Under your spell {A Vampire Romance}

Under your spell {A Vampire Romance} [#5]

Original Publish Date: 2/6/2009

 I stepped lightly down the hall since the vampires might still be awake due to the darkness outside. Unfortunately it was winter, so that meant that they would be up more than in the summer. I recalled that Ariella said the kitchen was three doors down. In which direction?

 “Well cluck.” I said, smiling at my choice of word to replace the rhyming curse I would have said. I took a deep breath and put my hand on the doorknob. There was a slight tingling sensation in my hand, which, out of surprise, I released quickly. When I touched it again though, the sensation didn’t reappear. I turned the knob slowly and opened the door, happy to see that it was the right one. However, something in the room made me very unhappy.

 “Good morning, Lucian.” I grumbled angrily to the vampire sitting at a stool positioned at the large square island in the middle of the kitchen. His silver hair had given him away, since he was facing away from me. He turned his head to acknowledge me over his shoulder, and I found that he wasn’t a happy camper this early in the day. Or, late for him.

 What surprised me even more though, was that when he turned his head, his silver hair brushed ever so sensuously over his bare torso. Oh. My. God.

 I sucked in my breath quietly, trying so hard not to admit he was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen and jump him right there. I walked past him, completely self-conscious for the first time since god knows when, and I couldn’t stop the slight sway to my hips which I noticed he seemed to admire very closely.

 Putting him out of my mind for the time being, I searched through some cupboards at the opposite side of the vampire. Surprisingly, I found them fully stocked with food that was pretty new. I must not be the only human in the residence, because surely I could never eat all of this. I opened a cabinet next to the two adjoining ones I had just searched through, and found a fully stocked herb supply with every herb, essential oil, and bottle you could imagine. There was even some incense and a few pestle and mortars.

 A smile spread across my face at the familiar items and I went over a check list in my head for a particular potion I needed. You see, coming from a long line of witches, I naturally learned all the laws and spells I could ever imagine, and furthered that knowledge when I had been in high school. Yes, I had powers if I wanted to use them; that’s how I’d gotten my freakish abilities. Even real witches used old-fashioned herbs and oils.

 Protection was definitely what I needed. As much as I trusted Ariella’s word, I still didn’t feel safe in this place like she had so assured me. If I kept running into Lucian, I’d need a whole arsenal of protection, and, possibly, resistance. I swallowed that last thought into my mental recycle bin and reached up high for the herbs I needed. Unfortunately, I fell a little short on the height scale, and I considered climbing on the counter to get it. I grabbed the vervain instead and tried to think of how I was going to get the frankincense and myrrh.

 “Need some help?” Lucian said behind me. I nearly jumped out of my skin and I spun around with the (thankfully closed) bag of vervain in my hand.

 “Jesus Christ Lucian, you scared the shit out of me!” I yelled in his face and he smirked.

 “I seem to be doing that a lot.” He commented quietly and reached up to get down what I needed. He leaned towards me as I was in between him and the cabinets, and I flinched at the closeness. “Why do you hate being around me?” He handed me the two other herbs I needed and I sighed.

 “I don’t like vampires. Well, except Cassie and Ariella. You though, you just scare me in all sorts of ways.” I admitted and turned back around to grab a pestle and mortar and begin to make the potion. As I worked in crushing the herbs, I knew the vamp was still behind me. Suddenly I felt his hands on my shoulders, then they massaged their way down to my waist and wrapped around me. He buried his face in my hair close to my neck and inhaled slowly, savoring the scent I guessed. “What… what are you doing?” I said in a very shaky voice and he simply shushed me like a baby.