Page 57 of Inevitably Yves

“I know the temptation is strong. I feel your rage, as I’m certain you feel mine, but push it back and feel my love.”

My brothers and their mates, gathered around me and Dami, nod in agreement. Greer’s door opens and Vivienne and Viper come out, carrying a bowl and a book.

“Are we ready to start the spell?” Vivienne asks.

Looking around, I meet everyone’s eyes, stopping when I get to Damiano. “We’re ready.”

EIGHTEEN

Damiano

Vivienne sets a bowl on the coffee table with all of us gathered around it. She and Viper kneel next to it, each of them adding powders, liquids, and other strange objects to various pouches Vivienne produces from a satchel. I’m mesmerized watching her work on behalf of Yves and his coven, given I’ve actively avoided the witch community for centuries. In my experience, they have never been friends to vampires.

But everything in New Onyx is different from my experience. Yves has created a vampire utopia here. My chest swells with pride, and he turns to look at me, his eyes softening with love as he experiences my emotions.

“Do you think we should just use Yves’s?” Vivienne asks Viper.

Viper twists her lips for a second then tilts her head. “What about all of them? Do you think it would make it stronger? Thirteen vampires and two witches. Seems pretty powerful to me.”

Vivienne nods. “All descended from the original. I agree. Gentlemen?”

We each take turns opening our wrists and dripping into the bowl. With each drop of vampire blood, the mixture sizzles and snaps with electricity, and the two witches watch with excited expressions.

Then Vivienne pulls out a sharp tool that she uses to jab her index finger before handing it to Viper to do the same. The scent of their blood is oddly sweet, indicating it’s not purely mortal. I study Vivienne until she senses my gaze and looks up at me, offering a shy smile.

“Oh shoot. My secret is out,” she says, shifting her gaze to Yves. “I guess I have a confession.”

Yves’s brow furrows. “You are not mortal?”

“Oh, no, I’m mortal. Just a regular witchy girl.” She clears her throat, looking at Viper. “Remember that blood I asked you for a couple of months ago, Thorn?”

Thorn nods, clutching his mate. “Yeah.”

“I was doing a little experiment. A youth potion, but not for external youth. I wanted to see what effect vampire blood had internally when ingested in small amounts.”

Viper’s pulse kicks up, her body flooding with warmth I can feel from where I sit. “We did some tests before and after we drank the potion,” she explains. “It works great.”

“Viv,” Yves whispers. “You’re flirting with immortality.”

She nods. “I know, Yves. I was gonna tell you, but all this happened. I wanted to see if it’s possible to be semi-mortal. Extend life without replacing it entirely.”

“You don’t wish to be one of us?” I ask.

“It’s not that,” she says. “I think it would be cool, but I don’t want to lose my abilities. So we’ve been testing it.”

“And so far, it seems to make us stronger,” Viper says.

Vivienne dips a wooden spoon in the blood mixture, stirring it slowly. “Yes, but only for a short time after ingesting it. We’re still seeing how long we can go between doses.”

Yves nods, but he looks concerned. “You know my offer always stands.”

“I know,” Vivienne says, smiling. “Let’s focus on this for now. We’ll deal with my life goals later.”

“Very well,” Yves says. “What’s next?”

“Viper and I need to create the sigil and do our incantation. Stay close. Your energy helps.”

The two women huddle over the bowl, their hands hovering above it, and as they chant foreign-sounding words, the ingredients in the bowl swirl on their own, rising and falling as if powered by unseen waves.

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