Sadie looked at me and said, “Let’s head to your room.”
The two of us headed back to my room. She instantly began looking through drawers until she found a few candles. She turned off the lights and sat down on the floor. Once she was seated, she held up her hands over the candles, said a few words and the candles were lit.
“Let’s start simple. We will worry about potion and dust later. I want to focus on your energy. What is your dominant power?”
“Fire.”
“Interesting,” she grinned.
Sadie sat the candle on the ground and sat down in front of it, she then tapped the ground nearby as to gesture me to sit.
“Shut your eyes,” she said.
I shut my eyes and listened to her words closely. “I want you to clear your mind, let all your thoughts go. Take a deep breath in and let it all go.”
I breathed deep and tried to clear my mind. “Breath again...and let it go.” She repeated this several times in a harmonious tone. I took several deep breaths in and let it go. I was beginning to wonder the point, but I wanted to do this so bad, so I kept breathing in and out.
Finally Sadie said, “Now think about fire. Think about the flames. Take a deep breath in, feel the oxygen fill your body. Now turn that oxygen into energy and breath it out. Now again.”
I followed her directions, breathing in and out, picturing my air turning into energy. “Now breath in once more, this time turning your energy into fire. Let the fire roll through your body.”
As I focused on the fire, I felt warmth flowing through my body, something was happening. “As you breath out, reach your hands forward and picture the fire flowing out your fingers.” As I followed her direction, I felt warmth flowing out of my fingers. She directed me to do it once more. I did it again and again, each time feeling warmth flowing from my fingertips. The final time I breathed out, I opened my eyes and looked at my fingertips. With each exhale, small flames sparked from my fingertips. Sadie smiled at me and I smiled at her. We were both pleased.
“I think that’s enough for today!” she cried.
“But I want to learn more, I’ll go as long as I need to and work as hard as I can.”
“Magic is a difficult process. If you work too hard you may become overwhelmed. It is more important to learn to control your magic as opposed to just using it.”
“I understand.”
“Spend tonight meditating, and resting.”
“Thank you for your help.” I cried in excitement.
“Your welcome! Why don’t we meet again tomorrow afternoon?”
“That would be wonderful!”
Sadie left and I immediately went to Ben’s room to show him what I learned. He smiled as I told him everything that happened. I tried to throw flames from my fingers, but I couldn’t. Sadie was right; it was difficult and would take time to learn. I fell asleep in Ben’s room and looked forward to learning more the following day.
When I awoke the next morning, there was an invitation in front of the bedroom door. The invitation was addressed only to me. I opened it up to find an invitation for a special dinner with the Queen. It notified me that my attire would be delivered to Ben’s room two hours before the event. I looked around the room to find an invitation for Ben, but I found nothing.
As soon as Ben awoke, I showed him the invitation and said, “I don’t want to go without you. The Queen freaks me out.”
Ben looked dumbfounded as he sat up in bed, yawning as he rubbed his eyes. “It will be okay,” he said. “There is nothing you can’t handle.”
“But I’m scared Ben…the Queen is crazy. What if she puts a spell on me and I do something crazy.”
Ben looked concerned, but smiled and said, “You are a strong women, and I know that you can’t be controlled by the Queen.”
Despite Ben’s confidence in me, I was terrified for the dinner party. I was sickened by the first dinner that turned into an orgy; I never wanted to witness that event again.
Shortly after Ben rose from bed, Roger and Allison knocked on Ben’s door and asked if we would join them for breakfast. I suggested we invite the other three, but Roger said he wanted to spend time with his family. The four of us headed to the kitchen to eat.
When we arrived to the kitchen, the chef took our orders and showed us to a small breakfast room where we could eat. The four of us sat down and talked while we waited. I was glad my aunt was giving Roger a chance.
We all talked about the evening before. My Aunt explained how the moon fairy had a strong effect on pregnancy and fertility. She could also use her powers to create an energetic force. My aunt told us how Elona had begun teaching her how to push and pull with the force of her magic.
