Across from me, Darius arched an eyebrow, his lips twitching with the effort of holding back a smile. He knew exactly what I was thinking about, exactly what that memory was doing to me. He could scent the desire in my blood.
“To create the unbroken circle effect,” Haley said, “you’d both have to drink from each other, and that’s a no-go. We can’t risk turning you. No witch can survive the change.”
I nodded. It was an old refrain, one all witches had learned from a young age. Though we were human, the magic in our blood didn’t mix well with vampire blood. Other than the witch Jonathan had claimed to turn, for which we’d seen no evidence, none of us had ever survived an attempted change. I needed no further proof than Sophie and the other Bay witches Jonathan had murdered by injecting them with vampire blood.
I shook off the cobwebs of those old thoughts. Right now, I had to stay focused on Darius. On our ritual. On what it would feel like later tonight, holding my vampire in my arms, kissing him, talking about all of the things he’d remembered.
We kept our hands steady, and using the tip of her athame, Haley carved runes into our skin, cutting just deep enough for blood to rise but not drip. It stung, but I welcomed the pain. It kept me focused on the moment, on its importance.
When she finished, Darius and I clasped hands over the candle between us, pressing our palms together and lacing our fingers tight. The moment we connected, my palms began to warm, then tingle, the sensation slowly spreading up my arms and into my chest.
“Do you feel it, Gray?” Haley asked, and I nodded, stifling a giggle. It made me feel light and happy inside, like getting laughing gas at the dentist.
“Now,” she continued, “I want you both to gaze into each other’s eyes and focus on your connection. See it reflected in your gazes. Note the different colors and facets in the eyes of your beloved. The exact shade and shape of the lips you’ve kissed so many times. The sound of breath, the scent. Feel the way your skin tingles when you touch, the way your fingers are so tightly entwined, the sting of the rune carvings. Imagine your blood flowing from your heart, Gray, down your left hand and into Darius’s right. Darius, feel yourself receiving that gift of blood and magic from her, bringing it deep into your own heart, then sending it back out to Gray through your left hand and into her right. Imagine it’s a circle of fire, spinning slowly at first, then heating, quickening, binding you together as it grows brighter.”
Everything around us was silent but for the soft popping of the candles and the strong, wild beat of my heart. As I felt the magic working through us, my body warm and tingling, the circle of flames growing stronger, I gave in to the deep pull of Darius’s gaze. The emotion reflected in his golden honey eyes was indescribable; the moment felt shockingly intimate, despite our company.
As the circle of flames continued to spin, Haley rose to her feet, then paced her own circle around us, chanting a spell as she moved.
Blood is the bond, blood is the key
To unlock the cage of these memories
What flows from one heart shall flow to the other
As mysteries past will soon be uncovered
Trust in this magic, trust in this love
Restore what was lost, below and above.
She repeated the verse three times, once for each circle she walked. As she chanted, the flames inside me heated, my magic spinning, twining, connecting. My heart was beating hard enough to burst, but each time I feared it would, I felt the magical rush of Darius’s blood into my body, steadying me. With each circle Haley completed, more of Darius’s memories surfaced, flickering through my mind only to rush away again before I could fully grasp them.
I hoped they were rushing back to him.
“Rise,” Haley said, “keeping your hands clasped.”
When we’d gotten to our feet, she said, “I want you to close your eyes and imagine the circle of flames slowing down, dimming, slowly fading like embers in a fire. Reclaim your magic, your blood. Feel it filling you up again, spreading throughout your body, renewing you. Once the flames have completely subsided and you feel whole again, you may release each other, and the ritual will be complete.
This part took a bit longer than the chanting, but Darius and I seemed to get there at the same time, slowly releasing each other. It was hard to let him go; after the deeply intimate moment we’d just shared, it felt like I was breaking the connection all over again.
Like I was risking losing it all.
When I looked into his eyes, I saw a flicker of sadness, and knew he’d felt the same way.
“Darius,” I whispered, reaching for his face. If this was supposed to restore him, why did I suddenly feel so empty? So lost?
“I’m afraid I was right,” he said softly, a smile tilting at the edge of his lips. “Iamin love with you.”
And then his eyelids fluttered closed, and Darius swayed on his feet.
Thirty-Four
GRAY
“Liam,” Haley ordered, and in an instant, Liam was at my vampire’s side, catching him before he collapsed. Slowly and gently, he guided Darius onto the bed, pulling the blankets up to his shoulders, tucking him in.
My heart melted, and I blew out a breath.
