Chapter Eleven

I followed him outside and into the evening air. He sat down at the table and put his head in his hands.

I sat beside him. “Hey.”

He didn’t look up. “Hey.”

“Don’t stress this. It’s not going to happen overnight. And you need to know, you have nothing to prove.”

“I have everything to prove.” He spoke quietly, his voice almost a whisper.

“No you don’t,” I reassured him. “Marco, I think we all believe you. Especially after today.”

He simply sighed. We were silent for a little while until I finally spoke up.

“So, you’re quite powerful and educated in spells. You were next in line for the sage role?”

“Yes,” he leaned forward and looked at the floor. “But, I screwed it up. As usual.”

“What happened?”

“Morgyn didn’t tell you?” He looked at me. “I know he brought it up when I was demanding our reentry into the realm.”

“I’m sure there’s more to the story than that.” I smiled slightly, further trying to reassure him.

He sighed again. “I had started learning dark magic on my own time. I knew I shouldn’t, but I did it anyway. I got cocky, much like I was when Damien and I came back. Another student challenged me to a duel. When I lost, I got angry. I used black magic on him. I still didn’t really know what I was doing and the spell failed. So I resorted to hitting him.” He balled his hand up into a fist. “I immediately regretted it, and not because I was caught. I felt stupid for letting anger and cockiness get to me. An investigation showed that Damien and I both knew dark magic. We were banished by Morgyn, since he was the most powerful sage. This made my anger worse. I envied him. He was younger than me and held the highest position of power in the realm. I thought ‘why isn’t that me? Am I not good enough?’ And so, my anger and jealousy grew. Being banished and away from the place I loved just made it worse, and Morgyn became the target of my rage.”

“So you went back.”

“Yes, finally,” he nodded. “I can conjure visions. Like this.” He held out his hands and summoned what looked like a white screen. Within it, an image of Morgyn talking to Jewel appeared. “It’s like a video recording I guess. This is happening right now, inside. I always did this, obsessively, every day to see what was going on in the realm. When they added you as a new sage, something within me snapped. I was angry that you all came out of the dragon war practically unscathed. I….it was Damien’s idea to create a war. We conjured magic to make the dragons rebel. We caused that war. It was our plan to weaken all of you to take control of the realm. Morgyn dying wasn’t part of the plan, so I was happy when he was revived. I wanted him to see me take control. I wanted him to feel the pain I felt. The anger, the jealousy. All of it.” He stopped and put his head down. “God.” His voice broke. “I regret so much. I just want to go back and change it.”

“Marco.” I stood up. “Follow me.”

He lifted his head. “What?” He stood up.

I didn’t say anything, but hugged him tightly. “That’s over now. I can’t speak for everyone, but I can say I forgive you. Okay?”

He nodded.

We pulled away and he laughed a little. “And maybe one day, miss therapist, I could tell you about my childhood.”

I grinned. “I’ll be waiting.”

We laughed and stepped back into the apartment.

Morgyn greeted us. He and Jewel were working on a project together. I watched as Marco headed over to the bookshelf to grab a spellbook. He went back outside to read it.

“Hey guys,” I smiled, sitting on the floor with them. I know I probably looked like hell. The day had been such an emotional roller coaster.

“Hi!” Jewel exclaimed happily. She drew a series of lines on a sheet of paper. She started adding shapes to various places between the lines. I realized she was creating another blueprint. She looked back up at me. “My art teacher loved my blueprints so much that she told me I could make a blueprint for my dream home for extra credit.”

I smiled from ear to ear. “That’s great! I can’t wait to see the finished product.”

She also smiled. “It’s done. I drew that one at school. This is something new. Maybe a second kind of dream home.”

I giggled. “Well, with skills like that, you’ll definitely be making enough money to own two dream homes.”

She laughed. “Yes! And this one here will be two on one property. So you can have your own space too!”

I smiled, watching her as she went back to drawing.

“We were talking about her birthday party,” Morgyn grinned. “We said we would ask you about how many friends to invite.”

“The more, the merrier!” I smiled warmly at them. “As long as they all fit in that place.” I found myself giggling at my own joke.

Jewel laughed. “I really only have a couple close friends, and they’ve been here.”

I nodded. “Just let us know so we can plan food and cake stuff.”

She continued drawing her lines, objects, and symbols for windows and doors, concentrating and forgetting the world around her. I watched her in awe. She had a fascinating imagination and it showed in her designs. Her big dreams were right there for everyone to see.

After a little while, she smiled at me. “Well I guess I have something to show you.” She reached into her bag. “I finished my design for this place.” She handed me a couple slips of paper; one for downstairs and one for upstairs. She held a few more. “And if you like that, I have ideas for paint and paneling and all that.”

I smiled happily, looking over her new designs. It was beautiful and spacious, but completely different from how it looked now.

