by Nadia Heaton
22
Rashid took her hand gently in his. “Come on, let’s go get cleaned up.”
It was only then that Mirabelle noticed that her clothes were singed, and her legs were splattered with something that looked horribly like blood. She followed Rashid along corridors and up stairs, finally coming to an expansive suite of rooms. The curtains were thick, and there was an ornate sarcophagus in the corner.
“You always did have expensive taste,” she murmured, shaking her head as she looked around.
Rashid chuckled. “You should see Ariana’s tower room, I spent even longer designing that than I did my own chambers.”
Mirabelle would like to see Ariana’s room, but not right now. Now, she just wanted to get clean and rest.
“The shower is through there. You go first.”
Feeling slightly self-conscious, Mirabelle closed the door behind her before undressing and stepping into the shower. She usually found showers relaxing, but now she was filled with nerves, acutely aware that she was naked and Rashid was just in the other room, probably listening to every movement she made.
Mirabelle finished quickly, and found some clean, folded clothes on the toilet seat. Rashid must have used magic to get them in here without opening the door himself. Touched, she picked up the clothes. They were old things of Rashid’s, and too big for her, but they were clean and comfortable.
Rashid smiled briefly at her as she exited before slipping into the bathroom himself. Mirabelle started drying her hair with a towel. She could do it with magic, but that always resulted in tangles that took ages to comb out. She was still busy when Rashid exited the bathroom, dressed in comfortable clothes similar to the ones he’d loaned her.
“Here, let me.” Rashid picked up a brush from the drawer and sat behind Mirabelle on the bed, brushing her long brown hair. It was starting to get streaks of gray, but Rashid didn’t seem bothered by that. Mirabelle sighed at the small reminder of reality.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m just thinking… whatever else is true, you’re still a vampire, and I’m still mortal. I’m going to age and die. There’s it’s taboo for our kind to be with each other.”
“We’ll deal with that when it happens. We have time. Besides, Ariana is in exactly the same situation with Julio, and you can bet she’s already working on the problem. As a vampire with witch powers, she has perhaps the best chance of finding a solution to this. Your nieces will help, too, for Bethany’s sake if not for Ariana’s.”
“I won’t become a vampire,” Mirabelle warned. “I may not want to kill you all, but that doesn’t mean I want to be one of you. I want to die as a witch and a mortal.”
“I know. I would never expect otherwise of you.” Rashid cupped her cheek in one hand. “So does this mean you’ve decided to give us a chance?”
Fear threatened to choke her, but Mirabelle was done being afraid. Unable to meet Rashid’s eyes, she looked down at his knees as she spoke. “I’ve always loved you, Rashid, even when I was afraid of you. I was raised to fear vampires. It was all I knew how to do.”
“Despite what you were taught, I never wanted to hurt anyone, least of all you.”
“I know that now, but I was too stupid to listen, before. Maybe if I hadn’t believed what I’d been taught, things would have been different. We would have had so much more time…”
She thought of all the years wasted, the years she and Rashid could have been using to be proper parents to Ariana.
“Then maybe we should make up for some of that lost time.” Rashid’s intense gaze nearly took her breath away. This time, when he leaned close, Mirabelle didn’t stiffen. She closed the rest of the distance. Their lips met in a gentle, careful kiss.
They went slowly, exploring each other, each ready to pull back if necessary. Slowly, the kiss heated up, taking over Mirabelle’s mind and senses. She lay back down on the bed, spread out before Rashid, silently begging him to take her.
Rashid didn’t disappoint. He undressed her slowly, taking time to let his fingers linger over every inch of skin as it was exposed. By the time he was done, Mirabelle was squirming in anticipation. The fact that he was a vampire wasn’t nearly as important as getting his clothes off.
“Clothes off,” Mirabelle gasped, already breathing hard. “Quickly.”
