Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
Fox was floating on a cloud when he climbed the stairs to the second floor later that morning. Zelda left a little before the sun rose, and Winter lingered downstairs long enough to make sure everything was locked up properly prior to grabbing a shower. The poor vampire looked drained.
Fatigue should have been weighing heavily on Fox as well, and he was tired, but it seemed like such a small thing in comparison to the evening he’d just spent with Zelda.
The witch was everything he’d always dreamed of finding in a mentor.
She was kind, patient, and so damn knowledgeable. She welcomed all his questions.
And at long last, he felt like he was in touch with a part of himself that had been locked away since the death of his mother.
It was the heritage he’d been born to but wasn’t allowed to claim.
He felt free. He felt like he was finally who he was meant to be.
And he was proud of himself. He wasn’t useless or a waste.
But then, Winter had done a wonderful job of showing him that he wasn’t useless without the magic. He had saved Winter’s life with every touch, every laugh, every moment they spent together.
There wasn’t time for Zelda to teach him a lot, but she helped him find his center and showed him how to tap into the magic residing within him. Turned out, it was the freaking pool that reminded him of Winter’s eyes.
The most important thing, though, was that she showed him how to call up the protective shield he’d created to fight Cheryl’s fire spell. She worked with him on strengthening it and shifting it to guard against a variety of attacks.
Learning something offensive would have been nice when it came to fighting Damon and his vampires, but if he could protect Winter or one of the other Variks, he would count it as a win.
It would take a long time, but Zelda had given him the keys to unlocking his gift. He’d be able to learn new things, big and small. He doubted magic would become his life, and he certainly had no intention of becoming a meddler quite like Zelda. But dancing feather dusters might be fun.
Stopping in the guest room, Fox hopped into the shower to make sure he’d lost the last of the blood that had covered him, thanks to the glass shards, as well as washed away the sweat that had dried on his skin.
He had a sexy man to seduce, and he didn’t want Winter to think about what had happened in that cabin for a second.
Besides, Zelda had given him one last gift as she left, in the form of some very interesting and critical information.
Fox barely dried off before pulling on a pair of boxer briefs and hurrying down the hall to Winter’s room. His man was just coming out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of black briefs while rubbing a towel against his long hair. A tired smile lifted Winter’s lips, and Fox crossed to him.
“You look exhausted,” Fox said as he slid his arms around his slender waist.
“Talking to my brothers is draining business.”
Fox cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows gathering over the bridge of his nose. “You talked to all of them.”
“Philippe brought Rafe to Marcus’s house. He wanted backup when it came to keeping Rafe out of trouble. Nearly the entire clan was there, and they all had a lot to say about the prophecy being fake.”
“They’re not mad at me, right?”
Winter tossed the towel aside and pulled Fox in against his chest. “No, of course not. Mostly they’re annoyed at Zelda and relieved that you’re not some kind of stealth threat.
Also, Ethan was happy to tell all of them we’re sleeping together.
There were lots of comments.” Winter sighed and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “So much commentary on my sex life.”
While that was an interesting line of conversation, and he very much wanted to know what the brothers were saying, Fox would not be distracted. “You didn’t tell them about seeing ghosts, did you?”
Winter looked at Fox, his eyes narrowed. “Zelda teach you to read my mind?”
“No, I’m just that good at reading you without magic. Don’t underestimate me,” Fox growled.
Leaning in, Winter took his lips in a slow, tender kiss that ended with him capturing his bottom lip between his teeth and lightly tugging. His Winter was a wicked man. “Never underestimate you, baby.”
“But you will try to distract me.”
Winter cracked open one eye. “Is it working?”
Fox wanted to say, “No, absolutely not!” but he couldn’t convincingly lie, and he’d never lie to Winter in the first place. The vampire was starting to wear him down with his sleepy eyes, soft kisses, and the gentle caresses along his bare back. “Maybe a little.”
“I guess I’ll have to try harder.” Winter started to kiss him again, but Fox pulled away, his gaze stern. Winter sighed and nodded. “You’re right. I will. Soon. I promise.”