“I love it!” I exclaimed.

She handed me the other two papers happily. She had drawn swatches of wallpaper, wood paneling and miscellaneous colors she thought might compliment the designs if the rooms were painted that color. I looked them over and nodded. “This is great, Jewel, thank you!” As I continued to look at the blueprints, I saw it was graded as extra credit. “Wait,” I said, looking closer. I saw a smile form on her lips as the realization hit me.

“My dream home is our home,” she said. “Just, maybe a little different.”

I smiled widely and hugged her tightly. “That really means a lot!” I felt tears in my eyes. “Thank you.”

She hugged me back, happily.

I handed her the papers. “I’ll make some calls.”

She jumped excitedly and bounded back off to her room. I laughed softly as she went off. She was such a sweet girl.

Marco came back in, almost running into her. He laughed and put the book back on the shelf.

“She’s a lively one,” he grinned.

I smiled happily. “She is.”

“So, if you don’t mind me asking, why…” he gestured toward Jewel’s door. “Well, I guess I mean, just why?

“She was treated poorly by her family. Really looked up to Morgyn and I and we gave her a place to stay. She sees us as her parents.”

Marco smiled. “That’s actually…really nice.”

We were all quiet for awhile.

“Well,” Marco broke the silence. “I need to go finalize some stuff with the apartment. Do you need me for anything else?”

I shook my head. “Nah. You have the night off.” I grinned.

He laughed. “Well then, have a good night.”

And with that, he was off.”

Morgyn came up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I smiled and leaned into him.

“Are you alright?” He asked quietly, resting his hand on my belly.

I closed my eyes, feeling his breath on my neck. “Yeah. I’m good.”

He lifted his head and smiled. “I’ll be checking in on you a lot.”

I turned to face him. “I don’t mind. I really appreciate it.”

The next few days passed quickly. I kept myself busy in the realm, then worked with Morgyn and Marco at home. We were also planning the renovations of the apartment. I was thankful for Jewel’s drawings and ideas, because I wouldn’t have known where to start. Thinking about the finished product always made me smile. We agreed to have the contractors come the weekend we were due to vacation in Mount Komorebi. We knew Ambrosia would want to stay longer than a weekend, so it worked out.

As for the spell, we weren’t making much progress. We knew it would take awhile, but every time we thought we had something, it never turned out the way we planned. Marco continued to train me, and he decided to have me practice on him.

“I think you’re ready,” he said with a smile.

I shook my head. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Just cast the ones that don’t do much damage,” he explained. “Toss me around, pin me, you know, tame stuff.”

I was hesitant, but finally agreed. I first cast a hypnosis spell, hypnotizing him so I could potentially bend him to my will. But I broke the spell without actually controlling him.

“Very nice,” he praised.

I picked him up with magic, moving him from side to side, then placing him back down.

He put his hand on his chest. “Okay, that freaked me out, but you did great.” Let’s do something impromptu.” He quickly gripped my wrists tightly.

“What are you doing?” I asked, panicked. Was he turning on us?

“Testing you,” he said. His expression was genuine, teacher to student. At least I hoped. “I’ve grabbed your arms. What do you do to get out of it?”

“Kick you in the nuts,” I joked.

He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes with an amused smile. “Really?”

I laughed. “No.” I quickly cast a dark repel spell, throwing him off of me. I stepped over him and held my palm flat in front of me, pinning him to the ground with magic. “Fight back,” I encouraged.

He tried to lift his arm, but couldn’t. He closed his eyes and summoned the same repel, jumping up and holding me in place with magic. I counteracted with a shield, throwing his own magic back at him. It slightly backfired, causing us both to become airborne and we landed as a heap on the grass.

I stood up quickly as Marco began to laugh, out of breath. “Damn, you’re good!”

I held out my hand, pulling him up.

“Very good,” he beamed.

I smiled happily. “You’re a good teacher.” My expression shifted. “I’m sorry I doubted you when you grabbed my arms.”

He shrugged. “Now you know I can’t really bend you to my will, huh?” He smiled. “You can just conjure something stronger.”

I noticed a small bit of magic crackle from his arm. Worried that I had gotten him close to overload, I lowered my shield and took his hand, causing a massive shock. We both fell to the ground. My arms crackled and fizzled, so I cast a discharge spell, returning myself to normal.

“Oh,” he smiled. “Thanks.”

“I don’t want history to repeat itself,” I smiled back.

“Let’s take a break,” he suggested.

I nodded in agreement. “I see black magic drains us quickly.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Any dark magic does, really. But it also builds charge dangerously quickly, as you saw.”

“Mhm,” I nodded again.

We sat down on the artificial grass on the terrace.

