me heal." Echo replied softly.

I wondered what she meant by that. Did she love him too?

'It doesn't matter! She included us!' Rex shouted.

Carefully, I reached out to pull Echo over to the couch so she could sit while Missy worked on Harmony. When my hand touched her elbow I felt the familiar sparks of her skin against mine. I grasped her and Echo jumped with a yip. "What was that?!" She asked.

"What?" I questioned.

"That sparky feeling. It was like static, but not as bitey." Echo replied, rubbing her elbow.

My heart leapt. "That's the mate bond, Echo. You can feel it now. Don't worry, I won't push it. You need healing before we can explore that. I'll be right here when you're ready."

She looked at me like I'd grown a second head. My brother and Cam were looking at me oddly as well. I guess it was a little out of character, but, no matter how happy I was, Victor's threat hung over me. I was that much closer to winning. "Come, sit down. I don't want to crowd Harmony and Cam wants to be right next to her. I won't touch you if you don't want." I offered.

"No, that's okay. I'll learn to deal with this." She said softly and followed me to the couch.

I sat with Echo next to me and felt more complete than I had in my entire life. She wasn't touching me, but she was close and I was enjoying her new scent.