Roger was not able to do much with his powers, because his dominant power was controlling the veil between life and death. If Roger used his powers with too much force, he could easily send someone to their death or bring someone back from the dead. Roger knew a few small tricks, such as sending power through his fingers, but Emerelee was trying to teach him how to properly turn it off and on. When it came time for him to bring my mother back to life, he had to have clear focus and ultimate concentration.
After a delightful breakfast, Ben and I went for a swim. The pool was amazing; it was always warm and invigorating. We swam around, splashing one another and enjoying ourselves. After swimming we had a relaxing massage. Ben and I spent the rest of the morning together in his room, while I waited for Sadie to come by.
It was finally the afternoon and soon Sadie arrived with a bag of supplies. The two of us went to my room to work on magic until it was time to prepare for the dinner party. Sadie and I started off with deep breathing and relaxation, and once I was fully relaxed, I was able to shoot small flames through my fingers once more.
Next, Sadie showed me how to light a candle. She taught me how to use my power to move the flame from my fingertips to the wick. She continued showing me small bits of magic, to help me learn to focus and move my powers. I felt embarrassed, but I told Sadie how my fingers blew fire when I was intimate with Ben.
She thought for a moment and said, “Strong emotion creates magic. That is why it is so important to learn control. You must feel very strongly for Ben, if you were able to blow large flames from intimacy.” She paused and thought once more, “I wonder if your superhuman powers are also reacting subconsciously. Of course intimacy can create magic, but to blow large flames seems a bit odd. Until I met you and your aunt, Roger was the only hybrid around. His mom removed his superhuman powers, so I have never seen anything like this before.” she smiled at the discovery.
Sadie left before four, so I could prepare for the dinner party. Promptly at four, a servant knocked on the door with a single outfit in hand. I felt disgusted as I carried the outfit inside Ben’s room, and held it up for the two of us to see. Ben looked appalled as he gazed at the very revealing dress I was holding in the air.
“I absolutely can’t wear this.” I cried. I felt tears building in my eyes and my stomach was churning.
I threw the dress on the bed, as Ben and I looked it over. The dress was made completely of thin burgundy lace with no lining underneath. The dress was tiny and looked as if it would hardly cover my bottom. With this dress, I would be completely exposed.
“Baby, look through your bras and underwear. If you had matching undergarments…maybe you would be a little less exposed. It would be like a swimsuit cover-up,” Ben said as he held me tight.
Ben was right. His suggestion made me a feel a little better, but I was disgusted by the Queen’s choice of dress for me. I went through the lingerie I was given upon my arrival at the castle, and found a matching burgundy bra and underwear set. I put on the attire and gazed at myself in the mirror. I felt appalled by my appearance, but the lingerie underneath, made the dress bearable.
I quickly fixed my hair and put on makeup. I finished the look with glitter spray and a few sparkling jewels to distract from my attire. When I was completel
y ready, I stepped from the bathroom for Ben’s approval.
The moment I stepped from the bathroom, Ben’s eye lit up and his gaze went directly to my dress. He threw his hand over his mouth and said, “wow!”
I felt tears building up, so I took a deep breath and said, “Is it that bad.”
Ben smiled and said, “You look stunning.”
“I look disgusting,” I cried.
“I admit…it’s a bit revealing for a dinner party…but for my eyes only…wow.”
I tried to hide a smile. I felt embarrassed by my appearance, but Ben’s compliment made me feel much better. As the two of us took a seat on his sofa to wait, he put his arm around me and kept hiding a bashful smile.
Finally he said, “I don’t know how I’m going to keep my hands off you until you go.”
He leaned towards me and gently kissed my lips. He put his hand against my back as I felt the warmth of his skin through the skimpy lace dress. After kissing me passionately on the lips, he moved his lips to my neck, and I felt his hand climb up my leg until it reached my inner thigh.