“For a long time, I regretted practicing dark magic,” Marco said quietly. He smiled warmly at me. “I’m starting to not regret it.” He laid down and looked at the sky. “I never thought it would actually be useful for something good.”

I watched him. “Maybe everything happens for a reason.”

“Maybe.” He closed his eyes and inhaled. “And I never wanted to care about others. I wanted to stay isolated. Life’s easier when you only care about yourself.” He sat up and looked at me again. “But I’m glad I changed that mindset too.”

I gazed back at him, not sure of what to say.

He laughed softly. “I made that a tad awkward.” He laid back down.

“I…” I stopped. “I’m glad you did too.”

Morgyn came out. “Oh there you are! I saw you guys dueling, but then you disappeared. I thought something happened.”

Marco sat back up. “Something did happen,” he grinned at me. “She kicked my ass.”

Morgyn smiled. “Quick learner.”

I playfully bowed. “Thank you.”

Lilith came outside with Kris following close behind.

“Jade, you should go to my house. Caleb really needs you. I don’t know how to help him.” Lilith hung her head.

She didn’t have to tell me twice. I grabbed her shoulder, and in a flash, we were gone. I marched my way into the manor and Caleb met me at the door.

“What are you doing here?” He growled, looking at me.

Lilith brushed past us and headed upstairs.

“I want to help you,” I said quietly. I moved forward to pull him into a hug, but he pushed me backwards.

“I don’t need or want your help,” he said plainly.

“Why?”

“You betrayed me.”

“Wh-what?” I asked, shocked.

“Marco.”

“What about him?”

“You and Morgyn asked for his help! What are you trying to do?”

I rolled my eyes. “Caleb, you know the answer to that!”

“I don’t want to see you.” Caleb started to walk away.

“Well, you don’t have a choice!” I barked, teleporting in front of him. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I have ways to stop you,” he growled.

“And I have ways to stop you,” I argued. “So don’t play this game with me.”

He started to walk away again.

“Caleb!” I shouted. “I’m trying to talk to you!” I teleported in front of him again and without thinking twice cast a hypnosis spell.

Caleb stopped and just stared at me.

“Calm down,” I said. “I’m just doing this to try to get through to you. Marco is not going to hurt you. I’m not going to hurt you. You just need to stay calm and let us work.”

Caleb nodded.

“I’m obviously not going to keep you under mind control, but you need to be mindful and calm. Trust the process. We’re going to help you.” I took his hands. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said, closing his eyes.

I released him from the spell and gazed at him. “Do you remember what I told you?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“What is going on anyway?”

“I just want this to be over,” he sighed. “I start to not feel like myself, and then I just can’t control it. I just want to be back home with you and Morgyn. I want to see Jewel. I want to feel like myself!” He held his hands up to his head. “Make it stop! Make it stop!”

I grabbed him. “Shhh, shhh. We’re trying.”

He hugged me. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, my love. We will get this figured out.”

He sighed. “You should go.”

“What?” I pulled away. “Why?”

“I can’t control it. Until you have a spell, maybe you should just leave me alone.”

“Caleb, I can’t-“

“Please.”

I sighed and headed for the door. “We will figure it out.”

Once outside, I teleported home. I stepped out onto the terrace again, meeting with Marco, Morgyn and Kris. I sat down and explained what happened.

“Jeez, what is his problem?” Morgyn groaned.

Kris stared off. “It’s Vlad,” he said quietly. “He has now been able to manifest himself into a spirit. But he’s messing with Caleb’s mind, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. He doesn’t even think Vlad is dead anymore, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Vlad was feeding him nonsense about you and Marco.”

“What?” Marco and I asked, in unison.

“Caleb would know that’s not true!” I continued.

“Under normal circumstances, yes.” Kris nodded. “But this is different.”

I pursed my lips and sighed. “He’s getting angrier. I’m actually worried for Lilith.”

“Nah,” Kris smiled slightly. “Lilith can take him.”

I glared at him. “If Vlad is manifesting himself, then Caleb isn’t the only threat.”

His eyes widened. “Y-yeah…”

“Uh,” Marco spoke up. “Not to be the idiot here, but what if Vlad was revived again? Wouldn’t that solve all of this?”

“That’s not an option,” Morgyn and I said together.

Marco nodded. “I see.”

As we continued to talk, we all agreed that we should warn Lilith of Vlad’s spirit, now that he had actually manifested himself. I took out my phone to call her, but there was no answer. “That’s weird,” I said, staring at the phone. I dialed again. Nothing. I bit my lip nervously. I needed to check on Lilith.

Kris saw my expression and immediately knew. We nodded to each other and I teleported us to Wolfsbane Manor. I marched up onto the porch and knocked on the door.

There was no response. Kris knocked louder. Silence.

Angry and scared, I forced the door open with magic. There was nothing. No sound. Were they even here?

