A Spell of Time
Page 4
More silence followed. His eyes were still on me, his face unreadable. “Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“Then you can leave me to get dressed.”
I glared at him. I didn’t need to be a Seer to know that he wasn’t going to budge one iota from his stance.
I stood up and walked toward the front door. He made no motion to follow me, so I shut the door myself on my way out. I sighed, staring out at the ocean. It was like trying to shift two mountains.
How am I ever going to do this?
I lost myself in thought as I made my way along the beach. I kept drawing a blank, but as I reached the foot of our tree, it dawned on me all at once. It was obvious now that I’d thought of it.
If the two men can’t put aside their egos, I’ll just have to create new ones for them…
I could barely keep the smirk from my face as I entered our penthouse.
Chapter 2: Caleb
After Annora left, I collapsed on the bed. I ran a thumb over my lips, recalling the few seconds she’d returned my kiss.
I tried to fall asleep. But I kept thinking about her, and the night she’d decided to leave me forever.
She’d lost some of herself after I turned her into a vampire, but she’d still been mine. She was dark, but she still loved me. She still kissed me like I was the only man in her world. But when she’d given herself over to the witches, she’d become unrecognizable.
To this day, I didn’t know what they’d done to her. She’d told me they’d agreed to make her a Channeler—one of the most powerful witches of their kind, receiving direct empowerment from the Ancients themselves. She wouldn’t explain to me what the induction involved. She’d said she was forbidden to. But when she came out of it, she was a shell.
My thoughts drifted to the blonde witch, Mona. Her powers were clearly equal to, if not greater than, Annora’s. I wondered if she’d been inducted in the same way. She seemed to still have life left in her.
What I wouldn’t give to have Annora back even for an hour. Even just a small piece of the girl she used to be…
My thoughts were interrupted by the creak of my door. I looked up to see none other than Annora approaching my bed.
I sat up. “What?”
Tears glistened in her bloodshot eyes. She reeked of alcohol. Staggering forward, she sat down on the edge of my bed.
Truth be told, the only time I welcomed Annora’s company was when she was drunk out of her mind. Although I never detected anything other than sorrow in her, I drew comfort from her display of emotion. It was a welcome change from the ice-cold woman she was when sober.
I reached for her hair, brushing it away from her face.
Her lower lip trembled. “Y-you didn’t ask why I was in a good mood,” she said.
I stared at her. She was right, I hadn’t.
“You want to tell me?”
She nodded slowly, letting out a hiccough. She paused, and a small smile spread across her lips.
“The Shade will lose its King and Queen soon.”
My breath hitched.
“What?”
Her smile broadened. “I put a spell on them. Neither of them are aware of it.”
My throat tightened. “Wh-when did you put the spell on them?”
She reached out and gripped my jaw, frowning. “It doesn’t matter when I cast it. Why aren’t you excited?”
She leant over me and caught my lips in hers, kissing me hard. Her tears moistened my cheeks. She gave me another half smile, then disappeared from the room leaving me staring after her, winded.
I tried to steady my breathing as I stared out of the window at the snowy peaks.
No. I can’t get involved with that family again.
Chapter 3: Aiden
“Five hundred years,” I muttered, my eyes glazing over as I puffed on a cigarette. I was sitting next to Yuri on his porch. “That’s how long your brother’s been celibate. It’s just my luck…”
“I’m sorry, man,” Yuri said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I had no idea you were into Adelle like that. I’d seen you talking to her, but I didn’t know you were planning on making a move.”
“Yeah,” I said grimly, blowing out smoke. Yuri had told me that he’d decided to help put Eli out of his misery and convinced him to ask Adelle out. I couldn’t blame Yuri for it. It was what any good brother would have done.
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have said anything to him. Eli’s had his eye on Adelle for a while now. I’ve never seen a woman capture his attention like Adelle. It was becoming agonizing to watch.”
“She might have not said yes to me anyway,” I said. The vision of Adelle embracing Eli was still fresh in my mind. It sent pain shooting through my chest each time I recalled it. Shaking the thought away, I tossed my cigarette and stood up. I patted Yuri on the shoulder. “Well, I wish your brother all the best. Finders keepers, right?” I forced a smile. “Forget we even had this conversation. I’d rather all this remained between you and me.”
“Rather what remained between you and Yuri?”
I groaned as Claudia appeared in the doorway, hands on her waist.
“Oh, it’s nothing, Claudia,” I said.
I motioned to walk away, but the little spitfire never was one to be brushed away. She moved in front of me, blocking my exit.
“Come on, Aiden. I can keep a secret.”
I heaved a sigh, looking back at Yuri for help. He shrugged. Claudia grabbed my hand and pulled me inside their penthouse. She led me into their living room and pushed me down on the couch.
