That was an excellent point, and the main reason Isadora didn't write off the possibility as wishful thinking after so many years wondering and waiting. After all, why would nature, or even fate, give her such feelings regarding the vampire standing in the next room if there was no chance of forging a relationship?
And since she'd never heard of a connection between a vampire and a fae, shouldn't she consider all possibilities?
But for as much as she wanted to believe nature hadn't just thrown her a harsh curve ball, Victoria mentioned thoughtfully, “You know, the fated connection of mates isn't a one way street either, Isadora, and vampires have blood links.”
She stared at the draconian with widened eyes, asking, “That involves their mates?”
“Sort of. I was speaking with Stephan and Maddox before you arrived, and learned they're bound by blood, they simply call themselves lovers instead.”
“Lovers,” she repeated softly, having forgotten about the couple's bond. Otherwise she would've asked Mathias about it earlier—not that he'd been entirely chatty about the topic, and she could understand why after learning he'd lost children.
But he'd said the link was in the blood, so was it possible he'd find such a connection to her if he tasted her blood?
The moment she bit her lip in consideration, Victoria remarked, “Oh great, now you actually want to offer him blood, don't you?”
“No! I don't! Well … ,” Isadora trailed, adding sheepishly, “not yet. I mean I'd like to take care of this problem with Sylva first.”
Victoria pursed her lips as if she didn't believe it—with good reason. Like all fae, Isadora tended to curiously explore situations regardless of the tasks at hand, and she'd certainly be tempted to learn more about how this vampire was making her feel.
Even now, her imagination was circling possibilities of what it might be like to kiss him. How would their lips meet? Aggressively? Or in a series of slow brushes?
And how would he react? By clutching her to hold close the way he had by the pool? She could still recall the sensation vividly, like a firm wall of heat radiating into her, and perhaps this time he’d thread his fingers through her hair, trail kisses down her neck, or … grab her ass?
Isadora's breath left her in a rush, pulse racing faster in imagining how his fingers might clench it possessively. In turn, her skin tingled and breasts grew heavy, making her bra more uncomfortable than usual.
“Uh, Isadora?”
Consumed by the erotic thoughts, she dumbly asked, “Huh?”
Waving a hand, the draconian returned, “You're definitely aroused. The scent's getting thick.”
“Oh!” she gasped, eyes widening, both over the discovery of her own physical arousal, and the fact that Victoria had caught the scent—and if she could detect it, the vampires would, too.
“Crap, how do I turn it off? I don't want them catching wind of it!”
Victoria chuckled, mentioning, “You don't just turn it off, but it might help if you stop imagining … whatever you were just thinking about.”
“I couldn't help it! I've never felt this way before, and it's … honestly frustrating.”
Scoffing, the draconian remarked, “Tell me about it. But I saw your witch kit on the coffee table. Do you have anything in there to mask the scent?”
Isadora considered it, but wasn't certain any of her supplies would work as a masking agent, at least, not without mixing a new concoction.
But she didn't get the chance to say so before a knock came to the door.
“Yes?” Victoria asked.
“Heliger's returned, and he has important news,” came Mathias' voice.
“We're coming.”
With her response given, Victoria looked at Isadora again and asked, “Think you'll be okay around him long enough to listen?”
Grumbling, she started for the door with the words, “I hope so, because I'm not missing this for anything. But … you wouldn't happen to have any pointers, would you?”
Scoffing, Victoria remarked, “Not really, except to keep discretion in mind. In other words, try not to think about him, and don't stare.”
Isadora took the words to heart, deciding discretion was definitely called for in this situation. Keeping him off her mind might be difficult, but as for staring, it was hard enough to look him in those intense, silver eyes anyway. So how hard would it be to ignore him?
At the thought, she gave Victoria a determined nod, then exited the room behind her with confidence. This'll be as easy as counting to three.
— FIFTEEN —
Though Heliger's information was intriguing, Mathias found it hard to focus on anything except what he'd overheard in the bedroom.
Not that he'd been eavesdropping on Victoria and Isadora the entire time. It wasn't possible to discern their conversation with so many people discussing the matters at hand. Chandra's insistence on learning of Heliger's whereabouts was particularly distracting—and the sorceress had a good reason to ask.
Both mages trained under the same instructor and were close—though it wasn't evident once Heliger returned to the suite.
Casually, the magician walked inside and shut the door before looking up at those present. That's when his gaze landed on the sorceress, bringing him to an abrupt stop.
Everyone watched in silence as Chandra stared right back until Heliger uttered her name, making it seem as if they were about to commence with a friendly embrace.
Instead, Chandra's palm cracked across his cheek.
Punctuating the slap, Heliger groaned and admitted, “I deserved that.”
“I certainly agree,” she began, quick to add, “Did you truly believe you needed to leave without a word? To me?”
Though her questions were simple, the words carried a weight Mathias wasn't certain he understood. Still, if she cared for Heliger at all, it would've been difficult to deal with his unexplained disappearance, and the magician sighed as if he knew it.
“We'll speak of this in private soon. For now, I have to relate some important information I just learned of Sylva Abbott.”