Kris walked into the living room as I headed up the stairs. I carefully checked the rooms. Nothing. I even went up into the crawl space attic. Nothing.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. Sure, they weren’t here, but where were they? Why wasn’t Lilith answering the phone?

“Caleb?” I heard Lilith call. “Why did you leave-AAAAH!”

Her scream made me run down the stairs in a flash. When I got to the bottom, Kris and Lilith were laughing.

“Sorry!” Kris giggled. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s alright. I guess I’m a bit jumpy.” She looked between us. “Why are you here?”

“I tried to call, but you didn’t answer,” I explained. “I got worried.”

“Oh, I left my phone here while I went for a jog.” Lilith smiled warmly.

“Where is Caleb?” I looked around.

Lilith gestured outside. “He went for a walk.” She thought for a moment. “A while ago actually.”

“He’s not here,” I said.

Kris pulled Lilith into a hug. “You need to keep a close eye on him.”

“Why?” She asked, confused.

Kris gazed at her with a sad expression. “I’m worried about Vlad taunting him. With Vlad able to manifest himself, we think maybe both of you are in danger.”

Her eyes widened. “We should go find Caleb then.”

We raced out the door in search of him. We found him quickly, sitting by the water. He heard us walking up behind him and turned around.

My heart skipped a beat as his eyes met mine. He clearly wasn’t pleased with me being there. But, to my surprise, he didn’t say a word. He turned his gaze to Kris, his expression softening. He stood up and approached him.

“Kris.” He smiled genuinely. “I thought you…”

Kris nodded. “I’m here.”

I smiled a little. Kris knew to play along.

“Wow, that’s a relief,” Caleb smiled. “Just another lie from Vlad.”

Kris shook his head. “Yes, don’t worry, buddy. I’m here.”

Lilith and I smiled, watching this interaction. Caleb was acting like himself around Kris. Sighing, I stepped away, walking through the town in silence. I understood why Caleb was distancing himself, but the way he was acting was that this wasn’t protection of those he loved. It was complete avoidance, as if he just didn’t want anything to do with us.

As I approached the walkway to Vlad’s house, I was startled by a woman. “Ooooh,” she grinned as she approached me. “Spellcaster blood.”

I sighed. Here we go again. “Yeah, yeah, if you’re going to bite me, just get it over with.”

“So you’re a willing participant?” She grinned, moving closer. Her face shifted into something far more menacing as she entered her dark form. Her hair changed to a tall green mohawk as her clothes changed to black leather pants and a red fishnet shirt.

“Wait,” I said, furrowing my brow. “I know you.”

She stopped and looked at me. “What?”

“You turned Caleb. And Ruby.” I stared at her blankly.

“How do you know that?” She growled.

“I saw it,” I grinned, putting my hand in my pocket, readying myself to cast a spell.

“That’s impossible.” She continued to step closer.

“It is, though?” I laughed quietly. I held out my hand, radiating magic that froze her in place. “Have you ever heard of reincarnation?”

“What the hell are you doing?” She barked.

“Having fun.” I stepped closer. “Vampires aren’t the only dangerous ones.”

My fun was short lived as Caleb shot in front of me, breaking the connection and stopping the spell.

“Hell!” He snarled.

“Caleb, running to protect his little girlfriend. Typical.” Miss Hell sighed and crossed her arms.

He didn’t acknowledge her words. “Get the hell out of here, or I will rip you apart!”

“No, you won’t,” she laughed in a mocking way. “You’re a softy. You’ve never had it in you to be a true vampire.”

Caleb grabbed her by the neck, suspending her in the air. “From down here, it looks like you might be wrong about that.”

I couldn’t help but be amused. Caleb’s behavior was fun to watch when the person on the receiving end deserved it.

“C-Caleb!” Miss Hell struggled, gripping his hand. “Let me go. I’ll leave!”

Caleb dropped her. “Then go.”

She scurried away quickly, like a wild animal.

“You can’t just wander this town at night!” Caleb exclaimed, grabbing my shoulders. “She could easily kill you.”

“I had her frozen in place.” I squirmed out of his grasp and stepped back. When I looked at his face, he was concerned.

“She could have moved past it,” he argued.

I held my hand out, doing the same to him, frustrated with him undermining my power. “Can you?”

I couldn’t tell if he was struggling, but his face grew angrier. “Jade! Let me go!”

I giggled and stepped closer. “This is fun to watch.”

To my surprise, his expression softened, and he even started to laugh. “Okay, okay! Let me go! Please?”

I giggled and let my hand fall to my side, breaking the spell. Caleb fell forward, unexpecting to be let go so quickly. I grabbed him, stepping back to let him regain his balance. We both giggled as we gripped each other to prevent falling.

“Sorry,” I laughed, moving away from him. “You challenged me.”

