Chapter Six

Kris looked up at her, then glanced at me, frustrated. I shrugged, telling him I didn’t do this.

He looked at her again, his expression firm, as if he was trying to find a way out of the situation.

Lilith approached him and dropped her bag. “I-is it…” she placed her hand on his cheek. “Is it really you?”

His expression immediately softened. He closed his eyes and reached up, placing his hand on hers. I smiled, tilting my head as my heart practically melted.

“Yeah,” he responded with a slight smile. He opened his eyes again.

“Oh my God,” Lilith also smiled. “I’ve missed you so much!” She grabbed him and kissed him desperately, only comparable to those videos of soldiers and their wives being reunited in an airport. They wrapped their arms around each other, not willing to let each other go.

I sat on a nearby bench so I wasn’t awkwardly staring at them. They were still within earshot.

They finally broke their kiss. Lilith gazed at him, still in his arms. “But…how?”

He started to look around, presumably looking for me. Uh oh. As he spotted me, he gestured for me to come over. I shook my head slightly, silently begging him to not do this. He tilted his head in a sort of ‘seriously?’ manner.

I sighed and stood up as Lilith tried to see what Kris was gesturing towards. I walked over and stood next to Kris, looking at the ground.

“Long story short, Vlad made her cast a spell to bring me back,” he said.

Lilith glared at me. “You knew?”

“Lilith, I-“

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She snarled, keeping her glare firm on me. “I came to your house in tears because I saw him, and you and Caleb said it must have been someone else!”

Kris lifted his hand. “Lilith-“

She ignored him and kept her glare on me. “Does Caleb know too?”

“Yes, but Lilith-“

“So you both lied to me?” She demanded angrily. “Why? I love this man, and you guys just-” she stopped herself, and covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes shot over to Kris, who was shocked by what she had just said.

“You what?” He asked.

“Kris, I-” she stopped again. “I never got the chance to tell you.”

We were all silent for a moment. Kris finally spoke up.

“Well, I didn’t get a chance to tell you either,” he smiled cautiously.

Lilith’s eyes brightened.

“And,” he continued. “They kept it secret because I didn’t want them to tell you.”

“But, why?” Lilith asked, hurt.

“I hated my life as a vampire then,” he explained. “You and Caleb knew that. Death brought me peace. I was no longer immortal. Bringing me back didn’t change that.” He sighed. “I wasn’t sure how long my immortality would last this time, if you get what I’m saying.”

Lilith hung her head. “You were contemplating-“

“Yes,” he placed his hands on her shoulders. “But Caleb and Jade found me in Glimmerbrook, and after we talked for awhile, I started feeling better about this.” He gazed deeply into her eyes. “Lilith, I just didn’t want to leave you like that again.”

A tear fell down her cheek. “I’m sorry, Jade.”

“It’s okay,” I assured her.

Kris brushed the tear away from her face. “But now, I’m not going anywhere.” He pulled her into a hug. “Because I love you too.”

Lilith cried harder, but out of happiness now. She gripped him tightly. “You’d better not go anywhere,” she laughed through her tears.

He laughed softly as well. “I won’t.” He kissed her forehead.

“Do you guys want to come back with me?” I gestured toward my apartment building behind us.

Lilith nodded, wiping her eyes. “Yeah.”

Kris nodded. “Sure.”

We walked back to my house. Stepping inside, Kris was astonished.

“Wow,” he said in amazement. “Nice place.”

I smiled proudly. “Thanks!”

He gazed through windows leading to a pool adjacent to my living room area. “An indoor pool?”

“There’s an outdoor pool as well!” I said excitedly.

“Jeez!” He mused. “That’s awesome!”

Caleb came toward us, a look of surprise on his face. “Kris,” he said quietly.

“Hello again,” Kris hugged him.

“I see you two found each other,” Caleb gestured toward him and Lilith.

I smiled. “And confessed their love for each other.”

“Oh?” Caleb smiled.

“It’s true,” Kris blushed slightly.

“That’s great!” Caleb smiled.

“And, Caleb,” Kris added, “If your offer still stands, I think I’ll take you up on it.”

Caleb rolled his eyes playfully. “You’re only saying that because of the pools.”

Kris grinned. “You got me.”

I giggled. “Well, you’re more than welcome to stay. Mi casa es su casa, señor.”