Though she obviously deemed his disappearance important, Chandra didn't pursue the topic, nodding in agreement before stepping aside to let him continue.
Yet, once Heliger returned his attention to the group, he inquired, “Where's Isadora? She needs to hear this.”
“She requested a word in private with Victoria,” Mathias explained, walking to the bedroom door to alert them of Heliger's return.
That's when he overheard the draconian asking if Isadora wanted her witch kit to mask a scent. The comment seemed strange, and once he announced Heliger's presence, she implied the fae might have trouble making it through their impending conversation because of him. Him who?
Both statements were curious, though nothing seemed off once the women joined the rest of their group. Isadora even got right to the point by greeting Heliger.
“Hey, what did that human tell you?”
Nodding, the magician began his explanation without hesitation.
“First, his name is Derick Rowden, and he was Sylva's husband in a previous life. There's a longer story here, but suffice it to say I managed to learn quite a few things because of this tie, though perhaps not as much as I would've preferred.”
Following his statements, Heliger adjourned to the balcony doors and continued, “He says Sylva took control of Isadora's sisters with an ancient pendant she located while still trapped in Limbo. Of course, she had to communicate its location with mediums of The Trine, but they eventually found it, and its power is divine.”
“Divine?” Isadora asked incredulously. “You mean it has the power of the gods?”
“To some extent, yes, though Derick couldn't provide specifics. He only knows Sylva uses the pendant sparingly, and I'd wager the reason is that it's too powerful for casual use, specifically in her current state of decay. But she's using it to compel your sisters to help her, and plans to release them once she's acquired a me
ans of restoring her body for good.”
“And what has she found that would restore her body?” Maddox asked.
“Derick doesn’t know,” Heliger admitted. “Sylva merely directed him to take her to a ruined temple buried in the Sahara Desert of southern Egypt. She has an excavation site there where several humans have been working to uncover the entrance.”
Turning to face everyone again, the magician concluded, “She believes a power is contained within it that will restore her entirely.”
Everyone remained silent following the explanation, and Mathias could only imagine they were all questioning this power Sylva wanted to find while Victoria muttered, “How could Derick not know more about her plans?”
“It seems Sylva was reluctant to share certain pieces of information,” Heliger qualified. “Perhaps she fears its misuse, or thinks someone may try to obtain the power she seeks first. She also neglected to tell anyone why she needed the Staff of Factions, which leads me to believe her human minions are under her control just as Isadora was.”
Hearing this, Mathias grumbled, finding Sylva's ploy to get what she wanted annoying—and much more dangerous than first believed, a fact he had no compunctions pointing out.
“If this pendant has divine power, I hope her habit of using it sparingly holds true. Otherwise, wresting it from her will be next to impossible.”
“I'd thought the same,” Heliger admitted. “So we'll have to take it from her before she accesses whatever power is lying dormant in that temple, and before you ask, I know where the ruin is, and I've already procured three Spire Shards just in case things get out of hand.”
A Spire Shard was a broken piece of marble enchanted to teleport the user back to whatever Spire it came from, which would certainly be useful here. But the number of shards seemed strange, which Isadora mentioned.
“Three? There's five of us.”
Turning his orange gaze to the fae, Heliger explained, “I know, but it would be best if only Mathias, Maddox, and Stephan accompany me to free your sisters before I deal with Sylva. Though … ”
Glancing at Chandra, he added, “You'd be welcome to come along.”
Wordlessly, the sorceress nodded as if the thought of confronting a resurrected witch possessing a divine pendant was child's play—and she was certainly a beneficial addition. If Heliger's instructor was responsible for his talents as a magician, Chandra would be an effective ally whether in a fight, or just using stealth.
Mathias also liked the thought of leaving Isadora out of this dangerous task, though she obviously disagreed in objecting, “You're not leaving me here! They're my sisters!”
“Isadora, he's right,” Victoria interjected, hurrying to add, “Sylva put you under her control once, and she could do it again.”
Isadora parted her lips to argue, but Heliger stated first, “Precisely, and that aside, Derick said Sylva has tasked the fae under her control with security for the excavation site. They not only heal her, they also watch over her. So if anyone but a vampire tries to sneak up on Sylva, your sisters will sense their life force and warn her.”
At his explanation, Isadora's mouth snapped shut as if unable to argue, though she pointed out, “You and Chandra aren't vampires.”
“No, but we'll keep a distance and provide Mathias, Maddox, and Stephan with magical enhancements to assist in stealing her pendant. Then, once your sisters are free and Sylva no longer has the pendant's source of power, I'll confront her.”
The plan was certainly sound, though Isadora still didn't seem satisfied, looking between everyone present with concern in her sapphire eyes—particularly regarding Mathias.
The look seemed strange, but she didn't explain it, asking instead, “When would you be going?”
“Tonight,” Heliger returned. “Her team has yet to uncover this temple's entrance, and we need to prevent that from happening. So, as there's a few hours before dawn now, there's still plenty of time to go.”
