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  Dreven seemed a bit startled as he looked down at his hands. He then closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.

  “Well now, that is odd. I am not hungry anymore. I am not sure of what happened, but I feel no need to feed now. Amazing!” He exclaimed.

  Just then the node vanished, its power having been released from the earth. Rodelle let go of his hands reluctantly and he stood up, reaching back down to help her to stand.

  “Rodelle, you have no reason to grant me any requests, but in light of what just happened do you think we could try that again sometime? I would like to know if this is something that can help control my hunger, or if it is just a one-time happenstance.”

  His eyes held a pleading quality, something she was sure he had never shown to anyone else. Yet she was sure she had seen it before but couldn’t remember when.

  “Of course! How long does it usually take for the cravings to start?” She asked him.

  “Within a few days, sometimes sooner.”

  “Okay. Then let’s try again in five days, unless the cravings happen sooner then you let me know. I am more than happy to help you with this.” She felt so excited at their possible new discovery, yet even more excited that she had done something to help him. To make him happy.

  Dreven reached out and took her by the shoulders, drawing her closer to him. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead that lingered for a couple of seconds, then took a step back. His hands were still warm, and his lips had been even warmer. Leaving a hot spot on her forehead where they just were.

  “I thank you. Now I must go. I have a breakfast meeting with the elders and a few members of the rescue teams. We will be heading out to help with the wolf village rescue in a few days’ time.” Dreven let go of her shoulders. “Until later, Rodelle.”

  She watched him walk away, feeling the absence of his hands on her shoulders. The absence of his hands holding hers. Still feeling the spot on her forehead where his lips were just a moment ago. And she chided herself for feeling so strongly for this man, when she just barely knew him.

  Chapter 10

  Walking away from Rodelle was the hardest thing he had done in a long time, but he needed to attend this meeting. He walked slowly across the back lawns and thought about the hour they had spent together. It was the longest they had spent alone so far since she had come here.

  He felt that sometimes he was merely finding excuses to spend time with her. But the real reason was that she was just comfortable to be around. And she never rejected him for what he was. She wanted to help him.

  He never really thought he needed help. He was powerful, more so than any vampire in the house besides Alarin. And probably more so than the vampire leader, if it were truly put to the test. He was much older than Alarin.

  But Alarin was affected by the spell on Hartman House, where as he was not. He had to hide each time he went out hunting. He had enough control to never kill anyone, to never leave a trail that could lead back to him.

  But maybe now he would not need to feed at all. He would have to wait it out a few days and see. It would be a long wait to get to spend time with Rodelle again. Was there anything else he could do to spend time with her in the meantime?

  His thoughts were interrupted by Dirk’s yelling, and Dreven realized he had already reached the Elders’ office and was standing just outside of it. Smiling at himself and his wandering thoughts of Rodelle, he opened the door and walked in.

  The room became silent as he entered.

  “Well do not become silent on my account, the whole House could hear you before I even entered.” Dreven steeled himself, trying to be patient. He just did not care to deal with the leaders’ bickering right now. The peace that Rodelle had brought to him by her presence was threatening to crack already.

  “Dreven is right, Dirk. Please do calm your temper. We agree that a rescue is imminent for the village, and your shouting will do more harm than good right now.” Morgain chastised Dirk. The strain on the elder witch’s face showed that the argument had been going on for a while before Dreven showed up.

  Dirk threw his hands up in the air and marched to the back of the room to sit on the window seat.

  Alarin was in the corner of the room, next to the door of his private office, leaning against the wall. Anyone else would not have spotted him so easily, but having supernatural senses as honed as Dreven’s meant that very little could hide from him.

  Nodding at Dreven, Alarin moved away from the wall and walked over to sit in a chair close to Morgain. He waved his hand toward a chair, indicating that Dreven should sit with them.

  “I will stand for now, thank you. I have too much energy to sit at the moment.” Dreven said.

  Alarin raised an eyebrow at him. Dreven just shrugged, not feeling it important to explain himself. What he had just shared with Rodelle was too private to share, even if it had had nothing to do with their little experiment.

  He had been having trouble keeping his feelings from his face around Alarin lately. Vampires tended to either feel very little, or their desires bordered on passionate fanaticism. There wasn’t much in between those two areas.

  Keeping Alarin thinking that he was neutral where Rodelle was concerned was getting difficult. But after how the previous vampire-human relationship in the House had ended, the last thing he needed was for Alarin to become alarmed and split them apart by either turning Rodelle away or having Dreven locked up.

  He already knew how he felt about the witch whose body housed his soulmate. And he would tear anyone apart who tried to keep him from her.

  The last thought was a bit startling to him. If he was feeling this overprotective of Rodelle, maybe he needed to spend some time away from her. Distance himself for a while. He really did not want to come between her and the friends she had made here. He knew she did not have many friends before coming to the House.

  Her friends were all pleasant enough, in their own way. Except for Guy. He always felt a bad…what do they say now?... vibe. Yes, he always felt a bad vibe around him. Dreven would need to keep an eye on him. Well that takes his distancing himself from her idea and flies it right out the proverbial window.

