Page 178 of Castings & Curses

“This is beautiful.” She spun around, her eyes wide, her smile radiant.

“Only the best for you, my love,” I replied. I led her to the center of the clearing, where a small table was set with a simple meal and a single vibrant moonflower—her favorite.

We spent the evening beneath the stars, sharing laughs, stories, dreams. There, under the canopy of heaven, our conversations were honest and heartfelt. I reveled in her laughter, in the way her eyes lit up when she spoke about her passions, and in the tenderness of her touch.

“Cristian, thank you,” she whispered, her hand finding mine across the table. “Not just for tonight, but for everything. For standing by me, for fighting for us.”

I squeezed her hand in response. “There is nowhere else I would rather be. I love you.”

We held each other’s gaze, the silence around us amplifying the intimacy of the moment. It felt like the world had paused just for us. She rose and rushed into my arms, burying her face into my chest. We held each other, a promise of love sealing our shared determination.

As we lay down in the grass, staring up at the stars and whispering sweet nothings, all living things seemed to be in perfect harmony.

Tonight, in our secret garden, we were not a vampire and a witch fighting against the world. We were just Cristian and Sage, two souls irrevocably entwined.

Our whispers grew quieter as the night deepened, the fireflies dimmed their lights, and the moon cast its soft, silvery glow over us. Lying on our makeshift bed of soft grass and wildflowers, I looked at Sage, her face peaceful and content. My thumb traced gentle circles on her hand.

“I won’t stop until we’ve found a solution,” I murmured, devastated by the thought of a world without her. “A way for us to live together, not just in these fleeting moments.”

She turned to me, her emerald eyes filled with a solemn determination. Her hand traced the sharp lines of my jaw, her touch so tender, I felt it throughout my entire body. “This is worth fighting for. You and me, we we’re worth fighting for.”

The conviction in her voice sparked a surge of hope in me. I brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face, my fingers lingering on the softness of her skin. “I love you, Sage,” I whispered, my words a promise carried by the quiet night. “And I will fight for you, for us.”

I took her mouth without urgency, and she opened to me, our tongues caressing, our hands wandering as if we had all the time in the world. Her blood called to me, but I wrestled with the need, willing my rapier-sharp fangs to stop their descent. With a sharp intake of breath, I pulled away from her.

She propped up on her elbows. “Are you all right?”

Eyes closed tight, I nodded. “Forgive me. Sometimes…the hunger is difficult to ignore.” I opened my eyes quickly and took in her pale face. “But I would never hurt you. Sage, please believe me.”

* * *

Sage

“I do.”I saw the conflict, the struggle on his face, and my heart broke for him. Without another word, I unbuttoned my bodice and slowly bared one pale breast to his gaze, offering myself to him with total trust. The nipple was already puckered and ready for his lips. I ached for his mouth on me. “I do,” I whispered again. “I hunger too.” My tongue darted out to wet my lower lip, and he kissed me quickly, then deeply. And then something caught at the edge of my vision, and I gasped softly. “Look,” I whispered.

He lifted his head to see a pale silvery glow swirling around us. His vampiric luminescence blending with my witch magic that reflected the power of the goddess moon. Drawn to the ethereal light, fireflies hovered close by, lending their sparkle.

“Enchanting,” he murmured with a small smile, though he was looking at me, not at our combined glow.

“Don’t you see?” I whispered, touching his cheek. “Our magic is blending. Oh, Cristian.” I reached up and kissed him, pouring all my love into it, drawing him down so that he pressed his rigid cock between my spread thighs. “You are my heart.”

“And you are my soul,” he said softly against my lips, then dipped his tongue into my mouth before tracing it down to my waiting breast. I gasped when he suckled me, and together, we shed our clothing until we lay naked as the first man and the first woman beneath the moon’s loving gaze.

This time, he lay on his back and encouraged me to straddle him. Though I’d never done anything like this before, I wasn’t shy. I believed that passion was meant to be shared freely between people who cared for each other. It was a continuation of the life force, a giving and taking, an echo of the sea and the movement of the stars. Rising above him, I then slowly lowered myself onto his hardness. Oh, it was cold, but quickly warmed in my body’s embrace. Cristian closed his eyes and tipped back his head in the silvered grass. His warrior’s body was etched with shadows, so strong, so beautiful, that my heart ached. Unbound from its braids, my hair fell about my shoulders and rippled down my back, my nipples peeking from between the strands as I arched and sought my pleasure. Our kisses grew voracious, our cries unhindered as we drove each other to ultimate pleasure.

I gasped out in joy, then a moment later, as his thumb worked my hidden bud, I bucked again and again, until at last I collapsed across his chest. He rolled me to my back in the soft grass and finished, groaning in ecstasy with his mouth against my throat. I bent my head to expose my throat to him further, to show him I trusted him implicitly not to hurt me, and he kissed me there, then my shoulder, then each breast in turn, before he finally lay on his side and held me close against him, our arms wrapped tight around each other.

My vampire, my lover, my everything. We held each other’s souls for as long as we walked this earth.

CHAPTER15

Sage

I stoodin the center of my garden, surrounded by the lush tapestry of flora that whispered secrets of ancient magic. Their voices hummed in my ears, a symphony of knowledge passed down through generations of witches. With the charm I’d made in my hands, I chanted the incantation passed down from my mother, the rhythm of the words resonating deep within me, invoking my power.

My fingers danced over the delicate silver chain, tracing the small sun pendant that would hold my protective enchantment. A surge of energy coursed through me, drawn from the earth and channeled into the charm. I closed my eyes, focusing my will, my essence into that tiny piece of metal. With each whispered word, each verse of the spell, I felt the charm pulsate with my energy, with my love for Cristian.

Sweat trickled down my brow, a small price to pay for the magic I was weaving. It was a taxing spell, draining my already exhausted strength, but every ounce of effort was worth it. Though it wouldn’t lift the curse, it could at least bring us a respite from living in shadows. The thought of Cristian being able to walk in daylight, even for a little while, was a joy that overpowered any physical discomfort.

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