Bloodspell

by Amalie Howard

  "Fine," he said curtly, and left. As quickly as he walked out the back French doors, he walked back in and hauled her up against him, kissing her soundly, hard and fast. He looked like he had something to say but then decided against it, and kissed her again before stalking out, muttering under his breath.

  Victoria exhaled in a rush. She knew how hard this was for him. She deliberated taking off the amulet but then decided against it because she didn't want to put either of them into any more danger than necessary. Without it, she knew she'd be at her blood's mercy. Victoria left the necklace on. She would only use it if she had to. She checked her watch and saw that Christian had only been gone ten minutes. That would be just about right.

  Christian raced into the forest beyond the manicured lawn of his back garden. He let the fury that he'd felt after Victoria's request run wild, allowing the beast within him to go free. It didn't take him long to track and capture a young deer. He drank deeply for several long seconds, feeling the life flow through him like a tonic. A whisper of movement in the air pulled him from his semi-trance. He let the deer go slowly and before it could even stand up on wobbly legs to escape into the forest, he was flying with inhuman speed toward the threat. Unconsciously, mere seconds before he reached the target, he smelled that it was human, and he hesitated.

  It was enough for Victoria to hurl a ball of energy toward him, which he dodged with practiced ease. His eyes widened as she threw another one viciously toward him. That one caught him squarely in the stomach, and he flew back ten feet crashing into a large balsam fir tree.

  He shook off the blow and vaulted to his feet snarling. If she wanted to provoke him, she was doing a stellar job of it. Christian circled warily and leapt into the air to the right. He felt her shift off-balance. He rolled into a crouch and attacked her vulnerable right side sending her flying. Her head smashed against a rock and the smell of blood saturated the air. In a flash he was on top of her with his hands around her throat.

  Victoria ignored the stab of pain, and for the first time, felt the blood start to boil in her veins. She invoked a teleportation spell and disappeared from his vice-like grip, appearing behind him.

  "Ignis cremo," she shouted. Two giant fireballs flew toward him as the blood began its familiar song, her eyes blackening with rage. It fueled her like nothing ever did. Christian dodged her attacks, moving with unearthly grace as she teleported around him again and again. The air crackled, thick with dry electricity as the two combatants spun and parried with incredible speed and agility. She launched an ice blast at his chest and crowed in triumph as the jagged shards sliced from neck to chest, blood discoloring his shirt. Christian's wounds healed immediately, and he was a blur once more, parrying with a vicious thrust to her exposed back. She fell to her knees gasping as the bones in her spine shattered.

  "Curo!" she cried, and obediently her spine was rebuilt and realigned.

  The energy sparked like blue fire between her fingertips, her face flushed with exhilaration. She'd barely brushed the edges of her own power even with the complex healing spell. The blood was manic in her body; all it wanted was life, blood, sacrifice, especially now that it had been spilled. It had a life and an energy all its own, but it was her body and her mind ... her blood. She was its master. Victoria needed to push it as far as she dared so that she could harness its energy, and for that, she had to be completely in control to take it to the brink and then pull it back. She had to know that she could make it obey her otherwise she would always lose to it and then it would always own her.

  Christian feinted to the left, his eyes frenzied as he saw the blood pulsing beneath her skin, her face so delectably red, the smell of it, so seductively potent. He ran his tongue against his teeth, feeling their sharpness, and flexed his fingers. He raced toward her, at the last minute throwing himself left, exactly where he had seen her eyes shift in the nanosecond before, and he collided with her, smashing her to the ground with his left shoulder. He felt the air leave her body in a loud whoosh and saw pain fill eyes that were so black they looked like burning embers. His brute strength broke her arm easily as she tried to wrench herself from beneath him, and he could feel his mouth filling with saliva as her blood sang its seductive song daring him to take it. But Christian knew that the minute he bit her, it would be over. He would be over. She gasped, and Christian couldn't resist, he kissed her, silencing the soft muttering that had parted her lips, while she struggled beneath him.

  Then Christian made the fatal mistake of looking into her eyes.

