Under His Spell (Blanchard Coven 2): An M/M Vampire Romance

by Frey Ortega

  “I’ve got it!” Elijah said, maybe a little too loudly. The vampire had a big, beaming smile on his face.

  “W-what is it?” Bennett asked. “I can only assume that what you want to tell me isn’t bad news, because you wouldn’t look quite so…happy if it were bad news.”

  “No. This isn’t bad news at all,” Elijah answered. He was still beaming brightly, sitting up a little taller than earlier. “This might be the best news you’ve ever received in your life, actually. Hang on to your hat. Or something less lame. Sorry, I’m not usually this dumb. I just had a little to drink, that’s all.”

  “Okay,” Bennett replied, nodding. It’s weird, but seeing the flustered vampire in front of him, Bennett actually found him…well, cute.

  “Bennett Landry, you’re my mate.”

  Another moment of silence passed between the both of them as Elijah looked right into Bennett’s eyes, while the poor warlock was frozen in shock right in front of him. His hands clutched onto the table firmly, enough so that his knuckles had turned white.

  That couldn’t possibly be what Elijah needed to say, right? Judging from the vampire’s admission that he’d had tequila tonight, Bennett came to the conclusion that Elijah wasn’t just tipsy, the guy was probably full-on drunk. Sometimes, drunk people said things they didn’t mean to say.

  Right?

  It was safe to say that Bennett couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing.

  “I’m sorry, what? Could you repeat that?” Bennett asked, his voice coming out a little higher-pitched than he wanted.

  “You’re my mate,” Elijah said as he leaned forward, slowing his words and enunciating every syllable. “I’m not sure how I can be clearer.”

  If Bennett were the type of person whose jaw dropped, it definitely would have at that moment. But instead, the butterflies in his stomach turned into an agitated hive of wasps, making him lean forward to try and tame the pain that slowly grew in his stomach. Bennett clasped both hands in front of him, on the table, and within moments, without even meaning to, he started to twiddle his thumbs.

  “I know you have a…complicated relationship with vampires,” Elijah said, snapping Bennett out of his thoughts. “But in time, I think you’ll grow to see that I’m not like that. I hope we can consummate the mating and you can see exactly what I mean.”

  Bennett didn’t like that the vampire was coming to conclusions like that, and he squirmed in his seat a little bit as he felt the anxiety in his stomach spike. “I’m not blaming all vampires for what happened to me,” Bennett replied, his voice soft. He was mumbling, trying to get the words out in spite of the anxiety pains spiking inside of him.

  Elijah frowned slightly. “Of course,” he said, maybe a little too quickly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  Bennett shook his head. “I’m not offended. This is all just a lot to process,” he replied, his voice sounding a bit hollow. He himself was quite surprised at how flat his tone was. Surprised didn’t begin to explain how he felt, but he wasn’t quite shocked. “I…I really don’t know what to say.”

  “Is there really anything to say?” Elijah asked. “You’re my mate. I’m yours. When we complete our bond, everything will fall into place perfectly.”

  “That’s…that’s a lot to throw at me all at once,” Bennett said, feeling this desperate need to pull away and just…disappear. He appreciated the guts it took to come over and finally set everything straight, but it was a lot. It was too much, too quickly, and Bennett didn’t know how to react.

  On the one hand, he could have been happy. On the other hand, there was this voice inside his head telling him that he didn’t deserve this happiness. He had been offered a new home, and a place among the witches and warlocks in a house that welcomed him with open arms.

  Elijah was looking at him, his eyebrows slowly furrowing with every moment of silence that passed between the two of them. “Do you not want to be mated with me?” the vampire asked, and this time, his voice was softer, like there was a kernel of pain there at just even uttering those words out loud.

  It made the anxiety in Bennett grow even more. It was like someone had driven a spike through his stomach and then proceeded to twist his insides with it. When he spoke, his words came out fast and a little louder than he intended. “No! Not at all! I mean, I don’t mean I don’t want to be mated with you, no, it’s not that I don’t want to be mated to you, I just… I…”

  Elijah was looking up at him with those beautiful hazel eyes, so expectant, and it was getting to be a bit too much. But then those eyes flared blood red, and the part of Bennett that still wanted to answer Elijah went silent.