“I have no idea what you just said, but thank you.” Kris smiled.

“My house is your house,” I translated.

“Oh, that’s nice,” Kris’s smile widened. “Thank you again.”

We sat down and Morgyn joined us in the living room.

“So this is the infamous Kris,” he smiled, holding his hand out.

Kris stood up and shook his hand. “Yes. Pleasure. And you are…Morgyn? Right?”

Morgyn nodded. “Yessir, that is I!”

They sat down. “Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Kris said happily. “You all redeem the whole of humanity in my eyes, with your warm welcomes. So thank you.” He looked at Lilith, taking her hand. “Especially you. But I’m sure you knew that.”

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Aww,” I gushed.

Jewel came out and rubbed her eyes. “Hey,” she said sleepily.

“Oh yes Jewel!” I smiled. “Where are your friends?”

“They went home.” She sat beside me.

“Wait, you have another child?” Kris asked Caleb and I.

I blushed. “Oh, no, no,” I assured him. “We took Jewel in.”

“Yeah, my parents suck,” she shook her head.

I shrugged. “Yeah, I can’t disagree.”

Kris narrowed his eyes playfully. “This would be the point where I’d make a ‘stray’ joke, but I won’t.”

Caleb snorted, which caused us all to laugh.

“Can we train?” Jewel asked, glancing between Morgyn and I.

“Honey, you can barely keep your eyes open,” I observed. “Why don’t you go to bed, and we’ll train tomorrow after school, okay?”

She nodded and hugged me. “Good night.”

“Good night,” I repeated her. I watched her as she walked off to her room.

“She and I are going to draw up plans to remodel this place,” I smiled.

“Why change perfection?” Kris asked, glancing around. “This is the life of luxury!”

“Eh, I won’t change too much. Just maybe adding some more space, repainting, things like that.” I looked at Kris happily. “She’s really good at drawing up floor plans, so I’d love to see what she can come up with here.”

“What happened with her parents?” Kris asked.

I shrugged. “She came to the realm and said her parents would disappear a lot. They weren’t home very often. A few days later, her parents kicked her out. I offered to let her stay here.”

“She’s a spellcaster?” Kris asked.

“Future sage,” Morgyn nodded.

“Future sage of untamed magic, to be specific,” I added. “I would have been next after Morgyn, then Jewel would come after me.”

“But you’re a sage too,” Kris said, confused.

“Yeah, the other three sages decided to add a fourth for alchemy.”

“But you’re untamed.”

“Right, but Morgyn is the current untamed sage.” I laughed a little. “I know it sounds confusing.”

“I don’t really understand magic, to be honest,” Kris shrugged. “But it’s all very interesting.” He leaned forward. “So what do you two do?” He gestured toward Morgy and I.

“I help brew potions anyone may need, teach, train.” I paused and looked at Morgyn. “Write out his lesson plans.” I glared at him, but he knew I wasn’t being serious.

“Hey!” He sat back and laughed. “I’m very busy!”

“He actually has a full on class he teaches,” I explained. “I just teach individual spellcasters. Sort of like a tutor. I don’t need lesson plans.”

“Oh,” Kris smiled. “Well that all sounds very interesting. He looked at Caleb. “You’ve been quiet. What do you do these days?”

“I’m a professor at Britechester University,” Caleb explained.

“Another teacher? What do you teach?” Kris asked, interested.

“I’m pretty versatile,” Caleb explained. “Generally history, but I’ve taught math, English and various electives. My favorite elective to teach was World War II and the Holocaust. I find it truly fascinating.”

“Well, you’ll have to educate me on that as well,” Kris said with a smirk. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“I’ll happily teach you,” Caleb smiled brightly.

Morgyn’s phone rang. He stepped into another room to answer it.

I yawned. “I should get to bed.”

Morgyn came back out. “I have to go to the realm,” he said.

“Emergency?” I asked.

“No, no,” Morgyn said reassuringly. “Just a late night trainee.”

I stood up and walked over to him, kissing his cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

He pulled me into a hug. “See you tomorrow.”

He left, and I yawned again. “Okay, good night guys. I need to sleep.”

Caleb stood up and leaned in close to my ear. “I’ll join you in a moment,” he whispered.

I looked at him, confused. He gestured toward Lilith and Kris. “They haven’t seen each other in awhile,” he winked.

