Aileen nods, relaxing slightly. He didn’t say yes, but he also didn’t say no. “This whole thing is a mess.”
Cayson laughs at her words. “Yeah, because our worlds no longer agree to this stuff. So yes, it’s a mess. Let’s give it a few months, Aileen, just a few months to see how things go.”
Aileen nods, still cuddled against him. She can agree to that, a few months to see how the relationship changes and if it works.
The days quickly turn to weeks, which then turn to months. Cayson watches as Aileen becomes stronger, her magic becoming part of her. Every day he watches in awe as she seems to master more and more of her magic, writing it down faithfully in her grimoire. Things settle down, the local werewolves and witches meet and talk about what Cayson had discussed with Aileen and Zander. They know that soon, they will need to have that meeting; the meeting which could either get them all killed or save them all. They just need something, just one little thing, to show the vampires that it’s worth it and it will work.
5 HIS QUEEN
Cayson smiles at Aileen as she sits with Azalea. He catches Aileen’s eye and winks.
“I’m kind of bored over here, would be great to have some way to keep myself entertained.” He slouches back in the chair, Azalea turning and looking towards him with a devious smile.
“Cayson,” she sings, vowels elongated.
“Yes, kitty cat?”
Azalea rolls her eyes before a sugary smile spreads once more across her cheeks. “Just wondering if I could borrow your body for a bit?”
Aileen and Cayson laugh together at her words, Cayson’s eyes widening slightly.
“How? What do you want my body for?” He’s gotten used to being her guinea pig. Over the last few months the pair has gotten ever closer and she’s almost like his little sister, now, so it doesn’t surprise him that she wants to practice on him again.
“So, Aileen has given me a spell I need to try, but if it goes wrong…” Cayson laughs.
“What this time? Your spells often leave me in sticky situations, Azalea. Last time I couldn’t move, and you couldn’t figure out how to undo it until Aileen came back.” She was only meant to be silencing him and, somehow, she’d managed to freeze his whole body. Those people who pretend to be human statues really didn’t get enough credit.
“How do you feel about being, well, you know, um…” She glances to Aileen, unsure of how to say it.
“She needs your heart racing because of emotions so that she can try and control your heart to slow it down,” explains Aileen.
Cayson laughs. “You’re going to kill me one of these days.”
Azalea shrugs her shoulders. “At least if I do, Aileen can bring you back if she gets to you quick enough.”
Cayson glances to Aileen confused. She hadn’t explained that yet; she must have been practicing.
“Ask later. At least you know you won’t die.”
“Fine,” Cayson mock-sighs, “so what’s the plan for making my heart race to start with?” He glances at them, Azalea jumping up and grabbing something.
“Horror movie?”
“I’m a werewolf; that stuff makes me laugh. No racing heart there.”
“Vampire attack? You could go to their lair or whatever they call it where they hide during the day.” Aileen and Cayson stare at her shocked. “Your heart raced a little just then, didn’t it?” Aileen laughs loudly at Azalea’s cheeky grin.
“Okay, let me take him and discuss a plan with him. If he agrees, he’ll leave and come back in a state you need. You,” she points at Cayson, “come with me. Can’t say it around listening ears.” Aileen walks to her room, pulling Cayson with her. She shuts the door, locking it behind her; her hands moving as she puts a spell on the room. Cayson’s no longer phased by it, he’s used to it at this point.
“So, your plan?”
Aileen smiles. “You have to trust me entirely.” Cayson nods.
“I already do, but there’s a look of pure craziness in your eyes that’s telling me I shouldn’t. What’s your plan?”
“I walk to the graveyard alone-”
“What the hell? Are you crazy?! Aileen, come on, yeah that’ll get my heart racing but likely end in me freaking out so much that poor Azalea won’t be able to calm me down. That’s not a plan, that’s a death wish!”
Aileen laughs slightly. “I can protect myself against a vampire.”
“Against one, yes, not two or three. You need your mouth, your eyes or your hands to perform spells. If you have none you’re dead.” He won’t agree, not a chance. He’s already made up his mind.
