Page 27

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FELIX

I watch Dante and Gaida from the shadows of the library, my back pressed against the ancient tomes that have become my sanctuary since arriving at MistHallow. They’re huddled together over the creepy book, their heads bent close, speaking in hushed tones. The intimacy between them is easy —there’s that word again—but it’s something I still struggle to understand fully.

Emotions are complicated for me. Always have been. I experience them differently than most, which has made connecting with people... challenging. Until Gaida.

The soul bond we share has opened something in me, a door I’d kept firmly shut for most of my life.

“Spying?”

I turn to find Luke approaching, looking marginally better than he did earlier. The darkness around his eyes has receded slightly, though the silver still flickers in his irises occasionally.

“Observing,” I correct, turning back to watch Gaida and Dante. “There’s a difference.”

Luke follows my gaze. “They have an ease with each other that’s rare.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Does it bother you?”

I consider this. “Not in the way you might think. It’s more academic curiosity.”

“About?”

“How they connect so effortlessly. How can she be with all of us and make each relationship feel complete in its own way?”

Luke’s eyes soften slightly, and for a moment, I glimpse something beyond the Headmaster, beyond the ancient vampire, just a man who understands what it’s like to be an outsider looking in.

“She has that gift,” he says quietly. “The ability to see people as they truly are and meet them there.”

I nod, my throat suddenly tight. “I told her about myself. About how I experience attraction.”

“And?”

“She understood. Immediately. No questions, no judgement. Do you know how rare that is?”

“I do,” Luke says, his gaze returning to Gaida. “It’s what makes her remarkable.”

We stand in companionable silence for a moment, united in our appreciation of the woman who has somehow become the centre of our unlikely constellation.

“Constantine and Aefre were here,” Luke says finally.

That gets my full attention. “And?”

“He’s agreed to become my sire. The process will happen within the next few days.”

“That’s good news,” I say carefully, studying his expression. “Isn’t it?”

Luke’s jaw tightens. “It’s necessary. Whether it’s good remains to be seen.”

“We need you at full strength.”

“I know.” He sighs, the weight of centuries in that single exhalation. “It’s complicated, and we all have our roles to play now.” He gestures toward Gaida and Dante. “She needs all of us. In different ways.”

“What’s my role in all this?” I ask, the question slipping out before I can stop it.

Luke studies me. “You’re the anchor, Felix. The rational mind when emotions run high. The calculated risk-taker when impulsivity might doom us all.”

“That sounds clinical.”

“It’s not meant to be. It’s essential. Don’t underestimate how much she needs that part of you. How much we all do.”

I nod, surprised by the tightness in my chest at his words. Validation isn’t something I often seek, yet his acknowledgement means more than I expected.

“I want you to compel me,” I say, surprising myself with how easily those words came out.

“Oh?” He raises an eyebrow.

“I want to know how I ended up here and what this is…” I gesture between us. “Who are you to me. Why do I feel like there is blood between us?”

“Do you want Gaida there?”

I ponder that question. “I’m not sure.”

“Maybe it’s better if she isn’t,” Luke says after a moment of consideration. “Some truths are better revealed in private first.”

I nod, something in his tone making my stomach clench with anticipation and dread. “When?”

“Now is as good a time as any. Shall we?”

I cast one last glance at Gaida and Dante before following Luke. She looks up just as I’m leaving, her blue eyes meeting mine with a question in them. I give her a small smile and a slight nod to indicate everything’s fine. She returns to her research, but not before I catch a flicker of concern on her face.

Luke leads me to his office in silence.

The artefacts that decorate the walls seem to whisper secrets as we pass. He closes the door behind us with a wave of his hand.

“Sit,” he says, indicating the chair across from his desk. I comply, my heart rate increasing despite my attempts to remain calm. Luke remains standing. Dawn is fast approaching, and I’m getting tired, even though sleep eludes me.

“Are you sure about this, Felix? Compulsion reveals truths that can’t be unlearned.”

“I need to know,” I reply. “Whatever it is, it’s better than this uncertainty.”

He pulls up a chair and sits opposite me. I shift uncomfortably and clear my throat. His eyes bore into mine and I find that I can’t look away.

“Tell me who you are,” he murmurs.

“Felix Davenport.”

“Who are your parents?”

“Maggie and Mattias Davenport.”

“Do you know when you came to this world?”

“No.”

“Think back, Felix. There will be signs.”

I close my eyes, trying to think.

“Open your eyes, keep looking at me.”

I do as he says, his voice a soft cadence that relaxes me. I can’t stop the thought that maybe he could get me to go to sleep for a while if he just keeps talking to me.

“Do you know when you came to this world?”