I moaned from his touch as I brushed my fingers through his hair. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. I jumped in the air, as Ben looked surprised by the sound. As I walked to the door, I checked the clock and saw I still had thirty minutes until the dinner party. Who could it be?
To my surprise, Brian was standing outside the door. He was dressed in an elegant black and white tuxedo. He had a small ivory rose attached to his collar and a smile on his face. I quickly looked down feeling embarrassed that I had seen him naked before.
“I have come to fetch you for dinner my dear,” he said in a charming manner.
“I can walk myself,” I said looking at the ground. I could feel my cheeks grow warm, as I knew he could see the sexy lingerie through my dress.
“You look beautiful,” Brian said.
Suddenly Ben was standing in front of me. “I can walk her to dinner,” he said in a deep tone.
I looked up for a moment to see Brian smile, “It’s the Queen’s orders.”
“It’s fine, Ben,” I said. I’ll go with him.”
Ben grunted. He looked jealous as he handed me off to another handsome man, but he didn’t say another word about it. “I will be here all night,” Ben said as I kissed him goodnight.
“I love you,” I said softly.
“I love you too,” he replied.
Brian took my arm and led me towards the portal. I felt sickened by his touch, but I tried to ignore
“I’m sorry if I offend you,” Brian said as we stepped into the portal. “On Sidhe, we are much more…open.”
“I noticed,” I said shyly as I tried not to look him in the eyes.
“Why are you so shy?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied. I wasn’t lying.
He laughed. “The Queen asked me to be your mate.” My face instantly turned red as he continued, “On Sidhe, we aren’t monogamous. We change partners freely. Sometimes we stay with a partner for awhile and sometimes only a few nights. It’s just the culture here.”
As he spoke, I felt sickened. I had no desire for any partner but Ben.
Brian continued to speak as the portal began to whirl, “The Queen says I’m one of the best mates on Sidhe, which is why she asked me to pair with you for some time.
“I’m really not interested,” I said softly.
He lifted my chin so I could look him in the eye. The moment I gazed into his emerald colored eyes, I quickly looked down to avoid eye contact. He laughed just as the portal door opened.
The two of us walked into the empty dining room, lit with a romantic glow. He was still holding my arm as he walked me to two empty place settings. One was at the head of the table and the other immediately to the right. Brian held out the chair to the right, before he sat at the head of the table.
Only seconds after we were seated, a servant entered the dining room with a pitcher of wine. He smiled as he poured us each a heaping glass. Brian smiled and immediately began to drink. I looked at the glass and visions of the first dinner party danced through my mind. I decided not to drink.
“Lighten up! Have a drink,” Brian said casually.
“No thank you,” I said as I looked down at my plate.
“How about some magic to lighten you up?” he asked.
“I don’t think so,” I said, still looking down.
“Okay, you tell me what you want.” Brian said as he laughed. “Do you want to just skip dinner? We can go back to my room.”
“No,” I said quickly.
“You’re a tough one,” he giggled. Then he said in a much kinder tone of voice, “I’m just doing what the Queen asked. I’m not trying to upset you. I’m just following the Queen’s orders…and you are beautiful…especially tonight,” he said sincerely.
I finally looked up at him. He was very big and handsome, with sparkling green eyes. When I finally looked him in the eyes, he said quietly, “You’re much more beautiful than the Queen, and so…innocent. She chose me. I had to be her mate…you don’t know how relieved I was when you asked me to be with you.”
“So the Queen just tells everyone who they can be with?” I asked.
“Mostly,” Brian said. “Everyone picks their own mate, but sometimes the Queen requests we be with someone else. We just do what she says.”
“And if you don’t?”
“Well…no one really defies the Queen. My guess is eventually you would end up in the dungeon.”
“So if I refuse you, I will end up in the dungeon?” I asked.
Brian nodded his head and said, “Miranda, I know you love Ben, but I’m a good vampire. I promise I will treat you right.” He sighed and said, “There are other vampires that would…well…they would not care about your wishes.”