“You’re powerful,” he mused. “I guess I never realized just how powerful.”

I nodded. “I am. I have a new type of power, but I don’t use it unless I need to.” I giggled softly. “Or if I want to mess around with people I love.“ I stopped and my eyes shot up to his face. “Sorry. I know you don’t need to hear that right now.”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry.” His voice was soft. “For my behavior earlier.”

“Caleb, don’t,” I said.

“I’ve saddened you. I can feel it. And I see it in your eyes.” He stepped closer. My first reaction was to look away, afraid of how quickly he may run from me, but I resisted as best I could. “See?” He continued. “Right there, you proved my point.”

“I can’t help it,” I whispered.

He nodded. “I know.” He lightly touched my shoulder and I gazed at him.

“Caleb,” I stepped closer. “This needs to stop.” I felt tears fill my eyes, and I didn’t try to stop them this time. “I don’t want to be away from you. I can’t be-” I put my head down as the rest of my words got lost in a sob.

He hugged me tightly. “I don’t want you to be apart either. But I’m afraid of Vlad, and what he’s doing to me. I’m angry at anything and everything. I’m horrible. I’m a monster.” He paused. “And I can’t stop it.” His voice shook and I realized he was crying as well. “I can’t.”

I squeezed him tighter. “I’m not giving up on you.”

He nodded, but didn’t speak.

I sighed deeply. “There are also many things I want to say, but right now, I can’t. There’s too much to explain, too much confusion.”

He pulled away from me, but still held me, our eyes meeting. “I just want this to be over. I want Vlad to leave me alone.”

“Marco, Morgyn and I are working on that. I promise, as soon as we have the spell, we will use it for you.”

He tilted my face to his, gazing into my eyes. “I believe you.”

I moved toward him. “This will be over soon. Somehow.” I rested my hand at the base of his neck as we inched closer. He closed his eyes, letting me kiss him, finally, after what felt like forever of isolation. He tightened his grip around my waist, pulling me toward him.

He smiled as we pulled away. “There,” he said with a grin. He grabbed me again playfully, swaying me from side to side. “I think we’ve both needed that.”

I giggled as he swayed me.

He pulled away and looked like he wanted to say something.

“Oh God, there you are!” Lilith interrupted us, pulling us into a hug. “I saw Hell and thought the worst.”

Caleb gritted his teeth. “She knows to leave us alone now.”

I grinned.

Kris observed how close Caleb and I were. “Did we interrupt?”

I laughed nervously, stepping away from Caleb. “No. We were talking.” Sighing, I continued, “but, we should go.” I looked at Kris. “Or at least I should.”

“I’ll go too,” he agreed. “In case Hell or any other vampire decides to cause chaos.”

I waved my hand. “Kris, I can handle it.”

“She’s right,” Caleb nodded.

“Wait,” Lilith put her hands out. “Did you run from us to protect her?” She looked at Caleb, shocked.

Caleb narrowed his eyes. “Yes, Lilith, I did. What did you e-”

I held my hand up. “Caleb.”

He shook his head. “Right, sorry.”

Lilith and Kris observed, amused.

I said my goodbyes and headed outside to let Kris have time with Lilith. Somehow, I knew Caleb would follow me out. He looked up at the sky. “You know how people use the angel and devil shoulder reference?”

I grinned. “Yes?”

“I’m realizing that maybe you’re the angel on my shoulder.” He looked back down at me with a smile.

I blushed. “I’m trying to keep you grounded.”

“It’s working,” he nodded. “You calmed me down tonight.”

I hugged him. “I’m trying. Also, I’m not on your shoulder.”

“You could be!” He exclaimed with a laugh and a playful growl as he picked me up and put me over his shoulder.

“AAAH!” I screamed, laughing. “Caleb! No! You’re going to drop me!”

He moved me carefully, but quickly, scooping me up so he was holding me in a cradling position. We laughed together again. “No I won’t.”

“You’re so playful,” I giggled. “I like it.”

He laughed. “Do you?”

I nodded. “And, you’ve never done,” I gestured toward my body, talking about how he was holding me. “This.”

He smiled happily. “So, as much as I hate it, maybe this version of me isn’t so bad?” He carefully put me down.

I straightened my shirt. “You’re certainly more daring.”

He pretended to grin menacingly. “Yes, my dear, I certainly am more daring!” He grabbed me and dipped me backwards, leaning in close.

Kris walked out. “Alright,” he said. “Oh.”

Caleb turned to him and extended his hand, laughing softly. “It was so good to see you again.”

Kris took his hand and pulled him into a hug. “You too, buddy. You’ll see me more, I promise.”

Caleb’s eyes brightened. “I can’t tell what is fact or fiction when he is in my head.”

Kris sighed. “I know. But you’re trying. That’s what matters.”