I shake my head, my mind fuzzy. Flashes of memories come at me, but nothing I can pin down.

“Did you take a trip, maybe, when you were very young?”

I shake my head, but then something comes to me. “We moved.”

“Moved?”

“House. In the middle of the night. My parents were urgent. I was sleeping and they woke me up. I think I fell back asleep in the car. When I woke up, we were at a different house. One, we stayed at until my parents died.”

“Did anything seem strange about the house?”

“It wasn’t that far from our old house. I wondered why we moved in the middle of the night.”

“How old were you?”

“Six.”

“Who are your parents?”

I frown. “Marggie and Mattias Davenport.”

“Did your mother have another name?”

“No.”

“What was her name before she got married?”

“I don’t know.”

“She never told you?”

I shake my head, but then another memory, long since buried and forgotten, flashes into my mind. “Thorn.”

Luke grunts slightly. “Thorn?”

“She told me I had Thorn magick. She only ever said it once. She whispered it. She was afraid my dad would hear her.”

“Show me your magick, Felix.”

I bring sparks of black lightning to my fingertips.

“Not the dark magick, the magick you were born with.”

I shake my head.

“Show me.” The command is impossible to ignore.

I bring the blue magick to my palm, forming an orb.

Luke places his hand over mine, and my breath catches. “Mine,” he says.

“But also mine.”

“Come back to me, Felix. I have something to show you.”

I blink, my head pounding after being invaded so deeply.

Luke rises and crosses over to a bookshelf on the other side of his office. He reaches for a book high up, and it zooms into his hand. He returns to sit in front of me and places the book on his lap. When he opens it, I feel a sense of familiarity. “This is the Thorn family grimoire,” he says, opening it up to a page and then turning it around so I can read. He places his fingers over a name. “This is my mother, Verity Thorn.” He slides it over. “She married Rufus Black.” He moves his finger backwards. “These are my grandparents, Christabel and Marcus Thorn.”

He then slides his finger diagonally. “Margaret Thorn and Matthew Portland.”

“Who are they?”

“Your parents.”

My gaze shoots up to his.

“You are my cousin, Felix. Fifteen hundred years, give or take, later, but your mother was my mother’s sister.”

“Why did my dad change his name?” I ask, not doubting him for one second. I felt our magick connect. “And why am I not on here?”

He shakes his head. “I was already here. I can’t answer that. But if what you say about your mother not wanting her to mention the Thorn magick to you, I would hazard a guess that they had a disagreement with Christabel and Marcus, and they ran. Possibly, your father took her away.”

“So you think that night we moved house, we moved dimensions? It makes sense, in a weird way that I’ve never thought of before.”

He nods and closes the book.

“Can I…?”

He holds it out for me.

“Thanks.”

“Thorn magick. That is what you have?”

“Combined with the Black magick. It’s potent.”

“Which is why you kept it after you were turned?”

“Possibly, although I think being from the other world was part of that. The structure is different there.”

“Where does this leave us then?” I lick my lips nervously.

“In new territory.”

“I mean with Gaida.”

He narrows his eyes, “What do you mean?”

“We both want her, yet we are related. How is that going to work?”

He smirks. “With very clear boundaries. We don’t share her together.”

My cheeks flame with embarrassment. “What?” I splutter.

He chuckles. “You have Dante for that. So do I.”

“Gods,” I mutter, holding the book up to cover half my face. “What do you think she will say?”

“One way to find out.”

“Can I be the one to tell her?”

He nods once. “Be quick in accepting this and moving on, Felix. The end of the worlds is coming.”

“Yeah,” I mutter and stand up. I leave his office and make my way back to the library, the Thorn grimoire still clutched in my hand.

I find Gaida alone and slide into the empty seat next to her. She looks up with a smile.

“Where’s Dante?” I ask.

“I sent him to bed. The daylight hours were draining him, not to mention the lack of sleep.”

“You should rest as well.”

“I will. At some point.”

She pushes the book further away from her. It’s the book which sends emotions going haywire, and I wonder if now is the best time to bring this up. But Luke is right. We need to move forward.

“I discovered something about myself.”

“Oh?”

“I am Luke’s cousin.”

Her eyes go wide. “What? How?”

“His mother and my mother were sisters. Thorns.”

“Wow. Okay. That’s huge. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I say. “It makes sense. Are you okay?”

“Me? Why do you ask?”

“Well, you and Luke are involved; you and I are going to be involved at some point.”

“We are already involved,” she murmurs.

“I mean physically.”

“And? I’m not sure I follow.”

“Does it bother you that we are related?”

She frowns. “No. Should it?”

I shrug.

“Does it bother you?”

“I mean, it’s a bit weird. If we are all eventually going to be… you know… with you… It seems a bit weird.”

