by Nadia Heaton
He expected anger, but Mirabelle seemed to have used up all of her rage. She blinked at him, the sadness in her eyes heart breaking. “You really love her.”
“Of course I do. She’s my daughter.”
“She’ll never love me. I’m a witch, and she grew up thinking she was a simple vampire. Vampires hate my kind.”
“She’ll get over it.” Rashid tried to sound surer than he felt. “Look at Fleur – she fell in love with Savion, and that’s with no pre-existing factors drawing them together. Ariana has always wondered about her family. She accepted, in the end, that she wasn’t going to get answers, but she always wanted to know. She’ll want to know you, once the shock wears off.”
Mirabelle nodded, but Rashid could tell she didn’t believe him. He could hardly blame her. He hadn’t exactly proven himself as trustworthy through his actions.
“What’s she like?” Mirabelle asked softly. “I wasn’t paying attention to her before, and when you told me – I panicked. I never should have left.”
“We’ve all made mistakes. I have to believe that we can move past them.” Rashid smiled as his thoughts turned to Ariana. “She’s amazing, Mirabelle. She loves to read and to swim. She’s always liked learning new things. While not ideal, I think the way she got to experience different families and cultures was good for her. She’s been all over the world and she’s seen a lot. I wanted to give her all the tools she needed to make her own choices once she came of age.”
Mirabelle had a faraway look as Rashid describe Ariana to her. It felt freeing, being able to talk about his daughter to someone who felt the same way he did about her. Rashid hadn’t realized up until now how much he wanted someone to talk to.
Ever since her birth, he’d kept Ariana’s identity a secret, even from his closest friends and the families that had raised her. Rashid knew how information tended to spread. He’d wanted to be sure that word never got back to Mirabelle that he had a daughter, in case she put two and two together.
Of course, he’d ruined all that by his confession, but Rashid found he couldn’t regret it. If there was even a chance he could be any sort of parent to Ariana, late as he was to the party, he wanted to take it.
As he looked at Mirabelle, Rashid tried to curb his desires, to restrict them to Ariana. It was hard when Mirabelle was so peaceful in his arms. He’d given up envisioning a life with her many years ago, but she wasn’t cringing from him or trying to escape. Maybe there was a chance that her opinion of vampires could be changed.
Rashid kept stroking Mirabelle’s hair, enjoying her expressions as he told her about some of Ariana’s youthful adventures. Most of his stories were secondhand, relayed from the families that had raised her, but Rashid had hosted her at the chateau a number of times, and he had a couple of good memories with her.
He eventually had to tear his gaze from Mirabelle’s face. He was fighting the temptation to kiss her and he was losing. She was so warm, so alive. Rashid suddenly understood the attraction other vampires saw in humans. Vampires were alive, but their life was often pale and cold compared to the vitality of mortals. What mortals saw in vampires, he was uncertain of, but Mirabelle was looking at him in a way that didn’t seem like she was disgusted or hateful.
“I guess we have the same mission, at least for now,” Mirabelle admitted. “We both want to find Ariana, and we both want her to be safe.”
Rashid wondered if that could possibly mean what she thought he meant. “You… want to work with me to find her?”
Mirabelle sighed, her eyes still fixed on his. Instead of answering, she gave him a soft look, the kind Rashid hadn’t seen from her in many years. “I can’t believe we created such a beautiful daughter together.”
Just like that, she crumbled the last of Rashid’s resistance. Giving in to his desire completely, he leaned close and kissed her.
7
Mirabelle froze, taken completely by surprise. It wasn’t that she hadn’t noticed the soft look in Rashid’s eyes as he gazed at her, she just never thought he’d act on it.
She should have resisted. Incinerated him on the spot, or at the very least pushed him away. But Mirabelle was exhausted both from grief and lack of sleep. Rashid was gentle and caring and present. She only hesitated for a second before kissing him back.
It started off as soft and sweet, but the kiss quickly became heated. It had been a long time since Mirabelle had thought back to that summer she had spent with Jacob and Rashid. It had been a dream, and the last time she had been truly happy. Since Jacob’s death and losing her child – or at least, thinking she had – Mirabelle had found some comfort in her family and coven, but she’d never really managed to recapture those happier times.
Now, everything came back to her. The hot pulsing of her blood overwhelmed everything else. She forgot that Rashid was a vampire, forgot that she was supposed to hate him. All that mattered was the here and now, and in the here and now, her body was crying out for him.
Mirabelle broke away from the kiss, gasping, trying to catch her breath. It was difficult, what with the way that Rashid was trailing kisses down her neck, his other hand under her shirt doing things that made concentrating nearly impossible.
Making one last effort, Mirabelle gasped out an incantation. The hard forest floor beneath them was immediately cushioned by a bed or rose petals, and thick thorn bushes grew up around them, hiding them from prying eyes. The trees nearby leaned inward, spreading their branches out to protect Rashid from the sun, which would be rising soon.
In the time it took her to do this, Rashid had started taking her clothes off. Mirabelle moved to help him, her body acting way ahead of her mind, but she didn’t care anymore.