“I could just leave. Then what? I’d put a spell on the house so you couldn’t escape.”
“You’re damn crazy! Is my heart not racing enough now from your crazy stupid idea?” Aileen shakes her head; it’s nowhere near fast enough for what Azalea needs.
“It isn’t happening, Aileen.”
She nods, smiling at him. “How do you plan to stop me?” He looks at her confused as she darts quickly out the door and closes it behind her, casting a spell to lock him in.
“Aileen!” He shouts as his hands pound against the door, Camille walking past looking at Aileen confused as she laughs. Cayson can feel himself losing control.
“I swear to God, you better open this fucking door!” He looks around him panicked, striding to the windows and trying to open them, returning to the door when he’s unable to. He keeps banging, his fists growing numb with the repeated pressure on the wood. Every minute that passes by worries him further. She could be injured, she could be dead, and he wouldn’t even know. Whatever spell she cast stopped him from being able to even connect to her.
Aileen stands listening to Cayson screaming her name for five long minutes before his heart finally reaches a good threshold. She isn’t stupid; she would never do something so suicidal. By the time she opens the door, Cayson has begun to pace the floorboards anxiously, and when she walks in, Cayson’s eyes widen as he turns to look at her. He moves towards her as she shuts the door, her back leaning against it, biting her lip in apology.
“You crazy fuc-” Aileen pulls him to her as she kisses him, Cayson’s hands grabbing at her desperately, his head shaking.
“I need to leave.” This wasn’t a good experiment at all, it pushed him too far.
“No, come down. If Azalea can’t control it then I will.” Moving she kisses him again, her body pressed tightly between Cayson and the door.
“Or we could just stay here and enjoy this,” he says, starting to lift her. Aileen pushes him back, laughing.
“Later, puppy.”
Cayson stares at her shocked as she giggles, opening the door.
“You’re damn crazy, one of these days you will go too far,” says Zander, who walks past the two of them grinning, his eyes going to Aileen.
“Just helping, that’s all,” she replies innocently.
“Maybe less torture next time. It might not have been physical but it sure was mental torture, I could hear him from the other side of the house.” Cayson walks downstairs and sits opposite Azalea, who looks at him with wide, blinking eyes.
“What did she do?”
Cayson shakes his head. Two minutes, he’ll give her two minutes before he leaves, or he’s going to end up shifting in here.
“Played a damn dangerous game, now you either calm me down or I’m running and fast.”
Aileen sits, watching as Azalea tries to control his emotions and calm his heart. Cayson stays quiet as the young girl stares at him intently. He slowly feels himself calming down, looking at Azalea as she continues until it’s back to a normal rhythm. He smiles gently at her; controlling emotions is hard enough but practicing on a werewolf? She’s brave. Werewolves are one of the hardest ones to control. Everyone seems to relax upon seeing it working, Aileen glancing to her phone before suddenly hearing the beating of Cayson’s heart become faster. Her eyes flick up to see Azalea trying to calm Cayson back down, only it seems to be having the op
posite effect.
“MOVE!” Cayson’s voice roars around the house, Azalea running out the room just as he shifts form. The sound of wood cracking and breaking is loud as things tumble to the ground. One more second and he would have caught her, and then what?
“I’m sorry, she did do it, just for some reason at the end her power slipped and you went right back there and worse.” Aileen looks at Cayson as his golden wolf eyes stare back at her. Okay, maybe outside would have being better? Shifting in the house means he broke the table and the things around it, but at least no-one was hurt. Aileen looks at him; she can sense that he is still panicking. He won’t ever shift back while his emotions are so bad.
She walks towards him slowly, her hands reached out. “Can I?”
She has seen him in this form many times now when Azalea’s spells have gone wrong; never this close though, not since the field when he caught her falling body. Cayson’s head bows as she walks towards him, her eyes glancing at the shredded clothes on the floor.
“Azalea, can you get something for Cayson to cover his body and leave it at the door please?” She can’t do this and expect him to sit naked. A few of the witches are on the steps looking at the pieces of broken wood strewn across the floor. Aileen looks at them and points upstairs, watching as they disappear.
