by Shae Shannon
“Anything for you, baby. Let’s go.” Walking hand in hand, they started out the door.
When Gabe opened the door, a long, dark hallway lay in front of them. Candles were lined along the wall, giving the corridor an eerie ambiance. As they walked along, Chloe clung to Gabe’s arm tightly, not knowing what to think of their surroundings. “It’s all right, sugar. You are safe, I promise.” They continued on, passing doors that lined both sides of the hallway. “Those are all just more rooms and more passages that lead throughout the house and outside. I will give you a grand tour later. I guarantee you will be surprised.” Going through a couple more doors, they finally emerged into the warm evening air.
A shiver ran down Chloe’s spine, giving her goose bumps all over. Maybe it’s just from the creepy hallway and the humidity in the air. Something made her stop briefly and look around, but the darkness was like a thick blanket. Shaking her head, she followed Gabe through the grassy area to a dirt road. There, sitting parked, was a sporty black Porsche. Gabriel opened the passenger-side door, holding his hand out to help her in. “Your chariot, my lady.”
“And what an attractive chariot it is, my lord.” He shut her door. Before she could reach for the seat belt, he was sitting beside her. “Show-off.” Laughing, Gabe started the car and bolted down the road.
Chloe took the time to text Amy and was busy in a text conversation when Gabe announced that they had arrived at their destination. She looked up to examine her surroundings, taking in the little cottage that they were parked in front of. They were in the country somewhere, with only this little gingerbread-style house in sight. Large flower beds were neatly arranged in the yard with a cobblestone walkway leading to the front door. Unhooking her seat belt, Chloe reached for the door handle when her hand met air. Gabe stood, grinning a boyish, toothy smile at her, offering his hand.
“Okay, Mr. Big Bad Speedy Vampire. Your super speed is starting to become annoying.”
“Well, we don’t want that, darling. I will make sure to use it in a way that will make you love it later. Right now, let’s go meet your auntie. She is anxious to finally meet you.” He placed a charming kiss on the apple of her cheek.
“Okay. I still find it kind of rude that she didn’t ever come find me all these years if she was that interested in me.”
“Don’t be so quick to judge, baby. She had her reasons, the main one being your safety.” He wrapped his arm around her and held her close to give her the emotional support she needed. When they arrived on the porch, Chloe reached up and knocked on the door while taking in all of the place’s details and charm. The door was immediately swung open, her aunt spreading her arms to welcome them.
Giselle Shalay gleamed in an ocean of color. Her long, brown hair flowed over her shoulders, falling below her waist. She was not stick thin like most women today, but instead had curves in all of the right places. Her beauty was breathtaking. Dressed in a long, flowing skirt of bright and shining colors and an equally exquisite, glowing blouse, she reached around Chloe and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Let me look at you, child! You are even more beautiful than I imagined.”
“Thank you, Giselle. You look much too young to be my aunt.” Giselle poked her nose playfully. “I see you are as sweet as you are beautiful. After doing a double take over Chloe and spinning her in a circle, she reached for Gabriel, hugging him also. “Thank you, Gabriel. I am so glad you found her. It is critical now that she is protected. Come in and sit. I have tea ready in the kitchen.” Turning on her heels, she headed for the kitchen, pointing to the sitting area.
Gabe flashed Chloe a look, making sure she was okay. He watched her as she examined the rustic interior and décor. Her face flooded with surprise as she moved to sit on the couch. Glancing down, she picked up a picture, her expression turning to despair. It was her grandmother propped on a porch swing with her mother sitting on her lap. He didn’t need to read her mind to know what she was thinking and feeling. He sat beside her and pulled her close and kissed her cheek. She replaced the picture as her aunt returned with a tray of snacks and beverages.
Giselle positioned the tray on the glass table and poured the glasses, handing them each a pewter goblet. Chloe shot Gabe a look, confused that he had accepted the gesture. A small smile teased his lips, but before he could respond, Giselle giggled. “I know what he is, child. I keep a lot of mixed company so to speak, so I keep my kitchen stocked with a selection of goods.”
