The sun peeked over the horizon when we finally stopped outside a quaint little cottage nestled in an awe-inspiring grove of fruit trees. I wondered if I would ever stop marveling over the breathtaking beauty of the land. Luthias and Geo both spoke of Verso being like earth was prior to the war and the twentieth century pollution modern man created. Although I was saddened that I was born in a time of devastation, desolation, and the dominance of evil, I felt even sorrier for them. How horrible it must be to watch your world turn into a decrepit shell of what it was. I wondered why they’d ever step outside of Verso.
A slight and somewhat wiry, gray haired woman meandered out onto the porch to greet us. Even at that early hour her hair was pulled back in a smooth bun upon her head and her slacks and blouse were neatly pressed. I thought of the stark contrast she made against my grandmother, who would have greeted us with long gray hair in disarray and an old
From start to finish the process of infusing my body’s energy field with magic proved intense. Every two hours, around the clock, I forced down six ounces of thick purplish sludge. If I fell asleep, Gwendoline woke me up to make sure I didn’t miss my dose. She was relentlessly diligent. I thought the taste and texture of her horrific magical concoction would eventually grow on me, but after a full week I still shuddered with each swallow.Gwendoline made a point of reminding me how brave and strong I was. She pointed out that very few humans who weren’t born magical are able to withstand the necessary steps to acquire it. Once again, she mused on the fact that I had magic hidden within me. She also assured me that step one of drinking the sludge was the worst step.When, on day number seven she told me I’d forced the last drop of sludge I would ever have to ingest down my throat, I literally did a happy dance. It not only broug
I needed time to think.I could understand Gwendoline’s desire to see both of her son’s happy; and she clearly considered Luthias her son. I could even see the logic in her thinking. I found Luthias ridiculously good looking, irresistibly charismatic, and I admittedly felt something for him. Since he’d already declared his love for me, it was a good start. I also wanted the protection he and Gwendoline could provide until we could figure out a way to get Charles and Sybil to stop hunting me. So, why did I hesitate?Geo.Someone magical broke through the shield around Verso. What if that same magic person put a magical shield around Geo for whatever reason? It could be what happened. Gwendoline said the possibility was so herself. Just because Gwendoline hadn’t met a witch equal to her in power and abilities didn’t mean one didn’t exist. What if that was exactly what was going on? What if, when thi
I awoke naked and covered in the residue of sweaty sex. If that wasn’t enough, I was lying on top of Luthias’s naked body. The sun’s rays filtered through the window just enough to give me a decent view of my surroundings. Luthias lay in peaceful slumber with a look of satiation on his face.My mind went back to my dream. It seemed so real, yet I knew I we hadn’t battled Charles or Sybil. What truly happened? Was it a mixture of fantasy and reality?Signs of sex were everywhere.What had I done? Could I have really practically raped this gorgeous vampire in my sleep? Who was I? What had I become? I didn’t know myself anymore. Did I have some alter ego that was rebelling against the naïve and sheltered life I’d led right up until meeting Geo? Or was it simply the lure of the vampire I couldn’t resist. Perhaps it was both.I did my best not to disturb Luthia
We immediately agreed that, before anything else, we’d work out a plan of rescue for Geo. Once he was safe and free, we’d focus on what to do about Charles. It took the better part of the morning for emotions to settle down enough for us to come together as a team to decide on a plan of action. At one point, an enormous tug of wills took place as Luthias and Gwendoline insisted I stay hidden in the cottage under the shield of protection for the sake of my unborn child. I struggled to get them to under-stand that, between the magic in me and years of intensive self-defense instruction, I was well equipped to hold my own. I reiterated the dream I had and how I felt it was a symbol of truth. Gwendoline said I had magic in me from the start that just needed to be pulled forth and expounded upon. That magic had to be inherited from someone and I was banking that someone was Sybil. If I had magic, then so did she. If Sybil truly was the one who broke through
I awoke stiff and sore. I did my best to stretch the kinks out of my legs and hips, but it was difficult. Something large and heavy was pinning me down. When my eyes were better able to focus and my head cleared enough to remember where I was, I realized Luthias’s solid frame was sprawled possessively across me. I managed to get my arm from beneath him and shook him vigorously to get him to move. He was like dead weight.“He’s in vampire sleep, lass. Ye won’t get him to move until he’s good and ready to wake up.” Gwendoline said from across the tent.“What?” I asked with vocal chords that were barely cooperative.“Vampires rarely truly sleep, but when they do, they go so deep ye would think them dead. Nothing wakes them,” she explained as she finished tying the lacing of her shoe.“I have to pee,” I moaned, “and I can’t breathe.”She mo
