by Cara E Holt
“Fine. My palm hurts but other than that I feel okay.”
He nods and releases my face. “You hungry?”
“I could eat.”
Giving me a quick smile, he moves over to the small kitchenette and uses his magic to pull out things from the fridge.
“Cheese on toast okay?”
“Perfect.” I grin. I settle into the sofa and turn on the television.
“Elara.” I open my eyes to find I am being gently shaken by Drayce. “You feel asleep.” He offers me a plate with the cheese toasty and I sit up and take it from him. He returns seconds later with one for himself and sits beside me on the sofa.
“Thanks.” I sit up and tuck into my toasty. “Yum, Lancashire.”
He grins nodding. “Best cheese there is for on toast.”
We are silent for a few minutes as we both eat. “I’m sorry you are missing classes because of me again.”
Drayce chuckles. “I’d rather be here than in advanced herbology, trust me.”
“Advanced herbology huh?” I ask with a brow raised.
He winks. “Naturally. Us Blacks are gifted in many ways.”
I shake my head and laugh. “Careful, if your head gets much bigger it will fall off.”
He leans back against the sofa and grins at me. “There’s nothing wrong with being confident. At least you know we won’t have brainless kids.”
I flush at the mention of us having kids together and give my food my full attention.
“Do you want kids?” I ask him, looking up to find him studying me.
“Yes.” He nods. “It’s kind of expected of me anyway, but yeah, one day in the future I’d like kids. Maybe four.”
My eyes pop open. “Four?! Wow.” I chew on my food as I process this information.
“You?”
I bob my head side to side. “I don’t know. It’s not something I’ve given much thought about. I mean I thought I had another three years before I had to think about a mate, never mind thinking about kids.”
Drayce nods. “My eldest brother has six. One set of twin boys, three more and then Breccan was the last one, he is six months old now.”
“Six. Wow. Bet he has his hands full?”
Drayce laughs. “He sure does, but he loves it. They are all great kids. You’ll get the meet them when we have our engagement ceremony.”
I had forgotten about the ceremony. In the Wiccan world newly engaged couples have a ceremony where they are blessed by both high priests or priestess’ from both covens. It is a celebratory event with lots of dancing and laughter.
“How many brother and sisters do you have?”
He holds up five fingers. “No females in our coven remember. There are five of us. My brother Keir is the eldest, he is the one with the six kids. Then there’s my brother Kasen. Kasen has three boys and then there’s Ryker, me, and Arlo is the youngest of us all. He is fifteen.”
“It must be nice having such a big family. I am an only child, so it has always just been me and Mum and dad.”
He takes my empty plate from me and places it with his on the coffee table. “How come they never had any more?”
“They tried but it just didn’t happen.” I tell him with a shrug of my shoulders. “The coven did fertility spells and everything, but nothing worked for them. My Mum would have liked more children. Dad would always say he loved me too much to share himself with another child, but in truth I think he would have loved a son.”
Drayce reaches out and takes my injured palm in his hand. “Does it hurt?” He frowns as he stares down at where the bandage covers my burn.
“No.” I reply. In truth even if it was hurting the touch of his skin against mine makes me forget everything else. I didn’t know what was happening between us, but all I did know was that I light up when he touches me, his nearness makes me breathless and nervous, and his kisses set a fire in me that I worried would burn for a long time.
Like Chocolate and Wine.
I awake with a start in the dead of the night. I blink because even though the room is pitch black, I can see with ease. I can hear the sound of breathing, and I can hear two people talking about their plans for the weekend. I sniff the air, and my throat feels dry and parched. I don’t know what propels me, but I climb out of bed and follow the strong scent. Drayce is deeply asleep on the sofa, the cover half off him, giving me a great view of those pretty abs of his. I inhale deeply and the smell of something delicious is all around me. I kneel on the floor beside him as he sleeps and my eyes home in on his neck and the vein pulsing there. I have this overwhelming urge to bite him there, right were that vein is in his neck, so I lean in and lick along the line of his vein in his neck.