  Alarin was still watching him. Dreven sincerely hoped all the emotions he just felt were not rolling across his face like he felt they were.

  “You look a bit conflicted, Dreven.” Alarin said to him.

  Damn.

  “I was hoping to come in here and find a task for me. I really hate languishing about the House when there is work to be done.” Dreven said.

  “See! Even the vampire can see that we need to act upon the wolf village rescue!” Dirk interjected loudly.

  “I did not say a word about wolves. I am not so ready as you are to give up my living quarters.”

  “We agreed to take the other half of the basement, not your side.” Dirk puffed out his chest at the seeming challenge.

  “Yes well, we bring in enough of your kind they will take over the whole basement. Everyone knows wolves breed like rabbits.” Dreven almost regretted the low blow, but the comment left the werewolf leader stammering and red-faced.

  The fact that this made Dreven smile was not lost on the other two leaders.

  “Well I think I have had enough for one morning.” Morgain stated as she stood up. “Dirk do be quiet for a moment, and Dreven…I have a rescue for you, if you would please calm yourself enough to listen.”

  “My apologies madame. Please do tell me of this rescue.”

  Morgain stopped herself just short of rolling her eyes. “Your enchanting accent does not work on me. Now, there are two vampires locked up in a warehouse just outside the city. Newly turned, not yet fed. We have no idea who turned them, or why they are being kept locked up.”

  “Vampires. Please do not take my disinterest in my own kind as a slight against you, Morgain, but why do you want them alive?” Dreven was not so partial to other vampires, especially new ones. Vampires in general did not feel tied to others of th
eir kind, unless they had known one another before their transition.

  “Because they have not yet fed, and I think if we can bring them here under the spell we may abate their need to ever drink of human blood. Call it an experiment if you must. But I also do not want them unleashed on the human populace in full height of hunger, and I am afraid that will happen if we do not act soon.” Morgain explained.

  “I do not think a full team will be necessary, nor will it do any good to these two who are most undoubtedly scared and confused at the same time. We should not run in and frighten them. That will only serve to anger them, and hungry vampires are quite dangerous. If they’ve gone feral it will be even more dangerous.” Alarin templed his hands together in front of him.

  “I thought you have described feral vampires as those who cannot get enough blood? These two have not fed yet.” Morgain asked.

  “Near enough to starvation that the possible feeding frenzy would turn them feral quick enough. Either way, it would be a bloodbath that we wish to avoid entirely.” Alarin explained.

  At that, Morgain stood up, stating clearly with her posture that no more talk was necessary.

  “Alright. I will sneak into the warehouse and assess the situation.” Dreven turned to go.

  “Take someone with you. You know the rule, we always work in teams of two or more. If this scouting mission can possibly be turned into a rescue, you’ll need the help.” Dirk said, with a superior tone.

  Always a man of the last word. Oh, how Dreven sincerely disliked that guy.

  “Yes, sir. We will set out after dusk.” Dreven did not want to give the satisfaction of naming who he wanted to take with him to the wolf leader. Let him find out on his own.

  Chapter 11

  Rodelle was incredibly excited when Dreven asked her to pair up with him on a rescue. Usually after he visited her, she wouldn’t see him for a day or two. So, she jumped at the chance to spend time with him again so soon. And her first chance at a rescue!

  She had been too excited to be nervous at first. Rushing around her room to gather what she thought she may need, her thoughts were racing too fast to make sense to herself.

  How much magic could she use? How much SHOULD she use? She didn’t know how new vamps were affected by magic, she only knew Dreven.

  The thought of the tall, silver eyed hunk stopped her in her tracks for a moment.

  ‘Concentrate!’ She scolded herself.

  She drew in a deep breath and after letting it out she popped open a box on her bedside table. The box was full of stones wrapped individually in velvet bags. Each bag held its own spellstone. Some were still ‘brewing’ as Rodelle called it. Some were complete and ready for trial.

  Tonight, would be just as good as any other time to try.

  She picked out two iolite stones, known as vision stones, and nested them into copper wire baskets that were each strung with a leather cord. She then retied the velvet bag over each nested stone.

  She also picked out a small bag with 4 different jasper stones. Jaspers of all kinds were known for protection. This particular spell she had brewed up was an all in one protection spell, when activated would shield her from any physical touch. Like her own personal bubble. The more she thought about that, the more she wished she could use it on a daily basis.

  A light knock on her door made her jump and spin around before calling out “Who’s there?”

  “Just me. I hope I did not frighten you.” Dreven’s amazing accent rolled through the door and immediately put her at ease. Was it really evening time already? How lost in her thoughts had she been?

  She quickly moved to the door and opened it. Smiling at him she stepped back making room for him.

  “Do you need to be invited?” She asked him after his moment of hesitation.

  He chuckled and smiled his lopsided smile at her, as he strode across the threshold. “No. Merely a formality. In my time men were not allowed inside a woman’s chambers. Old habits, as they say.” His eyes roamed around her sparsely decorated room.