Caleb nodded solemnly. “Yeah…”

Kris pulled him into a hug. “We’ll beat this.”

We were silent for a while, then Kris and I said our goodbyes to him. He hugged me tighter than he had in a very long time. He longed for normalcy. We all did. We made our way back home.

That night, as Morgyn and I were sleeping, I heard my name faintly. “Jade?” It was Caleb’s voice, and it caught my attention. “Jade?”

I opened my eyes, but I was surrounded by darkness. “Caleb?”

“Over here,” he said quietly.

I walked over, following his voice. “I don’t see you.”

“You will,” he said.

I continued walking in the pitch dark. It felt like I walked forever. I saw a faint red glow, and thought it may have been a light. I followed it. As I got closer, it vanished quickly, like it was just blinked away.

“You found me,” he said. I felt his hand on my cheek. I couldn’t see him, though. The room was much too dark. The red glow came back. It was right in front of me. I realized it was Caleb’s eyes. I stepped back. What the hell? His eyes never glowed like that!

“C-Caleb?” I asked quietly.

He grabbed my hands. “It’s alright. Come closer.” His voice was soft, like it always was with me.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“That doesn’t matter.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“You don’t want to be saved?”

He laughed quietly, but it was almost like a scoff. “It’s not like I can be. And you.” He stopped. There was a quick flash, and I was on the ground, with him pinning me. His skin was gray, his eyes glowing red, piercing my soul. He had cracks in his face and angry brows. “You can’t save me!” He growled, his lip curling up to reveal his fangs.

“I’m trying!” I squirmed to get away from him.

“Do you really think he wants you?” As he spoke, his voice changed. It became Vlad’s? I looked back at him, and sure enough, it was Vlad staring back at me.

“You bastard!” I jumped up and pinned him instead, using my magic against him. “Bring him back, god dammit!”

“Well then, Caleb isn’t the only one with anger issues?” He sneered. “I think anger suits him. He’s dangerous. I never knew a Vatore would have it in them to be so cold blooded. No pun intended, of course.”

“Stop messing with him!” I shouted, getting right in his face.

He shoved me off of him. “You give me what I want, and I’ll give you what you want.”

“No,” I said, standing up. “You tricked me once. I won’t let you do it again.”

“Not even if I kill him?”

“You tried! I stopped you!”

“What a shame, too. Would be nice to have this world be rid of that parasite.”

I charged at him, full force. “You’re a fucking monster!” I shoved him back. “And you’re haunting everyone! Kris, Caleb, Lilith, me.”

“Is it that obvious I’m messing with my son, too? Interesting how quickly family turns their back on you.” He brought his fist up and looked at it. “I really thought I could trust him. Yet, here we are. He killed me, and I’m just a spirit in your nightmares.” He grinned. “And outside of them.”

“No!” I grabbed him. “Leave him alone! Leave us alone!”

“Give me what I want.”

“No.”

“Then face the consequences.”

“If I need to stay with him every waking moment, I will!” I growled. “You aren’t the only one who has eternity.”

Vlad smiled. “You’d make a good vampire, you know? You’re strong, and your anger is quick. Perfect qualities. Perhaps I’ll have Caleb turn you.”

“Impossible. I’m a spellcaster.”

“That can be changed.”

I walked away.

“You really trust me enough to turn your back on me?”

“What can you do in a dream?”

Vlad smiled and tilted his head. “I need to come up with fresh, new content, don’t I? You’re catching on too quickly.”

“Leave me,” I narrowed my eyes. “Get out of my sight.”

“Or what?” Vlad stepped closer. “You’ll kill me? Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart, but you can’t kill a ghost.” He continued walking closer. “And I will haunt you every moment of your life until you give me what I want.”

I slapped him. He jumped back, shocked.

“Well, look what we have here,” he grinned.

I need to wake up. I forced my eyes closed in hopes that reopening them would force them open and get me out of this nightmare. Wake up, wake up, wake UP, WAKE UP!

“WAKE UP!” I sat straight up in bed. Morgyn followed, breathing heavily.

“What is it?” He asked. “Why did you want me to wake up?”

“I didn’t,” I said, looking back at him. “I was yelling it at myself in my dream.”

He held me. “Nightmare?”

“No,” I shook my head. “Vlad,” I explained. “He came to me saying he won’t stop til he gets what he wants.”

“Life,” Morgyn said quietly.

“Yes.” I stood up. “I wish I had never gone to him to ask about Ambrosia. He would have left us alone. This is my fault.”

“No,” Morgyn shook his head. “Vlad is a vile excuse for any walking creature, human or undead. His sole purpose is to make everyone’s lives miserable.”

“Even in death,” I agreed.

He stood up and put his arms around me. I rested my head on his shoulder.

“I don’t want to sleep,” I whispered. “Every time I do, I have nightmares.”

