Bitten At Daybreak Read online

  Bitten At Daybreak

  Last Witch Standing, Book 3

  Deanna Chase

  Bayou Moon Press, LLC

  Copyright © 2019 by Deanna Chase

  First Edition 2019

  Cover Art by Ravven

  Edited by Anne Victory and Angie Ramey

  * * *

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, business establishments, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

  Bayou Moon Press, LLC

  Contents

  About This Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Deanna’s Book List

  About the Author

  About This Book

  Badass witch Phoebe Kilsen has spent years looking for her brother. Now that she’s found him, her world is turned upside down and everything she has ever known to be true appears to be false. Cut off from everyone except her brother, can she find a way back to her partner Dax, her best friend Willow, and her life’s work with the Void? Or will she be destined to live a lie with a vampire she’s never trusted?

  1

  Eadric Allcot dropped his hand under the table and placed it on my thigh. My fingers twitched, aching for my dagger, the one I usually carried strapped to my ankle. The one that was lying on my dresser in my new alternate-reality dressing room. It didn’t exactly go with my respectable dress and the boring high heels I’d been expected to wear.

  He was lucky I didn’t have my weapon, otherwise the dagger would’ve been lodged in his groin. Tightening my jaw, I grabbed his hand and placed it back in his own lap. The vampire, whom I’d been told was my husband less than thirty minutes ago, cast me a confused look but kept his hand to himself.

  I glanced over at my brother. His dark head was bent close to Pandora’s blond one as they whispered something to each other. The contented smile that passed over Seth’s face made my stomach churn with anxiety. In the world I lived in, Pandora was Allcot’s consort, not my brother’s wife. And the pair were a thousand percent committed to each other. The Allcot I knew would’ve ripped Seth’s heart out just for looking at his woman like that.

  But we weren’t in my world. Earlier today, I’d accidentally slipped through the fabric of the universe and ended up in an alternate reality. And then gotten stuck here when my doppelgänger realized what had happened before I did and took my place in my world, effectively closing the temporarily open window. There was no going back. At least not yet.

  The only person who knew I wasn’t the Phoebe Kilsen of this world was my brother Seth. He assured me that confessing my true identity would likely get me killed. If Allcot knew his real wife was gone and it was my fault, all hell would break loose. So for now I was trapped in some alternate universe where nothing made sense to me and only one person knew my true identity. How could I, in any form of myself, have ended up married to a vampire? I was a vampire hunter, for fuck’s sake.

  “Phoebe can spell the ring,” Allcot said to his associate.

  “What ring? And why?” I asked, shaken out of my thoughts.

  The dark-skinned vampire sitting across the table gave me a patient, almost condescending smile as he tapped the large sapphire stone on his right ring finger. “Death spell. Can’t walk into Clio La Doux’s without a few tricks up my sleeve, now can I?”

  Death spell. Christ. What had I gotten myself into? I definitely could cast such a curse. But I sure as hell didn’t want to. That was some serious shit. “Why do you need it for Clio La Doux’s place?”

  Everyone—the four vamps who were there on Allcot’s orders as well as my brother, his wife, and Allcot himself—turned to stare at me.

  Allcot’s brow furrowed. His gaze searched mine as if he was trying to understand something. “Is everything all right, Phoebs?”

  Phoebs. That’s what my best friend Willow called me. My stomach churned with unease. Would I ever see her again? Was she here in this world? And if she was, did she run a magical bakery in Uptown New Orleans?

  “She’s fine,” Seth said. “Just a little depleted. We worked on some potions today. Healing potions to combat those poisonous darts La Doux’s team surprised us with last time.”

  I turned my attention to him and mouthed, Poisonous darts?

  He gave me a tiny shake of his head, indicating we weren’t talking about it now.

  Dammit. I hated being lost. But I wasn’t prepared to tell anyone I wasn’t the Phoebe they thought I was. Only Seth knew, and I was going to keep it that way. I had no idea what Allcot would do with that information. If this Allcot was anything like the one I knew, he’d find a way to manipulate me.

  “Like Seth said, we were busy with those potions.” I gave Allcot a fake sheepish smile. “My brain might need a rest.”

  “That’s okay, gorgeous,” Allcot said, his voice full of tenderness. “We’ll get you to bed early tonight.” My husband, the vampire Eadric Allcot, slipped his hand back to my knee, just under the hem of my skirt, and slid his fingers up my thigh, thankfully stopping before he reached the promised land.

  I gritted my teeth and prayed for his sake he didn’t move his hand higher. My self-control was a little perilous, and I was afraid I’d neuter him with my butter knife. No wonder he’d wanted me to wear the Betty Crocker blue-and-white polka-dot dress instead of my torn jeans and kick-ass boots. Easy access to grope me under the table while he talked business with his lackey vampires.

