Page 15 of Fire & Ice

"There is only the mating ritual. It is what elevates us to true vampires. A merging of two halflings to make a whole. It was created by the ancients to unite factions—meant to maintain the balance in our world," Beau said seriously. "It was supposed to unite families and bring peace... but it requires compromise from both sides." He looked at me intensely, searching my eyes for any signs of doubt or uncertainty.

I frowned, feeling overwhelmed as I realized the gravity of our situation.

"So what does this mean for us?"

Beau's eyes softened as he reached out to cup my cheek. "It means, my love, that we will perform the mating ritual. You and I will merge our powers, our souls, and our bodies, becoming one. It is the only way to solidify our bond and ensure that we will be together for eternity."

My heart raced as I considered his words. The idea of merging with Beau, of becoming one with him, was both exhilarating and terrifying. I had never considered the possibility of becoming a true vampire, of transcending my halfling status and taking the place fate has destined for me in this world.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Beau's hand cupped my cheek, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. "I have never been surer of anything in my life," he said firmly before pulling me into his embrace.

As I sat there, wrapped up in Beau's strong arms, I couldn't help but feel nervous about what the mating ritual would entail. I knew that it was meant to unite us as equals, but the thought of it made me feel more like a pawn than a queen-to-be.

Beau seemed to sense my unease and pulled away from me, holding me at arm's length so he could look me in the eyes. "I know that this is a lot to take in," he said softly, "but I promise I will be with you every step of the way. We will face whatever comes together."

His words were like a balm to my soul, and I felt some of the anxiety melt away. I knew that I could trust Beau with my life, and I knew that he would never let me down.

Taking a deep breath, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. His ice-cold lips felt soothing on my hot lips. Our tongues entwined as sparks of electricity flew up my spine, igniting the fire within me. My hands ran through his soft hair as I held him close, completely losing myself in our kiss.

Suddenly, a loud knock on the door jolted us both back to reality. Beau reluctantly pulled away from me, his eyes lingering on mine for a moment before he got up to answer the door. He strode across the room, his black robe fluttering around his ankles with each step, and opened the door to reveal a tall man in an all-black suit. He spoke briefly with the man before turning back to me with a serious expression on his face.

"Tempest," he said. "I need to go out for a while. There's something I need to take care of, but I promise I'll be back soon."

I nodded silently, feeling a sense of foreboding settle over me as Beau left the room. What could be so important that he needed to leave in the middle of the day? I tried to push the thought out of my mind and focused on calming the fire still raging within me.

I walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower and stepped under the cool stream of cool water. I soaped up with a cinnamon-scented body wash, relishing in its spicy scent, letting myself forget everything that had been happening in my life.

Chapter 17

Beau

Marcus, my loyal guard, was his usual ten steps behind me as I stalked the halls in search of my brother who said there was an urgent issue he needed to discuss. I could feel the rumblings of irritation coming through my bond with Marcus after I had disappeared yesterday with Tempest. I chose to ignore it now, just as I had the moon before. There was no need for him to have been privy to anything my mate and I had done, so he could grumble all he wanted, even if it was in defense of the Crown's protection.

I finally reached the end of the hallway and stepped into Gabriel's room, leaving Marcus in the hall. My brother had his lanky body draped across a plush settee, looking out of the window. His expression was one of deep thought as he stared out into the night sky. I watched him for a moment before clearing my throat, causing him to jump slightly at the sound of my voice.

He turned towards me, his dark eyes flashing with surprise. "Beau," he said in a soft voice, "what brings you here?"

"You sent word that you had something urgent to discuss," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. "What is it?"

Gabriel sighed heavily and motioned for me to have a seat. He leaned forward in his chair, his gaze intent on mine as he began to speak, "I didn't think you would come so soon, having just found your future bride, but I wanted to talk about the weather anomalies," he said slowly. "It has been raining nonstop since the Blood Moon Ball—something I'm sure you've noticed with your ice powers being affected."

I nodded, feeling a sense of unease settle over me. "What does that have to do with anything? Is it a natural occurrence?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Gabriel shook his head, his expression growing more serious. "No, it's not. I've been doing some digging, and it seems that there's a group of rogue vampires who have been experimenting with weather manipulation and the old vampire magic," he said, his tone grave. "They're trying to create a permanent storm, one that will cover the entire city and block out the sun. If they succeed, the fragiles will be plunged into eternal darkness and chaos will reign. "

I felt a chill run down my spine as I listened to Gabriel's words. This was not something to be taken lightly. "That would be unacceptable. There are by far more fragiles than us, and they keep our world turning," I snarled, feeling my hands balling into fists at my sides.

"Has there been anything else you've heard? What's happening outside of the city?"

Gabriel leaned back in his seat, his expression serious. "The storms have been wreaking havoc all over the kingdom. The lightning strikes seem to be getting closer and closer to our palace. Reports are coming in from all over the world of strange weather patterns and natural disasters. It's as if the elements themselves are rebelling against us."

I had heard rumblings of strange weather patterns, but I had assumed it was just normal fluctuations. I had never considered that it could be something more.

"What do we do?" he asked cautiously.

I looked at him steadily. "First we inform our parents and the council. Second, we need to figure out what's causing these anomalies, and if there's anything we can do to stop them," I replied firmly.

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