he candl

ing with caution, logic clashing with something deeper, I finally made up my mind

ed softly in the window of my shop, sending a silent message to

ction that mentioned blood curses. My shop remained "closed for inventory" while I spread ancie

found weren'

bowls containing herbs and crystals marked the cardinal points. Ancient symbols drawn in chalk formed a circle on

ugh the back door again, his eyes took in t

down a small wooden box he'd brought

g. "According to Helena Thorne's private journals, the curse works by binding the emotional capaci

ar you," Lucien concluded. "Your blo

e proximity seems to create a temporary effect

we touch..

e." I ran my finger along a passage in the grimoire. "Helena designed a fail-safe-perhaps out of regret

ar enough that I could feel the coolness radiating

ficult part. I t

" I finally met his eyes. "My blood, freely given

, but something flickered in those burgun

idden by your Counci

augh that held no humor. "Seems my ancestor had a vindictive streak. The

examining the symbols on the floor

est sounded weak even to my ears. We both knew I wouldn't

he ritual ent

y simple, magically speaking. The complex part is the blood exchange. You

blood was taboo for good reason, our blood carried our magic, our ess

Lucien's voice had dropped lower, a

ighed at his knowing look. "Fine. Yes.

e th

t clear boundaries about what this does and doesn't mean. And third-" I hesitated, then forged

said without pause. "I h

ised me. "

hanges occur. And if it puts you in danger in any way, from your Council, f

should have offended my independence. Instead, I

h I reserve the right to

s lips. "I wouldn't expect anyt

silver dagger with runes etched along the blade. "This be

t him. "Yo

"I watched her cast it, watched what it did to my maker and the others. Sh

ies in my palm. The magic in it recognized me, warming agains

tting the dagger beside one of the silver bowls. "We hav

cien listened with scholarly attention, asking questions that revealed his own

jittery. I lit black candles around the ritual space, t

s?" Lucien asked as I took

ed. "But I'm d

ecting my honesty. "

opposite mine. "The grimoire says we need to m

ure building like the air before a thunderstorm. My magic responded

rst," I said, extending mine

s appeared at the contact points, but more controlled this t

ls around us began to glow with soft blue light that matched the sparks between our hands. The candl

as the magic reac

to my inner wrist where my pulse beat visibly beneath the skin. I hesita

magic in the room surged in response, the blue light inten

gers steadying my hand. Our eyes lock

continued the incantation, my voice wavering as he drank, each pull of his mouth

ing us together in ways I couldn't fully comprehend. My magic responded to his prese

st tightened as emotions long suppressed flooded through him, seven centuries of feeling, compressed i

in a rush that threatened to overwhelm us both. The boundary between us blurred as the

gle drop of my blood clung to his lower lip, vivid red against his pale

enveloping us both in a cocoon of energy that lifted us from our chairs. For a sus

rs. The candles returned to normal flame. The chalk symbols stopped glowing. But the con

red, his voice rough. "I

ulling me to my feet before I could respond. His hands framed my face

feel them alongside my own." His thumb trac

nished for him.

dropping lower. "It's overwhel

l boundaries and the dangers of what we'd just done. Instead, I leaned int

reaking, or somethin

created a temporary bond. Your blood is still in my system

ly the sort of complication I'd sworn to avoid. But in that moment, with his emotions flo

, certainty, inevitability. My back hit the bookshelf as he pressed closer, books tumbling unheeded to the floo

d slid into my hair, cradling my head as he deepened the kiss. I responded with equal fervor, my magic reaching for him, welcoming him. W

this," he murmured against m

not fangs, grazed the sensitive spot below my ear. "Th

groan. "Seven hundred years of disci

ded him, tugging him back up

alm skimmed down my side to my hip, fingers digging in just enough to make me gasp against his mouth. Books continued to fa

fort. His eyes had darkened to the color of midnight, and I could feel the w

than I'd ever heard it. "The bond is affecti

was the last thing I wanted. "The ritual wasn'

further, putting necessary distance between us. "E

though not completely. I could still sense him at the edges of my cons

sked, straightening my rumpl

through his disheveled hair.

d cut myself. The wound had mostly closed, vampire saliva contained n

asked. "Beyond th

hings I couldn't before... subtle emotions beyond the basic instincts the curse allowed. Bu

nt a complicated thrill through me that I tried to

about how the curse functions." He gathered the fallen books, restoring them to the shelf with methodical care. "

n, exhaustion hit me like a physical

th a hand on my shoulder. "Can you make it upst

angerous. "I can walk. But... will you stay? Just until the bo

ded anyway. "Until dawn, then. After that, I'll

ing any of this to Zoe or, gods forbid, my grandmother. A blood ritual, a partial curse-b

over cocktails. Gran wo

elongings, feeling the ghost of his emotions still whispering at the

, indeed, and I was ventur