  “Okay, Phoebe spells the ring; I’ll have my associate set the tracker,” the dark-skinned vamp said. He ran his hand over his bald head. “Let’s just hope Genevieve got the message.”

  All the vampires turned to look at me again. I started to sweat. Obviously I’d been in charge of the message, and I had no idea what to say. “I—”

  “Genevieve got the message. Don’t worry, the back door will be open and the security cameras disabled,” Seth said with a decisive nod. “Phoebe got a text about an hour ago.”

  “Good.” Allcot let out a breath he didn’t need to hold and caressed my thigh with his thumb. “Then we’re all set for tomorrow.” He flicked his icy gray gaze at the vampire in front of me. “Leave the ring with Phoebe, Sterling. She can take care of it in the morning when she casts the illusion spells for us.”

  Every nerve ending screamed for me to break Allcot’s fingers, but I held it together thanks to the filet mignon on my plate. It was the most tender piece of beef I’d ever had the pleasure of wrapping my lips around. I chewed on the meat and scanned the guests. Besides Sterling, there were three other vampires. One was downright gorgeous. George Clooney gorgeous with his dark hair, inky black eyes, and sun-k
issed skin. The one to his right sported bleached-blond hair, pale blue eyes, three eyebrow piercings, and a trail of thorns tattooed on his neck. I decided he looked like Spike. And the fourth one had very pale skin, an average build, and intelligent green eyes that seemed to track everyone at all times. He was paying particular attention to me, studying me and frowning as if he was troubled by something. I nearly chuckled. He should be. If any of them got out of line or handsy, I wouldn’t hesitate to stake them.

  “Hey, Kai,” Seth said from the other end of the table.

  The medium-built vampire twisted and glanced at Seth. “What is it?”

  “Can you write up a detail on everything we know about Clio and her operation? I want to study it to see if there’s any connections or vulnerabilities we’re missing.”

  Allcot let out an amused laugh. “Kilsen, you’re such an old lady. This isn’t a classroom. No one needs a book report.”

  “Humor me,” Seth said to the vampire he called Kai.

  Kai narrowed his eyes at my brother and then gave him a short nod. “Sure, boss. I’ll have it to you later tonight.”

  Allcot picked up his wineglass and lifted it high for a toast. “To the end of Clio’s reign.”

  Everyone, including Pandora who’d been silent through the exchange, lifted their glass. Allcot glanced at me, then my untouched wineglass, and back to me as his grip tightened on my thigh. The irritation on his face was unmistakable.

  I swallowed a sigh and lifted the glass. “To the end of Clio’s reign,” I said, having no idea who Clio was or why she needed to be taken down.

  When the dinner was over, I immediately started helping Pandora clear the table and was completely annoyed by the fact that none of the men helped or even acknowledged our effort. They just moved as a group to Allcot’s study, leaving the women to do the domestic work. Fuming, probably more from being stuck in an alternate reality than because I was doing dishes, I dropped a stack of plates on the counter and stalked back into the dining room for another load of bullshit. I returned with my hands full of wineglasses. Pandora took them from me and gently put them in the sink.

  “I could’ve done that,” I said.

  “Oh no. Not with that bee up your ass. These are my great-grandmother’s, and if they had gotten the dish treatment, we were going to have words.” Her tone was no-nonsense, but her eyes glinted with amusement.

  “Bee up my ass?” I asked, raising one eyebrow as I stared at the gorgeous blonde.

  “Yeah. What’s up with that? You were so tense when Eadric was touching you that I thought you were going claw his eyes out. Trouble in paradise?”

  So she’d noticed. Probably everyone had. Subtle wasn’t usually my strong suit. “Just not in the mood, I guess.”

  “That’s a first,” she said almost to herself and went back to washing the dishes.

  Good goddess. Did that mean what I thought it meant? Was Allcot going to expect me to serve myself up on a silver platter after his vamps left? I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer. I needed to get out of there. Back to my own world. But Seth had already said that I couldn’t share time with my doppelgänger, and the only way I was going to get back was if she came here first. I didn’t understand why it couldn’t work the other way around. But I sure as hell was going to find out.

  “Hey, Phoebe,” Pandora said, placing a plate into the commercial-grade dishwasher. The kitchen was outfitted with high-end appliances and was big enough that it likely could handle service for a small restaurant.

  “Yeah?” I finished stuffing leftovers into the refrigerator.

  “Can you work on a protection spell for Seth? Yours are so much better than his, and I know he won’t ask. But when you guys storm the castle tomorrow, I want him to be protected by your ancient family magic.”

  “Of course.” There was nothing to think about. Seth was the only family I had in this world, and protecting him was a no-brainer. But I also needed information. Treading carefully, I asked, “Do you think it’s going to be a bloodbath tomorrow?”

  “Definitely. Clio isn’t going to be happy when her girls go missing. Even if you guys do manage to sneak them out, she’ll retaliate. We’ll need to be ready.”

