14. Guinea Pig
Guinea Pig
D erek had left in a rush, muttering something about a potential pack war and a phone call from his dad. He’d assured me, of course, that it wasn’t as dramatic as it sounded—just his dad and his uncle having what he called an “old man screaming match.” Still, the idea of it didn’t sit right with me, but I let it go. Derek could handle himself, and he’d promised it wasn’t dangerous.
Now, I’m alone in my room, flipping through books on Binding Hexes. The piles of notes and spellbooks are slowly taking over my desk, but nothing concrete is jumping out at me. After what feels like hours of cross-referencing symbols and incantations, I come up with three possible solutions. Two involve complex potions, and both have a decent chance of working… but without a test subject, there’s no way to be sure.
Frustrated, I toss a book aside and glance at the trash bin, where a crumpled note with Sebastian’s number stares back at me. Sighing, I fish it out and grab my phone. Ugh, this is going to be painful. I open a text window and type:
Oi, I need you. It's Zaria btw
How badly? Does it ache?
Do you want your hex gone or not you prick
I can assure you its more than a prick
I groan, throwing the phone onto the bed. God, why does he have to be like this? I have no interest in poking the bear—or the vampire—any further. I busy myself preparing the potions, knowing he’ll show up soon enough.
Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, there’s a knock at my door. I open it to find Sebastian leaning against the frame, his usual smirk plastered across his face.
“Locking the door? How scandalous,” he says, his voice dripping with innuendo as I click the lock behind him.
I sigh heavily. “What I’m about to say won’t help calm your nonsense, but I need you to take off your shirt.” He raises an eyebrow, about to make some idiotic comment, but I hold up a hand. “Say one more word, and I swear I’ll hex your tongue.”
He chuckles, clearly enjoying himself as he pulls off his shirt. And, naturally, he has to have the kind of abs that belong on a statue. Of course, he does. I stifle the most embarrassing whimper of my life. This is not on the agenda right now.
I force myself to focus, reminding myself that Derek is the one waiting for me—the one who’s more than a friend, someone I can actually love. And in a way, I already do. This is about helping Sebastian get free of Kyla, and then I can put this behind me.
“There are three things I’m going to try,” I explain, trying to sound professional despite the irritating distraction that is his torso. “Two are potions, but they might have side effects since… well, I’ve never done this before.”
Sebastian shrugs, looking way too casual for someone who might be about to turn into a toad. “I’d rather have my skin turn purple than be under Kyla’s control any longer.”
Nodding, I grab the first vial. “Alright, here’s potion number one. Just a sip—don’t down the whole thing.”
Sebastian takes the vial and raises it mockingly. “Cheers to freedom.” He tosses it back and immediately grimaces. “Ugh. That’s foul.”
I smirk. “Yeah, didn’t focus much on flavor when I added the pig bile.”
He freezes, his eyes wide. “ Pig bile? ”
“Shut up and let me watch the hex,” I snap, trying not to laugh at his horror.
I squint at the mark on his skin, watching for any change. For a moment, I think it looks lighter, but it could just be the lighting. My pulse quickens. Could it actually be working? I watch, my eyes narrowing in concentration, as the hex mark on Sebastian’s skin flickers for just a moment—and then, just like that, it solidifies again. I groan, utterly frustrated. "Damn it."
Sebastian quirks an eyebrow, watching me prepare the second potion. "Round two, huh?"
“Don’t get cocky,” I mutter, handing him the next vial. “Just drink it.” He raises the glass, looking less enthusiastic this time, but downs it anyway. We both wait in silence, the tension building. I stare at the hex, hoping, praying for even the slightest shift, but after a few moments, nothing happens. Seb glances at me, and I can’t hide the disappointment. "Sorry," I sigh. "I thought I had a stroke of genius, but... there's no way to undo a binding hex. I’ve failed."
He shrugs, unfazed. "You said there were three things you could try, right?"
I cross my arms and give him a hard look. “Yeah, well, I thought about the third one, but then I looked at your face and changed my mind.”
Sebastian’s eyes glint with amusement, and before I can stop him, he steps forward, close enough that I can feel the heat from his skin. He’s nearly pinning me against my desk, and his voice lowers, dripping with that irritating sultriness. “You’re not afraid , are you?”
I refuse to back down, even though my heart is beating a little faster. “I’m not,” I say, my tone steady. “But you should be.” With a shove, I push him back. He chuckles, clearly enjoying himself, but I’m not in the mood. “Look,” I continue, “the last option isn’t about removing the hex. It’s about transferring it.”
His brow furrows slightly. “Transferring? What does that even mean?”
I take a deep breath, debating whether to even explain it to him. “The binding hex was originally made so that a vampire could serve generations of witches. It’s supposed to last, with the name of the witch changing as needed for different owners.”
His eyes widen slightly, realization dawning on him. “So... you’re suggesting we change Kyla’s name to someone else’s?”
“Yeah,” I admit reluctantly. “But I’m against the idea.”
