Blood Thirsty

Ch. 16: Hydrangeas

Sitting back on the witch's table, Anthony tried not to think of anything to avoid disappointment. If Anthony had hoped, he'd hope this crazy woman figured out a way to cure him, and he wouldn't constantly crave Knox's flesh.

Beatrix had just arrived back in the castle, freshly tanned and shiny from her vacation. "Let me do some tests," she said and before he could answer, she pricked his finger, taking a droplet of blood to the other side of the room to do Anthony could never guess what. He fussed with his fingernails, impatiently watching Beatrix's back.

Since the party, Anthony had spent a week keeping things low key and calm, as promised.

"Are you for real? Or is that all for show?" Anthony asked, unable to stew in silence. He had watched this woman pass a crystal over his small vial of blood, mix it into a potion bottle with some other liquid until it blackened. She left it on the side to smoke.

"Just because you don't know what I'm doing, doesn't mean I don't," she said, side-eying Anthony from over her shoulder. She smirked. "Don't worry. It'll be bad for me if you turned into a monster, too."

"I just need to know if you're serious."

"Of course, I'm serious." She turned fully now, raising her brow. "What gives you the impression I'm not?"

"You just got back from vacation."

Beatrix laughed and set down his blood. She relaxed against her workbench and crossed her arms. "This is my job. Not my life. Your majesty, I can separate the two. Rest assure when I clock in, I will work hard, but when I go home, I'm with my husband. I'm enjoying my life."

"This isn't your life's work?"

Beatrix snorted and turned back around. "Absolutely not. Love is my life's work."

Anthony was glad she turned around, so she wouldn't see the face he was making. He'd say he appreciated her honestly if it wasn't so absurd. To be a coven's in-house, which must mean she had the talent and for her not to seem to care about anything by herself. A whole coven of people was suffering, and she was just treating this like any other job.

A knock on the door made Anthony perk his head up. Knox let himself inside. "Hello."

Anthony was already flushing.

There had never been a man in Anthony's life that made him this nervous. Nobody had ever surprised him. All the guys Anthony had been remotely interested in had never gotten better over time. It was making Anthony crazy. He needed this man to develop more flaws immediately. There was a catch, and eventually, it was going to ensnare him like a bear trap, breaking him when it was too late to save himself.

"Just checking on Anthony's status," he told Beatrix. He stepped towards her, but she waved him away.

"Nothing has changed. His mutation is still paused. I think I need to run more tests, but in the meantime, I can come up with a list of ingredients I need."

As she explained, Knox glanced at Anthony with a coy little smile that punched a hole in Anthony's chest. The warning bell in Anthony's head always rang when he saw Knox. On one hand, he was terrified if this man was just going to come over and kiss him or not. Anthony wished he'd just come over and kiss him already, but also he wished Knox would just get out. The tumultuous feelings were the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to Anthony, and Knox wasn't allowed to know any of it. Knox would enjoy it too much.

"Just make the list," Knox said. He left her side, sauntering over to Anthony as he crossed his arms. He nudged Anthony's leg hanging off the table. "How are you? Are you behaving?"