“Yes.”
“Then you can leave me to get dressed.”
I glared at him. I didn’t need to be a Seer to know that he wasn’t going to budge one iota from his stance.
I stood up and walked toward the front door. He made no motion to follow me, so I shut the door myself on my way out. I sighed, staring out at the ocean. It was like trying to shift two mountains.
How am I ever going to do this?
I lost myself in thought as I made my way along the beach. I kept drawing a blank, but as I reached the foot of our tree, it dawned on me all at once. It was obvious now that I’d thought of it.
If the two men can’t put aside their egos, I’ll just have to create new ones for them…
I could barely keep the smirk from my face as I entered our penthouse.
Chapter 2: Caleb
After Annora left, I collapsed on the bed. I ran a thumb over my lips, recalling the few seconds she’d returned my kiss.
I tried to fall asleep. But I kept thinking about her, and the night she’d decided to leave me forever.
She’d lost some of herself after I turned her into a vampire, but she’d still been mine. She was dark, but she still loved me. She still kissed me like I was the only man in her world. But when she’d given herself over to the witches, she’d become unrecognizable.
To this day, I didn’t know what they’d done to her. She’d told me they’d agreed to make her a Channeler—one of the most powerful witches of their kind, receiving direct empowerment from the Ancients themselves. She wouldn’t explain to me what the induction involved. She’d said she was forbidden to. But when she came out of it, she was a shell.
My thoughts drifted to the blonde witch, Mona. Her powers were clearly equal to, if not greater than, Annora’s. I wondered if she’d been inducted in the same way. She seemed to still have life left in her.
What I wouldn’t give to have Annora back even for an hour. Even just a small piece of the girl she used to be…
My thoughts were interrupted by the creak of my door. I looked up to see none other than Annora approaching my bed.
I sat up. “What?”
Tears glistened in her bloodshot eyes. She reeked of alcohol. Staggering forward, she sat down on the edge of my bed.
Truth be told, the only time I welcomed Annora’s company was when she was drunk out of her mind. Although I never detected anything other than sorrow in her, I drew comfort from her display of emotion. It was a welcome change from the ice-cold woman she was when sober.
I reached for her hair, brushing it away from her face.
Her lower lip trembled. “Y-you didn’t ask why I was in a good mood,” she said.
I stared at her. She was right, I hadn’t.
“You want to tell me?”
She nodded slowly, letting out a hiccough. She paused, and a small smile spread across her lips.
“The Shade will lose its King and Queen soon.”
My breath hitched.
“What?”
Her smile broadened. “I put a spell on them. Neither of them are aware of it.”
My throat tightened. “Wh-when did you put the spell on them?”
She reached out and gripped my jaw, frowning. “It doesn’t matter when I cast it. Why aren’t you excited?”
She leant over me and caught my lips in hers, kissing me hard. Her tears moistened my cheeks. She gave me another half smile, then disappeared from the room leaving me staring after her, winded.
I tried to steady my breathing as I stared out of the window at the snowy peaks.
No. I can’t get involved with that family again.
Chapter 3: Aiden
“Five hundred years,” I muttered, my eyes glazing over as I puffed on a cigarette. I was sitting next to Yuri on his porch. “That’s how long your brother’s been celibate. It’s just my luck…”
“I’m sorry, man,” Yuri said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I had no idea you were into Adelle like that. I’d seen you talking to her, but I didn’t know you were planning on making a move.”
“Yeah,” I said grimly, blowing out smoke. Yuri had told me that he’d decided to help put Eli out of his misery and convinced him to ask Adelle out. I couldn’t blame Yuri for it. It was what any good brother would have done.
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have said anything to him. Eli’s had his eye on Adelle for a while now. I’ve never seen a woman capture his attention like Adelle. It was becoming agonizing to watch.”
“She might have not said yes to me anyway,” I said. The vision of Adelle embracing Eli was still fresh in my mind. It sent pain shooting through my chest each time I recalled it. Shaking the thought away, I tossed my cigarette and stood up. I patted Yuri on the shoulder. “Well, I wish your brother all the best. Finders keepers, right?” I forced a smile. “Forget we even had this conversation. I’d rather all this remained between you and me.”
“Rather what remained between you and Yuri?”
I groaned as Claudia appeared in the doorway, hands on her waist.
“Oh, it’s nothing, Claudia,” I said.
I motioned to walk away, but the little spitfire never was one to be brushed away. She moved in front of me, blocking my exit.
“Come on, Aiden. I can keep a secret.”
I heaved a sigh, looking back at Yuri for help. He shrugged. Claudia grabbed my hand and pulled me inside their penthouse. She led me into their living room and pushed me down on the couch.