Entwined in each other’s arms, they made intense, emotional love to each other. Mirabelle poured everything into her actions, everything she had left. She felt like Rashid was doing the same, giving over everything he was to her.
When they finally lay back, exhausted but content, it was the most natural thing in the world for Mirabelle to lay her head on his shoulder, just like she used to. The two of them drifted off in each other’s arms.
When she woke, for a moment, she didn’t know where she was. The rose petals underneath her had been very romantic at first, but now they were crushed and uncomfortable. Mirabelle was hot and sticky, though at least she was still in the shade, the nearby trees still sheltering the location, since she hadn’t revoked the spell yet.
Rashid was already awake, watching her. Slowly, horror dawned on Mirabelle. What had she done? She’d let her grief completely overpower her, that’s what. A part of her wanted to insist that she’d had no choice, that Rashid was a vampire and much stronger than her in her current grief-weakened state, but even in her head, it sounded ridiculous.
Whatever else he might be now, Rashid would never hurt her. If she had given any indication that she wanted to stop, he’d have been gone before she could complete the thought. No, the problem was that Mirabelle hadn’t wanted to stop. Now, she didn’t know what to do. She’d slept with a vampire, a monster. Did this make her a monster too?
Some of her anger started to return. This was Rashid’s fault! If he hadn’t kissed her, none of this would have happened. Why was he so determined to ruin her?
“Hey. I don’t like that look. What are you thinking?”
Mirabelle leapt up, glaring at Rashid. Now that she was rested, it was easier to maintain her indignation. No matter how much she resented it, what she and Rashid had done had restored much of her emotional energy. Feeling stronger, she folded her arms, looking down at him.
“I should release the spell and let the sun burn you to a crisp for everything you’ve put me through.”
Rashid didn’t look worried, which just made her even angrier. “Maybe you should. Are you going to?”
“You’re supposed to beg for your life!”
“Why would I? You’re right. I never should have hidden Ariana from you. I should have found another way. If you decide
to take my life for it, I can hardly object.”
Mirabelle dropped her hands, sighing, giving up any pretense. She wasn’t going to kill Rashid, even though she was still sure he deserved it.
“Here.” She snatched her cloak up off the ground and tossed it to him. “I’m setting the spell to last for another hour. Get inside.”
“Mirabelle –”
She didn’t want to hear whatever he had to say. Mirabelle clicked her fingers, whispering an incantation, and disappeared in a puff of purple smoke.
The floor of her hut rose up to meet her, and Mirabelle didn’t fight it. She fell to her knees, her hands braced on the floor. She stayed there, breathing hard as though she’d ran instead of teleporting. In her head, the same phrase kept repeating over and over again.
What have I done, what have I done, what have I done?
How was she ever going to look Fleur in the eye again? How could she possibly condemn her niece’s relationship with a monster when Mirabelle herself was no better? It was completely quiet here. Either the other witches were still trying to get through the blockage in the tunnel she’d created, or they’d already come and gone, and were now looking for her elsewhere.
Or, they may have left, piped up a nasty voice in Mirabelle’s head. She’d hardly treated them well, and many of them were already having second thoughts about the war against vampires. Mirabelle pushed thoughts of them aside as well, shoving them into a small corner with the memories of Rashid, which didn’t seem to want to be put away.
She staggered to her feet, finding the ingredients in the bowl exactly as she’d left them. Finding Ariana took priority. She could flagellate herself for her weakness around Rashid later. Mirabelle’s hands were shaking slightly as she added the last few ingredients to the bowl. She checked the incantation once more before sitting down and taking a calming breath.
Mirabelle spread out a map and placed a small crystal in the middle. If the spell detected Ariana, the crystal would glow and move to the spot on the map where Ariana was located. Taking one more breath, Mirabelle spoke the incantation.
The crystal didn’t move, or glow. Not so much as a twinkle.
No, that wasn’t right. Mirabelle checked the ingredients and did the spell again. Again, the crystal remained stubbornly still and dull.
Shrieking a curse, Mirabelle swiped at the table, sending the bowl, the map and the crystal flying. She knew why the spell wasn’t working. It couldn’t penetrate salt water. Ariana was a vampire. She was probably in the ocean right now. For all Mirabelle knew, Ariana lived in one of the underwater vampire dwellings.
Falling once more to her knees, she pressed her hands over her eyes as tears started streaming down her face. All she wanted was to find her daughter. She had messed up badly, fleeing when Ariana had reached for her. Mirabelle had to make up for her mistake, but how could she when Ariana was eluding all means of detection?
Not only from her, but from Rashid, too. She must be furious with the pair of them, and Mirabelle didn’t blame her. She briefly considered returning to Rashid. When they were talking before, there had been a brief minute when she’d actually considered working with him. After all, their goal was the same, at least for now.
The thought was a fleeting one. Vampires couldn’t be trusted, she knew that. Her weakness in allowing Rashid close to her didn’t change that. If anything, it only underlined how dangerously seductive vampires could be. Mirabelle had never been even vaguely tempted by a vampire before, but this was Rashid… it was different with him.
Thoroughly disgusted with herself, Mirabelle went for the door, intending to storm through the forest until she had calmed down. She was brought up short by the sight outside.