“Oh, um, yeah, this is all new to me. I guess I am still trying to get the hang of all of this. Yesterday my biggest concern was getting my coffee shop ready to open. Today, I have to save the human race and all of the fairy-tale creatures, I am in love with a vampire, and I am supposed to be some hocus-pocus witch. I am just trying to wrap my brain around it all and let it all sink in.” Laughter filled the room, both Giselle and Gabriel looking at her with amusement.
Chloe downed half of the ice tea and set it back on the table. “You wouldn’t happen to have something a little stronger by any chance, would you? I think it might help the conversation that is about to happen. It’s not that I don’t believe this, because I am learning that nothing is too farfetched at this point, but my brain is screaming at me right now for sanity.”
“Good idea, honey. I have just the thing.” Getting up, she walked over to the corner where a cabinet sat and pulled out a dusty old bottle. With two glasses in her other hand, she sat back down and filled them, handing Chloe one. “This is a bottle of blueberry wine out of my own batch. This particular bottle is thirty-five years old. It is smooth and sweet, with a subtle kick that will ease the nerves.”
Chloe sipped the drink, surprised that it was amazingly good. She had no idea what ingredients it contained and at this point had no desire to find out. Instantly she felt her pulse slow down and her anxiety subsiding. “It is delicious. Thank you. I think it’s exactly what I needed.”
“Don’t thank me, Chloe. I want you to make yourself at home. We are family.”
“Okay, I assume Gabriel has filled you in on some of your heritage. Our family is the original witchcraft family. Our magic works differently than others of our kind. We don’t get our powers from spells and potions. We use them some, but our power is channeled from within. First, you need to learn to find your center. Then, if you can think it, you can do it. It is not complicated. If you want an object to move, you visualize it moving in your mind. If you want to channel the earth, you draw your power from the earth. Same goes for wind, water, fire, and air. To read people, you simply open the door in your mind into their mind. Once you’ve practiced, you will not only be able to read their thoughts, but also communicate with them, either by conversation or by visions. The more practice you get, the farther away you can be from the person. Most importantly, you can build a wall in your mind and keep others out of it. This will keep others from finding you and from hurting you.”
“Wait. So you’re telling me that if I want fire to shoot from my fingertips that all I have to do is picture fire drawing up from the ground, and it will channel through me?”
“In a sense, yes. There has to be fire close to you, whether a lit candle, a match, a campfire, and so on. It doesn’t have to be big for you to channel it and make it a weapon. There just has to be a source available. Wind is the easiest, because air is always available. The easiest and most convenient thing to do is to always carry a bit of each element with you wherever you go.”
Giselle rose and walked over to the bookshelf against the wall. Reaching behind a stack of books, she pulled a small wooden case out and brought it over to Chloe. “That is your wand, my dear. It is not necessary to use it every time, but it magnifies your power and enables you to do more.”
Opening the box, Chloe pulled out the dagger-like wand, feeling it in her hand. It has the same red stones on the handle as the jewelry I found in the basement of the coffee shop! “These stones, what are they? I found a necklace and some other items with the same stones and markings. Are
they connected?”
“You have the collar of Shalay, and the jewels? Oh my. This is wonderful news. They were crafted a very long time ago to protect the wearer and to amplify all magic. They have been lost for centuries. Fate is truly on your side, my dear. You must wear the necklace all of the time. The other items can be worn when needed, but the collar is important. It was crafted by the very first witch. It is written that the witch in our family with it in their possession has infinite powers against anything or anyone. The first witch was sought after by all of the other races. It was said that whoever sacrificed the witch would gain their powers and dominate the world. So, she made the collar of Shalay and the precious jewels with her spells and wards. It is only good to one of our bloodline. I am so happy that you have it! We have been looking for it for the past century. It was stolen from one of our ancestors when they were burned at the stake. People viewed us as a threat instead of good for a very long time. The humans had and still have no idea what is really out there among them every day.”
