Page 36 of Ashvale: The Vampire's Kiss

My mind eased into sleep as Hayes’ arm tightened around me, lips brushing my ear as he murmured, “Sweet dreams.”

“Clear your mind,” Cal intoned and I grimaced. I was pretty sure he was trying to sound wise, and instead was coming off as irritated. Or maybe he really was just annoyed. “Leonora!”

“Hm?”

Emerson snickered at my side and I looked between her and Cal with an eyebrow raised.

“Is your mind clear?” he said, a pinched expression on his face.

“Totally.”

Cal shook his head. “You need to concentrate. Focus is the start to?—”

“Control.” I waved a hand at him, brushing off his words. “I know. You already said.” He’d also told us repeatedly that if we wanted to control our magick and not the other way around, then we should try and meditate three times a day. Normally, I would have ignored him, but that morning I’d clicked my fingers at Novalie and nearly set our curtains on fire with a stray lightning bolt. I couldn’t help it though—how was I supposed to control something I hadn’t realised I was wielding?

“Then how about you wipe the drool off of your chin and actually do as you’re told.”

Drool? There was definitely no drool on my chin. I scowled and he glared right back. Sure, watching a shirtless Hayes spar with Novalie was a little distracting, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t paying attention. Mostly.

I lifted my palm and breathed in through my nose, out through my mouth. My concentration turned inward as I focused on finding that small thread that ran through my body, my soul, the one that was my magick. I opened my eyes and focused on my hand, feeling the air crackle around me until I toned back my grip on the thread and a miniature bolt of lightning webbed between my fingers.

“Good,” Cal said, somewhat begrudgingly, eyes still crinkled at the corners like his face was reluctant to completely lose its frown. “Now, you.”

Emerson blew out a breath that seemed like it was borne more of frustration than any effort to calm herself. Her new power was proving tricky to grab a hold of, either refusing to cooperate or sending her into a trance-like state.

“Okay. Now remember, breathe through the background noise. Feel your heart—” He blinked and cleared his throat. “Um, I mean, feel the ground beneath your palms.”

My amusement at Cal’s blunder faded quickly, though. This was important. If we couldn’t keep Emerson’s ability to ourselves… Well, there was no telling what the bastards at court might try to get their hands on her.

Emerson shook her head, eyes flashing open as she ground out. “It’s not working.”

“Maybe we should try something else,” I suggested, shooting a glance at Cal when he opened his mouth. “I don’t know about you, but for me my magick has always been instinctive. So let your gut guide you.” I stood and offered her a hand up, holding her palms in mine when she faced me. “Maybe your gift doesn’t work the same as mage magick.”

Cal half-nodded, half-shrugged. “It’s possible. Vampire magick isn’t the same as ours, it draws more from your personal power than the world around you.” At our blank looks, he sighed. “Magick is a give and take. For mages, a lot of that balance is preserved through nature—but for vampires, your power is inherent, usually through your houses. That’s why it can be destabilising for young vampires to have their own fledglings before they come into their power. Trying to support yourself and someone else can be too great a strain for many newly undead.”

“Maybe that’s it!” I looked between them and Hayes glanced back at us at my exclamation. I waved him off before continuing, “When Em first had the vision, it was because Novalie was in danger. You said to me before that sometimes that kind of adrenaline can be the spark magick needs, right?”

Cal nodded. “I’m following.”

“Right. So that explains why Em’s power manifested at that moment—and then I wielded a lot of magick to make Novalie a part of the House.”

“And I couldn’t stop having visions after that,” Emerson said slowly before nodding. “I drew from the House?”

Something about the idea made me feel warm, like this was tangible proof that Romilly house did exist, that we had somewhere to belong—regardless of what the council thought, the magick didn’t lie.

“So the visions up ‘til now could have been like, aftershocks, right?” I bit my lip, hoping for some concrete answers. I was tired of feeling like we were stumbling about in the dark with only half the information all the time.

“Have you had any visions today?” Cal ran a hand over his jaw in what I’d come to think of as his thinking pose as Emerson thought back and shook her head. “Then let’s find out. Give her some juice,” he said to me and I tilted my head in question.

“Blood,” Hayes said and I jumped, not having felt the prickling of the bond warning me of his proximity. “It’s probably the easiest way to give Emerson your power.”

“Can’t she just draw from the house? From us?” Novalie chipped in, folding herself down to the ground gracefully and crossing her legs.

Emerson shrugged. “I’m still not a hundred percent sure I even know what that means.”

I snorted. It was like the blind leading the blind. “Blood it is.” A strange sensation swept through the bond, almost like a tightening, and I glanced at Hayes to see a darkness in his eyes that was unfamiliar.

I bit into my palm and offered my hand to Emerson, holding back my smirk when my suspicions were confirmed and the muscle in Hayes’ jaw ticked. He was jealous.

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