  Suddenly he couldn't move a muscle. They smoldered with a terrible black anger even as her mouth returned his kiss. It was as if they were two separate beings, the sweetness of her mouth upon his, and the darkness of her terrible eyes draining the life out of him. Christian could feel her heart racing, the fury of her blood uncontrollable, and he knew that if she couldn't rein it in somehow, he would be lost. Already his hunger eviscerated him, he could feel the holes in his gut as those eyes, so blackly terrifying—hers but not hers, sucking everything from him, taking, feeding ... killing. He felt wetness on his face.

  Somehow, she'd become the vampire.

  Victoria could barely control the tremendous rush of the blood driving her to take every last bit of life from Christian. Its heat burned her eyes as she tore her mouth from the sudden blue coldness of his, her left arm hanging limply, and stared in horror at the rivers of red bleeding from his eyes, nose, and mouth. It pooled to the ground in a sticky, viscous river beneath him, and she could feel him writhing in pain above her. She knew she was killing him, and it sickened her as much as it thrilled her. Her breath came in shallow pants as the fear took root—the blood magic wasn't stopping! Helpless, Victoria saw the dullness in Christian's eyes and knew that he was growing weaker with each passing second as the blood drained from him like water through a sieve.

  Her left arm ached, limp at her side, and Victoria forced the blood magic to heal the injury, directing its fury away from its consumption, from its inhuman desire for death. As her bones mended, she tried to coerce the powerful blood into submission. She gritted her teeth, focusing and pulling the power into her, compelling the beast. It rebelled, furious. She felt like she was splintering under its fury, every cell in her felt like it was on fire and growing weaker by the second. It was relentless! Oh god, she couldn't do it. She'd thought she could control something she barely even understood and now Christian was going to die because of her reckless stupidity. How could she have been so arrogant?

  Christian was as pale as death and his lips moved in soundless agony. She could hear the one word echoing over and over in his head like a staccato as if it were the only thing keeping him conscious.

  Blood. Blood. Blood.

  The cold realization hit her then—she wasn't strong enough. Christian was dying! In desperation, she called out to the one person who could help them.

  Leto!

  Victoria, what's wrong? Leto's voice was alarmed.

  Need ... help ... blood killing someone ... Please ...

  Where are you?

  No time ... please, Leto ... so weak ...

  Invoke the amulet. Evoco. Do it now!

  "Brigid, help me! Evoco Brigid! I summon you!" she cried, grasping the stone in her palm.

  The amulet surged. Victoria's whole body jerked like a puppet on a string as Brigid's power lanced through her. She was so weak, she could barely hold her body upright and she collapsed on top of Christian's inert frame. The magic invaded every part of her. She felt Brigid's will subdue the blood roughly, forcing it to release Christian. Like a dog, it cowed before her, but still Victoria could feel its terrible power churning beneath its submission. Brigid's control was only temporary, she saw that now, but at least it had saved Christian. He was alive. Barely.

  Blood was the only thing that would save him. Brigid's magic swirled, waiting.

  "Transeo," Victoria said weakly, focusing on their destination. Heat saturated her body as each cell responded to
her unspoken command, and she pulled Christian closer. Then there was a flash of nothingness and then they were lying on the floor in Christian's den. Victoria quelled her immediate nausea, checking to make sure everything had made the transition, and screamed for Anton, hoping that he was somewhere in the house.

  The concern on Anton's face was unmistakable as he saw Christian lying prone, his face and clothes covered in blood. Wordlessly, he looked at Victoria and left the room, returning with an armful of disposable blood bags, several pints worth. Almost an hour later, Anton was done. Christian was a lot less pale than when she had brought him back, and even managed a weak smile for her as she sat down on the sofa next to him.

  "I'm so sorry," she said. "I almost killed you, you could have died ..." She trailed off. She'd failed. The amulet had saved them both. She shuddered at how close she'd been to losing him.

  Christian held her chin in his hand, stroking the reddened welt on the side of her temple. She winced, she had forgotten about that. When Christian had slammed into her, she had hit her head on a rock but hadn't really thought about it at the time or much after it until now.

