Chapter Twenty-One
Isit in the middle of the living room floor with Sage while Drake watches from the sidelines. He”s fascinated by our interactions, especially when we begin talking about magic and spells. I can tell he”s eager to learn more about all of this. He doesn”t even seem to notice that it”s the middle of the day. Drake should be sleeping, not overseeing a dream infiltration.
I”m not as enamored. It”s all still so new to me, and it”s intimidating at best. If I screw this up, everyone could die. No pressure or anything. Drake”s not going to like how I plan to get him here, and I”m beyond grateful that he can”t read my mind. He doesn”t need to see or hear what I”m about to do.
”Okay,” Sage says as she takes my hand in hers and closes her eyes. ”You want to clear your mind and focus on Adrian. Think of nothing else except him. Picture him in your head.”
I do as instructed and close my eyes as well, picturing Adrian”s face in my mind”s eye. It”s not difficult since he”s been haunting my thoughts since the moment we met, and not in a way that”s at all pleasant. If he”s sleeping, and he should be given that it”s almost noon, I should feel a connection any second now...
”Do you have a visual?” Sage asks softly without opening her eyes.
I nod. ”Yes.”
”Good,” she whispers. ”Now, reach out with your mind and find him. Place yourself in his thoughts.”
A sudden jolt courses through my body, sending tingles running down my spine as I feel him. I can sense his presence even though he”s not physically here with us. It”s a strange sensation, but when the image of him I have in my head fades and is replaced with the scene of a graveyard, I know I”ve succeeded.
I”m in his head now, but he hasn”t noticed me yet. I stand silently beside him as he walks among the tombstones, reading the inscriptions carved upon them. He seems to be searching for someone specific, but who?
”Hello?” he calls out into the darkness. ”Is anyone there?”
I remain hidden as he continues his search. His voice carries on the wind, echoing throughout the cemetery. As he moves, I imagine myself wearing something sheer and skimpy. Something that will catch his attention. I want him to notice me and crave me so deeply that he”ll come running at my call.
Once I”ve changed my appearance to suit my needs, I step out from behind a tree and make myself visible. He stops walking and turns to face me, his eyes widening in surprise when he sees me standing there.
”Adrian,” I purr, licking my lips as I saunter toward him. ”I hear you”ve been looking for me.”
”Lola,” he breathes as he gazes hungrily at my body, taking in every inch of exposed skin. ”What are you doing here?”
I tilt my head to one side and smile seductively at him. ”I wanted to see you,” I answer softly, batting my eyelashes at him. ”You know it”s you I really want.”
He shakes his head, seeming confused by my words. ”What are you talking about? You belong to Drake.”
I let out a soft laugh, taking slow, deliberate steps toward him. ”Drake?” I scoff. ”No, I don”t belong to anyone. Every time he touches me, every time he kisses me, I imagine it”s you. I picture it”s you who”s fucking me against the wall until I scream out your name.”
Adrian stands motionless as I approach him. When I reach him, I stop and run my fingers along his jawline, tracing the outline of his cheekbones. ”I want you to fuck me like that,” I murmur as I lean in closer until my lips brush against his earlobe. ”I want you to claim me as yours.”
His breathing quickens as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me close to him. ”I”d love nothing more than to claim you, but you”re not real.”
”Oh, I”m real,” I assure him as I grind my hips against him. ”And I”m yours.”
He groans and says, ”No, this is just a dream.”
I take hold of his hands and guide them over my body, letting him explore every inch of me. ”Does it feel like a dream?” I ask teasingly.
He closes his eyes and sighs heavily as he presses his lips against mine, kissing me. We melt into each other as he holds me tight. After a moment, he breaks the kiss and steps back, staring at me with disbelief written all over his face, and it takes everything in me to suppress a gag.
”This can”t be happening,” he mutters under his breath.
”Do you know what I went through to be able to appear to you here?” I ask, feigning innocence as I pout my lips and put on my best damsel in distress act. ”I needed to see you so badly, but I knew Drake would never allow me to leave his sight. So, I waited until he was asleep and used one of Genevieve”s old spells I found in his basement. It brought me here, to you.”
”But why?” he questions, confusion evident in his tone.
I reach out and stroke his cheek with my fingertips, feeling the rough stubble beneath my touch. ”Because I know the truth now, Adrian. After Drake ran away from you like a coward, it showed me whose side I should be on. You”re twice the vampire he is, Adrian. If anyone deserves to access my great-great-grandmother”s stash, it”s you.”
Adrian”s expression changes from one of bewilderment to one of intrigue as he listens to my words. ”What are you saying?” he asks, his voice low and husky.
”I”m saying that Drake isn”t worthy of the throne he sits upon,” I reply earnestly as I stare into his eyes. ”He”s weak. And if he had half the strength you do, he would”ve fought back when you attacked him. Once Drake is out of the picture, you”ll finally get what you deserve.”
A grin spreads across Adrian”s face as he considers this new development. ”You know, you might be right,” he admits as he runs a hand through his hair.
”Think about it, Adrian. We could rule the world. No more hiding, no more skulking in the shadows. With your cunning mind and my... unique abilities, we could be the masters of our own destiny.”
”You make a compelling argument,” he concedes with a nod. ”I suppose there”s only one way to find out if it”s true.”
”Come to me, Adrian,” I whisper as I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer to me. ”Find me and finish what you started. Take me away from Drake, and make me yours.”