  Bennett needed to get out.

  He couldn’t breathe.

  “I…I need to go. I’m sorry. I’m a shitty mate and you deserve so much better,” Bennett said.

  All of a sudden, the magic coursing through Bennett’s body popped like some kind of bubble, and when he blinked, he was safely back in his bedroom.

  Bennett curled into a ball, lowering his head into his lap and sighed deeply. Even in his mind’s eye, he couldn’t forget the expression on Elijah’s face. He was so earnest—so honest—and slowly he started to frown, until those eyes shone with hurt.

  Bennett hurt him, and the man was his mate. His mate. This wasn’t just some random person off the street. This was a man who bore his heart out to him, and Bennett…ran away from the guy like he was some sort of random flasher. An emotional flasher, who showed off his heart and soul.

  And Bennett ran away from him.

  Somewhere, deep inside, Bennett knew it was the truth, too. Why else would his eyes be drawn to Elijah when he made a point not to look at anyone else? Why else did he feel so distraught at leaving Elijah there in the middle of their conversation?

  Bennett didn’t deserve a mate, and he just proved it by running away rather than embracing it.

  This little voice inside him hoped that Elijah would forget about him, and find someone new.

  Another had hoped that Elijah would forgive him.

  Chapter Four

  “I…I need to go. I’m sorry. I’m a shitty mate and you deserve so much better.”

  If there was ever a more sobering sentence, Elijah was hard-pressed to find it. So he sat there, having seen his mate just pop from existence like a bubble with his magic, and it felt like tiny little knives had just stabbed him through the chest.

  Bennett couldn’t have gotten far enough away from Elijah.

  Sure, Elijah felt like Bennett was still somewhere around the building, but the young warlock sure as hell wasn’t around him, anymore.

  The sudden disappearing act was enough to bring the attention of some of the people around him. Eos and Julien were among them too, and they saw Elijah flub his confession so badly that his mate actually decided to magic himself far, far away from him, instead of staying there.

  Elijah actually took a moment to sit there, just pondering what had gone wrong.

  Did he say something? Was it his breath? Did he come on too strong?

  The fact was, Elijah heard Bennett’s heartbeat. The man’s heart was going a million miles a minute by the end of their conversation. It was why Elijah felt like his chest had just been stomped on, and not in the way some of his friends liked, which was kind of messed up but it wasn’t for Elijah to judge.

  Did Bennett not like him that much? Was Elijah maybe overthinking this a little, in part due to the alcohol?

  No. That would have been too logical, and although Elijah acknowledged that it could possibly be true, his emotions were telling him otherwise. The way Bennett just teleported out of there felt a full-blown rejection, at least to Elijah. That was more akin to a cosmic fuck you by the universe, or at the very least, from his mate. Bennett might have been afraid of him. Hell, he might have actually been so repulsed that he didn’t want anything to do with Elijah. The vampire didn’t know what it was he did or said to fuck up the situation.

  Maybe he
shouldn’t have drank so much tequila. It was making him think such unpleasant things, and he wasn’t usually a sad drunk.

  He was the fun one, usually. When he wasn’t worrying about if his mate just rejected him, anyway.

  “Hey,” a voice called out to him from the side, and Elijah slowly turned to look at the person speaking to him. It was Julien Blanchard, of course, with a growing look of concern on his face. His mate Eos right beside him, clutching his tablet to his chest.

  “Are you okay?” Julien asked, moving over to one of the empty seats and sitting down. He pulled the chair beside him out for Eos, who sat down and offered a slight smile and a nod to Elijah.

  “Saw that, did you?” Elijah smiled, trying to deflect the question. “Felt a little like a swift kick to the nuts, but I’m fine.”

  “I know it’s not in my place to ask, but was it maybe something you said?” Eos asked, adjusting himself in his seat.