We’d cleaned up the camp before Luthias emerged from the tent. He looked a little chagrined when I greeted him as ‘sleepy head’ but took it in good humor. I learned later that vampires seldom went into the deep coma-like slumber I witnessed Luthias in. This only happened when their body suffered trauma and exhaustion. It occurred involuntarily in order for them to regenerate. With all that Luthias went through, I wasn’t surprised it happened to him.“I could think of a better time for my body to regenerate,’’ Luthias said with a scowl as he looked up at the position of the sun. “We lost half the day.”“Hardly, lad,” Gwendoline said as she patted his back while walking behind him. “A few hours, perhaps, but we can make it up.” She turned to me and asked, “‘Tis time to get rid of the tent. Would ye like to do the honors?”“I don
When my grandparents rushed into my bedroom to investigate the noise my entrance caused, they found me lying face down in my own vomit. I was too weak to explain to them my whereabouts over the last weeks or how I managed to make it home, but that didn’t stop them from trying to get it out of me. I didn’t blame them for their incessant questions. Since it was my intention to merely question Geo about Sybil and not go with him to meet her, I hadn’t told them where I was going or what I was about. I can only imagine the worry my disappearance caused them.They were incredibly curious about where I’d been, but were also considerate -once they’d recovered from the shock of finding me face down in my own vomit on my bedroom floor- enough to recognize I wasn’t physically up to telling them. My grandfather lifted me from my pool of sick and lovingly carried me into the bathroom where my grandmother was already preparing a bath. Even in
My grandmother and Gwendoline were hovered together at the foot of my bed when I awoke. They were talking too softly for me to understand their words, but it was clear they were concerned.“What happened,” I asked as I struggled to get up.Gwendoline rushed to my side and gently pushed me back down onto the bed.“Ye need to lie still, lass,” she said gently. “That babe inside ye took a beating during your battle to save Luthias. He’s debating whether to stay in there or leave us.”I could see the moistness in Gwendoline’s eyes as she struggled to control her emotions.“I’m losing my baby?” I said incredulously.My grandmother pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat down to comfort me as she’d done so many times over the years.“You fought ferociously, sweetheart. The strain on your body, combined with Sybil’s full weight slamming on
When I awoke, I felt more like myself. The overwhelming urge for human blood was now just a slight nagging in the recesses of my mind. The anger and excessive energy I experienced was gone. I smiled with satisfaction when I opened my eyes and the world looked normal again.I looked for Geo or Luthias, but neither was in the room. Although I was still bound to the bed, the heavy rope that pinned me motionless was removed, leaving only my wrists tied to the bedposts. I estimated that, if I really wanted to, I could break free. I just didn’t want to.What I wanted was Geo.I called out for him, but got no reply.I tried again.Still nothing.I looked out through the broken glass. It was morning. Soon the sun would be beating directly on me. I felt its intense rays even then. I needed to be free of the ties so I could move away from the window. I called for Geo again. When he didn’t respond,
All thoughts of my dilemma with Geo and Luthias came to a halt when my grandmother burst into the room and announced Prince Vogel was outside with a band of vampires and was boisterously demanding the return of his wife.My blood went cold.“Stay in here and lock the door behind me lass,” Gwendoline hissed as she darted from the room.I found it incredulous that a witch as familiar with vampires as she was would tell me to lock a door to keep one out, but I padded my bare feet across my wool carpet to obey her orders anyway. My heart was threatening to climb into my throat as I pressed my ear against the door to hear what was being said on the other side. This was a time when I truly longed for vampire hearing.From what I could make out, my witchy protectors decided there was no sense trying to hide the cabin, since Sybil had already located it and the cat was out of the bag. Instead, they placed a force field around us and so far it wa
My grandmother and Gwendoline were hovered together at the foot of my bed when I awoke. They were talking too softly for me to understand their words, but it was clear they were concerned.“What happened,” I asked as I struggled to get up.Gwendoline rushed to my side and gently pushed me back down onto the bed.“Ye need to lie still, lass,” she said gently. “That babe inside ye took a beating during your battle to save Luthias. He’s debating whether to stay in there or leave us.”I could see the moistness in Gwendoline’s eyes as she struggled to control her emotions.“I’m losing my baby?” I said incredulously.My grandmother pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat down to comfort me as she’d done so many times over the years.“You fought ferociously, sweetheart. The strain on your body, combined with Sybil’s full weight slamming on