As Brian went on, I felt disgusted by everything he was saying. I couldn’t believe what the Queen forced her companions to do. By what Brian was saying, I felt lucky the Queen had chosen him for me. Brian seemed like a reasonable vampire, motivated by fear.
As Brian continued to speak, suddenly the door opened and the Queen barged in with a smile on her face.
“Well hello!” she said with a giggle, “Are you enjoying yourselves.”
“Of course,” Brian said enthusiastically.
“Yeah,” I said as enthusiastically as I could manage.
“I see you’re not drinking your wine my dear,” the Queen cried with an offended look upon her face.
I slowly reached down and took a sip of the scrumptious rose wine. I smiled, as the taste was truly pleasing.
The Queen did not seem satisfied by my sip of wine as she said, “I can fix this!”
“No!” I cried as she threw dust over my head.
The Queen began to laugh. “Have fun!” She cried as she left the room.
I looked at Brian in fear, “Please don’t let me do anything stupid. Please,” I begged.
Brian looked sympathetic as he nodded his head. Just as he nodded his head, I looked into his emerald green eyes and realized I was extremely attracted to him, despite my feelings for Ben. My shyness seemed to be drifting away as I looked Brian up and down.
As I remembered the giant glass of wine in front of me, I picked it up and pressed the glass against my lips. I felt deeply satisfied as the cold rose wine poured into my mouth. I smiled at Brian as I guzzled down the sweet wine.
“Slow down Miranda,” Brian said after I drank half my glass.
“But it’s soooooo good!” I giggled.
Just as my glass was half empty, the servant came running into the room to fill my glass full. Brian shook his head at the servant, and the servant poured blood into Brian’s bowl instead. I watched as the thick red blood poured into the sparkling glass bowl and suddenly I had a strong desire to drink blood.
“I want to try your blood!” I screamed.
“Miranda, only vampires drink blood.”
“I want to be a vampire!” I yelled as
I reached across the table, tearing the bowl away from Brian. Half the bowl splashed across the table as I laughed in excitement.
I shoved the bowl towards my face and began to drink the blood straight from the bowl. After a giant gulp, I suddenly felt sick and realized I was disgusted by the blood, so I spit it out. The blood sprayed across the table, landing all over Brian’s face. I began to laugh hysterically as Brian wiped his face with a towel.
As I laughed, I looked into Brian’s eyes once more, and I felt full of desire. I stood up and chugged down the remaining wine from my glass and reached down to kiss Brian on the lips. He looked excited by my sudden confidence, but he tried to pull away.
“Miranda, I shouldn’t. You’re under the Queen’s magic, and you had a lot of wine. I should get you back to Ben.”
As soon as Brian said Ben’s name, I was suddenly turned on, “Ben is so sexy!” I giggled. “You’re sexy too! I want you both.”
“I’m not sure Ben would agree to that,” Brian laughed.
I leaned down to kiss Brian once more. He gave in and kissed me back, but only for a moment. Then he said, “Let’s get you back to your room.”
I gigged as I stood up, but I quickly grew dizzy and collapsed onto Brian’s lap. Brian lifted me up and headed towards the portal. He carried me all the way from the portal back to my room. Everything was growing fuzzy as he carried me down the hall. When we reached Ben’s room, he knocked on the door.
Brian stood outside the door for a few moments as I lay in his arms, but Ben never answered the door. Finally Brian slowly opened the door and walked inside. Ben was nowhere to be found.
“Ben!” I yelled, hoping he would find me, but he was gone.
Brian laid me down in the bed. I smiled and said, “Lay with me?”
Brian looked reluctant, but I batted my thick black eyelashes and began to slowly pull my dress up over my hips. I scooted around until I was wearing nothing but burgundy lingerie.
Brian threw his hand across his forehead and looked uneasy, but he climbed in bed with me. The moment he was in bed, I jumped on top of him and attacked him with several passionate kisses. Through reluctant at first, he gave in and kissed me hard in return.
The Portal to Sidhe: Book 1 Page 15