  Julien slung his arm around Eos’s shoulder, drawing the human against his side. Eos looked up at his mate, but then turned his attention back to Elijah with what could only be a concerned expression on his face—eyebrows knit together, pouting ever so slightly.

  Elijah shook his head. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t really say anything worth running away from. For what it’s worth, I didn’t tell him I was about to take a big bite out of his kidneys, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “I don’t mean to be offensive when I ask that, by the way!” Eos said quickly, clutching his tablet a little tighter to his chest. He sighed. “I’m sorry if it came across that way. Sometimes I put my foot in my mouth when I don’t mean to be too blunt.”

  Elijah laughed, although even he thought the sound was a little hollow. “Don’t worry. I didn’t take it badly,” he answered. “I think I’m too surprised than anything to be offended.”

  “Considering you smell of alcohol, I think maybe the gist of the situation is that you came on too strong,” Julien said matter-of-factly. “That and I just happened to hear your conversation,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Is it a matter of you just happening to hear it, or were you actively trying to hear it?” Elijah asked, but shook his head. “No, forget I asked. I’m pretty sure everyone in the café knew exactly what we were talking about even if they didn’t actively try to eavesdrop. It’s not like many of us can help it. It’s the curse of vampiric hearing.”

  Julien frowned. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Either way, my point stands. I honestly think you came on a bit too strong.”

  Elijah scrunched up his face, and tilted his head. “You might be right, but maybe tell me why? My brain can’t comprehend much more than my sadness right now.”

  The other vampire shrugged. “Maybe it has to do with the fact that you sat down after having barely talked to him the entire time he’s been here, and then saying that you two are mates. I know you well enough to know how you operate by now, Elijah. You’re secretly a softy and a romantic underneath all that confidence you show on the surface. Also, you got tipsy trying to find the courage to talk to him.”

  “Well, what am I supposed to do in this situation then?” Elijah asked, exasperation clear as day in the way he sighed. He could feel heat start to simmer just underneath his skin, a sense of frustration that built more and more with every passing moment. “When he first came here, you guys told me to hold off. You guys told me to take it slow, or to avoid him entirely. He needed to heal. He needed to get settled in. He needed this, he needed that. Honestly, I think that’s all crap. I think what he actually needed was his mate above all things. It might’ve helped him heal. You might not have said so exactly, but it was almost like you were all forbidding me from getting anywhere near him.”

  “That’s not true at all,” Eos said, interrupting Julien, whose lips had parted to try and speak, most likely to refute everything Elijah had just said. “We all just wanted you to take it slow. I may not know you as well as everyone else in your coven, but it seems to me like you have a bit of a problem with being impatient.”

  “I don’t have a problem,” Elijah snapped. “I can be plenty patient if I want to be. And I have been, haven’t I?”

  Julien snorted. “If that were true, Bennett wouldn’t have run away like he was about to flee the country.”

  Elijah frowned. “Look, that wasn’t my best, but—”

  “Wait,” Eos said, holding up his hand to stop Elijah from talking as he turned to look at his mate. “Was that really a necessary comment to throw at one of your closest friends?”

  Julien’s lips were a thin line and his expression was grave as he looked down at his mate, who was looking up at him with what could only be described as…intense. For a moment, they were staring each other down. It seemed as though there were entire conversations happening between the two of them, all through the intensity of their glaring at one another.

  Elijah settled back against his seat, and the spike of annoyance that had taken up residence in his body slowly gave way to this bubbling feeling of amusement. Seeing Julien cave to his mate was…interesting. Then again, it was just interesting to see Julien be so…casual. Casual enough that he could throw some playful shade at Elijah, even. Julien Blanchard was usually wound up so tight that Elijah had actually forgotten how his friend acted before he became the leader of the coven.

  How long ago was that now?

  Far too long ago.

  Finally, Julien relented and sighed. “That wasn’t actually very helpful at all. I’m sorry, Elijah,” the coven leader said.