“I found it along with a dress while I was cleaning out the basement of my coffee shop. I plan on wearing it all at the Grand Opening Masquerade Ball. I have to get the place ready soon and get it all planned and the invitations out. I had wanted to get a lot done this weekend, but I ran into Mr. Hunky Vampire over here, and my plans changed.”
Amusement washed over Gabe’s face. “Mr. Hunky Vampire, huh? Well, for the record, I found you, Miss Witchy Poo. And I watched you open the chest with the Collar of Shalay and jewels. I have had them since I stole them back from those wretched people that took them. The dress I had made for you. I do apologize, Giselle, but I couldn’t risk it getting in the wrong hands before we could stop the vision that Luna had of Chloe.”
“I understand, and I am very grateful that you have kept them in safekeeping. All of our futures depend on it.”
“What of my mother? Did she practice witchcraft also? I don’t remember her ever talking about it or doing anything weird.” Chloe absentmindedly chewed on her bottom lip. Her brows were drawn together in deep concentration. Gabriel began rubbing small circular patterns on her thigh in an attempt to ease her tension. She gave him a grateful smile before turning her attention back to her aunt.
“She did before she met your father. Your father thought it was evil and forbade her to do any magic. After you were born, she had rid her life of any trace of her heritage. When your mother passed away, it wasn’t a car wreck. Your father didn’t want you to know about any of it to keep you safe, but she was attacked by vampires. They wanted the power. She fought them off and sacrificed herself to keep them from getting it. She placed spells and wards on the house and on you to keep you safe from all. When you turned twenty-one, the spells were broken. That is the age that we come into our full powers. You have to have had some déjà vu moments or feelings of evil lurking near in your life, Chloe. Without realizing, you were projecting magic on little things.”
“Yes, I thought everyone did though. I also get sick feeling if I am around certain people or places. I thought I just had a stronger intuition than most.”
“Well, baby, soon it will be immeasurable. I will try to guide you as much as I can. I think you need to come for lessons with Giselle every day. The faster you learn, the better.”
Giselle’s face lit with excitement. “I agree. We can meet every night after dark, so Gabe can chaperone you. I don’t want you left alone until all of this is over. It will also give me a chance to get to know you, Chloe. There have been too many wasted years. I know that I can’t make up for them, but I will be damned if the future turns out the same.”
“I understand all of this is important, and I want to form a relationship with you as well. It’s just that there is so much work to do at the coffee shop. I do still have to live, and that is my only income.” Chloe took a gulp of her blueberry wine.
“Well, I bet between Gabe and me, we can cheat a little bit and speed things up for you, darling. Don’t you fret. Tomorrow we will meet and see what we can get done.”
“Oh, wow. Thank you so much. I don’t exactly know what you mean by cheat, but any help would be great. Can you, like, wiggle your nose and make it all perfect? Or maybe a wave of a wand or something? That would be so cool. Talk about a majorly awesome way to clean house! I will definitely take advantage of this hocus-pocus stuff.”
“It’s a little more complicated than that, but it is a perk. I have a few secrets I will be sure and teach you, too, Chloe.” With a wink, she squeezed Chloe’s hand.
“Oh, Giselle, don’t be giving her too many tricks. She is feisty enough!” Laughing, the three sat and made small talk the rest of the evening. With hugs and good-byes, they took their leave and headed back to Gabriel’s lair.
The car ride home was silent, only a few words spoken. It didn’t take reading her mind for Gabe to know that Chloe was trying to wrap her head around the overwhelming buffet of information she had just been handed. He instead held her hand, giving her a curious glance every so often to make sure she was okay with it all. He traced soothing circles on the top of her hand with his thumb as he stared ahead. Surprisingly, instead of freaking out like most would do, she was making the best out of it. After a long pause, Chloe finally turned to look at him. He wanted to ask her what was on her mind but decided that patience and letting her continue on her own would be best.
“Would you mind stopping for Chinese takeout? I am starving. And, unfortunately, I haven’t learned how to zap up any entrées. I have got to remember to ask my aunt if that is possible, as long as there is some type of food around me.”