“They need to know. You can’t keep secrets from your brothers. They care about you.”
Winter pulled Fox in tight for another hug. “How the hell did I live two hundred years without you?” he murmured, his lips brushing against the bare skin of Fox’s shoulder.
“I have a feeling it had a lot to do with overprotective brothers, but now you’ve got an overprotective Fox to keep an eye on you.”
“Then I think my Fox needs to tuck me into bed. I’m exhausted.”
With a smirk, Fox led Winter over to the bed and pulled back the blankets for him to get in on his side before he crossed the room and turned out all the lights.
He slipped into the cool sheets and sighed.
It felt good to relax and let the insanity of the day fall off his shoulders.
But as much as he was tempted to roll over and fall asleep, he had something else in mind.
And while Winter was tired, he had a feeling it was enough to tempt his man awake again.
The vampire automatically snuggled in close as he did every night, his arm draped over Fox’s waist while a couple of delicate kisses were pressed to his shoulder.
“Are you hungry?” Fox innocently asked. He had to bite his lower lip to keep from grinning like a lunatic.
“No, I’m fine.”
“But it’s been days since you fed.”
Winter hummed, pressing a little closer.
“Yeah, but I can go another week or so without needing to hunt.” He paused and lifted up on one elbow to look at Fox’s face.
In the darkness, Fox couldn’t see his expression, but Winter had explained that his night vision was as sharp as a cat’s.
“Why? Do you need something from the kitchen?”
“Oh no, I’m fine. I was thinking about a conversation I had with Zelda as she left.”
Cool air suddenly brushed against Fox’s back, and the mattress bounced a little. The light on Winter’s nightstand clicked on and Fox blinked as Winter’s worried face appeared above him. Definitely had his full attention now. He was looking very awake.
“What did you talk about?” Winter asked.
“Vampires biting witches.”
His reaction was immediate, though subtle. His pupils widened and his nostrils flared as if he were trying to draw in the scent of Fox’s blood through his pores. His voice was surprisingly calm and steady, but there was something else to it when he asked, “What did she say?”
Fox teased. “Did your fangs drop?” Oh my God, was this the vampire version of getting a hard-on for blood?
“Maybe,” Winter said, but then he smiled, removing all doubt. Fox didn’t know if it was strange or not, but he thought Winter’s fangs were gorgeous.
Fox pressed his hands into the mattress and levered himself up so he could bump his nose into Winter’s. “Have I ever told you that you are so sexy with your fangs out? Makes me fucking hard.”
Winter purred a little, brushing his lips against Fox’s in a brief kiss. “And you’re getting distracted. What did Zelda say?”
“That she’s never heard of an instance where a vampire was hurt by witch blood, and a witch was only hurt if that was the vampire’s intention,” he faithfully recited.
The vampire straightened, all teasing and sexiness gone as he treated the topic with the seriousness Fox should have been using. “Will there be any effect on me?”
“She said vampires get a power boost when they drink from a witch that uses a lot of magic. With me, it would probably be very similar to drinking from a normal human, though you may struggle to see ghosts for a short period of time. A few hours, maybe.”
“At least until you start using magic all the time,” Winter countered. His words and confidence made Fox’s heart expand in his chest. His man was so sure he’d be able to do magic and be as great a witch as Fox wanted to be.
“Either way, she advised starting off slow with some light sips until we know how it affects both of us.” Fox stopped and coyly fluttered his eyelashes at Winter. “So…if you were interested in a little bedtime snack. A little nibble. I’m here for you.”
Lifting his hand, Winter placed it on Fox’s chest, covering his heart.
His touch was so gentle and caring, Fox could feel it pick up its pace as if it were trying to break out to crawl into his hand.
“Are you sure? Even if it is safe, we don’t have to do this.
You will always be mine even if I never taste your blood. ”
“I want this,” Fox said. He laid his hand over Winter’s, pressing it against his chest. “I want this for both of us. I want to understand you completely, and I want you to know how I taste so you never have to wonder.”
Winter stared at him for a second and then another before his lips parted like he was going to say something, but no sound came out.
“What? What are you thinking?”