Rashid raised an eyebrow in amusement. He moved so fast that he was a mere blur. The next time he came into focus, he was completely naked. Mirabelle laughed in delight as she reached for him. “That’s going to be useful.”
“You want to see what else I can do?” The look in his eyes was positively scorching, and Mirabelle could do little more than nod.
Of course, she wasn’t to be outdone. While she didn’t specialize in the field, she knew enough from Lisette that she could use her powers to make sex magical – literally.
Mirabelle sent a zip of power through Rashid, making him gasp and stiffen before swooping down to worship her body. She held him tightly as they made slow, passionate love among the tangled covers of Rashid’s bed.
Afterward, Mirabelle lay nestled in Rashid’s arms. Why had she resisted this for so long? Rashid had been here this whole time, she’d just been too blind to see it.
“Don’t do that.”
She lifted her head slightly to look at him. “What?”
“Berate yourself for things you can’t change. I can see you’re doing it – you have a look.”
“I do not have a look!”
“You do.” Rashid was grinning now. “It’s the way your eyebrows furrow, and how you start biting your lip. Don’t get me wrong, it’s adorable, but I won’t have anyone saying bad things about the woman I love, not even you.”
“Maybe those things are justified. I’ve acted horribly toward just about everyone, even my own family. I don’t know if everyone else will be as forgiving as you and Ariana.”
“We can only try our best to make up for our mistakes. I find that for most people, admitting you were wrong and working to change is sufficient to gain forgiveness. If they care about you, they’ll let it go and move on.”
“But…”
“But nothing. None of us have been perfect in this, and that includes your family. They tried to lock you up when they should have been helping you see the truth. They have their own forgiveness to earn. And me? A young man is dead because of me. I could have saved Luca his grief if I’d only listened to Lisette from the beginning and focused on making peace rather than gathering a hostile force.”
“You only did that because of my actions. It’s all my fault, I pressed this war...”
“There you go again, saying bad things about the woman I love. I won’t have it.”
“No, seriously, Rashid, I mean it –”
But Rashid wasn’t listening. He pressed a hand over her mouth, his eyes twinkling. She tried to twist away, but he held on tightly.
Mirabelle tried to hold onto her indignation, but she just ended up laughing. “Fine, fine, just let me breathe!”
Rashid let her go, giving her a quick kiss before getting up off the bed and rummaging through the drawer for something.
“What are you doing?”
“I have a perfect way idea for how to seal a peace treaty between witches and vampires – not that that’s why I’m asking. I’ve had this idea for a long time, I just figure we may as well take advantage of it.”
“What are you –?”
Mirabelle’s voice cut off abruptly as Rashid turned, holding out a little box. Inside it was a diamond ring. Her heart rose into her throat as Rashid got down on one knee.
23
The wedding was a huge affair. Mirabelle had originally wanted something small, but fool in love that she was, she’d allowed Rashid to talk her into this monstrosity.
To be fair, it seemed to be working. She glanced out from behind the curtain of the dressing room. Vampires and witches were mingling, sharing glasses of wine – some mixed with blood – and talking to each other quit
e politely. This must be the most civil gathering of their people in centuries, or perhaps in history.
Rashid was nowhere in sight. He had insisted that they not see each other on the day of the wedding, a stipulation that Ariana and Julio had wholeheartedly agreed with.
“It’s beautiful.” Ariana helped drape Mirabelle’s veil back over the tiara perched on top of her hairdo. “You’re going to be great.”
Mirabelle nodded, giving Ariana a nervous smile. A knock on the door revealed Tristan.
“Mirabelle, everyone is getting seated. They’re nearly ready for you. Dad is waiting to walk you down the aisle.”
Mirabelle thanked Tristan, watching her youngest niece go. Tristan seemed a bit down, but she had expressed happiness for her aunt over the wedding. Mirabelle decided that it was probably just nervousness about the gathering. Tristan certainly wouldn’t be the only one who was nervous. This could go spectacularly wrong, but Mirabelle was hopeful, as was Rashid. It was a new era, and they were leading it.