I grinned. “Ah.” I kissed his cheek. “Then I’ll see you in a few.”

I headed upstairs into my room and got changed. I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. As I walked out of the bathroom off of my room, Caleb was walking into the room. He took off his jacket and laid it on a chair by the bathroom door. Turning around, he slipped his hands around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

I kissed him. “So you’re giving them ‘alone’ time, eh?”

He laughed softly. “Yes.”

“We have a teenager in the house,” I reminded him.

“Lilith has always been creative when it comes to hiding stuff like that,” he shrugged, pulling me toward the bed as he spoke. “Besides, Kris really likes the pool.”

I curled my lip in disgust. “Ew. I’m glad it has a really good filter.”

He laughed, more than I expected him to.

We pulled away and sat on the bed. Caleb moved up so he was resting in his usual spot, against the headboard. He extended his arm, motioning for me to come to him.

I smiled and obliged, resting my head on his chest as he put his arm around me.

“I suppose you need sleep?” He asked, twisting a strand of my hair around his finger.

“Do you have other plans?” I grinned, wrapping my arm around his waist in a tight half hug.

“Maybe,” he said quietly.

I giggled a little. “Of course.”

“Hey!” He sat back, in shock.

I laughed and faced him. “I’m kidding.”

He narrowed his eyes, faking anger. He leaned in closer, his expression softening. “You better be.” He slipped his hand behind my neck, pulling me into a kiss.

I leaned into it, wrapping my arms around him.

He wasted no time, moving down to my neck quickly. But something was different. His fangs grazed my skin, and there were a few times he held them in place, as if he was going to bite me. I closed my eyes each time, almost waiting. Was this something I wanted? Where did this desire come from? It was strange. It was like I was craving a rush that it would give. Not if he completely drained me like he had when he was dying, but just enough to quench his thirst.

“Caleb,” I said softly.

“Hmm?” He asked, moving his head back to look at me.

I tilted my head, studying him. “Do you…ever get, um, tempted?”

He gave me a confused stare. “What do you mean?” He grinned flirtatiously. “I’m tempted by you every day.”

I brushed my fingertips down the side of his neck. “That’s not what I mean.”

“Oh,” he said quietly, realizing what I meant. “I…” he stopped.

I grinned and gazed into his eyes. “You do.”

“Y-yes, I do. Ever since…” he sighed. “Ever since that day, I do crave you.” He looked at me, his expression completely serious. “But I won’t do that again. Ever.”

“Aww, why not?” I asked, moving closer to him.

“Jade, what are you doing?” He asked.

That was a good question. What the hell was I doing?

“Maybe I’m a masochist, but I have this urge to ask you to do it again,” I explained quietly.

“No,” he replied simply.

I leaned in even closer, my lips almost on his. “Caleb?”

“Stop it,” he said, pulling away. “Okay, if you like biting, I can do that, but a vampire bite is different. I’m not doing that.”

I kind of snapped out of whatever had me in that mindset. “I-I’m sorry,” I said. “I don’t really know what came over me.”

He watched me, his body completely still. Like he was looking for something.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“I refuse to hurt you again, Jade,” he explained. “Biting you was one of the worst things I’ve ever done. But you’re telling me you liked it?”

“I don’t remember it,” I admitted. “But I felt like it would give me a rush.”

“Like a drug,” he said, narrowing his eyes.

“Maybe, yes. I don’t know. Maybe Ruby being in my head and me being surrounded by vampires is making me crave something I shouldn’t.” I looked at him, a desperate look on my face. “I can’t explain it.”

Caleb looked around the room, still searching for something he wasn’t finding. “But you’re not thinking like that now?”

“N-not really,” I said nervously.

“Alright,” he replied. I could tell he didn’t believe me, but this conversation was uncomfortable for both of us. He pulled me closer again. “Jade, I love you. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

I nodded. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” he said. “You can’t control how you feel.” I couldn’t read him, but it seemed like he was really bothered by something.

I rested my head on him. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing,” he said quickly. “Just worried about you.” He kissed my forehead.

I leaned into him. “I killed the mood.”

He laughed softly. “No you didn’t.” He seemed thankful that the conversation shifted. He tilted my head up so my face was level with his. “Not at all.”

I smiled happily and closed my eyes. “Good.” My voice came out as a near whisper.