  “Um, yeah, not much to see here. I have never really been much of a decorator. Never stayed in one place long enough to want to.” Rodelle shrugged, a bit embarrassed. “You said ‘in your time’, when exactly was your time?” She was very curious about Dreven’s past but was afraid to push him. Alarin had mentioned it was dark.

  “It was the Lord’s year 1475, and I was two and twenty years of age. I suppose I still am, physically, since that was the year I was turned.” Dreven’s eyes went a bit out of focus, lost for the moment in a distant memory.

  Rodelle reached out and grasped his hand, squeezing lightly. “I am sorry if I brought up anything painful. I was merely curious...”

  Dreven smiled down at her, his silver eyes shining. “I am sure I will tell you my whole story in due time. But alas, tonight we have other pressing matters.” He squeezed her hand in return, then let go. “What is it you have there?”

  “Oh! I almost forgot. These are some spell stones I have been working on. Here.” She removed the bag from one of the iolites and showed it to him. “This is a vision stone. It will let you be seen only when you want to. It takes a great deal of power to charge it, and the magic will dissipate over time.”

  She slowly reached up and placed the cord around his neck, then drew the bag back up over the stone and closed it.

  Her hand lingered on the necklace for a moment, ring and pinky finger touching his chest. Feeling his heart beat and his breath draw under her fingers.

  Vampires were nothing like she thought.

  She looked up at him and met his eyes. He smiled at her as she pulled her hands away slowly.

  “It seems your eyes do not only change color after using magic.”

  “What do you mean?” She turned to look into her vanity mirror.

  Sure enough, her eyes had turned color. But instead of getting brighter as they did when practicing magic, they were dark. The deepest shade of brown she had ever seen.

  She turned back to Dreven, dumbfounded. “I have no idea why that would happen.”

  “Oh, I do. But now is not the time nor place to discuss it.” He turned aside and held his arm out to her, signaling they should go.

  Rodelle slipped her iolite over her head, tucked her bag of jaspers in her front pocket, and taking his arm, walked with him to the stairs. Reaching the bottom of the stairs he let go of her arm and walked briskly to the front door.

  Closing the door after them, he stopped. “I think it would be faster if I carried you there.”

  She spun around on him, startled at his suggestion. Not quite understanding what he meant.

  “I am quite capable of walking.”

  “No, I only mean that if I were to carry you I could run there. We vampires move incredibly fast. I could have us there in a mere moment.”

  “Oh.” That made sense. But still, it was weird. Was it weird? She was just too independent sometimes. “Okay. I’m trusting you not to whoosh me off somewhere that I don’t know how to get back here from.”

  His lopsided grin made her smile. He would never harm her. She just knew that.

  Dreven swooped her up into his arms dramatically. She gasped and flung her arms around his neck. Dreven chuckled at her.

  “Ready?” He asked.

  She closed her eyes. “Now or never.”

  ---

  They reached the old warehouse in just a few minutes time. Setting her down, Dreven held onto her waist for a moment just to make sure she was steady before he let go.

  She finally opened her eyes and looked up at him.

  “Are you alright?” He asked her.

  “That was a rush! Maybe next time I will keep my eyes open.” Despite her verbal reassurances, Dreven wasn’t so sure she was really that thrilled with the run.

  “Well, let us proceed then. Remember vampires have excellent hearing, so let us approach as quietly as possible.” He led the way, walking on the balls of his feet like a hunter. He was surprised at f
irst how stealthy Rodelle was, walking along behind him making barely a whisper of a noise. Then he remembered the fact that she had been running and hiding from other’s who hunted her for most of her life.

  The thought that she had been threatened for her entire life and he had known nothing about it nor had been able to do anything for her had him suddenly furious. He didn’t even realize that he had come to a complete stop and was standing with his eyes closed until Rodelle tapped him on the shoulder.

  He spun around to face her, seeing her brow scrunched up in confusion. He immediately let go of his rage, seeing her here in front of him. He may not have been involved in her past in this life, but he was here now.

  And he would keep her safe.

  “Is everything alright?” Rodelle whispered.

  “Yes, now it is. There is something I wish to discuss with you, however, when we have time to spare.”

  “Okay. Are you sure you are alright?” She cocked her head to the side, contemplating him.

  He gave her a small smile. “Yes. Let us be done with this…business.”

  He turned back around and continued silently walking around the building, looking for an entrance. As they came around the next corner, he spied a window about ten feet above them. It was open. However, there was no easy way to reach it. At least not for Rodelle.

  There was a ledge that came away from the window, with a metal railing around it. It looked like there had once been an escape ladder attached to one end, but there was no trace of the ladder anywhere.

  Dreven turned to Rodelle and gave her a very meaningful look. She started to shake her head in confusion until Dreven reached out and with his fingers drew her eyes closed.

  As soon as her eyes were shut, he grabbed her around the waist and leapt with her up to the landing. Once they landed he placed his fingers over her mouth to keep her from making any noise.

  By the way her wide eyes were sparkling at him over his hand, he knew she would not make any noise. After he withdrew his hand she pursed her lips at him in annoyance. It was such a silly look, he almost laughed. Instead he smiled at her and shrugged.