Page 55 of The Vampire's Seduction

Olivia settled her hands in Andrea’s. The woman’s palms were surprisingly warm. “Wait. Don’t we need a spell?”

“Not yet. Today you’ll just get a feel of magic. Now close your eyes and take a slow, deep breath.” Andrea’s voice was tranquil and smooth, like a gently flowing river.

Darkness descended as Olivia followed her instructions.

“Keep your breathing slow and deep,” Andrea continued. “Good, just like that.”

Olivia resisted the urge to fidget. Meditation and slowing down wasn’t her strong suit. There was always too much to do. One task after another. Decompressing was never a priority.

“You’re thinking too much.” A hint of a smile in the admonishing words.

“Sorry,” Olivia mumbled.

“Now, listen to my voice and focus on your surroundings. On how the air feels against your skin. On what you hear. On all the scents you smell.” Andrea’s voice seemed to drift farther and farther from her. “Magic is all around us. It is the life force fueling every living creature, and it feels different to everyone. To some, it feels like a warm or cool breeze, or the smell of a homecooked meal, or the sound of the waves against the cliffs. But beneath it all, there’s a calling, a vibration against your soul, something strange yet familiar at the same time.”

Something shifted inside Olivia as she sought out the magic. Something buried deep rising to the surface. Andrea had hit the nail on the head, for the new essence was a stranger and a friend, like a best friend she hadn’t seen in a while. That friend was still the same, and not.

Heat emitted from her center, forming a stream of smoke. Olivia smiled. Magic. She tried to grasp it, to touch it, unsure what she would do once she caught it, but it danced away from her, along her arm, and down to the bracelet, where it promptly disappeared.

Being the scientist she was, she did it again, drawing on more of the magic. The same thing happened, and the bracelet heated along her wrist, not burning her skin but only causing discomfort.

Olivia opened her eyes and met Andrea’s brown ones. “I think my bracelet is stealing the magic,” she said in a practical, scientist-observing-an-experiment tone.

“Let me see.”

She unclasped it and handed it to Andrea. Holding it in her palm, Andrea closed her eyes. Two breaths later, a gentle, non-threatening warmth wafted off Andrea before an ochre light surrounded her from head to toe, with the bracelet glowing the brightest.

Olivia’s fingers twitched with impatience and a strange protectiveness over the bracelet. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if Andrea destroyed it or altered it in some way.

You trust her, remember?

Andrea’s eyes opened in another five seconds. Her tone thoughtful, she said, “It looks like the bracelet is spelled to protect you from harm. It sucks and stores any magic coming off you and uses it in case of an emergency.”

That confirmed Olivia’s earlier suspicions. It explained why she’d come out unscratched from the car accident.

“If I stop wearing the bracelet, I should be able to use magic?” she asked.

“That’s my guess, but storing some magic away isn’t a bad idea. We can only channel so much magic at once, so it’s always smart to have extra on hand in case of emergency. Let’s try to do it again without you wearing it. Later, we can go over how to draw out the stored magic in the bracelet and how to purposely store your magic, rather than having the bracelet siphon all of it.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

After Andrea placed the bracelet on the ground, Olivia linked hands with the other woman again and closed her eyes. This time, she located the magic instantly, its heat a welcoming sensation. She tugged at it and drew out multiple strands. Instead of streaming toward her bracelet, the strands floated around her, wisps of smoke dancing to her tune.

“Open your eyes slowly. Don’t lose your control over it. Hold onto the feeling.”

Olivia clung to the feeling of heat, of the vibrations deep inside her, of the friendly essence as she lifted her lids. In the space between Andrea’s face and hers twirled three small, thin filaments outlined in grass-green light.

“Am I doing that?” she asked, wonder struck.

Andrea grinned with unadulterated joy and pride. “Yep. It’s all you.”

Excited by the new discovery, Olivia reached inside her and pulled. More waves of jade light left her and joined the first three, extending them. Olivia was beginning to understand Andrea’s meaning. The magic was inside her, but also all around her, tickling her skin with bits of electrostatic shock.

“Not too fast,” Andrea said. “You don’t want to draw too much. Remember, magic comes from your life force.”

“Right.” Olivia stopped and focused on moving the strands of light, up over Andrea’s head, down through their lowered arms, back and forth. The entire time, she couldn’t stop smiling like a little kid in a toy store.

“Now what?” The question came out in shallow breaths.

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