“Just promise me you’ll try to push that desire far from your mind.” He gazed into my eyes.

I nodded and leaned closer, my lips almost touching his. “I promise. Now shhh. Just kiss me.”

He grinned flirtatiously. He kissed me, pushing me down onto my back.

***********

I didn’t have a visit from Ruby that night. Perhaps she was mad at me for whatever the hell that feeling was. Couldn’t say I blamed her. That was…odd. Not to mention incredibly uncalled for.

I woke up the next morning, but I was groggy. Clearly, I didn’t sleep well. I sighed, rolling over. I had hoped either Caleb or Morgyn were beside me, but I was alone.

I pulled the blankets up to my neck and rested my head back down on the pillow, sighing deeply. I didn’t want to get up. I closed my eyes. Maybe I could just go back to sleep.

I had started to drift off when I heard the door open. I tried to ignore it, keeping my eyes closed. I heard footsteps approach my bed.

“Jade.” A voice spoke. But it wasn’t Caleb or Morgyn. I opened my eyes and was staring Vlad in the face.

I scrambled backwards, leaning against the headboard, but making sure to cover up with the blanket. “What the hell, dude? Why are you here?”

“I’m here to see my son,” he said dryly.

I looked down. “Well he’s not in my room, so get out. You need to learn about personal space.”

“I have no desire to ‘learn’ about that,” he scowled.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Yeah I noticed. But you need to get out. Kristofer isn’t in here.”

“Well, he’s not in this ace at all,” Vlad said, still staring at me. “But I’ve heard he’s living here now.”

“Wha-” I started. I stared angrily at him. “That just happened last night! Are you spying on us?”

“Ah,” he held up his hand. “Much like how a magician never reveals his secrets, a vampire doesn’t either.”

“Who let you in?” I growled. “Surely Morgyn and Caleb tried to stop you.”

“I let myself in, and they did try. I took care of them.” He rolled his eyes and shrugged.

I held my glare, despite my heart starting to race. “What did you do to them?”

“Nothing too drastic,” he rolled his eyes again. “So dramatic. Just a sleeping curse. They won’t wake up until a vampire wills it.”

“Ugh!” I growled in frustration. “You need to learn when to quit. Kris probably isn’t here because he wants to have a life. And he wants to live that life free of you.”

Vlad glared angrily. “I won’t let that happen.”

I laid back down and pulled the blanket up over my head. “Go away.”

He pulled the blankets off of the top half of my body, and I quickly grabbed them and pulled them back over me. I hadn’t redressed after my encounter with Caleb the night before.

“What the hell?” I shouted angrily.

He smiled. “I noticed bite marks. So, I see Caleb hasn’t been curbing his appetite very well, now has he?”

“I wanted them,” I protested. “Now. Get. Out! I need to get dressed.”

He rolled his eyes yet again and teleported out in a cloud of mist.

“Fucking bastard,” I mumbled, standing up. I grabbed an outfit quickly and walked into the bathroom. I studied the top half of my body in the mirror, looking for marks. Sure enough, I had a few on my neck and chest. Sighing, I put on all of my clothes but my shirt, opting to find a turtleneck instead. Once I did, I tossed that on and headed out of the room.

Vlad was waiting for me right outside my door. As I walked out, I jumped back, scared.

“Oh my God, you creep!” I shouted at him. “Go away!”

“Where’s Kristofer?”

“I don’t know!” I started to walk away.

“Yes you do.” He grabbed my arm.

“Let go!” I screamed angrily, separating us with magic. “I’m so tired of you! You’re a goddamn stalking, creepy fucking maniac who doesn’t know how to leave well enough alone! I don’t know where Kris is. I don’t care where Kris is. Even if I did know, you’d be the last person I’d tell! He wants nothing to do with you, don’t you see that? He almost killed himself because of you! Leave him alone! Leave me alone! Leave Caleb and Morgyn alone! Just go back to being the lonely, creepy old man in your house on the hill, got it?”

He grabbed me by the throat. “You’re out of line!”

I gasped, but still continued to fight. “I am? You’re in my house. You were in my room. You are not welcome he-“

He tightened his grip on my neck. I gasped again, desperately trying to get away. It felt like he could crush it at any moment.

“It’s a shame your vampire lover can’t save you now, hmm?” He grinned, watching me struggle. “And even despite my efforts, he didn’t drink from you, did he? I was hoping it would weaken you.”