* * *
Tristan plastered a smile on her face, aware that everyone else was overjoyed. Mirabelle and Rashid were practically glowing with happiness. She knew there was a lot to celebrate, but she couldn’t quite accept the celebratory mood.
She sat between Lisette and Bethany, both of whom were holding hands with their vampire loves. Mirabelle and Rashid stood in front of the minister, holding hands, their eyes fixed on each other. Tristan tried to pay attention to the ceremony, but her mind kept wandering.
Everyone else was happy, but Tristan found herself overwhelmed by sadness at the whole thing. Why did it take such violence and bloodshed for people to finally come together out of love? Luca’s wails over his brother’s body still haunted her. Every time Tristan tried to focus on the celebration, the sound of his cries came back to her.
At least it’s over, she reminded herself. Well, it seemed to be over. Centuries worth of hate was hard to overcome, but from what she’d seen, it looked like both the vampires and the witches were committed to ending that era.
Before she knew it, the vows were completed, and they were all herded to the reception. Ariana and Lisette had outdone themselves, creating a spectacular mixture of witch and vampire magic for the guests.
Shimmering crystals hung in midair and flashed different colors, while real manta rays swam around in suspended pools of salt water, all of which were carefully roped off so that none of the witches accidentally got too close.
Tristan wondered how Luca was doing now. She didn’t even know what he and Teo had been doing at Rashid’s chateau, that dreadful day of the last battle.
The evening flew by in a flurry of laughter, drink and magic. Before she knew it, Mirabelle and Rashid were heading off. Tristan listened to them playfully argue about whether they should go to Rashid’s chateau or Mirabelle’s hut.
“There won’t be space for Julio or our baby in that hut,” Ariana pointed out.
“Yes, but we’ll have our own place long before you’re due.” Mirabelle pretended to pout, but even Tristan could see her hiding a smile.
“For you, my new wife, anything, even a cramped hut.”
“It’s not cramped!” Mirabelle laughed as she swatted Rashid playfully on the arm. “I’ll show you cramped…”
Tristan watched as Rashid took Mirabelle’s face in his hands and kissed her deeply. All around them, both witches and vampires broke into applause. Finally, Tristan broke into a reluctant smile. It looked like things were going to be ok.
* * *
Preview - Lotus of Love
Book 6 - Flames of the Sea Series
Nadia Heaton
Chapter 1
Tristan held the two black dresses side-by-side, trying to determine which was more appropriate. She’d never been to a funeral before. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying not to remember. She hadn’t been close to Teo, despite him being her sister’s fiancé.
Lisette fell in and out of love often, and Tristan hadn’t been surprised when she left Teo at the altar. Nor was she surprised to learn that Teo had held a violent grudge against Lisette. That was probably what brought him to the site of the battle – revenge. He’d known Lisette was there, and was taking his chance. He’d already tried to kill her once.
Though she knew she shouldn’t feel sorry for him, Tristan did. She didn’t think Teo had been killed on purpose, but a mortal walking into the middle of a pitched battle between witches and vampires was never going to come to any good end.
“Tristan, are you ready?” Fleur stuck her head into the room, where Tristan was still holding both dresses in front of the mirror.
“Give me a minute.” Tristan chose the long-sleeved dress, tossing the other onto the bed. She dressed quickly, flexing her fingers. She had volunteered to provide the music for Teo’s funeral. Ever since she was young, Tristan had played the piano. Her magic wasn’t as strong as either of her sisters’, but she was happier to have a non-magical thing as her strongest talent.
She wondered if Luca would like the music. More than even the sight of Teo’s dead body, Tristan was haunted by Luca’s scream of despair when he realized his brother was dead. She couldn’t get his face out of her head.
Though Tristan hadn’t participated in the battle, she had seen the whole thing. She’d been watching from the tower room in Rashid’s estate.