Laughter boomed off of the interior of the sports car. “Baby girl, of all of the information dumped on you today, that is what is on your mind?”
“Well, I am sitting next to a vampire. My aunt is a powerful witch. People are hunting for me to kill me. There isn’t much that really surprises me now. The main thing I am worried about is that I absolutely hate to work out. Aerobics kills me. I am praying that this finding my center and learning all this stuff won’t be like cardio. If that is the case, then we are all screwed, and it’s up to you to keep them from slicing and dicing me.”
Chuckling, Gabriel lifted her hand to his lips to plant a kiss on the palm. “It is nothing like aerobics, love. But I plan on keeping you safe and sound forever and ever. You can count on that. Plus, the cardio routine I have planned for you will definitely bring no complaints. You will enjoy every sweaty second of it.” With a smile across his lips, he pulled in the nearest Chinese restaurant.
He flashed out of the car using his vampire speed, and came back with multiple sacks of food in record time, leaving her mouth agape from surprise. “I figured I could just get you one of everything faster than taking your order. This way, I get more time with you tonight. I think you are going to be in for quite a few surprises, my little witchy poo.”
“Well, thank you, very much. It was very sweet. I feel bad that you can’t eat any of it. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t eat any food at all. Life without chocolate would not be living at all!”
“I can consume small amounts of certain things, like rare steak. I have eaten chocolate a time or two because one of my aunts came up with a blood chocolate recipe. It was very enjoyable. Most other things I don’t miss. Being born a vampire, you never experience certain things so you have no longing for them.”
“What about Asian vampires? Do they make like a soy-sauce blood steak or something?”
“So silly, girl. But yes, I assume they would.”
They pulled into the driveway of her coffee shop. Looking around, Chloe’s face held an expression of pure confusion. Smiling, Gabe dashed out of the car and was at her door, helping her out before she could speak. He picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and grabbed the food and the other items. They were standing at the door before he set her down, and he pulled out a key that opened the massive antique lock.
“How do you have a key for my coffee
shop? Are we working tonight? I thought Aunt Giselle said she would meet us tomorrow?” While she was busy bouncing question after question out, he had them standing inside and was flicking on the lights.
“Your coffee shop just happens to be located in my mansion, dear. We had it willed to your father when you were a child, with the agreement that he wouldn’t do anything with it. I have to cover my tracks the best I can with as old as I am. Vampires have to change things to avoid drawing unwanted attention from the humans. It was a win-win situation. I also knew that you would inherit it when he passed. My room and the rest of the spaces I use are all underground. The basement that you were working so hard on cleaning up used to be my sitting room. I closed it up when the property was given to your father to keep any suspicion away. There are another five levels under the basement. It was built for a vampire and is quite massive. I will give you a full tour soon. Tonight I plan to only show you some because it will take way too much time to go through the whole mansion.”
“Holy crap balls! Are you kidding me? That’s how you knew I was in the basement. I can’t believe we were in the coffee-shop building all night last night and I didn’t even know! So this place has different exits and tunnels? How cool is that!” Her expressions were amusing, jumping from confusion to excitement, stopping on a frown. “Oh hell…So, since it is your property, I guess I have no business opening up a busy coffee shop in it…Wow. Crap.”
“No, love! You are going to open your store. The upper levels you can do whatever you want with. And even the bottom levels you have full rein to redecorate or whatever you wish. I plan on moving all of your belongings in tomorrow.”
“Wait a minute, Mr. Big Bad Vampire, I know this relationship is a bit unorthodox, but I have a house. And I haven’t seen Amy, when usually we spend all day every day together. None of that can change, even with the whole vampire stuff.”
With a smirky, arrogant smile, Gabe let out a whistle and kissed her cheek. “I would never dream of it, baby. However, for your safety, you need to be here. We will keep your little cottage if you like, but I plan on buying you many houses in many countries. You, my little witchy, are going to be spoiled.”