Page 21 of Valentine's With A Vampire

Her expression twists with sadness. “I nudged you. You’ve been lost, sweet boy. I guessed you might find what you wanted here. So I wrote Grizelda, arranged a small guiding enchantment. The rest was up to fate.”

My chest flares with anger. “I’m not a puppet, Gran.”

She sighs, tears brimming in her eyes. “I know, and I’m sorry if it felt that way, but you were drifting. You never told me you were happy or content. I wanted you to have a chance at real belonging.”

Grizelda edges around us to put the kettle back on, giving us space. Vandria lingers near the door, arms tight across her body. I can’t take my gaze off her. The memory of how I left sits heavy in my gut.

Gran asks, “You blame me for interfering?”

My jaw locks. “I might, but I also blame this place—everyone’s illusions, that lantern—”

A sharp sniff from Bethany. “Illusions only reveal what you already carry. I did nothing but open the path.” She glances at Vandria, who looks torn between leaving or staying. “I see you’ve complicated matters.”

That’s the understatement of the year. I run a hand down my face, wrestling with the swirl of anger and heartbreak. “I can’t just accept fate meddling in everything, Gran. I need to know I have a choice.”

She lays a gentle palm on my cheek. “You always have a choice, Declan. Magic never forces love. The only question is whether you want to embrace the love you’ve found.”

Silence. The tension in my chest returns as my gaze drifts to Vandria. She’s quiet, eyes shining with unshed tears, and her posture guarded. My heart wrenches.

Gran steps aside, giving me a direct line of sight to Vandria. “Stop torturing yourselves,” she murmurs softly. “None of this is destiny commanding you. You decide.”

Grizelda’s cat slinks across the floor, weaving between our legs as though encouraging us to talk. Vandria shifts her weight, exhaling. “Declan.” She doesn’t continue, perhaps not trusting her voice.

I force a breath. “I... I’m sorry,” I manage. The words come haltingly. “I freaked out, and I left you alone.”

Her throat works. “Yeah, you did.”

My mind races, searching for how to explain. “I never believed in soulmates or fated love. Then that lantern flared, and everything felt locked in. I panicked.”

She nods once, lips pinched. “I understand.”

Grizelda collects her cat, slipping out of the room with Bethany in tow. They vanish into a side chamber, giving us privacy. The hush returns. Vandria’s gaze flips from the open doorway to me. “So you hate me now, or...?”

I cross the space between us, stopping a foot away. “No. Never hated you.” My pulse hammers. “I hate feeling like I’m not in control of my own life. This place has me spinning.”

Her arms remain folded, knuckles white. “Magic thrives on chaos, but it never tried to chain you, not truly.”

I step closer, lifting a hand in a silent request for permission to touch her. She hesitates, and a heartbeat passes. Then she lowers her arms, letting me rest a palm on her shoulder. The contact sparks a wave of warmth that floods me with longing. The memory of her body pressed to mine in that candlelit storeroom flickers through my mind, stealing my breath.

My eyes close for a second. “I ran because I felt something real, and it terrified me. I’ve spent so long pushing people away. I was drifting, never letting myself get attached, and suddenly, you were...everything.” I swallow hard. “Too fast. Too big.”

She releases a trembling breath. “And now?”

I open my eyes, letting the swirl of leftover heartbreak show. “Now, I don’t want to lose what we started. If you can forgive me, if you still want me, I’d like a chance, but it has to be our choice, not a lantern’s.”

Her gaze glitters with tears. She lifts a shaking hand and rests it against my cheek. “I’ve guarded my heart, afraid mortals would die, leaving me behind. Something about you shattered that guard.” Her voice turns quiet. “It’s terrifying, but it’s also the first time in decades I’ve felt alive.”

My throat tightens. “I’m not promising an easy road, but I promise if we do this, it’s because I want you.”

She presses her forehead to mine, eyes closing. A tiny sob escapes her. I slide my arm around her waist, pulling her close. The tension in her shoulders melts, replaced by a trembling acceptance. I bury my face in her hair, inhaling the faint scent of lavender and parchment.

For a long moment, we breathe each other in, letting the swirl of magic settle. Then footsteps creak in the next room. Bethany and Grizelda quietly reappear, pausing in the doorway. My grandmother’s eyes shine as her lips curve in a gentle smile.

Vandria and I step apart, though I keep one hand linked with hers.

Gran approaches, setting her carpetbag down again. “That answers my question, I suppose.”

A faint blush colors my cheeks, but I keep my chin high. “Gran, you meddled in a big way, but... thank you. Maybe.”

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