I narrowed my eyes and opened my mouth. I managed to whisper, “you did that?”

“Of course!” He raised his other hand proudly. “And it would have worked if he wasn’t so damn stubborn.”

I felt a new sense of anger. Using all of my power, I grabbed his arm with both of my hands, freeing myself and twisting his arm quickly.

He yelped in pain and tried to pry my hands open to free himself. “Let me go!”

I leaned closer. “Leave,” I said quietly, despite being furious. “Right now. Or I will make your life even more of a goddamn nightmare. Leave us alone. No more spells, no more tricks. Get out, leave us alone. And while you’re at it, maybe work on being a better person. Make Kris want to come to you.” I twisted his arm even more.”Got it?”

To my surprise, he nodded. “P-please let go.”

“Started to release my grip but tightened it again. “If I let you go and you don’t leave, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

He nodded again, desperately.

I slowly let him go and he teleported away. I sighed. I had a bigger task. Figuring out how to break Morgyn and Caleb out of the curse.

“Bastard,” I mumbled as I headed for the stairs. As I got to the bottom of them, I saw Morgyn and Caleb on the floor. I knew what to expect, but seeing them caused a rush of emotion from my encounter with Vlad that I had pushed aside. I put my head in my hands as crocodile tears poured out of my eyes. I did this. He wanted everything to go back to normal so bad that he violated our privacy to get it. He tried to get Caleb to bite me. He put a sleeping curse on Caleb and Morgyn. He literally grabbed me by the throat! He was unraveling, and I had no idea what he was capable of. What would he do next?

I heard the door slam and flinched, but didn’t look up.

“Oh my God, Jade!” It was Kris. He rushed toward me, pulling me into a hug. “What happened?” As he held me, he glanced at Caleb and Morgyn. Hesitantly, he asked me in a near whisper, “are they dead?”

“No,” I said through my sobs. ” Sleeping curse. Only a vampire can break it.” I pulled away from him, and looked at him, hopeful. *Like you.”

His eyes widened. “Oh, I…I can’t do that,” he shook his head. “I-I wouldn’t know where to begin or what to do.”

I hugged him again. “Kris, please. You were trained by Vlad. Think back.”

He sighed and went silent, thinking. I rested my head on his shoulder, not willing to leave the hug. I assumed that was Ruby. She and Kris were very close friends. His embrace felt familiar to me, as if it was something I had grown used to. The fact that he didn’t pull away told me it was familiar to him as well.

“Ruby,” he said finally, gripping me tighter. “I don’t know if I can. But I think I remember the curse.”

I was shocked that he called me Ruby. “Thank you,” I whispered. I started to pull away, but his grip tightened again.

“No,” he whispered. “Don’t let me go. Not yet.” His breath was shaky, as if he was holding back tears.

I stayed silent, burying my face in his neck.

“God,” he said, exhaling quickly. He was crying. “I missed you so much Ruby. I know we died on the same night, but even as a spirit, I never forgot you. You guys were the only ones to see me for who I am, and not just an extension of Vlad. Ruby, I never wanted to be like him.”

“Shhh,” I rubbed his back. “We aren’t going anywhere again. And we will always be here for you. You’ll always be Kris to me. You’re nothing like Vlad.”

I felt him nod. “Thank you.”

We finally let go. He looked at me, smiling a little as he wiped his tears. “Sorry. I didn’t expect to break down like that.”

I smiled. “The hug was familiar,” I explained. “It’s understandable.”

“And,” he continued. “I know you’re Jade, not Ruby. I’m sorry, I’ll get better about that.”

“You can call me either,” I assured him. “I am technically both.”

He nodded and turned his attention to Caleb and Morgyn. Crouching down, he tried to remember what to do. He closed his eyes tightly and held out his hands. I saw them begin to glow green. Slowly, Caleb and Morgyn’s bodies also began to glow.

Kris opened his eyes and smiled. “It’s working.”

I smiled as well and watched as Caleb and Morgyn started to stir a bit. Kris put his hands down and stood up. “It’s done.”

I gave him a joyful smile. He smiled back, proud of himself.

Caleb and Morgyn stood up and asked what happened. I explained everything, reaching for my neck when I talked about how Vlad grabbed me.

