"Gage can stay until it's time for the spell, then he has to leave. Otherwise, it could hurt him."
"How?" Gage grumbles. "I've never heard of such a thing, and I've been using magic for a while."
"Have you been around spells thought up by Drackus?" I ask, looking up from the table where I'm assembling the necessary supplies - knife, silver, and a candle.
I know candles are so cliché as far as "witchcraft" goes, but Drackus has a flare for such things. I wasn't surprised when I saw it on the list of ingredients.
Holding the knife to my hand, I shake a little. I look up to see Gage concentrating far too hard on me, making me nervous.
"I changed my mind. You can go ahead and go. I can't do this when you're staring at me."
He huffs slightly and then walks out, disappearing from sight as he goes to rejoin the others. Kane stifles a grin, but I pretend not to notice.
I waft the candle flame, per Drackus's instructions - again, with the cliché theatrics. I let the cool steel bite my soft, still mortal flesh.
The blade burns against my skin as the pain sinks in, but I block it out as the blood pours. The silver - a solid silver coin I keep on hand - goes into my hand so I can cover it in my blood.
Kane struggles to keep his control as the need to fulfill his need for my blood becomes harder with the strong scent of the red slipping freely from my veins. I'm dreading the intimacy of this spell, but if it works, then it'll be justified in the end.
I step closer, and press the coin against his chest, using my magic to make it stay in place.
"Can I ask what the coin is for?" he muses, trying to act unaffected, though he's clearly shaking.
"Silver is a great grounding mechanism for magic. It'll hold the power to you, letting you absorb the spell instead of it half-ass working."
He smirks, and then I shiver as I stare at my hand. "This next part is a little... intimate. I have to draw the blood to my mouth and deliver it to yours."
He smiles bigger, seeming to enjoy that. "And you were going to let him watch? You're a little more spiteful than I realized."
Maybe I am spiteful, but I chickened out, unable to do to Gage what he did to me.
"Just be careful not to nick me with your fangs. That'll ruin the spell. It'll be intense for a second; you'll need to hold onto me. Once I've delivered the blood to your mouth, I'll silently chant the spell, and you're going to get dizzy. If it gets too bad, let me know, and I'll give you more blood."
He nods while parting his legs for me to come stand between as I pull the blood from my hand to my mouth. The bitter tang of metallic red taints my mouth. I'm ready to hurry up and get rid of it before I'm sick.
He smiles a little more as I lean forward. His hands grip me at my waist, pulling me closer, his touch feeling so familiar and so much better than I remember. Then again, I'm very vulnerable right now.
My lips slide over his as I pour the blood in, and like the devil he is, he slips his tongue into my mouth, pulling me closer to make this more like a kiss than a transfer. I almost give in, but when his grip tightens, I remember what I'm supposed to be doing.
I pull back, leaving him breathless as the high of my blood rushes him, and he licks his lips while gripping my ass.
Free from me, free from my blood; Let all the ties be undone.
I had been expecting him to get dizzy, but I hadn't expected this to make me so fuzzy. He pulls me closer as the room seems to spin around us, making me clutch him for stability.
"More," he whispers, and I pull my hand to my mouth, drawing in the blood and then I proceed pouring it into his mouth once more.
This time, one of his hands tangles in my hair as his other grips me at my waist and forces me into the kiss. I remind myself it's the blood, the addiction, and the intimate spell. It'd be nice if Drackus could draw up something that didn't have me kissing my ex with a mouthful of my own blood.
He moans as his tongue plays in my mouth, but I withdraw, steadying myself after the heady flow of the power starts to subside.
"Kiss me," he murmurs softly. "Kiss me because you want to."
I shiver at his request as tears breach my eyes. "No."
He jerks me back to him, standing to press me against the counter. "I'm cured; you're free from the bond... Kiss me. Let's see how real we are."
I stare up at him, wishing I could go back, but I can't. Too much has been said. Too much has changed.