“Elara?” He looks at me through half-awake eyes. “Did you just lick me?”
“Shush.” I tell him, putting my finger to his lip, voices outside distracting me. I walk to the window and look out. I can hear two people talking. I am shocked when I see the figures are right over on the other side of the pathway. There should be no way I can hear them, but I can hear every word they are saying.
“What’s wrong?” Drayce comes up behind me and places his hands around on my hips. His scent overwhelms me and I groan and lean back against his chest. “Elara are you feeling okay?”
“Thirsty.” I tell him, licking my dry lips. I turn and face him and my eyes zone in on his neck again. I lean in and sniff him. “You smell so good.”
“Okkaay.” He says sounding creeped out.
I lean on my tip toes and wrap my arms around his neck. “Kiss me.” I demand.
He looks at me puzzled and before he can respond, I climb him like a tree until my legs are wrapped tightly around his waist and I groan as I kiss him hungrily. I was like a dog on heat. I pull away from his lips and kiss my way along his jaw line and down his neck and I come to a stop at were his vein pulses. I scrape my teeth along the vein line and he shudders in response and then I bite.
“Fuck! Elara. What are you doing?”
I’m lost in an all consuming hunger as I suck on his blood and it enters my system, flooding me with adrenaline and absolute euphoria, he tastes like heaven. Suddenly I’m flung backwards across the room and land with a crash against the large bookcase.
“Fuck!” Drayce exclaims, standing there holding were his neck is bleeding.
I stare at him, rubbing the back of my head as the realisation of what I have just done sinks in. I touch my lips and his blood comes away on my fingers. “Oh god, I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened.”
Drayce stalks towards me and crouches down and lifts my face, he lifts my top lip and he gasps as he stares at my mouth. “Elara, why do you have fangs?”
I move his hand away and I touch my teeth and scream out loud when I feel two long and sharp teeth that weren’t there before.
We are both startled when there’s a knock at the door. “Drayce, its Thorin. Everything okay in there?”
“Shit.” Drayce swears as he lifts me up and stands me on my feet. Taking my hand he walks to the door and opens it. “Hey Thorin. Everything’s fine. Elara and I just got a bit carried away. You know how it is?” Drayce casually rubs his neck, covering up the wound.
Thorin grins and looks over Drayce’s shoulder at me. “Hey Elara. Listen, no worries. Just remember some of us trying to sleep okay?”
Drayce laughs. “We’ll try to keep it down.”
Drayce shuts the door. “Illustrant.” The lights come on instantly and I shield my eyes from their brightness. Everything felt more, louder, brighter, and intense. Drayce pulls me over to the sofa and sits me down. Kneeling in front of me, he takes my face in his hand and then lifts my lip and examines my teeth. “How? How do you have fangs Elara?”
I shake my head and my tears start to fall. I feel so ashamed that I attacked him like that and I have no idea why or what caused it. Drayce wipes a tear away with his thumb.
“Don’t cry okay?”
“I hurt you.” I sob. I reach out with my hand and touch w
here his neck is still bleeding. “Oh god, I bit you and drank your blood.” I jump to my feet and start pacing the room. “I don’t understand.”
Drayce comes over to me and takes my hands in his. “Elara, you’re becoming hysterical, calm down.”
I laugh. “Calm down. I have fucking fangs Drayce. How can I have fangs when I am a witch?!”
Drayce places a hand over my mouth. “Shush, the others will hear you.” He pulls me back to the sofa and sits me down again. “Talk me through what happened.”
I wipe my eyes and try to think coherently. “I woke up startled in bed. I remember my throat feeling really dry and then a smell hit my senses and it led me to you and I could.., I could smell the blood in your veins.” I sob. “Oh god, it smelt so good, like chocolate and wine.” I grab at my throat. “It burns, it’s so dry.”
“Fuck.” Drayce exclaims again as he runs his hands through his dark hair. He kneels in front of me and takes my hands in his. “Elara I don’t know how this is possible, but somehow I think you’re a hybrid.”
