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Vlad cleared his throat and the pair broke the kiss. “Yes, very nice, the plan worked. Congratulations on the new member of the family, Victor. But there is still a matter of business to attend to. Sebastian, Remus, follow me. We have to reunite you with the parts of yourselves that were in the paintings.”

“It didn’t happen automatically?” Sebastian looked at Vlad quizzically, and the original vampire sighed.

“No. You really did not even know that? Victor, you have failed these men. When this is all over, I am taking them back to my coven and training them properly. I am well aware you have been under some delusion that I would wipe out your coven if you ever contacted us again, but that was never true. There is no excuse for your family to have no idea how their magic works.”

Victor’s face screwed up in anger, then frustration, then embarrassment. “Of course, Father,” he finally said, hanging his head. Vlad gave a nod and gestured for Sebastian and Remus to follow him.

Sebastian glanced back and forth between Victor and Vlad, feeling a small part of his world beginning to crumble. The war between their covens had been something lingering above them all for his entire existence. And yet it was nothing more than Victor beingdramatic?

He couldn’t help mumbling to himself, “I guess that’s where I get it from…”

The three re-entered the crematorium, where the ovens were beginning to cool. “Get some of the ash,” Vlad ordered, “and make sure yours comes from the right oven, Remus.” He waited while they fished some of the ash out of the still-hot ovens and returned to his side.

“Very good. Now, this is just an extension of your magic and should come naturally. You must wet your finger with blood and use it to make a paste with the ash. Ideally this blood should come from the painting subject, but other blood will work in a pinch. Luckily there is plenty of hers available. Then use the resulting paint to draw a symbol on your arm. Something that is uniquely yours. For example, mine is the dragon.”

Sebastian grimaced as he gripped the front of his shirt and wet his fingers with Isabel’s blood. Remus scooped some from the puddle on the floor, and each of them mixed the blood into the ash. Sebastian drew a crude image of the dog pendant on his wrist, while Remus chose the moon.

“Now pull your magic up and call to the missing parts of you. Draw them into your symbol and use it as a door for them to re-enter your body.”

Rather like using a muscle in a new way, it took Sebastian very little time to call his magic up, but much longer to figure out how to use it as Vlad instructed. Once he felt it reach the symbol and begin pulling in…something, though? He felt as if he were riding the highest high. Energy he couldn’t see poured into his veins and pulsed through his body, making him feel stronger by the moment. Having reduced his magic one increment at a time, he had never realized how much weaker it had become.

But now his body hummed with power. The warm feeling ended and his magic returned to the simmering pool deep inside of him, its width and depth increased twofold. “Wow,” he whispered, flexing his fingers and watching how his tendons moved the black dog.

“That feels much better, doesn’t it? Now that everything has been returned to equilibrium?” Vlad smiled and clapped a hand on each of the other vampires’ shoulders, and both of them nodded. “Very good. There are so many more things to teach you both about the magic that we share. Do not let Victor convince you that anyone from your coven is unwelcome in their ancestral home. Just because he and I have not seen eye to eye in a very long time does not mean the rest of you have to stay away.”

Feeling whole for the first time ever, Sebastian clasped Vlad’s hand in a firm handshake. “Thank you, Grandfather. As soon as my wife and I are recovered from this ordeal, we’ll take you up on that offer. Do you mind if I return to her now?”

Vlad patted Sebastian’s shoulder and smiled. “Go. She’s waiting for you.”