Chapter 5

After dinner, We walked along the water for a while. Sometimes we talked, sometimes we simply enjoyed each other’s presence. Afterwards, he drove me back to my apartment, and walked me to my door on the third floor.

“So, have I earned the privilege of entering your home?” he asked playfully.

I smiled, but hesitated. I didn’t want the night to end, but inviting him in would imply an offer to have sex, and I didn’t know if I was ready to do that with a vampire.

He turned serious for a moment as he said, “It’s okay if you still aren’t sure.”

“It’s not that. I’m having a really good time with you, but…”

“But?”

I blew out a breath. This was awkward. “I don’t know if I’m ready to have sex with you.”

He tipped his head back and laughed. “We don’t have to tonight, but I would still like to come in and spend more time with you.”

I blushed. “Okay.”

I unlocked the door and moved inside.

“Ahem.” He was still standing outside the open door.

I grinned devilishly. “I’ll be right back.” He looked like he was about to complain as I turned down the hall to my room. I quickly dug out the sage, a candle, and the black tourmaline.

He raised a brow at what was in my hands as I walked back to the door. “Are you letting me in or locking me out?” he asked as he eyed the black tourmaline I had bought yesterday.

I grinned again. “I guess you’ll just have to find out.” I grabbed a lighter off the counter and moved in front of the open doorway. I set the items on the little side table in the entryway. First, I got the sage burning. Next, I said a blessing as I lit the candle. Just a little phrase about safety and protection. Then I set the tourmaline right in the middle of the doorway.

I grabbed the candle and sage off the table, one item in each hand, and turned back to him. I held up the sage to my mouth and blew the smoke towards him, mixing my magic with it. Frost and smoke blew into him, the frost melting just as quickly as it formed in the air. Then I blew out the candle. “You can come in now.”

He took a cautious step through the doorway and smiled once he was all the way inside. “Ice magic huh? I’ve never seen a water witch do that before.”

Turning and moving further into the apartment after gathering my spell ingredients back up, I told him, “That’s because very few can do it.” I was the only one in my coven who had the ability. They had brought in a special tutor from overseas to teach me when I discovered my power.

“Is that how the mirror broke? You froze it? I didn’t see any frost on the glass,” he said with a quizzical look.

“Not on purpose. And that’s because the molecular structure of the mirror froze just enough for it to crack without frost appearing on the outside. The internal part of it became too weak for the exterior to remain intact. If you had been inside the apartment, you would have felt how cold the room was.”

He nodded, his curiosity now sated.

“Can I offer you a drink?” I asked as I put the spell ingredients away.

“Are you sure you’re not trying to get me into bed with you?” he teased.

I rolled my eyes before turning to face him.

“I can literally hear your eyes roll you know,” he told me.

“Really?” I asked. Huh. That must be annoying. “So what else can a vampire do?”

“We are the perfect predator really. We having extremely heightened senses, so we can see in the dark, track prey by scent, feel slight shifts in nature like a subtle change in the wind. We can even hear a heartbeat miles away.”

“That must be annoying, so much noise, so much sensitivity to light?” I prodded.

“It can be, but it also has its benefits.”

“Like what?”

“Like… sex. Food. A dip in the water is more refreshing, The sun on your skin is more vitalizing.”

“The sun doesn’t burn?” I wondered.

He smiled. “You really have never met a vampire before have you?”

“No, I haven’t. I’ve met wolves before, but not vampires.” On the edge of my memory, a large grey wolf was prowling, circling me slowly in my hiding spot. He would find me soon….

I pushed the memory back into oblivion.

“So much potential,” he mused, eyeing me a bit hungrily.

“Please don’t look at me like that.”

He blinked. “Like what?”

“Like your about to do something so devious only a man could do it.”

He looked like he was about to say something, but thought better of it. He went back to the subject at hand instead. “We are also faster than than anything man has built. We move so fast, humans don’t even see it happening.”

Happy for the change in conversation, I asked, “Is that how you just ‘appear’ sometimes?”

He chuckled. “Yes, I suppose it would look that way to someone who is not a vampire.” Or a wolf, I thought to myself. “We are also incredibly strong.”

“How strong?” I really had no idea. I just knew that witches were stronger than humans, and vampires were stronger than witches.

“I’m not entirely sure,” he answered honestly. “The heaviest thing I have ever lifted is a two ton boulder back when I first turned, but it was like lifting a large piece of foam. I’ve crushed diamonds before too.”

“What a waste!” I exclaimed teasingly.

He chuckled a little. “We only get stronger with age too, albeit not by much.”

“What else can you do?”

“Do you want a demonstration?”

“Yes.” He hesitated. He may have only been joking, but I was dead serious. I waited for him to show me.

“Really? Are you sure?” he questioned.

“Just don’t bite me or drink my blood,” I joked.

He laughed. “Alright.”

He gave me a wicked grin. And then everything went black.