Page 21 of Castings & Curses

It took less than a minute before Mikaela’s eyes opened again, and she gasped. Fabian’s grip tightened for a second, then he relaxed again. Meanwhile, Lucille let out a sigh of relief.

Hanne helped Mikaela sit up, anxiously biting her lip.

Mikaela smiled, her fangs visible in the moonlight. She ran her fingers through Hanne’s long tresses and let them fall across her shoulders. Then she grabbed her and kissed her with a passion that was certainly too intimate.

Gulping, Lucille stepped away, pulling Fabian with her. “Let them have their moment,” she whispered. It was probably a good idea not to be too close to a newborn vampire. Hanne had promised to keep Mikaela and herself on an animal diet, but they didn’t need to tempt them more than necessary.

When they had walked for a while, Lucille mused, “So, now we watched a romance after all.”

“Or a horror movie,” Fabian replied, then grinned. “No, you’re right. It was a romance.” Once again, he slipped his fingers into her hand.

This time, they had no excuse. This was intentional.

Lucille returned the gesture, intertwining her fingers with his. “Would you do it? Forsake the day to be with your love?” In her mind, Fabian was very much a day person. Dependable, bright, not a dark secret in sight.

She was surprised when his voice turned husky. “For the love of my life, I would give up anything.”

Her heart almost burst at his reply. “Who knew you could be such a romantic?”

He gave her a sheepish shrug. “I guess I can be a lot of things.”

“Fabian Bendtfeldt.” Playfully, Lucille slapped his chest, then let her hand rest there as she gazed into his eyes. “I like this confident side of you. Along with the sensitive. And the romantic.”

His hand slipped into the small of her back and pulled her a little closer. “I thought you only went for the cool guys.”

“You’re a water mage who goes up against vampires and demons. I think you’re pretty cool.”

Fabian raised an eyebrow, and Lucille loved it. She snaked her hand further up, resting it on his neck. He let go of her hand and clasped both of his around her back, pulling her even closer. Where their bodies touched, Lucille felt the heat of summer coursing through their veins.

“And you’re the girl with the magic flames,” Fabian whispered.

Lucille gazed into his eyes. In the darkness, they were like liquid pools. “Shouldn’t you be careful about playing with fire?”

He shrugged adorably again. “I think if anyone is equipped to deal with fire, it’s me.”

Lucille gasped, amused. Who knew Fabian could be such a flirt? She put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. “We’ll see about that.”

Then she kissed him. If this summer had one last flirtation in store for Lucille, she was going to take full advantage of it. This one might be the one that would last. And if she’d learned one thing from Hanne and Mikaela, it was not to let the one you loved get away from you.

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