Cayson looks at Aileen; he had no time to run, no time to even move, he was momentarily immobilised due to the shock of how quickly the emotions came flooding back. He watches her as she walks towards him, her hand stroking along his head when she reaches the mass of fur.
Cayson finds his head tipping to the side, slightly enjoying the feel. This is something he hasn’t had before. Other than curling around her when she passed out on the field that night he hasn’t ever felt a human’s touch in this form. It’s… different. Aileen kneels before him, her arms wrapping around him in a tight embrace, a low whine escaping his throat as his body relaxes against her touch. The thought of how close he was to hurting Azalea flutters into his mind, but vanishes quickly as he feels himself calming down and his breathing settles. His eyes are closed as he feels the warmth of Aileen’s arms around him.
“I love you, Cayson,” she murmurs into his fur, and when she pulls back to look at him he’s shifted back somehow. Whatever she did relaxed him so much he didn’t even notice he’d switched back, but his eyes open and upon realising he’d shifted his arms pull her to him.
“And I love you enough to agree to have kids,” he smiles.
There’s clapping that comes from the other side of the door at that comment, Cayson rolling his eyes as Aileen laughs.
“Azalea, really?” she calls, loud enough for Azalea to hear. She doesn’t want to know how the girl had even heard what Cayson had said.
“A baby! Just think how cute it will look, you two will make the most gorgeous babies,” they hear through the door.
“I didn’t say now. Pass me some clothes.” Cayson glances around at the floor, which is littered with remnants of his clothes. Aileen walks to the door, opening it, and Azalea hands her the clothes as she shuts it again. Walking to Cayson, Aileen hands him the clothes.
“Are you sure?” She looks at him, worried.
“I’ve agreed to be a guinea pig and to do crazy shit like this that could get me killed. I can agree to kids too; at least they won’t kill me.” He throws the clothes on carelessly, kissing her when he’s done.
“Azalea,” he says, loud enough for her to hear, and her head peers around the door meekly. “Sorry, it happened too quickly for me to control it.” He would have hated it if she got hurt. She walks over and hugs him.
“It’s fine, you agreed to have a baby so I’m happy!” She grins at him, Aileen laughing slightly.
“You realise it won’t be your baby, right?”
Azalea nods rolling her eyes. “I know, but I will be like its aunt. That’s a bonus. So when is it happening? If you get started now it could be a Christmas baby!”
Aileen laughs loudly at the horror on Cayson’s face.
“Okay, stop picking on him; I’m pretty sure it is late now,” she says.
“Fine, guess I’ll just go to bed and leave the grown-ups to have their fun.” Sulking she walks towards the stairs, Cayson rolling his eyes.
“Tomorrow, okay? Outside this time, though. There will be rules to keep you safe, Azalea, but you can try your spell again tomorrow.” Nodding she runs back and hugs him again before going upstairs. Cayson turns to Aileen, who’s biting her lip in an effort to stop her laughter from escaping. It’s not working.
“I thought we were alone when I said it,” he protests. He hadn’t even considered that anyone could be listening.
“We technically were but when does Azalea ever actually disappear? I mean, it wouldn’t surprise me if she was stood at the top of the stairs now waiting to see if we mention when the whole baby thing will happen.”
“Well if she is, she can forget using me as a guinea pig tomorrow,” he says loudly, and they laugh together as they hear the movement at the top of the stairs followed by Azalea’s door closing.
“So, a Christmas baby, Cayson?”
He shakes his head. “Slow down, I only just agreed. Let’s just see what happens. Plus, you have witches coming from all over tomorrow. Anyway, off the baby topic. Do that again, the whole fake going to the graveyard and locking me in a damn room thing, and I swear to-”
Aileen bursts out laughing. “Sorry.” She tries straightening her face as her lips press together. “Total seriousness. No laughing.” She watches as his eyes roll.
“You’re such a witch.” Aileen nods with a smirk, his eyes rolling again. “You know I didn’t mean in that sense. Please don’t though, I was going out of my mind in there, Aileen, two more minutes and I would have likely shifted in the room and destroyed your bed!” Aileen laughs his eyes rolling. “Say it, I dare you!”