Sebastian stares at me, then, to my utter shock, he says, “Do it.”
I practically choke on air, my eyes going wide. “Wait, what? Are you serious?”
This time, when he steps toward me, there’s no smirk, no teasing. He looks at me with a kind of intensity that makes my heart skip a beat. “I’d much rather be bound to you than Kyla,” he says quietly. “And I promise, no matter what you ask me to do, I’ll keep my fangs to myself.” I’m mentally spinning, unsure how to process this. Me? Binding Sebastian to me ? It’s absurd—it’s dangerous—but then he grabs my hand, and for the first time, I see something close to desperation in his eyes. “Please,” he says, his voice softer than I’ve ever heard it. “Do it.”
I swallow hard, staring into his eyes. This is more than I bargained for. But… could I really do it? Could I bind him to me? "Lie flat," I tell him, my voice a little firmer than usual. Sebastian gives me a curious look, but doesn’t argue. He does as I say, lying on my bed like he’s far too comfortable with this situation. I ignore the way he looks at me, the heat in his eyes, and focus on what I need to do. I grab a feather—one I’ve enchanted before—and dip it into magical ink, watching it shimmer with the spell I’ve woven into it. “You need to stay absolutely still,” I warn him, waving the feather like a wand. “This is delicate work.”
He nods, but I can tell by the way his body tenses that he’s not thrilled about being the test subject. Still, he’s quiet as I start to work, weaving my magic through the feather, erasing Kyla’s name from his skin, replacing it with mine. It feels strange, intimate even, like I’m tattooing my name onto him. The binding hex was never meant for something like this.
Sebastian’s muscles twitch under my touch, clearly uncomfortable. He wouldn’t have been awake the first time this happened, but now he’s feeling every little jolt of magic. I do my best not to focus on his stupidly well-defined abs as I concentrate on the task at hand. Twenty painstaking minutes pass, and finally, I’m done.
Sebastian sits up, peering down at the hex mark with my name etched into his skin. He chuckles softly, running a hand over it. “Bet you didn’t expect your name on my body when you woke up this morning.”
I roll my eyes, trying to hide the nervous energy running through me. “I just hope it worked. I’ve never done this before.” Seb’s smirk doesn’t fade. Instead, he moves faster than I can register, grabbing both my wrists and flipping me over him onto the other side of the bed. My back hits the mattress with a soft thud , and before I can protest, he’s hovering over me, pinning me down with an intensity that makes my heart skip a beat. “W-What are you doing?” I stammer, my brain still trying to catch up.
“To make sure the command works, you have to test it,” he says, his voice low and deliberate. “It has to be true, firm. So, go ahead—command me to stop.”
He doesn’t wait for me to respond before he buries his face in the crook of my neck, his lips brushing against my skin, sending hot shivers down my spine. Then, his mouth opens slightly, kissing and licking the sensitive spot right at the base of my throat. The sensation is wild, overwhelming, and makes my whole body prickle with heat. My breath catches in my throat, my pulse quickening.
He holds down my wrists, but I don’t struggle. I should —I know I should—but I can’t move. My mind spins, and guilt stabs through me like a dagger as thoughts of Derek flood in. What am I doing? I need to stop this. I have to stop this.
“Sebastian… stop,” I finally command, my voice shaky but firm.
And just like that, he freezes. Slowly, he pulls away from my neck, his eyes searching mine, and then he lets go of my wrists, sitting back slightly.
I push myself up, my mind still racing. “Get off my bed.”
He obeys, standing up as if nothing happened. "You’re a jerk," I snap, pushing myself off the bed and straightening my clothes, trying to regain some semblance of control. My skin still tingles from his touch, and I hate that it lingers. I shouldn’t be feeling like this. Not about him.
Sebastian just grins, tugging his shirt back on, slow and deliberate. "I wish I could pull away willingly, Zaria, but I don’t think I can... not for much longer."
I freeze, his words cutting through my frustration. “What do you mean by that?” I ask, crossing my arms, doing my best to sound unaffected, though my heart is still racing.
He pauses, his eyes darkening slightly as he looks at me. "Your blood… it sings to me."
I raise an eyebrow, half scoffing. "My blood sings to you? What the hell does that even mean?"
He shrugs, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “No matter where you are, I always know. And the closer you are, the stronger it gets. I feel the pull… the blood call.”
My brain screeches to a halt. "The blood call?" I repeat, my voice suddenly quieter. “Isn’t that like… a mate call?”
Sebastian nods, his gaze never leaving mine. "It is."
For a second, my mind blanks. Impossible. “No. No way. That’s—there’s no way. This is some weird vampire thing. Not a me thing.”
He just smirks, as if he’s got all the answers and I’m the one who’s late to the party. “I don’t make the rules about fate, Zaria. But I am going to enjoy the chase.” With that, he unlocks the door and slips out of the room, leaving me standing there, stunned, my heart still pounding in my chest.
How can I be a shifters mate…and a vampires?