He tightened his grip on me and held me closer. I felt comforted and started to calm down.

“Let’s lie down,” he said quietly. I nodded. We laid back down, pulling the blankets back over us. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close again. He kissed my forehead softly. I felt relaxed quickly and closed my eyes. I fell asleep again, and I didn’t dream at all.

The next day, I went straight back to the manor to check on Caleb. As soon as he saw me, he opened the door.

“Come in,” he said, grabbing my hand. He looked around nervously and shut the door quickly, as if he thought something outside was approaching. He looked awful. He had dark circles under his eyes. His gray eyes, usually lit up with anticipation and excitement, were dim.

I gazed at him in disbelief. “When was the last time you rested your vampire energy?”

“I can’t,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I….” He stopped.

“You see Vlad,” I clenched my teeth.

“Yes.”

I sighed.

“He’s horrible..I hate him. Sometimes I can’t take it! I just want to-” he stopped himself. “Um, make it stop.”

I knew what he was going to say, and I shivered. “Let’s, um, get you upstairs to rest.” I placed my hands on his shoulders.

“No!” He pulled away. “No. I can’t.”

I looked at the couch. “Alright, then come here.” I decided I would try the same thing Morgyn had done with me. We sat down together, and I had him rest my head in my lap.

He gazed up at me. “What are you doing?”

I stroked his hair. “Relaxing you.”

“With a spell?”

“No.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

I wanted so badly to say comforting things like “he won’t hurt you”, but that wasn’t true, now was it? Vlad could hurt him, and he was. I sighed. “It’ll be over soon.” But would it? Was that a lie? An empty promise? How long would it take us to make the cure? And would that make Vlad go away too?

No. It wouldn’t. Vlad was a spirit. Caleb’s aggression was due to magic, but it was made significantly worse by Vlad and his taunts. So I needed to figure out how to stop him as well.

I looked back down at Caleb, snapping out of my thoughts. His eyes were closed. I smiled, stroking his hair again. “I love you,” I whispered.

Lilith came down and saw us. She smiled.

“You got him to sleep.”

I nodded. “Yes.” I looked at her. “How has he been acting?”

“He’s all over the place,” she explained. “I hear him screaming upstairs sometimes. Other times, he’s calm. I’m really worried about him.”

“He can’t sleep,” I said. “He’s being tormented.” I thought for a moment. “Think of it as someone who hears voices or sees hallucinations. Their own mind drives them insane.” I furrowed my brow and looked at him, sleeping peacefully. “Only it’s Vlad.”

Lilith nodded. “Are you any closer to creating that spell?”

I shook my head. “No. But at the same time, yes. Every day we find out something new, and if a combination doesn’t work, we get that much closer to a combination that does.”

“Is Marco behaving?”

I nodded with a smile. “Yes. He’s like a completely different person.”

Lilith glanced sadly at Caleb. “He’s not the only one.”

Caleb’s eyelids shut tightly, as if he was dreaming.

“Uh oh.” I watched him. I took his hand and gently stroked his cheek with my free hand. “Shh, don’t worry about it. Ignore it.”

His face relaxed again. I smiled. “Once this is over, I wonder if he will remember moments like this.”

Lilith sat on the other sofa. “It’s nice to see him so peaceful. You’re good for him.”

“I can’t take the credit,” I said. “I’ve been having nightmares too. Morgyn calms me by doing similar things.”

“That’s sweet,” Lilith mused.

Kris walked into the room. “Oh hey, look at this.”

I smiled. “Nightmares.”

“Ah,” Kris nodded. “I’ve been having them too. Always involving Vlad. I even hear his voice when I’m awake. I just tune it out.” He sighed. “Maybe I shouldn’t have killed him.”

“You were protecting Caleb.”

“Not entirely. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it at least a little.” He shrugged. “I guess that makes me a bit of a monster, but he threatened those I love.”

“I understand,” I said. I thought back to Marco. If situations were different, I would have killed him long before I did. And I wasn’t too heartbroken when we did kill him. We all had our demons. Some of them painted us as cold blooded killers. I was happy things had changed between Marco and I.

Once again, Caleb seemed distressed. He squeezed my hand tightly, causing pain.

“Ow!” I yelped, yanking my hand out of his grasp.

He opened his eyes in a panic. “Get off of me!” He screamed.

“Caleb,” I said quietly, trying to hush him. “Caleb, no one is here. It’s just us.”

“And I want you off of me!” He repeated.

“I’m not on you. You’re resting on me. Look.” I moved my hands to my sides, raising my arms so he could see he could leave at any moment.

He looked angry. “Get away from me.”

“But I…” I gazed at him, shocked.

Kris stood up. “Caleb, she can’t move until you do. Sit up so she can go.” He helped Caleb sit up. I jumped up and stood by Lilith.

