Page 172 of Castings & Curses

Cristian stood in silhouette by one of the tall arched windows, staring at the sprawling moonlit landscape below. Bathed in shadows, he turned as I entered. His dark eyes glowed with a fiery crimson flame deep within, and I knew...everything I’d heard and feared was true.

“Christian,” I breathed, a shudder skipping down my spine. His name was a whispered plea, a fervent prayer.

“Sage,” he murmured, the word a soft knell in the cavernous room. His gaze held mine, the intensity unnerving.

I felt the pull between us as I had before, yet now it was even stronger, an irresistible force that drew me closer to him. When I stood before him, my pulse racing, he reached out, fingers gently tracing the line of my jaw, sending a tremor of desire and longing through my veins. I leaned into his touch, my own hand reaching up to cup his cold cheek.At last, my body seemed to whisper. Despite everything, I knew I was where I was meant to be.

His eyes bore into mine, the crimson flames now dimmed, revealing a glimpse of the man I knew.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he whispered, pulling away.

“I want to help you, Cristian.”

“Help me?” His features hardened, his face as white as chiseled marble. “There’s nothing you can do to change what I’ve become. I’ve searched for a way to reverse this, but this is who am now. I’m sorry. I’ve failed you and everyone else I’ve cared about.”

“There is a way. There must be.” I clutched his cold hand and brought it to my cheek as if to warm it. “Together, we can find a cure.”

“It’s too dangerous for you. I thought I could save my lands.” He shook his head, a lock of his ebon hair falling over his white brow. “My foolish ambition has destroyed me.” He trailed his fingers down my cheek again, fingertips resting over my pulse, the yearning in his eyes almost unbearable. “You should go, Sage. And never look back.”

“I can’t leave you. I won’t. My heart won’t let me.”

A silence stretched between us, impenetrable as fog. But despite the tension, a sense of calm washed over me. I needed to show him I wasn’t afraid. That I wouldn’t reject him. “I want to be with you.” I raised my chin. “I fear no magic, nor anything otherworldly, no matter how dark. Teach me who you have become.”

His gaze softened as he looked at me, the hardness in his eyes replaced by a swirl of emotions, the bright curiosity of the Cristian I knew blended with a powerful sensuality born of his new powers. I yearned for both. Goddess help me, I wanted him.

He cupped my face in his hand. “Sage.”

His kiss was cool, yet my body filled with heat. Though his skin was unnaturally cold, it warmed wherever I touched him—his cheek, his throat, and, when he stepped away from me to open his shirt, his chest. His alabaster skin flushed pink and healthy as I swept my hand over it, as if I could bring him back to mortal life if only I could press myself against him. Yet when I stopped touching him, his body returned to its pale vampiric shade.

“Oh, Cristian… Why did you do this?” I whispered.

“To defeat Mirea, who would destroy everything I have. My lands, my legacy…”

“Is all that worth the loss of your soul?”

He touched his lips to mine again, my breath warming his skin. “You are my soul,” he murmured. “When I first saw you, for the first time, I felt as if I knew my purpose. I didn’t feel empty anymore.”

I drew back. “I’ve heard…stories. Terrible tales of people and animals drained of blood.”

He nodded slowly. “I have stopped drinking from humans. It is difficult…more than you can know. But your light inspires me. It is all I have left.” Uncertainty filled his dark eyes as he held out his hand to me. “I will never harm you, Sage. If you truly meant what you said, then be with me now.”

He was giving me a choice. I knew if I walked away, he would let me. But his words echoed in my mind. When I saw him for the first time, I’d also felt as if I wasn’t alone anymore. He filled the emptiness inside me.

I took his hand.

CHAPTER9

Sage

I’d never beenin Cristian’s castle, though I’d imagined it many times while gazing at it, looming above us on the hill in all its gray-stoned glory. I’d imagined tapestry-covered walls and gilt sconces, silver and gold everywhere, while we peasants scraped a living from the earth. And indeed, the castle’s interior was luxurious and impressive, but Cristian’s private chamber was modest, nearly bare save for a few simple pieces of plain wooden furniture and a bed near the fireplace.

He quickly started a fire there, casting the room in a golden glow that helped soften Cristian’s paleness, though shadows gathered beneath his sharp cheekbones. As he led me by the hand to stand beside the bed, the flames seemed to find their partners in his eyes.

His otherworldliness did not repel me. As a witch, a practitioner of magic, I felt his power and responded to it. It swirled desire within me like a growing storm. There was great healing power in sex, though that certainly wasn’t my only motivation. I couldn’t seem to divest myself of my simple shift quickly enough. Cristian assisted, his cool hands sliding over my burning shoulders and lowering the shift until it pooled at my feet.

He bent to deftly unlace myopinci, slipping them off my feet, then trailed kisses up my legs as he knelt before me. I let my fingers run through his thick black hair, and gasped when his mouth reached my mons. He kissed, then lightly licked there. I widened my stance instinctively, tightening my grip on his hair. Already, I was wet for him, and welcomed his lips and tongue. In tune with nature and the earth, I felt no shame for my carnal desires. They were true and natural, as elemental to life as the flowing river or the rising sun. I gave myself to him with joy.

Just as I teetered on the edge of release, he rose and cupped my breasts, flicking first one sensitive nipple, then the other with that clever tongue, before sucking each in turn, leaving me clutching his jacket and writhing with need. Why was he still dressed? I tugged at the collar of his long cotton shirt. With a low, sensual chuckle, he shrugged out of his garments until he stood naked in front of me, a beautiful marble statue, lean and hard, a warrior as pale as moonlight save for his red-flamed eyes. I rose on tiptoe and seized his mouth in a kiss.

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