Fleur was there, once more trying to undo the spells around the hut. Mirabelle quickly moved away from the window, even though she’d shielded them so that no one from outside should be able to see in. Fleur and the rest of her family were determined to keep her from destroying the scourge of vampires, even if it meant locking her up.
Mirabelle wasn’t ready go into battle with her family. Despite everything, she still cared for them, and she hadn’t forgotten what had happened to Lisette. She wouldn’t be responsible for hurting another one of her nieces.
As much as it rankled, she would have to stay here until Fleur left, at least if she wanted to avoid a fight. If she started reinforcing the protection now, Fleur would sense it, so that too would have to wait until she was once more alone.
Fortunately, Mirabelle had a number of books that she hadn’t searched thoroughly yet. she grabbed one and started reading, scanning for any spell that might help her find Ariana, trying not to let her thoughts wander.
It was difficult. Her treacherous mind kept bringing her back to the scene with Rashid. Mirabelle couldn’t pretend she hadn’t enjoyed it, which did not do anything to improve her mood. Again and again, she reread the same page of the book, trying to bludgeon her mind into thinking of anything except Rashid.
Every now and then, she glanced out of the window, but Fleur was determined. For almost four hours, she stayed there, gradually unpicking the defensive spells around the hut. Mirabelle had to give her credit, Fleur had come further than she would have expected.
Of course, it would probably take her another year to get through the spells completely, and that was without them being reinforced. When Fleur finally left, Mirabelle got her defenses together, adding barbs that would give whoever next tried to break in a nasty shock.
Sighing, she turned back to the books. There had to be a spell in here somewhere. Mirabelle suppressed the sneaking suspicion that the books she owned would reveal nothing, as she’d only ever collected books that tallied with her interests, which until now had been solely on killing vampires rather than finding them.
Now, everything was different. She turned another page, grimacing when it revealed no further information. There was nothing to do but keep going.
8
Tristan was shaking for a solid hour, and it took her almost that long to calm her breathing. She spent the whole time talking herself out of using the distress beacon Fleur had given her. Tristan had promised to activate it if she needed help. She knew that Fleur and Lisette would come for her at once.
She’d volunteered for this, though, and she wanted to do a good job. If she backed out now, it would be a long, long time before her sisters agreed to send her on a high risk mission again. Tristan just hadn’t been expecting Rashid to be so… terrifying.
When she’d first met him, he’d seemed polite, if a bit distracted. She’d started to feel confident about her placement here. None of the other vampires seemed to suspect her, which meant her spells were holding.
If she’d known what was going to happen, she never would have asked him where she could find the kitchens. To be fair, even the other vampires who had witnessed it had looked terrified. Maybe Rashid was more powerful than them. Tristan had certainly never guessed that a vampire could use magic like that. Even a witch would struggle to make herself that big while making her voice boom like that.
Once she was mostly calmed down, Tristan spent the rest of the afternoon debating whether she dared join the vampires for dinner. Would Rashid be there? Would he be angry with her for walking in on something she shouldn’t have?
Steeling herself, Tristan dressed for dinner just as the sun was coming up, putting her distress beacon in her pocket where she could reach it easily.
It turned out she didn’t have to worry. There were a number of vampires at dinner, which included glasses of blood that they drank like wine, but Rashid was absent. Tristan observed the conversations, eventually sidling up to two vampires who she quickly learned were called Vince and Zan, and who seemed to be leading the conversation.
“…saw him storming out after his argument with Teo,” Zan said between sips of blood. “Haven’t seen him since. It’s probably a good thing – he looked like he really needed to cool off.”
“Does Rashid often
get angry like that?” Tristan asked hesitantly.
“Victoria, right? Rashid did say he had a new guest. No, he doesn’t often get angry. He’s usually more of a partier and troublemaker.” The vampires around Vince murmured their agreement, which was a relief, at least. Tristan didn’t think her nerves could stand another outburst like today.
“Any progress on your end, Zan?” The vampire speaking was tall with long, dark hair.
“None yet. Sorry, Ruby, I’ve been trying, but it’s harder than I thought it would be.”
“What are you working on?” Tristan hoped that her tone sounded light and curious. The last thing she needed was for the vampires to start getting suspicious of her curiosity.
“How much do you know?” Zan exchanged a glance with Vince. “There’s kind of a story to it.”
Tristan had her answer ready, having figured it out before coming, knowing it would be one of the questions she’d be asked. “I know that conflict between witches and vampires has been escalating recently, and of course, I know that we have a new queen crowned. I come from a kind of isolated place, though, so I’m not up to date on all of the details.”
“Well, we may have made a mistake in crowning Lisette,” Zan told her grimly. “We thought she was going to lead us against the witches, but all she’s talked about since she became queen is making peace with them. Most of us were hoping that she’d come to her senses and see that it would never work, but no matter how many witch attacks there are, she still insists that peace is an option.”
“Well, why isn’t it?” Tristan knew at once that she’d made a mistake. Everyone within earshot gave her incredulous looks, and a couple of the listening vampires looked as though they were evaluating her sanity.