  He watched as she healed it, the welt disappearing as the skin repaired itself at the area of impact. He was amazed at how easily the magic flowed through her, like a natural extension of her breathing. The rapidity with which her wound had healed before his eyes was a true testament to her skills. He glanced at her left arm, which seemed to be perfect. From the little he knew about healing magic, a broken arm would take hours, days even, to mend properly, but she had done it in minutes. A small part of him still felt a shudder of alarm as he remembered exactly what she could do. Again, he felt that same unfamiliar emotion at the base of his spine. It was one he hadn't felt in a very long time.

  Fear.

  "Are you okay?" she asked, noticing his expression.

  "I will be fine. Bag blood gives me a headache," he said evasively. "I keep it around for emergencies because it does what it is supposed to."

  "So you can't live on it?"

  "It's possible I suppose," he said, "but our strength depends on real, live blood. It's as much to do with the energy of the life-force as much as it does with the blood itself. I think if we existed on essentially lifeless blood, we would be more like ... zombies, I guess."

  Victoria studied his white face. Her blood had almost killed him. If anything, now more than ever she knew that she couldn't control it, and she couldn't risk putting him in danger again. She knew what she had to do.

  "Christian," she began, "we can't ... I can't do this." He stared at her, silent. She dared not look at him or there was no way she'd be able to say what she had to. "More than ever, now I can appreciate how dangerous this is, not just you and me, but my power over the blood. I thought I could do it, but I can't. And I can't protect you ... from me."

  "You don't need to protect me."

  "But I do. You don't understand what happened out there. I failed, Christian. My blood nearly killed you and I couldn't do a single thing to stop it. It was Leto who saved you, he saved us both." Her eyes met his, pleading. "I have to protect you from it. And there's only one way I can do that. We need to stop."

  "Stop what exactly?"

  "This. Us."

  "Is that what you want?" His voice was devoid of emotion.

  "Yes." Victoria was proud of the strength of her voice because her insides felt like they were shattering into a million pieces. "I'm sorry I hurt you for nothing ... thank you for trying to help me even though you knew how risky it was. I couldn't bear it if anything happened ..." Her voice broke then and she drew a strangled breath. "Please understand. Goodbye, Christian."

  Christian made no move to convince her to stay, watching as she walked out of the den and out of his life. What she was doing was for the best—he would only expose her to more danger than was necessary and despite the ache inside of him, he knew that she would be better off without him. She would be safe.

  As she drove away, Victoria didn't allow herself to feel anything. It was over. She felt the gentle touch on her consciousness and was grateful for the interruption.

  Hi, Leto.

  Are you okay?

  Yes, it worked ... what you said to do.

  What happened? Victoria didn't really want to talk about what had taken place, but she knew that she owed Leto an explanation.

  I'll be home soon. I'll explain then.

  The minute she walked in the door, Leto pounced, his expression not allowing her any stalling. In a few succinct sentences, she told him about Christian and the events leading up to the fight, leaving the fact that he was a vampire for the end. She could feel a furious hiss ripple through Leto's body. His eyes were slits.

  A vampire ? Victoria, that is forbidden!

  "I know, Leto." Her voice was emotionless. "It was a mistake. It's over."

  And you think he's just going to let you go? Just like that? Leto was almost screaming.

  "Yes."

  Why, pray tell? He didn't bother to disguise his biting sarcasm. They cannot be trusted. You are a fool.

  "Because I asked him to. And I am more of a fool for thinking I could control this curse than trusting a vampire, because that is what will kill me, not him!" Her voice shook as all the emotion she'd been suppressing burst free. She sank to the floor, her head in her hands, silent anguish shaking her body. I am a monster.

  Victoria ...

  Just leave it, Leto. It's over, and I'm tired. The only thing I need from you is your help, not your judgment. I don't have anyone else to turn to. If you can't do that, then please leave me alone.

  Leto stared at her, silent and shaken.

  What do you need?

  I need to know everything there is to know about the blood. Victoria raised eyes that were like emerald chips to his. And I need to know how to kill it.