Kris stood up. “What?”

My eyes darted to him in fear. He walked over to me and pulled my collar away from my neck, looking at it. It was red and turning purple in spots.

“R-really, Kris,” I said, still looking at him. “It’s alright. I made him leave by causing him pain as well. Don’t get angry. I can handle my own.”

Morgyn, Caleb and Kris looked at me with angry expressions. I knew they weren’t angry with me, though.

“I’m going to kill him,” Kris said quietly, letting go of my shirt and walking away. He began to pace.

I stood up and walked outside, sitting in the grass. Caleb followed me, sitting beside me.

I scooted over, pulling myself into his lap and resting my head on him. “There’s something else.”

He sighed. “I’m afraid to find out.”

I didn’t speak.

“But what is it?” He continued.

“Last night,” I said. “I guess Vlad put it in my head to want to be bitten by you.” I closed my eyes, bracing myself for his anger.

“I had a feeling,” he said.

Oh. That went better than expected. I decided not to tell him that despite him not biting me the way I had craved, the bites he did were enjoyable. Thinking about our encounter the night before gave me chills. I hadn’t felt like that about any prior encounter.

Caleb sighed again, wrapping his arms around me. “I don’t blame Kris for being so upset. He was almost as protective of Ruby as I was.” He smiled and brushed a strand of my hair away from my face. “And I suppose that means he’s now very protective of you.”

I didn’t know how to react to this. “Caleb, I…” I stopped and hung my head. “I don’t need protecting.”

He laughed. “Well of course not. But when people care, they’re bound to protect, no?” He tilted my head to face him. “Get used to it.”

The way he looked at me was different, but I couldn’t place it. I smiled a little. He leaned toward me, and I  just gazed at him. I didn’t quite know why he was acting like this. Like, everyone just been angry at Vlad. Kris was about to blow a gasket. But Caleb was flirty and lustful? Why?

“Caleb,” I held my hand between us. “I’ll talk to Kris. I don’t think he should try to protect me like that.”

Caleb nodded, moving away again. I stood up and took his hand. “Let’s go calm Kris down.”

He nodded and stood up. “Right.”

We walked in, and Morgyn was at the cauldron. He glanced up at us, then back at the cauldron, frustrated. Maybe Kris wasn’t the only one we needed to calm.

“Morgyn, Kris,” I looked at them and motioned for them to follow Caleb and I outside.

Morgyn nodded and waved his hand, causing the cauldron to empty and the fire under it to go out. He and Kris followed us.

Kris sighed. “I need to go back.”

“No,” I waved my hand. “Revenge isn’t what we need right now. Right now, we just need to move forward. I think he will leave us alone, at least for awhile.”

Morgyn walked over next to Caleb, wrapping his arms around Caleb’s waist and resting his head on Caleb’s.

Kris continued. “I’m just going to give him what he wants.”

“What?” I asked, shocked. “No! Kris, if that’s not what you want, then don’t do it. You’ll only make yourself miserable.”

“It’s better than making everyone else’s lives miserable,” Kris shrugged.

I walked over to him and hugged him close. The kind of hug he needed. A Ruby hug. “Stay with us,” I said quietly. “I don’t need protection.” I looked at Morgyn. “From anyone.”

Morgyn looked at the ground, breaking our eye contact.

Kris nodded. “What do we do when Vlad comes back?” He pulled away and looked at me. “Will it ever end?”

My eyes widened. He was right. Would it end? I opened my mouth to speak, but stopped. I didn’t know.

“There is a way,” Caleb said.

“How?” Kris asked.

“An agreement,” Caleb narrowed his eyes.

“He doesn’t strike me as the agreeing type,” Morgyn rolled his eyes.

“No,” Kris held up his hand. “Caleb’s right. This wouldn’t be the first time a peace agreement was made.” He looked at me. “Ruby got fed up with the fighting and put an agreement in place. Vlad agreed.”

“It’s why he wasn’t fighting until recently.” Caleb nodded.

“No, that won’t work,” I shook my head. “He was just fighting because he was bored before. Now,” I looked at Kris, “he has a reason. He won’t give up just like that.” I snapped my fingers.

Kris looked at the ground in thought. “I’ll make him a deal,” he said. “If he agrees, I will visit him from time to time. If not, I’ll write him off.”

