18. Magic, Blood, and Mates
The chaos my father warned of seemed to involve a combination of raw and intense emotion as well as further bouts of accidental magic when it came to making love to Julian. When I accidentally conjured a maple tree, growing through the roof of the bedroom as we swung on a dangling tire, I think Julian was as amused as I was mortified.
With a chuckle, Julian dropped backward to hang by his knees, outstretched fingers barely grazing the ground.
“Hey, Monkey Man, that’s not funny!” I called, leaning over to try and force him upright. But with a single tug, he had me upside down, clutched against his body as we swayed back and forth. Finally I gave in and started laughing as well at the absurdity of it.
With a wave, I sent the tree and swing away, and transported us back to the collapsed bed we hadn’t attempted to fix yet. Julian pouted as he loomed over me.
“My imagination had only begun to take flight. Perhaps a swing isn’t a bad addition,” he said, then dipped to nip at my lips.
“I’ve seen you get quite creative without any such things,” I retorted, sliding my hands along his back to the curve of his ass.
“I’m glad you appreciate my innovate tendencies,” he countered before lowering himself onto me. The chill of his flesh sent shivers through me. He caught my erect nipple in his mouth and bit down lightly, making me arch up against him.
“Julian, you haven’t eaten in a couple of days,” I croaked as his fingers seared against the intense heat of my core.
He stopped his ministrations for a moment. “I have been concerned that we haven’t heard from Elsa since leaving the estate.”
“Maybe she meant what she said when she offered me the out of leaving.” I searched his eyes with hope, and he answered with a deadly grin.
“Elsa does not take no for an answer. And the moment she finds out?—”
“She won’t,” I insisted. Though I’d been trying to dismiss the fear that my father would run and tell her about me when I left him. “And you need to feed either way.”
“Very well. I can fix that,” he murmured, kissing his way to my throat where he sank in and began lapping at my blood, flooding me with torrents of desire and ending our discussion.
I moaned in response, clutching his shoulders and hooking a leg over his hip so he could fill me the way I needed him to. He took his time, teasing the spot he’d latched onto on my neck while slowly driving into my starving sex. It was exquisite torture.
“Julian, please,” I pleaded, clenching my legs around him.
Of course, my love, he answered in my mind. The next thing I knew, he stood at the side of the bed, holding my ankles as he surged inside of me with vampire strength and speed. I cried out in ecstasy, scrabbling for purchase on the bedsheets as we lifted from the ground, flying up into the air until I was pressed against the ceiling, Julian continuing his ministrations without a pause.
I’d done it again, but I couldn’t stop to focus on the magic, not when the orgasm was so close to the surface. So I sank into the sensations as Julian continued to pummel me, sending yet more rubble to the ground below.
“Oh, fuck, Julian,” I screamed out with my release. He growled, matching my climax and practically flattening me against the plaster ceiling. When he slowed, he lessened his pressure on me, looked around, then released me, floating back to the floor to land gracefully on one foot.
I gaped. I hadn’t done that. He had.
In a blink I stood before him, breathing hard as I stared. Around him the glow of pink and gold swirled. “Julian you…my blood must have…are you okay?”
He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. When he’d nearly succeeded in distracting me, he stopped and cupped my face. “I haven’t felt this good in centuries. I feel…alive.”
Tears swam in my eyes as I took in the real color of his olive skin tone. I couldn’t stop touching him, to feel the warmth of his body and the steady flow of blood.
With a gasp of realization, I pressed an ear to his chest where he held me in place. Below his ribs, his beautiful heart sounded—not fast enough to be human, but far more than a freshly fed vampire.
“Charlotte,” he said, lifting my chin and shaking his head at my sobs as his fangs slowly extended in demonstration. “It won’t last. But that’s okay. Even a minute of this is a gift I never imagined. Thank you.”
Lydia set a cup of coffee on the corner of my lab station when she arrived the following morning. I inhaled the scent of caramel and grinned even as I surveyed the current sample I’d put beneath my microscope.