Though Isadora nodded, she seemed to be in deep thought over the matter, making it difficult to discern her true feelings. Yet she wasn't slow to unveil the mystery, grabbing a wooden box from the coffee table before heading to Mathias with the words, “It also gives me plenty of time to speak with you in private.”
Surprisingly, the fae didn't give him a chance to respond, grasping his hand to tug him toward the bedroom door.
With little choice but to follow—and too curious to resist regardless—Mathias stepped inside as she shut the door and settled her box on the vanity next to it.
Watching her unlatch the lid in confusion, he inquired, “Is something wrong?”
“Well, not exactly,” she started, sifting through the contents of the box in adding, “and you'll probably think this sounds stupid, but I want you to take a talisman I made for protection and luck.”
“Why would I think that sounds stupid?”
Producing a locket made of tiger's eye embedded in a circular, golden disc with a few symbols etched around the stone, she turned to face him with a shrug.
“In my experience, older supernatural beings scoff at trinkets like this, and you are the oldest person I've ever met.”
Bringing the item over, she lifted it to place around his neck, and he waited until the task was complete before mentioning, “I happen to think we could use all the luck we can get. But I have to wonder why you dragged me in here just to give me a talisman.”
Questionably, the moment he mentioned his curiosity, the fae's pulse sped up, her heart taking on an erratic beat that was nothing short of music to his ears. The thought of listening to it during long, lazy days in bed almost made him forget their impending engagement—and what drove it away completely was the way she gazed up at him.
There was something determined in those sapphire eyes—and reverent.
As he tried to discern what her look meant, Isadora remarked softly, “That's because I have one other thing to give you for luck, and I thought it'd be better if we're alone.”
Alone? Somehow, the comment brought to mind the strange things he'd overheard earlier, and his lips parted to ask about it. Yet he was stunned into silence when the fae lifted her hands to gently cup his cheeks and leaned up, eyes closing as her lips met his in a sweet, chaste kiss.
Immediately, Mathias tensed, every muscle in his body going rigid with surprise—and a great deal of desire. In turn, he unwittingly inhaled a sharp breath through his nose, which had her scent hitting him stronger than ever before.
For a fae who supposedly had no natural influence over vampires, she was twisting him into knots with ease. Her thumbs stroked the stubble of his cheeks more affectionately than she probably intended, and if that wasn't enough to drive him insane, the way her lips broke from his only to return for a quick second kiss certainly did.
It was as if she wasn't satisfied with only one—and gods knew he wasn't either.
Bombarded by her irresistible scent and the warmth of her body, Mathias cupped the back of her head before she could draw away.
Holding her in place, he murmured against her lips, “If you're going to wish me luck, little fae, you should give me a proper kiss.”
Had her heart just skipped a beat? His own thundered too loudly to tell, though he heard Isadora's response loud and clear despite the way she shyly whispered it.
“I … I don't know how, vampire.”
Growling at the thought of her innocence, he knew only one way to respond, and said so with every confidence.
“Then let me show you.”
— SIXTEEN —
Isadora thought ignoring Mathias would be as simple as counting to three.
Isadora never made it past one.
As Heliger relayed the information he'd obtained, the only thing that kept her in check was how dire the situation was turning out to be. Even then, her gaze continually drifted to Mathias, though she wasn't seeking to ogle him.
Instead, she wanted to see his reactions, and it wasn’t easy to discern his t
houghts. The vampire spent the entire conversation leaning against the wall, arms crossing his chest with a neutral expression suggesting nothing the magician said was having an impact outside of some mild annoyance.
Whether it was an attempt to mask his concern, or he truly remained unaffected, she appreciated his indifference. What they'd just learned of Sylva's power was alarming, and his casual attitude provided comfort.
Still, she couldn't ignore the danger Mathias would face while attempting to steal the pendant, and also couldn't sit around in the Spire waiting for an outcome. There had to be some way to help, and the thought called to mind a talisman stored in her witch kit used for protection and luck.
It was doubtful the trinket would do much good against a pendant possessing divine power, but perhaps luck would keep things from going awry altogether.
So she gave it to Mathias, and dragged him into the bedroom due to her consideration of adding in a kiss for luck–but not because she thought it'd help. Instead, it was possible he wouldn't return, and vampire or not, the thought of never getting a chance to kiss the only male who'd ever piqued her interests was galling.
It was questionable what the gesture might suggest to the vampire, and she didn't want him realizing he'd ignited her physical desires that night for the first time in her life. But Isadora couldn't resist, and quickly discovered the simple act of pressing her lips to his was like nothing she could imagine.
Her insides felt as if they were twisting up, her heart racing even before their lips met. Uncertainty, curiosity, enthusiasm, and a great deal of desire knotted in the pit of her stomach, making it hard to keep her mind on present concerns.
So by the time he demanded a proper kiss, then proceeded to show her how, everything else was completely forgotten.
Leaning in, the vampire claimed her mouth with a masculine groan, sending shivers racing through her entire body. Knees going weak, Isadora grabbed him with a muffled gasp when his tongue swept over her bottom lip.
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