“Makes a change from us breaking it together. More fun that way, though.” Cayson laughs slightly pulling her closer. “Is it weird?” He glances down to her, confused.
“Is what weird? You locking me in a room with a spell and pretending you’re going to go play chicken with a bunch of vampires? Yes, very weird, but then again when are you not weird?”
“I meant that.” She points towards the broken table. “The fact I somehow felt a totally different connection to you when you were in your wolf form. I can’t explain it.” Cayson’s shoulders shrug. “You should know how it feels, Cayson, you’re the first werewolf I have been around.”
“Aileen, you’re the only person who has ever come that close to me when I’ve changed form. No-one else ever has, not even Yasmine, so I wouldn’t know what’s weird or normal.” He kisses her softly.
“Let’s go out. You have so much going on this weekend with the witches.” He kisses her again, his eyes rolling. “Scrap that plan, we know Azalea will be up. See if she wants to join us, I don’t know; late night food or a movie.” Azalea hardly ever goes with them as they tend to go to bars, and she’s not old enough yet.
“You realise that if we do that, there’s a high chance Zander and the rest will come as well?”
“Yeah, I guess so. I will let Gwenael and that lot know, see if they want to join. I’ll text you where to meet us.” Kissing her he leaves. Aileen walks upstairs and knocks on Azalea’s door, which Azalea opens, looking at her confused.
“Get dressed; Cayson said we’re all apparently going out for the night.” Azalea nods and grins, walking straight to her wardrobe, and when Aileen turns Camille is stood there. “And you! Tell Zander and everyone as well. I think all the witches in this place could do with a night to enjoy themselves before tomorrow.” Camille nods and walks off, Aileen heading to her own room. When she gets there there’s an elaborately-wrapped box in the middle of her bed, tied with red ribbon with a little notecard tucked into the large bow. She examines the package, confused, taking the note out and smiling as she reads the familiar slanted handwriting.
Wea
r this tonight. You always look stunning, but I wanted to spoil my queen. Cayson x
Taking out her phone, she taps out a message to him. I’m confused, how did you manage to get this on my bed? Maybe one of the other witches had helped? She looks around the room and shrugs as she picks up the dress and gets ready, touching up her make-up and letting her curls fall down her back. She sits down, wondering where they’ll end up tonight, and there’s a beep from her phone almost spookily well-timed. I planned tonight, it changed slightly. Just go with it! No questions, ok? Oh and only Azalea knows the location. Car will be there any minute now x
She glances around confused. So they aren’t going for food? She walks out, Azalea already waiting for her outside her bedroom, smiling at her a little too much.
“What’s going on?”
“No idea! Cayson messaged me like 10 minutes ago telling me a car was coming and where we were going and not to tell you. Other than that, even I don’t know.” She skips down the stairs excitedly, Aileen walking down with her. There are two cars waiting outside and the witches pile into them as Aileen glances to Zander.
“You and Cayson have been close recently,” she starts, and Zander laughs.
“You’d have more luck asking Gwenael; whatever’s happening he hasn’t told me. Maybe it’s just a night off, like he said.” She gives in, climbing into one of the cars and staying quiet as everyone else talks around her. The car stops outside a large hotel and everyone gets out. Aileen glances at the building in confusion, and follows Azalea who just shrugs and pulls her inside. Cayson is already waiting inside and he smiles at Aileen as she walks through the door and heads straight for him, opening her mouth to talk. Cayson’s finger covers it before she can say anything.
“Before you start, can I just ask- did you look in the mirror?”
Aileen looks at him shocked, glancing down at herself worriedly, and a slight chuckle escapes his mouth. “No, don’t worry! I was only going to say that you look utterly breath-taking, and ready to break some hearts. That’s the only reason I’m ignoring Azriel’s comments.” Aileen looks at him confused. “Nothing bad, he was just telling Zander what I said to you, only more… inappropriately.”
Night Shadows Page 16