“Thanks for coming,” I said. I’d already been working for several hours by the time she’d arrived, even though it was still barely dawn.
“I thought you had the answers you needed,” she said, tugging on gloves. “You’ll be okay.”
“I know,” I agreed, switching samples. Then I paused to take a gulp of my latte. “There’s something else I’m looking at.”
The notion that the mating bond between Julian and myself might somehow either change or be changed by the absorption of fae and witch blood set me in a whole new direction after Julian’s change the previous night.
“Look.” I stepped aside so she could take my place, squinting through the microscope.
“What the hell, Doc? I don’t know what I’m looking at, but why is the blood…dancing?”
“It’s a sample of both mine and Julian’s, mixed. I know you can’t see the magic like I can, but the different signatures that were on mine when it was alone? They doubled when Julian’s was thrown into the mix.”
“What does this mean?” she asked, shifting focus to me with wide, black lined eyes.
“I think it means the mating bond amplifies the effects.” I folded my arms and swallowed down my embarrassment at discussing such an intimate thing before continuing. “It’s all new, and it’s not like I have anyone other than myself to use as a test, but I have a feeling that the more we share blood, the more whatever’s happening to me will happen to him.” The part I couldn’t admit out loud was that I’d been feeling more in control of my actions around him—other than magical chaos, since draining Bres and Merlin.
“And you wanted me for…” she motioned for me to give it up.
“I want to see if your blood responds the same or differently to confirm my hypothesis.” I grinned and lifted a syringe.
Lydia rolled her eyes and held out her arm for me.
Once I’d added a drop of her blood to a clean slate with only mine, I bit my cheek instead of looking. What if I was wrong?
“I’ll look,” she volunteered and bent over the microscope. When she looked up she had a huge smirk. “No dancing. At least not the mamba yours and Julian’s was doing.”
I nodded and took a peek. The magic swirls of gold, blue, and pink remained the same as my blood alone. Now I knew my blood had a big effect on Julian. But how that might manifest, I couldn’t be sure. I trusted my intuition though, and hid my secret smile with another sip of caffeine.
I twirled on the pedestal as Zoe, Hazel, and Em oohed and ahhed.
“It’s so pretty,” my sister squealed.
“I don’t know,” I said, gazing down at the cloud of white surrounding me. “I think it’s a bit much.” Who knew tulle, lace, ruffles, and beading could all be on one dress?
“Try the one I helped pick,” Daphne said over the live video feed as Hazel held up the phone. We were too far from Daphne’s land for her to join us in person.
“Okay, and then I can just get a plain one, right?” I asked, trying to gather the whole skirt in my arms so I wouldn’t trip stepping down. The sale’s agent held my elbow, grinning.
“No!” My entourage shouted, making me laugh.
“I know which one you end up in,” Em said, mischief twinkling in her eyes.
“Don’t tell,” Zoe cautioned. “Oh!” The exclamation came as Binx appeared between her and Hazel on the couch, making Em giggle hysterically.
My helper, Diane, spun around to look. “Oh, hello. Where’d he come from?”
“This is the best man,” Zoe said. “He works the day shift, so he was late to the appointment.”
“Put on something sexier,” Binx advised, as I trailed after Diane toward the dressing room.
Julian had handed me several credit cards and told me to have fun. I suspected it was to take my mind off what had happened the other day at my father’s lab. We both knew that wouldn’t be so easy, but I was determined to try my best. I was done letting anyone, even my father, distract from moving forward toward the rest of our lives. And it didn’t hurt that I personally thought my sister might be having a better time than I was planning this ceremony.
Whenever I thought of Julian’s blushing face, my chest warmed with love. It was an unexpected gift of humanity that felt both new and somehow right at the same time.
It certainly helped when I considered the fact that my body continued to change due to the chaos of the magic. At this point, I felt like I was half vampire, half witch, but thankfully still psychic. Which was odd to admit, considering I’d wanted to get rid of my abilities for so long. But when everything else was in flux, it was nice to know I was still me.