When my grandparents rushed into my bedroom to investigate the noise my entrance caused, they found me lying face down in my own vomit. I was too weak to explain to them my whereabouts over the last weeks or how I managed to make it home, but that didn’t stop them from trying to get it out of me. I didn’t blame them for their incessant questions. Since it was my intention to merely question Geo about Sybil and not go with him to meet her, I hadn’t told them where I was going or what I was about. I can only imagine the worry my disappearance caused them.They were incredibly curious about where I’d been, but were also considerate -once they’d recovered from the shock of finding me face down in my own vomit on my bedroom floor- enough to recognize I wasn’t physically up to telling them. My grandfather lifted me from my pool of sick and lovingly carried me into the bathroom where my grandmother was already preparing a bath. Even in
We’d cleaned up the camp before Luthias emerged from the tent. He looked a little chagrined when I greeted him as ‘sleepy head’ but took it in good humor. I learned later that vampires seldom went into the deep coma-like slumber I witnessed Luthias in. This only happened when their body suffered trauma and exhaustion. It occurred involuntarily in order for them to regenerate. With all that Luthias went through, I wasn’t surprised it happened to him.“I could think of a better time for my body to regenerate,’’ Luthias said with a scowl as he looked up at the position of the sun. “We lost half the day.”“Hardly, lad,” Gwendoline said as she patted his back while walking behind him. “A few hours, perhaps, but we can make it up.” She turned to me and asked, “‘Tis time to get rid of the tent. Would ye like to do the honors?”“I don
I awoke stiff and sore. I did my best to stretch the kinks out of my legs and hips, but it was difficult. Something large and heavy was pinning me down. When my eyes were better able to focus and my head cleared enough to remember where I was, I realized Luthias’s solid frame was sprawled possessively across me. I managed to get my arm from beneath him and shook him vigorously to get him to move. He was like dead weight.“He’s in vampire sleep, lass. Ye won’t get him to move until he’s good and ready to wake up.” Gwendoline said from across the tent.“What?” I asked with vocal chords that were barely cooperative.“Vampires rarely truly sleep, but when they do, they go so deep ye would think them dead. Nothing wakes them,” she explained as she finished tying the lacing of her shoe.“I have to pee,” I moaned, “and I can’t breathe.”She mo
We immediately agreed that, before anything else, we’d work out a plan of rescue for Geo. Once he was safe and free, we’d focus on what to do about Charles. It took the better part of the morning for emotions to settle down enough for us to come together as a team to decide on a plan of action. At one point, an enormous tug of wills took place as Luthias and Gwendoline insisted I stay hidden in the cottage under the shield of protection for the sake of my unborn child. I struggled to get them to under-stand that, between the magic in me and years of intensive self-defense instruction, I was well equipped to hold my own. I reiterated the dream I had and how I felt it was a symbol of truth. Gwendoline said I had magic in me from the start that just needed to be pulled forth and expounded upon. That magic had to be inherited from someone and I was banking that someone was Sybil. If I had magic, then so did she. If Sybil truly was the one who broke through
I awoke naked and covered in the residue of sweaty sex. If that wasn’t enough, I was lying on top of Luthias’s naked body. The sun’s rays filtered through the window just enough to give me a decent view of my surroundings. Luthias lay in peaceful slumber with a look of satiation on his face.My mind went back to my dream. It seemed so real, yet I knew I we hadn’t battled Charles or Sybil. What truly happened? Was it a mixture of fantasy and reality?Signs of sex were everywhere.What had I done? Could I have really practically raped this gorgeous vampire in my sleep? Who was I? What had I become? I didn’t know myself anymore. Did I have some alter ego that was rebelling against the naïve and sheltered life I’d led right up until meeting Geo? Or was it simply the lure of the vampire I couldn’t resist. Perhaps it was both.I did my best not to disturb Luthia
I needed time to think.I could understand Gwendoline’s desire to see both of her son’s happy; and she clearly considered Luthias her son. I could even see the logic in her thinking. I found Luthias ridiculously good looking, irresistibly charismatic, and I admittedly felt something for him. Since he’d already declared his love for me, it was a good start. I also wanted the protection he and Gwendoline could provide until we could figure out a way to get Charles and Sybil to stop hunting me. So, why did I hesitate?Geo.Someone magical broke through the shield around Verso. What if that same magic person put a magical shield around Geo for whatever reason? It could be what happened. Gwendoline said the possibility was so herself. Just because Gwendoline hadn’t met a witch equal to her in power and abilities didn’t mean one didn’t exist. What if that was exactly what was going on? What if, when thi