Chapter 24
Severin
It had been six days since Peter and Giro had bonded in the dining room.
There was no evidence of their bonding in said room, thankfully.
After the new table was delivered, we had all been eating dinner together, me and Peter reduced to grunting and huffing as a way of communicating, much to the others amusement.
At least I was not alone in my predicament, my dear brother suffered alongside me.
Astrea was getting better each day, Dina helping her recover more quickly with potions and special soups, that, to be honest, looked and smelled awful.
I was eyeing one of those soups right now, as Astrea slurped it down next to me.
Felix had demanded to sit in his own chair, so I was left without him in my arms while he ate.
Being grumpy about it would do me no good, not when Giro and Felix had banded together against me and Peter, telling us off when they needed their space, whatever that meant.
Peter was sitting alone, too, his fated eating happily beside him.
Seeing Giro bloom this past week had been amazing.
He was far from the man we had taken with us from his coven.
Instead of the scared, angry, and hurt young witch, was this confident and funny man.
He loved Peter immensely, and my brother, him. So, I could only love Giro, too.
“Oh, and Severin?” Dina said, gaining my attention.
“Yes,” I replied, turning to face her.
“The Villov Pack is coming next week for a meeting. I was told you knew their pack leader?”
I nodded. “Samantha. I met her around seventy years ago.”
“Perfect. They have information on the Silver Lock Coven, something they preferred to tell us in person. I’ll make rooms ready for their stay. It shouldn’t be more than three days, but I would rather them be comfortable while visiting.”
She truly was the Castle Boss.
I gave her a fond smile. “Thank you, Dina. I appreciate it. Let us hope what information they have will be well received.”
Giro snorted. “Doubt it. I just hope they’ll be able to actually tell you something.” He sighed, then added with a whisper, “Unlike me.”
Peter grabbed his hand and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “It is not your fault, my darling.”
Giro blushed, then continued eating his chicken and vegetables.
“Felix?” Claire asked, her tone nervous.
“Yes?”
“I was wondering, and I know it’s not really my place, but maybe you should sell the store?”
It was something Felix and I had discussed while gardening yesterday. So, I already knew his answer. “The only reason I haven’t sold it yet, or started the process of it, was because you’re working there, too. And I wouldn’t take away your job, at least not without consulting you about it first.”
Claire gave him a soft smile. “I appreciate it, but it seems that neither of us wants to return. Astrea even decided to sell the house.”
Astrea smacked her arm before hissing. “I haven’t told him yet!”
Felix blinked before asking, “You’re selling Gran’s house?”
Astrea sighed. “I have to, Felix. Just thinking about it is causing me stress.” She gave Felix a pleading look. “I don’t want to go back to that town.”
“Rea,” Felix breathed. “I would never blame you for selling, I was just surprised you hadn’t told me, or at least talked to me about it.”
“You haven’t exactly been easy to grab for a serious chat these past few days,” Astrea reminded him with a knowing grin.
Felix’s cheeks reddened, but he waved her off. “I would never turn you away if you needed to talk. But now that we are talking about it, I think it would be a good idea to sell. I’m selling the store, too. Just need to figure out how to do so from here.”
“We can hire some people to grab what you need from both properties,” I assured him. “The castle is big enough for all of us, and speaking for myself, I would really enjoy having you all live here, if you want to.”
“Really?” Astrea asked, her eyes full of excitement. “We can stay here permanently?”
I nodded. “Of course. You are family, and I like having you here with us.”
“Me, too?” Claire asked, her tone unsure.
“You are family, too. Are you not?” I teased, hoping that would help clear her unease.
She gave me a grin. “I sure hope so.”
“I’m staying, too,” Dina declared, glaring at me like I was about to object to it.
“I counted on it,” I replied. “Joel, too,” I added, more for his benefit than for Dina’s. Felix and I had seen them get closer, small stolen glances and hand holding, but neither of us knew if it was serious yet or not.
“Are you sure?” Joel asked, looking from me to Felix.
It was Felix who answered. “We have all these empty rooms, just begging for someone to make them a home. Please don’t leave them empty.
We like having you around, making it a real home.
” I had not known how much Felix cared for their presence until now.
He felt just like I did myself. Glad to be surrounded by family again.
“It’s nice having people around you,” Astrea agreed. “We never really had that growing up. Felix and I just had our mom. We only stayed at Gran’s when mom needed to travel for the coven or work.”
“Don’t forget Mr. Keeler,” Felix said with a shudder.
Astrea matched his shudder with her own. I did not ask. I would rather not know.
The morning after, we were lazing in the garden, this time on top of a blanket on the grass closer to the castle. Felix had taken some fresh herbs he needed to dry out for his potions, something he was eager to get back into.