I nodded. “But only if you want to. You didn’t ask to be put in this position.”

“No,” he agreed. “But I’ll lay down some rules. I am not his son. He will not train me. I’m merely a visitor, and if he’s lucky, a friend.”

We all nodded.

“So be it,” Caleb said. He walked up to Kris. “It really is nice to have you back, old friend.”

Kris smiled. “It’s good to be back.”

I smiled wide. He wasn’t just saying that. He really was happy to be back.

“I’ll go talk to him,” Kris said, straightening himself.

“Want company?” I asked.

He sighed. “I’d love to say yes, but sadly, I think I need to do this myself.”

I nodded.

Morgyn walked up to Caleb and I. “I’m going to go to the realm. Blow off steam.”

Caleb tilted his head. “Are you okay?”

Morgyn nodded. “Yes. I was angry at Vlad.”

I hugged him. “Morgyn, I’m okay.”

He nodded again and pulled out his wand. “I’ll see you guys later.”

Before we could say anything, he left.

My eyes widened. “He’s really angry.”

Caleb nodded, but didn’t say anything.

Kris sighed and placed his hands down, mentally preparing himself for what was to come. I felt bad for him. I knew he had to do this alone, but I really just wanted to go with him. None of us would have been in this mess if it weren’t for me. Not even him.

“I guess it’s now or never,” he said, giving us a half smile. “If I’m not back in like…two hours, send a search party and a pizza.”

I stifled a laugh. “Be safe.”

“Of course,” he smiled.

He left, and I quickly went back inside. I sat down on the couch again. I was worried about Morgyn. These anger seemed different. Not that it was just about Vlad.

Caleb came in and sat beside me. “It’s so quiet.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Morgyn,” I said plainly. “I’m not sure what’s going on with him.”

Caleb looked at the floor. “You’re right. He wasn’t acting like himself.”

“I hope he’s alright,” I said quietly.

We sat in silence for a few minutes before Caleb put his arm around me. I gazed at him. Why was everyone acting so strange today? Caleb looked at me hungrily. It wasn’t like him. Was this a dream?

He leaned in and kissed me. I followed, hesitantly. It didn’t take long for things to get heated. I stopped it before it went any further.

“Okay, wait,” I said, putting my hand up. I looked at him. “I should probably, uh, get some stuff done around here.” I pecked his lips and stood up. “Later.” I winked and walked away.

I went upstairs and sat on my bed, confused. I tossed around the idea of going to the realm, but decided against it. Morgyn seemed like he needed time to calm down. I realized his anger wasn’t out of place at all, really. Vlad’s behavior angered everyone. He stopped to new lows for his own selfish gain.

But it worked. After all, Kris did go to see him. I didn’t think the meeting would go the way he wanted it to, but at least there was a meeting. Vlad was so stuck in his own ideal that I feared what might happen when Kris laid out his plan. Though, he didn’t seem fearful of Vlad. Clearly, he knew Vlad’s games. He knew how to handle him.

Or perhaps he thought Vlad didn’t have it in him to hurt Kris.

I sighed and laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I suppose if anyone could get Vlad’s head unstuck from his asshole, it would be Kris. Maybe I was overthinking. And I wanted to know more about this closeness between Kris and Ruby. Kris had never been shown in the visions I had. And even now, when Ruby opened her memories to me, I only ever saw Kris, Caleb and Lilith spending time together.

I shrugged and stood up. I said I would do chores, and that wasn’t what I was doing. Sighing, I headed back down to the kitchen to get to work.

I stood at the sink, deep in thought as I washed my dishes. I didn’t hear Caleb walk in.

He came up behind me, slipping his arms around my waist, his hands resting on my belly under my shirt.

I immediately straightened, and as I did, he moved a hand up to brush my hair away from my neck. Resting his hand back against my skin, he kissed my neck.

“I can’t get last night out of my head,” he whispered in my ear. “It’s driving me insane. I feel like I need you again.”

So that’s what this was? But why? I turned to face him. I studied his face, trying to see if he was under some type of spell. But what spell would do that? And why?

It’s because I let him bite me. Granted, he didn’t drink from me, but as Vlad pointed out, he had broken the skin a little. I may have made what little temptation he had stronger.

I kissed him. Oh well. I would just make sure he didn’t drink from me, then.

Right?

***************

Chapter Seven (click here)