Kris calmed Caleb down, or so he thought. Caleb was silent, resting his arms on his legs and staring at the floor.

“You alright, buddy?” Kris asked him.

“Murderer,” Caleb growled.

“Wh-what?” Kris asked, shocked.

Oh no. I stood up and grabbed Kris just as Caleb rushed toward him. Kris and I fell back on the sofa by Lilith.

“Are you alright?” Kris asked.

I nodded. “I’m fine.” I stood up and stepped in front of Caleb just as a white flare shot across the room. I watched it with narrowed eyes. “Vlad. Leave him be.”

Caleb looked at me, his eyes cold and angry. “You see him?”

“No, well, sort of, but I know he’s there. Making you say and do the things you are.” I approached him. “No one here is a murderer. Kris was protecting you. Vlad tried to kill you.” I cautiously took another step. My heart raced. I rested my hand on his cheek, moving it up to the side of his head. “Try to remember.”

To my surprise, he closed his eyes and rested his hand on mine. He started to calm down. His eyes shot open. “Wait,” he said calmly. “He used a stake. But there was a flash, and I fell. Everything went dark.”

Kris and I looked at each other, overjoyed.

“But why?” Caleb asked, shaking his head. “I’m being told he’s a murderer.” He looked at Kris. “I’m sorry. I really don’t think that.”

I sighed and sat down. “You should try to sleep again.”

“Did you not just see what happened, Jade?” He asked, spreading his arms out. “I sleep, and that happens.”

“Then let’s go upstairs,” I offered. “Maybe it’ll be more comfortable than a couch.”

He sighed. “You’re willingly putting yourself in a position where I could hurt you, say things I don’t mean.” He closed his eyes. “It’s best if you just don’t try to help.”

I shrugged. “I don’t feel that way.” I stood up and took his hand. “Come on.”

He let go of my hand, but followed me. We sat down on his bed.

“Maybe this will be easier in a more open space,” I said quietly.

He nodded. “I don’t want to lash out.”

I smiled warmly. “You’re doing well, resisting that urge. I’m not worried about it.” I pushed myself toward the backboard and rested against it. “Let’s try this again.”

He nodded and moved toward me, resting his head on my chest and closing his eyes. “I just want this to end.”

I nodded sadly. I stroked Caleb’s hair again, resting my head on his, deep in thought. I closed my eyes.

When I opened them, the room was dark. It was night time.

“I fell asleep?” I asked, sitting up. Caleb wasn’t resting on me anymore, and I was under the covers. “What the hell happened?”

I felt arms around my shoulders. Caleb grinned. “We both fell asleep. I woke up and made you comfortable. I hope you don’t mind.”

I smiled, resting my hands on his arms. “I don’t. But I didn’t plan to sleep. I was trying to calm you.”

“It worked,” he said in a near whisper. “I feel well rested.”

I reached for the light, but he stopped me. “No,” he whispered, pulling me toward him. We gazed at each other for a moment. I smiled at him.

“What is it?”

“I want this to end. I want to be with you and Morgyn. I want life to return to normal.” He pulled me even closer, kissing my forehead. “I love you. But I’m not showing it.”

He let me go and laid on his back. “And it’s just really been bothering me.”

“What?” I rested my head on his chest.

He stroked my hair. “Marco. Seeing him defend you…from me. It killed me.” He shook his head. “Marco is an evil, poor excuse for a human. Him defending you, what does that say about me?”

I sighed. “Caleb, he saw this as a second chance at life. A chance for him to try to make things right. Without him, Morgyn and I could never do this spell ourselves.”

“What has he been doing?”

I explained the training Marco had been giving me as well as the advice and expertise he contributed to the project.

“Wow,” he said quietly. “And, for me? He knows?”

“Yes.”

We were silent for awhile. I gazed at him happily.

“You’re calm.”

“Yes.” He looked back at me, resting his hand on the back of my head. “I’m so sorry I’ve been the way I’ve been.”

I leaned in and kissed his forehead. “I forgive you. It’s beyond your control.” I rested my head back down on him and eventually fell asleep again.

The next morning I woke up to Caleb planting small kisses on my shoulder.

I rolled over and faced him. “Hey.”

He smiled and stroked my hair. “Hey.”

“You’re still calm.”

“You helped me a lot yesterday.” His expression shifted to sadness. “What am I going to do when you go home? I’ll go insane. And I’m honestly afraid of myself.”

I sighed and thought for a moment. “Come back with me?”

“I can’t yet.”

I caressed his cheek. “We miss you.”

He shook his head. “Even if you can calm me, what about Marco? I can’t imagine myself being overjoyed to see him.”

“Even if he’s helping you?”

He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Jade. I’m not going.”

I decided not to press the issue.

Chapter Twelve (click here)