“I don’t think so. But we can keep it separate if you want to.”

“That’s the thing. I don’t think I want to. I don’t want to be on the outside any more.”

“You don’t have to be. I don’t want you to be.”

“So you are okay with it?”

She smiles and leans forward to give me a soft kiss, her hand on my knee. “I’m perfectly wonderful with it.”

I breathe out relieved. I’m not sure what I expected, but I’m glad we have it figured out.

She kisses me again, her hand sliding up my thigh. I scoot closer to her, cupping the back of her neck as I deepen the kiss. Arousal slams into me, and I let out a soft groan. Slipping my hand under her dress, I grip her thigh and pull her onto my lap.

She gasps, her eyes wide as she stares down into mine. “The book,” she murmurs. “This is the book.”

I pull back, my head clearing slightly. “The book is enhancing emotions.”

“Making us want each other more urgently,” she agrees, but doesn’t move from my lap. Her eyes are dark with desire, pupils dilated.

“We should probably move away from it,” I suggest, even as my hands tighten on her hips, contradicting my words.

“Probably,” she whispers, leaning in to kiss me again.

I lose myself in the taste of her, the softness of her lips against mine. My hands slide up her sides, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin fabric of her dress. She rocks against me, drawing a groan from deep in my throat.

“Wait,” I manage, summoning every ounce of self-control I possess. “Not like this. Not because of some magickal influence.”

Gaida stills, her breath coming in short pants. “You’re right,” she says, pressing her forehead against mine. “I want our first time to be because we both choose it, not because of some ancient book’s meddling.”

With visible reluctance, she slides off my lap and moves the book further away. The fog of desire doesn’t completely dissipate, but it becomes manageable, less overwhelming, even with my cock raging to be inside her.

“Better?” she asks, smoothing down her dress.

“Clearer,” I reply. “Though I still want you just as much.”

She smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Me too. But it should be our choice, not influenced by a book.”

“When, then?” I ask, my voice rough. I know I want it now. I want it more than anything.

She takes my hand, her eyes darkening again, but this time I know it’s her own desire I’m seeing. “Soon. I want to know you, Felix. All of you. But I want to be sure it’s us making that choice.”

I nod, bringing her hand to my lips for a kiss. “I appreciate that more than you know.”

She smiles, a hint of mischief dancing in her blue eyes. “Besides, when we do get there, I don’t want to be rushed in a library where anyone could walk in.”

“Fair point,” I concede, though the image her words conjure makes my body tighten with renewed desire.

“So, tell me more about this Thorn family connection,” she says, shifting the conversation to safer ground. “Did you find out how you ended up in this world?”

I show her the grimoire. “Not entirely. But he thinks my parents might have fled from our world to this one when I was about six. I have vague memories of being woken in the middle of the night, and we moved to a new house. I always thought we’d just moved across town.”

“So your magick comes from the same source as Luke’s?”

“The Thorn line, yes. Though mine is mixed with dark magick I’ve cultivated over the years, and his is with the Black line.”

“It’s fascinating,” Gaida says, tracing the names in the grimoire with her fingertip. “All this time, you two had this connection without knowing it.”

“It explains the strange familiarity I felt toward him from the beginning,” I admit. “Something beyond just respect for his position.”

She gives me a curious look. “Do you think that’s why you ended up at MistHallow specifically? Some kind of blood calling to blood?”

“It’s possible. Magick works in ways we don’t fully understand, especially blood magick.” I close the grimoire carefully. “But enough about ancient family ties. What have you found in your research?”

Her expression sobers immediately. “Nothing good. According to the texts, when the Blood Queen and the chalice come into proximity, Draken can communicate directly with her mind.”

I tense. “Has that happened to you?”

“No,” she says. “And it’s not going to either. We need to keep that chalice as far away from me as possible.”

“No argument here. Let’s put this book away,” I suggest, eyeing it warily. “It’s tempting fate to keep it out.”

Gaida nods, closing the crimson tome carefully. As she does, I notice her fingers trembling slightly. “You should get some rest,” I say softly.

“I know,” she sighs. “We all should.”

I watch as she returns the book to its rightful place. Rising, I pick up the grimoire and take her hand when she comes back to me. Silently, we walk back to her room, and she steps inside. I can see the war raging inside her. She wants to invite me in, but she doesn’t want to pressure me. It makes it difficult to step back. “I’ll see you later,” I murmur.

She smiles and then yawns. “See you soon.”

She closes the door, and I make my way back to my room, slipping inside and collapsing on the bed. The grimoire sits next to me, and I ignore it in favour of closing my eyes. Remembering Luke’s hypnotic voice, I feel the darkness pull me under for the first time in days.