  "GABRIEL, I TOLD you fifty times, I am not going to Cancun with you guys!" Victoria said. Gabriel made a puppy-dog face as he leaned on the table across from her.

  "Well, what are you going to do then?" he asked. "Sit around here and freeze?"

  "I am going to finish my project," she said with finality. Then her face softened. Gabriel had been her saving grace the last few weeks, and life had finally started to feel a little less surreal. His feelings for her hadn't changed, but little by little, she'd let herself open up to him. He was the only thing in her life that felt stable, and she clung to that like a lifeline. She wanted to give him a chance, and also to give herself a chance at a normal friendship with someone who genuinely cared about her.

  "Look Gabe, I really would love to go, but I just can't this time, okay?" Gabriel's eyes narrowed, he knew that look and that voice.

  "You only call me Gabe when you want something, don't think I don't know it, I've caught on to your sneaky tricks!" he said.

  Victoria rolled her eyes. She absolutely did not want to go to Mexico with Gabriel and his entourage. She wanted to spend time alone with Leto doing some more training. True to his word, he'd taught her what he knew about the blood curse, and the more she'd come to understand it and how intertwined it was with her magic, the more she realized how difficult it was to control it, far less exorcise it. But everything she learned gave her more confidence that one day, maybe, she'd have a chance.

  "I'm not going. Gabriel."

  Suddenly his face broke out in a wicked smile. "Sure you don't want to see me in my skivvies?" he asked. "Most girls would go to Cancun just for that, you know."

  "Whatever, I've seen better," she said. Gabriel grinned and pouted like Ben Stiller in Zoolander.

  "You know you want some of this blue steel," he said cockily, kissing his flexed arm. Shaking her head and embarrassed, she shot Gabriel a dismissive look.

  "Stop it," she said. "I want no part of your blue ... steel." Collapsing in silent giggles, the tears leaked from her eyes and she grasped her stomach with both hands.

  "Stop playing. You can't resist me and you know it."

  "Resist
this!" And she tossed a book at him. Watching the librarian walking over with a thunderous look on her face, Victoria hastily gathered her bag and coat, and fled. She heard Gabriel running behind her as he caught up with her on the top of the library steps. Victoria squealed as he lifted her into the air and like a lunatic raced down the rest of the stairs with her in his arms.

  "Put me down!"

  "You deserve punishment for leaving me back there with that demented librarian!" he said, spinning her around until she begged for mercy.

  "Fine, fine, but put me down first." Gabriel deposited her into an ungainly heap on the snowy grass and collapsed next to her breathless. When she had recovered her breath, she started edging away, trying to make her escape.

  "Oh no you don't," he said, his eyes mischievous, grabbing on to her arm as he started tickling her. "Say you'll go!"

  "Stop it, Gabriel. I can't go ... stop!" She laughed uncontrollably as she felt for a handful of snow and stuck it down his neck. She bit her lips, her eyes alight as he sat back with a shocked look on his face. As she tried to scramble away, she felt him grab her leg and pull her back. She scrambled harder, giggling like a maniac. A few students sitting on a nearby bench watched the scene unfold.

  Unprepared for the weight of him as he threw himself on top of her, the breath whooshed out of her in a surprised gurgle.

  "Gerooff me!" she said, futilely trying to wiggle her way out from under him, the snow pressing wetly into the back of her neck. Gabriel shook his head and made a face, crossing his eyes and blowing out his cheeks, making her laugh again at his over-the-top silliness. As he stared into her flushed face, Victoria felt him start to move forward. Inches from her lips, he stopped as she stiffened, her eyes darting to the right.

  Victoria froze as a dim shadow blocked the hazy light trying to pierce the overcast sky. Her eyes were wide, her laughter wedged in her throat. Gabriel turned to see who the distraction was, obviously annoyed that the moment had been interrupted. His dark eyes narrowed, registering who it was and then dismissed him as no one of importance as he continued to walk past with silent footsteps. But the moment had passed and Victoria rolled out quickly from under him, muttering something about getting to class and dusting the snow off her coat as she walked briskly in the opposite direction.