Page 25
Story: The Eternal Muse
She stopped in the doorway, eyes focused on what looked like a very plush and comfortable bed. “I can unlock the door from the inside, right? You aren’t locking me in an extra fancy dungeon so you can suck me dry later?”
“Yes, check the mechanism yourself. It’s fully intended to keep people out, not in.” He waved earnestly at the door, which Isabel obediently examined. It was a simple turn-style deadbolt which extended into a hole carved in the stone wall. She turned the lock a few times until she was comfortable and closed the door.
Exhaustion fell over her like a load of bricks. Perhaps it was the call of the bed, or the relief of being in a safe space. She removed her shoes and collapsed onto the mattress. To her delight, it was even more comfortable than it looked.
“Are you going to be okay in here while I go talk to Victor?” Sebastian’s dark eyes focused intently on her, and Isabel found herself nodding. “Okay. Oh!” He went to the closet and began rummaging around, occasionally tossing out the odd item. “I swear they’re in here…I don’t remember using them back in Vernazza…Aha!”
He rose, holding a pair of gold chains with intricate charms attached. One was a slender cat pouncing, and the other a dog crouching with its tail curled over its back. Sebastian sat on the bed next to Isabel, who looked at the necklaces with curiosity burning in her eyes. She reached toward them and he held them out, allowing her to take them.
It was the strangest thing; these looked so familiar. Through some instinct, she overlaid the cat on the dog. The cat’s back hips slotted perfectly into the dog’s stomach, its extended paws meeting the curled tail to form a heart.
“I see you figured out the first of their secrets already,” Sebastian said, his voice gentle. “May I?” He extended his hand and Isabel placed the delicate chains in his palm. After separating the charms, he placed the dog on his knee and opened the clasp for the cat. He reached behind her and lay the necklace across her skin, and deftly closed the clasp.
The weight of the charm pulled it down where it would settle just between her breasts if she were to put it under her shirt. He smiled and traced the chain with his finger, his skin barely brushing hers as the finger trailed down her collarbone. She felt her arms erupt into gooseflesh and her heart rate jumped. He stopped with the cat pendant between his thumb and forefinger. “This was made by my sister, Agatha. As was this one.”
He picked up the dog pendant and took her hand, gently placing it in her palm and curling her fingers around it. “Stroke the cat’s back with your other hand,” he said. Isabel raised one eyebrow, but took the cat pendant from Sebastian and ran her finger along its back. In her other hand, the dog pendant grew warm. Her spine straightened in surprise, and the vampire laughed. “Now give the cat a squeeze.”
She did so, and what felt like an electric shock from the dog startled her. She instinctively tossed the dog necklace into the air, and Sebastian caught it with inhuman speed. “They’re communication necklaces! I gave that to you on our wedding day…the intention was when we were apart and you missed me, you could stroke the cat’s back and I would know. And if you were in danger, you could squeeze it and I would come as fast as I could. Mine works the same way.”
He ran his finger down the dog’s back and she felt the warmth from the cat soaking through her shirt. “This way, you won’t actually be alone while I go speak with Victor. I can be anywhere in the keep in seconds. So if you need me, you just squeeze the pendant and I’ll be at your side.”
Isabel looked down at the gift and felt a smile spring unbidden to her lips. “That makes me feel much better. Thank you.”
CHAPTER20
Venice, Italy. 8 June, 2007
Sebastian triple checked that the door was locked before straightening the ceremonial cloak he’d donned and headed down the hallway to Victor’s chambers. It billowed behind him as he walked, black and ominous. At least, that was how it felt. He hadn’t worn the cloak since the night he fled the coven. Putting it back on made this whole thing seem real: he was here to beg forgiveness. To admit he should have listened to his master.
But most of all, to save Isabel.
Memories came flooding back as he stalked the familiar halls. So many times he had followed Victor along this path, listening to the master vampire’s plans for the future. Discussing the magic each new member of the coven awakened when they were Turned. Learning about his vampire heritage.
Where he thought the memories would plant a seed of anger, he felt sadness growing instead. His heart ached, heavy with lost time. The perspective of four hundred years and what seemed like consequences of his actions made him realize that he had been headstrong and rebellious.
He paused in front of Victor’s living area door and took a deep breath. Was he really ready for this? Yes. He had to be. His knuckles rapped the wood three times and he took a step back to wait.
While he felt an eternity pass, only seconds later the door opened. Victor’s eyebrows were lowered into a scowl and he held a half-finished goblet of blood in his right hand. “Who is bothering me at this time of night!” he growled, then his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Sebastian? And you’ve put your cloak back on? Well, well, well. Thisisa surprise.”
Victor moved to the side and gestured into the room. “Come in, my son. This must be important.” Sebastian nodded silently and entered the large room. It was lavishly furnished; a sofa upholstered in deep red velvet stood before a roaring fireplace, flanked by matching wing-backed chairs. Burnished wood bookshelves stood on either side of the flames and took up the entire wall. Leather bound tomes lined every shelf, uniform in height but varying in thickness. A plush rug covered most of the stone floor, a blooming rose in the center and fleur-de-lis along the edges making up the pattern.
The room was dim, light coming only from the fireplace. While there were torches lining the walls, Victor rarely lit them. Paintings and other works of art decorated the rest of the walls, many being priceless pieces forgotten by the passage of time. Some were entirely unknown, commissioned by the master vampire in centuries past.
Each and every piece had been burned into Sebastian’s memory. He found himself walking the room and examining them, as if reintroducing himself to old friends. These paintings had watched him learn to use his magic. They had heard the lessons Victor had given him. They had witnessed the fights, and seen him throw his cloak to the ground.
Victor stood and watched, yet said nothing. His face was impossible to read, though Sebastian thought he felt a small amount of pleasure from his master. Finally, Sebastian tore himself away from his surroundings and sat in the right-hand chair. Victor sat in the other, his gaze remaining locked on Sebastian.
The sound of the crackling fire kept silence at bay, until Sebastian realized that Victor was waiting forhimto start the conversation. A mixture of pride and fear stilled his tongue and caused his breath to catch in his throat. “Master,” he croaked, then cleared his throat and tried again. He pulled the sleeve of his cloak up and exposed his wrist, an expression of fealty.
“Master, I’ve arrogantly avoided righting the wrong I committed for far too long. I’ve returned to apologize and learn everything I can about my magic. You spoke of consequences, and I refused to listen.”
Victor nodded, his face remaining neutral. “You did, indeed. And I suppose you’re now experiencing those consequences, and they have brought you home.” The master vampire’s gaze felt like white-hot knives piercing his face and chest. Sebastian hung his head. “I knew the day would come. Fetch the tome on magic, volume 10. Perhaps now you’re finally ready to learn of your own magic.”
Sebastian hurried out of his chair and walked directly to the magic section. On the shelf just above eye-level, he scanned the numbered spines until he reached volume 10. He ran his pointer finger down the leather spine until it reached the center, then carefully pulled the book from the shelf.
It was heavy, with hundreds of thick pages and a sturdy cover. He brought it back to the fire and held it out to Victor. The master vampire took it and began thumbing through the pages. The sound of paper waltzed with the crackling of the fire until Victor found the desired page and stopped. His long, bony finger swept down the page and landed somewhere near the bottom.
Sebastian’s heart raced. Last time his master had requested this book, Sebastian had been excited to learn more about his power.It’s dangerous to know too much until you are ready,Victor had told him.You must only use your magic within the guides I set, and follow the rules with exactness.
Table of Contents
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- Page 25 (Reading here)
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