Maybe she should have gone to help her family, but which side would she have chosen? Lisette was now the vampire queen, whereas Fleur and Mirabelle were witches. Tristan and her sisters had been pushing for peace between the two species ever since their stepsister had led the way by falling in love with a vampire.
Now, not only Bethany, but Fleur, Lisette and their aunt Mirabelle, were in love with vampires. At least Teo’s death had counted for something. Tristan wasn’t the only one grieving over the senseless tragedy. His death had spurred both sides to find common ground. Now, the at first fragile peace between vampires and witches was growing stronger by the day.
Tristan dressed quickly and started doing her hair in a simple but elegant bun. She could hear her sisters downstairs. It sounded like all three of them were ready; they were just waiting on her. Tristan tried to pull herself together. She had barely known Teo. She shouldn’t be this upset. The battle shouldn’t be haunting her the way it did.
If she had joined in, maybe things would have gone differently. Maybe Teo would still be alive. Maybe Luca wouldn’t be grieving.
Just as much as the past, the future worried her. Everyone was working for peace now, but Tristan knew how powerful both Fleur and Lisette were. Power tended to corrupt. She’d always looked up to her sisters, but recently, she’d become disillusioned with them. She still loved them, but Tristan saw them as the flawed people they really were. Not that she was perfect – far from it.
She felt that she had more in common now with Beth than Fleur or Lisette. Bethany wasn’t a witch, and while Tristan was, her power had always been relatively weak for a witch.
There was a scheduled coven meeting for the day after tomorrow. The thought of it made Tristan feel slightly ill. Mirabelle was retiring as coven leader, and Fleur was going to be sworn in to take her place. She knew she should support her sister, but Tristan wasn’t even sure if she wanted to be part of a coven anymore. Most witches were, but not all. She could do her own thing, and stay completely out of any conflict that might re-emerge.
That was what Bethany and Jermaine were doing. The word was that they were happy and safe on Jermaine’s island. Tristan envied them, and wished she could be somewhere else.
She glanced out of the window, checking the sky. It looked like the coming rain would at least hold off for a while. The curtain’s shade of green was almost exactly the same color as the shirt Luca had been wearing at the battle.
That shirt had quickly been stained red. No, no, stop it! Tristan harshly reprimanded herself. she would never get over this if she kept reliving the scene over and over again. It seemed that everything
she looked at or heard reminded her of some aspect of the battle. It was a constant barrage, one she didn’t know how to escape.
The sadness and the guilt, too, were impossible to leave behind. None of the rest of her family seemed as affected as Tristan was, and they’d been in the actual battle. They had more reason than her to be upset.
“Tristan–”
“Coming,” she called, opening her door before Fleur could. She realized she’d been standing by the window for several minutes, lost in memories. Fleur smiled at her as they two of them walked downstairs. Tristan tried to return the smile, but couldn’t. She settled for following Fleur downstairs.
They left immediately, Tristan having procrastinated until the last possible moment. She was dreading the funeral. She wanted to go, to pay her respects, but she desperately didn’t want to look into the grieving eyes of Teo’s family.
Though her whole family had assured her that she wasn’t to blame, Tristan still felt the weight of guilt over Teo’s death. She shuffled to the car, not looking at anyone. They had agreed to drive rather than use magic to get there. Fleur didn’t know how much Luca knew – obviously he knew something, given he had seen a magical battle – but the chances were good that he wouldn’t have told the rest of his family what he’d seen.
That realization only deepened Tristan’s sorrow for him. At least she could talk to her family about what had happened. If Luca did the same, he would most probably be confined to a mental institution. How was he coping with the loss of his brother, when he couldn’t even talk about it?
Tristan wondered if she should do more. Maybe she should approach Luca and ask if there was anything she could do. Maybe that would just make it worse, though. It was her family that had killed his brother, after all.
“Tristan? Can you hear me?”
She looked up just in time to see Fleur and Lisette exchanging worried looks.