  Elijah grinned. “Nah, it’s okay. You were right. Plus, it’s rewarding to see just how whipped you are.”

  “Very happily whipped, I might add,” Julien replied.

  Eos sighed. He turned his attention back to Elijah now. “As I was saying, no one was telling you to stay away from Bennett completely. I think you misinterpreted what we all meant.”

  Elijah sighed. “How was I meant to take what everyone was telling me, then? You have to remember, this might be hard on him, but it’s been hard on me too. It’s hard to deny the call of mating. I just want to be by his side, like…always.”

  It was more than that, too. Elijah didn’t know if it was the same for everyone else, but for him, it felt like something was missing from his life. There was this strange mixture of sensations brimming inside him like someone had mashed up the sensations of a relentless itching, having an intense craving, and deep, dark anxiety, all into one ungodly concoction.

  “Honestly, I—and I’m pretty sure a couple other people will agree—just wanted you to take things slow with him,” Julien said. “For what it’s worth, I agree with you. He needs someone steady to hold on to. He’s been through a tough time, and he’s adjusting to a new life. Having you around would be a blessing for him. I think you could definitely be that person he needs.”

  “I want to be all of that for him, and more,” Elijah said. “I’m his mate. I guess…I just didn’t think mating would be this complicated. I thought it would be…I don’t know. Easier, I guess.”

  “Imagine how it might be for people who don’t really have the concept of actual soulmates the way that vampires do, then. Dating is already difficult as is, but there’re layers of uncertainty and even bull-crap there,” Eos replied. “In some ways, the fact that you have somebody who was actually made by the universe to be your partner is something that other people could only aspire to in their lifetime. Before Julien and I mated, I didn’t think I’d find anyone, let alone my other half.”

  “And now?” Julien asked, turning toward the human.

  Eos smiled. “I guess the best way to describe it would be like being whole, even when you never knew you had something missing in the first place. To be fair, I don’t think that’s a fair metaphor, either. Words can’t accurately describe how it feels to be a whole person on your own, but somehow still feel completed by someone else’s presence in your heart and in your mind. It’s strange, but in a good way.”

  Juli
en beamed. His smile went from ear to ear. It was downright shocking to Elijah that his friend could even look so happy.

  Would he look the same way, he wondered, when, or if, Bennett accepted him?

  The thought was enough to make Elijah feel uneasy. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  “What am I supposed to do now, then?” Elijah asked.

  Julien and Eos both looked at him. Comically, at the same time. They even blinked in unison. Elijah would have laughed, or at least popped a smile if he didn’t feel so lost at the moment.

  There was a pregnant pause between the three of them—a moment when Julien lightly drummed his fingers on the top of the table, and Eos chewed on his bottom lip while thinking—and Elijah leaned forward, looking at the mated pair. “Well?”

  Eos sighed. “I can’t really tell you what to do, at this point. On the one hand, I think your presence would make Bennett feel more at ease. On the other, I don’t know what’s going on with him. If it were me, though…I’d try to talk to him. Try not to spook him this time, either. Although honestly, that might be difficult. I don’t know him. Not really, anyway. So I can’t tell you for sure what might end up being a trigger.”

  Elijah raised an eyebrow at Eos. “A trigger?”

  “Yeah,” Eos answered, nodding. “A trigger. You know, something that might set off a bad memory, and cause him to react in a certain way. We don’t know any of that for sure.”

  Elijah sighed, and nodded in defeat. “Life was way simpler when I was just having one-night stands and drinking for fun,” he muttered. “Having a mate seems more trouble than it’s worth.”

  Though he said it out loud, Elijah didn’t really believe it. Not deep inside, anyway. He was annoyed—very much so—but he wasn’t so annoyed that he would throw away his mating for his old life. This was all just very new, and…well, just too much to handle in a healthy way.

  “It may be simpler, but all relationships take work. Just because Bennett is your mate, it doesn’t mean that you’re both in the same places in your life,” Julien said. “You need to meet halfway. And that’s not just for him, but for you, too.”