I stare at him, unable to speak. That was impossible. For a start hybrids were forbidden and secondly both my parents were witches. “It’s not possible.”
He nods, looking as confused as I feel. “I know. Get some shoes on. We need to go see Isolde now.”
Drayce bangs again on Mistress Isolde’s door and I hear a lock turning and then a second later Mistress Isolde is stood before us in a satin nightgown.
“Drayce, Elara what on earth?”
“We need to talk to you, now. Can we come inside?” Drayce asks her. She must see the worry in Drayce’s face as she holds the door open for us and ushers us inside.
Drayce guides me over to a sofa and sits me down before he turns back to Mistress Isolde.
“Before we go any further, I need your word that no matter what you will protect her?”
Isolde looks at him puzzled and tries to look around him at me, but Drayce moves and blocks her way.
“Your word.” He insists.
Isolde nods. “You have my word.”
Drayce pulls out a dagger from his boots. “Make a blood oath.”
Isolde raises her brows in surprise, but she does as he asks and she takes the dagger from him. She slices across her palm and gives her word as her blood drops into a crystal vial. “There you have my word, now what on Beltane is going on Drayce?”
Drayce removes the scarf from his neck and Mistress Isolde takes in the puncture wound that is still bleeding. “Elara did this. She has vampire fangs.”
Him saying it again makes me sob out loud. Suddenly Mistress Isolde is bent down in front of me.
“Elara, show me please?”
Still crying, I open my mouth and see the shock on her face when she registers the two fangs there.
“Elara, has this ever happened before?”
I shake my head firmly. “Never.” I clutch my throat. “It burns.”
Mistress Isolde puts her hands over mine and pats them. “You’re still hungry.”
“How?” Drayce asks her, looking from me to Isolde. “How can she possibly be a hybrid? And how has her vampire side only just awoken?”
“The stone.” Mistress Isolde exclaims. She rushes into another room and comes out with it in her hand. “Somehow her vampire side was made dormant and this stone it awoke it.”
I sob. “I’m a hybrid? It’s true then? Oh holy cauldrons! I’m an abomination.”
Mistress Isolde kneels down in front of me and shushes me. “Elara you are not an abomination. You are simply the result of two supernatural species coming together.”
I look up at her wide eyed. “But it’s forbidden.”
She nods. “I know, I know.”
I clasp at my throat. “Please help me, it burns.”
Isolde stands and faces Drayce who is stood there with his hands behind his head looking like he has no idea what to do.
“She needs to feed otherwise the burning in her throat will become unbearably painful for her.”
Drayce nods and starts to pull the t-shirt off his head.
“No!” I protest standing on my feet, still clutching at my throat. “I’ll hurt you again.”
Mistress Isolde curses under her breath. “I need to call someone. I swear he can be trusted but we need him here.”
Drayce nods in agreement, and she disappears into the other room. I can hear every word she says on the phone to the man she calls Silas. She comes back in the room a few minutes later.
“I need to fetch him here.” She says the word ‘Lacus’ and then disappears before our eyes. She returns seconds later with who I presume to be, Silas. He is tall, with short dark hair, and dark brown eyes.
He smiles warmly at me and comes over to me. “Hello Elara. My name is Silas. I am a vampire. Isolde thinks you might need my help.”
I nod, still clutching at my throat; it burns so much now that I can barely speak.
“Elara, you need to drink, otherwise that burning you are feeling will only get worse.” He advises me.
I shake my head and look over at Drayce.
“I know, I know, it hurt him last time, but that is because you didn’t use your venom to numb the pain.” He pats my hand. “I am going to teach you how to feed without it hurting. It will be pleasurable for him this time, I promise.”
Silas walks over to a table and pulls out a chair, placing it in the middle of the room. “Drayce, please come and take a seat.”
Drayce does as he is asked and sits down. “Come Elara.” He beckons me forward, telling me to sit on Drayce’s lap, facing him. I sit down and Drayce offers me a comforting smile, as I continue to silently cry. “Now Elara, when you bite this time, only bite just into the vein. You’ll feel some liquid release from your fangs and that is the venom. Allow that to enter into his system before you sink fully into the vein, okay?”