We all had sat together as they ate breakfast this morning, all except for Claire and Astrea, who were still asleep.
Felix had mentioned how much he missed creating his potions, and was considering making them here to sell online.
He already had his online shop; he just needed his supplies.
So, yesterday I hired a moving company to drive into Felix’s old town and carefully pack everything and drive it here.
They would be here later tonight with everything he needed. The rest would be sold with the store.
“Is that an important step?” I questioned, eying the way he rolled the stem between his palms.
“It is,” he replied. “Basil stems need to be warmed up before drying out to let out their inner moisture so the stem is more potent. It makes it much more effective when dry.”
I nodded, pleased to learn something new. “What about parsley?”
“Parsley?” he asked, sounding almost offended that I would even dare mention another herb.
I gave him a tentative smile before answering, “Yes?”
“Parsley isn’t used for potions. For salves, yes. And cooking, but not potions.”
“Oh,” was all I said, allowing him his space to do whatever he needed to. I could learn the rest by watching, I guess.
“Hey!” Giro called out in greeting. He seemed to be alone, something that was very unusual. Peter, like myself, preferred to be glued to his fated’s side.
“Oh, hey! Want to help me with the herbs?” Felix asked, a kind smile on his face.
“I would love to.” Giro sat down next to Felix and just started doing the exact same palm rubbing thing without being told. I had to believe it was a witch thing.
“Where is Peter?” I asked, looking around as if he would pounce on us at any moment.
“He’s helping Astrea list the house. They’re on the phone with a realtor or something like that,” Giro explained.
He did not seem to mind being apart from Peter, that had to mean their bonding was firmly in place, like mine was with Felix.
I preferred being near him, but I was no longer driven by my vampire nature to protect and growl at the world.
I much preferred things as they were now.
“I’m glad he can help,” Felix said, handing Giro another bundle of basil. There seemed to be a lot of it, but I knew better than to question him further.
“Me, too. I actually have a vampire question for you, Severin,” Giro said, eyeing me with a nervous smile.
“Oh. I would figure my brother would be eager to answer all your questions?” Peter was very much like myself when it came to my fated. I could not imagine why Giro would need to ask me anything.
“It’s about hair,” he elaborated.
“Ah,” I replied, finally understanding the issue.
“Hair?” Felix questioned with a confused frown.
“Yes,” Giro said. “More specifically, I want to know if a vampire’s hair continues to grow or not.”
Felix just blinked. “You think their hair stays the same?”
“Well,” Giro blushed. “Peter told me about how their family were Vikings, or their grandparents were. And he looks like a true Viking, even now with his long blonde hair. So, I asked—”
“Please,” I said, holding my hand up to stop him. “Tell me you did not ask him if you could cut it.”
“Um,” Giro began.
“Why would you cut it?” Felix cut in. “It’s fucking hot.”
I growled at that, but Felix ignored me completely. Giro continued, also seeming content to ignore my existence. “I just asked him if he wanted me to cut his hair sometime, because the thought of someone else cutting it made me irrationally angry.”
“Oh, I get that,” Felix agreed. “What did he say?”
Giro grabbed his neck, his movements shy and awkward. “He um, he held on to his hair protectively and left the room. We never spoke of it again, and it’s been killing me not knowing.”
I cut in this time, being the only vampire meant this was really a thing for me to explain. “Our hair and nails continue to grow, but slower than a human’s. In the time it takes for a human to grow an inch of hair, vampires only grow half that. I hope that makes sense.”
“It does,” Giro seemed thankful. “But I still don’t get his reaction then.”
“Peter had a lover once who cut his hair. They preferred a shorter style but Peter rejected the idea. He woke up with hair that went just below his ears.”
“Seriously?!” Felix gasped in disbelief.
I nodded. “I was surprised he did not kill the man for it, but to no one’s surprise, they were no longer lovers after that night.
Peter secluded himself for seven years before he felt comfortable going outside again.
I had to bring him humans to drink from.
It was a whole thing,” I finished explaining.
“Poor Peter,” Felix muttered.
“Yeah,” Giro agreed. “Thanks for telling me. I won’t mention hair to him again. And besides, I like his long hair.”
“Does he let you touch it?” Felix asked and I began to feel like the conversation was heading in a direction I would not enjoy.
“Of course,” Giro replied, back to rubbing the stems again.
“During sex, too?” Felix questioned seriously. “Like tugging it?”
Giro grinned. “Oh, yes.”
Bloody hell.
“I think I have had enough potion making for today,” I declared, then decided maybe some time apart from Felix today would do me good.