Free Heirloom Magic: Every Witch Way by Megan Berry Page A

blood.
    “Could we put it
into a glass or something?” she asked, hesitating, not really wanting to suck
on his wrist. Jasper pretended to think about it for a minute.
    “I’m afraid not.
It’s more potent straight from the source,” he fibbed, and Harper frowned.
    “Why?” she demanded,
planting her hands on her hips. She was certain he was being intentionally
unhelpful.
    “Because I said so,”
he snapped, eying her as he began to pull his wrist away. “If you’re not
interested, just say so, I’m growing weary of biting holes in myself.” Harper
panicked, terrified he was going to deny her his blood.
    “Okay!” she said,
stepping forward, and Jasper gave her another one of his smug looks. He held
his wrist up and Harper grimaced as she settled her mouth around the pulsing
wound.
    She expected it to
taste coppery and disgusting, but it was the polar opposite. The moment the
blood hit her tongue, it tickled every endorphin in her brain, making her gasp
and clamp her teeth down harder, greedily drawing more down her throat.
    “Easy tiger,”
Jasper cautioned as she sucked at his wrist. He let her go for another full
minute before he gently pulled away. Consuming vampire blood was a heady
experience that would heal almost any wound, but it could also be destructively
addictive.
    Harper felt a
little disorientated as the blood was jerked away. She licked his blood from
her lips and forced herself to meet Jasper’s eye. She was embarrassed by her
actions, even as her eyes drifted hungrily back to the wound. It was already
healing, right before her eyes.
    “Sorry,” she mumbled,
wiping her hand across her jaw to remove the stray droplets, and Jasper
shrugged.
    “Nothing to be
sorry about. That’s what vampire blood does to everyone,” Jasper reassured her.
“I actually know of a couple vamps that are selling it on the internet.” Jasper
shook his head. “I doubt I’ll ever understand new technology.” Harper blinked
up at the vampire, wondering what someone as old as Jasper considered to be new
technology—guns, cars, grocery store meats, or just the internet?
    “You should grab a
shower and get yourself cleaned up. I’d be willing to bet you’ll be back to
your old self by the time you’re done,” Jasper said when Harper looked deep in
thought.
    Harper was left in
the bathroom looking at herself in the mirror. She could feel her skin tingling
and the redness was already starting to fade. It was tempting to sit and watch
the transformation, but she was too covered in goop to see much of anything.
She shook her head and turned on the shower full blast—waiting until most of
the pinkness had left her skin before braving the hot spray. So far being a
witch sucked, and she was feeling pretty homesick for Chicago.
    The air was thick
with steam when she emerged, and Harper held her breath as she wiped her hand
across the fogged up bathroom mirror. Her jaw fell slack, she looked amazing!
Her skin was clear, spotless of any burns, and her hair looked the same as it
always had, long and thick and dark, falling well past her shoulder. Harper let
out a sigh of relief and sagged against the sink as tears pricked at her green
eyes. She knew she’d lucked out tonight. She was definitely in the vampire’s
debt.
    Jasper watched her
emerge from the bathroom wrapped up in a towel and stop when she saw him
sitting on the couch. She blushed, and Jasper was amused by how prim and proper
she was. Liz had been hell on wheels. Her granddaughter just didn’t seem to be
made of the same sturdy stuff. Jasper frowned, that didn’t bode well for him.
    “I didn’t bring
any clothes in with me,” she mumbled, awkwardly motioning to her towel clad
body. “The clothes I was wearing were pretty much wrecked.” She sighed,
thinking about how she hadn’t brought that many clothes with her at all. “I
think I’ll…”
    “Don’t say burn
them!” Jasper said, faking a gasp of horror, and Harper shot him an annoyed
look.