He grins wickedly as he leans forward, but this time, before our lips meet, my head gets fuzzy and everything starts spinning. The scenery changes around me, and suddenly I”m back in Drake”s living room with Sage”s hands wrapped tightly around my own. My heart races as adrenaline courses through my veins and I realize that I”m awake now.
Sage opens her eyes and stares at me intently for a long moment before letting go of my hands. I plead with her through the connection I still pray is there between us, begging her not to tell Drake what I had to do to accomplish our goal. I know he won”t approve of my methods, but I”m desperate and determined to save him, no matter the cost. Finally, after several tense seconds of silence, Sage gives me a knowing nod, and I feel as though I can breathe again.
”It worked,” she announces with a triumphant smile on her face. ”I felt him. He”ll come for you.”
”Good,” Drake replies as he paces anxiously around the room. ”Did you convince him that you were on his side?”
”Yes,” I respond. ”I told him exactly what he wants to hear.”
Drake stops pacing and looks at me with concern. ”What did you say?” he asks warily.
I give him a small shrug as I continue explaining my actions. ”I told him that you”re weak and undeserving of your position. That he”s twice the vampire you are. I don”t believe any of it, of course, but it”s what he wanted to hear. I said that if he comes here and claims me, we could rule the world together.”
Drake frowns as he listens to my words. ”That sounds dangerous,” he comments. ”It sounds like you tried to seduce him. You need to understand, Lola, sex for vampires is different than it is for humans. It”s intense. You can”t just light that flame and then take it back.”
I sigh in frustration and roll my eyes at him. ”He sounds like half the guys in Miami, I”ll be fine. Besides, I had to do something to convince him that I meant business. Otherwise he might not come.”
”She”s right,” Sage chimes in as she rises from her seat and heads toward the door. ”This was the best plan we could come up with on such short notice. Adrian is coming for her, and once he arrives, we”ll be ready.”
Drake looks unconvinced. ”If you say so.”
”We do,” I retort with a smirk. ”Trust me, Drake, I”ve got this under control.”
”And you”re going to train her?” he asks Sage before she turns the doorknob to leave.
Sage nods. ”I”ve already begun teaching her the basics,” she states confidently. ”I”m running out to get some supplies, and when I return we”ll start dipping her wand into deeper waters.”
Drake seems satisfied with this answer and allows Sage to exit the house without further protest. Once she”s gone, he returns his attention back to me and crosses his arms over his chest as he glares at me. ”What else did you say to him?” he questions skeptically.
”Nothing you need to worry about,” I reply dismissively as I stand up and walk past him toward the kitchen. ”All that matters is that he believes me, and he does. He thinks he”s coming to free me from you, so we need to make sure we”re prepared for when he arrives.”
”I”m glad you two had a nice chat,” Drake remarks sarcastically as he follows me into the kitchen. ”But I”m still concerned about the way you manipulated him. It seems awfully risky.”
”Look,” I say as I spin around to face him, ”Adrian is dangerous, we both know that. But you”re going to have to trust me, Drake. I know what I”m doing. I”ve spent my entire life dealing with men like him. If we want to defeat him, we need to play his game. We need to make him think he”s winning while we”re really the ones in control. I don”t have fangs or super strength, so I used the one thing I do have right now. My feminine wiles.”
Drake lets out a deep sigh and shakes his head slightly before responding. ”I wish you didn”t have to resort to that, but I guess it”s too late now. Just promise me you”ll stay close this time, Lola. No more running off and disappearing, okay?”
”Don”t worry, Drake,” I say. ”I”ll stay locked in my tower until the big bad dragon is vanquished. You have my word.”
I turn around and continue toward the fridge, opening it to grab a bottle of water along with some meat and cheese to make a sandwich. Drake follows closely behind me and grabs a blood bag from the warmer next to it. He pops it open and drains it quickly while watching me closely. Once he”s finished, he tosses the empty bag into the trash bin and walks over to me.
”You”re being very brave about all this,” he comments softly as he reaches out and cups my cheek in his palm. ”Thank you.”
I place my hand on top of his and smile warmly at him. ”I”m not doing this because I want to be a hero or anything,” I explain gently as I gaze into his beautiful blue eyes. ”I”m doing it because I care about you. You saved my life, and now it”s my turn to save yours.”
He leans in closer, pressing his forehead against mine as he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. ”I can”t lose you again, Lola,” he murmurs quietly as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against his body. It feels so much better than when Adrian held me; safer somehow. ”I won”t survive it.”
I slide my hands along his forearms, tracing patterns along his skin with my fingertips as I hug him back tightly. ”You won”t have to,” I whisper reassuringly. ”I”m not going anywhere.”
He opens his mouth to say something, his voice cracking, but then closes it again. Instead, he lets me go and taps the counter. ”I”m going to get some sleep. Come up when you”re done eating?”
“I’m going to train a bit with Sage first, but then I’ll check and see if you’re sleeping. I don’t want to keep you up.”
“All right. Be careful, then.”
I nod and watch as he disappears up the stairs. I hope he knows how serious I am about staying here with him. Even when all of this is said and done, the idea of going back to Miami and leaving him here sounds... unappealing. In the short time that I”ve known him, I”ve grown attached to him in a way that I”ve never experienced with anyone else before. He makes me feel safe, cared for, protected, and even loved.
But can a witch and a vampire be together? It seems like a fairytale, but even the most fantastical stories have a basis in reality. Maybe there”s a chance that we could make this work somehow.