  Girls? Missing? Was Allcot into trafficking? Bile rose up in the back of my throat. No. It wasn’t possible. Seth would never be involved in something like that. Not the Seth I knew anyway. And he definitely was the man I’d grown up with. There was no question about that. He’d been missing for the past eight years, and when I’d accidently crossed over, I’d found out why. He’d been here, married to a human Pandora. But he hadn’t changed, and under no circumstances could I imagine him engaging in trafficking.

  “Phoebe?” Pandora asked.

  “Huh?” I glanced up into her bright blue eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” She placed her elegant hand on my arm and squeezed slightly. It was a warmth she’d never possessed in her vampire form. It must be her humanity. “You seem… worried or stressed.”

  “Just the night-before-the-hunt jitters I guess,” I said with a shrug and a half smile. More like get-me-the-fuck-out-of-here nerves, but that was a secret between me and Seth. Would he tell her? I had no idea what kind of marriage they had.

  “Sure. That makes sense.” She said the words, but her brow was furrowed and she was frowning. It didn’t take a genius to know she didn’t believe me. But what else was she going to say?

  “Mommy, mommy!” A little boy with brown hair and eyes exactly like Pandora’s ran into the kitchen, waving a book. He was wearing cotton pajamas with bright red crawfish all over them. “It’s story time.”

  She wrapped her arms around the lanky kid, pulled him up into a hug, and spun around. “My favorite part of the day,” she said and nuzzled his cheek with her nose. “What are we reading tonight?”

  A huge grin split his lips. “How Jackson Tamed the Dragon.”

  “Again?” Pandora said with a laugh.

  “Again!”

  “Okay, dove. Let’s go curl up on your bed.” She took him by the hand, smiled at me, and followed her child out of the kitchen.

  I poked my head into the hall of the big plantation house, heard the low murmurs from the men coming from a room off to the left, and glanced around at the fancy formal living room and then the TV room in the back of the house. And when there was nothing left to explore on the bottom floor, I took a deep breath and headed upstairs to the room I shared with Allcot. I’d been in it once before, when I’d changed into the blue-and-white polka-dot dress, but I hadn’t had time to take it in or even process anything. Now I did.

  The big canopy bed sat in the middle of the room, the red silk bedspread so predicable that I actually laughed. The Allcot I knew in my world also had a thing for red. But the thought of sharing the bed with him sent a chill down my spine. I was supposed to be with Dax, my shifter partner, the only man I’d ever really let myself love.

  The image of him floated in my mind and tears stung the backs of my eyes. Was he with the other Phoebe? Probably not. If she had managed to make it back to my place, it would be no problem for her to send him away since Dax and I didn’t live together. I winced at the thought. Would Dax know she was an imposter? Hope blossomed deep in my chest. He had to know. Dax knew me. He’d figure it out. I held on to that hope and went into the adjoining room.

  I’d been expecting a sitting room, or another office for Allcot, but instead I found herbs, silver daggers, and a whole collection of agates. I ran my fingers over them, feeling familiar magic contained within the items, and as crazy as it was, I breathed a sigh of relief. If my doppelgänger had spelled these, then our power was the same in both worlds. At least I still had that. Seth and my magic. It was a start.

  The sun started to set, and I let myself get lost in a spell text. It wasn’t something I’d ever seen before, and more than likely it didn’t even exist in my world. If it did, surely I’d have heard of it. The spells were exquisite, inspired even, and I admired the witch�
��s technique. I sat at the worktable and was halfway through the book when suddenly something cool pressed over my pulse in my neck.

  I flinched, more from the shock of finding Allcot just behind me. I hadn’t even heard him come in.

  “Like that, baby?” he asked, pressing his cool lips to my pulse.

  “No,” I said automatically and jerked away from his too-close fangs.

  He stood and moved in close, not respecting my personal space. “No? Since when?”

  Dammit. I sucked in a breath, trying to keep my cool. Then I placed my hand on his chest and gave him a gentle push back. “I was busy working on something. I’d like to get back to it.”

  He stared me in the eye, his steely gray gaze pinning me where I stood. “You weren’t yourself at dinner either.”

  It was a statement, not a question. I didn’t bother to answer. Eadric Allcot was just going to have to learn to respect women. I’d make sure of it.

  “Are you saying you want to sleep alone tonight, Phoebe?” he asked, surprising me.

  “Yes. To get my rest before tomorrow.”

  He nodded as if my statement was perfectly normal and moved in close, invading my personal space again. Then he tipped my head up so that I was looking into his ridiculously handsome face.

  “Allcot, I’m not—”

  His eyes flashed with unmistakable suspicion, and before I could even form another thought, he grabbed my arm, spun me so that my back was to his chest, and then held me there as he whispered, “You’re not Phoebe.”