I nod. My attention is now solely focused on the pulsing vein in Drayce’s neck and how much I want to taste him.
“I apologise, but Mistress Isolde and I will need to stay in case you can’t stop feeding. It doesn’t always happen, but well just in case. I’m sorry as this can be quite an erm, intimate moment, but needs must.” He looks from me to Drayce awkwardly. “Okay, go ahead Elara.”
He steps back and I concentrate on what he instructed. I lean into Drayce’s neck and placing my fangs over his vein I lightly break the skin. I feel something transfer from my fangs into Drayce’s vein and realise this must be the venom. I hear Silas behind me tell me that I am doing great and to bite deeper now. I sink my fangs into his vein and I groan in pleasure as I suck and his blood enters my system. Somewhere in my blissful state, I think I hear Drayce moan my name and I feel him clutch at my ass and pull me closer against his body. I rock my hips against his as I feed from him, and honestly now I understand why Dagen liked feeding whilst having sex because I am feeling horny as hell. Somewhere in my dazed state I hear Silas tell me to stop when I start to feel sated. The blood still tastes heavenly, but I no longer feel desperate for it and I realise that I have probably taken enough. I release my fangs from his vein and raise my head and hesitantly look at Drayce. Drayce looks at me through heavy and lustful eyes, breathing heavily.
“Well done Elara.” Silas announces from behind me and pats my shoulders. “You need to seal his wound now.”
I nod. “I know how to do it. I’ve been fed on many times.” I tell him. I lean into Drayce’s neck. I lightly press my fangs onto my tongue and feel liquid secrete from them, I then lick over the wound marks and sure enough, they heal over instantly. Drayce raises a finger to my mouth and wipes the blood off my lips. Before I can think what I am doing, I grab his finger and suck it into my mouth licking the blood off.
“Sorry.” I offer in apology, with a deep blush. Drayce just gulps and nods in response. I have no idea what he is thinking right now.
“Well done Elara.” Silas praises. “You did excellent.”
I shake my head in disbelief that I
am being praised for drinking blood well.
“Thank you for your help Silas.” Mistress Isolde tells him, and as she touches his arm I see a look pass between them. “How often will she need to feed?”
Silas scratches at his beard. “Well this is unusual circumstances. I can only compare it to a vampire who has been lying in slumber for many years. At first she will need to feed often. I would suggest three times a day for the first few weeks, and then take it down to twice a day, then a good feed once a day should suffice from then on.”
Isolde nods and offers him an affectionate smile. “Will you stay for a drink?” Silas nods and Drayce looks at me and cocks a brow. He is clearly thinking the same as I was. Was there something going on between Isolde and Silas? Surely not?
“Elara and Drayce, I suggest you both go back to your dorm and get some rest. We will meet in the morning before classes commence and discuss this situation, but rest assured this development shall go no further than these four walls.”
“Thank you.” I say looking from her to Silas. “Can I talk to you again? I have a lot of questions.”
Silas nods. “I’d be happy to stay here for a few days and help you transition however I can.”
“Excellent.” Mistress Isolde guides us to the door. “Get some rest, both of you.”
As we walk back to Drayce’s dorms, I can’t bring myself to look at him. Is he disgusted by me now? Does he still want to continue with this engagement now he knows he shackled to a hybrid?
Drayce stops in his steps and gently tugging on my wrists he pulls me to him. He places a finger under my chin raises my face.
“Look at me Elara.” He commands. I shake my head looking anywhere but at him, afraid of what I will see in his eyes. He cups my face in his hands and forces me to look up at him. “Stop it, okay? I can see this eternal war of emotions going on in there. Stop it. You are still the same girl, okay?”
I shake my head and a tear runs down my face and he wipes it away.
“You are Elara. You are still the smart-mouthed, quick-witted girl that pushed my buttons from the moment we met. You are still you.”