“Wow,” I stated, unable to take my eyes from my own reflection. Daphne had nailed it, and as always, made sure to pick something I could still fight in.
The ivory satin dress dipped off my shoulders and down into a sweetheart neckline that revealed just enough of what was beneath without being too much. The fabric hugged my body in all the right ways, draping over me with a slit that allowed freedom of movement but wasn’t obvious unless I was moving. The blinged out belt was the only heavily detailed part, that seemed, once again, just enough.
“You like it?” Diane asked from over my shoulder.
“Yep.”
I followed her out to show the others, and the silliness and joking halted at once, quiet settling over my friends as tears leaked from Zoe’s eyes.
“Oh my gods, Char, you look amazing.” Zoe leaned into Hazel, who’d put her arms around her while beaming at me.
“Sexy,” said Binx with a roll of his tongue afterward. And next to me, Diane swallowed hard.
“That’s the one!” Em shouted.
“Maybe I should become a bridal consultant,” Daphne mused over the phone, now propped on the arm of the couch everyone sat on.
“I can’t believe they’re letting us sell this one as a sample,” Diane said twenty minutes later. “It’s brand new from a couture collection. You are one lucky bride, coming in days before the wedding and finding a perfect fit!”
Grinning ear to ear, I thanked her for her help and left with my friends and my wedding dress. I may have cheated slightly with my magic, but we had a time crunch, and I wanted Julian to never forget what I looked like when walking down the aisle.
We all marched into the nearest Manhatten alley and through Zoe’s open portal back to the cottage, where Daphne waited to meet us.
“I’m off to prepare for the bachelor party,” Binx announced, before disappearing.
“Then it’s time for the bachelorette one,” Daphne said, hugging me, and carefully taking the dress to hang up for later.
“Do I get to come?” Em asked.
“No,” we all said in unison, making her pout.
“You get to go into my soundproof bedroom and watch cartoons,” Hazel said, guiding her away and closing the door.
“Come on, we all got you sexy gifts,” Daphne called from the spot she’d taken on the floor.
I hurried over, already blushing hard as the others moved furniture out of the way so we could sit in a circle. Hazel dropped down to join us beside her girlfriend, handing out glasses and passing a bottle of wine.
“Open mine first,” said Zoe, handing me a square package tied with a big red bow.
“I’m a little scared,” I admitted, tugging at the corner to slip off the ribbon.
The walls of the box dropped open, and inside I found a bundle of satiny black and red material. Gingerly, I lifted it, and not one, but two honest to goodness black capes lined in scarlet unfurled. They even had the standing collars of traditional Dracula attire.
I glared at my sister as everyone practically rolled laughing.
Wiping her eyes, Zoe crawled over to me. “Look in the pocket.”
Digging in, I felt something that crinkled as I tugged it out. A clear bag of what looked like iridescent marbles sat in my palm when I’d finished.
“They’re special charms,” Zoe said, turning slightly red. “Several types that I, um, kind of mixed up on purpose since I thought it might be fun to be surprised.”
I missed being a full vampire when my face flooded with heat. Certain my skin matched my hair, I thanked her and accepted the rest of my gifts one at a time.
When Daphne said her goodbyes, I sat down to fully confide in Zoe what had happened with our father. I left her in her lover’s arms as I returned to seek the comfort of my own, wishing somehow, someway, our father could change and love us the way he should have. But his narcissism made that hope impossible. He’d never been able to put his family before his ambitions, and he never would. I only hoped he didn’t try to make matters worse by confiding in Elsa what I’d become. No, I shook my head to clear it. He hated Elsa. He’d claimed to be running from her for years. I was acting like I was scared of monsters in the shadows when I knew better than to let my imagination get the better of me. I’d let my father take up too much of my headspace already, and I was determined to put a stop to it.
Besides, I was now more powerful than Elsa would ever be since both fae rulers were dead.